Exciting Time

“Do you really grasp what you are reading?” The Ethiopian eunuch replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” Acts 8:30-31

The encounter between Philip, one of the men chosen by the disciples to serve food to the community, and an Ethiopian eunuch is quite dramatic. God orchestrates their meeting, first by telling Philip to go south on a particular road on the desert, then by instructing him to join up with the chariot on which the Ethiopian is riding. 

“Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asks the stranger. “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” There are many things in the Bible that puzzle me, but I know that the Holy Spirit guides us to all truth. If today I do not understand, one day, that particular baffling passage will yield its treasure. In God’s time. Just like the Ethiopian eunuch. God knew it was time for him to learn about Jesus, and He sent Philip to explain the scriptures to Him. It would have been exciting to listen in on that conversation! 

Today, there are so many resources available to us. I like to listen in on the conversion stories on YouTube. I like to ponder on what teachers and preachers like Steve Ray, Brant Pitre, Scott Hahn and so many others, discover. Like the eunuch, we can see clearly that Jesus was already foretold in the Old Testament, that the Eucharist has its roots in Jewish traditions, that all the old covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David find their fulfilment in the new covenant of Jesus Christ. So many exciting conversations to listen in on. We just need to find the time and God will use that to enliven the flame and bring us back to our first love for Him. It is truly an exciting time we are living in!

I AM

"I am the Bread of Life." John 6:35 and John 6:47

This is one of the "I AM" statements of Jesus that we can't ignore. We have to decide if this man who claims to be the the bread of life, meaning "essential" for our existence, is saying what He knows to be truth. Is he a liar? The worst kind, who knows what he is saying is false but desires to deceive others? Or is he delusional, crazy, living his own reality? He could also be a fool, couldn't he? We could say "I like Jesus. I admire Him. I like reading His words. He is wise, compassionate, but I don't believe I have to obey Him. He's not God!" Well then, who is he? Isn't He who He claims to be?

Jesus said in John 6:32: "For the bread of God is that which COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN, and GIVES LIFE TO THE WORLD." So of course, the people hearing that said: "Lord ALWAYS GIVE US THIS BREAD!!!" They were probably looking for manna, like the bread that fell from heaven during Moses' time every single day! But Jesus is much more, much much more than manna. This is what the first Christians believed: 

Ignatius of Antioch wrote in his Letter to the Romans in A.D. 110, “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire His blood, which is love incorruptible”.

And Origen wrote, “Formerly there was baptism in an obscure way . . . now, however, in full view, there is regeneration in water and in the Holy Spirit. Formerly, in an obscure way, there was manna for food; now, however, in full view, there is the true food, the flesh of the Word of God, as he himself says: ‘My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink’ [John 6:55]” (Homilies on Numbers 7:2 [A.D. 248]).

If we don't believe what Jesus said, then we will always be hungry. Always be searching. But you see, that's OK. Jesus said, "If you seek, you will find." (Matthew 7:7) If we need to, let us just keep seeking, keep asking, keep looking. Don't stop. One day we'll be able to decide and know for ourselves if this man is who He claims to be! It’s the most important quest of our life. It determines where we will live forever. 

I am the Bread of Life

“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger...” John 6:35

True stories abound of very rich people, celebrities even, who earned hundreds of millions of dollars, and ended up scrounging in garbage bins and living out of cardboard boxes or cars. There are also people who won millions in the lotto, who thought all their problems would be solved but who became even more enmeshed in more problems and disasters. No matter how rich or privileged a person is, he can never guarantee that he will never go hungry. 

There is only one Person who can give us the guarantee that we will never go hungry if we stay by His side. Jesus. He said, “Do not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him, the Father, God, has set His seal.” (John 6:27)

During Biblical times, seals were often made of wax, embedded with the personal imprint of the one who makes the guarantee of authenticity. Here Jesus assures us that it is God the Father Himself who guarantees Jesus as the Bread of Life. Whoever depends on Him, who accepts Him as Lord, will never hunger. 

When we pray the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3, we say, “Give us this day our DAILY bread”. But most Christian scholars today reject this translation of the word “epiousios” in the original Greek New Testament. These scholars as well as Saint Jerome back in AD 382, translate it not as “daily” but as “SUPERSUBSTANTIAL”. Jesus instructed us to ask for supersubstantial bread. That is why we will never hunger, never perish, never die. 

Like the apostles let us pray, “Jesus, give us this supersubstantial bread always! You are the bread of life. I believe in You! I trust in You!”

Only God

“Do not work for food that perishes...” John 6:27

Jesus said this after feeding 5000 people with loaves and fishes. These same people followed him, getting into boats to look for Him. Jesus is the only human with the unique perspective of really seeing with God’s eyes the difference between perishable bread and His Words, the bread of life. 

I do not tire of retelling this amazing story of Hien Pham. He was an interpreter when Americans came and spoke to the troops in Vietnam. After Vietnam fell, Hien was accused of working for the CIA and incarcerated. He was forbidden to read anything but writings of Marx and Engels in Vietnamese or French. He was indoctrinated that there is no God day after day after day. One night he decided, “Tomorrow I am going to live as if there is no God.”

The next day he was assigned to clean the dirty, smelly latrines. He covered his mouth and nose as he mopped up the toilets. As he was about to throw out one bucket, he noticed a piece of paper in English. He surreptitiously cleaned it and put it in his pocket. That night when all was quiet, he took it out and read it. It was a page from Romans chapter 8: “And we know that all things work together for good for them that love God.” No verse was more relevant for him that day and he fell to his knees. The next day he volunteered to clean the latrines again. Each day he would find a page from the Bible, clean it and read it eagerly at night for his devotions. It turns out the Commander had been given a Bible which he used for toilet paper.

When Hien was eventually released, he and 53 other people decided to build a boat and escape. A few days before they were about to leave, four fully armed Viet Cong arrived and interrogated him. He insisted he had no plans of escaping. When the four left, he asked forgiveness from God for the lie and promised to tell the truth if they came again. 

A few hours before he and his companions were to board the boat, the four Vietcong came and asked him again, “You’re trying to escape, aren’t you?” “Yes,” Hien Pham admitted, “Are you going to kill me?” “No,” they whispered, “we want to go with you!”

So all fifty-eight escapees set out. In the high seas, there was a storm and the boat almost capsized but the four Vietcong were the best mariners they could have wanted and they all safely reached Thailand. 

Hien said when he was finally in the US, “You know you always think you’re going to manage it your own way. It never works. The most important thing is to find intimacy with God, and He will guide you and take you through safely in your journey as you walk hand and hand with Him. When everything comes together, you have wonder, truth, love, and security. That’s what gives life meaning, and you’ll find only God is big enough to do that for you.”

Peaceful Sleep

"As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep, for You alone, O Lord, bring security to my dwelling." Psalm 4:8

A good sleep is such a blessing. Thankfully, most nights, as long as I am in bed by 9:30 pm, I sleep very well and wake up fully refreshed in time to pray. 

When we can't sleep, we should count our blessings instead of sheep! Sometimes I can't sleep because I am thinking of the long list of things I have to do and take care of. Such a trial! People attempt all sorts of ways to sleep. Some take supplements of taurine, magnesium or vitamin B6. Some need a sleep mask and/or ear plugs to block out noise and light. I've heard of people praying the Rosary to sleep, or inhaling through the left nostril. Some even need to see a doctor, take sleeping pills or go to sleep clinics for insomnia! One time I decided to listen to one of Fr. Dave Concepcion’s Lenten retreats on YouTube. Bad idea! Although I can learn a whole lot from him, he is so funny and can be absurd, I did not sleep a wink and ended up listening to the hour long talk! Never again! 🤣🤣🤣

Truly, we should know that we can leave all our worries and anxieties with God, in His hands, and He will take care of the things we forget, or those things beyond our power to do. As long as we do our part, we can leave the rest to God. “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of!" And while we sleep, we can be sure that He who keeps us will not slumber or rest. (Psalm 121:3-4)

It is I

“It is I. Do not be afraid.” John 6:20

Today's gospel is from John chapter 6 and tells the story of the disciples setting off for Capernaum. A strong wind was blowing and they suddenly saw Jesus walking on the water and coming near the boat. They began to be afraid. These strong husky fishermen were terrified at the unknown. 

Jesus calls out to them. “It is I. Do not be afraid."

In 1 John 4:11-18, the writer tells us that God is love and in love, there is no room for fear. "Perfect love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18. It is good to examine ourselves and see if we have any fear or doubt that we need to root out. Fear of what the future holds, fear of death, fear of losing someone or something, doubts about our capabilities at work or as a mother, anxieties about our health or someone we love. Perhaps we can never fully rid ourselves of some fears, and some are really absurd (like my fear of butterflies!), but we can follow John the Apostle. John in his gospel confessed 6 times that he was the apostle Jesus loved. It is not mentioned in any other gospel, but John knew Christ's love for him was real.

We too can know with certainty that God loves us and wants the best for us. All we need to do is read the Bible, which to me, are His love letters to us. We can feed on it, and make it a part of us. The prophet Jeremiah said, "When Your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart's delight."

The Bounty of the Lord

“I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

There are occasions when God comes at just the right time you just know He’s there. Like when my family was having a conference with an Organizational Development Expert and she asked me what I did the day before. If she asked me what I was doing an hour before I could not have answered because  my brain is like a sieve with holes in it. But amazingly, the day before, I wrote down ALL of my tasks, and it was long and messy and detailed, and even had the time. Now who else but God would give me the inspiration to do that?!?

Every day God shows up for me, and I see His bounty. When I read the Bible, I know the Holy Spirit is there or else I won’t be able to preach to myself, let alone to others. I know God meets me exactly where I am, with all the failures in my past, and stupidity, and messiness. I just have to make myself available. God is the only one who will accept us exactly as we are! No condemnation! That is why we can claim the good things He has for us now and in the future! 

His Gift of the Spirit

“He does not ration His gift of the Spirit.” John 3:34

It's amazing how Waze gets us to where we want to go. Even if we make a wrong turn, it just recalculates, and we can still turn up at our destination. I think that's why God gave us the gift of the Spirit. Because God definitely wants to get us to heaven. Even if we take several wrong turns, if we call on Him, we can depend on the Spirit to take us Home!

Thank you Lord that You called us to follow You! That even if there are forces against us, You will prevail! And we can trust that You will finish the work you started in us and bring us Home!!! 

Go Out and Preach!

“Go out now..and preach..all about this new life." Acts 5:20

After Jesus died, the apostles saw Him several times. He told them that they would receive power, and that they were to proclaim the good news to all, up to the ends of the earth. From timid, scared men who were hiding, they became bold and fervent, and witnessed every where. They preached and performed many miraculous signs. Some people would get healed just from being under Peter's shadow! So you can imagine the crowds and commotion that followed them!

The High Priest and the Sadducees were not happy about this! They were jealous and threw the apostles in jail. But an angel came in the night and set them free. "Go out now ...and preach to the people about this new life!" And so Peter and the apostles went back to the Temple at dawn and started preaching!

Do we realize that we too have been set free? It may not be from an actual jail cell, but sin and death can be as real and confining as a jail cell. If we have no addiction to sexual sin, if we have no need of inner healing, if we are free from depression, if we are not bound by a desire for alcohol, that is by the grace of God! We live in a broken society where so many are in need of freedom. If we are free, let us help others who are not free by giving them the message of life like the apostles were driven to do. 

If we have need of healing, let us go to Jesus and say, "Lord, I want to be free! Pour down Your grace upon me! I need You! Forgive me and heal my brokenness!" Truly God's lavish and extravagant grace, His unmerited favor, is available to all! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! 

I Know You Will Provide

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own…” Acts 4:32

Today, it will be very difficult to find a community like the first group of believers where the followers of Christ sold their homes and gave the proceeds to the community. But there are still people who will put God’s mission and will before their own personal benefit. I just finished reading the autobiography of Vic Gutierrez, one of the early members of the core group of our community, Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (The Joy of the Lord). 

Back in 1976, Vic was asked by Father Herb Schneider, the leader of the newly formed community, to consider giving up his job as vice president of a small PR-advertising company to work full time to shepherd the Word of Joy Foundation. This was a fledging enterprise designed to make Catholic literature and cassette tapes regarding the charismatic renewal available to the public. Vic and his wife Agnes had been married little over a year, Agnes had quit her job to be a full-time mother to their baby Joy, and they were paying off their loan for the house they had built. The stipend Father Herb mentioned was barely enough for the needs of a growing family. It seemed ridiculous for Vic to even consider it, but the couple prayed for hours before the Lord. After adding up their monthly expenses, it did not seem the money would be enough to live even a very simple life. But after discerning, they both agreed it was the Lord’s plan for them. Vic held up the paper with their computations, and holding Agnes’ hand, he prayed, “Lord, I commit my family to you. I know You will provide.” 

The very next day, Vic spoke to his good friend and business partner about his plan to quit. Tony Vasquez, instead of dissuading him, volunteered to give Vic a monthly subsidy to help with his finances. Amazingly, the amount was exactly what they needed to fill the lack! God used his friend Tony to confirm His plans for Vic and Agnes. 

Through the years, God has continued to bless and provide well for Vic and his family as He obeyed God in the many ups and downs of their journey. Vic has been able to testify that indeed, “I know the plans You have for me, Lord, plans for a future full of hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

We may be sure that the Lord of the Universe is ready and willing to take care of us as we desire to obey and follow Him! Do not be afraid! He goes before us always! 

How Can This Be!

“How can this be?" Luke 1: 34

Sometimes a passage jumps out at you. you've read it many times before, but this time, it strikes a chord. In the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, I found this verse interesting, "I investigated accurately everything from the beginning..." (Luke 1:1-4)

I can imagine this writer amazed at what had occurred and desiring to come to the truth. He interviewed many of the disciples and people involved in this out-of-the-ordinary series of events. If Mary was still alive, St. Luke would have interviewed her to verify her story. What would he have found?

 A woman still amazed, still in awe at God's goodness? In spite of all she had gone through? The stigma of her virgin pregnancy, the flight to Egypt, knowing hundreds of babies were being slaughtered because of the search for her Son, and ultimately the horror of seeing her Son hanging on the cross, mutilated, seemingly defeated.

"How can this be?" she asked. How can this be that God chose me? How can this be that God would want to make me part of His plan to save humanity? How can this be that I would carry the mysteries of the universe in my womb? 

If we think about and realize God’s love for us, we will ask the same. How can this be that God loves us so much to make a plan so inconceivable as to give prophets a glimpse of it thousands of years before its fulfillment? How can this be that God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross so if we believe in Him we can live forever with Him? It’s like if we gave our life for an insignificant paramecium but even more absurd because God is all powerful, and the idea is light years away from anything we could ever understand with our brains. 

Greg Boyle in his book, “Tattoos on the Heart”, wrote, “The desire of God’s heart is immeasurably larger than our imaginations can conjure.” Our repose can only be thank You, Father, for Your immeasurable love! 

Choose the Giver of the Gifts

“The power that has conquered the world is this faith of ours.” 1 John 5:4

Now that is a pretty bold claim! This was written by Saint John the Evangelist in Ephesus in AD 95-110. 

In another version we can read, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

There are many businessmen and world leaders who are already super successful, super powerful, but keep wanting more and more. Nothing this world offers is enough for them. There are many sports stars who have achieved the pinnacle of success and found they were still searching for more. One of them was retired cornerback Deion Sanders. His list of career highlights is so long, I got tired of scrolling down the page. He was one of the biggest, most famous, richest superstar athletes in the world with a $10,000 bed in a $5.7 million dollar home and a collection of luxury cars, but he just felt empty. He said he had nothing until he found God. He felt so empty and lonely even if he had everything and achieved everything he could ever want. 

One day, after searching and talking to his Christian friends, this happened: “I was lying there in bed about four o’clock in the morning when I was awakened by these awesome lights in my room. I say it was like a 747 had landed beside my bed, and there was this incredible rush of wind that felt like a helicopter had come in with it.” 

“I remember opening my eyes just the slightest bit and saying, ‘God, if that’s You, take me! Take me, Lord,’ and I was trembling all over. Before long it was silent and the lights disappeared, and later that night I got up and opened my Bible to a passage that said, ‘If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’ (Romans 10:9-10). The words hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew they were meant for me and at that precise moment I was delivered.”

Now he is so vocal about how he got saved, and he puts in time helping troubled youth find meaning in their life. Deion’s post on X yesterday was: “You are not alone! God sees you, wants u & loves you. God can't overtake your will. Your freedom to choose, do, speak, think & love he gave that to u so u when u woke u in life u would choose the giver of the gifts. Think!”

Lord, may we not believe that conquering the world lies in getting all we want from it. May we not be captivated by all that is enticing in the world. May we go after the one true treasure, You! 

One Who Saves a Life

"It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:20. 

I think about these ordinary men and women, much like you and me, who witnessed such extraordinary events, miracles, and HAD TO speak about them! Even if the authorities told them to shut up, they could not quench that inner urge to tell the world about the awesome truth that Jesus is alive and His words are true!

Sometimes we have a chance not only to speak about what God has done for us, but to act in His name and be a witness of God’s saving grace. 

In 1945, Edith Zierer was freed from a Nazi labor camp. She was so weak she collapsed in a busy village train station. Many passed by but no one helped until a young seminarian stopped to give her a cup of tea and a sandwich. He also carried her on his back to catch a train many miles away and accompanied her to where she wanted to go. 

In 1978, Edith read in her Jewish newspaper that Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope! She recognized the name of her rescuer and wrote him. When they met, Edith recited a line from the Torah: “One who saves a life, it is as if he saves the whole world." 

I believe God gives us all opportunities to save and change lives. It may not be as dramatic as Edith's story, but nevertheless, let us keep a look out for those opportunities to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed! 

Times of Refreshment

“Repent...that The Lord may grant you times of refreshment..." 

Acts 3:19 

Who doesn't want to be refreshed? Reinvigorated, restored, rejuvenated? It's not cool to talk about sin and repenting, but that's the only way to get cleansed in our spirits. Much like our body needs to be washed every day so that we can feel good and free from dirt, we need to declog our spirits of the grime, the dirt that accumulates every day. 

I remember the times my whole family would join in the International Coastal Cleanup to remove trash from our beaches. Along with other volunteers, we would spend a day picking up used diapers, shampoo sachets, soda bottles, so much plastic, and put them in bags. It was not so satisfying because after a whole day’s work, there was still so much garbage left on the beach! There really needs to be a continuous effort, not just once a year! because trash piles up! 

It’s the same with our sins. Lord, may I see myself clearly, the way You see me! May I repent of my selfishness, being judgemental, whatever sin You see in me, that You may give me times of refreshment!