Monday, October 31, 2011

All Souls Day As It Should Be


Celebrating All Souls day is a family celebration for Filipinos. Its reunion time for us, it’s a time were family get together at the tomb of our ancestors and share stories making there memories alive and passed on to the next generation.  I remember lighting candles, and bringing not just flowers but favorite food of our departed love ones so my family can eat together while sharing beautiful memories. This usually happens overnight in the cemetery with games, singing and prayers of course. Masses are also celebrated in the cemetery.

I find no other better way of celebrating All Souls day than this. It has meaning and it adds a certain sense to our lives. Life that as we know it, has an end and yet also a new beginning with a life thereafter. The belief that our love ones never left us, only that they are in a different reality is comforting enough. All souls day is a good celebration connecting us to our past so we can move to the future with confidence.

All Souls Day is a celebration of life, a life well spent and life worth remembering. It is a commemoration of all the faithful departed. We share stories about our deceased loved ones and how they affect our lives. We remember all the good, happy memories. We remember also all the learning’s that we can get. It’s certainly not a celebration of scary looking people dressed up as images of bad spirits, as if magnifying the enemies of Christ. It’s a celebration of hope, because it provides us a glimpse of where we will go. The message of All Souls Day is “our life doesn’t end in cemetery but in heaven”.

If we cannot go to the cemetery, lets light a candle and say a prayer for our deceased family members and friends. Lets celebrate All Souls Day, as it should be, a remembrance day for our love ones who went ahead of us, and a celebration of faith in after life.

by aats

Legality vs Humanity

Luke 13:10-17

We are very particular on following the law without looking at the human person. The law serves the people not the other way around. Hypocrisy abounds when we uses the law as an excuse against building up someone. How can healing be against the law on a Sabbath? How can a doctor says, I will attend to you tomorrow because today is a rest day, even though the person is already suffering much and in need of immediate medical attention? No, God established the Sabbath so we can have time to reflect upon the word and work of the Lord so we can practice it ourselves. We have to practice our faith. Faith without work is dead says the Letter of St. James. If untying oxen and ass on a Sabbath is allowed and if eating and drinking is allowed which both requires labor, how much more untying someone from the bondage of physical disabilities and sin? The human person is more important to Him than the law. Thank God, someone like Jesus values us more than any other legality.

Teach us O Lord to value our fellowmen more than any other legality. Amen.

by aats

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Language While Flying


I am now on my way to Calgary flying from Toronto. I never get tired listening to Air Canada’s French safety announcements. Someday I will be able to learn to speak, write and understand French. Language fascinates me. I am amazed at how creative a creator can be in even making so many ways and means of communications. Verbal and non verbal, and of course the languages the world over. The varieties of languages just affirm the existence of a creator. How can humanity develop on itself such complicated ways of communicating? Merci, arigato, gracias, thank you, salamat Jesus for such diverse ways of expressing our thanks to you. Only an amazing God can create such overwhelming ways of expressing His glory and might!

Jesus, in times of doubts, brings us always to the understanding that you are as real and true as you can be. Amen.


(reflecting while flying almost a week ago...) 

by aats

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Of Flying and Trusting


Going on my 2nd year of mission in Canada makes me look back how many times I had been flying from west to the east side of the country. I love airports and I love flying because every flying experience for me makes me grounded on my faith. Is it not ironic that flying on top makes me grounded below? I am thinking how actually helpless I am just in case something happens with the plane. I am completely at the mercy of the pilot. No amount of seat belts and parachutes actually can save me, if something terrible happens. The plane has to take off and land 100% accurately for me to arrive safely.

Life is like flying in an airplane; we are actually always at the mercy of our heavenly Pilot. We can use our seat-belt by making sure we live a healthy life, and secure ourselves with parachute of longevity, but the truth is, it is He who has the ultimate control, whether we like it or not. Just the thought of it while flying a thousand altitudes above ground makes me grounded on my faith in the heavenly Pilot who never fails. If I can trust my earthly pilot how much more my heavenly One!

While flying and trusting that my pilot will fly as safely to our destination, I vow my head in awe of the goodness of the Lord who unfailingly guide us to a safe destination were there is joy and peace.

Lord, grant us the grace of trustful peace as you lead us to our destination in life and the life thereafter. Amen.

by aats

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Other Face of Love


The other face of love is not the face we want to see. The world had successfully made us believe that love resides only in the realms of feelings, so much so that we equate it with just good feelings, great vibes. We think its love only if we are happy, we are not stressed and we are on cloud 9! But that is not so. The reality is, whether you are a believer or not, love has two faces. Yes, it has the face of happiness and joy and exhilaration, but it also has the face of sadness, pains and sacrifice. Love is all and not just a part of it. Love is perfected when we go beyond the sunny side and actually living it out even in the gloomy side.

This is so, because when we love, we desire nothing but the best of the other. St. Paul’s so articulately said it in 1 Corinthians 13, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things…. Love never gives up.

The risk of loving is that we will be hurt. When we court and the other says yes, we took the risk. We are hurt because the face of love that is showing us is not the way we intended it to be or the way we pictured it. It’s a beautiful risk, because love is beautiful, that’s why we said yes in the first place.

When we love, lets be ready to face the other side it shows.

Lord grants us the grace to see and respond in goodness when love shows its other face. Amen.

by aats

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

On Love

If God can love me even at my worst, who am I not to love? - by aats

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Yes that Made a Difference


There are instances in life where no is better than saying yes, but there are also particular situation were a yes makes a difference. A yes that may mean personal discomfort yet has a good long-term effect. In a society were “instants” is preferable; we desire what is easy and immediate. But there is no easy way in life. And so in choosing the easy way we ended up complicating the situation.

The “Yes” of Mary, was probably well thought of. A yes that was not just weigh on personal level but also considering the impact her decision to the bigger society. Certainly not an instant decision! A short time as it may seems, Mary pondered on it in her heart. That makes Mary a courageous visionary. She knew that when she will say yes, it will entail so much suffering on her part, but the suffering far outweigh the benefits that mankind will have. So with humility and courage, she said yes. What a YES! The yes 2 thousand years ago, has created billions of followers to the prince of peace and made a difference to so many people a thousand years thereafter. Ponder on this, if we make decisions not just for what is good today and ourselves but tomorrow and others, what an amazing difference. Think about what our decisions can make thousand years from now.

Lord, help us to say yes to a call that will make a difference not just today and ourselves but tomorrow and others. Amen.

by aats

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Finishing Strong

I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. -2 Cor 4:7

Most of us are good starters but not good finishers. We started it right and we finished it wrong. Finishing is important as starting it. We have seen it in basketball, hockey or in any other games, the most crucial and exciting part is the last two minutes.

The Long Stretch

When we started taking on more responsibilities in the community life we became more excited. The Lord has shown us the greater mission. The first blow of the wind was very strong it carries us to the ends of the earth. We want to do everything. Then comes the real thing in the mission. Reality sets in and we became:

1.    Disappointed – with leaders and situations
2.    Dried Up – with prayer time
3.    Used Up – with work

Mission becomes a work instead of a calling and we do mission because we felt there is a need instead of a call. And so we become tired and slow down in the race.

The Right Spirit

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says, “Do you not know that the runner in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. “
 
We believe that we are called. It is important to always be reminded of that call, to always go back to that fist fervor of love, when we answered the call of God for the mission. Because its so easy to be caught up in situations that will take us away from the very calling that we are commissioned to do.

We get hurt, we get disappointed and wounded and this blurs our purpose of running the race and the tendency is to quit.

St. Paul who run the race to the end, has given us a good example in his letter to the Corinthians. Summing up the message with the following:

1.    Run so as to win – We run not to lose but to win.

2.    Exercise discipline – We must not lower our guard, we must always train ourselves, this race is a marathon. We must always be fit for the race or else we may lose.

3.    Run with the right goals – We do not run aimlessly, we run with a goal. We run with an imperishable crown in mind. If athletes in the Olympics run to win a gold, how much more to us who are running for a far greater than gold?

4.    Fight with Clarity – We don not fight as if we were shadowboxing. This is for real! We must hold on and finished it strong, or else we trained others and we ourselves will be disqualified in the end.

Run the Good Race

Ours is more than any other games, ours is more than any prize, and ours is the prize of Christ himself! We are blessed and we are called. Only those who can finish strong are worthy of the call. Let us compete well, finish the race and keep the faith!

by aats

Friday, October 14, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Expectations

If we talk about expectations, missionaries should live up to the expectations of God more than of men. Nothing more nothing less. All the best, all for Him, because everything belongs to Him!