Do Not Be Anxious

 

Lenten Reflection #16

 

 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…” – Matthew 6:25

 

John the Baptist: “In all that He said to those thousands of people, there was something just for you…for what you are going through. What was it? Something that stuck with you.”

 

Andrew: “Don’t be anxious.”

 

Andrew was me as I faced anxieties brought by our new situation at home. My 92-year old Papa’s yaya had to leave to attend to her own family. My elder son and I have to cope with taking care of Papa and doing the housework. I also have to contend with the expenses, documentation and dealing with government agencies related to some property matters. I was afraid the stress would trigger another amnesia episode like the one I had at the beginning of the pandemic.

 

It was timely that the Jesus story I watched was The Chosen’s “Homecoming” about the Sermon on the Mount. The conversation above happened when Andrew visited John in Herod’s dungeons. And just like Andrew, “Do not be anxious” was a bullseye for me.

 

Timelier still was that the Didache reflection for today was my own. It was about our family’s trials during the Christmas season of 2021. Let me share it here:

 

Many times, what we need to banish our anxieties is a reminder of how God had taken care of us in the past.  I remembered during that time what calmed me down was the vision of Jesus walking before me, beside me and behind me.

 

 

Reference:       The Chosen Season 3 Episode 1 – “Homecoming”

Refocus on God with a Capital G

 

Lenten Reflection #15

When Jesus saw him lying there and was aware that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to get well?” – John 5:6

It’s been several days since I wrote my last reflection because my time has been consumed by other gods. By other gods, I don’t mean they’re all bad just “anything other than God” as Fr. Cris Cellan said in his homily several days ago.  The only god I’d categorize under bad would be the one who only collects estate taxes from small fry like us and leaves 203 billion uncollected (sorry my pocket just had to rant about that). In short, it’s been a hectic week.

Going back to Fr. Cris’ homily, he said, “Many times, though we are Christians, we worship different gods (career, material things, anything other than God). The gospel for that day was about the Pool of Bethesda which bore traces of pagan practices. The man who had been sick for 38 years was invoking a different deity to heal him which was tantamount to idolatry. “The call to repentance for this 40-day penitential journey is to refocus on Jesus who can truly heal us. Jesus alone is the Divine Healer. He alone can restore our relationship with the Father.”

Again, it’s another God-incidence that my self-assigned Jesus story for that day was about the Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (The Chosen Season 2 Episode 4 – “The Perfect Opportunity”). In the Bible Roundtable for that episode, the Bible experts were discussing Jesus’ question to the paralytic, “Do you want to be healed?” I was struck by what one of them said, “In our pastoral ministry there are people who enjoy poor health. They identify very much with their own weakness, their own failure. Some people prefer to stay where they are.” Sometimes, “the pool” or our other gods become part of our identity and we don’t want to leave it.

 

Maybe that’s a question we should ask ourselves this Lent. “Do you really want to be healed or are you using that weakness/illness/failure as a crutch, as a sympathy magnet?” If you sincerely want to get healed, refocus on Jesus, on the God with a capital G.

 

 

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Cris Cellan: Pool of Bethesda

                        The Chosen Season 2 Episode 4 – “The Perfect Opportunity”

                        The Chosen Season 2 Episode 4 Bible Roundtable

H.A.L.E.

 

Lenten Reflection #14

H – Higher

A – Appreciation

L – Lower

E – Expectation

Compassion and forgiveness. These are two among several things that I’m asking God to help me with especially this Lent. This morning, at mass, the priest gave the HALE formula to enable us to be more sympathetic to the plight of others and have greater patience with their mistakes.

Do you have a makulit aged parent who acts like a child now? HALE. Remember when you were young and the roles were reversed.

Do you have a child who keeps failing in Math? HALE. He might be brilliant in languages or the arts.

Do you have a husband who keeps forgetting important dates? HALE. He likes spending time with you and the kids rather than with his friends.

Do you have a wife who can’t cook if her life depended on it? HALE. She gives the best massages.

Do you have a barkada who forget to call you for group outings? HALE. They do listen to you talk for hours about your problems.

You know who else needed to have HALE? The apostles in The Chosen’s “Matthew 4:24” episode (my self-assigned Jesus story for the day). In the episode, the apostles were discussing what it’s like to follow the Messiah, what their expectations were. They were having difficulties because it didn’t look like what they expected.

Then Mary Magdalene said, “I guess I haven’t had any expectations. It’s probably why it’s easier for me.”

So, appreciate more, expect less. It will make following Jesus easier.

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Jose Elmer Ilao

                       The Chosen Season 2 Episode 3 – “Matthew 4:24”

                       The Chosen Season 2 Episode 3 Bible Roundtable

Living Water

 

Lenten Reflection #13

“but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:14

I feel it’s a God-incidence (not coincidence) when the gospel and my self-assigned Lenten video to watch for the day are about the same bible story. Not only do I get visuals to make the gospel come alive but also a confirmation of what my reflection will be about. Today’s story was about the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. The homily gave me a lot of insights:

There are different kinds of wells that we think will quench our thirst: marriage or a relationship (like the woman who has had 5), addictions, wealth, power and other earthly things. But all these things will not completely satisfy us. We will still be left dry and desolate. We will thirst for more.

We thirst to be saved, known, understood and to be loved without being judged. The woman in the bible was nameless but Jesus knew her and her sins. He still thought her worthy to receive His living water, to reveal Himself as the Messiah. As Timothy Keller said, “To be fully known and truly loved is a lot like being loved by God.” That is how the well of Jesus will satisfy. His love for us will never run dry.

Reflect on this for Lent: “From what well do you drink?”

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Eric Salazar

                       The Chosen Season 1 Episode 8 – “I Am He”

“Follow Me”

 

Lenten Reflection #12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may attain eternal life.” – John 3:16

What would you do if today Jesus tells you, “Follow me”?

In “Invitations” (The Chosen Season 1 Episode 7), Jesus invited Nicodemus and Matthew to follow Him.

Nicodemus struggled, “To give up who I am?” Jesus understood that he has a position in the Sanhedrin, a family and was getting advanced in years. But Jesus still hoped he would come. (Spoiler alert: Nicodemus chose to go back to his life in the next episode.)

Matthew, on the other hand, just got up and left everything – money, protection by the Roman praetor, the good life.

For many of us, doing a Matthew would be too drastic but unlike Nicodemus, we would still want to follow Jesus. This Lent how about being an in-between:

·        Be humble, forget your lofty position.

·        Give as you would to your family.

·        Serve as much as your aged bones or restricted schedule will allow.

·        Sacrifice by not indulging in the good life.

In today’s homily, Fr. Dave Concepcion issued another invitation for us this Lent: observe your family and friends. If there is one among them who are in dire need, ask yourself what you have done to help them. Ask them how they are. Do not be too full of yourself that you become insensitive to their situation.

 

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Dave Concepcion

                        The Chosen Season 1 Episode 7 – “Invitations”

Bite-sized Sacrifices

 

Lenten Reflection #6

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not spurn.” – Psalm 51:19

The term “Lenten sacrifice” may be daunting for many of us. As a little girl, I was appalled by pictures of self-flagellants with bloodied backs. Walking the whole length of the procession barefoot like some people do in my hometown was beyond my abilities. My (hashtag all caps) SACRIFICE was to sit through the monotonous chanting of the Pasyon my Lola hosted at our ancestral house.

When I grew up, the concept changed to more doable sacrifices. But still, there were times I would falter because I could not sustain it for 40 days. When I backslid, I’d totally give up.

As I was preparing for today’s reflection, I came across a very helpful article about little Lenten sacrifices for those who can’t go the traditional route*. I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of bite-sized sacrifices for my own use:

No decadent sweets for dessert (Krispy Kreme, Mary Grace, Dairy Queen goodbye for now).

2.   No chocolates as weekend cheats (hello fat-free, made from real fruit Welch’s gummies muna)

3.   No detective mysteries and romcoms (binge watch only bible themed movies and shows like The Chosen)

4.   No match 3 and home design games. Play only those that are good for stimulating the brain like word games and puzzles.

5.   Instead of changing the topic after Papa tells the same story for the fifth time, wait until the tenth retelling.

How about you? What’s your bite-sized Lenten sacrifices?

Reference:       *National Catholic Register’s 13 Little Lenten Sacrifices 

                        https://www.ncregister.com/blog/13-little-lenten-sacrifices

                        

You Are Mine

 

Lenten Reflection #3

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.” – Isaiah 43:1

Abstinence. Wikipedia defines it as “giving up certain luxuries in imitation of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice during his journey into the desert for 40 days.”

After watching the roundtable discussion about the story I assigned myself to watch today*, I realized why we need to practice abstinence especially during Lent. As we live in this material world, we become addicted or attached to things. We end up being “owned” by them. They dictate the use of our time and resources. Worse, they threaten our wellbeing and relationships. It may not be major, like addiction to alcohol and drugs and attachment to wealth and power. It can be a host of seemingly innocuous things. Say “Aray!” if this hits you:

You deny yourself by eating tuyo and kamatis but will die if you can’t drink from that Venti coffee cup with a green siren.

You have labelled your chocolates “Vitamin C” and take a regular dose for your wellbeing. (Aray!)

You binge watch Korean novelas for 3 straight days without sleep.

You feel naked without your expensive designer bag (original, not Class A from Divisoria).

You’re awake till two in the morning because you want to reach the next level (and the next, and the next…) of your favorite mobile game. (Aray! again)

Ø        > Insert your own list here if you haven’t said “Aray!”

Many times, our attachments make us forget what’s important. It can even lead to illness of body and spirit. I was struck by what the rabbi, the priest and the pastor (no this is not the beginning of a joke) said in the roundtable discussions: “There are different ways evil can try to insert itself into one’s life. When God is missing, a vacuum is created which results in sickness. The lack of wholeness is an opportunity for things that are not of God to come in.”

In the homily for today’s mass, the priest also said that Lent is not just about self-denial. It is also about self-knowledge. It is knowing your identity, your name. Is it Starbucks, Lindt, Soong Ngit (sorry I don’t watch KDrama), Prada, Candy Crush?

So, this Lent, abstain from things that have “owned” you. Let Jesus call you “Mine”.

References:      *The Chosen Season 1 Episode 1 – “I Have Called You By Name”

                        The Chosen S1E1 Bible Roundtable

                      Mass Homily for today – Fr. Eric Salazar: “Self-Knowledge”

One of Us

 

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” – John 1:14

This morning, in my conversation with Jesus, the interviewer in me kicked in. My question for Him was: What was it like for you, fully God, to come into this earth and be fully human? How does your being human affect us? (Feeling KMag writer again 😉)

Jesus came from a perfect place into a perfectly messy place (a stable with animal manure Joseph had to shovel out*). Being fully human, He will not be turned off by the mess you have made of your life. Do not be ashamed to go to Him. He has lived through mess, brokenness and want. After all…

“He was one of us for a time.” – Mother Mary (from The Chosen’s Special Episode – “The Messengers”)

You lost your job in the pandemic and the only bulalo you can afford now comes in instant noodle cups? Jesus felt hunger too.

“Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.” – Matthew 21:18

You are in constant pain because of a dreaded disease. Jesus also felt pain as he was scourged and crowned with thorns.

“Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be scourged. The soldiers twisted together some thorns into a crown and placed it on his head.” – John 19:1-2

You experienced rejection and betrayal? Sumakabilang bahay ang jowa mo? Your business partner ran off with the company funds? Jesus had Peter and Judas.

His being fully human assures us that He understands where we are coming from.

Today as we ponder on the meaning of Lent, let us remember that because of His fully human death, His being Fully God was proven at the Resurrection.

References:      *The Chosen’s Special Episode – “The Messengers”

Grafted’s “The Messengers” – Messianic Reaction to the Birth of Yeshua

Gcu.edu’s article: Dear Theophilus: Is Jesus fully God and Fully Human?

Mass Homily for today – Fr. Jason Laguerta: “Rebuild”; What is Lent?

His Story: People Must Know

 

Lenten Reflection #1

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”  - Luke 2:17

On Ash Wednesday I tried to think of how I can observe the Lenten season in a more meaningful way. The priest reminded us how in his homily and I mentally ticked them off with side comments:

·        Fasting – I have gastritis issues and I’m afraid this might trigger it. Besides I’m already excused due to my age

·        Abstinence – this I can do despite the age excuse: no-meat Fridays, no decadent sweets, no watching my favorite detective show and Netflix

·        Alms giving – check

·        Sacrifice – check

But early this morning during my prayer time, I felt the above just weren’t enough as I had been doing them year in and year out. I remembered that praying is not all about me asking for God’s mercies (which I admit is what usually makes up my morning prayer), but a conversation with Him, a heart-to-heart with a friend. So, I dispensed with my usual litany and asked Jesus how He was this morning, what did He do yesterday.  It felt funny at first because I really didn’t know what answer to expect. Would he say something like, “Oh, I’m kinda sad. I had to comfort the earthquake victims in Turkey.” Or “I shielded Ukraine from Russian missiles.” Or something like that.

Then, He reminded me about what friends do when they talk. They tell each other their life stories. Old friends already know each other’s life stories but many times they get to know each other more in the re-telling. Or sometimes, foggy memories just get cleared up and you remember why you connect to this person that way, why you love this friend.

That led to my Lenten Journey plan: watch His Story and reflect on bible verses. I planned to keep this a personal journey but the story I watched for today was The Chosen’s Special Episode – “The Shepherd”. It was about the shepherd who received the message of the angel about the birth of Jesus. The tagline of the story was, “People must know.” And so, I must tell people about my journey.

It’s three days into the Lenten season so I won’t be able to complete the 40 days (or God just might find a way to help me do that) but I pray it will still be a meaningful journey of getting to know my friend Jesus more. And by writing about it, pave the way for more people know Him better. To those reading this blog, please pray I will be able to complete the journey. Then join me in telling His Story.

People must know: You can talk to Jesus like a friend.