Another Letter for Pareng Jose

Pareng Jose,

Nandito ako ngayon sa Cagayan de Oro para sa isang training. Wala akong napansin dito na mga paghahanda sa iyong kaarawan. Liban sa isang maliit na artikulo, wala nang ibang pagbanggit sa pahayagan tungkol sa iyong kaarawan. Sa loob ng 152 taon, wala na masyadong nakaka- appreciate sa ginawa mo para sa bayan. Hindi na makita ng karamihan sa mga kabataang iyong pinangarap ang kahalagahan ng iyong ginawa sa tinatamasa nilang kalayaan.

Ngunit mayroon namang iilan na hindi ka nalilimutan. May mga sumusuond pa sa iyong mga yapak. May mga kabataang namana sayo ang pagmamahal sa bayan. Habang may natitira pang mga tagasunod mo, may pag-asa pa.

Dalangin ko sa iyong kaarawan na patuloy na dumaloy sa dugo ng iyong mga kababayan ang mga katangian na humubog sa iyo. Dalangin ko na magsilbing inspirasyon ang iyong pagmamahal sa Diyos at bayan sa lahat. Nawa'y maging maligaya ka sa nakikita mo ngayon sa bayang sa araw ng iyong kaarawan. 

Death of a Beloved Tita

When a family member dies, there is a loss of family history.

Family history are shared among members by a special relationship. When a family member dies, the relationships are broken and disrupted and there is left a gap in the history that will forever be empty.

We grieve for that loss.

But we praise God knowing that the loss is only ours but heaven's gain.

We will miss but we will cherish the memory.

We will grieve but we are hopeful that the promise of God in a life eternal is fulfilled.

For Tita Phoebe, God's love is greater than anything that you have suffered. The pain is no more, and there will be healing.

We love you, but God loves you more!

Love turns you upside Down

I was about to take a rest when I chanced upon an episode of Grey's Anatomy season 9. It must have been centuries ago since I last watched an episode of Grey's. The episode's plot was about the new interns going on their first 24 hours of duty. It was like watching Grey's and her gang when they were interns too. This takes us to memory lane when we were starting to realize our dream of becoming full pledged doctors.

I am with World Vision now as a health officer and I should expect that I will have less time to none of any clinical practice. But this week, we have a Children's Congress and me and another guy will be the medical team for the whole event. My partner in the medical team is a nurse but has not been clinically practicing for several years now. Seeing congress participants coming to us with complaints of cough to abdominal pain and different wounds reminds him of his first love - clinical work. However, he said, he has a new love and although he is reminded of his old love, he will not leave his new found love now.

We grow up and hope to become what we dreamed to be, for me that was being a doctor. A doctor in the hospital, practicing clinical medicine. But as we journey in life, things happen and our first love may not end up as our lasting love. Love does turn us upside down.

Sometimes, it is nice to remember your first love... once in a while.  

Remembering God for a Memorable Birthday

I was in the hospital today early in the morning. My wife has an appointment with her doctor today. While waiting for her turn to be called, I had to go around the hospital to set her needed laboratory procedures, line up in the cashier and have her listed. Then, amidst my busy task, I bumped into my old friend, Hershey, who is one of the doctors in the hospital. She was smiling from ear to ear so I thought she might be so happy to see me or she might have some good news to share. When she approached, she greeted me, "Happy birthday, Neki." I was surprised.

I almost forgot that today is my birthday. Amidst all the troubles and the busy thoughts bothering my mind, I almost forgot that today is my birthday. It's not that I wasn't anticipating it. I just got pre occupied with many things that I almost forgot.

But I did had a lot of things to do. After, the consult with the doctor, we had to run to Philhealth to update our record. Then to the school to enroll by eldest child. Then go back to the hospital to get all the lab results. After all that, I just wanted to spend some time to relax in the mall. More like cooling down from all the summer heat.

Dinner with my family was in a videoke room. That was perfect way to celebrate all of God's goodness this year despite the challenges that we have faced. I almost forgot my birthday, and that would have meant forgetting all the goodness and faithfulness of God to us this year. Seating and reflecting for a couple of hours during birthdays, allows us to remember the goodness and all the blessings God has given. Remembering God makes it a memorable birthday.

Another Life

As another year is added to our lives, we celebrate the blessings we received. As we start new careers, we reflect if this is what we want to do for the rest of our lives. We are always thankful to God for giving us this life and the opportunities we had with it. But what if we have many lives?

What if like the cats we have nine lives? What if God has given us a thousand lives? Just like the video games we play. You get to have another chance - another life when you mess up this. What would you do or not do?

We have often asked ourselves, if we could re-do our lives this is what I would have done. We have often imagined, if I would have another life, then this is how I would do it. We have dreams of how we should have lived our lives if we knew better. We could think, I would have tried to be a politician and become President of a country. We could have thought that we would have tried crazy things and not fear of dying because another life will come. We could not care of committing sinful ways because another chance will be given by another life. So, if we have another life other than this, we would have done differently.

If you are living a Christian life today, dedicating your life to God, what would you do to the other life that will be given to you? Or would you plan to do other staff and reserve your last life in living that Christian life. Maybe, become a good businessman and save enough millions to live a comfortable life instead of foregoing the rich opportunity by being a community development worker? Or maybe practice your profession as a healthcare worker and earn big money from your patients instead of receiving your daily bread as a missionary in another country? Or maybe go to church less on Sundays and make those important graduate studies during weekends that will earn you a magna cum laude in your  university.

Are you so scared to lose your life now because you want to accomplish everything  in this one life God has given you? But if you have nine or a thousand lives, you could care less. You don't need to exercise eveyday and instead smoke your self to death and drink every night and day because you still have another life to live. You just concentrate in making enough money for your family for this life and worry later about serving God on your next 8 lives. You don't have to cram all your dreams and hopes for this one life because you can accomplish the others in your succeeding lives.

Or will you give all your lives to God? Will you continue to make God your top priority every life you get? Will you always choose church over school? Will you always choose ministry over money? Will you always choose Christian vocation over worldly profession?  Will you always put God at the center over family and job? Will you always deny yourself and follow God?

Easter Sunday

Still here in Tuguegarao City.

Woke up early this morning. Found the tomb empty.

Went to Church and heard the good news. Christ is risen.

Christ is risen, indeed!

Happy Easter.

Going on a new journey starting today.

Palm/Passsion Sunday

Luke 19:28-40

Luke 23:1-49

This sermon was preached last Palm Sunday in the English Service of Kamuning First UMC. 

I also preached a similar sermon for the Vesper Service that same day.

 

Today is Palm and Passion Sunday where we celebrate the journey of Jesus from his triumphant entry to Jerusalem leading to his betrayal, torture and death in Calvary, and so I would like us to start journeying with Jesus by looking back into his triumphant entry. The gospel of Luke tells of Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem as the king. It was a big parade and there were lots of people there. People praise him because of the goodness he has done. Jesus was leading his crowd of disciples as they literally go up to Jerusalem.  

We see Jesus choosing to ride a donkey, a donkey whom no one had ridden before, just like the king Solomon rode a donkey in a peaceful and humble manner as next to the throne of David. In Zechariah 9:9, we read; “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” As Jesus riding on a donkey enters Jerusalem for all the public to see and all the crowd gathered around, we can see a picture of Jesus announcing himself as the messiah – the King of Israel.  

We see people excited and happy to see their king arrive. People are waving palms and some people removing their cloaks to spread in the streets as an act of honor and respect to the entering King. Do you feel like we want to take part in that celebrations and welcome the king too? Do you also want to remove your cloaks and wave palms and spread it in the road for the entering king?

I always picture this triumphant entry of Jesus like one great parade that I am watching. Do you remember attending a parade and seeing some celebrities or personalities. I remember attending the Penagbenga Festival and waking up early to get a spot for the parade. We wanted to have a good spot so we can have a good look with all the celebrities and personalities. When the parade started, people were lining up to have a picture taken with the lead group who were riding a wrangler jeep. The crowd were excited to have their pictures taken but I just stared there because I did not know who these people were. Apparently it was the mayor and his council but I do not know them so I did not join in the frenzy that excited the crowd. Then the flower floats came with the celebrities and personalities and the crowd got excited again as they ran to have their pictures taken and ask for autographs. Again, I just stood there in the land because I did not recognize the celebrities… because they belong to GMA 7, eh kapamilya po ako eh… so hindi ko sila kilala. So I just ended up appreciating the flowers to enjoy the parade.

You see, my dear brothers and sisters, to be able to participate fully and enjoy such parade, you must be able to have an appreciation of the people involved in the parade. And so when Jesus enters Jerusalem and welcomed by a multitude of crowd, you know that these people recognize who Jesus is and the great things that he had done and can do. Now, that is the next question – who is Jesus to the crowd watching in the parade. To the disciples of Jesus who were there, they wanted to praise God for the good deeds he has done. They were welcoming a king who comes in the name of the Lord. But I was wondering, weren’t there some people who do not know who Jesus is. Like me when I attended the parade, who do not recognize Jesus?

There are people who just happened to be in the crowd but do not really know what was happening, just like many of most of the time. We find ourselves in the middle of a celebration or a parade and we don’t know who is in there. We do not recognize Jesus as king but just an ordinary guy like any of us. We do not see the greatness and the majesty of that person and so we cannot really appreciate his worth. And so like in that great parade, it is difficult for us to fully participate in the celebrations because we do not recognize the great person that is making an entrance. We cannot appreciate the significance of that person and the great things that he has done. So we do not care to have our pictures taken with him, we do not busy ourselves to get some souvenirs or autographs from him. We do not care – Keber, malay ko kung sino yan, pakialam ko.

And because we do not know him and recognize him, how can we even care when later he gets mocked, and humiliated, and tortured, flogged and punished. Further in the account of Luke, Jesus is blindfolded, they mocked him and beat him and insulted him, despite his innocence. Does it matter to you? How can we care for a person that does not matter to us? We may have pity for his pain and suffering because of how he looks but what would it be like if the person was somebody dear to us.

In the hospital, I always see patient who suffer and in pain as they get diagnosed with life threatening diseases – a mother gets diagnosed with breast cancer, a father suffers a heart attack, a little girl having leukemia or a little boy with congenital heart disease – I pity these person whenever I see them and that is the best I can do. But it becomes different when that sick person is somebody I personally know and have a relationship with – the pity for the woman with cancer turns into a personal concern, I now want to offer help to the best of my ability to the man who suffered heart attack, I want to donate my blood, share any of my resources for the girl with leukemia or simply give my time playing and taking care with the boy with a congenital heart disease.

It all becomes different if the person who suffers is somebody you recognize and care for – somebody like a king whom you worship and adore – a king who has done a great deal for your benefit, a king who will sacrifice himself even in death for your own goodness. But if you do not know the person, if you do not have a good relationship with that person, he will not matter and you will not care. You will not care if you do not know who Jesus is. It will not matter if Jesus enters Jerusalem, or if he gets tortured, humiliated and even killed because you do not know who this Jesus guy is.

But then, there were another group of people in the crowd during the triumphant entry of Jesus – and these were the Pharisees and other religious leaders. The Pharisees recognize Jesus and yes they acknowledge his claim to be king as legitimate. What these Pharisees and religious leaders see is a Jesus who is a threat to them, a king who might overthrow the powers at that time. These same religious people are the ones who plotted against Jesus that led to his betrayal, torture, mockery, suffering and death. Now, we find ourselves in the court of Pilate.

Jesus is arrested and the same crowd that welcomed him in Jerusalem shout crucify him, crucify him. Jesus was a different kind of king in the eyes of the Pharisees, scribes and his enemies – he was a threat to the status quo – a threat to those who are in power at that time and therefore they needed to get rid of him. And the crowd, he was not the kind of king they expected. And Jesus is still such a threat to most people even today – a threat to those in power – a threat to those declaring themselves as king. But Jesus entered Jerusalem and declared himself to be the king who will take over everything including their lives.

That proclamation of Jesus as king is reason for todays people to kill him, to crucify Jesus. Jesus announces that he is king – and you feel threatened. No Jesus, you will not be king. I and myself is king – my desires, my priorities in life- my career, my business, my education, my lovelife - these are the kings of my life and I want it that way. The human empire that we have built for ourselves stands in judgement against the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims. The human empire includes the church – as we have made into an organization of good people who in the outward do good things especially on Sundays. You are good, I am good and so let us form a committee for our ministries. How many committees are you a member of from the local, to the district, to the conference level? But how many of these committees respond to those in need? If there are, how many have actively participated in these ministries? And how many actually did this because of love of Christ our king?  What makes us different from the Pharisees, scribes and religious people that Jesus rebuked?

Do not shake the boat, do not change the status quo, Jesus do not assert your kingship or else we will crucify you. But to establish the kingdom of God here on earth, Jesus needs to proclaim his kingship as he enters the Jerusalem of each person’s heart. And because our priorities are all mixed up and something else sits as king in our heart, we do not want Jesus to be king and so we shout, “Crucify him, crucify him.”

Yes, we are shouting crucify him, crucify him with much gusto and passion when we also declared Hossana in the highest, blessed be the king of Israel. We have betrayed Jesus, just like the disciples. Just like Peter. Everyday, we betray Jesus with our misdeeds, but unlike Peter we did not only betray him once, not twice, not even thrice… but everytime.

Yes we are part of the crowd, we are there when we shout blessed be the king and we are there when we cry crucify him. And with the sins in our hearts, we crucify Jesus.

Sometimes we think that the triumphant entry of Jesus is just another story in the passion narrative in the Bible. That the life, suffering, torture, passion and death of Jesus is a true to life movie worth remembering once a year. What we fail to recognize is that, everyday of our lives, every actions that we take, every word that we say and even every thought that comes to our mind is part of the reason Jesus courageously entered Jerusalem despite the knowledge that it will be the culmination of his suffering and death within a week time. We often forget that the things we celebrate holy week for is not, it is NOT just a memorial or a celebration of things that happened more than two thousand years ago. The significance of Christ life, sacrifice and death is felt even today, and should be felt everyday of our lives.

In the early church, the celebration of palm and passion Sunday is the culmination of the long years of preparation for the new converts to Christianity. The Palm/Passion Sunday is the day wherein  the new converts will begin intense preparation as they will be baptized and receive communion on Easter. The Palm/passion Sunday is a time to reflect upon the question, “do you confess Jesus Christ as your Saviour and King?” For us Christians, it is a time to reflect upon our baptismal vows. It is the recognition that the one who claims to be King will willingly die in our place to give us eternal life and that we will be steadfast in our claim that He is our King.

My dear brothers and sisters, the parade has started and a certain Jesus is leading the way as he enters Jerusalem, as he enters your heart. Do you know him?

The good news my dear brothers and sisters, even before you call him your Saviour and King, even before you acknowledge him, Jesus already included you  in his plan of salvation when he entered Jerusalem .

Are you going to join in the celebrations? Will you be able to recognize Jesus in the crowd? Are you going to shout, “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord?” Will you declare him to be your saviour and your king? Or will you be frustrated in your expectations and cry out, crucify him. Crucify him?

Who is Jesus to you?

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.