A Holy Life

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. – Jeremiah 33:3

The Season of Lent may be over.  So is the Holy Week.  

Did it bring us closer to God? I hope so, we all did.  With all the retreats, Visita Iglesias, Pabasa, Meditations on the Seven Last Words, Way of the Cross, pilgrimage, processions and the sacrament of penance, it’s impossible to ignore the presence of Jesus in our lives.

Now we’re back to the humdrum of our usual, ordinary days.  Slowly and surely, we will soon be snatched away from the serene state of being back to our toxic way of living if we let complacency rule.

Simon Wiesenthal once said  “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” 

We wouldn’t like that to happen, do we? So we remind ourselves to pray without ceasing. Holy Week or not. It is the only way to stay in tune with Jesus, that in whatever we do, we let Him participate.  In each moment, let us invoke His presence.  

It ain’t that hard. We just need some getting used to. What better way to do that than to practice.

Think of Him when you’re stuck in traffic, or when waiting in line. Pray to Him when waiting for someone in the coffee shop, or while walking in the park. Talk to Him in your mind and with your heart while working out, or while doing the dishes.

Jesus is everywhere.  You may feel His presence in the church or in a grotto.  But you can also feel His presence in the least likely places, if we only let Him in our hearts.

Truly Holy Week lasts but for seven days.  But a holy life is forever.

Jesus is Alive

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  – John 15:13

It’s Easter Sunday. We celebrate.  We believe that Jesus lives.

Though my eyes cannot see Him, my whole being knows He is here.  No explanation is necessary.  I just know.

There were times that I thought Jesus was so far away.  When I sin.  When I despair. I couldn’t feel His presence.  Not that He was, but because I chose to look away and ignore Him. 

Through it all, Jesus remains faithful.  He never gives up on me.  No matter how bad and stupid and stubborn I could be, He still loves me. 

I don’t know what He sees in me.  All I know is that He didn’t had to, but He died on the Cross to save me.  So too He is risen to love me.  For all eternity.

It is my fervent prayer that I may be worthy of His sacrifice.  So that His pain and suffering shall not be in vain, I pray too that I be able to carry my own Cross for the sake of others. 

Glory be to God forever!

The Good Saturday

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10

It was supposed to be on the altar in the living room facing the main door.  But while we were still sorting out where to put what when we moved in a month ago,  the crucifix with a rosary hanging around it was temporarily placed on our kitchen counter backed against the wall.  

It never made its way to the altar because it is meant to be where it is now.  

That crucifix is a constant reminder that Jesus is always there with us in every family meal. 

I was alone for breakfast this morning, but I realized that I was not really on my own.  Jesus is there in front of me.  Indeed, today is Good Saturday. With Jesus, it is always a good morning.  It is always a good life. 

God is good all the time!

It’s All About Jesus

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
   that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
   and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.”  -Philippians 2:9-11

The first time I watched the movie “The Passion of the Christ” a few years back, I was shocked by how the events were presented.  The scenes from the agony in the garden to the moment that Jesus breathed His last, were just so detailed and yes, bloody.

Today I watched it again.  The experience is now entirely different.  It is personal and profound.  I almost ‘felt’ how Jesus suffered and died.  Every time the camera focused on His eyes, it was like Jesus was actually looking at me, so lovingly and forgiving.

It is the same movie that I watched, but on each instance, the experience is entirely different. What changed?  Life did.

In between both viewing, life have been teaching me lessons that make me ‘see’ clearer. I realized that no matter how weak and flawed I am, Jesus never gives up on me. His willingness to forgive is always greater than my desire to be forgiven.

Jesus proved that I am worthy to be saved, but unless I truly believe that indeed I am worthy and sin no more, He is patiently waiting for my complete turnaround.  He is faithful even when I am not.

Today is Good Friday.  It is a day of reflection on the passion of Jesus Christ, of gratitude for His sacrifice and repentance to be worthy of His perfect love.  Today I changed my site title from Angel119 to Everyday with Jesus.  Because I realized life is not about me, it is all about Him.  With His mercy, I shall carry my cross to remind me everyday that Jesus carried His because of me.