Have you ever wondered whether or not you were truly holy? “‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy’ says God.” (Leviticus19:2). To ask ourselves on whether or not we are holy, we must first understand what is “Holiness”.
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I still remember the day when I stood before the Altar of God and solemnly vowed to love the woman I chose to be my partner for the rest of my life. That was more than 25 years ago, and today we remain as one in the presence of the Church and our community as a striking testimony to what God’s grace, conferred in the Sacrament of Matrimony, can accomplish in a husband and wife. Carefully guarding and using the divine treasure that was poured out upon us during that fateful day, we can only humbly look up to God’s goodness, watchfulness, faithfulness and plan for us. That two unique individuals can live this long together is, in itself, a miracle.
“There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, 'If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.' Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.” (Mk 5:25-29)
On January 30, my husband went for carotid surgery. What would have been a routine two-hour procedure ended up with complications, and I almost lost him. He woke up after surgery, but he became unconscious and unresponsive when his breathing tube was removed. Measures were immediately implemented to prevent the occurrence of a stroke. He was brought back to the OR for a second round of surgery. How many years do we struggle with affliction before we find that the cure was in faith all along? My sisters and brothers, we are blessed because Jesus saves us and heals us. If only we would press in, seek Him, touch Him and allow the exchange of faith for pain to take place. In this scripture verse, we see a woman who has struggled with the issue of hemorrhage for 12 years. She was an outcast and rejected by society because of her condition. Searching for help from doctors only made her situation worse. Propelled by faith, though sick and weak, she was determined. She pressed into the crowd to find healing from Jesus. Desperately, she managed to touch the edge of His garment, and her healing was instantaneous.
“But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” (Mk 3:29)
What a chilling caution by Jesus towards the accusing Scribes and listeners then, and equally unmitigated for us now. In Mark’s narrative, the scene unfolds immediately after Jesus appointed the twelve. The Scribes of Jerusalem appear and lay serious charges against Jesus, who was rapidly gaining attention. To put this in perspective, the Jerusalem Scribes were experts in the Mosaic Law; their authority was of greater weight in comparison to the Galilean Pharisees. Without delay the Scribes brought two charges against Him: “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” (Mk 3:22) “Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.”(1 Jn 2:24-25)
Things change. Days pass, seasons turn, years go by, children grow up, friends come and go, fortunes are made and lost. Some changes we celebrate; and some we dread. Some changes leave an indelible mark on our hearts. For better or for worse, change is a fact of life; and it has been for many centuries. The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, who lived 500 years before Christ, once said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” “The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” (Lk 2:10-11)
For many of us, Christmas is a time of rejoicing, a time of celebrations, family gatherings, and Advent programs in our churches to reflect on our spiritual preparedness for welcoming Jesus at Christmas. We also prepare our homes by putting up the Christmas tree and other decorations. How often do we experience trials and hardships in life? Perhaps we are going through personal and family crisis such as terminal illness, breakdown of relationship between husband and wife, between parent and child, or between friends. Don’t we sometimes feel like the world is crumbling down on us? At times like these, we need to pray and ask God to open our eyes to have a better understanding of His plan for us. Then we will realize that all our anxieties in this life are short-lived. Then shall have the courage and strength to accept the apparently meaningless sufferings in this life, knowing that through it all, God is on our side. All it takes is to trust that nothing is impossible with God.
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.” (Mt 18:12-13)
Will he, really? This situation is what the world would call silly, stupid, idiotic. It implies that the shepherd has no time to call somebody else over, to look after 99 sheep for him, in the hills by themselves. You’ve probably heard the song “Happy” popping up a lot more lately. Interest in happiness is growing. There is an awakening and many people are seeking true, lasting happiness. Google trends show that for nearly a decade there has been a steady increase in the number of times people search for the term “happiness.” Of course, everyone aspires to be happy but do we know how to be happy? Recently, I joined the Live Happy Movement- an organization that promotes the belief that happiness starts with an individual then ripples into the lives of others and becomes a wave of positive change around the world. Since I joined the Live Happy Movement, people have described me as the “smiling face” and people ask, “What’s your secret?”
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