How do we know the Spirit of God and the spirit of the evil one? How do we identify them? How do we discern them?
The First Letter of John tells us the way to test the spirit working in us. John puts it simply. If the spirit working in us acknowledges Jesus Christ, then, the spirit belongs to God. However, if the spirit working in us denies or rejects Jesus Christ, then, it does not belong to God but to the antichrist, the evil one.
Why is it very important? John warns us. He said, “Beloved, do not trust every spirit.” There are indeed spirits that deceive us. The evil one is a master of deceit and lies. When we are lonely and depressed, in need of help, the evil spirit may tempt to believe that it is much better to be alone and bury ourselves in fear and loneliness. This action leads us to hopelessness and death and does not acknowledge the comfort of friendship that Jesus offers us through the Church, our friends and family. This surely does not belong to God.
When we have achieved so much, gained success and victories, gathered influence and wealth, the evil one may also tempt us to gather more and collect more. This may lead us further to insecurity and corruption. It does not acknowledge the generosity of Jesus.
When we exercise power or authority over others whether at home, in our community or at our workplace, and we are not discerning enough of the spirit behind us, we might be tempted to also exercise control, dominance and manipulation. This will also certainly lead us to violence in our words and actions towards people around us. It does not also acknowledge the authority of Jesus and the power of his love for us.
Hence, for us to remain in the Spirit of God, let us remember these and be always mindful of the spirit working in us, in our families and communities.
The Spirit of God gives us peace, confidence and serenity. The evil spirit makes us doubtful, fearful, anxious and having a low self-esteem.
The Spirit of God encourages us, lifts our spirit but the evil spirit makes us down and depressed. It discourages and upsets us.
The Spirit of God brings us comfort and joy, humor and laughter but the evil spirit makes us angry and irritable.
The Spirit of God makes us appreciate things and others, makes us grateful to God. But the evil spirit makes us unsatisfied, ungrateful, complaining, makes us see only the defects/negatives in everything and everyone including yourself.
The Spirit of God makes us feel loved, accepted and forgiven. But the evil one makes us feel bad, terrible, horrible, disgustful, unloved and accuses us of our wrongdoings making us guilty always (because the evil’s name is Accuser).
By being able to discern the spirit working in us, may we always choose God’s spirit, the spirit of truth rather than the spirit of deceit that only bring us to sadness and death. Hinaut pa.
What is it that you are hoping for this year? Or what is it that drives you most for this year 2021? Are you looking for somebody who will give meaning to your life? Are you searching for something that will give you contentment in life? Are you expecting something that will fulfill the emptiness in your heart, or of something that will at last dispel your fear and anxiety?
Each of us must be hoping or expecting something good to happen for ourselves and for our families. That is why, we have dreams and we make plans on how to fulfill what we envision for ourselves. In the recent Pulse Asia Survey conducted from November 23 to December 2, 2020, it revealed that 91% of Filipinos celebrate Christmas and New Year filled with hope amidst the devastating year of 2020. The same percentage also expressed an optimism for this year 2021 and 87% of people in Mindanao particularly, expressed this optimism.[1] The survey indeed revealed a high hopefulness for this year.
This survey can be an indicator of a high motivation among us to journey forward, to continue searching and making a reality what we hope for ourselves and for our families and communities. This also indicates that as we hope and aspire to fulfill our desires and dreams then we also take risks. The risks here may include investing our time, energy and resources, developing and forming new relationships and venturing into unknown territories.
Such reality brings me now into what we celebrate this Sunday. Today is the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord or God’s manifestation of Himself to us. This Sunday is popularly known as the Feast of the Three Magi or Wise Men. However, this feast is not actually about them but about that baby boy whom they found after their tiring search of the shining star, the fulfillment of their dreams.
Though the three Magi are not actually the focus here, but there are lessons that we can learn from them. There are four movements of the Magi here and these are also the invitations that that I would like you to pay attention now. So, allow me to tell their story again and discover how God manifests Himself in us today.
The first movement of the Magi is searching. These men, who were probably astrologers, had been observing the heavens and they became engrossed so much by this bright shining star. They came from different places yet the star became a common goal for them. The star filled them with dreams and hopes. That is why, they searched for it and followed it. In their search to what will fulfill their hunger for knowledge and wisdom, it required them to go out and look for it. They needed to leave the comforts of their homes and take the risks of unknown territories. In their search too, they realized that it will be demanding because it will require a big amount of their time and energy, resources and presence.
Along the journey, what they found first was the company of each other. Along the way, they found and built friendship and to journey together. Indeed, it is very important that in our journey, we need also to realize that it is better to journey with others, to have friends to accompany us. The road will be less lonely and life will be filled with laughter when we are with friends.
More than this, when at last they found the exact location of the star, they found the greatest gift in their life. They found the fulfillment and the joy that they have been looking for. In their search and journey together, the Lord manifested himself to them.
However, there is something more here too. It was actually the Lord who invited these men. The star that they saw was that glimmer of hope that they were aspiring for. The Lord used the star to lead these men to God who became flesh. That desire and aspiration in their hearts became the entry point of God into their hearts. And because they were open to God’s grace, they were led to Mary and Jesus. They have seen the face of God.
This leads us now to the second movement of prostrating and paying homage. What filled them with knowledge and wisdom as they looked on the face of God in the arms of Mary, they too realized that their knowledge and wisdom were too little to understand this mystery. God became man and he dwells among us, is beyond understanding. This is something that does not need to be understood and something that does not require a wise man to comprehend. This is the reason why these men prostrated themselves and paid homage to the Baby Jesus. When at last they have witnessed God’s manifestation, they too realized their littleness and insignificance of the greatness of God and of the greatness of his love resting in the arms of Mary.
To prostrate and to pay homage are expressions of worship and dependence to God. The three magi remind us that as we also fulfill our dreams and realize our hopes, this should lead us to recognize that we are all indebted to God. God manifests himself in the many good things we achieved and in the many blessings we received.
This recognition of God’s presence leads us to the third movement of the magi and that is the act of offering their gifts. Each of them opened their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gold is a symbol that Jesus is king. Frankincense is a symbol that Jesus is a priest. Myrrh is a symbol that Jesus is a prophet. The act of offering their gifts was an expression of their deep gratitude to God who fulfilled the deepest longing in their hearts.
This tells us that when our heart is truly filled with gratitude because of the many good things that God has done for us, we also respond with generosity. God indeed manifests himself in us when we also learn to open up ourselves and extend ourselves for the goodness of others.
Thus, a heart that is filled with gratitude begins to see life from a different perspective from before. This leads us now to the last and fourth movement of the magi, which is the returning by a different way. After they beheld the face of God and were warned by the angel of the evil intention of Herod, the magi returned to their homes in a different way. This action is certainly filled with so much meaning. Though this literally means that they took a different way, but, encountering God in their life led them also to a complete change of their heart. Their encounter with God made them new persons, living life never the same as before.
Truly, when we allow the Lord to reveal himself to us, the Lord will also transform us and change our perspective in life and our way of living life. This change of perspective will be according to how God sees us and how God sees the world. The child Jesus will surely bring great joy in us that it will forever change our life. Hence, in our encounter with God, let us never be afraid of taking a different path or of changing the way we live our life from being complacent to being active, from being indifferent to being kind and caring. God will lead us to many surprises.
These are the four movements and the four invitations for us. Let me repeat them now for you, so that you may bring these invitations consciously with you today.
First, search for that something that will give us the fulfillment of our heart. In our search, be with friends and family. Let them journey with us.
Second, in our discovery of God’s presence, allow ourselves to be embraced by the greatness of God’s presence. Pay him homage and worship God. Never forget to come to the Church and express our affection to the Lord through the gift of our sacraments.
Third, as we affirm our dependence in God, express also our generosity. Offer our gifts especially to those who are in need of our help. This is a way of expressing our gratitude.
Fourth, as we encounter the Lord, allow the Lord to transform us, to change our attitude, our perspective in life and the way we live our life. Let the Lord bring freshness in us. Hinaut pa.
The birth of a child within a family is life-changing. Upon child’s birth, life is transformed and became anew not only for the couple as parents but also includes the life of whole family, neighborhood & community. Not only a new life is added & included into the family life, but also each & every members of the family have to take on a new responsibility as grandparents, parents, uncles & aunties, siblings & relatives for the baby. The birth of the child will surely bring about not only great joy but also promises great change within the family for it entails great responsibility.
Same way as we struggle & mature with life-challenges like illnesses, crises, disasters, pandemic and other life-transitions, the normal birth of a child into our life is indeed life-changing, life-transforming. And it challenges us to live life not again & anymore same as before, but to live life anew in a new normal way with new direction, perspective, responsibility, lifestyle & meaning in life.
On this first Sunday of the New Year, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Known also to us as Three Kings Sunday, we worship & praise the saving act of God in making known Himself to Us All through His Son, Jesus Christ as well as our consent & faith of welcoming, accepting & witnessing God into our lives now. Epiphany is God’s revelation – both made known to us and acknowledged & believed by us. His son Jesus is God’s greatest gift of grace given to us. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise long-awaited by the forefathers of our faith but now we have found in us & with us. By giving us His son Jesus & by our reception of His son Jesus into our lives now, we become & take on the honor of being & becoming ourselves God’s children and now recipient & benefactors of God’s grace of salvation.
In our gospel today, we are reminded of the events that happened when the three kings found the poor child Jesus lying on the manger in Bethlehem. Guided by the stars, with great joy they have finally found the place where the child Jesus is, & then through the child, they adore & pay homage to God. Their encounter of the child Jesus on a manger with His family in Bethlehem brought about great joy & praise since they have finally found what they have searched & long-waited for. With their offered gifts, they honor and thank God’s saving work in the child Jesus. Through the child Jesus, the world is now Blessed & forever will be.
Along with this, we should also credit that after the journey & experiences that the three kings & the Jewish people had to go through to search & find God’s blessing to the world, “warned in a dream, they departed for their country by another way.” Meaning, as they found, acknowledged & accepted God’s grace into their lives, they go back home not on their normal usual way but by another new way of life.
In other words, with their encounter with the child Jesus, unconsciously through their dreams & not only out of fear for Herod, they have to change their ways, & transform their lives for the child. They will not anymore follow the usual normal path in life again, but now they change their ways, paths, plan, thinking, responsibility & will in life. Same way with the birthing of a child with a family, their meeting with the child Jesus has brought a lot of changes into their lives – Great change in their responsibility, meaning, & outlook in life. Their lives now are not anymore same as before, but their lives now are anew & better than before in a new normal, new identity, attitude, meaning & lifestyle.
It is then, not only about paying homage & adoration to God who blessed us with His child Jesus but moreso about changing & transforming our lives for the life-changing Christ child Jesus.
In the same way, as we encounter God, as we recognize God who makes Himself known to us, our lives will never remain the same again. As we welcome & accept God’s gift the child Jesus as Our Lord of our life, we also take on the responsibility to change our lives in accordance with His orientation, ways, meaning, attitude & lifestyle. Same way with the three kings, the family who welcomes a new baby in the family & us now during these pandemic times, we are challenged also to recognize, receive, and allow the child Jesus to be part of our lives now. This would mean that we have to change our normal lives & attune our New normal lives with the life-changing Child Jesus Christ, and be part of His mission of making known & share the fullness of God’s promise of blessing & salvation to all.
Today, we thank God for His grace of His child Jesus, and we ask Him that we may always be steadfast in our faith & responsibility to parent & share His child Jesus to all, on this new year of our lives. Amen.
What is easier? To pretend who we are not or to be who we truly are? With the culture that has develop in the recent years through the use social media, it has now become easier to pretend who we are not and to portray to others a self-filled with pretensions. An individual can just create multiple accounts on Facebook or Instagram and portray a different image of himself or herself. One can just display an image of himself or herself on social media sites different from what is really true.
Such attitude must have come from a deep longing to satisfy a person’s desire to be recognized, praised or accepted by others. The person’s environment such as the home, neighborhood or workplace must have been source of rejection and judgment. Because of this, the need to be accepted will persist and will lead a person to look for other ways where he or she will be recognized even in a superficial way.
Hence, the space provided by the social media would allow the person to be recognized and praised. Gaining likes, shares, comments and followers are ways of a person to be recognized. This could also lead others to portray happy occasions through their pictures and videos in order to hide a painful and traumatic background in their life. Others would show how affluent and comfortable they are in life to hide their insecurity due to poverty. However, such attitude can also become problematic. Portraying to others whom we are not, distances us from our true self. This also leads ultimately in our rejection of who we truly are before God.
In the First letter of St. John, it reminds us to remain in him. To remain in God is to be able to accept God in our life and become more confident in Him who is with us. To deny God removes us from His presence and thus will also lead us in denying who we truly are before Him. Only in remaining in God that we also inherit eternal life, which means, joy and a blessed life with God.
Such call also reflected in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist reminds us of the importance of recognizing our true self before God and before others. Priests and Levites asked John if he was the Messiah or Elijah or some great prophets from the Old Testament. John already gained popularity among the people. People sought for him and followed him. He gained influence and became an authority. John now could just easily pretend that he was someone else of great importance.
However, John was honest enough to admit that he is not God nor a great prophet. He was just a simple and humble friend of God, whose voice cries out in the dessert to bring people closer to God.
This is what God calls us today on this second day of the year, that we become more accepting of ourselves with all our weaknesses and problems as well as our strengths and potentials. Being honest with ourselves is also being honest with God and with others. To fully accept who we are also leads us to humbly acknowledge God in our life. To fully embrace ourselves makes us happier and joyful. In this way, we may become an authentic person who is not bothered of any pretension and insecurity but confident in God who loves us. Hinaut pa.
As we say our goodbye to 2020 and welcome a New Year of 2021, there is something I want you to do. I invite you to think, remember and recognize those many things that you have lost during this year of 2020 especially as Covid-19 Pandemic began to create chaos and significant changes into our lives. Those things that you have lost may include opportunities at school, at work or your business, relationships, family, or losing a loved one or anything that were significant to you.
I am giving you now 60 seconds to remember, recognize and count each of them. Are you ready? Timer starts now.
Losing something especially when that was significant or losing someone whom you love, creates deep pain in our heart. We become sad and even depressed. Others were even stunned and petrified when they realized that they have lost something special and important in their life.
I know several friends who until now are carrying that deep sorrow and grief over the loss of a loved one during this pandemic. It was too much to bear and the memory of it would always bring sadness.
Many medical front-liners also suffer emotional stress and physical fatigue in responding to the crisis. Many of them got infected and were deprived to be with their families.
Indeed, it is very important to recognize what we have lost. Many writers and social media influencers called us to always be positive and exercise “optimism” in midst of this depressive and life-altering challenges of the pandemic. Yet, optimism without a realistic recognition of what happened in our surrounding can be a blind spot. To be optimistic but denying the existence of our difficulties has no ground at all.
Our difficulties, our issues and problems both personal and of our community must always be considered in our search to go forward and to be hopeful. Thus, with this exercise to remember and recognize what we have lost brings us into the awareness of concrete and realistic situations that need mature and responsible response.
A responsible response may require to be reconciled with what happened, to ask forgiveness for our failures and sins and to let go of those that may burden us from going forward. All of these will only be possible when we recognize what we have lost as well as our failures.
From here, this calls us now to step forward. This is the invitation that I would like you now to dwell deeper – “the invitation to find great blessings in simple and small things.”
I would like to invite you again for another 60 seconds. This time, I would like you think and recognize those blessings that you have received this year especially as we are all going through this world wide crisis. Remember, blessings are not just limited with material things. They also include people or relationships, opportunities being offered in your work or business, or even events. So, begin now recognizing your blessings. And your 60 seconds starts now.
A mother shared to me how she found wonders in the middle of this difficult and depressive time of the pandemic. Because of the home quarantine, she found changes in the attitude of her children and even grandchildren and her husband. At the beginning, each one seemed to enjoy their gadgets. They were in one home but almost not talking to each other. Yet, when one family member got sick, and was suspected of Covid-19, everybody slowly changed their attitude. Her children, grandchildren and husband began to join her in her daily rosary. Slowly, each one would sit around the altar to pray. But more than this, the quality of the presence of each one, was being shared to all the members of the family.
What she found and became more grateful was the gift of presence of her family members. Each one also realized the importance of that gift and became more conscious of each one’s needs. This, certainly, is a great blessing. Easily taken for granted but when we become more conscious of it, presence becomes a powerful gift we can share to a loved one who is suffering and afraid.
As we are about to close this year and welcome the New Year, we are indeed invited to find great blessings in small and simple things in life. They may be small but they can be powerful and wonderful when we become conscious of them.
This is what we have heard in tonight’s readings. Our Scriptures proclaimed to us God’s blessings. And so, I would like to invite you again that we now turn our attention to what was proclaimed to us in the Sacred Scriptures.
The First reading from the Book of Numbers gives us the assurance of God’s blessing. God blesses and loves to bless us. Moses was told by the Lord to convey to Aaron and his sons that the Lord blesses and protects them. God’s blessing is to make God’s face shine upon the people God loves.
In the same way, our Psalm also proclaims this hope. It says, “May God have pity on us and bless us, may he let his face shine upon us.” Accordingly, St. Paul told us in his letter to the Galatians that, “when the fullness of time has come, God sent his soe, born of a woman.” This fullness is the fulfillment of God’s promise which we have been reflecting during the Season of Advent.
This fullness of time was also received by a woman who was full of grace. This is why we celebrate the first day of the year in honor of Mary, the Mother of God because through her fullness, Mary brought to us God’s greatest blessing. Mary reminds us on this first day of the year that no matter how difficult life is, no matter what kind of challenges we are facing right at this very moment, we are blessed.
May I ask you now, that you say it confidently to yourself, “I AM BLESSED.” Please repeat, “I AM BLESSED!” Yes, we are blessed because God has come to us and his name is Jesus, our God who saves us.
"I AM BLESSED"
This Gospel of Luke also described to us this wonder in finding great blessing in small and simple things. The shepherds who were considered at that time as stateless, nameless and insignificant people in their society must have been looking and searching for something that will affirm their worth. People who were abandoned and not recognized by the community carry a deep pain in their heart and deep longing to be understood and to be loved. These shepherds must have been looking for this, deep in their hearts.
God is not blind to this. God shows his mercy. God comes to bless us. Indeed, those deprived shepherds, as St. Luke told us, went in haste to Bethlehem in search of a child after an Angel told them of the great news. In their search, what they found was an infant lying in a manger with Mary and Joseph. Yes, they found this family and an infant in unadorned manger which was intended only for animals’ food.
Can we not see it? God’s greatest blessing to us rests in a poor, simple and unadorned manger. As God promised to let his face shine on us, God fulfills it in a simple and humble way. This is what Mary, the Mother of God reminds us today. Mary brought to us the Lord Jesus not in a majestic or spectacular or extravagant way where people will be crowding to see and be amazed of what happened. No! There was no big crowd. There were no dignitaries! There was no presence of important people in the society. Only the stateless, insignificant, nameless, and unimportant shepherds and perhaps some animals to see and behold the face of God.
Why is that? We can only wonder. Those important and big people could have been too busy and too occupied with their ego. When we turn like this, we will be more concerned in big and spectacular things for ourselves. We will be overwhelmed by our desire to have more for ourselves that our heart became indifferent to the simple invitation of God.
What does it tell us now? As this New Year of 2021 is about to unfold, never ever take for granted the small, the least, the simple and the ordinary in our life. History tells us that God comes and shines his face upon us through the simple and small things, through ordinary events, through our familiar friends, through the least of our brothers and sisters.
Look and find God and His great blessings in the small and the simple. Never forget that because like the shepherds, when we begin to recognize God and his blessings to us in the small and simple things, it will move us to joy and to gratitude. Look at what happened to the shepherds. When at last they have received God’s blessing brought by Mary, they began glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.
The shepherds became the first preachers of joy. Everyone they met on the road, they shared the joy that they have felt. That joy in them became more infectious that any disease or virus. With that blessing they received, they began to look at their life and look at the world at a very different perspective from before. They now look at life and the world through the lens of blessing because God is here with us.
Life becomes more wonderful despite its challenges. The world though it was night, but there was a glimmer of hope that the sun will surely shine. All these have become possible because like Mary and Joseph, the shepherds also received the carried the Lord in their hearts. Now, as we welcome 2021 in few more ours, let us also receive and always allow the Lord to be with us.
For us to remember God’s invitations tonight, let me remind you again of your “take aways.”
Recognize what you have lost as well as your failures. Be reconciled and let go.
Recognize your blessings even in the small and simple things in life. And be grateful.
Preach joy and live in joy.
Hinaut pa. Have a Merry Christmas and a Grace-filled New Year everyone.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 