Come after me

"Come after me", these words summarize my identity. First, Jesus calls me to have a relationship with Him. Then, Jesus sends me to be like Him, a person who is for others.
Working for God's Kingdom is good, and Jesus wants us to engage on this. But it is a consequence, a natural result of an experience. We are not only workers for the Kingdom; we are part of the Kingdom. And this Kingdom is about recognizing God's presence in our lives.

Letting God in

I often experience that I do something good in a difficult or impossible situation, or when I don't feel being good at all. Moments like this really remind me of God's goodness and greatness. I recognize that it is God, not me, who is at work.
I don't see it as a non-respect of my freedom; rather, I see it as a reminder that my essence is goodness, and this essence is a sharing in God's very own identity.

Look up!

To "look up", to "seek the things that are above" doesn't mean to turn my back on the world or not to engage in the wonderful adventure called life.
No, to look up means to remember the bigger picture. There is a God who lovingly holds the universe in His hands.
It means that when I make decisions, discretion and practicality, though they are good, should not have the ultimate say.

The sycamore and the gaze

What does the Gospel passage about Zaccheus teaches me?
It teaches me a lot.
First, it is truly a deep encounter that changes us. When I say deep, it means that it is an encounter that engages my entire being: mind, heart and limbs.
Second, encounter takes place because there is an attraction. This attraction may be caused by different reasons, but it must be there; because attraction is what makes us agree to suspend what is usual to focus on something. Attraction makes us open to the encounter.
Third, we have to do something after that initial attraction. It may be to climb a sycamore tree and do away with all appearances of "being cool".
Lastly, however odd or small our effort may be, God does His part. And when God truly looks at us, and we let that gaze penetrate the deepest core of our being, we will never be the same.

Three at last!

After more than thirty years, I and my high school girlfriends had a reunion. The feeling was overwhelming, in a very, very good way. What made our reunion more surreal was the presence of one of our high school Religion teachers who is now a priest in Long Island.
The last time we were together was at our high school graduation in Manila, Philippines. Our reunion took place two days ago in New Jersey, USA. At fifteen, which was my age the last time we met, I would never have imagined us meeting again and in this way.
We had a whole day of reminiscing, of catching up about our personal lives, and of updating ourselves with news about our common friends.
Life has certainly brought us in unexpected directions, not always pleasant nor easy to understand; but we are grateful to life, and to the wisdom that goes with it.
Certainly, life is more creative than our wildest imagination, so we are called to be like little children: to sing, to dance, to love every minute of this gift called life.
I admire and respect my girlfriends because they wear the bruises of life as scars earned in battles. They are growing in graciousness and kindness, recognizing that life is not a competition, but a journeying together.
We went apple-picking, then proceeded for a drive close to a lake and around town, basking in the glorious colors of autumn. And suddenly we were back at fifteen, when we were full of dreams of "when I grow up...", playing, taking photos, laughing and just havingfun.
As swiftly as it started, the glorious day came to an end, but it has surely filled our hearts with a true experience of the gift of friendship.
We will bring this precious gift wherever we are and to whatever direction life takes us. Life is not to be hurdled alone. I have friends who are with me always, cheering for me.
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of friends.