WHO IS THE GOAT?

A personal reflection on today's Gospel MARK 9:30-37 (September 23, 2018)

Hindi po ito iyong domesticated animal na may balbas at puro kain ng damo ang ginagawa. 

“GOAT" refers to Greatest Of All Time or simply the greatest basketball player. Who is the "GOAT"? That is a question that basketball fans has been debating about for quite some time. The list has been trimmed down to two players - Michael Jordan & Lebron James. The answer to the question of who is the GOAT will always spark a debate. Baka magkagalit pa ang mga mag-kaibigan dahil dyan.

Here is a quick comparison between the two.

• Championship titles - Jordan’s 6 vs Lebron’s 3
• Season MVP - Jordan’s 5 vs Lebron’s 4
• Finals MVP - Jordan’s 6 vs Lebron’s 3
• Points - Jordan’s 32,292 vs Lebron’s 31,038
• Points per game - Jordan’s 30.1 vs Lebron’s 27.2

Let’s stop there before I bore you with all the stats.  Anyway, this post is not about answering the “GOAT” question. I just want to relate it to today’s Gospel where the apostles also argued over who is the greatest.

"But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest." - Mark 9:34

To most people, the way to determine greatness is to sImply look at who has MORE. 

• For the case of Jordan & Lebron who has MORE points, championships, MVP, etc.
• For a rich man who has MORE money
• For an actor who has MORE acting awards
• For a businessman who has founded MORE companies
• For a writer who has MORE books

Jesus give us a different definition of greatness in today’s Gospel. He shares to to us that LESS is MORE when it comes to God.

1. LESS FEARFUL, MORE BOLD. Hindi naintindihan ng mga apostol ang sinabi ni Kristo dahil hindi sila nagtanong. Mark 9:32 says "But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.” They were too focused on their fear than God. Are there situations in your life now that you don’t understand? Do not be afraid to ask God. Philippians 4:6 says "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” Do not be fearful. Be bold in asking God what you don't understand so that your decisions may be guided by HIM.
2. LESS SELFISH, MORE SELFLESS. Mark 9:35 says that “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” God calls us to be servants by being the example Himself. Remember that "the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) We have this notion that the greatest is followed and served by a lot of people. Jesus tells that the greatest serves the people. Always serve first, love more. 
3. LESS COMPLICATED, MORE CHILD-LIKE. Mark 9:37 says "“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Do not overcomplicate your relationship with God. Mahal ka ng Diyos kahit wala ka pang ginagawa. He calls us to be in Church, to serve others, to read the bible and a few others things. He calls us to do all these not to earn points so He can love us more. He calls us to do all that so we can understand more how much He loves us. Let us be childlike like Mary who simply say YES to GOD because she trusted God. In Luke 1:38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

To be the GOAT in God’s eyes, aim to be LESS fearful, selfish & complicated. 

May you have a blessed week! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

CHOOSE YOUR FUTURE

"Moses". I like that name. I also like the person in the bible with that name. He was a cool dude. Why? Because he was the first man with a Tablet. Oooops, I better stop the daddy joke here so we can go back to the verse.

"By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter" - Hebrews 11:24

Moses literally means "to pull or draw out". That's what happened to Moses as a baby. The Pharaoh's daughter rescued little Moses by pulling him out ofthe water. That moment changed the destiny of Moses. His life shifted from someone escaping death to living the life of a prince. What an awesome turnaround! A life where you don't have to work. You will be so rich you can get your slave his own slave! Ok, I maybe exaggerating. But who in his right mind would refuse to live the life of a prince? No one else but that cool guy named Moses. The verse says he "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter."

What? Say it again with me. Whaaaaaaat? He refused the life a prince! Yes! Moses did that. He grew up and said that "I don't want this life. I choose my future. I don't want the good life because I want the best." So what's the best life?

TO FOLLOW GOD & DO WHAT GOD DESIGNED YOU TO BE.

God designed Moses for a specific role & he was willing to take on that role. So Moses confronted the powerful Pharaoh and demanded for the freedom of the Jews from slavery. He led them out of Egypt, gave them God's law in a tablet & journeyed with them towards the land of milk & honey. He did a lot more than that. Read Exodus.

Moses knew he had a difficult role. He would be leading a people whose favorite pastime was to complain. He knew that he could not do it by himself. Why was he willing to do it despite the challenge? Hebrews 11:24 exposes the secret of Moses at the start of the verse - "By faith". Yes, that's the secret. Moses pursued his destiny "by faith".

What is God asking you to do?

1. Talk to that neighbor who ignores you
2. Forgive that friend who betrayed you
3. Love that un-loveable person
4. Donate your money to the poor instead of buying a new gadget

You may be thinking of other things. All these will be difficult but you can do it. Friends, CHOOSE TO FOLLOW GOD & DO WHAT GOD DESIGNED YOU TO BE. Be like Moses. Choose your future & do it by faith! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

TRIPLE A - AAA

A personal reflection on today's Gospel MARK 7:31-37 (September 9, 2018)

"Thank you po!" 

Then the birthday boy ran away with our gift to him. Napapansin mo ba kung gaano kadali tumanggap ng regalo ang mga bata. Any child gladly takes a gift without hesitation. Wala ng tanong-tanong. Tanggap lang ng tanggap. Maybe that's why Jesus says that we need to be child-like in Matthew 18:3. Kids freely received gifts. They don't say “I don’t deserve this" or "Who am I to get this?" In today's Gospel, we can get three important points about how to receive gifts. 

We need to ASK, ALLOW & ACCESS.

1. ASK. All we have to do is ask. Luke 11:9 says "Ask, and it will be given you." This is what happened in today's Gospel. "And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand upon him." - Mark 7:32. The friends of the deaf man asked Jesus to heal him. They begged. May kailangan ka ba sa Diyos? Go before God and ask Him. Tell your friends about your concern & ask them to pray with you. Ask God. Beg God. Then go to the second point.

2. ALLOW. You need to allow Jesus to work. "And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he (Jesus) put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue" - Mark 7:33. That's the key. Ask God then let God be God. Do your part but don't put everything on your shoulders. You were made in the image & likeness of God but YOU ARE NOT GOD! Magdasal, umaksyon tapos ipaubaya mo na sa Diyos. Simply wait & do the last point.

3. ACCESS. The last point is that we need to be open. In Mark 7:34 it says "looking up to heaven, he (Jesus) sighed, and said to him, " Eph'phatha," that is, "Be opened." Be open to what? Have access to what? Be open to small blessings so that you can receive the bigger blessings. The problem is that our eyes & ears are "closed" because the world's noise blocks us from seeing & hearing the blessings. Small or big, blessing pa din yan! Appreciate everything that you receive. If you woke up today, you're alive, Thank God! If you get promoted tomorrow, thank God! Be open also when God says "NO" or "WAIT" because He knows what's best for you.

When you apply ASK, ALLOW & ACCESS in your life then you will experience God's abundant grace & power. As Mark 7:37 says be "astonished beyond measure." Ang plano ng Diyos para sa iyo ay parating higit pa at sobra-sobra pa kung ano man ang plano mo! Ang grasya ng Diyos ay parating siksik, liglig at umaapaw. I say again, be ready to be "astonished beyond measure."

May you have a blessed week! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

LOVE HER, DON'T LEAVE YOUR MOTHER CHURCH

I wrote a post about the Church last June 24, 2018 titled "SIMBAHANG LUMA, MADUMI AT MAINIT”. I related my reflection points to the renovation of our Parish. You may read that post via in the link at the end of this post.

I would like to share the improvements of our Parish since then. 

This pic was taken during the renovation. The second pic show the latest pictures of our Parish. Credits & thanks to Mary Mother of Good Counsel Parish (MMGC) FB Page for the latest pics.

Here is the renovated church.

The improvement looks great but it's still a long way to go. There's still a lot of work to be done. There’s still a lot of funds needed. A lot of things to be fix but we are slowly getting there. This is God's work and HE will bring it to completion. Philippians 1:6 declares "that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion"

Similarly, ganyan din ang buhay mo. You will experience “darkness” but you have to keep moving forward. Persevere. We all need a lot of work to be holy. But do not worry. Always believe that the future will be better because God is in charge. Remember Philippians 1:6.

Matthew 6:34 says "Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

Our bigger Church is also experiencing troubles now. Others may be criticizing you for staying there. “ Katoliko ka pa rin? Bakit andyan ka pa? Umalis ka na!"

Do not lose hope. All these troubles are temporary & only God is eternal. So,

* Do not panic, instead pray.
* Do not worry, instead worship.
* Do not be anxious, instead be active and do something.
* Do not complain, instead contribute to your Church.

Trust the One is the source of everything. Have a blessed day! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

"LOL"

A personal reflection on today's Gospel MARK 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23 (September 2, 2018)

"Nakakatawa ba yun?"

I was sipping coffee & watching CNN when I heard that question. I looked at the man beside me & noticed the patch on this shirt. It was the name of the coffee shop where I was staying. I was waiting for my flight back home.

I smiled at the waiter & asked, "Pinoy ka pala. Matagal ka na dito sa SG?"
"Yes sir! Anong oras po flight niyo?"
"Mga 3 hours pa e."
"Relax lang po kayo dyan. Just approach me if you need anything."
"Salamat ha! Btw, tama ka."
He gave me a confused look then said, "Tama? Saan po?"
"Tama ka. Hindi nakakatawa yun nasa news kanina. In fact, nakakalungkot."

What the heck were we talking about?

I was watching the news featuring the Philippine president. He was at a public forum & he made a joke about rape. Then the camera panned to the audience. The audience, mostly Pinoys, were either laughing or smiling. There were a few who did not react. Ironically, it was the laughter and smiles that made the news sad for me. Why? Our country is supposed to be Christian dominant. A Christian should emphatize with victims not laugh at them.

However, the news did not show that. Sad story but true.

I wrote this post not want to judge anybody. I was not there at the forum. Also, this is NOT a political post. I simply want to relate the news to how the Pharisees acted in today's Gospel. In Mark 7:5 the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” They wanted to call the attention of the disciples for not following the law. Yet, their concern about the law was not because they wanted to follow God. They were motivated by envy. They saw that Jesus was getting a lot of followers. Their question was intended to put down Christ & his followers.

The Pharisees & scribes were supposed to be God's followers. Their actions & words in the Gospel did not show that. Like the CNN story, it was sad but true.

Ang nakakatakot ay nagiging ganyan din tayo. We claimed to be Christians but we judged others because of our own interpretation of the law. We fail like the Pharisees because we are weak. This why we always need to be on guard. We need to watch our actions. We need to think before we say something. We need to guard our hearts because "these evils come from within and they defile." (Mark 7:23). We need to ask God to guide us always because we are weak creatures. We cannot be good without God because HE is the source of goodness. Mark 10:18 says "No one is good but God alone."

I looked at the waiter. I wanted to hear his reaction to my last comment - "hindi nakakatawa yung news. Nakakalungkot."

He took a deep sigh & said, "Pagdasal na lang natin bansa natin. Ang Diyos ang pagasa natin"

Those were his parting words before he attended to the need of another customer. I was encouraged by his words. I was touched when he mentioned prayer. Siya'y tunay na Kristyano dahil para sa kanya una ang dasal at pagmamahal. May our heart, mind & actions be based on love. Because LOVE should always be higher than the LAW.

So, nakakatawa nga ba yun? HINDI PO pero LOL pa din. As Christians, our "LOL" should not be Laugh Out Loud. Our "LOL" should be LOVE OVER LAW.

My friend, as you face the new week focus on being a true follower of Christ. A Christian who prioritizes love before anything else. Have a blessed & LOVING week! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com