WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

Today’s reading starts with this line, "But the word of God continued to spread and grow” (Acts 12:24)

What's wrong with that? That’s not really a good example of things going bad.

You need to read the full chapter of Acts 12 to appreciate what verse 24 says. Because things were moving from bad to worse in the opening part of Acts 12. A wicked king named Herod ruled the land. He orders the beheading of James (Acts 12:2). Then he orders the arrest of Peter. King Herod, in just two verses, kills one of Jesus' closest apostles & imprisons Jesus’ top guy. Now, things are really going wrong.

So, is this the end of the Church? Did the Christians quit?

Apparently not. Because as verse 24 says, "the word of God continued to spread and grow”

What did Christians to do overcome this? PRAY. Verse 5 says that "prayer by the church was fervently being made to God".

Then God makes His move. HE sends an angel to free Peter. HE ends the rule of the tyrant Herod. And the Word of God spread and multiplied.

What’s God message for you today?

Your situation may look bleak. You may be thinking of quitting. Don’t give up! Continue to HOPE. Because God is still in charge.

The tyrant Herod wanted to end the Church at the start of the chapter. But God ends his life at the closing part of this story.

The key is to stay with Jesus. Continue to pray. Believe that no matter how bad things are going, things will "for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). Remember, GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!

Have a blessed & wonderful Wednesday! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

IKAW, IIWAN MO DIN BA SI KRISTO?

There were 3 groups listening to Jesus that day. The CROWD, the DISCIPLES & the APOSTLES.

• The CROWD was there out of curiosity. They had nothing to do so they decided to see who this Jesus is.
• The DISCIPLES left everything to follow Jesus.
• And you know the APOSTLES. They were Jesus’ top 12. Wherever Jesus went, they were there.

All three groups were shocked when Jesus said "my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6:55).

Some of them started to quarrel. They started to murmur. So Jesus asked them, “Does this shock you?” (John 6:61).

How did the 3 groups react to what Jesus was teaching?

• The CROWD must have left after hearing His teaching. Anyway, they got their money’s worth already when Jesus multiplied the bread to feed 5,000 (John 6:12).
• Many of the DISCIPLES "returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him” (John 6:66). They left because this teaching of Jesus was strange. It was scary. It was hard to believe. From an audience of more than 5,000 it dwindled down to a few hundreds. Jesus could easily withdraw what He said so they can all go back. He could have said, “Wait, I could explain it again. I was just speaking symbolically. Don’t leave” But He does not change anything.
• How about the APOSTLES? It was at this point that Jesus asked his APOSTLES, “Do you also want to leave?” (John 6:67)

The CROWD left, the DISCIPLES decreased & the APOSTLES were asked by Jesus.

The teaching on the Eucharist is important. This is why Jesus would not backtrack & change the teaching. He was willing to take the risk of having even the APOSTLES leave Him.

Jesus might be asking you the same question now. “Do you also want to leave?” because:

1. …your plans are not happening

2. …your health is failing you

3. …your relationships are not working out as you want them

4. …you might lose your job

5. …your close friends left you

You may leave Jesus if you want but He will continue to pursue you. That’s the truth! He is the good shepherd who leaves the 99 to search for you.

Don't be part of the CROWD, don't just be a DISCIPLE. Be an APOSTLE. Be like Peter who says, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68)

So instead of LEAVING, start BELIEVING!

Instead of RUNNING, start RECEIVING.

Receive the Eucharist as often as possible. Regardless if it’s spiritual or actual communion, partake of Jesus. That’s Him 100%!

Have a powerful Easter weekend! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

CONSTANT

Pathways Alabang used to be called Pathways Southside. We used to share updates to our friends thru the Southside Digest (see pic). Nowadays, we just point them to the group's FB page.

That's life! As the saying goes, "the only thing constant is change".

Things in your life will change but one thing remains CONSTANT. God's love for you won't change.

Hebrews 13:8 says that "Jesus is the same yesterday, today & forever"

Kung #feelingblessed 😇 ka, dahil yan sa Diyos.

Kung #sad ka, yakap ka ng Diyos.

Kung mabigat ang problema, karga-karga ka Niya.

God is CONSTANTLY with you. Because you're God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16) Hindi ka Niya makakalimutan (Isaiah 49:15)

Lockdown or hindi, andyan lang Siya.

So whatever situation you're in, be #joyful coz a perfect God loves the imperfect you!

Be blessed! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

TULOY ANG LABAN

The reading today starts with this line, "After the crippled man had been cured, while Peter & John were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them" (Acts 4:1).

That’s one verse describing three events.

1. First, Peter & John were preaching to the people. They were doing God’s work as instructed by Jesus.
2. Next, their opposition were still at it. The "priests, the captain of the temple guard, & the Sadducees confronted them”. Jesus already rose from dead yet these people continued to stop the apostles from doing what’s good.
3. Lastly, “a crippled man had been cured”. Thank you Lord for this miracle!

How does this relate to us?

ITULOY MO LANG ANG MABUTING GINAGAWA MO.

Yes, you may face rejections. Negative people will try to put you down. Don’t let them stop you because miracles will happen when you keep on doing good things.

But doing good is hard. And only one crippled man was healed. Is this really worth it? Sulit ba ito?

Definitely, YES!

If you continue reading to verse 4 it says that "many of those who heard the word came to believe & the number of men grew to about five thousand” (Acts 4:4).

Remember that Peter & John were already arrested that day. Yet the miracles & conversions continue to happen. Not one but five thousand miracles! And that’s not yet counting the women & children.

So continue to do good despite the challenges.

• If helping out is tiring you out then rest for a while help out again.
• If prayers don’t seem to work then pray harder.
• If loving others seems difficult, be more loving.

Like Peter & John, you may not see the miracle personally but it will happen in God’s perfect time.

FB friends, don’t let rejection stop you from doing good.

Remember that Jesus Himself was rejected. "He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone" (Acts 4:11)

Continue to do good. Do it for God. Have a powerful Easter weekend! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

HE IS RISEN!

Three powerful words- "HE IS RISEN!" One short phrase. Yet it saves, it redeems!

What do these words mean to us?

• "HE" - Who is this HE? It’s Jesus. His “name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). There is power in His Name. He is the Savior. The Living God. He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He became man because He wanted to show you the way. Live like Jesus, love like Jesus.
• "IS" - is the singular present indicative of the word “Be”. SINGULAR means ONE. Jesus is the ONE & Only which means your whole life should be based on Him alone. Your life should not be based on your emotions, social status, money, power or looks. It should be based on Jesus alone. “IS” is also in the PRESENT. He is always present, always in the moment. Even if you don’t feel or see Jesus, HE is here with you. “BE”, that’s what He calls you to be. “BE” a believer in God!
• "RISEN" - That word tells us that Jesus overcame death. The tomb is empty. Death has no power over him. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus is the life. When you have Jesus in you then you are truly alive. As Romans 8:10 says, “..if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness”. Be with Jesus, be fully alive in Him.

Jesus died & rose again because He LOVES YOU. On this special day of Easter, Jesus also greets you with three words - "I LOVE YOU!"

May you have a powerful Easter! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

TAKOT KA BA?

The world was silent that Saturday. It was a day of mourning because Jesus died yesterday then was laid on the tomb.

But the deafening silence won’t last long as a great earthquake breaks it (Matthew 28:2).

Then the people experience two types of FEAR.

The first type of FEAR was for those who did not believe in Him. This FEAR struck those who were guilty. The "guards were shaken with fear of him & became like dead men” (Matthew 28:4). This type of FEAR kills. Not necessarily the physical one but spiritual death. This is why the guards "became like dead men”.

Don’t go for this kind of FEAR. You should desire the second type of fear. This FEAR refers to a sense of respect, awe & submission to God. This fear gives one wisdom & understanding.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, & knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” - Proverbs 9:10

The women in today’s Gospel experience the second type of fear. The angel acknowledges their FEAR & consoles them with good news.

“DO NOT BE AFRAID! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come & see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, & he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.” - Matthew 28:5-7

The angel tells them not to be afraid. So they followed in obedience & "went away quickly from the tomb, FEARFUL yet overjoyed". (Matthew 28:8)

They meet Jesus & guess what the the Lord says to them?

“Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."(Matthew 28:10)

The Lord greets in the same way as the angel. DO NOT BE AFRAID.

We now live in fearful times. Fear is a natural human reaction to what our world is experiencing.

You have a choice on what type of fear to adopt. Will you choose the fear of the guards at the tomb that makes you panic, work & dead?

Or will you choose the fear that the women who visited the tomb experienced? The fear that makes one overjoyed & hopeful. This fear gives life. This fear puts complete trust in God.

As you prepare for the Easter Vigil tonight, let’s also cast out the fears that make us worry. Let us appreciate the fear that fills us with hope.

We are fearful but hopeful because Jesus will always be VICTORIOUS!

Have a blessed Holy Saturday! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

WHAT TYPE OF JESUS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Jesus knew it was destined to happen.

He knew that he had to face the cross no matter how difficult it would be. Maybe that’s why He even helped the people who wanted Him dead by asking them, “Whom are you looking for?” (John 18:4)

How about you? Who are you looking for?

When things become difficult, we are tempted to look for a particular type of Jesus.

• We want the Jesus who turns water into wine
• We want the Jesus who calms the storm
• We want the Jesus who multiplies bread to feed the thousands
• We want the Jesus who heals the sick
• We want the Jesus who makes Lazarus alive again
• We want the Jesus who will stop Covid-19

We tend to look only for the Jesus who makes all things GOOD.

There is a problem when all we want is that type of Jesus. We forget that part of His story was the suffering that He had to go through. Here’s the truth, we CANNOT HAVE A PORTION of Jesus ONLY. We have to receive the WHOLE Jesus. That means we follow the Jesus who blesses us & suffers for us. That means we follow Christ through the up & downs of life.

Suffering is part of our journey. It’s the suffering of Jesus that heals & saves us.

"But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” - Isaiah 53:5

Jesus says that His followers should "take up his cross, & follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

The cross will always be part of our journey. Jesus had to go through Good Friday before achieving the victory of Easter Sunday.

So don’t stop loving God because you are experiencing the worst situation. Remember, God loves you even when you were at your worst.

This Good Friday, follow the whole Jesus despite the suffering because that will end with the Easter blessing.

Stay safe, stay blessed! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

WASH & LEARN

The things happening in the world today raises a lot of questions. Andami nating “BAKIT” di ba?

“Bakit may Covid 19?"

“Bakit pati mga doctor at nurse kailangan maging biktima?"

“Bakit siya pa ang namatay? Ang bata pa niya"

“Bakit ba ito nangyayari?”

The “BAKIT” list continues on.

Jesus gives us the answer in today’s Gospel. HE answers by doing this humbling act. "He poured water into a basin & began to wash the disciples’ feet & dry them with the towel around his waist.” (John 13:5)

Then Jesus explains to them, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” (John 13:7)

Jesus washes their feet & tells them that they "will understand later.”

Wait. Parang bitin. "What kind of answer is that? Parang lalong lumabo?

I can imagine the puzzled look of the apostles. Maybe they continued to look to the Lord while waiting for a clearer explanation.

At that point, Jesus delivers His closing remarks, " If I, therefore, the master & teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13:14-15)

God’s direct message to the apostles was BE A SERVANT TO OTHERS in the same way that I serve you.

That is also God’s message to us now. So instead of ASKING, we are called to WASH & LEARN from Him.

• W - WAIT. God is still in control. God’s timing is perfect so we simply trust & wait.
• A - AVAILABLE. Make yourself available to others. Take time listen or ask what they need.
• S - SERVE. If you are able to do so serve the frontliners. Serve your family. Serve your neighbors.
• H - HELP out in whatever way possible. Do your part. Donate.

Let’s prioritize serving over complaining, asking or criticizing.

Before doing something ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”.

Stay safe, stay blessed! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

THE QUESTIONABLE QUESTION

Judas went to the chief priests & asked them, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15a)

I find that question questionable. Because it leads us to more questions.

• How can one sell his own friend? How can one betray his teacher?
• What could have been his motive for this evil plan?
• Did Judas want a political leader who will overthrow the current government? He realized that Jesus was not that type so he decided to just sell Him off?
• Did Judas think that the priests were winning the battle with Jesus? Maybe he thought it was time to jump ship & also claim a prize.
• Was it just pure greed? It’s all about the money.

We will never know what his real motive was.

Judas did not show any hesitation when he asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”

He eventually closed the deal. They paid him 30 pieces of silver. They say that’s too low, that's the price of a slave! But some say it worth at most US$3,000 today. It’s not a question of whether the amount was too low, too high or just right. One thing was clear. That amount was not enough to cover for the evil that resulted. Judas realized this later so he decided to kill himself.

"Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests & elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” Flinging the money into the temple, he departed and went off and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:3-5)

Today's Gospel calls us to reflect on this question - WHAT DID YOU RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE TO GIVING UP JESUS?

• Was it being scot free after you bribed the traffic officer?
• Was it paying less taxes because you hired a “creative” accountant?
• Is it the pleasure of having an affair because your spouse won’t find out?
• Is it the “free" office supplies that you brought home because no one notices?
• Was it finishing the Netflix series ahead of others but you end up missing Sunday Mass?

We are all weak. We judged Judas for what he did. Yet, we also give up Jesus for such trivial things. We sell Jesus every time we sinned.

Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon wrote that, “...many have sold Jesus for a less price than Judas received; a smile or a sneer has been sufficient to induce them to betray their Lord.”

Don’t give up Jesus for anything.

This Holy Week, let’s take time to recall the times when we sold off Jesus too. Jesus gave up His life not for money, fame or power. He gave up His life so that you may be with Him for eternity. That’s pure LOVE. We cannot do anything to match that!

The best we can offer is to GIVE UP our lives to Him. Make that decision now.

Stay safe, stay blessed! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com

FEED YOUR FAITH

The death toll continues the rise.

This enemy is invisible. It chooses no one.

This virus does not respect borders or social class.

There is no definite cure yet.

The resources are finite.

Where can we run to hide?

Psalm 71 tells us where - "In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame” - Psalm 71:1

Go to God. Call on God. How?

Always remember that whatever you feed grows. What are you feeding now? Are you feeding your fears? Watching too much news or spending too much time in social media does that. Instead,

* Feed your SOUL. Maximize your isolation, spend more time with God.

* Feed your GRATEFUL HEART. List down your blessings in this difficult time. Be thankful.

* Feed your HOPE. Be a source of hope for others. Donate. Call up your friends & family. Connect.

* Feed your MIND. Read a book. Listen to a podcast. Attend on-line learning sessions.

* Feed others with POSITIVITY. Focus on what’s good & share it to others.

Yes, these are difficult times. But don't forgot that Lent is a season of GRACE too. This is the perfect time to call on God.

So, we go to God during this time.

"Be my rock of refuge, my stronghold to give me safety; for you are my rock and fortress. My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the clutches of the evil and violent" - Psalm 71:3-4

God is our true HOPE.

"You are my hope, Lord; my trust, GOD, from my youth" - Psalm 71:5

Stay safe, stay blessed!- alvinfabella@yahoo.com

ITAGA MO YAN SA BATO

Maybe Abram was shock with what God said that day.

"No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham” - Genesis 17:5

Abram's name meant “exalted father”. That must have been embarrassing for him because he did not have a child. Imagine Abram walking around the town & people greeting him, “hi Mr. Exalted Father! How's your eldest? Ooops.....sorry we forgot that you don't have a child”

Then God seems to add insult to injury. God says to him, "No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham”. Abraham meant “father of a multitude”. You gotta to be kidding, Lord?

If I was Abram I’d ask God a few questions.

Do we really have to do this name change from “exalted father” to “father of the multitude” now?

How about giving me a child first?

I am old, my wife is old, doesn't this look impossible, Lord

Instead, Abram simply bows down in worship as God gives him the full promise.

“My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you.” - Genesis 17:4-6

Later on, Abraham’s wife becomes pregnant with Isaac. He also had "descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Genesis 26:4)

This happened because whatever God says, happens.

• When He said, "Let there be light, & there was light” (Genesis 1:3)
• When He commanded the storm to be "Quiet! Be still!”, the wind ceased and there was great calm" (Mark 4:39)
• He called out his dead friend, “Lazarus, come out!”. Lazarus, who was 4 days dead, rose up from the dead. (John 11:43)
• He shared about His coming resurrection, “Destroy this temple & in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19). He was crucified & rose up after 3 days.

Because whatever God says, happens.

So when God says, "Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

We hold on to that promise.

It may look impossible. It may look scary at this time. But God will always take care of us. Itaga mo yan sa bato!

Stay safe, stay blessed! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com