I Take Off the Mask

“To love means to open ourselves to suffering. Shall we shut our doors to love, then and ‘be safe'” – Elisabeth Elliot, The Path of Loneliness One idea that has often kept me from loving Jesus more is the idea that Jesus doesn’t need anything from me. He is God after all, and God is Perfect. And somehow, I’ve found it difficult to love Someone who is perfect. It may sound absurd, but somehow, I find it easier to love beings such as me, people who are imperfect. People who need something. People who crave for love and whose hearts are broken when their love is not returned. With another imperfect person, I feel that I could do something of worth. I can care for that person and protect that person from harm. I can avoid doing things that could hurt him or her. But with God, how do I even begin to love? If He doesn’t need anything from me, what more could I possibly do? It is only much later when I’ve realized the flaw in my line of thinking....

There were a lot of times when I felt as though it were difficult for God to have pity on people like me. Times like that, I saw Him as a strict King who is ready to punish us for our sins. And we have many sins to be guilty of. Isn’t is true that many people are afraid to follow God because we think He cannot understand our weaknesses? Some even leave the Church because they felt unloved and cast away. How many times have we thought ourselves to be kinder and more understanding than God? How many times have we thought that God’s heart could never be moved with compassion? Reading the following verses from Mark, however, I’ve realized how great our misconception about God had been: Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it was late in the day, his disciples came to him and said, “This place is deserted, and it is late in the day. Send them away, that they may go...

Sometimes, all we need is just one person who believes in us and who will never give up on us. Someone who sees beyond our weaknesses, beyond our faults. Who knows that though we walk in darkness, we can still find our way into the light. He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up, saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God, and didn’t respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ He wouldn’t for a while, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God, nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’ ” The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them??—?-Luke 18:1–7, WEBBE What does it mean to never give up? What does it mean to not lose hope? There are times whe...

Have you ever dragged yourself through chores, feeling a heavy burden all the way, doing things almost mechanically and mindlessly? Have you ever spent days exhausted and feeling empty, almost failing to have the strength to finish the things you must do? Though there are days when we must struggle and simply try our best to live through, there are times when the source of our troubles is our failure to connect to the Source of strength and inspiration. Mother Teresa said, “Work without love is slavery.” Have we forgotten the love we must have to help us endure the most difficult days? In the book “The Imitation of Christ”, Thomas Kempis imparted to us this wisdom: “ Love is a great thing, greatest of all goods, because it alone renders light every burden and bears equally all that is unequal. Because it carries a burden without feeling it, and renders sweet and pleasing every bitterness.” Where is your heart in all of those days you’ve felt empty within? Have you forgotten the love...

“ …couldn’t you watch with me for one hour?”-Matthew 26, WEBBE I think one of the most painful things that often happen to a person undergoing a difficult period in life is the feeling of being alone. Just when one needs a person who can listen, no one is there. Just when one looks for comfort and consolation, there is no shoulder to lean on to. It’s as though the whole world has walked away and turned its back on you. Why is it that people turn away just when you need them most? Perhaps some people feel uncomfortable in the company of a loved one who is hurting. Perhaps it feels painful to just be there and feel powerless in helping a friend or a family in need. But what they must realize is that their mere presence is already a big help to someone who is suffering. Just having someone who can bear to see you cry is a source of strength and hope. “…couldn’t you watch with me for one hour?” Jesus asked His friends when they kept on sleeping instead of praying and staying with Him befo...

When we think about our lives and all the things that could go wrong, we’d never run out of things to worry about. We can worry about our health and the health of our loved ones. We can worry about being fired from our jobs or about failing in our business. We can worry about not having enough to meet our obligations and to provide for the needs of our family. We can worry about losing the people we love. In all these things, however, let us remember that God is with us. He knows our needs and He cares about us much more than we could ever realize. What is the good of worrying when we can instead learn to trust? Instead of spending our time in fear, let us spend it in working hard and in loving other people. Let us spend time praying so that we may never forget that we are not alone. God is our only refuge. He is our only hope. And what wonderful hope we have in Jesus! “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. L...

I have recently wanted to spend the first moments of the day praying and finding inspiration from God. Honestly, I don’t know my next step in my career and this year is truly venturing into the unknown. While I must continue to search for a way to increase my income, I know that there is no better way to seek God’s will than by praying and spending time reflecting upon Him. This is not my first attempt to spend a regular time in prayer each day. With prayer, I am not only referring to praying the rosary and other prayers I usually pray throughout the day. I am not only referring to reading the Bible. With prayer, I would like to refer to an extra time to get in touch with Him, to listen to Him and to speak to Him as I would speak to a beloved Friend. It isn’t easy. There are a lot of distractions. Even the good work that we do can keep us from spending time with Him. Once I open my computer, I may just start by looking at my emails for the day, but sooner or later, I’d browsing the int...

I don’t know how You look like, Lord. I haven’t seen Your face. I cannot tell the color of your eyes. I cannot imagine the shape of your lips. Is your skin tanned by the sun? Is your hair black like mine? Artists have tried to draw You. They tried to paint a picture of Your face. Through many generations, icons and paintings tried to show your glory and your humanity. But none can truly show Your beauty to me. Many times I’ve felt like a blind person. Yet even a blind woman can touch her beloved’s face. She can trace the contours of her loved one’s countenance. She can feel the warmth of his hands. But where do I even begin to imagine You? Where do I start to look for clues? Ah, perhaps I should begin by watching those who are like You. In the face of the holy ones, maybe I could find someone who looks like You. Through years of searching I’ve realized that this is so. And it doesn’t matter whether they’re tall or small. I care no more whe...