The story is told about a medium who told a rich golfer: “I have good news for you! I see you playing golf in heaven on a 36-hole golf course, with 24-hour access, with your own personal caddy. The bad news is that you are due to tee off tomorrow at 10 a.m.”
In today’s Gospel (Lk. 21, 25-28, 34-36), Jesus talks about the end time. It will be the time for victory for us, but there will be tribulations that will accompany it. Such too is our human condition—heaven awaits us, but first we must pass through the valley of tears, and experience death, the great letting go.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the time for preparation for Christmas, and a looking forward to Christ’s second coming. It is a time for repentance, but also a time for joy and hope.
Focus on joy, not on the worldly stress that the Christmas season brings. As we have often said, focus on the humor, not on the “tumor” we encounter in our lives.
The first of the four Advent candles which signifies hope will be lighted today. Let us not give in to hopelessness and depressions. Let us continue to believe, and keep on believing that all will be well, and that there is a reason and a mission in everything that happens, no matter how senseless things may seem.
I graduated from chemotherapy last Nov. 28, filled with gratitude, and hope that it will be my last in my lifetime.
I praise the Lord for all the people who have helped, prayed, encouraged, and supported me in my journey these past four months. God is good, loving,
and merciful!
Weak this week. The nausea, dizziness, and lack of appetite are side effects of chemotherapy. But immunotherapy helps to ease this. More so, it is prayer therapy, which I call “prayotherapy,” that really lifts up our weak body and spirit. With prayer, we know we are not alone, and there is meaning in our weaknesses, and sufferings.
Gone too soon. Canzmate (cancer mate) Dr. Rodolfo “Ogie” Frez, went home to the heavenly Father last Nov. 25, Feast of Christ the King, after a four-year battle with cancer. To the very end, he was a picture of gentleness, silent suffering, and complete trust in the Lord. He was such a generous person, doing a lot of charity especially for the poor and the needy, reminding all of us to use our time, talents, and treasures for the good of others.
Christmas won’t be the same this year for Ogie’s wife, Lorna, and only child, Regine, who is getting married this January 2019. There are many things we cannot explain nor understand, but we continue to trust and believe that through it all, God is in complete control, and that God has a plan.
Think about this: “Worry never climbed a hill; Worry never paid a bill; Worry never dried a tear; Worry never calmed a fear; Worry never composed a song to sing; Worry never did a worthwhile thing; Where worry ends, faith begins; Don’t worry about anything; Pray to God about everything!”
A moment with the Lord:
Lord, my life began with You. Let it end with You, and with Your way. Amen.
jorbos@inquirer.com.ph