Fear no more

The story is told about a man who was unsure whether another man who had opened the church door was the priest, so he asked him: “Sir, are you de-pressed?” I heard that the same man, unsure about the woman who had opened the door of the sisters’ convent nearby, asked her: “Are you di-saster?”

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In today’s Gospel (Jn. 20, 19-31), we learn that the disciples were unsure whether their Master had really risen from the dead. Not only that, they were also afraid of what would happen to them. The Risen Lord appeared to them and greeted them, “Peace be with you,” and suddenly all their uncertainties, doubts and fears were banished.

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Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. How assuring to know that our God is not only a just God but also a loving and merciful God. It is God’s mercy that gives us hope for our salvation, and removes all our fears. It is God’s mercy that keeps us from being depressed in whatever disaster.

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“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” Notice that the Lord comforts and assures His fearful disciples, and then sends them to a mission as His apostles.  He calls them out from the darkness, and then gives them the mission to spread His light. We are all called to move out of our darkness, and move on to and with His light.

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Fears and doubts can go on and on. Some people spend a whole lifetime focused on their problems and deficiencies. So focused on our  consomisyon  (problems), many of us fail to see our mission. Let us not magnify our miseries.  Instead, let us magnify the Lord, and help people around us who have bigger problems. From “selfie,” may we all become “servie.”

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Are your doors “locked” because of fear? Because of hurts or disappointments, many of us go to our safety and comfort zones, and just stay there. Something dies in us if we let our fears and tears overcome us. The Lord tells us today to open our doors again, assured that He will be with us, and because a mission still awaits us.

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We praise and thank the Lord for giving us two recent popes, John XXIII and John Paul II, who will be canonized as saints in Rome today.  What a privilege for us to have lived in their lifetime, and to have received their presence and guidance. They had their own share of sufferings and the cross. Pope John XXIII had stomach cancer, Pope John Paul II experienced an assassination attempt, and later had Parkinson’s disease. They persevered till the end because they trusted in divine mercy and focused on their mission.

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“My Lord and my God!” When we are able to say this in whatever we go through in life, then we know that we are seeing everything and everyone from God’s heart now. The Resurrection should lead us out of our selfishness and pride and lead us to service and trust in God. May the Lord revive whatever goodness that has died in us.

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Who is included in the list of Janet Napoles?  A lot of lawmakers and government officials are experiencing fear and nervousness these days as they may be exposed of their wrongdoing in connection with the pork barrel scam.  Rightly so. But perhaps we should all be more alarmed as to whether our names are listed in heaven. We may get away with it here on earth, but heaven will give out the final score.

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“Have mercy on me, oh, God, a sinner.” A lot of things fall into place if we pray this prayer from the heart and live this prayer from the heart. Acceptance of our sinfulness and unworthiness makes us humble and sincere, and makes us strive to become better. Humility is the key to true holiness. A humble, contrite person becomes a grateful person.

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Someone once said that a proud person cannot know God because he is always looking down on people, and in doing so, hardly looks up to Heaven above. May the Lord give us humility in thought, in word, and in deed. Amen!

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Sharing with you this Easter prayer: “Lord, let my worries die, and let my trust in You rise again; let my fears die, and let my hope in You rise again; let my pride die, and let my humility toward You rise again; yes, let my selfishness die, and let my love for You rise again.” Amen.

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Soon it will be May, the month of flowers, the month of fiestas, the month of Mama Mary! Soon the rains will come to give us relief from the oppressive heat nowadays. Yes, there is always hope. There is always something to look forward to. As we journey on, let us remember the Filipino saying that one should not dwell on one’s problems but move forward: “Kung may pinagdadaanan kang problema, daanan mo lang. Huwag kang umistambay diyan!”  Yes, let us journey on to God’s heart.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, by the power of Your Resurrection, remove my doubts and fears and help me to live again and love again. Amen.