Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Tonight we again celebrate the birth of our Savior. What does this mean for us? Is it just about the gifts, or the food, or the parties? It is something more than those--much more. It means that God loves us so much, as we see in the Gospel of John, that He would give His Son to us. It is the Light coming to us. It is God being with us. His birth means God has come down to us to be at our level, even if we do not deserve this. Yet He humbled Himself to be with us, to be close to us. That is the real wonder of this feast. And just as the angels did, we glorify Him for this. The heavens opened up and glorified Him, something that no mere man has the honor. Yet how many in those days noticed? Only a few shepherds--a prefigurement, if you will, of Him being the Shepherd. It was a glorious night. It was something which we should always remember, and look back to.

This day as well, let us not forget those who have recently suffered tragedy. Let us remember them in our prayers, that amidst their suffering Christ is there with them. Let us pray that they find peace and joy even amidst the trials, and most of all, that He is the Hope that shows us the way.

A Moment of Prayer...

For our brothers and sisters in Mindanao, especially in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, who were hit by tropical storm "Sendong". Let us remember them and pray for them, that the Lord might have mercy on them. Let us also remember those who have perished in the disaster--may the Lord grant them mercy and compassion. May the Lord grant His compassion as well for the survivors, that they rebuild their lives with His help. As we who are safe look forward toward His birth, let us remember those who should be celebrating it as well, but now are in sorrow because of the disaster. May they find comfort in His birth, and that His hope is always present. Above all, our Lord's Nativity is about hope, and we all look forward to that day when there is no more sorrow and suffering, but joy in being one with the Lord.

Sunday of Genealogy

Yesterday was the Sunday before the Nativity, also known as the Sunday of Genealogy. Here we recall the roots of our Savior (Matthew 1:1-25). We read that His line include the great Patriarchs of Israel, as well as some who are sinners as well. That might sound strange in light of who Jesus is, but in reflection this actually highlights what His mission is all about: that He calls all towards Him. Everyone is welcome to Him. His own line attests to that: it includes those who are less than perfect to show us that all are welcome to the Kingdom if we sincerely are with Him and seek Him.

Matthew's genealogy also shows another aspect--to highlight that Jesus is a Jew's Jew, one who perfectly follows His Father. So as we reflect on this, we must realize that Christ's call is for all, and He will not turn away those who seek Him and repent of their sins. As we near towards His birth, that is what we must do--as The Forerunner has said, make straight the path of the Lord. We must do it not only at this time for His birth, but everyday. It is the call He makes each day to us.

Orthodoxy of the Heart

This is one topic I have wanted to touch, but for some reason keep forgetting it. Orthodoxy of the heart; if I am correct, Fr. Seraphim Rose has a book with this title. What is essentially Orthodoxy of the heart?

It is, quite simply, living the Orthodox Faith. It is not mere head knowledge about Orthodoxy, but living the faith, becoming a witness for the Orthodox Church. Often people think it is enough that we know something about our faith; that is not so. Even our Lord has said, "Not those who say, Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom, but the one who does My Father's will".

So what does this mean then? How do we live our Orthodox Faith? It's not merely memorizing the Creed, nor knowing what to do in Divine Liturgy. It is good if we know those. It is good if we read the Bible, read about the early Fathers, know about Orthodox theology. Those are important. But it is not complete. What is more essential is praxis, what we actually do.

So when we fast, it is not just fasting for the sake of it, but we fast with the Lord in mind and our hearts in prayer. When we are at Divine Liturgy, we don't just sit at one corner but we join in the chanting, our focus on the Lord. But most of all, we show to others the love Christ has for us. It is by being kind to our neighbors. It is giving that smile to a stranger, or to listening to a friend who is grieving. That is when we become true witnesses to our Faith.

Being Orthodox is not looking or acting stern then, but it is that joyful living of our Faith. It is when we are sincere in our Faith that it truly shines. So when we say we are Orthodox, we must show it in everything that we do. Then we live the Orthodox Faith. Then when people see us, they do not turn away from us nor go the other way when they see us, but they readily come to you because they realize that Christ is within you. Then it won't be hard to share the Faith, to show them what the Orthodox Church is all about.

This is also helpful for those who, for one reason or another, do not have access to an Orthodox church or community; it might be that there are no Orthodox living nearby. How then can one be Orthodox is often the question for them. This is the answer: live the Orthodox Faith as faithfully as you can. Of course, for non-Orthodox, that would also mean learning what the Orthodox Church is all about. Start with Orthodox praxis like making the sign of the Cross. From there it will flow until the opportunity comes for you to truly go to an Orthodox church and join in Liturgy. The opportunity will come, as there is nothing impossible with God. As we often say, God will make a way for things to happen if we but believe in Him and trust Him.

So it is not difficult to live the Orthodox Faith and know it by heart--it really simple. It takes a sincere faith and one that is ready to follow the Lord. It is when we say, "Here I am, Lord" that we have Orthodoxy of the heart.

Where That New Testament Church Is

I think this article here says it quite well: http://journeytoorthodoxy.com/orthodox-faith/finding-the-new-testament-church/#axzz1gOIdfizU For those asking, where is this New Testament Church that we should go to? Where can it be found? It is the Orthodox Church. This is the Church that has kept the teachings and Holy Tradition of the Apostles and early Church Fathers. I would not say this if I have not read and researched about it myself. But each of us makes our own journey, so your journey might be different from my own. However, I pray that it will lead you to the Church which has kept what the early Church believed in. Many today are making that claim--we are the church that knows the Bible; we are the church that is what was in the New Testament. Often though, when one look more closely, it turns out that their claims fall short. For most of my life I had been Catholic, until I began to realize that the Catholic Church's claims do not coincide with how the early Church actually was. I dug deeper, and I found the Orthodox Church. May that journey also lead you to our Lord's Church, the Church of the Apostles and the early Fathers.

My Wish List

A few weeks ago I posted about making a wish list; now I am posting here my own wish list. Of course, foremost we must turn to God if we ask for things. A faithful heart will not be turned away by the Lord, for He said that if we seek the Kingdom, He will give the things we need as well.

For the next year, I wish to see more growth in the Orthodox Church here in the Philippines. Whether under Antioch or the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a growth in Orthodox faithful is a good sign that the Faith is taking firm root. Of course, with a growth in numbers should come a growth in faith as well, and that orthopraxis would truly be taken to heart by every Orthodox faithful both here in the Philippines and in other countries.

Along with that, I hope that the communities would be fruitful, and that there would be more Orthodox chapels and churches built here in the Philippines. The communities here are crying for such. It would truly be a great blessing for the faithful to have more worship places for them, a place which they can call home. The Church after all is for them, not just for the clergy. 

The Gospel for Sunday

Yesterday (or today for those living in the U.S. and some other places) the Gospel was all about the parable of a rich man giving a feast, and inviting many to attend it (Luke 14:16-24; Matthew 22:14). But those who were initially invited had various reasons for not attending; because of this, he asked his servants to instead to invite the cripple, the lame and the blind. As we go on towards the Nativity of our Lord, we often are called as well. What is the response that we give? Are we so busy with our lives, that we lose our focus on Him? Do we give excuses for not being with Him? Our attitude must be that when Jesus says, "Come, follow Me", we say, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening". We must be attentive--ready to follow Him, just as the Apostles did when He called them and they dropped everything they did to follow Him. For He said that everything He will give if we seek the Kingdom, so we need not worry about our concerns if we are in Him.

So our lives must be one of constant preparation. Our lives should be focused on Him, and that everything that we do we pray to Him and ask for His guidance. Then even if we have other concerns, we constantly remember Him and are always in Him. Then as well we are strong in resisting temptation because we are in Him and He provides the strength to endure all things.