Depend only On Him

On entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. – Mark
11:15
My first experience of serving God was in the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran. At a
very young age, I joined the Charismatic community called Tinig ng Espiritu Santo. I
used to have one-on-one sessions with our members, mostly store owners.

One day, I visited a community member in her stall and was shocked to see her altar. It
had a statue of Sto. Niño and a Buddha side by side. So I asked, “Why do you have
them both on your altar?” She answered with a smile, “They are playmates.” Right
then, I taught her that Jesus doesn’t need any playmates. He can make it on His own.
He is all powerful and doesn’t need any help from any other gods (as if there are any
other gods). And if we follow Him faithfully, then we should depend only on Him.

The next time I visited her, the Buddha statue was gone.The Sto. Niño was now beside
a waving cat. Go figure. Arun Gogna ([email protected])

To Laugh is a Miracle
While those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your salvation
always say, “The Lord is great.” – Psalm 40:17
When did you last have a good laugh?

If you focus on all your personal pains, doubts, worries, and fears, you should have
forever lost your God-given ability to laugh. But I do understand how many of those
who experienced losses during the pandemic would find it hard to have some joy in
their lives. Laughter would have been impossible.

But why do we need to laugh—despite everything?

Because laughter has a way of softening the cruel realities we face. It lightens the
burdens of daily life.

I urge you to laugh easy and laugh often. When you laugh, you trust that God is a God
who likes you and with you. When you laugh, it’s an act of faith that God is in charge
and, in due time, everything will be all right. Bo Sanchez
([email protected])
 Childhood Trauma
Rescue me. – Sirach 51:12
Experts say that the effect of a childhood trauma may result to having inner vows.
Years ago, I declared, “I will not trust anyone.” My inner vows bound me to judgment
and deeper spiritual wounding. The intensified need to be held and loved led me to
sinful and lustful acts.

This went on for years until I joined Bukas Loob sa Diyos Community. Attending the
Life in the Spirit Seminar was the start of my healing journey. But the power of the
lie— that my sins can’t be forgiven and that I was unworthy and undeserving of
love—lingered. During the baptism, I asked the Holy Spirit to heal me. I cried aloud as
I received the gift of tongues. I felt Jesus’ tender hand touching my head. There was
pure joy, and it had a profound and long-lasting effect on me. The Lord saved me.
Cindy Reynes ([email protected])

PERSISTENT PURSUIT
“He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They
will respect my son.’” – Mark 12:6, NABRE
My friend Aleks met Tatay Cirillo when they were both confined due to COVID-19.
Despite his symptoms, Aleks cared for Tatay Cirillo. He cleaned after him, shared his
food, and prayed over him. He told him that our prayer group prayed for him too.
Aleks’s persistence in sharing about Jesus made Tatay curious about God.

Aleks got better but Tatay showed little improvement. Two days after Aleks was
discharged, he called the nurse station to check on Tatay Cirillo. He learned that Tatay
passed away just a couple of hours ago. Aleks was downcast but also thankful that
Tatay heard about Jesus during his last moments.

The parable in today’s Gospel shows the persistence of the owner to get the produce
from the farmers. He had to send his son after they killed the initial servants that he
sent. That is also how persistent God is in pursuing us. He will do anything so that we
can be with Him in His Kingdom one day. Alvin Fabella ([email protected])
 THE EVIDENCE
“He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” – Mark 12:27
Every day, there’s a long line of curious tourists on Red Square, Moscow, where the
embalmed body of the Communist leader Vladimir Lenin has been publicly displayed
since 1924. It looks deceptively alive, with skillful artists monitoring the preserved
corpse, artificially coloring its face, and using wax to fill in any lines or the smallest
spot of decay.

I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Jesus’ burial place. The
glaring contrast? One, the line is much longer. Millions visit every year. Two, there is
no body of Jesus anywhere! It’s just an empty, rock-hewn tomb. Because Jesus is alive!
The Savior left His graveclothes behind when He emerged from the tomb, like a
butterfly abandoning its cocoon.

Modern-day Sadducees may say, “There can’t be a resurrection!” I imagine Jesus

smiling, and lovingly saying, “Here’s the evidence!”

“Is my sin really forgiven? Does He really answer prayers? Can I be free from my
addictions? Will I see my departed loved ones again?” Friend, the evidence is in the
empty tomb! Jon Escoto ([email protected])

Thank God in Everything

“Do not be slow to give Him thanks.” – Tobit 12:6, RSVCE
Everyone dreams of having a perfect wedding—when the universe conspires to make
the day memorable. I had a little problem. Two days before my garden wedding
reception, it started to rain without any signs of stopping. I didn’t have money to rent
big tents. So I called my fiancée and we agreed to pray hard for the rains to stop. But if
it would not, “Let’s dance in the rain,” we quipped. We decided to thank God for the
blessing of getting married instead.

On the day of our wedding, the sun shone brightly and the headlines said that we would
have the biggest and brightest moon for that year.

God uses situations in our lives to show us how good He is. Thanking God in
everything gets us through the toughest challenges. The Bible exhorts us to focus on
Him and not our circumstances. No matter how seemingly bad our situation is, our
praise puts us in a position to purposefully find something to be thankful for. Randy
Borromeo ([email protected])