My Heart is Moved with Pity

 “My heart is moved with pity..." Mt. 15:32

We are all made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27), and I do believe that we have some of His character. After all, we are "created to be like God, truly righteous and holy." (Ephesians 4:24). We can see this compassion in a child who cries when her playmate is hurt, or who takes pity on a wounded kitten. But as we grow older, we try to protect ourselves from pain and distress and get immune to the faces of need we see around us. 

In Matthew 15, Jesus is confronted with a great crowd who had been following him for three days. He said, "They have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." A practical concern. How about me? Do I naturally feel compassion for the woman and child sleeping on rags and filthy cardboard on the sidewalk? Do I want to do something for the man languishing in jail for a crime he did not commit? How about a street child in danger of being preyed upon by unscrupulous men?

Even if I do not feel "moved to pity" like Jesus, if I want to be like Him, I can start with a small action of mercy. Just like being happy starts with smiling, Charles Darwin said , "The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensifies it." And William James notes that if someone does not express an emotion, then he has not felt that emotion at all.

God is rich in mercy (Eph. 2:4), and if we want to be the same as our Father, we don't have to wait till we feel compassion, we can just DO IT! Mercy is as mercy does!

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

 "...and a little child shall lead them." Isaiah 11:6

A little child shall guide them... that is what it says in the prophetic word of Isaiah. We can connect this to what Jesus says in the Gospel for today, Luke 10, "what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to the merest children." 

Sometimes we over complicate believing in God. Paul Washer, the fiery preacher tells of when he was a young kid. His mom gave him clear instructions not to get himself dirty on his first day in school as he had a new set of clothes. Well, he got himself into a fight and went down to play in the river! All his cracks and crevices got filled up with dirt. So he asked John and Rance to come home as they were as dirty as he was. His mom saw him from the window with fire coming out of her eyes. "Now mom, don't get mad," he started, "look at John and Rance..."  Before he could finish, his mom gave him his best theology lesson: "John and Rance are not my children. You are my child. I have nothing to do with them, but I have everything to do with you. Now go upstairs, say your prayers and prepare to die." Now Paul goes around the world preaching with the biggest conviction in the world that God is calling us to be His children and we should say yes to Him every day. 

Lord, may I have the faith of a little child, trusting that I am Yours and You will teach me how to get to heaven and be with you! 

Lord, I Believe!

 “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Matthew 8:10

What was it about the Centurion’s faith that surprised Jesus? Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, and just as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed at that very hour. True, it was very unusual for a Centurion, an officer in charge of 100 or more soldiers, to care so much for his servant. The historian Polybius noted that a Centurion must be “ready to hold their ground, and die at their posts." They must be courageous, and not very sentimental, I think. 

But this man took the time to find Jesus, approach him and petition, “Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and badly tormented.” In those times a servant was no better than an animal, but this Centurion loved his servant and had compassion for him. He also had faith in Jesus, that even if Jesus did not go to his home, He could heal his servant. 

The Centurion said the very words we say at every Mass, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.” Jesus saw his heart, his faith, and answered his prayer. Do we have the same kind of faith as the Centurion?

Advent is a special time with special graces. Let us approach Jesus with the expectant faith of the Centurion. And if we feel our faith is lacking, let us pray like the father in Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” 

Put On Jesus Christ

 “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Rom. 13:14)

Saint Augustine's conversion from being a sinner to saint, started when he heard a childlike voice telling him to read the Bible. The first thing he read was "Let us behave properly, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Rom. 13:13-14)

Our encounter with God's Word will always have an effect. Isaiah 55:11 says, "So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Jesus' mission continues. God's Word touches people's lives today just as it did when Jesus walked the earth.

Yesterday evening was the start of the Church season of Advent. Readings the past days have been all about the Second Coming of the Lord, about how we have to be ready at any time, because He will come unannounced, like a thief in the night. “The heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.” Back up a minute. Everything? All the petty things I do? All those horrible thoughts about this person I don’t particularly like? A lot of times we see bigwigs flashing by us in their convoys in the opposite lane. I think, “Does God care about these seemingly insignificant infractions? Will it count in the eternal scheme of things?” I consider the congressmen who are pushing for divorce in our country just because they want to escape from their own legal unions. Or how about our Senators who are so greedy they want a cut out of every ineffective flood control project? If we are to believe Saint Peter, we will be accountable for EVERYTHING we do. Who in the world is safe then? As Ric Warren says, “I am married to a sinner, and she is married to a bigger sinner!” We can’t point fingers at one another. 

But we can take comfort in this: “Be eager to be found without spot or blemish before Him, at peace.” At first reading this seems highly, exceedingly, immensely impossible. But wait, I know there’s something somewhere in God’s Word which says put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14). How do we do that? Galatians 3:27 says, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have clothed yourselves with Christ.” It’s not impossible after all! 

Be on the Watch

 “Be on the watch. Pray constantly....” Luke 21:36

In my other Bible, this verse reads: “Be vigilant at all times, be on guard, be awake, be alert, and pray...” This is how to prepare for Jesus’ coming, for “the day will close on you unexpectedly, by surprise, suddenly, catching you unawares like a trap.” 

Today is the last day in the Catholic Liturgical Year. Tomorrow we start anew with the season of Advent. In the Philippines, most of us do not celebrate Advent, which is a time of waiting and preparation akin to the season of Lent. We hear the sounds and sights of Christmas as soon as the “ber” months come around. This is partly our fault. Our stores in the mall get decked out in red and green, with festive garlands all lighted up, in the hopes that people passing are reminded to buy gifts. 

Instead of being caught up in the frenzy of the season, the Church reminds us that Advent is a time to prepare us for heaven. The focus is on the end of all things. Jesus said in verse 34, that we should beware that our hearts do not become drowsy from carousing or drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life. Many of us get overburdened and depressed, weighed down, during this season, because of all the things we have to attend to. Gift-giving, new clothes, parties, overeating, the strain not only on the budget but also relationships, and our minds and bodies, if we are not careful. 

We should take heed. ALL THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT to the birthday celebrant. He wants us to sit down and talk with Him. He wants us to prepare our hearts to receive Him. Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Him who is the giver of all gifts. Let us take time this Advent season to spend time with the Gift-Giver, the King of Kings. Let us get to know Him who loved us first, and who loves us best!

Where’s Your Bible?

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, His Kingship shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:14

It may seem like kingdoms here on earth are all powerful and will last forever. The way kings and dictators rule, it is as if they will never be judged for their actions. But at the end of time, Jesus will be Judge and it will be the comparatively insignificant people who are building God’s Kingdom here on earth whom Jesus will point out and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” 

I am sure that one of those people will be Andrew van der Bijl, or Brother Andrew as he is called. He was born in 1928 and he passed away on September 27, 2022, at the age of 94. As a young boy he dreamed of derring-do, and when he was old enough, he started smuggling Bibles into the Iron Curtain. It was usually difficult to find the Christians and their underground churches because the State did all it could to snuff out religion and religious activities. 

During one trip to Sofia, Bulgaria, Andrew had memorized the address of Petroff, a Christian. He was warned that he should not go around asking for Petroff as he was a foreigner and Petroff would surely get into trouble. Andrew then looked for a map of the city but the bookstore and hotel did not have any. 

In the hotel, there was a small decorative, hand painted street plan under glass. At first Andrew dismissed it because only the names of the biggest boulevards were shown. But as he bent over it, he saw the most amazing thing. The cartographer had penned in the names of the major avenues, but there was one tiny street a few blocks from the hotel that had a name. It was the street where Petroff lived. 

When Andrew visited Petroff in his one room apartment, Petroff showed him that he had 2 Bibles, one complete one, and one with missing pages. He was using a typewriter to fill in the missing parts so he could give it away to a little church in Plotiv where there was not a single Bible. Andrew was able to bring in cartons of Bibles for Petroff to distribute throughout Bulgaria for many years. 

And now, do not most people take for granted our Bibles on the shelf?

God’s Smuggler

 “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has the God whom you serve so constantly been able to save you from the lions?” Daniel 6:20

Even if Daniel was cast into a den with several lions, the next day he was alive and well, praising God. Do we believe that God can or will deliver us from lions today? 

I am reading the amazing book “God’s Smuggler” about Brother Andrew van der Bijl’s  mission to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe following the rise of Communism after World War II. In 1957, there was not a single Communist border over which you could take books of any kind- let alone religious books! 

But Brother Andrew was able to pack his little Volkswagen several times with German, Rumanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian Bibles to bring to the persecuted Christians in those countries. Many times he had to face the lions at the dangerous borders, suspicious lions at consulates, lions waiting to inspect his precious cargo. God made seeing eyes blind as Brother Andrew would pray. 

One time Brother Andrew was waiting to get across the Rumanian border. There were only six cars ahead of him and he thought it would go fast. But no! The inspection for each car took from thirty minutes to an hour. Literally everything in the car was taken out and spread on the ground and every car was put through the same thorough routine. Hub caps were removed, the engine taken apart, seats upended. 

“Dear Lord,” Andrew started praying, “what am I going to do? I know that no amount of cleverness on my part can get me through. Let me take some Bibles out and leave them out in the open where they will be seen. Then Lord, I cannot possibly depend on my own stratagems, can I? I will be depending utterly upon You!” 

Andrew took several Bibles from their hiding places and piled them on the seat beside him. When it was his turn, he gave his papers to the officer standing near. Andrew started to get out but the knee of the officer was against the door, holding it closed. The officer looked at Andrew’s passport, scribbled on it, shoved the papers back and abruptly waved Andrew on. He had made it through the checkpoint in an incredible 30 seconds! Andrew was so excited to catch a spectacular glimpse of God at work! 

Long Suffering God

 “Teacher, when will this happen?” Luke 21:7

Jesus was telling all who would listen to Him about the last days. Then as now, people were very interested in signs of the Messiah’s second coming. “Take care not to be misled. Many will come in My name saying, ‘I am he’ and ‘The time is at hand.’ Do not follow them. Neither must you be perturbed when you hear of wars and  insurrections. These things are bound to happen first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

This says a lot about the patience of God. Wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, great signs and fearful omens in the heavens, plagues, famine, these all call people to examine their lives and call upon the name of the Lord. 

In 2 Peter 3: 8-9, we read, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Long-suffering. Patient. This is not the same quality we need when we are caught in traffic or waiting in a doctor’s office. God knows the beginning and the end of everything, even time. He is patient and long-suffering because He has a purpose and a plan. God wants to bring us all under His Kingship. Lord, may we work with You, and may we learn to be patient and yes, hopeful, with those You want to call to Your side. 

I Give You My Heart

 “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” Luke 21:1-4

The story of the Widow's Mite should be very reassuring for all of us. Imagine if how much we gave was the measure of our pleasing God? Then would not Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have the biggest chance of making God happy even if they gave a mere 1/1000th of their wealth? As it is, ALL OF US can and should try to make God happy.

Jesus was watching the poor widow as she put her 2 small coins. It didn't matter to Him that what she sacrificed was equivalent to a few minutes of work at minimum wage. What was important was He saw her heart. He saw her faith in action, that she knew she had a rich Father in heaven who would take care of her. 

The same story in Mark 12:41 reads “..and he saw HOW the people put the money into the treasury.” The “how” in this passage means “in what way.” We should remember Jesus is also watching when we make our check to give our tithes, when we give alms, when we give our time for God’s work. It matters not the amount. It matters what is in our heart. William Barclay said “The amount of the gift never matters so much as its cost to the giver, not the size of the gift but the sacrifice.”

Yesterday was Christ the King Sunday, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in response to the secularism, the atheistic and totalitarian regimes of that time.

Christ came to establish His Kingdom. His Kingdom is not like the Kingdoms of this world. People admire philanthropists who give millions to charity. Would they see, like Jesus, the poor widow who gave 2 copper coins? Would they laud her for it? Mother Teresa was always praising the poor she served. She had witnessed first hand how they were generous with the little that they had. When she would give rice and food, either the mother or a child would run out with half of what Mother Teresa brought, to share with another destitute family. Generosity is a Kingdom value. If we want Jesus to reign in our hearts, we have to have him reign over our wallets and checkbooks as well!

I Will Not Spare You

Turning to Jesus, he pleaded, "Jesus, remember me when You go into Your Kingdom." Jesus then answered him, "I assure you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:42-43

We all want to get to heaven, to dwell in the house of the Lord, don't we? It's beautiful there, glorious, love abounds! But the problem is, how can I, with all my sin, my selfishness, my irritability, my callousness, my carelessness with my speech and thoughts, ever belong there? How can I even get near a holy, sinless, righteous God?

Even if I stand on Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on earth, where I am nearest to the sun, I'm still terribly far from it! The difference is negligible. So even if I try my hardest to be good, all my effort, will not make me more ready for heaven!

Here is a conversation John Flavel, an English Puritan Presbyterian minister, imagined God the Father and His Son had, before Jesus came down to save us. This is the Bargain of all Bargains!

The Father speaks. "My Son, here is a company of poor, miserable souls that have utterly undone themselves and now lay open to my justice. Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them." 

The Son responds. "Oh my Father. Such is My love and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally I will be responsible for them as their guarantee. Bring in all Thy bills, that I may see what they owe Thee. Bring them all in, that there be no after-reckonings with them. At My hands shall Thou require it. I would rather choose to suffer the wrath that is theirs then they should suffer it. 

Upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt." 

The Father responds. "But my Son, if Thou undertake for them, Thou must reckon to pay the last mite. Expect no abatement. Son, if I spare them... I will not spare You." 

The Son responds. "Content Father. Let it be so. Charge it all upon Me. I am able to discharge it. And though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all My riches, empty all My treasures... I am content to take it."

Thank You, Jesus, for bearing all my sin, all my guilt and shame. 

Yesterday, was the opening of  Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit, Ang Ink’s 33rd Exhibit and a tribute to Robert from INK, ATD and Museo Pambata.  

Ang llustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK), ATD Fourth World-Philippines, and Museo Pambata celebrate the life and legacy of Robert A. Alejandro (1963-2024)—beloved artist, illustrator, mentor, and friend.

Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit! honors Robert's simple but profound belief that art belongs to everyone and every child should be empowered to create, imagine, and tell their own story.

The exhibit brings together artworks by Ang INK members, as well as photographs, videos, and pieces from ATD's archive to illuminate Robert's continuing presence in the communities he touched.

As a founding member of Ang INK and longtime volunteer for ATD and Museo Pambata-organizations close to his heart—he gave generously of his time and talent. Robert's kindness, warmth, and unshakeable faith in the power of creativity serves as an inspiration for adults and children alike to discover the artist within and help make the world a little bit better.

We remember Robert and hope these works pass on a little bit of his magic as we chant, "Guhit, Bulilit, Guhit!"

Exhibit runs from 22 November 2025 to 7 February 2026 at Balay Yatu Mini Galleries, Museo Pambata, Roxas Blvd. cor. South Drive, Manila.

God of the Living

 “He is not God of the dead, but of the living...” Luke 20:38

Jesus did not leave us the option of believing that He was a great moral teacher, a good man, or an inspiring miracle worker. 

The former agnostic, C.S. Lewis, wrote: “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the son of God: or else a madman or something worse.”

Then Lewis adds: “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

If we are still not convinced Jesus is God, I believe we should spend a majority of our time and resources in discovering who Jesus is. Imagine! The All powerful God of the Universe breaking through space and time to give us a message that would impact our whole existence, and we would miss it? 

This world is becoming more and more secular, more politically correct, more de-Christianized. And as a result, people are more confused, more depressed, and more lost. The world needs God. Psychiatrist J.T. Fisher describes Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “For nearly 2,000 years the Christian world has been holding in its hands the complete answer to its restless and fruitless yearnings. Here ... rests the blueprint for successful human life with optimism, mental health, and contentment.”

A House of Prayer

 “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” Luke 19:46

Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 56:7, “...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”, and Jeremiah 7:11, “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?” He was very angry to find that the thieves and robbers which usually infested the dens and caves of Judea were cheating and defrauding people in the Temple area! They were taking advantage of the poor who came to give their sacrifice offerings to God. 

If Jesus was zealous about the physical structure in Jerusalem, how much more would He be zealous about the temple of our bodies? “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” (1 Cor. 6:19)

When Jesus comes to visit, what does He find in our hearts? Is it a house of prayer? Of the study of His Word? Will He be pleased that we love the people He loves, and take care of them, the poor, the hungry, the downtrodden? Or will He react in righteous anger and want to throw out the idols that have replaced Him in our hearts? Will He find that instead of our King and Lord on the throne, we have set up ourselves instead? 

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit" (Psalm 51:10-12) 

If My People

 “For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:43-44

This is the desolate fate for the city prophesied by Jesus as he approached Jerusalem. Was punishment coming because the Jews did not recognize Him? True enough, in 70 AD., the Romans leveled the magnificent city of Jerusalem until all the buildings and the Temple were like a desert country. No more were the famed towers and colonnades and pleasant gardens. More than one million people were killed in the first Jewish-Roman war, including foreigners who visited for Passover and were trapped in the city by the revolt. According to the historian Josephus: “Round the altar the heaps of corpses grew higher and higher, while down the Sanctuary steps poured a river of blood and the bodies of those killed at the top slithered to the bottom.”

I don’t know about you but what is happening to our country seems to me to be like a judgment. In just over a month, we had a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu, followed by back to back super typhoons Tino and Uwan that made rivers of raging waters of our low lying cities, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. 

If this isn’t punishment, then it is a warning of worse things to come if we do not change our ways. We may say what can I do about what our leaders are doing? What can I do about corruption, about the denuding of our mountains, about the spread of fake news and all the selfishness and greed? We can take to heart what God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If MY PEOPLE, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 

Are we part of a people peculiarly His own like the Jews were? Then we have it within us to change the course of a nation. God said it and I believe it.