Christian

"For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother. " Matthew 12:50

A dramatic actor should have drama in life so he can be that kind of actor.

A social worker should be social first to be a worker.

A street dancer must be a dweller for him to become its dancer.

Jesus claims, "...whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." Living our life for God requires doing. More than hearing. More than listening. It's an active verb - do. Do follow His ways. Do give Him worship. Do believe in Him. Maybe that's why we answer, "I do." during the confession of our baptism.

A Christian blogger should live as a Christian first before as a writer. His life is his most read blog post.

A Christian singer is first and foremost a Christian before he belts out a song. His life is heard and brings melody in the air waves.

A Christian servant lives out Jesus' will before he utilizes his hands for the service. The best service he can render is to follow his Lord.

As Christians we are called to do His will.

Be faithful to your spouse. Be a good and attentive parent. Work during office hours. Love the outcasts. Care for your siblings. Forgive those trespassers. Pay your debts. Be a responsible citizen. Encourage the weak. Lift up the lowly. Be holy. Read and live His word. Be a Christian.

Walls

They pass through outer and inner wall and see the God of gods on Zion. Psalm 84:8

Three kinds of walls.

One is an opaque wall. Like the wall in your house. Like the white concrete in your office or school. When you look at it what do you see? The wall.

Next has a mirror finish. It's like the one in the carnival. You enter this mirror house. The walls have mirrors at both sides. You stare at the wall and you see this - You.

The last type is a transparent wall. You see through this edifice. Crystal clear is the scene at the other side. You look at it and view what is on the other side.

If we accept a wall in you life as an opaque wall, all you can see is the difficulty. Your vision is blocked. You can't see through the problem. When we stare at a wall of a challenge as the second one, we focus on what we can do to overcome the wall. We rely on our strength. We depend on our own. We look at our resume. We look at our diplomas.

The psalmist urges us to look at any wall in life as the third one. Walls of temptations. Walls of unnecessary burdens. Walls of health problems. Walls of worries and concerns. Walls of marital issues. We look at the wall and see the other side. Outer or inner, we see the other side. When we see the other side, we see the God who prepares the other side for us. We see that He will bring us from the outer to the inner. We see we can pass from the outer to the inner of the wall because we see God as our refuge.

Walls are no match to God. See God through your walls.

Better Part

"There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Luke 10:42

I want my daughters to pay attention in attending the holy mass. We teach them how to participate and appreciate the presence of God in the Eucharist. Yet, since they are kids, things go the opposite way. If they talk to their mother, I remind them to get back and face the priest. If they suddenly want to go to the bathroom, I am seemingly disgusted. If they creep towards their mom and hug her, my eyes roll on them. As a result, I am distracted with my prayers and meditation during the mass.

The same result happened in Martha's household. Martha was distracted with many things. The meals to be prepared. The dinner table at the kitchen. Washing of the utensils. Mary at the feet of Jesus. Thus, Jesus told her, "Mary has chosen the better part..."

Like Martha, I have chosen to be anxious about my daughters to participate rather than praise and worship God. I have chosen to be worried about my girls' feet loitering around rather than sitting at the feet of Christ during the holy mass.

You might be there....

You can't focus since your finances are not financing you.
Your heart is troubled for news reached you about your parent's decrementing health.
The job you have is not sitting permanently and this is giving you restlessness.
Distracted by your preparation for your ministry meeting.
Anxious about your exhortation next prayer meeting.
Worried about what will be your topic in the next small group meeting.

Many things may distract us. Many things may give us worries. Choose not to be troubled. Choose not to be anxious. Choose to sit at His feet. Choose the better part.

Burdened

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." Luke 10:40

Martha was burdened. She was not burdened with serving. She was burdened with much serving.

That's the keyword - much.

We find ourselves in Martha. Burdened with much serving.

When we put matters to our hands and don't delegate to others. When we want to shine and don't allow others to have their time. When we think highly of ourselves and look down on others. When we think we can do better and perceive others will make things worst. When we see ourselves as super and look at others as ordinary.

Serving God should give us joy and not burden. Serving Jesus should allow us to see God's best and not put in us unwanted stress. Serving the church should give us push up not weigh us down.

May I suggest the following?

• Train people to do what you do.
• Delegate with confidence.
• Get people involved and accountable.
• Remember people should start somewhere, just like you did.
• Be reminded, the heart of a servant is more important than the work of a servant.
• Be a mentor not a tormentor.

When you have servants around you, don't be burdened with much serving.

Welcomed by One

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. Luke 10:38

In the Philippines, it is customary to put up a welcome banner when a top government official or a celebrity comes into a place. And when the day comes, flocks gather to welcome that person. Media men, welcoming parties, students, vendors, ordinary people and locals greets the person. Cameras, videos and cellphones will work their wonders to capture the moment on the welcoming celebration.

Weird, this did not happen to Jesus. They came to one village yet Jesus was welcomed only by one. If there is banner for this welcome, it says, "Welcome Jesus! -by Martha". A village may have few tens to hundreds of people but only Martha welcomed Jesus. At this time, Jesus was already a word of mouth article. He has preached. He has healed the body and soul. He has performed miracles. Jesus was "somebody" when he entered this village. Yet He was welcomed only by one.

Would this be a problem?, I don't think so.

Jesus starts with this in our lives. At the beginning, He is welcomed by one. Remember this?

You welcomed Jesus in your large nominal Catholic family and clan.
You welcomed Him in your engineering class.
You welcomed Jesus in your office.
You welcomed Him in your circle of friends.
You welcomed Jesus in your social action club.
You welcomed Him in your on-line group.

In spite of these, Jesus entered. Jesus walked in your place. Jesus came and stayed though He may be welcomed only by one.