. . . AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH . . .

It is written:

Many people were shocked when they saw HIM; HE WAS DISFIGURED THAT HE HARDLY LOOKED HUMAN. ISAIAH 52:14

We despised HIM and rejected HIM; HE ENDURED SUFFERING AND PAIN. Noone would even look at HIM - WE IGNORED HIM AS IF HE WERE NOTHING. ISAIAH 53:3

BUT HE ENDURED THE SUFFERING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OURS, THE PAIN THAT WE SHOULD HAVE BORNE..... ISAIAH 53:4

BUT BECAUSE OF OUR SINS HE WAS WOUNDED, BEATEN BECAUSE OF THE EVIL WE DID. WE ARE HEALED BY THE PUNISHMENT HE SUFFERED, MADE WHOLE BY THE BLOWS HE RECEIVED. ISAIAH 53:5

.....But the LORD made the punishment fall on HIM, THE PUNISHMENT ALL OF US DESERVED. ISAIAH 53:6

HE WAS TREATED HARSHLY, BUT ENDURED IT HUMBLY; HE NEVER SAID A WORD..... ISAIAH 53:7

.....HE WAS PUT TO DEATH FOR THE SINS OF OUR PEOPLE. ISAIAH 53:8

THE LORD SAYS, "IT WAS MY WILL THAT HE SHOULD SUFFER; HIS DEATH WAS A SACRIFICE TO BRING FORGIVENESS....." ISAIAH 53:10

.....MY DEVOTED SERVANT, WITH WHOM I AM PLEASED, WILL BEAR THE PUNISHMENT OF MANY AND FOR HIS SAKE I WILL FORGIVE THEM. ISAIAH 53:11

.....HE WILLINGLY GAVE HIS LIFE AND SHARED THE FATE OF EVIL MEN. HE TOOK THE PLACE OF MANY SINNERS AND PRAYED THAT THEY MIGHT BE FORGIVEN. ISAIAH 53:12

Hear Me! Save Me now! Be my refuge to protect Me; My defense to save Me. PSALM 31:2

EVERYONE HAS FORGOTTEN ME, AS THOUGH I WERE DEAD; I AM LIKE SOMETHING THROWN AWAY. PSALM 3:12

IN HIS LIFE ON EARTH JESUS MADE HIS PRAYERS AND REQUESTS WITH LOUD CRIES AND TEARS TO GOD, WHO COULD SAVE HIM FROM DEATH. BECAUSE HE WAS HUMBLE AND DEVOTED, GOD HEARD HIM. BUT EVEN THOUGH HE WAS GOD'S SON, HE LEARNED THROUGH HIS SUFFERINGS TO BE OBEDIENT. HEBREWS 5:7-8

Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back in its place! DO YOU THINK THAT I WILL NOT DRINK THE CUP OF SUFFERING WHICH MY FATHER HAS GIVEN ME?" JOHN 18:11

.....ONE OF THE GUARDS THERE SLAPPED HIM..... JOHN18:22

....."Aren't you also one of the disciples of that Man?" BUT PETER DENIED IT. "NO, I AM NOT," he said. JOHN 18:25

Then Pilate took Jesus and HAD HIM WHIPPED. THE SOLDIERS MADE A CROWN OUT OF THORNY BRANCHES AND PUT IT ON HIS HEAD; then they put a purple robe on Him and came to Him and said, "Long live the King of the Jews!" AND THEY WENT UP AND SLAPPED HIM! JOHN 19:1-3

.....they shouted, "CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!" JOHN 19:6

They shouted back, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!"..... JOHN 19:15

He went out, CARRYING HIS CROSS, and came to "The Place of the Skull," as it is called (In Hebrew it is called "Golgotha") tHERE THEY CRUCIFIED HIM..... JOHN 19:17-18

.....THEY DIVIDED MY CLOTHES AMONG THEMSELVES AND GAMBLED FOR MY ROBE..... JOHN 19:24

.....He said to His mother, "He is your son." Then He said to His disciple, "She is your mother"..... JOHN 19:26-27

JESUS SAID, "FORGIVE THEM, FATHER! THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING"..... LUKE 23:34

THE SOLDIERS MADE FUN OF HIM: THEY CAME UP TO HIM AND OFFERED HIM CHEAP WINE AND SAID, "SAVE YOURSELF IF YOU ARE THE KING OF THE JEWS." LUKE 23:36-37

AT THREE O'CLOCK JESUS CRIED OUT WITH A LOUD SHOUT, "ELOI, ELOI, LEMA SABACHTHANI?" WHICH MEANS, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME?" MARK 15:34

JESUS CRIED OUT IN A LOUD VOICE, "FATHER! IN YOUR HANDS I PLACE MY SPIRIT!" HE SAID THIS AND DIED. LUKE 23:46

"IT IS FINISHED!" THEN HE BOWED HIS HEAD AND GAVE UP HIS SPIRIT. JOHN 19:30

WITH A LOUD CRY JESUS DIED. MARK 15:37

JESUS AGAIN GAVE A LOUD CRY AND BREATHED HIS LAST. MATTHEW 27:50


My God, my Lord, because of my sins You suffered. YOU TOOK THE PUNISHMENT THAT IS MEANT FOR ME. YOU DO NOT DESRVE IT. It is I who should have been there. It is I who should have been mocked, crowned with thorns, whipped. It is I who should have carried the Cross. It is I who should have been crucified.

I have rejected You. YOU GAVE YOUR LIFE FOR ME. YOU SUFFERED FOR MY SAKE.....FOR MY FORGIVENESS.....FOR MY SALVATION. You have been so unselfish, my Lord. You felt fear. You felt turning back for You knew what would happen to You. You felt abandoned.....and yet.....YOU ENDURED THEM ALL and obeyed the Father's will to the finish. YOU TRUSTED HIM STILL.

You, my innocent Lord, my God, my Master.....took my place, Your creation, Your servant.....the sinner. Nothing can surpass what you did for me. Nothing can surpass your greatness. THANK YOU, MY DEAR JESUS with all my mind, all my soul, and most especially with all my heart. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU. I AM SO MUCH INDEBTED TO YOU.

My life is not enough to repay what you have done for me. Nothing I can offer can give back what you gave me.....what you did for me. My Lord, let me die with You in that Cross. Let me share the burden that should have been mine. And as I die with You, my dear Lord, renew my spirit to be worthy of what You have gone through. Make me, my Lord, like You, who learned through Your sufferings to be obedient to our Dear Father in all humility.

Dear Jesus, let Your Spirit live in me so I can endure all the trials and sufferings I have to face for the glory of Your Kingdom. Make my heart..... always..... have the desire to serve and to love.

Let that desire keep burning in my heart so that Your sacrifice will not be in vain with me. As You offered Your precious life for me, let me offer my humble life to You. AS YOU DIE ON THAT CROSS TO FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE.....LET ME DIE WITH YOU TO FULFILL MINE. AMEN.

-luisadelacruz

MY DREAM

My Dream

Some day I want
to feel the gentle breeze
as the Lord’s
touch and embrace.
Some day I want
to feel the warm sun
as the Lord’s
undying love for me.
Some day I want
to see the blue sky
as the Lord’s
window where He watches me.
Some day I want
to see the beautiful flowers
as the Lord’s
gift to cheer me.
Some day I want
to look at people
as the Lord’s
brothers and sisters, as I am.
But most of all,
yes, above all,
some day I want
to feel and see myself
as the Lord’s
reflection . . . . a Christlike person!

luisadelacruz october 13, 2004

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

I heard Someone knocking (knock, knock, knock) just faint ones. I ignored it. Several times I heard them from time to time, but I chose to ignore them. Until one day I peeped just to know who was this so persistent Being knocking so tirelessly.

I peeped by the window of my heart, and I saw Jesus standing just outside its door, knocking so patiently. So I decided to open the door slightly. That was last July 2004. Since that day, He never stopped knocking, louder and louder each time (knock, Knock, KNock, KNOck, KNOCk, KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!) up to the point I had opened the door wide and let Him in.

First, He sent the Holy Spirit to put a desire in my heart to commit to Him . . . I did, half-heartedly. I laid low in my career, I even thought of stopping for a while because this was my biggest hindrance in committing to Him. He made me listen to Don Moen’s songs almost everyday and a refrain from one of the songs kept echoing in my mind (. . . be it unto me according to Your Word, according to Your promises I can stand secure. Carved upon my heart, the truth that sets me free, according to Your Word O Lord, be it unto me . . .).

He sent the Holy Spirit to make me write my stories and reflections and gave copies to people and through them I received confirmations that He was touching the readers’ hearts. He made me buy a book, The Purpose Driven Life. I burrowed my sister’s copy, but when I started reading it, I stopped and bought my own copy, then read it daily and even encoded my reflections after reading each chapter. This book, explained to me so many things. It answered my questions, confirmed to me the things that were starting to happen to me. As I finished it, I realized that the topics of the last chapters, I had already been doing, some I had already planned to do. All these, helped me commit to Him more and more and more.

Second, September 2004, during the anniversary celebration of the Light Of Jesus (LOJ), a transparochial Catholic community, Jesus showed me that it was the family of God where I belong. He touched my heart there and even sent a message through the Gospel of the Holy Mass. Actually, I was guilty of not listening to the first part of it because I was thinking of the worship before the Mass. Then my sister gave me a jolt and told me that the Gospel may be meant for me. When I focused my attention to it, the part the priest was saying was about one had to choose between two master’s because you could not serve both at the same time, and his homily sure talked to me.

Now I thought I had given Jesus my full commitment, until He sent me a text message which had a great impact on me that I cried so much and renewed my commitment with Him, but this time deeper. Even if He will ask me not to have my own family and even if He will ask me not to go back to my career I will obey. It is up to Him. I gave Him my word. Whatever He wants me to do, I will do for Him. This was the fourth knock, and it was a very loud knock.

I thought it was the last. The fifth was on my birthday. I attended an early morning Mass. The Gospel, again talked to me, it was about when Jesus sent the seventy two disciples to be His messengers. And there was another thing, a very important thing, He revealed to me that day that I had to have a willing heart in order for me to serve Him effectively. I must obey Him willingly so He could fulfill His promise to me, that in every unselfish thing that I would do for Him, He would be giving me overflowing joy.

The sixth (well . . . He saved the loudest knock in the last, yes, this was the last), it was The Feast, a Sunday celebration of LOJ. It was still in AFP Camp Aguinaldo. I attended the first session with my eldest sister, her husband, and their daughter. We were a bit late so when we arrived, one third of the first song had been sang. The moment I stood in front of my sit and focused on the song, wow, I was in tears. It didn’t stop there, the following two songs made me cry even more. I was not familiar with the two of them but one was I Offer My Life by Don Moen. Boy, I was a bit ashamed because everybody around me was singing and rejoicing and smiling while I was in tears with my shoulders slightly jolting up and down from time to time as I try to minimize my cry (it was a good thing we were on the side and it was a bit dark there).

When Bo Sanhez, the leader of the community, had his talk, I was calm and I had stopped crying. But, my, the whole message, it was all that Jesus wanted to tell me, it was about Jesus getting into Peter’s boat and telling him to cast out his net to catch fishes and with total obedience Peter did as he was told and the net caught so many fishes that their nets were tearing (Luke 5:3-7). Discipleship, total obedience and trusting Jesus, fishing for people for the glory of the Lord in the vast sea of life, these hit me with a big bang. When Bro. Bo asked all of us to raise our hands and ask God for a blessing that we wanted to have, all I could ask was the courage to trust in Jesus . . . that was all I could ask. That moment all I wanted was for me to trust Him, nothing else . . . and it was granted . . . my prayer was granted. That was such a blessed day for me!

That was the end of the knockings in the door of my heart as God was calling me to commit. After that, Jesus entered my heart as I allowed Him to come in. He dwells in it. I am at peace and I am filled with so much overflowing joy. He tells me what to do, and I obey. He lets the Holy Spirit fill me and transform me. My courage to trust Him gets rattled at times, but immediately I ask for His help to steady it and He never fails me. A friend sent me a classic prayer, which I pray : “Dear Lord, Your will Be Done, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. AMEN.”

-luisadelacruz

PUPPY THOUGHTS

September 2004, somebody gave my sister a puppy. She is a chihuahua. She is so very tiny (aaaaa, very cute), in fact, less than a foot and a half in height when she stands with her two front feet stretched up. Her color is brown and white. She is so very jolly . . . . really jolly. She always wags her tail whenever she sees me (mind you, the wag, faster than superman that even her behind seems to go with her tail). When I hold her up in the air with my one hand, her heart beats faster with fear (thugathugathuathugathug, he, he, he). But when I get her attention, her heart’s rhythm is still the same but she still wags her tail (ha, ha, ha), oh yes, she wags her tail.

When I hold her in my arms to cuddle her, she’s so hyper that she moves a lot toying with my hands, with my clothes, and even with my hair. When I put her down, she’ll run to and fro (zooooom . . . . zooooom), sliding at times, but not minding it. She will immediately get up and run again (zooooom . . . . zooooom). When I put her on the arm rest of the sofa, she will lie there while I protect her from falling. Sometimes she will scratch herself not minding if she falls or not. She knows my arm is there to catch her. At times I get hold of her as she is in the act of jumping even if the height is too high for her tiny body (wow, this puppy has so much courage).

Her eyes (oh boy), so very, very alert. They are so round and always on the look out. When she hears even a slight sound unfamiliar to her, she will immediately bark with her loud voice (Yap! Yap! Yap! Yes, as tiny as she is, she has a loud voice). Her body even reflects her alertness. I can see it in the way she sit, lie, stand, and move.

She is an intelligent puppy. She always tries to find a way to go where she wants to go, no matter if it’s on top of a chair. She always tries. Though at times she does not succeed, she just keeps on trying. She is so full of hope. That puppy is really something. She really makes me laugh. She puts joy in my heart. I love her.

So why am I telling you about her? Because through that puppy, Jesus enlightened my confused mind that time. He wants me to be like her (well . . . . not to bark like a puppy or scratch like her). Before the time I was about to have my struggle with myself, Jesus sent her in our home. She gave me a hearty laugh. As the days pass by, I began to notice her characters. Eventually, I saw the reason why He sent her.

Jesus wants me to be jolly, even when I have fear in my heart. He wants me to be cheerful and trusting in Him even when He is holding me in the air with one hand. He wants me to be playful, hyper, and always on the go while performing the task He will be giving me. Whenever I will slide, I just have to get up and go on with what I am doing for Him. I should always have courage in my heart to jump without thinking if I can handle the height or not . . . . I should have courage to trust in Him even if I do not know where He leads me.

I should always be alert for whatever Jesus will ask of me. I should always be on the look out for an opportunity to be of service. I should always try to find a way to fulfill my task, no matter how impossible it may seem. Even if at times I fail, I should never give up and keep on trying. I should always be full of hope.

Wow! Jesus really knows how to get through me. Even in just a very tiny puppy, He sends His message to me. He really knows me. He knows I am very fond of puppies. He selected this particular one and put all the characteristics He needs me to see. What a time to send her in my life. It is very much in time.

I named her Revie. It is from the word revelation, because through her, Jesus enlightened my mind.

-luisadelacruz

HOME

August 2004, my sister asked me I if wanted to come to the anniversary celebration of the Light Of Jesus (LOJ), of which she is a member. I said yes, thinking that Jesus was the one inviting me.

That day came. I went with them. On the way to St. Paul college, Quezon City where it will be held, I saw a man so very dirty. He was wearing black t-shirt and shorts. He had no slippers. He knelt down on the ground and drank from the dirty water on the gutter, just like a dog.

Normally, when I saw people like him and situations like that, I just prayed to the Lord to bless the person. I just wondered what happened in their life that it turned out that way. But this day, it was different. I felt pain, not just pity, but pain. I closed my eyes, and asked Jesus, ‘Why do I feel this way? Am I seeing it through Your eyes?’ I opened my eyes and looked at the man again. The pain was still there. I thought Jesus must have felt much more pain.

When we arrived in the gym where the celebration would be held, I forgot what I saw. I went to the ladies room. A man was kind enough to point me where it was. My sister just followed. While waiting for her after I finished, an elderly lady greeted me as she entered the comfort room. She said, ‘Hello, sister, good morning!’ She had a big smile while saying this. I replied, ‘Good morning.’, as I smiled back at her. When she left after using the ladies room, she even turned around after she passed me and asked, ‘What chapter are you, sister?’. I answered ‘Oh, my sister just invited me.’ She replied with enthusiasm, ‘That’s very good, sister.’, then left without forgetting to give me a smile. When my sister came out, I told her Jesus welcomed me, then relayed to her what happened.

When I took my sit inside the gym. The man who pointed the ladies room to me, opened the electric fans and steadied one towards my direction. I accidentally turned around and saw what he was doing. He was looking at me but before I could smile and say thank you, he shyly looked the other way. Wow! This was another welcome from Jesus.

People of all ages, from the very young to the very old, started filling up the place. Wow, again! Everybody was greeting almost everybody, handshaking, kissing on the cheeks, with big, big smile on the faces. There was warmth everywhere. Then the celebration started. It was a big bang! Everybody was singing on top of their voices. Some were even dancing. You could really see the happiness on their faces. Everybody was smiling.

Suddenly I found myself close to tears. A tear or two even escaped my eyes. I seemed to feel what Jesus is feeling. I felt, He was crying with tears of joy. The shouting praises and worships of the people were thundering towards the heavens. The voices of their hearts were music to His ears. He felt so loved by them. Jesus was really happy during that moment. He looked down upon these people, His community, His family with so much joy in His heart. He was so grateful to the obedient and trusting leader of this community. I could not explain what I felt . I was in tears.

Then I remembered what I felt towards the poor, dirty man on our way there. I wondered if Jesus used that situation to give me a hint that He would let me see the celebration through His eyes. It felt like He lend me His eyes and made me feel what He felt.

My celphone beeped, I was about to ignore the idea of looking at the message, but something bugged me, ‘What if it comes from Jesus?’, and so, I read the text. It was a daily text message. The first sentence struck me. It said, ‘ARE YOU HAPPY?’. Wow! I knew it came from Jesus. I closed my eyes and answered Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I am very happy because You are very happy.’

During the Holy Mass, the Gospel and the sermon of Fr. Steve, the presider, seemed to talk to me. According to the Gospel, you cannot serve two masters at the same time. You should choose just one. In his homily, Fr. Steve, mentioned the presence of Jesus in the community and how important the service one could do, even from the tiniest task to the biggest responsibility. The talent that God gave to each and everyone should be shared for His glory. I felt like Jesus was requesting me to give Him my full trust and just follow His lead.

As I experienced this anniversary celebration, I saw unselfish people sacrificing themselves for the glory of the Lord. They were giving the best they could, trusting Him, and obeying Him. I also saw love….yes, I saw love there. My, these people were so dedicated to Jesus.

This was the first time I attended their anniversary, and they were celebrating their twenty fourth. It felt home for me. I was not even a member yet, but God welcomed me. The people there smiled at me, greeted me, extended their hands to me, they even shared their food with me during lunch.

Jesus invited me. I had accepted. He made sure I felt at home. He made sure I would see that this would be my family. As I committed myself to Him, they became my brothers and sisters. I knew, I am home.

-luisadelacruz

WHAT IF THE WORLD IS BLACK AND WHITE???

What if God made the world in black and white? Have you ever thought of seeing no colors around you?

Imagine no red, no blue, no yellow, no lavender or no orange flowers to uplift your soul. No green, green grasses and leaves to refresh your eyes. No yellow sun, no blue sky contrasting with the white, fluffy clouds to warm your heart. No brown, black or gray dogs and cats with their blue or green eyes that add to our delight in them.

No painted cars, jeepneys, and buses to make our streets not boring. No colorful computer monitors to add interest to what we are doing. Not even colorful pictures to look at as we reminisce the wonderful moments we had or as we read the books we enjoy. No colorful paints to put on our houses, furnitures, and fabrics to welcome us at the end of the day and greet us when we wake up in the morning. No different shades of clothes to choose from. Not even colorful food to build our appetite.

And when we go on a fieldtrip or outing. No brown tree trunks and branches with green leaves and sometimes yellow or orange flowers. No golden corns nor rice plants to give beauty to the fields. No butterflies with different shades to appreciate. No brown big mountains, no blue bodies of water, no flying birds of different colors to relax our minds. And so on and on and on . . .

WOW! A WORLD IN BLACK AND WHITE SURE IS SOOOOOO BORING AND GLOOMY!
I guess that is why God created the world in full color. He thought man should live in an interesting, beautiful and alive world. He uses even this simple thing to tell us how much He loves us. He uplifts our soul through it. He shows He really cares and wants to cheer you up. God is a happy God. He wants to share to you His happiness through the colorful, wonderful world you live in. So, the next time you open your eyes, appreciate the different shades of color you see and, my golly, THANK GOD FOR THEM!

-luisadelacruz