10+ Months Later

Tonight Jennifer and I broke up. It was a mutual decision: we'd been together for 10+ months, and it was time to decide whether this relationship was going somewhere significant or not.

We decided that since we see the world very differently, it was best to go our separate ways. I'm Christian, she's not. I want to marry a Christian, she does not want to become one.

We didn't use a "sharp knife" though, in our split; I'm not sure if that's wise or if that will come back to haunt us.

I'm thankful for Jennifer, and for all that God's taught me through her. She's a lovely woman. I hope and pray that she will find Salvation.

As for me, I'll be laying low for a bit, patching up my wounds.

Prayer Works

Prayer works.

Today my co-worker Darren asked if I could get him a Bible. Apparently his girlfriend wants one too: they both want to begin reading Scripture.

Also, I found out that Omar, a friend I'd met in the Philippines is now a follower of Isa-al-Masih, Jesus the Messiah.

God works in the lives of people through his church, and particularly, through prayer.

Al Watan...Again!

I've been visiting my favourite restaurant in Vancouver a lot lately. Today will be the third time in the last 10 days, and, I may go again Friday.

Today I'm having lunch with James. On Friday, with James and Scott. Last Friday I was there with Jim.

And last week Wednesday I was there with Jennifer and two of her friends, Kari and Cristina. Here's a pic Jennifer took afterwards. Note the new lunch special prices: at $6.99, it's still the best lunch in the city.

And of course, the short conversations with Khalid and Noor are always pleasant too!

The Life Of Beatitude

After spending a few weeks in the book of Acts, we return to the gospel of Matthew (4:23-5:20). The background to our reading is that Jesus has been baptized, he has endured severe testing in the desert, and his ministry has begun: great crowds follow him wherever he goes (4:23-25), and whatever he does, whether it is preaching, or teaching, or healing, or expelling demons, whatever he does, he does with great authority (7:28-29).

With this in mind, we arrive at the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is on a mountain, preaching repentance and the kingdom of God (4:17b). The setting would’ve stirred the imagination of all those present: it was on a mountain that Moses received the law which revealed God’s will for his people. Is Jesus a prophet in line with Moses? What does he have to say about the Messiah, God’s Anointed One who will come and save Israel?

And in this setting, Jesus reveals to us that he is both, in line with Moses and the prophets, and yet, he’s distinct, unique: Jesus is introducing something new. And the theme that he uses to make his point is ‘the beatitudes’ (5:3-10): qualities of persons and actions that will receive their full reward when God’s kingdom comes.”1

Virtually all of the beatitudes are drawn from the Old Testament. The 3rd beatitude, for example, “Blessed” are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (5:5): this verse has Psalm 37:11 as its background: “But the meek shall possess the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” Or the 6th beatitude, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (5:8): this is taken from Psalm 24:3-4, which describes among those who can climb ‘the hill of the Lord’ ... the one who has “clean hands and a pure heart”, the one who does not lift up his soul “to what is false...”.

And the same can be said about being the “salt of the earth” (5:13), “the light of the world”, and “the city set on a hill (5:14). These phrases express in pictorial terms what it means to be God’s people: we are to be pure, holy, and set apart. Jesus was completely ‘in line’ with the law and the prophets.

However, Jesus also introduced something new because he made an audacious claim: he claimed that he fulfilled the Scriptures. Verse 17: “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them” (5:17).

There are various translations or interpretations of the word “fulfill”, but the most appropriate one seems to be “completion”: Christ brought the law to its destined end. The Hebrew Scriptures pointed beyond themselves, they pointed forward to someone else. This someone else was Christ, who inaugurated the kingdom of God. “His ministry [brought the Scriptures] to full measure by supplying the final revelation of the will of God.”2 That is why Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God as being ‘at hand’ or ‘near’. Jesus brings in that which the Old Testament looked forward to; he transcends the Old Testament, but far from abolishing it, the Old Testament culminates in him.3

This audacious claim - to be the fulfillment of Scriptures - was what brought revilement upon Jesus, and it was what ultimately led to his death on the cross. How could salvation possibly come from someone who embodied the beatitudes! And for that matter, this is the reason we as Christians experience revilement today. We’re called “backward”: we do not claim loyalty to the powers and principalities of this world (Ephesians 6:12), precisely because power and pride are their mantra. We know that this can only result in death.

Instead, we rejoice (5:11). We rejoice because we are saved into a kingdom that brings wholeness and peace; saved by a Servant who gave up the very seat of heaven to identify with the death of this world, and thereby bring life.

We rejoice, because as we live this new life, God by his Spirit draws others into this heavenly community, and as that happens, the Father is glorified. Living the Kingdom-life brings glory to the Father (5:14).

And finally, our hearts are gladdened (5:12), because living a life of beatitude comes with great rewards; rewards not necessarily realized today, but guaranteed in the future: the promise to co-inherit God’s kingdom, the promise to vindicate the just, and the promise of the establishment of God’s perfect kingdom.4 We are indeed fortunate. We are indeed blessed.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen ✠

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1- Daniel J. Harrington (S. J), The Gospel of Matthew. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 1. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1991), 84.

2- R. T. France. The Gospel according to Matthew. An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985), 114.

3- R. T. France. The Gospel according to Matthew. An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1985), 114.

4- Daniel J. Harrington (S. J), The Gospel of Matthew. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 1. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1991), 82-83.

Blessing

I've noticed that whenever I sneeze, she doesn't say "Bless you", much less "God bless you." I think it's because she realizes that the minute she says or wishes a blessing, she has a conundrum on her hands: "Who will bless?", "What is a blessing?", "What is there to bless?", and "Can I wish a blessing?"

Give her credit: for being true to her colours. She doesn't believe in someone bigger, wiser, stronger, and smarter than us who speaks into the everyday situations and happenings of this world, and therefore, to speak of blessings is a mute point. It's a lie.

Give her credit for staying true to her convictions.

But what a world that leaves us with: no blessings to give, no blessings to receive, no hope, faith, or love to give or receive. No mystery...just a cold, hard, flat, shallow, isolated, and above all, empty and meaningless world.

Such a world I want no part of.

A New People: The Watershed Moment

A watershed moment is an important period, time, or event that marks a change or division. It’s a critical turning point, as when on June 20th earlier this year, a young woman bystander was shot dead while watching protests against the presidential election results in her country Iran. Her death was a watershed moment, because someone captured it on video, and broadcast it around the globe. It fueled the protests that were already ongoing, and it provoked outrage throughout the world.

In a similar way, the controversy of Acts 15:1-31 is a watershed moment in the life of the church. It’s a critical moment because it changed the focus of attention of the church profoundly. Before this point, the mission to the Jews was the first priority; but after this point, after the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, “attention [was] given unequivocally to the establishment of Gentile [faith] communities.”1 That’s why the Apostle Paul is the central character in the rest of the book of Acts.

God’s activity among the Gentiles was categorical, it was unambiguous and undeniable. And what made all of God’s actions so undeniable were the stories of conversion, Gentile conversions.

Paul and Barnabas report these conversion stories in various places on their way to the church in Jerusalem (15:3). And once in Jerusalem, the storytelling continues: they tell of all that God is doing (15:4), relating his signs and wonders among the Gentiles (15:12).

The Apostle Peter’s stories are telling also. In our present text, he re-tells - albeit indirectly - the story of Cornelius’ conversion. It’s to our benefit, that we read it again for the 3rd time (Acts 10, 11, 15): “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith.” (15:7b-9).

And finally, James reiterates Peter’s words; he relates how God visited Gentiles, “to take out of them a people for his name” (15:14). One thing stands out in James’ words: the word “people”, laos, was until then only applicable to Israel. James here expands this definition beyond Israel: God visited the Gentiles, adding to himself anyone who would call upon his name.2

The early church bore witness to God’s activity among them as they experienced these stories of salvation: these stories shaped their understanding of God and their interpretation of Scripture, both, the Old and the New Testament, the Torah and Jesus.3 And we too are witnesses of Christ, made real to us through the Holy Spirit; we too experience salvation stories, whether our own, or our neighbour’s. They teach us who God is and how he acts in this world.

And so, taking these wonderful conversion stories, handed down from Luke’s generation all the way to our own, and based on our experiences of the resurrected Christ in our lives and in the life of the church, we can say along with James and the rest of the apostles: “And with this the words of the prophets agree...” (15:15); ‘God is doing something new!’

And how true the words of the prophet Amos, that “After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up, that the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who has made these things known from of old.” (15:15-17, Amos 9:11-12).

God continues to make for himself, a laos, a people. And this nation is based not on ethnic origin or ritual observance, or for that matter, this nation is not based on economic status, or any other kind of status or hobby horse we value or grasp for; rather, God’s nation is a people of faith: faith in the risen Lord Jesus; or in the words of Peter, faith that “...we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus...” (15:11). And since God has shown himself to be without discrimination, we, the Church, must do likewise.4 This is something we need to take very serious: do we welcome everyone, or do we only welcome those who are like us...?

This then was that critical moment: the church caught up or got on board with the work God was doing in the world: “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us...” (15:28). May these be our words also.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 268.

2- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 264-265.

3- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 278-279.

4- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 280.

2 Kilos!

I hiked the Grouse Grind 4 times in the past 10 days, and I've lost 2 kilograms.

Who needs a diet program when you've got a mountain to climb 45 minutes from your doorstep?

I love Vancouver.

And They Were Silenced

The first few chapters of Acts witness the geographical expansion of the Gospel, as the Holy Spirit led outward from Jerusalem and to the surrounding regions. But Luke has been equally diligent in pointing out specific details of events, giving personal testimonies of people who were overjoyed when they came to faith.

At the end of chapter 8, we saw the conversion of the Samaritan magician Simon. In chapter 9 the Ethiopian Eunuch believes, and in Chapter 10, Cornelius the Roman centurion and his entire household come to faith. In addition to teaching us geography, Luke has helped us understand the demographical impact of the good news of Jesus.

In Acts 11:1-18, Luke gives us insight into the struggle between Jewish and Gentile Christians, as they seek to make sense of the new spiritual unity they have in Christ. Jewish Christians - who believed in the risen Jesus, who received the Holy Spirit and were baptized - criticized the Apostle Peter for entering the home of the Gentile Cornelius, and sharing a meal with him there (11:3).

The problem was that Peter as a Jew should know better than to eat a meal in the home of a Gentile. In the ancient symbolism of table-fellowship, “to eat with someone is to share spiritually with them as well”1, and therefore, by implication, to eat with a Gentile was not only unclean and a rejection of holiness, it was downright idolatrous.

The practical questions of how to work out the common faith now became relevant. Can Jewish and Gentile Christians eat together? Are all of God’s people equal in status?

The question of food and holiness may seem absurd to us because it’s quite common to think of food as either fuel for the body: food's just something we need in order to survive; or, it’s something to consume: we eat because it gives us pleasure, and that’s about it. But something powerful happens when we eat together. There is great spiritual value in sharing a meal: communion with our neighbour and with God ‘happens’, when we eat together.

So, what does Peter make of this? How does he defend himself. Well, he does what most of us love doing, and some of us do it often! He blames someone else, he blames God. And to his credit, that is the right thing to do, because God was behind the event, he orchestrated it. Peter’s visit with Cornelius was not the result of his own calculation; it was a response to God’s “divine initiative.”2

The sequence of events is quite telling: God first spoke to the pious Cornelius in a vision: send some men to look for Peter, he is told (10:5); Cornelius obeys, and sends for Peter (10:8). Meanwhile, Peter also has a vision (10:11-16), and as he ponders his vision (10:19), Cornelius’ men arrive, and then Peter gets it, he understands the vision.

He goes along with them, and then, in a wonderful narrative at the end of chapter 10, Peter enters Cornelius’ home, he proclaims the risen Jesus to him, the Holy Spirit comes upon Cornelius and his household, and he is baptized. And as the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius, Peter remembers Jesus’ words: “John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (11:16). It’s a wonderful account of a household coming to faith.

And that’s why upon being criticized, Peter says bluntly: “...who was I that I could withstand God?” (11:15b) Another version says “was I powerful enough to prevent God?”3 Peter realized that God was doing something extraordinary, and after catching on, he no longer remained fixated “at the stage of table-fellowship.”4 He began to think in terms of God’s gift of salvation.

The outpouring of the Spirit upon Cornelius showed that God’s gift of salvation was available to all. “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” (11:17)

God is not partial like we are; he cares much less about appearances than we do. “He accepts the righteous from every nation.”5 Peter’s actions were purely in response to God’s divine initiative. God acts in the world, and we spend our time catching up to him.

And how did those who criticized Peter respond? In the same way that I hope we respond: “when they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life” (11:18).

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 197.

2- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 200.

3- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 196.

4- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 201.

5- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 201.

Cloud 9

Tonight Jennifer and I went to the Cloud 9 revolving restaurant on Robson Street. Here are a few of the pictures I took.

Over the past week or so, we've had spectacular sunsets here in Vancouver: the sky's graced us with various shades of reds, oranges, and yellow, flooding our senses with beauty, and our soul with awe and reverence.




































































The view from Cloud 9 is breathaking. However, the other revolving restaurant in the city, the Harbour Centre, has better food, and the facilities seem either newer or better taken care of.

Catching Up With God

I’ve entitled this homily on Acts 8:4-17 “Catching up with God.” But this is not about how we can more effectively ‘catch up’ with God in prayer, or how we can get closer to God in our devotional lives. Important as those topics are, our reading does not address them.

The reason for the title is that this is what we do in the church: we do our best to “catch up to God’s action in the world.”1 We plot, we plan, we scheme about which way to go, this way or that way, only to find out in the end that God is taking us into a completely different direction. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not God’s ways (Isaiah 55:8), and this is especially so when we consider how God deals with evil.

Joseph’s brothers had evil intentions when they sold him into slavery. But God “meant it for good”, so that “many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 50:20).

That was the case with Jesus too. His executors hung him on a cross, but God raised him and put “all things under his feet” (Ephesians 1:22).

And Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, he boldly proclaimed the risen Jesus (Acts 7). The result: he became the first martyr for the name of Jesus, and a massive persecution broke out against Christians, scattering them “throughout the region” (8:1).

What good could possibly come of this, the Apostles and the early Christians surely asked themselves. The answer comes to us in this reading, as the gospel expands beyond Jerusalem, and to Samaria (1:8).

Philip was one of the Christians affected by the persecution; he went to Samaria. Like Stephen, he was chosen to serve tables, and like Stephen, he also proclaimed..the [risen] Christ (8:6). And the people paid close attention to him: they listened to him and observed the miracles; and when he spoke, “unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed” (8:7). Even Simon, a magician, believed upon hearing Philip speak “about the news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (8:12).

This was a man who’d previously enchanted crowds with his own magic tricks; some even called him the mighty power of God (8:11). But he believed and got baptized, along with many other men and women (8:13). And afterwards, he followed Philip around, amazed at the signs and miracles he witnessed (8:13).

The point is this: because of the persecution, Christians spread throughout the region, and wherever they went, they proclaimed the risen Jesus. The persecutors meant it for evil: they wanted to stamp out the church. But God used it for good, for the expansion of his kingdom. And the word of God brought great joy to the city (8:8).

The author Luke, seems to describe the kingdom of God in geographical terms here. As the gospel moves outward, “territory is literally being wrested from the power of demons and brought under God’s rule.”2 Stephen’s martyrdom opened the door for the expansion of the gospel to Samaria.

A quick sidenote here: note the unity of the church, during this time of persecution. Once the disciples in Jerusalem found out that “Samaria had received the word of God” (8:14), Peter and John race to support Philip. They lay hands on the newly baptized, ensuring continuity of the faith, authenticating and validating the work going on in Samaria.

Jews and Samaritans were not allies; in fact, the opposite is true: they did not like each other. And yet, the church shows a different way of being neighbour: in times of crisis, the church in Jerusalem reaches out to the fledgling church in Samaria. When the church is under pressure, that’s the time of great testimony.

We too live in turbulent times. We are navigating the deep waters of scientism, and our children are drinking from the poisoned wells of secularism. We are tempted to take matters into our own hands. But thankfully, that is not what God asks us to do.

What he does ask is that we trust him to bring history to its rightful end, where Jesus returns, renews all things, and places them back into the hands of the Father (I Corinthians 15:23). What he does ask is that we follow him, trusting in his faithfulness and goodness. What he does ask, is that we catch up to his action in the world. A tremendous task this is. A tremendous privilege this is.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 151.

2- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 151.

Jericho Beach With Jennifer

Today I went to the 10am church service. I ran into David Robinson there and had an interesting conversation with him about vocation. He's been working in Ottawa for the past year, a year full of growth and challenges for him. When I told him I'm thinking of going to Egypt, he got really excited and said he could totally see me doing something like that.

In the afternoon, around 3pm, I went to Jericho Beach with Jennifer. We spent 3.5 hours sitting in the sand, enjoying the sunshine. The temperature must've been about 28C or so. We also went for a dip in the ocean.

By around 7ish Jennifer and I were starved for food, so we got our stuff together and walked to 4th Ave where we took the bus. A little while later we landed at the Banana Leaf restaurant, on West Broadway. I've been there a number of times for either lunch and dinner, and not once have I been disappointed. They do Malaysian food just right.

Another Chapter Comes To An End

Today Ted and family left Canada, headed back for Paraguay. A sad day it was.

Whenever family leaves, one always feels like one didn't put in enough time and effort to be with them while they were here. That's at least how I usually feel, and today was no exception.

I only worked an afternoon shift today, and so I wasn't too tired to go to the airport and say my farewells. I came just in time to witness the chaos that always seems to creep up at the airport when family members scramble to pack and re-pack all their suitcases in order to get all the weight balances just right and avoid overweight luggage charges. Everyone seems so stressed by it, but I can't help but find the humour in it: it's not like we didn't know the airline had limits to luggage weight, and yet when we're in front of the ticket agent, we do so very well in blaming them for our packing miseries....

Regardless, after all that was done, we went to the food fair and spent one last hour together. I got myself a caramel macchiatto from Starbucks, Ted and Karin got themselves some Greek food, the kids had dinner at Burger King, and mom and dad, well, they'd just finished drinking mate and didn't need anything more.

Finally, at around 10:15pm, it was time to say good-bye. Another chapter comes to an end. I hope they don't stay there too long. I will miss them.

Full Of The Holy Spirit

In the first few chapters of Acts Jesus’ promise that the Apostles “would receive power” when the Holy Spirit comes upon them was fulfilled (1:8). The Holy Spirit descended on them and empowered them towards great and mighty acts of prophecy (5:9) and healing (3:6, 5:16); and he empowered the Apostles to preach boldly repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins (2:38).

Following Pentecost the church grew in numbers, so much so that by chapter 6, the good news of Jesus and the kingdom of God begins to spill over the borders of Israel, and onto foreign lands. And this is the general direction of the book of Acts: the message of salvation in Jesus Christ extends beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and “to the end of the earth” (1.8); and this extension, this going forth, is Spirit-led, it is not a human endeavour. If it was, it would’ve failed a long time ago. The Church would have disappeared years ago. We are here today because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

The centrality of the Holy Spirit in the church is clear when we take a closer look at the reading: (Acts 6): Greek-speaking Jews were left out in the “daily distribution”, a soup kitchen for widows, or something along those lines.1 Hebrew-speaking widows were served, but others somehow fell between the cracks and were neglected.

The Apostles realize that this is a problem, and so to resolve it they look for someone who is full of the Holy Spirit. Verse 3: “Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty” (6:3); and verse 5: ...they chose Stephen, a man full of the Holy Spirit...” (6:5). To be a disciple is to be full of the Holy Spirit (6:3, 5, 10).

This has two implications that I can think of on the life of the church. One, spiritual growth depends not on our talents or traits, but on our willingness to allow the Spirit of God move in and through us. It’s about character, not abilities. It seems to me that this goes against conventional wisdom, where practicality and utility are most important. The main question the Apostles essentially asked was “Is he filled with the Holy Spirit?”

And the second implication relates to our involvement in ministries. We tend to ‘specialize’ or ‘compartmentalize’ ministries: only those who have the ‘gift’ to serve the poor or the lonely, do it; for that matter, only those who have the charism of teaching, preach the gospel. It seems to me that Scripture moves us into a different direction, where serving the needy, and preaching the gospel is a task for each of us, to the extent possible in our vocations. To be Christian, is to pray, preach, serve, and worship God in all spheres of life.

And if the Holy Spirit guides us in ordinary circumstances, how much more does he lead us in extraordinary times, like Stephen’s situation at the end of the chapter. His position is strikingly similar to the one Jesus found himself in on the way to the cross:

The open confrontation, the spies, the agitation of the crowd, the arrest, the delivery to the council, the false accusations, the charge of blasphemy, and the rest of the story, all the way to his execution, these all point to a Spirit-led “imitation of Christ”2, modeled on Christ’s passion.3

And like Jesus, Stephen’s wisdom was impossible to refute (6:10). Jesus’ promise to send us his Holy Spirit in times of trial (Luke 12:12), who gives wisdom that no adversary can withstand (Luke 21:15), rings true here. Indeed, Stephen’s “face was like the face of an angel” (6:15). So full of wisdom, faith, grace, and power - so full of the Spirit - is Stephen, that the glory of God shines from his face.4

It’s difficult for us to identify with Stephen: we live in times of peace, thanks be to God. However, there’s no place for complacency in our spiritual journey. We must press on. And God gives us the power to do so: the Holy Spirit who empowers the church to stretch beyond her borders and proclaim the risen Jesus, is the same Holy Spirit who makes present to us personally the resurrected Jesus.5 May we open ourselves day-in, day-out, to this gift, the Holy Spirit, so that we can continue in the work of the church: praying, preaching, serving, and worshiping God in all that we do.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 106.

2- Jaroslav Pelican. Acts. Brazos Theological Commentary of the Bible. (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2005), 107.

3- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 112-113.

4- http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getCommentaryText&cid=5&source=1&seq=i.51.6.3

5- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 41.

Photography Course

Tonight was the first week of a 5-week photography course at UBC, sponsored by the AMS. Our instructor seems to be quite knowledgeable, his website can be found here. Aside from the introductory and organizational topics usually held on the first day of class, today we also covered focus point selection, auto-focus lock, manual exposure mode, exposure compensation, and auto-exposure locks. Quite a bit to cover in 2 hours!

It'll be nice, as I'm not taking the course alone. Jennifer's also in it, as is Vero, Ervin, and Lucia from the soccerinos, and Joseph and Jun from work.

After the course, Jennifer and I went out for dinner at the Eatery with Marty and Ruth. For dessert, they invited us to their place for some cheesecake. They live in that big ugly green building on the south side of the Burrard street bridge, but they sure have a great view from their apartment!

Pouring Out, Filling Up

The gift of the Holy Spirit to the church, and to individuals in particular, is an event that is described cautiously, in all of 4 verses of Scripture (Acts 2:1-4). And yet, it’s an event that has captivated the imagination of generations of Christians.1

Picture the scene: Jesus has ascended into heaven; the disciples have chosen a replacement for Judas, and they continue to meet regularly for prayer; one day, a sound from heaven “like the rush of a mighty wind” (2:2), fills the house they meet in; tongues “as of fire” (2:3) hover over each one present. The Holy Spirit has arrived: filling everyone, leading each one to speak in a foreign language (2:2-4).

It’s easy to see why this strikes a chord with our imagination. But Luke does not want us to get sidetracked in the details of a fireworks show; rather, he’s interested in the transformation of the human heart. The real Pentecost is not a spectacle, but the empowerment of the disciples by the Holy Spirit.2 Said differently, Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - is in the first place an account of the disciples experiencing the resurrected Jesus: the risen Jesus manifests himself in the lives of the disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what Pentecost is about.

To be sure, transformation of the human heart has always been God’s purpose for us, even in the beginning, before sin and death entered the world. And it’s certainly the case since our rebellion against God in the garden of Eden.

And more than that, God has always pursued us, God has always initiated reconciliation and transformation; and since the Fall, we’ve always run away from him, we’ve always fought against him. And we usually still do!

Take God and Moses for example: God appeared to Moses in the burning bush: God’s plan was to free the Israelites from the grips of Pharaoh; initially they agreed, but eventually they rebelled.

That was also the case when God sent Jesus, God with us, God among us, the word made flesh (John 1:1) as the gospel of John introduces him; but he was rejected too, we hung him on a cross.
But his death was not in vain: he died for the life of the world (John 6:51), he died, so that the world may live. For this reason, God raised him from the dead, and seated him at his right hand, and whoever calls on his name will be saved (2:21).

And since Pentecost, human transformation into the image of Jesus - or said differently, freedom from slavery to ourselves, the world and the devil - comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter, in his first sermon after Jesus ascends into heaven, quotes the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32), who says that God will “pour out” his Spirit “upon all flesh” (2:17-24).

It’s impossible to overemphasize God’s generosity here. The connotation is of pouring out liquid, or filling up3, as when you fill a huge glass with water right to the top after a grueling hike on a hot day: you’re not going to be stingy, because nothing quite refreshes you like a glass of cold water. In the same way, God does not hold back his generosity. He fills us ‘to the top’ with his Spirit.

Another image might be of a torrential downpour. I used to live in Latin America, and during certain times of the year we’d have heavy rainfalls. When that happened, everything got completely drenched: gutters overflowed with water, streets turned into streams, and anyone caught outside ended up in ankle-deep water.

The city became a gigantic lake. But very often, people didn’t mind, because the earth was dry, parched from previous heat waves. The rain was just what we all needed. This is the picture we get in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: God waters the dry soil of our hearts, he fills us with his Spirit.

The message of Pentecost is that in the current age, we should expect to find the church filled with the Holy Spirit who makes real to us the resurrected Jesus.4 It’s actually the reversal of the tower of Babel. At Babel, human pride led to confusion and chaos. Here at Pentecost, humility and openness to God leads to transformation and reconciliation.5

Are we open to this? Are we open to the risen Christ among us? This is Peter’s challenge to his hearers, and this is the challenge the Spirit lays on us.

I speak to you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 41.

2- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 41.

3- Luke Timothy Johnson. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 5. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington (S. J.), (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992), 17.

4-http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/index.php?action=getCommentaryText&cid=5&source=1&seq=i.51.2.2

5- Jaroslav Pelican. Acts. Brazos Theological Commentary of the Bible. (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2005), 52.

Wedding With Jennifer

Today I attended a wedding with Jennifer, as one of her friends got married.

I didn't really want to go, actually, as Paraguay also played against Brasil for the eliminatorias for the World Cup 2010, and I'd rather have spent the entire day just enjoying the atmosphere that such an important game brings with it. But that was never going to happen, as I'd known about this wedding for weeks in advance. And in fairness, the wedding was quite nice.

I was able to watch the game in full, because it was played in the afternoon and fit in perfectly between the ceremony (morning) and reception (evening). Paraguay lost 2-1. We're in qualifying trouble now. Having had the lead for over a year, we're now in 3rd place (24 points), behind Brasil (27) and Chile (26), and in front of Argentina (22). The problem is that Ecuador (20) is now also in the hunt for a qualifying spot. And to think that at one point, only 4 months ago, we were in 1st place, 6 points ahead of 2nd place Brasil. Oh how things have changed......

Anyways, the point of today's journal entry was not fútbol. It's about the wedding I attended with Jennifer. And there's really only one point to be made: I'm finding it increasingly difficult to take us - Jennifer and I - seriously. I'm finding it more and more difficult to see us getting married and having a stable married life, for the simple reason that she and I speak different languages, when it comes to our view of the world. We have no foundation upon which to build our lives.

We speak different faith languages. She believes only in the seen: that which cannot be seen is not worth believing in. She believes in herself, she belivieves in the whims of the day. Therefore, God is not a part of her language. I cannot go along with that. To me, that seems foreign to what it means to be truly human. Believing in only that which can be seen eliminates not only God, but all the characteristics that flow from him: grace, mercy, compassion, justice, forgiveness, beauty, and most of all, faith, hope, and love! None of these things are "tangible" in a way that science demands, and yet, a world without any of these seems empty and meaningless at best, and tyrannical at worst.

Of course, Jesus Christ makes all of these qualities "tangible" in a way that no one and nothing else can. But that road, it seems, is not a road that Jennifer is willing to explore in any serious way.

And my vocational question does not make the matters any easier. In fact, it complicates them. I feel more and more compelled to work in the church "militant here on earth", as the Book of Common Prayer says it so appropriately. I cannot imagine preaching the gospel, while sleeping with the person that does not share my conviction and love for God. Not only does she not share my convictions, she despises that which I love. She hates matters of faith. And she espeically hates all things Christian. "It's irrelevant to my life", is her sentiment, "It's divisive." All this talk can't help but remind me of the title of a movie released 18 years ago: to marry her means that I would be "Sleeping with the Enemy."

To marry her would defeat the whole point of Christian marriage. Christian marriage points beyond itself, beyond the man and woman making the covenant, towards God tying the knot with humanity, and to Christ and the Church. That's why marriage is a sacrament: it points beyond itself to a much greater reality. At the core of human marraige is self-sacrificial love. Without this quality, marriage cannot last. The reason the world exists, is because of God's self-sacrificial love for humanity (exemplified in Israel in the OT); the reason we are still here is because of Christ's self-sacrificial love for the Church. He died for her, and in the process he tied her to himself in a bond that cannot be broken, no matter how faithful - or more appropriately, unfaithful - we are. To marry someone who does not see this is as the primary purpose of marriage makes a mockery of this sacred symbol.

So, it seems to me that time is ticking. Time is a gift from God, we must not waste it.

Divine Reversal: From Rags To Riches

The parable of the rich man and the poor man Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) conveys to us that God values all people. The kingdom of heaven is open to everyone, regardless of economic or cultural status. This means that things that we think are important - things like money, material possessions - they don’t really hold value in the kingdom of heaven. In fact, wealth and power can become the very hindrance to entrance into the kingdom of God.

God loves his creation, he sent his Son Jesus Christ “to seek and to save” us (9:10). And the implication of this forgiveness and reconciliation that we have with God, is that we extend it to others also, including our neighbour, especially the one who is very different from us. This is our privilege, and this is our challenge. This is what the law and the prophets pointed to, and this is what Jesus fulfilled in his earthly ministry.

There are two sections in the story: 1- the divine reversal in the age to come; there’s a radical reversal between the conditions of this life and those in the age to come (21:19-26); and 2- our difficulty to live this reversal now, especially if we have wealth (21:27-31).

So we begin with the great reversal. Jesus portrays the difference between the rich man and Lazarus in vivid form. The rich man is dressed in splendid clothing, lives in luxury, and feasts and parties every day. Lazarus, on the other hand, is homeless, hungry, and sick (21: 19-21).

We don’t know much else about these characters, but we are told that after they die, a great reversal takes place. The rich man is “buried” unceremoniously, while Lazarus is taken up by angels (21:22). Lazarus is brought to “Abraham’s bosom”, a place of intimacy, safety, and rest1, whereas the rich man goes to Hades, a place of torment and suffering (21:22-23).

At this point we may ask ourselves, why the reversal? Certainly there is a reflection here of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus makes the following two contrasts: blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God; and trouble, sorrow, and distress upon the rich: they are motivated by money and possessions, and as such, they have already received their reward (6:20-26).

There is a sense of pride that overtakes us when we get our hands on wealth and power, a sense of arrogance that no longer sees need for God, and only sees our neighbour as a means to an end. We see this in the next section:

“Father Abraham”, says the rich man, “have mercy upon me...send Lazarus to dip...his finger in water and cool my tongue” (21:23). He who did not show mercy, now expects mercy. He’s in a place of pain and torment, and yet, he arrogantly sees Lazarus as his lackey who should come and comfort him. He even requests that Lazarus be sent as a messenger, a gopher, to warn his family members (16:26-27).

The point here is that the rich man had a hard and stubborn heart. His wealth was more important to him than serving God and neighbour, and this, even though he grew up hearing the Law and the Prophets. He knew that God’s justice consists of mercy and compassion (Zechariah 7:9), but he did not do likewise. Lazarus “desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table...”; but instead, “...the dogs came and licked his sores” (21:21).

She who has ears let her hear. Better yet, he who hears, let him obey. This is what’s implied in Abraham’s final response when the rich man requests that Lazarus be sent back to warn his family: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead’” (21:31).

The rich man’s family is in the same predicament he was in: they are also locked into their rejection of God. If they don’t pay attention to the words of Scripture, they also will not pay attention to someone else, even someone who comes back from the dead. Jesus himself experienced this after his own resurrection.2

Brothers and sisters, we have heard the Scriptures. We have been, and continue to be, at the receiving end of mercy and compassion from God. The privilege and the challenge is for us to pass along the love of God, and not get bogged down by money and possessions. This is my prayer: that we would pay attention to the words of Jesus, that we would translate hearing into obedience.

Amen ✠

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1- Luke Timothy Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Gospel of Luke. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 3. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1991), 252.

2- Luke Timothy Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Gospel of Luke. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 3. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1991), 256.

The Riddle’s No More

John 21:15-25 is in a sense an epilogue. It’s an epilogue, because the conclusion of the gospel seems to have come at the end of the previous chapter: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, . . . these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ . . . and that believing you may have life in his name” (20:30-31).

Unlike the first three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which have the kingdom of God as their central theme, John’s central theme is life, life abundant, eternal life, life that is only available through Jesus Christ. And there’s a good reason for this emphasis on life. The gospel of John was written in pagan lands, where philosophical questions about the source of life or the meaning of life were relevant themes.

And this provides a good bridge for our context also. Here in our city, we like to talk about life too. Death, like faith and politics, is a taboo subject. We don’t know what to make of it, we dismiss it as irrelevant, and we are unable to talk about it in any meaningful way.

But for John, death is not a topic to be avoided or feared. Jesus went through death on the cross, he came out victoriously three days later, and consequently, God glorified him. Those who identify themselves with Jesus, God will also glorify. This is in fact what happened to Simon Peter (21:19).

Simon Peter is actually the first person we meet in the story. A few days earlier he’d denied Jesus three times (18:15-18, 25-27); now, Jesus gives him another chance. “Simon, do you love me...”, he asks three times. And three times, Peter responds: “Yes, Lord, I love you”, in fact the third time he gets edgy: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (21:15-17).

This dialogue is as mysterious as it is beautiful. Jesus forgives Peter and restores the friendship; and then, amazingly, he appoints Peter to shepherd his flock, his people, the church.

Shepherding his flock entailed making his own the words of Jesus, the Good Shepherd: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (10:10), I know my own and my own know me” (10:14), “I have other sheep that are not of this fold” (10:16), and “I lay down my life for the sheep” (10:15, cf 11, 17, 18).

And this is exactly what Peter would do. In the early days of discipleship, he had energy and good intentions, but was unable to follow through on his enthusiasm. But he would ‘grow up’, and follow - quite literally - in the footsteps of Jesus: “you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go” (21:18). And history shows, that Peter did indeed stretch out his hands, as executioners girded him with the cross. He died, shepherding Christ’s flock.1

The second person we meet is John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (21:20). He sat closest to Jesus at the Last Supper (13:23-25), he was at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified (19:25-27), and he was the first to believe in the risen Jesus, upon seeing the empty tomb (20:8).

John founded the community of faith in Ephesus. In this pagan city he would call men away from the “uncharted seas of vague religious experience and abstract speculation” and to the certainty of “God’s self-revelation in Jesus, the Word-made-flesh.”2

John was able to penetrate beneath the surface and into the heart of things; having seen, heard, and touched the Word of Life, he testified to the truth by writing it down. “This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true” (21:24).

And so we arrive again where we began. Both, Peter and John met the risen Jesus. Peter dropped everything and followed him. And John took the time to meticulously write down the things he witnessed.

And the message is one that is well worth proclaiming: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:16). The mystery of death is solved, the riddle’s no more: Jesus is the source of life, life abundant.

“These things”, this story of Peter and John, was written down, so that we may believe and have abundant life in Christ (10:10).

Thanks be to God.

Amen ✠

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1- Francis J. Moloney, (SDB) The Gospel of John. Sacra Pagina Series. Volume 4. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1998), 556.

2- R. V. G. Tasker, The Gospel according to Saint John. An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999), 231.

Headaches

I've never really had a problem with getting headaches. I just rarely have them, so when I heard others say "I've got a pounding headache", I can't really identify.

Lately, that's changed.

Twice in the last two weeks I went to work with a pounding headache. Every noise I heard seemed amplified, multiplied. It seemed like someone was pounding my brain with a hammer.

Tonight I've had it again, the third pounder in two weeks. I absolutely hate taking painkillers, but I succumbed all three times.

As much as I like to think I'm tough when it comes to withstanding pain, these headaches seem to show otherwise.

Graduating Friends

Time flies! A year ago, almost to the day, I graduated from Regent.

Tonight was graduation night for three friends who also finished their theological studies: James, Connie, and Carla. As last year, the celebrations were held at the church on W. Broadway. The faculty speaker at this year's graduation was Rikk Watts.

Here's to my friends who worked very hard to learn not only about God, but to know him and love him in a deep and profound way. Congratulations! God's blessings upon you!