Team Jesus

The scripture for today talks about the way Pilate summons Jesus and asks Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Later, Jesus asks Pilate if he came to this question by himself. Pilate then asks Jesus what crime He has committed to lead to His arrest. Jesus replies that His kingdom is not from this world. His followers could have used violence to prevent His arrest but this is not the way of His kingdom. God’s kingdom is about the power of love more than anything else. Human as we are, it’s normal for us to experience times of hardship and experience pain that is caused by all sorts of reasons. It is normal to say that life will never be easy. Often times, we find ourselves caught up in all (if not in others’) problems and end up feeling hopeless and empty and turn to worldly things to fill in the void of the hole that is in ourselves. We tend to turn to things that are bad for us, but make us feel some sort of temporary happiness. We tend to forget the real solution to our problems a...

It says in the Gospel that Jesus promises his disciples that they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; that the angels will come and gather his elect from the four winds. His coming will also be preceded by unhappiness, pains and sufferings. The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in heaven will be shaken. These will be signs just as fig leaves sprouting are a sign that summer is near. Jesus adds that their generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Though heaven and earth will pass away, his words will not pass away. Then Jesus says: "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." In the gospel, I think it is the judgement day that will be coming where the Son of man will judge the living and the dead. And our faith will be tested - Who were the ones who stayed faithful and who are the ones ...

I’m sure most of us are guilty of “people watching”. When we’re bored alone or waiting for someone, we’re often left with our own imagination as a source of entertainment. By people watching, we merely partake in the act of observing others (usually, in hopes that they do something entertaining). I remember back in high school, I would often get picked up late after dismissal and was left to wait along the hall near the main door of the school. Instead of using this time to be productive and do my homework, I passed the time watching the people who came in and out of the door instead. Sometimes, I would wonder where some of them were going, or why some of them were smiling, or what some of them were thinking. I learned that you could learn a lot about some people just by watching them. For example, I once saw one of the “weird” kids in class waiting for her ride near the entrance door one day. She often stayed silent in class unless spoken to and would often doodle to pass the time in...

The Gospel merely tells us the eight Beatitudes or rather, the BE HAPPY ATTITUDES, as I like to call it. First of all, what is happiness and what is the basis of being happy? Happiness, according to the internet, is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Some may look at wealth and power as their basis of happiness but no, that’s not it. Happiness is so much more than that. So much more than what the eyes can see. We have all been happy one way or another even if we don’t admit it. Happiness radiates through us when we carry a cheerful face with a cheerful smile. Jesus tells us to be happy in the simple things even in the midst of suffering, pain and confusion. Yes, it is easier said than done but once more it was never easy to die on the cross. Am I right? You see, God simply asks us to be happy. Be happy and contented. We complain and complain about a lot of things and we fail to see that we...