Volume 15 / Issue 57 / 2018
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EDITORIAL
To Start a Relationship with Jesus Christ Admit you have sinned. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 Believe in Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish; but have eternal life.” John 3:16b Confess and leave your sin behind. Stop sinning. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 To continue growing in your relationship with Christ, fellowship with other believers, read the Bible and pray!
(L-R) Johnson, Evelyn, Kim, and Patrick
MOMS EDITORIAL STAFF Editor, MOMS Evelyn Damian Distribution Johnson Li Cover & Layout Patrick Tan Editorial Consultant Kimberly Snider
Thank you for your financial help! •
Leticia Valdez
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Amores Family (Leap of Faith Christian Church)
May the Lord bless you!
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MOMS MAGAZINE
From My Hearts Dear Readers, This issue of MOMS is going to take a more serious turn than usual. Many Filipinos see Holy Week as a time when they can experience change in their behavior, healing in their bodies and restoration of relationship with God. Many people see traditional practices as a way to achieve God’s blessing. People hope that by participating in acts, which reenact the suffering of Christ, they can find fulfillment and relationship with the Creator.
Table of Contents EDITORIAL
From My Heart 3
In this issue of MOMS, we are going to examine the themes that make up the heart of Filipino Holy Week. We are going to ask ourselves some questions:
CHIKA-CHIKA
• Panata (Vows): To get what we want from God, should we make a sacrifice of suffering?
WISE CHOICES
• Do Holy Week traditions help us become the person we want to be?
Provide 6
Buying God’s Favor 4
Power to Heal and
• Do images have power?
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
• Did Jesus do enough to attain forgiveness for us or do we need to do more?
Broken Chains:
Kim & Evelyn
Discovering the Power of God 8 FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING
It is Finished!
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ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
Receiving God’s Blessings 14 3
CHIKA-CHIKA
Buying God’s Favor by Joshua Kho
Mr. Emer Tria is currently working as a Regional Manager for Unilab. He is married and the father of three daughters. In this interview, he talks about his vow of flagellation. Tell me the story of how you ever became involved in flagellation?
Do people have different reasons for becoming involved in this practice?
was in college and became involved in flagellation (penitensiya) because of a promise I made to God that I would do it if He would help me and my brother with our studies. Flagellation was a popular tradition in our province. Kaming lahat na lalaking magkakapatid ginawa namin ‘yun dati.
People engage in it as a sign that they are serious in seeking forgiveness for the sins they have committed.‘Yung papa ko, nagbubuhat ng krus. Actually, it’s wrong pero pinapayagan naman ng simbahan kasi nakagawian na nga nila ‘yun, in commemoration of the sufferings of Christ.
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‘Yung iba naman, they set a time frame kung how long they will do it. Some do it once, merong 3 years, 10 years. It’s between the person and God, it’s a personal thing. The time usually depends on how little or how big they feel the sin was that they committed. Sometimes, they extend their vow until they feel that they’ve done enough sacrifices to wash all their sins away. In my former religion, the amount of penitence depends on how much sin you committed. In that religion, you could do good works to get saved; you were not saved by the grace of God. What was your experience like? The night before my flagellation, I would go to sleep early. In the morning, I would eat lots of fresh eggs to get the strength I would need that day. We would start at 9 in the morning. We would go to the mountain and pray, then start flagellation. May nakapalibot na dahon ng niyog ang waistline namin. First, binubugbog mo ‘yung 4
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likod mo until it was numb and thick, then we’d take turns in cutting our backs with a blade. We did this so that when we started beating our back again, blood would drip from the wounds. Kaya nakatakip ‘yung mukha, parang si Jesus Christ, inuulit mo ‘yung paghihirap ni Kristo bago siya ipako sa Krus. Tapos naka-paa katanghaliang tapat sa init ng buhangin. Tapos babasahan ka ng ‘pasyon’ habang hinahampas mo ‘yung sarili mo. ‘Pasyon’ is a religious practice where they sing about the sufferings of Christ. We would hardly feel the pain because of numbness after about half an hour of beating. Siyempre masakit ang katawan ko after ng flagellation. Hindi ako makakatulog kinagabihan. Dapat nakadapa kasi namamaga ang likod ko, eh. I’d really feel the pain, penitensya talaga at nagtitiis ka sa inip kasi paniwala mo doon nababawasan ‘yung kasalanan mo dahil naghirap ka, eh. Binayaran mo ‘yung pagpapatawad sa ‘yo. How long was the procession?
suffering and that’s how you got what you want. So during that time it made me feel good, but it was just psychological. Ang totoo, hindi tayo qualified tumubos ng kahit sarili natin kasi makasalanan tayo. Si Jesus lang ang walang kasalanan kaya Siya lang ang puedeng tumubos sa atin, kaya paano mo babayaran ang bayad na? Binayaran na ni Jesus sa krus ang ating mga kasalanan. So now, when you commit a sin, what do you do? Siyempre, I go directly to the Lord. I ask for forgiveness and believe I am forgiven by grace. We should not be sin conscious but grace conscious. We should think of God’s grace to help us. Whether maliit or malaki, it is already a sin, and Jesus has already washed away all our sins, whether you are a criminal, or you lied and not murdered someone, it is still the same. We still sinned.
Did you get the result you wanted then?
We should believe in the Bible, the word of God. Through the Word, malalaman mo ‘yung katotohan na kahit gaano mo sinasaktan ang sarili mo, hindi ‘yun ang makakapag-save sa ‘yo from hell. Kailangan lang nating maniwala at tanggapin ang sakripisyong ginawa ni Kristo para tubusin tayo sa kasalanan natin. ‘Yung paggawa ng mabuti, dapat result na lang ‘yun ng forgiveness na ibinigay sa atin.
My former religion was into good works. You sacrificed, you imitated Christ’s
We are unworthy and unable to redeem ourselves. Only Jesus can.
We would walk around the town and then we’d end up by jumping in the river, so about 2 hours. But later on, I realized the flagellation practice was wrong, because it was something that God didn’t ask of us. He had already died on the cross. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.
Editorial note: After reading this article, one may think—“if Christ died for my sins and He is going to forgive me, I can do anything I want to do and just ask for forgiveness.” It doesn’t work that way. If we really appeal to God for cleansing from sin, we are turning away from sin, not toward it. In gratitude for the sacrifice Jesus made, we will do our best to live a holy life. 5
WISE CHOICES
Power to Heal and Provide The story of healing and provision as told to Evelyn Damian
Nancy Poriol is married and a mother of 3. The doctor found a suspected malignant pulmonary mass on her second son’s lung. Here is her story.
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n June 2017, Nancy’s son Nicholo, who had just graduated from College, was excited and full of hope as he went to get medical clearance, a requirement for his first job. He had applied to various companies and this one was willing to give him a chance. He was positive everything would be okay. But, there was a problem. The X-Ray result showed a haze in his lung. Nancy said, “He was advised to consult a pulmonologist and come back with a “fit to work” certificate. Despite having no symptoms, no cough, no fever, no phlegm, the pulmonologist confirmed na may tuberculosis (TB) siya. He was not fit to work.”Nicolo was prescribed medicines to treat the TB. “After a month, X-Ray ulit. Walang pagbabago dun sa haze so parang hindi umeepekto ‘yung mga gamot nevertheless, itinuloy pa rin ang mga gamot niya. After 2 months, X-Ray ulit pero lumaki pa lalo ‘yung haze niya. Nagpa-second opinion kami sa pulmo specialist. Pina-CT Scan siya. Doon nakita na may 3-cm pulmonary mass sa baga niya, so hindi siya TB. Merong spikes and points ‘yung mass indicative of malignancy. “Now, I had reasons to believe it was cancer. Why? In 1986, my paternal grandmother died of leukemia. My dad died of colon cancer in 2002. My kuya had nasopharyngeal cancer and left us May 2017. In August last year, my paternal uncle died of liver cancer. Talk about having cancer in your genes, kami po ‘yun. Siyempre, I was worried. Worried that my son was sick, worried na hindi namin kayang tustusan ang pangangailangan. At the time wala akong trabaho. Sabi ko paano na lang? “Not long after my son’s diagnosis, nawalan naman ng trabaho ang asawa ko. Grabe! Actually, ito talaga ang naging struggle namin, financial, kasi kami ng husband ko, we used to work for multinational companies. Noong nag-start kami ng career namin, we were both not ambitious. Mas tumutok kami sa family than on our career. We spent more time with the kids than with work. Pareho kaming maganda ang trabaho and we thought dun na kami magre-retire but we lost our job. Nahirapan kaming humanap ng trabaho after that kasi ‘we were both in our 40’s na and nasa supervisory level kami although we were able to pay our house in full with the retirement money we received. And then my son got sick! “Nico could have undergone a less invasive needle biopsy procedure, dapat tusok lang pero ang location ng mass nasa likod ng baga, hindi abot ng needle. An open lung biopsy was scheduled. The insurance company said Nico’s condition was listed as a pre-existing condition in our policy and surgery was not covered. Nang sinabihan kami ng insurance
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na hindi ito covered, sabi ko, ’Sige, the insurance will not provide, but God will provide.’
“I believe that with God, nothing is impossible! Even if it was cancer, if He wanted to grant my prayer, He could make it benign anytime.”
“We didn’t have money and it would take time for us to raise a big amount of money. I asked if it could be done at PGH. We were told that we would have to wait, mahaba ang pila. The doctor said we couldn’t buy more time because a month’s time would spell a big difference in my son’s condition. I prayed. I asked God to reverse Nico’s condition. ‘Lord, let it be just a mass that has to be removed.’ I believe that with God, nothing is impossible! Even if it was cancer, if He wanted to grant my prayer, He could make it benign anytime. “Nag-message ako sa lahat, ‘Please pray for my son. Please pray for a successful operation.’ My pastor and churchmates prayed for Nico the Sunday before his scheduled operation. Even before that, they had been including Nico in their prayers. A friend in church said, ‘Nancy, do not fear. Fear is not of the Lord.’ Sabi ko, oo nga naman, bakit ako mag-fe-fear? Kasi pag may fear ako, hindi ako naniniwala, wala akong faith. So nag-stop akong mag-worry. I claimed it na makakalampas kami doon. Nag-pray kami as a family. Lalo kaming lumapit sa Lord. Talagang nagtiwala kami sa Diyos. ‘Yung husband ko dahil nawalan ng work, nagkaroon siya ng time for my son. Everything happened for a reason. “Ang daming tumulong sa amin, mga kamag-anak, mga kaibigan. A friend helped me apply for the hospital’s social welfare program. On the day of Nico’s confinement, I was asked by our friend if we already had the money we were advised to prepare. I said yes. In actual fact it was not true. We only had 30% of the amount. But I had faith that God would provide. “The surgery was successful. The mass was benign, it was removed. An answered prayer, all praise and glory to God! The spikes and points were nothing against our all-powerful and awesome God. Nico spent 5 days in the hospital. With the help of the social welfare program, and kind-hearted people whom God inspired, we had enough money to pay the hospital bill and the doctors’ fees in full. Nico is well on his way to complete recovery. My husband is applying for a job. I am keeping my faith that he will get the best job, the one that God has prepared for him.” 7
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
As told to Evelyn Damian
Jean Santos was deeply religious. She grew up in a family that had strong belief in superstitions, and medallions. Because of her past, she pursued acquiring “power.” Would “power” give her happiness and fulfilment? Let’s read her story.
“Talagang napakadami ng superstitious belief ng family namin at nang buhay pa ang lola ko, siya ay nanghihilot at nagpapa-anak... Si tita ko naman nagtatawas gamit ang kandila...“
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Please tell us your background. “Lima kaming magkakapatid. Ako ang second to the eldest. At the age of 10, iniwan kami ng nanay ko. Hindi ako nakatapos ng college dahil sa financial problem. ‘Yung time na ‘yun, palasimba ako at nagtuturo ng cathechismo sa simbahan. Nangongolekta ako ng ibat-ibang mga imahen. Kung saan-saan ako nagsisimba. ’Yun ang pagpapakita ko ng pagmamahal sa Diyos.” Paano ka naging interesado sa mga “power”? “Natatandaan ko noong twelve years old ako, nagkasakit ang kuya ko na dapat ay for operation. Namamaga ang balakang at legs niya. Sabi ng doctor, something about his kidney raw. Hindi na siya makalakad noon. Pinuntahan siya ng lola ko dahil namatanda raw. Nilagyan ni Lola ng isang malaking bilog na medalyon si Kuya sa ulo at kitang-kita ko, pagbagsak ng medalyon, naging tatlong maliliit na pirasong bilog na medalyon siya pero ewan ko kung may hokus pokus ‘yun. Ibinigay ni Lola ‘yung isa kay kuya para maging panangga raw niya sa engkanto. After that, naghanap kami ng nuno sa punso para mag-alay ng mga pagkain.
MOMS MAGAZINE
“Talagang napakadami ng superstitious belief ng family namin at nang buhay pa ang lola ko, siya ay nanghihilot at nagpapa-anak. Ang lolo ko naman, may hawak na bato ng tagabulag, galing sa nuno niya pero maaga siyang namatay dahil may sakit siya. Si tita ko naman nagtatawas gamit ang kandila. “So, mula nong bata pa ko, may belief na talaga ako sa mga “power” kasi na-witness ko yun, eh. Tapos nag-seryoso lang ako diyan nang 16 years old na ako. Nagbakasyon ako sa tita ko sa Fort Bonifacio. Meron akong nakilalang sundalo. “Nagtitinda kami ng pagkain at nakuha nya ‘yung attention ko dahil tinititigan niya ko. Sabi niya “You have power. May third eye ka pero hindi mo alam gamitin, meron kang potential. Meron kang something at eto ang magga-guide sa ‘yo.” Binigyan niya ako ng singsing na may nakasulat na pangalan ng asosasyon at booklet. May Latin words siyang nakasulat. Ewan ko kung anong klaseng papel ‘yun, parang lumang-luma. Sabi niya “Eto iki-keep mo ito sa wallet mo lagi. Tapos basa-basahin mo, kabisaduhin mo. Nakasulat diyan kung alin ang pang-gayuma.” So naengganyo ka? “Siyempre! Simula noon, para na akong na-obsessed. Bumili ‘ko ng horoscope book, palmistry, oraculo, pagbasa ng mga panaginip, pinag-aralan ko yun. Mahilig akong magpunta sa bookstore, sa library. Hinahanap ko ‘yung tungkol sa black magic, something about mga power.”
una sa mga kaibigan. Sabi ko, eto na, kaya lang nakakapraning. Naranasan ko ‘yung parang laging may bumubulong sa akin, naging paranoid ako. Kapag may galit sa akin, parang naririnig ko ‘yung sinasabi niya tungkol sa akin, tapos bigla akong sumasagot, ‘O malay ko.’ ‘Yun pala narinig ko lang sa isip ko. Feeling ko bumukas ‘yung bibig niya. “One time, ‘yung tatay ko may ibinigay sa aking triangle na medalyon na may mata sa gitna. Sabi niya “Nabingwit ko ‘to, tapos ibinato ko. Nabinggwit ko uli, ibinato ko ulit. Pangatlong bingwit, malaking isda, plapla. Pagdating sa bahay, pagbukas sa isda, ‘yung medalyon pa rin ang laman. Sabi ni tatay, “O, baka may kapangyarihan ito,” dahil alam niyang mahilig nga ako sa meda-medalyon. “So ginawa ko siyang amulet. After nun, palagi na akong binabangungot, at hindi nakakatulog ng maayos. May mga times din na kapag mabigat ang loob ko at may malaking problema,dun ako napapatingin sa medalyon. Tapos, kung anuanong nangyayari sa akin na hindi maganda. Napakarami ring thoughts na hindi maganda ang pumapasok sa isip ko kaya tinanggal ko na lang at inilagay sa drawer. Somehow, napunta ‘yun sa lola ko, nakatali sa bewang niya. Nang mamatay siya, sabi Continued on next page.
Na-acquire mo naman ba ‘yung power na hinahangad mo? “Feeling ko naman nung time na ‘yun, effective siya. Nakakahula na ako nun, 9
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Continued from previous page
ng tatay, “Ibinabalik na naman sa atin ‘yung medalyon.” Sabi ko, “Naku, Tatay binitawan ko na yan. Ayoko sa kanya.” Noong sinusubukan mong magkapower, ano ba ang gusto mong ma-achieve? “Gusto kong ma-prove yung sinasabi nilang gift na meron ako. Pangalawa, may feeling of rejection ako. Magulo kasi ang buhay ko noon dahil iniwan kami ng nanay ko at hindi kami binalikan. Nagkaroon siya ng bagong pamilya at sila ang magkakasama, pinapapunta lang kami sa kanila para gawin ang trabahong-bahay. Gusto kong mapansin ako, ‘yung mabigyan ako ng halaga.” Nagkaroon ka ba ng fulfilment nang matuto kang manghula at kumapit sa medalyon? “Hindi eh, lalo lang gumulo kaya ‘yung medalyon, itinapon ko na sa ilog pero palagi pa rin akong binabangungot.” Paano nag-iba ang takbo ng buhay mo? 10
“Yung anak kong bunso, six years old pa lang siya nun nang isinama siya sa church ng kapatid ko at pamangkin na kasing edad niya. Wala akong tiwalang magpa-alaga ng anak kahit sa kapatid ko kasi sobrang malikot siya at accident prone. Pero nung time na ‘yun, palagay ang loob ko at pinayagan ko siya. Aba, nakabalik at wala namang nangyaring masama sa kanya. Masaya siya pagdating. “Tapos sabi niya, ‘Mama, sama ka rin.’ Ayaw kong nahihiwalay siya sa akin, so sumama ako. Noong una, pinagbigyan ko lang ‘yung anak ko para may kasama siya. Habang nag-hihintay, nakikinig ako sa preaching. Sa isip-isip ko, sabi ko, “Alam ko na yan.” Noong college days ko kasi maraming mga Christian sa iba’t-ibang church na nag-invite sa akin na mag-attend sa church nila. Nagpupunta naman ako pero hindi ako nagtatagal. Marami akong gustong pasukan noon. “Sa church na ito, na-caught na ‘yung attention ko. Sabi ko, “aba, masaya!” Tapos naging open kami sa isa’t-isa, nagkaroon kami ng care group sa program nilang Biyaheng Buhay.
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“Ang mga kasama ko rin, mga kapatid ko, mga pinsan ko doon sa compound namin. Nagkakasama at nagkaka-iyakan din kami. “Hindi ako umiiyak. Iba ang dating sa’kin ng pag-iyak. Mas marami akong tawa kaysa iyak. Nahihiya ako at saka matigas ang dibdib ko pero dun sa church napaiyak ako e. Ang sarap pala na hindi ka nahihiyang i-express ‘yung feelings mo. “Nang magkaroon ng retreat sa church, naging topic ‘yung tungkol sa superstition, tapos itinuro sa amin kung paanong sa pangalan ni Hesus, ay talikuran ang aming mga maling paniniwala.” So ganoon lang ang ginawa mo, nagpray? Wala na kayong ibang ginawa? “Wala na, nag-pray lang. Simula noon, wala na akong masamang panaginip. Nakakatulog na ako ng mahimbing. Nawala na rin ‘yung attraction sa akin ng mga medalyon na ‘yan, pati ang pangongolekta ng imahen, wala na rin.” So paano mo nilalabanan ang mga negative thoughts, o negative na kapangyarihan? “Direkta lang, in Jesus’ name, hindi ba? Walang hirap naman, eh. Kung dati marami kaming imahen, laging nagdadasal sa
Baclaran, at sa iba’t-ibang church, instantly, nawala lahat ‘yun. Wala namang nagbawal sa akin. Ako na ‘yung naka-realize sa pagbabasa ko ng Bible. Sa kauna-unahang utos pa lang ng Diyos nandun na ‘yun sa Exodus 20.” Ano ang maipapayo mo sa mga taong nakapaloob pa sa ganoong gawain at naguguluhan? “Hindi pa huli ang lahat para magbago ng direksyon. Nasa Bible naman ‘yun na kahit gaano kalaki ang ating kasalanan, sa isang pagtanggap at paghingi ng tawad sa Panginoong Diyos, napagbabago Niya ang lahat kapag niloob Niya. Base sa experience ko, walang mabuting idudulot ang mga gawaing hindi itinuro sa atin ng Panginoong Diyos. Hindi tayo tinuruan ng Diyos na manakit ng kapwa o unahin ang ating sarili. Isipin natin, saan patutungo ang paghahangad ng ganitong kapangyarihan at ang pagkakaroon nito? “Para maalis sila sa ganoong kalagayan, una ay ayusin nila ang relasyon nila sa Panginoong Diyos. Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng pag-amin ng mga kasalanan, pagtanggap sa biyaya ng kaligtasan sa pamamagitan ni HesuCristo, at sa pananampalataya sa Kanya, at pagsunod sa Kaniyang mga utos.”
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FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING
It is Finished! by APMedia Staff
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t is dawn on Good Friday. Singing drifts up through our window from the road 22 stories below. When I peer down, I see hundreds of people with candles beginning their Holy Week pilgrimage to Antipolo. The heat, the distance, and for some the bare feet, will make this a long, painful trek. In other areas of the country, people are slashing themselves with whips, and men are gearing up to be crucified. Holy Week traditions, including self-imposed suffering, have occurred in the Philippines for many years. Faith healer, Artemio Anoza started reenacting crucifixions in 1962, and according to Google, dozens of Filipinos volunteer to be crucified each year. This begs the question--Why? As I spent time researching and discussing Holy Week practices, it became clear that there are four things Filipinos hope to achieve by undergoing sacrificial rituals during Holy Week: (1) to convince God to do something (2) to personally change; (3) to express gratitude to God; (4) to erase wrongdoing. Convince God to do what we want For centuries people have tried to entice God to do things by hurting themselves. In the Philippines, this is practiced during Holy Week in different forms such as whipping and crucifixion.
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One Reuters article1 quotes Danilo Ramos, who has been crucified 23 times, as saying, “I will do it as long as my body will allow me. I hope God will see my sacrifice and take good care of my family.” In another Reuters article2, it says, “Poor people in the province began the custom [crucifixion] as a way of seeking forgiveness, cures for illness and the fulfillment of other wishes…” Often these practices take place because of a vow or panata that someone makes. By making a panata, a person promises God that if He will perform a miracle such as healing for themselves or a family member, they will make a pilgrimage, whip themselves, or be crucified for a certain number of years. The important question to ask oursleves is this: Do reciting extra prayers, self-inflicting pain, and enduring crucifixion insure that God will do what we ask? The Apostle Paul didn’t think so. Paul wrote, “in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”3 It is a simple formula: pray, ask, express gratitude. How do we become the person we want to be? Another reason people give for enacting painful rituals is that they want to change, to become a better person. It is admirable to want to become a better person, to quit drugs, to quit gambling, to be a faithful husband, etc. But, do 1 2 3
article entitled Filipinos Nailed to Cross in Easter Ritual Frowned on by Church, (Erik de Castro, 2014) April 18, 2017 https://www. reuters.com/...crucifixion/ catholics-in-the-philippines-re-enact-crucifixion. Philippians 4:6
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performing rituals, making sacrifices, and undergoing pain really transform us? The Apostle Paul would say that these activities do not transform our character. Paul says that if we want to change, our minds and hearts must change: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”4 How does God want us to thank Him? A third reason people perform Holy Week rituals is that they want to express gratitude to God for something He did for them, or for one of their family members, in the past. Perhaps they promised God (made a panata) if He did whatever they asked for they would pay Him back with a sacrifice of suffering for a number of years. An article5 reports that painter Ruben Enaje, 54 has been crucified each year for the last 29 years to give thanks after he survived a fall from a building. Is this the kind of thanks God wants? Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God wants us to suffer physical pain to express our gratitude. The Bible says: My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.6 Jesus tells us: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” 7 How can we erase our mistakes? Finally, practitioners of these rituals want to be clean. An April 2015 article entitled Filipino Devotees Nailed To Cross 4 5 6 7
Romans 12: 2 Associated Press 2015 Psalm 51: 17 John 14:21
In Crucifixion Re-Enactment states: “After these penances some people feel they have paid for their sins and the activities of the week have made them clean. Now they are able to face God. Devotees undergo the crucifixions in the belief that such extreme sacrifices are a way to atone for their sins, attain miracle cures for illnesses or give thanks to God.” Although this deep desire to get right with God is something we can admire, performing Holy Week rituals of suffering make it seem like we are saying that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was not enough to provide the complete package of what we want or need. Is that true? Minutes before He died, Jesus himself said, “It is finished.” The Greek word that we translate in English as “finished” is tetelestai, an accounting term that means “paid in full.” When Jesus said, “It is finished”, He was declaring the debt owed to His Father was wiped away completely and forever. Years later, Peter the apostle attested to the fact that nothing was needed to add to Christ’s suffering in order to pay for sins, Peter wrote, “Christ suffered once for sins.” Once. It is finished. We don’t need to do more. Is the real problem that we are too proud to accept the free gift of forgiveness from God completely paid for by Jesus? The Christian faith is based upon the foundation that we cannot pay for our own sins, and Jesus has already paid for them completely. Further efforts are useless. What we must do is believe what the Bible tells us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” 13
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
Just Asking with Peter Banzon
Q:
How can my family receive God’s blessing?
A:
Make Jesus the center of your lives. Throughout the Bible one principle is clear, God blesses those who are in right relationship with Him! God sent His Son Jesus so that when you are rightly related to Jesus, you have a right relationship with God. (John 1:12). This is not a matter of what religion you belong to. The question is do you belong to God through Jesus Christ? Have you surrendered your life to Christ and made Him in charge of your life? Have you acknowledged that he died for your sins so you can be forgiven? Is Christ in charge of your family? These are the first all-important steps to establishing a right relationship with God that brings His blessings into our lives. Live a life of obedience. Remember the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:20) Jesus said if you love me you will obey what I command (John 14:15). This means: you live your lives rejecting those things that displease Him. It means: you read His word the Bible so you will know His will and His ways. (Psalm 1, Psalm 19, Psalm 119) It means: you obey the one you trust. God is pleased with those who trust Him in everything. (Proverbs 3: 5-8)
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Volume 15 / Issue 57 / 2018
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