Repent!

Simply put - change and repent.

29 While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. 30 Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. 32 At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.-Luke11:29-32

A long time ago, Nineveh was perhaps a wicked place. Nobody knows exactly what the Ninevites did, but God wanted to destroy it unless the people repent. Jonah came with a mission from God, telling the Ninevites to repent and to hope that God will change His mind. God indeed changed His mind upon seeing the repentance of each and every creature. Today, the prophets of the Old and Jesus continue in crying out, "Repent!" But we are not listening at all. More and more unspeakable sinfulness and debaucheries are happening everyday. Change is not for some people only, but for all. Let us change before it is too late.

Image courtesy: artist

If Only

If only we knew of disasters to come and the many things that could bring peace, we would have listened today.

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”-Luke19:41-44

Jesus wept because He saw what will come ahead. The destruction of Jerusalem, the many men, women and children who will suffer and die, the loss of everything. Many will wish to have died earlier than see all the sufferings left and right. Jesus saw it all and wept for the people of Jerusalem on the day of its destruction.

We have experiences that we regretted. We have many sighs and tears of regret. We wished to go back to the past and change things, but it's just impossible. We have many "If only I have..." moments, but all is gone and lost. We cannot bring back the past. Then the blame game begins. But we can change forever our future by doing the will of God today. Why wait for the future to come if we can shape it as early as now?

Are there things that I need to change today? Are there things or people that I need to let go and sacrifice to avert disaster in the future?

Image courtesy: artist, Francesco Hayez (Destruction of Jerusalem)

The Battle

Words and actions must go together.

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’

26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’

28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”-Luke13:22-30

The path to destruction and damnation is wide, but the path to salvation is narrow. The 'path to destruction and damnation' is wide because humankind can do whatever s/he wants. Here, a person can give in to temptations, delicious and favorite sins, pleasures of the flesh, dissolute, amoral and immoral living. Here, wrong is still good.

This path is so wide, so inviting and accessible. But the path to salvation is narrow. Why is that? As I reflected, the path leading to God is sometimes not only narrow but also difficult. Here, we try to be children of God - loving Him and our neighbors. But there are factors within us and outside of us that try to impede us from being children of God. These internal and external factors pull us into the path to destruction. Thus, we continuously battle external factors like the lures of the world (i.e. wealth), and internal factors like the desires of the flesh (i.e. gluttony) to stay in the right path. There is no easy way to get salvation. We cannot buy it, or make a reservation, or bid at it. It is a daily process. Yes, the 'narrow path' truly symbolizes the battle that we undergo through everyday as we embrace our true identity as children of God.

However, why is it that there are those who are rejected? In other accounts, they say, "Lord! Lord!" In this account, they say, "Sir, open the door for us." and claims connection and affiliation by saying, "We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets." The problem with these people is they acknowledge God and they know Him, but they do things that are contrary to God's ways.

There are those who say, "I truly regretted my infidelity, Lord." And yet they repeat it again and again. There are those who say, "I am religious. I will not steal nor do corrupt practices because they are in contrast with God's ways." And yet, they are the very ones who spearhead corruption. Jesus is encouraging us to make our words one with our actions. As in the letter of James5:12, "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment."

Image courtesy: Krieg Barrie and various artists