Last night part of the world was risking painful mutilation through the shoddy launching of poorly made pyrotechnic devices ironically manufactured to serve the purpose of proving the superstition that loud noises scare misfortune away. I'm glad to hear that some people have decided not to use gunpowder and instead used horns that gave out even more annoying sounds. If it didn't sound like a warzone, it was pretty close to sounding like a Tunog-tao concert.
And this has always been the case for every New Year's eve I've been blessed to live through. I may have sounded hostile against the traditions defined by firecrackers and torotots, but this year I choose to embrace this noise as a reminder that some things do not go away if all you do is keep playing loud noises. Sometimes it's not volume, but the quality of what you have to say that counts.
Again, I'm referring to the Word. If we keep on yelling that we will overcome temptation, that would probably last as long as our voices hold out, or as long as someone listens. On the other hand, if we count on the Word to help us, we would learn that we crush temptation by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by our own might, nor by our own power. Jesus was tempted far greater than any of us have, and was able to overcome. He therefore can help us when we have overwhelmed with temptation. (Zechariah 4:6, Hebrews 4:14-16)
...And temptation is just one aspect, one thing to keep in mind as we keep on running the race and fighting the good fight. I find it appropriate at this time, the start of an awesome 2010, to declare a portion on a prayer first mentioned by a certain Saint Patrick, many centuries ago:
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
May Christ, the "Word made flesh", be the only authority in all things in our lives, more and more and more... God bless you, and have a blessed year ahead!
And this has always been the case for every New Year's eve I've been blessed to live through. I may have sounded hostile against the traditions defined by firecrackers and torotots, but this year I choose to embrace this noise as a reminder that some things do not go away if all you do is keep playing loud noises. Sometimes it's not volume, but the quality of what you have to say that counts.
Again, I'm referring to the Word. If we keep on yelling that we will overcome temptation, that would probably last as long as our voices hold out, or as long as someone listens. On the other hand, if we count on the Word to help us, we would learn that we crush temptation by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by our own might, nor by our own power. Jesus was tempted far greater than any of us have, and was able to overcome. He therefore can help us when we have overwhelmed with temptation. (Zechariah 4:6, Hebrews 4:14-16)
...And temptation is just one aspect, one thing to keep in mind as we keep on running the race and fighting the good fight. I find it appropriate at this time, the start of an awesome 2010, to declare a portion on a prayer first mentioned by a certain Saint Patrick, many centuries ago:
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
May Christ, the "Word made flesh", be the only authority in all things in our lives, more and more and more... God bless you, and have a blessed year ahead!