jc on JC: Alive!

Photo: Manila Bay Sun (3-24-05)

Have you ever pinned your hopes on something only to watch it die? Have you ever felt the pain of losing a dream, something you’ve wanted so badly that every fiber of your being ached for it, only to have it disappear from your very grasp?

I have. And I am sure sometime in your life, you have experienced it, too. A loss too personal, too painful to even articulate. It may be the death of a relationship, a life-long ambition, or a deeply-cherished vision.

As I sit here at my desk this Easter morning, I am taken back to the day my dream had died. All I could do then was to lay my broken heart down at the foot of the cross. And as I stood there grieving, God gently reminded me of the story of Mary Magdalene and her encounter with Jesus that first Easter morn.

Seeing an empty tomb, the disciples decided to go back home, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other a the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”


“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking, he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned around toward him and cried out Aramiac, “Teacher!” (John 20:10-16)

I have read this passage many times in the Bible since then, but it never fails to enthrall me still. Mary had lost all hope. All her dreams had died along with her Messiah. In her grief, she did not even comprehend she had just talked to angels. But God was not finished with her yet. A few heartbeats later, He unfolded to Mary the biggest surprise of them all—Jesus! Alive!

I imagine that that one look, that one word took away all the pain and grief that Mary had bore. And in that instant, all her hopes for the future, all the unspoken prayers of her heart, all the dreams she had long cherished within her were made alive again.

Jesus is alive! Can you comprehend all that this implies? He was made alive for you, for me, so that we can hope hopes and dream dreams again. Hopes and dreams that will never die or be taken away. Hopes and dreams that He will one day lovingly fulfill, if only we believe.

This is what Easter means to me. And this, I believe, is His message for you today.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives

jc on JC: Highway to Heaven

Photo: Songhua Bridge, Harbin

Don’t you feel sometimes that we are on a perennial journey? Do you know that in our lifetime we will spend at least 6 years of our lives just traveling? Nasa highway ka. Traffic. Late ka na sa appointment mo. Ano ang gagagwin mo? (You’re on the highway. Traffic is bad and you’re about to be late for an appointment. What are you going to do?) If you’re like me, you will look for an alternative route. A short cut! Dito sa Manila malaking tulong kung alam mo ang mga pasikot-sikot ng mga kalye. (Here in Manila it pays to be familiar with the side streets.) If one road is congested, you can always another way to reach your destination. Or you can try another means of getting there. Traffic ba sa Edsa? Mag-MRT ka! (Is traffic bad in Edsa? Take the MRT then.)

We can also compare our spiritual lives to a journey. All of us, one way or the other, are seeking fulfillment and meaning in life. Ano nga ba ang ibig sabihin ng buhay? Bakit ba ako pinanganak? Ano ang misyon ko sa mundo? (What is the meaning of life? Why was I born? What is my mission in life?) There’s only person in this world who can answer all our existential questions—God, the One who created us all.

Throughout history, man has devised ways to get to God. Some have tried religion. Others study various kinds of philosophies. To get on God’s good side, people have gotten into all kinds of rituals. Yung iba namamanata pa (Some people even do penance). They punish their bodies and deprive themselves of certain pleasures to win God’s favor. To get God to listen to their petitions.

Fact is there is only one way to God. And the ticket to this highway cannot be earned by performing any ritual or good work. Isa lang ang daan patungo sa Diyos. At ito ay hindi madadaam sa ritwal o anumang klase ng pagsusumikap. That Way is a person— He is Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Ako ang Daan, Katotohanan at Buhay. Walang makakapunta sa Diyos Ama kundi sa pamamagitan ko.” (John 14:6). No other man in history has had the audacity to make such claims.

Jesus is the only way because He alone paid for our sins on the cross to reconcile us to God. Jesus is the only way to God. Not religion, not any saint, not even Mother Mary. That’s what the Bible said.

How exactly can Jesus lead us to God? You just ask. Ask Him through a simple prayer. Jesus said: “Ask and you will receive. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Seeks and you will find. I will do whatever you ask in My Name. You may ask Me for anything in My Name and I will do it.” Let me tell you something, this prayer can change your life. It has changed mine and countless others around the world. Are you tired of spinning around in circles? Why not let Jesus lead the way?

Dear God,

I am tired of walking around in circles. I am tired of walking into dead ends. I am tired of carving out paths that lead to nowhere. I want to know You. I want to know the reason why You created me. I want to know my purpose in life. Thank you that because of what Jesus did I can gain access to You—the Giver of true life, love and wisdom. Today I make the decision to follow your Son. Lead me, God, to all the wonderful things that You have prepared for me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

jc on JC: Jesus and Brad Pitt

Photo courtesy of the Gladiator website

& JC Gomez

Pause with me for a while and think of this question: What physical attributes do you want your dream man or woman to have? A beautiful face, deep-set eyes, a nice physique? Let’s face it, mahilig tayo sa mga magaganda at mga guapo (we like looking at beautiful people). But let me ask you another question: What about your dream God? What does He look like? Have you ever imagined how Jesus looked like in the flesh? Sorry to disappoint you, but Jesus didn’t come down looking like Brad Pitt.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. If Jesus came down on earth today, we might not even recognize, much less give Him our time of day. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of clues as to what Jesus looked like. But there’s a passage in the Old testament that gives us some idea. The prophet Isaiah says of Jesus: “He has no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” (Isaiah 53:3-4) By the world’s standards, Jesus was not good-looking. He was not matinee-idol o movie-star-material.

The Bible said that Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces.” But even if He's not handsome in the world's eyes, that didn't stop Him from fulfilling the very purpose why He came here on earth--to save us from our sins and let us experience abundant live. During His time on earth, His being plain-looking didn’t stop people from approaching Him. Throngs of people would come to Jesus to listen to Him preach. Even outcasts would talk to Him. Because even though He might not be as attractive as Brad Pitt, these people were drawn by Jesus’ heart—His kindness, His compassion, His honesty. Jesus truly cared for people. And that is what makes a person truly attractive.

Do you sometimes wish you were prettier or more handsome? Is their a part of your body you want to change? You don’t have to measure yourself according to the world’s standard of beauty. You are special the way you are. You are a unique individual created in the image of God! No one is the world is exactly like you and no one else can accomplish what God wants to accomplish through your life!

The Bible says man may put a lot of importance on the outer appearance but God looks at the heart. Instead of fretting about your looks, why not try to cultivate qualities that matter to God? Qualities like wisdom, kindness, self-control, love, compassion. Do that and you’ll be on Jesus’ list of most attractive people!

jc on JC: Two Questions That Saved My Life

In my entire life, I’ve been asked so many questions about many things. But there are two questions that literally saved my life.

Q 1: If you die tonight, do you think you would go to heaven?
Q 2: If you appeared in front of God and He asks you would, “Why would I let you into my heaven?” What would you say?

Pretty tough questions aren’t they? But they are worth thinking about. Because you’re eternal destiny is at stake here.

The good news is heaven is a free gift from God. In the Bible, Jesus said, “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that who so ever BELIEVES in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.”

The reason why Jesus came down on earth is to reconcile our broken relationship with God. He died on the cross so that we can have forgiveness of sins. Every one who believes in Jesus can have eternal life. I repeat: Every one who has faith in Jesus will get to live Him forever in heaven. If you have trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can die tonight with the full assurance that you will go to directly to heaven.

You might asking, is it really that easy? You mean I just have to trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior? You must be kidding. Well, those are Jesus’ words not mine. And Jesus doesn’t lie.

A lot of us has this notion that we have to be extra kind or generous to be able to get a ticket to heaven. In short, we have to work hard to earn a spot in heaven. Well, the Bible says that salvation or eternal life is a free gift. It is a gift from God—not by works, so that no one can boast. No matter how good you are, even if they canonize you as a saint, if you don‘t have Jesus in your life, your eternal destiny is gloomy indeed.

You may be wondering, if good works cannot buy us a slot in heaven, why do good at all? Well, we should do good works out of gratitude to God. Imagine, He has done everything in His power to save us from eternal condemnation and torment. He sacrificed His own son to show how much He loves us. There’s a saying that goes, “Our life is God’s gift to us, what we do with our life is our gift to Him.” Furthermore, as God’s children it is our duty to love God and our neighbor for these are the two most important commandments of God.

So let me ask you, If you die tonight, do you think you would go to heaven? If you appeared in front of God and He asks you would, “Why would I let you into my heaven? What would you say?

I hope your answer is: Yes, I will go to heaven because I have trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

If not, why don't you surrender His life right now? Yes, right now. He's just a prayer away.

Lord, I confess I'm a sinner and I deserve to die for my sins. Thank you for loving me and sending Jesus to die in my place. I surrender my life to You right now and make You Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and preparing a place in heaven for me. Help me live a life that is pleasing to You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

If you just prayed the prayer above, do drop me a line, ok? You've just embarked on the greatest adventure of your life!