to bleed or not to bleed

Forbidding blood transfusion is arguably the most controversial belief of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, being questioned not only by other religions but by secularists as well. The Witnesses would allow organ transplants, but would rather die than accept blood transfusion—in whole or with any of its four primary components (red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma)—even for critical medical emergencies they or their loves ones are in. Those who permit blood transfusion are disassociated and shunned by members of the organization. Note that transfusion of minor parts like albumin, immunoglobulins and hemophiliac preparations are not prohibited.

Interestingly, their position was quite different when they first adopted the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” back in 1931. Then president and founder, Charles Taze Russel, as well as his successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, held that blood transfusions are acceptable and even commendable practice!

This started to change under their third president, Nathan Homer Knorr, who asserted that the Bible forbade eating or drinking of blood whether by transfusion or by the mouth. Ironically, the Watch Tower Society in Netherlands commented that refusing blood transfusion is an invention of people who are like the Pharisees who leave mercy and love aside.

In 1945, it was further made clear that blood transfusion, whether between different people or with stored own blood, was prohibited. However, no sanction was provided. In 1961, they made it clear this is a serious violation when they specified that anyone who will do so will be disfellowed and could potentially lose hope of eternal life.

In 1982, their Awake! magazine stated that minor blood components are allowed. It was further expanded to include hemodilution, that is, diluting a patient’s extracted blood with glucose and heparin solution prior to transfusion. In 2000, fractions of any of the primary components are allowed after carful and prayerful meditation of the patient.

It makes one think that if the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses are directed by God, He must be changing His mind frequently. Also, why did He have to wait so many decades for such a critical doctrine to be revealed as such? What does God really say to us in Scripture?


Covenant with Noah

Genesis 9:3-4 states, “Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to you. Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.” (New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses).

This is one of the core passages the Witnesses use to support their belief. However, this command is about respect for animal life during the ritual of slaughter, and does not state blood could not be eaten. In its strict Hebrew wording, it means an animal should not have flesh torn off it for food while the animal is still alive. It was understood back then that it should be bled when killed for food, or what’s called the command against eating strangled animals.

It is no surprise then that even the Watchtower originally recognised it as not applying to eating blood: "All reasonable minds must conclude that it was not the eating of the blood that God objected to, but it was bringing the blood of the beast in contact with the blood of man." (Golden Age 1931 Feb 4 p.294)

Thus, Deuteronomy 14:21 allowed Israelites to sell unbled animals found dead to non-Israelites. As the animal was already dead, due respect for its life was sensibly given to it unlike if it is eaten while still alive. David’s action in 2 Samuel 23:13-16 exemplifies this when he refused to drink water given to him by men who didn’t show sanctity for their lives – i.e. it is not literal blood but respect for life that matters to God.


The Mosaic Law

Another core verse the Witnesses use is Leviticus 17:10-12 which states, “As for any man of the house of Israel or some alien resident who is residing as an alien in your midst who eats any sort of blood, I shall certainly set my face against the soul that is eating the blood, and I shall indeed cut him off from among his people.”

Yet this too was related to the ritual of bleeding, not the blood itself. This is seen just a few verses after with Leviticus 17:15, “As for any soul that eats a body already dead or something torn by a wild beast, whether a native or an alien resident, he must in that case wash his garments and bathe in water and be unclean until the evening; and he must be clean.”

Note that eating unbled animal already found dead did not merit death penalty, but rather required people to bathe due to being unclean from handling a dead body. But even if that was not the case, remember that any divine command that comes after modifies divine commands that came earlier. This is because God’s commands mature as His people mature. The command changes, but not its essence or rationale.

That said, it is worth noting that Jesus eradicated all dietary laws by declaring all food clean (Mark 7:18-19). Thus, it was no longer problematic for Him to ask His disciples to drink His blood during the Last Supper, regardless if it was symbolic or not. Put simply, the command against drinking blood has passed away, for “these are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink” (Colossians 2:17-16).


Acts 15:20-21

This verse is perhaps the key verse the Witnesses use to support their belief on blood transfusion since it is in the New Testament. It asks Christians “to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For from ancient times Moses has had in city after city those who preach him, because he is read aloud in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

We need to take into consideration the historical and religious setting at this time to fully understand what this passage really means. To begin, the situation here was very specific–the Jewish Christians were having difficulty accepting Gentile Christians, particularly regarding circumcision. The Apostles and seniors of the Early Church convened and decided that observation of the Mosaic Law was unnecessary.

However, a “discipline” was felt needed to ease acceptance of the Gentile Christians by the Jewish Christians. The Church Fathers were avoiding the Jewish Christians being scandalized by the Gentile Christians who are not bound by these practices, or more importantly, that they will not stumble in their faith by seeing their new Gentile brothers and sisters not giving their beliefs any importance.

In other words, this was not a doctrine but a “practice” decided to ensure unity of the Church. In fact, St. Paul reminds the Christians at Rome and Corinth that they should stop judging food restrictions, and that they should be careful with their “etiquette” when around people who still abide by the old practices (see Romans 14:1-14 and 1 Corinthians).

It wouldn’t make sense for Jesus and the Apostles to preach that we need not abide by old Jewish practices and declare the dietary laws are lifted, if they would still hold people accountable with what they eat. So why have a special list of “practices” in Acts 15:20-21? Because these are based on the laws given to Noah and of utmost importance to the Christian Jews. As both the Jewish and Gentile Christians grew more into the Apostle’s teaching, this became less of an issue.

It makes sense that in the New Testament, eating blood is never mentioned in any other context. It was never mentioned as a reason to shun a brother or sister by any of the Apostles, including John. If avoiding blood was a key requirement by God, it would’ve been mentioned excessively alongside sins such as fornication, murder and idolatry which are repeatedly condemned in the New Testament. But that is not the case since it is respect for life in its essence that is really important to God, and not that which merely symbolizes it.


The Last Supper and Pikuach Nefesh

Jesus commanded His Apostles to eat His flesh and drink His blood, and even asked them to do this in remembrance of Him. Non-Catholics will say that Jesus was just speaking symbolically, or some will say that it is okay since it is His flesh and blood He was talking about and not an animal. But even if He was speaking symbolically, it would be a great contradiction for Him to ask us to act out symbolically what is intrinsically evil, right? And even if He is speaking of His flesh and blood, remember that the major rationale for the dietary law was respect for life. While it may sound good that Jesus is asking us to partake of His life, it still means we are “intentionally” killing Him, or basically disrespecting His life.

But perhaps Jesus following the principle of pikuach nefesh is the greatest argument from Him. Jews would go at great lengths to soak meat in water, salt it and drain to draw out all blood as part of their kosher dietary laws based on the Old Testament, but none of them would forbid blood transfusions. This is because life-saving acts hold importance over them. This is what the rabbinic principle of pikuach nefesh states. Consider what Jesus did when challenged by the Pharisees regarding not working on a Sabbath, a practice very strict during that time (see Matthew 12:11, Mark 3:4-5 or Luke 6:7-10). Dietary laws are not part of the Ten Commandments but the Sabbath is. Yet Jesus tells us that life is important, and God will be happier if we choose to save it. Why place more importance on the symbol than the reality it symbolizes?


Final Thoughts

If it is wrong for a Witness to donate blood, it is worth asking where the blood fractions come from? While it is okay to receive blood fractions according to them, you’d still need to “bleed” wholly to get it, right? Isn’t that forbidden according to their belief?

Moreover, why allow a fraction or only specific components, when some of these comprise even a bigger percentage of blood? For example, white blood cells (1 per cent of blood volume) and platelets (0.17 per cent) are forbidden, yet albumin (2.2 per cent of blood volume) is permitted.

If God forbids blood eating (and assuming it includes transfusion) out of respect for life, why would it be an issue if no one needs to die, and in fact would even save life?

Watchtower said on November 1, 1961 that, “The important thing is that respect has been shown for the sanctity of blood, regard has been shown for the principle of the sacredness of life. What God's law requires is that the blood be drained from the animal when it is killed, not that the meat be soaked in some special preparation to draw out every trace of it."

If we’ll follow that logic, eating blood shouldn’t be a problem if it was bled properly, right? And if the important thing is to show God respect for life, doesn’t giving priority to the symbol over the life it actually symbolize disrespects God who gave life? How can we say we respect life when we easily throw it away merely for the blood that symbolizes it?

We should all respect people’s religious belief, but people shouldn’t needlessly die over a belief that is found on wrong foundations.

chastity crash course p.6 // how we fell and got stuck in the ditch

positive and negative purity

Let's start with a short story...

In the early Christian church, several bishops were gathered outside a cathedral in Antioch, when a beautiful prostitute passed by on the street. The bishops looked away to avoid being seduced. Bishop Nonnus, however, stared intently at her, and then said to his fellow bishops, “Did not the wonderful beauty of that woman delight you?” The bishops remained silent. Nonnus insisted, “Indeed it delighted me,” but he wept for her.

When the prostitute saw how the bishop looked at her, she was surprised. No one had ever looked at her with such purity. He was not lusting after her, but rather saw something in her that she did not even see in herself. That simple purity of the bishop’s glance marked the beginning of her conversion to Christ. She soon returned to find him, and today, we know this former prostitute as St. Pelagia.


In St. Pelagia’s story, we see that there is power in the way a woman dresses for a man, but there is also great power in the way a man looks at a woman. Bishop Nonnus was not afraid of being forced to lust at the sight of a prostitute. Rather, her body called him to love her properly—he saw a sister in Christ. He possessed “positive purity”.

How about the other bishops? We can say they had “negative purity”. They were right to avoid the occasion of sin, knowing they may fall, but God ultimately wants to transform our hearts so that we aren’t afraid we will lust every time we see an attractive person. This freedom is what chastity enables us to have. When we see ourselves and others not as objects but as persons to love, that is chastity. It is possible, as St. Pelagia proves.


first original experiences

We mentioned last week that Original Sin destroyed the perfect design God created us with. This is why the bishops were afraid to look at the prostitute. Let’s continue to look at that today. You’ve probably heard a lot about Original Sin, but not much about how Adam and Eve were before that. What were they before they disobeyed God? There is really much to learn from them—what Pope John Paul II calls the “Original Man”.

We looked at the story of creation last time and found how God created us and found us to be “very good” (Gn 1:31). Adam had an intimate relationship with God—they talked and listened to each other. They were friends. Then God gave Adam dominion over the animals, allowing them to name him. He was above all other creations. Why? He is a spiritual being—he was created in the image and likeness of God. The Pope calls this the “Original Solitude” and is a start at knowing our identities.

However, God found something wrong with this solitude. God must’ve noticed how Adam got bored with all the animals parading before him for weeks or months for him to name. So he puts Adam to sleep, and when he woke up, Eve was in front of her! He notices she is the same as he is, though there are differences. She is a person! He decides to be with her and they become “one flesh”. His perfection is realized with someone with him. This is what the Pope calls “Original Unity”. Haven’t we experienced this in our lives as well? Read Sirach 6:14-16.

They then get married. At this point, all’s still pure, and Adam experienced sexual desire in a pure way. Adam saw in Eve the call to commune—to love—her and not to use her. Adam and Eve were naked because they were not afraid of the other using or abusing them. They understood each other and looked out for each other in perfect love. Their intimacy was of perfect safety from each other because of its purity.

At this point also, God gave His first command—“Be fruitful and multiply”. Notice that this comes after being “one” and after having no shame. This is how marriage and the relationship between man and woman were designed. It is pure and is the home of sexual relations. This is “Original Nakedness”. Look at how innocent children are carefree even when they are not clothed, and you’ll see a glimpse of this.

Now, what does the three Original Experiences tell us? We were created to have a relationship with God and with other human beings. We were created to be related, because God is a related being—Father loving the Son, the Son loving the Father, and the Love between them so infinite and real, the Holy Spirit—and we are created in the image and likeness of God. Sounds familiar? By looking at the beginning, we see how we’re meant to be. We see how God took care of man, looked after them and communed with them. How come this isn’t the case today?


Original Sin

The serpent came and told them that she’s missing out on something. Satan wanted them to believe that God was holding out on them, that God didn’t want them to be happy. That is the essence of the Original Sin—man turned away from God, not trusting His love. Adam and Eve wanted to be gods because they wanted to decide for themselves even when God loves completely, not to mention the one who created man out of love. Man lost innocence and purity because he has turned away from God’s perfect design. Original Sin can be called “Original Wound”. It is this wound that we inherited and is the reason why we are not seeing what we discussed so far.

Remember the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers? Try to recall the part when Gollum was arguing with Smeagol about Frodo’s concern for him. That’s what happened during the “fall” when man started to doubt God’s love for us.

In the same way that Smeagol went downhill, we went down as well. We lost trust in God and lost Original Solitude. Adam distrusted Eve for asking him to eat the fruit, and Eve distrusted Adam for not being there for him. We lost Original Unity. We stopped looking out for each other and thus lost Original Nakedness. It all began because we didn’t trust God.


Next in this series...
So man screwed up God’s awesome original plan. How do we fix it? Where can we find freedom and love after this?

the kid mode adult and the Dad // 2012.10.05

I love talking to kids because you get a lot of insights from them. For example, I never knew that cats are children of pigs and chickens, or that apples are actually oranges painted red! If I didn't know better, I'd probably believe them as they tell those things with such confidence and gusto. The way they tell it just makes you think they know what they're talking about.

But of course those are out of this world ideas, and I can imagine them lowering their head out of embarrassment while covering their mouths and giggling once they found out what's actually true.

Ironically, most of us keep our "kid mode" when dealing with God. As His children, we tell Him that we entrust our lives to Him, but when He shows us something we don't agree with, we end up being like toddlers who think we know better.

Fortunately, God is the ultimate Father. Despite our stubborness He promises to be with us. The psalmist assures us that even in darkness God is there to hold our hand and guide us.

What a wonderful assurance that is. The only question is are we going to finally let Him do so? Or are we going to be like rebels who run away upon realizing life isn't how they thought it was instead of receiving God's mercy?

Click here to read this day's readings.

chastity crash course p.5 // a quick "practical" recap

Try to click here (opens a new window) and answer the questions before continuing.

The questions aren’t meant to condemn you when you answer "yes" to them, rather they are wake-up calls that something needs to be worked out. It’s not easy, especially when they seem like hurdles to what makes us feel good, but all things are possible to God (Phil 4:13). When we understand chastity as something that frees us to love the other person the way they ought to be, which is far more beautiful than mere using, we’ll persevere for it.


bruce almighty

Remember that movie? Think about the part when Bruce just wants her fiancé to love her by trying to "magic" her into it (about an hour into the movie). This is not real love as he only wants her because he’ll feel complete with her beside him.

How about the last part when Bruce saw her fiancée praying, and how he decided to give up his personal desires while talking to God (around an hour and 20 minutes into the movie)? That is real love, and what he’s trying to do--giving up to put his fiance in peace--is what chastity is about.


Read what the following people have to say...

C.S. Lewis:
"Lust is a weak, poor, whimpering, whispering thing when compared with that richness and energy of desire which will arise when lust has been killed."

Pope John Paul II:
"Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not intimately participate in it."

1. What do you think of C.S. Lewis’ words?
2. Why can’t we live without love?
3. If any, share stories about people you respect because you see chastity in them. What is so attractive about their lives?

Let us take time to make a quick prayer...

"Lord, as You created us in Your image and likeness, we know that You created us out of love and for love. You created us for a union of love with each other just as You crated us to be together forever with You. Lord, help us to be open to learn, to live and to love like You. Amen."


Next in this series...
What is the difference between positive and negative purity? What does Adam and Eve have to do with chastity?

are you a user or a lover?

This test is part of chastity crash course p.5

Are You A User or An Authentic Lover of Others?

For Guys and Girls:
-Do you spend quality time with his or her family?
-Do you honor the rules that his or her parents set up?
-Are you honest with your family about him or her?
-Do you long to do what is the best for him or her?
-Has the relationship brought you closer to friends, family, and God?
-Could you see yourself possibly marrying him or her?
-Would he or she make a good father or mother?
-Do you go to church with him or her?
-Do you pray for each other?
-If the two of you have already been sexually active, would you stay together if he or she no longer wanted to have sex?
-Do you set clear boundaries about what you won’t do physically?
-Do you avoid situations where you’re likely to go too far?
-If his or her family knew everything about your relationship, would they approve?
-Do you dress and speak modestly to help him or her stay pure??


For Guys:
-When you see an attractive girl, do you automatically imagine doing sexual acts with her?
-When it comes to your speech, are you respectful around girls you want to impress, but you sound like Howard Stern when you’re with the guys?
-Do you look at your girlfriend (or any girl) and try to think of ways to get her to have sex with you?
-Do you ask or hint to your girlfriend that you want to sleep with her, hoping one day she’ll say yes?
-Do you tell your girlfriend you love her, hoping that she will be inclined to be sexually active with you?
-Do you get mad at your girlfriend if she doesn’t want to be physical in any way?
-Do you cheat on your girlfriend?
-Do you gently push her to go further than she wants during times when the two of you are physically intimate?
-Do you think of yourself, or say to others, "I’ll go out with her, but I probably won’t marry her."?
-Do you often think about engaging in sexual acts with girls?
-Do you find yourself trying to spend time alone with girls, rather than spending time together with them in group settings?
-Do you find that you "agree" with your girlfriend to avoid fights so that you can get physically intimate with her?
-Do you look at pornography?
-Do you find that you listen or "put up" with your girlfriend (or any girl) to increase your chances of becoming physically intimate with her?
-Do you want to get out of the relationship if she doesn’t want to get physically intimate with you?
-Do you talk to your friends about what you did or plan on doing sexually with your girlfriend?
-Do you dance in a way with your girlfriend (or any girl) that would make the girl’s dad want to shoot you?


For Girls:
-Have you done sexual acts or compromised your dignity to make a guy more interested in you?
-Do you sometimes give in to a guys sexual advances out of fear of rejection or to avoid arguments?
-Do you sometimes dress immodestly to get attention?
-Do you talk about impure things with your girlfriends?
-Do you flirt with guys when you have no intention of dating them?
-Have you ever flirted with a guy who was dating someone else?
-Have you flirted with another guy while you were dating someone else?
-Do you flirt in a sexual way?
-Do you cheat on your boyfriend?
-Do you settle for being a "friend with benefits", hooking up with no commitment?
-Do you put up with degrading sexual jokes in order to not seem prudish or exaggeratedly proper?
-Do you spread gossip about sexual acts others have done?
-Do you rush into relationships or always say "yes" when someone asks you out?
-Do you fall back into the same sexual mistakes, relationship after relationship?
-Do you justify doing sexual acts because you feel "in love" or "ready"?
-Do you talk about or look at impure images online?
-Do you read materials that have a distorted approach to love and sexuality?
-Do you tolerate your boyfriend looking at pornography?
-Do you stay in unhealthy relationships because you’re afraid of being alone?
-Do you dance or move in a way that invites guys to lust after you?

don't make them shake // 2012.10.04

Click here to read this day's Bible readings.

"We live in a cynical world", Jerry Maguire said in the movie. And that's probably true. A lot of people measure themselves by what they have, or measure an activity by what they'll gain from it, whether material or just to feel good. There may be various versions, but basically a lot of people are asking the same question... "What's in it for me?".

All of a sudden, suicide rates go up. Addictions become rampant, and depressed people start popping like mushrooms. A lot of people don't find meaning in their lives, and a lot believe they'd rather be dead. They may be alive, but in a very real sense, they are already dead. Pope John Paul II got it right when he said we are living in a culture of death!

That's because the world can be cruel to the poor. And because the world can never fill what we all long for, those who look only at the world are really poor, and most of the time end up being cruel to themselves as well. That's when life loses its meaning.

Job was suffering the same thing. When his riches were stripped from him, his friends not only started lowering their hands when asked who are Job's friends, they also went on the offense and berated Job. I can imagine them taunting Job, "Where is your God now? You fool... you worthless man... you suck... you should die!"

But Job knew better... it is not what he had that defined him, but God. And God said He loved him. Job was human and felt sad at times during his struggle, but he never lost sight of God's word. He lost his riches and even his loved ones, but for him, God's word of love is all he needed. He stood on that truth the whole time, and what a strong foundation it was he stood on!

In today's Gospel, Jesus asked His disciples to tell the world that the Kingdom of God is at hand. A lot were scared and rejected that message, thinking that they will lose everything if they do so. If only they knew what they'd gain by stripping themselves of the empty promises of the world.

Job heeded God's love despite his suffering and got his vindication. How about you? God and His disciples are knocking at your door to tell you of His love. Are you going to accept, or are you going to make them shake the dust of their feet, leaving you empty and dead?

chastity crash course p.4 // it's chaste, not chase

so what’s chastity?

Okay, now that you understand what love is as God designed it for us, being created in His image, what has chastity got to do with it? How come it’s not negative as "abstinence" as mentioned before? Blessed Mother Teresa once received an honorary doctorate at Harvard University and went on to speak about the beauty of chastity.".

"Young people, there is nothing more important than for you to be chaste."".

The graduates sat for a moment in befuddled silence, unsure of what she was talking about.".

"You must be chaste; your body is a temple," she continued.".

Some audience members brightened and said to one another, "Yeah, I want to be chased! Sure, chase me all you want!" ".

16,000 pocket dictionaries were sold that afternoon because nobody ever heard the word before. What is chastity that even Mother Teresa calls it beautiful and very important, yet still misunderstood?".

Imagine this scenario...
Student: Is it OK for my girlfriend and me to...
Teacher: NO.
Student: What if we just...
Teacher: NO.
Student: But what if we really...
Teacher: NO. NO. NO. Just don’t. Be good boys and girls. Hold hands and go to a pumpkin patch together, then play board games with her family and be home by 7PM. Otherwise you’ll get her pregnant, die of an STD, and go to hell. Class dismissed. Have a fun weekend.


The scenario above is more focused on "abstinence" than it is on chastity. Chastity is not merely about a set of rules or morals. It is about understanding how God designed us and how we can use that design to bring us closer to God and the people around us. Abstinence is part of chastity depending on your state of life, but abstinence alone is not chastity. Chastity is a lifestyle; it is a virtue (a firm habit of doing what is good)!

Chastity is the virtue that directs our sexual desires and attitudes towards the truth of love, being created in God’s image and likeness. It is much more than abstinence, which just means "not having sex, not doing this, not doing that". It is a virtue of controlling and moderating our desire for pleasure, thus enabling us to enjoy pleasure in good things the way God intends. But it is not merely about controlling, but learning how to love another rightly. It’s saying "yes" to the demands of love, and saying "no" to lust, which robs us and others of dignity. It is refusing to let lust take over and destroy love.

Most people think of it as "hiding" our sexual energy by ignoring it. That is repression and not chastity. We’ll see next week why sex is good, and why repression is not the proper response to it. It’s notable to mention, however, that repression can lead to a "slingshot" effect when we can’t hold it in anymore. Chastity is acknowledging the power of our sexual desire and guiding them with the deeper desire to love another, and not to use others for our own pleasure or benefits.

Some single people may ask, "So having sex outside marriage isn’t necessarily bad? We both agree to it. It’s not like I’m using her, or that we do it often." Yes, their feelings for each other may be sincere, but what they are doing puts them at risk and presents a lot of consequences--physical, emotional, character and spiritual damage--we’ll discuss on our future discussions. It’s not putting the best of the other at priority. This is not "looking out for each other" and therefore not what love or chastity is all about. This is at the core, a "pizza love". Pope John Paul II said, "only chaste men and women are capable of love". Why? Because they understand what real love is and strive to live it.

Chastity isn’t just about what you’re not allowed to do but what you can and must not do to come to real love. It is a lifestyle. It is understanding that love is not merely of comfort and convenience. It’s understanding what love really is, how it makes us complete and how we can live it. Chastity doesn’t end with just "not doing it"..


Next in this series...
Let's have a review of what we've learned so far.

let God strike that army // 2012.06.26

Click here to read this day's Bible readings.

Imagine a great army camped around your house, ready to obliterate your house unless you give them everything that you have. That means you will not only lose your belongings, but your family and loved ones as well. The army's laughter and loud taunting outside simply makes you tremble in fear.

Options run through your mind like, "maybe they'd change their mind if I beg them to spare my loved ones or if I offer myself in slavery in return." You may also blame others for the situation. If only this person didn't do this, or if only that person helped me out. Worst, you also blame God for letting bad things happen to you.

Not Hezekiah. I'd imagine he was trembling with fear when the news came to him that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria who brought down a lot of countries, is targeting Judah. But he didn't let his fear get the best of him.

He didn't let Sennacherib make him lose sight and focus on God. It wasn't about Sennacherib for him, nor was it about himself, his kingdom or his family. It remained about God. Why let them laugh and mock God's people? Why let them dirt God's name? The focus remained on God, and not anything else. What did God do? Sennacherib broke camp because the angel of the Lord struck 180,000 men in the Assyrian camp!

Having troubles? Don't lose sight of God, cause He definitely hasn't lost sight of you! Trust in Him and rest assured of His wonderful deeds that are nothing short of a miracle!

love and patience for the "terrible two" // 2012.06.25

Click here to read this day's Bible readings.

Terrible Twos. That's what most pediatricians and child psychologists call that stage characterized by toddlers being negative about most things and often saying 'no'; or finding your toddler having frequent mood changes and temper tantrums. Experts always remind us that the child isn't trying to be defiant or rebellious on purpose, and that he is just trying to express his growing independence and doesn't have the language skills to easily express his needs.

Being a father of a "terrible two", I can cleary see what they mean. My baby would always want to do things his own way, and shout back at me when I reprimand him for doing things he shouldn't. I'd discipline him when needed, and he'd feel resentful sometimes. What makes it all worthwhile is seeing him develop positive habits. More importantly, seeing him develop those while drawing even nearer me despite the disciplining that I do.

God is like that -- He disciplines us to help us be the best that we can be, not because He resents us but because He loves us. The Israelites felt more than a lot of times that God had forsaken them, even forgetting that it is them that brought about their misfortune themselves. However, time and again, God has proven His love for us despite our somewhat rebellious attitude.

In today's Gospel, Jesus calls us once again to look at our neighbors not with judgemental eyes but with eyes of love that seeks to lift the person up from his ditch instead of branding him or her as a waste of earth space.

Jesus is not asking us to pretend nothing's wrong, or to call black white. He isn't telling us that "better" people have the license to judge or correct others however they want to. On the contrary, He is reminding us to love the person, understand what is causing that person to sin, and have the patience to be "Jesus to him or her".

Is there a person in your life right now that is heating up your blood? Cast away that anger, stop cursing or thinking bad things about him or her. Instead of distancing yourself, draw nearer to Him just as God does with us.