Youth for Christ Sto. Tomas Cluster

01282012, Saturday

2 Samuel 12:1-7, 10-17, Psalm 51

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

Jesus Calms a Storm

On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.“ So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too. Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water. Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?”

Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, “Be quiet! and he said to the waves, Be still!” The wind died down, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

But they were terribly afraid and began to say to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Photo by: Maica Gatmaitan

Keep Calm and Have A Little Faith

“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” – Mark 4:40

Let me tell you a story about a family who suffered from a financial crisis a year ago. The family is an active member of the CFC community. Their breadwinner, the father, got suspended from work for 6 months and  have no other source of income aside from the salary of the father. Of course, nobody wanted this to happen. But, they could do nothing about it. They didn’t lose hope nor panicked because of the situation. Instead, they kept the “God will provide” attitude and really had to live the simplest lifestyle that they could.

God is a really generous God. Their family was able to survive those 6 months without any complains. They continued their service in the community and were still happy. They lived through their savings, and help from relatives.

That situation is the family’s storm. They survived the storm by letting God be in control at that time of their lives. Their family became tighter, and more faithful.

“Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” –Mitch Albom, Have A Little Faith

Storms are destructible at times. But we need it, to distribute rain. If there are no storms, there will be problems in nature. Same as to our lives. We need storms too, to make us stronger Christians, to practice our faith. When there are storms in our lives, sometimes, we just have to keep calm and start even with a little faith.

Writer: Cilbert Alejo | Artist: Maica Gatmaitan

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET

01272012, Friday

Samuel 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17, Psalm 51

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

The Parable of the Growing Seed

Jesus went on to say, “The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field.He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens.The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the head, and finally the head full of grain. When the grain is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

“What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like?” asked Jesus. “What parable shall we use to explain it? It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground. After a while it grows up and becomes the biggest of all plants. It puts out such large branches that the birds come and make their nests in its shade.”

Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand.He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.

Photo by: Pam Llaguno

There’s something about astronomy that has always fascinated me. When I realize how small I am compared to the earth, the earth to the sun, and the sun to the other stars, there’s a feeling of marvel in the enormity of things. At the same time, there’s a feeling of insignificance and of being helplessly lost in trying to figure out what it is that I need to do in the grander scheme of things.

Jesus tells us there’s nothing wrong with being small. While we feel small and insignificant at times, he reminds us that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed – it starts small, but grows into a tree (or, biologically speaking, into a bush). However small we may seem now, it’s only because we have yet to be planted by the Lord and let His plans run into motion.

A seed on its own will not be able to grow; it needs a lot of other things for it to transform into the plant that it would be. To allow ourselves to be changed by God is like letting ourselves be planted – His presence and blessings would nourish us to become the person that He intends us to be. When we let God work through us and transform us and make us grow, we go beyond ourselves.

With that, may we allow ourselves to be nourished and transformed by the Lord; and to grow into tall, metaphorical mustard trees that would soon make a dent on the Universe.

Writer: Carlo Bontia | Artist: Pam Llaguno

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET

01262012, Thursday

2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5, Psalm 96

Gospel: Mark 4:21-25

A Lamp under a Bowl

Jesus continued, “Does anyone ever bring in a lamp and put it under a bowl or under the bed? Isn’t it put on the lampstand? Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be uncovered.Listen, then, if you have ears!”

He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear! The same rules you use to judge others will be used by God to judge you—but with even greater severity. Those who have something will be given more, and those who have nothing will have taken away from them even the little they have.”

Photo By: Mai Javellana

Let Him Be Seen

How many times have we heard the readings during Sunday Mass? Lots of times, right? Yet, having sound knowledge of the verses isn’t enough. Instead, we should act on His Word, applying them to our lives and walking them out. And when we do, people will take notice. This doesn’t mean hitting people over the head with the Bible, but as God’s children, we should let our light shine through our words and actions.

We can make a real difference for God. We can use words to expose the works of darkness by our actions. There’s an old saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” When mere words don’t have an impact to the people around it, our Christ-like behavior can.

We can live an awesome life for God if we have a working knowledge of the Word of God.

Like the candle that shouldn’t be concealed, His Word must not be kept secret. We should be the candles, burning with our Christ-like actions, that will shine and expose everything until darkness is no more. After all, secrets are meant to be revealed. God doesn’t have any secrets – only mysteries that are yet to be explored with understanding and learned with love. Whatever little knowledge of Him that we have, it will grow because it is of God. But when we close our hearts to God’s Word, we’re leaving ourselves with no room to learn anything more about Him.

So then, as God’s lanterns, let us be seen.

Let Him be seen.

Writer: Joyce Octavo | Artist: Mai Javellana

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET

01252012, Wednesday

Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22, Psalm 117

Gospel: Mark 16:15-18

Feast of the Solemnity of St. Paul

Jesus Appears to the Eleven

He said to them, “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.Believers will be given the power to perform miracles: they will drive out demons in my name; they will speak in strange tongues; if they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be harmed; they will place their hands on sick people, and these will get well.”

Photo By: Momon Ramos

Most of us already know the story of Saul. The bully, back in the day, who persecuted Jesus and all his disciples. The man, who seemingly made it his mission in life to turn the world into a living hell for the followers of Jesus.

Most of us also know what Jesus did. He changed Saul — from a persecutor to a follower. Jesus revealed himself to Saul, showed him His majestic miracles, and ultimately transformed Saul to Paul– from a man of anger and hate, to one of His greatest disciples of all time.

We’re all familiar with this story. Even in our own lives, at one point or another, we’ve met or heard of someone who’s life took a hundred-eighty degree turn, and moved from one end of the spectrum to the other, and it is through these stories that we realized and proclaimed how great, powerful, and merciful God is.

Most of us know the story of Saul, and most of us know what Jesus did, but very little of us know of a man named Ananias.  Only few of us know of how Jesus, at a crucial moment, used Ananias, his disciple, to free Saul from his blindness.

When Ananias was called, he was already a follower of God, but at that time, he also knew of Saul. So when God asked him to go to Saul to lay his hands on him so that he may see, Ananias answered: “But Lord, I know of this man, and I know that he persecutes your followers. And now he is given the authority by the chief priests to bind all those who proclaim your name.”

At that moment, Ananias seemed scared.

Wouldn’t we all feel the same? We call ourselves disciples of Jesus, but most of the time, when we look back at our lives; we realize that we are gravely driven by fear. We choose not to act on what should be acted upon for fear of being persecuted or hurting ourselves. In this age full of Sauls, full of persecutors of Christ, we hear God’s call to fight for Him and to stand up to those who persecute Him, but most of the time, we remain scared.

Today, God reminds us of our calling as His disciples – to fight for His name and to proclaim His goodness and miracles to the world, even if it scares us. He handpicked each and everyone of us to fight this battle for Him. God could have easily transformed Saul, but He chose to use Ananias instead. God chose and handpicked you. Because just as how God chose and used Ananias, to be the instrument of change for Saul, God has chosen you and wants to use you as His instrument as well.

And not only will He use you, but He promises that you will be equipped with every weapon that you will need, and that He will be there every single step of the way. Ananias had a great, special place in history because He chose to believe and trust in the power of God even if he was scared. God has reserved a special place for you too. He wants you to be the Ananias to the Sauls of today.

Think about it, out of all the battles that God sent you for, when did He ever fail you?

Writer: Kristine Rey | Artist: Momon Ramos

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET

01242012, Tuesday

2 Samuel 6:12-15, 17-19, Psalm 24

Gospel: Mark 3:31-35

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside the house and sent in a message, asking for him. A crowd was sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, and they want you.”

Jesus answered, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” He looked at the people sitting around him and said, “Look! Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does what God wants is my brother, my sister, my mother.”

Photo By: Nes Zeus

Sometimes we ask ourselves, “Are we doing the right thing?” And, as we get deeper into our reflection, we ask further, “Is this is really the will of God?  Are these really part of God’s plan?”

Let me tell you a story.

Once there was a Man with twelve brothers. You see, they were preparing to go to a voyage across the world. Their mission was to sail the seven seas and look for lands unknown. When the people heard of this, they thought it was hilarious and thought of the brothers as crazy, as well as the Man who planned the whole thing. Nevertheless, the Man believed in His brothers, and so they went to find and to explore the unknown. Let us know these brothers shall we?

Andrew – He’s the inspector of some sort, checking and making sure that the ship was worthy to sail.

Bartholomew – He’s the most cheerful of the brothers. Often he would cheer them up in times of despair, especially when they feel lost and alone in the vast sea.

James I – He’s the navigator of the ship. Whenever his brothers were lost, he always led them to the right direction

James II – The Weatherman. James the second would always see to it that whenever He and his brothers would enter a storm he’s always there to guide and protect them from it.

Judas – He was the all-around man. One day, pirates came storming to the ship and offered gold in exchange for the Captain’s life. Judas made a choice of exchanging the Captain for gold. He did this in order to save his life, and unknowingly, his Brothers’ lives. If he hadn’t done that, they all would’ve been dead by now. Unfortunately, losing his Captain was too great for him. He left the ship and went someplace else.

Jude – He was the problem solver of the group. Whenever they find themselves having to make a decision, Jude would always step in to solve the problem. Even when a solution is hard to be found, he would always have one.

John – Called the Loyal Brother. Loyal that until the point where in John saw the pirates arresting the Captain; he disguised himself and remained with the captain till the end.

Matthew – He was the Brother of Functions; from his title he did all the functional stuffs that others might find boring or too tedious.

Peter – The unfaithful leader, throughout their voyage Peter said that he is faithful to the Captain. The Captain sensed greatness in Him. The time came that the Captain was to be arrested and Peter hid himself into the storage of the ship where he remained throughout the conflict. But soon after, Peter realized what the Captain had said to him, “You will lead these brothers of yours, you will lead them to peace,” thus Peter was considered the second in command of the ship and later the captain of the ship after the Captain’s arrest.

Philip – He’s the lookout, a goal oriented person. He’d do everything he can to achieve their goals

Simon – The Carpenter of the ship. His mission was to fill the void within the ship.

Thomas – Thomas is the one who was always in doubt, a double checker. He made sure that everything was always double checked.

The Captain – The Captain was extraordinary, He was incomparable to all of these brothers. The Captain knew what was to happen. He knew where they were headed to, and everything there was to know. You see the He did this, planned this for His brothers for them to know their strengths and for them to realize their worth. In the end the Captain was traded to the pirates that captured their ship to spare the brothers’ lives. The Captain was killed through the Cross.

Does the story sound familiar to you? If yes, well this is the story of Jesus Christ and His apostles and their mission to spread the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The ship represents us and the brothers, the mission.

Sometimes we are like Peter, unfaithful to our families, friends and love ones, but we learn from those mistakes and continue to lead others out of those mistakes as well. Sometimes we are like Judas who, at some point, betrayed someone to the point of no return. We did what we thought of to be right and someone or something paid the price. But it had to happen just like Christ’s Crucifixion. Sometimes we are navigators, lookouts, and problem solvers. We guide our love ones to what we believe to be the right path. Other times we become the functional one, the one that is there just because we are needed such as Matthew and Simon.

My friend, whenever we find ourselves confused of what God wants us to do, remember these Brothers (apostles) and find inspiration in them. Remember they were all humans too just like us, sinners, murderers, traitors, but also a friend.

The question is who among the brothers are you right now? Do you find yourself in a storm? Or are you lost in vastness of the sea? Is there anything broken in your ship? Or have you abandoned your ship and found a new one? My friend you are destined to be just like one of the brothers, reflect on them and find answer within their conquest and pray that the all-knowing Captain be always with you and remain in you. Amen

“In everything that we do may it be in accordance to His will and may it be for His glory, Amen.”

Writer: Bruce Alzona | Artist: Nes Zeus

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET

01222012, Sunday

Jonah 3:1-5, 10 / Psalm 25 / 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

Jesus Announces The Good News

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!

Jesus Calls The First Disciples

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Photo by: Janina Saspa

Who to follow?

You may follow lots of TV Personalities, social groups, quote-bearer accounts on Twitter, wanting to know the latest news and wishing to be followed back. But who do you think does God really want us to follow? What does God want us to “mention” every once in a while?

Many people have been asked to surrender everything and follow Him instead. Doubtful, indeed they’ve been doubtful. As I’ve always read in fast food chains, “Don’t leave your valuables unattended.” How can you let go of the things that matter? Even so, doing it for the One who matters, too?

But all He wanted is for us to trust his sovereignty above all. He wants us to take that risky adventure of faith and let Him work over us. Responding to the call of following Him may lead us to sacrifices but the awesome feeling brought by being His follower is priceless.

I have handed every part of life to Him. My family, my studies, my friends, my YFC service, even my lovelife! I know that His guidance will come to me as I walk through the path that He wants me to take. Share His words! Let His name be a trending topic for everyone to browse through – for everyone else to follow! #likeJESUS

Writer: Bianca Pascual | Artist: Janina Saspa

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET

A lot of people have been telling me that the "End of the World 2012" would happen this December 21,2012. And every time someone ask me that question, I'd reply back with a strange look on my face, and I'd keep on thinking about one thing.

I know how scary it is even for me, I saw the movie and it was horrifying with thrills and spills. But how do they know about this stuff? Are they fortune tellers? Are they seers? and most importantly are they God?

No one knows about this kind of thing except for our great God. What will a simple mayan calendar do to the earth? it's just a simple circle with marks. Our God knows our fate, and the fate of the world. 

Just like our parents would say,"Do not believe in anything that T.V would say", why not apply it now? Why not trust your parents on this one.

2012 they say may be the end as we know it, but one thing's for sure, I am not counting on superstitious beliefs...

I'm counting on one man and that's our Lord..

Writer: Saimehen Lloid Iluis

CFC Youth for Christ - Davao City

Today /January 9, 2012. Monday/ is the annual Feast of the Translacion of the Image of the Black Nazarene.

*Every year thousands of devotees from all walks of life come to the district of Quiapo to take part in the procession as a way of strengthening their faith or fulfilling their “panata” (vow) to Lord.

"Espiritu ng Ama at ng Poong Nazareno; Sambayanang Pilipino, ibangon Mo." +

CFC Youth for Christ - Davao City

Today /January 9, 2012. Monday/ is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

*May we be thankful for the gift of our Baptism and the Holy Spirit.

 Thank You, Father, that I am Your beloved child. Amen. +

010612, Friday

1 John 5:5-13/ Psalm 147

Gospel: Mark 1:7-11

He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

I AM WELL PLEASED

Today is the first Friday of the year. It is also the Friday before we celebrate the Lord’s Epiphany. The gospel talks about John the Baptist at the Jordan River. 

Having served in the ministry of the CFC Youth for Christ as a leader for four years, I was brought to a question of whether the Lord was really pleased and glorified through my acts of service. After countless youth camps that I have been through, talks that were delivered, immeasurable sacrifices, through the pains, sufferings, and every day actions; the big question was, did I glorify Him? 

It was then I remembered the time I had a walk outside our house and tried to meditate on the things that have happened in my life. At first I tried recalling ten hurts, then after a while it was then the blessings I tried to recall. I was amazed, because it just came and came. The blessings in my life were overflowing. 

With all these blessings, how can I have ever thought that the Lord displeased? I realized that if we were being a blessing to other people, then the Lord was also pleased and glorified. It may be through service in a ministry, a generous act for the poor, or even a simple act of kindness to our loved ones. 

As I looked up at the night sky, it was as if the Lord was whispering to me: “You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased.” –Mark 1:11- Jhobs Ko