Bishop Joseph Lagumbay CUC

Sometimes, people will remember us because of our past mistakes.

May mga tao na mahihirapang tanggapin ang pagbabago natin dahil mas malinaw sa kanilang alaala kung sino tayo noon kaysa kung sino tayo ngayon. They may continue to judge us based on a chapter of our life that God has already begun to redeem.

Masakit iyon.

Masakit kapag ang isang pagkakamali na pinagsisihan mo na ay paulit-ulit pang ibinabalik sa iyo. Masakit kapag sinusubukan mong magbago, pero may mga taong mas gustong alalahanin ang dati mong pagkatao kaysa makita ang biyayang ginagawa ng Diyos sa buhay mo ngayon.

For those who serve the Church, this pain can become even heavier.

There are ministers, seminarians, lay leaders, clergy, and servants of God who secretly carry guilt within them. They love Christ. They desire to serve. They have repented. They have learned from their failures. Yet every now and then, someone brings up an old mistake, an old weakness, an old sin, and the wound opens again.

If this is you, hear this clearly:

Your past is part of your story, but it is not your identity.

The enemy often uses shame to accomplish what sin could not. Sin may be forgiven, but shame tries to convince us that we are forever disqualified. Shame whispers, "You will never be worthy." Shame says, "Who are you to serve God after what you did?"

But Christ says otherwise.

Throughout Scripture, God continually called imperfect people into service. Moses had failures. David had failures. Peter denied Christ. Paul persecuted the Church. Yet God did not define them by their worst moments. God defined them by His grace and by the transformation that followed.

The Church is not a museum of perfect people. It is a hospital of healing souls.

Acknowledge your mistakes. Learn from them. Make amends where possible. Accept responsibility where responsibility is needed. Humility is important.

But once you have sincerely repented and committed yourself to growth, do not allow yourself to remain imprisoned in a cell whose door Christ has already opened.

There are people who may never forgive you.

There are people who may never believe you have changed.

There are people who may continue to bring up your past whenever they have the opportunity.

Pray for them.

Love them.

But do not surrender your calling to them.

You cannot control another person's heart. You cannot force reconciliation. You cannot make everyone see the work God is doing within you.

What you can do is remain faithful.

Continue praying.

Continue serving.

Continue learning.

Continue loving.

Continue walking with Christ.

Remember that persecution does not always come from enemies. Sometimes it comes from people who know us well. Sometimes it comes from people who cannot separate our past from our present. Sometimes it comes from fellow believers.

When that happens, resist the temptation to become bitter.

Do not fight every battle that people invite you into.

Hindi lahat ng accusations kailangan sagutin.

Hindi lahat ng insulto kailangan patulan.

Hindi lahat ng criticism ay kailangang gawing personal na digmaan.

At hindi lahat ng lugar na puno ng conflict ay kailangang manatili ka.

Sometimes, the most Christ-like response is silence.

Sometimes, the most Christ-like response is prayer.

Sometimes, the most Christ-like response is simply continuing to do good while entrusting your reputation to God.

The goal of the Christian life is not to prove everyone wrong.

The goal is to remain faithful to Christ.

If people continue to bring up your past, let your present life be your answer.

If they accuse you of what you once were, continue becoming who God is calling you to be.

If they refuse to see your growth, continue growing anyway.

Because ultimately, we do not stand before the judgment of public opinion. We stand before the God who sees the whole journey, the wounds, the repentance, the tears, the failures, and the grace that carries us forward.

A servant of God is not measured by how many arguments he wins, but by how much love, grace, humility, and compassion he can carry when life becomes difficult.

So to every servant of Christ who carries guilt, regret, or the weight of past mistakes:

Do not give up.

Do not let shame steal your vocation.

Do not let the voices of condemnation become louder than the voice of Christ.

Keep serving.

Keep loving.

Keep trusting.

Keep walking.

The same Christ who called you knowing your weaknesses still calls you today knowing your weaknesses.

And His grace remains greater than your past.

May Christ, the Universal Savior, heal every wounded heart, strengthen every weary servant, and lead all of us toward peace, reconciliation, and the fullness of divine love.

+ Bishop Joseph Lagumbay

You can always change your church.

You can change your religion. You can transfer from one denomination to another. You can leave because you disagree with the pastor, the priest, the bishop, the worship style, or even the people around you.

At minsan, may valid reasons naman para umalis.

But changing churches is easy.

Changing your heart is hard.

Madaling humanap ng bagong simbahan. Madaling sabihin na, "Sila ang problema." Madaling mag-walk out kapag nasaktan tayo, na-disappoint, o hindi natin nagustuhan ang nangyari.

Pero mas mahirap tanungin ang sarili natin:

"Am I becoming a more loving person?"

Because sometimes, the biggest problem is not the church we attend.

Minsan, ang tunay na laban ay nasa loob natin.

Yung galit na matagal na nating kinikimkim.

Yung pride na ayaw magpakumbaba.

Yung sugat na ayaw nating paghilumin.

Yung tendency nating husgahan ang iba habang nahihirapan tayong tingnan ang sarili nating pagkukulang.

We can spend our whole lives moving from church to church, religion to religion, group to group, and still carry the same anger, the same bitterness, and the same unhealed heart.

God is not only interested in changing our address on Sunday mornings.

God wants to change our hearts.

Hindi lang tayo tinatawag para magpalit ng simbahan. Tinatawag tayo para magbago bilang tao.

To become more compassionate.

More forgiving.

More patient.

More loving.

As the Lord says:

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you." (Ezekiel 36:26)

Sa huli, maaaring hindi tayo tanungin ng Diyos kung ilang simbahan ang nasalihan natin.

Hindi rin kung gaano karaming theological debates ang ating napanalunan.

Hindi kung gaano karaming beses tayong lumipat ng relihiyon.

The question may be much simpler:

Did you learn to love?

Dahil sa dulo ng lahat, ang sukatan ng ating pananampalataya ay hindi kung saan tayo nagsisimba.

Kundi kung paano tayo nagmahal.

Kung paano tayo nagpatawad.

Kung paano natin nakita ang imahe ng Diyos sa kapwa natin.

Because wherever you go, whatever church you belong to, and whatever tradition you follow, the calling remains the same:

Love God.

Love one another.

And allow God to transform your heart.


+Joseph Lagumbay

Married Priests and Pastors can relate..

Earlier today, habang naglilinis ako ng mga laruan ng anak ko, napulot ko yung Thor hammer niya, si Mjolnir.

Napaisip ako at napangiti.

"If this was the real Mjolnir, hindi ko ito mabubuhat."

Sa Marvel universe, only those who are worthy can lift the hammer. Habang hawak ko yung laruan, bigla akong napaisip sa sarili kong buhay.

Naalala ko ang mga pagkakamali ko.

The people I hurt who genuinely loved me.

Yung mga pagkakataong ipinagpalit ko ang tama para sa gusto ko.

The times I broke trust, disappointed people, and failed to become the person I should have been.

Naalala ko rin ang mga kasalanan ko, mga bisyo, mga kahinaan, at mga bagay na hanggang ngayon ay pinagsisisihan ko pa rin.

And honestly, habang iniisip ko lahat ng iyon, naisip ko, "No, I am not worthy."

Hindi ko mabubuhat ang Mjolnir.

Hindi dahil mahina ako.

Kundi dahil alam ko kung sino ako kapag tinitingnan ko ang sarili ko nang walang palusot.

But then, I remembered Christ.

The Gospel was never about worthy people earning God's love.

Hindi kailanman naging tungkol sa pagiging perpekto bago mahalin ng Diyos.

In fact, Christ came precisely because we were not worthy.

Dumating si Jesus hindi para sa mga taong walang kasalanan, kundi para sa mga taong sugatan, nagkamali, naligaw ng landas, at nangangailangan ng biyaya.

He knew every failure we would commit.

Alam Niya ang pinakamadilim na bahagi ng ating mga puso.

Alam Niya ang ating mga lihim na kasalanan, mga kahinaan, at mga bagay na ikinahihiya natin.

And yet, He chose to love us anyway.

Pinili Niyang akuin ang krus.

Pinili Niyang mamatay para sa atin.

Pinili Niyang tawagin tayong mga anak ng Diyos.

So maybe the Christian message is not, "I am worthy."

Maybe the message is this:

"I was not worthy, but Christ loved me."

"I was not worthy, but Christ forgave me."

"I was not worthy, but Christ redeemed me."

"I was not worthy, but Christ made me worthy through His grace."

At para sa akin, iyon ang mas makapangyarihang kuwento.

Hindi ang kuwento ng isang tao na naging perpekto.

Kundi ang kuwento ng isang makasalanan na minahal pa rin ng Diyos.

A broken person restored by grace.

A fallen person lifted by mercy.

Kaya kung minsan tinitingnan mo ang nakaraan mo at naiisip mong hindi ka karapat-dapat sa pagmamahal ng Diyos, alalahanin mo ito:

Your worth was never based on your perfection.

It was revealed on the Cross.

At sa Krus, ipinakita ni Kristo na ikaw ay mahalaga, mahal, at karapat-dapat iligtas.

Not because of who you are.

But because of who He is."But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) ❤️✝️


+Joseph Lagumbay