alowlypilgrim

[alowlypilgrim]

When Others Walk Away: Finding Grace to Stay Like Jesus

“Do you also want to leave?” (John 6:67). These words from Jesus stop me every time. They’re not just a question—they’re a window into His heart, raw and vulnerable, as He watches His followers turn away. Lately, I’ve been sitting with this moment, imagining what it’s like to stand in Jesus’ place, aching as people I care about drift from faith. In a world where many no longer follow Jesus, how are we called to respond? And how can we find the strength to keep going?

The Pain of Watching Others Leave

In John’s Gospel, Jesus shares the challenging teaching on the Bread of Life, and many disciples can’t handle it. They walk away, leaving Him with just the Twelve. Then comes that piercing question: “Do you also want to leave?” It’s not accusatory—it’s an invitation, heavy with love and loneliness. I feel that weight when I think about friends who’ve let faith fade, family who’ve declared they’re done, or a culture where belief feels like a faint echo. Standing in Jesus’ place, I sense the sting of rejection, the quiet grief of shared hope unraveling.

Have you felt this too? The ache of watching someone you love step back from faith? It’s tempting to respond with frustration (Why can’t they see?), guilt (Did I fail them?), or silence, hoping time will fix it. But I wonder if there’s another way—a way that reflects Jesus’ heart.

Pope Francis: A Model of Jesus’ Love

Pope Francis offers a glimpse of that better way. His ministry feels like Jesus stepping into our world today—welcoming the outcast, listening to skeptics, offering mercy to sinners. He shows us the Church isn’t a fortress to defend but a field hospital for the wounded. Evangelization, he reminds us, starts with presence, not preaching; with compassion, not condemnation. I see Jesus in Francis’ refusal to judge first, his choice to love first. It’s a radical inclusivity that invites everyone closer to the One who holds “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

I’m inspired, but also challenged. How do I welcome like that? How do I love without judgment when my own heart feels bruised? Francis doesn’t do this on his own strength—he leans on God’s grace. And that’s where hope lies for me, too.

The Hard Truth: I Can’t Do This Alone

Standing in Jesus’ place is daunting. My heart isn’t always wide enough to welcome. My words stumble, edged with impatience or fear. Sometimes, I’m the one tempted to walk away, tired of the cost. I don’t have the patience of Pope Francis or the boundless love of Jesus. But here’s the truth: I don’t need to. God’s grace is enough (2 Corinthians 12:9). Only grace can soften my edges, widen my love, and give me courage to stay when others leave.

Grace doesn’t make it easy—it makes it possible. It helps me witness gently, speak when called, or often, just be present. It reminds me that evangelization isn’t about winning arguments but about reflecting Jesus’ mercy, even in small ways.

The Call to Remain

Maybe that’s my calling right now: to remain. To cling to Jesus, as Peter did, knowing there’s nowhere else to go for true life. To stay in love, even when it’s unreturned. To trust that God’s love, working through my frail efforts, still speaks—even in silence. Like Pope Francis, I’m called to be a bridge, not a barrier, to those who’ve drifted. Not to fix them, but to walk with them, pointing to the One who never stops seeking the lost.

Standing in Jesus’ place means choosing to stay, even when it’s hard. It means trusting that every act of mercy, every moment of presence, plants a seed. And it means leaning on grace to keep my heart open, no matter who walks away.

A Prayer to Stay Faithful

Let’s pause and pray together:

Lord Jesus, When others turn away, help me remain in You. Grant me grace to love without judging, To welcome without fear, To witness with quiet fidelity. Shape my heart to mirror Your mercy, So that, even in silence, Your love shines through me. Amen.

Your Turn: How Will You Remain?

What about you? Have you felt the ache of others drifting from faith? How are you called to respond—with welcome, mercy, or simply staying present? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Let’s encourage each other to lean on God’s grace and remain, reflecting Jesus’ love in a world that needs it more than ever.

[alowlypilgrim]

Covid Positive

I tested positive via the Rapid Antigen Test last Saturday, October 8. I woke up feeling lethargic with flu-like symptoms. I must have gotten the virus on Tuesday when I accompanied my daughter for her doctor's appointment at a nearby hospital. At one point I took off my face mask to eat my snack while waiting at the doctor's clinic. Maybe at that precise moment the virus got into my system. After three days, I was feeling the symptoms and tested positive. Moral of the story: don't take off your mask while you are in an enclosed space.

Today I am feeling much better with just a slight sore throat and a little cough. I also started with Mulnopiravir, the anti-viral drug for Covid patients having mild symptoms. Elderly people like me are advised to take this drug to prevent progression of Covid. Hopefully by the end of this week I would be completely covid free.

[alowlypilgrim]

Fogs Of Life

The "fogs" of life – ailments, material deprivations, rejections, debts to pay, economic inflation, political chaos – must not be allowed to cloud our vision toward the sole aspiration of our souls. Such darkness that sometimes engulfs our whole being, should not drive us to despair.

[alowlypilgrim]

Realizations

Knowing that God is always with me has a way of motivating me to be a good person and to make an effort at pleasing Him at all times. He knows what I think about or what my intentions are. He knows how I feel about the persons and things around me. He is with me in times of  sickness and in health; in times of joy and in distress; in times of abundance and in scarcity. He can see me in all my nakedness. How can I ever escape his gaze?

This awareness that indeed God is always with us makes it easier for me to have the courage to embark on any task that is assigned to me. My battle cry has always been “If God is with me, who can be against me” and this assures me of  divine protection and direction.

[alowlypilgrim]

What Delights Me

At 73 years of age I have come to realize that material goods no longer give me much joy as much as they did in my younger years. It is the simple things or simple gestures that delight me now.

my roof-top veggie garden that I get to cultivate with utmost dedication. Each day very early in the morning I would be up there tending my plants. Harvesting the fruits of my labor gives me pure delight

expressing my thoughts in these blogs

writing my "dear Jesus" journal via an online app.

watching the rain come pouring down while in the roof deck

rainbows, sunrise and sunsets

birds happily chirping around my plants

listening to funny jokes and stories

watching my daughter's tiktok entries

reading books and watching Netflix

playing word blitz via my iphone and competing with online gamers

having my solitary moments with my God

Chatting with long-time friends and reminiscing the golden years of our youth

tokens of appreciation or a sincere affirmation from friends

[alowlypilgrim]

Map For Our Journey

Nowadays I no longer drive around Metro Manila. My daughter does it for me. But years ago whenever I drive around the city I'd always have a map with me in my car. During those times we did not have the WAZE App or the GPS. The map would guide me to every destination I wanted to go especially when I was not familiar with the locality. With the map in my hand, I could go any place anytime. But without it, I'd become so insecure; I would never dare go any place which was not familiar to me unless I had somebody with me who would be able to guide me.

In my spiritual journey, I have Jesus as my guide. I would consider myself totally in the dark if He should be absent from my life much like a blind person who would not know where to go. Without Him by my side acting as my guide, how can I hope to go about my life's journey safe and come out unscathed?

[alowlypilgrim]

GOD ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS

godHere is a poem someone sent me a long time ago via the internet which drives home the message that God truly listens to our prayers. However He writes straight in crooked lines. His thoughts are not our thoughts; his ways are not our ways.

I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve. I asked for prosperity and God gave me brawn and brains to work. I asked for courage and God gave me dangers to overcome. I asked for patience and God placed me in situations where  I was forced to wait. I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help. I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities. I received nothing I wanted; I received everything I needed. My prayers have all been answered." (Author unknown)

[alowlypilgrim]

Thoughts Before Falling Asleep

Thinking of so many debts to pay is so distressing. I wish I can live a zero-debt life. I need to pay all these off but I am so lacking in funds and that results to further stress. I have been praying and hoping I would win in the lotto just so I can settle all these debts - credit cards, suppliers, taxes. Or if there is a buyer who would be willing to buy our house at the agreed price, I would be able to repay all my debts. But then the house needs repairs. It would not be attractive for the prospective buyer to buy the place unless I undertake repairs on the property. But again I don't have the funds. That is my biggest dilemma.