Noses are dead, violets are blue.

NOSES ARE DEAD, VIOLETS ARE BLUE.  Kalokohan!   
    I agree, those words are not likelykely to adorn the front of your favorite Valentine's Day card!  If you think that is a crazy title, you will definitely shake yourhead in disbelief at lhis loco story recorded by a Jesuit living in the Philippines during Spanish rule.  According to the historical records of Diego de Bobadilla: 

     
  A Spaniard who lived in Manila had the ill  fortune to lose his nose (possibly it was eaten  away by syphilis), and he asked a Chinese wood-  carver then visiting the city if he could make a  new one. The Chinese produced such a good nose  that the Spaniard, delighted, paid him very well.  The artisan returned to China more than satisfied with the transaction so much so that he returned to Manila the foliowing year with a whole cargo of wooden noses in his junk. Alas, there were no more customers. As de Bobadilla said, "to sell them he would have have to cut off the noses of all the Spinards in the country."

"Sayang ang pogod niya " is the way I would describe  his enormous effort at achieving absolutely nothing 
  Imagine all those poor Chinese craftsmen working intently day after day carving all those wooden noses.     
   "What are those loco Spaniards in the Philippines  going to do with all these wooden noses?" they must have wondered silenlly to themselves-sira nga!  Think ' of the laughs and jokes they must have shared together about the recipients of those faceless wooden noses.       What an enormous waste of time and effort!
Imagine the disbelief and disappointment on that poor ' Chinese carver's face when he arrived in Manila and discovered no one wanted or needed his enormous shipment of beautifully carved wooden noses. Lugi!

                       THINK ABOUT IT         
     According to St. Paul, many so-caJled                 "Christians" are  going to be even more surprised and disappointed than  the Chinese carver with his shipment of  wooden noses. Many so-called "Christians" are going to be surprised when they die and stand in judgment before the Lord Jesus Christ. They are going to be disappointed when they discover all their good deeds and religious effort are useless to God. St. Paul explains to us, for example; 
   For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith.  It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it.
      Ephesians 2:8-9

St. Paul reminds you that your salvation is not the result of your "good works" and "efforts."     "You are a sinner," St. Paul insists.     "You can only receive God's forgiveness and grace through faith in Jesus Christ," he warns.     "What is faith?" you ask.  The Bible says to:
  . . . have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of things we cannot see.                               Hebrews 11:1
"It is only by Jesus' death on the  cross, God's free gift of grace,  that you and I can enter into  heaven," St. Paut insists.

Your good works and deeds are your attempt to take control of yourlife.  Akala mokaya mo.  Your good works are an attempt to actually shape and control your fate.    Having faith requires you to trust in God alone for your salvation.  Having faith means you trust God alone to save you from death and judgment  It is not what. you can see and touch that calls for faith, but that which you cannot see and touch.
St. Paul reminded the new Christians:

  In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins.  At that time you   followed the world's evil way . . .  (and you) like  everyone else, were destined to suffer God's  anger.  But God's mercy is so abundant, and his  love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ.  It is by God's grace that you have been saved.

The Chinese carver was obviously a very hard, worker.  Pero nasayang lang!  He was very sincere in his: hard work. He assumed his hard work would produce; a good result. Mali! He was wrong.     "Bakit mali?" you ask.     Because of his eager desire to produce more noses, he was blind to the truth. Bulag siya sa katotohanan.  Despite his sincere efforts, he did not understand truth.

'  "What truth?" you ask.     "The noses were useless, because nobody needed them." That was the truth.     Like the Chinese carver who arrived in Manila with a junk full of useless wooden noses, your hard work to enter the Kingdom of God will bring the same results. lf you choose to ignore the truth concerning the necessity for faith in order to enter God's kingdom, instead of your good works and hard efforts, you will be very disappointed on Judgment Day. When you stand before God and plead for mercy, God will simply inform you that He has no need for your faithless efforts.     The Bible does not teach that you will get into heaven because you work hard. lf you could get into heaven because of the good works you have accom- plished, then Jesus' death on the cross was un- necessary.  Hindi na siya kailangang namatay. That would rob Jesus of his sacrifice for our sins when l-le died on the cross.     

"It is only by Jesus' death on the cross, God's free gift of grace, that you and I can enter into heaven," St. Paul insists.    In common language, this is my own personal confession: 

        Noses are Dead, 
                Violets are Blue,
                     My Faith is in Jesus,
                               What about You?

                            PRAY ABOUT IT
  Thank you,lord, for providing a solution for my sinful and inadequate eITorts. I am very happy you do not judge me according to my own works and deeds, but according Lo my faith in Jesus alone. Please help me undeistand more about your free gift of salvation. Please show me more of your truth.Iwant to experience your love.