The Cristo Pantocrator is a largely unknown theme of representing Christ in Western Christianity. It is, however, popular with Orthodox Christianity. Pantocrator is the Greek translation of the Hebrew El Shaddai, which in English means Almighty or Omnipotent. The word appears several times in the Book of Revelation to describe God, but not Christ specifically. As a title to Christ, it depicts him as judge of humanity.

Cristo Pantocrator

As to why such a Christian theme ended up covered under an Islamic veneer can be explained by a little history. By 1453, the Turks invaded Constantinople. As a symbol of Turkish/Islamic superiority over the Byzantines/Christians, Sultan Mehmed II converted the Hagia Sophia, grandest church of all Christendom, into a mosque.
The Islamization of the church lasted about 400 years. Mosaics were plastered over. Crosses were removed. Minarets were added. Giant discs bearing the name of Allah, Muhammad, and the four caliphs were hung on the columns.
Yet the Hagia Sophia did not remain a mosque. In 1953, about 20 years from the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and about 500 years from the time it became a mosque, the Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum. No longer Muslim or Christian, it served as a beacon of secularism symbolizing the current state of Turkey.
The carpets were removed, exposing the marble floor unseen for centuries. The plaster covering the mosaics were gradually peeled off by expert restorers.

John Crysostom, Early Church Father (Restored Mosaic in the Hagia Sophia)

Emperor Bowing Before the Pantocrator (Restored Mosaic in the Hagia Sophia)

Yet a controversy is still under way on whether to expose the image of Cristo Pantocrator in the dome of the Hagia Sophia. Exposing it would mean the destruction of Islamic themes, which would not only offend Muslims it would also be erasing part of the history of the transformation of the church, or of the history of Turkey itself.
Other voices are more radical. They want to restore the Hagia Sophia into a church once again. Some even say that restoration of the church back into Orthodox hands should be a prerequisite for Turkey to join the European Union. Yet this ignores numerous mosques converted into churches in Spain.
I leave the decision to God, and pray that the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) of Cristo Pantocrator settle the controversy of the nations…

If you move among Evangelical/Fundamentalist circles, then the odds are that you probably couldn’t count the many times this verse is quoted. You might even have heard this interspersed inside sermons that told people about the “easy” way of salvation. In fact, this verse might have also been cited as a reason for you to say the Sinner’s Prayer, which for many has become the passport to Evangelical heaven.
Yet that verse, if taken in the proper context, teaches nothing about how easy it is to be saved. Anyone can say that Jesus is Lord using his mouth but for him to say it in truth and conviction, that is to agree about it fully, is anything but easy. This is because the confession that “Jesus is Lord” doesn’t start and end with the confession. For you to truly say it, you must believe in it, and with that belief naturally comes action, which is to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus must become your Lord, Master, or Controller, of all that you have and all the other areas of his life. By extension, this would mean that Jesus must be Lord of your wife, your children, your possessions, your house, your time, your thoughts, your words, your actions, your money, your goals, your ambitions, your plans, and even the time of your death; such that you can claim that …You are not your own; you were bought at a price… 1 Cor. 19,20.
There is nothing is easy about this teaching. In fact, the cost that was paid so that it would be possible for anyone to confess that Jesus is Lord and be saved is far from cheap. Christ himself had to leave the comforts, prestige, possessions, power, honor, and glory that he enjoyed in heaven to associate with sinful, rebellious, and hell deserving man by becoming man. Association with man and becoming a man, however, were not enough. He further carried man’s sin, which is that which causes man to offend God.
Sin is something that he hates. Yet he carried it in place of man. For Christ to carry it in the cross is analogous, yet still desperately lacking in degree, to someone who hates cockroaches but has to carry them so that others may no longer carry them. Furthermore, because Jesus carried sin, he had to die as is what is required as the penalty for sin. We know that he eventually rises again, but the fact still remains that God, the Source of Life, at one point in history, suffered and died. That is the price of our salvation.
To call Christ Lord is to give up everything to him, to be prepared to go where he sends, and to even die and suffer for him. To call Christ Lord is to treat him as king, such that we must follow every command he gives. We cannot say “No” to a king. Neither, can we say “Yes, but…”. In fact in Christ’s kingdom, we don’t even have rights as we know it in democratic settings. The only right we have in the kingdom is the right to obey. To the king’s every command, we can only say “Yes”.
This is a hard teaching, and for all practical purpose is impossible. The rich, young ruler could not accept this. Jesus knew what this teaching entailed and said, “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
It is impossible for natural man to confess that Jesus is Lord. It is God Himself who causes us to say it. Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him… (John 6:44)” Jesus recognized that only a few will follow him yet he still calls for those who would listen:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12
I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matt 11:29,30

And so as you are reminded of the events of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection as we commemorate them in the Holy Week, remember also the reasons why he came to Earth. He came to obey the will of the Father. He came to find lost man, and to reclaim him for himself. He came to suffer. He came to die. He came that he might lead you to life.
Jesus endured the cross. He scorned its shame. He refused to dwell on his wounds. He refused to dwell on the taunts against him. He refused to dwell on his fatigue. He refused to dwell on his pain. Furthermore, he refused to dwell on the sin of the whole world that he carried on the way.
Instead, he focused on the joy that was set before him. With every step he took, and as every step drew him nearer to death, he knew that he would be reunited with his Father and the Holy Spirit once again. He knew that he had done a good job, that he had done the Father’s will. He knew that through this act, it would finally be possible for holy God and sinful man to be reconciled once again.
If Jesus is not yet your Lord, come to him and make him your Lord. Give him your everything as he gave everything he had for you. Salvation is free. You only have to receive what Christ is offering, but to do that you have to give up everything you are holding so that there would be room for it. Leave your hurts, your pains, your secrets, your sins to him. Offer him all of your strength, your mind, your heart, your spirit, your possessions, and all your responsibilities. Be reconciled to God,turn from your sins, and share in the joy of Christ’s triumph over sin.
And as you make your decision, I would like to close with the words of two brave men, who obeyed God’s call, and sold themselves to slavery so that Christ would be preached to slaves:
May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering!

* Deut. 4:2, Rev. 22:18, 19

*No harm in hoping. Besides, having high standards is a good motivator for excellence.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God of the Past, the Future, and the Present. I commit my life into Your hands. Do with it according to Your will in the name of the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Leader: Viva Señor! Hail Lord!
People: Viva! Hail!
Leader: Viva Señor! Hail Lord!
People: Viva! Hail!
Leader: Viva Señor San Miguel! Hail Lord San Miguel!

This would be the time that San Miguel would be closest to his people. They could now touch him, kiss him, and wipe their handkerchiefs on him so that his blessings could be spread to whatever these hankies touch. Last year was particularly violent for him. He lost an eye to the ministrations of his devotees.
Now I haven’t seen a Catholic-Protestant debate resulting from this practice, but I’ve heard that it could lead to pretty large volumes, textwise and soundwise. Take for example the case of one Protestant minded teacher. She kept repeating “God is a Jealous God” in relation to the devotion to San Miguel. She also lambasted why the Descent of San Miguel was declared a holiday. Even though I agree with her views, except for the holiday part, her approach was far from ideal. It offended both Catholics and Protestants in her class. They were grumbling about her for hours afterwards.
Then there was this other conversation from a Protestant minded neighbor. “Munaog na si San Miguel karon,” said his coworker. San Miguel is descending today.
“Munaog or Ipanaog,” was the neighbor’s reply. Will he descend,or will someone bring him down?
“Cge,” said another guy, “Muuna sa ko.” I’ll be going ahead, guys. Apparently, he knew what was coming next.
Fortunately, the devotee couldn’t get it. He asked, “Unsay kalahian ana?” What’s the difference?
To a Protestant it could only mean that San Miguel has to have people bring him down. He doesn’t even have the power to come down himself, how much more could he help those who pray to him. Anyway, it was one debate narrowly averted.
Whether he’s powerful or powerless, suffice it to say the people are genuine in his “veneration” or “idolatry”, depending on your perspective. There was this devotee who said:

Nagapasalamat ko ug dako kay Sr. San Miguel
kay gihatag niya ang tanan sa amoa.
Gikan pa mi sa Ditucalan.
Nangnaog gyud mi para sa iyaa.
Nagapasalamat giyod ko kay San Miguel.

I am greatly thankful to Señor San Miguel
for giving everything to us.
We came all the way from Ditucalan*
We came here just for him.
I am greatly thankful to San Miguel.

So if you’re interested in the sights of Iligan in fiesta. Visit us next year. Enjoy the parades and the dances. Enjoy whatever it is my city celebrates this time. One thing I’m mostly sure of, I won’t be there with you. I’ll be at home savoring the holiday season.

*Ironically, this is near Muslim majority land.

*Some won’t even dare eat such “food offered to idols”. My opinon? See 1 Cor. 1:1-8, but it’s still a conscience thing.
** Filipinos were not yet allowed in the priesthood at that time.
*** Actually, it was still a tiny fort/town at that time
**** Get a Spanish dictionary. I don’t know Spanish.
***** Catholic theology would say that it would be more appropriate to say that San Miguel interceded for God. Yet the testimonies of San Miguel’s devotees sound like San Miguel himself answers prayers.
****** Loosely translated “Long Live” as analogous to “Long live the King”, but since San Miguel is immortal it would be more appropriately translated as “Hail”.

In fact, even breathing is not fully voluntary! Try committing suicide by holding your breath, and if by sheer force of will you pass the point of unconsciousness, your medulla oblongata, denied the power to override your will, takes over your breathing control with a vengeance and you end up breathing normally.

And it is this act of breathing that made me spend minutes in a few days thinking about breathing, and I discovered something trivially profound (or profoundly trivial) from those sessions. It is impossible to be conscious of involuntary breathing. The moment you become aware of breathing is the moment breathing becomes voluntary.

Now this fact made me wonder what made the experts conclude that breathing can be an involuntary act considering that they could have never observed involuntary breathing in themselves. Now I don’t know how they actually did it. I’m thinking it has to do with sleep.

“Since we are unconscious while we sleep” the expert continued, “but we still breathe during that time, then we must be capable of involuntary breathing. “

Or it could have went like this, “What makes us breathe when we don’t think about breathing,” said one expert to another as the topic made them both gain control of their breathing.

“I don’t know,” said the other expert. “Perhaps some part of our brain does it for us whenever we’re too lazy to notice.”

“Ahh,” said the first expert as both he and the other expert tried desperately to discover the point where they could notice involuntary mechanisms to take control of their breathing.

Perhaps it took a few decades, several centuries, or many a millenia; but technology finally gave us the answer. Electric brain analysis tells us that the medulla oblongata and the pons, both component parts of the brain, regulate involuntary breathing.

Now this got me thinking. Perhaps one reason why God didn’t give us complete control over all our body functions, besides the fact that this would point us to seek a Sovereign God who controls everything, is so that we wouldn’t be boggled by too many decisions. Considering that we can be boggled by breathing, what more if we had control over other functions.

“I have to increase my pulse to 130 beats per minute; my brain is not getting enough ketone bodies.”

“I must not pee, better produce Anti-Diuretic Hormone, but I could suffer from urine back flow. I’d better reabsorb this excess water with <insert hormone name> hormone.”

*According to the Bible: Church services should be ordered. The law itself is ordered. Corresponding punishment is meted out for the corresponding crime.
**Order does not mean uniformity. Remember the analogy of the church to the human body? One body, many parts. One church, many roles.