Why can't we get it through our thick heads? God has always been inviting us to come to Him but we don't seem to respond wholeheartedly. Why? As always things are easier said than done, because we still belong to this world and somehow what we see around us still has an impact on our daily struggles. So what do we do? It's not that simple but we can start by always reminding ourselves of this truth by surrounding our world with reminders, memos and flashcards of God's goodness to us. One simple tip that I do is to always have a small prayer book and a rosary in my bag. Write down a favorite bible passage and always keep it handy during times of doubt. Amen. Hallelujah!
Isaiah 55:1-3
...Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. 3 Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.
Let us always call on Jesus because there is no other name we can call on to aside from Him. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18R: The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.
...17 The LORD is just in all his ways and holy in all his works. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.
The tagalog version of this bible passage is my mother's favorite song. Whenever I hear this song I am always reminded of how my mother was able to go through life persevering in her faith in God. Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 8:35, 37-3935 Brothers and sisters: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? 37 No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There should be no doubt that God can provide for all our needs. The gospel for today is about the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and feeding of the five thousand. It emphasizes the truth that God will never allow us to grow hungry and will always provide for our needs. There is no need to go anywhere else for nourishment. There is no need to go away and search elsewhere. We only have to go to God for only Him can satisfy all our longings and desires. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 14:13-21
...Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate and were satisfied,...
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
BLESSING ACCOUNT
Sometimes we come to a point where we are confronted with difficult situations. We find it hard to handle it well in order to arrive at sound decisions. This could be due to the fact that it can impact the lives of other people especially those who have become close to us. But in whatever decisions we make it will surely help if we will always be reminded of what the 1st reading today is telling us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Leviticus 25:1. 8-17
...Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the LORD, am your God.”
This sharing by Bro. Bo Sanchez in Didache really touched me and I'm sure it will touch you, too.
BLESSING ACCOUNT
Imagine if one day I ask for your bank account number and tell you, “I’ve deposited one million dollars in your bank account.” Naturally, you’d laugh and say, “Sure, Bo. Thanks. That’s a good one.” Of course, you don’t believe I can give you a million bucks.
But let’s just say I really did put a million dollars in your account. Would you benefit from it?
No, you wouldn’t. Unless you believe that I really gave you a million dollars and withdrew it.
I believe God has deposited zillions of heaven’s resources to your Blessing Account. You’ve got all the love, joy, peace, wisdom, holiness and, yes — finances — that you need in this world to serve Him and live a happy life.
But much of these zillions of blessings are unclaimed because you say to yourself, “There are no blessings. God won’t bless me.”
Believe that your Blessing Account is full and withdraw from your account.
God created the entire universe for you — a universe of blessings that are only waiting to be claimed. Bo Sanchez
REFLECTION:
Have you claimed from your Blessing Account?
Today, I claim from my Blessing Account all that I need. In Jesus’ name!
P S A L M
Psalm 67:2-3. 5. 7-8
R: O God, let all the nations praise you!
...The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us.
The gospel reading for today is about the beheading of St. John the Baptist by King Herod. Based on the gospel his motivations were fear of the people and not of God and his reputation as king. These are both self centered and ungodly in nature. We sometimes end up just like King Herod who fail to act in accordance to what is pleasing to God. We may not have beheaded and killed a person physically but could be in other aspects whenever we succumb to selfish and worldly desires. This happens when we are being motivated to do something based on the standards of men instead of God. In our fight to stand up for what is right we encounter a lot of difficulties and go through really rough times. Sometimes we have to cut off ourselves from seemingly legitimate pleasures in life. It is not easy to uphold the truth but we should not compromise this for anything in this world. Let us always remain focused on Jesus and the truth. We just don’t rely on hearsays and hand me downs info, do we? Today’s gospel clearly shows how totally misled Herod was in believing such a thing about Jesus. We are no different from Herod if we are not clear about the things of our faith. We must not confuse vital truths in our faith which we sometimes do when we do not take the initiative of learning, knowing and growing more in our knowledge of the word of God. As St. Jerome says, "Ignorance of the word of God is ignorance of Jesus." There are different and several layers that we have to unearth before we can understand our Lord Jesus Christ. The things we have to look at are not just the exterior but we have to look into the interior. We receive grace and enlightenment as we strive to know more about Jesus. As we discover each day amazing truths about our faith the more we are in touch who Jesus is. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him." Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison.
Leviticus 25:1. 8-17
...Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the LORD, am your God.”
This sharing by Bro. Bo Sanchez in Didache really touched me and I'm sure it will touch you, too.
BLESSING ACCOUNT
Imagine if one day I ask for your bank account number and tell you, “I’ve deposited one million dollars in your bank account.” Naturally, you’d laugh and say, “Sure, Bo. Thanks. That’s a good one.” Of course, you don’t believe I can give you a million bucks.
But let’s just say I really did put a million dollars in your account. Would you benefit from it?
No, you wouldn’t. Unless you believe that I really gave you a million dollars and withdrew it.
I believe God has deposited zillions of heaven’s resources to your Blessing Account. You’ve got all the love, joy, peace, wisdom, holiness and, yes — finances — that you need in this world to serve Him and live a happy life.
But much of these zillions of blessings are unclaimed because you say to yourself, “There are no blessings. God won’t bless me.”
Believe that your Blessing Account is full and withdraw from your account.
God created the entire universe for you — a universe of blessings that are only waiting to be claimed. Bo Sanchez
REFLECTION:
Have you claimed from your Blessing Account?
Today, I claim from my Blessing Account all that I need. In Jesus’ name!
P S A L M
Psalm 67:2-3. 5. 7-8
R: O God, let all the nations praise you!
...The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us.
The gospel reading for today is about the beheading of St. John the Baptist by King Herod. Based on the gospel his motivations were fear of the people and not of God and his reputation as king. These are both self centered and ungodly in nature. We sometimes end up just like King Herod who fail to act in accordance to what is pleasing to God. We may not have beheaded and killed a person physically but could be in other aspects whenever we succumb to selfish and worldly desires. This happens when we are being motivated to do something based on the standards of men instead of God. In our fight to stand up for what is right we encounter a lot of difficulties and go through really rough times. Sometimes we have to cut off ourselves from seemingly legitimate pleasures in life. It is not easy to uphold the truth but we should not compromise this for anything in this world. Let us always remain focused on Jesus and the truth. We just don’t rely on hearsays and hand me downs info, do we? Today’s gospel clearly shows how totally misled Herod was in believing such a thing about Jesus. We are no different from Herod if we are not clear about the things of our faith. We must not confuse vital truths in our faith which we sometimes do when we do not take the initiative of learning, knowing and growing more in our knowledge of the word of God. As St. Jerome says, "Ignorance of the word of God is ignorance of Jesus." There are different and several layers that we have to unearth before we can understand our Lord Jesus Christ. The things we have to look at are not just the exterior but we have to look into the interior. We receive grace and enlightenment as we strive to know more about Jesus. As we discover each day amazing truths about our faith the more we are in touch who Jesus is. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him." Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison.
Friday, July 29, 2011
NO OTHER LOVE
No other love is greater than the love that God has for each one of us. If only we are fully aware of this then we will all be compelled to share this great love. Let us always be reminded of this so that our thought, word and action resounds this truth. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 John 4:7-16
...11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. 14 Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. 15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God.
If we will just constantly nourish and fill ourselves with the words of God in scriptures like in today's psalm then there is really no reason for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 (or Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab)
R: I will bless the Lord at all times.
...I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. (R) 7 [8] The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them...
Today is the feast day of St. Martha and I must admit that she is one of the saints who is close to my heart. First and foremost because of the fact that St. Martha's Church has become my official parish since I arrived here in the US. It is where I have gone for daily masses the most. She is a hardworking prayer intercessor who never stops in her labor for the service of God. Just like St. Martha we should all be firm believers that God answers all our prayers no matter how impossible it may be. Although the qualities of St. Martha depicted in a certain bible passage where she complained to the Lord that she is the one doing all the work does not speak very well of her we could still learn something from it. We should look at the example of the industrious and service oriented attitude of St. Martha especially when our lazy and careless sides get the better of us. It happens to the best of us when we sometimes run away from work and hesitate to be involved. As we make ourselves available for God's work we too like St. Martha in today's gospel can eventually transcend from that worried and anxious woman to a person of faith. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 11:19-27
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die...
1 John 4:7-16
...11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. 14 Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. 15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God.
If we will just constantly nourish and fill ourselves with the words of God in scriptures like in today's psalm then there is really no reason for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 (or Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab)
R: I will bless the Lord at all times.
...I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. (R) 7 [8] The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them...
Today is the feast day of St. Martha and I must admit that she is one of the saints who is close to my heart. First and foremost because of the fact that St. Martha's Church has become my official parish since I arrived here in the US. It is where I have gone for daily masses the most. She is a hardworking prayer intercessor who never stops in her labor for the service of God. Just like St. Martha we should all be firm believers that God answers all our prayers no matter how impossible it may be. Although the qualities of St. Martha depicted in a certain bible passage where she complained to the Lord that she is the one doing all the work does not speak very well of her we could still learn something from it. We should look at the example of the industrious and service oriented attitude of St. Martha especially when our lazy and careless sides get the better of us. It happens to the best of us when we sometimes run away from work and hesitate to be involved. As we make ourselves available for God's work we too like St. Martha in today's gospel can eventually transcend from that worried and anxious woman to a person of faith. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 11:19-27
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die...
Thursday, July 28, 2011
THE JOURNEY
There are times in our life when we are confused and don't know what to do. But most of the time too we are just making things more difficult and worse than it really is. God will always show us the right way to go there is no doubt about that. Sometimes the problem is not knowing what to do but not doing what we're supposed to do. If only we would only take time to look around us and assess our situation then all the signs will surely point us to the right direction. We've been given the faculties as a human being all the senses that enable us to see, hear, feel, taste, smell and think. Even those who lack one or two of these senses have developed a keen sense in the other senses. An example is a blind man although blind have a very keen sense of hearing and smelling that compensates for the loss of sight. All of these and the other capacities and capabilities as man have made us fully equipped and wonderfully created by God. Sometimes we have a lot of excuses and alibis. We are all meant to be the person God has meant us to be. If only we would always be attuned to Him we would find out that God does not require impossibilities from us. There would even be times when we encounter people, events and situations that just fit in and fall into perfect place. Just like what happened this afternoon when we received word with regards to a change of schedule in our trip. It all worked for the good because it matched the time and date that we were earlier hoping to get and with an additional treat. Funny how at times we just overlook those little things that happen to us but it made me realize that should not be the case. God is always there to guide and direct us whether in big or small things. This can not be denied, always evident and further confirmed in today's 1st reading which speaks of the Israelites' journey. The prevailing condition of the Dwelling became a clear and obvious sign of what they were supposed to do. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 40:16-21. 34-38
...Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling, the Israelites would set out on their journey. 37 But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward; only when it lifted did they go forward...
We have to go the extra mile always in doing everything in love. For God is love and He is in us. We should be careful not to taint and mess up ourselves and this is only possible if we take good care of God's dwelling place as suggested in today's psalm. We are the temple or dwelling place of God and this we should know by now and always be aware of. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 84:3. 4. 5-6a and 8a. 11
R: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
...[6] Blessed the men whose strength you are! 7 [8] They go from strength to strength. (R) 10 [11] I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked...
Let us not lose sight of the truth that we are molded in God's mastery and expertise and we are His masterpiece, a genuine work of His hands. If we can confidently and honestly say after careful examination of our lives that we are indeed the product of God's hands then we can stand firm on that dreary day mentioned in today's gospel. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:47-53
47 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Exodus 40:16-21. 34-38
...Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling, the Israelites would set out on their journey. 37 But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward; only when it lifted did they go forward...
We have to go the extra mile always in doing everything in love. For God is love and He is in us. We should be careful not to taint and mess up ourselves and this is only possible if we take good care of God's dwelling place as suggested in today's psalm. We are the temple or dwelling place of God and this we should know by now and always be aware of. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 84:3. 4. 5-6a and 8a. 11
R: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
...[6] Blessed the men whose strength you are! 7 [8] They go from strength to strength. (R) 10 [11] I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked...
Let us not lose sight of the truth that we are molded in God's mastery and expertise and we are His masterpiece, a genuine work of His hands. If we can confidently and honestly say after careful examination of our lives that we are indeed the product of God's hands then we can stand firm on that dreary day mentioned in today's gospel. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:47-53
47 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. 48 When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. 49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
BE RADIANT
Moses as we all know based on the previous readings we've had is considered a friend of God and was able to talk to God face to face. These should further inspire not only me but the rest of us in maintaining and constantly conversing with God to improve our relationship with God in each passing day. We often get disappointed when we look at the rate we are going and find ourselves still lacking. But what's most important and of great consolation is the fact that God never gives up on us. Despite our shortcomings He continues to stir us to our eternal goals in every possible way especially through the people whom we meet. Today’s 1st reading brought back memories of Sister Carmen Julia and Monica and our very interesting and grace filled conversation that centers most on vocations. When Sis Marcy asked Sister Carmen Julia what made her decide to enter the convent and become a nun, she simply answered that she felt it all along in her heart even when she was still very young. She said that the feeling just never left her and was there all the time. She felt restless until she finally succumbed to it. But she also said that nothing is 100% sure until the day we die. Only when that time comes we'll we be sure. Maybe what she was trying to say is that when we come face to face with God on that final day then only will there be full understanding and perfect knowledge of everything. In the mean time all we have to do for now is try to give our best and 100% efforts out of our imperfect natures and uncertain offerings. What’s very interesting here is the fact that the kind words of Sister Carmen Julia regarding her impression that I look so full of God would always hold a special meaning for me in relation to this bible passage which is about Moses who had become radiant while he conversed with God. This should inspire us all to always look our best, be full of God and radiate it to others that it can not be denied. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 34:29-35
29 As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD...
Sis Carmen Julia also cited the story of Samuel the prophet to further elaborate about her religious vocation. Sister Carmen Julia's explanation with regards to her call is much like that of Samuel’s. When the Lord called Samuel by his name several times it means He wanted to emphasize the mission that needs to be fulfilled. There is really a need for us to respond to God's call and fulfill the mission He is entrusting to us. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 99:5. 6. 7. 9
R: Holy is the Lord our God.
5 Extol the LORD, our God, and worship at his footstool; holy is he! (R) 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;...
I believe in the saying, "Where your heart is, there your treasure is." Each person is unique. We all have our own peculiarities and that's how we are able to express ourselves as a human being. Each person has his or her own qualities and characteristics that separate us from the rest. For some it could be a certain quality like cooking, athletics, writing, dancing, singing, speaking, painting, sketching, or the present work we do and all other talents we could think about. Whatever it is that we are good in doing or we have dedicated and engaged ourselves in, we should always put God in the center of whatever we have chosen to do. We need to find out what our core gift is and develop it. There should not be a trace of holding back or hesitation on our part but rather invest everything in it and give it our all to bring out the best in us and reflect the glory of God. Once we've realized and lived this truth in the gospel then we can consider ourselves as the wealthiest man on earth. There is no other treasure and fine pearl more precious than God who is with and in us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:44-46
44 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
Exodus 34:29-35
29 As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD...
Sis Carmen Julia also cited the story of Samuel the prophet to further elaborate about her religious vocation. Sister Carmen Julia's explanation with regards to her call is much like that of Samuel’s. When the Lord called Samuel by his name several times it means He wanted to emphasize the mission that needs to be fulfilled. There is really a need for us to respond to God's call and fulfill the mission He is entrusting to us. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 99:5. 6. 7. 9
R: Holy is the Lord our God.
5 Extol the LORD, our God, and worship at his footstool; holy is he! (R) 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;...
I believe in the saying, "Where your heart is, there your treasure is." Each person is unique. We all have our own peculiarities and that's how we are able to express ourselves as a human being. Each person has his or her own qualities and characteristics that separate us from the rest. For some it could be a certain quality like cooking, athletics, writing, dancing, singing, speaking, painting, sketching, or the present work we do and all other talents we could think about. Whatever it is that we are good in doing or we have dedicated and engaged ourselves in, we should always put God in the center of whatever we have chosen to do. We need to find out what our core gift is and develop it. There should not be a trace of holding back or hesitation on our part but rather invest everything in it and give it our all to bring out the best in us and reflect the glory of God. Once we've realized and lived this truth in the gospel then we can consider ourselves as the wealthiest man on earth. There is no other treasure and fine pearl more precious than God who is with and in us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:44-46
44 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
GOD’S SIDE 2
These past few weeks I’ve been organizing my reflections in a way that I can easily access them in relation to a specific bible passage. This is in response and also in line with the prophecy I received last October 10, 2007 in Habakkuk 2:2-3. "Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision Clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late." The readings for today brought me back to my reflection almost 2 years ago which is about an issue of The Tidings newspaper with a front page photo that caught my attention. This is a painting by Italian Baroque painter Carlo Maratta of Mother Mary with 3 beautiful cherubims lovingly looking at the newborn baby Jesus. It has a main headline entitled, "Reason To Hope" which is the Christian message 2008 of Cardinal Roger M. Mahony. Something in it touched my heart which made me decide to keep it. On that particular day too, I was surprised to find out that the same message was given by a Carmelite Descal, Bro. Marinello in honor of St. Martha's Feast which we will be celebrating in just a few days (July 29). It was about the latest encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI which is trustworthy hope. Which is in connection with the virtue of hope that St. Martha showed when her brother Lazarus died from the gospel of John 11. The virtue of hope as defined by the Cathechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1818) states that "The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity." Everything is interconnected especially when we always seek God in all that we do. By the way, today we are celebrating the Memorial of SAINT JOACHIM and SAINT ANNE, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As St John Damascene wrote: "Joachim and Ann, how blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of him." During the time of these holy men and women, people can come in contact with God easily. Most of us find it difficult at times to communicate with God much more even see God face to face just like in today's 1st reading when Moses was able to talk to God face to face. Nowadays, we sometimes come to a point when we are no longer aware when God is communicating to us. We’ve got to be aware that God is persistently, consistently, and constantly sending out His message of not only hope but also of grace, mercy, kindness and fidelity throughout all generations. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 33:7-11; 34: 5b-9. 28
...The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. ...“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, 7 continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,...
God has made known His kindness, mercy and secures justice for all. He knows exactly what we need at the precise moment and brings forth everything in its appointed time. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13
R: The Lord is kind and merciful.
6 The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed. 7 He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel. (R) 8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness...
Jesus in today's gospel gives us an explanation of the parable of the weeds. Although we are not of this world we can not deny the fact that we are still in this world. We are still bound and living here on earth so we must be aware of the fact that we are exposed to the elements of this world we are in. The more we know and understand this parable the better we can cope. This explicit illustration allows us to picture ourselves in the field. From here we can already pace ourselves and gear up. We've got to be active and alert since there is a continuous battle that is raging between good and evil. We are told of what destiny awaits the damned and the followers of the evil one. If we are wise then we should know where we should stand and which side we should work for. There are only 2 sides, God’s side and the enemy’s side. We are challenged every single day to make this clear before we reach the end of the age. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:36-43
...“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age...
Exodus 33:7-11; 34: 5b-9. 28
...The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. ...“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, 7 continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,...
God has made known His kindness, mercy and secures justice for all. He knows exactly what we need at the precise moment and brings forth everything in its appointed time. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13
R: The Lord is kind and merciful.
6 The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed. 7 He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel. (R) 8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness...
Jesus in today's gospel gives us an explanation of the parable of the weeds. Although we are not of this world we can not deny the fact that we are still in this world. We are still bound and living here on earth so we must be aware of the fact that we are exposed to the elements of this world we are in. The more we know and understand this parable the better we can cope. This explicit illustration allows us to picture ourselves in the field. From here we can already pace ourselves and gear up. We've got to be active and alert since there is a continuous battle that is raging between good and evil. We are told of what destiny awaits the damned and the followers of the evil one. If we are wise then we should know where we should stand and which side we should work for. There are only 2 sides, God’s side and the enemy’s side. We are challenged every single day to make this clear before we reach the end of the age. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:36-43
...“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age...
Monday, July 25, 2011
GOD’S SIDE
It is through the trials and hardships in life that we manifest God's power and victory in our lives. According to St. Rose of Lima, "Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase." We may want to reflect on the following questions, What is the relationship between afflictions and the height of grace? Do I make use of such opportunities or do I rail against them? In the battles that we face in our lives, we inevitably get hurt in the process but we can be assured of winning the fight if we are on God’s side. Amen. Hallelujah!
2 Corinthians 4:7-15
...8 We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you...
Do you agree with me if I say that there is some truth to the famous saying, “Easy come, easy go.” If there are some things that we've been praying for and it seems like nothing is happening we should never give up. Every good work should be carefully planned and carried out to completion. Though the process may be long and hard we can always count on God to stick with us through and through and make it happen. If we are always manifesting in our lives the values of the passion and death of Jesus then we are assured of the resurrection. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 126: 1bc- 2ab, 2cd-3 , 4-5 , 6R: Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed.
We really have to treasure the love of God that is given to us. Jesus paid a high price for it. We are also called in our own way to respond to Him with all our best efforts. It is never easy but it is always worth it, so let us go for it. As humans, we all have that desire to be recognized and affirmed as in today's gospel that's why Jesus reminds and gives us the formula for this. It may not be sensible and practical in the world's point of view but we are assured of the authenticity of this formula as lived, witnessed and evidenced by Jesus. When He came to us more than 2000 years ago, He left for us the greatest example and pattern of life that we can all surely rely and depend on. It was the most amazing and credible true to life story ever told in the entire history of mankind that we can always look up to and follow. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 20: 20-28
22 Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” ...Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; 27 whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. 28 Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
2 Corinthians 4:7-15
...8 We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you...
Do you agree with me if I say that there is some truth to the famous saying, “Easy come, easy go.” If there are some things that we've been praying for and it seems like nothing is happening we should never give up. Every good work should be carefully planned and carried out to completion. Though the process may be long and hard we can always count on God to stick with us through and through and make it happen. If we are always manifesting in our lives the values of the passion and death of Jesus then we are assured of the resurrection. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 126: 1bc- 2ab, 2cd-3 , 4-5 , 6R: Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing.
Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed.
We really have to treasure the love of God that is given to us. Jesus paid a high price for it. We are also called in our own way to respond to Him with all our best efforts. It is never easy but it is always worth it, so let us go for it. As humans, we all have that desire to be recognized and affirmed as in today's gospel that's why Jesus reminds and gives us the formula for this. It may not be sensible and practical in the world's point of view but we are assured of the authenticity of this formula as lived, witnessed and evidenced by Jesus. When He came to us more than 2000 years ago, He left for us the greatest example and pattern of life that we can all surely rely and depend on. It was the most amazing and credible true to life story ever told in the entire history of mankind that we can always look up to and follow. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 20: 20-28
22 Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” ...Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; 27 whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. 28 Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Sunday, July 24, 2011
WISH GRANTED
Isn't it nice if someone you're asking for a favor would do as you requested? There are times when not all our requests, wishes and desires are granted. It may be due to our own shortcomings as recipient, the other person’s as the giver and could be many other reasons. According to St. Augustine, one of the four Great Fathers of the Church, the reason our prayers are not heard are (1) because our personal dispositions are not good (2) we pray badly (3) we do not persevere in prayer (4) we do not pray humbly (5) we pray without faith and (6) we ask for things which are not good for us. (From De civitate Dei) We can be assured of the fact that if we go to God then we are surely going to get the best answers to our prayers. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12
...10 The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this — not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right — 12 I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
We have to realize that loving God means obeying with all our heart. Have you experienced waking up or going to bed at the same time everyday? It's because of the circadian clock or the rhythmic biological cycles that happen or recurring everyday in us. Let us pray to God that we develop in ourselves an instinct and discipline to naturally follow His commands like the circadian clock. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 119: 57, 72 , 76-77, 127-128, 129-130R: (97a) Lord, I love your commands.57 I have said, O LORD, that my part is to keep your words. 72 The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces
Today’s 2nd reading is one of the bible passages that continue to give me hope and strength since I came to the US. There may be times when we are be experiencing or going through some very discouraging events in our lives but we must not lose sight of God’s power that is able to make all things work for good. Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 8: 28-3028 Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
When you've found the joy of praising, serving and loving God above anything and made it a common occurrence in your daily life, just like a thread embedded in the fabric of your life then the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We are all called to develop this kind of relationship with God as our Father, Brother, Lover, Comforter and Friend. Just think about it, is there anything more you can ask for? Let us not hold back and do anything for the love of God. I believe in the saying, "Where your heart is, there your treasure is." Each person is unique. We all have our own peculiarities and that's how we are able to express ourselves as a human being. Each person has his or her own qualities and characteristics that separate us from the rest. For some it could be a certain quality like cooking, athletics, writing, dancing, singing, speaking, painting, sketching, or the present work we do and all other talents we could think about. Whatever it is that we are good in doing or we have dedicated and engaged ourselves in, we should always put God in the center of whatever we have chosen to do. We need to find out what our core gift is and develop it. There should not be a trace of holding back or hesitation on our part but rather invest everything in it and give it our all to bring out the best in us and reflect the glory of God. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:44-52
44 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes
and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it…
1 Kings 3: 5, 7-12
...10 The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request. 11 So God said to him, “Because you have asked for this — not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right — 12 I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
We have to realize that loving God means obeying with all our heart. Have you experienced waking up or going to bed at the same time everyday? It's because of the circadian clock or the rhythmic biological cycles that happen or recurring everyday in us. Let us pray to God that we develop in ourselves an instinct and discipline to naturally follow His commands like the circadian clock. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 119: 57, 72 , 76-77, 127-128, 129-130R: (97a) Lord, I love your commands.57 I have said, O LORD, that my part is to keep your words. 72 The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces
Today’s 2nd reading is one of the bible passages that continue to give me hope and strength since I came to the US. There may be times when we are be experiencing or going through some very discouraging events in our lives but we must not lose sight of God’s power that is able to make all things work for good. Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 8: 28-3028 Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
When you've found the joy of praising, serving and loving God above anything and made it a common occurrence in your daily life, just like a thread embedded in the fabric of your life then the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We are all called to develop this kind of relationship with God as our Father, Brother, Lover, Comforter and Friend. Just think about it, is there anything more you can ask for? Let us not hold back and do anything for the love of God. I believe in the saying, "Where your heart is, there your treasure is." Each person is unique. We all have our own peculiarities and that's how we are able to express ourselves as a human being. Each person has his or her own qualities and characteristics that separate us from the rest. For some it could be a certain quality like cooking, athletics, writing, dancing, singing, speaking, painting, sketching, or the present work we do and all other talents we could think about. Whatever it is that we are good in doing or we have dedicated and engaged ourselves in, we should always put God in the center of whatever we have chosen to do. We need to find out what our core gift is and develop it. There should not be a trace of holding back or hesitation on our part but rather invest everything in it and give it our all to bring out the best in us and reflect the glory of God. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:44-52
44 Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes
and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it…
Saturday, July 23, 2011
IT'S PLAIN AND SIMPLE
It is our obedience and commitment to follow what God is telling us to do that matters most. We need not be at a loss for it was already agreed upon since the time of Moses in the Old Testament when the 10 commandments were written in the stone tablets and even up to the time when Jesus came in the New Testament since it tells of the same story and are parallel to each other. Our instructions were very clear, precise and consistent from that time on until the time of Jesus. Now is the time for us to do everything the Lord has told us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 24:3-8
3 When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, “We will do everything that the LORD has told us.”...Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.”
Definitely God is not asking us to resort to some extreme or out of this world act. We need not wait any longer and see any further for God wants us to start paying attention to His commandments and apply it in our very own lives in order to make a return for all the good He has done. The emphasis is on the importance of following the commandments of God and doing what we've got to do. There are times when we just have to ignore what other people may say or think and continue in the belief that we are God's people and have to be obedient in what He has asked us to do and stay loyal to Him no matter what the cost is. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalms 50(49),1-2.5-6.14-15.
....."Gather my faithful ones before me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
The heavens proclaim divine justice, for God alone is the judge.
Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High.
Then call on me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me
Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us who we are. The actions we engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time. God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Virtuous acts build in us strength. The word virtue comes from the word manly which is strength and power. Virtue is a habit that makes it easy and pleasurable to do the right thing. Golden virtue isn’t always easy. It is hard. But what is vice, it is a habit that makes it easy to do the wrong and evil thing. Let’s take exercise as an example. People make it their New Year’s resolution and people who go to the gym noticed that it’s packed on January but they’re gone by the 3rd week. If we’ve ever engaged in an exercise program for the first time, we know that we feel bad, tired, exhausted and wake up sore. This is because we do not have the habit of exercise. We have not trained and our bodies are not used to it. It hurts and it’s hard the first time we work out. If we persevere past the first few weeks and developed a habit of regular exercise then we end up getting used to it and become easy that when we don’t exercise we feel bad. What happens is that we build up the power or the virtue. We’ve conditioned ourselves so that it becomes second nature to us. If we want a progressive course we need to do something hard. No pain no gain. The next time we work out we add up a little bit more since we are stronger. We can move forward and grow in our ability to lift weights. This is the deal. The actions we do have an impact on what we are. It’s like when we start lifting weights we start to change and look different. We look like someone who has strength, power and endurance. This is the point, God is about building champions. The goal of the Christian life is to build champions. Well, not necessarily athletic champions but spiritually. A real champion in every aspect of life. God wants us to be strong, loving, wise and to have the power to live. It’s not so much what we do that counts but it’s who we become. That’s what the commandments, teachings and God is all about. Heaven is the realization of being a champion. In heaven we will be glorified magnificently. We will live forever with strength, power and beauty sharing a new humanity with Jesus. What about hell? Let’s look what vice is about. A habit that instead of building up, deteriorates us. It starts small just like exercise. There was a guy named Ted Bundy, who was executed in the State of Florida for horrible sexual crimes, murder and all sorts of perversion. He was sorry for what he did. He didn’t ask for mercy but he warned people before he died. He was interviewed and narrated how this road began. It all started with looking at pornographic books which incited in him the wrong kind of attitude towards other human beings and the opposite sex. It became in his mind, instruments and play things. One thing led to another and just gradually led him to murder, rape and all sorts of horrible things. That’s the way it is with every sin. Sins that we commit are traps and tricks that will lead us to habits and patterns of behavior that will change us. When we tell the first lie we may not be a liar yet but it makes a lot more prone to lie again. We start with kids maybe stealing a pack of candies from the store. If we don’t stop that, the next time it will be bigger. Maybe for teens it may be something like breaking in to a house and steal things. It just keeps on going and it becomes easier and easier to do more horrible things. Then we become a thief, an unjust person with just one little act. There’s a little thing that illustrates all these. Sow a thought, reap an act, sow an act, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a lifestyle, sow a lifestyle, reap a destiny. It all begins with a decision or thought, an act and then it becomes a pattern. It has dared us to become who we are and where we will eventually end up. The gospel for today is reminding us of this vital truth of the reality of heaven and hell. The gates of heaven has been opened and made accessible for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not tread the path going to the gate of hell rather journey our way to the gate of heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mt 13:24-30
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
Exodus 24:3-8
3 When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, “We will do everything that the LORD has told us.”...Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.”
Definitely God is not asking us to resort to some extreme or out of this world act. We need not wait any longer and see any further for God wants us to start paying attention to His commandments and apply it in our very own lives in order to make a return for all the good He has done. The emphasis is on the importance of following the commandments of God and doing what we've got to do. There are times when we just have to ignore what other people may say or think and continue in the belief that we are God's people and have to be obedient in what He has asked us to do and stay loyal to Him no matter what the cost is. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalms 50(49),1-2.5-6.14-15.
....."Gather my faithful ones before me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
The heavens proclaim divine justice, for God alone is the judge.
Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High.
Then call on me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me
Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us who we are. The actions we engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time. God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Virtuous acts build in us strength. The word virtue comes from the word manly which is strength and power. Virtue is a habit that makes it easy and pleasurable to do the right thing. Golden virtue isn’t always easy. It is hard. But what is vice, it is a habit that makes it easy to do the wrong and evil thing. Let’s take exercise as an example. People make it their New Year’s resolution and people who go to the gym noticed that it’s packed on January but they’re gone by the 3rd week. If we’ve ever engaged in an exercise program for the first time, we know that we feel bad, tired, exhausted and wake up sore. This is because we do not have the habit of exercise. We have not trained and our bodies are not used to it. It hurts and it’s hard the first time we work out. If we persevere past the first few weeks and developed a habit of regular exercise then we end up getting used to it and become easy that when we don’t exercise we feel bad. What happens is that we build up the power or the virtue. We’ve conditioned ourselves so that it becomes second nature to us. If we want a progressive course we need to do something hard. No pain no gain. The next time we work out we add up a little bit more since we are stronger. We can move forward and grow in our ability to lift weights. This is the deal. The actions we do have an impact on what we are. It’s like when we start lifting weights we start to change and look different. We look like someone who has strength, power and endurance. This is the point, God is about building champions. The goal of the Christian life is to build champions. Well, not necessarily athletic champions but spiritually. A real champion in every aspect of life. God wants us to be strong, loving, wise and to have the power to live. It’s not so much what we do that counts but it’s who we become. That’s what the commandments, teachings and God is all about. Heaven is the realization of being a champion. In heaven we will be glorified magnificently. We will live forever with strength, power and beauty sharing a new humanity with Jesus. What about hell? Let’s look what vice is about. A habit that instead of building up, deteriorates us. It starts small just like exercise. There was a guy named Ted Bundy, who was executed in the State of Florida for horrible sexual crimes, murder and all sorts of perversion. He was sorry for what he did. He didn’t ask for mercy but he warned people before he died. He was interviewed and narrated how this road began. It all started with looking at pornographic books which incited in him the wrong kind of attitude towards other human beings and the opposite sex. It became in his mind, instruments and play things. One thing led to another and just gradually led him to murder, rape and all sorts of horrible things. That’s the way it is with every sin. Sins that we commit are traps and tricks that will lead us to habits and patterns of behavior that will change us. When we tell the first lie we may not be a liar yet but it makes a lot more prone to lie again. We start with kids maybe stealing a pack of candies from the store. If we don’t stop that, the next time it will be bigger. Maybe for teens it may be something like breaking in to a house and steal things. It just keeps on going and it becomes easier and easier to do more horrible things. Then we become a thief, an unjust person with just one little act. There’s a little thing that illustrates all these. Sow a thought, reap an act, sow an act, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a lifestyle, sow a lifestyle, reap a destiny. It all begins with a decision or thought, an act and then it becomes a pattern. It has dared us to become who we are and where we will eventually end up. The gospel for today is reminding us of this vital truth of the reality of heaven and hell. The gates of heaven has been opened and made accessible for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not tread the path going to the gate of hell rather journey our way to the gate of heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mt 13:24-30
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
Friday, July 22, 2011
TRUE FREEDOM
If we will just carefully read and understand the 10 commandments and try to associate each one to any incident in our life when we broke the law then we'll surely find that these commandments that God gave us to follow are meant to make life easier for us. The formula for a truly happy life is the 10 Commandments. It doesn't limit freedom but enhances freedom. These commandments are meant to make us enjoy life and have peace and joy to avoid chaos and disorder. I have mentioned this before as part of the Catholicism study with Atty. Moya. He cited the example of driving in the freeway. He told us to imagine the kind of scenario if there are no rules and regulations to be followed in driving especially in the freeway. He said there would be a lot of chaos. He added by saying how can we imagine leaving our children in a day care with a playground without any fences. It will turn out to be a disaster and very unsafe place. They do not limit but protect freedom. To the extent that you can follow the 10 commandments and become free. Since the more we disobey the more we become bound and become a slave of sin. Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfill the law of the prophets. He came that we may have life in abundance. We have to exceed the letter of the law and know that the Spirit of the law gives life and makes us understand it better. St. Augustine said, "Love and obey God then do what you will." We must be united to the will of God to the best of our abilities in order to always be aligned to His will. The truth is we compromise our freedom whenever we succumb to sin. Before, I thought that free will and freedom is synonymous. I found out that only free will is unlimited but our freedom is limited and greatly depends on how we exercise our free will. When we allow ourselves to fall into sin then we become slaves of sin and lose our freedom. We always have a choice and it is whether we follow the lure of this world and fall prey to the enticements of sin or be very wise in following what is truly noble which is to follow and obey everything that today's 1st reading is telling us and achieve what God really wanted for us, true freedom. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 20:1-17
...“I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 3 You shall not have other gods besides me...“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain. 8 “Remember to keep holy the sabbath day...“Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. 13 “You shall not kill. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,...
GOD'S LAW MAKES US LIVE A VIRTUOUS LIFE (CCC 1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." May we truly recognize the genuine and precious treasures that we should all strive to achieve and work for which is none other than these things spoken of in today's psalm. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 19:8. 9. 10. 11
R: Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9] The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. (R) 10 [11] They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.
Mary of Magdala was a woman of the world but she was restless until she found Jesus. The same way with us, we could be experiencing some unexplainable emotions that make us anxious but if we continue to see and experience God in our lives then we are always assured that we are never alone and He will always be with us. All we have to do is follow the example of Mary Magdalene by making a complete turn (180 degrees) from our old ways and decide for Jesus. Let us get this straight, apart from God we are nothing. We must be able to connect, completely trust and surrender to God every single aspect about us especially those that we are strongly holding on to and consider very important and vital in our lives. We may be clinging on to something for the wrong reasons. Our motivation and underlying reasons whether evident or not should always have something to do with God. Whether it is a minor or major thing it is always wise to align it to God. Our wills should no longer be our own but of God our Father. Let us keep in mind that no matter how imperfect and unlimited our capacities and capabilities are for as long as we put God first in everything we say, think or do in the midst of trials and difficulties then we can surely experience God's resurrection. We have dreams, desires and longings that drive us to action. We sometimes get stuck with the idea that life here on earth is all there is to it. We must look on and move forward to the one ultimate goal that can make all things perfect and beautiful. It is important that we all come to the realization that the fullness of all things is in heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 20:1-2. 11-18
...Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.
Exodus 20:1-17
...“I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 3 You shall not have other gods besides me...“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain. 8 “Remember to keep holy the sabbath day...“Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. 13 “You shall not kill. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,...
GOD'S LAW MAKES US LIVE A VIRTUOUS LIFE (CCC 1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." May we truly recognize the genuine and precious treasures that we should all strive to achieve and work for which is none other than these things spoken of in today's psalm. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 19:8. 9. 10. 11
R: Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9] The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. (R) 10 [11] They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.
Mary of Magdala was a woman of the world but she was restless until she found Jesus. The same way with us, we could be experiencing some unexplainable emotions that make us anxious but if we continue to see and experience God in our lives then we are always assured that we are never alone and He will always be with us. All we have to do is follow the example of Mary Magdalene by making a complete turn (180 degrees) from our old ways and decide for Jesus. Let us get this straight, apart from God we are nothing. We must be able to connect, completely trust and surrender to God every single aspect about us especially those that we are strongly holding on to and consider very important and vital in our lives. We may be clinging on to something for the wrong reasons. Our motivation and underlying reasons whether evident or not should always have something to do with God. Whether it is a minor or major thing it is always wise to align it to God. Our wills should no longer be our own but of God our Father. Let us keep in mind that no matter how imperfect and unlimited our capacities and capabilities are for as long as we put God first in everything we say, think or do in the midst of trials and difficulties then we can surely experience God's resurrection. We have dreams, desires and longings that drive us to action. We sometimes get stuck with the idea that life here on earth is all there is to it. We must look on and move forward to the one ultimate goal that can make all things perfect and beautiful. It is important that we all come to the realization that the fullness of all things is in heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 20:1-2. 11-18
...Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
GOD OF ALL AGES
During the time of Moses, the presence of God is very evident as in today's 1st reading. God came to them in a dense cloud accompanied by peals of thunder and lightning and a very loud trumpet blast which made God's people tremble. Nowadays we rarely or no longer experience these trembling when we communicate with God. We started drifting away from God and could hardly feel God's presence in our lives and fail to establish a clear communication line with Him. There had been many interruptions, distractions and hindrances in our lives that keep us from being fully aware of God. We have gotten used to the things around us and the daily events in our lives that we sometimes take things for granted already. It is not God who changed rather it is us, His people, who have changed by neglecting and breaking our relationship with God. I am very sure that if we will only do our part in this relationship then we can also see marvels and wonders or even greater things happening in our lives. For the God who appeared to Moses and made His presence felt to His people is still the same God we have today full of might and power. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 19:1-2. 9-11. 16-20b
...the LORD told Moses, “I am coming to you in a dense cloud, so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they may always have faith in you also.”...On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the LORD came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God answering him with thunder...
God is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. His power extends throughout all generations. Amen. Hallelujah!
Daniel 3:52. 53. 54. 55. 56
R: Glory and praise forever.
29 [Dan 3:52] “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; and blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
Today’s gospel focuses on the gift of discernment and these notes on Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition is a big help for those who want to have blessed eyes and ears that see and hear what many prophets and righteous people longed to see and hear. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:10-17
...“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition.
Discernment is a process of giving conscious attention to what we think and what we feel in relation to particular choices we are making. Discernment is the basis for the practical and experiential application of Ignatian Spirituality to every-day life. In order to make good decisions, we need to "read" the data available to us both in terms of factual information and also our feelings about what we know. Our immediate experience contains elements of both intellectual understanding and spiritual appreciation. Attention to these two components of our thought and feeling processes enables us to recognize and choose what is better rather than what is less good.
The word "discernment" suggests faith: to ask God for help in choosing the better option - but only if we have agreed to act on the help that we will receive in a relationship of trust with God. The adventure of engaging in a process like this always brings us closer to God.
Trust is founded upon our experiences. God completely understands our present concern and us. God wants to help us make the free personal choice that will bring us towards the fulfillment of our purpose in life. It is God's desire, as well as ours, that decision - making by discernment will provide us with the best conclusions we can make at this time.
Becoming clear as to what is to be decided is necessary: "either this or that," one issue at a time. If that question is decided, then a further decision may be needed. The sharper the focus of the question to be decided, the better it is.
For major issues, list the individual factors into "pro" and "con," one side at a time, prayerfully, without “censoring.” Write down your thoughts and feelings relative to only one side at a time
If there is some reason that we notice, one so strong that we can hardly imagine being able to choose the other side, we need to know whether this is an obstacle to our freedom or a brilliant light that gives us our "answer." Fear and disturbance accompany an obstacle; peace and clarity reveal God's hand. When we can calmly look at all the reasons we have on both sides of an issue, it will usually become rather clear which side really is in accord with our values, what will be the better thing to do. Seek confirmation?
The Right Time
In making an important decision, we would like to "get it over with" as soon as possible. If we have an immediate deadline, God will help us decide within the limited time we have. When a discernment process is brought to a natural completion, there is an accompanying sense of peacefulness. Though we might be under considerable pressure from within to reach a conclusion, we might at the same time know that we are not yet ready. It is very helpful in making important decisions to be looking for the kinds of surprises that bring us clarity and joy – signs of God’s activity.
The act of writing down some thoughts, feelings, and reflections often enables us to determine their relative importance. Writing is also a means of sorting wishful fantasy from deep desire.
When Peace Is a Sign
"Are you at peace with your decision?" We experience a kind of satisfaction which many of us identify as a sense of peace that goes beyond mere selfishness when any of us chooses what is better rather than what is only more immediately attractive. We operate from a kind of "holy selfishness" when we make decisions that are right for us. A truly good choice we make is not just for our benefit, but also for all those who will be affected by what we do or say. Peace is confirmation from God about the better decision. We cannot directly cause the experience of peace; peace is a true sign of an inner reality that cannot be faked or forced. Real peace is more than a momentary approval of a decision. It is an indicator about our relationship with God, others, and us.
Certainty in Decision-making
At least once or twice in our lives most of us have had the experience of becoming suddenly and with great clarity aware of a major direction that we should take in our lives. Often, we also sensed that God was directly involved in the experience. Later on, we might have had doubts. Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. God, who is creating us continuously, knows the best time to reveal something that is wholly suitable for us. We cannot know ahead of time how things will turn out, but we can experience surety about how appropriate the path is for us and have a strong desire to follow wherever it leads.
Making a decision that is strongly influenced by God does not mean that it will be accompanied by ease or by fame. But we do find the capacity to pour our energies in a particular direction rather than to reserve ourselves and keep all our options open. It is helpful to recall our special graces or inspirations from time to time.
If we are careful to observe the positive or negative direction of the thoughts that enter our minds, we can “have it both ways.” When the thoughts are flowing in keeping with our direction, they are worth our consideration. They confirm the route we are taking. When they are contrary and disruptive, they can safely and wisely be dismissed as simply irrelevant on our path to God. By pointing in the opposite direction they actually give us an indication of the correct path upon which we want to continue.
Within ourselves, we have the capacity either to reflect or to rationalize. We can try to understand what has happened, or we can “explain away” something that is unfamiliar. Our integrity requires that we honor all our experiences. It is right that we do recall these experiences that might have been from God. Notice the difference between the time of the event and what followed later. Our own sense of honesty will guide us in naming rightly what was from God and how we doubted it afterwards.
When Not to Make a Decision
When we are knocked off our center, cannot find God in our thoughts or prayers, and find ourselves more pushed around by our feelings and thoughts than by what invites or encourages us, it is definitely a bad time to be making a decision. Not making a decision except when there is peace inside may seem a difficult rule to follow. Making a decision at a time when we are being influenced by thoughts and feelings against our basic orientation towards God can cause great harm to ourselves and to others.
There is an illusion in times of confusion that making a decision – any decision – will give us relief. That is equivalent to reaching blindly into a bag of good and bad apples and just taking one. Even if we happen to get a good one, we would consider ourselves lucky, not smart, or wise. This “rule” about not acting while we are without peace does not mean that we can always take time to get comfortable before making important decisions. When a crisis occurs, we have to move quickly. Most often we will have an immediate clarity about what is the “right thing” for us to do. If we reflect back on the decisions we made when we had to decide “on the spot”, we will probably recognize that most were the proper choices. There is no time when God is not present, though we might not be aware of it.
Thinking and Feeling
One of the big secrets in our relationship with God is the connection between what we think and what we feel. God is good, so our experiences of God are accompanied with thoughts and feelings that are appropriately positive. Most of us also have some other kinds of experiences which are not necessarily “bad” but they do not come to us directly from the gracious love of God. We do not make up our own feelings, but when we pay attention to what is going on in our minds we gain some understanding of our feelings.
In making decisions, we help ourselves by attending to the “spiritual weather” we are experiencing. When our minds are cloudy and our feelings correspond, it does not mean that we have become less good than we were before, or less a responsive and responsible child of God. But the confused set of thoughts and concomitant discomfort do not come to us from God. When God approaches us, we find that our thoughts flow easily on how to act in accord with our values, and feel confidence and a sense of rightness.
Exodus 19:1-2. 9-11. 16-20b
...the LORD told Moses, “I am coming to you in a dense cloud, so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they may always have faith in you also.”...On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the LORD came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God answering him with thunder...
God is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. His power extends throughout all generations. Amen. Hallelujah!
Daniel 3:52. 53. 54. 55. 56
R: Glory and praise forever.
29 [Dan 3:52] “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; and blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
Today’s gospel focuses on the gift of discernment and these notes on Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition is a big help for those who want to have blessed eyes and ears that see and hear what many prophets and righteous people longed to see and hear. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:10-17
...“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition.
Discernment is a process of giving conscious attention to what we think and what we feel in relation to particular choices we are making. Discernment is the basis for the practical and experiential application of Ignatian Spirituality to every-day life. In order to make good decisions, we need to "read" the data available to us both in terms of factual information and also our feelings about what we know. Our immediate experience contains elements of both intellectual understanding and spiritual appreciation. Attention to these two components of our thought and feeling processes enables us to recognize and choose what is better rather than what is less good.
The word "discernment" suggests faith: to ask God for help in choosing the better option - but only if we have agreed to act on the help that we will receive in a relationship of trust with God. The adventure of engaging in a process like this always brings us closer to God.
Trust is founded upon our experiences. God completely understands our present concern and us. God wants to help us make the free personal choice that will bring us towards the fulfillment of our purpose in life. It is God's desire, as well as ours, that decision - making by discernment will provide us with the best conclusions we can make at this time.
Becoming clear as to what is to be decided is necessary: "either this or that," one issue at a time. If that question is decided, then a further decision may be needed. The sharper the focus of the question to be decided, the better it is.
For major issues, list the individual factors into "pro" and "con," one side at a time, prayerfully, without “censoring.” Write down your thoughts and feelings relative to only one side at a time
If there is some reason that we notice, one so strong that we can hardly imagine being able to choose the other side, we need to know whether this is an obstacle to our freedom or a brilliant light that gives us our "answer." Fear and disturbance accompany an obstacle; peace and clarity reveal God's hand. When we can calmly look at all the reasons we have on both sides of an issue, it will usually become rather clear which side really is in accord with our values, what will be the better thing to do. Seek confirmation?
The Right Time
In making an important decision, we would like to "get it over with" as soon as possible. If we have an immediate deadline, God will help us decide within the limited time we have. When a discernment process is brought to a natural completion, there is an accompanying sense of peacefulness. Though we might be under considerable pressure from within to reach a conclusion, we might at the same time know that we are not yet ready. It is very helpful in making important decisions to be looking for the kinds of surprises that bring us clarity and joy – signs of God’s activity.
The act of writing down some thoughts, feelings, and reflections often enables us to determine their relative importance. Writing is also a means of sorting wishful fantasy from deep desire.
When Peace Is a Sign
"Are you at peace with your decision?" We experience a kind of satisfaction which many of us identify as a sense of peace that goes beyond mere selfishness when any of us chooses what is better rather than what is only more immediately attractive. We operate from a kind of "holy selfishness" when we make decisions that are right for us. A truly good choice we make is not just for our benefit, but also for all those who will be affected by what we do or say. Peace is confirmation from God about the better decision. We cannot directly cause the experience of peace; peace is a true sign of an inner reality that cannot be faked or forced. Real peace is more than a momentary approval of a decision. It is an indicator about our relationship with God, others, and us.
Certainty in Decision-making
At least once or twice in our lives most of us have had the experience of becoming suddenly and with great clarity aware of a major direction that we should take in our lives. Often, we also sensed that God was directly involved in the experience. Later on, we might have had doubts. Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. God, who is creating us continuously, knows the best time to reveal something that is wholly suitable for us. We cannot know ahead of time how things will turn out, but we can experience surety about how appropriate the path is for us and have a strong desire to follow wherever it leads.
Making a decision that is strongly influenced by God does not mean that it will be accompanied by ease or by fame. But we do find the capacity to pour our energies in a particular direction rather than to reserve ourselves and keep all our options open. It is helpful to recall our special graces or inspirations from time to time.
If we are careful to observe the positive or negative direction of the thoughts that enter our minds, we can “have it both ways.” When the thoughts are flowing in keeping with our direction, they are worth our consideration. They confirm the route we are taking. When they are contrary and disruptive, they can safely and wisely be dismissed as simply irrelevant on our path to God. By pointing in the opposite direction they actually give us an indication of the correct path upon which we want to continue.
Within ourselves, we have the capacity either to reflect or to rationalize. We can try to understand what has happened, or we can “explain away” something that is unfamiliar. Our integrity requires that we honor all our experiences. It is right that we do recall these experiences that might have been from God. Notice the difference between the time of the event and what followed later. Our own sense of honesty will guide us in naming rightly what was from God and how we doubted it afterwards.
When Not to Make a Decision
When we are knocked off our center, cannot find God in our thoughts or prayers, and find ourselves more pushed around by our feelings and thoughts than by what invites or encourages us, it is definitely a bad time to be making a decision. Not making a decision except when there is peace inside may seem a difficult rule to follow. Making a decision at a time when we are being influenced by thoughts and feelings against our basic orientation towards God can cause great harm to ourselves and to others.
There is an illusion in times of confusion that making a decision – any decision – will give us relief. That is equivalent to reaching blindly into a bag of good and bad apples and just taking one. Even if we happen to get a good one, we would consider ourselves lucky, not smart, or wise. This “rule” about not acting while we are without peace does not mean that we can always take time to get comfortable before making important decisions. When a crisis occurs, we have to move quickly. Most often we will have an immediate clarity about what is the “right thing” for us to do. If we reflect back on the decisions we made when we had to decide “on the spot”, we will probably recognize that most were the proper choices. There is no time when God is not present, though we might not be aware of it.
Thinking and Feeling
One of the big secrets in our relationship with God is the connection between what we think and what we feel. God is good, so our experiences of God are accompanied with thoughts and feelings that are appropriately positive. Most of us also have some other kinds of experiences which are not necessarily “bad” but they do not come to us directly from the gracious love of God. We do not make up our own feelings, but when we pay attention to what is going on in our minds we gain some understanding of our feelings.
In making decisions, we help ourselves by attending to the “spiritual weather” we are experiencing. When our minds are cloudy and our feelings correspond, it does not mean that we have become less good than we were before, or less a responsive and responsible child of God. But the confused set of thoughts and concomitant discomfort do not come to us from God. When God approaches us, we find that our thoughts flow easily on how to act in accord with our values, and feel confidence and a sense of rightness.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
SEXUAL MORALITY
In our Catholicism Study in St. Martha the speaker, Atty. Jess Moya talked about Sexual Morality. He presented and clearly defined a lot of controversies with regards to it and the stand of the Catholic Church when it comes to these matters. There are several controversial issues nowadays like premarital sex, contraception and artificial insemination and the 2 extreme attitudes related to it that were given light in this talk. These attitudes are both situated in opposite sides of the pole namely, the hedonist which is only after pleasure and the prude which regards sex as something dirty and evil. Through the help of the teachings of the Church which gives balance on these things, sex will take on a different meaning for us who strive to have an attitude that will develop in us, although may take time, the belief that sex is sacred. Virtue of Chastity requires an integration of sexuality within his/her person and self mastery and control of his/her passions (CCC 2337)
CCC 2339
Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. Sir. 1:22 "Among wisdom's treasures is the paragon of prudence..."
"Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end."
SEXUAL GUIDELINES:
Sex outside marriage is a grave sin.
CCC 2390
In a so-called free union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy.
The expression "free union" is fallacious: what can "union" mean when the partners make no commitment to one another, each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in himself, or in the future?
The expression covers a number of different situations: concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make long-term commitments. All these situations offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion.
-Within marriage: the spouses do nothing evil in seeking the pleasure and enjoyment of sex but they should keep themselves within the limits of just moderation.
CCC 2362
"The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude." Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure:
The Creator himself . . . established that in the [generative] function, spouses should experience pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do nothing evil in seeking this pleasure and enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has intended for them. At the same time, spouses should know how to keep themselves within the limits of just moderation.
-Because sex is the handiwork of God, sex is by its nature something good, something sacred and holy. It is only when sex is torn from its holy framework of marriage and potential parenthood do evil enter in.
SIN AGAINST CHASTITY
1. Fornification: carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.
ex. Premarital sex (CCC 2353)
2. Adultery is an injustice. He who commits adultery fails in his commitment. He does injury to the sign of the covenant which the marriage bond is, transgresses the rights of the other spouse, and undermines the institution of marriage by breaking the contract on which it is based. He compromises the good of human generation and the welfare of children who need their parents' stable union. (CCC 2381)
3. Masturbation: By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.
4. Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials. (CCC 2354)
5. Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays sins gravely against himself: he violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.140 Prostitution is a social scourge. It usually involves women, but also men, children, and adolescents (The latter two cases involve the added sin of scandal.). While it is always gravely sinful to engage in prostitution, the imputability of the offense can be attenuated by destitution, blackmail, or social pressure. (CCC 2355)
6. Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act. Graver still is the rape of children committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them. (CCC 2356)
7. Homosexual acts
Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, (Gen 19:1-29; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Rom 1: 26-27; 1 Tim 1:9-10) tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (CCC 2357)
The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. (CCC 2358)
Why marriage should only be between a man and a woman: (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:22-24)
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. (CCC 2359)
In fact, according to our speaker there already is an existing group of homosexuals called "Courage" whose mission is live in chastity by controlling their perverted passions and desires.
NINTH COMMANDMENT: You must not commit adultery(Mt. 5:27)
The heart is the seat of moral personality: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication. . . ." Mt. 15:19 " The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance:
Remain simple and innocent, and you will be like little children who do not know the evil that destroys man's life.
-Lust seeks the pleasure apart from the purpose
Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.(CCC 2351)
CCC 2515: Etymologically, "concupiscence" can refer to any intense form of human desire. Christian theology has given it a particular meaning: the movement of the sensitive appetite contrary to the operation of the human reason. The apostle St. Paul identifies it with the rebellion of the "flesh" against the "spirit." Gal. 5:16, 17, 24; Epf 2:3 Concupiscence stems from the disobedience of the first sin. It unsettles man's moral faculties and, without being in itself an offense, inclines man to commit sins. Gen 3:11
PRACTICAL HELP:
1. Humility - Don't be too confident. 1 Cor 10:12 "The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall."
2. Going to confession - There is a flow of sanctifying grace everytime we go to confession and must avail of it whenever possible.
3. Be proactive. Avoid occasions of sins
4. Resolve to give God everything
5. Have a stronger good desire
6. Let images of motherhood overcome images of impurity. Women are life givers.
7. Remember the victims of your thoughts and actions
8. Remember who you are, a child of God
9. Remember that good is infinitely stronger than evil
10. Observe modesty. Don't fall into the trap of green or dirty jokes.
Eph 5:3-4 Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving.
Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Avoid sexually provocative actions that could aggravate the existing reality of this slowly collapsing morality of this pervert generation. Abstain from actions that could arouse sexual appetite but instead promote purity and decency.
CCC-2521
Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
2522
Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.
2523
There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies.
2524
The forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another. Everywhere, however, modesty exists as an intuition of the spiritual dignity proper to man. It is born with the awakening consciousness of being a subject. Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect for the human person
SIN AGAINST PROCREATION
1. Artificial contraception: it is evil because it prevents an act of God.
CCC 2366
Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. So the Church, which is "on the side of life," teaches that "it is necessary that each and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human life." "This particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act."
CCC 2368
A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the regulation of procreation. For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood. Moreover, they should conform their behavior to the objective criteria of morality:
When it is a question of harmonizing married love with the responsible transmission of life, the morality of the behavior does not depend on sincere intention and evaluation of motives alone; but it must be determined by objective criteria, criteria drawn from the nature of the person and his acts, criteria that respect the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love; this is possible only if the virtue of married chastity is practiced with sincerity of heart.
CCC 2370
Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:
Thus the innate LANGUAGE that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory LANGUAGE, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.
2. ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION & FERTILIZATION ("TEST TUBE BABIES")
-Heterologous artificial insemination (Donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus
CCC 2376
Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses' "right to become a father and a mother only through each other."
-Homologous artificial insemination
CCC 2377
Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable. They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that "entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children." "Under the moral aspect procreation is deprived of its proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of the conjugal act, that is to say, of the specific act of the spouses' union. . . . Only respect for the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of the human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the person."
"Donum Vitae" having a child is a gift, not a right
3. GENETIC MANIPULATION
-it is a total perversion of procreation to produce "designer genes or to resort to human cloning
-fixing genetic flaws for therapeutic purposes is ok.
-CCC 2275
"One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival."
"It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material."
"Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and identity" which are unique and unrepeatable.
END OF DISCUSSION
What gave me the inspiration to share about this talk is embodied in today's 1st reading when God rained down bread from heaven and tested whether the Israelites will follow or not. In the same way when we, like the Israelites believe after witnessing in our lives God's Almighty Power to provide for our need but sometimes still fail to follow instructions given to us by God through the Church and insist on our own perverted thoughts and beliefs. It is our duty to know more about our faith and follow what it teaches us through the Catholic Church. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 16:1-5. 9-15
... “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not...“This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”
The Lord has already given us everything we need but we still crave for something else. We sometimes doubt and question God's ability to get us through it all. We tend to resort to means that is of our own and not of God. Our rationalizing mind gets the better in us when we exclude in the equation the awesome truth of who really God is and what He is capable of doing in our life. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 78:18-19. 23-24. 25-26. 27-28
R: The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
18 They tempted God in their hearts by demanding the food they craved...
There is a season and a reason. The farmers wait for the proper and optimum time to plant their seeds, cultivate and harvest. Things can not be done in a hurry. As in the following bible passages: Acts 17: 26-27...and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. Psalm 31:14-15..."You are my God." My times are in your hands;... Hebrews 4:16...So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help... We can learn a lot from these words of God and ponder on them before we make any rush decisions. We have to decide and act on things based on the Word of God and be guided by them at all times. The seed being spoken of in today’s gospel is the word of God. There is also a need to till the soil before we can plant the seed. When I was just a kid I used to pity the farmers who work under the heat of the sun while plowing the fields. It is clearly etched in my mind how they guide the plow being pulled by the carabao while their feet sink into the mud. The same way these farmers prepare the soil for a good harvest we, too must prepare ourselves in order to become the rich soil that bears fruit. Let us not waste the seed God has sown in our hearts. If we need to stay under the scorching heat of the sun and sink our feet into the mushy field of our lives why not, it will always be worth it knowing that the seed that God has planted will surely reap a bountiful harvest, Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13: 1-9
...8 But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 9 Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
CCC 2339
Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. Sir. 1:22 "Among wisdom's treasures is the paragon of prudence..."
"Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end."
SEXUAL GUIDELINES:
Sex outside marriage is a grave sin.
CCC 2390
In a so-called free union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy.
The expression "free union" is fallacious: what can "union" mean when the partners make no commitment to one another, each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in himself, or in the future?
The expression covers a number of different situations: concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make long-term commitments. All these situations offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion.
-Within marriage: the spouses do nothing evil in seeking the pleasure and enjoyment of sex but they should keep themselves within the limits of just moderation.
CCC 2362
"The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable; the truly human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude." Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure:
The Creator himself . . . established that in the [generative] function, spouses should experience pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do nothing evil in seeking this pleasure and enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has intended for them. At the same time, spouses should know how to keep themselves within the limits of just moderation.
-Because sex is the handiwork of God, sex is by its nature something good, something sacred and holy. It is only when sex is torn from its holy framework of marriage and potential parenthood do evil enter in.
SIN AGAINST CHASTITY
1. Fornification: carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.
ex. Premarital sex (CCC 2353)
2. Adultery is an injustice. He who commits adultery fails in his commitment. He does injury to the sign of the covenant which the marriage bond is, transgresses the rights of the other spouse, and undermines the institution of marriage by breaking the contract on which it is based. He compromises the good of human generation and the welfare of children who need their parents' stable union. (CCC 2381)
3. Masturbation: By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.
4. Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials. (CCC 2354)
5. Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays sins gravely against himself: he violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.140 Prostitution is a social scourge. It usually involves women, but also men, children, and adolescents (The latter two cases involve the added sin of scandal.). While it is always gravely sinful to engage in prostitution, the imputability of the offense can be attenuated by destitution, blackmail, or social pressure. (CCC 2355)
6. Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act. Graver still is the rape of children committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them. (CCC 2356)
7. Homosexual acts
Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, (Gen 19:1-29; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Rom 1: 26-27; 1 Tim 1:9-10) tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (CCC 2357)
The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. (CCC 2358)
Why marriage should only be between a man and a woman: (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:22-24)
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. (CCC 2359)
In fact, according to our speaker there already is an existing group of homosexuals called "Courage" whose mission is live in chastity by controlling their perverted passions and desires.
NINTH COMMANDMENT: You must not commit adultery(Mt. 5:27)
The heart is the seat of moral personality: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication. . . ." Mt. 15:19 " The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance:
Remain simple and innocent, and you will be like little children who do not know the evil that destroys man's life.
-Lust seeks the pleasure apart from the purpose
Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.(CCC 2351)
CCC 2515: Etymologically, "concupiscence" can refer to any intense form of human desire. Christian theology has given it a particular meaning: the movement of the sensitive appetite contrary to the operation of the human reason. The apostle St. Paul identifies it with the rebellion of the "flesh" against the "spirit." Gal. 5:16, 17, 24; Epf 2:3 Concupiscence stems from the disobedience of the first sin. It unsettles man's moral faculties and, without being in itself an offense, inclines man to commit sins. Gen 3:11
PRACTICAL HELP:
1. Humility - Don't be too confident. 1 Cor 10:12 "The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall."
2. Going to confession - There is a flow of sanctifying grace everytime we go to confession and must avail of it whenever possible.
3. Be proactive. Avoid occasions of sins
4. Resolve to give God everything
5. Have a stronger good desire
6. Let images of motherhood overcome images of impurity. Women are life givers.
7. Remember the victims of your thoughts and actions
8. Remember who you are, a child of God
9. Remember that good is infinitely stronger than evil
10. Observe modesty. Don't fall into the trap of green or dirty jokes.
Eph 5:3-4 Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving.
Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Avoid sexually provocative actions that could aggravate the existing reality of this slowly collapsing morality of this pervert generation. Abstain from actions that could arouse sexual appetite but instead promote purity and decency.
CCC-2521
Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
2522
Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.
2523
There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies.
2524
The forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another. Everywhere, however, modesty exists as an intuition of the spiritual dignity proper to man. It is born with the awakening consciousness of being a subject. Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect for the human person
SIN AGAINST PROCREATION
1. Artificial contraception: it is evil because it prevents an act of God.
CCC 2366
Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. So the Church, which is "on the side of life," teaches that "it is necessary that each and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human life." "This particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act."
CCC 2368
A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the regulation of procreation. For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood. Moreover, they should conform their behavior to the objective criteria of morality:
When it is a question of harmonizing married love with the responsible transmission of life, the morality of the behavior does not depend on sincere intention and evaluation of motives alone; but it must be determined by objective criteria, criteria drawn from the nature of the person and his acts, criteria that respect the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love; this is possible only if the virtue of married chastity is practiced with sincerity of heart.
CCC 2370
Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:
Thus the innate LANGUAGE that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory LANGUAGE, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.
2. ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION & FERTILIZATION ("TEST TUBE BABIES")
-Heterologous artificial insemination (Donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus
CCC 2376
Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses' "right to become a father and a mother only through each other."
-Homologous artificial insemination
CCC 2377
Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable. They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that "entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children." "Under the moral aspect procreation is deprived of its proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of the conjugal act, that is to say, of the specific act of the spouses' union. . . . Only respect for the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of the human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the person."
"Donum Vitae" having a child is a gift, not a right
3. GENETIC MANIPULATION
-it is a total perversion of procreation to produce "designer genes or to resort to human cloning
-fixing genetic flaws for therapeutic purposes is ok.
-CCC 2275
"One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival."
"It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material."
"Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and identity" which are unique and unrepeatable.
END OF DISCUSSION
What gave me the inspiration to share about this talk is embodied in today's 1st reading when God rained down bread from heaven and tested whether the Israelites will follow or not. In the same way when we, like the Israelites believe after witnessing in our lives God's Almighty Power to provide for our need but sometimes still fail to follow instructions given to us by God through the Church and insist on our own perverted thoughts and beliefs. It is our duty to know more about our faith and follow what it teaches us through the Catholic Church. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 16:1-5. 9-15
... “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not...“This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”
The Lord has already given us everything we need but we still crave for something else. We sometimes doubt and question God's ability to get us through it all. We tend to resort to means that is of our own and not of God. Our rationalizing mind gets the better in us when we exclude in the equation the awesome truth of who really God is and what He is capable of doing in our life. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 78:18-19. 23-24. 25-26. 27-28
R: The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
18 They tempted God in their hearts by demanding the food they craved...
There is a season and a reason. The farmers wait for the proper and optimum time to plant their seeds, cultivate and harvest. Things can not be done in a hurry. As in the following bible passages: Acts 17: 26-27...and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. Psalm 31:14-15..."You are my God." My times are in your hands;... Hebrews 4:16...So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help... We can learn a lot from these words of God and ponder on them before we make any rush decisions. We have to decide and act on things based on the Word of God and be guided by them at all times. The seed being spoken of in today’s gospel is the word of God. There is also a need to till the soil before we can plant the seed. When I was just a kid I used to pity the farmers who work under the heat of the sun while plowing the fields. It is clearly etched in my mind how they guide the plow being pulled by the carabao while their feet sink into the mud. The same way these farmers prepare the soil for a good harvest we, too must prepare ourselves in order to become the rich soil that bears fruit. Let us not waste the seed God has sown in our hearts. If we need to stay under the scorching heat of the sun and sink our feet into the mushy field of our lives why not, it will always be worth it knowing that the seed that God has planted will surely reap a bountiful harvest, Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13: 1-9
...8 But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 9 Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
STRETCHED OUT HAND
I can still remember when I was just newly baptized in the Spirit fresh from a Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) way back in 1989, one of the things I learned was the laying of the hands over a person, even a place or thing that needs to be prayed over. What I did back then looked very strange to most of the people who saw me doing that since not a lot of people back then were already familiar with Catholic Charismatic Movements. And even up to the present time not a lot of people are fully aware of the power in stretching out the hand in prayer. One of the things I will never forget with regards to praying over was with my Kuya or elder brother. My Kuya was driving then and the car suddenly stopped and he immediately said that we have to get off the car since it will surely won't run anymore, I am not sure if it was out of gasoline or engine trouble. Being so on fire then with the newly found gifts of the Holy Spirit, I immediately told him to start the engine while I pray over it but he simply said it's impossible since it really won't work but I was so persistent and insisted that he do it. When he did, the car roared back to life and were on our way. He was so amazed he even said "Ang galing mo!" in English, "You're good" but I told him it wasn't me but God. Another incident also with my Kuya was when he got caught by a police man and I noticed that they were already getting into a very lengthy argument that I was already getting worried so I decided to approach them and find out what was keeping them. But before doing so I stretched out my hand towards them and prayed. I didn't even come close enough to them when the police man just handed over to my Kuya his driver's license and let him go. When we were already in the car my Kuya asked me what I did since he already had a feeling before I approached them that he might get in trouble with the police man that was why he got shocked when all of a sudden he just returned his driver license and let him go as if nothing happened. I told him that it was all because God helped us. Since then I have always used my hands to pray over almost everything. And these are only a few of the first experiences I've had with praying over. I regularly pray over my 2 sons especially when they were still very young and not once did they experience being hospitalized. I can still remember when I just gave birth to Allan and it had been 3 days already and he hadn't moved his bowel yet so my mother told me that we have to bring him to the hospital but before we did I prayed over him and got a miracle when he suddenly kept on moving and looked as if he was straining so when I checked his diapers, I found out that he finally pooped. Another incident that I consider a great miracle was when my son Jude who was playing basketball fell and bumped his head. I really saw blood trapped underneath his scalp but when I prayed over him it miraculously started to clear and after some time told me that he felt better and no longer dizzy and nauseated. I praise and thank God for this powerful tool of praying over with our hands which He has taught us. Today's 1st reading shows us the power of stretching out the hand in prayer which started way back during the time of Moses which still stands true up to the present time. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 14:21–15:1
21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land...Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth...
Today's psalm also speaks of God's stretched out hand. This reminds me also of the vision I had which I shared several times already in the past of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue in St. Martha's Church with His Sacred Heart being offered to me in His outstretched hand. Being reminded of it makes me always aware of God's signs, wonders and miracles wrought by His mighty hand. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Exodus 15:8-9. 10 and 12. 17
R: Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
...When you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them!...
What a pleasant and divine intervention that the gospel also mentioned the stretched out hand of Jesus. In today's gospel He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said that those who do the will of God the Father are His brothers and sisters. Our praying over is most effective when we obey the will of God in our lives. We are all called to become part of God's great family. It is all up to us if we seriously want it too. As the gospel today tells us, we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus if we do the will of God the Father. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 12:46-50
...And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Exodus 14:21–15:1
21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD swept the sea with a strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land...Then the LORD told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth...
Today's psalm also speaks of God's stretched out hand. This reminds me also of the vision I had which I shared several times already in the past of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue in St. Martha's Church with His Sacred Heart being offered to me in His outstretched hand. Being reminded of it makes me always aware of God's signs, wonders and miracles wrought by His mighty hand. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Exodus 15:8-9. 10 and 12. 17
R: Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
...When you stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them!...
What a pleasant and divine intervention that the gospel also mentioned the stretched out hand of Jesus. In today's gospel He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said that those who do the will of God the Father are His brothers and sisters. Our praying over is most effective when we obey the will of God in our lives. We are all called to become part of God's great family. It is all up to us if we seriously want it too. As the gospel today tells us, we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus if we do the will of God the Father. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 12:46-50
...And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Monday, July 18, 2011
TESTED AND CONFIRMED POSITIVE
Sometimes we sound just like the Israelites in today's 1st reading when we question God's will in our lives when we encounter hardships and difficulties. The Israelites regretted having left Egypt and gone with Moses to the Promised Land. They were in the stage of “If only I had known that this would happen then I could have gone back.” We may be in a situation when we can most definitely relate to the Israelites, especially when there are moments when we suddenly feel that we could have been better off if we hadn't obeyed or followed what God was telling us to do. We come to a point when we think that maybe it would have been easier if we had just followed our own or the world's standard of wise, quick fix and practical suggestions or solutions. We sometimes succumb to this dilemma every single day whether in major or minor events in our lives. I guess, we are no better than the Israelites because there are even times when we complain to God at the slightest inconvenience. At least these Israelites were on the verge of being killed and feared for their lives seeing that the Egyptians had already caught up with them. It might be just a natural reaction when we encounter grave danger but even in the face of death God calls us to go beyond our fears and continue to stand our ground. Just like the Israelites who may have thought of turning back but simply couldn't anymore for there is no other choice but to move forward or die in the hands of the Egyptians. We also may have come to a point when we ask ourselves how we've ever come to reach this far, to a point where there is no turning back and feel like there is no way out. For as long we know that we are rooted in God with regards to what we did, are doing and will do then we have surely seen, are seeing and will surely see the victory that the Lord won, is winning and will continue to win for us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 14:5-18
...The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 Pharaoh was already near when the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they cried out to the LORD. 11 And they complained to Moses, “Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” 13 But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today...
Let us always equip ourselves with the strength and courage of the Lord for He is our mighty warrior who saves us from all our enemies. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Exodus 15:1bc-2. 3-4. 5-6
R: Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
...My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. He is my God, I praise him; the God of my father, I extol him. (R) 3 The LORD is a warrior, LORD is his name!...Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power, your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
Have we become an evil and unfaithful generation? We tend to doubt some things unless we have proof. What God expects of us is to believe even in the midst of uncertainty. Let us just focus on the truth that God will always give what's best for us. If we maintain an open communication line with God, there is indeed no more need for proof and sign. Everything that happens to us should be considered as God’s way of calling us to Himself. We must not be doubtful or unbelieving anymore like the scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel. What could be greater than the sign of God’s infinite love for us, Jesus who became man, suffered, died and resurrected for our sake. The gospel also reminds us once again of the sign of Jonah. Whatever signs or significant meaning it remind us of or could be none at all, there's something to learn here which I have come to know and also learned from Fr. Tony's teachings. Jonah is an entertaining lesson of the great capacity to do evil and good in all peoples. Even the Ninevites or our enemies for that matter can still be a source of goodness since repentance and salvation is not a monopoly. We must not lose sight of God's image of love and mercy first before that of a just and a punishing God. Sometimes we tend to label people as hopeless or just like Jonah who was very prejudiced against the Ninevites. And we can't blame him for they can be considered as enemies of their race and an adulterous and filthy nation incapable of change and conversion. This is why Jonah is also a pointed message to all "righteous/holier-than-thou people" that if an evil, good for nothing and messed-up Nineveh can put on ashes/sackcloth" and repent, more so can a "God knowing, fearing, righteous and good Jerusalem." This time instead of always looking at those people who hurt us or in our opinion do not measure up, let us try to look at ourselves, who claim to believe and follow God if we are able to recognize the very signs that God send us every day in every event that is happening in our own lives. We need not look any further for we ourselves and the daily circumstance is more than enough sign that we need not ask for more. Like Jonah who refused to bring the good news to the Ninevites since he felt that he would just be endangering his life by doing so. Although it was a legitimate concern knowing how cruel and barbaric the Ninevites were during that time he finally obeyed after so much resistance. Sometimes we are like Jonah, too, when we resist and refuse to do what God is telling us to do since we are so fearful and maybe traumatized. This happens when we like Jonah already know that he had to face a people capable of great evil and in the same manner have to face someone whom we know is capable of hurting us or has already caused us a great source of pain and trauma that we feel like we don't even want to see or talk with them anymore or just fight back. We may already know who or what the "Ninevites or Nineveh" in our lives are, and no matter what it is, there are times when somehow we've got to follow Jonah's example. We have to brave through our fears by not running away from it, do the right thing and be the sign. Just like any other sign or symptom, our thoughts, words and actions should be pointing to just one greater sign which is to be tested and confirmed positive to have J-E-S-U-S in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here...
Exodus 14:5-18
...The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 Pharaoh was already near when the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they cried out to the LORD. 11 And they complained to Moses, “Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” 13 But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today...
Let us always equip ourselves with the strength and courage of the Lord for He is our mighty warrior who saves us from all our enemies. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Exodus 15:1bc-2. 3-4. 5-6
R: Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
...My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. He is my God, I praise him; the God of my father, I extol him. (R) 3 The LORD is a warrior, LORD is his name!...Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power, your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
Have we become an evil and unfaithful generation? We tend to doubt some things unless we have proof. What God expects of us is to believe even in the midst of uncertainty. Let us just focus on the truth that God will always give what's best for us. If we maintain an open communication line with God, there is indeed no more need for proof and sign. Everything that happens to us should be considered as God’s way of calling us to Himself. We must not be doubtful or unbelieving anymore like the scribes and Pharisees in today’s gospel. What could be greater than the sign of God’s infinite love for us, Jesus who became man, suffered, died and resurrected for our sake. The gospel also reminds us once again of the sign of Jonah. Whatever signs or significant meaning it remind us of or could be none at all, there's something to learn here which I have come to know and also learned from Fr. Tony's teachings. Jonah is an entertaining lesson of the great capacity to do evil and good in all peoples. Even the Ninevites or our enemies for that matter can still be a source of goodness since repentance and salvation is not a monopoly. We must not lose sight of God's image of love and mercy first before that of a just and a punishing God. Sometimes we tend to label people as hopeless or just like Jonah who was very prejudiced against the Ninevites. And we can't blame him for they can be considered as enemies of their race and an adulterous and filthy nation incapable of change and conversion. This is why Jonah is also a pointed message to all "righteous/holier-than-thou people" that if an evil, good for nothing and messed-up Nineveh can put on ashes/sackcloth" and repent, more so can a "God knowing, fearing, righteous and good Jerusalem." This time instead of always looking at those people who hurt us or in our opinion do not measure up, let us try to look at ourselves, who claim to believe and follow God if we are able to recognize the very signs that God send us every day in every event that is happening in our own lives. We need not look any further for we ourselves and the daily circumstance is more than enough sign that we need not ask for more. Like Jonah who refused to bring the good news to the Ninevites since he felt that he would just be endangering his life by doing so. Although it was a legitimate concern knowing how cruel and barbaric the Ninevites were during that time he finally obeyed after so much resistance. Sometimes we are like Jonah, too, when we resist and refuse to do what God is telling us to do since we are so fearful and maybe traumatized. This happens when we like Jonah already know that he had to face a people capable of great evil and in the same manner have to face someone whom we know is capable of hurting us or has already caused us a great source of pain and trauma that we feel like we don't even want to see or talk with them anymore or just fight back. We may already know who or what the "Ninevites or Nineveh" in our lives are, and no matter what it is, there are times when somehow we've got to follow Jonah's example. We have to brave through our fears by not running away from it, do the right thing and be the sign. Just like any other sign or symptom, our thoughts, words and actions should be pointing to just one greater sign which is to be tested and confirmed positive to have J-E-S-U-S in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here...
Sunday, July 17, 2011
GATE OF HEAVEN
We’ve got to straighten up some things about God. Who He is and what He wants for our life. What is our picture of God? It’s not surprising to know that most of us think that God doesn’t want us to have fun. It’s like all the things that we want to do with our friends that are interesting and exciting when we were young was against God’s commandments. It may seem like we have to settle for less. What’s worse is that all the faithful Catholics get less out of life. This is part of the propaganda way back in the Garden of Eden. God gave us a magnificent paradise wherein there is perfect intimacy and no shame with each other. In the Garden they have everything they need but gave just one limit, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is very interesting because God said, “Don’t do this because you will die.” The reason why God commands us something is because He is a loving Father who cares for us. He wants us to have the best. But then came the serpent, he didn’t create Adam & Eve, nor gave the garden or anything at all. All the serpent gave was a lie and told Adam & Eve not to listen to God or they’ll lose out and won’t become like God. They were made to believe that God is holding out something from them and is actually their rival because God doesn’t want them to have what He has. So instead of trusting the one who gave them everything, they trusted a stranger. They disobeyed God and listened to the liar. They were hooked into a downward spiral of destruction. This is what sin is all about. It is a trap. It is disguised as an apparent good because the fruit looks good and desirable but it ends in disaster. The relationship with God is messed up and so creation turned against them, thorns and thistles appear and things in life become hard. This is what sin does, it seemed small but it gets out of control. Things get worse and worse and there are broken lives everywhere. This is the reality about sin. We are draining life out of ourselves unless we recognize the One, True and Living God. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out there. It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes virtue appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most by those who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food most? The person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a person after a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the most. The person who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things in the world that people want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit of pleasure. But God commands them to be used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life is to follow God’s commands. Amen. Hallelujah!
Wisdom 12: 13, 16- 1913 There is no god besides you who have the care of all,...18 But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; ...
Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us who we are. The actions we engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time. God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Virtuous acts build in us strength. The word virtue comes from the word manly which is strength and power. Virtue is a habit that makes it easy and pleasurable to do the right thing. Golden virtue isn’t always easy. It is hard. But what is vice, it is a habit that makes it easy to do the wrong and evil thing. Let’s take exercise as an example. People make it their New Year’s resolution and people who go to the gym noticed that it’s packed on January but they’re gone by the 3rd week. If we’ve ever engaged in an exercise program for the first time, we know that we feel bad, tired, exhausted and wake up sore. This is because we do not have the habit of exercise. We have not trained and our bodies are not used to it. It hurts and it’s hard the first time we work out. If we persevere past the first few weeks and developed a habit of regular exercise then we end up getting used to it and become easy that when we don’t exercise we feel bad. What happens is that we build up the power or the virtue. We’ve conditioned ourselves so that it becomes second nature to us. If we want a progressive course we need to do something hard. No pain no gain. The next time we work out we add up a little bit more since we are stronger. We can move forward and grow in our ability to lift weights. This is the deal. The actions we do have an impact of what we are. It’s like when we start lifting weights we start to change and look different. We look like someone who has strength, power and endurance. This is the point, God is about building champions. The goal of the Christian life is to build champions. Well, not necessarily athletic champions but spiritually. A real champion in every aspect of life. God wants us to be strong, loving, wise and to have the power to live. It’s not so much what we do that counts but it’s who we become. That’s what the commandments, teachings and God is all about. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 86: 5-6, 9-10, 15-16R: (5a) Lord, you are good and forgiving.5 You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. 6 Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading...
There are 7 habits that have been identified for the last 2000 years that will lead us to success, excellence in every aspect of human life and holiness. The most important of human life is our relationship with God. But every other aspect like our relationship with other people, family, the way we are in the work place and all these things are governed by these 7 habits, patterns or qualities. These habits we can find in scriptures and see it in the life of saints. Even before God begin to reveal Himself to His people in Israel, human nature is smart and wise enough to see some things on its own. We, Catholics believe that God gave human beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities to be deemed a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4 virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope. They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or fortitude) Prudence is the ability to make right decisions in complex situations. Decisions that lead to the best and right thing. Without this we can be in big trouble. We’ve got to be able to decide in a situation that we’re in what the right thing to do which is the best thing to do. How do we get something done? There are some folks who probably just can’t figure out what to do. There are other folks who look at the problem and they can figure out a solution. It’s a core and they execute that core. It’s practical wisdom. We’ll find in the Book of Proverbs a lot of things about wisdom even in Sirach, Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We can also find all the other 3 cardinal virtues, like justice which means giving each person his or her due. We all know even as kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person is doing.” This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice. Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites. Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person. Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s right. We’ve got have all these things but here’s the problem. When Adam & Eve decided to sin they let loose a weakness into our race and nature that impacts all of us. We call it original sin. Sin is not so original, we just copy what other people have done. There’s nothing creative about sin. Adam & Eve’s sin was the only original sin. What they did has an impact on us. By weakening their own nature, sin weakened man’s nature. They passed on to us a weakened nature. They separated themselves and the whole human race from friendship with God and were born into that. There’s a tendency in our nature to go on a downward drift, a drift off course and a tendency to a great degree is dealt with through grace. How do we get grace? Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has made possible for us, healing of our humanity. He gives us other gifts, faith, hope and charity that make it possible for us to really have wisdom, justice, temperance and courage. Without faith, hope and charity in this life, no one can really become truly wise. All throughout human history we see people who exercise these gifts. They may not be Christians, deeply spiritual people, or in a state of grace and can exercise some of these potentials here and there. But ultimately original sin means we are going to sin seriously and mess up. We need God’s grace for those 4 great virtues to be perfected. Faith, hope and charity are supernatural. These are things that human beings would never know that they need or could have without God giving them supernaturally that’s why they are called the theological virtues. We only know about them through divine revelation and we couldn’t know about them by reason. We can only have them through God’s grace. The theological virtues, faith, hope and charity are the crown of the first 4 cardinal virtues that transform and make them possible. God doesn’t want us just to be whole human beings and restore us to what Adam & Eve were when they blew it in the Garden. God wants us to be more than that. He wants to elevate our human nature and divinize it. He wants us to share in His own Divine nature. Charity is all about loving with God’s love. Loving as the 3 persons of the Holy Trinity love each other and sharing in that goes way beyond human nature. This is an incredible thing and call. It was only possible because God became man and we can share in his virtue. This is what the real Catholic life is all about. It’s not just about making it or going to heaven by the skin of your teeth after struggling. It’s about growing in holiness and becoming like Jesus all throughout our life, a champion not without struggles. As a matter of fact without the struggles we can never become a champion. But with victory and excellence not with hopelessness, despair and frustration. This is God’s desire for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this is given to us through the Holy Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 8: 26-2726 Brothers and sisters: The Spirit, too, comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. 27 And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.
Heaven is the realization of being a champion. In heaven we will be glorified magnificently. We will live forever with strength, power and beauty sharing a new humanity with Jesus. What about hell? Let’s look what vice is about. A habit that instead of building up, deteriorates us. It starts small just like exercise. There was a guy named Ted Bundy, who was executed in the State of Florida for horrible sexual crimes, murder and all sorts of perversion. He was sorry for what he did. He didn’t ask for mercy but he warned people before he died. He was interviewed and narrated how this road began. It all started with looking at pornographic books which incited in him the wrong kind of attitude towards other human beings and the opposite sex. It became in his mind, instruments and play things. One thing led to another and just gradually led him to murder, rape and all sorts of horrible things. That’s the way it is with every sin. Sins that we commit are traps and tricks that will lead us to habits and patterns of behavior that will change us. When we tell the first lie we may not be a liar yet but it makes a lot more prone to lie again. We start with kids maybe stealing a pack of candies from the store. If we don’t stop that, the next time it will be bigger. Maybe for teens it may be something like breaking in to a house and steal things. It just keeps on going and it becomes easier and easier to do more horrible things. Then we become a thief, an unjust person with just one little act. There’s a little thing that illustrates all these. Sow a thought, reap an act, sow an act, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a lifestyle, sow a lifestyle, reap a destiny. It all begins with a decision or thought, an act and then it becomes a pattern. It has dared us to become who we are and where we will eventually end up. The gospel for today is reminding us of this vital truth of the reality of heaven and hell. The gates of heaven has been opened and made accessible for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not tread the path going to the gate of hell rather journey our way to the gate of heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:24-43
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"… "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
Wisdom 12: 13, 16- 1913 There is no god besides you who have the care of all,...18 But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; ...
Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us who we are. The actions we engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time. God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Virtuous acts build in us strength. The word virtue comes from the word manly which is strength and power. Virtue is a habit that makes it easy and pleasurable to do the right thing. Golden virtue isn’t always easy. It is hard. But what is vice, it is a habit that makes it easy to do the wrong and evil thing. Let’s take exercise as an example. People make it their New Year’s resolution and people who go to the gym noticed that it’s packed on January but they’re gone by the 3rd week. If we’ve ever engaged in an exercise program for the first time, we know that we feel bad, tired, exhausted and wake up sore. This is because we do not have the habit of exercise. We have not trained and our bodies are not used to it. It hurts and it’s hard the first time we work out. If we persevere past the first few weeks and developed a habit of regular exercise then we end up getting used to it and become easy that when we don’t exercise we feel bad. What happens is that we build up the power or the virtue. We’ve conditioned ourselves so that it becomes second nature to us. If we want a progressive course we need to do something hard. No pain no gain. The next time we work out we add up a little bit more since we are stronger. We can move forward and grow in our ability to lift weights. This is the deal. The actions we do have an impact of what we are. It’s like when we start lifting weights we start to change and look different. We look like someone who has strength, power and endurance. This is the point, God is about building champions. The goal of the Christian life is to build champions. Well, not necessarily athletic champions but spiritually. A real champion in every aspect of life. God wants us to be strong, loving, wise and to have the power to live. It’s not so much what we do that counts but it’s who we become. That’s what the commandments, teachings and God is all about. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 86: 5-6, 9-10, 15-16R: (5a) Lord, you are good and forgiving.5 You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. 6 Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading...
There are 7 habits that have been identified for the last 2000 years that will lead us to success, excellence in every aspect of human life and holiness. The most important of human life is our relationship with God. But every other aspect like our relationship with other people, family, the way we are in the work place and all these things are governed by these 7 habits, patterns or qualities. These habits we can find in scriptures and see it in the life of saints. Even before God begin to reveal Himself to His people in Israel, human nature is smart and wise enough to see some things on its own. We, Catholics believe that God gave human beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities to be deemed a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4 virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope. They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or fortitude) Prudence is the ability to make right decisions in complex situations. Decisions that lead to the best and right thing. Without this we can be in big trouble. We’ve got to be able to decide in a situation that we’re in what the right thing to do which is the best thing to do. How do we get something done? There are some folks who probably just can’t figure out what to do. There are other folks who look at the problem and they can figure out a solution. It’s a core and they execute that core. It’s practical wisdom. We’ll find in the Book of Proverbs a lot of things about wisdom even in Sirach, Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We can also find all the other 3 cardinal virtues, like justice which means giving each person his or her due. We all know even as kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person is doing.” This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice. Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites. Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person. Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s right. We’ve got have all these things but here’s the problem. When Adam & Eve decided to sin they let loose a weakness into our race and nature that impacts all of us. We call it original sin. Sin is not so original, we just copy what other people have done. There’s nothing creative about sin. Adam & Eve’s sin was the only original sin. What they did has an impact on us. By weakening their own nature, sin weakened man’s nature. They passed on to us a weakened nature. They separated themselves and the whole human race from friendship with God and were born into that. There’s a tendency in our nature to go on a downward drift, a drift off course and a tendency to a great degree is dealt with through grace. How do we get grace? Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has made possible for us, healing of our humanity. He gives us other gifts, faith, hope and charity that make it possible for us to really have wisdom, justice, temperance and courage. Without faith, hope and charity in this life, no one can really become truly wise. All throughout human history we see people who exercise these gifts. They may not be Christians, deeply spiritual people, or in a state of grace and can exercise some of these potentials here and there. But ultimately original sin means we are going to sin seriously and mess up. We need God’s grace for those 4 great virtues to be perfected. Faith, hope and charity are supernatural. These are things that human beings would never know that they need or could have without God giving them supernaturally that’s why they are called the theological virtues. We only know about them through divine revelation and we couldn’t know about them by reason. We can only have them through God’s grace. The theological virtues, faith, hope and charity are the crown of the first 4 cardinal virtues that transform and make them possible. God doesn’t want us just to be whole human beings and restore us to what Adam & Eve were when they blew it in the Garden. God wants us to be more than that. He wants to elevate our human nature and divinize it. He wants us to share in His own Divine nature. Charity is all about loving with God’s love. Loving as the 3 persons of the Holy Trinity love each other and sharing in that goes way beyond human nature. This is an incredible thing and call. It was only possible because God became man and we can share in his virtue. This is what the real Catholic life is all about. It’s not just about making it or going to heaven by the skin of your teeth after struggling. It’s about growing in holiness and becoming like Jesus all throughout our life, a champion not without struggles. As a matter of fact without the struggles we can never become a champion. But with victory and excellence not with hopelessness, despair and frustration. This is God’s desire for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this is given to us through the Holy Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 8: 26-2726 Brothers and sisters: The Spirit, too, comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. 27 And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.
Heaven is the realization of being a champion. In heaven we will be glorified magnificently. We will live forever with strength, power and beauty sharing a new humanity with Jesus. What about hell? Let’s look what vice is about. A habit that instead of building up, deteriorates us. It starts small just like exercise. There was a guy named Ted Bundy, who was executed in the State of Florida for horrible sexual crimes, murder and all sorts of perversion. He was sorry for what he did. He didn’t ask for mercy but he warned people before he died. He was interviewed and narrated how this road began. It all started with looking at pornographic books which incited in him the wrong kind of attitude towards other human beings and the opposite sex. It became in his mind, instruments and play things. One thing led to another and just gradually led him to murder, rape and all sorts of horrible things. That’s the way it is with every sin. Sins that we commit are traps and tricks that will lead us to habits and patterns of behavior that will change us. When we tell the first lie we may not be a liar yet but it makes a lot more prone to lie again. We start with kids maybe stealing a pack of candies from the store. If we don’t stop that, the next time it will be bigger. Maybe for teens it may be something like breaking in to a house and steal things. It just keeps on going and it becomes easier and easier to do more horrible things. Then we become a thief, an unjust person with just one little act. There’s a little thing that illustrates all these. Sow a thought, reap an act, sow an act, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a lifestyle, sow a lifestyle, reap a destiny. It all begins with a decision or thought, an act and then it becomes a pattern. It has dared us to become who we are and where we will eventually end up. The gospel for today is reminding us of this vital truth of the reality of heaven and hell. The gates of heaven has been opened and made accessible for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not tread the path going to the gate of hell rather journey our way to the gate of heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:24-43
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"… "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned (up) with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
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