OUR STORY

King Solomon blew it and so did Jeroboam. We, too one time or another had our chances or golden moments. These are the times when God puts us on the line and we should not forfeit this golden moment to prove ourselves worthy. Jeroboam after being entrusted with wealth, power and glory could have promoted praise and worship to the one true God but he didn't. He was consumed by his greed for power that he failed to get a hold of himself. These worldly things can sometimes or most of the time the source of our distractions and if not properly checked and balanced might lead us to the way of perdition. We should not be sidetracked and lose focus because of the lure of wealth and power. Let us not be fooled by it and remain loyal to the true riches and glory that only God can offer. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
...This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth...

A lot of terrible things happen when we forget. Important and significant events in our life should always hold a special place in our hearts. We must not ignore those times when we had those special moments with the Lord. These will serve as a constant reminder to us and would definitely help us remain faithful to the Lord. Our memory of this, though very wonderful to forget may sometimes become dull or fade in the background when we are beset by the present and daily cares of this world. We may eventually lose the awe and wonder that we used to feel about it as time passes most especially when we encounter trials and difficulties. Today's psalm tells us to always remember, never forget and always tell our story of the goodness of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22
R: Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
... Our fathers in Egypt considered not your wonders. (R) 19 They made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; 20 they exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock. (R) 21 They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, 22 wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.

We must admit that we have heard this story in the bible of the multiplication of the bread so many times already since we were children and somehow lost the awe and wonder that we experienced when we first heard about it. Or as mature Christians should the case be so? Rather we should have developed a deeper and better understanding of this story and relate it to our life in the most meaningful way. The truth is that we should always feel the reality of these stories in our life and not treat it as "their story" but rather be in a position to say that it is also "our story". There is a God who loves and cares for us even before we ask. He already knows our needs and will provide for it. There is only one thing that could satisfy all our needs and that we can find in Jesus. If sometimes we feel like we're about to give up just focus on Jesus because He has been through a lot more than any of us could imagine and He is Son of God the Most High. If we will just faithfully follow His leading in our lives no matter how difficult life may seem, we can always count on Him to fill us to satisfaction with all the good things and more. The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle that can be found in all 4 gospels. It is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist and emphasizes the importance of this sacrament of the breaking of the bread and wine. Its counterpart in the Old Testament is the falling down of manna in the dessert. There are some important points to ponder about this miracle in relation to the Eucharist. When Jesus fed the multitude there is always some left over. The tabernacle in the Church where the Sacred Host is kept is reserved for the sick, homebound and dying and is also for private devotion for adoration. We should keep in mind the beautiful effects of the Eucharist. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the effects of the Eucharist, cleanses and separates us from venial sins and commits us to solidarity with the poor. In the miracle it is said that they had nothing to eat which is symbolic with the poor. It communicates to us, through worthy reception, the mystery of the communion with the Trinity. It also establishes the community of believers and a foretaste of the future life in heaven. It is a way of advancing in virtue and helps transform the person through Christ, by shunning and rooting out vices. It provides increase of grace received in baptism which is a source of penance. The effect to the human heart is immeasurable because it is true spiritual food as we receive the body and blood of Jesus, the very author of grace Himself. It unites one into belief with Christ. Through the Eucharist, we assimilate the life of Christ and unites Christians. It unites us with the heavenly liturgy to be realized fully at the end of time for those who are saved. We participate in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross because mass represents that one sacrifice on Calvary. Take note of the word represent which our protestant brothers and sister mistakenly take as repetition of the sacrifice. St. Ignatius of Antioch said that the Eucharist is the medicine of immortality without which we have no life. This is what he said as he was on his way to his death sentence to be fed to the lions. He assimilated himself with Christ and considered himself like the crushed wheat in the mouth of the lion or that of the crushed grapes in the wine press. As we eat the Bread of Life we are gathered into Christ's body and made members so that we may receive the power belonging to this divine food. We assimilate the suffering of Christ to allow one’s self to be crushed in our own suffering. It could be any difficulty that we want to assimilate to the life of Christ. St. Peter Chrisologus said that we should ask for our daily bread as in Our Father prayer, as the bread of heaven, baked in the tomb of heaven, sown in the virgin and brought to the altars to furnish the faithful with food in heaven. The sum and summary of our faith and our way of thinking should be attuned to the Eucharist and vice versa the Eucharist should be attuned to our own thinking as stated by St. Ireneus. These are only a few of the quotes from the Church doctors who tell about the beauty of the Most Holy Eucharist. The source and summit of the Christian life, the Most Blessed Sacrament exalted above all the other 6 sacraments. Baptism the gateway sacrament is received before any other sacrament, penance wipes away sin and each of the other sacraments has its own private place and effect the place it signifies. All of these sacraments are bound up in the Eucharist which is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of the communion of the divine life. It is the culmination of Christ’s action to sanctify the world. We must conform our life to the Eucharist and must realize the great gift we have in this sacrament. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 8:1-10
1 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. 6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over — seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.