Judging from what is happening in our lives right now and if we will just
look very closely, I guess, we can find ourselves saying that there is a time
in our life too, when just like Abram we experienced a deep terrifying darkness
which enveloped our whole being and felt very afraid. I did and it was the time
when I had to make this life changing decision of mine to come and stay in the US . It
has always been God's reassuring words and promises in the scriptures and the
perfectly fitted situations that go with it which helped me remain steadfast in
the Lord. I have shared several times already about how the Sea of Galilee has
impacted my life in a very special way while I was still in the Philippines and in the planning stage of coming
here to the US .
Not to forget the several occasions and circumstances which I encountered and
further built my confidence in the decision that I made to stay here in the US .
One of the most extraordinary situations that I encountered here in the US was when I got this petal from a healing
service of Bro. Carmelo at Glendale
in Oct 2007. The petal when placed in my chest miraculously formed a very
distinct image of an angel and to be more precise, a cherubim. It was also at
that time that I encountered God's word from Habakkuk 2:2-3 which is:
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.All these things were happening one after another in a very precise and consistent way. And they continue to go on with the several significant times I was inspired in sharing the various levels and stages of the
It's like everything was coming into play in a very special and reassuring way. All of these have deepened my faith even more. Though, some may not believe and doubt the experiences we've had in the Lord, what's most important is that we follow the example of Abram who put his faith in the Lord. It is noteworthy that we find several passages in the Old Testament which foreshadowed the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I had the privilege of knowing about this from EWTN. Today’s 1st reading has the specific passage cited which is considered a foreshadowing of the death of Jesus when He descended into the dead as a deep and terrifying darkness that enveloped Abraham which is prior to the covenant that was made by God with him. The same is true for us when we received the gift of eternal life through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. This becomes significant to us not only in the major events of our profession of faith but also as we go through our daily personal lives. If we are conscious enough of what’s really going on with us then we come to realize that prior to major breakthroughs and successes that we gain are certain events in our lives that we can call our own deep, terrifying darkness preceding the fulfillment of the covenant or the personal passion and death experiences we have to go through before the resurrection. Isn’t it true that we often hear people say things like, “If you’ve only known what I have to go through before I was able to achieve something and so on and so forth.” It is like we need to pass a certain process just like Jesus who did not refuse the cup of suffering instead said, “Let this cup pass me by, not my will but yours be done.” These things will serve as a reminder to us that whatever hardships, challenges and trials we are going through right now we can always count on God who is always true to His promises and is sure to fulfill the covenant He has made. Amen. Hallelujah!
Genesis 15:1-12.17-18.
… the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield; I will make your reward very great."… As the sun was
about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness
enveloped him. When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking
brazier and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that
occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,…
There is a lot to learn from the life of Abraham especially
the part when he kept on with his faith in God. He was already of age when God
promised him to be the father of all nations. All we need to keep in mind is
that our time will come and all we have to do is just continue to trust God in
His goodness and mercy and never let go of our faith. Just imagine what Abraham
had to go through. If it were us and not Abraham who had fallen into this kind
of fate we could have responded and reacted to this situation differently. Are
these words familiar to us? I do not deserve to be treated this way. I did not
do anything bad for God to punish me like this, as if God is a tyrant that is
ready to strike us with every wrong move. Why me and not the others who are a
lot more sinful than I am. And all these kind of things that we say without
much thought. If we are to look at the life of Abraham very closely we would
discover that he never let go of his faith in God despite the seemingly
irrational and hopeless situation he went through. Imagine in his old age when
his wife Sarah finally bore him a son God asked him to offer him as a sacrifice
which meant losing his son. He remained firm in his faith and continued to
trust in the word of the Lord. Abraham was tested and found to be true. In our
own lives, we too are called to prove ourselves worthy before the Lord in order
for all of the blessings to flow freely without any block or hindrance. We
don't expect a mango fruit if we planted a banana tree. It is pretty much the
same with our lives. If we strive to live up to the expectations of a child of
the Lord by giving Him honor and praise then we will surely be not disappointed
with the outcome. For God inhabits the praises of His people. Although we have
a tendency to forget or become out of focus since we are surrounded in this
world we are in by elements most especially the physical ones that make us more
inclined to pursue worldly things. We become sidetracked or worse completely
off track of the path where God is leading us. Let us live every single day of
our life conscious of the wonderful truth that we are God's people and He has
made a covenant with us. Almost everybody knows this famous Christian song from
kindergarten, “Father Abraham has many children, some of them are small, some
of them are tall, all of them are beautiful...” We remain beautiful as long as
we keep God's covenant and remain obedient and faithful to God. He is the
reason for everything and the source of all good things. Sometimes morbid
thoughts enter into our mind and immediately we'd think that it is always the
devil who does it but whether it is true or not this thought could be a wake up
call and reminder that in worst case scenarios or life and death situations
there is always a God ready to help us at any time. All we have to do is call
on Him. It is indeed good advice to always look intently on God and find all
the joys waiting for us. There is really no doubt that we need to further explore,
know and understand our faith. In doing so we have to constantly look to the
Lord, seek Him and recall His goodness. Jesus' name is undeniably powerful and
beyond measure. Its worth is more than all the riches we can gain in this
world. There is really nothing we can find even if we search far and wide, high
and low, more than what the Lord can offer. We could go on and on with so many
options we are confronted with daily in our lives. There is an endless list of
"To Do Things" but what comes first and last is always dependent on
our priorities. In deciding on our priorities we have to always involve God in
all the things happening around us. We would
be so glad to discover that as we place Him in the center of our heart,
body and soul He never fails in guiding and directing us. There is indeed great
power in the name of Jesus. There is a need to go through the different
seasons throughout the year for there is indeed a time and a season for everything.
Thus, we all go through different situations and circumstances in life. Some of
them do not make any sense if we fail to acknowledge the power of God moving in
it. There are numerous things that we can think, focus and decide on but
there’s only one thing I am sure of. We’ve got to acknowledge that despite of
it all God’s power remains to be above all things no matter what it may seem to
be. We should always keep in mind all the wonderful things He has done for us. The
Lord will never forsake nor abandon us. In the midst of all the turmoil we
inevitably face in our daily lives may we remain hopeful in the Lord who is
Almighty, provides for all means and prevails now and forever. Whenever we
experience difficulties in life we tend to question God right away and somehow
blame Him for what came upon us. Sometimes we come to a point in our lives when
we tend to question the will of God in our lives. I have plans and you have
plans but sometimes things do not fall into place and ask why things happened
the way it did and not the way we planned and expected. We just need to always
remember the marvels the Lord has done and always hold on to it. If we live by
the word of God which is perfect and remains forever then nothing could go
wrong. Our hearts will abound with joy and gladness as we further explore, know
and understand about our faith. In doing so we have to constantly look to the
Lord, seek Him, recall His goodness, keep our spirits up and make our hearts
rejoice like what today's psalm is telling us about. We may have experienced a
situation in our life when we encountered a lot of trials and difficulties.
Just when we're about to give up and lose hope, suddenly we came across a
particular incident or inspiration that perfectly fits or matches our specific
problem which gave us this hope and feeling that God knows exactly what we're
going through and promises to see us through it. The Lord is telling us is in
today's psalm and assures us that He remembers what He has promised and will
surely bring about what He said to us that He would do. If God remembers, so
must we. Every single day we are confronted with so many challenges in life and
we have to be always hopeful that the fulfillment of everything that we have
been praying for has come. We should believe that whatever delays or setbacks
we are encountering serve as lessons to be learned that benefit our spiritual
journey with Jesus. There is a need to go through the different seasons
throughout the year before the dawning of a new beginning. There is indeed a
time and a season for everything. It has the same message which is hope and
victory for after the passion and death of Christ is His resurrection. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
R: The Lord remembers his covenant forever.
...Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him
constantly...Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the
peoples his deeds!
Sing praise, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds!
Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the
LORD!…You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen
one!
The LORD is our God who rules the whole earth.
He remembers forever his covenant, the pact imposed for a
thousand generations,
Which was made with Abraham, confirmed by oath to Isaac,
When we are unaware of some things that are going on around
us we end up doing the wrong things. Only after we’ve done it do we realize it
and sometimes we are still blessed that we can still undo or edit what we did
but sometimes too, there are things that are so difficult to undo or edit or no
longer possible at all. Today’s gospel gives us an important tip in order for
us not to fall into this trap. It is important that we know what fruits we
should look for. It is not the fruits that this world bears that should serve
as our guide but the fruits of the Holy Spirit. They are love, peace, joy,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control. I
believe that God is continuously manifesting His gifts to us. Together with all
the gifts that He wants to bestow us through the Holy Spirit are the fruits
that will mark our whole being as God's own. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 7:15-20
15 Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. 16 By
their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or
figs from thistles? 17 Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten
tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten
tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut
down and thrown into the fire. 20 So by their fruits you will know them.”
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