TAP INTO IT

We have to thank God for giving us the capacity to think and process information with our minds. It is such a wonderful gift that God has endowed human beings. Aside from this we are also given the human strength to hurdle the trials and difficulties that come our way. We always encounter people in print or in media who become famous and talked about because of the things they were able to do and accomplish that speak well of them. It is commonly attributed to the human spirit which enables us to withstand and overcome the seemingly impossible situations that come our way.  Today's 1st reading tells us a vital truth and information that we can all benefit from. If we are able to do things beyond what we expect already with who we are and what we have become then we are set for the biggest and most unbelievable surprise of our lives if we are to tap into the infinite wisdom and strength of God rather than just our own. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Cor 1:17-25

...the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Nothing is hidden from God and everything is known to Him. It pays to always consult our plans to God in prayers and everything we intend to do we should lay before Him and seek His approval. He will never deprive us nor withhold from us the answers that we seek. If we sometimes forget these and tend to stray away from the right path then we should always be aware that everything that we say, think and do must always have reference to God our Creator. It may have happened to most of us when we get disappointed at how we still miss something so quickly despite our close watch. We sometimes end up confused and discouraged when things don’t happen the way we expect it despite our accurate and strict monitoring. We even ask ourselves how it could have happened. We may have heard and seen some terrible and frightening things in our life but we should always hold on to the truth that no matter how horrible the things that are happening around us they don't change the fact that our Lord is God and always in charge and in control. It doesn't matter that much how we think and feel but what matters most is how to feel and think just like God. For we can always rely and depend on it, 100%, fail proof and success guaranteed. We should place our trust not in men or in things but in God alone. The Lord did not promise us to be totally problem free but He gave His assurance that He will always be our Savior and Redeemer. God's power is beyond our full comprehension. He is Holy, Mighty, Immortal and Infinitely Great. Did it ever occur to you how all these things that surround us, from the skies, to the mountains, plains, the seas, the wind, all the heavenly bodies above, the things down below, all the creatures of the earth especially us, human beings came to be. Not a single theory about creation could suffice and would ever satisfy the wonders and marvelous things that God has done. Just thinking about all these things should make us always put our hope in Him, feel confident and assured that we are safe under His care, to help us from all our problems and shield us from all harm. It is a consolation to know that we are constantly assured by God especially in today's psalm to never doubt His power and goodness. His loving eyes is always upon us not leaving us for a single moment nor removing his stare even with a wink of an eye. It feels good to know that someone's eyes are upon us and looking after us. When we come to a point of despair and feel like things are not getting better, we ought to remember always that we are God's people and we are His own. We have to realize this one most important truth that we should all subscribe to, which is to constantly align ourselves and conform to the will and plan of God in our lives. Let us ask the Lord to lead us to the right path and decisions that we may work toward the building of God’s kingdom here on earth. We should not give room to any doubt, fear, anxiety, impatience, irritability, hatred, sadness, iniquity, unfaithfulness, disloyalty, pride and loss of self control. Let us not choose to give in to these. They are all characteristics that should not be found in a people the Lord has chosen to be His own. Our present situation may not be a perfect picture yet but we should all rejoice and be glad knowing that God was the one who chose us first and He will carry us through. All we have to do is just trust that the Lord will carry out with perfection all His plans for us no matter what situations or circumstances may arise in our midst. When God created this world and everything in it including us, He did not ask permission from anybody. It means that He has chosen us to be His own and not the other way around. This is the reason why the fallen angels/demons are so jealous of men. We are indeed special in the eyes of God for it is written in Gen 1:26, "Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion..." We are not just chosen by God to be His own even before everything came to be but we are on top of His creation. Let us never lose sight of this wonderful plan that God has for all of us. We may not be seeing it right now, having doubts about it, not paying attention to it or unable to commit to it. Whatever it may be, these are all hindrances that prevent us from gaining access to the goodness of the Lord. Never allow ourselves to miss out on this privilege that is accorded to all of us as the children of God. God chose us first and it is only right and fitting that we choose Him too. If we always focus on the Lord and put His words in our presence at all times then we can be assured that we have a lamp unto our feet that is lighting our path. We have to entrust all our cares and worries to the Lord for He can do better things for our lives than all our works combined. No matter how hard we try to succeed in what we do if it's not in accordance to God's plan then nothing will ever come out of it. We may succeed in one aspect but we will never be totally at peace for in the end it will always be the will and plan of God that will prevail. We just have to acknowledge that we are sparing ourselves of all the trouble and heartaches if we will just be obedient and completely trust in the Lord's plan. Let us truly be wise in the real sense of the word rather than of the world and not forfeit all our benefits from the Lord. We all have our personal plans and designs and we may not be able to fully understand what is going on at the present time. It is not easy for the wisdom in the eyes of God is foolishness to the world but what's most important is that we should always consult everything to God first, just believe and surrender everything to Him for He knows best. We have to realize this one most important truth that we should all subscribe to, which is to constantly align ourselves and conform to the will and plan of God in our lives. The power of God knows no limits and we can always rely on Him for anything that we are in need. Let us rely on God's power and completely trust Him to bring to fulfillment everything that He has promised. Just like the Blessed Mother Mary, who is Queen of heaven and earth, we too are destined for victory and royalty. If only we live out the example of her obedient life and carry Jesus in our hearts. Let us not lose hope and have faith in the Master Plan and Grand Design that God has for all of us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Ps. 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

R. (5) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

2 Give thanks to the Lord on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises....Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. 5 He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full...The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations.

It is just very sad that despite the many times God tries to convey His love to us, we still sometimes back away. We've got to stand firm, hold our ground and not give in to the world's pressures. Let us not end up like Herod who came as close to knowing what is righteousness and holiness but never really got to the doing and acting part. In the Philippines we have a habit of calling people names. For someone to be called Herod or Herodes means being really naughty and bad. We may all claim to know what is right but we have to realize that we may never be able to come to a point where we can claim to be a better person than Herod. We may have this impression that we are far better Christians than any of the others we know but we may be wrong. For all we know we are not far from being like Herod or much worse. Let us hope not. For there is really more to being a Christian than what we actually know. As what have been mentioned in the 1st reading about the sanctity of marriage, it is now being emphasized once more in today's gospel. John the Baptist paid a great price for this truth. We sometimes don't realize it, but we may also be guilty just like Herodias. We may not be committing adultery like her but we too succumb to the temptation of eliminating the people and circumstances around us that is a source of inconvenience or simply not conformed to our personal statement and views. We also make use of other people to camouflage or hide our true intentions in order for us to carry out our plans without the guilt of having participated in it. We resort to all kinds of disguise without knowing that in the process of doing so we are headed for the worst kind of situation.  Let us not further aggravate it and know in our heart, mind and soul that all areas of our life needs to be totally surrendered to God not just a part, half but our entire being.  In doing so with the gift of free will we allow ourselves to enjoy life at its fullness because we are not bound or tied and can exercise this gift as much as we want and never run out. We should not be too carried away though and forget that it is also because of this free will that we are also presented with horrible things as in today's gospel that are products of the wrong use of this gift. It is of prime importance that we exercise, use and handle this gift with much care. This is the reflection question and prayer that I read in Didache: What do you do when you are under pressure? Do you stand up for what is right or you just go with the crowd because everyone else is doing it? Lord, grant me the wisdom and the courage to do what is pleasing in Your sight even if the world laughs at me. And in Companion, Fr. Martin Macasaet said the following words. "Yes, we, too, are called and challenged to imitate John the Baptist’s courageous act of witnessing —not necessarily in the form of a bloody beheading, of course. Today’s Christian martyrdoms are certainly more of a subtle and sophisticated kind. But perhaps, they are just as compelling and exigent — as when our moral principles are tested in our workplaces, or when our senses are bombarded by sexually suggestive images, or when we are scandalized by the bad examples of our leaders and celebrities, and so on." We all have our own personal Herod, Salome and worst our Herodias tendencies in life. Only we ourselves know these and what specific aspect it is in our lives. Unless we acknowledge them, firmly reject and stand up against it instead of yielding to it then we are no better than any of them. In today's gospel we are also reminded of our stubbornness when we insist on doing things our way. We could somehow relate this to those who insist on wearing something even if it doesn't fit them just because it is the "in" thing. The same way with our life we end up looking foolish when we insist on keeping up with the latest trend and fashion that this world offers when the only thing that is well fitted to us is to always wear the clothes of Jesus which is fashioned in the passion of the cross in order to be the best dressed Christian. People may not be able to know it by just looking at us and we can easily get away with our wrong doings which we have kept in secret or hidden in our thoughts and feelings which no human person can see but God does. We’ve got to believe that there is really somebody watching us as the song says. Sometimes we forget that God can see through us and knows exactly what's inside our hearts and minds. Let us not wait for the time when we like the scribes and Pharisees will be spoken to by God in this manner. Let us choose to hear words of commendation from the Lord rather than be called a hypocrite. Let us truly be the person that God wants us to be, whether there are people who can see our goodness or not. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 6:17-29

...John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him... “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”26 The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. 27 So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.