GOODNESS, BEAUTY & TRUTH

The 1st reading for today is about a mother and a son in distress. It is very difficult for me and my 2 sons to be apart for a long time . Today another month has passed and a new one has just started since it is July 1 already. Although the month of June has already passed I still continue with this new hope for this month of July. The theological virtues (faith, hope and charity) are things we are very much in need of especially that of hope. Atty Moya in one his Apologetics classes defined and discussed hope in many ways but what specifically caught my attention is his description of hope as trust in Christ's promises and reliance on the help of God. He encouraged us to focus on eternal things instead of the temporal and endure deprivation to the point of being able to give up earthly goods. He further said that we should look beyond life and not pursue the things that this world offers or else it will take its toll on us. With this newly charged hope I always pray to God for I know He will surely hear not only my prayers but my sons' as well. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Genesis 21:5. 8-20a

...God heard the boy’s cry, and God’s messenger called to Hagar from heaven: “What is the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid; God has heard the boy’s cry in this plight of his...

The considered powerful and mighty of this world is what appear to be the blessed and favored ones as far as human logic and reason are concerned. The exact opposite of what Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount and Plain (Beatitudes) in the gospels. A lot of people find it difficult to really understand the beatitudes since it contradicts the values of this world we live in. The poor, weak, hungry and sorrowing are called blessed. This may not sound acceptable for everybody and would even go around its meaning to get away with the real issue that Jesus wants us to face. Whatever it may be that's still stopping us from grasping the wisdom of God let us pray to God that we will always hold on to His word as He assures daily. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world. We’ve got to have the right heart, mind and attitude. Be poor in spirit and receptive to the Word of God. It doesn't make sense that despite these truths that are ever before us we still reject Jesus. Let's admit that we do it one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. Pope John Paul II narrated a story when he was in the hospital for his operation. Just before the surgery, he went out of his room unnoticed and visited a very sick boy on the verge of dying. His mother was so depressed that no amount of words was able to console her. She told the Pope to tell God to go away. The Pope answered her that he did tell God to go away but He wouldn't listen. He embraced the inconsolable mother and told her that God knows exactly the place where He needs to be and that is none other than with her. We should realize that God never leaves nor forsakes most especially in times of despair. He is always there for us. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world. Have you heard of blind obedience? Following without knowing exactly why you follow. Take the example of suicide bombers, who willingly die to spread terrorism. What courage! We should know that it is always worth it to obey God, obeying and knowing fully well that it is for our own good. We all have fears in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. We may have encountered situations wherein we were not able to plan ahead and totally placed us in a very unexpected, uncertain and insecure position.  They just happen suddenly that we have no time to prepare and really caught us off guard. This has caused us to feel at a loss. Just imagine how it feels to be blind not knowing where to go and groping in the dark. But we can be assured that God will rescue us from all distress and deliver us from our troubles. The wickedness and the hatred may persist but let us not lose hope and despair because we have a mighty Savior and Redeemer in our Lord Jesus. This truth stated in today’s psalm reading should keep us going and do exactly what we are told. The Light of the World already came and judgment day is coming soon. In fact, judgment is happening even now. In Deuteronomy 30:15 "Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom..." God asked us to choose. It's got to be one way or another. There should be no mingling or ambiguity. It is all up to us. We can be assured that if we take God’s side then we’ll definitely taste and see His goodness. If we will just seek God at all times then we surely find Him. Let us not turn to anything or anyone else but to God alone. Let us be firm and wise in our dispositions to really stick to God's ideals and principles alone instead of the suggestions and insinuations of the so called wise and learned of this world's standard. For if we do, we'll find ourselves rescued, saved and  truly blessed. We should always keep our hopes up in the Lord no matter what our situations are because it can never change the fact that He is God and always in charge and in control. There are times when we feel forsaken or abandoned but we must always hold on to the truth that He loves us so much. He would never leave us in misery. Let us remove all doubts and fears. Nothing should make us feel afraid for God hears our cry. He will surely carry out what is clearly for our own good and the best. All we need to do is allow God to work in our lives and stop hindering His grace to flow in our lives. If there's one big obstacle that is blocking this flow then it is surely not God. It is time we analyze the things in our life that continue to build up and shut out God. We don't want that happening and it's all up to us for the Lord hears and saves us. Although there are times when we do not have to sweat at all and things just come and fall into place we also have to know that our life is mostly a product of the choices we make. Our choices must always be responsible and carefully decided on. We've got to have a reliable standard for it. One without fail and is sure to work. Actually there is only one thing that we can surely depend on and that is the goodness of the Lord. If we always have this in mind then nothing should stop us to always look at God, listen and follow Him. We should not care so much about gaining the approval and admiration of men rather than God. Our focus first and foremost should be to please God and everything else will follow. Even if it sometimes does not work the way we expected and planned things to be. We can be assured that the Lord heard, hears and will hear all our prayers and surely has the best answer at hand in His most perfect time. In guarding our faith the bible passage from Ephesians 6:10-11 which is about the armor of God is an important tool. If we read it we will find the only weapon mentioned in the said bible passage is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We should check it once again and be aware of this important information as Catholic Christians. In the gospel about the temptation of Jesus the devil also demonstrated his knowledge of the scriptures. As it is written, we need to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. We are undoubtedly engaged in this battle every single day that's why we are in need of a weapon. This reminds us of the importance of knowing the word of God by heart since it is our only weapon. God never fails. He would always make things work for our good and rescue us in our distress. I have always believed in angels even before I got this petal from a healing service with the image of a cherubim miraculously imprinted on it. It's been a while since I got it and has served as a testimony of God’s abiding love. I have no doubt in my mind that God will always deliver me from all my fears. I always keep my rose petal with me and show it to almost everyone I meet, as a way of propagating God's goodness to me. I can still remember and will never forget how my mother used to narrate to us how I was miraculously saved by my angel several times. First was when I was about 2 months old, and I fell from a height of 2-3 ft countertop when the nanny after giving me a bath left me for only a second to get something and upon returning found me already unconscious and lying on the hard, ceramic tiled floor. I was rushed to the doctor but he told them that if I fail to regain consciousness within an hour then he said I am gone. To everybody's surprise I started to cry even before the time is up. Another one was when I was barely 2 yrs old when I almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My parent's house is right beside my grandparent's house which is right in front of the school where my mother used to be a public school teacher. She said she was standing in the center of the stage of the school that was why she had a good view of the things around her even the terrace of my grandparent's house so she got the shock of her life when she saw me there alone running very fast heading toward the open gate while a speeding jeepney was coming and looked as if I would really get hit and it would be too late even if somebody was there to stop me. She was already screaming from afar together with the other teachers who saw it and was trying to call the attention of the driver but to no avail for he didn't even slow down because their screams were of no match to the loud engine of the jeep.  It was just a miracle that the moment I stepped on the side of the road, I suddenly stopped and stood very still as if someone was holding me back. She said it was my guardian angel who held me and prevented me from getting hit by the jeep.  I don't remember personally any of those experiences it was only through my mother's stories that I came to know about them. But when I was older like in 4th grade I could already remember how I was spared again from being hurt seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top of my head fell on my desk a split second after I stood up and left my chair.  My classmates were really shocked and were hovering around me and told me that it was really close. One of my bestfriends, Myrsa got me even more scared of what could had happened when she said that fluorescent lamps are laden with poison that once it gets broken, the poison is released and if the broken glass cuts your skin open the poison will get in and the wound caused by it will never dry up or get healed. From then on I developed this childlike trust in God and thanked God for saving me from death. There was another instance in my life as a child when Myrsa and I were left all alone in school while waiting for our ride home and the deafening sound of lightning and thunder got me very scared. Myrsa played the role of my guardian angel when she tried to calm and stop me from crying by telling me that I should not be afraid because the lightning is the flash bulb of God's camera. She continued by saying that I should not cry but instead smile for God was just taking our picture. Myrsa's legendary stories played a role in my developing a great faith in God. Another funny story was what she told me about the needle. She said that we must be careful with needles because it will find its way into our bodies and once it's inside it will go to our bloodstream and very quickly end up pricking our hearts which can cause us to die right away. There was one time when I lost a needle and couldn't find it anywhere. I went to bed very early that day which surprised my mother and was asking me if there was anything wrong. I decided to myself that I would just wait for my death silently and not tell anybody. I was praying to God not to give me a painful death and let me not feel it once the needle pricks my heart. When I woke up the next day I was so glad that I was still alive and thanked God for sparing me from death. Those were the early formative years of my faith which started out in a funny, amusing but definitely amazing way. We all have fears in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. If we will just constantly nourish and fill ourselves with the words of God in scriptures then there is really no reason for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. He will never allow us to be defeated and conquered for He is always there to rescue us. Amen, Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 34: 7,8-9. 10-11. 12-13

R: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

7 [8] The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them...Fear the LORD, you his holy ones, for nought is lacking to those who fear him. 10 [11] The great grow poor and hungry; but those who seek the LORD want for no good thing...

Let's think about the gospel today. Where did those demons ask to be sent today? They asked to be sent to the pigs. It is very disheartening that much of our culture today are forcing people to become like pigs, beasts and be less than we are as stated in Gen. 1:31,"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good." Those demons that were sent there were created good by God. It was through their own radical choice of rejecting God, that they become much less. Just recall what they said, "Send us into the herd of swine." This is what the life of people around us choosing evil become. They just choose to become like beasts and pigs when in fact, we are called to reach a higher, spiritual life. This could be described as climbing a mountain. It is difficult and it requires perseverance, daily efforts and God's assistance. What happens when we continue to climb up that mountain? It is hard but eventually we begin to see a wider distance, comprehend in a greater way the beauty that surrounds us, draw closer to God and finally see what we are called to become. Pope Benedict said that this is the greatest defense of our Christian faith. What confirmed his conviction that the true apology of Christian faith is the most convincing demonstration of its truth against every denial like the saints and the beauty that the faith has generated. The light of Christ shines in the life of the saints. Today for faith to grow we must lead ourselves in the persons we meet to encounter the saints and enter into contact with the beautiful. St. Augustine described God as the source of all beauty, goodness and truth that is ever ancient, ever new. We are attracted to that because we are called to that. In order to grow those attributes that are God's we have to hold to our faith to bring about these things. Let us bathe ourselves with God’s grace and be filled to become more and achieve our potential. The whole person needs to grow and advance not just in technical knowledge which is very limited but also in character and virtue. This is what God wants for us. To find our greatest aspects which is not always easy but it is good. If we search deep down, it is what we reach out and long for, our potential and fulfillment. God is a God of order and has given a time for everything but will always act in accordance to what will be for the greater good. Let's just continue to trust God's perfect will and timing in every aspect of our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 8:28-34

28 When Jesus came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. 29 They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”30 Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. 31 The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go then!” ...

ARE WE ON THE SAME BOAT?

 Today's 1st reading reminded me of our rigorous and challenging climb in the hills of Schabarum Park. It was an unforgettable trek at the topmost part of the park which happened several years ago. We've been there many times already so Bernadeth and I noticed the very narrow and steep trail up the highest hill and considered climbing it. We finally decided to go up that trail in order to experience it for ourselves. We found out on our way up that it was really steep almost like a 90 degree angle and was quite a long climb not as we expected judging from below. On our way up there were some parts of the trail that almost made me slip down and fall that I really needed to secure each and every step I made. Although it was really very risky and was almost like an extreme challenge it felt good when we finally reached the top. We walked on and continued to search for an easier way down but our several attempts failed because all the trails that we found have been blocked due to the overgrown bushes that have totally covered it. We were forced to look for another way and even went back where we climbed up but still ended up using another trail. I was getting sweaty, nervous and started to pray. I thought to myself that if it was very difficult climbing up, I realized that it is more difficult going down since the pull of gravity could force me down uncontrollably and we both have nothing on our hands to hold on to except for the thorny bushes that could easily break loose when placed with too much weight. We both decided without saying a word to each other that we really have to find our way down fast since it was getting late and the topmost part of the hill that we climbed looked abandoned and undisturbed as if no one had ever dared to climb it before. The worst part was the nagging thought in my mind about the warning signs in the place of rattlesnakes and stray mountain tigers. I was already thinking that if worse comes to worst and we couldn't find a trail going down which is less steep than the one we climbed up then we would just be forced to sit and slide ourselves down in the middle of the rocky and thorny bushes. This we eventually did because we couldn’t find any other way. It was like hearing the very words in today’s 1^st reading, “…Flee for your life! Don’t look back or stop anywhere on the Plain. Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away.” We were really agonizing on our way down to safety since the thorny bushes were pricking us from all over. When we finally did it, that was when we bothered to look at the damage caused to ourselves. Bernadeth had scratches in her legs since she was wearing only knee long pants it was a good thing I wore long jogging pants, though I also had some due to the thorns that went through my pants. Although it was very challenging and not very safe this experience reminded me of what the Lord is telling us about the road to perdition being wide and easy but the road that leads to Him is narrow and difficult. Especially when I looked at my hand which I accidentally poked with something that caused it to bleed and showed it to Sis Marcy and Sis Rose after we finally met up with them, Sis Marcy noticed that it looked as if I had a stigmata on my hand. Having heard that, I should say that all our hardships and struggles are all worth it if offered to the Lord. Just like Lot's family who went through a lot of struggles before they reached safety unfortunately his wife turned into a pillar of salt for not obeying the angel's instruction, it somehow shows us our own hard headedness and we have hesitations when we know we will face difficulties and uncertainties. Let us always believe that God sends us His angels as a constant assurance that He will bring us to safety if we just follow and obey Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 19:15-29

15 As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, “On your way!...When he hesitated, the men, by the LORD’s mercy, seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and led them to safety outside the city...“Flee for your life! Don’t look back or stop anywhere on the Plain. Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away.”...

Sometimes we really have to be put to the test which is not new to everybody. We've heard several kinds of test already, an example of one is the board exam in order to secure a license and prove our competence in the profession we choose to practice. The same with our God we need to go through a process in order to stand firm and confident in our faith in God. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 26:2-3. 9-10. 11-12

R: O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.

2 Search me, O LORD, and try me; test my soul and my heart... My foot stands on level ground; in the assemblies I will bless the LORD.

The gospel for today is another scene at the Sea of Galilee which should made us think and recall once again all the unforgettable, awe inspiring and amazing events whether in our own life or in the life of the apostles during that time that are related to it. We may have heard of this story of a mountain climber who fell and was hanging on a rope and prayed to God for help. He heard a voice telling him to let go of the rope. It was dark and could not see what’s below him and so did not follow the voice. It was already morning when he found out that he was just one foot above the ground. How attached are we to our own rope? Examples of most common attachments are the following. Belief that they were born poor and lowly with a low self worth.  They forget that they are children of God and become weak. God wants to bless the poor to have a rich and comfortable life. We have some unpleasant character and attitude that we find hard to believe can still be changed. We must believe that by the grace of God everybody can change. We have to overcome bad practices like being habitually late, TV addiction and gossiping. Vices and sins like smoking, drinking, drugs, gambling, fornication and illicit sexual relationships. Old ways or bad habits can be attributed to “homing instinct” This happens when we keep on going back to the same old same environment where we came from despite bitter memories and pain in the past. This may sound unimaginable but we feel comfortable with the old ways, beliefs and environment. Will we let go of our attachments? It is written in Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who say to you, Do not fear, I will help you. How will we counter these attachments? First we need to admit it and open the door of change. Then we act on it and rebuild. Whenever we are tempted we have to do the opposite. We have to pray constantly for change, improvement and growth. In the gospel we are reminded to take courage. Here are some guidelines that can help us overcome our attachments. Identify our common attachments hindering growth of our Christian life. Explain. How real is “homing instinct” in our life? Knowing our present attachments, what are our steps to counteract them and grow?  There is no doubt really to the amazing power of God that could make all things possible. But what was impressed to me today was the fact that we have to be sure that we are riding on the same boat where Jesus is. If we are caught in a violent storm at sea and we have Jesus on board then there is really nothing to worry about. What should make us worry is that if we know that we did not get into same boat where Jesus is. We have to look back and recall or even go back to the shore of the Sea of Galilee in our lives when Jesus was calling us if we indeed obeyed and followed Him and boarded on the same boat where He got into. Sometimes in our lives when Jesus calls us to do something we end up making decisions for ourselves that are not in accordance to His will so when a great storm comes we become shipwrecked since we were not on the same boat where Jesus was. How many times in our lives have we encountered the most violent storms in our lives but we remained steadfast and unmoved by it and still emerged peaceful and calm? And how many times have we encountered much less violent storms and we ended up terrified and at a loss? In both occasions we can all benefit from it if we look closely at our own lives during these trying times and figure out what could have caused the shipwreck. Or even recall what happened to Lot's wife in the 1st reading when she failed to follow instructions and turned into a pillar of salt. I am sure that we can all find that if and only if we obey and follow Jesus and go on board in the boat of our lives where He is leading us then we can truly be at peace no matter how violent the raging storm is around us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 8:23-27

23 As Jesus got into a boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. 25 They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. 27 The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”

THE KEYS

 I was reminded of the time when I suddenly felt like I am going to pass out. I could not breathe and was having cold perspiration since I did not have breakfast yet and missed dinner too. I was still in Church and almost in a panic when I found myself unable to recite the remaining 2 decades of the Divine Mercy prayer although I was still able to stay until the end of the prayers I barely managed to get myself up to walk to the door. And just right on time and what I needed, a sudden gush of strong wind blew my way as if fanning my whole body. It totally refreshed me and felt better. A lady whom I don’t even know offered to bring me home. Though, I declined and told her I’d be fine since I was already feeling better, I was overwhelmed by her gesture of kindness. Whenever I look at the circumstances that surround it, I must say that God wants to show me how He keeps us safe and sound and never runs out of angels whether in disguise or real people. This is why I am reminded again of the angel miraculously imprinted in the fresh petal I got from a healing service in Oct 21, 2007 which I am still keeping with me to this day. We all had experiences wherein we can not deny the hand of God guiding and leading us through our circumstances. Even though we are already in a difficult situation, if God allowed us to be in it then God will surely see us through it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 12:1-11

...“Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”

The considered powerful and mighty of this world is what appear to be the blessed and favored ones as far as human logic and reason are concerned. The exact opposite of what Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount and Plain (Beatitudes) in the gospels. A lot of people find it difficult to really understand the beatitudes since it contradicts the values of this world we live in. The poor, weak, hungry and sorrowing are called blessed. This may not sound acceptable for everybody and would even go around its meaning to get away with the real issue that Jesus wants us to face. Whatever it may be that's still stopping us from grasping the wisdom of God let us pray to God that we will always hold on to His word as He assures daily. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world. We’ve got to have the right heart, mind and attitude. Be poor in spirit and receptive to the Word of God. It doesn't make sense that despite these truths that are ever before us we still reject Jesus. Let's admit that we do it one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. Pope John Paul II narrated a story when he was in the hospital for his operation. Just before the surgery, he went out of his room unnoticed and visited a very sick boy on the verge of dying. His mother was so depressed that no amount of words was able to console her. She told the Pope to tell God to go away. The Pope answered her that he did tell God to go away but He wouldn't listen. He embraced the inconsolable mother and told her that God knows exactly the place where He needs to be and that is none other than with her. We should realize that God never leaves nor forsakes most especially in times of despair. He is always there for us. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world. Have you heard of blind obedience? Following without knowing exactly why you follow. Take the example of suicide bombers, who willingly die to spread terrorism. What courage! We should know that it is always worth it to obey God, obeying and knowing fully well that it is for our own good. We all have fears in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. We may have encountered situations wherein we were not able to plan ahead and totally placed us in a very unexpected, uncertain and insecure position.  They just happen suddenly that we have no time to prepare and really caught us off guard. This has caused us to feel at a loss. Just imagine how it feels to be blind not knowing where to go and groping in the dark. But we can be assured that God will rescue us from all distress and deliver us from our troubles. The wickedness and the hatred may persist but let us not lose hope and despair because we have a mighty Savior and Redeemer in our Lord Jesus. This truth stated in today’s psalm reading should keep us going and do exactly what we are told. The Light of the World already came and judgment day is coming soon. In fact, judgment is happening even now. In Deuteronomy 30:15 "Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom..." God asked us to choose. It's got to be one way or another. There should be no mingling or ambiguity. It is all up to us. We can be assured that if we take God’s side then we’ll definitely taste and see His goodness. If we will just seek God at all times then we surely find Him. Let us not turn to anything or anyone else but to God alone. Let us be firm and wise in our dispositions to really stick to God's ideals and principles alone instead of the suggestions and insinuations of the so called wise and learned of this world's standard. For if we do, we'll find ourselves rescued, saved and  truly blessed. We should always keep our hopes up in the Lord no matter what our situations are because it can never change the fact that He is God and always in charge and in control. There are times when we feel forsaken or abandoned but we must always hold on to the truth that He loves us so much. He would never leave us in misery. Let us remove all doubts and fears. Nothing should make us feel afraid for God hears our cry. He will surely carry out what is clearly for our own good and the best. All we need to do is allow God to work in our lives and stop hindering His grace to flow in our lives. If there's one big obstacle that is blocking this flow then it is surely not God. It is time we analyze the things in our life that continue to build up and shut out God. We don't want that happening and it's all up to us for the Lord hears and saves us. Although there are times when we do not have to sweat at all and things just come and fall into place we also have to know that our life is mostly a product of the choices we make. Our choices must always be responsible and carefully decided on. We've got to have a reliable standard for it. One without fail and is sure to work. Actually there is only one thing that we can surely depend on and that is the goodness of the Lord. If we always have this in mind then nothing should stop us to always look at God, listen and follow Him. We should not care so much about gaining the approval and admiration of men rather than God. Our focus first and foremost should be to please God and everything else will follow. Even if it sometimes does not work the way we expected and planned things to be. We can be assured that the Lord heard, hears and will hear all our prayers and surely has the best answer at hand in His most perfect time. In guarding our faith the bible passage from Ephesians 6:10-11 which is about the armor of God is an important tool. If we read it we will find the only weapon mentioned in the said bible passage is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We should check it once again and be aware of this important information as Catholic Christians. In the gospel about the temptation of Jesus the devil also demonstrated his knowledge of the scriptures. As it is written, we need to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. We are undoubtedly engaged in this battle every single day that's why we are in need of a weapon. This reminds us of the importance of knowing the word of God by heart since it is our only weapon. God never fails. He would always make things work for our good and rescue us in our distress. I have always believed in angels even before I got this petal from a healing service with the image of a cherubim miraculously imprinted on it. It's been a while since I got it and has served as a testimony of God’s abiding love. I have no doubt in my mind that God will always deliver me from all my fears. I always keep my rose petal with me and show it to almost everyone I meet, as a way of propagating God's goodness to me. I can still remember and will never forget how my mother used to narrate to us how I was miraculously saved by my angel several times. First was when I was about 2 months old, and I fell from a height of 2-3 ft countertop when the nanny after giving me a bath left me for only a second to get something and upon returning found me already unconscious and lying on the hard, ceramic tiled floor. I was rushed to the doctor but he told them that if I fail to regain consciousness within an hour then he said I am gone. To everybody's surprise I started to cry even before the time is up. Another one was when I was barely 2 yrs old when I almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My parent's house is right beside my grandparent's house which is right in front of the school where my mother used to be a public school teacher. She said she was standing in the center of the stage of the school that was why she had a good view of the things around her even the terrace of my grandparent's house so she got the shock of her life when she saw me there alone running very fast heading toward the open gate while a speeding jeepney was coming and looked as if I would really get hit and it would be too late even if somebody was there to stop me. She was already screaming from afar together with the other teachers who saw it and was trying to call the attention of the driver but to no avail for he didn't even slow down because their screams were of no match to the loud engine of the jeep.  It was just a miracle that the moment I stepped on the side of the road, I suddenly stopped and stood very still as if someone was holding me back. She said it was my guardian angel who held me and prevented me from getting hit by the jeep.  I don't remember personally any of those experiences it was only through my mother's stories that I came to know about them. But when I was older like in 4th grade I could already remember how I was spared again from being hurt seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top of my head fell on my desk a split second after I stood up and left my chair.  My classmates were really shocked and were hovering around me and told me that it was really close. One of my bestfriends, Myrsa got me even more scared of what could had happened when she said that fluorescent lamps are laden with poison that once it gets broken, the poison is released and if the broken glass cuts your skin open the poison will get in and the wound caused by it will never dry up or get healed. From then on I developed this childlike trust in God and thanked God for saving me from death. There was another instance in my life as a child when Myrsa and I were left all alone in school while waiting for our ride home and the deafening sound of lightning and thunder got me very scared. Myrsa played the role of my guardian angel when she tried to calm and stop me from crying by telling me that I should not be afraid because the lightning is the flash bulb of God's camera. She continued by saying that I should not cry but instead smile for God was just taking our picture. Myrsa's legendary stories played a role in my developing a great faith in God. Another funny story was what she told me about the needle. She said that we must be careful with needles because it will find its way into our bodies and once it's inside it will go to our bloodstream and very quickly end up pricking our hearts which can cause us to die right away. There was one time when I lost a needle and couldn't find it anywhere. I went to bed very early that day which surprised my mother and was asking me if there was anything wrong. I decided to myself that I would just wait for my death silently and not tell anybody. I was praying to God not to give me a painful death and let me not feel it once the needle pricks my heart. When I woke up the next day I was so glad that I was still alive and thanked God for sparing me from death. Those were the early formative years of my faith which started out in a funny, amusing but definitely amazing way. We all have fears in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. If we will just constantly nourish and fill ourselves with the words of God in scriptures then there is really no reason for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. He will never allow us to be defeated and conquered for He is always there to rescue us. Amen, Hallelujah!

Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R: The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

1 [2] I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. 2 [3] Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R) 3 [4] Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. 4 [5] 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 poor one 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. 8 [9] Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

If we will just be very grateful to God for all the things He has done for us and try to look back and recall we will find that all throughout our lifetimes we really have a lot of things to be really thankful for and find that we can never out give our God. We should be able to say the very same words in today's 2nd reading with much conviction knowing that we did our best for God's greater glory. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

...I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith...The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from the every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Aren't we glad that today's gospel assures us that we have a Church built by Jesus Christ and nothing can prevail against it? We can actually learn a lot from Sts. Peter and Paul and their example. Both were very committed to our Lord. They were willing to leave everything behind and follow Him. They both lived out the cross of Jesus. We see the recognition of St. Peter in today's gospel which shows that he is very committed to our Lord and followed Him. Peter's proclamation of the truth made him a solid foundation of the Church that not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it. As members of the Church that is founded on solid rock may we become like Peter always ready and confident in announcing the truth about God. Although there is a series of problems despite this commitment, Peter was the one who told Jesus not to talk about His dying and being crucified in Jerusalem and got told, "Satan, get behind me." He was also the one in the Garden of Gethsemane after a series of important events like the transfiguration with James and John and the raising of Jairus' daughter, cut off the ear of the high priest servant with such impetuosity but also the one who denied Christ 3x.  St. Paul was also a man who made a serious commitment to Christ. He has a Roman citizenship and came from the tribe of Benjamin. He came from an affluent family that he was educated under the supervision of this prominent teacher, Gamaliel. St Paul mentioned in the scriptures that he was a persecutor of the Church but was converted to Christ. With true humility he recognized how bad he really was and doesn't deserve the favors that Christ has given him. He was willing to talk about his failures. We look at Peter and Paul who both gave a testimony of their blood for the gospel. They preferred to be executed and tormented rather than change their testimony. In doing this they both highlight something else especially St. Peter. This is the kind of man that is chosen. He is very much the man like each one of us. We can also make the best choice that is presented to us. We must recognize that our lives have to be a life of dying to ourselves. This is something that we could learn from and be the Lord's instrument for the redemption of our world. We also need to acknowledge that Jesus specifically mentioned in the gospel that He is giving the keys of heaven to Peter. Praise and thank God for sending not only angels and saints to the rescue but also a keys that can open heaven for us in the person of the priests who are representatives of Jesus on earth.Let us try to remove all obstacles in our path. This reminds me of Sister Loreta's garden in Walnut. I am so impressed at how it looks like. Despite the scorching heat of the sun during summer time her garden remains beautiful. It is does not dry up. I found out from her that whenever the gardener comes to mow her lawn she will immediately water it while the roots are exposed. Just like in our life we really have to cut off or remove excess baggage or useless garbage in us that prevents us from making the garden of our life emerge in full bloom. Funny, how we sometimes find ourselves saying one thing this minute and then another thing the next. Just like Peter in today's gospel, we witnessed the sudden shift when in the first part of the gospel, Jesus was commending him for having professed a truth that can not be revealed through flesh and blood but through our Heavenly Father. But in the latter part, Jesus rebuked him for behaving otherwise. This tells us that no matter how totally unreliable we are, at times. God does not give up on us. He continues to shower us with grace and mercy and it is all up to us if we will respond with faith and humility the way Peter did who persevered despite of all the struggles until the last hour. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 16:13-19

...He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL

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 doubted and disobeyed God. Instead they 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. 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 and wise and to have the power to live life to the full for that is what God created us for. Amen. Hallelujah!

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

... 14 For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome,...

We sometimes think that God does not answer our prayers but He does. Let us not fall into this wrong notion, lose hope and turn into different kinds of addictions which cause so much wasted pain and suffering. This is a wicked age and our life should redeem. Only the Lord our God can bring about this redemption in our lives. If the Son of God had His enormous and most unbearable share of suffering for our sake don't we think that we should also bear our own daily crosses? We should have the courage and the strength to suffer for the gospel most especially at this time of the world when there is great hostility to the gospel. To suffer always with the confidence that God who sees and knows all would definitely see us through it all. God is above all our troubles, fears and anxieties, whatever it may be, our ills and even death itself. The "culture of death" and its kingdom has been robbed of its power. Jesus has resurrected from the dead and the kingdom of God is among us. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. John 3:35-36, "The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him." Notice that it is written in the present tense, which means now and will have its fullness when we die and raised on the last day. We begin possessing it even now. There is really no denying to the truth in life that we all have to go through a process of trial and hardship but what's most reassuring is the fact that despite all the disappointment and pain we can all be rescued by our Mighty God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-13

R: I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

1 [2] I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. 3 [4] O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit... For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. (R) 10 [11] “Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper.” 11 [12] You changed my mourning into dancing; 12 [13] O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

If we are living according to God's Divine Providence and firmly believe in it then our situations and circumstances should not bother us at all for He surely provides. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 8:7. 9. 13-15

...As it is written: “Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.”

Two miracles took place in today's gospel and it should leave us in awe at the tremendous power of Jesus. There is no room for doubt all we have to do is just have faith. The woman in today’s gospel with hemorrhages for twelve years and Jairus whose daughter is at the point of death have something in common. They have faith in Christ. A woman was considered of no social standing during that time, and to be a pagan/Gentile only added to her worthlessness she wan not even addressed with her own name. The woman touched the tassel of Jesus in the midst of the crowd bustling about trying to push and touch Him. As specifically written, Jesus was aware at once that power had gone out from him. The crowd tries to get a hold of Jesus but doesn’t allow the power of Jesus to go out of Him. . How come Jesus feels one woman touched him. What made the difference is her faith. The result of her faith is power. He is present in the sacraments. We touch Jesus in the Eucharist but we have to approach the Eucharist with this hemorrhagic woman’s kind of faith, expecting Jesus to do something for us, as we receive Him. Allow Him to come to our heart, make life better spiritually, give us the power to rid us of the burden of sin. We may not have lived at the time when Jesus walked about the earth and healed the sick but we can touch Him in the flesh. It is true that we are touching Jesus in the sacraments especially the Eucharist but when we do not have faith there is no effect.  Let us not fall into the trap of becoming overly familiar with Jesus as we receive the sacraments regularly or even daily for some. This familiarity makes us lose the awe and wonder of our faith that it wears off. We have to maintain and sustain our faith. Whenever we come in contact with Him let us ask Him to give us greater things, to heal us and change us as we touch him. Jesus is healing us in the way that the doctors can not do and is made possible through the sacraments. Is there anything else that Jesus is not capable of doing? We should answer these questions ourselves and really feel in our heart and impress in our mind the resounding truth about Jesus. If we are to imagine that woman touching the cloak of Jesus to the point that it really feels so real that we could almost feel the cloak of Jesus flowing around Him and touching our skin we would surely feel goose bumps all over. Somehow we could identify with the woman since she has been longing and desiring for a cure to her disease for quite a long time already and we in our lives sometimes encounter situations when we've been waiting for the answer to our prayers for a long time and have utilized every possible means and yet things did not get any better and felt that we were not helped at all but instead made things grew worse. One way or another we may all have felt that way. As days, weeks, months and even years go by we should come to a point when we can also develop that same faith of the woman in the gospel who got cured just by touching the cloak of Jesus and in turn will finally receive the long awaited blessing we all have been waiting for. Another important thing that is being pointed out today is the certainty and reality of death and our desire to live forever. There is indeed an explanation as to why people doesn't want to die and wanted to avoid even talk or mention about death. It goes way back to the time of creation when God never meant for us to die at all but because of our consent to sin, death entered the world. It's a good thing that despite all of these we are assured in Jesus that we can still take part in God's original plan to live life to the full for eternity. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 5:21-43

21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. 22 One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” 24 He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. 25 There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. 28 She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” 31 But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” 35 While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” 36 Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” 37 He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. 41 He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” 42 The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. [At that] they were utterly astounded. 43 He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

NEVER DOUBT JUST BELIEVE

In today’s 1^st reading, Abraham was visited by 3 men whom he showed hospitality despite the fact that he had never met them before. There are times when we think negatively and consider some of the good things we have done as lost and gone. Especially if we do it to people whom we barely know, could not return the favor and could not  benefit in us in some ways. Such as these would never be the case if we consider everything we do as a form of service to God. It makes a whole lot of difference when the people we’re doing a great favor are dear and close to us. To extend hospitality to someone who is almost a stranger and could not return the favor nor expect anything from them is truly noble. Abraham was rewarded for his good deeds by God Himself who never lets anything go unnoticed especially those we offer in service to God. Since I arrived here in the US in May 19, 2007 I never had a single hair cut. My hair has grown so long that a lot of people have noticed it already. It has been more than 6 years since then and my hair has gotten so long. Although I tie it all the time there are some people who know how long it has become and have been convincing me to have it cut. I remained firm in my decision to have my hair cut only when God has granted my long time prayer and request. I just can’t make some people understand why I have to do what I am doing. I’ve had several affirmations with regards to this decision of mine and today’s 1st reading is one of them. It serves as an encouragement and reminder that God is able to carry out what He said He would do. It is on this account that I remain firm in what I have committed to do. I personally felt God's assurance with regards to it. I could still remember when Bernadeth and I were at Chinatown and later on at Japanese Village together with Sis Rose whom we have accompanied for an appointment. Bernadeth was browsing over the rack of clothes and her fashion sense started to get the better of her when she started pointing out some clothes that I should buy and would fit me and again asked when I plan to have my hair cut. When I told her soon once the promise is fulfilled, she laughed and said, "Yeah, you're right and when will that be?" I can not blame her for saying that since it has been quite a long time already since she's been hearing me say these things and until now it has not happened yet. I just answered her that only God knows. She laughed even more when I said that, so I asked her, "Why are you laughing, are you doubting that God knows everything.?" To my surprise the 1st reading today if we read further on happened to be the exact reading immediately on the day after that incident. It speaks of Sarah laughing at the impossibility of what was said to her but it had been fulfilled. It is for this reason that I continue to give praise, honor and glory to God who is without a doubt able to do marvelous things. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 18:1-15

…I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah will then have a son....13 But the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?’ 14 Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, “I didn’t laugh.” But he said, “Yes you did.”

We should always have so much hope in the Lord who makes all good things happen for and to us.  If we just try to recall everything that we've been through and we have been totally dependent and fully surrendered to God then we can surely say to ourselves that God has always been there for us. The gospel this advent season always speaks of child bearing of those women that are called barren and somehow it can be compared to becoming fruitful for the Lord. It challenges us to give birth to a blessing from out of nothing and trust the Lord's power to do it. Today's gospel in particular contains the Magnificat which has become a famous prayer and song for most Catholics. The Magnificat (Latin: [My soul] magnifies) — also known as the Song of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung (or spoken) liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the 8 most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55) where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the future John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth's womb. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings the Magnificat in response. The canticle echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10) Not many of us know that these words of Mary are taken from the very prayer of Hannah in the Old Testament which happens to be the character being spoken of in today's 1st reading. Even Mary, the Mother of God studied scriptures and used it to form part of her prayer. She was also knowledgeable of these holy men and women who lived way back in the Old Testament. If not she would not have used in the Magnificat the same words that Hannah prayed. Haven't we thought of it yet? We are better off in a way that we do not have just the Old Testament as guide for our daily living but the richness and fullness of the New Testament where everything is fulfilled. We are reminded not to forget to acknowledge the goodness of God in our lives. Sometimes we have a tendency to overlook or neglect this important thing of acknowledgement. This reminds me of a terrible mistake I did in the past. I had my thesis manuscript printed and bounded but forgot to include the acknowledgement page. When my adviser knew about it he kidded me by saying, "Thanks to I, me and myself." Well I guess, it's really important that we acknowledge people for what they did to us or most importantly God for that matter whom we owe everything. On top of that, the readings for today point to it as something we need to do and not overlook as demonstrated by these 2 popular and well loved personalities of faith. Mary's way of acknowledging the greatness of God is evident in the gospel today. It is very appropriate also that today's 1st reading is about Hannah. These 2 women both echo in their songs their deep gratitude for God. We, too in our own right can claim ownership to the Magnificat if we will only follow the example of a perfect response to God's blessing and call of these 2 women (Hannah and Mary) in the scriptures. We must proclaim the goodness of the Lord for all the good things He has done and for everything that comes our way. Just like them we should develop an attitude of complete trust in the Lord and reflect in our lives the gratitude we have in our hearts no matter what situation we are in. We can surely learn from their example and start developing in ourselves this sense of gratitude and acknowledgement to whom it is really due. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Luke 1:46-47. 48-49. 50 and 53. 54-55

R: The Lord has remembered his mercy.

46 “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, 47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” (R) 48 “For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant... 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.   “He has come to the help of his servant, for he has remembered his promise of mercy,...

The gospel speaks of one's love and concern for a fellow human being no matter who that person is. God also sees the love we have for each and every member of our household/family and He will always come to save and heal us just like in the gospel. It also serves as a reminder to us that just like that centurion we should have that unwavering faith in the word of God and seek to follow His lead always. It is very overwhelming to know that such power and authority of God is existent in all people, places, time and circumstances. There is no limit in what God can do for our lives. All we have to do is have faith, never doubt and just believe and it will be done for us. Just like this Gentile Roman centurion who did not belong to the race of the Chosen People and yet was reached by the power of God we, too should develop in ourselves this great faith in God no matter what. In fact, the words of this Roman Centurion resound up to this moment and time as it is being recited in the Communion Rite every time there is Holy Mass being celebrated all over the world. Jesus has defied the cultural barriers of faith and demonstrated in today's gospel that He is indeed over all, in all and for all. It is good to examine ourselves if we have the same humility and faith like the centurion right before we accept Jesus in Holy Communion. The centurion knows that Jesus can heal his servant. He humbly asked the Lord and showed Jesus an act of faith. St. Jose Maria Escriva once wrote, "We are going to receive our Lord on this earth, when we receive an important person in our home we bring out the best, food, lights, music and formal dress. How should we prepare to receive Christ in our souls? Have we ever thought of how we must behave if we should ever receive Him only once in a lifetime who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords? Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 8:5-11

5 When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” 7 He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” 8 The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven.”...And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” ...

THE CROSS

Today’s 1st reading speaks of God promising to Abraham that he’ll be a father of multitude. For the Jews he is the physical father and has an influence greater than anybody in the history of the world. For 75 years he was a pagan and worshipped the god of Mesopotamia and had not yet met God. When he met God he was transformed for all the nations of the world. It is ironic for him to be called that name for he has no children yet. His name was changed from Abram to Abraham and exactly what his name means, father of all nations. Abraham was promised that his descendants will be so great just like looking at the stars and not be able to count them. When God gave this promise, he was 99 years old  and Sarah was 90. All he did was trust God. It’s not hard to believe in a God who brought everything out of nothing. Are we going to trust or not? In Gen 18, Abraham was visited by the Lord’s angels. He exercises hospitality to them whereas Sarah laughed to herself when she heard that she’s going to bear a child at her age. And the Lord said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh? God wants us to trust Him. There are times in our lives when we doubt the promise of God. Or worse, we sometimes laugh at the promises of God. We can be astonished and say how marvelous it is but we shouldn’t laugh. God made this promise and He will fulfill it. We can see that after God made a covenant with Abraham in Gen 15:12, As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.  This is a foreshadowing of someone who fell into deep darkness in Good Friday.  Abraham went into deep darkness as this deep sleep descended to Jesus on Good Friday. A soldier pierced His side from which flowed blood and water that fills the world, washes our sins and gives new life thus in the dark sleep a new humanity was born. We, the people of Christ belong to that humanity, a people of hope. There is no doubt that God is able to fulfill His promise thus it is imperative that we keep our part of the covenant, no matter how deep a darkness we may be going through. In doing so we sometimes have to go through our own Good Fridays in order to yield to God's will in our lives, be full of hope and thus become very blessed just like our father Abraham. (Psalm 112:4, Light shines through the darkness for the upright; gracious, compassionate, and righteous)  Abraham is the 1st recipient of God's revelation of Himself to mankind. He is considered as one of the Patriarchs to whom God chose to establish his covenant. Salvation history tells us of God's faithful love and continues to restore and bring back the broken relationship of God and man. It was through Abraham's total surrender to God's will to offer his son Isaac that he foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus  as the Lamb of God. It is true that God started to reveal Himself to us through Abraham and the ultimate revelation was in Jesus His only begotten Son. The victimhood of Jesus to conquer evil not by slaying evil but by allowing Himself to be killed is the height of God's love. It should always be a treasure embedded in our hearts.  The cross is not just a sacrifice but God's expression of His desire for love, relationship and a covenant with His people. There are many qualities of the covenant in order to better understand this relationship with God it is indeed good to look into the Book of Hosea because there are 3 qualities unique only to Hosea which I learned from our bible study through the courtesy of Fr. Tony Astudillo. Hosea's style is a parable of married love to describe Yahweh's relationship with His people. Hosea is a proponent of Yahwism. It is a doctrine of repetitious reminder (pesher) to the Jews that Yahweh has been the only savior of the chosen people in their history. The formula of Yahwism:"I am Yahweh who brought you out of Egypt." This evolved into what is later called "Salvation Theology", the covenant, which could be expressed as God after having created man and fallen into sin asked, "What am I going to do with my creation?  Hosea's prophecy was based on this. Yahwist tradition is the source and the beginning and God continues to sustain and nourish His people, the people of God who were set apart, chosen and privileged. As in this bible saying, "Hear ye O Israel, I am your God and there is no other God than Me." Hosea addresses the disorder in the kind of worship being offered to God. They have forsaken Yahweh in both rituals and moral life and did not follow what is expressed in the covenant, the decalogue (10 commandments) and the following 3 qualities of a covenant:

1. Fidelity is best described as a covenanted union which is best depicted in the image of marriage union: showing Yahweh and Israel as husband and wife. (Hos. 1-3) In this regard, infidelity to the covenant is best shown thru the images of sexual perversions and the breaking of the marriage vows. (Hos 4:14)Like Hosea's love to his unfaithful wife, Yahweh's fidelity to the union remains in spite of Israel's unfaithfulness. During that time there was presence of the worship to the pagan god Baal which contaminated the worship of God's people to Yahweh. Baal was believed by pagans as a god that gives fertility and fruitfulness.  This contamination resulted to impure rites of worshipping. Eventually the Jews no longer became a pure race and was even evident in the presence of several other races, the Samaritan as one. But more than the impurity of the race is the unfaithfulness manifested in the empty rituals and sexual perversion shown in adulterous and unfaithful relationships.

 

2. Loving Compassion- "I desire loving compassion and not sacrifice..."(Hos 6:6) Hesed is Hebrew for loving kindness. Hesed is the center of this love. Hesed is not quid pro quo. It is true devotion (both mind and heart) to the covenant partner. A sign of faithful love to His own people. True covenant partner has pity (rhm) Rhm true meaning is lost in English translation. Rhm is not just a sorrowful compassion but more of the attitude a mother has to her child. Like rehem or womb. The covenant is characteristic in all the prophets. In Isaiah it has mentioned, "Can a mother forget her child and even if she forgets, God will never forget." The cross before the time of Jesus used to stand for death. It is abhored and detested by people. Fr. Tony before proceeding with his talk asked who would like to become a victim and as expected nobody raised a hand. When God became man, He embraced victimhood when he willingly died on the cross. During the ancient times or even in the book of Revelation in the bible the dragon stands for evil and is even symbolic of the serpent in Genesis. When Jesus came He did not slay the dragon but instead allowed the dragon to slay Him by dying on the cross which is rehem and Hesed. Of course Jesus rose from the dead with power on the 3rd day.  The Latin word sacrificere means to make sacred or holy. It is God's business to make man holy which is symbolized by the cross. Fr. Tony continued by saying that there are actually 8 days of creation. The 7 days as recorded in the bible and each day of our life as 8th day. God continues to create but with man as co-creator. Since it was man who made the mess in creation by giving in to sin, each day is an invitation to us to cooperate with God in making this world a better place.

3. Knowledge of God- the most important among 3 qualities. Personal knowledge/relationship of God and His attributes. (Hos 5:4) There is no true "Hesed" without knowledge which is wisdom or true intelligence as not only the world sees and knows of but is interwoven with life experiences. Knowledge here is more of deep spousal knowledge akin to marital union of 2 individuals becoming one. True union of no secrets, shared joy and sorrows as well as oneness of both bodies and souls. Love making (not sex) is a good example of this. (Gen 2:24 "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.") Even Jesus in Mk 2:19-20 compared Himself to a bridegroom. In Ephesians 5: 23-24 Jesus compares His eternal love for the Church as the love of a husband for his wife. See also Lk 1:34 when Mary said,"I have no knowledge of a man." and Jer.1:5 "...before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." This knowledge is encompassing and strives to reach the height and depth of God's unfathomable love.

Book of Genesis 17:1.9-10.15-22.

This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.” God further said to Abraham: “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai; her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. Him also will I bless; he shall give rise to nations, and rulers of peoples shall issue from him.” Abraham prostrated himself and laughed as he said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or can Sarah give birth at ninety?" Then Abraham said to God, "Let but Ishmael live on by your favor!" God replied: "Nevertheless, your wife Sarah is to bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. I will maintain my covenant with him as an everlasting pact, to be his God and the God of his descendants after him...

One of the purposes of marriage is for procreation. When we enter into it we should be open to having children and the responsibilities that go with it. This is the reason why when people petition for marriage annulment cases the tribunal look for 3 things, 1. whether it’s defective consent there was defective diriment impediment or a defective form. When you have a formal marriage annulment case usually it’s a defective consent. In such case the direction of the tribunal would like to know whether the spouse has an intention against children. There are 4 goods of marriage and one of those goods is to have children. The openness to children is one of the essential parts of marriage. If a party chooses marriage and somehow chooses in some way to avoid having children to frustrate the marital act to exclude children from inception through to end then that’s an invalid marriage. It’s a  great starting point for the tribunal to investigate. This is a canonical opinion from a canon lawyer and to find out whether the marriage is invalid or valid there is a need to petition a tribunal where a person resides.   It is a very challenging task and we need to know how to really walk in God's ways in order to live a happy and favored life. There is only one thing needed and that is to follow the ways of the Lord. Whenever we come to a point in our lives when we encounter trials and difficulties and standing up firm in our faith in God seems to be an impossibility then all the more should we remain faithful and true to God. The psalm reading tells us exactly why. This fear being spoken of in today's psalm is the holy fear of the Lord and is different from other kinds of fear that we know. It's more of the kind of fear that is coupled with respect and is the beginning of wisdom as written in Proverbs 1:7. We have to be perfectly aware of this and strive to maintain it within ourselves so as not to lose sight of this aspect of God's Holiness. Over the years, the olive has been the symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power and pureness. The olive tree and olives are mentioned over 30 times in the Bible, in both the New and Old Testaments. It is one of the first plants mentioned in the Bible, and one of the most significant. For example, it was an olive leaf that a dove brought back to Noah to demonstrate that the flood was over. The Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem is mentioned several times. Olive oil has long been considered sacred; it was used to anoint kings and athletes in ancient Greece. It was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples as well as being the "eternal flame" of the original Olympic Games. Victors in these games were crowned with its leaves. Today, it is still used in many religious ceremonies. Today's psalm mentions and compares children to olive plants. We have always been awed by such great affection a mother has for her child. We've seen a lot of things throughout time that attest to this. I am a mother myself and I have done things beyond my capacity because of how much I love my children.  This love of mothers for their brood grows into something very special which explains why they are referred to or likened to olive plants around the table. Let us hope and pray that the Lord will continue to look after our families. No matter how difficult this year is, for our families we have to be confident in God's assurance in today's Psalm reading. If we truly believe that we have an Extraordinary and Awesome God then we, too must be willing to take on the challenge of doing something out of the ordinary and really get out of our way to live out what God calls us to do. Nothing is ever wasted for it has always been proven throughout all generations that those who follow and obey the Lord will surely be blessed not only today but all the days of our lives. We really have to always start with the basics, keep it simple and really get down with the real stuff. We've got to take things one step at a time. We know for a fact that we humans have a tendency to make things complicated.  We know exactly why. It is because we want to make excuses, create our own rules and get away with it. God tries to make it as simple as possible for us but we just don't want it His way because we've got to have it our own way. That's when the problem starts. It is always easier said than done but we've got to take God's word for it. I like the writing on the shirts of my son, Jude and these young people when they attended the YFC (Youth for Christ) Youth Camp. It says, "It's not about me, it's all about God." It's right on target and what it is all about. For in the end and to top it all, it will all come down to us as a blessing and favor from God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 128(127):1-2.3.4-5.

R: See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.

1 Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! 2 For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; happy shall you be, and favored. (R) 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table...may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

                                              

There is really no doubt to the power of God as shown in today's gospel for all He had to do was to wish it. God wishes all of us to be happy and we should no longer doubt God's great love for us as shown in His fidelity, loving compassion and our response should be no other than to seek and find it personally for ourselves without others forcing us to it to have true knowledge of who our God really is. In a way mortal sin could also be equated to leprosy although it does not rot the flesh as leprosy does but it rots the soul. The faith of the leper in today's gospel is certainly commendable and worthy of praise. He practiced and exercised his faith at all cost. Just in case we don't know or forget, lepers during the time of Jesus are considered outcasts and never allowed to be seen in public. He defied all these, braved through it, stood forward and was rewarded. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 8:1-4

1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 3 He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately.