Our conscience is the voice of God telling us the right thing to do. We should never fear nor doubt. God is able defend us always when we rely on Him in times of troubles and trials. An important reflection from today's 1st reading is unstoppable. It looked like the apostles and followers of Jesus were all filled with boldness and courage to spread the Good News. They did not get intimidated nor threatened to the point of giving up their mission. They persisted, persevered and brought to this very day the legacy of this priceless faith. You can never put a good man down. Nothing can stop the the followers of Jesus from proclaiming the Word of God. You know why? Once you've known Jesus you are compelled to do so for your experience and encounter with Him can not be contained and will inevitably overflow. It was handed down to us from generation to generation and for thousands of years has found its way to us against all odds. Through God's grace adorned with the sweat and blood of our forefathers who laid down this strong and firm foundation, we are now blessed with the Catholic Church that Jesus Himself built. Amen. Hallelujah!
Acts of the Apostles 8,5-8.14-17
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. 8 There was great joy in that city.
Looking back all these years at the glorious background of our faith that has been handed to us, we can say that we are so blessed among all of God's creation. We have been endowed with such a great blessing beyond our comprehension. Just imagine ourselves meeting someone who is very admirable and impressive, we can't help but be proud and share with others our wonderful experience. That's how it is with the apostles and even more once we've come to know God. We have to be strong and of good courage. Each and every moment is a clear manifestation of God's tremendous love. No words can ever be enough to describe it. Blessed is Mother Mary for believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. We can also come to a point when we can also sing our own "Magnificat" and raise our hands to God in prayer and thanksgiving for every gift He has given to us even those gifts of sorrow. God is in charge and He will make all things work for the good. We have a God who is fighting our battles for us. God is in control. Although God will not stop every adversity but if we stay in faith, He will see us through. He did not promise life to be smooth sailing all the time but He definitely assured us of a safe landing. God has already lined up the right people, right places at the right time. He has prepared for our victory and so we should be ready for God's favor. I remember when we went to San Francisco we joined the bay cruise, were able to come up very close to the Golden Gate Bridge
Psalms 66(65),1-3.4-5.6-7.16.20.
...Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam. (R) 6 He has changed the sea into dry land; through the river they passed on foot; therefore let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules by his might forever....Blessed be God, who did not refuse me the kindness I sought in prayer.
Mother Mary serves as a special channel that God has given to humanity to receive His graces. It does not obscure or diminishes the one and only Mediator, Jesus Christ, rather she shows God's power even more. Jesus, the Son loves His mother and gives her the greatest grocery of graces in heaven. Mary totally depends on her Son as in the wedding feast in Cana by saying, "Do whatever He tells you." Mary knows that her Son is the ultimate source that's why she leads us to Him, the true Mediator. God Himself ordained that His only Begotten Son be born of a human mother through Mary's obedience and perfect surrender. When the angel appeared to Mary, he wasn't speaking his own thoughts and words. He was sent by God to speak God's words. In Greek, the Hail Mary is translated as Hail most highly graced one, meaning so completely graced. Mary truly is filled with God's grace. When God conceived Mary she was free from the stain of original sin. He is getting ready the 1st tabernacle of His Son here on earth. She is made holy, unstained and created in the fullness of grace. God has placed in Mary the fullness of grace. Mary conceived by her virginity and humility. It should be in our hearts to honor Mother Mary because the Son is within her body. The Father is in the Son. It is by grace that we are saved. Through Jesus and Mary all things are restored. Everything is possible with God. Who are we to defy the manner that God Himself has chosen for His Son to come to this world. Those times when I was able to attend different activities for the Lord and all of them were Spirit filled were full of God's surprises bundled with blessings. I just realized that all of them were coupled with the praying of the Holy Rosary which is a receiving the joy that the Blessed Mother Mary brings to us. Amen. Hallelujah!
First Letter of Peter 3,15-18.
...Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame...
Mary kept everything in her heart. From the time of the Annunciation in the Joyful Mysteries, to the time of the Passion and Death of Jesus in the Sorrowful Mysteries, to the time of illumination in the Luminous Mysteries up to the Resurrection in the Glorious Mysteries. Praying the rosary with sincere meditation contains all the mysteries that hold the key to this great love of God for us. In the talk "Receiving and Giving Encouragement" by Kay Murdy, she said that the word courage came from the Old French word which means the heart, which can be taken as put courage into the heart. She further said that kind words can be short and brief but its echoes are endless and never forgotten. St. Paul strengthened and encouraged the Thessalonians by sending Timothy. God gives us encouragement through the scriptures even eternal encouragement as in the book of Romans. She mentioned about Joseph of Cyprus whose name became Barnabas which means "son of encouragement" because he lifted up Paul during the time when the other disciples were suspicious of him. We are encouraged to recognize the gifts and talents of others and letting them know about it by simply writing a note and saying something positive. Even King David when feeling depressed encouraged himself in the Lord. He recognized who he was and what he is called to be. She quoted this " If you can't change the direction of the wind then adjust your sails so that you can reach your destination." She further said that to each is given a gift not only to some and emphasized the word to each. We are called to develop and allow it to grow for us to share to others and be as contagious as possible. We should encourage each other as much as we can before it’s too late. She narrated a story of a man whose dream was to be a musician but ended up becoming a lawyer due to family pressure. It was like this man can be compared to a round peg being fitted into a square peg. The man was said to commit suicide. It is God's will that we encourage one another as our way of testifying to God. How does our God love? His love is immeasurable, unimaginable and indescribable. How can we not love Him back? God's word in today's gospel is an assurance that we can always depend on Him whatever situations we have right now. He is always with us and will never leave us provided we keep His word. How do the saints go about it? St. Therese had the habit of smiling whenever her work was interrupted by a nun coming to ask for help whether with or without good reason. Let us face it most of us are annoyed and impatient especially when we are disturbed especially when they don’t have a good reason. St. Therese’ habit of smiling when she is annoyed is a willed reaction. She does it quite naturally. At the beginning of a free period which Carmelite nuns do not have a lot of, she prepares herself ahead of time to react in a loving manner. Therefore nothing took her by surprise, she is ready to be disturbed, counts on being disturbed, thus she is always happy. This is called determination. She is practicing it and does something about it in order to change from good to better and to best. Holiness and sanctity is not an emotion, the thing itself is in the will. As the gospel tells us today, “He who does the will of my Father is the one who loves Him.” As St. Thomas said, “Will it.” We need to light the fire and do something about it. Fidelity is all we need. Daily conversation with the Lord is one of the traits of geniuses. As we master the art of communication with the Lord then we can say the deepest things in just a few words. St. Augustine , said “Every Christian should be an Alleluia from head to toe.” The people who live completely the message of the Catholic Church are the saints. They live the Lord’s message and the most beautiful people in the planet. The saints are the one who really live by the truth. They are walking in the living form and work enthusiastically. They are present in the world but not at home in this world, living the divine message as perfectly as they can, eager to act and yet devoted to contemplation. We may be going through a lot of trials and problems but it doesn't change the fact that He is God. It is a consolation to hear these words being said by Jesus in today's gospel. But at that time when He said this we might have guessed it right if we recognized that there is a sense of stress in the Upper Room among the Apostles. They are tense in their hearts and troubled and it is exactly the reason why Jesus said it. The apostles may have been guessing already what's going to happen shortly. He said do not let your hearts be troubled so that they will be protected from despair when persecution comes. He said not to worry, be anxious or afraid like we always do at times or almost always. Though, it doesn't mean that men and women who worry and get anxious have no faith. We are not living in reality if we feel this way. Friends of God are not totally free from worries that trouble the heart. Sometimes we pray to God and still do not eliminate what we are distressed of. We still need to avoid things that we can avoid and do all we can to avoid suffering. We are on this road and journey. We constantly look for the right direction so that we will not get lost. It might have happened to everyone when we are headed for a place we've never been before. We ask directions and somewhere along the road we still get confused and lose our way. This happens when we lose track of it and given the wrong information. We can rest ourselves from worry and trouble because Jesus never leaves us. He is always with us through the Holy Spirit to strengthen, guide and shed light in our path. He personally leads us to show us the way for us not to get lost. He holds us by the hand and sees us through. We might think that when we pray we are doing service to God. We are wrong. Prayer first and foremost is an initiative of God. It is our giving to God the time to bring light and guidance into our lives. What makes life worth living? Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is the key to life. This is the kind of life that we should desire but sadly, not often found. What I noticed very much in romantic old movies is the signature characteristic of people hopelessly in love being portrayed in it. This famous line "I never knew what life was until I saw it in your eyes." always form part of the climax of these romantic movies. This should be the fervor and devotion that we ought to give to God. Only Jesus can give us the peace and love amidst all the turmoil surrounding us. It can be compared to the center or eye of a hurricane where there is complete tranquility in the presence of heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves. Nothing is more uplifting and strengthening than these words of assurance in today's gospel coming from Jesus Himself a true and genuine friend and lover in the real sense of it. Thanks to God. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created and they shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14,15-21.
...And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
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