NEW MOSES

We read in today’s 1^st reading a reference to the stiff necked nature of the Israel people and the contrast as Moses displays a deep friendship with God as he speaks in behalf of his people. The Israel people thought he’s not coming back. Despite of the wonders that their very eyes have seen they had the nerve to complain, gripe and abandon God. They were grumbling against God. It is an apostasy, abandonment and rejection of the faith that they had been entrusted. They forgot the God who had saved them. Somehow this reminds us of ourselves, midway in this season of lent. Here we are in our own desert, we sometimes very quickly think that God has abandoned us. In the middle of fasting, penance and prayer we quickly forget God who has saved us, abandon and reject our faith in our living of life today. Sometimes we feel guilty about something that we didn't directly or indirectly cause. Or we feel responsible for the actions of other people especially those who are close to us. We must keep in mind that we are not supposed to own the decisions and actions of other people since there are certain limits to this and must know up to where our responsibilities extend. In the same way we must not blame other people for things we ourselves have caused. We must be brave enough to accept the consequences of our actions and not point fingers. We have to be clear about these things for God said that sins will be punished accordingly in its appointed time. So while we still have the time let us see to it that everything is in the right order before it gets too late. We need to remain steadfast no matter how difficult it may seem. We quickly turn aside from the way that God is pointing out. The love that this world can’t imagine and comprehend is not dormant, it is the love of God. We tend to set ourselves up to be our own little god and soon turn aside from the way God has pointed out. We need to cry out for mercy to God and listen to Moses as he points out to us our wrong doings. The plea of a righteous person is always heard, answered and never refused by God. Moses was heeded by God in his request which tells us that if God listened to Moses all the more should we be always rejoicing knowing that Jesus the Lamb of God not only pleaded before God for our sake but offered Himself on the cross in order to save us. We are blessed to have a glorious background much more than the heritage of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. We have the blood of Jesus who took upon Himself on the cross, the guilt of all our sins that have won for us His perpetual kingdom. People during the time of Moses don't know better than any of us living today. Only the legacy of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Israel was known to them and haven't come to this point in our time when we already have the Incarnation of Jesus as the highlight of the glorious background of our faith. Moses pleaded with God in behalf of His faithful servants, the Patriarchs and was heard by God. We have to be aware of the fact that looking back more than 2,000 years ago and even way back to the time of Abraham, God has already been extending His desire to be in a loving relationship with man. If we are to visualize and construct a timeline for this, we would find that God has already invested so much in His people. Aren't we filled with joy and gladness that we are living at this time when we already have the legacy of not only the patriarchs, the Kings, Judges, and the Prophets but most especially and importantly, Jesus. He is the fullness of God's love and came in the fullness of time. God is unchangeable and remains Holy, Mighty and Immortal. We might misunderstand these words in today's 1st reading when it said, "the Lord relented..." We must keep in mind that it is not God who changes but ourselves who change in the process. God is the constant we are the variable. What God has ordained He will forever sustain and it is up to us, to accept and respond to the challenge. One thing is sure, His grace is always enough. Amen. Hallelujah!

Exodus 32:7-14

7 The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once to your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. 8 They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshipping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ 9 I see how stiff-necked this people is,” continued the LORD to Moses. 10 “Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.” 11 But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, “Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains and exterminate them from the face of the earth’? Let your blazing wrath die down; relent in punishing your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’ ” 14 So the LORD relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people.

Organizing all my daily reflections since 2007 made it easier for me to locate and retrieve them. I have found it very rewarding and beneficial. It has given me the opportunity to access with ease, the insights and reflections I wrote in the past. Thus paving the way to recall, reflect, and share it again. In light of the readings today I am reminded of Fr. Alex Amayin, the associate priest in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. His talk was about reconciliation which is very much in line with the 1st & psalm readings for today. It was centered on 4 things which is 1. SIN 2. GRACE 3. FORGIVENESS 4. RECONCILIATION. He said that the 1st 3 are all a reality but #4 is only a possibility. There is no doubt that SIN happens but the GRACE of God is always present and available for us even before we ask for FORGIVENESS. When we ask FORGIVENESS, God is always ready to give it.  RECONCILIATION calls us to true conversion. We should always find our way back to God and never doubt His mercy. He cited the example of a snake and caterpillar since both of them undergoes conversion. The snake sheds off its old skin but comes out the same while the caterpillar emerges into a butterfly. We can either choose to be the snake or the caterpillar. Take your pick. It is important that we always maintain a clean heart and a steadfast spirit so that we are constantly in God's presence. It's not that God loves us any less, no matter what we do, He will always love us. It's just that a Holy and Loving God can not dwell in an impure heart and spirit. The sacred heart of Jesus should be our model and guide as we strive to live out the call to be a genuine follower of God. “When we open our heart to the love of God and to others, it makes us capable of shaping history according to God’s plan.”  - said Pope John Paul II. In His fourth apparition to St. Margaret Mary, our Lord revealed His Sacred Heart, declaring: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume Itself, to prove to them Its love.” The center of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Enthronement of the image of the Sacred Heart in the home. By the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart, we link the tabernacle of our parish church to our home, inviting our Lord to be our constant and most intimate companion.  The Enthronement is a way of life. It means that Christ is King of our hearts, and we desire Him to be present with us always. In other words, by the Enthronement we signify our desire to make our hearts and our homes holy, to sanctify our lives in every aspect. God will not refuse nor turn His back on us if we are truly sorry for our sins and are willing to mend our ways. Let us not be so naive into thinking that we can get away with anything and cheat God. Let us be fair and truly square in dealing with things that concern not just our future but our eternal destiny. Whether it's heaven or hell, we would have to decide for that not God. If we choose to do evil then we are surely headed where it's bound but if we remain faithful to God and all that He represents then we are headed to a place prepared for us by God in heaven. We are sure to go where our hearts lead us. 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. Let us always ask God's mercy for our sins and repent of it. The Lord said that He is not sent for the well but for the sick. We have a disease in our souls that if left uncared for can cause death. We all have a terminal disease called sin, we need a doctor to give us advice. We have been saved by God but we can lose it just as we can lose our human life for not caring for it. We go to God who is our Divine Physician to be healed. He alone can make us whole. God's presence in our lives is inevitable just like the coming of dawn before the break of day and if we have mastered the art of loving back God then we become a pleasing sacrifice before Him. And in his good pleasure makes us prosper, then we find ourselves rebuilding the walls of our boundaries as we expand our borders. It is of prime importance that we take extra care in attending not only to our temporal needs but our spiritual as well. We have this mindset that it pleases God whenever He sees us going through hardships and difficulties in life. We tend to equate God to an oppressing tyrant that would pin us down for every wrong move. Or worst to a slave driver that would not be satisfied unless his subjects exhaust all their strength to his service. The people during the time in the Old Testament could borrow a good excuse for having this kind of mindset because Jesus has not come yet. We who live in this time of the New Testament do not have a good alibi because God already demonstrated the greatest expression of His love for mankind when He sacrificed His only begotten son, Jesus, to suffer and die for our sake. With this truth always engraved in our hearts and minds we could no longer harbor wrong impressions and mindsets of our God. Whenever a particular human right is being violated certain activist groups passionately rally to defend such right that is in question. What about the right of God? We are so concerned about our own personal agenda and we fail to realize that we need to address it more than anything else. According to Pope Benedict XVI, Jus Divinum is the right of God which constitutes the proper and correct response of God’s creatures such as man to his Creator. This we ought to realize and take action. We should do all the good that we are supposed to do to a God who created us. There is something more to what we see, hear and feel about people. We really couldn't judge a book by its cover. It's in knowing what is hidden in the heart that we can truly say for sure what is real. But who can see through our hearts? Nobody but God alone. What is unknown and hidden from us, God knows. We may be able to hide from men but never from God. We can only pray to God to create in us a clean heart. For where our treasure is, there also will be our hearts. This should all be our prayer, “Change me Oh God, mold me in accordance to your pattern and plan and not mine” Dirt stain in clothes sometimes doesn't want to come off even after several times it has been machine washed. There are really some dirt and stain that do not go away that easily with regular washing. There is a need to scrub it manually with soap and water so that it will come out clean. Our souls are just like clothes which are stainable by our sins. It is a consolation to know that our sins are washable in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can always come to Him and acknowledge our sins with a sincere and repentant heart so He can cleanse us, wipe out our offenses and blot out all our guilt. There is nothing that could separate us from the love of God. Let us not be deceived nor dissuaded to believe otherwise. Just like clothes that need to be washed after being worn and got dirty so our souls need to be cleansed too by the blood of the Lamb. God’s love ever present in the body and blood of Christ is always present and available for us. All we need to do is reach out for it because God is a gentleman and would never force Himself on us. There has always been a raging battle between God and satan. Though it has already been won, satan just won’t give up. He continues to wreak havoc and evil among us in his desperation to bring misery into our lives and share in his condemnation. He doesn’t have the tiniest power over us and he can only have it if and only if we give in to his lies, deceptions and false promises. We need to make this conscious decision each and every single day for the Lord. We need to purge ourselves of the impurities of our souls we have to go through a certain process that will render us with a clean heart. As we strive to nurture a heart that beats for God alone we also go through a process of cleansing as stated in the psalm today. God's mercy is greater than any of our sins. If we are to repent and turn away from our sins then we've got to do it right now and really do it fast. God sees through our hearts, our motives and intentions. What God wants of us is to truly acknowledge His great mercy and goodness to us that in doing so will abound a natural inclination to repent and repair all our iniquities and lead to a brand new, wholesome and clean Christian in the truest sense of the word. We need to stand in all humility before God and confess our sins. The body and soul are good but it demands a need for physical asceticism. We have to submit our bodies to an act of sacrifice without neglecting that conversion is first of all interior. Total conversion demands not only expression in works of penance but also of the heart. God is able to do anything. All the more should we be full of confidence that He can create a clean heart and steadfast spirit for us if we truly ask for it. God our Father will never turn His back on us. Let us get this straight, it is the sin that God hates and not the sinner. If we are in sin then that's the time we drive away God's Holy Spirit dwelling in us for it is impossible for God's presence to exist with sin. It's our call then to respond to the psalm's invitation to rise and go to God or remain slumped in the mud of sin. Our God will always be the best Father a child could ever have, the best Brother/Friend and the best Comforter and Guide all in one. Bottom line, to Him alone shall we go because we don't know that much and if we don’t then we end up doing one of these things, take for granted, ignore, forget or neglect the things God is telling us to do. What's worse it could be all of the above! We get blinded and become preoccupied with a lot of things that lure us away from doing what God wants us to do. We are deceived into believing all the lies of this world disguised and packaged by the enemy in an inviting and convincing truth. We should realize that it is always for our own good that He commands us to do the right thing. It is not merely to impose but for us to freely decide for a life lived to the full. There is no other way to maintain the Holy Spirit dwelling in us but to let it reside in a clean heart.  We drive away God's Spirit in us if we don't strive to let our hearts remain clean. Today's psalm is a song that I have come to know and sing by heart without the aid of a song book. I always love to sing it and hear it being sung most especially by the choir during mass. It is well for us to not just love to sing it with our voices but with the sincerity of our hearts. The words "take not your Holy Spirit from me" made me realize that God has the power to give and take. The thought of the Holy Spirit being taken away from us is the worst thing that could ever happen. If we don't feel God's presence in our life anymore and we've become numb and insensitive to the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit then now is the time to reconnect and realign ourselves to God's Spirit most especially during this Lenten season. It is important that we always maintain a clean heart and a steadfast spirit so that we are constantly in God's presence. It's not that God loves us any less, no matter what we do He will always love us. It's just that a Holy and Loving God can not dwell in an impure heart and spirit.  It is of prime importance that we take extra care in attending not only to our temporal needs but our spiritual as well. Amen. Hallelujah!  

Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19

R: I will rise and go to my father.

1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

Is there anything more that God could have done for us that He has not done? After accepting freely, the most humiliating death on the cross more than 2000 years ago, this act of love has not lost its effect and continues to benefit us in the most amazing and unfathomable way. If only we fully accept what Paul is telling us in today's 1st reading then we are all saved. It is a consolation to know that though we are sinners God will always have mercy on us because He knows exactly what our hearts are made of and filled with. We may not be doing the right thing because we are totally unaware of the truth but God will never leave us in our ignorance. I remember one time when I attended a Catholicism Study and learned a lot of things that I thought I already know. I was shocked to find out that even though I was educated as a Catholic from Kinder to College there are still some things that I do not know of yet. Since the times are changing fast there are also other issues in the Church which are non- existent before but is now a major issue like the stem cell research and in vitro fertilization. There is really a need to update and upgrade our knowledge in our faith so that we can be truly effective in the ministry that God has appointed to us in the same way that Paul was in today’s 2nd reading.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

...Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

We will never ever come to the full realization of this great and immense love that is above all and what God has for us until the time we come into perfect union with Him in heaven. For that to happen we have to die first, leave our human bodies and depart from earth. For the mean time God is trying to get this across to us in a variety of ways that we can relate to, in the things that we are familiar of, here on earth. Today's gospel, Jesus cited not just 1 but 3 parables like the love of the Holy Trinity, just to get His message across. The story of the Prodigal son never ceases to amaze us. By man's standards what the son did was unforgivable for it is an act of disrespect and dishonor for a father. By God's standards we may not fully understand for it is simply His nature to love us with such careless abandon even if we don't measure up. In other words we have a God who loves us to the max, no holds bar. Thus, these passages of the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the gospel today invite us especially during this Lent to be like the son who rehearses his lines when he said “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” In response, his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Or we could be like the older son who became angry and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. Judging from these we can say that neither of these sons younger or old truly knew their father. When the younger son squanders the property and said "I am not worthy, just treat me like your hired hands." He did not grasp the depth of His father's love and mercy. Sometimes we are like this when we are not totally convinced that God will receive us back. Many of us can identify with the older son upon coming back and hearing the celebration instead of welcoming back his younger brother was dominated with the hardness of his heart. When his father came to him, the oldest son reveals his depravity and voices out his bitterness as he recounts the sins of the younger brother. This is what resentment does, he makes his own the sins of his brother. He was not able to welcome back the younger brother. He is in fact like the younger brother to a certain degree. This is because every single thing that he does he will calculate as shown by his words as he said that all these years the father hasn’t given him a darn thing. This is deep seated resentment and bitterness. Both sons wanted to lay claim of all that their father possess. They just wanted to take hold of what their father has. All that the father wanted them to do is to be like him. This is very important in our relationship with God our Father. We need to become better in whatever relationship we presently have with God. We could be one of the 2 sons and could definitely learn a lesson from this. There is a need for us to assess what kind of relationship we have with God. We might think we are in a higher level of relationship with God but we could be wrong. In the same way that the older son taught that what he and his father had was the real thing. It turned out that he had not perfected yet the kind of love that God wanted us to have in our hearts. We sometimes fall into the same trap when we think we are doing everything that is good. Our love should know no boundaries in the same way that God loves us. We should realize that if we become like God the Father that’s when we truly inherit everything. Do we truly know our heavenly father? Well, we can do better than these two sons, if we wish to lay hold of heaven and the glory that is His.  The beautiful thing to effect here is that God has given us Jesus and the way to do it is through Him. Jesus knows the Father and He and the Father are one. Since the story tells us of a father's great and unconditional love for his son this reminds me of the 4 levels of happiness. The 1st level is known as laetus which is short lived just like eating a favorite dish. The 2nd one is felix and is much like the 1st one also. It could be something that we've been hoping to have and received as a gift from someone. Although the happiness here is not as short lived as the 1st and may last longer it would still eventually wear off. The 3rd is beatitudo which is the happiness coming from service to others and emanates from the joy that we feel when we help other people. We could probably take the example of the saints who lead a selfless life dedicated to others. This is long lasting happiness. Although this definitely lasts longer than the 1st and 2nd it is still not everlasting happiness. The 4th level of happiness is gaude which is perfect since it is depicted by agape, unconditional love of God. This produces everlasting happiness. Let us not settle for anything less. It should drive all of us to attain and reach this level as the father who loves his son so dearly in today's parable in the gospel. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

...“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance...“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” ’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, youare here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ ”

POWER OF THE CROSS

If we take time to study about the bible and our faith then we will discover things we never knew existed before. We will come to a deep and profound understanding of it which will bring us to greater heights in terms of our knowledge of God. This will lead us to love and service in a very meaningful way. Do you know that there is a commandment before the Decalogue or 10 commandments of God? Yes, there is and it is called Pre-Sinai. It is noteworthy that today's 1st reading points to the reason behind this. I learned this from a Lenten Retreat. When the people of Israel complained to God, He sent them quail and manna as their food in the desert. Every morning they gathered food from the ground and whenever they get more than they could eat for a day they discovered the following morning that the excess got spoiled or rotten. The moral lesson of this commandment is social justice. We should remove greed in our midst and learn to care for others. We should also live within our means and not desire something that is beyond our reach. The Israelites were so discontented despite of the presence of manna in their midst. They did not appreciate and were not grateful that God has provided them food. They sinned against the Lord and directly rejected God's grace. Thus placing themselves outside the protection of God and being predisposed to danger and calamity which was exactly what happened to them when bitten by serpents in the desert. In their journey to the Promised land, Canaan, the 5th gospel which is now known as Palestine, the Israelites strayed away from God's path and went their own way. We should learn the lesson of their story and choose to always stay within the protective grace of God so as to attain the 5th gospel and Promised Land of God in our own lives. The bible covers a span of more or less, 2000 years. Basing it on the outline of the salvation history or covenant history which goes back to the time of Adam & Eve and Noah and dates way back to 1800 BC during the time of Abraham, Moses (1200), David (means the favored one,1000), Exodus (600) to the birth of our Lord Jesus. We can see from this time line significant events that happened from the time of Creation when God created man who fell into sin and became unfaithful and how God continuously called us back to Him by showing us who He really is throughout the length of time. It is so amazing how events which are more than a thousand years apart can be connected and how God was able to make things fall into perfect place like signs, wonders and miracles made by His mighty hand throughout the length of time. Today's 1st reading is one of the many discoveries I had or should I say made me look at things with a new perspective.  It is a foreshadowing of Jesus crucified on the Cross and its power which became a source of healing and salvation for us all. Ever since I have joined a bible study group, Apologetics class and the like I have been discovering the wealth and treasure of our Catholic faith. Thank and praise God for activities like these that continue to shed light on our faith. I have always heard bible teachers say that in order to have a better understanding of the scriptures we have to read the bible starting from the New Testament before proceeding to the Old Testament. It is true that the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the New Testament which is the full revelation of God's great love for us. Just like in today's 1st reading we can establish a relationship between Jesus Christ dying on the cross up on Mt. Calvary to save us from death due to our sins with the healing brought about by the bronze serpent mounted on a pole. It is good to have a realization of this great love of God for us first and foremost so that when we encounter somehow disturbing and difficult to understand scenarios in the Old Testament we can always try to zero in on the truth that behind all these things that took place is a God who has a love for us greater than any other known in this world. God wants all people to be saved but we have to believe. We need to come to the core of the revelation. God wants to rescue His people and save them. He sets us free from this dominion of sin but we fail to trust Him. Just as we see in today's 1st reading  "...But with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses." We too are guilty of the same attitude at times. Sometimes we complain too much without realizing that Jesus, who is God the Son obediently followed without a word of protest when He died brutally on the Cross. And to think that we complain right away about trivial and petty things. There is really a need to always look back and recall what God did for us rather than focus on just the here and now. Instead of falling into the trap of dissatisfaction and despair we should look at Jesus crucified on the cross to always be reminded of what He had to go through just to prove His great love for us. It would be nice if at once we received Jesus then we will be ushered into the perfect freedom, inability to sin anymore and the resurrection from death. Nevertheless, we still have this journey to make, have to battle, and fight even when they came in the promised land. We're all in a journey. Looking back at these very people in Deuteronomy 1. It took them 40 yrs to travel in the desert when all it takes is just 2 weeks. They wandered because of their lack of trust. They initially went to scout the land and came back with a report. The majority said that they can't do it because there are giants in the promised land and would just be like grasshoppers. They're stupid and forgot one basic fact, God is giving them the land. They forgot who was talking to them. When we are in doubt, the great exile should come to mind, when they were freed from Egypt and should speak confidence. In our present time we should believe that we can overcome, social injustice, sin and the culture of death. We have to believe in that because it is Almighty God telling them to come. We don't fault them for seeing those realities, the giants and scary things in the promised land but we fault them for not trusting. When they complained against God, it is an insult to God for 2 reasons, first they forgot that God provides and God did provide the manna all the time and also of water from the rock through God's power. In fact in 1 Cor. St Paul speaks of this water from the rock that followed them as they journeyed and the rock was Christ, "I AM" Jesus was with them in the desert. He is the same God as yesterday. We must trust God at all times. These people in the desert lost their patience however, was worn out and complained. We do an examination of conscience, do we grumble like this? Sometimes we doubt if Jesus is really with us in this journey. When we are trying to live the faith, being ridiculed, made fun of while others are having all the fun. Whenever we are fasting and resisting temptation we also may come to a point when like these people would rather go back to Egypt and slavery. When we embark the journey of the Christian faith and indeed try to live up to all the teachings of the church, time will come when it is easier to say to say “Let's go back to our own Egypt.” But Jesus said, my yoke is easy and burden light. Let us not be fooled for the sins are the heavier burden. We have to embrace Jesus, the one who comes to save and have more confidence than ever in “I AM” that sets us free and truly believe we have eternal life. Amen. Hallelujah!

Numbers 21:4b-9

...LORD said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover.” 9 Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Lord has already given us everything we need but we still crave for something else. We sometimes doubt and question God's ability to get us through it all. We tend to resort to means that is of our own and not of God.  Our rationalizing mind gets the better in us when we exclude in the equation the awesome truth of who really God is and what He is capable of doing in our life. Today’s psalm tells us not to forget the works of the Lord. What better way to do that than to keep our eyes focused on the price that God paid for us on the cross and the eternal benefits it has brought upon us. In order to attain this we need to constantly listen to the teachings of the Church. We have to familiarize ourselves to the words of God in scriptures and the mysteries they hold. We have seen and witnessed so much already to even doubt God's goodness. We hope and pray that we will always remember and never forget. Our minds are limited and can not comprehend beyond what can be explained by reason. God gave up His only begotten Son, Jesus and allowed Him to be sacrificed on the cross. This could never be explained by our logical and rational minds especially if we are parents ourselves and have only one child. Who would give up an only child to die a cruel and humiliating death for the sake of another and sinners at that? But God did that and the only reason is His immeasurable and unfathomable love for all of us. Today's psalm teaches a very important lesson and guideline that we should always live by. If we want to maintain our strength and not be susceptible to captivity in the hands of the enemy then we should always remember and not forget the wonderful things that God has done to us. This makes sense because God's works are holy and perfect we can surely rely on it for everything. When the Israelites decided to follow Moses when they were led out of Egypt to the Promised Land and traveled a long time through the desert they discovered that it was not an easy but a wearying and tedious journey. In the same way when we travel through life we encounter challenges that sometimes drive us to despair. However, we can draw inspiration from the readings today. Just like the Israelites we should always have the hope of a new and better life and be assured of the fact that with God on our side we will never be defeated in battle, nor will we be allowed to starve and be fed with bread from heaven. We easily forget things and become preoccupied with so many other things. This happens to most of us and we tend to neglect what is truly essential. Let us not focus on the lesser things but on what should dominate our consciousness and awareness. We should always be alert and not easily distracted and dissuaded by what is going on around us. Nowadays, we tend to just rely on our own strength and understanding because we are living in a very materialistic and advanced world and forget what's most important is to focus on how God can be fully at work in our lives. We have seen and witnessed so much already to even doubt God's goodness. We hope and pray that we will always remember and never forget the works of the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

R: Do not forget the works of the Lord!

1 Hearken, my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter mysteries from of old. R. While he slew them they sought him and inquired after God again, Remembering that God was their rock and the Most High God, their redeemer. R. But they flattered him with their mouths

and lied to him with their tongues, Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, nor were they faithful to his covenant. R. But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; Often he turned back his anger and let none of his wrath be roused.

R.  

What hold our attention and interest range from a variety of people, places and things and we express them by engaging in various ways and means. Some are hooked in business, sports, entertainment, romance, travel, food, fashion, current events, issues with nature, outer space and all other things we can think about that we can consider profitable, enjoyable, fun and worthwhile to do. We had our moments and stages wherein we’ve been there and done that. Coming from this point of view, we eventually realize whether now, soon or later that ultimately we must acknowledge the fact that if there’s one thing that should hold not just  our attention and interest but our constant admiration is the truth that is stated in today’s 2nd reading because it has definitely got it all. It is reminding us of the things God has to go through just to show His great love. It sounds impossible when we hear about this kind of love that God is sharing to each one of us. This should give us the confidence and courage to carry on. Jesus is God, King of Heaven and earth and the Master of all creation but took the form of a slave and obeyed to the point of death. If we are to look at ourselves and try to figure out who we really are as compared to God's greatness then we should not even think of boasting anything about ourselves but rather we should always be compelled to follow His example in our own little way. No matter how inadequate and insufficient we are as a people we still try our very best to bridge our gaps in the best human way we can. This should make us realize how much more can the Lord do for us in His Godly power, resources and love. Christ divested Himself of His dazzling glory and majesty. He was lost in the crowd, lived in obscurity for the majority of His life and was thought to be Mary’s boy and Joseph’s son since it was only in the last 3 years of His life that He went public. When we are on top of everything there is greater danger of turning away from God knowing that we have lesser need for God. Humanity has become so full of itself. There is a need to be empty and sometimes the only way we can fill up ourselves with God's grace and breathe life into us is through a painful and difficult process. We are asked to empty ourselves of all that is false, ignoble, and unreal so that we may become filled with Christ. Because nature abhors a vacuum and so does grace. We must be filled with something. Tragically we are filled with all kinds of desire, we want to be applauded, be promoted, be consulted, be loved and be preferred to others. John the Baptist gave us our ideal, I must decrease and He must increase (John 3:30) . All the foolishness, unreality, intolerance, selfishness and the sin that is in us must decrease so that we must fill the vacuum with our Lord who wants to share our life. Whatever happens to us happens to Him and He wants us to let Him share because only then will we find the rest that we pray for. A long time ago St. Francis cried out loud, “He comes to His own today and receives Him not.” And so we live lives that are restless, confused, frustrated and unfulfilled because we do not share our lonely life with Him. So the prayer we learn as children and the prayer that is said all over the world among Christians should be our prayer now, Make our hearts like the meek and humble heart of Jesus. The Holy Father, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI points out this route through Jesus as the way to ascend to God. The orientation of the believer changed when Jesus came. When Jesus offered Himself as the Lamb of sacrifice, He forever reconciled man to God. Jesus goes out to Jerusalem as a lamb without blemish to be sacrificed in the eyes of Israel. He goes beyond to a New Jerusalem which opened for us the frontier from earth to heaven. In view of all these we can always have confidence in all our actions and decisions if we have consulted every plan we have to God in prayer.  We experience peace and serenity that no amount of wealth, fame and power can offer. The joy in our heart comes from knowing that every single step of the way God is guiding and directing us. Most of all, we have to learn the lesson that goes with everything that we've been through and realize that there is nothing else we can do best but to totally surrender our will to Him by being obedient to God at all cost. For we are the dear children of God and everything become beautiful in His time. Amen. Hallelujah!

Philippians 2:6-11

Brothers and sisters: Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. 7 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, 8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Today's gospel is an evidence of the concrete relationship of the scriptures in the Old Testament with the New Testament. They are interconnected in a very amazing way. If there's one thing that amazes me even more, it is the thousands of years apart in terms of BC (Before the time of Christ) and AD (Anno Domini/During and after Christ) that separates these events and the tremendous power of God that defies the length of time by connecting them and allowing every single thing in the entire history of mankind to fall into its perfect place and pattern. We are just set to discover wonderful and marvelous things that are beyond our imagination if we let God just like Nicodemus in today’s gospel. He was a skeptic before but eventually became a firm believer.  It also contains the most famous words of Jesus in the Gospel of John, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” The purpose of the Gospel is stated in Jn. 20:31: “These things have been written so that you may go on believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in His name.”  Everything comes through God’s grace in the form of the scriptures as it is written from of old and revealed right before our very eyes and within our hearing. Amen. Hallelujah!

 John 3:13-17

13 Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

GOD'S PREDICTION

Is there anything more that God could have done for us that He has not done? After accepting freely, the most humiliating death on the cross more than 2000 years ago, this act of love has not lost its effect and continues to benefit us in the most amazing and unfathomable way. If only we fully accept what Paul is telling us in today's 1st reading then we are all saved. It is a consolation to know that though we are sinners God will always have mercy on us because He knows exactly what our hearts are made of and filled with. We may not be doing the right thing because we are totally unaware of the truth but God will never leave us in our ignorance. I remember one time when I attended a Catholicism Study and learned a lot of things that I thought I already know. I was shocked to find out that even though I was educated as a Catholic from Kinder to College there are still some things that I do not know of yet. Since the times are changing fast there are also other issues in the Church which are non- existent before but is now a major issue like the stem cell research and in vitro fertilization. There is really a need to update and upgrade our knowledge in our faith so that we can be truly effective in the ministry that God has appointed to us in the same way that Paul was in today’s 1st reading.

 First Letter to Timothy 1:1-2.12-14.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy, my true child in faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry.

I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief. Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

I have always been amazed of the fact that the scriptures of the Old Testament has always been spoken of as the foreshadowing of the New Testament which is the fulfillment of everything that was written. The apostles were able to connect Jesus to the scriptures in the Old Testament and became very convinced that He is indeed the Messiah and Savior of the world. The 1st reading and the Psalm reading for today were written almost 500 years apart. This is judging from the timeline of the reign of King David (1000BC) to whom the Psalms were attributed. Despite the time gap we can detect the uniformity of the messages. We live in a dynamic world and it changes so fast. They say that nowadays, whatever we hold true for now may not be the case later. It is a consolation to know that in the midst of this unsure world we still have something that we can hold on to. The words of God can stand the test of time and will remain to be true from generation to generation. There may be some negative speculations and forecasts that are being hurled right in front of us about our present situations most especially with the uncertainty and unpredictability of prevailing conditions. We need to keep this in mind, only God can keep us safe from all harm. A holy man once said this, "If we don't go to the desert we have nothing to bring in the marketplace." If we have no prayer then nothing works. We have to pray. We need to take time to be alone with God because if we don't, then we make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy. The scriptures tell us of stories based on real life experiences of holy men and women who lived at a different time and period than today. It is a consolation to know that the God of yesterday is still God of today and tomorrow. This gives us the confidence to really hold on to Him for He is living and true now and forevermore. The message of the readings tells us to turn our gaze on the inevitable which is sure to come. If we try to look at the facts of life there are very few things that we can permanently hold on to. All these things will come to pass and we will all eventually leave this world no matter how long we may have lived already, it will eventually come to an end. When that final day comes we must be found prepared and ready for the inheritance that God gives us. When we went to Las Vegas I saw that one of the shows we can watch for entertainment is a magician named Angel. I was reminded of the time when he was a guest in Oprah. He wowed the viewers and the crowd by being able to predict 5 days before the show the things that Oprah and 2 random guests from thousands of people from  the audience are going to say. He wrote in a piece of paper these three things: delicious, John and Kevin and kept them in a suitcase with a surveillance camera on for 5 days so that no one can see it or even come near it before the show. What’s very interesting was the fact that on the day of the show when Oprah was asked what word comes to her mind she answered, “delicious” and the other 2 who were chosen randomly from almost more than a thousand crowd along Michigan Ave. in Chicago. It was done by throwing a ball and whoever catches it will be the one who will be asked. The man from the crowd who got the ball was asked the name of his first pet and he answered, “John” while the woman who got the other ball was asked who was her first kiss and she answered, “ Kevin”. All of their answers matched the 3 things that he wrote 5 days in advance. It was kind of unbelievable to see something like this and couldn’t quite come up with a good explanation how it came to be. If it was just a trick he did make a good presentation because it appeared very convincing. How can a man predict in advance the things that these people are going to say? If this man who claims to have the power of prediction was able to do it all the more can a powerful God predict our future. But we must keep in mind that it’s choice not chance that determines our destiny. There is only one real failure in life that is possible and that is not to be true to the best one knows. We should always settle for best and make God our choice. For there is nothing more assuring than the fact that we have a loving God and Father who surely has our destiny secure. We must be secured in the knowledge that as children of God our Father we are heirs of His Kingdom and co-owners of this vast creation. May we find the Lord as the only treasure in our lives worth keeping. When God calls us for a task we should always be ready, willing and able to follow Him no matter what the cost. Always follow where the Lord leads us. Nothing else could be worth more than God's inheritance. Sometimes we are confronted with so many allurements that we begin to be influenced by the way the world judges things. Let us always hold fast to God's views and ideals that we may not lose sight of the path to life and our inheritance. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11

R: You are my inheritance, O Lord.

1 Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; 2 I say to the LORD, my Lord are you. 5 O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. (R) 7 I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. 8 I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. (R) 11 You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (R)

If we really want to lead our brothers and sister to the right path then there is no other way to do it than to be a living example of Jesus Christ. We can’t just go around preaching about the gospel without preaching through our life’s example. We should become what we preach. As the saying goes, “The best sermons are lived not preached.” It is of prime importance that we take every opportunity that God sends our way. Of course, God will never leave us empty handed all we have to do is follow the advice in the gospel. When we train hard just like any other athlete aiming to win the gold then we become good, better and eventually the best Christian for the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Luke 6:39-42

39 Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”

A MOTHER'S LOVE

It is always for the best to consult scriptures and be guided by it.  Let us pray that we all find ourselves bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit as we commit to not only the duties and responsibilities we owe our families but to love them wholeheartedly. It is always for the best to consult scriptures and be guided by it.  Today's 1st reading gives us good instructions as to how we become better Christians every day. As we constantly do this and develop in ourselves a love for it we will just be surprised as to how we will see the words of God take its form through our experiences and come alive in us. It is through our total surrender and acceptance of God’s will in our lives that we can experience perfect peace. No amount of disturbance or chaos should ever push us to the brink of doubt and despair. We should always have the confidence that if God brings us to it, He will bring us through it. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God will not protect us.  We must not give in to sadness or desperation for what we are going through today. God knows how we feel and knows exactly with perfection what is being allowed to happen at this precise moment. God’s purpose is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place we are now.  I would like to quote the words of William Faulkner, “I have found that the greatest help in meeting any problem with decency and self respect and whatever courage is demanded is to know where you yourself stand. That is to have in words what you believe and are acting from.” For this we should continue to carry on and maintain in ourselves the things Paul that is saying in today’s 1st reading. Amen. Hallelujah!

Colossians 3:12-17

Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 Our Catholic faith teaches us that once a person breathed his last then that's it, only we, the living and those left behind, can still offer prayers and take advantage of every breath we are still able to make. While we still can, we give praise to God in our prayers with the hope of being able to rise again and come to the glory of seeing God face to face together with all our dear faithful departed ones who already breathed their last and have gone ahead of us. Another thing I am reminded of in today’s psalm is the article of Rev. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI entitled, “Religious language as icon” in the Tidings newspaper dated September 4, 2009. Especially the one about his narration of Henri Nouwen who wrote the book “Return of the Prodigal son” which became his signature work. Just like the prodigal son we all have to return to God and we better be prepared for it and do as the author did. He said that before he wrote the book he went to the Hermitage museum in Russia and sat for whole days contemplating Rembrandt’s famous painting of the prodigal son. He was given permission to study the painting from various angles letting it speak to him in varying moods which resulted in one of the finest commentaries ever written on both Rembrandt’s painting and on the meaning of that famous parable in the Gospels. He said that what Henri Nouwen did is what we need to do with a lot of the classical language of Scripture, the creeds and dogma. It should put us in touch with something that we can know but struggle to conceptualize and explain. It is meant to be grasped at levels beyond just the intellect. We cheat ourselves of meaning whenever we treat Scripture, the creeds, and the dogmas of our faith as simple statements of history and newspaper accounts in literal language. We risk our very lives on this truth because they speak to us more as does an icon than as does yesterday’s newspaper. It is meant to be studied, contemplated, meditated, knelt-before and prayed-with, rather than taken literally. What we are experiencing right now we can relate to the scriptures and can give meaning based on our personal encounters with certain bible passages. If we frequent the word of God we would find that they are undeniably related and significant which should inspire us to take note of the different and several meanings we were able to grasp, contemplate, understand and absorb in the heart with every life mystery as Rev. Rolheiser puts it. Honor, power and glory be to our God forever and ever and as the psalm today tells us let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6

R: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

1 Praise the LORD in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his strength. 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for his sovereign majesty. (R) 3 Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him with lyre and harp, 4 praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipe. (R) 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Alleluia.

Today's gospel inspired me to share about my mother. I could never forget this passage because it is one of her favorites since I grew up always hearing her quote this. (Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing…) My mother was widowed at a very young age of 32 and left with our care when we were still very young, aged 4, 3 and 1. She never remarried and just devoted her life to us. She was not just our mother but stood as our father at the same time. She worked hard in order to provide for all our needs. As far as I can remember, we were never in want at any single time. My mother would always attribute this to God our Provider. She often said that widows and orphans are very special to the Lord. Another thing I am reminded of is my experience before when I was just new in the Charismatic Renewal and still in the honeymoon stage with the Lord. I was boldly declaring about my new found relationship with God and Mama Mary and somebody who happened to be a "born again" Christian kept on bluffing me. I should have been irritated and annoyed with her because I wasn't doing anything wrong with my outward display of faith. Instead of giving in to her I decided to keep up a nice face, still be gracious to her and just kept silent. I could have answered back and defended myself but I felt in my heart that it won't do any good to both of us. Although it should not always be the case we should fervently pray that we will always strive to be good and trust God. He knows perfectly well what's in our minds and hearts and what matters most is that we think, speak and act exactly the way Jesus would. Whenever we feel that someone doesn't like us we should still treat that person with the same kindness we treat a person who likes us. We must not have special preferences in people and try to treat them equally as best as we can. It is very difficult but if we continue to pray to God for grace then we can carry on with it and do exactly what the gospel says. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 6:27-38

...32 For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same...Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

THE PRIZE

The gift and promise of salvation should be directly proportional to the life we live here on earth. It is not like a seasonal diet that we follow for a specific period of time but one that we are willing to stick to for life. We should not set it aside once the season is over since it should be the kind of lifestyle we should be willing to commit throughout our lifetime. We are recipients of this great gift of salvation and thus we ought to make ourselves worthy and fitting for it. One thing we can be sure of, everything pays off immediately, later or in the end if we constantly seek God in all we do. No matter how tiring or discouraging the way or the road we are traveling which seems to pull us back down and want to give up, not go on or be tempted to take a different direction we simply must keep on going to the road where Jesus leads us. We should remain focused on Christ no matter how many distractions we encounter in our daily lives. I was suddenly reminded of this friend whom I haven’t seen and talked to for a long time. Every time we have a chance to get together we always engage in a lengthy conversation and really enjoy our exchange of ideas. I should say we bond in a special way and agree in a lot of things. I noticed that we both have similar likes when it comes to the type of clothes to wear, the food to eat and the simple and healthy life we both prefer to live. Although there are some personal areas in her life that we haven’t talked about and which I haven’t dared  to ask, I have this feeling that if we are to go deeper into our friendship , I would have to inevitably face the challenge that Paul in today’s 1st reading is talking about. I was able to say this because it made me realize the fact that it always seems easy to connect and bond with her. It must say that we can really be very good friends despite the fact that we only had a brief encounter when we first met and we hardly see each other. The things that Paul is telling us are things that could totally offend a person when directly told about it. We are living in a world full of deceptions, pretenses and lies. Sometimes we would be better off if we could just keep our thoughts to ourselves most especially the sensitive and very personal issues about a person. If we have a choice then we would rather not be involved and just keep silent about it. Sometimes not even immediate family members, close relatives and friends dare to do it.   Although there are times when we simply could no longer ignore the fact that God wants us to speak out and be bold enough to proclaim the truth. But this we can only do if we truly love and care about these people and be able to show them that it is really Christ that is in us and in all that motivates us to do so. A lot of things are easier said than done. Living our faith in Jesus Christ by example is definitely one of these things. It is good to know that we have scriptures to guide and enlighten us at all times and today’s 1st reading is definitely one of them. Amen. Hallelujah!

Colossians 3:1-11

1 Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory … Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. 9 Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.

There is really none like our God. We can have all the things that this world can offer but in the end we will still be wanting and not satisfied if we do not have God in the center of our life. The Lord has always been faithful and not a single moment would He ever not be. We should have the confidence always of a beloved child of God and the honor of being on top of God's creation. The Lord is always ready to extend His help and shower His blessings on us, His people. The question is, are we willing to accept His help and stay within the circle of His blessings? This question is very critical and sometimes left unanswered, neglected and taken for granted. When we choose to continue in the path that does not lead us closer to God the answer is clear, it is a no. When we direct our actions in things that draw us closer to God then it is a yes. If this is so true for us then we ought to do as the psalm reading today tells us. All our thoughts, words and actions should reflect how great our God is. As humans we tend to downplay God's role in our life because we subject our experiences to human terms and conditions. We are still bound by the limitations of this world we are in and we can't help it. We sometimes just go with the flow and get carried away by the pressures imposed to us by our present and existing situations. Our study of World History tells us of the different and various kinds of kingdoms and dynasties which ruled throughout the length of time. None of the most famous and powerful of these kingdoms still stand today and remain as influential to the entire world as it used to be. This tells us one thing that earthly kingdoms will eventually cease to exist. Only God's Kingdom prevails for eternity. Sometimes we might even have to come to a point when we look and sound strange  for others or even suffer the ridicule of not just others but the very people who comprise our circle of close family, relatives and friends. What matters most is that we ought to give God what He rightly deserves, to be extolled and praised forever. Today's psalm tells us that we owe God more than just plain courtesy for His goodness. Whenever we watch box office hit super hero movies, news about it spread like wildfire and the promotion for it is international that almost everybody around the globe gets to know about it and watch it. If only we can devote that same fervor and enthusiasm in spreading word about the greatest Super Hero of all times, Jesus and make a decision to watch His life unfold and be part of our own, then we can someday be a part of God's great Kingdom in Heaven. If we truly desire this then we should always be mindful of the words of God written in the bible since it is indeed what its acronym stands for which is B - basic I-instructions B-before L-leaving E-earth. It is very important that we have read and understood well what is written in the bible before we exit this world. This reminds me of the video games that my sons used to play. When they finish one level they have to enter into the next level which is more difficult and so on and so forth until they reach the ultimate task and win the final battle. It was like they needed to be well prepared and more skillful for each level. This somehow reminds us of how we should approach our final day here on earth. The gate of heaven has been opened and made accessible for us, there is no question about it but the question is, "Are we ready and able to go through it?" As in Eph. 6:13, "Therefore, put on the armor of God,  that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground." Another thing is we have no idea when will that day come because we really do not know the time or the hour. One thing for sure, the only way to go through it is by being well prepared for it. Thus I wanted to share this story which I got from an email.

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most and adored her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'

Thus, he asked the 4th wife , 'I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No way!', replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No!', replied the 3rd wife. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!'

His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.

When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the 2nd wife. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'

Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'

The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the King said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'

In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives:

Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.

However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 145:2-3, 10-11, 12-13AB

R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.

Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. R. Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. R. Making known to men your might

and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,

and your dominion endures through all generations. R.

The Sermon on the Plain in the gospel of Luke speaks of the conditions of the heart. In fact when analyzed it was counted as 6/9 since 6 of them is about humility of the heart. Luke is a very good writer and devoted himself to the study of the scriptures. To understand Luke and his writings, one must understand Eastern and Ancient philosophy about the mind and the heart. The purity of desire, cleanliness of intentions and nobility of character all dwell in the heart of man. Eastern culture especially Near East thinks with its heart. God does not look on appearance but into one's heart. The Eastern definition of humility which comes from the word humus or soil are: 1. thinking of others before yourself, using the "we language rather than "I" 2. Knowing our place in the grand scheme of things. We must remember that "We are not the Messiah" and must be free of any "Messianic complex" by excluding arrogance which connotes violence, deceit, jealousy, conniving and manipulative. God prefers it that Jesus is the Messiah because we mess things up. We must know where we are supposed to stand. St. Thomas said that in order to see the perfect exemplification of the beatitudes, we have to look to Christ. Jesus is a happy man, a picture of freedom and joy. He loved doing the will of His Father. We have to look to our Lord on the cross and despise what He despised on the cross. They are the 4 things which we physically seek in this life, wealth, pleasure, power and honor.  Wealth, he has none he was stripped naked even of His clothes. Pleasure he was at the limit of physical and psychological suffering. Power, he was nailed on the cross. Honor, he was mocked as he was publicly displayed and crucified. The main point here is detachment. Jesus is detached from the things which we typically seek. On the cross, he is the ultimate peace maker and the bringer of divine mercy, if Aquinas is right then Jesus on the cross is a picture of a happy man. Today I am reminded of my mother (nanay). She has totally surrendered her life to the Lord during the time of her sickness despite the opposition and difficulty I have imposed upon her brought about by my narrow and selfish thinking. We would often argue whenever I hear her say words like I am ready anytime God calls me to be with Him. I was only open to the possibility of her physical healing but never entertained in my mind that she would die soon. It must have been very painful at that time to be afflicted with terminal cancer and at the same time see her children still clinging to her and praying for an extension to her life. Now I know how my mother must have felt back then while fighting her illness at that time with an only daughter clinging tightly to her and not yet open to the possibility of being left behind. Looking back, now I understand why she chose to die alone without anyone of us, her loved ones by her side. She knew back then that I was not ready for it. Even my eldest brother who was there in the hospital was not by her side. She was just brought to the operating room for removal of water in her lungs and she never came back. If there's one person whom I know who was able to face death with so much courage and hope that is none other than my nanay (mother). Blessed are you indeed, nanay for the kingdom of God is yours. At that time it was hard to see things the way she wanted us to see it but at this point where she already left us and in hind sight it has taught me a lot of lessons. There is only one thing that can make us truly happy, to get to heaven. Human beings are sad because they depend on material things for happiness. Fame, power, prestige, exotic entertainment or travel to wonderful places, if we win the lottery once, move to another place, or have another job. When our Lord saw the sadness of human beings he gave the formula in the beatitudes. Not once does He mentioned, money, fame, houses, entertainment and exotic cruises. The formula for happiness lies in the truth that our heart is at rest. As St. Augustine wrote, our hearts are restless until it rests on God. According to Oscar Wilde there are 2 terrible tragedies in life, not to get what our heart sets upon or to get it. Some of us get this truth the hard way. Poverty in spirit means that we are empty. By nature of course we are like a vacuum because we have to be filled with something. But we are usually filled with things, persons, places and tragically we do not own them they own us. When we finally get what we long for, that is when we realize that we can not have them nor could we own them forever. The only way to attain true happiness is to be possessed by the Lord. It’s a struggle everyday to break ourselves free so that the Lord can possess us. We have to learn to let go of yesterday, happiness in the past or the future, we must enjoy God’s gift to us today.  That’s why it’s called the present. We must learn to find our strengths and staying power in the Lord. We must learn to face all these challenges with our Lord and be empty of everything except Him. The beatitudes will serve as our map in our quest to heaven. Beatitudes are like eyeglasses that help us to see what is important so as not to lose sight of what is right. Whenever we are to decide and act on something we might as well ask ourselves, “Is this choice going to bring me closer to heaven?” The more we get our vision corrected the more we get closer to heaven. What is going to bring us closer to heaven? St. Francis of Assisi is a pilgrim in search of the glory of God. He renounced his riches and served God. These are the kinds of choices that pilgrims make to get closer to heaven. We spend our whole lives to get closer to God. We are in contact with God and making choices to be closer to God. If we live our lives as pilgrims in a journey to heaven then we will be happy. We will be recognized for our love and joy. We are not expected to take this journey alone and walk in a lonely path. The Church is with us to help us in this journey and help us to stay in the right path. The sacraments, mass, baptism and penance are the tools to reach our heavenly destiny. God never wants us to be discouraged. We can bring all our sins to Him in confession. The Eucharist the guiding light of our journey is the earthly physical presence of Christ on earth. It guides, feeds and reminds us of the manna in heaven. We also have the Blessed Mother when Jesus gave us His own mother at the cross. She loves us as her children. The final destination of our pilgrimage and journey is heaven.

Luke 6:20-26

20 Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. 21 Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. 26 Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

THE PLAN

St. Paul in today’s 1st reading emphasized the importance of holding on to what we have been taught about Jesus our Savior. There are many things in this world that lure us away from Jesus. We’ve got to always focus and not allow ourselves to be carried away by it. We ought to know by now that only Jesus Christ can make us whole and satisfy our souls. The most important of human life is our relationship with God. But every other aspect like our relationship with other people, family, the way we are in the work place and all these things are governed by 7 virtues (faith, hope, love or charity, prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or fortitude). These virtues we can find in scriptures and see it in the life of saints. Even before God begin to reveal Himself to His people in Israel, human nature is smart and wise enough to see some things on its own. We, Catholics believe that God gave human beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities to be deemed a human being. The philosophers, even before the time of Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4 virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope. They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or fortitude) Prudence is the ability to make right decisions in complex situations. Decisions that lead to the best and right thing. Without this we can be in big trouble. We’ve got to be able to decide in a situation that we’re in what the right thing to do which is the best thing to do. How do we get something done? There are some folks who probably just can’t figure out what to do. There are other folks who look at the problem and they can figure out a solution. It’s a core and they execute that core. It’s practical wisdom. We’ll find in the Book of Proverbs a lot of things about wisdom even in Sirach, Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We can also find all the other 3 cardinal virtues, like justice which means giving each person his or her due. We all know even as kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what the other person is doing.” This is because we  instinctively or natively have offensive justice. Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is like controlling  our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites. Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person. Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s right. We’ve got have all these things but here’s the problem. When Adam & Eve decided to sin they let loose a weakness into our race and nature that impacts all of us. We call it original sin. Sin is not so original, we just copy what other people have done. There’s nothing creative about sin. Adam & Eve’s sin was the only original sin. What they did has an impact on us. By weakening their own nature, sin weakened man’s nature. They passed on to us a weakened nature. They separated themselves and the whole human race from friendship with God and were born into that. There’s a tendency in our nature to go on a downward drift, a drift off course and a tendency to a great degree is dealt with through grace. How do we get grace? Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has made possible for us, healing of our humanity. He gives us other gifts, faith, hope and charity that make it possible for us to really have wisdom, justice, temperance and courage. Without faith, hope and charity in this life, no one can really become truly wise, just, tempered and courageous. If we have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord we have to live in  union with Him and keep our roots deep in Him. We have to build our lives on Him and become stronger  in faith as we were taught and be filed with thanksgiving. An example is a bamboo tree. It takes 5 years to grow the roots and grow deeper. In order to grow deeper we need to pray and read scriptures. We have to develop an attitude of gratitude and be thankful for everything in all circumstances. Amen. Hallelujah

Col 2:6-15

Brothers and sisters: as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving… You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God,who raised him from the dead. And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

There is really none like our God. We can have all the things that this world can offer but in the end we will still be wanting and not satisfied if we do not have God in the center of our life. The Lord has always been faithful and not a single moment would He ever not be. We should have the confidence always of a beloved child of God and the honor of being on top of God's creation. The Lord is always ready to extend His help and shower His blessings on us, His people. The question is, are we willing to accept His help and stay within the circle of His blessings? This question is very critical and sometimes left unanswered, neglected and taken for granted. When we choose to continue in the path that does not lead us closer to God the answer is clear, it is a no. When we direct our actions in things that draw us closer to God then it is a yes. If this is so true for us then we ought to do as the psalm reading today tells us. All our thoughts, words and actions should reflect how great our God is. As humans we tend to downplay God's role in our life because we subject our experiences to human terms and conditions. We are still bound by the limitations of this world we are in and we can't help it. We sometimes just go with the flow and get carried away by the pressures imposed to us by our present and existing situations. Our study of World History tells us of the different and various kinds of kingdoms and dynasties which ruled throughout the length of time. None of the most famous and powerful of these kingdoms still stand today and remain as influential to the entire world as it used to be. This tells us one thing that earthly kingdoms will eventually cease to exist. Only God's Kingdom prevails for eternity. Sometimes we might even have to come to a point when we look and sound strange  for others or even suffer the ridicule of not just others but the very people who comprise our circle of close family, relatives and friends. What matters most is that we ought to give God what He rightly deserves, to be extolled and praised forever. Today's psalm tells us that we owe God more than just plain courtesy for His goodness. Whenever we watch box office hit super hero movies, news about it spread like wildfire and the promotion for it is international that almost everybody around the globe gets to know about it and watch it. If only we can devote that same fervor and enthusiasm in spreading word about the greatest Super Hero of all times, Jesus and make a decision to watch His life unfold and be part of our own, then we can someday be a part of God's great Kingdom in Heaven. If we truly desire this then we should always be mindful of the words of God written in the bible since it is indeed what its acronym stands for which is B - basic I-instructions B-before L-leaving E-earth. It is very important that we have read and understood well what is written in the bible before we exit this world. This reminds me of the video games that my sons used to play. When they finish one level they have to enter into the next level which is more difficult and so on and so forth until they reach the ultimate task and win the final battle. It was like they needed to be well prepared and more skillful for each level. This somehow reminds us of how we should approach our final day here on earth. The gate of heaven has been opened and made accessible for us, there is no question about it but the question is, "Are we ready and able to go through it?" As in Eph. 6:13, "Therefore, put on the armor of God,  that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground." Another thing is we have no idea when will that day come because we really do not know the time or the hour. One thing for sure, the only way to go through it is by being well prepared for it. Thus I wanted to share this story which I got from an email.

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most and adored her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'

Thus, he asked the 4th wife , 'I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No way!', replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No!', replied the 3rd wife. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!'

His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.

When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the 2nd wife. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'

Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'

The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the King said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'

In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives:

Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.

However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 145:1B-2, 8-9, 10-11

R: The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.

I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. R. The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The LORD is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works. R. Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. (R)

It should always bring us great joy and pleasure to look back and recall how things happen in our life and how they all connect and make more sense. This is what happens when we pray at all times even without completely getting the whole picture. Time will come when things will take its perfect form and be more clearly presented to us. In today's gospel, Jesus went up to the mountain to pray and spent the night in prayer to God before He chose the Twelve. Jesus demonstrated the importance of prayer before making decisions and coming up with choices. Looking back more than 2,000 years ago, what Jesus did was a very important decision. He appointed the leaders of the Church that still stands to this very day. But we also know that among those He had chosen one of them betrayed Him. Despite of this I don’t think Jesus regretted it because He knows that it was part of the Father’s plan. There is really a need to always connect to God in prayer. There are various ways we can pray to God and we are left with less and less excuses not to pray. Aside from the “as is where is’ option in giving praise and glory to God, today's gospel presents to us a different approach which is to go to the mountain to pray. Though, God is always near and with us, it is us who move away/close and choose what position to take in relation to Him. It is through prayer that we maintain an atmosphere of proximity to the Lord so we can always reach out and touch Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 6:12-19

12 Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. 13 When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor ...19 Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

FAITH MUSCLES

If we think of God’s Perfection and Glory then none of us could really measure up and always fall short. It is a consolation to know that God knew this all along even before He created us. He sent His only Begotten Son Jesus in the fullness of time in order for us to attain it. This was previously unavailable due to our sins but was made possible for us when Jesus redeemed us. We have always looked forward to certain dates in the calendar when we can avail of big discounts during certain times of the year. It could be Thanksgiving, Post Christmas sale, Independence & Memorial Day and the like. These are dates that people really prepare for to the point of having to wake up early just to be first in the line. Come to think of it, if we are willing to go through all this trouble just to avail of these good bargains all the more should we not neglect nor forfeit the greatest benefit we ought to always wait for and run after that is, the gift of eternal life that God has given us. Paul in today's 1st reading teaches us to strive very hard in making ourselves a living example of God's goodness reflecting the values of Jesus Christ in our very lives. Sometimes we are driven to despair whenever we are confronted with a lot of trials and difficulties in life, this is because we fail to recognize the presence of God's power within us. This made me think of the need to work out and exercise in order to build up our faith in the same way it does to our physical bodies. In doing so we need to recognize that our bodies are designed by God in such a way that it is capable of responding to several stimuli. If we exercise and discipline ourselves then we can see results in accordance to our expectation. We are not new to certain instances when people were able to transform themselves and came out as an entirely new person. If we examine ourselves closely then we can find out what areas we need to improve on and develop faith muscles. We can always go from good to better and best. In the same way that if we are aware that there is a power dwelling in us waiting to be unleashed and once discovered can open up endless and amazing possibilities that can be compared to finding the greatest treasure ever known to man. Amen. Hallelujah.

Colossians 1:24–2:3

Brothers and sisters: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me. For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for you and for those in Laodicea and all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged as they are brought together in love, to have all the richness of fully assured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

We should not be influenced or governed by the manipulations of this world which are the easy come and quick fix deals that most people of our time subscribe to. The psalm reading is very clear in what it is telling us today. Let us choose to do things according to God’s way for, He indeed gives back to everyone according to his works. What a consolation it is to know that we have a God whom we can rest our souls. There is no need to fret or worry for God is our safety, the rock of our strength. If we are secured in the love of God then there's nothing we should be afraid of. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M Psalm 62:6-7. 9

R: In God is my safety and my glory.

5 [6] Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope. 6 [7] He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed. (R) 8 [9] Trust in him at all times, O my people! Pour out your hearts before him; God is our refuge!

Sometimes we are focused and obsessed about one thing that we completely forget what it’s all about and meant for. We always have to be grounded on the principle of love and mercy. Today’s gospel is once again about the Sabbath and Jesus is reminding us not  to be carried away or motivated by  the letter of the law but rather by the spirit of the law. Jesus made a clear statement regarding good and evil knowing that there will be times in our life when we might encounter similar situations with difficult people like the scribes and Pharisees in our Christian walk of faith. And in times like these do we need to be even bolder in standing up for what is right and the truth. On the other hand, when some things are not yet very clear to us we tend to act in a manner that we complicate things when we choose to decide on the thing which is most fitted to our own personal agenda. The key is to be consistent in our stand as faithful followers of Jesus Christ by knowing God better in each passing day. We need to acknowledge that God is God in our life in the way that He wants us not in the way that we dictate God to be. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 6:6-11

 ... Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” 10 Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so and his hand was restored. 11 But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.