THE LANGUAGE OF GOD

Paul in today's 1st reading introduces Jesus to the Greeks. He hoped to lead them to Christ as he tried to unfold the powerful mystery of Christian life. He wanted so much for all of us to see God's movement in our lives. We may be living in a material world but we ought to see beyond and grasp the spiritual as well. Life is a mystery that we have to decode it properly. It may sound like we need to borrow the skills of Alfred Hitchcock in order to solve a mystery. In Theology they call it mystagogy which means guidance into the mysteries. According to Dr. Scott Hahn, a speaker in the EWTN program entitled, "Signs of Life" our entire human body is a sacrament of the person. Our eyes, smiles, words and actions tell something about us. God calls us now to something infinitely greater. It may be complex at one level but simple at another. It could be much like the 4 seasons that each represents a distinct and particular circumstance or feature. There is a time for everything. Although, I don't like winter, it is given that here in the US there are 4 seasons, and I can't do anything about it. I'll just have to live with it, and you know what, I've learned something from it, the same time I've learned something from Lenten season to Easter season. That there are some things in our life we have to go through or battle with or whatever we choose to do that we have to accept. Whether we like it or not there are certain seasons that we need to pass through. Jesus died and was crucified but He has certainly resurrected. All we have to do is entrust everything to the Lord. Just like Jesus we have to go through our own crucifixions and deaths but it is also certain that we will also have our resurrections. As the scripture says, no servant is greater than his master. We don’t expect to escape scar free. If Jesus did it so must we in our own personal way. It's so hard to imagine this while we are going through some trials but one thing is sure, God will always be the same powerful God, it doesn't change the fact that we have a victorious God. Everything points to the meaning of Jesus Christ in our life.  God made us material beings but we have to recognize that we too are embodied souls. Sometimes we get stuck in the material aspect and fail to advance into the spiritual. God uses sensible signs to lead us to spiritual realities from the visible to the invisible, earthly to heavenly, temporal to eternal and human to divine.  The moment we wake up we should already give thanks to God who made all things possible. His power and might are limitless and we are all subject under His dominion. Nothing escapes the knowledge of God and everything came to be because He is God and always in total control of things. Which reminds me of the e mail I received several years ago of a picture of a pick-up travelling 75mph in Flagstaff, AZ on US Highway 100 and was said to broke through the guardrail but miraculously and safely landed on the edge of a very high ravine. Anyone who could have seen it would definitely be amazed at how it happened. It even said this at the end of the email: If this guy didn't believe in God BEFORE, do you suppose he believes now? Let this be a reminder to all of us, GOD is in control! Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 17:15, 22-18:1

...‘To an Unknown God.’ What therefore you unknowingly worship, I pro claim to you. The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For 'In him we live and move and have our being,' as even some of your poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.' Since therefore we are the offspring of God,...

There is no conflict between faith and reason. There is no divide or arch rivalry between Church and Science. In fact, they imply a real need for each other. It's either we don't know our Science or we don't know our faith. It is overwhelming to know this information about the Human Genome Project. It is comprised of 2,000 scientists who worked to identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA and determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make it up. The project was completed in 2003 but analyses of the data will continue for many years. The philosophical implication of real science is so huge we can only conclude one thing, it is the language of God. We can benefit a lot from Science through good research that are producing cures rather than do something that is totally wrong. The scientists could sometimes cross the line. There is nothing wrong about being dedicated to the work that one does but there is a need to be passionate to the truth rather than in the political sense. This must not be contingent to any person or circumstance. Our faith calls us to goodness and we must play our part well. According to the Holy Father there is a danger that faith without reason would end up in fanaticism and reason without faith to paganism. If one is without the other a person would eventually fall into desperation. Faith purifies reason. Through faith we are united with, a real sharing of the life of Christ in contact with God, over come temptations and have His life within us. Finding the truth is not so hard but running away from the truth once we found it. Human intelligence is limited. Church does not condemn technology and science. It is open to discovery and corrections that would lead us to knowledge through faith and reason and to joy and peace that the world can not give. It is reasonable to believe in God. The miracles of Christ and the prophecies foretold have entered into several thousand years and still stand to this very day.  When we meet people that we like we long to be in their company and start to develop a bond with them. The more we know them and spend time with them the better our relationship becomes. Each day is a revelation of God's wonders and miracles most especially with the enjoyment and fun coupled with love that everyone experiences in the company of our loved ones, relatives and friends. God knows all our concerns and listens to our sighs and pleas. Today's psalm reveals to us the perfect location where we should be at in order to attain to such a relationship. Anywhere close to God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R: Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

...his majesty is above earth and heaven. (R) 14 He has lifted up the horn of his people. Be this his praise from all his faithful ones, from the children of Israel, the people close to him. Alleluia.

Our knowledge of God comes in stages. We must all start now in our efforts to cultivate and nourish the love of God in our hearts so that a time will come when we can all understand God's word for what it really means. Whatever we're going through right now just consider it as preparation. Jesus said in yesterday's gospel that it is better for Him to go so that the Holy Spirit can come. Jesus meant for the Holy Spirit to come so that all men all over the entire planet can be reached being in the form of Spirit. This is the idea of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus as a human being is limited by time and space unlike the Holy Spirit which is not bound by time and space. This explanation may not sound like a very brilliant idea and could just be a very minor reason out of the so many more relevant ones we can come up with regards to the Spirit of truth. It is just like the so many things in our life that we are unable to understand fully at a certain point in our life and even now at the present moment but in His perfect time we can all be assured that we will all be guided accordingly as God has intended it to be. God knows the limitations of our being and would always deal with all of us with compassion and wisdom in accordance to His All-Knowing nature. If we continuously seek God's will in our lives then we are sure to find it and God will not withhold it from us. Jesus in today's gospel is preparing and orienting His disciples for the work of the Holy Spirit. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives. There is no question on the part of the Holy Spirit in carrying out the work and having it done. The Holy Spirit is like an artist. A Master Sculptor can work on a hard substance like marble or clay which is malleable. Marble is a hard substance and very difficult to work with. It is chiseled and chipped away in order to form the image. On the other hand, clay is soft, easily shaped and formed. We could choose to be the marble or the clay. The Holy Spirit is the constant and we are the variable. The Holy Spirit can have it done in any way but it is just harder on us if we are not receptive to it. Chipping away is painful. If only we could just be the clay but for some of us, it just doesn't come that easy. Let's take Peter and Judas as an example. They do not differ in a lot of ways. Peter was a very rough man, just imagine a person taking hold of a sword and chipping away the ear of a Roman soldier. He also denied Jesus 3x. The only difference is that Peter did not sin against the Holy Spirit unlike Judas who fell into despair after betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of gold. Judas sinned against the Holy Spirit for imagining that his sins are bigger than God's love and mercy. To lose hope in a loving God is unforgivable. Mary teaches us about this hope in the best way possible. She is not the Spouse of the Holy Spirit for nothing. Mary wants us to be like her Son so that the Father can recognize us. When we have Mary and the Holy Spirit then we have Jesus. It's what really happened from the very beginning (Luke 1:35) and what will happen to us when we are open to the Holy Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 16:12-15

12 Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. 13 But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming...

THE ADVOCATE & COMFORTER

Unlike any other super hero that we've seen on TV, we don't have to shout Darna or Captain Barbell. We have tremendous power in our hands, great enough to cause an earthquake, open prison doors and unlock chains binding us. The 1st reading today is proof that there is power in praying and singing hymns to God. Although we do not see these things happen everyday we should always nurture this kind of attitude and disposition that every time we pray and sing to God something amazing and awe inspiring happens. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, manifests in several very unique but personal ways and never leaves us alone. No matter how trapped and imprisoned we may be feeling at the moment just like Paul and Silas, God is able to set us free. It reminds me of the broadcast of The Journey Home in the EWTN Channel about Blessed Dominic Barberi. His story was very much like what happened to Paul and Silas. He was already drafted in the military under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte to be sent to Russia but his number was not called. He was spared of a certain death. It was narrated how things happened one after the other which eventually led to his becoming a Passionist priest. He was also instrumental to the conversion of John Henry Cardinal Newman. Today's 1st reading speaks of an almost similar story when the jailer and his household were baptized and converted to God. If we are to take heed of God's power moving across the world and ultimately in our lives, we'll find that we are truly blessed for the countless times God has demonstrated His awesome love for all of us. No one can ever deny this truth. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 16:22-34

...Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew [his] sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, “Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.” He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.

I could never forget the experience when we were in that very hazardous place in Crestline without any idea where we were going. I am thankful for the lesson learned from it. All we have to do is completely trust Him that in His goodness and mercy will show us His saving power and grace. If there's one thing for sure, that is the truth that God knows everything we are going through and He will not withhold the help that we need from Him in His most appropriate and best time, place and situation. All we need to do is just give our trust completely to Him who will complete what he has done for us and would not forsake the work of His hands. Just constantly pray and sing out our praises to God to unleash the power within us. We can always count on God at all times in all circumstances. Let us not stall any longer and finally respond to His call without any reservation. We should entrust all our cares and concerns to the Lord and be assured that He is true to His promise and will fulfill it. Our God is faithful and He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it in all of us. God never fails in sending us people, circumstances and situations that always build up strength in us. I have always believed in angels even before I got the miracle petal with a cherubim’s image. I can still remember and will never forget how my mother used to narrate to us how I was miraculously saved by my angel several times. First was when I was still less than 2 months old and fell from a height of 2-3 ft countertop when the nanny after giving me a bath left me for only a second to get something and upon returning found me already unconscious and lying on the hard, ceramic tiled floor. I was rushed to the doctor but he told them that if I fail to regain consciousness within an hour then he said I could die. To everybody's surprise I started to cry even before the time is up. Another one was when I was barely 2 yrs old when I almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My parent's house is right beside my grandparent's house which is right in front of the school where my mother used to teach. She said she was standing in the center of the stage of the school that was why she had a good view of the things around her even the terrace of my grandparent's house so she got the shock of her life when she saw me there alone running very fast heading toward the open gate while a speeding jeepney was coming and looked as if I would really get hit and it would be too late even if somebody was there to stop me. She was already screaming from afar together with the other teachers who saw it and was trying to call the attention of the driver but to no avail for he didn't even slow down because their screams were of no match to the loud engine of the jeep.  It was just a miracle that the moment I stepped on the side of the road she said that I suddenly stopped and stood very still as if someone was holding me back. She said it was my guardian angel that held me and prevented me from getting hit by the jeep.  I don't remember personally any of those experiences it was only through my mother's stories that I came to know about them. But when I was older like in 4th grade I could already remember how I was spared again from being hurt seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top of my head fell on my desk a split second after I stood up and left my chair.  My classmates were really shocked and were hovering around me and told me that it was really close. There is no doubt, angels are obviously at work. Today God assures us that we can always stand secure for as long as we remain united to Him through the aid of His Holy angels and saints. There is no doubt that we should sing the praises of the Lord in the sight of the angels. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8

R: Your right hand saves me, O Lord.

1 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;...for you have made great above all things your name and your promise... The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands...

We used to go for a walk at Schabarum Park before whenever we had the chance. In one of our leisure walk at the park, Sis Rose told us that when her husband died and left her alone that was when she really missed him and felt an intense longing that she never felt when they were still together. Although it was difficult that time and was full of uncertainties even before his husband died she was already praying to God for help and through prayers she was able to overcome it. In today's gospel we are being told by Jesus that it is better for Him to go so that the Holy Spirit will come. In our everyday life we encounter similar experiences when we have to be separated from our loved one. It has surely caused us so much grief and pain. Even when we’ve prayed and tried to work things out so that we could resolve our situation nothing seems to be happening. There is this feeling of entrapment and inability to do anything about a particular situation. The only thing that gives us hope is the assurance of God that whatever it is that we are going through we must consider as preparation. The same thing that happened with the family of the jailer in today's 1st reading we should continue to hope that we will all soon be rejoicing altogether. We should believe and know that God is true to His promise. When Jesus left this world more than 2000 years ago, He sent an Advocate, God the Holy Spirit to always be with us. From then on God has never left us a single moment for He dwells in us. During these times of sorrow the Holy Spirit is always with us to light, guard, rule and guide us every step of the way, and will never leave us alone. The truth is, things happen not just for the better but for the best. The Lord has been telling us for several days already in the gospel of His love and today He assures us of the Holy Spirit being our Advocate to defend and guard us. We should rejoice in this truth. At the same time we should understand that the Holy Spirit resides inside the courtroom of our consciences. He is there to illumine our actions, to show us where we sin so that by faith in Him we can be redeemed and be saved. It is the work of God that we believe in Him, convict us of our wrong doings and turn away from our sins. We must believe and not follow the cynicism of the agnostics just like what Pilate did and the betrayal of Judas. These are the things that bring us condemnation. The Roman Empire and the Nazis collapsed because of its own corruption and evil schemes of self destruction. These are evidences of their being condemned. We must be open to the way the Holy Spirit is acting on us and working inside our own conscience. But we have to also act on our own. We have to believe and allow ourselves to live in Christ and His redemption.  Reject the glamour of evil no matter how attractive it may seem as the world presents it. We have to accept the faith in Jesus. This is the choice that has already been won and what our Lord Jesus is asking us to make. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 16:5-11

5 Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: 9 sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

L and O

There are key words in today's 1st reading that we could definitely benefit a lot from. These are words we could use for our own welfare so that we, like Lydia could enjoy the presence of God in our life. These words start with L and O. It's easy to figure it out. All it takes is to make a conscious and committed effort to really listen and open ourselves to God. Although it may not be as easy as it may seem to be or else there would no longer be any struggles on our part.  But we know for a fact that when we Listen and Open our hearts to the Lord the consequences of these actions are unimaginable and endless. If we follow what happened to Lydia it was not just herself but her household as well who turned to God. Let's just give it our best shot and see for ourselves. We have nothing to fear as long as we are always worshiping and listening for God can see through our hearts. I am filled with joy whenever I am reminded of the time when my son Jude told me that he is the highest in their Statistic class. He was in his 3rd year Chemical Engineering at De LaSalle University in Taft Ave,Manila at that time. This incident I have inevitably connected to the time when my son Jude was still very young, I guess 5 or 6 yrs old and used to bring him and his baby brother along in our office during our parties. We had this boss who traditionally gives gift to the young children during Christmas time. I pray for her wherever she may be right now. She is a woman of faith and very generous especially with children. Our boss asked all the children to fall in line and gave each one their Christmas gift, my son continued to stand in front of her and still waited to be given another gift. When asked why, he said his younger brother Allan was still sleeping and asked another one for his brother.  Of course she did not hesitate to give my son another one. But everybody was laughing out loud and teasing me that I trained my son very well. Now I know why he's very good in Statistics, he never missed anything, recall, remember and count every single thing most especially his beloved baby brother. Which also reminds me of how very affectionate he is to his young brother most especially when Allan was still a baby. I know in my heart that Jude will always be the same loving brother and son in Jesus name, amen. Another surprising and pleasant event is that the 1st reading for today talks about a woman whose name is Lydia which happened to be the name of this person I was talking about and her favorite color is purple too. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 16:11-15

...a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

We may have seen people who are exercise and health buffs and really take care of their bodies well. Just by looking at them we can already say that they work hard to develop a muscular and strong body. They were able to get good results because they have committed themselves to a strict diet and exercise regimen. In the same way, we should work hard and stick to a regimen that will maintain our souls in perfect shape. No matter who we are, what we do and where we are we can no longer have any excuse not to praise and give glory to God “as is where is”. We are all God's children and we should rightfully assert our place in the kingdom of our God the Father. We are the Church of God which does not pertain to just the physical structure but also the Spiritual Church of God which is our souls dwelling in the physical temple of God which is our bodies. It is important that we always ponder in our hearts the significance of the words of God in relation to our life. I can still remember when I joined the Ikebana (Flower arrangement) in Japan. I was late and did not see the demonstration so when I was given the flowers to arrange I just did it for the sake of just getting it over and done with. What do you expect? I was not proud of what I did. In fact I even removed the label from my work so nobody would know that I was the one who did it since I am representing the Philippines. It is a consolation to know that we have a God and Creator who knows perfectly well what He is doing. No matter what we do to ourselves He will never disown us. Since we are still in this world but definitely not of this world, which is temporary. It should always be our daily commitment to God that we reconnect, refocus, realign and all kinds of action that will redirect us to God in order to withstand this constant battle and tug of war between good and evil. We just have to realize that it is ourselves who eventually disown and turn our backs on God knowingly or unknowingly. If we remain faithful to the Lord and live our lives according to His decrees then we will always find ourselves rejoicing as stated in the psalm reading today. We just need to remind ourselves always that when He created us, humans, He saved the best for last. He even fashioned us in His own image and likeness. In fact, up to this present time, scientists and scholars have not fully solved and understood the mysteries and wonders of the human body and soul. As far as science is concerned we the humans are the most advanced living creatures in this planet endowed with all the capacities that no other creatures are capable of. God will never run out of good things in store for us. We might have hit rock bottom or the lowliest place in our lives but we can always be assured that our God speaks in our hearts and will never forsake nor abandon. If there's one thing that should never leave our minds and hearts then that is the truth that we are on top of God's creation and takes delight in us. If we are faithful to God then we can claim all the benefits of being God's kingdom of priests. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a, 9b

R: The Lord takes delight in his people.

1 Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2 Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. (R) 3 Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. (R) 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; 6 let the high praises of God be in their throats. 9 This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. 

The circumstances are pointing us to the task of always remembering and not forgetting all the good things that God is doing for all of us. We should always be full of gratitude as we recall, remember and count every single blessing that comes our way. We should fill our hearts with all the good and nice things that God has gifted us so that we can withstand that hour of trial and be strengthened by the memory of Jesus sent by God our Father in union with the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Let us guard the special abilities that God has given to us. Among all other creatures on earth we should be proud that God created us, as man and woman. Let us maintain this profound human dignity that He has given to us alone. There may be times and circumstances when we neglect this truth or forget it. There is nothing more unfortunate than this. No matter what happens let us not be distracted by the cares, worries, anxieties or it could be allurements and false promises of this world. If at any time we feel that we are under attack of some kind and starting to fall away from the truth then we need to break this bad spell and get back to our senses. God wants us to take action and make a stand for Him for He is always with us in Spirit. Today's gospel tells us that we are capable of doing so since we are not alone, we have an Advocate who is always with us and don't we ever forget that.  Amen. Hallelujah!

John 15:26-16:4a

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. “I have told you this so that you may not fall away...I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”

THE HOLY ROSARY

Our conscience is the voice of God telling us the right thing to do. We should never fear nor doubt. God is able defend us always when we rely on Him in times of troubles and trials. An important reflection from today's 1st reading is unstoppable. It looked like the apostles and followers of Jesus were all filled with boldness and courage to spread the Good News. They did not get intimidated nor threatened to the point of giving up their mission. They persisted, persevered and brought to this very day the legacy of this priceless faith. You can never put a good man down. Nothing can stop the the followers of Jesus from proclaiming the Word of God. You know why? Once you've known Jesus you are compelled to do so for your experience and encounter with Him can not be contained and will inevitably overflow. It was handed down to us from generation to generation and for thousands of years has found its way to us against all odds. Through God's grace adorned with the sweat and blood of our forefathers who laid down this strong and firm foundation, we are now blessed with the Catholic Church that Jesus Himself built. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Acts of the Apostles 8,5-8.14-17

Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6 With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. 8 There was great joy in that city.

Looking back all these years at the glorious background of our faith that has been handed to us, we can say that we are so blessed among all of God's creation. We have been endowed with such a great blessing beyond our comprehension. Just imagine ourselves meeting someone who is very admirable and impressive, we can't help but be proud and share with others our wonderful experience. That's how it is with the apostles and even more once we've come to know God. We have to be strong and of good courage. Each and every moment is a clear manifestation of God's tremendous love. No words can ever be enough to describe it. Blessed is Mother Mary for believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. We can also come to a point when we can also sing our own "Magnificat" and raise our hands to God in prayer and thanksgiving for every gift He has given to us even those gifts of sorrow. God is in charge and He will make all things work for the good. We have a God who is fighting our battles for us. God is in control. Although God will not stop every adversity but if we stay in faith, He will see us through. He did not promise life to be smooth sailing all the time but He definitely assured us of a safe landing. God has already lined up the right people, right places at the right time. He has prepared for our victory and so we should be ready for God's favor. I remember when we went to San Francisco we joined the bay cruise, were able to come up very close to the Golden GateBridge and went under it and see the amazing structures that hold it. The engineering of the bridge was amazing and very strongly built. During the cruise we got information that the bridge can withstand the powerful forces of the wind and can hold a tremendous amount of weight. It was as if this bridge was really built to last a long time and still be of service to various forms of transportation. Man's ingenuity is so impressive to come up with such a bridge that used to hold the world's longest suspension span record for a long time since 1937 when it was built. And what's amazing is that it continues to draw people to it up to the present time. Just like this bridge we have to be strong and of good courage as spoken of in Joshua. We can always render service to God in our own personal humble and little ways. And be assured that the Big Boss does not fail a single moment in fully compensating all the work that has been rendered for Him. I know that someday these things that used to impress us will cease to amaze us any longer once we've reached the place that lead us to our eternal destiny with our Almighty God. Today's psalm reading suggests a scene that pictures God's footprints side by side with each person. God makes Himself known to all in every part of the world and every where we turn is indeed a declaration of  God's undeniable presence. Let's open up our senses to the Lord's call and take action. We should give back to our Life Giver what is due Him who make us live another day in order to continue proclaiming God's goodness and mercy. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 66(65),1-3.4-5.6-7.16.20.

...Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam. (R) 6 He has changed the sea into dry land; through the river they passed on foot; therefore let us rejoice in him. 7 He rules by his might forever....Blessed be God, who did not refuse me the kindness I sought in prayer.

Mother Mary serves as a special channel that God has given to humanity to receive His graces. It does not obscure or diminishes the one and only Mediator, Jesus Christ, rather she shows God's power even more. Jesus, the Son loves His mother and gives her the greatest grocery of graces in heaven. Mary totally depends on her Son as in the wedding feast in Cana by saying, "Do whatever He tells you." Mary knows that her Son is the ultimate source that's why she leads us to Him, the true Mediator. God Himself ordained that His only Begotten Son be born of a human mother through Mary's obedience and perfect surrender. When the angel appeared to Mary, he wasn't speaking his own thoughts and words. He was sent by God to speak God's words. In Greek, the Hail Mary is translated as Hail most highly graced one, meaning so completely graced. Mary truly is filled with God's grace. When God conceived Mary she was free from the stain of original sin. He is getting ready the 1st tabernacle of His Son here on earth. She is made holy, unstained and created in the fullness of grace. God has placed in Mary the fullness of grace. Mary conceived by her virginity and humility. It should be in our hearts to honor Mother Mary because the Son is within her body. The Father is in the Son. It is by grace that we are saved. Through Jesus and Mary all things are restored. Everything is possible with God. Who are we to defy the manner that God Himself has chosen for His Son to come to this world. Those times when I was able to attend different activities for the Lord and all of them were Spirit filled were full of God's surprises bundled with blessings. I just realized that all of them were coupled with the praying of the Holy Rosary which is a receiving the joy that the Blessed Mother Mary brings to us. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

First Letter of Peter 3,15-18.

...Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame...

Mary kept everything in her heart. From the time of the Annunciation in the Joyful Mysteries, to the time of the Passion and Death of Jesus in the Sorrowful Mysteries, to the time of illumination in the Luminous Mysteries up to the Resurrection in the Glorious Mysteries. Praying the rosary with sincere meditation contains all the mysteries that hold the key to this great love of God for us. In the talk "Receiving and Giving Encouragement" by Kay Murdy, she said that the word courage came from the Old French word which means the heart, which can be taken as put courage into the heart. She further said that kind words can be short and brief but its echoes are endless and never forgotten. St. Paul strengthened and encouraged the Thessalonians by sending Timothy. God gives us encouragement through the scriptures even eternal encouragement as in the book of Romans. She mentioned about Joseph of Cyprus whose name became Barnabas which means "son of encouragement" because he lifted up Paul during the time when the other disciples were suspicious of him. We are encouraged to recognize the gifts and talents of others and letting them know about it by simply writing a note and saying something positive. Even King David when feeling depressed encouraged himself in the Lord. He recognized who he was and what he is called to be. She quoted this " If you can't change the direction of the wind then adjust your sails so that you can reach your destination." She further said that to each is given a gift not only to some and emphasized the word to each. We are called to develop and allow it to grow for us to share to others and be as contagious as possible. We should encourage each other as much as we can before it’s too late. She narrated a story of a man whose dream was to be a musician but ended up becoming a lawyer due to family pressure. It was like this man can be compared to a round peg being fitted into a square peg. The man was said to commit suicide. It is God's will that we encourage one another as our way of testifying to God. How does our God love? His love is immeasurable, unimaginable and indescribable. How can we not love Him back? God's word in today's gospel is an assurance that we can always depend on Him whatever situations we have right now. He is always with us and will never leave us provided we keep His word. How do the saints go about it? St. Therese had the habit of smiling whenever her work was interrupted by a nun coming to ask for help whether with or without good reason. Let us face it most of us are annoyed and impatient especially when we are disturbed especially when they don’t have a good reason. St. Therese’ habit of smiling when she is annoyed is a willed reaction. She does it quite naturally. At the beginning of a free period which Carmelite nuns do not have a lot of, she prepares herself ahead of time to react in a loving manner. Therefore nothing took her by surprise, she is ready to be disturbed, counts on being disturbed, thus she is always happy. This is called determination. She is practicing it and does something about it in order to change from good to better and to best. Holiness and sanctity is not an emotion, the thing itself is in the will. As the gospel tells us today, “He who does the will of my Father  is the one who loves Him.” As St. Thomas said, “Will it.” We need to light the fire and do something about it. Fidelity is all we need. Daily conversation with the Lord is one of the traits of geniuses. As we master the art of communication with the Lord then we can say the deepest things in just a few words. St. Augustine, said “Every Christian should be an Alleluia from head to toe.” The people who live completely the message of the Catholic Church are the saints. They live the Lord’s message and the most beautiful people in the planet.  The saints are the one who really live by the truth. They are walking in the living form and work enthusiastically. They are present in the world but not at home in this world, living the divine message as perfectly as they can, eager to act and yet devoted to contemplation. We may be going through a lot of trials and problems but it doesn't change the fact that He is God. It is a consolation to hear these words being said by Jesus in today's gospel. But at that time when He said this we might have guessed it right if we recognized that there is a sense of stress in the Upper Room among the Apostles. They are tense in their hearts and troubled and it is exactly the reason why Jesus said it. The apostles may have been guessing already what's going to happen shortly. He said do not let your hearts be troubled so that they will be protected from despair when persecution comes. He said not to worry, be anxious or afraid like we always do at times or almost always. Though, it doesn't mean that men and women who worry and get anxious have no faith. We are not living in reality if we feel this way. Friends of God are not totally free from worries that trouble the heart. Sometimes we pray to God and still do not eliminate what we are distressed of. We still need to avoid things that we can avoid and do all we can to avoid suffering. We are on this road and journey. We constantly look for the right direction so that we will not get lost. It might have happened to everyone when we are headed for a place we've never been before. We ask directions and somewhere along the road we still get confused and lose our way. This happens when we lose track of it and given the wrong information. We can rest ourselves from worry and trouble because Jesus never leaves us. He is always with us through the Holy Spirit to strengthen, guide and shed light in our path. He personally leads us to show us the way for us not to get lost. He holds us by the hand and sees us through. We might think that when we pray we are doing service to God. We are wrong. Prayer first and foremost is an initiative of God. It is our giving to God the time to bring light and guidance into our lives. What makes life worth living? Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is the key to life. This is the kind of life that we should desire but sadly, not often found. What I noticed very much in romantic old movies is the signature characteristic of people hopelessly in love being portrayed in it. This famous line "I never knew what life was until I saw it in your eyes." always form part of the climax of these romantic movies. This should be the fervor and devotion that we ought to give to God. Only Jesus can give us the peace and love amidst all the turmoil surrounding us. It can be compared to the center or eye of a hurricane where there is complete tranquility in the presence of heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves. Nothing is more uplifting and strengthening than these words of assurance in today's gospel coming from Jesus Himself a true and genuine friend and lover in the real sense of it. Thanks to God.  Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created and they shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14,15-21.

...And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

DREAMS & VISIONS

Everything happens for a reason and there is always a mission that goes with it. Sometimes we tend to get discouraged and disappointed when our plans do not turn out the way we wanted it to happen. We struggle at times and lose our direction. We fail to sometimes realize that our God is always in control and on top of everything. We should always have this mindset that He is a God who can make things happen. If it doesn't work out the way we expected things to be then be at peace that God has something better for us or the best is yet to come. What's most important is that we always pray for guidance and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit to direct us to the right path, make us sensitive and obedient to the Holy Spirit. If we seek God's will in our lives and consciously live out the teachings of the life of Jesus then we can be assured that we will never be led astray. Everything comes from God. All good things come from God. All blessings come from God. God pours out to us the all abundant love in every possible way. Love and life is not simple other wise we will be living in a heavenly world where there is no strife, deceit, injustice and division.  The world we live in is fractured, unless we stop doing mundane and distracting things that pulls us away from visualizing the things of God then we will just find ourselves distracted and unfocused. We just might find ourselves going in all directions but not really finding where we are supposed to go. God sends us various messages that could be in the form of a vision or dream just like in today’s 1st reading. It tells us how Paul and the others traveled from place to place spreading the word of God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit directing them every step of the way. This is how we should relate to God by aiming to encounter Him in an intimate and personal way. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 16:1-10

…During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

The Jews knew of the prophecy that from King David’s lineage would come forth a King, the foretold Messiah of Israel. During the reign of King Ahaz and all other kings of Israel who did evil things the royalty was cut off. During the Babylonian captivity and in exile, those born of the line of David, of royal blood went in hiding for fear of being killed. Even though the divinic dynasty was cut off, from the tree of Jesse, the father of King David, came forth the shoot that brought forth the King. We remember that it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 tells of this family tree. We would find at the end of this lineage, Joseph who is the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Joseph is not king but a carpenter and being Jew knew of the prophecy as foretold by the prophet including this one from Isaiah 7:14 … the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Emmanuel.” as spoken to him by the angel who appeared to him. He finally understood the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel. Isaiah is important to better understand Jesus. Joseph knew of the need for secrecy and not to make public these things because the reigning king at that time is Herod. He is not Jew but an Edomite who was just appointed by the Romans to be king. He is king not for the Jews but for the Romans to collect taxes for them. This is mainly the reason why Herod wants all male babies born at the time of Jesus, dead. Joseph dreamed a lot of dreams and it was through them that Joseph was able to successfully carry out his mission as the protector of the baby Jesus. Another point of reference here is the fact that in the Old Testament (OT) there was a foreshadowing of the Magi or Wise Men who came to worship Jesus in the manger. It was at the time of the reign of Balak an evil king in the OT when Balaam also a wise man from the East prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom. He was asked to exact a curse upon Israel but from his mouth came forth a blessing. A star and a scepter signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men who were looking for a star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel who would inform Herod of his whereabouts but warned in a dream not to go back to him. Jesus is truly our King. The Kingship of Jesus is accompanied by many more wonderful things that we still have to know of. In the Jewish tradition the # 3 and 7 stands for perfection and completeness. It is somehow puzzling to know that there are 3 sets of 14 generations from the time of Abraham to the exile to the time of Jesus. So why the #14? The significance of the #14 stands for the name of King David which is equivalent to 14 in Hebrew.  The 3 sets of 14 stands for perfect royalty and king that all leads to Jesus. It could also be equivalent to 6 sets of 7. The #6 signifies the date when the beast is made or the beginning thus the #666 which signifies the beast of all beasts. The 6 of 7 sets could mean the beginning of the 7th set. 7 is also the Sabbath. The new 7 is the new creation. Jesus is the beginning of the 7th set. Why the fuss in all of these? It is a consolation to know that we have a God who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We will eventually come face to face with our Creator and God who made heaven and earth. The time is now to make a conscious move to be in touch with this truth. It is such a waste that we don't always realize God's presence among us. When there is nothing more rewarding than to always be aware of God's presence and cry out to Him in joy. Whenever we are in a relationship with someone and give our 100% into it then we can not help but expect it to work. But there are times too, when we have given our all and yet it doesn't seem to be enough. We sometimes are bound for disappointments. When these things happen then is really no reason to be sad for we can always go to God for consolation whose love for us endures forever. We are all called to become partakers and residents of the eternal Kingdom of God.  The invitation to be His favorite is open to all because we are all special to Him. Only through enrichment of our souls can we truly appreciate and experience this reality now and for all eternity. If we as human beings are concerned about our physical appearance, all the more should we strive to enhance our overall spiritual condition. We should also build up spiritual muscles and strive to maintain a balanced Christian life. The best way to do it is to always attach to the main source of all goodness. In the horror movie entitled, "Nightmare on Elm Street" every time the girl in this movie falls asleep, her nightmare begins and Freddie Krueger appears to wreak evil and havoc in her life. She has to stay awake or else something really bad happens to her and the people around her. Somehow this should make us realize the importance of being awake, conscious and in touch with reality. If there's one thing that we have to always be aware of, that is God has our best interest in mind. It may not be easy to see, understand and have a grip on this reality always especially at times when we seem down and out as in falling flat on bed without a care in the world like dumb sleepyheads. We have to rise, wake up and shine. We ought to always get a hold of this truth in today's psalm and never let it leave our consciousness. We will eventually come face to face with our Creator, and the time is now to make a conscious move to be in touch with this truth. Our devotion to God should have no limits for He is Almighty, All Powerful and Holy. We should remain faithful to God and never stray away from the path where He leads us. Let us stay within the flock that God has formed for us. When we are being cared for by God who is constantly and consistently good, kind and faithful forever and ever then we are confident that we are safe and secure in the fold where we belong like a flock tended by the Good Shepherd. We should always remember that we have a God who cares for all our needs for we belong to Him. May we all take part in the grand banquet that God has prepared for us in heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 5

R: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; 2 serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. (R) 5 The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.

We have to realize that we are living in a sinful world that we have to be very careful that we are not enticed by its call. Sometimes we do things in order to cope with the present times without realizing that we are already compromising the most essential truth about us. We are just passing by and temporary residents of this world, what will matter most is for us to prepare for our one true inheritance from God, live forever in His kingdom. Life is never easy and fair at times. Jesus Himself said something like it in today's gospel. If we go through trials and hardships on account of His name and sometimes lose heart when confronted by the doubting and questioning minds of some people then we should always stand firm in our principles and convictions anchored in Jesus. No matter how difficult it may seem we must not lose sight of what kind of suffering Jesus had to go through and all our problems will fade in the background. We should always have the attitude of humble acceptance and complete surrender clinging only to God and not on any person, thing, situation or possession in life. These experiences will all amount to something great in the end. Which reminds me of the story of a silversmith (narrated by Fr. Joseph Magdaong) who purifies silver by allowing it to sit on the fire at its extreme heat until it finally comes out pure. The silversmith knows that the work is done once the silver starts to reflect the image of the silversmith/refiner. Allow this to sink in to our souls for in time we will all come to know that we are in truth blessed and full of grace. And just like the Blessed Mother's response to the angel's announcement we also should say, "Thy will be done." In order for us to do this we must realize that all of us because of original sin has an innate weakness to sin. This is concupiscence which detaches a person from divine love. It is the counterfeit of love that Satan has introduced to the world to deceive and rid us of the true and authentic love. The enemy counterfeits love and the only manner we can defeat this is by receiving God’s divine love. In a world where we have lost divine love and participated in sin there is a demand to know the divine love. It is holistic and brings the person together. The enemy can not derail this love. It is the kind of love that interacts with creation and does not pillage it. It respects everything in creation. It changes, elevates and renews the human heart.  It defends, protects and strengthens us over the power of concupiscence. This love could be very demanding and could be overwhelming in the sense that the world could hate us for this in the same way that Jesus is telling us today in the gospel. We have to realize that man can not live without God’s love. We need to experience, encounter, and make it as our own in order to participate intimately in it. Can we live in an impoverished and imperfect love? The answer is no. It is the injustice and imbalance that it causes in our nature that creates the lost peace. The circumstances that follow are catastrophic and will prevail unless we infuse ourselves with the living divine love that comes from God. Only Jesus can teach us how to live and receive it. God creates this place, the heart, where the lover can love the beloved and the beloved reciprocates that love. It freely gives to each other without condition and does not hope for anything in return. How can we live through the demands of this love? Remember, Jesus does not expect us to love with a divine love with our human power but it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. It will empower us to live the exigencies of this love. The Comforter and Advocate remains with us and is given to us. It moves and enables us to love one another. Allows us to see as He sees, forgive as He forgives and love as He loves. Unless we invite Jesus into our human hearts and allow Him to nourish and form it we remain impoverished and lost. We have to rise up from this and seek to attain the intimacy of the love that is precious and seek only to give. We need to enter into this level knowing that God makes all things possible. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.

OPEN WINDOWS

Believe it or not, we still have brothers and sisters in the faith who think that God punishes and wants to see us suffer. This may not be directly implied but just the same we have the tendency to think this way. We must not forget that we are in a constant battle in this world that could be compared to a tug of war between good and evil. Sad things are not willed by God, He wills only the good things. Let us ask the Lord that we see these things with understanding and ask Him to preserve us from evil and the father of lies, promising peace when there is no peace. This is a reality that we have to keep in mind always but the greater truth lies in the fact that Jesus has won this battle. Once again we should ask ourselves the same question over and over. Will we allow Jesus to have power over us and defeat the role of evil in our life? We have our worries, fears and insecurities for a future that is planned which may never come. We must not forget what we are destined for. There is a place in heaven already waiting for us with our names on it. God loves us so much that He intended everything for us to be with radiant love.  There was a time when I decided to stay away from eating meat as much as possible and just eat fruits and vegetables obviously due to reasons known to many of us already. We need to commit to a good healthy diet and exercise. The 1st reading for today says something almost similar to abstinence from meat. God is affirming a decision to really be serious about eating more healthy and nutritious foods and watch our weight. It is God's will for us to take care also of our physical bodies in order to live a longer life dedicated to serve Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 15:22-31

...we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth: 28 ‘It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, 29 namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’ ”...

Just as David did not take vengeance into his own hands and relied on God's mercy and protection. We should also do the same and follow today's psalm reading. God never ceases to amaze us each day especially when we are greeted with some wonderful turn of events and circumstances that are happening before us. It may be just petty and little things for some but if we have faith in God then every single thing that happens is always Divine Providence. There was this Roman emperor, Diocletian in 303 AD in North Africa (presently known as Tunisia) who persecuted Christians at that time. He ordered the tearing down of Churches and imprisonment of people who would be caught in Christian worship which was considered illegal at that time. In fact inhabitants of entire villages were put to death when they refused to submit to pagan worship. These martyrs persevered to the end. Their love and devotion to God can not be denied and was even documented in the record books. When they were asked if they owned a bible they answered that they keep the bible in their hearts and it can not be destroyed. Furthermore they said when asked why they received Christians in their homes to gather for Holy Mass, they answered, " Si ne Dominico non possimus" which means "Without the Lord's day we can not cope. We are unable to live as we should." They became the Holy Eucharist Models up to the present time. This is a truth that we should be aware of, we can not live without the Eucharist, in order to cope with the toil and exhaustion of the journey in this world we are presently in. The Eucharist is at the root of all holiness. How many saints have advanced to holiness through the Eucharist? Holiness has always found its center in the Eucharist. It is the highest form of praise to God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 57:8-9, 10, 12

R: I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.

7 [8] My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast; I will sing and chant praise. 8 [9] Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn. 9 [10] I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O Lord. I will chant your praise among the nations, 11 [12] Be exalted above the heavens, O God; above all the earth be your glory!

It is noteworthy that in the gospel of John, it is very rare that Jesus gives a commandment. In today's gospel in John, He gives us this commandment, "Remain in my love..." This love is fully given to us but if we look carefully enough we will find that we don't deserve it. It's not because of something good we have done and get in return. It is not based on some kind of contract but more of a relationship. The love of the Father is the kind of love that exists even before the world came to be. The Father loves the world despite of its imperfection being under the power of the evil one. Thus He sent His Son to redeem the world. The death of Jesus on the cross is what draws the people to Him. We have to remain in God’s love which is the source that we should constantly come to. If we keep this commandment then God will remain in us. As we enter into the process of remaining in Jesus and move away from sin then we'll have a joy that lasts forever. There is a temptation for us not to follow the Lord's words and commandments. It is understandable that we sometimes fall into the trap of sin. The temptations make us remember the nice but fake stuff and overlook the real thing. It makes us go with opinions that are widespread. We have to realize that God is offering us something infinitely great. God invites us to offer ourselves to Him wholeheartedly. God is not solitary. Jesus and the Father are one in union with the Holy Spirit. We need to believe this with a childlike faith. What is it to be a child? It is to believe in love and its loveliness and to believe in belief. It is to hold infinity and eternity in the palm of our hands. A child places its hand in yours and just follow wherever you lead. We have our fears, insecurities and worries for a future that is planned but may never come. We must not lose sight of the truth that we have our guardian angels always praying for us that we must not forget what we are destined for. He sees to it that the Lord rules over us so that God's light and life may penetrate every nook in our lives. God's will be on earth as it is in heaven for it is no longer us who live but Christ who lives in us. This commandment of love is repeatedly mentioned by Jesus in Chapter 14 of John’s gospel. This is not the kind of love that the world tries to show that is driven by passion. What the world tries to get across is this love that is shown through the media which is commonly passions of romance and violence. Thus people become poor in understanding this agape love of God. The people in the world follow the passions of our desires as we look into our history we see that these passions end up destroyed. What survived is the passion of the love of God. The kind of Christian love that Jesus gives us. It somehow depicts the aspect of the Blessed Trinity that we are made in the image and likeness of God so we imitate the life of the Trinity. When Jesus speaks and almost always He will say this, "I came not to speak on my own words but the Father's." We are all desirous of self expression. It is good to express one's self, whether it is right or wrong, though, self expression is not the ultimate good. As we come to know this, we must keep in mind that our Lord's word is one of the means of keeping the commandment. In order for us to remain in Him as we maintain our branches attached to Him, we must recognize the need to focus on Jesus, listen to Him as a response to this commandment and call of love. To love Him is keeping ourselves attached to Him. Sometimes we ask, "What about myself?" Many times we react negatively. We sometimes have trepidations and doubt whether we can be able to live out His commands. There is always the temptation not to follow the Lord's words in scriptures. We misinterpret happiness that the world offers.  We give in to it and get drunk by what it has to offer. Only to find ourselves with a hangover and regret of what we have done. When we give in to temptation and start to sin we ought to remember too that only the nice stuff are being presented to us at that time of temptation. We ought to realize that what it offers to us is just a spur of the moment and fleeting joy but would never last. If we respond to Jesus' commandment and enter into the process of moving away from sin then we will have a joy that lasts and a peace that surpasses understanding as St. Paul says in Corinthians. We are no longer kids who want to play with an empty decorated box rather than own a diamond. God wants us to have the diamond which lasts forever. God is an awesome God that all His faithful followers are blessed with His tremendous and unfailing power and grace. This is the reality of the joy that lasts and is complete. The gospel reminded me of the commercial about the vitamins in the Philippines. It claims to be the best vitamins for the body because it is complete. If we remain in God's love then we find complete joy in our hearts. Just imagine being truly, deeply and totally in love with a person to the point of doing everything you can to please that person. Sometimes we still end up disappointed but in the light of God's love we will always feel complete for He is perfect.  The reality that Jesus rose from the dead is at the heart of the reality of the gospel. It is because of the Resurrection that we have the certainty that we are not doomed to eternal damnation and death. We are justified and made righteous because of his resurrection. In our life's struggles and difficulties it is always good to know that we have a friend in Jesus who will never disappoint us. Just like any other relationships, true friendship is put to the test and one thing I am sure of, in Jesus we've found the perfect and loyal friend. We always have a choice. We can be a friend or an enemy to someone whenever we choose to. But think about it, no matter how difficult life situations may be we always have a better choice and it is always wise to settle for the best choice. That is to listen and follow the advice of our one true and loyal bestfriend, Jesus. God is offering us something great and beyond our comprehensions. As in, "no eye has seen nor ear has heard" what God has ready for those who accept this invitation and obey this commandment of Jesus in today's gospel. God has the right to command us because He was the one who chose us first. When God gave up His only Son to die on the cross and Jesus obeyed unto death, even the angels and saints could not take this incredible sacrifice of a God. Jesus, the only Begotten Son of God, stripped Himself of this royalty and was subjected to the most humiliating and excruciating pain. It was through this that Jesus showed us the power of powerlessness. When we ourselves are confronted with such situations we might as well take it as a privilege and invitation to throw our powerlessness to God and receive the power of Jesus to lift us up. God has poured and emptied Himself out in every possible way. This should be our motivation. The great love of God is inexplicably incredible and wonderful. It reaches out to all of us and all He asks of us is that we acknowledge, believe and obey Him. Jesus said, "None of you can be my disciples unless he gives up all his possessions." What Jesus condemns is the selfish clinging. We need to detach from selfish clinging to things for their own sake and not for God. We need to develop a universal surrender to God. We are sometimes ruled by the pleasures being offered by the world. There is a condition in ourselves that we have to achieve before we can be completely free. If we have freed ourselves of that bondage then God can move into our lives. God does not force His way into us. He is like light that comes in open windows. God is very well mannered and will not interrupt. If we cling to things then we can not advance in our relationship with God. We must work for the virtues of prudence, fortitude, justice and temperance. If we are filled with these virtues and not tied down to the worldly things then we become free.  Once we achieve this then God will give us anything we ask of Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” ... I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”...

THE REAL THING

There are times when we reach a certain point wherein we are totally unsure of what our next move should be. All we have to do is just pray to God for guidance and light to show us the right thing to do. Although this should not be abused to the point of not assessing the situation we are in anymore or even use it as an excuse for not acting appropriately on something that should be done. Instead, this should make us follow the example in today's 1st reading when the apostles referred to scripture, convened with a group of believers, prayed and came to a decision. No matter how difficult things are right now for each one of us it will always lead us back to the truth that He is God and in control. Today we celebrate the feast of St. Matthias, the Apostle. Shortly after his election he also received the Holy Spirit along with the other apostles. He went about preaching the word of God in Capadocia and in the coasts of the Caspian Sea until he died as a martyr. Little is known about him, but it didn't matter that people know him and that we know who he was. What matters most to him is that everything about Jesus Christ became known to all. He knew that the mission and purpose of an Apostle and a Christian is not for us to be known but for Jesus to be known. St. Matthias was the one chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Judas was chosen and consecrated by the Lord and yet he betrayed Him. We are scandalized by the fact that we sometimes see priests who stray away from the faith. We just have to continue praying for them that they will repent and not despair. Judas repented too but he despaired when he hanged himself to die. The key to being a true apostle of Christ is to stay and follow the Lord all throughout. We need to share in the certainty of the faith of the apostles. To be a witness of Christ risen from the dead. One of the words of Pope Benedict XVI about the apostles said that there are traitors of Christians and Judases in the Church but it is up to all of us to counter balance the evil done by them with our true witness of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 1:15-17. 20-26

15 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place). He said, 16 “My brothers, the scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was numbered among us and was allotted a share in this ministry. 20 For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his encampment become desolate, and may no one dwell in it.’ And: ‘May another take his office.’ ... Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen... they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias...and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

No one can pretend to be innocent and blameless for our iniquities. We've got to set things right before we find ourselves lost in the deceptions of this world. God will never take things sitting down for He will see to it that those who call and truly follow and obey Him, the so called "poor of the Lord" those who fully depend on God's Providence will surely be lifted up and raised from the dust. God gave His only son as ransom for our sins to save us. Is there anything else He could have done that He has not done for our sake and best interest? God alone is worthy of our praise and worship. If we will just be open at all times to this truth that the psalm reading today tells us and realize the importance of always praising God in all circumstance and live it in our lives then we can be assured of the loving, protecting and caring gaze of God to be always on us. I love this prayer that I got from an email it says, "Stars do not struggle to shine; rivers do not struggle to flow, and you will never struggle to excel in life because you deserve the best. Hold on to your dreams and it shall be well with you. Amen." We simply have to keep on trusting that God will do for us what He has promised and said that He would do. There is nowhere to go but to God. If we are confident in God's Divine Providence and constantly and consistently pray for God's guidance and protection and decide to act at all times for His greater glory then there is nothing that should ever make us want for anything for God is in control, He provides for all our needs and knows what's best for us. Nothing is indeed by accident everything is under the will of God. We just need to always trust God in all circumstances that whatever happens, God will always make a way. It is important that we are always in touch with this reality and truth about our God who is Lord of lords and King of kings and gain confidence from it as if we are already seated and counted among the leaders of His people. That's the Spirit we should all have, a winner. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 113:1-2. 3-4. 5-6. 7-8

R: The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.

1 Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forever... From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the LORD to be praised. 4 High above all nations is the LORD; above the heavens is his glory. (R) 5 Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high 6 and looks upon the heavens and the earth below? (R) He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor 8 to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.

It is noteworthy that in the gospel of John, it is very rare that Jesus gives a commandment. In today's gospel in John, He gives us this commandment, "Remain in my love..." This love is fully given to us but if we look carefully enough we will find that we don't deserve it. It's not because of something good we have done and get in return. It is not based on some kind of contract but more of a relationship. The love of the Father is the kind of love that exists even before the world came to be. The Father loves the world despite of its imperfection being under the power of the evil one. Thus He sent His Son to redeem the world. The death of Jesus on the cross is what draws the people to Him. We have to remain in God’s love which is the source that we should constantly come to. If we keep this commandment then God will remain in us. As we enter into the process of remaining in Jesus and move away from sin then we'll have a joy that lasts forever. There is a temptation for us not to follow the Lord's words and commandments. It is understandable that we sometimes fall into the trap of sin. The temptations make us remember the nice but fake stuff and overlook the real thing. It makes us go with opinions that are widespread. We have to realize that God is offering us something infinitely great. God invites us to offer ourselves to Him wholeheartedly. God is not solitary. Jesus and the Father are one in union with the Holy Spirit. We need to believe this with a childlike faith. What is it to be a child? It is to believe in love and its loveliness and to believe in belief. It is to hold infinity and eternity in the palm of our hands. A child places its hand in yours and just follow wherever you lead. We have our fears, insecurities and worries for a future that is planned but may never come. We must not lose sight of the truth that we have our guardian angels always praying for us that we must not forget what we are destined for. He sees to it that the Lord rules over us so that God's light and life may penetrate every nook in our lives. God's will be on earth as it is in heaven for it is no longer us who live but Christ who lives in us. This commandment of love is repeatedly mentioned by Jesus in Chapter 14 of John’s gospel. This is not the kind of love that the world tries to show that is driven by passion. What the world tries to get across is this love that is shown through the media which is commonly passions of romance and violence. Thus people become poor in understanding this agape love of God. The people in the world follow the passions of our desires as we look into our history we see that these passions end up destroyed. What survived is the passion of the love of God. The kind of Christian love that Jesus gives us. It somehow depicts the aspect of the Blessed Trinity that we are made in the image and likeness of God so we imitate the life of the Trinity. When Jesus speaks and almost always He will say this, "I came not to speak on my own words but the Father's." We are all desirous of self expression. It is good to express one's self, whether it is right or wrong, though, self expression is not the ultimate good. As we come to know this, we must keep in mind that our Lord's words is one of the means of keeping the commandment. In order for us to remain in Him as we maintain our branches attached to Him, we must recognize the need to focus on Jesus, listen to Him as a response to this commandment and call of love. To love Him is keeping ourselves attached to Him. Sometimes we ask, "What about myself?" Many times we react negatively. We sometimes have trepidations and doubt whether we can be able to live out His commands. There is always the temptation not to follow the Lord's words in scriptures. We misinterpret happiness that the world offers.  We give in to it and get drunk by what it has to offer. Only to find ourselves with a hangover and regret of what we have done. When we give in to temptation and start to sin we ought to remember too that only the nice stuff are being presented to us at that time of temptation. We ought to realize that what it offers to us is just a spur of the moment and fleeting joy but would never last. If we respond to Jesus' commandment and enter into the process of moving away from sin then we will have a joy that lasts and a peace that surpasses understanding as St. Paul says in Corinthians. We are no longer kids who want to play with an empty decorated box rather than own a diamond. God wants us to have the diamond which lasts forever. God is an awesome God that all His faithful followers are blessed with His tremendous and unfailing power and grace. This is the reality of the joy that lasts and is complete. The gospel reminded me of the commercial about the vitamins in the Philippines. It claims to be the best vitamins for the body because it is complete. If we remain in God's love then we find complete joy in our hearts. Just imagine being truly, deeply and totally in love with a person to the point of doing everything you can to please that person. Sometimes we still end up disappointed but in the light of God's love we will always feel complete for He is perfect.  The reality that Jesus rose from the dead is at the heart of the reality of the gospel. It is because of the Resurrection that we have the certainty that we are not doomed to eternal damnation and death. We are justified and made righteous because of his resurrection. In our life's struggles and difficulties it is always good to know that we have a friend in Jesus who will never disappoint us. Just like any other relationships, true friendship is put to the test and one thing I am sure of, in Jesus we've found the perfect and loyal friend. We always have a choice. We can be a friend or an enemy to someone whenever we choose to. But think about it, no matter how difficult life situations may be we always have a better choice and it is always wise to settle for the best choice. That is to listen and follow the advice of our one true and loyal bestfriend, Jesus. God is offering us something great and beyond our comprehensions. As in, "no eye has seen nor ear has heard" what God has ready for those who accept this invitation and obey this commandment of Jesus in today's gospel. God has the right to command us because He was the one who chose us first. When God gave up His only Son to die on the cross and Jesus obeyed unto death, even the angels and saints could not take this incredible sacrifice of a God. Jesus, the only Begotten Son of God, stripped Himself of this royalty and was subjected to the most humiliating and excruciating pain. It was through this that Jesus showed us the power of powerlessness. When we ourselves are confronted with such situations we might as well take it as a privilege and invitation to throw our powerlessness to God and receive the power of Jesus to lift us up. God has poured and emptied Himself out in every possible way. This should be our motivation. The great love of God is inexplicably incredible and wonderful. It reaches out to all of us and all He asks of us is that we acknowledge, believe and obey Him. Jesus said, "None of you can be my disciples unless he gives up all his possessions." What Jesus condemns is the selfish clinging. We need to detach from selfish clinging to things for their own sake and not for God. We need to develop a universal surrender to God. We are sometimes ruled by the pleasures being offered by the world. There is a condition in ourselves that we have to achieve before we can be completely free. If we have freed ourselves of that bondage then God can move into our lives. God does not force His way into us. He is like light that comes in open windows. God is very well mannered and will not interrupt. If we cling to things then we can not advance in our relationship with God. We must work for the virtues of prudence, fortitude, justice and temperance. If we are filled with these virtues and not tied down to the worldly things then we become free.  Once we achieve this then God will give us anything we ask of Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” ... I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”...