CLEAN UP

I remember the time when it was orange and lemon season when we used to harvest bags of these fruits from the backyard of Mr. and Mrs. Lowry. They are so generous to the point of telling us to just get as much as we like. They have very productive fruit bearing trees and it seemed like it never ran out of fruits to harvest. We would fill up big garbage bags and harvest as much as 3-4 bags. Just imagine how many fruits their tress bear. It is so amazing that even after we've harvest too much for us to carry, the tree would still look like it didn't give out any. In fact the topmost portion of the tree where the ladder could not reach looked like the fruits would just wait until it rot and fall off. The fruits were too many and heavy that the branches started to bend low and almost reached the ground. It is definitely something and it was like nothing we've ever seen before or something that we often normally see. It resembles what today's 1st reading is telling us since we have become so amazed and blessed of these fruit trees but it still is nothing compared to what the Lord has prepared for us in that heavenly place where we all long to be someday. Amen. Hallelujah!

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
...Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

We can only imagine but we can never see the real picture of how it is to be in the holy dwelling of the Most High. It is always nice to have something to look forward to most especially because as Christians we believe that we are just passing by and everything around us will all be gone. When this happens we know that we are headed to an eternal place prepared for us by God. Isn’t it wonderful that at this present time we can go on living every day of our life to the full and still be assured that the best is yet to come. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
R: The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High.
...Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea. (R) 4 [5] There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. 5 [6] God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;


We all hope to be with God in that special place we call heaven someday when our time comes. This journey to heaven starts right now with our very selves. It is so much like what the song says, "Heaven is in my heart." and as the scripture says, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." We ought to live a holy life in the sight of God and man for we are the temple of God. Amen. Hallelujah!


1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
9 Brothers and sisters: You are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, 11 for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.


If indeed we are God's temple in other words the house of God, then we have to refer to ourselves as a holy dwelling of God. Let us say we start examining ourselves and find out whether God would be pleased to reside in us or would He be angered at what He would see in us. This is the critical question we all have to answer honestly. Have we turned ourselves into a marketplace like that of the one being spoken of in today's gospel. Have we become so materialistic and commercial that all we ever hold on to and treasure in this life are the things like wealth, power and fame. These are 3 dangerous things that can make a person bad if not handled properly. It's important we put our moral values in check. Let us be aware of the fact that God will not hesitate to drive out all these ungodly residents in His temple. What kind of God's temple are we? We ought to realize that He is God, Most Holy. Just like what we repeatedly say in our Divine Mercy prayer, Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, this is who He is and could not be anything more other than that. If there's anything in us that goes against this holy attributes of God then it's time to do as Jesus did in today's gospel. It's time to clean up though it is not an easy thing to do but we've got to do what we have to do. We've got to make this very clear if we truly want to be with and for God rather than against God. Amen. Hallelujah!


John 2:13-22
He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, 16 and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”