TWO WOLVES

Today's 1st reading calls us to repentance. We may not be aware of this but we are sometimes doing things differently than what we are called to do. All the things that are happening to us call us little by little to conversion. We have to make that step of faith and trust in God as we are encouraged to do in the reading. If we do it would be like the obstacles that stand in our way to God were removed. If we give in to sin we would only find that it provides satisfaction only for a fleeting moment. We turn only to the Lord for only Him can truly satisfy us in an everlasting way. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 17:19-27
19 To the penitent he provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope! 20 Return to the LORD and give up sin, pray to him and make your offenses few. 21 Turn again to the Most High and away from sin, hate intensely what he loathes;...How great the mercy of the LORD, his forgiveness of those who return to him!

Let us not lose confidence in a God who forgives all our sins. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7
R: Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
...Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. (R) 6 For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him. (R) 7 You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

In today's homily in EWTN, the priest said that according to St. Dominic Sabio, he would choose death rather than sin. We have to know what helps us to overcome sin in our life. St. Ignatius of Loyola said that we have to retrace the steps that led us to fall into sin and strive to eliminate it. It is in the beginning when sin is easily overcome. We have to attack sin at a point where it can still be easily removed or put to a stop. One more important thing is to avoid occasions of sin. We must not underestimate the effects of original sin. If we play with fire we will get burned. Furthermore, "Curiosity kills more than just cats, it can kill the soul." We have to resist temptation and offer negative resistance but when a temptation is difficult, we offer positive resistance through prayer. We do this by invoking the presence of God in moments of temptation. We can also do the opposite virtue for which we are being tempted. For example we are tempted to hate and despair we make an act of love and hope. If it's an attack to chastity then we direct ourselves to other things. There is a parable about making it is easy to live virtuously. It is about a man who said that there are 2 wolves fighting within us. When asked who won he answered it is the one who we feed the most. We have to feed the good wolf in us through spiritual reading, frequenting the sacraments, spending time in prayer and engaging in healthy spiritual friendships or anything that can inspire and strengthen our character to what virtue is in need of. We’re not Pelagians who believe in the theory that we can be holy by our own strength alone. We need the grace of God. If we know we are lacking in devotion we ask for fervency and a fiery love of God. We should work and develop an abhorrence for sin as in hate intensely what God loathes. We should see sin for what it really is. Eve looked upon the fruit and saw that it is pleasing to the eyes. It may have an appeal but it brings destruction. An offense to God is an attack to our own dignity. Sin is a threat to our union with God because it delays or prevents it. Sin may appeal to us in a very irresistible way but we have to keep in mind that all it can give is just a momentary sort of delight. We need to think of ourselves walking on the edge of a cliff. If we want to strive for holiness and perfection we need to move further away from the cliff so as to increase the distance between us and the cliff and thus prevent falling into sin. It is a difficult task but as the gospel tells us today, "All things are possible for God.” Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 10:17-27
...“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

TIPS TO BE SUCCESSFUL

I was just talking to my son, Jude and asked him this question, "Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? I told him to answer it with all honesty based on his own experience and his answer is no. I assured him furthermore that if he is that confident of my love for him all the more should he be of God's love for him. It is more than any kind of love we can ever experience in this whole wide world. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 49:14-15
14 Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” 15 Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

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. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R: Rest in God alone, my soul.
1 [2] Only in God is my soul at rest; from him comes my salvation. 2 [3] He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all. (R) 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) 7 [8] With God is my safety and my glory, he is the rock of my strength; my refuge is in God. 8 [9] Trust in him at all times, O my people! Pour out your hearts before him.

Nothing is final until God says so. It is best that we just totally trust God with everything who knows and sees all. Amen. Hallelujah!

1Corinthians 4:1-5
...Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

The gospel for today is part of the sermon on the mount and contains valuable information on how to be successful in life. This is what Fr. Glenn said in his homily in The Filipino Channel (TFC) He asked the audience, "Do you want to be successful in life?" The answers and tips to this can be found in the gospel today. The first tip is from Mt 6:24. No one can serve 2 masters. According to Biblical literature mammon is described as greed, avarice, excessive materialism and also referred in the New Testament as a false god. Money if used properly is not mammon. The 2nd tip is from Mt. 6:25 which tells us, "Do not worry." Look at the birds in the sky and the wild flowers as written in the gospel. Did you get it? Did you feel it? There's no reason to worry anymore. The 3rd tip is Mt 6:33, "Seek 1st God’s kingdom..." We must look at the Source and Creator and everything will be added unto us. Let's just take the example of the air we breathe. We are not being charged for every breath of air we take. We are God’s children and we belong to God, what God owns we also own. According to Sis Del Vitangcol, we have to serve the real master if we want to become sucessful. She gave us the acronym UNLAD meaning Unahin Natin Lagi Ang Dios. Unlad in English is progress and its acronym meaning can be translated as, "Always put God first." Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 6:24-34
...“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ 32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

BE GROUNDED

We have been wonderfully created by God. This is something that we all so often neglect or sometimes do not realize. Let us live up to this image that He made us to be and show forth the beauty of God's creation. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 17:1-15
God from the earth created man, and in his own image he made him...He endows man with a strength of his own, and with power over all things else on earth. 4 He puts the fear of him in all flesh, and gives him rule over beasts and birds. 5 He forms men’s tongues and eyes and ears, and imparts to them an understanding heart. 6 With wisdom and knowledge he fills them; good and evil he shows them.

Whenever we receive goodness and kindness from people we meet we are very much delighted and pleased with it. How much more would we feel if we have God's favor resting upon us. There is nothing else better compared to this. As the psalm tells us today let us always maintain a holy fear of the Lord for the Lord's everlasting kindness to be upon us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18
R: The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him, 14 for he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust. (R) 15 Man’s days are like those of grass; like a flower of the field he blooms; 16 the wind sweeps over him and he is gone, and his place knows him no more. (R) 17 But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear him, and his justice toward children’s children 18 among those who keep his covenant.

Children have the gift to just receive and let their minds go to a place where adults don’t. They have the ability to animate things and have joy. They are always intently listening and receiving. This is the key to having access to the continuous existence of the flow of grace. If we look at the world around us and hear the news of what’s happening then we could lose hope if we listen to everything that’s going on around us. Unless we’re grounded in faith we could not survive it. We should pray that we continue to mature as Christians. We have always come to mass and witness in the altar what priests are doing all over the world. We have to come into touch with the reality that the Holy Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament is what’s redeeming the world. The world is fragile and unstable. We need to be around this table in the altar for constant infusion of God’s life and grace. This is our life, destiny and future. We need to be grounded in this truth and be able to say that we are stable in our relationship with God. We need to have a conviction in this world that the Lord is present to us in the altars of sacrifice. The Lord Himself established this act of worship that contains incredible power. We need to be grounded to our faith in the Eucharist and truly enter completely for us to be nourished and strengthened. It should not become just an act of routine. If this happens then this could be very sad and empty of its true meaning. Being grounded to the truth of the Eucharist could really change our faith and belief and therefore bring forth change in our lives. We always go to mass but our act of worship in the Eucharist table should change us for the better. We have to believe that the Lord is working in our lives whenever we come to receive the Eucharist. This should be firmly based on the stability of the truth that God is really present for us. It is like when we run in the sand and mud, we become unsteady because it is unstable, our feet can sink. We need stability in order to stand. We need a firm ground to walk on and find something to anchor ourselves to. We look at a child's heart that is fully grounded. We need to follow its example so that no matter what we see in our experiences, the trials and the tests, if we’re grounded and stable we can always surrender our life to God and live in peace. If we are firmly grounded on the truth of the Lord's presence in the Eucharist then a fountain of joy and excitement bursts forth from us. This is in the knowledge that something new is going to happen each time we receive Him in the Eucharist. Let us pray that we be like children and utilize our inventive hearts so as to enter into an act of worship and believe. We are always confronted with the greatest temptation of not entering into the act of worship and know in our hearts and minds that God is present completely in this Most Blessed Sacrament. We have to develop this attitude that the Eucharist is indispensable and what’s most real and powerful for us. We need to be able to say that this is what matters most to us. In doing so we can make decisions that needs to be done and say, "Here I am Lord here is what I’ve done help me to be better tomorrow." Amen. Hallelujah!


Mark 10:13-16
13 People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” 16 Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

We should value our friends with all our hearts. They are God's gifts to us. It is through them that we feel the love of God for us. A true and faithful friend is the manifestation of God's friendship for us. Praise and thank God for such friends that He brings to our life. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 6:5-17
...A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. 15 A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. 16 A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; 17 for he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.

What a friend we have in Jesus. He is never amiss on anything. Let us not hesitate to reach out to Him for in Him we find a true friend who is ready to help us. If we come to Him at all times for guidance and direction, He will always be there to take our hand and lead us to the right path. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35
R: Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
12 Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes. (R) 16 In your statutes I will delight; I will not forget your words. (R) 18 Open my eyes, that I may consider the wonders of your law. (R) 27 Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. (R) 34 Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart. (R) 35 Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I delight.

God's laws and commands are always perfect. There is no doubt about it. We just have to follow what He tells us to do and we will see as we go about with our lives that there is no other way we would rather have it. There are times when we question and wanted to have things our way but there is no other way. We'll just have to trust God no matter how difficult things may seem to be for in the end we will see that only Jesus can make all things beautiful. We should trust not ourselves but rather trust Him for He is most able to do it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 10:1-12
...But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother [and be joined to his wife], 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

THE DIFFERENCE

Today's readings are a truckload of advice and information that we can all benefit from as Christians. God never falls short of reminding us and teaching us of the things we need to know and do. The truth is we can never say that God failed to do His part. His ways are all perfect, it is in our part that we have to work on and make perfect through His grace. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 5:1-8
1 Rely not on your wealth; say not: “I have the power.” 2 Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart. 3 Say not: “Who can prevail against me?” for the LORD will exact the punishment. 4 Say not: “I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?” for the LORD bides his time. 5 Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin. 6 Say not: “Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.” 7 For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath. 8 Delay not your conversion to the LORD, put it not off from day to day.

We should never lose hope nor fall into despair. Whenever we sin have, we must not just acknowledge it. The lesson we always have to remember is to have humility to approach Christ as we acknowledge our sins. This should remind us of Peter and Judas, they both sinned and acknowledged it. Peter wept bitterly after denying Jesus 3x while Judas threw away the silver coins that were paid to him. The difference lies in the fact that Peter as the scriptures say, when he wept, looked at Jesus with a heart, humble and contrite, which God would not despise and ran to Mary. While Judas, fell into despair and hanged himself. Thus we remember these things and always run to God with humility and also to Mary, the mother of Christ who will obtain for us true contrition. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
R: Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
1 Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, 2 but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night.

In today's gospel Jesus warns us of hell. Let us recall also that it is also written in the scriptures about the fig tree which bears no fruit and was thrown into fire to burn. We have to realize also that in every sin there is pride. Our sins can bring us to hell if left unrepented. We need to live in virtue and strive to bear fruit as a Christian. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 9:41-50

41 Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. 42 Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. [46] 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, 48 where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

WHO KNOWS BEST?

We should pursue God’s wisdom rather than this world’s. If we are not careful in making this choice then we would have to suffer the consequences of our actions. On the other hand we can be assured of the wonderful things in today’s 1st reading if we are to make the right choice. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 4:11-19
Wisdom breathes life into her children and admonishes those who seek her. 12 He who loves her loves life; those who seek her out win her favor. 13 He who holds her fast inherits glory; wherever he dwells, the LORD bestows blessings. 14 Those who serve her serve the Holy One; those who love her the LORD loves. 15 He who obeys her judges nations; he who hearkens to her dwells in her inmost chambers. 16 If one trusts her, he will possess her; his descendants too will inherit her. 17 She walks with him as a stranger, and at first she puts him to the test; fear and dread she brings upon him and tries him with her discipline; with her precepts she puts him to the proof, until his heart is fully with her. 18 Then she comes back to bring him happiness and reveal her secrets to him. 19 But if he fails her, she will abandon him and deliver him into the hands of despoilers.

Nothing can be more rewarding than having great peace in our lives. We can make this possible by adhering to God’s law and committing to following it in word and deed. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 119:165, 168, 171, 172, 174, 175
R: O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
...for them there is no stumbling block.

Jesus in today’s gospel tells His disciples not to prevent those who drive out demons in His name. Although they are not part of their group, they are not doing something against them. Sometimes we get offensive and instead of attracting people to the faith we tend to drive them away. We can not claim to know everything so it is better to just give people the benefit of the doubt or not judge them outright and just entrust them to Jesus who definitely knows best. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 9:38-40
38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” 39 Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us.”

THE CHAIR

Today we celebrate the "Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.” Since this is the case, we might as well think of what kind of chair we are sitting at. All of us have been given a certain post in life by the Lord. We can call it a mission or a purpose in life. We have to give it our best shot and be the person God has meant us to be as we aim to fulfill our God given destiny. Whatever that is to us, it should bring about what we should all look forward to receive on that final day when we bid goodbye to our present life here on earth, our reward in heaven and the unfading crown of glory. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Peter 5:1-4
...Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

When it comes to the people we love and care for, we are willing to give our all just to make them happy. There are times when our best still fall short and do not measure up. This is because we are not perfect and we can only do so much. This explains why no matter how many people love us and how much money or things we own nothing or no one can ever satisfy us to the full. We would always end up looking for something more unless we belong to the fold and under the care of the Good Shepherd. Amen. Hallelujah!



Psalms 23:1-3, 4, 5, 6
R: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; 3 he refreshes my soul. (R) 4 Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage. (R) 5 You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (R) 6 Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.

The “Feast of the Chair of St. Peter” refers to his office, the firm rock upon the Church is built. The papacy of St. Peter is the longest lasting institution in the world. No empire, kingship or government bureaucracy has lasted as long as the papacy yet. Up to this time, his office and the Catholic Church remain. Peter was given by Jesus a double kind of authority. We can see how almost the same words referring to the keys were spoken of in Isaiah 22:22-23, "I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family;" This was at the time when there was a change in prime minister in the kingdom of Judah. This is a good image of what St. Peter’s role is. He is not the king nor does he opens and shuts not the doors of St Peter's Basilica in Rome or the Vatican Office but the kingdom of heaven. He has been given the keys which is a tremendous authority. Not only that he has been given authority to bind and loose on earth as in heaven. This could be traced back to the rabbinic kind of authority. If there are people who could understand this authority better, then they are those who know the Jewish tradition. The rabbi sends apostles and gives them authority to represent them as the word itself means "to be sent." St. Peter is the first elected authority of Jesus here on earth. The succession of his chair is what the Church recognizes as the authority given by Jesus Himself to lead His followers. It is also a consolation that Jesus himself said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, the Church where we belong. Amen. Hallelujah!


Matthew 16:13-19
...And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

PRAY IT BACK TO HIM

Today we are beginning with the Book of Sirach and can expect to hear from it over the course of the next 2 weeks. We are blessed to have this book in the bible from which we can get advice and lessons about God, sincerity, modesty, choice of friends, use of wisdom, sins of flesh and about lies. It is also where we can find idiomatic expressions such as Virtue is its own reward and birds of the same feather flock together. God speaks and responds to our questions through the scriptures. We have to commit to reading it with awe and reverence to the Word of God. He does speak to us lovingly as God our Father. A lot of things in this world remain a mystery. No matter how hard we try to comprehend the things that are happening to us, especially those we can't make a good explanation in our minds, we always fall short of totally understanding it. We may not come to a point in this present life of ours when we can fully understand it since we are still bound to our earthly bodies. In the fullness of time God will make all things clear to us when our souls become illumined by the light of God. May we be ready for that appointed day when it comes. Amen. Hallelujah!


Sirach 1:1-10
1 All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever. 2 The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain, the days of eternity: Who can number these? 3 Heaven’s height, earth’s breadth, the depths of the abyss: Who can explore these? 4 Before all things else wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity. 5 To whom has wisdom’s root been revealed? Who knows her subtleties? 6 There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring, seated upon his throne: 7 It is the LORD; he created her, has seen her and taken note of her. 8 He has poured her forth upon all his works, upon every living thing according to his bounty; he has lavished her upon his friends. 9 Fear of the LORD is glory and splendor, gladness and a festive crown. 10 Fear of the LORD warms the heart, giving gladness and joy and length of days.

An example of a person who meditate the word of God is Mary. We can see that from the Annunciation to Pentecost that she is completely open to the word of God. When she said, “Let it be done to me” she showed to us how it is to be attuned to the word. She treasures everything especially in the event of her Son as she pieces them together as a mosaic gathered in her heart. Her Magnificat is made up of different Old Testament passages, coming from the canticle of Hannah. This is the portrait of her soul which are like threads drawn from the word of God. She speaks of things from the word of God and the word of God issues forth from her words. Her will is attuned totally and shaped by the word of God. We too are called to interiorly conceive and give birth to the word of God that what took place in Mary can daily take place in us. 

Death is not a respecter of age or health. A person could be young or old, healthy or sick and the worst part we can never tell when it's coming. Only God knows the length of our days and to Him alone do we entrust everything. God is powerful and we can surely be at peace with Him. We have confidence in a God who chose to step down from His throne and became a helpless baby for our sake.  Though, an infant He holds the world in the palm of His hands. He alone is King. We have an Infinite and Almighty God and no words are enough to describe Him. Thus we can only translate those that go beyond words into the spiritual. The spiritual is real although not material or physical. We have our free will which is immaterial and thus fall into the spiritual. It makes perfect sense that we unite our will to God. It may seem an impossibility to be holy and pure at all times. For man it is, but not for God. We can trust God to supply us with all that we need to do whatever it takes to be worthy of His kingdom. If we believe that God calls us then He can surely and absolutely equip us for the work and plan He has for us. The uniformity of the message in today's readings from the 1st, Psalm and gospel can not be denied. God constantly and persistently send us occasions and opportunities that will always remind and confront us of this great attributes of God which are all better than life itself. It is very important to call on God in prayer at all times. He is Christ the King. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 93:1, 1-2, 5
R: The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
1 The LORD is king, in splendor robed; robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. (R) And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. 2 Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O LORD. (R) 5 Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed, holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days.

Today’s gospel could be a picture of Jesus who reached a point of exasperation for His disciples who never seem to learn from His perfect example. We have already been given by Jesus by not just one but numerous no fail and sure ball examples and patterns of how to make it big in the Kingdom but we surely are slow learners at times. It is just sad that when it comes to the Kingdom of this world, often times we are very quick to follow and understand its way. We have to always hold on to the word of God and build faith in it.  Our prayers should consist of God’s word and pray it back to Him. We need to strengthen our faith through prayers of various forms for the enemy that we face everyday is also committed to winning its own battle. We can liken the gospel for today with our own parents when they try to instruct us and teach us when we were still young, though they are not perfect. They get so impatient with us at times and somehow Jesus felt that way, too. Definitely, Jesus has all the right in the world to feel that way because unlike our own parents He is the perfect teacher and we can learn from Him everything there is to know. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Mark 9:14-29

...I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?  How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

x

SUPERNATURAL

We are all called to a universal love. We should work for a heart that does not harbor ill feelings and dwells on retaliation and revenge. This is something we all struggle with because human nature wants to retaliate and revenge. It is not a Christian attitude that we want to get back at the person, talk about them and delight in their vices and misfortunes. Although talking about our heartaches can help us bear our burdens it should be with a view to get beyond it and not just sit on it nor cherish a grudge as to make much of it. When we nurse resentments and retell the story of what has been done to us we are just torturing ourselves. This is especially true when a certain person reminds us of a wound in the past then it becomes just like pouring salt in it. This aggravates the situation and makes us want to retaliate. When we do we make it as false idols because we disobey God’s law and give in to our feelings and emotions. As Christians we are called to let it go. God can liberate us from the bondage of evil and get beyond it by His grace. Amen. Hallelujah!


Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy. 17 “You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him. 18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”

The world’s point of view is very contradictory to the message that God wanted us to live by. We need to pray hard for the desire to always follow what is pleasing before the Lord and not forget that it is what really matters first and foremost. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
R: The Lord is kind and merciful.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

We are made to believe by the world in the survival of the fittest law that we tend to neglect what God calls us to do. We are not called to live by that law but know that what is truly strong and powerful to the world is foolishness to God. Let us not make any foolish exchanges and be won over by the false ideals of this world. The law is good but it is not good enough. We have to go beyond it. Let us choose to stick to the true wisdom coming from God. Amen. Hallelujah!

1Corinthians 3:16-23
16 Brothers and sisters: 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. 18 Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: “He catches the wise in their own ruses,” 20 and again: “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

All the readings for today are beautifully linked. It is about loving our fellowmen, enemies included and forgiving them. The idea of forgiveness does not tell us justify, overlook, excuse and not to hold a person accountable for any wrong doing. In fact, legitimate self defense is not considered bad. We have to love our enemy, our neighbor and everyone without exception. We have to rule over our feelings. We may not feel like doing good but we must not equate forgiveness with the feelings but with right thing to do. We must remember that God Himself as written in Romans 5:7-8, Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. We have to love and radiate this grace and forgiveness that we’ve been given. Even while we were enemies of God, He sent His son to offer us His forgiveness. We need to go the extra mile. We are called to action to love even the most unlovable. As the gospel tells us today, the sun rises on everyone and His love and mercy is for all. It is just natural that our love is proportional to what we get in return. But we are called to supernatural love through God’s grace. This is given to us in the sacraments during mass when Jesus offers Himself to us. We all have opportunities to live this great call of charity. In prayer we call upon that grace to love and see what it does. This is the perfection that the gospel calls us today. Amen. Hallelujah!


Matthew 5:38-48
38 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. 40 If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. 41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. 43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

PARTAKERS

Enoch is one of the few people who are spoken of in yesterday's gospel in Mark 9:1, He also said to them, "Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power." If we read on the gospel mentions Elijah who is also taken up to heaven as written in 2 Kings 2:11, As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. God rewards those who seek him and He rewards more than we could ever imagine for indeed no eye has seen nor ear has heard what God has ready for those who love Him. Amen. Hallelujah!


Hebrews 11:1-7
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and “he was found no more because God had taken him.” Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.


Great indeed is our God for it can not be denied from generation after generation. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 145:2-3, 4-5, 10-11
R: I will praise your name forever, Lord.
...Generation after generation praises your works and proclaims your might. 5 They speak of the splendour of your glorious majesty and tell of your wondrous works.

Today’s gospel speaks of the Transfiguration/Transformation. This corresponds to the 1st transformation in the womb of the Blessed Mother when the glory of God penetrated humanity. This transformation happened without any harm coming on Christ’s Divine nature. This communication of divinity is the immediate prelude of the resurrection. We long and have a deep desire to live and see at the very moment of our death this same glorious sight that the disciples saw although with holy fear and an awe of God that we want to live in perfect union with Him. We see God’s face that shines forth and with clothes dazzling white. We think of the very garments worn by Jesus made by Mary. We ask Mary to intercede for us and plead to her son that each of us will be transformed into the likeness of His son just as Jesus Himself was woven in the flesh of her own body. The transfiguration is true of us when we experience deification after the 2nd coming. Our features will not be distorted but glorified just as in the person of Jesus. He did not lose the substance of his flesh but showed forth an addition of brightness. Our bodies will be renewed in the way Jesus is. We will be brought to a state of perfection, surrounded by the glory of God not only at the level of our souls but also in the level of our bodies. Jesus is one Divine Person with 2 natures, the divine son who by merit of his Incarnation assumed our human nature. He exists united, with human and divine nature which is what we profess in the Apostle’s Creed every Sunday. He takes the aspect of suffering and humiliation when He underwent death in his human nature but in his divinity resurrected in glory for He is life Himself. His glory in transfiguration as a human person is not abolished or absorbed by His divinity nor did His humanity hide His Divinity. When Jesus became man He did not in any way lost any of His Divine nature. He is always complete, fully divine and fully human and always in full and total operation, both natures are together and miraculously joined in the person of Jesus Christ. His divinity is not evacuated but divinity communicated. He shares to us his divinity and makes us partakers as in Romans 8:16-17, The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 9:2-13
2 Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

BEYOND COMPARE

It is foolish for us to think that we can escape or get away with something without God noticing it. Today's 1st reading is a foolishness that we are all sometimes guilty of. We all make plans for ourselves but sometimes we do not take into consideration whether it is in accordance to God's will or not. We make all kinds of excuses and justifications for ourselves thinking that in the end we would all come out clean and justified. No matter what we do if we do not put God first then that plan would never prosper and even if it does it would only be to a certain extent that we would eventually find ourselves still unfulfilled and unsatisfied. Let us not be so naïve and really know who God is and what God is capable of doing in our lives. We can never stand against God nor can we do good to ourselves more than He can. It’s about time we learn this lesson from the tower of Babel before we get totally confused. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 11:1-9
...Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says.” 8 Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.

Let us truly be wise in the real sense of the word rather than of the world and not forfeit all our benefits from the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15
R: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
10 The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. 11 But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations.

Today’s gospel contains words that the world may consider rubbish but is in truth real treasure beyond compare. If we have truly lived by these principles and found the joy of abiding in it then we are truly blessed. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 8:34-9:1
34 Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. 36 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 37 What could one give in exchange for his life? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

"WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?"

No one I guess, in this whole wide world can look at a rainbow and not be amazed by the beauty it holds. We can all appreciate its colorful array and marvel how such an image can be painted in the sky. There is more to it than what we see. The most important and precious thing about a rainbow is revealed in today’s 1st reading. Nothing beats the beautiful, sweet and marvelous way of God in conveying to us His great pledge of love. Let us always be reminded of this covenant and never take its real meaning for granted. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 9:1-13
... “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: 13 I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
We should never ever doubt that God has His eyes always upon us. He is always looking out for our welfare. No matter how hard things may seem to be at present we can always count on the Lord who looks down on the earth from heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, 22-23
R: From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
...“The LORD looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, 20 [21] To hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die” (R) 28 [29] The children of your servants shall abide, and their posterity shall continue in your presence.

We want to do things the easy and the quick way and this is not very surprising at all. Even St. Peter himself did not want to hear about the passion and death of Christ in today's gospel. We might be tempted to think that Jesus is a sadist because He wants to go through all the pain and suffering that the cross entails rather than be spared from it when He can obviously will anything to happen because He is God. Jesus wanted to set a good example for us by being obedient to the will of God the Father. It is only by dying on the cross that the resurrection can have meaning. Jesus wanted to show us that we may not be able to eliminate the harsh realities in life but we can always hope for a deliverance and resurrection in Him. Sometimes in life it is by going through something even the very difficult experiences that we learn great lessons. It is a brutal teacher indeed but we gain knowledge from it. We can always look to something and be assured that God will not let us go through something without seeing us through it. We better hold on to God and never let go rather than be won over by the false propaganda of Satan and end up a loser. In today’s gospel we hear Jesus pose this question to His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” and in all places asked this in Caesarea Philippi. History tells us that this place is the center of paganism during that time. His disciples answered Him with a variety of things with regards to who He is. The true meaning of His kingship is revealed on the cross. There is a newness in it that He is a king who came not to be served but to serve. He speaks in riddles and parables but today’s gospel is the turning point as He speaks more openly and clearly although He still doesn’t want to tell anybody because they might misunderstand. He is trying to teach us that He’s the Savior and that God alone saves. He is the Messiah indeed through the Paschal mystery, suffering, death and resurrection. In this context we should learn to deny ourselves, take up our own crosses and follow Him. We must realize that no servant is greater than His master. If Jesus embraced His cross, so must we. We should not look at Jesus and see Him as someone who just taught us beautiful things as a teacher. We should go further and not allow Satanic temptation to pull us away from Jesus on the cross. It is the devil’s goal to pull us Christians away from the cross at all costs. Satan can easily lead us away from the cross because our human nature does not want to embrace the cross. It is just a natural reaction because we don’t want to suffer and lose our lives for this world. Jesus does not ask us but we’re invited to share in His Paschal Mystery and in His cross. The world oppresses us to deny the gospel because our ego dictates us to do it our way. We have to deny ourselves and let go of our ego. The world pushes us to live by our own rules. We need to relinquish ourselves and trust Him who is the Savior rather than trust ourselves with our own will. We are tempted by the world to go to a different direction which is not in alignment with the gospel and contrary to the spirit of the gospel. We must be aware of the struggles as spoken of in Daniel 7 where he speaks of end times, the struggle in this worldly kingdom and how God’s kingdom will triumph. We have to trust and believe in Him. Is it really in our gut that we are going to follow Jesus on the cross? The world is not taking us there rather it is the faith that we profess. He is the Savior. He saves us through the cross. Let us strive and choose to think the way God does and not as human beings do. Amen. Hallelujah!


Mark 8:27-33
27 Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

THE ARK

Today’s 1st reading tells us of the story of Noah and the Ark. In order for us to understand better this story from the Old Testament we need to see what the New Testament writers say about it as in Mt. 24: 37-39, For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man.
For those people at the time of Noah, it is unexpected but it was not for Noah. He was a man of faith and knew the Lord. It is the day that would come for all of us. It is best that we prepare for it so that when it comes we can face it without fear. We can draw inspiration from Hebrews 11 which is known as the great discourse on faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Noah’s ark is a symbol of the church, it is the ark of salvation. The church is made of wood just like what Noah’s ark was made of. We recall that the side of the ark was where creatures entered in order to be saved from the flood. We also remember that Christ’s side was pierced by a sword from which wells forth blood and water for the salvation of the world. The opened side of Christ could also be as the opened side of the Church where people enter through the sacraments. We can pass through and come unscathed. We can be like those creatures who were saved and come out uncorrupted by the world, shining with faith, hope and love. Amen. Hallelujah!



Gn 8:6-13, 20-22
...Noah built an altar to the LORD, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, he said to himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start; nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done. As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

We can be a people radiating with goodness that others can see the contrast. We can choose modesty, chastity and purity over the values that the world tries to influence us with. We should be able to know our definition of happiness and love and be the person God has made us to be before the world defines it for us. In doing so we can face God on that day with faith and enter the ark of salvation into His heavenly kingdom. Amen. Hallelujah!



Ps 116:12-13, 14-15, 18-19
R. (17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
...My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Today’s sharing in Sabbath by Fr. Bobby is very enlightening for us Christian believers that we just have to read this. Here it is, entitled:
A SECOND TIME, A SECOND TOUCH
As if the first was not enough, Jesus touched the blind man’s eyes a second time. The first time He touched the man’s eyes with His spittle, the man saw people looking like trees. The blind could already see but not clearly. Was there an energy shortage in Jesus’ reservoir of power?
No, there was no shortage in Jesus’ power to perform miracles. He is God; therefore, He was, is and will always be omnipotent. Were not the eyes of the blind man opened? They were. His sight was restored, but, at first, what poor sight he had! Was that really the quality of sight the blind man should have, considering his age? Possibly, but we can only guess. Or was he not yet ready to receive his full sight? Maybe, but we can only speculate. Or did the blind man, now with sight, doubt the power of Jesus’ healing hands the first time He touched him? Perhaps, but again, we can only guess.
Did Jesus really need to touch the blind man’s eyes a second time? What if Jesus did not touch him again? Would the blind man nonetheless regain his sight fully like a newborn? Was it necessary for Jesus to touch the blind man again or was it, like the first, a gratuitous act of grace for Jesus to touch him twice?
Whatever the answers to these questions, one thing is certain: Jesus moves freely. Jesus not only heals for free; He freely heals, too. Jesus achieves His purpose in the way He wants. He can never be coerced.
When we ask Jesus to grant us our prayers, we should be ready to accept the manner by which He grants them, at the time and place He chooses. We do not demand from Him; we pray to Him. Lest we forget, He is the Lord and we are His servants.
If you were the blind man and Jesus did not touch you a second time, what would you do, say and feel? If you were Mark the evangelist, how would you write this episode? Would you write about it at all? Would it still be Good News to you?
Why? Why not?Fr. Bobby Titco

Reflection Question:
How does Jesus touch my life?

Touch me, O Jesus, as many times as I breathe each day. For without Your touch, nothing will have meaning in my life and I will die. Touched by You, transform me to be Your loving touch on others. Amen.

Mk 8:22-26Gospel
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?” Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

THE YEAST

The Lord relented in wiping out all of creation because Noah found favor with the Lord. He always gives us all the chances we could possibly get. Just like in the case of Noah during his time, it is always man who does not respond to God's mercy and grace. It is about time that we act on this truth and not let it just pass us by and find ourselves drowning and lost as in those people who did not follow Noah's example. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10
So the LORD said: “I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created, and not only the men, but also the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the LORD.

No matter how hard we strive to do things right we always sometimes end up failing in one thing or unable to carry out what we intended to do. We always mess things up no matter how efficient and effective we think we may be. Whenever we think that we've got everything under control, something comes up which tells us that the situation is not so. Things do not always happen as perfectly as we wanted it to be. Whenever we are on edge and have to do one thing after another or even have to do several things at a time we sometimes reach a point when we can't take anymore. This is because we are so limited in our capacities and capabilities. In times like these we tend to feel so depressed and exhausted that after so much effort nothing seems to be enough. It is when we should realize that through our imperfections and failings that we come into terms of the truth that we need God. We should find consolation in knowing that God does not have any shortcomings and failures and can always bring about perfectly in His time everything He intended to do. Amen. Hallelujah!



Psalms 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
R: The Lord will bless his people with peace.
1 Give to the LORD, you sons of God, give to the LORD glory and praise, 2 give to the LORD the glory due his name; adore the LORD in holy attire.

The baker breaks up a solid block of yeast and spreads it over the dough, and just a small crumb of yeast causes the bread to rise. Today's gospel speaks of the yeast. It is written, "Be on your guard for the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod." Also in Gal 5:8-10 it is said, "That enticement does not come from the one who called you. A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough. I am confident of you in the Lord that you will not take a different view, and that the one who is troubling you will bear the condemnation, whoever he may be." The secular culture constantly sprinkles its yeast into our lives. It is very sad and frightening but it has taken on a very consistent pattern in the lives of men and women of this world. At first, the reaction is initial shock but later on move to neutrality then to a life of sin. We have seen so many devout Catholics who started out good but then eventually stopped going to mass for fear of being judged as a Christian prude. We all know where these things are headed and sadly enough this leads to a lack of faith. One small thing leads to another until we come to a point where we start living a life of unfaithfulness to the commands of God. As it is written in 1 Cor 5 6-8 Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Let the unleavened bread of the Eucharist be our bread, where our Lord truly present. If life permits it, we should daily go to Holy Communion. We have to toss out the yeast of the world and culture. Although we want to transform the world we still have to be cautious be on guard. We have to let the Eucharist raise us up and lead us to our vocation of holiness. The world tries to lead us away from God. We are all disciples of Christ. Every disciple is responsible in his or her own measure, for the spread of the faith. We’ve all been given a sphere of influence and upon all Christians rest the noble obligation of working to bring all peoples throughout the world to hear and accept the message of Jesus. The Church is founded to enable people to share in this vocation and enter into relationship with Christ. The Apostolate from the word mission means one who is sent, a missionary and this is a call to and for all. We have to do our part by taking part in the Apostolate as dictated by our vocation, state of life, employment and health. We have to live our Catholicism and strengthen it. Amen. Hallelujah!


Mark 8:14-21
...Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. 17 When he became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?

THE SIGN

We can not run away from the consequences of our wrongdoings. It will always haunt us unless we truly be sorry for it and repair what we have done. It is always for our own good that we avoid sin and do good for goodness and mercy to follow us all the days of our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 4:1-15, 25
...If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.”


We can never fool God. Let us not be ignorant anymore by knowing and choosing to do the right things always.

Psalms 50:1, 8, 16-17, 20-21
R: Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
...“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, 17 though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?”...I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.”


In today's gospel the Pharisees ask for a sign. We are sometimes guilty of this because this is something that we also do when we pray. We may not realize it yet but asking for a sign is an affirmation that our wills be done for us not God’s will. Although there is nothing intrinsically evil about it, we have to be clear that seeking for a sign should not be the motive of prayer. Do we not often times do this when we pray, ask for a sign. The Pharisees look for a sign when they pray because it would give them happiness if God has given a sign. We may then ask ourselves, if God is God then why ask for a sign. He knows all things even before we pray for something because He already knows what we want. God wants us to exercise our desires for it through prayers so that we can be properly disposed in receiving the answers to our prayers. According to St. Augustine, God is preparing us for the gifts that He extends to us that all lead to happiness because our capacity to receive it, is too small. The desire for God is a desire for happiness. The desire for happiness even in secular things is a desire for God ultimately. The desire for God is written in the human heart only in God can we find the truth and happiness that we all desire for. God never ceases to draw man to Himself even in sin. He always gives us an actual grace and never ceases to call man to Himself. Man is called to communion with God as soon as he comes into being as it is written, from the womb I knew you. God has created man in love and through love and holds him into existence in love. We should entrust ourselves to God our Creator because we are called to intimacy with God. The secret of happiness is to spend moment by moment in the knowledge of this love that God has for us. The care and happiness of human life and not their destruction is the 1st and only object of good government according to a saint. The beatitudes should be our response to this natural desire for happiness. This is natural in origin because God Himself placed it in man’s heart that we seek for happiness. God desires greater things for man. St Augustine said that we all seek to live happily and there is no one who does not ascent to this proposition to look for happiness. What we have to realize is that only God can fulfill it. This is ultimately fulfilled as we finally enter heaven and hold forever the beatific vision of God. The foretaste while on earth and still living is possible in this life through the worthy reception of Holy Communion which is the source and summit of the entire Christian life. We should seek God if we seek a happy life. For our bodies and souls draw life from God. God alone satisfies, St. Thomas said. The beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. They are the handmaids of the 10 commandments and the spirit of the law. As we look to Abraham and God's promise, we see the fulfillment of the promises by the recipient of earthly territory. It is no longer and merely earthly as promised to Abraham but ultimately heaven. The beatitudes depict the countenance of our God. The paradoxical promises that proclaim the human hope are evident in the lives Mary and saints who are witnesses of the reward that the beatitudes contain. We can see in them the great rewards of the beatitudes lived and is extended to our family members. The beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence. The ultimate end of the human act which is addressed to the entire humanity. What a gift we have in the beatitudes and the sermon on the mount. St John Vianney said that the glorious duty of man to pray and to love is where a man’s happiness lie as we contemplate on the beatitudes that help us to pray and love both God and man. Amen. Hallelujah!


Mark 8:11-13
11 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

NOTHING COMPARES

We all have the capacity to know what is right and wrong so it is up to us to take our pick. God never imposes for He is a Perfect Gentleman. He allows us to decide for ourselves despite the heartache it causes Him to see us not choose life over death. It is God's greatest desire to see us all live and be saved but as today's 1st reading tells us whichever we choose shall be given to us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 15:15-20
15 If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; 16 he has set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. 17 Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him.

Let us always choose wisely by always following the law of the Lord first and foremost and everything else will follow. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
R: Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
...Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them. 34 Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.

Nothing compares to what God has ready to those who love and serve Him faithfully. Amen. Hallelujah!


1Corinthians 2:6-10
...But as it is written: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” 10 this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.

Let us not have second thoughts or falter when it comes to deciding for the Lord. Whatever it is we decide to do, let us make sure that God is always our main reason. In doing so, we can be sure that we are not taking the wrong side and are clearly not supporting the cause of the evil one. Amen. Hallelujah!


Matthew 5:17-37
...Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”

THE SUM AND SUMMIT

From the very beginning it was not God's intention for man to know what is good and bad but we have our free will so when man was tempted by the serpent and gave in to it man lost his innocence. From that time on we were banned from heaven and not allowed to eat of the tree of life and live forever. As we can see the condition of the world today, these are all products of our 1st parents' disobedience. God is good, despite that big mess we got into, we are still given another shot or chance in heaven. The gates of heaven were opened when Jesus died on the cross and redeemed us from all our sins. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 3:9-24
...Then the LORD God said: “See! The man has become like one of us, knowing what is good and what is bad! Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life also, and thus eat of it and live forever.” 23 The LORD God therefore banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he had been taken. 24 When he expelled the man, he settled him east of the garden of Eden; and he stationed the cherubim and the fiery revolving sword, to guard the way to the tree of life

Our first parents were the original sinners and we are just the copy cats. In a way we are better off than Adam & Eve in the sense that we have their example of disobedience set before us. We can choose to follow their lead or footsteps by giving in to deception which we know is a bad idea or we can learn the moral lesson of this story and gain wisdom of heart. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 90:2, 3-4, 5-6, 12-13
R: In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
...Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.

The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle that can be found in all 4 gospels. It is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist and emphasizes the importance of this sacrament of the breaking of the bread and wine. Its counterpart in the Old Testament is the falling down of manna in the dessert. There are some important points to ponder about this miracle in relation to the Eucharist. When Jesus fed the multitude there is always some left over. The tabernacle in the Church where the Sacred Host is kept is reserved for the sick, homebound and dying and is also for private devotion for adoration. We should keep in mind the beautiful effects of the Eucharist. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the effects of the Eucharist, cleanses and separates us from venial sins and commits us to solidarity with the poor. In the miracle it is said that they had nothing to eat which is symbolic with the poor. It communicates to us, through worthy reception, the mystery of the communion with the Trinity. It also establishes the community of believers and a foretaste of the future life in heaven. It is a way of advancing in virtue and helps transform the person through Christ, by shunning and rooting out vices. It provides increase of grace received in baptism which is a source of penance. The effects to the human heart is immeasurable because it is true spiritual food as we receive the body and blood of Jesus, the very author of grace Himself. It unites one into belief with Christ. Through the Eucharist, we assimilate the life of Christ and unites Christians. It unites us with the heavenly liturgy to be realized fully at the end of time for those who are saved. We participate in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross because mass represents that one sacrifice on Calvary. Take note of the word represent which our protestant brothers and sister mistakenly take as repetition of the sacrifice. St. Ignatius of Antioch said that the Eucharist is the medicine of immortality without which we have no life. This is what he said as he was on his way to his death sentence to be fed to the lions. He assimilated himself with Christ and considered himself like the crushed wheat in the mouth of the lion or that of the crushed grapes in the wine press. As we eat the Bread of Life we are gathered into Christ's body and made members so that we may receive the power belonging to this divine food. We assimilate the suffering of Christ to allow one’s self to be crushed in our own suffering. It could be any difficulty that we want to assimilate to the life of Christ. St. Peter Chrisologus said that we should ask for our daily bread as in Our Father prayer, as the bread of heaven, baked in the tomb of heaven, sown in the virgin and brought to the altars to furnish the faithful with food in heaven. The sum and summary of our faith and our way of thinking should be attuned to the Eucharist and vice versa the Eucharist should be attuned to our own thinking as stated by St. Ireneus. These are only a few of the quotes from the Church doctors who tells about the beauty of the Most Holy Eucharist. The source and summit of the Christian life, the Most Blessed Sacrament exalted above all the other 6 sacraments. Baptism the gateway sacrament is received before any other sacrament, penance wipes away sin and each of the other sacraments has its own private place and effect the place it signifies. All of these sacraments are bound up in the Eucharist which is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of the communion of the divine life. The culmination of christ’s action of sanctifying the world. We must conform our life to the Eucharist and must realize the great gift we have in this sacrament. Amen. Hallelujah!


Mark 8:1-10
1 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied. 6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over — seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

BIG MESS

We think that today's 1st reading is the story of Adam and Eve alone but we are wrong. It is our story. Every day we are confronted with the same kind of scenario in our lives when the serpent would be as cunning as ever in luring us to disobeying and defying God's commands. Let us not be duped once more. If Adam & Eve were fooled once then we should know better. Let us always be reminded of this deception that got our first parents into a big mess and resolve not to do it again. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 3:1-8
1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, “ ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! 5 No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.


No matter how big a mess our first parents got into, no sin is bigger than God's mercy. Let us just do as the psalm tells us today. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7
R: Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.
... Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. (R) 6 For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him.

Is there anything more in our lives that we can't give to God in prayer without trusting and believing that He will do what is best for us? No impediment is big enough for God. He is able to carry us through anything. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 7:31-37
...He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 34 then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) 35 And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

FAITH, HUMILITY & LOVE

In today's 1st reading it is written that they are naked and not ashamed. Our sexuality is much more than just our bodies. It was after sin when they felt ashamed that they were naked. Sexuality is good. We cover our bodies not because our bodies are bad but what’s changed is our attitude. The original meaning of sexuality was restored when Jesus came to earth and delivered us from our sins. Being free of sin renders us with no egotism, no possessiveness, no desire to dominate and without any fear and shame. Let us pray that our egotism be healed and respond to God with faith, humility and love. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 2:18-25
...The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

There may be a lot of things not very clear to us but what really matters most is that we maintain a holy fear in the Lord. Let us not lose this sacred and precious gift of God to us. It is in this gift that we become truly blessed. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R: Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
...who walk in his ways! 2 For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored...

This woman in today's gospel is pagan. Jesus didn’t want to preach in Tyre and didn't want anybody to know He was there. Jesus seems not inclined to grant the woman’s request. He says, “The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Instead of leave, she agreed to what He said and remarked herself, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” She was full of faith, humility and love in her heart that Jesus said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Jesus already healed many and He did so by personally and actually touching them or allowing them to touch Him. This time, Jesus performed a “remote healing.” for this woman's daughter. There is definitely and absolutely no barrier too strong, big and remote for the healing of Jesus to flow. Amen. Hallelujah!



Mark 7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. 25 Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 28 She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

Man has a spirit and a body that are equally important. But having a spirit sets man apart from all other creation. Everything else has a body, but Adam received an infused knowledge of God and self consciousness that can make us distinguish one thing from the other and transforms it to experience. God created the garden with the tree of good and evil. Man is a person and is subject to God but we are invited to experience a relationship with God unlike any other beings. Man has the glory of being on top of creation. We are called to respond to this privilege in order to participate with God and enjoy being good, submissive, obedient, humble and all other virtues. It is just sad that this is something that sometimes we all don’t do. We still suffer from the weakness of original sin. As in Romans 7:19, For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. We have been given the tree to make a choice to do right or wrong. That is theoretical and practical as we experience this personal awareness of this tree. This establishes what man should be but what we experience in life now is not characterized with a life of good. We have the freedom of choice from within through our self consciousness and self determination that has a will through intelligence. This allow us to demonstrate that man alone being on top among all other creation possess these qualities in the entire world to dominate others and makes us able to be in relationship with God. In sin we lose grace and break this relationship which is manifested as earth resists our possessive domination when we try to use and abuse creation in contrary to the Creator’s will. This we have seen in various natural calamities. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts where our will is formed in grace with loving obedience to God and form actions that show integrity. Although this should be the case we sometimes do not reflect it but act in rebellion and contrary to how God created the universe. In order for us to realize what we’re created to be we have been permitted by God to form our knowledge and experiences to manipulate our feelings. Let us fervently hope and pray that what comes out of us is His word, His love and not our own so as to be rather than just to seem to be, a friend of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17
...The LORD God gave man this order: “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden 17 except the tree of knowledge of good and bad. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.”


Nothing or no one else can make or break us, only God gives and takes, this is something we have to realize, first and foremost. Everything is by the grace of God. Thus we should always give thanks and praise to God as we say the psalm today. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 104:1-2, 27-28, 29-30
R: O bless the Lord, my soul!
...All creatures look to you to give them food in due time. 28 When you give it to them, they gather it; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. (R) 29 If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

We ought to be very careful in the conduct of our affairs. We may think that we are good enough Christians and not missing on the obligations we are all expected to fulfill. Today's gospel gives us a specific account of the things we must avoid doing. These are things that stain our soul. If we are don't watch it we may be going through life without realizing what we've made of our souls. We may be looking all good on the outside but full of filth in the inside. When we leave earth we don't bring our bodies with us. We leave them behind what we bring with us is our soul. Let us make sure we render it clean all the time so that when the time comes we can finally inherit the gift of eternal life. As in Rev. 7:14, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Amen. Hallelujah!



Mark 7:14-23
14 Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 15 Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” ...“But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. 21 From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. 23 All these evils come from within and they defile.”

OVER & ABOVE

I have shared several times already about the frightening experience I had during one of our prayer meetings at the DOST Chapel Philippines when I was almost bitten by a cat who just gave birth to her kittens. I was not aware they were lying down in a chair situated near the switch of the lights so when I came near it to turn on the lights the cat growled at me fiercely as if it can swallow me in one piece and tear me apart, whew! I got so scared and was startled, I forgot where I was and screamed. Sis Au who was there started to walk near the cat where the light switch was. I warned her not to come near it but instead of backing off she continued to come close to it while saying these words, as if the cat could understand her, "Hey you cat, you are under my power and I am above and over you because that was what God said when He created everything in this world including you and me!" I can never forget how the cat looked like since it was suddenly subdued and did not even growl at her. Wow, I was so impressed and have always made use of what I've learned from that experience whenever I am confronted with such situations especially animals including cats and dog which are sometimes not friendly and cuddly. I am just so grateful that I am reminded once again of that experience since we can find in today's 1st reading the exact bible verse that tells us that we are over and above them all. Amen. Hallelujah!


Genesis 1:20-2:4
...Then God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”


My family was very over protective of us since we were orphaned when my father died when we were just very young, my grandparents and single aunt were the ones who helped my mother take good care of us. We were sheltered and protected in the most delicate way maybe because they felt sorry for us since we have to grow up without a father. All I know and remember is that I am scared of a lot of things that even the most simple thing like turning on the stove, plugging an electrical cord, seeing a frog, lizard and all those creepy little animals that seem to be very harmless make me nervous. I don't know if my being the only girl in our family of three contributed to this. But those days are gone, I know who I am now and what God made me to be, on top of all His creation. I am free of all my fears. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R: O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
...You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 [7] You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet.

The Pharisees and the scribes in today’s gospel who are so obsessed about the tradition but have missed the most important point. Jesus does not tell us that tradition is bad but if it goes to the point of disregarding the spirit of the law which is love then it is just for nothing because it does not please God at all. In everything we do we have to be clear with our motivations and agenda that we don’t tip the scale and do one thing for the extreme reasons and neglect a whole lot of things. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 7:1-13
...So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 6 He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 7 In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’ 8 You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

TOUCH HIM II

God created the world through His words. There is power in words. We ought to realize this and take advantage of this by using words for creating something good and beautiful. Let us not fall trap to the wrong use or choice of words and take for granted what it can do and not do to us. We also sometimes say things that do not build and create goodness but rather destroy and cause trouble. If we can't say anything nice at all we better not say anything at all. Therefore, we have to use words wisely and only when necessary. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 1:1-19
...Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

May we all have a grasp of this great and wonderful relationship that exists between God and the world or His creation. Jesus is intimately present in Creation as the wind and air like a force of love. All that is good is a reflection of divine love. It is infinite and eternal that generates from nothing and from the beginning of time and creation does not merely occur and end there but an eternal support of the Holy Trinity present in all creation. Especially in us, present in a special way since we have a soul and spirit. The Holy Spirit is the moving force when God speaks with His word. This is something we lost in original sin but was restored through the action of the word made flesh in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35
R: May the Lord be glad in his works.
...How manifold are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all — the earth is full of your creatures. 35 Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia


More than 2000 years ago, Jesus in His earthly ministry was perceived by the crowd as Healer. They believed that even the tassel of His clothes can bring about healing. Jesus may not be present to us anymore walking in physical form of flesh and blood like He did before but we must realize that He makes Himself available to us to be touched through the sacraments. In the pouring of the water and oil those things themselves, heal not because of the properties it has but because of Christ. He instituted these things as an extension of His flesh. He took flesh in the womb of Mary in order that we may be recreated through the experience of His flesh. It is nice to think about the connection of the pen and the hand to write a book. The ability to write in connection to the soul acts through the hand with a tool such as the pen. Today's gospel illustrates us these wonderful connections that we can benefit from as believers of Jesus. The tassel connected to the human body of Jesus has the ability to heal. In the same way that the 7 sacraments is God and the presence of Jesus’ flesh that heals. We must thank God for the sacraments that we can each receive to fulfill what creation was meant for from the beginning. The 7 days of creation and the 7th day the Sabbath. We must not neglect this truth and through grace we must prepare ourselves for this. We thank God that we can touch His cloak in the sacraments. As we pray, send forth your spirit & they shall be created and they shall renew the face of the earth. Amen. Hallelujah!



Mark 6:53-56
...Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

SALT & LIGHT

Nothing that we do for our brothers and sisters especially for the least of them would go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father. He knows and sees all. Thus it is always for the best that we strive to be good not only to ourselves but to others as well. We can never out give God. He is generous beyond our comprehension, as in Luke 6:36-38, Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful. "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 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." Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 58:7-10
7 Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. 8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; 10 if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.


Have you ever been in darkness that you can't see even the tiniest thread of light? I have been to such and know exactly how it feels to be trapped in darkness. We were in a cave and it was pure black. It felt good when a torch was lighted and shone through the darkness. We all depended on that light to take us where we were going. The same is true with our own lives when we stumble and fall and feel as if we are left all alone in the dark. We must not forget that there is a light that shines within us. God dwells in each one of us. If we conduct our affairs justly and does not choose to do wrong then no darkness can terrify us. The light that is within us will surely break through the darkness. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R: The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
4 Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just. 5 Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice. (R) 6 He shall never be moved; the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance. 7 An evil report he shall not fear; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. (R) 8 His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear. 9 Lavishly he gives to the poor; his justice shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory. (R)


Sometimes we have this tendency to think that there is nothing more to this life than we see and hold right now. We have been bound by the physical aspect of life we forget that there is more to it. We ought to make this truth ever prevailing in us so that we do not fall for the trap of this world. The world has the advantage of making its values inculcated in us deeply if we just rely on human wisdom. Let us not be duped by this and rely not on anything less than the power of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

1Corinthians 2:1-5
...I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, 4 and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive [words of] wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

The priest said that even without us doing anything we are already salt of the earth and light of the world. He didn't say we are salt of the earth if we serve others and light of the world if we do good. The problem lies in the fact that when we sin we lose our taste and obscure our light. Let us not allow any of the things that rob the taste of our being salt and hide the light that is within us dominate who we really are. Let us hold on to this identity God has given us and not allow it to be trampled underfoot. All we have to do is just live up to who God has meant us to be, salt of the earth and light of the world. Amen. Hallelujah!


Matthew 5:13-16
13 Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. 16 Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”