BLESSING ACCOUNT

Sometimes we come to a point where we are confronted with difficult situations. We find it hard to handle it well in order to arrive at sound decisions. This could be due to the fact that it can impact the lives of other people especially those who have become close to us. But in whatever decisions we make it will surely help if we will always be reminded of what the 1st reading today is telling us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Leviticus 25:1. 8-17
...Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the LORD, am your God.”


This sharing by Bro. Bo Sanchez in Didache really touched me and I'm sure it will touch you, too.
BLESSING ACCOUNT

Imagine if one day I ask for your bank account number and tell you, “I’ve deposited one million dollars in your bank account.” Naturally, you’d laugh and say, “Sure, Bo. Thanks. That’s a good one.” Of course, you don’t believe I can give you a million bucks.
But let’s just say I really did put a million dollars in your account. Would you benefit from it?
No, you wouldn’t. Unless you believe that I really gave you a million dollars and withdrew it.
I believe God has deposited zillions of heaven’s resources to your Blessing Account. You’ve got all the love, joy, peace, wisdom, holiness and, yes — finances — that you need in this world to serve Him and live a happy life.
But much of these zillions of blessings are unclaimed because you say to yourself, “There are no blessings. God won’t bless me.”
Believe that your Blessing Account is full and withdraw from your account.
God created the entire universe for you — a universe of blessings that are only waiting to be claimed. Bo Sanchez
REFLECTION:
Have you claimed from your Blessing Account?

Today, I claim from my Blessing Account all that I need. In Jesus’ name!


P S A L M

Psalm 67:2-3. 5. 7-8
R: O God, let all the nations praise you!
...The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us.


The gospel reading for today is about the beheading of St. John the Baptist by King Herod. Based on the gospel his motivations were fear of the people and not of God and his reputation as king. These are both self centered and ungodly in nature. We sometimes end up just like King Herod who fail to act in accordance to what is pleasing to God. We may not have beheaded and killed a person physically but could be in other aspects whenever we succumb to selfish and worldly desires. This happens when we are being motivated to do something based on the standards of men instead of God. In our fight to stand up for what is right we encounter a lot of difficulties and go through really rough times. Sometimes we have to cut off ourselves from seemingly legitimate pleasures in life. It is not easy to uphold the truth but we should not compromise this for anything in this world. Let us always remain focused on Jesus and the truth. We just don’t rely on hearsays and hand me downs info, do we? Today’s gospel clearly shows how totally misled Herod was in believing such a thing about Jesus. We are no different from Herod if we are not clear about the things of our faith. We must not confuse vital truths in our faith which we sometimes do when we do not take the initiative of learning, knowing and growing more in our knowledge of the word of God. As St. Jerome says, "Ignorance of the word of God is ignorance of Jesus." There are different and several layers that we have to unearth before we can understand our Lord Jesus Christ. The things we have to look at are not just the exterior but we have to look into the interior. We receive grace and enlightenment as we strive to know more about Jesus. As we discover each day amazing truths about our faith the more we are in touch who Jesus is. Amen. Hallelujah!



Matthew 14:1-12
Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him." Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison.