FULL BLOOM

If we will honestly dig deep into our hearts we will find that true love, happiness and satisfaction lie deep within us. All we have to do is search deep into it by removing all blocks, obstacles and hindrances that prevent us from exposing to the surface what God has planted. If it remains hidden then we tend to be led astray. We forget and neglect what we are truly called for to do and fail to be the person God has meant us to be. Let us try to remove all obstacles in our path. This reminds me of Sister Loreta's garden in her house at Walnut. I was so impressed at how it looks like. Despite the scorching heat of the sun this summer her garden remains beautiful. It is not dried up because I found out from her that whenever the gardener comes to mow her lawn she will immediately water it while the roots are exposed. Just like in our life we really have to cut off or remove excess baggage or useless garbage in us that prevents us from making the garden of our life emerge in full bloom. Amen. Hallelujah!

Book of Numbers 20:1-13.
"Listen to me, you rebels! Are we to bring water for you out of this rock?"
Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, and water gushed out in abundance for the community and their livestock to drink.

When someone speaks to us we sometimes ignore, refuse to listen, simply pretend that we haven't heard anything or misunderstood what we heard because we are too distracted or busy to give time to listen well. Let us always open our hearts and mind so that we become sensitive to the voice of God talking to us. No one can ever love and care for us more than God. Today’s psalm reading contains very nice and reassuring words. We are a well-tended flock in other words (in Tagalog), alagang alaga tayo ni God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 95:1-2. 6-7. 7-9 (8)
R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
...Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides...

Funny, how we sometimes find ourselves saying one thing this minute and then another thing the next. Just like Peter in today's gospel, we witnessed the sudden shift when in the first part of the gospel, Jesus was commending him for having professed a truth that can not be revealed through flesh and blood but through our Heavenly Father. But in the latter part, Jesus rebuked him for behaving otherwise. This tells us that no matter how totally unreliable we are, at times. God does not give up on us. He continues to shower us with grace and mercy and it is all up to us if we will respond with faith and humility the way Peter did who persevered despite of all the struggles until the last hour. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 16:13-23
...He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 18 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.” 20 Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. 21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” 23 He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”