GOD’S TEMPLE

If we stay connected to God then there is really nothing we should worry about. Today's 1st reading describes fruit trees of every kind growing with their leaves never fading nor their fruit ever failed. God provides for all our needs and this is a reality that most of us sometimes fail to realize. Whenever things do not turn out the way we expected it to happen we end up searching for other sources or worst decide to do things our way instead of staying within the sanctuary of God. We should not stray from the right path for God will not just provide for our needs but make us a source of blessing for others, too. I remember the time when it was orange and lemon season when we used to harvest bags of these fruits from the backyard of Mr. and Mrs. Lowry. They are so generous to the point of telling us to just get as much as we like. They have very productive fruit bearing trees and it seemed like it never ran out of fruits to harvest. We would fill up big garbage bags and harvest as much as 3-4 bags. Just imagine how many fruits their tress bear. It is so amazing that even after we've harvest too much for us to carry, the tree would still look like it didn't give out any. In fact the topmost portion of the tree where the ladder could not reach looked like the fruits would just wait until it rot and fall off. The fruits were too many and heavy that the branches started to bend low and almost reached the ground. It is definitely something and it was like nothing we've ever seen before or something that we often normally see. It resembles what today's 1st reading is telling us since we have become so amazed and blessed of these fruit trees but it still is nothing compared to what the Lord has prepared for us in that heavenly place where we all long to be someday. Amen. Hallelujah!

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

What an awesome God we have , he always declare His great love for us in psalms and songs. The joy that comes from God is like a well that never runs dry, it will neither be affected by dry season nor drought. We can compare it to the trials/problems that come our way and we will not be moved for the joy of the Lord is our strength. We can only imagine but we can never see the real picture of how it is to be in the holy dwelling of the Most High. It is always nice to have something to look forward to most especially because as Christians we believe that we are just passing by and everything around us will all be gone. When this happens we know that we are headed to an eternal place prepared for us by God. Isn’t it wonderful that at this present time we can go on living every day of our life to the full and still be assured that the best is yet to come. It is important for us to stay within the boundaries of the so called city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. There is no doubt that God is our refuge, strength and help at all times but we need to cultivate in ourselves a holy place for God where He can always dwell within us and not drive Him away from us. Amen. Hallelujah!

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

Let us always be reminded of the truth that we are holy. I've always liked this bible passage which says that God dwells in us, it makes us conscious of ourselves and really work hard to reflect it in our lives. We all hope to be with God in that special place we call heaven someday when our time comes. This journey to heaven starts right now with our very selves. It is so much like what the song says, "Heaven is in my heart." and as the scripture says, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." We ought to live a holy life in the sight of God and man for we are the temple of God. Whatsoever we do to our bodies we do unto God. It is best that we always maintain a healthy outlook in life whether in terms of physical, spiritual, mental or emotional aspect. We do not own our bodies and it is right and fitting that we become good stewards of this body that God has entrusted to us. Amen. Hallelujah!

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

If indeed we are God's temple in other words the house of God, then we have to refer to ourselves as a holy dwelling of God. Let us say we start examining ourselves and find out whether God would be pleased to reside in us or would He be angered at what He would see in us. This is the critical question we all have to answer honestly. Have we turned ourselves into a marketplace like that of the one being spoken of in today's gospel. Have we become so materialistic and commercial that all we ever hold on to and treasure in this life are the things like wealth, power and fame. These are 3 dangerous things that can make a person bad if not handled properly. It's important we put our moral values in check. Let us be aware of the fact that God will not hesitate to drive out all these ungodly residents in His temple. What kind of God's temple are we? We ought to realize that He is God, Most Holy. Just like what we repeatedly say in our Divine Mercy prayer, Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, this is who He is and could not be anything more other than that. If there's anything in us that goes against this holy attributes of God then it's time to do as Jesus did in today's gospel. It's time to clean up though it is not an easy thing to do but we've got to do what we have to do. We've got to make this very clear if we truly want to be with and for God rather than against God. Jesus' disciples have witnessed all His wondrous deeds. Just like them, let's try to look at the things God has blessed us with and we'll find ourselves believing without a single doubt. There is nothing impossible with God. We have a lot of sayings about time like, time heals all wounds, only time can tell, and can it stand the test of time. In the same way that we really need to subject ourselves to these wise and tested recommendations regarding time. Today's gospel illustrated to us how the apostles of Jesus at a certain period of time were unable to understand fully some of the things that Jesus is telling them. This reminds about the secret of the gospel of Mark which is found several times in his book. It is written, "Don't go tell anyone." Why in the world will Jesus stop them from telling others about the miracles that he had done like healing the leper and restoring the sight of the blind. The explanation given is found in today's gospel because the apostles had to witness the entire thing, the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus before they were able to fully understand its full meaning and implication. The same way in our own very lives, we need to go through a certain process or experience within a period of time before we can gain a clear picture of what our life is all about. So if at the present moment we encounter some things in our life that we don't understand very well why it happened or is happening all we have to do is completely trust that God is able to clear things up and make it beautiful in His perfect time. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 2:13-22
13 Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. 15 He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, 16 and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” 17 His disciples recalled the words of scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.