BENEFITS

Trust, perseverance, doubt, frustration and anxiety are all part of one big mix of experiences that we need to go through. Just like a big cookie dough with all the bits and pieces of nuts, chocolate and all the other things that add up to its flavor and taste. We encounter these things so God can provide opportunities for us to advance in our faith and discover His perfect will in our lives. Sometimes we encounter people who belong to a different religion or same religion but different organization or prayer group. Whether you're Christian, Buddhist, Muslim or Catholic what matters most is that you respect each other's beliefs and know in your heart that each person is a child of God. Trusting God in His magnificent ways that He will reveal Himself in whatever way He deemed fit for each one of us. Sometimes our convictions and beliefs can place us in a difficult situation when we would have to be tested to the point of being forced to retract and abandon what we are standing up for. Especially when it comes to a matter of life and death, this would definitely make us think hard before we can ever decide if we are really willing to go through that kind of suffering and hardship. Reflecting on the life of Jesus, Mary and the saints should humble and embarrass us whenever we end up wavering in our faith. We have been blessed by the glorious background of their lives and gifted with this present time when we can freely exercise our faith without fear of being imprisoned and executed. During their time, profession of faith in Jesus meant persecution and death. Isn't it something that we should really be grateful and take advantage of. Those people who have worked hard for our faith paved the way for its richness and splendor that we have to appreciate every single moment of our life. Let us not waste nor disregard the hard work they have done for us to enjoy the blessings brought about by their great faith in God. Let us always treasure it in our hearts and be very thankful for it. May it inspire us to also work hard and contribute for the further flourishing, proliferation and spread of the good news about Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 25:13-21
... they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive.

We are so blessed that we did not live during the time when Christians were being persecuted and martyred and what we are enjoying right now are already the benefits of God's marvelous work wrought by His mighty hand. We can never fathom the wisdom of God but we can always remain confident in the truth that His kindness is perfect and everlasting. He makes all things work for good. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 103:1-2. 11-12. 19-20ab
R: The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
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...

Love is not exclusive. Jesus wanted Peter to show his love for Him by reaching out to others. This is exactly what we're supposed to do no matter who the person is. Our faith in God brings us to circumstances when we can no longer decide on our own but on the basis that we are totally disposed and abandoned to His perfect plan for us. This is why in today’s gospel Jesus had to emphasize it to Peter. Whenever we want to make a point then we tend to repeatedly say and ask things and sometimes, too we tend to feel hurt when someone seem to doubt our capacity to do it. Jesus in today's gospel asked Peter 3x if he loves Him and he also replied positively to Him 3x. But we know the rest of the story when Peter ended up denying Jesus 3x also. The same in our own lives, God sometimes needed to emphasize some things in our life so as to really focus and commit to it. God knows each and every one of us and it is just proper and fitting that we must take every persistent message that God gives us, really take action and surely benefit from it. Knowing that our God will always bring about what is good for us. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 21:15-19
...“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.