Every time I watch the TV whether it's the local or TFC news
there is always unrest and discontentment. People are rallying all over the
world not only in the Philippines .
There are several issues today that question the management of the respective
leaders. People are fighting and badmouthing words at each other. Above all of
these things we must not forget and always remember that no matter what happens
we will always be God's people and that is all we need to put order in our
chaotic life. We look all around us and see the sinful way the people live in
society. People do not realize how destructive their way of living to the point
of ruining themselves. Instead of being repentant they resort to all kinds of
evil ways and thus bring to themselves an incurable wound as what Jeremiah said
in today's 1st reading. Life expectancy in some places of the world has gone
down to 55 to 65. This is not due to poverty but the behavior that destroy
society. Statistics show that 60% of the population is being aborted in the
womb. If we do not repent incurable destruction can come upon ourselves. Just
like any great power that existed like, Napoleon's empire, the Roman's and the
Soviet, all of them were unable to sustain any virtue in their society and thus
they all perished. We can not depend on any state but we need to depend on God.
If we look at the history of the world, we can see self destruction if we fail
to repent and depend on God. Despite the sin God loves us. He wants us to
realize this and go back to Him. Amen. Hallelujah!
Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
...For thus says the LORD: Incurable is your wound, grievous
your bruise; 13 there is none to plead your cause, no remedy for your running
sore, no healing for you... 22 You shall be my people, and I will be your God.
I. The Church professes the mystery of our faith repeatedly in the CREED. I believe in God... In these repetitions, we hope to eventually imbibe and absorb this mystery as best we can.
II. We celebrate this mystery through the LITURGY & SACRAMENTS. In the celebration, we hope to grow in our understanding of the fullness of the Holy Trinity. The sacraments are the vessels of grace. There is something greater than this that we should come to understand. We are the vessels of grace and the sacraments serve as a reminder of this. The sacrament of matrimony depicts the love of a man and a woman with God in the center. We can only hope to have a better understanding of these mysteries as we celebrate and partake of it.
III. Morality. We live the mystery in accordance to the life of Jesus, an authentic Christian life.
IV. PRAYER. is the litmus test or yardstick of our faith.
Our souls have holes that need to be filled or plugged and it is in prayer that
we don't end up placing the wrong plugs that fit our souls. We develop a
discerning power through prayer. The way of prayer is not a feeling but a
decision. Prayer could very well be patterned after the seasons of the church.
There's a part of our life when we need to die, suffer and rise and so are
prayers should always be full of faith, hope and love. It prepares us to live a
life of relationship. At the end of the day it's all about relationship. We
might not be fully aware of this but we engage in relationships every single
day of our life and they all contribute to this life of mystery we have. We
just have to be careful by checking first with whom we are building a
relationship with. We've got to make sure that we are progressing towards the
fullness of our relationship with God. We need to remove the restrictions that
we place on prayer. Though, we need to test if it's really God's Spirit. We
need to keep in mind that we are in a journey to God and we are obliged to
study and learn all there is to know because wrong spirit could be in the form
of ignorance. I just found out that the word anti means in lieu. Satan is so
envious of Jesus he wants to be Jesus and every time we do not decide for Jesus
in our actions then we choose the act in lieu of Jesus and in effect become an
anti-Christ. We need to be aware that whenever we are about to pray, go to
church and do something good, Satan would do everything in his power to
distract us. We need to cultivate our soul in order to grow. Anything that
improves our relationship with God is prayer. In fact, the mere act of suddenly
remembering to give a loved one a call is already a form of prayer. The way we
relate to our loved ones, family, friends, relatives and the people around us
could already be a form of prayer. When we are in the middle of a breath taking
scenery in nature and become full of joy and awe brought about by it, it's
almost like a prayer of appreciation for God's wonderful work and creation. The
language of intelligence relies on rational thinking while the language of the
soul appreciates beauty and makes use of images. In order to understand this
more deeply we have to look at the Parable of the Seed and the Sower. This
parable contains a lot of imagery to convey its message. Although the parable
is about the seed and the sower, the soil is of utmost concern in this story.
You know why? We are the soil. It is our soul and spirituality. In fact the name of Adam, the first man
created by God was derived from the Hebrew word Adama, which means soil. We need to cultivate the soil, Prayer is the
fuel that cultivates our soil. Prayer is God's gift. God's perfect love reaches
out to us when we sin or commit mistakes. Remember when Adam & Eve fell
into sin, God immediately searched for them, in Gen. 3:9, "Where are
you?" Prayer is an act of raising one's mind to God. We need humility for
it to be perfect. Humility comes from the word humus which means dirt. If only
Adam & Eve were humble enough to admit their wrongdoings instead of point
fingers at each other as in Genesis 3:11-13 ...You have eaten, then, from the
tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied, "The
woman whom you put here with me--she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate
it." The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a
thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate
it." Who knows we could have had a different story and could still be in
paradise if they had instead admitted, asked for forgiveness and prayed in a
posture of humility. We have a universal
call to prayer thus our yearning for God. The bronze serpent became the source of
healing as they looked at the object. God allows certain objects to become a
source of blessing from Him as we focus on our faith in God, our hearts can
communicate better. As humans we are sometimes prone to distraction that we
sometimes need visual aids/reminders to refocus our gaze on the Lord. Man is
naturally in search of God. It is God who called and thirsted for us first.
Prayer is a response to man's thirst for the thirst of God. It is a response of
faith to a God who is reaching out to us. God gives us the Living Water that
will not make us thirst anymore. Whenever we see a particular race of people,
we'll know right away where they belong because of how they look, the language
they speak and other peculiar things that is characteristic of them. This
should also be the case with us, a people who belong to God. We should develop
in us all the characteristics that will set us apart as a people of God. 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. We can always count on God for all our needs. Let us not be discouraged
by the things we see and hear but rather keep our focus on God who answers
prayers. Let us keep our hope and faith in the Lord who never turns His back on
those who continue and persevere in their prayers and pleas to God. God knows
the perfect time for everything. It is not a matter of delaying and withholding
His blessings but rather a matter of perfect timing. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, 22-23
R: The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD, and all the
kings of the earth your glory, 16 [17] when the LORD has rebuilt Zion and appeared in his
glory; 17 [18] when he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not
despised their prayer. (R) 18 [19] Let this be written for the generation to
come, and let his future creatures praise the LORD: 19 [20] “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)
I have come to develop a special attachment to every gospel
story that speaks of the Sea of Galilee and this started way back in the Philippines .
The Sea of Galilee has taken on a deeper meaning in my life way back in 2007
when I decided to come here to the US . In Mt. 4: 18 the Sea of Galilee is where Jesus' call to the first
disciples took place. It is the place where Jesus chose His Apostles and also
where the apostles immediately left everything and followed Him. (Luke
5:10-11). Which reminds me too of that song entitled, "Lord, you have
come" The background setting of this song is biblically based on the
gospel stories of the call of Jesus to Peter and the apostles at the Sea of Galilee . It
held a special and deep meaning that touched my heart in an unexplainable way
owing to the occasions and incidences that were connected and related to it. It
is good to recall and look back where our own Galilees are. I can still
remember very well my own sea of Galilee ,
should always keep in mind and never forget. As we gather all our strength and
courage we, too like the disciples should never turn back and go forth to our
own Galilees. I could still recall the bible story in Luke 5 entitled,
"The call of Simon (later on named Peter) the Fisherman." It was way
back in Feb. 4, 2007, during those times when I was discerning and weighing my
decision to come here to the US
with my friend Joy. This gospel reading from Luke specifically caught my
attention, confirmed and gave me confidence in what I was planning to do and
eventually did. Just like Peter who was skeptical at that time I was also
feeling so unsure about my decisions then and this phrase really had a great
impact on me back then coupled with the priest's homily that went with it. That
was like more than 5 years ago now. I feel like God is reminding me again of
that scene at the Sea of Galilee (also known as the Sea of Gennesaret Sea of Galilee I also realized the need to go across it
and experience a higher level of union with God. In the gospel of Luke back then, the
situation was different since the Sea of Galilee in that given bible passage
was very reassuring since it gave an impression of peace and calm which was
very conformed to my situation back in the Philippines before I left for the
US. When I finally arrived here in the US and experience life away from my
loved ones and encountering the challenges I now face I was able to relate to
that gospel in Mark 4:35-41 also at the Sea of Galilee when the disciples were
faced by a violent squall and big waves filling up the boat to the brink of
causing it to sink. Very much unlike the gospel in Luke when Peter having
obeyed and followed to put out into the deep water was rewarded with a miracle,
Lk. 5:6-8 “... when they caught a great number of fish and their nets were
tearing... and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking.”
Immediately upon arriving the US I was also greeted with a lot of pleasant
surprises like passing the NCLEX-RN, getting a hospital petitioner, being able
to travel to the East Coast (New York, Michigan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Chicago, Washington DC) for free and winning the grand prize in the
Nurse Expo. All these experiences of the disciples in the Sea
of Galilee I have noticed that I can personally relate to
especially in the manner of the sequence I have encountered them. In both
occasions, the disciples having followed and obeyed Jesus in both gospels of
Luke and Mark came to this scenario or condition of their boats both in danger
of sinking. Although both happened in the Sea of Galilee, as I look at my own
life the gospel in Luke which I encountered before I left the Philippines
reflected the positive and confirming things that were happening back then just
as the disciples having followed and obeyed Jesus' specifically the bible
passages at the Sea of Galilee in Luke 5:4-6 "Jesus said to Peter,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said
in reply, "Master we have worked hard all night and caught nothing but at your command I will lower the
nets." When they had done this they caught a great number of fish their
nets were tearing." On the other hand the gospel in Mark which I have
encountered now that I am already here in the US reflects the trials and
difficulties which I can relate to the disciples response to the bidding of
Jesus to cross to the other side were greeted by a not so pleasant surprise
with a violent squall to the point where the boat was already filled up with
water and in the brink of sinking. After having made those decisions in 2007
which eventually brought me to my present situation here in the US , I
must say I can somehow relate to how the disciples felt back then. It made me
realize that I have also come to a point in my sailing with Jesus in my very
personal Sea of Galilee when I have also witnessed violent squalls in my life
here in the US and been brought to situations to the point of sinking but have
been constantly assured of God's tremendous power. I have witnessed Him pacify
the turbulent winds in my life which have left me with a great calm in the
midst of the storm. In today's gospel it is cited that Jesus came toward them
walking on the sea and his invitation to Peter to get out of the boat and go to
Him on the water which reflects the need to go beyond this call of Jesus at the
seashore of Galilee . In the same way we are
called to respond in our own personal way to Jesus by carefully looking at our
own lives as we go through a series of stages and discover the various
experiences we had which led us to accepting His call at our own Sea of
Galilee, sail with Him across it, not be afraid of the storm that assail us,
and even get out of our boats and start walking on water. It may sound impossible but that is exactly
what God expects us to do. We can not just remain in the security of our boats
all the time we've got to gather all our courage to step out of our boats and
believe that we are able to overcome anything with Jesus on our side. If we
have faith and do not doubt then we are able to overcome the impossible in our
lives. If we are in a middle of a very scary situation there is no reason for
us to doubt that God can rescue us even though our problems are insurmountable.
God wants us to continue believing and trusting in Him even in the middle of a
storm in our life. If we hold on to God then nothing can shake us. There is no
reason for us to be afraid. We can walk on water. Jesus is Lord and is over and
above all our fears, troubles and anxieties. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 14:22-36 (or Matthew 15:1-2. 10-14 )
22 Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede
him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds...During the fourth watch
of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples
saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and
they cried out in fear. 27 At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I;
do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command
me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat
and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw how strong the
wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord,
save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said
to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ...
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