THE SEEKER

We are being encouraged in today's 1st reading to bear witness to Jesus. It is said that great favor was accorded to the apostles and there was no needy person among them. This is such an ideal set up for everyone who wants prosperity and who wouldn't aspire for something like that. It may sound so simple but if we will look closely at what is stated, our witnessing should be one with GREAT POWER. It is imperative that we don the armor of God in Eph. 6:10-18. ("10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.") I was so impressed with the way Dr. Scott Hahn from EWTN show, was talking about angels. He discussed about this topic with such great enthusiasm and confidence that I should say everybody who heard him was convinced. His face lighted up and was animated as he described the angels based on what he extensively read, researched, studied and experienced. He was trying to relate this belief in angels which dates back to the time of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Moses, the prophets, Joshua in Jericho, Manoah, Samson, Gideon, Isaiah and Ezekiel. He said that angels are best friends who are intelligent and strong and whose purpose is to minister and bring God's gifts to His people. We can see all throughout the bible the revelation of angels and how they have rendered an incredible service to mankind extended to the New Testament to Mary and Joseph. What we are doing right now in the Catholic Church with regards to our practices has long been established in a holy pattern in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament in Jesus Christ. The angels are all subject to the Lord’s bidding. We are sure to receive tremendous blessings if we are to ask from our Lord who resurrected from the dead. Favor, anyone? If God has power over death then what else can't He overcome. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 4:32-37

...With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all...

Death is not a respecter of age or health. A person could be young or old, healthy or sick and the worst part we can never tell when it's coming. Only God knows the length of our days and to Him alone do we entrust everything. God is powerful and we can surely be at peace with Him. We have confidence in a God who chose to step down from His throne and became a helpless baby for our sake.  Though, an infant He holds the world in the palm of His hands. He alone is King. We have an Infinite and Almighty God and no words are enough to describe Him. Thus we can only translate those that go beyond words into the spiritual. The spiritual is real although not material or physical. We have our free will which is immaterial and thus fall into the spiritual. It makes perfect sense that we unite our will to God. It may seem an impossibility to be holy and pure and at all times. For man it is, but not for God. We can trust God to supply us with all that we need to do whatever it takes to be worthy of His kingdom. If we believe that God calls us then He can surely and absolutely equip us for the work and plan He has for us. The uniformity of the message in today's readings from the 1st, Psalm and gospel can not be denied. God constantly and persistently send us occasions and opportunities that will always remind and confront us of this great attributes of God which are all better than life itself. It is very important to call on God in prayer at all times. He is Christ the King. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5

R: The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

...Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O LORD. (R) 5 Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days.

It's funny how some of the movies I have watched somehow convey the same thought and message that the gospel for today speaks of. I had shared about this boy in the movie entitled, "The Seeker" who almost got killed and defeated in the battle to save the world when he almost failed to see what's right there with him all along. He was in search of 6 signs and the 5 he already found. He didn't realize that he no longer had to seek or look for the 6th sign and final sign which is himself. The same is true with another movie entitled, "The Vanishing" is about a man patiently and faithfully searching for his lost girlfriend. He went to the ultimate test when he willingly subjected himself to a very dangerous and unknown situation that almost cost him his life just as so he could find out the truth about what really happened to his girlfriend. Not many of us would be willing to put our lives at stake if not for the one thing that we consider all worth it. Today's gospel, Nicodemus was also in search of something. We all too come to a point in our lives when we look for something we thought we do not know or we really do not know. We are all seekers one way or another. Sometimes when the discussion is about our faith and religion things go out of hand and there may be some misunderstandings that may rise up along the way. It is so difficult at times to really impart what we know about our faith if we ourselves are not too knowledgeable about these things. If Jesus Himself experienced this difficulty with a teacher of Israel, how much more with us? It is good to know that Jesus who is the Son of God and the Authority on all things is reminding us in today's gospel that we as His followers are also subject to this. It is somehow a wake up call for all of us to really strive hard in knowing about our faith not for purposes of debate but because it is our duty to spread the good news about Jesus. We have to discover more of the heavenly things, really believe and be very convinced of it. What matters most as we read the gospel is the truth that if like Nicodemus, we go to Jesus who is someone we all know to be worth all of it then we can surely find what we are all looking for. The story from the Old Testament of Moses lifting up the serpent for those bitten by a snake to look at it and spare them from dying is a reminder of God's endless offering of mercy to heal us from our sins. Jesus was also lifted up but on a cross to die like a criminal as payment for our sins. For only the righteous blood of Jesus can satisfy the justice of God. The price of eternal life bears the blood of His only begotten Son. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 3:7b-15

...Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can this happen?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? 11 Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ... And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."