We all sometimes fall into the pit of despair and just like
Tobit and Sarah in today's 1st reading have become so hopeless to the point of
wanting to die. It is in these moments that we become most fervent in our
prayers. Since the time we last attended Fr. Mike Barry's healing mass I've
been looking forward to another one and have been contacting several people
already in order to get hold of his schedule. He is a priest with a great gift
of discernment and I consider him as one of the priests whom God has endowed
also with a gift of healing. In the very few times, I have attended his healing
masses, I had the extraordinary experience of witnessing his tremendous gift of
discernment when after the mass I joined the group in lining up before the
altar. During my first time I was prayed over by him he said something about my
past which really surprised me and in my second time I never thought that he
would say something to me about my present situation which were both so
specific about me. From that time on I have been praying that God will allow
for another meeting or healing session with Fr. Mike Barry owing from the flow
of circumstances surrounding my experience with this priest. I am compelled to
share this knowing that there are times in life when we experience somehow
similar situations like that of Tobit and Sarah when we sometimes fall into
despair and hopelessness but we should continues to hold on to God's promises. There
is no doubt that God sends us people who we can consider as the Raphael being
sent by God to us in meaningful situations and bring blessings for us. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Tobit 3:1-11a. 16-17a
1 Grief-stricken in spirit, I groaned and wept aloud. Then
with sobs I began to pray: 2 “You are righteous, O Lord, and all your deeds are
just; all your ways are mercy and truth; you are the judge of the world. 3 And
now, O Lord, may you be mindful of me, and look with favor upon me. Punish me
not for my sins, nor for my inadvertent offenses, nor for those of my
fathers...“Blessed are you, O Lord, merciful God! Forever blessed and honored
is your holy name; may all your works forever bless you. 16 At that very time,
the prayer of these two suppliants was heard in the glorious presence of
Almighty God. 17 So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the cataracts
from Tobit’s eyes, so that he might again see God’s sunlight; and to marry
Raguel’s daughter Sarah to Tobit’s son Tobiah, and then drive the wicked demon
Asmodeus from her.
No matter how unsure life may be and how unfair it may seem
we can always rely on the one true God who was, is and will always be forever. If
we will just take to heart at all times the assurances of God in the scriptures
then there is really nothing that should stop us from following the right path
that leads to God. We should constantly implore God's help in prayers so that
we faithfully live out His example in our lives. In the Philippines there is an expression
being said when people are so bent over and head strong about doing a certain
task like nothing can ever stop them. It is known as, “Kina-career mo naman yan”
In English, “You’re making it a career!” If we will look at the meaning of
career in the dictionary we’ll find that it means, course of action; height of
activity or run or move at full speed. Come to think of it, that’s how we
should act when it comes to the most important aspect of our life. There is
really no doubt about the goodness of God. If there is one thing in this world
that we can depend on that is the mercy of God. We should constantly implore
God's help in prayers so that we faithfully live out His example in our lives.
Our confidence in God should never waver nor falter. It should be our goal to
grow and mature in our knowledge and love for God. As we move forward in it
then we win for ourselves a friendship that is like no other. We have seen a lot
of broken relationships in our lifetime and if we will base our understanding
of the word friendship on that then we will start to lose faith and confidence
in friends. It is so reassuring and comforting that in the friendship of God we
can be sure that it is something we can always count and depend on. Everything
comes from God. All good things come from God. All blessings come from God. God
pours out to us the all abundant love in every possible way. Love and life is
not simple other wise we will be living in a heavenly world where there is no
strife, deceit, injustice and division.
The world we live in is fractured, unless we stop doing mundane and
distracting things that pulls us away from visualizing the things of God then
we will just find ourselves distracted and unfocused. We just might find
ourselves going in all directions but not really finding where we are supposed
to go. God teaches us His ways with the guidance of the Holy Spirit directing
us every step of the way. This is how we should relate to God by aiming to
encounter Him in an intimate and personal way. It is possible that all our
hurts and injuries be turned to compassion for those who have caused us so much
pain because God who is full of mercy and love is the one who did it first for
us and we ought to follow. It is indeed
a consolation to know that we are in the hands of God. There is no reason to
fear nor doubt, for the Lord will surely bless and keep us at all times. This
made me think of the children who squirm and try to break free from the
protecting hold of a parent. Sometimes we are no different from the children
because we want God to let loose of His hold. We have a gentle and loving God
who will never impose nor force Himself. It is all up to us whether we remain
or wriggle free from the loving grasp of God's hands. God always work with perfection. We can
always be assured that if we allow ourselves to go through the Refiner's fire
then we will surely come out perfect. God is always precise in His moves and
can never go wrong. We should be very grateful and awe inspired as we realize
that there is nothing beyond the power of God. If we are sensitive and
attentive enough to the Lord then we would discover that God allows the events
in our daily experiences to happen in a way that is best for us. Although there
are times when we just can’t see it the way it is. It is in the consultation of
the word of God that we can find so much consolation and hope in our daily walk
in life. As we develop this communication with God through scriptures we would
find it to be always connected if not perfectly fitted as God opens up our mind
and allows us to grasp things in a very unbelievable way. Our God is beyond
compare, awesome, wonderful and marvelous. If we give to God all our concerns
and anxieties and trust in His goodness and mercy then He will always direct
our steps in the way that He wanted us to go. A few years ago in a Lenten
Retreat at St. Lorenzo the speaker said that Catholicism is the religion of the
soul while Protestantism is the religion of the mind. This is because
Protestants have a problem accepting things that are not written in the
scriptures. The language of the mind makes use of words alone which are limited
unlike the language of the soul which goes beyond what is written and extends
to signs, images, symbols and metaphors. There are things that are beyond human
comprehension and expression. This explains why we are a people attracted to
signs and symbols. Dan Brown, a famous author of books, Da Vinci Code and
Angels & Demons are only a few of them, which deal greatly on the meaning
of signs and symbols has become a hit. His style appeals to the public that's
why he has earned millions and become popular. It is in this nature of ours
that God speaks to us not just in physical terms and words but in spiritual
language as well. We have to be aware of
the truth of the richness of our Catholic dogma, doctrine, discipline and
practices. Our Catholic faith is so rich, it's like eating cheesecake and if we
ever think of leaving the Catholic fold after knowing these truths it would be
like exchanging the cheesecake for a sugarless donut. Liturgical cycles of the
Church are very interesting in the light of the seasons of love, life and
faith. Advent is defined as anticipation of something that is coming. We are
well aware of the 1st coming (Parousia) when Jesus came to this world more than
2,000 years ago and the 2nd coming of Jesus which no one knows exactly when it
would be. But there is one more thing we need to really prepare for which is
the 3rd coming or our own personal coming of Jesus when we die. As Catholics,
we might want to ask ourselves why we go to Church and attend mass. We come to
the Lord at a designated time and place to know of the mystery of life. If we
somehow come to know of these signs, symbols, images and metaphors although not
totally then we could relate better in our relationship with God. The Mass is
full of these signs and symbols that appeals to our sense of sight, sound and
smell. There are lots of explanations that go with these practices. Though
these practices can change in the course of time the core teachings of the
Catholic Church like the dogma and doctrine are all non negotiable and would
stand through time. We should no longer doubt in our minds all the things that
God is capable of doing. Life is a mystery which is much like a black hole.
Once we fall into that black hole then there is no more turning back from where
we came from. We just go on and on learning about life until such time when we
come to the knowledge of its full mystery when we die. For God has reserved for us something special
like the front row seats in a spectacular play in a theater. No less than the
prime spot for the Lord will always grant our heart's delight as we faithfully cling
to Him. While we still can, we must come to a better understanding of these
things and strive to learn the deeper meaning of our faith. No one in his right
mind can ever deny the presence of a Supreme Being who created all of us and
this wonderful world we live in. It remains a mystery how the sky hangs on high
without ever getting tired and falling, even the rising and setting of the sun,
the moon and the stars that bedecks the sky and the planets that rotate around
the sun without ever losing its alignment and end up bumping into each other.
Even the wisest and most brilliant scientists are continuously amazed at the
endless and infinite discoveries and revelations of the universe as they strive
to unravel its mystery. From generation to generation and ages past no single
human being was able to completely unfold it for human intelligence is simply
insufficient and can never measure up to God's. Have we ever wondered and asked
how things in our life came to be? There is only one thing that needs to be
done, that is to call on God endlessly at all times for guidance. As we try to
look back and recall may we always find ourselves confidently claiming all our
life's events as according to what God has planned for us and if not then it is
about time that we call on to God with these words in the psalm reading. Amen.
Hallelujah!
R: Remember your mercies, oh Lord.
4 Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 6 Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your kindness are from of old. 7 In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD. (R) 8 Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way.
The more a man is deficient in wisdom, the more a man is
weak in strength, the more a man born down with trouble, falls to sin, the more
he ought to supply himself with the never ceasing strength, consolation and
holiness. We ought, confidently and continually to beg of Him, to illuminate us daily more and more
with His life and inflame us with His charity. God has given us all the grace
to overcome all tests and difficulties. We have to press on to our goals and
never lose sight of it. For thus, inspired with faith and love we may press
onward earnestly towards our eternal reward. Let us always open both our minds
and our hearts to God's power and not be misled. There is more to just the
facts and figures that we see, sometimes we have to widen our perspective and
think the way God thinks. Teach us Lord to think the way You do. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Mark 12:18-27
...24 Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled because you do
not know the scriptures or the power of God? 25 When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in
heaven. 26 As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of
Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, ‘I am the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead
but of the living. You are greatly misled.”
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