The 1st reading for today is about a mother and a son in
distress. It is very difficult for me and my 2 sons to be apart for a long time
. Today another month has passed and a new one has just started since it is
July 1 already. Although the month of June has already passed I still continue
with this new hope for this month of July. The theological virtues (faith, hope
and charity) are things we are very much in need of especially that of hope. Atty
Moya in one his Apologetics classes defined and discussed hope in many ways but
what specifically caught my attention is his description of hope as trust in
Christ's promises and reliance on the help of God. He encouraged us to focus on
eternal things instead of the temporal and endure deprivation to the point of
being able to give up earthly goods. He further said that we should look beyond
life and not pursue the things that this world offers or else it will take its
toll on us. With this newly charged hope I always pray to God for I know He
will surely hear not only my prayers but my sons' as well. Amen. Hallelujah!
Genesis 21:5. 8-20a
...God heard the boy’s cry, and God’s messenger called to
Hagar from heaven: “What is the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid; God has heard
the boy’s cry in this plight of his...
The considered powerful and mighty of this world is what
appear to be the blessed and favored ones as far as human logic and reason are
concerned. The exact opposite of what Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount
and Plain (Beatitudes) in the gospels. A lot of people find it difficult to
really understand the beatitudes since it contradicts the values of this world
we live in. The poor, weak, hungry and sorrowing are called blessed. This may
not sound acceptable for everybody and would even go around its meaning to get
away with the real issue that Jesus wants us to face. Whatever it may be that's
still stopping us from grasping the wisdom of God let us pray to God that we
will always hold on to His word as He assures daily. Our God indeed is a
perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing
that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His
power that we exist in this world. We’ve got to have the right heart, mind and
attitude. Be poor in spirit and receptive to the Word of God. It doesn't make
sense that despite these truths that are ever before us we still reject Jesus.
Let's admit that we do it one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. Pope
John Paul II narrated a story when he was in the hospital for his operation.
Just before the surgery, he went out of his room unnoticed and visited a very
sick boy on the verge of dying. His mother was so depressed that no amount of
words was able to console her. She told the Pope to tell God to go away. The
Pope answered her that he did tell God to go away but He wouldn't listen. He
embraced the inconsolable mother and told her that God knows exactly the place
where He needs to be and that is none other than with her. We should realize
that God never leaves nor forsakes most especially in times of despair. He is
always there for us. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust
everything to Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We
must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world.
Have you heard of blind obedience? Following without knowing exactly why you
follow. Take the example of suicide bombers, who willingly die to spread
terrorism. What courage! We should know that it is always worth it to obey God,
obeying and knowing fully well that it is for our own good. We all have fears
in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be
the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's
psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. We may have encountered
situations wherein we were not able to plan ahead and totally placed us in a
very unexpected, uncertain and insecure position. They just happen suddenly that we have no time
to prepare and really caught us off guard. This has caused us to feel at a loss.
Just imagine how it feels to be blind not knowing where to go and groping in the
dark. But we can be assured that God will rescue us from all distress and deliver
us from our troubles. The wickedness and the hatred may persist but let us not
lose hope and despair because we have a mighty Savior and Redeemer in our Lord
Jesus. This truth stated in today’s psalm reading should keep us going and do
exactly what we are told. The Light of the World already came and judgment day
is coming soon. In fact, judgment is happening even now. In Deuteronomy 30:15
"Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and
doom..." God asked us to choose. It's got to be one way or another. There
should be no mingling or ambiguity. It is all up to us. We can be assured that
if we take God’s side then we’ll definitely taste and see His goodness. If we
will just seek God at all times then we surely find Him. Let us not turn to
anything or anyone else but to God alone. Let us be firm and wise in our
dispositions to really stick to God's ideals and principles alone instead of
the suggestions and insinuations of the so called wise and learned of this
world's standard. For if we do, we'll find ourselves rescued, saved and truly blessed. We should always keep our
hopes up in the Lord no matter what our situations are because it can never
change the fact that He is God and always in charge and in control. There are
times when we feel forsaken or abandoned but we must always hold on to the
truth that He loves us so much. He would never leave us in misery. Let us
remove all doubts and fears. Nothing should make us feel afraid for God hears
our cry. He will surely carry out what is clearly for our own good and the
best. All we need to do is allow God to work in our lives and stop hindering
His grace to flow in our lives. If there's one big obstacle that is blocking
this flow then it is surely not God. It is time we analyze the things in our
life that continue to build up and shut out God. We don't want that happening
and it's all up to us for the Lord hears and saves us. Although there are times
when we do not have to sweat at all and things just come and fall into place we
also have to know that our life is mostly a product of the choices we make. Our
choices must always be responsible and carefully decided on. We've got to have
a reliable standard for it. One without fail and is sure to work. Actually
there is only one thing that we can surely depend on and that is the goodness
of the Lord. If we always have this in mind then nothing should stop us to
always look at God, listen and follow Him. We should not care so much about
gaining the approval and admiration of men rather than God. Our focus first and
foremost should be to please God and everything else will follow. Even if it
sometimes does not work the way we expected and planned things to be. We can be
assured that the Lord heard, hears and will hear all our prayers and surely has
the best answer at hand in His most perfect time. In guarding our faith the
bible passage from Ephesians 6:10-11 which is about the armor of God is an
important tool. If we read it we will find the only weapon mentioned in the
said bible passage is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We
should check it once again and be aware of this important information as
Catholic Christians. In the gospel about the temptation of Jesus the devil also
demonstrated his knowledge of the scriptures. As it is written, we need to
stand firm against the tactics of the devil. We are undoubtedly engaged in this
battle every single day that's why we are in need of a weapon. This reminds us
of the importance of knowing the word of God by heart since it is our only
weapon. God never fails. He would always make things work for our good and
rescue us in our distress. I have always believed in angels even before I got
this petal from a healing service with the image of a cherubim miraculously
imprinted on it. It's been a while since I got it and has served as a testimony
of God’s abiding love. I have no doubt in my mind that God will always deliver
me from all my fears. I always keep my rose petal with me and show it to almost
everyone I meet, as a way of propagating God's goodness to me. I can still
remember and will never forget how my mother used to narrate to us how I was
miraculously saved by my angel several times. First was when I was about 2
months old, and I fell from a height of 2-3 ft countertop when the nanny after
giving me a bath left me for only a second to get something and upon returning
found me already unconscious and lying on the hard, ceramic tiled floor. I was
rushed to the doctor but he told them that if I fail to regain consciousness
within an hour then he said I am gone. To everybody's surprise I started to cry
even before the time is up. Another one was when I was barely 2 yrs old when I
almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My parent's house is right beside my
grandparent's house which is right in front of the school where my mother used
to be a public school teacher. She said she was standing in the center of the
stage of the school that was why she had a good view of the things around her
even the terrace of my grandparent's house so she got the shock of her life
when she saw me there alone running very fast heading toward the open gate
while a speeding jeepney was coming and looked as if I would really get hit and
it would be too late even if somebody was there to stop me. She was already screaming
from afar together with the other teachers who saw it and was trying to call
the attention of the driver but to no avail for he didn't even slow down
because their screams were of no match to the loud engine of the jeep. It was just a miracle that the moment I
stepped on the side of the road, I suddenly stopped and stood very still as if
someone was holding me back. She said it was my guardian angel who held me and
prevented me from getting hit by the jeep.
I don't remember personally any of those experiences it was only through
my mother's stories that I came to know about them. But when I was older like
in 4th grade I could already remember how I was spared again from being hurt
seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top of my head fell on my desk a
split second after I stood up and left my chair. My classmates were really shocked and were
hovering around me and told me that it was really close. One of my bestfriends,
Myrsa got me even more scared of what could had happened when she said that
fluorescent lamps are laden with poison that once it gets broken, the poison is
released and if the broken glass cuts your skin open the poison will get in and
the wound caused by it will never dry up or get healed. From then on I
developed this childlike trust in God and thanked God for saving me from death.
There was another instance in my life as a child when Myrsa and I were left all
alone in school while waiting for our ride home and the deafening sound of
lightning and thunder got me very scared. Myrsa played the role of my guardian
angel when she tried to calm and stop me from crying by telling me that I
should not be afraid because the lightning is the flash bulb of God's camera.
She continued by saying that I should not cry but instead smile for God was
just taking our picture. Myrsa's legendary stories played a role in my
developing a great faith in God. Another funny story was what she told me about
the needle. She said that we must be careful with needles because it will find
its way into our bodies and once it's inside it will go to our bloodstream and
very quickly end up pricking our hearts which can cause us to die right away.
There was one time when I lost a needle and couldn't find it anywhere. I went
to bed very early that day which surprised my mother and was asking me if there
was anything wrong. I decided to myself that I would just wait for my death
silently and not tell anybody. I was praying to God not to give me a painful
death and let me not feel it once the needle pricks my heart. When I woke up
the next day I was so glad that I was still alive and thanked God for sparing me
from death. Those were the early formative years of my faith which started out
in a funny, amusing but definitely amazing way. We all have fears in life and
sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case.
If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells
us then there is no reason for it. If we will just constantly nourish and fill
ourselves with the words of God in scriptures then there is really no reason
for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. He will never allow us to be
defeated and conquered for He is always there to rescue us. Amen, Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 34: 7,8-9. 10-11. 12-13
R: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
7 [8] The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear
him, and delivers them...Fear the LORD, you his holy ones, for nought is
lacking to those who fear him. 10 [11] The great grow poor and hungry; but
those who seek the LORD want for no good thing...
Let's think about the gospel today. Where did those demons
ask to be sent today? They asked to be sent to the pigs. It is very
disheartening that much of our culture today are forcing people to become like
pigs, beasts and be less than we are as stated in Gen. 1:31,"God looked at
everything he had made, and he found it very good." Those demons that were
sent there were created good by God. It was through their own radical choice of
rejecting God, that they become much less. Just recall what they said,
"Send us into the herd of swine." This is what the life of people
around us choosing evil become. They just choose to become like beasts and pigs
when in fact, we are called to reach a higher, spiritual life. This could be described
as climbing a mountain. It is difficult and it requires perseverance, daily
efforts and God's assistance. What happens when we continue to climb up that
mountain? It is hard but eventually we begin to see a wider distance,
comprehend in a greater way the beauty that surrounds us, draw closer to God
and finally see what we are called to become. Pope Benedict said that this is
the greatest defense of our Christian faith. What confirmed his conviction that
the true apology of Christian faith is the most convincing demonstration of its
truth against every denial like the saints and the beauty that the faith has
generated. The light of Christ shines in the life of the saints. Today for
faith to grow we must lead ourselves in the persons we meet to encounter the
saints and enter into contact with the beautiful. St. Augustine described God as the source of
all beauty, goodness and truth that is ever ancient, ever new. We are attracted
to that because we are called to that. In order to grow those attributes that
are God's we have to hold to our faith to bring about these things. Let us
bathe ourselves with God’s grace and be filled to become more and achieve our
potential. The whole person needs to grow and advance not just in technical
knowledge which is very limited but also in character and virtue. This is what
God wants for us. To find our greatest aspects which is not always easy but it
is good. If we search deep down, it is what we reach out and long for, our
potential and fulfillment. God is a God of order and has given a time for
everything but will always act in accordance to what will be for the greater
good. Let's just continue to trust God's perfect will and timing in every
aspect of our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 8:28-34
28 When Jesus came to the other side, to the territory of
the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were
so savage that no one could travel by that road. 29 They cried out, “What have
you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the
appointed time?”30 Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. 31 The
demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
32 And he said to them, “Go then!” ...
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