Today's 1st reading tells us that Moses gained the trust of
God and was blessed with a lot of holy privileges. He was envied by Miriam and
so she spoke against Moses. We sometimes too get envious of other people and
speak ill of them that's why we are being reminded by God that envy and anger
are things that can never bring about any good to us. Instead it can be
considered disease causing agents that can make us very sick. It may not be
physical sickness but one thing is sure it can turn into something as terrible
as leprosy. We have to be careful on how we deal with people. On the other hand
it doesn't always mean that if we are afflicted with a disease that we have
done something wrong. I quote what is written in Companion, "I do not
believe that God would smite someone with the terrible disease of leprosy out
of anger at something he had said or done unless He meant to heal him of it in
the near future. Here the author is trying to find a reason for the leprosy of
Miriam and, as usual, it is seen as a result of a sin committed by the person.
Sickness and illness are a natural part of life and not necessarily an
affliction given to us by God when we sin. Our God is a loving God, not a
vindictive one. Sickness and illness are a natural part of life and not
necessarily an affliction given to us by God when we sin." One thing is
sure, that we have a loving and merciful God and whatever sicknesses we have He
can surely heal us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Numbers 12:1-13
...‘Should there be a prophet among you, in visions will I
reveal myself to him, in dreams will I speak to him; 7 Not so with my servant
Moses! Throughout my house he bears my trust; 8 face to face I speak to him,
plainly and not in riddles. The presence of the LORD he beholds. Why, then, did
you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?’” ...there was Miriam, a snow
white leper! When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, 11 “Ah, my lord!” he said
to Moses, “please do not charge us with the sin that we have foolishly
committed! 12 Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe that comes forth from
its mother’s womb with its flesh half consumed.” 13 Then Moses cried to the
LORD, “Please, not this! Pray, heal her!”
Organizing
all my daily reflections since 2007 made it easier for me to locate and
retrieve them. I have found it very rewarding and beneficial. It has given me
the opportunity to access with ease, the insights and reflections I wrote in
the past. Thus paving the way to recall, reflect, and share it again. In light
of the readings today I am reminded of Fr. Alex Amayin, the associate priest in
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. His talk was about reconciliation which is very much
in line with the 1st & psalm readings for today. It was centered on 4
things which is 1. SIN 2. GRACE 3. FORGIVENESS 4. RECONCILIATION. He said that
the 1st 3 are all a reality but #4 is only a possibility. There is no doubt
that SIN happens but the GRACE of God is always present and available for us
even before we ask for FORGIVENESS. When we ask FORGIVENESS, God is always
ready to give it. RECONCILIATION calls us to true conversion. We should
always find our way back to God and never doubt His mercy. He cited the example
of a snake and caterpillar since both of them undergoes conversion. The snake
sheds off its old skin but comes out the same while the caterpillar emerges
into a butterfly. We can either choose to be the snake or the caterpillar. Take
your pick. It is important that we always maintain a clean heart and a
steadfast spirit so that we are constantly in God's presence. It's not that God
loves us any less, no matter what we do, He will always love us. It's just that
a Holy and Loving God can not dwell in an impure heart and spirit. The sacred
heart of Jesus should be our model and guide as we strive to live out the call
to be a genuine follower of God. “When we open our heart to the love of God and
to others, it makes us capable of shaping history according to God’s
plan.” - said Pope John Paul II. In His fourth apparition to St. Margaret
Mary, our Lord revealed His Sacred Heart, declaring: "Behold this Heart which
has so loved men that it spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and
consume Itself, to prove to them Its love.” The center of devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Enthronement of the image of the Sacred Heart in
the home. By the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart, we link the tabernacle of
our parish church to our home, inviting our Lord to be our constant and most
intimate companion. The Enthronement is a way of life. It means that
Christ is King of our hearts, and we desire Him to be present with us always.
In other words, by the Enthronement we signify our desire to make our hearts
and our homes holy, to sanctify our lives in every aspect. God will not refuse
nor turn His back on us if we are truly sorry for our sins and are willing to
mend our ways. Let us not be so naive into thinking that we can get away with
anything and cheat God. Let us be fair and truly square in dealing with things
that concern not just our future but our eternal destiny. Whether it's heaven
or hell, we would have to decide for that not God. If we choose to do evil then
we are surely headed where it's bound but if we remain faithful to God and all
that He represents then we are headed to a place prepared for us by God in
heaven. We are sure to go where our hearts lead us. The problem is that there
is a great propaganda out there. It makes sin appear with all its fun,
excitement and glamour. It makes virtue appear boring, lame, bland and
unexciting. But the truth of the matter is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created
in this world are enjoyed the most by those who don’t abuse them and use it
simply. Who do we think enjoys food most? The person who doesn’t know how to
fast and engorges all the time or a person after a fast experiences a feast?
The virtuous person enjoys life the most. The person who uses creation and all
things according to God’s plan enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is
God’s idea. All the good things in the world that people want are God’s idea.
Satan can’t invent even one bit of pleasure. But God commands them to be
used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life
is to follow God’s commands. Life is not all about rules and regulations. God
did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to
obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also
makes us who we are. The actions we engage, the words that we say and the
things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time.
God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a
great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives.
We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone
weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or
another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we
commit do. Let us always ask God's mercy for our sins and repent of it. The
Lord said that He is not sent for the well but for the sick. We have a disease
in our souls that if left uncared for can cause death. We all have a terminal
disease called sin, we need a doctor to give us advice. We have been saved by
God but we can lose it just as we can lose our human life for not caring for
it. We go to God who is our Divine Physician to be healed. He alone can make us
whole. God's presence in our lives is inevitable just like the coming of dawn
before the break of day and if we have mastered the art of loving back God then
we become a pleasing sacrifice before Him. And in his good pleasure makes us
prosper, then we find ourselves rebuilding the walls of our boundaries as we
expand our borders. It is of prime importance that we take extra care in
attending not only to our temporal needs but our spiritual as well. We have
this mindset that it pleases God whenever He sees us going through hardships
and difficulties in life. We tend to equate God to an oppressing tyrant that
would pin us down for every wrong move. Or worst to a slave driver that would
not be satisfied unless his subjects exhaust all their strength to his service.
The people during the time in the Old Testament could borrow a good excuse for
having this kind of mindset because Jesus has not come yet. We who live in this
time of the New Testament do not have a good alibi because God already
demonstrated the greatest expression of His love for mankind when He sacrificed
His only begotten son, Jesus, to suffer and die for our sake. With this truth
always engraved in our hearts and minds we could no longer harbor wrong
impressions and mindsets of our God. Whenever a particular human right is being
violated certain activist groups passionately rally to defend such right that
is in question. What about the right of God? We are so concerned about our own
personal agenda and we fail to realize that we need to address it more than
anything else. According to Pope Benedict XVI, Jus Divinum is the right of God
which constitutes the proper and correct response of God’s creatures such as
man to his Creator. This we ought to realize and take action. We should do all
the good that we are supposed to do to a God who created us. There is something more to what we
see, hear and feel about people. We really couldn't judge a book by its cover.
It's in knowing what is hidden in the heart that we can truly say for sure what
is real. But who can see through our hearts? Nobody but God alone. What is
unknown and hidden from us, God knows. We may be able to hide from men but
never from God. We can only pray to God to create in us a clean heart. For
where our treasure is, there also will be our hearts. This should all be our
prayer, “Change me Oh God, mold me in accordance to your pattern and plan and
not mine” Dirt stain in clothes sometimes doesn't want to come off even after
several times it has been machine washed. There are really some dirt and stain
that do not go away that easily with regular washing. There is a need to scrub
it manually with soap and water so that it will come out clean. Our souls are
just like clothes which are stainable by our sins. It is a consolation to know
that our sins are washable in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can always
come to Him and acknowledge our sins with a sincere and repentant heart so He
can cleanse us, wipe out our offenses and blot out all our guilt. There is
nothing that could separate us from the love of God. Let us not be deceived nor
dissuaded to believe otherwise. Just like clothes that need to be washed after
being worn and got dirty so our souls need to be cleansed too by the blood of
the Lamb. God’s love ever present in the body and blood of Christ is always
present and available for us. All we need to do is reach out for it because God
is a gentleman and would never force Himself on us. There has always been a raging
battle between God and satan. Though it has already been won, satan just won’t
give up. He continues to wreak havoc and evil among us in his desperation to
bring misery into our lives and share in his condemnation. He doesn’t have the
tiniest power over us and he can only have it if and only if we give in to his
lies, deceptions and false promises. We need to make this conscious decision
each and every single day for the Lord. We need to purge ourselves of the
impurities of our souls we have to go through a certain process that will
render us with a clean heart. As we strive to nurture a heart that beats for
God alone we also go through a process of cleansing as stated in the psalm
today. God's mercy is greater than any of our sins. If we are to repent and
turn away from our sins then we've got to do it right now and really do it
fast. God sees through our hearts, our motives and intentions. What God wants
of us is to truly acknowledge His great mercy and goodness to us that in doing
so will abound a natural inclination to repent and repair all our iniquities
and lead to a brand new, wholesome and clean Christian in the truest sense of
the word. We need to stand in all humility before God and confess our sins. The
body and soul are good but it demands a need for physical asceticism. We have
to submit our bodies to an act of sacrifice without neglecting that conversion
is first of all interior. Total conversion demands not only expression in works
of penance but also of the heart. God is able to do anything. All the more
should we be full of confidence that He can create a clean heart and steadfast
spirit for us if we truly ask for it. God our Father will never turn His back
on us. Let us get this straight, it is the sin that God hates and not the
sinner. If we are in sin then that's the time we drive away God's Holy Spirit
dwelling in us for it is impossible for God's presence to exist with sin. It's
our call then to respond to the psalm's invitation to rise and go to God or
remain slumped in the mud of sin. Our God will always be the best Father a
child could ever have, the best Brother/Friend and the best Comforter and Guide
all in one. Bottom line, to Him alone shall we go because we don't know that
much and if we don’t then we end up doing one of these things, take for
granted, ignore, forget or neglect the things God is telling us to do. What's
worse it could be all of the above! We get blinded and become preoccupied with
a lot of things that lure us away from doing what God wants us to do. We are
deceived into believing all the lies of this world disguised and packaged by
the enemy in an inviting and convincing truth. We should realize that it is
always for our own good that He commands us to do the right thing. It is not
merely to impose but for us to freely decide for a life lived to the full.
There is no other way to maintain the Holy Spirit dwelling in us but to let it
reside in a clean heart. We drive away God's Spirit in us if we don't
strive to let our hearts remain clean. Today's psalm is a song that I have come
to know and sing by heart without the aid of a song book. I always love to sing
it and hear it being sung most especially by the choir during mass. It is well
for us to not just love to sing it with our voices but with the sincerity of
our hearts. The words "take not your Holy Spirit from me" made me
realize that God has the power to give and take. The thought of the Holy Spirit
being taken away from us is the worst thing that could ever happen. If we don't
feel God's presence in our life anymore and we've become numb and insensitive
to the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit then now is the time to
reconnect and realign ourselves to God's Spirit most especially during this
Lenten season. It is important that we always maintain a clean heart and a
steadfast spirit so that we are constantly in the God's presence. It's not that
God loves us any less, no matter what we do He will always love us. It's just
that a Holy and Loving God can not dwell in an impure heart and spirit.
It is of prime importance that we take extra care in attending not only to our
temporal needs but our spiritual as well. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 51:3-4. 5-6ab. 6cd-7. 12-13
R: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in
your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4]
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 3 [5] For I
acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always. 4 [6] “Against you only
have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.” (R)...A clean heart
create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me
not out from your presence, and your
Holy Spirit take not from me.
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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