EWTN

Are we a source of inspiration for others or desperation? This question we might want to ask ourselves. When we see people whose hands are feeble and their knees become weak, do we give encouragement and strength or do we bombard them with our negative and detrimental remarks? The Spirit of God dwells in each one of us and we should consciously make an effort to build His Kingdom here on earth by making good choices. We can choose to be nasty and rude or compassionate and understanding to others. The reign of God's Kingdom is well within our reach as described in today's 1st reading but we have yet to see it unless we make it our choice. There are many choices presented to us every day but we have to realize that this choice we've got to make is not that difficult after all. Today's 1st reading tells us that we are bound to experience and benefit the best things not even this life can offer if we make this choice. We may be in a period of our life where we can compare ourselves to a desert but there is no reason to despair for God can make all things new. We should never doubt the power of God to be able to do and carry out what He has planned in our lives. As in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope." Each day is an assurance from God that He will never abandon nor forsake us. The words of Mother Angelica from the EWTN channel in her talk show with a topic about Pride, Justice and Charity are so inspiring. She emphasized the things like disobedience and selfishness a s a form of pride. She cited an example of a person who smokes as being selfish because he/she shares something that could cause more harm to the health of the person who inhales the smoke and becomes a 2nd hand smoker.  She reiterated that a smoker could share better things to his/her fellowmen other than cigarette smoke. She further said that there is a need for us to develop self knowledge and be able to determine the areas in our life that is not like Jesus. All saints worked hard to be like Jesus. We must remember to do things on a holy level no matter what happens whether it be by God’s ordaining will or permitting will. What’s important is that we know ourselves, know the truth, use it wisely and pray. People have lost the concept of justice and sometimes people in authority like the parents, teachers and even the religious do not use their authority wisely.  Sometimes we no longer know what is the truth so the need for prayer must always be acknowledged and done constantly.  She said to a caller in her show that God wants our prayers answered as much as we do. If we are confident of this truth then we should be overwhelmed with an unexplainable sense of joy most especially with what is said in today’s 1st reading. Amen. Hallelujah!.

Isaiah 35:4-7a

Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

Not once did the word of God ever failed. My mother used to say that God loves the fatherless and the widow in a very special way as if nothing else matters. I grew up as a child constantly hearing her say this and believing it myself as I was growing up and knowing more about the Lord. She has greatly influenced my faith in God. I should say that wherever she may be right now, which I feel, think and believe is in the company of God with all His angels and saints in heaven, her memory will live on forever in my heart and the hearts of the people whose lives she touched. According to St. Therese, the poorer you are the more Jesus will love you. The world's point of view is very contradictory to the beatitudes. The world chooses strength over weakness and poverty. What seems to be foolish for the world and folly to man is wisdom to God. Jesus is attracted to our poverty and weakness because it is where we meet Jesus. Unlike the world who is attracted to strength and hires the smartest and world’s greatest. We have all kinds of difficulties and struggles. These are what drive us to Christ to cling to Him. Instead of always trying to complain and talk about it what we do is keep our eyes on the Lord. Sometimes He places something before us that He wants us to do. The challenge for us is to turn to Him in our weakness and cling to Him in prayer, faith, hope, love and abandon ourselves to Him. Let us trust God's mastery and expertise to mold and make of us a masterpiece, a genuine work of His hands. Today’s psalm reading mentioned the word captives which reminded me of priest’s talk on “New Kind of War” several years ago. There are always captives in war and he mentioned that we, Christians must be aware of the war that our adversary, the devil is waging on us. We have a very committed and determined adversary. Looking at the present moral condition of people here in the US he said that he is not surprised at all at how things are turning out in the present moment since the moral demise of a country precedes the ultimate demise. Whatever may be happening around us and could be getting worse with each passing day, we can be assured that God will help His friends but not His enemies. We need to know on which side we are. It is indeed a difficult battle we are facing in our lives but we must remember that human beings do not do well when all is well. We are strengthened by the trials just like steel that is subjected to heat in order to temper it. Greatness is forced on a lot of people just like what happened to those people after the incident in the Sept. 11 tragedy. It is pushed in the crucible of tribulation but despite of it we can be assured of the promises stated in today psalm. We should continue to rely on our one true source of help for only Him can satisfy our soul. God's help is all the help we need, nothing more and nothing less. We ought to realize by now what the wisest thing to do is not based in the standard of the world but of the Lord our God. Our confidence and trust must rest on the Lord alone who makes all good things possible. If we will always fill our hearts with gratitude and praise for the Lord then we will realize how things in our life turned out for good which seem to be not the case at the time it was happening for our God is faithful and everything that is said in today's psalm. Our hope should only be in the Lord for He alone keeps faith, secures justice, gives good, sets captives free, gives sight to the blind and raises up the lowly. It is a consolation to know and be reminded of it so as to always keep in mind that we have a God who is everything that we ever need, want and long for.

If God is able to do all things then there is really nothing to fear. We can always count on God to make things turn out for the best. Let us not be dismayed or discouraged by our circumstances for He will surely fulfill what He has promised. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (1b)  Praise the Lord, my soul!

or:

Alleluia.

The LORD keeps faith forever, 7 secures justice for the oppressed, gives good to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. (R) 8 The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those that were bowed down. The LORD loves the just. 9 The LORD protects strangers. (R) The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. 10 The LORD shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

It's tough to love the unlovable much more to love them as ourselves. I had the chance of watching the movie of Pope John Paul II and was very touched by his love for the poor and the sick. He visited Mother Teresa and even said that if only possible he would rather stay  and exercise his office right at the heart of the place where the abandoned and rejected of the society are. The 2nd reading today reminds us to always have the willingness to always be of service to whoever that person may be. Amen. Hallelujah!

James 2:1-5

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please, ” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

Today's gospel tells us of a deaf and mute person healed by Jesus. It is noteworthy that Jesus took him off by himself away from the crowd. We could somehow apply this to ourselves in the sense that we too have to take off by ourselves with Jesus on our side so that we can spend a one on one time with God and really focus and feel His presence in our lives. We have to press closer to God and huddle together just like spending quality bonding time with a loved one. It surely feels good. Is there anything more in our lives that we can't give to God in prayer without trusting and believing that He will do what is best for us? No impediment is big enough for God. He is able to carry us through anything. Whenever we make our choices we must be sure to choose the one that is the best which is to always choose God above anything else. For He alone is capable of making all things well now and forever. Sometimes we have a tendency to always focus on the outward appearances and results without paying much attention to the more essential things. Jesus did a lot of wonders, signs and miracles and there's no more doubt that He is indeed God and powerful. How come in today's gospel Jesus is telling those people who witnessed His miracles not to tell the others. I guess more than our admiration and awe for all the obvious and visible wonderful things He had done, what He desires most of all is for us to go deeper in our faith which relies not only on the visible and the outward signs and miracles but more on the unseen and the things that are hoped for and yet to be known. Sometimes our minds have already been programmed to praise and thank God for the answered prayers and granted heart's desire but we tend to question God when things don't turn out the way we expected them to be. If we have been genuinely awed and convinced of the power of God then no amount of disappointment or discouragement should keep us from consistently believing in a God who will always make things work for good no matter how unpleasant things may seem to appear if we know that God is in control then we can always have a happy disposition and hope always that the best is yet to come. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 7:31-37

...He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 34 then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) 35 And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it. 37 And so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.