BACKBONE & MITOCHONDRIA

We see in the Old Testament the cultic practices that they have to do in order to be in contact with God. On the day of atonement, a high priest go to the holy of holies. God’s mysterious presence is simply uncontainable. An altar is sometimes referred to as God’s footstool. Pope Benedict XVI said that this rite is an expression of the desire to cast off sins. This appointed contact of God and man took place in the cross of Christ which took away our sins. It allowed human wretchedness and God’s Holiness to meet. God touches us today through material things, the outward sign of water and wine in the Holy Eucharist, in the water in Baptism, the oil in the Anointing, the Holy Orders and all other sacraments. This is what helps us to touch Him 2000 years later. We touch the Divine, through the sacraments and the proclamation of God’s word. This is how we make contact with God. God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus who already paid the price of our redemption at a great cost. His humility goes beyond the washing of the disciples' feet and extends up to His death like a criminal on a cross. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. There's no other way and we have no further excuse. He has given us the perfect example and a model to follow. St. Paul gives us instructions on the greatest legacy of Christianity, the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. A death freely accepted, Jesus left us a remembrance of His great love for us by giving up His body and blood. It is very important that we commemorate this as often as possible, by participating in the Eucharistic celebration during Holy mass.  Jesus makes us holy through the sacraments and builds us as a people of God. It is very significant for our everyday life that we recognize the identity of the Body of Christ and that we are one body. Jesus is the True Lamb and True Passover. He is the New Passover by looking at what He did on Maundy Thursday and instituted the Eucharist before He died on Good Friday as a victim of Divine love. He did it not as a substitute but as a representative so that he could reproduce Himself in us in His sonship.  As in Phil. 2:5 Jesus is reproducing His living sacrifice that transforms our bodies into His body. Suffering without love is unendurable. Love is precisely what transforms suffering into sacrifice. The Eucharist transforms the suffering into a sacrifice for us to partake the resurrected body. The resurrected body of Jesus is what we receive in the Eucharist and who Paul encountered on his way to Damascus. Jesus asked Paul, why do you persecute me? This is so because Jesus identifies himself to the Christians. The Holy Spirit inspires Paul the full teaching of the Eucharist. He introduces the Corinthians to the mystery as a Jew and well trained Pharisee. The lamb has to be sacrificed and celebrating Eucharistic liturgy is a requirement. It is the backbone and powerhouse of our spiritual life. In Jewish custom it is an act to take out all sin in order to receive God pure. Every time we are attending Holy Mass we remember the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, our Savior who took away our sin so that we may share in the life of God for eternity.  Amen. Hallelujah!

Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33

17 Brothers and sisters: In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact that your meetings are doing more harm than good. 18 First of all, I hear that when you meet as a church there are divisions among you, and to a degree I believe it; 19 there have to be factions among you... For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, 24 and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

We need to persevere in prayer so that as we improve and daily grow in His knowledge and ways then we can easily discern and be more sensitive of how God speaks to each one of us in a very close and personal way. We should always listen intently to what God is telling us so we could effectively carry out what He wants us to do. It is God's will that we engage in activities that will enrich and deepen our faith in Him. In order to love someone better we have to know him/her better. The more you know about a person the more you become close to each other. The same way with God there is a need to really know more or everything there is to know about God. We must not be distracted and dissuaded to do otherwise when beset with problems and difficulties. If we have developed a great sense of confidence and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ then we can fearlessly and undauntedly do whatever He wills for us. We've got the very best friend we can ever have in Jesus. All we have to do is listen to and follow Him. He is the Rising Sun and Light of the world who came to live with us to direct our feet into the path of peace.  Doing God’s will may not be easy but if we have placed it in the center of our hearts then it will just come naturally as it becomes the powerhouse or mitochondria of our beings. The transcendent nature of humanity calls for dialogue and human understanding. In the face of difficulty and sign of contradiction we should never lose heart. Remember these words from the gospel, Mt. 5:10-12, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Violence is not overcome by violence. The world needs God. Authentic weapon for peace is religious freedom as in to practice faith without coercion. Today we remember the plight of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who suffer greatly for the faith. We pray that religious freedom will not be eroded for those who can practice it. We continue to hope in the grace of God for that alone will suffice. It is also very important that we follow the example of Mary's perfect obedience to God's will so that we can find delight in following God's laws. May our Lord show us the path to peace and use us as instruments and builders of peace. Nothing should ever stop us from doing the will of God for it is ultimately the best option we've got. If we have developed a great sense of confidence and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ then we can fearlessly and undauntedly do whatever He wills for us. Once we've known who God is and what He is capable of doing in our lives then there is really nothing that should stop us in saying with all our hearts the responsorial psalm for today. Amen. Hallelujah! 

P S A L M 

Psalm 40:7-8a. 8b-9. 10. 17

R: Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

6 [7] Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; 7 [8] then said I, “Behold I come.” (R) In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, 8 [9] to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!”  (R) 9 [10] I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

As Catholics, we are all familiar of these words from today's gospel (Lord I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof …) because it has become a very important part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. What's interesting here is that not everybody is fully aware of the fact that these are the very words of a centurion.  The following statements are information that can be found in the internet about them. It says, "The backbone of the Roman army were the centurions. The centurions were legionaries and they were clearly noticed because they wore a special helmet, and a more ornate harness of much better quality. They carried a short vinewood staff as a symbol of rank. They worked their way up the ranks as soldiers, and were promoted for their dedication and courage. They were loyal and courageous and were noticed by the general for their skill and courage in battle, and were made officers." -end- We can learn a lot from the good example of this centurion in today's gospel. It is also noteworthy that in Mark 15:37-39 it is written, "Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!" It was really a pagan and also a centurion who first got it right because he saw the cross of Jesus as the sign of His Kingship. This means that if it was the centurion pagan who first got it right which means salvation is for everybody even to the pagans and the Gentiles. it makes perfect sense that it matches in a way the description for the centurion which is the backbone. It makes perfect sense that the powerhouse or mitochondria matches in a way the description for the centurion which is the backbone. Come to think of it, the backbone like the mitochondria is an important cell and body part that is vital to our existence. Applying these to our faith, there is no doubt that it illustrates to us the need for these vital components for the life of our souls. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 7:1-10

...“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. 7 Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”...