ABOVE SOME POINT OF VIEW

God permitted our present situations and for sure after all we've been through and done with much prayers and supplications that whatever may be the outcome it will always be for the best. We should always believe that if God deemed it necessary that we go through something then it is for the best. This is what most of us fail to understand when we have to go through some challenges and trials. We should thank God for the experience gained and lessons learned during these times.  Although we sometimes still feel uncertain and anxious but what should keep us going is the assurance that God is giving us daily in His word. Just like Paul who had to go through a mountain load of problems and be faced with difficult decisions and compelled to take a specific action in response to God's call we should take courage because the Lord said so. We bear the name of Jesus and with that come the courage to take each step to go forward and beyond the road where God brings us. We believe in God and we have a reverence that God is greater than ourselves. We should exemplify all virtues and radiate them. The truth of our faith is so important and so true that nothing can change them no matter where you are and who you are. We must believe to the point that we are willing to die for God. We should believe and show the world that we know what is true and nothing can change that. We have to take courage because it is not enough that we know the truth but that it is harder to keep the truth and make an impact in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 22:30; 23: 6-11

...the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

I have always been amazed of the fact that the scriptures of the Old Testament has always been spoken of as the foreshadowing of the New Testament which is the fulfillment of everything that was written. The apostles were able to connect Jesus to the scriptures in the Old Testament and became very convinced that He is indeed the Messiah and Savior of the world. The 1st reading and the Psalm reading for today were written a thousand years apart. This is judging from the timeline of the reign of King David (1000BC) to whom the Psalms were attributed  but we can detect the uniformity of the message regarding the end times and the resurrection. We live in a dynamic world and it changes so fast. They say that nowadays, whatever we hold true for now may not be the case later. It is a consolation to know that in the midst of this unsure world we still have something that we can hold on to. The words of God can stand the test of time and will remain to be true from generation to generation. There may be some negative speculations and forecasts that are being hurled right in front of us about our present situations most especially with the uncertainty and unpredictability of prevailing conditions. We need to keep this in mind, only God can keep us safe from all harm. A holy man once said this, "If we don't go to the desert we have nothing to bring in the marketplace." If we have no prayer then nothing works. We have to pray. We need to take time to be alone with God because if we don't, then we make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy. The scriptures tell us of stories based on real life experiences of holy men and women who lived at a different time and period than today. It is a consolation to know that the God of yesterday is still God of today and tomorrow. This gives us the confidence to really hold on to Him for He is living and true now and forevermore. The message of the readings tells us to turn our gaze on the inevitable which is sure to come. If we try to look at the facts of life there are very few things that we can permanently hold on to. All these things will come to pass and we will all eventually leave this world no matter how long we may have lived already, it will eventually come to an end. When that final day comes we must be found prepared and ready for the inheritance that God gives us. When we went to Las Vegas I saw that one of the shows we can watch for entertainment is a magician named Angel. I was reminded of the time when he was a guest in Oprah. He wowed the viewers and the crowd by being able to predict 5 days before the show the things that Oprah and 2 random guests from thousands of people from  the audience are going to say. He wrote in a piece of paper these three things: delicious, John and Kevin and kept them in a suitcase with a surveillance camera on for 5 days so that no one can see it or even come near it before the show. What’s very interesting was the fact that on the day of the show when Oprah was asked what word comes to her mind she answered, “delicious” and the other 2 who were chosen randomly from almost more than a thousand crowd along Michigan Ave. in Chicago. It was done by throwing a ball and whoever catches it will be the one who will be asked. The man from the crowd who got the ball was asked the name of his first pet and he answered, “John” while the woman who  got the other ball was asked who was her first kiss and she answered, “ Kevin”. All of their answers matched the 3 things that he wrote 5 days in advance. It was kind of unbelievable to see something like this and couldn’t quite come up with a good explanation how it came to be. If it was just a trick he did make a good presentation because it appeared very convincing. How can a man predict in advance the things that these people are going to say? If this man who claims to have the power of prediction was able to do it all the more can a powerful God predict our future. But we must keep in mind that it’s choice not chance that determines our destiny. There is only one real failure in life that is possible and that is not to be true to the best one knows. We should always settle for best and make God our choice. For there is nothing more assuring than the fact that we have a loving God and Father who surely has our destiny secure. We must be secured in the knowledge that as children of God our Father we are heirs of His Kingdom and co-owners of this vast creation. May we find the Lord as the only treasure in our lives worth keeping. When God calls us for a task we should always be ready, willing and able to follow Him no matter what the cost. Always follow where the Lord leads us. Nothing else could be worth more than God's inheritance. Sometimes we are confronted with so many allurements that we begin to be influenced by the way the world judges things. Let us always hold fast to God's views and ideals that we may not lose sight of the path to life and our inheritance. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R: Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

...LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you have made my destiny secure...

 I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. (R) 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; 10 because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. (R) 11 You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.

Our confidence lies in the truth in today's gospel. Jesus cares for us, he even prayed for us. If only we will truly be one with Jesus in all aspects of our lives and be totally united with Him then there is no more room for doubt that God who is Almighty, All Powerful, Immortal and Holy is able to make good things happen in our life and be a living testimony and reflection of God. What binds all the virtues together is love. All virtues should be motivated by love which articulates them all. We can use love for the service of God. Love is our motivation that makes the machine of an organism move and to speak God and His will. Love inspired in our hearts makes us give ourselves to others. We have to guard ourselves, too. There are times when we fight for a good cause which takes anger to keep us moving. We become driven by anger and we need to be above these things. It must be humble work and we have to be above some point of view. It should exactly be the kind of love that today's gospel speaks about. It is also noteworthy that chapter 13 of John up to today’s gospel which is taken from chapter 17 is parallel with the 5 books of the Old Testament. Chapter 13 speaks of the  last supper and a farewell speech of Jesus which is parallel to Deuteronomy 32, the long prayer of Moses wherein he encouraged and emphasized the importance to obey the law and concludes the book with long prayers in chapters 32-33. We have to pay attention to how our Lord Jesus is doing something similar to what Moses has done. Putting together what Moses had done we would find that Christ is doing the same. It is important for us to keep coming back to all the gospels. If we may recall, at the very beginning of John 2 Jesus starts his public ministry at the wedding of Cana when he responded to the request of Mary that His hour has not come. While in chapter 13, he said that the hour has come. Obviously, the sense of the hour is to designate the final movement by which He redeems the world through obedience to the Father. He wanted to bring this out through the gospel. In chapters 5 and 8 we repeatedly read Jesus saying that the Father and I are one. He also asks the Father to give Him glory but He does not cling to the gifts that the Father gives Him but always return the glory to God. He would always say that everything of mine is yours. Christ is giving us an inner life, a deeper insight to the true meaning or the substance of the divinity through Him. No mere creature would be capable of accepting infinity from the Father only the Infinite Son but it is His nature to give it back to the Father and not cling to it. St. Augustine said that mutual self giving of one person to the other personifies the Holy Spirit. The gift of eternal life is the very purpose that the Father sent Him to the world. In John 6 the purpose of giving Himself through the Eucharist is the way to have eternal life.  He reveals the name of God which is Father. It is so powerful that it makes them one. Some denominations have stopped baptizing in the name of the Father. The name Father can not be eliminated from our faith since it gives strength and make us one. Jesus always say, “I have not come to do my will but the will of my Father. My disciples are those who keep my word. Those who remain in Him the Father and the Son will remain in Him.” The words of Jesus has the power to unify us with the Father & Son and bring us to eternal life. It is well to meditate on these words of Jesus and imbibe wisdom which is the key to understanding the relationship of Jesus and the Father by which we are to live and bring us to eternal life. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me… I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

A DAY LIKE NO OTHER

We are called to perform a priestly function. Just like Paul, we too are called for a mission. It may not be the same one as what he did and may be just a simple task that we do daily or it could be a very difficult one but what's most important is our commitment and consistency to carry it out and really offer it to God. It is in these situations when we are compelled by the Spirit to do something that challenges our faith and put it to the test.   In doing so, we encounter difficulties and hardships to the point of uncertainty. In the face of adversity and in this time of great trial do we bear witness to the gospel of God's grace. No matter how tough the opposition may be around us, pressing from all sides we must not waiver nor falter. Not everyone may understand or agree with our convictions and firm stand in the small or big things that we do but what matters most is that we do it for the greater glory of God. If we really claim to be God's faithful followers and hope to be part of His great Kingdom in Heaven then we are held responsible to truly become His witnesses. The kind of life we live is our testimony and witness to Jesus Christ. Sometimes we are too focused on so many things that we tend to forget this most vital truth about our existence.  St. Paul in today's 1st reading got it very clearly and fought hard for it since he said, "Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace." He also sort of gave a warning when he further said, "...I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”  It is time that we examine our way of life and make sure that we are right on track. Life on earth is not easy but we can follow St. Paul who was called by Jesus though he never had the chance to see Him in the flesh. When Jesus revealed Himself to him on the way to Damascus St. Paul lived his life like he never did before. He got converted and believed in Him. There are so many mysteries in life that we may never come to understand. We may not realize it but we are going through the same process of St. Paul in his way to Damascus, but we are too busy and preoccupied with other things we fail to see God's revelation in our lives. Sometimes we tend to wait for the extraordinary things before we can get our attention to God. These things extraordinaire are not too pleasant for us sometimes that we end up turning away from God. We only tend to see these things in our life in a very narrow and limited way. We need to abandon ourselves totally to God and allow Him to lead us. We can never find the best example in anyone or elsewhere but in Jesus  of Nazareth. Jesus was obedient to the Father even to his passion and death. When we see Jesus’ sufferings on the cross then we behold the Son of God and believe. Hearing and understanding things is a process and come through the cross. There is no other way than the way Jesus did. When we don’t know God’s word and Jesus then the devil can easily snatch our faith out of our hearts. It is important to study and learn about our faith. We need to see the plan of God in Jesus. Notice the difference in Matthew 8:14-15, “Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. “  And also in Matthew 13:1, “On that day, Jesus went out of the house …” Matthew 13 is all about parables of the Kingdom of God, the people did not understand Him but when He went into the house of Peter the disciples understood Him. The house of Peter signifies the Church, and outside the church there is no understanding of Jesus’ teaching. When we stand from outside of the Church and the faith there is no understanding of Jesus and the plan of God. Just imagine ourselves standing inside the Church and looking at the stained glass windows. We see the images in detail and in full color but if we are from outside the Church what we see is darkness, and kind of shadowy unable to see its full color and detail. This happens when we stand from outside of the faith. The light illuminates the window and we see clearly from inside the church and believe as it illuminates the life of Jesus. Only from within the Church can we understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God which is actually what Jesus is teaching us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 20:17-27

...But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, 23 except that in one city after another the holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. 24 Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace. 25 “But now I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again. 26 And so I solemnly declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, 27 for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”

I grew up without a father because he died when I was barely 3 years old. My nanay (mother) was the only one who practically raised us up when we were still very young then. With all that we've been through, I can never ask God for more, for He was with us every step of the way just as nanay had said and believed when she was still living always emphasizing God's special care to orphans and widows. This should remind us why we must always be hopeful in His divine providence. Aren't we all blessed to have a God and Father who is our Savior and Redeemer. There are still more to be thankful about and it made me realize that if we will only be focusing more on the goodness and blessings that God send our way then there is really no more reason for us to be afraid or be discouraged. There is no doubt that God will always come to our rescue and will never forsake nor abandon. We all go through different situations and circumstances in life. Some of them do not make any sense. if we fail to acknowledge the power of God moving in it. There are numerous things that we can think, focus and decide on but there’s only one thing I am sure of. We’ve got to acknowledge that God’s power remains to be above all things no matter what it may seem to be. These experiences we have been through should bring our faith to greater depths, heights and lengths that we never could have thought or imagined possible. We can associate today's psalm with the first beatitude which is, "Blessed are they who are poor in spirit theirs is the kingdom of God." We can always find solace and consolation in the words of God but more than these is the truth that His words go beyond these feelings and emotions. Our God is able to bring into reality what He said He would do. The Holy Spirit is invisible but we can see its effects. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, peace, joy, kindness, goodness, patience, self control, humility, modesty, chastity and faithfulness. We should all be reflecting these fruits in our lives. We may still have a long way to go but we can start now. We need to make these effects visible by making the Holy Spirit work through our lives. Whether it be in the face of hardship, embarrassment, ridicule and always under the scrutiny of the self righteous judgments of other people, if we know that we've ran the race, finished to the end and fought a good fight of faith at all cost we can be assured of God's abiding presence. The Lord pours down His blessing on us. We have a task to do for the greater glory of God.

In our Catholicism study in St. Martha the speaker cited an example why we Catholics look up highly and venerate Mama Mary. He took Monalisa the famous and considered one of the masterpieces if not the greatest work of art of Leonardo Da Vinci. He said that Mama Mary is a reflection of God's greatness and His greatest masterpiece or creation. He explained further by citing another example of the moon getting its brightness from the sun. That's the true basis of Mary's greatness that some people even us Catholics do not realize so well. Our veneration and devotion to Mary is a way of worshipping God since we confess to the power of God manifested in the Blessed Mother. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 68:10-11. 20-21

R: Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

9 [10] A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance; you restored the land when it languished; 10 [11] your flock settled in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy. (R) 19 [20] Blessed day by day be the Lord, who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation. 20 [21] God is a saving God for us; the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.

Something good is going to happen this very day. This day is a special day and is definitely not like any other. We have to believe that God has designed everything according to His wonderful plan for us. Sometimes we find ourselves led to the events and situation in our lives like we have never imagined. It was all too unbelievable that sometimes we come to this point when we almost feel like we don't know where to go and what to do.  This should not wear us out and down but rather hold on to God's promise that He will fulfill in His most perfect time. In whatever situation we have in life we are called to respond to God as is where is. Sometimes we make things more difficult than it really is when we make all kinds of excuses and alibis just to get away with the fact that we already know what we're supposed to do but just don't want to do it because only we ourselves know it and nobody else. God our Father, Brother and Comforter surely speaks to the person concerned first and foremost and not to anybody else. All we have to do is just keep our communication lines with Him always open especially through prayers. Once we've known it then we can already give our commitment and full conviction to do and accomplish what God is asking of us so that we can give glory to Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 17:1-11a

1 Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come…I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.

WE ARE NOT ALONE

We should have an attitude and impression that everything is bound to fall into place if we strive to attain the enrichment of our spiritual life. We would just be surprised and overwhelmed by the various opportunities that come our way that manifest that we are truly blessed as God is equipping us with the necessary things for the growth and strengthening of our faith.  We should be asking ourselves the same question in today's 1st reading. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the special strength to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Jesus Christ, in order to confess the name of Christ boldly and never to be ashamed of the cross.  And to put into word and action, the way that we live our faith. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 19:1-8

...“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” ...He said, "How were you baptized?" ...And when Paul laid (his) hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied...

I grew up without a father because he died when I was barely 3 years old. My nanay (mother) was the only one who practically raised us up when we were still very young then. With all that we've been through, I can never ask God for more, for He was with us every step of the way just as nanay had said and believed when she was still living always emphasizing God's special care to orphans and widows. This should remind us why we must always be hopeful in His divine providence. Aren't we all blessed to have a God and Father who is our Savior and Redeemer. There are still more to be thankful about and it made me realize that if we will only be focusing more on the goodness and blessings that God send our way then there is really no more reason for us to be afraid or be discouraged. There is no doubt that God will always come to our rescue and will never forsake nor abandon. We all go through different situations and circumstances in life. Some of them do not make any sense. if we fail to acknowledge the power of God moving in it. There are numerous things that we can think, focus and decide on but there’s only one thing I am sure of. We’ve got to acknowledge that God’s power remains to be above all things no matter what it may seem to be. These experiences we have been through should bring our faith to greater depths, heights and lengths that we never could have thought or imagined possible. We can associate today's psalm with the first beatitude which is, "Blessed are they who are poor in spirit theirs is the kingdom of God." We can always find solace and consolation in the words of God but more than these is the truth that His words go beyond these feelings and emotions. Our God is able to bring into reality what He said He would do. The Holy Spirit is invisible but we can see its effects. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, peace, joy, kindness, goodness, patience, self control, humility and faithfulness. We should all be reflecting these fruits in our lives. We may still have a long way to go but we can start now. We need to make these effects visible by making the Holy Spirit work through our lives. Whether it be in the face of hardship, embarrassment, ridicule and always under the scrutiny of the self righteous judgments of other people, if we know that we've ran the race, finished to the end and fought a good fight of faith at all cost we can be assured of God's abiding presence. The Lord pours down His blessing on us. We have a task to do for the greater glory of God.

In our Catholicism study in St. Martha the speaker cited an example why we Catholics look up highly and venerate Mama Mary. He took Monalisa the famous and considered one of the masterpieces if not the greatest work of art of Leonardo Da Vinci. He said that Mama Mary is a reflection of God's greatness and His greatest masterpiece or creation. He explained further by citing another example of the moon getting its brightness from the sun. That's the true basis of Mary's greatness that some people even us Catholics do not realize so well. Our veneration and devotion to Mary is a way of worshipping God since we confess to the power of God manifested in the Blessed Mother. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab

R: Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.

1 [2] God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him…3 [4] The just rejoice and exult before God; they are glad and rejoice. 4 [5] Sing to God, chant praise to his name, whose name is the LORD. (R) 5 [6] The father of orphans and the defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling. 6 [7] God gives a home to the forsaken; he leads forth prisoners to prosperity. 

Upon reading today's gospel all the more did I get convinced that God knows exactly what each one of us is going through. These nice words that He said are all very reassuring and encouraging that if we will only take seriously what He is telling us everyday then we would realize that not even the PDA (public display of affection) that boyfriends and girlfriends do will ever be enough to show God how much we should appreciate and love Him. It is good to know that we can be totally attached and cling to Him without any fear of being dumped for another when a better one comes along. He is a dependable, reliable, trustworthy and faithful God. God became man and this means that He thinks the whole world of us. He would never leave nor forsake us. We need to realize always that we are never alone because we have God our Father. It's important for us to remember that we have been given the Holy Spirit. As St. John Mary Vianney puts it, it is much like a horse carriage that will lead us to heaven. But we have to allow ourselves to be carried to that place and unless we truly commit to it then we may never get there. Or a rifle that needs to be fired in order to serve its purpose, in other words we have to pull the trigger.  The Spirit cries within us, Abba Father. If we sometimes feel lonely and depressed we ought to realize that the Holy Spirit rouses the hearts of the weary. Let us focus on Jesus in today's gospel when He himself knew that He will be abandoned. He said we will have trouble but we have to take courage because He has overcome the world. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 16:29-33

...Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

WANNA SEE YOUR FUTURE?

There was this sharing in Didache entitled, "In His time" and it just hit me straight in the heart. Just like this lady who wrote it, I am in a period of waiting and significantly enough is on my 7th year. She said in her sharing, "I opted to “wait for further instructions” and accepted a part-time job in a nearby school in the meantime. Three years later, I was invited to serve in the Basic Ecclesial Community of that parish. It turned out to be a much bigger job than any ministry I could have started on my own. I heard the Lord correctly three years earlier but it was only prophetic. It was not yet His time. I’m glad I chose to “remain in the city” — working only in the vicinity and ready to be uprooted anytime. So when He called, I was available."

In Oct. 7 2007, I too heard the Lord's message through Habakkuk 2:2-3 “Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the

tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.”. 

I am now on my 7th year of waiting and still counting that is why when I read this sharing and today's 1st reading it all just connected. They say there is no such thing as coincidence only divine providence and I truly believe in this. We may all have reached a point where we run out of answers to the questions we have. We never expected that things would sometimes turn out the way it did. If we had only known then we would have opted to do things differently. We come up with a lot of speculations as to whether things are going to get better or worse or how things should be done. Although there had been some inconsistencies and misgivings, for as long as we have already complied in everything that is possible in order to meet all the requirements then we should put our cases to rest. Despite the oppressing reality of the uncertainty of a situation we would be surprised at how we manage to still carry on with everyday life. It helps to always take notes and journal our daily walk with the Lord. In doing so it allows us to recall and remember the important reminders in life. Just like the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. When they were about to lose hope after everything they had been through from beginning to until close to the end which looked like nothing good is going to happen, Sam Witwicky still stood his ground and believed. There are times too when things start to look really bad and looking back at all of it we can borrow his words in the movie when he said, "We wouldn't have gone this long and far for nothing, I believe there is a reason and a purpose why we are here.” They say there is no such thing as coincidence only divine providence and I truly believe in this. The people we meet, the places we go to and the situations we are confronted with speak volumes of messages to us. They confirm, emphasize and make us reflect on vital issues in our life. Marvelous signs, wonders and miracles, these are only teasers of what really await us. We have to be wise and know where our loyalty lies. Come to think of how God arranges the events in our lives in a wonderful pattern that if we really take a close look and pay attention to our God we'll find out that every single thing works and happen for a wonderful reason which are all bound to work for good.  I can still remember during the writing phase of my MS thesis way back in 2002 when I was told by my adviser after finishing the manuscript that I still have to include the statistical treatment for my experimental data. I was so confident already that statistical data is no longer needed for my experiment since I thought it is not applicable to microorganisms. I have done so many experimental tests already and thought that my work can obviously stand alone without it. I was wrong, I did need it and I was surprised at how the statistician applied several tests and proved without reasonable doubt that all my results were significant and with a high confidence level. Without it my thesis from my own point of view is in itself sufficient but it has to satisfy all requirements in order for me to successfully defend it. It is a consolation that today's 1st reading gives us an assurance that through the power of the Holy Spirit all things are possible. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts of the Apostles 1,1-11.

He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak;...he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father... "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."...Sometimes we marvel at people who are able to see through the future or are able to forecast things even before they happen. I know only of one thing that there is no need for us to consult any other except God who resides in our hearts through His Spirit dwelling in us through the sacramental life of the Church. There is a lot more about Jesus our God that we haven't known yet. Looking back from the time of Abraham to the time when Jesus came and thereafter is just more than we all could ever handle. Every single day of our life is an opportunity to discover more and more about a God who loves us more than we'll ever come to know. There are lots of insights and opinions that could be brought up and help pave the way for a broader understanding of God's word. Different points of view and personal observations could be raised which could make us realize that when looked at the specific angle where the person who said it was coming from can never be judged as wrong. We all have this personal differences and unique characteristics but what's most important is that we recognize our inadequacies that even if we fail to fully embody the infinite wisdom and intelligence of God and just reflect a tiny bit but when put together under the lordship of God our King can amount to some thing really inspiring and great. When we contribute to the wholeness of God's people and become one then indeed, we are the body of the Church and the temple of God where God reigns as the Head and King. We have a wonderful God worthy of all praise. We all belong to the Creator of this world where we live, the God Most High. There is no other greater dignity than this to be sons and daughters of God who is King of kings, Lord of lords and Almighty God who is with us. I’ve been doing my daily run no matter how toxic and tiring it is at times. It was all worth it because exercise does not just benefit our health but can also become a source of enjoyment. When we get to see the beautiful view of the outdoors like brightly colored green trees, flowers, mountain, tiny little squirrels running in the sidewalks amidst the sound of whistling birds, rustling of the leaves as the cool refreshing wind blow in our faces and spread the pleasant scent of the different plants along the way, they could create a wonderful and invigorating feeling which leaves us in awe of our God who is the Creator of all.  We just might find ourselves singing this song.

You are beautiful beyond description

Too marvelous for words

Too wonderful for comprehension

Like nothing ever seen or heard

Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom

Who can fathom the depth of Your love

You are beautiful beyond description

Majesty enthroned above

Chorus:

And I stand (I stand) I stand (I stand) in awe of You

I stand (I stand) I stand (I stand) in awe of You

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Repeat Chorus

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 (6)
R: God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
1 [2] All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, 2 [3] for the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth. We should hope and pray that the work that God has commissioned for each one of us to do to build up the body of Christ and to spread the good news will attain to the fulfillment of its ultimate and highest goal in making Christ known to all people. The gate of heaven has been opened through Jesus and we have gained for ourselves an access to heaven. The tomb is empty and the fullness of His glory is truly present in us all. Jesus both God and Man has taken humanity into a new intimacy with God and invites us to a communion in Jesus Christ. He is the one who ascends to heaven, something that we can not do of our own power. But He enters into the fullness of His priesthood just like what the 2nd reading tells us today. May we continue to be open and experience the awe that is characteristic of our God who never stops to inspire us. For God can satisfy all aspect of our lives, it is no longer a question of faith. In all these things, to God be the glory!

Amen. Hallelujah!

Letter to the Ephesians 1,17-23.

...May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might,...

We see in today's gospel the divine power of Jesus Christ as He ascended into heaven. He is now seated in the throne at right hand of the Father. He has passed from death to another life beyond time and space after His resurrection. The risen body of Christ was not recognized immediately by Mary Magdalene and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. His appearance was different in the resurrection from His earthly presence. His humanity has entered into the glory of God. He was filled by the power of the Holy Spirit and sharing in the divine light of God's glory. He is fully present in the spiritual realm of the God the Father. Something of course that He has from the very beginning since He shares in God's full divinity. He just wanted to share this glory to us. He has entered into the glory of God to inspire us, the faithful to offer our homage and adoration. The glory of God that appears and disappears can only be discovered in the realm of faith. He is inspiring faith in each one of us. His resurrection has reached its full significance in this salvific event, His triumph and victory over sin and death. We remember that He was condemned to death for claiming that He was the Son of God. With His resurrection, He is confirmed and raised by the Father. Not raised like Lazarus who died again but He is raised never to die again. He said that when He is lifted up we would know that He is the Son of God and confirms His claim about His divinity. He has defeated sin and death. We are truly free. His resurrection is the principle and source of our resurrection. He is the source of new life for everyone and manifests our adoption as children of God. He is life itself. It is a hope that inspires faith and charity in us towards Him. He is the source of life and our future resurrection. He dwells in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery we come in contact with in the resurrection. In the ascension we see an even greater or another difference in the veiled glory of the risen one and that of Christ ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, who is His Father and our Father. Remember He said to Mary "Do not touch me as I have yet not ascended to the Father." As He ascended in the clouds and into heaven we look upon the full glory of God. The clouds symbolizes the fullness of glory as we recall in the Old Testament the clouds that descends in Mt. Sinai and the Transfiguration (Lk. 9:35) in the New Testament. These speak of the fullness of glory. The resurrection and ascension, all confirm that Jesus Christ is alive. Pope Benedict says that the ascension does not imply a temporary absence in the world but rather inaugurated the new, definitive and insuppressible form of His presence by virtue of His participation in the royal power of God. We find in today's gospel that Jesus told them that all power in heaven and on earth has been given to him. This has inspired and empowered them as they became His witnesses and told the world of what He has done. In this communion with Jesus and in His power over death, to resurrect and ascend into heaven, we too have the power to proclaim what He has done for us. We all have the mission to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in whatever way we can by our actions, love and words. Jesus gives to us His Holy Spirit and He hands over to us everything that He is. Each one of us has his or her own calling and it is well to know what God is asking us to do. In whatever it is that we do we can well be assured of the truth that He will always confirm it through accompanying signs. We would know deep in our hearts whatever it is that God wants us to do. No matter how big or small the task may be God will never leave us groping in the dark and will always hold us by the hand to guide and enlighten us in the path that He wants us to take. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 28:16-20
16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped, but they doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age .”

THE TRIANGLE OF LIFE

I could never forget the time when Bernadeth and I decided to go for a walk and went all the way to Mt. SAC which is 5 miles away from our place. I never thought that we would be able to do it and were  still able to make it by walking back. Whew! We had been going for a walk whenever we had the chance but I guess, that was the farthest and longest walk  I’d ever done in my entire life, it took us almost 3 hours. I was urging Bernadeth to go back from time to time even before we reached Mt. SAC but she never seemed to get tired and just couldn't stop. I decided I can give it a try and did my best to catch up with her fast pace. I realized that we need to challenge ourselves from time to time in order for us to improve our performance and I did and it felt good. This principle can also be applied in our personal knowledge and relationship with God. Which is the message impressed in today’s 1st reading since it made me think that there is always room for improvement.   It also made me realize how blessed I am to take part in the Catholicism and bible study we regularly attended every Tuesday and Thursday at St. Martha’s Church several years ago which has become a great source of wisdom to further improve my knowledge about God. If we think we are already doing good with our faith then it's about time we move on to the next level to better and best. The EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) Channel, Global Catholic Network has been a great help also for Catholics who have been journeying in the faith. All their programs and speakers have certainly been doing their assignments and doing a great job. Those who have been following them on television and online know exactly what I am talking about and for those who have not, it's about time to see and find out for yourself. It's absolutely a great consolation that we can have access to things like these that allow us to understand and grow in our faith. We have an obligation to guard our faith and be confident in it by knowing everything there is to know. Let us not deprive ourselves of these opportunities when we get to meet, watch or hear people like Apollos in today's 1st reading who certainly know what they are preaching about. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 18:23-28

...A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the scriptures...establishing from the scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.

Sometimes we marvel at people who are able to see through the future or are able to forecast things even before they happen. I know only of one thing that there is no need for us to consult any other except God who resides in our hearts through His Spirit dwelling in us through the sacramental life of the Church. There is a lot more about Jesus our God that we haven't known yet. Looking back from the time of Abraham to the time when Jesus came and thereafter is just more than we all could ever handle. Every single day of our life is an opportunity to discover more and more about a God who loves us more than we'll ever come to know. There are lots of insights and opinions that could be brought up and help pave the way for a broader understanding of God's word. Different points of view and personal observations could be raised which could make us realize that when looked at the specific angle where the person who said it was coming from can never be judged as wrong. We all have this personal differences and unique characteristics but what's most important is that we recognize our inadequacies that even if we fail to fully embody the infinite wisdom and intelligence of God and just reflect a tiny bit but when put together under the lordship of God our King can amount to some thing really inspiring and great. When we contribute to the wholeness of God's people and become one then indeed, we are the body of the Church and the temple of God where God reigns as the Head and King. We have a wonderful God worthy of all praise. We all belong to the Creator of this world where we live, the God Most High. There is no other greater dignity than this to be sons and daughters of God who is King of kings, Lord of lords and Almighty God who is with us. I’ve been doing my daily run no matter how toxic and tiring it is at times. It was all worth it because exercise does not just benefit our health but can also become a source of enjoyment. When we get to see the beautiful view of the outdoors like brightly colored green trees, flowers, mountain, tiny little squirrels running in the sidewalks amidst the sound of whistling birds, rustling of the leaves as the cool refreshing wind blow in our faces and spread the pleasant scent of the different plants along the way, they could create a wonderful and invigorating feeling which leaves us in awe of our God who is the Creator of all.  We just might find ourselves singing this song.

You are beautiful beyond description

Too marvelous for words

Too wonderful for comprehension

Like nothing ever seen or heard

Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom

Who can fathom the depth of Your love

You are beautiful beyond description

Majesty enthroned above

Chorus:

And I stand (I stand) I stand (I stand) in awe of You

I stand (I stand) I stand (I stand) in awe of You

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Repeat Chorus

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 47:2-3. 8-9. 10

R: God is king of all the earth.

1 [2] All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, 2 [3] for the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth.

The more we get to know about a person the better our relationship will be with each other. We can only develop a strong bond if we are willing to invest in a relationship. Sometimes even the years of being together and the intimacy shared are not enough to keep it intact. We have seen several relationships during our lifetime that we thought are bound to last for a lifetime but did not. Where did we go wrong? That is often the question being asked by people who thought that their relationship is for keeps. There are so many things that are not known to us like the answers to such questions that remain uncertain. We can think of numerous things that are yet to be answered at this time. We can not claim to know everything but we can always rely on someone who knows everything. He knows and sees all things. He is in perfect control and always in charge. If only we could realize this important truth that we can depend on God always. We may have experienced failed relationships despite our best efforts but with God nothing is wasted. We've got to know the power of the triangular relationship. All our relationships with anyone or anything should not just be two way but rather trio. It should form a triangle wherein each angle is connected with the other. These 3 angles comprise the I or one's self, the other person or could be a thing, situation etc. and imperatively, God. We should be able to always connect one from the other and not break the triangle. This is the triangle of life. We ought to keep it intact because not a single part of it would be able to stand without the other. Everything stays within the triangle.  It may not yet be clear to us as in a figure of speech that Jesus speaks about but isn't that what faith is all about. Faith is believing in things that we hope for. Jesus in today's gospel tells us to ask from Him anything provided of course it is not evil. If we reconcile these words in the gospel and the things we long for then there is really nothing more that we ought to be truly worried about. As in Roman 8:28, "We know all things work for good for those who love God who are called according to His purpose." and in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord. Plan for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope." We look forward to the day when the beauty that surrounds us will merely become shadows in the light of God's radiant glory. Everything that seems to be a mystery will soon come to light and eventually be revealed to us. We may not be able to fully understand and appreciate the things that are happening in our lives right now but we should continue to hold on to God's word and promises trusting that He will make all things beautiful in His time. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 16:23b-28

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 24 Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. 25 “I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father…

LOCK & KEY

Whenever I go running, there will be times when I feel so light and vibrant unlike some days when I feel so sluggish and lazy. It was like I was ready to run miles and go anywhere without feeling tired. There was a time when I just found myself running in a different direction and did not take the usual route. The reason I did this is because I was intimidated by a warning of this person who said not to let the dogs chase me. I got somehow affected by the comment that I decided to run in the opposite direction. This action was primarily influenced by the fact that I am always almost attacked and bitten by a dog. The thought of something like that happening made me change my route without realizing that I would end up in a much scarier path. This part of the road where I ended up running did not have any lights on and looked abandoned and bushy. I must say it looked even more frightening since it had started to get dark. Sometimes when we give in to fear we end up in a much worse situation than we actually are.  I have said this because of these series of events I experienced that happened one after another. We must not let our fear incapacitate us. There is always a chance that we would stumble on something that scares us. We can’t help it when we get scared but we must keep in mind that there is no reason to be afraid. We should not have doubts that God wants us to have the good things in life especially when I found out what the 1st reading is telling us today. All the more I am convinced that there is a reason for everything. Isn't it amazing, how God makes things fall into place and fit into a lock and key combination. It is a consolation to know that God got us covered. If we have truly dedicated and offered every aspect in our life to God then we can be assured that nothing can harm us. Although we encounter problems and difficulties in life and become afraid of the circumstances that surround us we can always choose to rejoice in the Lord knowing that He is able to defeat all the works of the enemy and has already won for us our victory. Amen. Hallelujah!

 Acts 18:9-18

9 One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you,...

Sometimes we marvel at people who are able to see through the future or are able to forecast things even before they happen. I know only of one thing that there is no need for us to consult any other except God who resides in our hearts through His Spirit dwelling in us through the sacramental life of the Church. There is a lot more about Jesus our God that we haven't known yet. Looking back from the time of Abraham to the time when Jesus came and thereafter is just more than we all could ever handle. Every single day of our life is an opportunity to discover more and more about a God who loves us more than we'll ever come to know. There are lots of insights and opinions that could be brought up and help pave the way for a broader understanding of God's word. Different points of view and personal observations could be raised which could make us realize that when looked at the specific angle where the person who said it was coming from can never be judged as wrong. We all have this personal differences and unique characteristics but what's most important is that we recognize our inadequacies that even if we fail to fully embody the infinite wisdom and intelligence of God and just reflect a tiny bit but when put together under the lordship of God our King can amount to some thing really inspiring and great. When we contribute to the wholeness of God's people and become one then indeed, we are the body of the Church and the temple of God where God reigns as the Head and King. We have a wonderful God worthy of all praise. We all belong to the Creator of this world where we live, the God Most High. There is no other greater dignity than this to be sons and daughters of God who is King of kings, Lord of lords and Almighty God who is with us. I’ve been doing my daily run no matter how toxic and tiring it is at times. It was all worth it because exercise does not just benefit our health but can also become a source of enjoyment. When we get to see the beautiful view of the outdoors like brightly colored green trees, flowers, mountain, tiny little squirrels running in the sidewalks amidst the sound of whistling birds, rustling of the leaves as the cool refreshing wind blow in our faces and spread the pleasant scent of the different plants along the way, they could create a wonderful and invigorating feeling which leaves us in awe of our God who is the Creator of all.  We just might find ourselves singing this song.

You are beautiful beyond description

Too marvelous for words

Too wonderful for comprehension

Like nothing ever seen or heard

Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom

Who can fathom the depth of Your love

You are beautiful beyond description

Majesty enthroned above

Chorus:

And I stand (I stand) I stand (I stand) in awe of You

I stand (I stand) I stand (I stand) in awe of You

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Repeat Chorus

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Amen. Hallelujah!

 Psalm 47:2-3. 4-5. 6-7

R: God is king of all the earth.

1 [2] All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, 2 [3] for the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth.

We all look forward to the day when the beauty that surrounds us will merely become shadows in the light of God's radiant glory. Everything that seems to be a mystery will soon come to light and eventually be revealed to us. We may not be able to fully understand and appreciate the things that are happening in our lives right now but we should continue to hold on to God's word and promises  that He will make all things beautiful in His time. As we gradually become assimilated in the body of Christ, truly become the Church of God and the living temple, we emerge as fully built, restored and nothing can ever take away nor destroy the sanctuary of God that lives in the depths of our hearts. We look forward to the time when we become one with God and all things have come to light then we fulfill in our lives the words that Jesus said in today's gospel. If for any reason you are lonely and sad then you should rejoice and be glad. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 16:20-23

...But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. 23 On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” 

STRONG HEARTS

In today's 1st reading, Paul did his part in reaching out first to the people whom God has chosen to reveal the good news but when his mission seemed to be futile he recognized the need to move on to the next. Nothing seemed to stop or discourage Paul. He continued with his mission against all odds. The Lord has already planted the seed in his heart and he has chosen to nurture and let it grow. If only we could get ourselves to acquire his fervor and zeal to spread the word of God then we could very well be assured of making this present world of ours a better place to live and the best place in the company of God with all the angels and saints in the world to come. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 18:1-8

...Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. 6  When they opposed him and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”...

Is there any other place we would like to be other than in the loving presence of God? This, I'm sure we can and should have a straight answer without delay. No one should ever claim that they haven't heard or known about God since it is our prime duty to spread and make it known throughout the whole world. There is no denying to the truth that all of us are given the chance to know who our God is and it is also our duty and responsibility to take part in this mission of spreading the good news and make known to everyone to the best of our ability the saving power of God. We should consider each day as an opportunity to know and learn more about our God. Whether it be an ordinary or special day in our life nothing should be amiss and should be spent in giving glory to God our Savior and Master. We can never ever deny the greatness of our God even just by looking at the simplest part of God’s creation like the tiniest grain of sand to the largest ocean in the world. As in Jeremiah 5:22, “Will you not tremble before me who set the sand as limit to the sea, as an everlasting barrier it can not pass? Its waves may toss but not prevail, they may roar but can not pass beyond.” We ask ourselves how in the world can a tiny grain of sand hold the vastness of the ocean in the same way we know that we have a God whose saving power is known throughout the earth. It is our duty to ourselves to aim for the ultimate good which is the will of God in our lives. This is not something that we still have to search and look for. It is already programmed in us and made known to us by the Lord. If by any chance this is not the case especially for those people who have not heard or known about our Lord Jesus since birth then the Lord Himself knows how to deal with them in accordance to His Divine Wisdom and Mercy. For us who have been blessed and endowed with the privilege of hearing and knowing about Jesus, this is coupled with a responsibility. The principle that to those who have been given much, much is also expected definitely applies to it. We have a responsibility in our hands to make known to everyone we meet about this vital truth that could spell the difference between life and death. It is always for our good to attend activities that nourish our soul. We are enlightened and inspired because of the many good things we can learn from it. Whenever we hear words of wisdom it could always help us make sense of the things happening around us even suffering. It gives a feeling of special joy and gladness in every person’s heart. If we continue to stand by the principles of God then we will come to know that there is no truth in the saying that faith is against reason. We can truly appreciate the relevance of the truth as explained by Pope John Paul II that true faith come together with true reason. It is the same thing as saying that Theology tells us that God created the world while Science tells us how God created the world. 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. We, Catholics believe that God gave human beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities to be deemed a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4 virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope. They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or fortitude) We can also find all the cardinal virtues, like justice which means giving each person his or her due in the Book of Proverbs, Sirach, Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We all know even as kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person is doing.” This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice. Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites. Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person. Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s right. In the same way that we want justice to prevail always since it is very frustrating when we encounter situations that are very unjust. We are reminded in today's psalm that we can all be assured of the truth that the Lord rules the earth and He rules with justice there is no doubt. We've got to take hold of the marvelous things that God has done. Nothing else matters than the truth that we are all loved by God and given the privilege of taking part in His great kingdom in heaven. God revealed to us Himself in various different ways. In the gospel of Mark: "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God" (Mk 1:1) is summarized by the phrase - The person of Jesus, and the gospel of Luke:"The gospel of glory to God in high heaven and peace on earth to those on whom his favor rest (Lk 2:14) is summarized by the phrase - Joy to the world, while the gospel of John:"the gospel of the Word that became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we have seen his glory" (Jn 1:14) is summarized by the phrase - Eternal life then the gospel of Matthew is where all this happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet (Mt 1:22) and is written almost 55x in this gospel and summarized by the phrase - The Coming of the Kingdom. God's saving power is manifested in this treasury of books that have been preserved and handed to us from generation to generation. No one can deny the fact that to all God has been gracious and loving with no exception at all. God's faithful love should compel us to do the best we could ever do. There was a time when my computer got bugged down and happened to be the same time that I heard and was touched by the homily of Fr. Joseph Magdaong in the healing mass at St. Christopher where Hendrie who fixed my computer was serving as a member of the choir. It had been 3 years since I heard about this story of a tailor and his needle but I would never forget and always remember it especially the perfect timing and situation when I heard it. This tailor who was about to die spoke his last and they were these words, "Give me my key to heaven." At first those people who were there and heard him did not understand what he was talking about until they realized that he was asking for his needle. In the same way we must have our own keys in heaven as we try to examine ourselves and find out what is it in our life that can be compared to that needle in a tailor's life or our special talents that we can offer to God. I could still very well remember that I was on the verge of tears upon hearing that because I immediately thought of this computer that I am using to spread the word of God through my everyday reflections on the word of God that I write and share to others through e mail. I am just full of gratitude and joy in my heart for all the amazing things that God had done especially of the fact that this computer which I consider the needle in my life remained in perfect condition since that time on. There is a need for us to respond to God's call to each one of us to become channels of His blessings as His power is revealed in us. We will just run out of excuses and alibis why we should not give honor and praise to God. There is really nowhere to go but to God and that we would have to realize not sooner or later but right now and act on it. But we have to trust, hope and rely on God rather than our own power. Let's face it we sometimes rely too much on ourselves and too little on God. We are troubled about a lot of things when sometimes there's really no cause for it. There are levels of anxiety. Exaggerated anxiety and discouragement are one of the greatest obstacles to holiness. There is a level of anxiety that we just have to trust in God's Grace and Goodness. We should not disturb our inner peace not even momentarily. Life on earth is a great struggle indeed for God's Kingdom. A lot of things can bother and bring us down but we do not have to stay that way. We have to exercise our minds and wills to put our confidence in God. He is the one whom we can totally trust and depend on to save us. Our life is much about the daily revelations of God to us through all the circumstances that surround us which points to only one truth, He is victorious. Victory is surely in our hands once we've made the right move and choice. Let us take our stand and know that God's grace is sufficient for us. We will not be put to the test beyond our strength. Things are bound to get better for as long as we hold on to God's promises. Today's psalm, kind of remind me of this preaching about this wise man from the East in the Old Testament (OT), he is a prophet named Balaam and served an evil and wicked king. King Balak wanted Balaam to exact a curse upon Israel but from his mouth came forth a blessing. He prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom. A star and a scepter signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men in the New Testament (NT) during the time of King Herod an Edomite who were looking for a star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel, Jesus. He is truly our King and the fulfillment of God's promise. We are all called to respond with gratitude to the Lord who has revealed His saving power to us. There is no doubt that the God of the house of Israel is still the same one true God of today. The same privilege is handed over to us as the chosen people of God, Israel if we lay claim and hold to the truth that we are the people of God by faith, the New Israel.  Just as the message of God finds its way to us in so many different ways so does His love, mercy and goodness remain forever true. The good news of our salvation which was obtained for us more than 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ on the cross is still being proclaimed to this very day. There is no way we can deny the truth for heaven and earth will fade but God's words will remain. God have always been giving us inspiring, amazing, awesome reasons to have something to praise and thank Him for and even when we don't get those we should still continue in doing so for it can never be denied that great and wonderful are all His works. Today’s psalm also tells us that we ought to sing with all our hearts for the Lord no matter what our situations may be. There is a special joy and gladness felt when we sing with all of our heart. We can even imagine choirs of angels and saints gathered all around and singing. God doesn't just want us to look on but instead join the singing for it has always been said that we pray twice when we sing. Singing belongs to a heart that loves. This hymn of joy is a reflection of the praise for the goodness and beauty of God. It is the glory of God from which all beauty and goodness is derived. We join the singing that unite angels and men to praise God and be a people of peace. Anyone who catches a glimpse of the glory of God breaks out into song with joy especially this Easter season when Christ is risen. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

R: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

...He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel...

The Lord has spoken and His words are everlasting. What He has promised to do is sure to happen. In today’s gospel we remember the heart of Mary pierced by a sword as prophesied by Simeon. A heart full of sorrow but was turned into joy. We look to Mary and follow her example. The pain that she experienced is something that is more than any woman could endure. At the time when the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she will bear Jesus, the Son of God she just surrendered her will to God. It was not an easy decision for her at that time but she trusted God completely. She may not have understood everything but she entered into that deep trust in God and believed. It was a decision not merely based on some vague feeling or a pleasant emotion that makes people good when times are good. Thus the title "Seat of Wisdom" perfectly fits her. Our Lady not only does the normal part of loving. She is filled by the love of her Son that is given to her in very extraordinary circumstances. Not by a normal birth and conception before marriage, she conceived in her womb the Son of God and with that conception is a God sent promise. Her motherhood goes beyond the normal sufferings that any mother experiences. She traveled to Bethlehem in her pregnancy, was refused of a place to stay and gave birth in a manger. She had to give up a home and went into exile in Egypt. She continues to believe in that Son of hers, the Son of God as He perplexed her, in the finding of Jesus in the temple and when she heard the words of Simeon in the Presentation,"...a sword will pierce your heart..." In the wedding in Cana, she said, "Do whatever He tells you". She stored and kept it in her heart although she did not understand everything. She loved and continued to believe until she saw and heard the mocking words addressed to her Son during the scourging and the crowning with thorns until she stood at the foot of the cross. That was not what's in her mind when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her to inherit the throne of King David. At the foot of the cross she was given a sad substitute in St. John when told, "Mother, behold your son" She accepts that and enters into an experience of charity and suffering. Normally a person would fight back to those who hurt our children. It is a normal reaction if we see others harm our child. Jesus truly became flesh in the womb of Mary. We have to take the reality of the choice that Mary made, the reality of the incarnation. What we need is true devotion to Mary that brings us close to God. We look through the gospel and see the dividing line whether we accept or reject it. We have to recreate and enter into that Incarnation without over spiritualizing or rejecting it which brings us away from God. Some Catholics has the temptation of being accustomed like the people of Nazareth. They grew up with Jesus and Mary as part of their environment but never live it seriously. Sometimes we become overly familiar. We become horrible hypocrites. Our devotion to Mary turns out to be a skirt where we can hide in. We claim to be on a pilgrimage with Mary but it makes no impact in our lives. We never understand the suffering of Christ. We misuse the scapular but continue to live our sinful behavior. The scapular should be worn as if we are putting on the yoke of Christ. The externals of this devotion become a block when we fail to understand and live the charity that Mary did. Let us be careful that everything we do is not just superficial. We have to enter into the love of Mary in which she felt the love of Jesus in what He did for us to redeem us. Bring us to a deeper love of Christ our Lord and look at Jesus through her perspective and love. Let us follow the example of Mary, from that joyful moment of the annunciation as she fulfilled the promise of God to the throne of King David to the sorrowful sight of her only Son as she stood at foot of the cross and ultimately to the glorious resurrection. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 16:16-20

...Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”