L and O

There are key words in today's 1st reading that we could definitely benefit a lot from. These are words we could use for our own welfare so that we, like Lydia could enjoy the presence of God in our life. These words start with L and O. It's easy to figure it out. All it takes is to make a conscious and committed effort to really listen and open ourselves to God. Although it may not be as easy as it may seem to be or else there would no longer be any struggles on our part.  But we know for a fact that when we Listen and Open our hearts to the Lord the consequences of these actions are unimaginable and endless. If we follow what happened to Lydia it was not just herself but her household as well who turned to God. Let's just give it our best shot and see for ourselves. We have nothing to fear as long as we are always worshiping and listening for God can see through our hearts. I am filled with joy whenever I am reminded of the time when my son Jude told me that he is the highest in their Statistic class. He was in his 3rd year Chemical Engineering at De LaSalle University in Taft Ave, Manila at that time. This incident I have inevitably connected to the time when my son Jude was still very young, I guess 5 or 6 yrs old and used to bring them along in our office during our parties. We had this boss who traditionally gives gift to the young children during Christmas time. I pray for her wherever she may be right now. She is a woman of faith and very generous especially with children. Our boss asked all the children to fall in line and gave each one their Christmas gift, my son continued to stand in front of her and still waited to be given another gift. When asked why, he said his younger brother Allan was still sleeping and asked another one for his brother.  Of course she did not hesitate to give my son another one. But everybody was laughing out loud and teasing me that I have trained my son very well. Now I know why he's very good in Statistics, he never missed anything, recall, remember and count every single thing most especially his beloved baby brother. Which also reminds me of how very affectionate he is to his young brother most especially when Allan was still a baby. I know in my heart that Jude will always be the same loving brother and son in Jesus name, amen. Another surprising and pleasant event is that the 1st reading for today talks about a woman whose name is Lydia which happened to be the name of this person I was talking about and her favorite color is purple too. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 16:11-15

...a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

We may have seen people who are exercise and health buffs and really take care of their bodies well. Just by looking at them we can already say that they work hard to develop a muscular and strong body. They were able to get good results because they have committed themselves to a strict diet and exercise regimen. In the same way, we should work hard and stick to a regimen that will maintain our souls in perfect shape. No matter who we are, what we do and where we are we can no longer have any excuse not to praise and give glory to God “as is where is”. We are all God's children and we should rightfully assert our place in the kingdom of our God the Father. We are the Church of God which does not pertain to just the physical structure but also the Spiritual Church of God which is our souls dwelling in the physical temple of God which is our bodies. It is important that we always ponder in our hearts the significance of the words of God in relation to our life. I can still remember when I joined the Ikebana (Flower arrangement) in Japan. I was late and did not see the demonstration so when I was given the flowers to arrange I just did it for the sake of just getting it over and done with. What do you expect? I was not proud of what I did. In fact I even removed the label from my work so nobody would know that I was the one who did it since I am representing the Philippines. It is a consolation to know that we have a God and Creator who knows perfectly well what He is doing. No matter what we do to ourselves He will never disown us. Since we are still in this world but definitely not of this world, which is temporary. It should always be our daily commitment to God that we reconnect, refocus, realign and all kinds of action that will redirect us to God in order to withstand this constant battle and tug of war between good and evil. We just have to realize that it is ourselves who eventually disown and turn our backs on God knowingly or unknowingly. If we remain faithful to the Lord and live our lives according to His decrees then we will always find ourselves rejoicing as stated in the psalm reading today. We just need to remind ourselves always that when He created us, humans, He saved the best for last. He even fashioned us in His own image and likeness. In fact, up to this present time, scientists and scholars have not fully solved and understood the mysteries and wonders of the human body and soul. As far as science is concerned we the humans are the most advanced living creatures in this planet endowed with all the capacities that no other creatures are capable of. God will never run out of good things in store for us. We might have hit rock bottom or the lowliest place in our lives but we can always be assured that our God speaks in our hearts and will never forsake nor abandon. If there's one thing that should never leave our minds and hearts then that is the truth that we are on top of God's creation and takes delight in us. If we are faithful to God then we can claim all the benefits of being God's kingdom of priests. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a, 9b

R: The Lord takes delight in his people.

1 Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2 Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. (R) 3 Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. (R) 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; 6 let the high praises of God be in their throats. 9 This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. 

The circumstances are pointing us to the task of always remembering and not forgetting all the good things that God is doing for all of us. We should always be full of gratitude as we recall, remember and count every single blessing that comes our way. We should fill our hearts with all the good and nice things that God has gifted us so that we can withstand that hour of trial and be strengthened by the memory of Jesus sent by God our Father in union with the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Let us guard the special abilities that God has given to us. Among all other creatures on earth we should be proud that God created us, as man and woman. Let us maintain this profound human dignity that He has given to us alone. There may be times and circumstances when we neglect this truth or forget it. There is nothing more unfortunate than this. No matter what happens let us not be distracted by the cares, worries, anxieties or it could be allurements and false promises of this world. If at any time we feel that we are under attack of some kind and starting to fall away from the truth then we need to break this bad spell and get back to our senses. God wants us to take action and make a stand for Him for He is always with us in Spirit. Today's gospel tells us that we are capable of doing so since we are not alone, we have an Advocate who is always with us and don't we ever forget that.  Amen. Hallelujah!

John 15:26-16:4a

26 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. 27 And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. 16: 1 “I have told you this so that you may not fall away...I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”