ANGELS TO THE RESCUE

Today is the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels. Gabriel means ‘messenger of God’ Raphael means ‘healing of God’ and Michael means ‘strength of God.’ It is so reassuring that as Catholics we believe in their existence as the bible tells us so and can call upon their intercession and help in our lives. For example, we invoke Michael for protection in our lives. I have already shared this several times and I will not hesitate to share it again in order to give due recognition to the angels that God sends our way to help us. I can never forget when I attended a prayer healing in the Holy Family Church here at Glendale headed by Bro. Carmelo from Sta. Maria Bulacan. He gave each one of us a fresh white rose petal which he placed on our chest and after praying we were told to remove it in order for us to take a look at it. At first, I thought I was seeing a butterfly but when I looked at it closer I saw an image of an angel. It was the image of a cherubim, a very cute angel that I still carry with me to this day and served as a constant reminder that I am loved since I got it from this healing service in Oct 21, 2007 which happened to be also my mother's birthday. There are many special events that I can associate with the angel miraculously imprinted in the fresh petal I got. Prior to this I had extraordinary experiences within the month of Oct. 2007 surrounding and pointing to it.  This coming October 2 is the feast day of the guardian angels and it was at that time in 2007 when I almost lost my wallet with all my cash money in it. My friend Joy and I were already 2 blocks away from the restaurant where we ate when I suddenly felt a tap in my shoulder which alerted me to the fact that I do not have my wallet inside my purse. It was a tap so quick and it felt like I was just imagining it. We quickly returned to look for my wallet but Joy told me that there is a chance we might not find it anymore because she saw a bum circling around the place before we left. Both to our surprise, I found my wallet lying on the floor and picked it up immediately. A woman who was also there and saw what happened told me that I am very lucky. 2 weeks after that, still within Oct 2007 my name got picked in a Nurse Expo lottery and won a $1000 gift card. It is a testimony of God's everlasting love and mercy. There is no doubt that angels are always about us, ministering and attending to our needs. Thanks be to God that He has sent His angel to always guide and protect me. If we allow God to take full control in our lives then we can be assured of His everlasting dominion and glory that can not be taken away nor destroyed. The Kingship, Majesty and Dominion of God is over all the earth. God is described as seating on His throne and gave an impression of great power. It takes us to another aspect or level of understanding of the majesty of our God. We ought to be glad and rejoice that we have a God who is Almighty and Immortal that no one or nothing can ever be over and above Him. Whenever we hear the word throne then we immediately paint a picture in our minds about royalty, highness and being on top of everything. This is all true when we speak of God. Although we may never be able to fully visualize God, the Ancient One sitting on the throne, it reminds us of the truth that He is King of kings and Lord of lords.  We just can’t put the right words into our mouth when we speak of God’s majesty. God is almighty and all powerful. He is beyond words! Amen. Hallelujah!

Daniel 7:9-10. 13-14

9 As I watched: Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was snow bright, and the hair on his head as white as wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire. 10 A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him... His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.

I could never forget the experience when we were in that very hazardous place in Crestline without any idea where we were going. I am thankful for the lesson learned from it. All we have to do is completely trust Him that in His goodness and mercy will show us His saving power and grace. If there's one thing for sure, that is the truth that God knows everything we are going through and He will not withhold the help that we need from Him in His most appropriate and best time, place and situation. All we need to do is just give our trust completely to Him who will complete what he has done for us and would not forsake the work of His hands. Just constantly pray and sing out our praises to God to unleash the power within us. We can always count on God at all times in all circumstances. Let us not stall any longer and finally respond to His call without any reservation. We should entrust all our cares and concerns to the Lord and be assured that He is true to His promise and will fulfill it. Our God is faithful and He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it in all of us. God never fails in sending us people, circumstances and situations that always build up strength in us. I have always believed in angels even before I got the miracle petal with a cherubim’s image. I can still remember and will never forget how my mother used to narrate to us how I was miraculously saved by my angel several times. First was when I was still less than 2 months old and fell from a height of 2-3 ft countertop when the nanny after giving me a bath left me for only a second to get something and upon returning found me already unconscious and lying on the hard, ceramic tiled floor. I was rushed to the doctor but he told them that if I fail to regain consciousness within an hour then he said I could die. To everybody's surprise I started to cry even before the time is up. Another one was when I was barely 2 yrs old when I almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My parent's house is right beside my grandparent's house which is right in front of the school where my mother used to teach. She said she was standing in the center of the stage of the school that was why she had a good view of the things around her even the terrace of my grandparent's house so she was really shocked when she saw me there alone running very fast heading toward the open gate while a jeepney was coming and looked as if I would really get hit and it would be too late even if somebody was there to stop me. She was already screaming from afar together with the other teachers who saw it and was trying to call the attention of the driver but to no avail for he didn't even slow down because their screams were of no match to the loud engine of the jeep.  It was just a miracle that the moment I stepped on the side of the road she said that I suddenly stopped and stood very still as if someone was holding me back. She said it was my guardian angel that held me and prevented me from getting hit by the jeep.  I don't remember personally any of those experiences it was only through my mother's stories that I came to know about them. But when I was older like in 4th grade I could already remember how I was spared again from being hurt seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top of my head fell on my desk a split second after I stood up and left my chair.  My classmates were really shocked and were hovering around me and told me that it was really close. There is no doubt, angels are obviously at work. Today God assures us that we can always stand secure for as long as we remain united to Him through the aid of His Holy angels and saints. There is no doubt that we should sing the praises of the Lord in the sight of the angels for He answered when we called for help. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5

R: In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

1 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; 2 I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. (R) Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. 3 When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. (R) 4 All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth; 5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD: “Great is the glory of the LORD.”

If we just try to look back and recall we will find that all throughout our lifetimes we really have a lot of things to be thankful for. We should continue to trust God who knows the things that happened, happening and is bound to happen as in today's gospel. I should say that God is reminding me once again of some special events in my life. Firstly because the gospel reading is about the story of Phillip who was the one who introduced Nathaniel or St. Bartholomew to Jesus which reminds me of this person in my life who was also instrumental for the deepening of my faith in Jesus. I could still remember the homily of Fr. Rolly when he said that today's gospel should remind us of the person who brought us closer to God. In my life she is Gloria Dar. I consider her a part of my Christian life in almost the same manner that Philip in today's gospel was to Nathaniel/St. Bartholomew. I was just new in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal then and I must admit that she was one person that God has used tremendously in my life. I could never forget when I was still pregnant with my son Jude most especially because it was Sis Gloria Dar who envisioned Jesus carrying a baby standing in the middle of our prayer circle and specifically described Him wearing the Sacred Heart attire and said these words, "I have a message for my daughter, consecrate the baby in your womb."  This happened in a prayer meeting I attended during that time which happened to be on the 9th day of my Sacred Heart novena, and Sis Gloria, the prayer leader whom I just met, did not know of my novena neither of my pregnancy nor would even suspect of it. Looking back at my life back then most especially at that time when I first had this devotion to the Sacred Heart, I can never deny and forget for the rest of my life the dramatic and significant events that happened during my novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Jude Thaddeus which opened up the door for miracles to happen.  I have witnessed the revelation of God's great love to me especially when I gave birth to Jude, my 1st born son, as proof of His undeniably awesome and unbelievable miracle when he came out normal and healthy despite my problematic pregnancy. From that day forward, God never ceased to amaze me every single turn in my life since His love is beyond comprehension. Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that today’s gospel happened to be the same gospel when I shared about my younger son, Allan’s experience with Bishop Soc Villegas who told him to become a priest. If we are clueless about a lot of things then we can be assured that there is someone who knows all these things. Today's gospel gives us a glimpse of Jesus' true divinity. He is God and Immortal, nothing is hidden from Him and everything is known to Him. It gives us confidence knowing that we have a God who is able to carry us through. We can learn from Nathaniel or St. Bartholomew as we profess with confidence the very words that he said to Jesus and really believe in words, thoughts and deeds. Signs and wonders are wrought by God's mighty hand each and every day. On top of it all is the promise of Jesus our Savior to see greater things than we have all witnessed for the best is yet to come. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 1:45-51

...Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”