THE TRUTH

Joining the seniors and other regular attendees in St. Martha for the Divine Mercy & Rosary prayer was really a blessing. Aside from the fact that it felt good to be with people who are dedicated and very devoted to the Lord it was also an occasion for endless discussion and venue to constantly praise and thank God. Although some of them were really old and are almost 90 years old they still continue to go to church regularly. In fact, there was once a priest who even advised them not to go to church anymore and just stay at home but they still kept on going and always present in almost every activity in St. Martha. They have become a source of inspiration for all of us who attend mass and see them in Church. Amen. Hallelujah!

Colossians 1:1-8

...We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard through the word of truth, the gospel, 6 that has come to you.

We may be faced with lots of uncertainties in our lives but we can always be confident that God is always there for us. He will never ignore us rather would always make things work for the good because the mercy of God is being channeled through the people and events that God sends our way. Nothing is impossible with God all things are possible. We've heard and seen so many miracles throughout our lifetime and thus we should always remember them and cling to them so that it will serve as our light and guide as we go on our way always hoping that God will never deprive us of our own miracles.  Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M Psalm 52:10. 11

R: I trust in the mercy of God for ever.

8 [10] I, like a green olive tree in the house of God, trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. (R) 9 [11] I will thank you always for what you have done, and proclaim the goodness of your name before your faithful ones.

We may all be in a situation or state wherein we think that we are already doing good in our service to God without realizing that we have actually reached our plateaus and we need to move on to another level. In order to do this we need to exert not just more but extra strength to do this. Those who are working out in a gym or in physical fitness regimen for a long time may know what this is about. There will come a point wherein we do not see results as often as when we just started, that's the plateau. It's time to be more creative and add more challenges in the workout to see results and achieve goals. Today's gospel tells us that Jesus did not just stay in one place but went to the other towns. It may not necessarily mean for us that we have to go to another place. It simply challenges us to move on to the next level and improve our performance. Jesus tells us not to get stuck but move on. Nothing is impossible with God all things are possible. We've heard and seen so many miracles throughout our lifetime and thus we should always remember them and cling to them so that it will serve as our light and guide as we go on our way always hoping that God will never deprive us of our own miracles. Today's gospel also reminded me of Atty. Moya's talk on the 8th commandment, "Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." This is centered on truth and honesty. It forbids all kinds of falsehood and commands total truthfulness: love & live the truth. But what made me share this has something to do with the example in today's gospel when Jesus silenced the evil spirit who was telling the truth about Him. It goes to show that there are times when we are not supposed to tell the truth all the time. That there are some things better left unsaid if it's not charitable or it could hurt someone. It also reminds us not to be too quick to judge other people. We have to exercise prudence and seek to always mitigate the situation rather than instigate or push someone to anger and cause to destroy relationships or hurt people. The Devil is not only the father of lies but also the master of deception. He can twist the truth and use it to his evil advantage. We should always have the deep respect for the truth and know the importance of appropriateness of communication. We must reconcile truth and charity which tells us to keep silent or hide the truth for the sake of charity. CCC 2469 "Men could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence that they were being truthful to one another." The virtue of truth gives another his just due. Truthfulness keeps to the just mean between what ought to be expressed and what ought to be kept secret: it entails honesty and discretion. In justice, "as a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth." Respect for the Truth in Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2488 states the right to the communication of the truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it. CCC 2489 Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet LANGUAGE. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 4:38-44

...And Jesus rising up out of the synagogue, went into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever, and they besought him for her. And standing over her, he commanded the fever, and it left her...But he laying his hands on every one of them, healed them. And devils went out from many, crying out and saying: Thou art the Son of God. And rebuking them he suffered them not to speak, for they knew that he was Christ...But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.”