Life and Death

We all know that if there is something that is real and existing as life then it is death. They are 2 different things but we could never agree more to the fact that they both happen every single day all over the world. In fact, this life and death reality happens several times a day if we would just check Statistics. With this I quote Sister Wendy Beckett, "Yes, in silence we can actually break the hold time has on us, and accept that our true home is not here on earth, but in eternity."   This is followed by this statement for Reflection: Today I will spend fifteen minutes silently reflecting on the four last things - death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Sometimes we never fully realize the impact of these realities unless they happen to us. As we ponder upon the side by side, occurrence of these especially, life and death, it could help us in life if we are always in touch with these realities and take a serious look at these events with reference to God, the life giver and taker. We celebrate the existence of life in the presence of a newly born baby with so much joy. On the other hand, death is something that we grieve about. We can even come to a point when we never realized how much a person means to us unless he leaves or dies. In certain instances, death could be defined as something like an effective wake up call or eye opener that could very well get our attention. Thus it is given also that a dying man's words are of extreme importance since they are the last and final words a person could utter to a person much more to a loved one. I've seen and heard before how much people give due importance to it. As in the last will and testament of a dead person that has to be followed up to the last letter. Today's 1st reading contains the last words of a dying person. It would be well for all of us if we consider these words of King David as dedicated to all of us and follow them exactly as it is written. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
...“I am going the way of all flesh. Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf when he said, ‘If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.’”...

Everything begins with life and ends in death. God is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega. Let us just hope and pray that every family that is celebrating a special occasion will always center on the greatness of God who made all good things possible most especially the chance to still celebrate important events. We should make a firm stand on whose side we really are. Why would we settle for something less when we can settle for what is best. In all our words, thoughts and actions we must give glory to our Mighty God. There is none like our God. To Him be all the glory and honor. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd
R: Lord, you are exalted over all.
10 “Blessed may you be, O LORD, God of Israel our father, from eternity to eternity.” (R) 11 “Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor, and glory.” (R) “LORD, you are exalted over all. Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all. 12 “Riches and honor are from you.” (R) “In your hand are power and might; it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.” (R)

This gospel reading commentary by Fr. Joel Jason in Sabbath specifically mentioned verse 7 which reminds me of a prophecy I received in Oct. 7, '07 which holds a very significant meaning for me based on the life changing choices and decisions I've made on that date thus I find inspiration in reading it. Here is the article from the Sabbath journal.

"There are people who we are simply afraid of. Before them, we are always careful, calculating, lest we enkindle their wrath. We look at them as powerful. Today, Jesus commissions His disciples. They are to do wonders signifying that the Kingdom of God is at hand. It’s a curious fact that the Bible narrative used authority instead of power (see verse 7). What is the difference between power and authority? GK Chesterton is known to have once said, “If a rhino enters this room, it would definitely have power over me, but not authority.” Power is something that is imposed from the outside. Authority is something that emanates from within. A dictator is powerful over his people, but he has no authority over them. The result of power is fear. Fear of one’s power is something people give because they have to. But once you’re no longer “in power” you lose everything besides. The result of authority is respect and love. Love is something people give you because they want to. Whatever happens, whether you’re in power or not, people will always give it you. Power is something we get by lording it over people. Authority is something we develop by serving people. The Jesus of the Gospels is one described as having “authority” unlike the Scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus is the one who came to serve, not to be served, and to place His life as a ransom for many.” May the “Authority” be with you! Fr. Joel O. Jason"

 In Didache entitled, "Watch my back" by Ariel Driz, he also quoted the bible passage which is verse 7 of Mark 6

WATCH my BACK!

He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. – Mark 6:7

Ray Keller once asked a man who just completed his second tour of duty from the Iraq war, “What was the most important thing you learned from the war?”

The soldier’s response was quick. “Well, Mr. Keller, I learned that it is better to be in a team than to be alone.”

The man explained that while in Iraq, they would walk around and survey the area. They would have a certain formation such that he would focus on looking ahead while his partner would watch his back. He in turn would watch the back of the one in front of him. His commander explained to him that loners have no place in the war. He would need to work well in a team to survive.

While we are encouraged to spend time being alone with God, we need the help of partners who would “watch our backs” — whether they be your spouse, your cell group mates, your mentor, your godly friend…. We need them if we are to win our daily battles.

It would be good to recognize your teammates and partners and thank God for them! Ariel Driz

All of these remind me too of the time when I was watching this TFC program Bet on your baby. Prior to the contestant’s decision to smash the piggy bank labeled #7 I already chose it and to my surprise it did contain the grand prize and was declared the 1^st millionaire winner of the said game show. What I am trying to emphasize here is the fact that God is ever present in all things be it big or small. God is always with us. He'll never leave us and we should forever stay connected to Him for as long we live. If God is with us then who could be against us. We have to really convince ourselves of this truth and be confident of the fact that wherever He leads and brings us, He will never forsake nor abandon us and will surely see us through it all. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 6:7-13

7 Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick — no food, no sack, no money in their belts. 9 They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. 10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. 11 Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”...

CARRY ON

 If we are to read the entire 1^st reading which is taken from the Old Testament we can not help but think that we have a God who is vindictive. This is due to the fact that it shows an entirely different and ancient understanding of morality and punishment. This is why people who intend to read the entire bible are advised to read backwards, start with the New Testament before reading the Old Testament. We, the present day Christians are truly and deeply blessed when it comes to attaining a better understanding of God than the Israelites during those ancient times. The coming of Jesus in the New Testament made all the difference for us in terms of God's revelation of mercy and love. Just imagine our God coming to us in the form of man to suffer, die on the cross and resurrect after 3 days to show His great love and save us from our sins. Throughout all the ages we have never seen a much greater sacrifice than this. We have a glorious background and history for our faith and this is what puts us ahead of King David and all the others. With this ever prevailing truth and reality which persisted for more than 2000 years. Have we truly come to this point of realizing the implication of this undeniable and proven fact about Jesus? It is good to ask ourselves where we are right now in terms of this understanding. Have we progressed or retrogressed? May we find ourselves in the progressive end, moving forward in our love and knowledge of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel from morning until the time appointed,

and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died. But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD regretted the calamity

and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people, "Enough now! Stay your hand." The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was striking the people, he said to the LORD: "It is I who have sinned; it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong. But these are sheep; what have they done? Punish me and my kindred."

Jesus is fully human and fully divine. These are the 2 opposite parts that make up the arch of Mark's gospel and joined in the fulcrum or apex of its architectural structure.

 The first half of the gospel represents the Jesus as the Son of God and image of power and might and can be found in Chapters1-8:26, Jesus who is in charge, giving orders, an exorcist, and walks on water. Jesus is in control and source of strength, drive and power. The Son of God focused on His mission who engages into rapid phase of exorcisms and healing. He is truly the Son of God. Second half of the gospel (Ch. 11:1-15:47), Jesus as the Son of Man and image of weakness and suffering. No longer in charge and the one receiving orders, suffered greatly which is the prelude to the Paschal Mystery, the suffering, dying and rising of Jesus from the dead. We can often encounter in Mark's gospel, Jesus ordering them not to tell anyone about the miracles He had done. It's because they won't understand until Jesus is nailed on the cross. This is core purpose of Jesus' becoming man to save mankind. The fulcrum or apex of the arch is found in the middle of the gospel, Jesus as Savior which is the central theme of Mark's gospel where Jesus' divinity meets His humanity in the cross as the perfect victim (sacrificial lamb/scapegoat) of man's salvation. Mark is telling us and intended for us to discover the arch in ourselves that will bring us closer to the center/apex/fulcrum of our lives who is Jesus. We are too preoccupied with our physical and material needs that we end up neglecting the most important need, that of our eternal soul. When we get sick, we try to look for cure and treatment in order to bring our bodies back in shape. We even resort to different means in order to maintain our health and keep it in perfect shape by eating the right kind of food and exercising. This kind of care that we give our bodies should also be the same and even more for our spiritual bodies, our souls. There is not much difference, when our souls are inflicted with wounds of our sins, we must try to cure ourselves by going to God and asking forgiveness right away before it gets any worse. We have to treat our souls with utmost care and diligence. Though, nothing is ever impossible for God because He can make us whole. The problem lies with us when we are deeply stuck in our sins or we could also be just comfortably wading in the seashore of sins. When these happen we either fall into the trap of false impressions that little things won't hurt but before we know it we have become entangled in those little things that we thought we could easily get away with. As scriptures say, we ought to be ready at all times we might be caught unaware and empty handed just like the Parable of the Virgins and the song which says, "Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning until the break of day." We don't want to be found with no more oil in our lamps. Or we could be too deeply stuck in the mud of our sins that we tend to choose just to be left in our misery. The small and unnoticeable wounds that we inflict on ourselves can eventually amount into a big and ugly scar so it would be easier for us not to wait until we're in a total wreck before we go to God. Leprosy is a disease that makes a person look very ugly and unwanted. I remember this time when a friend and I shared some thoughts about physical beauty when we met a priest from Italy. Just by looking at him, one could not help but think that he could really pass off as an actor in Hollywood. He is very tall and handsome. During our conversation we both came up with this thought that physical beauty could sometimes obstruct a person's holiness if the person is not careful of his/her choices. It could lure him/her to a lot of worldly options that are presented to him/her. It is a lot better to have a beautiful soul for eternity than to be physically beautiful for a limited time. We admired this priest for offering himself to God for he was not only handsome physically but surely very wise for he realized the importance of making it big in the kingdom of God and chose it over the glitter and glamour that this temporary world can offer. We should not ignore or overlook this truth about our God who is loving, merciful and forgiving. Let us not delay any longer and go back to Him with a contrite and repentant heart. No matter how big our sins are, we are blessed to have a God bigger than any of our sins. No matter how big a mess our first parents got into, no sin is bigger than God's mercy. Let us just do as the psalm tells us today. Let us not lose confidence in a God who forgives all our sins. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7
R: Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
1 Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile. (R) 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD," and you took away the guilt of my sin. (R) 6 For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him. (R) 7 You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

Sometimes the most unlikely things happen to us with people and in places where we least expect them to happen. Jesus lived and grew up for the majority of His life here on earth with his relatives and in his native place. How can it possibly be that the Most Perfect Human being who ever lived on earth was rejected by his own kin? But that's how it was for Him and could possibly be also for us. This should encourage us to become better Christians knowing that if He was rejected we should not expect a special treatment for ourselves. We are just setting ourselves up for a big disappointment if we always have big expectations from others most especially from people very close to us. It would be well for all of us if we just carry on with whatever good we can do and leave the rest to God. If we have decided to really follow Jesus then we have to be ready for trials and persecutions for even Him the Son of God, who resides in His Heavenly kingdom, All Holy, Powerful, Immortal, and Creator of heaven and earth was rejected and mocked by His own kin and household. If we haven't fully decided yet and still holding back from Him and still lack the faith then we should realize that it's really to our greatest loss and disadvantage for Jesus can not perform His mighty deeds in our lives without our cooperation. Bottom line again, it is always our choice. We should make Jesus our choice in our thoughts, words and in deeds. And it should be a firm, clear and unwavering one, no ifs and no buts. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 6:1-6
...And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. He went around to the villages in the vicinity teaching.

LOVE ABOVE ALL

How would we feel if someone wants to get rid of us? Would we still find ourselves loving that person? Just like David in today's 1st reading we should not harbor any ill feelings in our hearts.  The love that he has in his heart triumphed over the hatred that should have risen from the evil plot of his son, Absalom to kill him. Just like King David we sometimes encounter people who say all bad things about us and in today's 1st reading we are urged to imitate David's kindness and self control despite the curses being hurled at him he decided not to fight back. He continued to trust in God's goodness and mercy who sees all things we are going through. We must find the love of God above all. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3

...Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom; 3 and that day’s victory was turned into mourning for the whole army when they heard that the king was grieving for his son.

We have to be grateful to God for He is indeed merciful and gracious in all His ways. He gives us not just one but various options when it comes to accessing the graces He is dispensing and showering upon us. God provides all means in order for us to avail of all the blessings He wants to give us. When things are about to come to an end or maybe has reached its final stages and been waiting for quite a long time already and yet things are still uncertain as to how it will all turn out then we are placed in a very challenging situation as to how we are to react. Whether in despair or continue to hope in the Lord is always a choice we have to make. But oftentimes, things are easier said than done but it is always a consolation to know that we have a God who always show us the way. It is a reality that we have to attend to a lot of things waiting for us to be done. God wants us to become individuals capable of handling things in our lives with balance, in whatever we do, He is always with us.  We may have been surprised by some kind of news from somebody while thinking about a particular concern and even before we can come up with a solution it was already addressed. It is a blessing from the Lord that when times like these come when we are having a dilemma or unable to access of one option there are still other choices left that we can make use of. God never leaves us empty handed, He always has reinforcement and a back up. Let us not lose sight of the Lord who loves us and will always rescue us in our miseries and make us glad. 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. God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Virtuous acts build in us strength. The word virtue comes from the word manly which is strength and power. Virtue is a habit that makes it easy and pleasurable to do the right thing. Golden virtue isn’t always easy. It is hard. But what is vice, it is a habit that makes it easy to do the wrong and evil thing. Let’s take exercise as an example. People make it their New Year’s resolution and people who go to the gym noticed that it’s packed on January but they’re gone by the 3rd week. If we’ve ever engaged in an exercise program for the first time, we know that we feel bad, tired, exhausted and wake up sore. This is because we do not have the habit of exercise. We have not trained and our bodies are not used to it. It hurts and it’s hard the first time we work out. If we persevere past the first few weeks and developed a habit of regular exercise then we end up getting used to it and become easy that when we don’t exercise we feel bad. What happens is that we build up the power or the virtue. We’ve conditioned ourselves so that it becomes second nature to us. If we want a progressive course we need to do something hard. No pain no gain. The next time we work out we add up a little bit more since we are stronger. We can move forward and grow in our ability to lift weights. This is the deal. The actions we do have an impact of what we are. It’s like when we start lifting weights we start to change and look different. We look like someone who has strength, power and endurance. This is the point, God is about building champions. The goal of the Christian life is to build champions. Well, not necessarily athletic champions but spiritually. A real champion in every aspect of life. God wants us to be strong, loving, wise and to have the power to live. It’s not so much what we do that counts but it’s who we become. That’s what the commandments, teachings and God is all about. Nowadays, a fatal disease is no longer fatal but just a life threatening disease if left uncared for. Modern Science has come up with several interventions to combat these diseases. When we don’t feel well, we consult a doctor for advice on how to care for ourselves. An example could be hypertension, before people just die of it without prior treatment but since the dawn of anti hypertensive medicines and proper care to maintain a good blood pressure there has been significant improvement on such cases. The same with our souls we have a disease that if left uncared for can cause death. It would be better to think of our souls as such. It’s easier to be receptive to the gospel if we consider ourselves lost. We have been saved by God but we can lose it just as we can lose our human life for not caring for it. We all have a terminal disease called sin, we need a doctor to give us advice. Our souls need a Divine Physician and consult the sacred scriptures in order to know the things to follow. The sacraments serve as the medication that we can compare to medicine from the doctor that we don’t understand how it works. It is the same with the sacraments although we may not understand fully how it works just like how medicines work to cure our diseases. In the spiritual life our physician is Jesus Christ, He tells us what to do on how to be healed. We must not follow quacks and pseudo scientists. We must trust our souls not to quacks but to God. We follow the saints who have lived their life in an exemplary nature. We should also follow the example of the great men in the bible who never doubted God's goodness and mercy. In this way we become free of the serious symptoms of the sicknesses of the soul like pride, covetousness, envy, lust, sloth, anger and gluttony. We seek the truth and the truth will make us free. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4. 5-6

R. (1a) Listen, Lord, and answer me.

Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me, for I am afflicted and poor. Keep my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God. (R) 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (R) 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. 6 Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading. (R)

Two miracles took place in today's gospel and it should leave us in awe at the tremendous power of Jesus. There is no room for doubt all we have to do is just have faith. The woman in today’s gospel with hemorrhages for twelve years and Jairus whose daughter is at the point of death have something in common. They have faith in Christ. A woman was considered of no social standing during that time, and to be a pagan/Gentile only added to her worthlessness she wan not even addressed with her own name. The woman touched the tassel of Jesus in the midst of the crowd bustling about trying to push and touch Him. As specifically written, Jesus was aware at once that power had gone out from him. The crowd tries to get a hold of Jesus but doesn’t allow the power of Jesus to go out of Him. . How come Jesus feels one woman touched him. What made the difference is her faith. The result of her faith is power. He is present in the sacraments. We touch Jesus in the Eucharist but we have to approach the Eucharist with this hemorrhagic woman’s kind of faith, expecting Jesus to do something for us, as we receive Him. Allow Him to come to our heart, make life better spiritually, give us the power to rid us of the burden of sin. We may not have lived at the time when Jesus walked about the earth and healed the sick but we can touch Him in the flesh. It is true that we are touching Jesus in the sacraments especially the Eucharist but when we do not have faith there is no effect.  Let us not fall into the trap of becoming overly familiar with Jesus as we receive the sacraments regularly or even daily for some. This familiarity makes us lose the awe and wonder of our faith that it wears off. We have to maintain and sustain our faith. Whenever we come in contact with Him let us ask Him to give us greater things, to heal us and change us as we touch him. Jesus is healing us in the way that the doctors can not do and is made possible through the sacraments. Is there anything else that Jesus is not capable of doing? We should answer these questions ourselves and really feel in our heart and impress in our mind the resounding truth about Jesus. If we are to imagine that woman touching the cloak of Jesus to the point that it really feels so real that we could almost feel the cloak of Jesus flowing around Him and touching our skin we would surely feel goose bumps all over. Somehow we could identify with the woman since she has been longing and desiring for a cure to her disease for quite a long time already and we in our lives sometimes encounter situations when we've been waiting for the answer to our prayers for a long time and have utilized every possible means and yet things did not get any better and felt that we were not helped at all but instead made things grew worse. One way or another we may all have felt that way. As days, weeks, months and even years go by we should come to a point when we can also develop that same faith of the woman in the gospel who got cured just by touching the cloak of Jesus and in turn will finally receive the long awaited blessing we all have been waiting for. Another important thing that is being pointed out today is the certainty and reality of death and our desire to live forever. There is indeed an explanation as to why people doesn't want to die and wanted to avoid even talk or mention about death. It goes way back to the time of creation when God never meant for us to die at all but because of our consent to sin, death entered the world. It's a good thing that despite all of these we are assured in Jesus that we can still take part in God's original plan to live life to the full for eternity. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. [At that] they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

OFFENSE-DEFENSE

To utter a curse to someone and spread slanderous words against somebody much more to a king is never an acceptable thing and could definitely spell trouble. In fact, a person could be charged of slander and libel and go to jail for something like this. But in today's 1st reading, King David, the leader of his people allowed himself to be cursed. He could have easily silenced this man at his bidding but he did not. It was the deep remorse and awareness of his own sins that withheld his anger for this man (Shimei) who insulted him. We may have been to the same situation as King David's, though we are not royalty we may have reacted, retaliated and answered back in a very fierce way if we were told of the same curses that could ruin our reputation and hurt our ego. We could never deny the fact that at least once in our life if not many times, we were all guilty of getting back at somebody who may have hurt us in a certain way. There could be times too, when we could not lower our temper and give in to outbursts of anger when we encounter people who say all kinds of mean, rude and unacceptable words most especially if it was directly meant and said to you. Whether it is righteous anger or not we could definitely decide to follow the example of David who seized this opportunity to choose to offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord rather than feed the hurting ego of a king. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13
...But the king replied, “What business is it of mine or of yours, sons of Zeruiah, that he curses? Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David; who then will dare to say, ‘Why are you doing this?’ ” 11 Then the king said to Abishai and to all his servants “If my own son, who came forth from my loins, is seeking my life, how much more might this Benjaminite do so! Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. 12 Perhaps the LORD will look upon my affliction and make it up to me with benefits for the curses he is uttering this day.” 13 David and his men continued on the road, while Shimei kept abreast of them on the hillside, all the while cursing and throwing stones and dirt as he went.
If we are not aware of the offense and defense reaction then we can have a picture of how it operates in sports games like basketball and football. This works well in such games but not at all times in the game of life. If we will always rely on our own limited and imperfect defense strategy and give in to the spur of the moment, brief but quick surge of the adrenalin rush and get carried away by our emotions then we are bound to lose and fail. This is so because we end up with our self devised means of defense in redeeming ourselves from an offensive situation rather than relying on God's fool proof and sure ball defense. We should all realize and be aware of the fact that the Lord who sees all the good things we do will never abandon us. Nowadays we need not go through the same agony as what the early Christians suffered because we are free to express our praise to God. Let us hope and pray that just like those Christians in the olden times we, too, may develop that same kind of devotion.  It is no longer an obligation and duty that we do things for the Lord but out of pure and voluntary act of love for God which produces joy in our hearts. If we sometimes feel uncertain of some decisions we may have made, not everybody seem to agree with it and we really have no way of finding out what the future holds for us then we can always count on God to uphold our cause. Amen. Hallelujah!

Ps 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. Lord rise up and save me.

But you, LORD, are a shield around me; my glory, you keep my head high.

Whenever I cried out to the LORD, I was answered from the holy mountain. Selah

Whenever I lay down and slept, the LORD preserved me to rise again.

I do not fear, then, thousands of people arrayed against me on every side.

Today's gospel displayed an impressive offense-defense play, if we may call it, which Jesus Himself perfectly carried out. Only the power coming from the Most High is able to do something as impossible as this. He was able to drive out a legion of demons from a man who had been suffering from it for a long time. There is no doubt that Jesus’ power stretches from the natural to the supernatural because there is nothing that does not come under His lordship. In recognizing this, we also acknowledge that through Baptism we share in this power. Today’s gospel shows us that we all we all have different vocations in life. Some are called to the religious orders, married life or single blessedness. Whatever our calling may be, it counts a lot to God and is not reduced to nothing or less holy as most of us think when we do not belong or are called to the Holy Orders. Whatever our present status in life is, we can still be witnesses by serving and loving God as is and where is. Thus we are called to give witness to it in our lives. How do we do this? By rejecting sin and temptation, and living under the grace of the Holy Spirit and not according to the ways of the world or the devil.  There is truth in the saying united we stand, divided we fall but in the case of today's gospel, the unity or the legion of demons did not stand a chance with Jesus, though they were united as one legion, still they fell. For nothing can ever be more powerful and mightier than our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 5:1-20

...Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind... ...As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But he would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

We sometimes fall prey to the trap of the enemy when we succumb to temptations. There are instances when we say words that we don't mean or fail to say words that we should have said. We sometimes ask ourselves things like, I should have said it or I shouldn't have said it. Definitely, there are words which you really need to say and some also that are better left unsaid. We really have to be careful about the words we say and be bold enough to speak out the words that should be said. Amen. Hallelujah!

 Deuteronomy 18:15-20

...and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him.19 If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it. 20 But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.’”

Today's psalm reading is used as a preparatory psalm in the Liturgy of the Hours just as it was used in the Old Testament. Each time we hear it, there is an emphasis to the fact that is just the same as it is proclaimed today. During the time of Moses there had been an incident of great rebellion and testing on the part of the chosen people of God. The same message is being said to us because there is a possibility that we also harden our hearts today. Massah means rebellion and Meribah means testing. It refers to the time they rebel when they had no water. Moses struck the stone in the desert and water came out. We can read in Numbers 13 when Moses sent out spies to check out the promise land and when they returned in Numbers 14 they were full of discouragement. They came back and reported that the Land of Canaan is too strong to conquer but Joshua & Caleb, trusted God. They didn’t look at the problems of the walls of the Canaan. But the people believed the spies and concluded that it’s impossible to overcome these barriers. They wanted to choose new leaders and kill Moses & Aaron and go back to slavery in Egypt. Due to their unbelief the whole generation never entered Canaan only the new generation with both Joshua & Caleb did. The goal is to enter into rest in the land of Canaan but they refused because they believed their fears rather than believe what they’ve already seen in God’s miracles in Egypt. Psalm 95 is used so often in the Liturgy of the Hours and encourages us how today we must listen well. They do not just apply to the people in Numbers 13 & 14. It also applies to the Church and we consider ourselves the New Israel. Let God call us to attention. We don’t have to fall back to the same sin of disbelief. No matter how hard the world makes us do so. The Church is beginning to experience persecution. Today we have to keep in mind what God already said in the past especially as we hear the words of His Son today. Jesus Himself gives us a greater authority than the prophets and the angels. When we look at our day, there are a number of strains that we have to alert ourselves.  There are New Age beliefs that everything is God including the forces of nature. It is moving towards the act of depersonalizing God by a vague force. It clouds the truth of God the Father, God the Son & God the Spirit. There is this New Age notion vs. the Christian notion of God. The catch here is the fact that there are no demands upon the faithful to be obedient. A hardened heart is equivalent to disobedience. There is no longer a clear distinction about the truths of the faith. It's just a matter of loving nature and taking care of the environment. No other demands like obeying the 10 commandments. The truth is not existent with the New Age. They water down the Person of Jesus and lead others to disbelieve in Him. Certain scholars deny Him as a historical figure or is believed that He had a wife as depicted in the fictitious Da Vinci Code. These are all things that are far from the authentic gospel. The image of Jesus is being shaped to imitate our worst moments and sins. It makes him appear like He is no better than we are and attack His moral character. It is an act of impunity to God’s character as if He is just a character of fiction. It looks like God is on the dock as C. S. Lewis put it. Instead of us being on trial, God appears to be the one who’s on trial. Let us not fall into this kind of thinking nor continue in our lack of faith or let anything shake our faith. Some dogs are amazing in their ability to show devotion and faithfulness although they do not even measure up to the dignity and standing of human beings they are capable of obeying their master with so much love and respect.  This should make us realize all the more can we do it and a whole lot better than that. We have to make a decision to be with Christ. God is the Good Shepherd. He will not scatter but draw people to holiness, righteousness and goodness. How can we be lost or led astray? There are things we need to do if we want to be under the care of the Good Shepherd, listen to His voice, follow His guiding hand and stay within the circle of the flock He tends. The truth is that we should never have any doubts about our decisions for as long as we know that it is all for the glory of God first and foremost and everything else will follow. We have this faith and confidence in God as in Philippians 4:6-8, "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." When someone speaks to us we sometimes ignore, refuse to listen, simply pretend that we haven't heard anything or misunderstood what we heard because we are too distracted or busy to give time to listen well. Let us always open our hearts and mind so that we become sensitive to the voice of God talking to us.  Surely there were times when we heard and experienced the voice of God giving us “out of this world” instructions and we responded nonchalantly as if we never heard anything, refused outright and rejected it. If before we just choose to do it whichever way we wanted it without much thought from now on let us respond to God in the best way we can with hearts full of love and obedience. When we grumbled and complained we all know for a fact that it didn't make things any better. We would have to practice more and make perfect the art of trusting and hearing God's voice. God is never short of anything. God is God and He will always be. Let us no longer confuse ourselves with the inaccuracies and discrepancies of our human hearts and minds. Let us keep it focused on Him who is Holy and Perfect. Let us all acculturate ourselves to the Kingdom of God to become a true member of His society. In this way we become a fit and authentic member of God's nation. No one can ever love and care for us more than God. He is the source of living water thus we thirst no more. Indeed, if today we hear His voice, let us not harden our hearts and let Jesus come. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 95:1-2. 6-7. 7-9 (8)

R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;    let us acclaim the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him. (R)  Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides...

It will always be for our own sake that God gives us this reminders. We should always be attuned to His will and conscious of the fact that we need to shelter ourselves within the confines of His Divine Presence. Let us stay always within the loving embrace and protection of God and not stray away from Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 7:32-35

32 Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties...I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to impose a restraint upon you, but for the sake of propriety and adherence to the Lord without distraction...

We find that the word teaching is used twice in today’s gospel. From this we draw emphasis on the fact that Jesus is a teacher. We know that the Jews have rabbis and whenever one states a particular teaching it is common practice to give reference to one as source of authority. But Jesus teaches in a different way. He conveys a new teaching and teaches with authority. His words are straight forward and without reference to anyone else but Himself for He is authority. His message is to repent and believe which is a fulfillment of the Old Testament. There are 2 things that are classic to authority first it is confrontational and second it is a defense. An example of this is when Jesus drove out an evil spirit. He demonstrated His authority through the exorcism. He said something and proved it with His actions. When Jesus said the Kingdom of heaven is at hand it is to confront and destroy the kingdom of darkness and sin. The confrontation is a violent one just as Jesus commands the evil spirit to be quiet and come out of the possessed person.  But the evil spirit as a form of defense responded by saying, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? ? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!”   This is a strategy of the inferior to show control and put responsibility to the superior. The demon also recognized Jesus as the Holy One but it has no authority. It may know His name but it has no control for God is stronger than the one that is in the world. One of the reasons they possess people is to distort the image and likeness of God. The evil one’s last ditch effort can be seen in the fact that he is telling Jesus that he knows Him to try to wield control but he has no power.  We have to keep this in mind always. The evil one will always assert authority in our lives and confront us with what he knows about us. We need to read and know the gospels because they are authoritative words. In doing so we become filled with His authority and by His authority we help bring the world to God. This we have to remind ourselves and do many times and over and over again. Jesus is up and above everything and nothing is beyond His power. God can exorcise evil spirits because He is the Exorcist. Thus our faith in Jesus should also go beyond our recognition and amazement of Him but rather go further than what the unclean spirit and the onlookers did. We should all lead a life which testifies to God's greatness. God is the Supreme authority over all things and we as His faithful followers have the same power in our hands all in accordance to His great love and care for all of us. There is really no doubt that God is the only Power that we need and will ever need. Let us not be left behind in claiming these truths in our life since even the unclean spirits themselves can not deny it, how much more, us Christians who proclaim loyalty and faithfulness to our God? Let us be challenged to make a difference. There are always two sides of a pole. It's either we go one way or the other. Today's readings have been very clear on who we really are. The most precious creature that God ever made. Do we know who we are? It is up to us to live up to who God made us to be or not. The choice is ours to make. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 1:21-28

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEA

The most important thing that the Lord expects of us when we sin is true conversion. We can say all the sorry/s we like but if it's not coupled with a transformation of our hearts then we are no better than the snakes that shed off their skin but come out the same. We've got to be like those caterpillars after shedding off their chrysalis or silk coverings emerges into a beautiful butterfly. Just like in today's 1st reading when David asked God for forgiveness, truly repented and mend his ways. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17

...Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan answered David, “The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin you shall not die.14 But since you have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed, the child born to you must surely die.” 15 Then Nathan returned to his house. The LORD struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and it became desperately ill. 16 David besought God for the child. He kept a fast, retiring for the night to lie on the ground clothed in sackcloth. 17 The elders of his house stood beside him urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not, nor would he take food with them.

Today's psalm is a song that I have come to know and sing by heart without the aid of a song book. I always love to sing it and hear it being sung most especially by the choir during mass. It is well for us to not just love to sing it with our voices but with the sincerity of our hearts. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R: Create a clean heart in me, O God.

10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R) 12 [14] Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. 13 [15] I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners shall return to you. (R) 14 [16] Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God; then my tongue shall revel in your justice. 15 [17] O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. 

The Sea of Galilee has taken on a deeper meaning in my life way back in 2007 when I decided to come here to the US. In Mt. 4: 18 the sea of Galilee is where Jesus' call to the first disciples took place. It is good to recall and look back where our own Galilees are. I can still remember very well my own Sea of Galilee and should always keep in mind and never forget. As we gather all our strength and courage we, too like the disciples should never turn back and go forth to our own Galilees. I could still recall the bible story in Luke 5 entitled, "The call of Simon (later on named Peter) the Fisherman." It was way back in Feb. 4, 2007, during those times when I was discerning and weighing my decision to come here to the US with my friend Joy. This gospel reading from Luke specifically caught my attention, confirmed and gave me confidence in what I was planning to do and eventually did. Just like Peter who was skeptical at that time I was also feeling so unsure about my decisions then and this phrase really had a great impact on me back then coupled with the priest's homily that went with it. That was like more than 4 years ago now. I feel like God is reminding me again of that scene at the Sea of Galilee (also known as the Sea of Gennesaret) when I, just like Peter decided to respond to God's call in my own personal way. This message has been very persistent and I have been writing and sharing about. The Sea of Galilee is the place where Jesus chose His Apostles and also where the apostles immediately left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:10-11). Which reminds me too of that song entitled, "Lord, you have come"  The background setting of this song is biblically based on the gospel stories of the call of Jesus to Peter and the apostles at the Sea of Galilee.  It held a special and deep meaning that touched my heart in an unexplainable way owing to the occasions and incidences that were connected and related to it. But I believe God in His awesome and almighty wisdom, intelligence and knowledge reveals things in stages for the benefit of our limited capacities and understanding. The series of events and daily readings became an eye opener and has given me a better understanding of all the things that have happened since. I realized it is always good to look back, recall and never forget those times in our lives when Jesus was calling us for a certain task and decided to follow and obey. As I develop in myself a broader understanding of the Call at the Sea of Galilee I also realized the need to go across it and experience a higher level of union with God. In the gospel of Luke back then, the situation was different since the Sea of Galilee in that given bible passage was very reassuring since it gave an impression of peace and calm which was very conformed to my situation back in the Philippines before I left for the US. When I finally arrived here in the US and experience life away from my loved ones and encountering the challenges I now face I was able to relate to that gospel in Mark 4:35-41 also at the Sea of Galilee when the disciples were faced by a violent squall and big waves filling up the boat to the brink of causing it to sink. Very much unlike the gospel in Luke when Peter having obeyed and followed to put out into the deep water was rewarded with a miracle, Lk. 5:6-8 “... when they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing... and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking.” Immediately upon arriving the US I was also greeted with a lot of pleasant surprises like passing the NCLEX-RN, getting a hospital petitioner, being able to travel to the East Coast (New York, Michigan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Chicago, Washington DC) for free and winning the grand prize in the Nurse Expo. All these experiences of the disciples in the Sea of Galilee I have noticed that I can personally relate to especially in the manner of the sequence I have encountered them. In both occasions, the disciples having followed and obeyed Jesus in both gospels of Luke and Mark came to this scenario or condition of their boats both in danger of sinking. Although both happened in the Sea of Galilee, as I look at my own life the gospel in Luke which I encountered before I left the Philippines reflected the positive and confirming things that were happening  back then just as the disciples having followed and obeyed Jesus' specifically the bible passages at the Sea of Galilee in Luke 5:4-6 "Jesus said to Peter, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master we have worked hard all night and caught nothing  but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this they caught a great number of fish their nets were tearing." On the other hand the gospel in Mark which I have encountered now that I am already here in the US reflects the trials and difficulties which I can relate to the disciples response to the bidding of Jesus to cross to the other side were greeted by a not so pleasant surprise with a violent squall to the point where the boat was already filled up with water and in the brink of sinking. After having made those decisions in 2007 which eventually brought me to my present situation here in the US, I must say I can somehow relate to how the disciples felt back then. It made me realize that I have also come to a point in my sailing with Jesus in my very personal Sea of Galilee when I have also witnessed violent squalls in my life here in the US and been brought to situations to the point of sinking but have been constantly assured of God's tremendous power. I have witnessed Him pacify the turbulent winds in my life which have left me with a great calm in the midst of the storm.  It is cited that Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee  in today's gospel which reflects the need to go beyond this call of Jesus at the seashore of Galilee. In the same way we are called to respond in our own personal way to Jesus by carefully looking at our own lives as we go through a series of stages and discover the various experiences we had which led us to accepting His call at our own Sea of Galilee, sail with Him across it, not be afraid of the storm that assail us, and even go up with Him to the mountain and witness the amazing and wonderful miracle that only Jesus can give. We should be able to look at the scriptures in different levels and senses. We can say that St. Mark with regards to today's gospel is speaking to us a historical event which did happen at the time of Jesus. Squalls are common in the Sea of Galilee because of the mountains that surround it. It is known for its violent storms, which can come up suddenly and be life-threatening for any on its waters. These tempests are caused by the situation of the lake in the Jordan Rift with steep hills on all sides. The cooler air masses from the surrounding mountains collide with the warm air in the lake’s basin. Winds sometimes funnel through the east-west-oriented valleys in the Galilean hill country and rush down the western hillsides of the lake. The most violent storms, however, are caused by the fierce winds which blow off the Golan Heights from the east. If we are to look in the spiritual sense we are invited to stand in awe and wonder at who is this as spoken of by the disciples in the gospel. He is the mighty God who has in his hands the very depths of the earth. He is God. He said, "Quiet and be still!" These are the same words he commanded to the evil spirit in Mark 1:25, Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" This is the same command to the destructive power of the storm which is equal to the power of evil to the soul. Unexpected storms that come out of nowhere can be compared to the evil in the heart of man. We all know the destruction brought about by tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. We look at that and see the absolute devastation and helplessness that people experience. No one can control it. The weatherman would warn the people to just run. We leave and get out of there. We evacuate lest we be destroyed in the presence of the act of nature. We treat the devil in the same way because that’s the power he has here on earth. This is what happens at the level of our souls, it has devastating effects. What does the spiritual weatherman say to us? Run for shelter, get out of there, get away from temptation and stay close to the Lord. How can we look at this in the spiritual sense? It’s like we too are on cold waters and out of nowhere there’s this something that causes destruction and violence in our lives. We can identify it in our interior lives. It comes over us and we cry out for help. There are moments when we say we can’t take it anymore, we’re going down, and all we can do is cry out. We sometimes have this feeling that God does not recognize what’s happening to us. We sometimes ask if God can possibly be asleep. Or does He realize what’s happening. When I have decided to leave the confines of my home country the Philippines and embark on this journey away from the security that I have been for so long a time been accustomed and used to, I did not fully realize that the challenges or storms in my life would bring me to new heights and depths in my personal relationship with God. It made all the difference knowing that Jesus is in the boat with us. God has authority over all creation. We need to recognize who He is. Jesus is there to help us so we don’t perish. God has the power to bring peace in the midst of the chaos in our lives. We have to recognize that He is present in our lives or in our boat. We belong to Him. We always pray the Lord’s prayer that Jesus Himself taught us. We say, “Deliver us from every evil and grant us peace.” We’re the disciples of the Lord in this boat of life. We receive a sense of peace that can only come from God. He is the God of the universe and has the power to protect us from all anxiety and bring us this profound peace.

 Jesus is teaching us to continue trusting and believing that all kinds of storm that are tormenting us and will still come our way are just background effects and all we have to do is focus on the main scene which is Jesus is God, He is in charge and always in control. There is no reason to be terrified if we have faith in God. God does not stop in filling us all with great awe knowing that He is a God whom even the wind and sea obey. God never stops in giving us the inspiration to keep on going and continue the good work He has done for all of us

Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said  to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

TOTAL RECALL

Today's 1st reading is a call for us to remain true to the faith which reminds me of charismatic seminars like LSS, (Life in the Spirit Seminar) LLS, (Living in the Light Seminar) CLP (Christian Life Program) or whatever they call it wherein people are laid hands on, get baptized and received God's gifts of the Holy Spirit. We all have to recall and not leave to be forgotten the good memories that strengthened our faith the way Paul is doing for Timothy and Titus whose feasts we are celebrating today. Paul one of the greatest apostles did not do everything by himself. He had these 2 greatest collaborators who help him fulfill God's mission. Timothy and Titus served the church and carried out good deeds in whatever situation they are in even in times of challenges. We are encourage also to stir in into flame the same grace given to them, the laity and all the baptized to participate in the mission of the church. When Jesus called the first apostles who were mending their nets to be fishers of men, at once they dropped their nets and followed the Lord. We have to make a decision even in the midst of trials and crosses. We need to surrender to the Lord for He’ll surely lead and show us the way. Our job is to follow, obey and continue in our service to the church and the gospel. We ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us with the strength that comes from God. Our natural strength tires and we need the gift and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the way that strikes people’s hearts. We can never deny the fact that one way or another somebody has influenced who and what we are today. For most people it is always the parents or someone very close to us. I have this feeling that today's 1st reading invites us to look at this aspect of our lives too. It is always nice to make a total recall of good memories. As for me the person I can point to with regards to this is my mother. She got widowed when we were still very young and I guess it has developed in her a great faith in God. She would always say that widows are special to God. We all grew up hearing her quote bible passages and words of wisdom to live by. Our loved ones who have impacted our lives so much may not be present with us anymore but we have to remain strong in memory of them for the Spirit of God lives on. Just in case we lose sight of who we really are before the Lord, Paul in today's 1st reading reminds us of the gift that God gave us which is the Holy Spirit who dwells in each one of us. Sometimes we forget, neglect, take for granted or worse are not aware or deny this wonderful reality that God is with us. We ought to exercise our minds to always think of this and be conscious that we have the power. After the “know what you're missing” stage comes the feeling that there is something more to knowing what is written in the scriptures. God gives us His Spirit that transcends all knowledge and understanding that leads to a spontaneous overflow of His love, grace and mercy. Let us be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and really feel and acknowledge His presence in us. The Holy Spirit's action in our lives is most often gentle and not immediately felt and works quietly. It's sometimes hardly perceptible at all. The Holy Spirit's specialty is in sanctifying men and women throughout history from the beginning of time until the end of the world. He is the saint maker of all times. He is the one who transforms sinners to become saints for as long as their willing to cooperate with Him. He is the one who converts the weak disciples of Christ to strong ones. Lukewarm souls turn to zealous ones. He converts coward disciples to bold and courageous disciples. It is like a symphony orchestra made up of a dozen instruments but the conductor is the one who's the focus of the musician and the audience and yet the conductor is not the real sense of the music, the composer is. In front of every musician is a music stand holding a few pages marked with black dots to score the music. This is what the choir looks at and how they are able to sing together, the organist, the conductor, all with same mind, with the same objective and the same purpose. Yet, no one in the audience sees the score and this music score is what brings them together, it coordinates everyone's effort and produces a beautiful and inspiring performance. This is what the Church is like, the Pope is the conductor, guaranteed by God to remain faithful to the music score. We are all musicians contributing our own unique talent to the symphony of holiness that resounds to the world throughout history. The Holy Spirit is the living musical score, Composer of all composers and the one that tells us what to play, when to play them, how fast to play them, how loud or soft to sing them. The Holy Spirit is the silent force behind the power of everything, of every Christian in the Church as a whole. Mother Teresa said, God is the friend of silence. We see how nature grows in silence. The fields, grass and flowers grow in silence. See how the stars, the moon and the sun move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls. We need silence to be able perceive the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our lives since He works in our lives quietly. The amazing thing that the Holy Spirit does quietly is how he transforms the apostles. Particularly how they were fearful men, and we remember when the Lord was captured at the Garden of Gethsemane. They were afraid, left and went their own way. Then the Resurrection came about 3 days later, they were joyful and yet they didn't know what to make of it at first. Eventually they believed that He was truly the one whom they saw was crucified, and died on the cross but their fear did not go away. Then in the Ascension they saw how the Lord ascended to the right hand of the Father and they were joyful when the Lord left because they were promised the Holy Spirit yet they were afraid and locked themselves in the Upper Room for fear of the Jews. It was not until the Holy Spirit descended upon them during Pentecost that they become bold and courageous disciples of Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict XVI pointed about this role of the Holy Spirit to overcome fear. A lot of us have some form of fear, in one form or another, in our future or whatever, there's some kind of fear that we are suffering. Where do we need to go? We go to the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our fears. Just like the disciples when the Holy Spirit descended upon them, those men went out without fear. They began to proclaim the Good News of Christ, crucified and risen. They had no fear because they felt they were in stronger hands. Yes, dear brothers and sisters, when the Spirit of God enters, He chases out fear. He makes us know and feel that we are in the hands of an omnipotent Love. Whatever happens, His infinite love will not abandon us. The witness of the martyrs, the courage of the confessors, the frankness of preachers, the example of all the saints, even some who are adolescents and children, demonstrate how they were not afraid. It is also demonstrated by the very existence of the Church which despite the faults of men continues in the ocean of history driven by the breath of God, the Holy Spirit and animated by the purifying fire of Divine Love. The Holy Spirit works quietly in our lives as a typical mode of operation. There's the need to spend time in silence in His presence to try to hear His voice and discern His Holy will. Just like St. Rita of Avila, the Holy Spirit was instrumental in transforming her life which was not until her Spiritual Director started to instruct her to pray the Veni Creator. One of the most widely used hymns in the Church, Veni, Creator Spiritus, is attributed to Rabanus Maurus (776-856). It is used at Vespers, Pentecost, Dedication of a Church, Confirmation, and Holy Orders and whenever the Holy Spirit is solemnly invoked. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it. A plenary indulgence is granted if it is recited on January 1st or on the feast of Pentecost. It was after that her life was truly transformed. This is how much we are to invoke the Holy Spirit and we are dependent upon Him in our lives. Pope Leo XII said we ought to pray to the Holy Spirit and ought to invoke Him for each one of us greatly needs protection and His help. Come Holy Spirit, come by me through the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to her Beloved Son, Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Timothy 1:1-8 (or Titus 1:1-5)

...I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you. 6 For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. 8 So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

This challenge and call to proclaim God's Word has been non stop and very persistent. In fact today's psalm tells us to announce it day after day. There should never be a day that passes without us giving praise and glory to God. When we have an appointment or a schedule it requires us to make necessary preparation for it before the date itself. There are times when we have to go through stressful activities in order to meet some requirements that go with it. This should make us think all the more of the greatest appointment we have to face on that final day and act in accordance to the demand of the inevitability and reality of this day. How much more are we supposed to prepare for that unknown day if indeed we believe that we have to be there and get to our destiny, where we are supposed to be in God's Kingdom. We should always be prepared for the day when we will come face to face with God. Every single day should be lived as if it's our last. How easy it is to put ourselves in the center of the universe. We are not the center of the universe, God is. We are just here on earth for a few fleeting years. 70 if we are strong in which to serve God. St. Theresa of Avila said to never waste a moment in time because she knows that every moment in time can secure heaven. When all is over and the battle has been won as in Revelation, God's name will be written in our foreheads and it will never be night again nor will we still need lamp or sunlight again because the Lord is our Light. There are so many things in life that worry us every day. We encounter people and circumstances that disturb our peace. We can't help but be stirred up and sometimes lose our focus. The truth is there is nothing that should bother us at all. We've got to hold on to the truth always that God is on top of everything. We have to be perfectly aware of the fact that the Lord has the whole world in the palm of His hand and will surely rule it with justice and constancy. It is always worth our all when we stand by the principles of God. No matter what it is that we are going through right now we can always draw strength and inspiration in this truth and not be moved. We look at our own lives and see that it is dark in many ways in the form of bad stories that we hear about. We are not perfect but we can do something to bring the glowing radiance of Christ to the world. We must be able to calm ourselves and silence our mind over a lot of worries and anxiety. In doing so we could immediately feel the peace and assurance that God never ever leaves us every step of the way. It helps to do the 3Rs: Reflecting, Remembering, Renewing. It is really important that we constantly reflect on the word of God, wherein the scriptures become fully alive in our life. We should always remember how God helped us in a certain experience. In doing so, hope starts to rise again. It is equally important that we live a balanced life by renewing so that we don't get worn out by the daily turmoil of our life. Those who toil will reap and will be able to reflect God's glory through the fruits of their harvest. We have 101 reasons to always rejoice and be glad. Jesus came and entered humanity in the most humble way. He loved us as we are and was willing to be born in a manger. He doesn't wait for us to transform ourselves but take us for who we are. It is very consoling to know that we have a God who was willing to be born into the messiness of our lives. We may not have received all the things we have been asking for specifically but we continue to believe that God in His goodness and mercy did answer all our prayers in the way that He deemed is best. It doesn't change the fact that He is God, always in control and every single thing works according to His master plan and divine purpose. We can be assured that He will carry out the plan He has for us, as in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope. God is over, above, around, about and all over the world. It is only right and fitting that we give glory to God who is above all. Let us always be grounded on this truth and make it clear for us so as not to fall into the trap and deception of the gods of the nations which are things of naught. Let us truly be faithful to the one and true God who made the heavens. We should listen, learn and be part of the task of spreading God's word to every person if we are really one with Him. No one is excluded from God's call of love. We often hear people saying that life is unfair but it is always a consolation to know that we have a God who is consistently good and just all the time. We can surely rely on Him all the time. God is sending all of us a friendship despite our coldness towards Him. He gives us all that we need. He is as good as He is great. He is very lavish with His promises and faithful in keeping them.  Whatever situation we are in we should always take the opportunity of showing forth God's glory at its best in our own lives. Nowadays, people tend to make decisions based on money. We must not discount the fact that money is important but it should not be the sole and major deciding factor when we come up with a decision. If we know exactly why we are here and what we are here for then there's no reason to doubt that God is always at our side to love, support and make things work for good. But we need to believe that God's power knows no limit. This world of ours is amazingly designed by God. DNA a double helical structure,   which is found in every living creature, which includes us, humans, is also existent in the solar system. Scientists found out that the pattern in which the planets rotate around the sun is also in a double helical conformation. It is undeniable evidence by the signature of God scattered all over the planet and extends to the entire universe that not even the most intelligent and brilliant astrologers could explain. We are indeed blessed and endowed with a wealth of endless benefits and cures just lying around us and within our reach. He is Great and Mighty and to Him alone do we put our trust. We must not be discouraged and continue to hope in His power. Amen. Hallelujah!

Responsorial Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10

R.  Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. 2 Sing to the Lord; bless his name. (R) Announce his salvation, day after day. 3 Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. (R)

I could remember a time when I hesitated for a moment when I was about to hand over to this home health nurse a copy of a daily reflection that I wrote and got inspiration through him the way I normally do with most of the people I am around. A lot of questions popped into my mind like, Would he mind receiving a bible reflection? Is he Christian? Can I really do this? I've encountered a lot of sensitive issues here in the US when it comes to religion and the faith. I suddenly felt like chickening out. We haven't known each other long and might take it in a different way. God is good that when I am about to back out I suddenly received from this very sweet lady who dispelled all my doubts and fears a boost of confidence and courage to carry out this task. Although she did not say the exact words from today's gospel it was just like I was hearing them from the silence of her good heart. For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. We should take every opportunity to let the people we meet see clearly the light of the lamp shining from the lampstand by spreading the Good News. We also recall how in Mt. 13:10-11 the disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.” The seed of the Kingdom of God is planted in mystery and it grows in secret and hidden. We can not fully comprehend it for God is infinite and so is shrouded in mystery. Jesus and the Kingdom can be found at the heart of parables but with certain obscurity and in a sense with a hidden nature.  Faith is a personal adherence to God and as we grow in our faith in Him the mysteries are revealed to those who draw close to Jesus in the condition that we adhere and cling to him. If we remain outside and do not enter into His love then we remain in obscurity. It is not true that the Kingdom of God is just for a selected few, everyone is invited and no one is shut out. In order to enter the kingdom we have to accept the invitation to repentance, conversion and faith.  We have to make a radical choice to give up everything and embrace it. Words are not enough, because we are not just called for lip service. In Mark’s gospel we often see the words of Jesus not to say anything or tell anyone. This is because of the danger to misunderstand the kingdom and misinterpret it. At that time they were under the oppression of the Roman empire. They think of the Messiah as the one to free them from the Roman rule and use the knowledge of the kingdom for power and control. It is like putting Jesus in a box and keeping Him at a distance so as not to allow Him to change us. We have to follow and submit to God. The seed planted in our hearts although a mystery and can not fully be comprehended will draw us closer to him through faith and good works.  It is much different if we are to live our vocation and grow in our knowledge and understanding of the faith. We develop trust and personal adherence in a form of clinging to God. We see this in the life of people with no high theological understanding. They articulate their deep love for God and understanding in simple ways. With people who are still suffering and struggling with difficulties that are not taken away, the hidden nature of the mystery persists. Just like this particular time that was very difficult for a friend of mine whose husband passed away to see the light of hope. But we continue to believe that in a moment of darkness filled with grief and despair of losing a loved one there is still hope that light is still shining through and is bound to be known to all in His most perfect time. We have to have faith in the heart and believe that everything will unfold in His time and be able to discover the light in the midst of trying and uncertain moments. We may not grasp the meaning of all the things at the moment but everything will soon come to pass and only the light of God's truth will prevail.  The veil is lifted and finally see God for who He is through faith, obedience and generous living in the gospel. This is the only way we can experience His love in a very real way. Though, still with the cross but still following his inspiration. This means real change in our lives that only the gospel can bring about as we remain faithful to it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lamp-stand? 22 For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. 23 Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” 24 He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you.