IT’S PAID

We should take time to be part of the activities in our parish churches that are spirit filled. In doing so we would find that these gatherings ministered by priests and very gifted preachers are indeed blessed gifts from the Lord. He sends them in the service of God’s people. Amen. Hallelujah!

Zechariah 8:20-23

Thus says the LORD of hosts: There shall yet come peoples, the inhabitants of many cities; and the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another, and say, “Come! let us go to implore the favour of the LORD”; and, “I too will go to seek the LORD.” Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to implore the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men of every nationality, speaking different tongues, shall take hold, yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” 

It is just overwhelming whenever people meet as one family of God during occasions like prayer gatherings. It feels good to be always reminded of how God looks after the needs of each member of a community and how each one should commit and encourage one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. He is indeed, God with us. Fr. Joseph Mary said in one of his homilies that he was given a Peanuts calendar by a friend which has this funny cartoon story. Linus and Charlie Brown were having a conversation. Linus said that when he grows up he would like to study about people because it interests him. Charlie Brown in reply said," I see, you want to study about them because with your knowledge you will be equipped to help them." But Linus said, "No, I am just nosy." Knowledge can be puffed up in such a way that is only limited to self advancement and tends to leave out the most important thing. It is important to advance in knowledge and works to our advantage but our knowledge especially of the Lord should be shared to others for all the nations to know. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 87:1-3, 4-5, 6-7

R: God is with us.

1 His foundation upon the holy mountains 2 the LORD loves, the gates of Zion, more than any dwelling of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! (R) 4 I tell of Egypt and Babylon among those that know the LORD; Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia: “This man was born there.” 5 And of Zion they shall say: “One and all were born in her; and he who has established her is the Most High LORD.” (R) 6 They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled: “This man was born there.” 7 And all shall sing, in their festive dance: “My home is within you.” (R)

“I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back. Though no one follows, still I will follow.” This is part of the lyrics of a song that contains the message of what God wants to convey in today's gospel. We may want to ask ourselves, who is fit for the kingdom of God? Do you know how many times the word heaven or the kingdom of God is mentioned in the bible? 832 times. That's how many it is. There are so many images and symbols used to describe heaven. God obviously wants us to know about it so that we can be with Him there. God the Father, Jesus, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Most Blessed Trinity is in heaven. Jesus the 2nd Person in the Trinity has gone before us to prepare a place for us. He said that He will come back again so that where He is we can also be. Jesus teaches about heaven in so many ways. Sometimes it is easier to picture something in stories and words. When Jesus taught, He liked to take examples of everyday life of the people and teach us about the kingdom of heaven a place of joy and happiness beyond our imagination. There are many images of heaven that are presented to us by Jesus in the bible. Everything that we suffered for the kingdom of God will be rewarded a hundredfold in heaven. God invites us to join Him and enjoy heaven that was prepared for us before the foundation of the world. It is not easy to always do the right thing. Sometimes we fail to respond in the best manner possible. Today's gospel gives a tip on how to do it according to the way of Jesus. Life of detachment, this is the pathway to a simple life. Also in Luke 12:32-34- store treasures in heaven, let go of possessions in Luke 14:25-35 and Luke 16:13 which is about God and mammon. Money is not evil in itself but the love of money. Resources not shared is greed and talents not shared is lust.

We should always do things for the greater glory of God without any hesitation or doubt. Every single day we are always confronted with a lot of decisions that demonstrate where our loyalty lies. We may have decided on something but as we go along the way we find things that do not suit our comfort and expectations. This may cause us to have 2nd thoughts and doubts whether we really made the right decision or worse whether we still maintain the same conviction that we have before encountering a discouraging situation. For as long as we honestly and sincerely know in our hearts and minds that we intended to follow Jesus and acted on it then we should make a decision to really stick to it and never back out for to be fit for the kingdom of God is all worth it. No matter what our situation is we should never chicken out and remain steadfast in our faith in God. There are things that we can't run away from no matter how bad it may seem to be. As God, Jesus knew what awaits Him in Jerusalem. We should follow His example when he resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem even though He is aware, being God, that it is where the passion of the cross awaits Him. Sometimes we doubt God's Providence when we encounter difficulties but in today's gospel it is clearly stated that Jesus is firmly resolved or determined to do the will of God the Father. His total obedience and commitment to fulfill His mission on earth did not spare Him from experiencing rejection and despite of it all He maintained in Him a spirit of mercy and forgiveness. He did not have a trace of vengefulness in Him. There is really a lot to learn from Jesus' life here on earth. Jesus was focused on God's will and was determined to fulfill it. Nothing stopped Him from fulfilling it although He pleaded to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt. 26:39, He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, "My Father, 25 if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will." and in verse 42 he repeated it again, "Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, "My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!" We can all learn from Jesus to be persevering in the problems and difficulties that we face in life for we all know that in the end Jesus triumphed and conquered it all. Let us not forget, He has paid the price and we have all been saved. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 9:51-56

51 When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, 52 and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, 53 but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” 55 Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they journeyed to another village.

UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL

God assures us time and again that He will never forsake nor abandon but instead rescue His people. There is no doubt to this because God is always our God and He is faithful but with regards to other part of the covenant that we shall be His people, are we faithful to this part of the bargain? Let us closely examine ourselves and find out if we are fulfilling this part of the agreement. We might as well ask ourselves, how we can become God's people in the truest sense of the word. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Zechariah 8:1-8

...Thus says the LORD of hosts: Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun, and from the land of the setting sun. 8 I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem. They shall be my people, and I will be their God, with faithfulness and justice. 

I could never forget the topic for the Lenten Retreat which was about prayer. Our speaker started the talk by stating that life is a mystery. Faith is a mystery.

I. The Church professes the mystery of our faith repeatedly in the CREED. I believe in God... In these repetitions, we hope to eventually imbibe and absorb this mystery as best we can.

II.  We celebrate this mystery through the LITURGY & SACRAMENTS. In the celebration, we hope to grow in our understanding of the fullness of the Holy Trinity. The sacraments are the vessels of grace. There is something greater than this that we should come to understand. We are the vessels of grace and the sacraments serve as a reminder of this. The sacrament of matrimony depicts the love of a man and a woman with God in the center. We can only hope to have a better understanding of these mysteries as we celebrate and partake of it.

III. Morality. We live the mystery in accordance to the life of Jesus, an authentic Christian life.

IV. PRAYER. is the litmus test or yardstick of our faith. Our souls have holes that need to be filled or plugged and it is in prayer that we don't end up placing the wrong plugs that fit our souls. We develop a discerning power through prayer. The way of prayer is not a feeling but a decision. Prayer could very well be patterned after the seasons of the church. There's a part of our life when we need to die, suffer and rise and so are prayers should always be full of faith, hope and love. It prepares us to live a life of relationship. At the end of the day it's all about relationship. We might not be fully aware of this but we engage in relationships every single day of our life and they all contribute to this life of mystery we have. We just have to be careful by checking first with whom we are building a relationship with. We've got to make sure that we are progressing towards the fullness of our relationship with God. We need to remove the restrictions that we place on prayer. Though, we need to test if it's really God's Spirit. We need to keep in mind that we are in a journey to God and we are obliged to study and learn all there is to know because wrong spirit could be in the form of ignorance. I just found out that the word anti means in lieu. Satan is so envious of Jesus he wants to be Jesus and every time we do not decide for Jesus in our actions then we choose the act in lieu of Jesus and in effect become an anti-Christ. We need to be aware that whenever we are about to pray, go to church and do something good, Satan would do everything in his power to distract us. We need to cultivate our soul in order to grow. Anything that improves our relationship with God is prayer. In fact, the mere act of suddenly remembering to give a loved one a call is already a form of prayer. The way we relate to our loved ones, family, friends, relatives and the people around us could already be a form of prayer. When we are in the middle of a breath taking scenery in nature and become full of joy and awe brought about by it, it's almost like a prayer of appreciation for God's wonderful work and creation. The language of intelligence relies on rational thinking while the language of the soul appreciates beauty and makes use of images. In order to understand this more deeply we have to look at the Parable of the Seed and the Sower. This parable contains a lot of imagery to convey its message. Although the parable is about the seed and the sower, the soil is of utmost concern in this story. You know why? We are the soil. It is our soul and spirituality.  In fact the name of Adam, the first man created by God was derived from the Hebrew word Adama, which means soil.  We need to cultivate the soil, Prayer is the fuel that cultivates our soil. Prayer is God's gift. God's perfect love reaches out to us when we sin or commit mistakes. Remember when Adam & Eve fell into sin, God immediately searched for them, in Gen. 3:9, "Where are you?" Prayer is an act of raising one's mind to God. We need humility for it to be perfect. Humility comes from the word humus which means dirt. If only Adam & Eve were humble enough to admit their wrongdoings instead of point fingers at each other as in Genesis 3:11-13 ...You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me--she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it." The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it." Who knows we could have had a different story and could still be in paradise if they had instead admitted, asked for forgiveness and prayed in a posture of humility.  We have a universal call to prayer thus our yearning for God. The bronze serpent became the source of healing as they looked at the object. God allows certain objects to become a source of blessing from Him as we focus on our faith in God, our hearts can communicate better. As humans we are sometimes prone to distraction that we sometimes need visual aids/reminders to refocus our gaze on the Lord. Man is naturally in search of God. It is God who called and thirsted for us first. Prayer is a response to man's thirst for the thirst of God. It is a response of faith to a God who is reaching out to us. God gives us the Living Water that will not make us thirst anymore. Whenever we see a particular race of people, we'll know right away where they belong because of how they look, the language they speak and other peculiar things that is characteristic of them. This should also be the case with us, a people who belong to God. We should develop in us all the characteristics that will set us apart as a people of God. We should never ever doubt that God has His eyes always upon us. He is always looking out for our welfare. No matter how hard things may seem to be at present we can always count on the Lord who looks down on the earth from heaven. We can always count on God for all our needs. Let us not be discouraged by the things we see and hear but rather keep our focus on God who answers prayers. Let us keep our hope and faith in the Lord who never turns His back on those who continue and persevere in their prayers and pleas to God. God knows the perfect time for everything. It is not a matter of delaying and withholding His blessings but rather a matter of perfect timing. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, 22-23

R: The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

The nations shall revere your name, O LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory, 16 [17] when the LORD has rebuilt Zion and appeared in his glory; 17 [18] when he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer. (R) 18 [19] Let this be written for the generation to come, and let his future creatures praise the LORD: 19 [20] “The LORD looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, 20 [21] To hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die.” (R) 28 [29] The children of your servants shall abide, and their posterity shall continue in your presence. 

My mother was a teacher but when my father died she had to put up an interior decorating business to augment her income. For every business quotation and proposal that she had to prepare and work for she would always say that there were greater and well known companies that she had to compete with. She was not the greatest of all in fact maybe the least but she always ended up getting the project. She had always attributed it to God and been thankful for everything despite of it all. She has indeed experienced the liberating power of God's word in her life. This message in the gospel today is almost the same as yesterday. God also warns us not to exclude other people especially those who doesn't belong to the usual company of people that we mingle with. We sometimes tend to make exclusive God's invitation and forget that it is for everybody. We must always be open to all people no matter how different we are with each other. We should always be united in God's love and welcome those people who may be different from us in a lot of ways but maintain the same stand and conviction that should unite us in our faith in God. For united we stand, divided we fall. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Luke 9:46-50

...“Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” ...“Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”...

POINT OF NO RETURN

The Lord in today's 1st reading calls the attention of the people in the time of Amos the prophet to act accordingly and not be mere spectators. This reminds me of the time when we had our bible study with Bro. Willy Santa Maria. We were discussing about the book of Wisdom and he touched the topic about the soul. To explain further he cited Aristotle a Greek philosopher who classified the Theory of Definition into 2 : nominal and real. The example he gave for nominal is water, being such in name only, or in appearance. The real definition, he further classified into how and "what is it meant to be?" As to "how" he defined water as H2O, relaxing and life giving.  As to "what is it meant to be?" or Toti en enni in Greek he elaborated by citing the acorn that developed into a full grown oak tree. The issue on Pro-Life and Pro-Choice came to play again when the example of an egg fertilized by a sperm developing into a person was also cited. He said that Aristotle a great and well renowned Greek philosopher who was not even a Christian way back then, during his time believed in the concepts and principles advocated by Pro-Life. What an irony that nowadays, people who have been exposed to a very wide knowledge base of information all in front of us with just a click of the mouse or wide array of references and theories all laid and figured out before us and claim to be Christians and followers of God can not even decide for this vital truth and issue about life. This kind of attitude is dangerous because we have a responsibility here. Thus it can turn things against us in the end once we reach the point of no return. We've got to make a stand on issues that the Church is very clear about right now. Amen. Hallelujah!

Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Thus says the LORD the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion! ...they shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with...

Not once did the word of God ever failed. My mother used to say that God loves the fatherless and the widow in a very special way as if nothing else matters. I grew up as a child constantly hearing her say this and believing it myself as I was growing up and knowing more about the Lord. She has greatly influenced my faith in God. I should say that wherever she may be right now, which I feel, think and believe is in the company of God with all His angels and saints in heaven, her memory will live on forever in my heart and the hearts of the people whose lives she touched. According to St. Therese, the poorer you are the more Jesus will love you. The world's point of view is very contradictory to the beatitudes. The world chooses strength over weakness and poverty. What seems to be foolish for the world and folly to man is wisdom to God. Jesus is attracted to our poverty and weakness because it is where we meet Jesus. Unlike the world who is attracted to strength and hires the smartest and world’s greatest. We have all kinds of difficulties and struggles. These are what drive us to Christ to cling to Him. Instead of always trying to complain and talk about it what we do is keep our eyes on the Lord. Sometimes He places something before us that He wants us to do. The challenge for us is to turn to Him in our weakness and cling to Him in prayer, faith, hope, love and abandon ourselves to Him. Let us trust God's mastery and expertise to mold and make of us a masterpiece, a genuine work of His hands. Today’s psalm reading mentioned the word captives which reminded me of priest’s talk on “New Kind of War” several years ago. There are always captives in war and he mentioned that we, Christians must be aware of the war that our adversary, the devil is waging on us. We have a very committed and determined adversary. Looking at the present moral condition of people here in the US he said that he is not surprised at all at how things are turning out in the present moment since the moral demise of a country precedes the ultimate demise. Whatever may be happening around us and could be getting worse with each passing day, we can be assured that God will help His friends but not His enemies. We need to know on which side we are. It is indeed a difficult battle we are facing in our lives but we must remember that human beings do not do well when all is well. We are strengthened by the trials just like steel that is subjected to heat in order to temper it. Greatness is forced on a lot of people just like what happened to those people after the incident in the Sept. 11 tragedy. It is pushed in the crucible of tribulation but despite of it we can be assured of the promises stated in today psalm. We should continue to rely on our one true source of help for only Him can satisfy our soul. God's help is all the help we need, nothing more and nothing less. We ought to realize by now what the wisest thing to do is not based in the standard of the world but of the Lord our God. Our confidence and trust must rest on the Lord alone who makes all good things possible. If we will always fill our hearts with gratitude and praise for the Lord then we will realize how things in our life turned out for good which seem to be not the case at the time it was happening for our God is faithful and everything that is said in today's psalm. Our hope should only be in the Lord for He alone keeps faith, secures justice, gives good, sets captives free, gives sight to the blind and raises up the lowly. It is a consolation to know and be reminded of it so as to always keep in mind that we have a God who is everything that we ever need, want and long for.

If God is able to do all things then there is really nothing to fear. We can always count on God to make things turn out for the best. Let us not be dismayed or discouraged by our circumstances for He will surely fulfill what He has promised. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 (1b)

R: Praise the Lord, my soul!

7 Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives good to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. (R) 8 The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those that were bowed down; the LORD loves the just. 9 The LORD protects strangers. (R) The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. 10 The LORD shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

When athletes train hard and focus well on their goals they have one thing in mind, to win the prize. It is something that every sportsman aim and work for. It is just the same for a man of God as today's 2nd reading tells us. This also reminded me of a very special person in my life who had been instrumental in the building up and growth of my faith during the first year of my Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Her name is Mrs. Teofista Tan Tena or Sis Pat, she is my boss in the very first regular job I had. We worked for more than a year and continued to keep in touch with her for years even after I transferred to another company. She had always been very enthusiastic in sharing to me a lot of things about the Catholic faith and was reminded me of her sharing about what happen to our souls after death. She said that the moment we breathe our last our souls will automatically and immediately return to God our Creator and the source of the breath of life. She said that during that moment when our souls hurry back to God, we will be confronted by this blinding & shining brightness of God's light that nothing can be hidden and everything in ourselves is exposed. That is when we'll see the impurities of our souls stained by our unconfessed and unrepented sins. Although it may sound a bit farfetched or difficult to prove today's 2nd reading somehow gave me an inkling of what it might be like. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Timothy 6:11-16

11 But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. 12 Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses...

I charge (you) before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ 15 that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see...

Today’s parable may make us want to think of the parable of the Prodigal Son because he got his inheritance but lost everything. He became impoverished but he repented. The parable in the gospel today is about a rich man who is not named and the poor man named Lazarus. His name means God is his help despite the catastrophe for him who is impoverished and sick. The rich man did not do anything particularly bad to Lazarus. He didn’t kick him nor did he steal money from him but he committed the sin of neglect when he had plenty. For that he ends up condemned and God judges him to be worthy of the flame while Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham for having suffered with God as his help. He trusted and hoped in God. The emphasis is on the fact that we will be held accountable for all our actions and also for our failure to act and do the good we ought to have done. Abraham said that the rich man received what was good during his lifetime but failed to respond accordingly to the blessing he was entrusted with. Lazarus was right in front of his door but he did not see the opportunity to share his blessing to him. It was not stated in the story that the rich man did evil things. We have to look into this very carefully. Sometimes it is not what we did wrong that will make us deserve hell but what we failed to do. Let us not miss out on these things while we still have time before it gets too late just like what happened to the rich man. His firm and determined effort for resolution was useless because he already came to a point of no return. May we not find ourselves in the same situation as the rich man when nothing else can be done. While there is still time we should act now and not delay. When this time comes for us, may we find ourselves in the same position of Lazarus, a place of comfort. It’s interesting that the rich man is burning in hell and still trying to give orders by saying, tell Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. Notice that he still doesn’t call him by name the second time when he asked to send him to their father’s house, for he has five brothers, so that they may be warned. He is still trying to run things on his own.  Hell does not rule in heaven. There is no authority as Abraham said a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing. He further reminded him they have Moses and the prophets and have plenty of warnings with the commandments, in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. We are shown how important it is to share with those who are poor. This is something very important. When the rich man insisted that it’s not enough because they need someone from the dead to tell them, it is also for us to realize that Jesus already came back from the dead. In the creed every Sunday we say we believe in the Holy Spirit who has spoken through the prophets. We trust that the Lord spoke through the prophets and still speak to us in the old and the new testaments. We will be amazed at how the Lord calls us away from the judgment as He infinitely do for He does want to send us all to heaven. Most of us want to go to heaven but God wants us there infinitely more. He gives us the means in the scriptures and the sacraments in the church where we belong. We trust in the Lord as Jeremiah said that He will bring us to heaven as we follow His ways, read scriptures and receive the sacraments so as to make it to that heavenly way to the heavenly joy. The gospel also reminded me of my commitment to always pray for the holy souls in purgatory and the faithful departed. As Christian Catholics we believe that we the living are all members of the Church Militant while those who have departed and passed away and are still undergoing a process of purification are the Church Suffering and those who already in perfect union with God are the Church triumphant. We are all part of the Church, the body of Christ. It is only right that we work altogether for our good and the good of all His Church. Whatever we are going through let us always offer it to God in prayers for nothing is ever wasted as pictured by the gospel story today. It also prompts me to always be mindful of not only the cares and concerns of this present life but most especially of the life thereafter that awaits those who will faithfully respond to the greatest gift that Jesus gave us. Let us take advantage of every situation in our life today to work for our ultimate goals knowing that we are bound for greater things and we are just temporary residents here on earth and we ought to focus on the permanent and everlasting. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham re plied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

SHIELD

Today's 1st reading reminds me of the game I used to play with my sons when they were still young. During weekends when I'm at home with them we play a lot of games together. Since they are boys and have been watching a lot of those Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles stuff, one of the games was to pretend that we were in a battle field just like those super heroes they see on TV and a monster was going to attack us. I would tell them to come close to me and embrace each other tightly and huddle as close as possible so that we can envelop ourselves into a ball while a shield forms around us to protect us. I would assure them that we are safe once we're inside the shield and used to imagine it just like what the Lord is telling us today as an encircling wall of fire that nothing or no one can go past it to harm us. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Zechariah 2:5-9. 14-15a

...But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire, says the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.” 14 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD. 15 Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and they shall be his people, and he will dwell among you, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 

We can always take courage in the fact that we have a Loving Father who is like a Good Shepherd. He will surely lead us to the right path. There are significant events in our life that we can associate with certain major decisions we made and can never forget. In everything let us always lift it to God in prayer.  The place where we are right now is exactly where God wants us to be. If God brings us here then He will bring us through it. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our life at this precise moment. God's purpose for us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place where we are now. That's God, He passes us through a lot of things for us to see His glory. It is a consolation to know that we can always count on God’s loving care and protection just as stated in today’s psalm reading. It can really make our hearts swell with joy and pride knowing that the Lord guards us as a shepherd guards his flock. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M
Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13
R: The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock. (R) 11 The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror. 12 Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion, they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings: The grain, the wine, and the oil, the sheep and the oxen. (R) 13 Then the virgins shall make merry and dance, and young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.

Let us not take for granted the things that Jesus is communicating with us everyday of our lives. What He wants for us is to gain knowledge on matters that we do not know and enrich what we already know. Nothing in what Jesus is telling us is difficult to understand nor will He purposely confuse or lead us astray. All of these we can surely have access if we will just pay attention to Him as what today's gospel is telling us. Have you ever experienced in your life when you hesitate to ask and just prefer to keep silent about something that you don't really know about? Sometimes we don't fully understand why things happen the way they do but we can be assured that in spite of our limitations and inadequacies we have a God who oversees everything. As the song goes," He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it in you." All we have to do is always pay attention to what God is telling us to do and obey. Paying attention at all times is a very good advice that anybody can benefit from especially if the person whom we are talking to has a lot of good things to say that we can learn from. In today's gospel, Jesus said to his disciples to pay attention and we all know that no one else can be more worthy of our attention than Jesus. I've had several mishaps in my lifetime because I wasn't paying much attention and realized that we would surely all be better off in our life if we will always give our full attention to Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Luke 9:43b-45 43

While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

GOD OF ORDER

There is a time for everything. Our God is a God of order and He places everything according to His perfect scheme and plan. All we have to do is completely trust Him that He will do what He has promised and set to do in accordance to His goodness, mercy, peace and love. As in today's 1st reading He assures us that He is our Creator, the King of the entire universe and the one and only Supreme God who can make all things happen for good. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Haggai 2:1-9

For thus says the LORD of hosts: One moment yet, a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. Mine is the silver and mine the gold, says the LORD of hosts. Greater will be the future glory of this house than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give you peace, says the LORD of hosts! 

I have already developed this habit of running on my way to Church as a form of exercise. I could never forget that day when I suddenly felt like not running at all considering that it was almost time. I just realized that I was spared from a dog bite when I turned to look back, I saw the big black police dog of our neighbor behind me, unleashed and out of their perimeter fence and if I was running I'm sure it could have ran after me and bit me. My heart was racing as I slowly walked away from it while praying fervently that it would not chase or come after me. Praise God! I was able to arrive at the Church safely without a scratch. It is indeed wise to always put our faith and confidence in God alone who secures us at all times even in our unguarded moments and fights all our battles. We should never lose hope in God Almighty. Amen. Hallelujah! 

P S A L M Psalm 43:1. 2. 3. 4

R: Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.

1 Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight against a faithless people; from the deceitful and impious man rescue me. (R) 2 For you, O God, are my strength...

There are times when our judgment gets clouded with the trials and difficulties we encounter in life. We always expect things to happen the way we expected and planned it to be. We sometimes overlook things because we are so preoccupied with other things. There are times when we fall into the trap of irritability and anger whenever our situation does not look good. Instead of succumbing to it, we should just thank God in whatever circumstance we are in and count our blessings instead. We have to remain calm. It is all worth it, because we are able to practice patience. These experiences, no matter how little, insignificant or not noteworthy they are, we can still learn some lessons from them which can make us better every little step of the way. Just like Peter in today's gospel, his constant following, closeness and interaction with Jesus eventually brought him to his present place and standing in our Church. But we all know how this relationship of Peter with Jesus did not start good and was tried several times especially with Peter's denials. Even then we can always hope and aspire that as we go along life and grab or take advantage of opportunities that God sends our way or allows to happen, we can develop a better understanding of who really God is in our life and what He is doing with our life which will eventually turn out for the best. Just as His suffering and death on the cross paved the way for His resurrection and our salvation we should always believe that God has the best reason for everything. Our life is full of choices. We need to make the right choice. We need to make a good judgment with regards to the choices we make. It is not wise to go by the prevailing standard that is being offered by the world. We may find ourselves secured now but not later; happy and contented for the time being but not meant to last; and at peace with the world but is shallow and easily disturbed. Sometimes when we have solicited the support of the majority or won the people’s approval, we have a tendency to cloud our judgments especially when our egos become inflated with pride. Rather than focus on what is right and proper before the Lord we go by popularity.  We should always keep in mind that the saying, “Majority wins” is not always what is right before the Lord. Nor should we be bothered by the opposition of other people if we do not go with the flow. In today’s gospel it is very clearly illustrated that the crowds are greatly misled and only Peter got it right. It doesn't matter what others may say or if some or most people disagree or are not pleased with our decisions what matters most is that we are right and at peace before God.  The top choice should always be Jesus if we truly wish to be saved. God is the ultimate and perfect lover whom we can not compare to the fleeting and passing love of this world. And as sure as the dawning of this new day, is the precise message of the intense, sacred, deep and indescribable love that is reserved and attributed to God alone. Our conviction and stand on certain things should always be dependent on what Jesus tells us for He is the way, the truth and the light. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 9:18-22

...Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Messiah of God.” 21 He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. 22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

BAG WITH HOLES

I just found out today that one of the common idiomatic expressions that I've come to know is also biblical. In the Philippines we used to say this if we are unable to make ends meet. It goes like this, "We earn wages but earned them for a bag with holes in it." I used to hear people complain especially nowadays about how hard is it to earn a living. Everything seems to be not enough at all. It's almost like no matter what we do all our wages go down the drain. It's interesting to find out that Haggai the prophet has an antidote to this bag with holes in it which I used to always say, before I even found out that it's in the Book of Haggai. Today's 1st reading encourages us to put right before the eyes of God, all the things in our life and not to neglect our duties and responsibilities in the building up of the Church of God.

Haggai 1:1-8

... Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways! You have sown much, but have brought in little; you have eaten, but have not been satisfied; you have drunk, but have not been exhilarated; have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed; and he who earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways! Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the LORD. 

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

P S A L M 

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

R: The Lord takes delight in his people.

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

We can say all the nice things about God and believe everything about Him and think that we are the better Christians but if we remain as the spectators of our faith rather than doers then we are no different from Herod. He also came to a point when he questioned and searched for answers but he never crossed that line and did not move forward. We should be bold enough to cross that dividing line not just once but throughout our lifetime. It's like we should always pray to God as in this song, "give us faith for one step more" and another until we reach to the point of being the best Christian. If we continue to let our chances pass us by and always miss out on all the opportunities that God is always sending our way to develop a deep and personal relationship with Him then we'll all end up greatly perplexed and no matter how hard we try to keep on seeing Him, we'll never find Him because our minds can only process what it is trained to do which is think. If our thinking has become defective then no amount of thinking can make us come up with the right answers. The time to act is now before it's too late when our minds has become so influenced by the perverse thoughts of this present generation, or worse when our brain has deteriorated and no longer functioning as effectively as it should be. Just like Herod in today's gospel he heard a lot of things from all over but can't decide and discern the truth. It is so frustrating when we are confused and undecided because we are unsure of what the truth is when it is plain simple that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light. We don't want to end up like Herod, perplexed, we would rather be sure and confident that we have a God who will never forsake nor abandon the moment we decide for Him. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Luke 9:7-9 

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; 8 others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” 9 But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.

WORD MADE FLESH

 The 1st reading today reminded me of the bible study we had in St. Lorenzo Ruiz with Fr. Tony Astudillo. He illustrated to us the ushering of Jesus Christ in the New Testament by establishing a time line from the time of Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the time of Exile until the birth of our Lord Jesus. He also mentioned Ezra as one of the prophets after the exile who were considered as ministers who promote the rebuilding of the temple and obedience to the laws. There is a trend that follows the period of exile. Prophets before the exile were giving warnings or forth telling instead of foretelling so as to avoid the worst circumstances if they continue to disobey God. In exile, the prophets presented the existing situation as a product of their disobedience but gave hope to the people that God has not abandoned. True enough during the time after the exile, prophets like Ezra and Nehemiah who are considered as historical books in the bible, with a nationalistic tendency, gave strict orders for a time of purification, no intermarriages, no mixture with other people because every time they mix with other people they become adulterous. They became preoccupied with the restoration of the temple. Every period is characterized by the corresponding and prevailing situation at that time. Through it all it can never be denied that the Salvation History or the covenant history of mankind shows us the relationship of God and man and how God continues to show mercy and relent in many ways for He is a living and loving God. Again I quote Fr. Tony in saying that God continues to striptease in His great desire to develop a relationship of love with us. This great love which is finally revealed in the advent of Jesus into time. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Ezra 9:5-9 ...“And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude. 9 For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the kings of Persia toward us.

There is indeed a lot of things that we have to look back to, learn from it and be thankful of. From generation to generation, every single turn of events is a testimony of a great and awesome God who designs and plans all the good things He has in store for us to finally take shape in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah! 

P S A L M Tobit 13:2. 3-4a. 4befghn. 7-8 R: Blessed be God, who lives forever. ...Praise Him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles, for though He has scattered you among them, 4 He has shown you His greatness even there. (R) So now consider what He has done for you, and praise Him with full voice... 

When we were baptized we all became God's children and each of us has been given the rights and privileges of being one. We have been richly endowed and blessed. Thus we should not hesitate nor back out in fulfilling the mission that the Apostles in Jesus' time were called to do. There is no reason to be afraid, feel insecure or inadequate. We have been equipped well by God's power and authority as today's gospel is telling us. If we are really up to it then all our words and actions should be congruent to the greatest mission we all ought to take. We have to go forth, whether young or old, proclaim the good news and spread the gospel. We have the power, whoever we are, whatever we do, wherever we are and the time is now. We are all called for a mission to spread the good news of salvation. The Balloon Story tells us of a child who saw balloons of different colors rising up in the sky. The child exclaimed how beautiful it looked up there with all the different colors. An old man told the child that it's not the colors that makes the balloons rise up but what's inside of it. As we become formed and equipped for evangelization we become Good messengers of the Good News. It is crucial that we reflect the values of Jesus. God is the Primary Agent of Evangelization. It is not about us but about God. He is the Chief Architect of it all. There is the so called "Equipping the Saints". We need to go through a process to achieve this. We process information in the mind, it is mind centered since it is a quest for knowledge. Formation is soul centered, it is a quest for wisdom and go through it by making decisions in the heart. Transformation is the meeting of mind and soul since it is a quest for spirituality. Propagation is the fullness of mind, body and soul resulting to authentic and meaningful faith in action. Furthermore, we need to differentiate between good and great leaders.  A good leader when the company is doing good, is one who faces the mirror and look back at the reason why the company is doing well but looks out of the window and to others when the company is performing bad. On the other hand, a great leader is one who looks out of the window and point to others as the reason why the company is doing well but when things are bad, looks at himself and ask what he can do to help. Jesus is a great leader because when things got really bad for humankind, He did not point any finger but instead came as man and redeemed us all. Evangelization should work towards making humanity whole again and free men and women from things that hinder them from being whole again. This we can faithfully and sincerely do if we first cultivate in ourselves the love for the word of God as we truly experience it in our personal lives and be able to preach the word by becoming a living testimony as in the word that was made flesh. The Principles of Catholic Evangelization
1. Live the gospel-use words only when necessary. Walk the talk
2. Challenge others by one's example and lifestyle
3. Uphold true values. People first than profit. Embrace peace and justice. A Capitalist value works differently, it upholds profit at all cost.
4. Open our hearts to the saving power of God. From a distance foolishness and wisdom look alike but if we come closer we'll find that foolishness is an open mouth and wisdom is an open mind. In evangelization we need to approach it in a manner of discovery with an element of surprise rather than deciding which means we already have an idea of it. In discovery, God brought us to where we are although not fully revealing but trusting. We discover God and the wonders of His wisdom.
5. Build community
6. Identify and really call injustice as injustice. Accept and handle the truth. Sometimes the closer we are to power the farther we become to truth.
7. Work for a better society. "Life is God's gift to us. What we make of it is our gift back to God. We only pass this way once. We better know life's reason and purpose. Our ultimate happiness depends on it. Life is a terrible thing to waste. At the end of the day, we should all leave this world a better place than the way we found it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 9:1-6

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal [the sick]. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere. 

BE ACTIVE

 This week is kind of hectic for the Filipinos in St. Martha's Church and I guess for the rest of the Churches with Filipino parishioners since it was the feast of Our Lady of Penafrancia and also the upcoming feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz. A novena prayer has already started in St. Martha in honor of him and a feast and special celebration is scheduled this week. People were asked to take part and were assigned various tasks in setting up the Church. Some were assigned to decorate the Church, others are going to be a part of the stage play, while others were in charge of the food to be served after the mass. St. Lorenzo Ruiz is the 1st Filipino Saint and there are lots of Filipinos here in West Covina so it is indeed going to be a day of celebration with so much joy. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Ezra 6:7-8. 12b. 14-20 ...The Israelites — priests, Levites, and the other returned exiles — celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy...

Today's psalm reminds me of this popular game called, "Trip to Jerusalem" I guess, everybody's familiar with it. We may all have played this game when we were young or even when we're older. The fastest, quickest, most alert person who gets the last seat wins. If we are not paying attention or are too slow then we are bound to lose. We have to put up a good fight in this game in order to win because the chairs are always lacking so every round there is always one person who doesn't get a seat and gets eliminated. It is just a game but people have a lot of fun doing their best so as not to be eliminated and win. People who engage themselves in this kind of game and want to win exert a lot of effort. It is so tiring and can exhaust one's energy in the game. And to think that after all our efforts only one person gets to win. Isn't it a relief that we can go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.  We need not worry that all our best efforts would just be wasted because God has reserved a seat for each one of us. If we are all set and very sure where we are headed then nothing can stop us from being there. Considering, too that we have a God who has secured a place and our future for us. John 14:1-3, " Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be." Nothing or no one can prevent us unless we ourselves decide not to go. The truth is, it's all up to us. We are confronted with a lot of things every day and if there is one thing we should choose and decide for then peace is one of them. It is important that we work and pray for peace to always reign in our midst. If we have peace that passes understanding always safeguarded in our hearts then we can rejoice in the Lord at all times. We should always be confident of the truth that we are blessed and secure in the knowledge and truth that we are where we are right now, doing what we are doing right now at the exact time God has provided for us, for with God there is always a perfect time for everything. When we are feeling tired from all the day's work all we want to do is just go home. Nothing could be more rewarding than coming home to a place where we find rest and peace. Our life here on earth could be compared to something like this. It is nice to know that at the end of the day or our life's journey we can go rejoicing to the house of the Lord and find ourselves welcome there. Ideally, there should be no other place we want to be, more than a place where there is peace and prosperity. It is a choice we have to make but sometimes we make the wrong choices and choose to be just anywhere but in a place such as this. We have all the time to be in different places that is fun and exciting. There is nothing wrong with being in these places for as long as we know our limitations but do we get the same joy and fulfillment when we go into the house of God. We should be balanced human beings. We should not just seek to satisfy our physical but spiritual needs as well. Let us tap our dormant souls that are left unattended for so long and revive it to really feel what the psalm tells us today. As much as we are confronted by the fact that we are still inhabitants of this imperfect world we are in we can not live as if it does not exist. We might as well make the most of what we can do while we are part of it. We’ve got to set goals in order to achieve this and keep our eyes focused on it. It helps go through our daily life if we have set goals that we want to achieve and fulfill. The SMART acronym tells us that our goals should be S for specific, M for measurable, A for attainable or achievable, R for realistic or relevant and T for timely or time based. This is very effective in helping us improve as a person especially at times when we can't get our acts together. We can always set SMART goals from time to time in order to keep track of our performance in whatever field we want to work on and excel. It helps a lot in assessing ourselves in order for us to make an evaluation on how we our doing with our life. After each SMART goal we set for ourselves and have achieved it gives us a sense of fulfillment knowing that we have accomplished something. Little by little everyday we step up the ladder of our SMART goals. All of these should eventually come up to rejoicing with what we have made of our life. These we continue to do until it all sum up to bring us to that ultimate SMART goal. It should all lead us and point to our final destination when we go up to the house of the Lord. There is no greater joy than being with the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

                                                                                                  

P S A L M Psalm 122:1-2. 3-4ab. 4cd-5

R: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

1 I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the house of the LORD.” 2 And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem. (R) 3 Jerusalem, built as a city with compact unity. 4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD. (R) According to the decree for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David. (R)

Today's gospel speaks of a big gathering or crowd that prevents the people closest to Jesus to come near Him. Whenever there are big gatherings in the Church you can be sure that Filipinos are actively taking part in these activities. I am sure God appreciates our efforts to always become part of feasts and celebrations in His honor but what's most important is that as we are active in taking part in these activities we not only become physically present and close to God but really live, act, and put into practice His word with all our minds, hearts and souls. Let us follow the example of our Blessed Mother Mary who heard the word of God and acted on it. In doing this we can be instruments of bringing more people to God through the Church. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 8:19-21 
The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

GOD’S SIDE

It is through the trials and hardships in life that we manifest God's power and victory in our lives.  According to St. Rose of Lima, "Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase." We may want to reflect on the following questions, What is the relationship between afflictions and the height of grace? Do I make use of such opportunities or do I rail against them? In the battles that we face in our lives, we inevitably get hurt in the process but we can be assured of winning the fight if we are on God’s side. Today’s 1^st reading has a caption in Companion with the following statements. “ The Prophet Jeremiah had prophesied that the children of Israel would be in captivity in Babylon for 70 years and after this time would return to their homeland. This text from Ezra tells us of the proclamation of King Cyrus of Persia in allowing the exiles to return to their land. Just as in the exodus from Egypt the Israelites were assisted by their captors, so here the king commands the people to assist them with gold and silver. In this story we can see how God’s plans are wonderfully fulfilled and how He goes before His people.” The Israelites have been in captivity for quite a long time already. Despite of it all, God is true to His word and promise and fulfilled what has been written. For heaven and earth will fade away but the words of God will remain.  Amen. Hallelujah!

Ezra 1:1-6

1 In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing: 2 “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3  Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!...

Somebody from our bible study group asked Fr. H (Hyacinth) this question, "How come God chose Israel (Jewish) to be the chosen people when they are so stubborn and stiff necked." The answer that Fr. H gave him was so satisfactory and centered on the unsurpassed and infinite love and mercy of God and so much like what I read and chanced upon in the Book of Romans 11:33-36 as I read the 1st reading, " Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given him anything that he may be repaid?" For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." We tend to take for granted or worst we become ungrateful in a way when we fail to realize the things that God has done for us. It is undeniable that if we will just look very closely at our lives we'll see and find out that the Lord has indeed done marvels for us. There are times when we really have to strengthen our faith and hope for something we do not see and wait with endurance. We may be experiencing right now, so many unforeseen events but we should always wait and hope that the Lord will be gracious and reveal His glory. There is some truth to the famous saying, “Easy come, easy go.” If there are some things that we've been praying for and it seems like nothing is happening we should never give up. Every good work should be carefully planned and carried out to completion. Though the process may be long and hard we can always count on God to stick with us through and through and make it happen. If we are always manifesting in our lives the values of the passion and death of Jesus then we are assured of the resurrection. For this reason it is good to share this prayer of Mother Angelica in times of temptation and whenever we are on the verge of giving up when undergoing trials and tribulations. The prayer suggests that we focus on the 12^th station of the cross which is when Jesus dies on the cross while reciting the following: Eternal Father, I offer you the 6 hours of agony, the death and the piercing of Your Son’s Sacred Heart for… (mention the need or petition). This is effective in the sense that the Lord looks down upon His Son, His agony, death and the piercing of His sacred heart for our sake. Only to God can we look with so much hope and confidence that the desert we are presently encountering at the moment will be turned into a refreshing spring of water. We may be suffering long enough under the heat of this life's difficulties but we must not forget that God is able to turn everything into green pastures. It is undeniable that if we will just look very closely at our lives we'll see and find out that the Lord has indeed done great things for us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 126: 1bc- 2ab, 2cd-3 , 4-5 , 6

R: The LORD has done marvels for us.

1 When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. (R) Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed. (R) 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the torrents in the southern desert. 5 Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing. (R) 6 Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves.

When we do covert things and continue to pretend that everything we do is good and try to camouflage the real thing then we are just putting ourselves deeper into the pit of danger. Do we really think that we can get away from all these things without having to face its consequences? We've got to take courage and face head on the things that we have done and take responsibility for it. We may think that in doing so we are heading to our own grave. Let us not be deceived further by the threats that this world we live in present to us rather hold on to the words and promise of God. There is no need to be afraid for God is on our side. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Luke 8:16-18

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

BE CONSISTENT

Amos the prophet where today's 1st reading is taken, is not just a shepherd and dresser of sycamores. He is a herdsman, rancher and a wealthy person. He lives in the garrison city a place dominated by people of power who live in luxury. He lived in affluence and belonged to the clan system which is a guild or crusade to maintain the purity of the tradition of the temple (Ark of the Covenant). He was well educated,  and embraced the clan wisdom.  Although he experienced a luxurious life he was also aware of the injustice and plight of the people being a sycamore dresser who worked in close contact with the people. When God called him he was already aware of both worlds. And the Lord took him from what he was doing and summoned him to prophesy to the people. If I must say he came to a point when he no longer owned the choices and decisions he made. This, I guess is given once you take upon yourself the duty of a prophet much more the will of God in our lives over our own. This reminds me of what Atty. Moya said in his talk on Family and Social Morality which really makes sense in as far as what Amos did is concerned. He mentioned that there should be no confusion between authority and power or obedience and inferiority. Amos  clearly demonstrated to us obedience to God's authority over power and inferiority owing to the inappropriate situation he was in and status in life. Amos was able to differentiate the highest authority of God over the power of the priest of Bethel and his obedience which can never be taken as inferiority since he is also a man of power and wealth during his time. In the same way but definitely based in our present status in life, whoever, whatever, wherever and whenever, we are also being led to do something in response to God's call to apostleship. It should clearly be well established that our response is based on the authority of God and out of obedience. May we like Amos also get over our own personal idiosyncrasies and really get down to the real business of God. Let us not be deceived by the false misrepresentations of the world thinking that we can get away from our accountabilities or attempt to merge opposing worlds or acquire a little of both. It is either heaven or hell, God or Satan. There is no in between.  For no one is above or over, exempted or excluded from the power of God. He will see to it that justice is served. Amen. Hallelujah!

Amos 8:4-7

4 Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!...The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!

No one can pretend to be innocent and blameless for our iniquities. We've got to set things right before we find ourselves lost in the deceptions of this world. God will never take things sitting down for He will see to it that those who call and truly follow and obey Him, the so called "poor of the Lord" those who fully depend on God's Providence will surely be lifted up and raised from the dust. God gave His only son as ransom for our sins to save us. Is there anything else He could have done that He has not done for our sake and best interest? God alone is worthy of our praise and worship. If we will just be open at all times to this truth that the psalm reading today tells us and realize the importance of always praising God in all circumstance and live it in our lives then we can be assured of the loving, protecting and caring gaze of God to be always on us. I love this prayer that I got from an email it says, "Stars do not struggle to shine; rivers do not struggle to flow, and you will never struggle to excel in life because you deserve the best. Hold on to your dreams and it shall be well with you. Amen." We simply have to keep on trusting that God will do for us what He has promised and said that He would do. There is nowhere to go but to God. If we are confident in God's Divine Providence and constantly and consistently pray for God's guidance and protection and decide to act at all times for His greater glory then there is nothing that should ever make us want for anything for God is in control, He provides for all our needs and knows what's best for us. Nothing is indeed by accident everything is under the will of God. We just need to always trust God in all circumstances that whatever happens, God will always make a way. It is important that we are always in touch with this reality and truth about our God who is Lord of lords and King of kings and gain confidence from it as if we are already seated and counted among the leaders of His people. That's the Spirit we should all have, a winner. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 113:1-2. 4. 5-6. 7-8

R: Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor.

1 Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forever. (R)  4 High above all nations is the LORD; above the heavens is his glory. (R) 5 Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high 6 and looks upon the heavens and the earth below? (R) He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he lifts up the poor 8 to seat them with princes, with the princes of his own people.

Paul's knowledge of Christ though he did not see him in the flesh is a revelation not of human origin but divine. If we are to read very carefully what he wrote in this letter to Timothy, we can see that he encourages all believers to be a people of God working to acquire a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This as he said can never be attained through anger and argument thus we all must be careful in conducting ourselves before other men and believers as to truly reflect the values of Jesus Christ. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Timothy 2:1-8

Beloved: First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time. For this I was appointed preacher and apostle — I am speaking the truth, I am not lying—, teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.

We should dismiss this wrong notion that if we are holy and pure then we are automatically boring and dull. It is actually all up to us if we want to be this way. Being a child of light should come with all the goodness that goes with it. Instead of blowing out of proportion the real situation we should work our way out to become prudent. Prudence is the ability to make right decisions in complex situations, decisions that lead to the best and right thing. Without this we can be in big trouble. We’ve got to be able to decide in a situation that we’re in what the right thing to do which is the best thing to do. How do we get something done? There are some folks who probably just can’t figure out what to do. There are other folks who look at the problem and they can figure out a solution. It’s a core and they execute that core. It’s practical wisdom. We’ll find in the Book of Proverbs a lot of things about wisdom even in Sirach, Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. As the children of this world claim to be full of worldly wisdom so should we children of the light, if we believe and say so, should be full of heavenly wisdom and truly be smart and wise. In today's gospel, our Lord said that the people of this world are much smarter in their dealings with each other than are the children of light. This man was a scoundrel and he was a scoundrel all the way. His god was himself and his ideal was financial security and he served self well all the way. My dear friends what one has to say about this man and the people of this world and what our Lord is trying to get over to us is that they are consistent. Are we? We say we believe in God, not some vague deity above the tower but the God of love who took us out of nothingness in love. Who came down, died for us and sustains us in love. Who has destined us for an eternity of love? Do we really believe in Him? When trouble comes, we wring our hands and furrow our brows. We have sleepless nights and headaches. There is this little piece of doggerel, about the sparrow saying to the robin, “Do you really like to know what motivates those foolish mortals as they rush around and worry so? The robin responded to the sparrow, “I think that it must be they have no Heavenly Father such as one that cares for you and me.” In the official thanksgiving of the priest after mass every morning, there is the use of the Canticle of Daniel, when Daniel calls all creation to praise and worship God, the sun, the moon, the stars, the valleys and the hills. We can find this line that every bird in the sky blesses the Lord. Outside the window in New York where Fr. Leo Clifford lives, birds fly by very often. He said that sometimes one will alight in his window sill and peck the glass in the window to remind him that we neither sow nor spin nor gather into barn and our Heavenly Father takes care of the birds. How much more will He take care of us? We say we believe in eternity but if we examine ourselves, don’t we live as if time were to go on forever. One should think of the little flower saying that there had never been more than 3 minutes in her whole life when she was not thinking of our Lord with whom she was going to spend through eternity. When we say we believe in people that everyone of us is a child of God that we are going to be together in paradise do we realize how we treat people as our brothers and sisters in the Lord? Remember He told us that what we do to them, we do to Him. Sometimes we don’t like others because of our sophistication, because of their background, because of their lack of education. My dear friends we say that we believe in spiritual values, that it isn’t what we have but what we are inside. But look at the way we go to the mall and spend money and buy material things. Where is our conviction? Where is our consistency? Well, my dear friends all that we can do is keep trying and begin again. And then the poem and psalm that we say, after mass everyday is surely true. Oh God, You are my God. For You I long, for You alone my soul is thirsty. My body pines for You like a dry, weary land without water so I gaze on You in the sanctuary for Your love is better than life. On my bed, I remember You, on You I mused through the night for You had been my help, in the shadow of Your wings I rejoice. My soul clings to You, Your right hand holds me fast. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 16:1-13

1 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. 2 He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ 3 The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ 7 Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.