DON'T WASTE IT

 How many chances do you think is God willing to give us? Every single day that we wake up is another chance for all of us to claim and fight for God's promises in our lives. There is always hope.

Amos 9: 11-15

I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel; they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities, plant vineyards and drink the wine, set out gardens and eat the fruits.

God will never stop in sending out His message to us. All we have to do is be attentive and receptive to what He's telling us.

Psalm 85: 9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14R: The Lord speaks of peace to his people.8 [9] I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD-for he proclaims peace. To his people, 9 [10] Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land.

God created us with a brilliant mind and a loving heart. In today's gospel Jesus was questioned by John's disciples, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast (much), but your disciples do not fast?" Sometimes people question us, too. May we think and feel just like Jesus and always be guided in the things we say or do. May we always find ourselves justified in Jesus name. It is not just what we see that matters but what we truly value and treasure in our hearts. Our innermost motives and intentions should always be in line and conformity to the values of Jesus. We may be doing one thing but may be intending to do another, there is no unity in our actions, words and deeds when we are just after the outward appearances and does not really mean what we are doing. Or worse we're just doing something for the sake of just doing it without really putting our hearts into it. We get carried away but what seems to us is important but fail to see what's most essential. People are not blind to all these and we can not deceive people for long or if even sometimes we can, there is a God who knows everything. We are called to conversion and holiness. It is helpful to take hold of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus and  keep this constantly before us. We may want to look at what’s behind the particular mystery of Jesus’ life when He fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days. Immediately after His prayer and fasting, was the temptation of Jesus in which Jesus rebuffs this attack and points to Adam & Eve’s temptation and Israel’s journey in the desert for 40 years. There are 3 basic temptations represented. Eve was tempted to eat of the fruit because it is pleasing to the eyes. This tempts us to greed because it looks good to eat and can satisfy one’s self. The desires of the flesh tempt us also to lust. It is also said that it is desirable for the knowledge so it can give power and prods a person to pride. From the very beginning since the fall of Adam & Eve in the garden, the devil has capitalized on these 3 things, greed, lust and pride. Even before the fall these were with us already and the devil capitalized on it to trick Adam & Eve hence the fall. As we can see, the devil also used these 3 basic temptations to Jesus. After fasting for 40 days, Jesus was hungry and tempted to turn the stone to bread for satisfaction of the flesh, which is connected to lust. The devil also told Jesus to throw Himself off from the top of the temple since the angels would be there to catch Him. This is the sin to get a hold of power and pride.  The devil asked Jesus to look at all the cities and offered to give Him power and glory which is the sin to greed. As we can see these are the same 3 temptations that Adam & Eve fell into but the devil is dumb to think that Jesus could be tempted with the same temptations. We may also want to look at Israel’s journey in the desert which took them 40 years trying to get to the Promised Land. This is the salvific meaning of Jesus’ 40 days in the desert. He is the new Adam, who remains faithful to fulfill the promise to Israel. He is totally obedient to the divine will and is the devil’s conqueror. He binds satan that tricked Adam & Eve in giving into and robbing us of all the graces we have before the fall. He takes back the plunder and anticipates His further victory at the passion on the cross which is the supreme act of obedience. Jesus’ temptation reveals the Son of God who is the Messiah. He is our high priest who has been tested as we are and yet did not fall into sin. This is the mystery that the Church wants to unite us with, Jesus in the desert who is the same Christ who vanquished the tempter for us. We should always keep this at the back of our minds and connect it to the mystery of Jesus at the desert which has a two fold character. First is by recalling our baptism. What it means to be a baptized person and what does it entail? Do we recognize that? Second is to recognize the need for penance. Think of what we have done to offend God. It is time to reflect at where the state of the world is heading and the culture which we have been disposed of. It calls us to pray more diligently and be faithful to the word of God.  We should become predisposed to a faithful reception of the graces that Christ merited on his death on the cross. We can also observe interior penance which can best be manifested in many ways which the scriptures insist on always. There are 3 forms, prayer, fasting and alms giving. These once again make connections to the mystery of Christ in the desert for 40 days. These 3 forms are what every person struggles with most of the time but can help us in many ways to fight those 3 main temptations. Prayer expresses conversion in our relationship with God. Alms giving make better our relationship with other people to overcome greed and selfishness. Fasting to one’s self which is the focus for today’s readings is to fight against lust and sensuality. It develops mastery over our instincts and attains freedom of heart. In this way, we are recalling our baptism as the Church unites herself to Jesus on the desert. Not to forget the 3 forms of penance which help us in conversion to fight the ancient temptations of pride, greed and lust. Everything we do should always have a clear and sincere intention and motivation to put Jesus in the center of it. If we find Jesus comfortably seated, happy and very contented in the midst of our activities just like a bridegroom on the day of his wedding then we can be assured that we are on the right track. God has always been giving us all kinds of reminders, be it direct or indirect, in the form of a parable or a simple story just like in today's gospel. The practicality of the message being conveyed by Jesus is not only applicable to its direct and obvious meaning with regards to new clothes and wine but most especially to our daily lives. Come to think of it, although we all are very knowledgeable about life after having studied and experienced a lot of things we still end up, at times doing the wrong things and end up ruining not only ourselves but the people close to us. We might as well ask ourselves why we sometimes end up doing crazy things that we know already won't work! We all know that only Jesus can make things right and make us whole. If we only remember, we even sing this often, too. He can give us peace, sweet love, joy and heaven too for only Jesus can satisfy our souls. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 9:14-15

14 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” No one patches an old cloak with a piece of un-shrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. 17 People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” 

IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE

While we still have time, let's take advantage of it. We'll never know the time and the hour and not wait before it's too late. Let's not cram and lose everything. Have you ever experienced cramming for an exam and trying to read and absorb everything on the night before an exam? I did and the result was disastrous.

Amos 8:4-6, 9-12

...11 Yes, days are coming”, says the Lord GOD, “when I will send famine upon the land: Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the LORD. 12 Then shall they wander from sea to sea and rove from the north to the east in search of the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.”

The time to act is now. Let us seize every opportunity to know the Word of God while we still can.

Psalm 119: 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131R: One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.2 Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart...

 During our clinical rotations when I was just a student nurse I have encountered several patients who are already terminally ill. One of them can no longer tolerate his oral medicines and just vomit it out. When they tried to give it intravenously the veins ruptured. No amount of medicine can heal a terminally sick person. Let us not wait for the time when we are already too sick to respond to God's healing and end up rejecting it rather than accept it. We all know too well, that God will never get tired of loving, caring and running after us, for He is a perfect God  but we are imperfect and the problem lies not on the love of God but on our response to His love. If only love can be forced then God would have done that to us but He never did and never will. Love is perfect, patient and kind. Let us respond to this love while we're still in perfect shape. Jesus has the biggest and most compassionate heart for sinners especially those who choose to respond to His call and follow Him. Despite the stigma attached to tax collectors and sinners during His time, He did not hesitate to call them. We are all being called to live a life with Him no matter what our situations are. Whatever we may be going through right now, a problem, difficulty or sin that is preventing us from responding to His call, we have to always believe that God can overcome all of these if we are willing to give Him the room to act in our lives. Once we give God the go signal, He can accomplish almost anything. If we really believe this then it doesn't matter if we may be experiencing already a life of comfort and ease, our acceptance and consent to shifting to the unknown will only serve to emphasize the extraordinary nature of both our unwavering faith and the grace of God. The grace of God is worth celebrating as it can bring about wonders that will stretch the ability of our imagination. And we can not deny the fact that we’ve been privileged to watch this happen not only in the lives of people on a number of different occasions as in the life of our forefathers like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the life of the Blessed Mother but also to us. For He doesn't only call the qualified but He also qualifies the called. No one is hopeless and desperate for God. Nothing is beyond His healing love and mercy. We must not be impatient or judgmental of our brothers and sisters who have strayed from the Lord. We must keep in mind that He has a special eye for the sick and the sinners. We have all sinned and fallen ill because of the disease that sin brings to us. No matter how big and grievous our sins are, God is always able to heal us. This song which tells us, "He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities and the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him for by His wounds we are healed." should inspire us to reach out to Him more than anyone or anything else. God is indeed an Almighty God who knows our specific needs be it spiritual, emotional or physical and He will surely heal every single one of them. He is a God who makes us whole. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 9:9-13

9 As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. 10 While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

STAY CONNECTED

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. He came to a point when he no longer owned the choices and decisions he made. This is given once a person takes upon one’s self the duty of a prophet and the same is true when we put the will of God in our lives over our own. Atty. Moya said in his talk on Family and Social Morality that there should be no confusion between authority and power or obedience and inferiority. This really makes sense in as far as what Amos did is concerned. He mentioned that 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 7:10-17

12 Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos: “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, 13 but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” 14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. 15 The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

I know that none of us is perfect but through our imperfections we can always run to God for help and guidance. He will never refuse nor forsake us for He can only love and care for us. Upon reading the psalm today the song entitled, "Your Words Are Spirit and Life" by Bernadette Farrell was impressed to me. It is a beautiful song that I have always loved to sing and I just realized that the words of this song are taken from this psalm which made me start singing it. Well, we just have to fully discover what the words of God can make us do. We've got everything we need because there's nothing more that God could and should do for us that He has not done. All we have to do is completely trust and obey the judgments of the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R: The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

7 [8] The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9] The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. (R) 10 [11] They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.

The gospel for today urges us once again to look beyond not only what the situation suggests but beyond the words being said to us by Jesus. The scribes were not only very shortsighted and  but also short of hearing in the sense that they chose to entertain evil thoughts rather than on the most essential and most important things which are the only ones that could bring healing and fulfillment in our lives. Sometimes we fail to understand and see what the situation or words being said to us really meant. We should always think that God who is Holy and All Good can never be capable of willing something bad to happen to us. Although it is a truth that almost all Christian believers would agree to, it is not always the case when it comes to the kind of life we live. Sometimes our own lives do not reflect the faith that we profess. Just like the scribes in today's gospel who are supposed to be the learned and well versed when it comes to the word of God but failed to live it in their lives. We are also guilty of this despite our frequent attendance to prayer meetings, bible, Catholicism studies and having experienced and witnessed the wonders and miracles God has done in our life, still there is a moment when we succumb to despair and doubt. May we always focus on the goodness of God and disregard the evil tendencies and inclinations that we often harbor in ourselves. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 9:1-8

...When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” 3 At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? ...

GOODNESS, BEAUTY & TRUTH

There is a certain sense of satisfaction that comes in contributing not only to our future but to the future of others. Today's 1st reading speaks of this basic principle of moral life that Amos prophesies today, "Seek good and not evil...Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail..."  It will always be easier said than done. We need to take things one step at a time and before we know it we've come a long way and reached our goals no matter how long and difficult it may seem. Just think of people who need to exercise but always end up quitting, a fitness expert said that if we can commit to doing exercise for 21 consecutive days then it will become a way of life. We can apply the same principle to doing good in our own little way daily so that it can eventually become a habit thus it will inevitably come out naturally like a flowing water and an unfailing stream. Amen. Hallelujah!

Amos 5:14-15, 21-24

14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim! 15 Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; ...24 then let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.

There is this Catholic convert who was raised in the belief that the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon. When he encountered for the first time listening to the Palestrina, he said that it doesn't sound like it came from hell and sounded much more like what the angels sound in heaven. When he visited for the first time, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, he figured that the whore of Babylon could not be something this beautiful. He realized and understood that there could not be such a disconnection of what could be so beautiful and what is good and true. He could find all of these elements of goodness, beauty and truth in the Catholic faith and what eventually brought him to the faith. The beauty that the faith produces is something that shines throughout more than 2000 years of the Church. Let our words coincide with our work and action so that men will see and become convinced that we are God's obedient people. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16bc-17

R: To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

...“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, 17 though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?” 

Let's think about the gospel today. Where did those demons ask to be sent today? They asked to be sent to the pigs. It is very disheartening that much of our culture today are forcing people to become like pigs, beasts and beless than we are as stated in Gen. 1:31,"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good." Those demons that were sent there were created good by God. It was through their own radical choice of rejecting God, that they become much less. Just recall what they said, "Send us into the herd of swine." This is what the life of people around us choosing evil become. They just choose to become like beasts and pigs when in fact, we are called to reach a higher, spiritual life. This could be described as climbing a mountain. It is difficult and it requires perseverance, daily efforts and God's assistance. What happens when we continue to climb up that mountain? It is hard but eventually we begin to see a wider distance, comprehend in a greater way the beauty that surrounds us, draw closer to God and finally see what we are called to become. Pope Benedict said that this is the greatest defense of our Christian faith. What confirmed his conviction that the true apology of Christian faith is the most convincing demonstration of its truth against every denial like the saints and the beauty that the faith has generated. The light of Christ shines in the life of the saints. Today for faith to grow we must lead ourselves in the persons we meet to encounter the saints and enter into contact with the beautiful. St. Augustine described God as the source of all beauty, goodness and truth that is ever ancient, ever new. We are attracted to that because we are called to that. In order to grow those attributes that are God's we have to hold to our faith to bring about these things. Let us bathe ourselves with God’s grace and be filled to become more and achieve our potential. The whole person needs to grow and advance not just in technical knowledge which is very limited but also in character and virtue. This is what God wants for us. To find our greatest aspects which is not always easy but it is good. If we search deep down, it is what we reach out and long for, our potential and fulfillment. God is a God of order and has given a time for everything but will always act in accordance to what will be for the greater good. Let's just continue to trust God's perfect will and timing in every aspect of our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 8:28-34

28 When Jesus came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. 29 They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”30 Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. 31 The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go then!” ...

GO PAST IT

Last night we gathered to remember the 40^th day of our beloved Sis Loida Larioza’s death anniversary in San Lorenzo. It became an occasion as Father Mau earlier said in his homily not of grief but a time of hope. For the Lord has promised to prepare a place for us so that where He is, we may also be. As we all strive to know God in a special way may we come to a point where we realize the essence of this message conveyed to us in today’s 1^st reading.  Amen. Hallelujah!

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. 22 ...in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit...

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, that's why we should take care of our bodies. Just think of it, whenever we are preparing to receive guests in our home we always try our best to make it look presentable and go through extraordinary efforts to make it special. I believe that we should develop this kind of attitude each day as we bear in our minds that God dwells in us. It is our duty to make Him feel at home and make it a fitting dwelling place for Him. Let us make ourselves a living testimony of the gospel. What a way to live if by just looking at us people will be blessed and praise God for we become proof of His steadfast kindness and fidelity. Sounds very difficult but as God our Father is Almighty we continue to hope that all things are possible and we can do all things through Him. As we try our best to improve our knowledge of God may we really feel hopeful that God has great plans for all of us. There is really a need to remind ourselves constantly of this truth in order to respond as best as we can to this call in today's psalm reading. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 117:1bc. 2

R: Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

1 Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples! (R) 2 For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever. (R)

In today's gospel Jesus calls us to go beyond the boundaries and limitations of this world. It is not just the visible aspect that we should focus on. Let us all examine ourselves and evaluate what we have been doing for God and if we think we've reached the end of the line and we've given it our best shot then we are wrong. Our God is awesome, infinite and endless in glory that each day we have is an opportunity to improve our best.  If we can go past it then we are truly blessed. Believe the unbelievable although we don't have proof. Just trust the peace emanating from Christ, the kind of peace that dwells in our hearts, feels very much at home and there to stay no matter what happens. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 20:24-29

...“Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”...Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

THE BATTLE

If we continue our own selfish ways and not pay attention to God's unrelenting reminders to us then we might find ourselves waging war against God. We can never win this battle and might as well realize by now that God is on our side and should very well decide to be on His side and ours as well. Amen. Hallelujah!

Amos 2:6-10, 13-16

...Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong man shall not retain his strength; the warrior shall not save his life, 15 nor the bowman stand his ground; the swift of foot shall not escape, nor the horseman save his life. 16 And the most stout-hearted of warriors shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD.

We've got to make things very clear for us. We are not supposed to engage in a battle that is not destined to win at all. If we know that we are losing in the first place why pursue it? There are so many battles in life that we have to face everyday but there is no need to fight them all. It is not about us but about God. The only guarantee that we are going to win it through and through is to be sure first which side we are on and make sure that it is God's side. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 50:16bc-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23

R: Remember this, you who never think of God.

...“Consider this, you who forget God, lest I rend you and there be no one to rescue you. 23 He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

It will never be easy to follow Jesus, but one thing is sure if your life is too easy then think twice before you rejoice. God gives us the challenges because He has faith in our capabilities to carry out all our tasks. Be merry and glad if you have worries and concerns in life for God knows we are able to go through it all. Today's gospel is rather radical at first glance. If we are to look at it very closely we will realize that God does not ask us to do impossibilities. He is just trying to emphasize an important point by giving us such examples in today's gospel. Faith without the works is dead. We've got to be really decided, focused and set our priorities right. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 8:18-22
18 When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side. 19 A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” 21 Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL

We’ve got to straighten up some things about God. Who He is and what He wants for our life. What is our picture of God? It’s not surprising to know that most of us think that God doesn’t want us to have fun. It’s like all the things that we want to do with our friends that are interesting and exciting when we were young was against God’s commandments. It may seem like we have to settle for less. What’s worse is that all the faithful Catholics get less out of life. This is part of the propaganda way back in the Garden of Eden. God gave us a magnificent paradise wherein there is perfect intimacy and no shame with each other. In the Garden they have everything they need but gave just one limit, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is very interesting because God said, “Don’t do this because you will die.” The reason why God commands us something is because He is a loving Father who cares for us. He wants us to have the best. But then came the serpent, he didn’t create Adam & Eve, nor gave the garden or anything at all. All the serpent gave was a lie and told Adam & Eve not to listen to God or they’ll lose out and won’t become like God. They were made to believe that God is holding out something from them and is actually their rival because God doesn’t want them to have what He has. So instead of trusting the one who gave them everything, they trusted a stranger. They doubted and disobeyed God. Instead they listened to the liar. They were hooked into a downward spiral of destruction. This is what sin is all about. It is a trap. It is disguised as an apparent good because the fruit looks good and desirable but it ends in disaster. The relationship with God is messed up and so creation turned against them, thorns and thistles appear and things in life become hard. This is what sin does, it seemed small but it gets out of control. Things get worse and worse and there are broken lives everywhere. This is the reality about sin. We are draining life out of ourselves unless we recognize the One, True and Living God. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out there. It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes virtue appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most by those who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food most? The person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a person after a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the most. The person who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things in the world that people want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit of pleasure.  But God commands them to be used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life is to follow God’s commands. 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 and wise and to have the power to live life to the full for that is what God created us for. Amen. Hallelujah!

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

... 14 For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome,...

There is really no denying to the truth in life that we all have to go through a process of trial and hardship but what's most reassuring is the fact that despite all the disappointment and pain we can all be rescued by our Mighty God. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 30:2. 4. 5-6. 11. 12. 13 (2a)

R: I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

... For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. (R) 10 [11] Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper.”

If we are living according to God's Divine Providence and firmly believe in it then our situations and circumstances should not bother us at all for He surely provides. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 8:7. 9. 13-15

...As it is written: “Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.”

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. 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

21 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. 22 One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet 23 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.” 24 He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. 25 There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 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. 27 She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. 28 She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” 31 But his disciples said to him, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” 35 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?” 36 Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” 37 He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 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. 41 He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” 42 The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. [At that] they were utterly astounded. 43 He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.