JUST PRAY

 We do not dare question people who know better than we do. This will spare us from ending up in or trouble or in shame. Have you ever experienced it before when you thought you knew something but turned out to be wrong and found yourself saying, "I'm sorry, I thought it was this I never knew it was that." sort of thing. It would definitely be best if we will just keep silent and entrust things to the person in charge or in a better position to decide what's best. We can surely benefit from this popular expression, "Look before you leap" to prevent aggravating the situation. We might as well think in the same way when it comes to our faith. If we truly believe that Almighty God is in charge and we have truly entrusted our lives to Him then we should know better than question God's will which is for the ultimate good. Today's 1st reading kind of show how silly Jonah could be and how we too, are guilty of this kind of attitude when we tend to question God. When all we need to do is just pray, wait and see how an All Knowing and Ever Loving God go about it. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Jonah 4:1-11

...But God said to Jonah, “Have you reason to be angry over the plant?” “I have reason to be angry,” Jonah answered, “angry enough to die.” 10 Then the LORD said, “You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished... 

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

P S A L M 

Psalm 86:3-4. 5-6. 9-10

R: Lord, you are merciful and gracious.

3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (R) 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. 6 Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading. (R) 9 All the nations you have made shall come and worship you, O Lord, and glorify your name. 10 For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds; you alone are God. 

Today's gospel tells us that God won't neglect us and always provide for all our needs. My elder son, Jude when he was still a young boy was so difficult to feed. He prefers to eat all the junk, sweet and empty in nutrition food. In order for him to eat the right kind of food we would resort to all kinds of strategies but would often end up in disagreement because he never seem to understand why I needed to force him to eat the right kind of food instead of the type of food he prefers to eat at all times. Now that he's older, I need not resort to the old tactics I used to do just to feed him. He can now understand the principle of proper nutrition, I guess, and I hope that he has learned the values of eating good and nutritious food. God in the same manner remains as patient and steadfast in His love for us. God won't neglect us and always provide for all our needs. The gospel also mentions a man who is very persistent in asking for something from his friend. We should praise and thank God because the gospel assures and gives us new found strength and confidence that whatever we have been praying for a long time already has been heard by God. We just have to continue lifting everything to God unceasingly. We must always have that attitude of hope and expectant faith in our God the Father in heaven. We must believe that our persistent prayers to God will bear fruit. God is merciful, loving and concerned over our own welfare that He continues to be the perfect Father and parent to us always. Several years ago, my younger son, Allan requested something from me which I am not fully capable of providing by myself. As I look back and recall all the things that took place and upon reading today's gospel it made me realize that every single step involved in it is indeed a testimony that we have a God who make all things possible. After all the things that happened within that period, from people who extended a lending hand, to the circumstances and events that went along with it which made everything fell into place up to the time when it has been declared officially that Allan has finally got a hold of it, one thing is sure, we have a Father in heaven who loves us more than we'll ever know. These memories are very significant in the sense that whenever I talk with my sons, I always emphasize to them the truth of the message and reflection of today’s gospel. When we deal with problems which we have been bothered for years we sometimes just have to let go and let God and before we know it they are already resolved. God has indeed provided us every possible means in order for us to live a full and happy life. I believe that if we always come to God in prayer He is always ready to answer us. It should be emphasized, what Padre Pio said, that prayer is the best armor we have, it is the key which opens the heart of God. Prayer is something that we can make use of at all times, we only have to will it, whatever, whenever, wherever we may be. God goes all the way in fulfilling everything for us even teaching us how to pray. The truth is there is really nothing more God can give us that He has not given to us, for He has already shown and taught to us the most important thing for us to do which is pray. It is one of the most important tools to always be attuned to God. We all have to pray. When we have access to the heart of God then we can hear the beating of His heart and synchronize our own hearts to His and make beautiful rhythm together. It is when we follow where God leads us that we create a harmonious relationship with God. When the heart of God speaks and we listen then we will never go astray. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 11:1-4

1 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread 4 and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” 

THE GREATEST SIGN

 The story of Jonah who got swallowed by a whale before he finally committed to doing what God asked him to do could very well be our own story. Jonah 1:17, Yahweh prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Oftentimes we are confronted with difficult decisions in our lives and are full of fear and doubt. Sometimes we all end up like Jonah when we refuse to follow and obey what God is telling us to do. We tend to underestimate and doubt the power of God in our life. When we waver and falter in our faith in God and refuse to act according to the Lord's bidding then we end up trusting more, our own personal strength and understanding rather than God's. No matter how difficult the things may seem to be it is always for the best that we seek God's will and approval in everything that we do. Just like Jonah, all we have to do first is obey even without first seeing results and everything else will follow. In today's first reading we are reminded not to hesitate but to obey the Lord's bidding. For it will always be the right thing to do for no matter how impossible a task may be, He can always work things to our advantage. But things can get mixed up and can be misinterpreted, misunderstood, overlooked and taken for granted. It's a good thing we all deserve a second chance just like Jonah. If at first we thought we were doing the right thing but ended up mistaken then we should not despair rather be thankful to God for the experience of being able to find out what we should have done or not. God allows us to live our lives the way we wanted it in order to become fully capable of making decisions based on our everyday experiences. It is a consolation to know that whenever we are off track He never fails to bring us back to our senses. This 1st reading taken from the Book of Jonah has very significant signs and symbols that we can attribute to our Lenten observance. The theme for Lent is penance from sin and conversion. The Ninevites believed in God, converted and repented of their sins. The Church reminds us of these very important things that we should always keep in mind so as to gain the favor rather than the wrath of God. Here is a question that each one of us would like to know the answer. Could God ever threaten to do evil on His people? Isn't it true that God is All Goodness and Holy? Then how could He possibly carry out evil? There is a misunderstanding if we would ever think that this bible passage in today's 1st reading is meant that way. I somehow believe that it may have caused some miscommunications when it comes to the way we see God. In truth, God can never threaten nor carry out something that is evil. It is the evil ways that we resort to and refuse to turn away from that threatens the peace and tranquility in our lives and not God. Come to think of it, but we are in reality sometimes led to believe that we have a punishing God who will annihilate us whenever we do something wrong. I guess, it is time to revise our old edition beliefs and upgrade it to the loving and merciful God revealed in the image of Jesus who died on the cross for our sake. This is also the same message that Fr. Corsie Legaspi conveyed to the people in a healing mass. He said that we are in a way blaspheming if we ask God, “Why me?” or “What have I done to merit such kind of illness or suffering?” God only sanctifies and heals and could never cause anything evil. What we can be very sure about is that evil begets evil. We reap what we sow. We should see it coming our way, sooner or later whenever we do something evil. But God can combat and reverse evil if we make a decision to turn away from it. This is how we should look at it. The people during the Old Testament are savage and their understanding of God is limited to their experience in which we are definitely at an advantage. Why? In the New Testament, we have Jesus, God's only begotten son who came to us to suffer and die for our sake. The ultimate sacrifice of love the world has ever known. This we really ought to see, feel and experience. Amen. Hallelujah!

Jonah 3:1-10

...it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,” 5 when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth...When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he relented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

. It is stated that out of the depths, the Lord hears our cry to Him. We are assured that with the Lord there will be mercy and fullness of redemption. God is more than just merciful. The sacrifice of Christ has won for us plenteous redemption. It is stated in the Catechism of the Catholic church (CCC) 1949:

Called to beatitude but wounded by sin, man stands in need of salvation from God. Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the grace that sustains him: Philippians 2:12-13:Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 

The devil has acquired a certain domination in man. Man is dominated by greed, pride and lust.

CCC 407:

The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man's situation and activity in the world. By our first parents' sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14)

Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action, and morals. The following bible passages attest to this. 1 John 5:19  We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one.

Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We are engaged in a battle that has been won but does not stop there since we have to always put on our guard for the enemy does not rest. He called the whole process of being saved as "justification" . 

"Man is saved by God's grace alone based on CCC 1996. Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life. (Jn 1:12-18; 17:3; Rom 8:14-17; 2 Pet 1:3-4.)

-The question is how does the grace of God become an active part of our life or "by what are we justified?" The example he gave here was a newborn baby who is baptized. A baby has not merited anything yet but is saved by the mere act of being baptized. He mentioned about Martin Luther's despair about his salvation which led him to formulate the doctrine of justification by "Faith alone" He misunderstood the Bible passage Rom 3:28 which mentioned faith alone apart from works of the law. Paul in this letter to the Romans was pertaining to the Jewish Law which is being practiced during their time like circumcision, washing of the hands and the like which are practices that can not really justify a person.

Romans 3:21-30

...For there is no distinction; 23 all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God... 

Justification actually means being "made righteous" i.e. it entails the sanctification of his whole being (CCC 1989, 1990, &1995) We are justified not by faith alone nor by works alone. Justification has its stages i.e. initial and progressive. Initial justification takes place at our baptism. We still have a tendency to backslide and during the hour of death is the period of intense spiritual battle over our soul. That is why we need to mature in our faith. 

Certainty of Salvation "Once saved, always saved?" If we believe in this it tends to put off our guard. (1 Jn 5:13-14) We should say instead "I know I am saved, still being saved and will continue to be saved." Justification is a life long process as stated by Paul in 1 Cor. 4:3-5, 9:27.

In Phil 2:12 Paul also encouraged us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. For the enemy is waging war on us and we need to be very aware of this and claim God's protection over us at all times. (Eph.6:11-12)  

Epistles against works? I guess there have been some misunderstanding here of the following bible verses: Rom. 3:28 (Obedience of faith) We should be aware of the truth that we know we are saved, still being saved and will continue to be saved as stated by Paul in 1 Cor. 4:3-5, 9:27. In Phil 2:12 Paul also encouraged us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. For the enemy is waging war on us and we need to be very aware of this and claim God's protection over us at all times. (Eph.6:11-12)

Martin Luther based his belief on faith alone on this specific verse he failed to see that Paul in addition to what I've mentioned earlier was attacking the Jews with regards to their ceremonial laws and that it is not enough to just hear the law but to observe it. (Rom 4:5 Total adherence) An example he gave was attending the mass not just as an obligation but with the heart. Consider it a privilege and do it for the love of God. He said we are saved by grace not by works but we obtain the grace of God by good works and the motive is mercy (Eph. 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5) as in today's psalm. We continue to believe that God is merciful despite the many sins we have committed. Though hard, there is a need to turn away from our wicked ways by always keeping the word of God before us and conducting ourselves in accordance to it. We all have our faults, failures and shortcomings. No one can deny the fact that we all have sinned and fallen short of God's standard. It is to our advantage if we take everything that comes to us most especially the trials and difficulties as a form of offering to God for His greater glory. Just like what the song says:

All that I am, all that I have I lay them down before you, oh Lord

All my regrets, all my acclaims the joy and the pain, I'm making them yours

[Chorus:]

Lord, I offer my life to you. Everything I've been through. Use it for your glory

Lord I offer my days to you. Lifting my praise to you as a pleasing sacrifice

Lord I offer you my life

[Verse 2:]

Things in the past, things yet unseen, wishes and dreams that are yet to come true

All of my heart, all of my praise, my heart and my hands are lifted to you

We sing this song with all our heart with a hope in joyful waiting for His redemption. There is no use in denying, covering up, pretending or doing whatever other defense mechanisms we have before the Lord. We can not hide anything from the Lord. Sometimes we miss the point when we do things so that we look pleasing before the eyes of others, but what about in the eyes of the Lord? We don't have to bother about hiding because the Lord is able to find us. We might as well get our acts together so that when He finds us He'll like what He'll see. We continue to believe that God is merciful despite the many sins we have committed. Though hard, there is a need to turn away from our wicked ways by always keeping the word of God before us and conducting ourselves in accordance to it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7, 7-8

R: If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; Lord, hear my voice! 2 Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. (R) 3 If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD, who can stand? 4 But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered. (R) 5 I trust in the LORD; my soul trusts in his word. 6 My soul waits for the LORD more than sentinels wait for the dawn. More than sentinels wait for the dawn, 7 let Israel wait for the LORD. (R) For with the LORD is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; 8 and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.

Everything really happens for a reason and we have to take seriously the call or mission that God is entrusting to us. This invitation is not just for Martha whose name Jesus called twice in today’s gospel. God have been calling us not just twice but many times. It's time we respond to the call by choosing the best part. Every day of our lives we are confronted with choices and decisions that we have to make. Whether it is big or small, major or minor and high or low impact it is in our disposition in relation to it that makes all the difference. If we have made a choice or a decision then we have to stand by it and be at peace with it.  Most especially if we know that we have consulted to God all our plans and humbly obeyed then nothing should ever bother us. Let us be reminded through the gospel today that worry and anxiety is not a composition of a decision or choice made within the presence and will of God. Just like Mary we should also find ourselves beside the Lord at His feet listening to Him speak. It is with genuine peace, calm and serenity that we should conduct our affairs. In doing so we acknowledge that God has always been guiding and directing us every single step of the way.  We should realize the importance of bearing the fruit of peace and self control rather than anxiety and worry which arose from the burden of Martha's service. We are all guilty of being just like Martha at times when we succumb to worry and anxiety not focusing our attentions on Jesus instead. Service pleases God and is important in order to grow in our relationship with Him but we should maintain a balance that we must not neglect what's most essential, end up with misplaced values and defeating the good end/purpose for which it was intended. May we all come to the point where we too, like Mary can comfortably sit and listen attentively to Jesus in the midst of our busy world. She is not bothered by its concerns, made the right choice and blessed with the better part as spoken by Jesus. We need to get over the things that hinder us from fully experiencing the best that can never be taken away. We need to know what our options are and choose well. If we have found the contentment and confidence that Mary developed in Jesus brought about by the right choices that she made then we can be assured that it will not be taken away. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Luke 10:38-42

...Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” 41 The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 42 There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” 

TELL YOUR STORY

My mother bought us all kinds of bible story books when we were still children. I have always been fascinated with it most especially with the supernatural and extraordinary story of Jonah. As a child, I am afraid of being hurt and experiencing pain and Jonah's story is a frightening experience for a child. Just imagine being thrown out into the raging sea and swallowed by a giant fish. Despite everything that happened, the story tells us that he was able to get out of the belly of the fish alive. This left me with so much awe just thinking of a God who is capable of doing all those unbelievable and miraculous things. Today's 1st reading reminds me of how those children bible books have impacted my life so much and have become one of the foundations of my faith. As grown ups we should come to realize that aside from the awe inspiring event of Jonah in the belly of a fish is the truth that we all have a responsibility in our hands to boldly speak about the Good News of salvation no matter what the cost. Every time God shows His signs, wonders and miracles the people are filled with faith but it doesn't last for each time they will easily forget and not remember. Let us always remind ourselves of these signs, wonders and miracles that happened a long time ago even up to the present time for it remains true forever and ever. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Jonah 1:1–2:1-2. 11

...Then they cried to the LORD: “We beseech you, O LORD, let us not perish for taking this man’s life; do not charge us with shedding innocent blood, for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea’s raging abated. 16 Struck with great fear of the LORD, the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him. 2: 1 But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 2 From the belly of the fish Jonah said this prayer to the LORD, his God. 11 Then the LORD commanded the fish to spew Jonah upon the shore... 

I can still remember when I was a still a child, I can't find the needle that I was playing with and I was so afraid then because I was told that if a needle gets lost and finds its way inside my body it will travel in my bloodstream and once it gets into my heart, I will die. I kept on looking for it but I just can't find it so I thought that it was already inside my body and I will soon die in a few hours. I was just silent and didn't tell anyone about it. When night time came, I just went inside my room and laid there as if waiting for my final hour. I prayed to God to make my death an easy and painless one. When morning came I was so surprised to see myself still alive and thanked God for saving my life. Looking back at all those things, I feel so ashamed of God that there are times when I forget to exercise that same kind of faith that I had when I was still a trusting and innocent child.  We should all have this confidence in the Lord who is able to rescue us from any kind of danger. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Jonah 2:3. 4. 5. 8

R: You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.

3 Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the midst of the nether world I cried for help, and you heard my voice. (R) 4 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea, and the flood enveloped me; All your breakers and your billows passed over me. (R) 5 Then I said, “I am banished from your sight! yet would I again look upon your holy temple.” (R) 8 When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; My prayer reached you in your holy temple. 

Today's gospel is another beautiful story told by Jesus Himself. It is the story of the Good Samaritan. It has always been highlighted how we should follow the example of this Good Samaritan who defied the letter of the law to fulfill what is most important, the Spirit of the Law which is love and mercy. As some may already know, during that time priests and Levites were not allowed to mingle with people tainted with blood or something to that effect, or maybe of a different race. We Catholic Christians tend to be over anxious in strictly following the laws of God to the letter and then fail to recognize that the greatest law of God is love. Sometimes we are carried away and so anxious to follow the laws imposed on us and sometimes fail to realize that it is law that should serve us and not otherwise. God will always push the limits of goodness to the edge like there is no room for more. When we were asked during one of our bible studies, who the greatest story teller is, everybody answered, Jesus. The explanation given to us why there are lesser books in the New Testament as compared to the Old Testament is that Jesus belonged to a non writing culture then. Jesus' style and current tradition did not rely on written but oral teaching. This truth is emphasized by today's parable and encourages us to tell our own stories that can give glory to God as a way of following the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. No one could ever refute this bible passage in today's gospel. It contains everything we have to know and understand in order to inherit eternal life. It is just the part on who is our neighbor that is in question. Jesus answered well when he gave this example that even the person whom you consider your greatest enemy as in the case of a Jew and a Samaritan is still our neighbor. We run out of excuses that we just have to obey and follow. Another thing worth mentioning with regards to the Good Samaritan is what St. Augustine thinks about it. He said that the wounded man is the New Adam attacked by Satan and left for dead. The priest and the Levites represent the Old Testament covenant which could not save him and Jesus is the Good Samaritan who stripped Himself of His kingship in heaven came down to earth and saved us. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Luke 10:25-37

25 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27 He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 32 Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. 34 He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ 36 Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” 37 He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT

In today's 1st reading we would find that it is written that they are naked and not ashamed. Our sexuality is much more than just our bodies. It was after sin when they felt ashamed that they were naked. Sexuality is good. We cover our bodies not because our bodies are bad but what’s changed is our attitude.  The original meaning of sexuality was restored when Jesus came to earth and delivered us from our sins. Being free of sin renders us with no egotism, no possessiveness, no desire to dominate and without any fear and shame.  Let us pray that our egotism be healed and respond to God with faith, humility and love. The Sacrament of Matrimony is very sacred because it reflects God's desire to be in a relationship with man. This is how we should look at marriage instead of just a union between man and woman, God should be at the center. When people petition for marriage annulment cases several things are investigated, 1. whether it’s defective consent there was defective diriment impediment or a defective form. In a formal marriage annulment case usually it’s a defective consent. In such case the direction of the tribunal would like to know whether the spouse has an intention against children.  There are 4 goods of marriage and one of those goods is to have children. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1643 "Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter - appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the normal characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new significance which not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them the expression of specifically Christian values."  The openness to children is one of the essential parts of marriage. If a party chooses marriage and somehow chooses in some way to avoid having children to frustrate the marital act to exclude children from inception through to end then that’s an invalid marriage. It’s a  great starting point for the tribunal to investigate. This is a canonical opinion from a canon lawyer and to find out whether the marriage is invalid or valid there is a need to petition a tribunal where a person resides.   No relationship in this world can last if God is not in the middle. We always have to put God in the center of everything. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 2:18-24 

The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, 23 the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. 

It is a very challenging task and we need to know how to really walk in God's ways in order to live a happy and favored life. There is only one thing needed and that is to follow the ways of the Lord. Whenever we come to a point in our lives when we encounter trials and difficulties and standing up firm in our faith in God seems to be an impossibility then all the more should we remain faithful and true to God. The psalm reading tells us exactly why. This fear being spoken of in today's psalm is the holy fear of the Lord and is different from other kinds of fear that we know. It's more of the kind of fear that is coupled with respect and is the beginning of wisdom as written in Proverbs 1:7. We have to be perfectly aware of this and strive to maintain it within ourselves so as not to lose sight of this aspect of God's Holiness. Over the years, the olive has been the symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power and pureness. The olive tree and olives are mentioned over 30 times in the Bible, in both the New and Old Testaments. It is one of the first plants mentioned in the Bible, and one of the most significant. For example, it was an olive leaf that a dove brought back to Noah to demonstrate that the flood was over. The Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem is mentioned several times. Olive oil has long been considered sacred; it was used to anoint kings and athletes in ancient Greece. It was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples as well as being the "eternal flame" of the original Olympic Games. Victors in these games were crowned with its leaves. Today, it is still used in many religious ceremonies. Today's psalm mentions and compares children to olive plants. We have always been awed by such great affection a mother has for her child. We've seen a lot of things throughout time that attest to this. I am a mother myself and I have done things beyond my capacity because of how much I love my children.  This love of mothers for their brood grows into something very special which explains why they are referred to or likened to olive plants around the table. Let us hope and pray that the Lord will continue to look after our families. No matter how difficult this year is, for our families we have to be confident in God's assurance in today's Psalm reading. If we truly believe that we have an Extraordinary and Awesome God then we, too must be willing to take on the challenge of doing something out of the ordinary and really get out of our way to live out what God calls us to do. Nothing is ever wasted for it has always been proven throughout all generations that those who follow and obey the Lord will surely be blessed not only today but all the days of our lives. We really have to always start with the basics, keep it simple and really get down with the real stuff. We've got to take things one step at a time. We know for a fact that we humans have a tendency to make things complicated.  We know exactly why. It is because we want to make excuses, create our own rules and get away with it. God tries to make it as simple as possible for us but we just don't want it His way because we've got to have it our own way. That's when the problem starts. It is always easier said than done but we've got to take God's word for it. I like the writing on the shirts of my son, Jude and these young people when they attended the YFC (Youth for Christ) Youth Camp. It says, "It's not about me, it's all about God." It's right on target and what it is all about. For in the end and to top it all, it will all come down to us as a blessing and favor from God. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Psalm 128:1-2. 3. 4-5. 6

R: May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

1 Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! 2 For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; happy shall you be, and favored. (R) 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table. 

God stooped down to the level of human beings and experience sufferings and death despite His Divine and Majestic nature all for the sake of God's great love for us that knows no boundaries. But we should remember always as St. Augustine said, “God who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.” Amen. Hallelujah! 

Hebrews 2:9-11

9 Brothers and sisters: He who “for a little while” was made “lower than the angels,” that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers,” 

If God said so then we should know better than to disobey. Actually this kind of thinking and belief has a tendency to make us react negatively. It's not because obeying God entails a lot of hardships and trials but in truth our human nature is inclined to rebel whenever we are being told by someone of what to do. We sometimes assert our independence in the wrong way. It would help us if we first assess the situation before we react. If somebody not trustworthy or not knowledgeable tells us something it would really benefit us if we just ignore and let the words that our left ear heard just pass through our right ear. We should be careful in dealing with other people and could really help if we lessen our interactions with them. But if our God speaks to us about something then we can never question the credibility of His words because He is a God who knows best. And if we are hoping and looking forward to a life of peace and joy we just better have to take His word for it and be like the children spoken of in the gospel today. Children have the gift to just receive and let their minds go to a place where adults don’t. They have the ability to animate things and have joy. They are always intently listening and receiving. This is the key to having access to the continuous existence of the flow of grace. If we look at the world around us and hear the news of what’s happening then we could lose hope if we listen to everything that’s going on around us. Unless we’re grounded in faith we could not survive it. We should pray that we continue to mature as  Christians. We have always come to mass and witness in the altar what priests are doing all over the world. We have to come into touch with the reality that the Holy Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament is what’s redeeming the world. The world is fragile and unstable. We need to be around this table in the altar for constant infusion of God’s life and grace. This is our life, destiny and future. We need to be grounded in this truth and be able to say that we are stable in our relationship with God. We need to have a conviction in this world that the Lord is present to us in the altars of sacrifice. The Lord Himself established this act of worship that contains incredible power. We need to be grounded to our faith in the Eucharist and truly enter completely for us to be nourished and strengthened. It should not become just an act of routine. If this happens then this could be very sad and empty of its true meaning. Being grounded to the truth of the Eucharist could really change our faith and belief and therefore bring forth change in our lives. We always go to mass but our act of worship in the Eucharist table should change us for the better. We have to believe that the Lord is working in our lives whenever we come to receive the Eucharist. This should be firmly based on the stability of the truth that God is really present for us. It is like when we run in the sand and mud, we become unsteady because it is unstable, our feet can sink. We need stability in order to stand. We need a firm ground to walk on and find something to anchor ourselves to. We look at a child's heart that is fully grounded. We need to follow its example so that no matter what we see in our experiences, the trials and the tests, if we’re grounded and stable we can always surrender our life to God and live in peace. We have to be firmly grounded on the truth of the Lord's presence in the Eucharist in order for a fountain of joy and excitement to burst forth from us. This is in the knowledge that something new is going to happen each time we receive Him in the Eucharist. Let us pray that we be like children and utilize our inventive hearts so as to enter into an act of worship and believe.  We are always confronted with the greatest temptation of not entering into the act of worship and know in our hearts and minds that God is present completely in this Most Blessed Sacrament.  We have to develop this attitude that the Eucharist is indispensable and what’s most real and powerful for us. We need to be able to say that this is what matters most to us. In doing so we can make decisions that needs to be done and say, "Here I am Lord here is what I’ve done help me to be better tomorrow." Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 10:2-16

 …People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” 16 Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

TOP PRIORITY

 We sometimes come to a point when we are confronted with a lot of things that could make us think hard. We may actually have to be in several places and be with different people. Though, we could always find great privilege and consolation in everything we do as long as we put God always in the center of our activities. As we try to look back and figure out every single thing that happened we may find it generally very tiring and non productive because we have left behind a lot of unfinished tasks that we have scheduled and prioritized. We get disappointed when we find out that it didn't work out as planned. When we are unable to achieve what we originally intended we sometimes regret it. It was like the kind of thing that sometimes happen to us when set out to do something in order to bring about a purpose and it never came about. We really can't help it, when we feel like we've just wasted time and energy on something. God is good since today's 1st reading says other wise for with God nothing is wasted and lost. On second thought, if we try to analyze very closely and look at the things that happened in a broader point of view, we should realize that we can gain a broader view and perspective on things that can give us confidence and conviction in setting right our priorities in life. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Baruch 4:5-12. 27-29

...Fear not, my children; call out to God! He who brought this upon you will remember you. 28 As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him; 29 for he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.” 

The mention of the watery depths in today's psalm reading should remind us of our own personal experiences. We are never alone. It is undeniable that God is good. We must realize that He is present in each and every person we meet. The earth is really full of the goodness of the Lord.   God always send us the right people at the right time and the right situation. Although there are also some setbacks and we are still experiencing the ups and downs of our faith we just have to consider everything as a part of our daily walk in the shore of the Sea of Galilee with Christ at our side. Here are some pointers for review to strengthen our faith in God

I. Man needs to be saved because of his fallen nature. (Rom 7:21-24 & CCC 1949)

-Man is dominated  by greed, pride and lust (CCC 407 & 1 Jn 5:19 ) The devil has acquired a certain domination (Gal 5:19) and we are engaged in a battle that has been won but does not stop there since we have to always put on our guard for the enemy does not rest. He called the whole process of being saved as "justification" .

 II. "Man is saved by God's grace alone based on CCC 1996.

-The question is how does the grace of God become an active part of our life or "by what are we justified?" The example he gave here was a newborn baby who is baptized. A baby has not merited anything yet but is saved by the mere act of being baptized. He mentioned about Martin Luther's despair about his salvation which led him to formulate the doctrine of justification by "Faith  alone" He misunderstood the Bible passage Rom 3:28 which mentioned faith alone apart from works of the law. Paul in this letter to the Romans was pertaining to the Jewish Law which is being practiced during their time like circumcision, washing of the hands and the like which are practices that can not really justify a person. Faith alone doctrine states that justification simply means being "declared righteous" We can not just be declared righteous but be made righteous by not continuing to sin.

III. Justification actually means being "made righteous" i.e. it entails the sanctification of his whole being (CCC 1989, 1990, &1995) We are justified not by faith alone nor by works alone. Justification has its stages i.e. initial and progressive. Initial justification takes place at our baptism. We still have a tendency to backslide and during the hour of death is the period of intense spiritual battle over our soul. That is why we need to mature in our faith.

IV. Certainty of Salvation

"Once saved, always saved?"  If we believe in this it tends to put off our guard. (1 Jn 5:13-14) We should say instead "I know I am saved, still being saved and will continue to be saved."  Justification is a life long process as stated by Paul in 1 Cor. 4:3-5, 9:27. In Phil 2:12 Paul also encouraged us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. For the enemy is waging war on us and we need to be very aware of this and claim God's protection over us at all times. (Eph.6:11-12)

V. Epistles against works?

I guess there have been some misunderstanding here of the following bible verses:

Rom. 3:28 (Obedience of faith) Martin Luther based his belief on faith alone on this specific verse he failed to see that Paul in addition to what was mentioned earlier was attacking the Jews with regards to their ceremonial laws and that it not enough to just hear the law but to observe it. (Rom 4:5 Total adherence) An example he gave was attending the mass not just as an obligation but with the heart. Consider it a privilege and do it for the love of God. He said we are saved by grace not by works but we obtain the grace of God by good works and the motive is mercy (Eph. 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5)

VI. Epistles supporting "Works"

Here are several bible passages cited to us by Atty Moya that support the need for us to cooperate and work with God. James 2: 14-22 & 24 say that faith without action is dead. From the gospel of Matthew: What must I do to be saved? (Mt. 19:16-21) When the rich man asked this question he was told to keep the commandments and he said he already did so Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor for he is very attached to his possessions that he has to let go of all attachments. We are also called to keep our fire burning for the Lord so that we don't end up like the 5 virgins in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Mt 25:1-13. The same principle applies with the Parable of the Talents or Silver pieces that we have to cultivate the goodness in ourselves and let it grow. It is also very clear from Mt. 25 31-46 which mentions about the last judgment that we can not just accept the Grace of salvation but needs to do our part, too since it specifically stated here that whatever we have failed to do will go to eternal punishment. Also it is stated in Mt 7:21-27 that we need to live His words because not everybody who says "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven for there is a need to turn away from our wrongdoings. He said that there is no dichotomy between Christ and His doctrine. If we really believe in God then we also need to do what He teaches. The will of God will never take us to where the grace of God will not protect us. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our lives 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 we are now. In the midst of all these unsightly things there should always be a burning flame of hope that God will never forsake nor abandon. We should always maintain our confidence in God and never lose hope and courage in the great love that God has for us. The ignorance of our faith is ignorance about Jesus. We may sometimes think that evangelization is just work for the priests and the religious. It is not limited to them but anyone who is baptized should take on this responsibility. JFK said, "Here on earth, God's work must truly be our own." Nothing should ever stop us from being part of the work of God. God made man in His own image and likeness. (Gen 1:26) In this context we need to define personhood well and know the perils of limited definition. It could be classified into 2 definitions, nominal and real. Nominal definition of personhood is decided by man. It is approaching something that we don't know but we already have the answer. We make decisions and play God. The dangers of this definition of a person are:

1. nominal- when we deny to identify a person as a real person. Example is abortion, when doctors deny the fact that at the moment of conception a person already exists.
2. real but limited - We do not deny but identify them as persons but with lesser worth like the sick and terminally ill. Just because they are old, weak and sick they deserve to die as in the case of euthanasia.
3. full and real but limited - Kills people as in the Holocaust.

The whole principle involved here is discovery and deciding. When our approach is discovery then we are being lead to the events in our life with a sense of total surrender, trust and faith in the Lord's Providence for the realization of things that are unseen and hoped for. God may not fully reveal and present us with a surprise but we maintain full confidence in a God who brought us to wherever we are right now. In deciding, our approach is a lot different since we already have an answer for something that we don't know yet. It boils down to the fact that we think we know too much but we don't. We end up playing God. We need to remain as man and allow God to be God of our life. When man becomes God, we lose everything because we are not God. We have to realize the impact in our life of discovery versus deciding.
We should ascribe to the real definition of personhood. It answers the question what, how and what is it meant to be. Our approach in life to achieve faith and righteousness is by discovery and through an authentic Christian life. It is discovery in the sense that we are open to the intention and purpose of God for us. With a seeking and expectant faith we should allow God to lead us in discovering what is ahead of us and prepared by God. The approach should be in a manner of discovering what God's intention is and respecting it. Checklist of Evangelization.
1. Do we see God as the Primary agent?
God is the Primary Agent of Evangelization. It is not about us but about God.
2. Do we see Evangelization as everyone's responsibility?
We must not end up like the Dead Sea that just received water but did not give out. The same thing happens to us when we do not take the responsibility of evangelization  as our own. We have to work on improving our skills for the work of God.
3. Do we communicate God's love?
4. Is total human betterment part of the ministry?
5. Do we respect other traditions?
God does not take sides. There is an equal opportunity for all but we have to make sure that we are on God's side. We need to rid ourselves of any triumphant or arrogant attitude towards people of other faith. The Abrahamic religion has a common denominator which is belief in God. We are not the sole professor of truth. We need to listen for God's revelation from others, too not only from us.
6. Does our love go beyond Catholic borders?
The kingdom of God is older and a broader reality than the Catholic Church. We need to live a humble life and forgive each other.
7. Is our approach ecumenical?
We do not have the monopoly of God because the Good News has no border and dealt with a common faith.
8. Do we use all available media?
The best media is our own life, no need for TV. The example of how we live our life is the best means to evangelize. Walk the talk.
9. Do we fully utilize existing groups?
Ministries that renew and energize members.
10. What is our total image?
We've got to maintain a wholesome image unlike the Crusaders, though they were able to convert many to the faith, the spread of the Good News was carried out using the sword.

We must take extra care in projecting the right image as Good Messengers of the Good News. We should not have any fear or hesitation in carrying out the task that the Lord has given us. In our commitment to follow the Lord there are times when we encounter disappointments. We can say that serving God is not lying on a bed of roses, though God rewards those who obey Him we have to realize that we too must share in the passion of Christ if we truly are His followers. For we know that the Lord in His great love, is always there for us. What matters most is that we always call on God and allow His saving power to rescue us. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Psalm 69:33-35. 36-37

R: The Lord listens to the poor. 32 [33] “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not. Let the heavens and the earth praise him, the seas and whatever moves in them!” R. For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. They shall dwell in the land and own it, and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall inhabit it. R.

We are blessed to have a line up of brilliant and anointed preachers who share their knowledge and zeal for the word of God in EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). But there are only a few people who take on this mission of spreading the word of God because we don't fully realize this as baptized Christians, we are all sent by Christ on this mission. We should accept God's invitation and receive the word of God by living its message. We have a great responsibility in our hands and should respond to His Word for indeed the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. The time is now to become part of this great harvest. Jesus knows exactly the kind of life we are headed to if we heed His call. What He expects from us is courage to go on and He will do the rest. Let us trust that God is truly the Good Shepherd who never abandons nor forsakes the lambs in the midst of the wolves. We, Catholics believe that God gave human beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities to be deemed a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4 virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope. They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or fortitude) Prudence is the ability to make right decisions in complex situations. They are 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. We can also find all the other 3 cardinal virtues, like justice which means giving each person his or her due. We all know even as kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person is doing.” This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice. Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites. Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person. Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s right. We’ve got have all these things but here’s the problem. When Adam & Eve decided to sin they let loose a weakness into our race and nature that impacts all of us. We call it original sin. Sin is not so original, we just copy what other people have done. There’s nothing creative about sin. Adam & Eve’s sin was the only original sin. What they did has an impact on us. By weakening their own nature, sin weakened man’s nature. They passed on to us a weakened nature. They separated themselves and the whole human race from friendship with God and were born into that. There’s a tendency in our nature to go on a downward drift, a drift off course and a tendency to a great degree is dealt with through grace. How do we get grace? Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has made possible for us, healing of our humanity. He gives us other gifts, faith, hope and charity that make it possible for us to really have wisdom, justice, temperance and courage. Without faith, hope and charity in this life, no one can really become truly wise. All throughout human history we see people who exercise these gifts. They may not be Christians, deeply spiritual people, or in a state of grace and can exercise some of these potentials here and there. But ultimately original sin means we are going to sin seriously and mess up. We need God’s grace for those 4 great virtues to be perfected. Faith, hope and charity are supernatural. These are things that human beings would never know that they need or could have without God giving them supernaturally that’s why they are called the theological virtues. We only know about them through divine revelation and we couldn’t know about them by reason. We can only have them through God’s grace. The theological virtues, faith, hope and charity are the crown of the first 4 cardinal virtues that transform and make them possible. God doesn’t want us just to be whole human beings and restore us to what Adam & Eve were when they blew it in the Garden. God wants us to be more than that. He wants to elevate our human nature and divinize it. He wants us to share in His own Divine nature. Charity is all about loving with God’s love. Loving as the 3 persons of the Holy Trinity love each other and sharing in that goes way beyond human nature. This is an incredible thing and call. It was only possible because God became man and we can share in his virtue. This is what the real Catholic life is all about. It’s not just about making it or going to heaven by the skin of your teeth after struggling. It’s about growing in holiness and becoming like Jesus all throughout our life, a champion not without struggles. As a matter of fact without the struggles we can never become a champion. It is possible with victory and excellence not with hopelessness, despair and frustration. This is God’s desire for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this is given to us. We are never alone because God is always with us. We should be so thankful to God for all the wonderful things He allowed us to think, feel, see and hear. Not only for the things that are visible but also the invisible. God has given us everything that we need, the love, care and protection that a child needs from a Father who loves us so much. The readings for today from the 1st, psalm to the gospel all speak of the importance of our senses. Sometimes we have this tendency to overlook these things and dwell more on the less important things. We must train our minds and hearts to know the top priority which is everything that connects us to God at all times. All we have to do is be aware that God reveals Himself in a very mysterious way that we have to continuously work for a heart and mind that is focused on the Lord, remove all distractions in our life so that He will reveal Himself to us. God is infinite and unlimited in nature and our minds can only comprehend as far as our limited brains allow. Let us seize every moment and opportunity in order to daily grow in our knowledge of the Lord. Let us all come to our senses. Once we've seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched, felt and experienced who the Lord is in our lives then we are really blessed in the truest sense of the word. Although we can only come to the full understanding and knowledge of God when we die, we can still work our way to knowing God using the best of our abilities for it is written, if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Have you ever experienced talking to someone but it seems that he/she is not paying attention. Let us not miss a single detail about our Lord and always be attentive to Him. If we are caught up in our own personal lives then we have a tendency to misunderstand the messages sent our way. Let us develop an attitude of total surrender to God and He in His goodness will make known to us things beyond our understanding. When we're on the phone we sometimes fail to hear what's being said to us on the other line. We can always hear this being said, Hello are you still there? It may be due to a low signal, our lack of attention and other things that disrupt the communication. We are reminded by God through the gospel to remove all hindrances and be able to hear him loud and clear. It is imperative that we heed his call and the time is now. Sometimes we end up doing things that we are not supposed to do and we get confused and that's because we are not attuned to our Life Coach, who is God and no one can lead us to the right direction only Him. We need to sharpen and make our senses very keen so that we will not miss out on anything. Some people who lack one of the senses like for example the blind people develop a keen sense of hearing, feeling and smelling. The blind have mastered well their other senses that they can hear, feel and smell the slightest sound, touch and scent that can be unnoticeable for some.  We should say from this point of view that the lack of one sense can enhance the other senses. We can also say that there are moments in our life when we have to shut out one of our senses, too. There are a lot of things being presented to us day in and out. We should know that some things are better left unsaid and ignored. In times like these we need to know exactly what we need to take in and which of our senses do we need to pay attention to and focus on in order to see and hear what the Lord is showing and telling us and be truly blessed. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 10:17-24

...Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”... 

LOOK INTO THE DETAILS

Today's 1st reading speaks of the consequences of the failure to conduct ourselves right, the way a people of God would.  Time and again even way back in the Old Testament, the New Testament and up to the present time. God wants to have a relationship with His people. God has made the new, perfect and everlasting covenant, as shown in the repetitive words that can be found all throughout the scriptures, "I will be your God and you will be My people." There is no doubt about the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His part of the covenant because He has shown from generation to generation that he is indeed our God but have we fulfilled our part of the covenant in truly being a people of God. We might want to pause and ask ourselves this very question and not end up always asking God why we witness so much chaos and disorder nowadays. It is time we make a real effort to let the goodness of God prevail. Amen. Hallelujah!

Baruch 1:15-22

...And the evils and the curse which the LORD enjoined upon Moses, his servant, at the time he led our fathers forth from the land of Egypt to give us the land flowing with milk and honey, cling to us even today. 21 For we did not heed the voice of the LORD, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us, 22 but each one of us went off after the devices of our own wicked hearts, served other gods, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, our God.” 

Most people I believe will agree with me when I say that who we are today is the sum total of what we've done in the past and what we're still doing in the present. But the most important part of the equation that we should never forget to add in our life is the Multiplier, for whatever it is that we can do, is just a small fraction of what God can do in our lives. There is no doubt that the Lord will show us the right path if we go to Him at all times. Sometimes we go through life not really knowing what we're missing. Let us no longer miss out but rather benefit and enjoy in the goodness of God. We sometimes wonder how an act of obedience to God can seem so difficult at times even if we know for a fact that it is for our own good. It is our sins that draw us farther away from God, bury us deeper and bind us in chains. It all begins in just a slight act of disobedience or negligence on our part which takes a hold of us and before we know it we've gone so far away from God. Let's not wait any longer before it's too late. The time is now for us to repent and go back to God. There are 2 bible verses which I consider very special and of great importance to me. The first is from Romans 8:28 which says that, "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son..." The second one is from Ephesians 6:10-17, "Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one.And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." It is noteworthy that we realize the important aspect in this bible passage about the need to wear an armor and most especially for us to realize the need for a weapon when we engage in battle and the only weapon mentioned is the sword which is the word of God. Sometimes we tend to look at things in a general way and miss the important details or only see, read and hear the things that we want and do not take the words of God in its entirety. There are lots of prosperity preachers who present the word of God in this manner and tend to overlook the equally important details and instructions that God also wanted us to pay attention to. God has definitely made it clear that everything will work for good but just the same, we have to take note of the following words which say that we need to conform to the image of Jesus. We definitely should not miss nor overlook this so that we can surely be saved and delivered. It is inevitable that we always give praise to God. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Psalm 79:1b-2. 3-5. 8. 9

R: For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

...Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. (R) 9 Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake. 

If we are just going to look back and recall all the things that have happened in our life then we can never deny the presence of guardian angels as spoken of in today's gospel. God always makes His messages known to us in various ways but He confirms them to us too. God is assuring us that there is no need to be afraid because He directs us always to the right path and if ever we are led astray He constantly searches for us to lead us back to Him. We should remain eternally trusting in our faith in God as a child is with his/her parents. It is faith that must become the foundation of all that we do. If we are just going to look back and recall all the things that have happened in our life then we can never deny the presence of guardian angels as spoken of in today's gospel. There is this very interesting detail I read with regards to the instinctual behavior of oriental breed sheep whenever they get lost. According to this study, upon sensing such a misfortune, they stop their frantic wandering and just stay still. Instead of searching the right way on their own, they prefer to sit still and just wait instead until they are found by the shepherd. This somehow explains how Jesus in today's parable left the 99 in search of the astray. In our own lives we, too experience being lost and led astray. Sometimes we are too wrapped up in our problems and miseries that we just kept on searching for ways and means to get out of it. The more we do this the more exhausted we become and the less likely we find a solution. God our Father and Good Shepherd knows exactly what we are going through and He already figured out what to do. Instead of relying on our own efforts which are obviously no match for God's plan and design we might as well stop our frantic wandering and just stay still if we want God to find us. Another interesting message in today's gospel reading is the fact that the quantity is irrelevant and looks after every person for God cares for each one of us. God wants to put emphasis on this point that He is always with us and knows our deepest thoughts and concerns. Jesus makes all things possible for we are adopted sons and daughters of God.

Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 18:1-5. 10.

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”