KAIROS

Today's 1st reading is a sort of eulogy for King David who was laid to rest in God's appointed time of departure from earth. Death can be viewed in many different ways. We should always come into terms with the truth that we encounter many and various situations that sum up all our experiences. Some pleasant but some are not. It is best to always work towards an attitude of acceptance. These things are all part and parcel of the so called cycle of life. If we are not able to go through this cycle then we can never experience the fullness of time. This could make better sense if we think of a place which has 4 seasons. If we weren't able to stay in such place for the entire year then we couldn't experience these 4 seasons. There is a need for us to go through each and every season in order to fully appreciate and differentiate one from the other. In the same way that we go through a cycle in life and experience first hand, true to life circumstances and events which make us see and feel things in the best way possible. There can never be any other great teacher in life than experience itself. “Kairos" (the appointed time in the purpose of God) is the fullness of time. We have encountered this phrase several times in the gospel to define the coming of Jesus Christ in the fullness of time. It could also be defined as God's time, time of fulfillment, unity in time and oneness in time. In order to further understand its context as the fullness of time, we can take as an example, a cycle or 360 degrees wherein there is a beginning and end. Through this illustration we have the privilege of coming into the full understanding of this "kairos" which eventually leads to attaining our peace which is a oneness in the state of being. We are His creation and God is in creation. It is due to this that we have this incessant desire to know God. We have the scriptures to guide us but it is also in all other aspects especially the actual images of this life that we live that we can come to a deeper understanding of these things. When we read a good book, in the beginning we have no idea how the story unfolds but as we come to near the end finally finish reading everything then we get the whole picture. Life events are chapters that are part of this. In attaining to kairos everything will make perfect sense. It is our prayer and hope that as we travel through life and come to the fullness of time or "kairos" we become holy and experience the unity in state of being and oneness in persons thus making creation and Creator as one. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 47:2-11
Like the choice fat of the sacred offerings, so was David in Israel. He made sport of lions as though they were kids, and of bears, like lambs of the flock. As a youth he slew the giant and wiped out the people’s disgrace, when his hand let fly the slingstone that crushed the pride of Goliath. Since he called upon the Most High God, who gave strength to his right arm to defeat the skilled warrior and raise up the might of his people,...

One of the intriguing and debatable issues that always come up is about free will. God is all powerful and He can make all things possible. Due to the unerring nature of God, He was, is and will never be wrong and there is no room for mistakes. We are God's creation and must have been perfect in everyway. So how come human beings who are on top of all His creation always end up in chaos and disorder. There is no doubt to the perfection of God's handiwork, the only flaw is that we have our free will, if we could really call it a flaw. That we are not treated as merely slaves, puppets and robots that should follow our master's bidding since we have our free will is the most perfect gift a creator could ever give to his creation. Thank God! He is not an overpowering and oppressing God. He respects and honors us with this gift of free will to do anything we please. This is something that only perfect love can permit. It is from our love for God that we should gather our strength. We should focus on that alone and everything will follow. There is no doubt that God has already won the crown for us, all we have to do is defend our title as heirs of the kingdom of God from the snatchers of this grace. Show forth God's power in our lives. All we need to do is always call upon the Lord and we are safe. We are constantly beset by troubles in life but we should never forget that God is always with us and for us to win all our battles. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 18:31, 47, 50, 51
R: Blessed be God my salvation!
30 [31] God’s way is unerring, the promise of the LORD is fire-tried; he is a shield to all who take refuge in him. (R) 46 [47] The LORD live! And blessed be my Rock! Extolled be God my savior. 49 [50] Therefore will I proclaim you, O LORD, among the nations, and I will sing praise to your name. (R) 50 [51] You who gave great victories to your king and showed kindness to your anointed, to David and his posterity forever.

It is just very sad that despite the many times God tries to convey His love to us, we still sometimes back away. We've got to stand firm, hold our ground and not give in to the world's pressures. Let us not end up like Herod who came as close to knowing what is righteousness and holiness but never really got to the doing and acting part. In the Philippines we have a habit of calling people names. For someone to be called Herod or Herodes means being really naughty and bad. We may all claim to know what is right but we have to realize that we may never be able to come to a point where we can claim to be a better person than Herod. We may have this impression that we are far better Christians than any of the others we know but we may be wrong. For all we know we are not far from being like Herod or much worse. Let us hope not. For there is really more to being a Christian than what we actually know. As what have been mentioned in the 1st reading about the sanctity of marriage, it is now being emphasized once more in today's gospel. John the Baptist paid a great price for this truth. We sometimes don't realize it, but we may also be guilty just like Herodias. We may not be committing adultery like her but we too succumb to the temptation of eliminating the people and circumstances around us that is a source of inconvenience or simply not conformed to our personal statement and views. We also make use of other people to camouflage or hide our true intentions in order for us to carry out our plans without the guilt of having participated in it. We resort to all kinds of disguise without knowing that in the process of doing so we are headed for the worst kind of situation.  Let us not further aggravate it and know in our heart, mind and soul that all areas of our life needs to be totally surrendered to God not just a part, half but our entire being.  In doing so with the gift of free will we allow ourselves to enjoy life at its fullness because we are not bound or tied and can exercise this gift as much as we want and never run out. We should not be too carried away though and forget that it is also because of this free will that we are also presented with horrible things as in today's gospel that are products of the wrong use of this gift. It is of prime importance that we exercise, use and handle this gift with much care. This is the reflection question and prayer that I read in Didache: What do you do when you are under pressure? Do you stand up for what is right or you just go with the crowd because everyone else is doing it? Lord, grant me the wisdom and the courage to do what is pleasing in Your sight even if the world laughs at me. And in Companion, Fr. Martin Macasaet said the following words. "Yes, we, too, are called and challenged to imitate John the Baptist’s courageous act of witnessing —not necessarily in the form of a bloody beheading, of course. Today’s Christian martyrdoms are certainly more of a subtle and sophisticated kind. But perhaps, they are just as compelling and exigent — as when our moral principles are tested in our workplaces, or when our senses are bombarded by sexually suggestive images, or when we are scandalized by the bad examples of our leaders and celebrities, and so on." We all have our own personal Herod, Salome and worst our Herodias tendencies in life. Only we ourselves know these and what specific aspect it is in our lives. Unless we acknowledge them, firmly reject and stand up against it instead of yielding to it then we are no better than any of them. In today's gospel we are also reminded of our stubbornness when we insist on doing things our way. We could somehow relate this to those who insist on wearing something even if it doesn't fit them just because it is the "in" thing. The same way with our life we end up looking foolish when we insist on keeping up with the latest trend and fashion that this world offers when the only thing that is well fitted to us is to always wear the clothes of Jesus which is fashioned in the passion of the cross in order to be the best dressed Christian. People may not be able to know it by just looking at us and we can easily get away with our wrong doings which we have kept in secret or hidden in our thoughts and feelings which no human person can see but God does. We’ve got to believe that there is really somebody watching us as the song says. Sometimes we forget that God can see through us and knows exactly what's inside our hearts and minds. Let us not wait for the time when we like the scribes and Pharisees will be spoken to by God in this manner. Let us choose to hear words of commendation from the Lord rather than be called a hypocrite. Let us truly be the person that God wants us to be, whether there are people who can see our goodness or not. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 6:14-29

...John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him... “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.

LIFE AND DEATH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WATCH my BACK!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 6:7-13

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

CARRY ON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOVE ABOVE ALL

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

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

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

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

P S A L M 

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

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

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

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

Mark 5:21-43

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

OFFENSE-DEFENSE

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

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

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

R. Lord rise up and save me.

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

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

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

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

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

Mark 5:1-20

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

THE SILVERSMITH & THE SPARROWS

Life is never easy and fair at times.  If we go through trials and hardships and sometimes lose heart when confronted by our doubting and questioning minds then we should always stand firm in our principles and convictions anchored in Jesus. No matter how difficult it may seem we must not lose sight of what kind of suffering Jesus had to go through  and all our problems will fade in the background. Nothing we do in our entire lifetime will ever seem fit for a God who is perfect in countless ways and will always fall short of His glory. We just have to be thankful that God never gives up on anyone of us for He looks not on our sins but on our faithfulness. We always have a choice to improve, move forward and not lag behind. After all the years and experiences God is continuously at work in us and will always look forward to that day when we will come to be with Him, perfected through Jesus and united with Him in His wonderful kingdom in heaven. We should always have the attitude of humble acceptance and complete surrender clinging only to God and not on any person, thing, situation or possession in life. These experiences will all amount to something great in the end. Which reminds me of the story of a silversmith (narrated by Fr. Joseph Magdaong) who purifies silver by allowing it to sit on the fire at its extreme heat (blue flame) until it finally comes out pure. The silversmith knows that the work is done once the silver starts to reflect the image of the silversmith/refiner. Just in case we do not know, there is also a danger that if a silversmith has exceeded the refining process it will totally ruin the silver that's why a good silversmith keeps an eye on the silver 100% of the time during the refining process. Allow this to sink in to our souls for in time we will all come to know that we are in truth blessed and full of grace whenever we are subjected to this kind of situation knowing that we have a perfect and good silversmith who keeps a close eye on us and never leave us. In whatever we are going through right now, let us believe and trust that we are in the steady hands of the Expert who will never miss nor fail. God always work with perfection. We can always be assured that if we allow ourselves to go through the Refiner's fire then we will surely come out perfect. God is always precise in His moves and can never go wrong. Amen. Hallelujah!

Malachi 3:1-4

...For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. 3 He will sit refining and purifying [silver], and he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.

We can't claim to be this kind of person, a Christian but conduct ourselves in a very unlikely way. Let us no longer be deceived by the false and misleading truths and principles that this world presents to us every single day. We have to be grounded at all times on this truth that today's psalm is telling us. There was a time when Tita Neds complained that something is wrong with the television. She said that somebody fixed it already but it didn't stay fixed for long. It wasn't the manufacturer who repaired it that was why. If it was brought to its manufacturer they would definitely know what to do with it. We've got to be conscious of this reality and apply it to ourselves. When something goes wrong we should know where to go, to whom we really belong, the Lord. This is the covenant: we belong to the Lord and He belongs to us for we are His people and He is our God. If we look at what's happening in the world today most especially the economic crisis wherein even the leading nations are being challenged by the present situation then we are really bound to anticipate the worst. Not even those people who used to be very confident of their present jobs in their respective stable companies can be too sure of what's going to happen next. There have been so much speculations of what will be the outcome of this worldwide problem of the economy and most of them are not good. With all these rubble, there is just really one thing we need to focus on and that is God. It is not easy to live life in this world but we can rejoice and be glad, we have an army, a battalion, a full house of saints with all the angels constantly and endlessly praying and singing in heaven, the so called triumphant Church/army of God, who intercede in our behalf and is joyously inviting us to be one of them. We are being reminded by the readings today to always keep ourselves blameless before the Lord no matter how tough things are. God wants to be with us, there is no doubt about that. But just like water and oil which can not be put together and mixed so is God and man if we are in sin or harbor anything that can not be attributed to the holiness of God. We can not force two different things to go together. Water is a polar molecule and oil is non polar. They do not mix because they are two different substances as in the adage, "Like dissolves like." God can not change. He is already who He is, Holy in all His ways. We can change. We can be like God in His holiness and goodness if we want to be with Him forever. Let us not lose sight of what a mighty God we serve who made the heavens and the earth. We pray to God to open our eyes that we may see the wonders of His love. We should think profoundly of our daily walk with the Lord which consists of not only a leisure stroll in the plains and valleys of life but a steep climb up to the top of the mountain. We must avail of the sacrament of reconciliation. It gives us renewed strength and hope. Our life consists of steep and dangerous climbs but we must not forget that God is always at our side. If we are to carefully assess our life we would find that it feels good whenever we are able to overcome most of our pitfalls though there are some that still needs improvement. We must praise and thank God that every time we experience a fall back and backslide we can immediately go back to Him through the sacrament of confession which restores us to our original path and right track. It is God's desire that we will someday come face to face with Him. There is a need for us to prepare for that day. We are sometimes guilty of not focusing on God's countenance alone, there are times when we get distracted by other things and today's psalm reading serves as the reminder. I heard a story about God's radiating and blinding light that when we stand before Him nothing is hidden from Him, He will never turn away from us but if we ourselves are tainted with the guilt of our sins then we can not withstand His presence and will definitely hide and ran away from Him, far from His ever blinding Light that penetrates us. Let us all hope that when that day comes we can stand in His Holy Presence and claim with confidence our rightful place in His Kingdom. For our information, all of us are eligible to be in heaven with God. There is no doubt about this since we have been made and washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. A virgin is with child. The Old Testament scriptures have foretold of this and point to the coming of Christ. The prophets preannounced and prefigured His coming and pointed to the fulfillment in Jesus in the New Testament. He has loved us first and continues to do so. He encounters us ever anew in the sacraments especially in the Eucharist. The Church helps us to respond to God’s initiative through word and teaching and the gathering of believers who respond faithfully. We have to be firm, resilient and faithful people of God. We’ve got to really focus on what is truly important and essential. We live in a world where there are so many distractions that we tend to lose sight of what should be our greatest and most important concern. After all has been said and done we will find in the end that what truly matters is not what will last only in this lifetime but for all eternity, a reward from God our Savior. When somebody invites us for a party we just don't go there without preparing ourselves for it. Much more gatecrash and just go to a party without an invitation. We are blessed that God has invited us. The best we could do being privileged, honored and counted to come to His banquet in heaven is to make preparations and always be ready to take part in it, really belong and not end up an outcast. We should not lose sight of this standing invitation that God gives us in our daily life. There is indeed a need to always be prepared so that when the final moment comes we can reside in the heavenly abode of God. In every game there is a rule to follow and only those who play it fair and square can finish to the end and win their prize. Today’s psalm gives us a guideline to follow in order to make it through. We should always long to see the face of God at all times in every person, event and circumstance in our lives. Let us always hold on to this image so that someday when we finally come face to face with God we will receive a blessing and reward for He will surely bring about what He said He would do. In the course of the time and in the history of mankind we hear of people like Abraham chosen by God. The chosen people were given laws and ordinances to follow. The remnants of the chosen people or those who were faithful to God in keeping these commandments like Simeon and Anna, Joachim and Anne are those who belong to the Hebrew generation, kept the Jewish tradition and prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. This initiation of God in loving us first should bring us to act and make love blossom as a response on our part. We've got to be aware that the no one but the Lord is the King of glory. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10

R: Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

7 Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in! (R) 8 Who is this king of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.

One thing I can never forget with my friend Bernadeth when she was in an unwell state was when she confided to me about how she really feels about people trying to be of help, nice and consoling by saying to her, "I understand how you feel." She said that she doesn't believe them when they say it. According to her, they don't really know how she feels unless they themselves undergo the same thing that she went through in which she said that some people have really no idea. In fact, she said it with so much stress I almost started to doubt the credibility of this principle relating to Patient Care that I learned way back in NursingSchool. One of the exercises we usually do in Psychiatric Nursing is to identify which of the following communication patterns that frequently or commonly takes place in a Nurse-Patient environment is therapeutic or not. This, "I understand how you feel." statement has been declared as an effective tool for therapeutic communication since it shows empathy. In fact it has become a common by word that everybody has gotten used to saying it all the time even outside our clinical rotations. Though, Bernadeth may be an exemption to this rule, I can now very well understand what she meant back then most especially with today's 1st reading. Jesus went through the ultimate suffering and could surely be very well in the position to say that statement. I got this horrible thought of a person fleeing from fire but got trapped in a bathroom and sought relief from the heat by opening the showers but ended up even more scorched due to the hot water that came out of it. I just shivered at the thought of somebody dying this way. Just imagine if we are trapped in a place like a fiery furnace and we have nowhere to escape. It gives us consolation that we have a God whom we can always run to even at the point of death since Jesus knows exactly what we had been and have been going through because He had been through the worst even death. God became man. What a great privilege that our God came down from the Most High and Heavenly place to live and be among us. We have on our side the strongest force there is in heaven and in earth. He can win all our battles and we are in a sure win, no lose situation with God We just have to pray and trust that God who stooped down to our level is always here for us. We sometimes miss the point and go through life without realizing that the meaning of our existence is all about communion with God. We are so caught up in our lives and forget that there is a need to be still and know that He is God with the big G. We should strive for a life of prayer and contemplation and experience mutual presence.  Think of our closest friends when we relate things in our life to them. We develop an intimate sharing that binds our relationship. When we share in God's life and we share to Him our own then God draws near to us. There is mutual presence of two who are in love and be intimate. We sometimes experience dryness or longing that makes us feel like God has abandoned us. We thirst for God like a deer yearning for the streams. We long to be at home with the Lord. They are parts of the gift that God is giving to us in order for us to draw near to Him. It is not for us to understand everything right now. Everything will be made clear for us in heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!

Hebrews 2:14-18

...he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Today’s gospel is about the presentation of Jesus in the temple in obedience to the Mosaic law of Joseph and Mary.  There is a wide variety of aspects to contemplate upon.  In Israel at that time, women had to wait 40 days before the presentation of the child she has given birth. They understand that when a woman bears a child they are in the realm that belongs specifically to God. The birth of a child is something that depends on God giving life and there is a great sacredness in the process of giving birth to a child and they are set apart. This ritual needs to be completed before entering the life of community. We can not often understand the OT teachings. At this time a woman is considered unclean although not necessarily sinful since it could also mean something sacred. We could look at it in a way they see the scriptures since they are considered very sacred. In the synagogue everyone is forbidden to actually touch a scroll with their finger so they have a stick to point at the scripture. It is very sacred and if you touch it you become unclean. The idea is that it is so sacred and considered a power that belongs to the realm of God. If you are rendered unclean then one has to go in a ritual bath. This is why Jewish women have to go into a ritual bath after 40 days because they entered into the realm of God when they give birth to a child. It works in a way that it is also at the time when the body after birth is completely healed. All these things work hand in hand with each other as the mystery of God unfolds in our very own lives. The characters of Simeon and Anna are inevitably drawn into this event of Jesus' life. They serve as models of faith and hope for the people of God. There is no doubt that God is with us but are we with or for God. In any good relationship we know that it should be a 2-way or mutual thing. One can not govern over or not respond to the other. If we aim to develop an intimate relationship with God then we need to work on it. We can also learn from Anna the prophetess. It was said that “she was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer.” Her devotion to the Lord paid well. We sometimes go through life like a routine and we do things automatically without much thought. There are times when we just let things and circumstances pass us by without noticing any difference. Anna did not fall for this kind of trap or complacency. She immediately knew and felt the Lord's presence. There may be thousands of babies being presented in the temple during that time but she spotted the Lord. This could not have been possible if not for her prayerful and discerning attitude. Just like her, may we be sensitive always to God's presence in our midst and be endowed with discernment. This is what happens when we decide to always draw near to God. He will surely not just draw nearer but nearest to us. God does not just match or double our works and efforts but maximizes to the superlative. We’ll never find ourselves in the losing end but always in a winning situation with the Lord. When God stooped down to our level and disrobed his kingship for our sake He knew from the start what He is headed, for He is All knowing. But some still contradicts God despite everything He has done for us. And this is all because of His great love for us. Jesus is an obedient and loving Son as He is a symbol of perfection. That even His own mother was not spared of the hurt and pain is way too much for Him. From every beginning to the end of it all, there should only be one truth that guides us to the ultimate, unsurpassed and unending power of God which has long been revealed throughout the ages. Jesus came to save us. This is a very powerful statement that not every one of us can grasp its true meaning. There's this story of a man who heard a banging on the windows one winter night and saw the freezing sparrows who were trying to get in. The man tried to save them by shooing them away towards the barn where they could have shelter. Every time he tried to come near them he scares them and they fly away. He realized that he can not save them because they can not understand him. The only way to save them is to become small like them and lead them to where they should go. Unless he becomes one of them there is no way he can save them. This is what God did in order to save us. Jesus manifested God’s love. He became a model for us to follow. This is all because He wanted to give us a participation in His Divine Life. Mass is a perfect worship to God who is perfect. During mass we offer Jesus, the perfect sacrifice to God who lived in humble obscurity laid down His life in death, obeyed perfectly and won life for us, the Church.  Death is a part of life and we ought to prepare for it. Not in the morbid kind of way but by giving and surrendering all in union with Jesus. Simeon and Anna were both righteous, devoted to God and prayerful. They were gifted by God with prophetic revelations. We, too are gifted with the Holy Spirit but there is a need to unleash the power in us. We can start by striving to follow the good example of the holy men and women who came before us and faithfully and diligently wait on the Lord. It is an opportunity just like Simeon and Anna in today’s gospel to say our yes to the Father as Jesus did. We are reminded that even Jesus followed what was written in the law. We are reminded to conduct our affairs of this world in accordance to the law and live a life that is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. We ask the intercession of the Blessed Mother whose heart was pierced by a sword, may we be always covered by her blue mantle of protection.  Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 2:22-40

...“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”...“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted 35 — and you yourself a sword will pierce — so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 4:35-41

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