SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

    I have always watched the Dragon Ball Z Cartoon series before because it used to be my 2 sons favorite when they were still kids. Somehow I have come to like it in a way maybe due to my constant exposure and especially because I get to relate with my kids better and have a share of their world. When I finally had the chance of watching in HBO the Dragon Ball Revolution movie that was when I found out about the origin of the Dragon Ball hero. I didn't realize that Gokou, the protagonist and the one portraying the good guy and hero image is an alien monster who originated from outer space. He ended up on earth and was cared for by good people without knowing that at the age of 18 he would be transformed into who he really is, a monster. At that moment he did transform into a hideous monster but was able to fight the evil lurking inside of him. It was because he remembered the words of this person who reared him, "Do not forget who you are." I was suddenly reminded of it...

     We know that words are not enough to describe how great the love of God is but Paul gave it his best shot. Today's 1st reading is filled with inspiring, poetic and heartfelt words in his letter to the Ephesians. It can never capture the fullness of its meaning but we can always strive to show a tiny portion of it. As in a loving parent to a child is something we can all relate to since we are all children of our parents and could be parents too ourselves. Looking back at all those years when we were still very young made me like to honor my mother for the great sacrifice she made for us, her children. She was the only one left to our care because my father passed away at a very young age. My brothers and I were all witnesses to the great love and care she showered on us. I should say we could very much relate to that kind of love. But to suffer to a most humiliating and painful death an only Begotten Son for the sake of another is an angle that we may never come to f...

     We are all aware of the fact that in this world nothing is permanent, something may hold true for now but will end up different sooner or later. Nowadays, looking at the present situation around us, people are getting confused, anxious and uncertain of what to do next. We must admit that there are moments when we are guilty of those feelings. No matter how close we are to God as some people may think, we can not deny the fact that we succumb to it, too. You know why?    We are never sure of what lies ahead of us, there's only one thing we can be sure of, Jesus. For thousands of generations past, God has been attempting to reveal Himself to mankind and trying to establish a relationship with us. From the time of Adam & Eve and Noah and dates way back to 1800 BC during the time of Abraham, Moses (1200), David (means the favored one,1000), Exodus (600) to the birth of our Lord Jesus. From this time line, significant events happened from the time of Creatio...

    It can be told, we are God's dwelling place. Thus we ought to do everything in our power to make ourselves pleasing and holy before the Lord. When we speak of physically constructing something like a temple we've got to have all the necessary funds and materials to build it. It really costs a lot to build especially at this time when there is economic distress all over the world. Spiritually, it is not like we are lacking in resources of any kind to fulfill this. The Holy Spirit has the gifts, well equipped and will never run low to carry out this task of building us into a temple of God . Isn't it a relief, all we have to do is desire and ask for it with a pure and sincere heart. There is no reason to be afraid as we are assured in today's 1st reading by God that there is really no reason to be. Death may be a time of grief but it is also a time of hope. For the Lord has promised to prepare a place for us so that where He is, we may also be. As we all strive to kn...

     Have you ever won in a raffle? I did. It feels great! Although this happened many years ago I could never forget when I won a $1000 gift card in a Nurse Expo at Long Beach because it was very memorable and significant in many ways. I never thought that my name will be drawn. I was just sitting there looking after the bags and the tons of souvenir items of my nurse companions when my name was called. I can't believe my ears! From out of the many entries, my name was picked. Not just that, I still do not have my license at that time so I needed to give them proof that I am a USRN. It was good that I brought the letter from the California Board of Registered Nursing stating that I already passed and they were kind enough to accept it. I bought a laptop and a camera out of it. I felt that it was exactly what I wanted to buy back then even though I already have a desktop computer which I can use because I was still living with my aunt then. I never thought that I would b...

   Today’s 1 st reading tells us that we have been called by name. God knows each one of us by name. This is why in the midst of our highs and lows, ups and downs in life, and the rising and setting of our hopes we should never fear for the Lord relates with us personally and knows exactly what we are going through. We are called by name and we need to be snapped back to reality that in the midst of our highs and lows, ups and downs in life, and the rising and setting of our hopes there is really no other like our God. The rabbis of Jerusalem have collected scriptures into Torah and are considered statements inspired by God. It is like a message from heaven not just for the time of the prophet himself but for all time.    It applied in the ancient times even a couple of centuries later and into the time of Jesus. We should seek God correctly not for selfish gain but for the good of all people. God has not changed and human nature has not changed. He cares about the...