SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

     If we truly believe in one thing then it has to mean something and has to stand up for that one thing. In today's 1st reading, Paul emphasizes the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. If this is so then we should believe that the same thing happened for those who truly believe in Him and also for all of us who are yet to cross over to the next life after this. Paul said that the most pitiable people of all are those who have hoped in Jesus for this life alone. Our present life here on earth is nothing compared to our life in the next. We can only set our hopes in this life for a maximum of 100 years if we will be blessed by God to live that long. We are just passing by and we are headed for a much better place where God has intended for all of us to be. In this journey, our hope and faith should rest on the truth that is proclaimed by Paul in the 1st reading. We don't settle for the minimum but go for the maximum which is eternal life of bliss and happiness with...

    All the readings for today point to an overwhelming truth that no matter how sinful and broken we are, God is able to do wonders for us. In today’s 1st reading Paul said that he is the least of the Apostles or not even fit to be called an apostle and yet he became what he is, all because of the tremendous grace of God. We should focus on the greatness of God’s power and never underestimate or overlook what He is able to do for us. To all of us who are fellow believers in Jesus Christ, it feels good to read and be reminded of something that we should always hold on to more than our own precious lives, that is the Word of God. We should always have this attitude of always consulting and presenting to God all our plans in prayer for guidance and direction, especially at times when we are confronted with difficult life decisions. If we do this God will surely not refrain from helping us. Everything that we needed to work on would be one by one complied with and fulfilled despi...

    In whatever state of life we are in we should all be aware that God has given us everything. There is nothing more that He should give that He has not given to us. We should always glory in this truth that we have a God who is more than enough, Yahweh, El Shaddai. Today's 1st reading focuses us to this unsurpassed and everlasting gift that God has given us which is love that conquers all. Love is Christ. Christ is patient, kind and we must substitute with our name. This is the garment that we must wear in order to be adopted sons and daughters of God. We pray that the Lord will give us strength to love and hope that the Lord is our final glory. Amen. Hallelujah!   1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13 31 Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way...Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, 5 it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not qu...

Jesus Christ came to this world more than 2000 years ago. I believe that nothing about the life of Jesus was left to mere chance or by accident because everything in His life happened for a reason in fulfillment of His mission. He came to make all things right. This mission is also ours. I quote the words which I heard from the Filipino telenovela entitled: "May Bukas Pa " and what I often say whenever there are situations that we can not explain, "Walang di sinasadya, walang nagkataon lahat ay may dahilan." In English, " Nothing is by chance, everything happens for a reason."    We are all members of the body of Christ so we are all called to fulfill our own God given mission to make all things right. We are invited to live at peace with everyone by first becoming a person of peace. It can never be done in hostility but only in gentleness. In 1 Tim    5:3, it is stated that we should treat others even our enemies with courtesy and respect. It is how we re...

       If we take time to study about the bible and our faith then we will discover things we never knew existed before. We will come to a deep and profound understanding of it which will bring us to greater heights in terms of our knowledge of God. This will lead us to love and service in a very meaningful way. Do you know that there is a commandment before the Decalogue or 10 commandments of God? Yes, there is and it is called Pre-Sinai. It is noteworthy that today's 1st reading points to the reason behind this. I learned this from a Lenten Retreat. When the people of Israel complained to God, He sent them quail and manna as their food in the desert. Every morning they gathered food from the ground and whenever they get more than they could eat for a day they discovered the following morning that the excess got spoiled or rotten. The moral lesson of this commandment is social justice. We should remove greed in our midst and learn to care for others. We should also...

    We have some fairly easy questions in life that we can answer right away but the committing part is the one thing we all have difficulty in doing. In this regard we can start by heeding the warning in today's 1st reading. We have to abandon all our hurts and injuries to the Lord, be turned to compassion for those who have caused us so much pain and forgive. God who is full of mercy and love is the one who did it first for us and we ought to follow. We must surrender and abandon everything to the Lord especially when we go through suffering and trials. We will do well to learn the basic thrust of this reading and apply it in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah! Sirach 27:30-28:7 30 Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. 28: 1 The vengeful will suffer the LORD’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. 2 Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. 3 Could anyone nourish anger against his fellows and exp...