SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

   The readings for today permeate the truth about life and death. In Ezekiel’s vision which is from today's 1st reading, he saw the release of the Jews from their captivity which is likened to rising from the dead. It is a promise that they will experience new life that springs from God's own spirit. The same is true for us, when our battle on earth is over, then we, too can settle upon the land and kingdom that God has prepared for us. We may all be going through some kind of difficulty in our lives and things look like they will not get any better. When we come to this point and feel like the world is crumbling right before our eyes then we can always remember these powerful words in today's 1st reading. Ezekiel prophesied to the dry bones and saw before his very eyes the rattling bones that came together. Bone joining bone, sinews and the flesh came upon them, the skin covered them, the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army. These may all...

    With what we are presently witnessing nowadays, we can't help but think that the young people are getting themselves involved in so many inappropriate activities. We need to pray for our youth that they be guided well in the choices they make and be the light and hope for the future generation. Let us offer them up to the Lord and claim that this blessing in today's 1st reading be upon them all. When certain routines become embedded in us, we carry it out so naturally like waking up, taking a bath, eating our meals, going to work and sleeping. Everything becomes automatic, it requires lesser effort to do it over a period of time.  We marvel at how some athletes do their thing, excel in their field of expertise and win a gold medal. Some simply put it as born talent coupled with long years of hard work, discipline and dedication. I just realized that the same thing can happen to us if we will daily commit our lives to God. Living a life of a Christian may not be e...

    If we only think and look back at our lives, we will surely see how God cared for us, through good and bad times. There can never be anyone else but God alone in whom we can find perfect peace as St. Augustine said, "My soul is restless until it rests in Thee." How very reassuring are the words of God in today's 1st reading. When things are not going well with us and we seem to be going astray it is important to always remember these words of God. There are times when we are very unsure of where we are going, how things will turn out and what is in store for us. In times when we are confronted with things we are not familiar of, we can always draw inspiration in this truth that God looks after us the way a Good Shepherd does to His sheep. Amen. Hallelujah! Ezekiel 34:1-11 ...For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. Psalm 23 assures us where the road of God’s love will lead us because it tells us exactly what kind of road we are heading t...

    Sometimes we think, speak and act like we know better than God. We don't realize that whenever we doubt, place everything into our own hands and do not trust God's providence in our lives then we play god and master. We end up mismanaging our lives if we continue to set aside God's perfect plan for us. There is a need to consult all our plans to God and follow His lead if we truly believe that He is our big GOD. We have to acknowledge and thank God at all times, in all circumstances and situations for all the things that came to be. We have to look at everything as part of one whole and big picture of God's plan. We should act in accordance to this and not get lost in the biggest deception ever known and has fooled us many times. Sometimes this happens when we are at the top of everything we do and gets carried away by the several successes and conquests that we've gathered in our hands. There is a danger of thinking of ourselves almost like a god. We may not be...

  It is frightening to see something rotting because it could be associated to dying too. I always shiver whenever I see a dead animal on the street that is starting to decay and smell. I am sure nobody wants to go near it and be contaminated of the stench and germs that it carries. We might not realize it but today's 1st reading tells us indirectly that whenever we sin we expose ourselves to the process of rotting and death eventually if we fail to remedy our situation. In fact I have read and heard several times already that sin accompanies death. We may not see it with our visible eyes but every time we sin our soul starts to deteriorate and become susceptible to the destructive elements of sin. We must not allow this to happen to us and avoid sin in order for our souls to remain intact and not rot away. God is Almighty and if we have the confidence in our All Powerful God then nothing is supposed to affect our disposition. We should maintain a sense of well-being and hope ...

   The Lord has become more persistent in His messages about us doing what is right and just. These were the same words that struck me in yesterday's 1st reading. There seemed to be an urgency to it for it is also stated that the time of justice is at hand. Jesus deserves our total obedience. We should stop living in sin, live faithfully and be not afraid to embrace the light. What we see Jesus is doing is what the Father is doing. Having come into the world, some believe and some disobey. We have to remind ourselves that Christ is meant to be shared and is the beginning of heaven for human beings. We should believe and entrust our life to God. We prize the access to material things and connections to people holding a high position in an office. God is above all our prized possessions. As St. Paul says, all things were created for Him. He has the primacy in everything. Our relationship with Him is primary before all other relationships. Whatever relationship we have that of J...