SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

      Today's 1st reading tells of the legendary Queen Esther who for her great courage and faith in the Lord saved her people from being exterminated. It was not an easy task for a woman like her to do at that time but she was able to do it through God's power, might and faithfulness to His people. Speaking of bravery reminded me of our trip many years ago in Crestline. At first, it was like a glimpse of heaven on our way up to the mountain on the "Rim of the World Scenic Byway" but it suddenly turned to a near death experience. We have been completely caught off guard by the sudden change of the weather plus the fact that the place had been destroyed by fire and the streets and landmarks might have been erased or changed and the information in the mapquest had not been revised. We had no idea anymore where we were going. We were confronted with a no room for mistake, one wrong move and you're doomed worst case scenario as the surroundings turned dark and became ...

      The story of Jonah who got swallowed by a whale before he finally committed to doing what God asked him to do could very well be our own story. Jonah 1:17, Yahweh prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Oftentimes we are confronted with difficult decisions in our lives and are full of fear and doubt. Sometimes we all end up like Jonah when we refuse to follow and obey what God is telling us to do. We tend to underestimate and doubt the power of God in our life. When we waver and falter in our faith in God and refuse to act according to the Lord's bidding then we end up trusting more, our own personal strength and understanding rather than God's. No matter how difficult the things may seem to be it is always for the best that we seek God's will and approval in everything that we do. Just like Jonah, all we have to do first is obey even without first seeing results and everything els...

      Don't we feel good that we have a God who can always bring to fulfillment what He has promised? The Lord has spoken and it is our duty to nurture and always remember the words He has spoken to us. Not a lot of people like winter especially those people accustomed to the tropical weather. It’s still winter in several parts of the world but spring is here. Just like these seasons, God will fulfill all His promises just like the blooming of the flowers in springtime. He sees our hearts and knows our thoughts; we simply have to trust in His great power that He is able to make all things beautiful. We have a very rich treasure of faith as Catholics and one of them is our belief in life after death. We all know that our faithful departed loved ones are now enjoying the beatific vision of God and are constantly praying and interceding in our behalf. As Catholics, we believe that one’s death anniversary is a person’s birth to eternity. Everyday we get blessin...

 The word holy has become confined to the narrow mindset of some people. There is a tendency to qualify as holy only the things that are obviously related to it. But God in His broadmindedness and vast goodness can always see in its entirety and qualify what is truly holy in the godliest sense of the word. The time is now to answer God's call to holiness. We are all called to a universal love. We should work for a heart that does not harbor ill feelings and dwells on retaliation and revenge. This is something we all struggle with because human nature wants to retaliate and take vengeance. It is not a Christian attitude that we want to get back at the person, talk about them and delight in their vices and misfortunes. Although talking about our heartaches can help us bear our burdens it should be with a view to get beyond it and not just sit on it nor cherish a grudge as to make much of it. When we nurse resentments and retell the story of what has been done to us we are just tortur...