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THE BEST CHOICE

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    Have you ever experienced being threatened? Just like Peter we should not give in but persevere to follow God rather than succumb to our fear. For as long as we've got God on our side and leaning on the promises of God our Savior then we're standing on solid immovable ground. Day in and day out we are confronted with choices, big or small, all they ever amount to and what this is all about is just one important thing. Nothing should ever stop us from following their example of faith. It should inspire us to know that it was God who chose us first even before we ever came to be. His choice comes first even before we make a choice. He chose to love us first. If we believe that God loves us then we are confident in the fact that we must obey God above all. We must follow the example of obedience that Jesus showed us. It was one born out of inspiration rather than obligation. St. Thomas Aquinas said God the Father did it by inspiring the Son with so much love that Jesus did it...
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ANGEL OF GOD

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       We may not be physically behind bars but all of us are sometimes trapped in our own prison cells. It may be caused by our own doing, others who oppress us or the circumstances that surround us. But whatever kind of prison we may all have, it is always a consolation to know that God sends His angels to set us free. The more we learn about our faith the more we are all freed.  St. Jerome  said, "Ignorance of the bible is ignorance of Christ." Our lack of the proper knowledge could be considered a prison that hinders us from loving God better. The good news is that we can always choose to be set free for Jesus already bailed us out a long time ago. Another thing I am reminded of today's 1st reading is the angel imprinted on my rose petal. Although I wasn't in prison like the apostles, things weren't going too well for me during that time when I got the rose petal. Somehow it made me realize how much God loves me by sending an angel not just to set me fr...
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THE SEEKER

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      I was so impressed with the way Dr. Scott Hahn from EWTN show, was talking about angels. He discussed about this topic with such great enthusiasm and confidence that I should say everybody who heard him was convinced. His face lighted up and was animated as he described the angels based on what he extensively read, researched, studied and experienced. He was trying to relate this belief in angels which dates back to the time of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Moses, the prophets, Joshua in  Jericho , Manoah, Samson, Gideon, Isaiah and Ezekiel. He said that angels are best friends who are intelligent and strong and whose purpose is to minister and bring God's gifts to His people. We can see all throughout the bible the revelation of angels and how they have rendered an incredible service to mankind extended to the New Testament to Mary and Joseph. What we are doing right now in the Catholic Church with regards to our practices has long been established in a holy patter...
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THE PRAYER

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   The power of prayer can not be denied and even if we don't see the same manifestations as in the 1st reading today we should still continue to pray. Even if it seems like nothing is happening with our prayers then we shouldn't lose hope and keep on praying. We should always gather all our strength to rise up to pray. We should be encouraged by this bible passage and decide that if there's one thing we should always do and never abandon that is prayer. Peter and John in their prayer did not just utter words but they quoted the Scriptures as foretold by the prophet David. There is indeed power in the words of God which we sometimes fail to fully recognize and give credit to. If we only know of the fullness of this truth then we can always be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit just like the apostles in Jesus' time whenever we pray. Amen. Hallelujah! Acts 4:23-31 After their release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests an...
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DIVINE MERCY

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  There are 3 steps to victory in spiritual warfare. 1. Define the enemy. Know that the enemy could be blatant or subtle. It could be disguised in the form of lies, a force that leads us away from Christ, or a person/desire that makes us act in contrary to Christ. The subtlety of the enemy can be compared to this strategy, a frog placed in a pot of water on a stove top that was being slowly heated until it boiled to death. The frog could have easily jumped out of the pot if it was placed there when the water was already boiling. 2. Determine the desires of the enemy. Its desire is to get the people against each other. This is so, in order to lure us to sin and by distorting the real face of sin to make us believe that we are not committing it at all. 3. Do the opposite. If what we are doing leads us to sin then do the opposite. If we feel like answering back or gossiping about a person then don't.  We are also warned not to cling to spiritual experiences to the point of losing...
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NOBODY'S EXEMPTED

 We may all have experienced something that we just can't contain it within ourselves and we needed to shout it out and let the whole world know. This should be our attitude towards the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should never stop proclaiming and testifying to God's Word. This is exactly how we should feel after witnessing during these Lenten and Easter seasons how God so loved the world. Amen. Hallelujah! Acts 4:13-21 ...they called them back and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. 20 It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” We may not have witnessed first hand when Jesus walked and lived on earth but we can never deny witnessing to God's miracles working in our lives every day. We should have the confidence to joyfully shout out what the psalm tells us today. Amen. Hal...
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LOOK BACK AND RECALL

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      We can successfully battle all the evils that beset us. It is a standing reality that we live in a world full of temptations and difficulties but we can always emerge victorious if we have Jesus in us. Let us cleanse our hearts, minds and bodies that just like Mary we become a fitting vessel and dwelling place of Jesus. Let us not miscarry Jesus and give birth to Him full term.    I am reminded once again of today's 1st reading of Msgr. Kevin Kostelnik's homily in the Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral when he said this: "The farther away we are from God, the more destructive our life become and the greater fear we have." Peter in today's 1st reading is totally different and transformed from that fearful man who denied Jesus 3x. He has become full of courage, strength and all of a sudden is boldly proclaiming about Jesus without fear of being arrested or killed. The Holy Spirit filled him up with all the gifts and fruits to announce and live out this truth a...
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