SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

    We have a serious matter in our hands. What's at stake here is not just a lifetime but eternity. If we still do not realize it by now then we ought to start thinking about it. It's like putting too much sugar coating and icing on the cake that we tend to mask the real thing. Today's 1st reading speaks of the tragic fate met by the Israelites, the chosen people of God, due to their leniency and corruption. If we continue to live like good times believers and treat our faith like a buffet table wherein we can just pick out the things suited to our taste and leave out what is not then we are heading for real disaster. We can also liken ourselves to good Sunday Catholics but the rest of the week is a different story. We are being reminded by God to follow Him not half way, nor halfheartedly but all the way. Meditating on the Sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary make us think of how Jesus went through the agony in the garden praying with much fear knowing what awaits Him s...

   Today's 1st reading reminds me of a game that my 2 sons and I used to play when they were still kids. We used to run around the house and pretend that an enemy was chasing us. When I got really tired I usually end up lying down in bed and tell my sons to do the same. I would assure them that even if the enemy catches up with us, we won't be hurt or captured because we have a wall that surrounds us. Somehow, this made me realize that God has indeed surrounded us with a protective wall that shelters and secures us. But there are times too when we allow our circumstances to breach these walls just like what happened to the Israelites. We, too are confronted with challenges in life that could sometimes break our defenses and yield. Let us always stand firm in our faith in God and never allow our situations to break us down. We should never doubt the truth that God has each one of us in the palm of His hand. Amen. Hallelujah! 2 Kings 25:1-12 ...when famine had gripped the city, ...

     Our God is incomparable for He loves us with a love greater than any other. From the moment we were conceived in our mother's womb, even before we were born, God already knows each one of us by name.  Let us always align our will, intentions, motives and actions with God. It is always good to check ourselves constantly and regularly at every given opportunity. Nothing is ever wasted nor considered useless for as long as we offer it to God. We have all been called by God for a purpose. He already had a plan laid out for us even before we were born. We are that special to God. Let us not forget our holy calling from God. Let us become the man or woman God has meant us to be and live each day of our lives in answer to this call. The readings for today continue to reflect on the Holy Servant Songs of Jesus. The mention of being called even from a mother’s womb, the 2 edged sword and polished arrow are symbols of God’s words. The Word that reaches to the ends of the ...

 There are times when we fall into the trap of going through our lives as if nothing makes sense and just go with the flow. This happens when we pray less and become more familiar and adapted to the worldly set up we have grown accustomed to. There is a need for us to make a conscious and determined effort to live each day for God who is our Creator. Everything around us and in our lives become significant and take on a different meaning when we draw close to God. Amen. Hallelujah! 2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36 ...“O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. 16 Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see!... We may all come to a point in our Christian walk of faith when we are no longer sure if what we are doing is the right thing. It is so hard at times when we are confronted with people and situations that are difficult to handle. Some may look at...

   The readings today speak of opposition gathering and enemies organizing. It’s not just about Jeremiah and Jesus, it’s also about us, our church and the journey of our lives striving to be faithful to God. No matter what those enemies do, the readings speak of the reward of those who are faithful to the Lord and many other passages show us a pattern. As we look back and recall the betrayal of Jesus when his enemies organize and attack, let us not overlook that the one being persecuted and attacked, said, sing and praise the Lord for He is victorious. The Church wants us to follow this pattern and interpret every persecution and suffering that we undergo in this manner. If we are in a way taken to captivity just as what happened to Jeremiah at that time there is no cause to resist. Jeremiah was even accused to be a traitor and out of his mind. He recognized that they are the instruments for his people to be converted by placing the responsibility right on the shoulders of his...

 One of the things I have to change about myself is my being forgetful. I get myself in trouble because of this. One way or another, I know that forgetting about something has happened to you before and I'm sure it also crossed your mind that if only someone reminded you about it then it wouldn't have happened. In today's 1st reading it suddenly hit me that our God is the most persistent when it comes to reminding us of the things we're supposed to do. We lack gratitude in God’s untiring ways of drawing us to a relationship with Him and one ingratitude leads to another and so on and so forth. This is what happened in today's 1st reading. King Joash was protected and hidden so he would be spared of sure death and live to take his rightful place as king but did not remember that Jehoiada was instrumental to this and failed to look back and pay his respects and gratitude. He dishonored the memory of his ancestors by staining his hands of the blood of the very people wh...