SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

  Prophecy is good for giving hope and guiding the people. These tasks are not impossibilities but it could be very tough especially if we look into the situation from where Ezekiel is coming from. He is the prophet where today’s 1 st  reading is from. Each one of us is also called to be a prophet in our own right. We have a responsibility in our hands to the people around us especially those who are close to us to call their attention if we know that they are straying away from the faith. It is very difficult especially if we have encountered people who could be very cunning and discreet in the ways of the world that they could even make things look practical and can even try to influence other people to their side to believe and support their worldly ideals. They could be very stubborn and can come up with all justifications and excuses. We may come to a point where we feel that we can only do so much. There is no need to despair, just like what the 1st reading said, it is n...

  It can be told, we are God's dwelling place. Thus we ought to do everything in our power to make ourselves pleasing and holy before the Lord. When we speak of physically constructing something like a temple we've got to have all the necessary funds and materials to build it. It really costs a lot to build especially at this time when there is economic distress all over the world. Spiritually, it is not like we are lacking in resources of any kind to fulfill this. The Holy Spirit has the gifts, well equipped and will never run low to carry out this task of building us into a  temple  of  God . Isn't it a relief, all we have to do is desire and ask for it with a pure and sincere heart. There is no reason to be afraid as we are assured in today's 1st reading by God that there is really no reason to be. Death may be a time of grief but it is also a time of hope. For the Lord has promised to prepare a place for us so that where He is, we may also be. As we all strive to...

  Today’s 1 st  reading is a picture of 2 Old Testament personalities who led a holy life which eventually led to a happy life. This calls to mind the 7 tools of happy people that I learned from Bo Sanchez in our LOJ Feast in  West Covina . 1. They create their destiny. 2. They accept forgiveness. 3. They nurture connections. 4. They find delight everywhere. 5. They embrace change. They are eternal students. 6. They trust deeply. 7. They work their purpose daily. Our life is just like coffee, if it is good coffee, it doesn’t matter what cup or kettle we use. If the coffee is good then it is good. We need to focus on the essential part of our lives and not just on the money, job, honor etc. The enemy of happiness is not sadness but fear. Happiness is not a mood or emotion. It is a way of life.  The 7 tools address the different fears in our lives. Fear robs us of happiness. The 3 parts of the brain that control fear are the  brainstem, amygdale and the cortex. Th...

  The knowledge of God is encompassing and strives to reach the height and depth of God's unfathomable love. Abraham is the 1st recipient of God's revelation of Himself to mankind. He is considered as one of the Patriarchs to whom God chose to establish his covenant. Salvation history tells us of God's faithful love and continues to restore and bring back the broken relationship of God and man. It was through Abraham's total surrender to God's will to offer his son Isaac    that he foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus    as the Lamb of God. It is true that God started to reveal Himself to us through Abraham and the ultimate revelation was in Jesus. God spared Isaac, Abraham’s son but did not spare His only begotten for our sake. The victimhood of Jesus to conquer evil not by slaying evil but by allowing Himself to be killed is the height of God's love. It should always be a treasure embedded in our hearts. Let us make this clear, it is God who first took the init...

 The 1st reading for today is about a mother and a son in distress. The theological virtues (faith, hope and charity) are things we are very much in need of especially that of hope. Atty Moya in one his Apologetics classes defined and discussed hope in many ways but what specifically caught my attention is his description of hope as trust in Christ's promises and reliance on the help of God. He encouraged us to focus on eternal things instead of the temporal and endure deprivation to the point of being able to give up earthly goods. He further said that we should look beyond life and not pursue the things that this world offers or else it will take its toll on us. With this newly charged hope I always pray to God for I know He will surely hear not only my prayers but my sons' as well. Amen. Hallelujah! Genesis 21:5. 8-20a ...God heard the boy’s cry, and God’s messenger called to Hagar from heaven: “What is the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid; God has heard the boy’s cry in this ...

 I was reminded of the time when I suddenly felt like I am going to pass out. I could not breathe and was having cold perspiration since I did not eat breakfast and missed dinner too. I was still in Church and almost in a panic when I found myself unable to recite the remaining 2 decades of the Divine Mercy prayer although I was still able to stay until the end of the prayers I barely managed to get myself up to walk to the door. And just right on time and what I needed, a sudden gush of strong wind blew my way as if fanning my whole body. It totally refreshed me and felt better. A lady whom I don’t even know offered to bring me home. Though, I declined and told her I’d be fine since I was already feeling better, I was overwhelmed by her gesture of kindness. Whenever I look at the circumstances that surround it, I must say that God wants to show me how He keeps us safe and sound and never runs out of angels whether in disguise or real people. This is why I am reminded again of the ...

  This story of  Sodom  &  Gomorrah  in today's 1st reading tells us that we have a merciful but just God. Since this is the case, it is very easy to explain why bad things happen to bad people but for good people it's another story. Nobody could really give the perfect explanation for this. We should just hold on and believe that even if bad things happen to good people, God can always make things turn out not just for good but for the best. God is always just in all His ways and will never will for anything bad to happen to us. We are still part of this sinful and imperfect world and could fall prey to the manipulation, lies and deceit it offers. It is always a consolation to know that God is up and about in looking after our welfare. Whatever happens, He can always turn it around for the sake of the righteous. This is because God just doesn't look on and does nothing. God surely finds and makes a way.  Amen. Hallelujah! Genesis 18:16-33 ...Then Abrah...