TODAY & 2000 YEARS AGO

  In the beginning God created everything to be in harmony, man, the land and all creatures. But man sinned leading to a rupture with God, one’s self and others. We have to go back to where God had intended it to be. If everything happened by chance there is a tendency for us to wane in our resolution and our responsibility is deemphasized. The understanding that a Creator made the world leads to a fundamental responsibility to it.

When we watch these movies about the end of the world it gives the impression that our world exists by random and we look upon the universe as a product of chance. Everything that exists comes through Jesus. Everything in the universe came through Christ. He is the foundation of all reality. Creation is existent and made through and for Him. It does not exist by chance and is ruled by God and His plan. Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved… Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.  John1:3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; …We are capable of reason because of our mind. God gives choices but we also have a free will we can go beyond instinct and go against the will of God. We are the image of God and we have a unique personality because of the dignity of a person. We are unrepeatable which makes us distinctive and like God. Man and animals have some similar gifts like emotions and body but what distinguishes us is reason. Our freedom to choose what is right and wrong is conscience. We choose good and avoid evil. It is easier said than done. How many people want to lose weight but it is not easy to lose weight because there are a lot of temptations aside from food. The same is true with our conscience. . In Romans 7:18 it is stated, For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. The natural law is humanizing, but it is dehumanizing when we don’t obey the natural law. Human beings should make a decision to accept Christ as the one mediator so we can go to heaven not in hell.  The speed of light is constant throughout the universe, even gravity is a constant and because it applies in the universe that is why we can apply science. There are laws, human beings have reason and discover these laws. God made us distinct from all animals to be able to do these things. Psalm 33:6 By the LORD’s word the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host. This is a radical statement. All the pagans believe that God created the world through sex and violence. God created the world by His word and it came to be. All reality came to being by God’s word. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands. Christians should study Science not be a skeptic but to be able to discover the beauty of creation and God’s wisdom in its order. To display the wonders of God.

Wisdom 13:5 Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them. Or if they were struck by their might and energy, let them realize from these things how much more powerful is the one who made them. For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen. We look at the ocean and see how wide it is, the sunset, mountain vastness and outer space is even more amazing with trillion of stars and millions of galaxies. We have perception so we do not just see but we have a mind to appreciate it. Romans 1:19-20 For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; St. Bonaventure said that God loves creation so much and took on human nature. The creatures of this sensible world signify the invisible God. This part of reality we need to understand. All of this well established theories of evolution are not meant to be opposed or refuted but we can believe this but we get to the point of human beings. The Church teaches first of all that every human being has a soul as all Christian and Jewish believers. It’s not matter and does not depend on the law of Physics not controlled by these laws. This is immaterial and not derived from an evolutionary process. All of these material physical processes, a human has a soul w/c is immaterial, can transcend merely physical acts could not evolve from a physical natural process, and not governed by evolution. There is a way to think rationally that we have a soul. Cardinal Newman said that a convergence of data can come up with probabilistic clues of human transcendence

1. Survival of human experiences after near death experiences. A study done in 10 Dutch hospitals and published in a medical journal in 2001. An accumulation of very good controlled data that their consciousness were able to survive their death. A lot of evidence out there of survival of consciousness after near death. It exists outside of the human body and human consciousness.
2. Godel theory- Human intellection is very different from machine intelligence. Human beings can find mathematical truth that are not in the axioms that they have been dealing with. Goes beyond axiomatic intelligence. Human beings are beyond machine intelligence. No physical explanation for human intelligence and beyond in axiom recognizing finite . Stephen Barr author of Modern Faith and Ancient Physics said that human beings are not machine like, human beings are always beyond the machine.
3. The clue of self consciousness. Self awareness transcends physical limitations.. We could be aware of our awareness. We could have our own inner world, it presents a real problem if all physical things are limited to a certain sense.  Something about human beings that seems to elude the laws of Physics, what we are seeing so far. Creative thinking totally different from machine thinking, transcending mere physicality. Defying the laws of Physics. Plato transcend mere physicality a desire for awareness of perfect truth. A desire for perfect goodness and beauty. Separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom.

We can always be assured that the God who loves us knows and sees all and we can rely on His knowledge and understanding to carry us through anything. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 42:15-25

Now will I recall God’s works; what I have seen, I will describe. At God’s word were his works brought into being; they do his will as he has ordained for them. As the rising sun is clear to all, so the glory of the LORD fills all his works; Yet even God’s holy ones must fail in recounting the wonders of the LORD, Though God has given these, his hosts, the strength to stand firm before his glory. He plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; their innermost being he understands. The Most High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old the things that are to come: He makes known the past and the future, and reveals the deepest secrets. No understanding does he lack; no single thing escapes him. Perennial is his almighty wisdom; he is from all eternity one and the same, With nothing added, nothing taken away; no need of a counselor for him! How beautiful are all his works! even to the spark and fleeting vision! The universe lives and abides forever; to meet each need, each creature is preserved. All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one ever see enough of their splendor?  

Nothing is hidden from God and everything is known to Him. It pays to always consult our plans to God in prayers and everything we intend to do we should lay down before Him and seek His approval. He will never deprive us nor withhold from us the answers that we seek. If we sometimes forget these and tend to stray away from the right path then we should always be aware that everything that we say, think and do must always have reference to God our Creator. It may have happened to most of us when we get disappointed at how we still miss something so quickly despite our close watch. We sometimes end up confused and discouraged when things don’t happen the way we expect it despite our accurate and strict monitoring. We even ask ourselves how it could have happened. We may have heard and seen some terrible and frightening things in our life but we should always hold on to the truth that no matter how horrible the things that are happening around us they don't change the fact that our Lord is God and always in charge and in control. It doesn't matter that much how we think and feel but what matters most is how to feel and think just like God. For we can always rely and depend on it, 100%, fail proof and success guaranteed. We should place our trust not in men or in things but in God alone. The Lord did not promise us to be totally problem free but He gave His assurance that He will always be our Savior and Redeemer. God's power is beyond our full comprehension. He is Holy, Mighty, Immortal and Infinitely Great. Did it ever occur to you how all these things that surround us, from the skies, to the mountains, plains, the seas, the wind, all the heavenly bodies above, the things down below, all the creatures of the earth especially us, human beings came to be. Not a single theory about creation could suffice and would ever satisfy the wonders and marvelous things that God has done. Just thinking about all these things should make us always put our hope in Him, feel confident and assured that we are safe under His care, to help us from all our problems and shield us from all harm. It is a consolation to know that we are constantly assured by God especially in today's psalm to never doubt His power and goodness. His loving eyes is always upon us not leaving us for a single moment nor removing his stare even with a wink of an eye. It feels good to know that someone's eyes are upon us and looking after us. When we come to a point of despair and feel like things are not getting better, we ought to remember always that we are God's people and we are His own. Let us ask the Lord to lead us to the right path and decisions that we may work toward the building of God’s kingdom here on earth. We should not give room to any doubt, fear, anxiety, impatience, irritability, hatred, sadness, iniquity, unfaithfulness, disloyalty, pride and loss of self control. Let us not choose to give in to these. They are all characteristics that should not be found in a people the Lord has chosen to be His own. Our present situation may not be a perfect picture yet but we should all rejoice and be glad knowing that God was the one who chose us first and He will carry us through. All we have to do is just trust that the Lord will carry out with perfection all His plans for us no matter what situations or circumstances may arise in our midst. When God created this world and everything in it including us, He did not ask permission from anybody. It means that He has chosen us to be His own and not the other way around. This is the reason why the fallen angels/demons are so jealous of men. We are indeed special in the eyes of God for it is written in Gen 1:26, "Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion..." We are not just chosen by God to be His own even before everything came to be but we are on top of His creation. Let us never lose sight of this wonderful plan that God has for all of us. We may not be seeing it right now, having doubts about it, not paying attention to it or unable to commit to it. Whatever it may be, these are all hindrances that prevent us from gaining access to the goodness of the Lord. Never allow ourselves to miss out on this privilege that is accorded to all of us as the children of God. God chose us first and it is only right and fitting that we choose Him too. If we always focus on the Lord and put His words in our presence at all times then we can be assured that we have a lamp unto our feet that is lighting our path. We have to entrust all our cares and worries to the Lord for He can do better things for our lives than all our works combined. No matter how hard we try to succeed in what we do if it's not in accordance to God's plan then nothing will ever come out of it. We may succeed in one aspect but we will never be totally at peace for in the end it will always be the will and plan of God that will prevail. We just have to acknowledge that we are sparing ourselves of all the trouble and heartaches if we will just be obedient and completely trust in the Lord's plan. Let us truly be wise in the real sense of the word rather than of the world and not forfeit all our benefits from the Lord. We all have our personal plans and designs and we may not be able to fully understand what is going on at the present time. It is not easy for the wisdom in the eyes of God is foolishness to the world but what's most important is that we should always consult everything to God first, just believe and surrender everything to Him for He knows best. We have to realize this one most important truth that we should all subscribe to, which is to constantly align ourselves and conform to the will and plan of God in our lives. The power of God knows no limits and we can always rely on Him for anything that we are in need. Let us rely on God's power and completely trust Him to bring to fulfillment everything that He has promised. Just like the Blessed Mother Mary, who is Queen of heaven and earth, we too are destined for victory and royalty. If only we live out the example of her obedient life and carry Jesus in our hearts. Let us not lose hope and have faith in the Master Plan and Grand Design that God has for all of us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 33:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.

...For upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. 5 He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full...he spoke, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood forth.

The homily of Fr. Glenn in the TV mass with regards to the gospel for today spoke of the name origin of Bartimaeus which was taken from the words honor and dignity. He said that Jesus did not heal his blindness alone but also restored his honor and dignity. He further said that all of us have a mission and there is a need to distinguish this mission from ambition. There is nothing wrong with ambition and said that there are 2 kinds of ambitions, positive and negative. In order to recognize which of them is present he spelled the word ambition in Tagalog as in ambisyon and enumerated the words that can be found in it like, bisyo which means vice, isyo=issue and yosi if read backwards which means cigarette. These words are things that can bring about problems that give rise to malas=misfortune and sakit=sickness.The words malas and sakit which are by products of a negative ambition can be turned into something good if we have a positive ambition. Since these 2 words when combined together can become concern which means malasakit in Tagalog. We are called to develop a deep sense of concern for our fellowmen and at least start with something in order to fulfill our mission. In today’s gospel the blind man cries out to Jesus by the roadside upon hearing that Jesus is there. If we hope to grow in our spiritual life then we can learn from Bartimaeus. We often times are struggling with our vices and character flaws. Jesus wants to draw us closer to Him. Bartimaeus showed us how to respond to this by calling out to Jesus as Son of David. This signifies an acknowledgement and awareness of who Jesus is. What keeps us from doing this is our struggle with our anguish and our dependence on our own strength instead of immediately turning to God by asking for the grace to grow in virtue. We can not change without God’s grace. When he cried out to Jesus many told him to be quiet but he kept on crying out. This is a beautiful point that we have to take into consideration. We should not de discouraged or disappointed so easily. Another important thing being pointed out here is the importance of family and friends that help us draw closer to God. We need help from above and our friends and families to help us. Bartimaeus has a strong spirituality because it is written that he immediately followed Jesus despite Jesus' words, "Go your way" but he didn't go his own way but followed Jesus. He was healed by word and in an instant the moment Jesus spoke. During that time, the cloak signifies who you are. He is a beggar and his cloak stands for everything he is and owns since he uses it to place the money he gets from begging. Bartimaeus even left his cloak and rushed to Jesus like he did not care about anything anymore for he found in Jesus everything. Bartimaeus throws the cloak aside, this signifies a great desire for Christ. We can not hide anything from God. In our lives, He sees the motives in our hearts. If we go to Him, we will not be left unconsoled. We call out to God to teach us faith and perseverance. There are times when what we pray for takes a while. We must have the kind of faith that believes that Jesus listens to our cries and answers our prayers. He makes us whole, holy and great saints.  Our faith should give us a new sight about things. This new vision of life should make us see God so close to us. The ways that we encounter Jesus today is no different 2000 yrs ago.  We can receive Him body, blood, soul & divinity in the Eucharist. We are in communion with Him through the sacraments. As Catholics we perfect this new reality & wholeness of the presence of Jesus in the sacraments where we’re given this great buffet of graces.  We can make contact with Jesus in the sacraments. If are we faithful to the sacraments and also in service to our brothers and sisters then we encounter the living God in such a real way. Another similar story that could somehow be compared to this is from Jn. 4:4 of a Samaritan woman fetching water but when she learned about the life giving water which Jesus spoke of she immediately left her jar of water when she realized who Jesus is. She left behind her old life and follow the way of Jesus. On the other hand there's this story of another unnamed blind man in Bethsaida, he was not healed instantly rather slowly and gradually. He was healed by touch with a spittle and was sent home. The evangelist, Mark where today's gospel is from recognizes the differences in spirituality of the members of the community. He knows that there are people that are quick in understanding things concerning matters of the faith and there are those who are slow. But this doesn't mean that we kick them out of the community. Mark sees the community as all sinners because ours is a flawed community and it is for this reason that Jesus came. Peter whom we thought was the first person who got it all right about Jesus as the Messiah denied Jesus 3x but he was not thrown out of the community. He proved himself true to his faith by his succeeding actions which led to his dying on the cross upside down but eventually earned him the honor of becoming the 1st pope of the Church. Just like Peter we have to experience everything in order to fully understand what the secret of the gospel of Mark is all about. For in the end, the Markan community mirrors the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ, the Paschal Mystery which is the Markan secret. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 10:46-52

...Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.