SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

   We sometimes put all the blame in God without realizing that it is our own doing that has brought us misery.    The things that are written in the bible do not require a brilliant and intelligent mind in order to understand them. They are all very sound and logical advice and information being conveyed to us by God as a loving parent would to a child that he cares about. All we have to do is listen to what God tells us and act on them. I had this experience several years ago when I was so sleepy that I forgot to remove the rubber band stuck in my hand. I woke up with a terrible pain on it and found that half of my hand's blood supply was cut off, it looked so pale. Come to think of it but this same thing could happen to our spiritual blood supply if we are negligent and continue to be tied to the bondage of sin that cuts off the life giving grace of God. The road to righteousness is very long and the path that leads to it is very narrow. Sometimes we are tempted to the point of

   Today's 1st reading reminds me of the game I used to play with my sons when they were still young. During weekends when I was at home with them we played a lot of games together. Since they are boys and have been watching a lot of those Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles stuff, one of the games was to pretend that we were in a battle field just like those super heroes they see on TV and a monster was going to attack us. I used to tell them to come close to me and embrace each other tightly and huddle as close as possible so that we can envelop ourselves into a ball while a shield forms around us to protect us. I would assure them that we were safe once we're inside the shield and used to imagine it just like what the Lord is telling us today as an encircling wall of fire that nothing or no one can go past it to harm us. Amen. Hallelujah!   Zechariah 2:5-9. 14-15a ...But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire, says the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.” 14 Sing a

    Today is the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels. Gabriel means ‘messenger of God’ Raphael means ‘healing of God’ and Michael means ‘strength of God.’ It is so reassuring that as Catholics we believe in their existence as the bible tells us so and can call upon their intercession and help in our lives. For example, we invoke Michael for protection in our lives. I have already shared this several times and I will not hesitate to share it again in order to give due recognition to the angels that God sends our way to help us. I can never forget when I attended a prayer healing in the  Holy   Family   Church  here at  Glendale  headed by Bro. Carmelo from Sta. Maria Bulacan. He gave each one of us a fresh white rose petal which he placed on our chest and after praying we were told to remove it in order for us to take a look at it. At first, I thought I was seeing a butterfly but when I looked at it closer I saw an image of an angel. It was the image of a cherubim, a

  I just found out today that one of the common idiomatic expressions that I've come to know is also biblical. In the  Philippines  we used to say this if we are unable to make ends meet. It goes like this, "We earn wages but earned them for a bag with holes in it." I used to hear people complain especially nowadays about how hard is it to earn a living. Everything seems to be not enough at all. It's almost like no matter what we do all our wages go down the drain. It's interesting to find out that Haggai the prophet has an antidote to this bag with holes in it which I used to always say, before I even found out that it's in the Book of Haggai. Today's 1st reading encourages us to put right before the eyes of God, all the things in our life and not to neglect our duties and responsibilities in the building up of the  Church  of  God . Haggai 1:1-8 ... Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now thus says the

    The 1st reading today reminded me of the bible study we had in St. Lorenzo Ruiz with Fr. Tony Astudillo. He illustrated to us the ushering of Jesus Christ in the New Testament by establishing a time line from the time of Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the time of Exile until the birth of our Lord Jesus. He also mentioned Ezra as one of the prophets after the exile who were considered as ministers who promote the rebuilding of the temple and obedience to the laws. There is a trend that follows the period of exile. Prophets before the exile were giving warnings or forth telling instead of foretelling so as to avoid the worst circumstances if they continue to disobey God. In exile, the prophets presented the existing situation as a product of their disobedience but gave hope to the people that God has not abandoned. True enough during the time after the exile, prophets like Ezra and Nehemiah who are considered as historical books in the bible, with a nationalistic tenden

    This week is kind of hectic for the Filipinos in St. Martha's Church and I guess for the rest of the Churches with Filipino parishioners since it was the feast of Our Lady of Penafrancia and also the upcoming feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz. A novena prayer has already started in St. Martha in honor of him and a feast and special celebration is scheduled this week. People were asked to take part and were assigned various tasks in setting up the Church. Some were assigned to decorate the Church, others are going to be a part of the stage play, while others were in charge of the food to be served after the mass. St. Lorenzo Ruiz is the 1st Filipino Saint and there are lots of Filipinos here in  West Covina  so it is indeed going to be a day of celebration with so much joy. Amen. Hallelujah!   Ezra 6:7-8. 12b. 14-20 ...The Israelites — priests, Levites, and the other returned exiles — celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy... Today's psalm reminds me of this popular

   It is through the trials and hardships in life that we manifest God's power and victory in our lives.    According to St. Rose of  Lima , "Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gifts of grace increase as the struggles increase." We may want to reflect on the following questions, What is the relationship between afflictions and the height of grace? Do I make use of such opportunities or do I rail against them? In the battles that we face in our lives, we inevitably get hurt in the process but we can be assured of winning the fight if we are on God’s side. Today’s 1 st  reading has a caption in Companion with the following statements. “ The Prophet Jeremiah had prophesied that the children of  Israel  would be in captivity in  Babylon  for 70 years and after this time would return to their homeland. This text from Ezra tells us of the proclamation of King Cyrus of  Persia  in allowing the exiles to return to their land. Just

   Why can't we get it through our thick heads? God has always been inviting us to come to Him but we don't seem to respond wholeheartedly. Why? As always things are easier said than done, because we still belong to this world and somehow what we see around us still has an impact on our daily struggles. So what do we do? It's not that simple but we can start by always reminding ourselves of this truth by surrounding our world with reminders, memos and flashcards of God's goodness to us. One simple tip that I do is to always have a small prayer book and a rosary in my bag. Write down a favorite bible passage and always keep it handy during times of doubt. Although we may have been encountering a lot of disappointments owing to the failures and misgivings that have been happening all around us, we are still hopeful, rejoicing and glad. You know why? There really is hope! Today's 1st reading contains almost everything we needed to hear and be reminded of always. It is