SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

     I saw on TV that used cooking oil which is already considered as waste can be used as an alternative source of fuel. Isn't it great that people nowadays come up with novel ideas from out of scratch. Men have great and brilliant minds proven by the latest trends, innovations and technological advancements being seen nowadays. But we are just a speck as compared to the greatness and brilliance of the mind of the one who created us. All the more that we should never get tired of believing that God can come up with something great even from something like garbage. We may have committed numerous blunders and errors in our lives but God can turn our biggest mistakes into blessings. He can always bring out the best in us no matter what we've been through if we only liken ourselves to the clay held by the potter in today's 1st reading and decide right now to place everything in God's hands. Amen. Hallelujah!   Jeremiah 18: 1-61 Whenever the object of clay which he was m...

     We've seen several box office hit movies and most of them are in the likes of Superman, Spiderman , Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The Dark Knight etc. People are fascinated with this kind of stories because there is an element of awe, wonder and amazement of how these super heroes can rescue people in distress and danger. But wait, isn't it more exciting if we watch ourselves being rescued by a true and existent hero in our lives. Today’s 1 st  reading makes it a reality for us since we have indeed a God who is able to do so. Amen. Hallelujah! Jeremiah 15: 10, 16-21 ...Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail, for I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD. 21 I will free you from the hand of the wicked, and rescue you from the grasp of the violent... Who is our true hero and savior? No other than the Lord our God. He is real and Emmanuel “God with us”. Amen. Hallelujah! Psalm 59: 2-3 , 4, 10-11 , 17, 18R: God is my refuge on the day of...

  As human beings we go through different stages in life as we grow old and should strive to become a better person in the process. It would always help to assess how we are doing with our life. This reminds me of an episode of Grey's Anatomy entitled, "I saw what I saw" The doctor was examining a conscious, up and about patient in the ER who had minor burns due to a fire that broke out in the hotel where they were staying. Her vital signs were normal, in fact she was completely aware of what was going on around her. She was in the process of being examined further when she suddenly screamed because she saw another patient who just got admitted in the ER, with a big ax planted and poking out of his chest. He is a firefighter who tripped and accidentally axed his own chest. It was quite a scene that the doctor who was examining her got distracted and totally forgot about what she was about to do to her. Unfortunately, what was bypassed in her assessment is the most importa...

God longs for our embrace and wants us to love Him back so that we can be the people He calls His own. Just think of how parents used to say all the nice things to their children as if no one else compares and what this famous saying implies “the face only a mother could love” or if not yet a parent then think of a student who is an alma mater of a school and this famous cliché, “love your own”.     This is the kind of affection which could probably describe how God feels for us, no matter how imperfect we are. Amen. Hallelujah! Jeremiah 13: 1-11 ...I made the whole house of  Israel  and the whole house of  Judah  cling to me, says the LORD; to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty... We have unforgettable experiences in life which remains etched in our memories no matter how long it may have been. These experiences whenever we remember them may cause us to recall too, the emotions and feelings that go with it and elicit from us a smile, laught...

  The miracle that took place in the 1st reading today is one of the forerunners of the New Testament specifically in today's gospel. It proves only one thing that despite the impossibility of the situation God is able to make things happen. When the Lord said so then it shall be done. Do you have a word of God that you are holding on to firmly with faith and confidence in your heart, mind and soul? If yes then consider it done. Amen. Hallelujah! 2 Kings 4:42-44 ...“How can I set this before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha insisted. “For thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’ ” 44 And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said. There is really none like our God. We can have all the things that this world can offer but in the end we will still be wanting and not satisfied if we do not have God in the center of our life. The Lord has always been faithful and not a single moment would He ever not be. We s...

   The Lord reminds us so many times in the scriptures not to become 2 face or in tagalog "doble kara" We've got to make a stand on which side we really are. Sometimes we have this notion that we can continue doing what we do even if there is something wrong with it and just compensate by offsetting it with something good. Eventually things will toll up on us and would have to make a stand so that we don't end up losing everything.  St. Paul  says in 1 Corinthians 10:21-22, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger? Are we stronger than he?" It is only right and fitting that we give 100% loyalty to God who deserves all that we can give. There really is no middle ground. Today's 1st reading tells us the same things as prophets of old, the apostles and gospel writers in Jesus' time. Amen. Hallelujah! Jeremiah 7:1...

  If we will just carefully read and understand the 10 commandments and try to associate each one to any incident in our life when we broke the law then we'll surely find that these commandments that God gave us to follow are meant to make life easier for us. The formula for a truly happy life is the 10 Commandments. It doesn't limit freedom but enhances freedom. These commandments are meant to make us enjoy life, have peace and joy to avoid chaos and disorder. Let us take the example of driving in the freeway. Just imagine the kind of scenario if there are no rules and regulations to be followed in driving especially in the freeway. There would be a lot of chaos. How can we imagine leaving our children in a day care with a playground without any fences. It will turn out to be a disaster and very unsafe place. They do not limit but protect freedom. To the extent that you can follow the 10 commandments and become free. Since the more we disobey the more we become bound and becom...

    Fr. Adrian Delima was a priest from Rome who used to visit St. Martha’s Church regularly. He is involved in some kind of research work that tries to explain the mysteries or rather manifestations that go with the miracles of God. He was particularly involved in cases who received healing through Padre Pio and in Lourdes, France. He said that there is really no doubt that miracles really took place and continues to believe that it is still taking place in each and every moment of our life for that matter. He said that there is no discrepancy between Science and God. For God is the Creator of everything. Aside from the scientific explanations and laboratory values that these group of experts are looking for in these miracles, this bible passage in the 1st reading today should inspire us because it where we can find the gold standard of the ultimate test that needs to be done. If we are experiencing the same things being said here then we need not undergo ...

   The Lord has spoken so many times about His everlasting love and devotion to us. If we are always focused on this then we will surely emerge victorious in all our battles in this life. God knows each one of us in a very special way even before we were born. This truth should make us realize that none of us came to life by accident or chance. We have all been called for a mission and a purpose in life. If we live life embracing this truth at all times then we can be assured that our Creator and God who is a loving Father to all of us would see us through whatever it is that we are going through right now. There are times when we wonder how we ever get to certain situations in our life and where we are right now. Sometimes we just couldn’t put it together or quite amazed how it all came to be. Being in a foreign land like the US it feels good to uphold and promote our Filipino values and legacy.  If you were born a Filipino then I am sure God has deemed it best that you ...