SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

     Today's 1st reading tells us of the murder of Stephen, a holy and righteous man. What a way to die! Stephen did not have the slightest trace of anger and is full of forgiveness for those who stoned him. We should long to have this kind of disposition in life that even at the point of death he still begged for mercy and forgiveness not on his own behalf but for the very people who caused his death. It is an act of forgiving people even if they don't ask for it. The memory of Stephen's great love, faith and devotion to God has become a legacy to us, Christians. May our lives become an inspiration too for others to draw strength and courage the way Stephen did for Christians and non believers like Paul. Most especially for Saul who was later on called Paul since he was not a believer of Jesus yet during that time, in fact he was one of the feared persecutors of Christians.  St. Paul  or Saul as he was called originally was a part of it. It must have been a sig...

       The memory of Stephen's great love, faith and devotion to God has become a legacy to us, Christians. Most especially for Saul who was later on called Paul since he was not a believer of Jesus yet during that time, in fact he was one of the feared persecutors of Christians. It must have been a sight, just imagine he was being stoned to death and yet he visualizes and shouts of the glory of God. We have a lot to learn from the example of the life of Stephen especially during times when we encounter trials and hardships that may not even get close to losing our lives and dying a very cruel death like what happened to Stephen. May our lives become an inspiration too for others to draw strength and courage the way Stephen did for Christians and non believers like Paul. We can learn a lot from our Church and Salvation History. In fact 1/2 of the people who became Catholic converts have delved into the study of History. It is His story, her story and our story. It ha...

  God rewards those who are holy. Stories about saints whose bodies are not subject to corruption after their death, is not new to us. Today's 1st reading is proof of this reality. The more we strive to know more about Jesus the greater our awe and amazement of the things we discover about Him. There are moments in our lives when we encounter and witness events that make us utterly amazed at how things ever came to be. Given the circumstances we have, we can sometimes predict or project the outcome of the things ahead of us or in the near future. Although sometimes things do not happen as expected because we are not capable of seeing the exact future we can only hope in God who does. Today’s 1 st  reading mentions the prophecy of David which is taken from today’s psalm reading. The time gap between these scriptural readings is almost 1000 years. No matter how long and far apart they are, God could still make things fall into perfect place. Heaven and earth will fail but His wo...

     There are many distractions all around us. Whether we admit or not, we too succumb to it and sometimes fail to act in accordance to what is right. We need to know what our priorities are in life. It is of prime importance that we know what needs to be on top of our list because everything else will come second and just trail behind. What we focus on grows. Today's 1st reading leaves us with a very important word of advice that we really ought to take seriously and act on. Amen. Hallelujah! Acts 6:1-7 ...the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. 3 Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, 4 whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 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 have a very powerful statement in today's 1st reading which should make us think hard about the issues we face in our lives. Considering that even the stubborn Sanhedrin was persuaded and laid the issue to rest. Sometimes we are like the Pharisees or the stubborn Israelites who struggle so much about a lot of things without realizing that we really don't have to. For if God is for us nobody or nothing could be against us. Everybody has their own problems and concerns in life and each one of us after doing what is needed and required to the best of our abilities, to the full extent of our capacities and knowledge and as far as the time, condition and situation permits should lay everything to rest at the foot of Jesus. There are times when we are at a loss and unsure of the things we have to do. In moments like these we really have to pray hard first and foremost and do our best to discern the right course of action. Especially in extreme cases when we are c...