SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES

  As far as I can remember I have always loved the sea and wondered of so many things about it and this could be due to the nature of the surroundings where I practically grew up all my life. During summer, when schools days were over, I used to spend the entire day swimming with my cousins and friends to the point of total exhaustion, sunburn, wrinkled hands and feet, dimmed eyesight due to too much salt water, feet laden with sea urchin and in a few days nearly skinned all over. I have always heard people saying that life is very much like the sea. Being constantly in touch with the reality of the vast and awesome greatness of the sea as part of God's creation, I should say that there is a truth in it. I had the greatest and most unforgettable time of my childhood spent in the leisure and enjoyment of living near the sea. This has lead me, as I grow older to a better appreciation of what it really means. Amen. Hallelujah! Job 38:1. 8-11 ...Who shut within doors the sea, when it b...

    One of the things I have to change about myself is my being forgetful. I get myself in trouble because of this. One way or another, I know that forgetting about something has happened to you before and I'm sure it also crossed your mind that if only someone reminded you about it then it wouldn't have happened. In today's 1st reading it suddenly hit me that our God is the most persistent when it comes to reminding us of the things we're supposed to do. We lack gratitude in God’s untiring ways of drawing us to a relationship with Him and one ingratitude leads to another and so on and so forth. This is what happened in today's 1st reading. King Joash was protected and hidden so he would be spared of sure death and live to take his rightful place as king but did not remember that Jehoiada was instrumental to this and failed to look back and pay his respects and gratitude. He dishonored the memory of his ancestors by staining his hands of the blood of the very people...

   In today’s 1 st  reading we are made aware of the death and destruction that result when an evil person is at work. Though, we should never ever lose hope for someone greater than all the evil around us can put an end to it. There is always a way for God will never leave nor abandon us. We should be aware that we are faced daily with our own battles between good and evil. It rages on but we should realize that Jesus already died on the cross and have long before won the battle when He rose again from the dead. It also speaks of the suffering and hardship that the heir of King's David throne suffered before he was proclaimed king. Many years ago, the readings today are exactly the same on the day Sis Ester’s husband, Bro. Boy got his kidney transplant. For years Sis Ester and her family waited for a kidney donor. He was about to lose hope already when the doctor replied to him that he might have to wait a total of 7 years before he could get a kidney transplant. At that...

   Today's 1st reading gives us a brief background of who Elijah was. He is quite a personality in the Old Testament, very much revered and looked up to. If we are to look at our own autobiographies will we be pleased at what we will see? On what aspect will it be impressive? Is it our educational background and achievements? Do we always strive to achieve the highest attainable goal in our lives? God is surely happy if we can achieve all these things and become successful in our field of endeavors for as long we do it for God's glory. We should not forget and always remember that behind all of the success is a God who made it possible. Another thing worth looking at is our relationships. At the end of the day it is all about it. We all have to really work hard on this. We can not go on with life thinking that we can set aside whatever broken relationships we have with other people especially our loved ones. We have to mend it and go out of our way to bridge the gap that is ke...

  Elijah is one of the people in the bible that was taken up to heaven body and soul aside from Blessed Mother Mary. It is not surprising that the Church teaches the Assumption of Mary into heaven because she is the mother of God and all other things point to this truth. As for Elijah, the bible tells us so and it is not quite unbelievable that something like this really happened as foretold in the bible for he was one of the greatest prophets of his time. What he wrought through the mighty power of God gained for him this special privilege and honor to be taken up to heaven by a flaming chariot. What happened in today's 1st reading is something that we don't see everyday. Sometimes these awesome and extraordinary events happening to holy and obedient people of God are reduced to a mere illusion. There is a tendency for us not to take it seriously and dismiss it as just nothing or a product of the imagination. It could also be that we cling too much on these outstanding signs a...

  My mother used to always say, "Love begets love." Today's 1st reading somehow tells us that it could also be true for evil? The consequences of our wrongdoings can certainly go a long, long way. The curse is transferred to his descendants, and the worst of it all to his son. Thus, evil begets evil and come to think of it, if we only try to analyze things very closely we'll find that if we replace the word "evil" in the passage quoted below with words such as good, noble things, right, what is just, worthy of praise and the like then we'll make this world a much better place to live. Amen. Hallelujah! 1 Kings 21:17-29 “Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the LORD’S sight, 21 I am bringing evil upon you. I will destroy you and will cut off every male in Ahab's line, whether slave or freeman, in  Israel ...27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh. He fasted, slept in sackcloth, and w...