Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Tuesday of week 20 in Ordinary Time  Matthew 19:23-30 The world today might be turning too secular, i.e., to engrossed with the world's affairs.  Would we still be sensitive to have a spiritual experience like Gideon? In the gospel, Jesus explained another spiritual reality, heaven.  With people's preoccupation with worldly affairs, heaven seems to go farther away. He offers a possibility for opening our world to heaven: First, faith - faith opens us to invisible realities, the reality that God exists, and our reliance on him for our lives; Second, offering - offering is of great importance to the world of faith, knowing that our material things come from God and when we offer, we think solely of Him; Third, service - serving God cannot be a waster of time; rather, the times we spend our lives serving God may be our ticket to heaven. Faith, offering, and service are added components in opening our world to God.

Saturday of week 18 in Ordinary Time Matthew 17:14-20 The Lord commanded, "Love with all your hearts and minds.  He further reminded them, "I gave you everything you did not plant."  It is God who is all powerful. The reason why our prayers are not answered is because we haven't loved the Lord enough.  We are more interested in the gifts, not the giver.  And when the Lord doesn't grant the things that we ask for, we doubt him. In the gospel, Jesus reprimanded his disciples.  "‘Faithless and perverse generation!’ Jesus said in reply ‘How much longer must I be with you? ... ‘Because you have little faith. I tell you solemnly, if your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move; nothing would be impossible for you.’" What does it mean to have faith? First, it means to rely totally on God.  There a quote that says, "When you pray, treat as if everything depended on God.

Saint Laurence, Deacon, Martyr John 12:24-26 The readings reflect generous giving.  Taking off from Jesus Christ who can never be outdone in generosity, how do we imitate God's generosity? First, we reap what we sow.  Thin sowing means thing reaping.  The more we sow, the more we reap.  It is better for the God's word to be sown everywhere instead of being thinly sown.  We get what we deserve.  What we give comes back to us. Second, the heart of generous giving is cheerfulness of a heart that gives itself to God. So, let us be cheerful givers, gratuitous in nature, patterning our lives after God who generously gives to us.   We shall earn his abundant reward. Third, the fruits of giving is saving his life for eternity. The abundance is eternal life for us and for those whom we have planted God's good seed.  This is born out of following the Lord even in this life till the next.

The priest of God Matthew 13:54-58  Moses in the the book of Leviticus gave  prescriptions to Israel so that they could express liturgically their covenant with the Lord.  They are to celebrate regularly a feast, by recalling the saving works of God and render offerings that symbolize oblation, sacrifices, and libations to the Lord.  This is still celebrated by the Jews to this very day. In the gospel, Jesus was rejected by Jews.  Questioning his roots, they belittled all the miracles he did and his powerful words.  He did not work miracles because of their lack of faith. As we celebrate the memorial of St. John Marie Vianney, patron of parish priests, we also renew our commitment to the Holy Eucharist, celebrated by priests who are entrusted to offer sacrifices and convert bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. They are the living signs of God's covenant.  Though fully human and are prone to sinfulness, they are still chosen from among many, to offer the Eucha