Inspirations at your Fingertips!

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist  Mark 6:17-29 What does the passion of John the Baptist tell us about our faith?  Every martyr's death is in communion with the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  We should know the implications of offering our lives as Jesus and John did. First, is it directly identifying us with Jesus, Son of God, in word, thought, and action.  This is the task of every Christian, to mirror Christ in his own life. Second, the very heart of Jesus is healing and salvation, and forgiveness of sins.  Have we started thinking of the salvation of our brothers and sisters together with our own?  What lies in our hearts should simply be compassion. Third, what is the fruit of sacrifice.  What have we actually gained when we think about sacrifice or even offering our lives?  Now, we're entering into the very heart of Jesus' offering of self.  We have entered into the realm of perfect love. Never think th...

The very being of John the Baptist Luke 1:57-66  Today's story brings us to the naming of John the Baptist who prepared the coming of the Lord. What kind of faith can we imitate from him? First, purifier Purifying means removing the contaminants.  We need to remove the contaminants that corrupts our relationship with God, like disordinate attachments to material things.  This leads us away from the Lord and knowing our true vocation.. Second, refiner Refining means removing the contaminants to surface the raw element.  We need to fine-tunes our hearts towards the Lord, the only reason for our existence Third, the fruit The fruit of faith is essence of our being. in relation with the One who created us, God himself.  It is mentioned in the Malachi that God will now accept the offerings of his people.  We are the offerors and our offerings are cleansed to perfection by selfless offering of Jesus. John shall be faithful follower of God who di...

Discerning our mission Luke 1:57-66,80  The readings speak of John's call or mission.  From the Old Testament, Jeremiah mentioned one who would prepare the way of the Lord: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.’ The gospel verifies this with the announcement of Angel Gabriel to Zechariah. The Eucharist enables us to fulfill our mission.  Our regular reception develops in us the gift to discern the mission God wants us to do in this world.  Discernment entails the following processes: First, accepting the basic orientation to live good lives through the reception of the sacraments.  St. John lived in a disciplined way and urged the people to repent in preparation for the coming of the Savior. Second, going farther by imitating Christ.  St. John preached to the people the ways of Christ even if he hadn't seen him.  This is brought about by h...