Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Friday after Ash Wednesday Matthew 9:14-15 Day 3: In the Book of Isaiah, the prophet clarified fasting not just an external action, but a manifestation of the intentions of the heart.  He checked on the injustices and abuses done by people against another even though they are fasting. Jesus further clarified the meaning of fasting in terms of relationship. "Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast." In our generation today given extreme consumerism and materialism, we don't give enough importance to the language of the soul and the heart.  What results is greed, gluttony, and overexposure to material things.  But with fasting: We are to check the injustices we have done against others, even neglect in taking care of the poor, needy, and victims of injustices and discrimination due to economic status...

Ash Wednesday Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 Lent, as it means "length", is preparation for encountering the Lord in his passion, death, and resurrection. We need ample time to develop our relationship with the Lord.  Love needs time to blossom. We also need time to know and be committed to our neighbor.  We need enough time to get to know the Church.  Finally, we need time to understand who we are.  And who are we?  Disciples.  We are not small gods.  We are molded to be followers of Jesus.  We need ample time for that. We need to engage in prayer, fasting, and alms giving to prepare ourselves for this divine encounter. Prayer opens our world to the Lord.  We also need time to engage in prayer with our neighbors and families. Fasting is not just abstaining from meals and food.  We deprive ourselves of the things we love so we can open our hearts to what we can't see; but eventually, we can feel deeply that he's with us. We engag...

Tuesday of week 6 in Ordinary Time Mark 8:14-21 We shall be entering Lent. In its etymology, it means length or long. We need length of time to deepen our relationship with Jesus.  It takes time to know his leaven.  It takes time to know the leaven of the pharisees.  It takes time and wisdom to know the ways of temptation. The fruit of temptation is sin.  It is rendering nothing what God has made.  It is to destroy what God has built.  The starting point of temptation is desire.  The desire to commit sin is not yet sin.  Desire is a free gift from God who have us free will so that we might desire freely heaven and our Lord.  As there is a tendency to use desire to please self, we use more the desire to come closer to God. Thus, we can counter temptations by desiring for the ultimate goodness - God, and serve him.  Be repulsed with temptation.  Counter it immediately as it comes.  Fight nothingness and destruction w...

Saturday of week 5 in Ordinary Time Mark 8:1-10 No doubt Jeroboam's term was one of the most corrupt in Israel's history.  God didn't intervene; he allowed such abomination to happen.  Yet on the final verse, Jeroboam's house was obliterated from the face of the earth. In the gospel, Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves.  Not only were the loaves multiplied, even the leftovers were gathered for the consumption of the multitude.  Not a loaf was wasted.  Even this gesture is a sign of grace from God. The issue is about sin and grace.  And for the apparition at Lourdes, we can partake of these insights: First, there are graces in the midst of poverty.  Bernadette, in all her simplicity and poverty of spirit, was most happy in seeing the Blessed Mother and choosing her as her humble instrument.  Let's also rejoice not in power and wealth, but in our poverty before the Lord. Second, the mystery of the grotto, a ...

Thursday of week 4 in Ordinary Time Mark 6:7-13 All in all, David lived a fruitful, meaningful life.  God was well-pleased with him.  He conducted his affairs in complete obedience to God.  He also suffered due to sinfulness, but he was repentant.  He transmitted the faith to Solomon, his son and heir to the throne. His life is likened to Jesus Christ.  He also started with humble beginnings, was elected, became fruitful, suffered because of love, and rose again to leave a lasting legacy. In the Gospel, Jesus sent his apostles to proclaim the Good News.  But he is also implanting his presence in our times today.  Everything may seem ordinary, but our lives may also reflect that of Jesus. Our humble beginnings.  We are still the weak human beings that God created when we were born.  Let's proclaim our humility before God. Our election.  He chose us to do particular tasks and missions when we were gifted with the Holy Spirit....

Wednesday of week 5 in Ordinary Time Mark 7:14-23 Today's readings focus on wisdom; more particularly, that of Solomon and how he impressed the Queen of Sheba.  She was moved to bless Solomon for his wisdom; her gifts were nothing as compared with Solomon's wealth of wisdom.  Eventually, Solomon's wisdom is an offshoot of God's wisdom. We admit that we gain wisdom in the length of days.  Unless we share to the next generation our mistakes and frailties, they risk committing the same mistakes we've committed.  This is wisdom. Wisdom is what Jesus explained in the Gospel: "Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean."  What comes out of man's heart renders him clean or unclean.  To search the real motives of the heart is what constitutes wisdom.  It is aligned with following God's will and not one's own. For a Par...

Thursday of week 4 in Ordinary Time, 2 Mark 6:7-13 All in all, David lived a fruitful, meaningful life.  God was well-pleased with him.  He conducted his affairs in complete obedience to God.  He also suffered due to sinfulness, but he was repentant.  He transmitted the faith to Solomon, his son and heir to the throne. His life is also likened to Jesus Christ.  He also started with humble beginnings, was elected, became fruitful, suffered because of love, and rose again to leave a lasting legacy. In the Gospel, Jesus sent his apostles to proclaim the Good News.  But he is also implanting in our his presence as live in this world.  Everything may seem ordinary, but we know it, our lives may also be the same as Jesus'. Our humble beginnings.  We are still the weak human beings that God created when we were born till now. Our election.  He chose us to do particular tasks and missions when we were gifted with the Holy Spirit. Our f...