Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Tuesday of week 8 in Ordinary Time Mark 10:28-31 St. Peter talks about the revelation that the prophets old yearned so hard to witness; now it's revealed to us - Jesus Christ our Lord. In the gospel, the same Peter raised a concern, "What about us? We have left everything and followed you."  But Jesus responded with such determination, "No one who left home will be paid a hundred times over."  This is as valuable as eternity itself. Let's reflect on eternal life and align our lives from there.  We may have thought about food and ways to survive each day, but have we thought about the consequences of our actions in eternal life?  The smallest detail must be connected with the life that is to come. Second, let's reflect on eternal life as being one with Jesus.  Are we united intimately with Jesus now?  Are our actions in conformity with Jesus?  Do they reflect the very person of Jesus? Finally, do our actions account for the salvation of man...

Tuesday of week 7 in Ordinary Time Mark 9:30-37 The readings point to a practical realization that conflicts in the Christian community are borne out of selfishness and corruption.  At the very heart of these conflicts is the self waiting to be exulted above all others. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, among others.  They can only be attained if hearts are oriented to search for the truth that comes from God.  We need humility to do this. In the Gospel, Jesus exulted a little child to correct the arrogance and envy among his apostles.  He said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all." Humility helps us to realize the power of the Lord and our littleness.  We begin to have full trust in him. Humility helps us to realize that people are as valuable as we are. Third, humility helps us to place ourselves at the se...

Friday of the 7th week of Eastertide John 21:15-19 We follow that which we love.  It may be a person or an object. Following entails an offering of life itself, inclusive of all time, talent, and treasure for that which we love. Following Jesus entails the following: First, that we follow Jesus in the world of goodness.  This implies a direct choice to follow what is good and avoid what is evil.  It implies our sincere desire to enter into heaven in the realm of goodness. Second, following Jesus implies that we follow Jesus in his words and actions as the path to the ultimate good.  We heed Jesus' command to sell everything we own, give them to the poor, and come follow him.  Are we ready for it? Third, following Jesus entails following him even to the cross.  St. Paul's life is exactly like that of Jesus.  The moment he enters into Jerusalem, he would be tried and put to death like what happened to Jesus.  He even appealed to b...

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter Jn 16:16-20 In today's gospel, Jesus equated "seeing" with weeping while the world rejoices.  Eventually, our sorrow will turn into joy. "Seeing" is yearning for the Lord who died; but on the third day he rose again. "Seeing" is yearning for the vision of heaven and finally seeing it at the end of our lives. "Seeing" is yearning for life especially from our suffering brothers and sisters and finally seeing the fruits of sacrifice and community building, we are able to see the fruits of our labor. "Seeing" is St. Paul continuing his ministry as an apostle, even in the face of conflicts, would opt for the better alternative - to be apostle to the Gentiles. Grant that we may see each day the face of Jesus in the world we live in.

Saturday of the 2nd week of Eastertide John 6:16-21 This 14th day of Easter, the office of deacons was established so that the temporal needs of the poor members of the Church would be met while the apostles continue their ministry of proclaiming the Word. In the gospel, Jesus was seen walking on the waters. Easter is about the resurrection of the Lord, in body and spirit.  In our case we could experience the resurrection in the integration of human lives with a spirituality that comes from the power of God.  This is called secularity.  It may seem material, but we could recognize God's presence in the world and in way we conduct our temporal affairs - our work, the ways we handle our material possessions, and our preoccupation with day to day living. Each moment calls us to recognize the immense power of the Lord as the one who gives order to our lives.  He is the one walking above the waters; he is in control of all  created things. Second, each m...

Easter Thursday Luke 24:35-48  We are exposed to forty days of Jesus' presence to the disciples after the Resurrection.  This is the fourth day. Peter gave a discourse after he and John cured a lame man.  He helped deepen their understanding about Jesus and the work of salvation.  He needed to explain all these to open the eyes of their faith. In the Gospel, Jesus appeared to the apostles.  He even proved to them that he is present in body and spirit through the eating of the food.  But like the first reading, he wanted to open the eyes of their faith to greater realities: the reality of God's love and salvation through him. We are in need of salvation.  But existence in this world means we have to have the resources to feed our bodies with food.  Some of our brethren get stuck in the world of materialism, others hinge on power, fame, and persons for their happiness. How do we open the eyes of faith then to the realities of Jesus? Fi...

Easter Tuesday John 20:11-18 We are capitalizing on Easter experiences after the Easter morn. The people were cut to the heart when Peter explained how Jesus, the Messiah, was rejected and killed.  Three thousand people converted to the faith immediately after that. Mary had the most intense experience of seeing the Lord immediately on that Sunday morning.  It confirmed how treated Jesus even before he suffered and died - as Master, as Lord and God, and as her Beloved. We are inspired by concrete experiences of love, hate, joy, and sorrow.  In psychology, understanding our feelings manifests self-discovery of what we hold dear to our hearts and what we abhor.  Consequently, if we are devoid of positive feelings for the Lord, let's increase our experiences of faith, especially those that help us deepen it. How do we increase our sentiments and affections for the Lord? First, learn from the Master.  Treat Jesus as such - a master, a teacher, someo...