Inspirations at your Fingertips!

The real hero Matthew 4:18-22 We may be celebrating a National Heroes Day through Andres Bonifacio in our country, but in the Church are are celebrating the feast of the Apostle St. Andrew who has a lot of qualities that is congruent with the Bonifacio. What is common is that both of them stood for their ideals: for Bonifacio, it is freedom from tyranny while St. Andrew fought to preach the Good News to free men from slavery of sin.   Freedom, especially in the Christian context is borne from a strong faith. Faith is born from hearing the Word. Hearing the Word is born from preaching it. Preaching the Word comes from being sent. Being sent comes from being being invited And Jesus is the one who invites us all to freedom. From being invited comes forth leaving everything behind. Now the Good News goes out to all the earth because of people who respond to leave everything behind to follow Jesus.  May we also respond to the call to follow Jesus.

Let God rule our lives Luke 21:12-19 Even though the first reading gives a gruesome picture of the end of the world like plagues and famines, why do we feel inspired and at peace?  It is simply because the Lord God continues to be in control of the situation.  He rules the world.  What's important is that we constantly check if He rules our lives. He rules our lives if we follow His commands and statues and live them out.  Let us be faithful to the teaching and commandments of the Lord in the Church. Second, we can know if he rules us if we serve him well and be counted among the saints who are pruned to perfection by the blood of the Lamb.  Let us offer our time, talent, and treasure to serve him. Third, we can know if He rules our lives if we entrust our every action to His care as children entrusting themselves to the Father.

The Word enfleshed in us Luke 19:45-48 The scroll mentioned in the Apocalypse that the angel instructed John to eat may connote the Word of God that the Lord invites us to swallow, internalize, and live out.  And even though it is two-edged, bringing sweetness and sourness as we confront the trials of our daily lives, still the power of the Word outweighs every fear in us, enabling us to respond to the invitation of the Lord to be his prophets and disciples this modern age. Let us allow ourselves to be available like the blessed Virgin, who, from day 1 till now, she never ceases to do the Father's will, all for our salvation.  May our lives be a reflection of the Word made flesh, Jesus, in us.

The end times Reading:  Luke 17:26-37 This does not apply only to businesses or companies that we should begin with the end in mind, but on life itself. Just what is our end?  Jesus and Jesus alone.  If he is our end, then we should try our best to align all our actions and orientations to him and what he wills.  He wills us to have life, that is why he gave us this command, "Love one another." He wills that every moment, he may find us loving and serving one another and not ourselves.

Christ's body of earth John 2:13-22 As we celebrate the feast of a dedication of Church, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the seat of Pope, we are reminded of the following: 1. the Church, in reference to Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12, our first reading, is the source of life and grace for humanity. 2. the temple is the very body of Jesus Christ, our source of life and salvation. 3. the temple resides in us as the Lord's living Church on earth. The physical church mirrors the living Church which is us, the Body of Christ.

Work out our salvation Luke 14:25-33 Modern-day Catholics should get a renewed outlook on "working out our salvation" as St. Paul says in the first reading.  This is in sharp contrast with toiling for food and family survival and thinking about spiritual things afterwards. We need a blueprint for salvation.  Already supplied by our Lord, we need to align our lives and every decision and action we undertake to the grand plan of salvation.   This thinking not only for the family, but for others most specially the poor; thinking not only for this generation but for next generations to come; and thinking not only for us but most importantly, for God.

Luke 14:15-24 Why did God exult his Son when he humbled himself?  Because he became like all of us and carried all of us.  Most of all, notice these words, " every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord,to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:11) How many of us are conscious that what we do glorifies the Father and not ourselves?  If we are to define what life really means, it can only be in the context of serving God to the Glory of his name. The gospel underscores the importance of responding to God's invitation.  This too is a humbling act like Jesus.  But remember, to those who offend God by not humbling themselves and serving him, " not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet." (Lk. 14, 24)