Inspirations at your Fingertips!

On loving others Matthew 5:20-26 Jesus deepened the knowledge of the disciples by going deeply not only through the external observance of the law, but to its spirit. To those who are angry and they belittle others, they are liable to judgment. If one is offering and remembers something against another, leave the gift behind and be reconciled with the other.  The law covers both our obligation to God and fellow human beings. As a Christian, let us be committed to love one another as Christ love us.  Let us struggle to see the face of God in the other before we can lead them to sin or to grace. Reflecting on the ten commandments, the reason for honoring one's parents is not in simply respecting them because of their age but it is precisely through the parents that we get to know about God.  Thus, we should honor them. "Thou shall not steal."  It is not simply in respecting other's property that is the issue here; but rather, God has given us enough for u...

How to pray Matthew 7:7-12 In the readings, Jesus taught about prayer while Queen Esther prayed. It seems that prayer is automatic for all of us.  But how is prayer like when it is a way of life? St. Benedict has a very popular idiom for prayer: ora et labora, "pray and work."  For St. Benedict believed in the combination of contemplation and action.  For St. Ignatius, there is what we call "contemplatives in the world" for people who are actively participating in the transformation of the world. Prayer is a life of active relationship with the Lord. It is not just about asking for intentions.  Rather, my own personhood is marked by a life of unconditional relationship to God and my every action proves it. "Ask and you will receive" involves total faith in the providence of God while "the Father knows what to give to his children" implies that even before praying for something, we believe in the innate good intentions of the Father t...

Trust only in God Mark 8:14-21 Jesus reminded the apostles to trust real food comes only from God not from yeast of the Pharisees or any other.  How do we put our trust on God each day? Trust in its etymology means "strong", like a sturdy foundation, that's why we can depend on the structure. Our skill is how to slowly build our trust in God.   As long as we continue to rely on other things, we haven't totally relied on God. Can we rely on our food? Can we rely on our reputation? Wealth? Power?  Trust in God causes food on the table.  Trust in God brings forth trustworthy persons.  Trust in God brings wealth and power specially for those who can be trusted.