Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Jesus and us Luke 21:29-33  I would simply like to dwell on the Word as spoken in the Book of Daniel and the Gospel for today.  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away," Jesus said. Another reality that is congruent to the word that will never pass away or "eternal" is the Incarnate Word himself - the Son of Man who's sovereignty is eternal; his empire will never be destroyed. Let us reflect on Jesus; but in knowing him let us reflect on who we are. Who is Jesus?  Who are we then? Jesus is eternal, we are temporary, fleeting.  We will pass from this earth.  Our lives are short but He will remain forever.  Yet he offers us everlasting life. Jesus is powerful and we are powerless. But Jesus gives us power only to manage and build and not destroy. Finally, Jesus is all in all, we are nothing, but by his love we become something. Love brought us to this world. Pray that in the littleness our lives, in the temporarin...

God's power vs. man's power Luke 21:20-28 God showed his mighty power by saving Daniel in the den filled with lions while those who accused Daniel were pounced upon by the lion even before they could reach the floor. In the Gospel, Jesus warned us of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem before the coming of the Son of Man, in a cloud with power and great glory. Let us reflect on God's power vis-a-vis our own. Power does not come from us; rather, it comes from the One who has the power to create and give order to the universe.  His power heals and unifies.  But our sense of power can sometimes be used to destroy, divide, and hurt people. God's power is also his justice.  His power is just; he will reward the upright.  Man's power corrupts; consequently it is meant to proliferate sin, greed, and selfishness, and pride. God's power in Jesus saves and liberates us from sin so we can all become sons and daughters of God.  Our power enslaves us further ...

The end times Luke 17:26-37 The gospel refers to the end times when people would not recognize the coming of the Lord while they continue eating and drinking. It also goes true with the first reading: foolish people will fail to recognize the presence of the Lord, exulting science and dynamics of the world but not attributing them to God. But our God is a talking God in constant communication with us.  He is not a deity or a symbol.  He is alive and happy are the people who in the normal course of life can detect God's promptings. The end times are marked by our capacity to be sensitive to the presence of Lord.  We need God's grace to detect this.  Our lives also should be oriented to God even when we were born.  We also need to commit ourselves to seeing the Lord in our daily lives and work towards our end goal of being with Him for all eternity.

Active servanthood Luke 17:7-10 Active servanthood is not just being servants who do what the Master commands. These servants are actively working because they possess the mind and heart of the Master. That is the heart of our readings today.  Others might misunderstand God's servants, but as long as they do their work faithfully and conscientiously, they shall be rewarded.  They shall be counted among the saints because of their perseverance. Do we treat ourselves as servants, knowing the Master, loving the Master, and faithfully serving the Master?

Wisdom  Luke 16:1-8 Let us reflect on being astute, clever or wise. Paul's pride is Jesus and not himself, and the gift and opportunity of serving him and being close to him. He bases his work not on his glory but of the glory of his Master. In the gospel the steward became wise when he was able to exhibit justice and correct his mistakes.  Thus, he received the adulation not only of the debtors but of the owner himself.  And the most beautiful saying for day is worth our reflection:  "For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light." (Lk. 16, 8) What constitutes wisdom?  First, "humility is the mother of all virtues."  It definitely refers to wisdom when we humble ourselves and submit ourselves to the source of wisdom: God himself. Second, we gain wisdom when in our every action, our brothers and sisters would be saved.  It is not only in giving them alms that would save them, b...

Compassion Luke 15:1-10 The readings tell a lot about compassion and not having to pass judgment on another because God is a merciful judge who is not fond of condemning people to death; Second, we too are called to practice compassion for one another.  Compassion may have two connotations: the first calls us to suffer with one another which is the element of passion; and the other definition of passion means "ignited by fire and zeal" that we bring life to one another. In both of these definitions, we see the very face of the suffering Jesus as well as the passionate Jesus who intends the salvation and not the condemnation of the children of God.

Cheerful disciples Luke 14:15-24  Ever wonder why of all living things, God chose man to be the stewards of his creation?  Because God gifted them with a free will so that in his full freedom, man may decide to go to the Lord and serve him. Who is a cheerful disciple? First, he is one called by God who "loves a cheerful giver."  This is a mark of a disciple: someone who not only gives, but he gives freely, with joy, and without asking for anything in return. Jesus wants us to be cheerful disciples because he himself is: salvation is done in fullest freedom, with joy, and unconditional that he decided to become man and do what his Father commands him to do. In the gospel, the parable talks about guests who freely go to the banquet instead of those who were invited but do not want to attend. In the epistle, cheerful disciples freely and lovingly share their gifts, sincere, one with others, and resolute even in times of persecution.  These are the real di...