Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Discerning our mission Luke 1:57-66,80  The readings speak of John's call or mission.  From the Old Testament, Jeremiah mentioned one who would prepare the way of the Lord: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.’ The gospel verifies this with the announcement of Angel Gabriel to Zechariah. The Eucharist enables us to fulfill our mission.  Our regular reception develops in us the gift to discern the mission God wants us to do in this world.  Discernment entails the following processes: First, accepting the basic orientation to live good lives through the reception of the sacraments.  St. John lived in a disciplined way and urged the people to repent in preparation for the coming of the Savior. Second, going farther by imitating Christ.  St. John preached to the people the ways of Christ even if he hadn't seen him.  This is brought about by h...

Kingship of God Matthew 6:19-23 We need to make clear which king we are following: the earthly king or the heavenly king? The earthly king would stress on acquiring all power and wealth of this world but eventually, he accounts to nothing. Jesus said, "Do not store for yourselves treasures on earth, where the moths and woodworms destroy them." God's heavenly kingship on the other hand, lasts forever.  He also grants his followers everlasting life.  His kingship is based on love. In the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, we are invited to imagine ourselves following the divine King and not be swayed by the lures of the earthly king. In summary, be clear on the kind of king we are following.  Second, discover the heart of the divine king.  Third, don't lose sight of the banner of the divine king.

The way to perfection Matthew 6:7-15 The reading from Ecclesiastes presents a song attributed to Elijah, a great prophet of his time who was taken up to heaven, like Jesus who ascended to heaven.  His deeds pleased the Father. In the gospel, Jesus taught us how to pray to the Father.  This is the prayer that helps us to attain perfection as sons and daughters of the Lord. This is how we should pray: Take the relationship with our Lord to the deepest level possible, between Father and son; Take adoration to the deepest level possible, towards fulfilling his will on earth; Ask just what is needed with fullest trust in him, knowing that the Lord provides for all our needs; Seek perfection through humility and asking for forgiveness and to forgive in return; Deliver us towards the ultimate goodness of our lives, heaven itself. We do not exult ourselves; it is Jesus who exults us and leads us to Himself.  That is heaven.  That is perfection.

Our task on earth Matthew 5:43-48  Jesus is the one atoning for our sins.  He also gives us human hearts so that we might have compassion even for those who have wronged us. Today's gospel talks about loving one's enemies.  It is a way of atoning for our sins by cutting off all cycles of violence. We can cut off all tendencies to sin by being faithful to Jesus, learning from his ways, and possessing his own heart. Just as Jesus' task is saving, not condemning, so too should our mission be on earth.

Recognizing God's presence Matthew 5:27-32 God's power is not manifested in big things, but in the most unexpected places.  The more important thing is that we recognize His presence and follow him. Maybe we have missed a lot of opportunities that God is communicating with us. First, we might be entertaining this world's values and not God's.  We have succumbed to materialism, fleeting pleasures, and even power instead of being faithful to Him.  Let us recognize what belongs to God and what belongs to this world. Second, we have failed to look deeply into the heart of Jesus.  We haven't seen what goes deeper in God's law.  Probably we have compromised God's laws with what we want.  Learn to see the wisdom of God's laws. Finally, we might not have oriented ourselves to follow His divine will.  We have our own lifestyles, forgetting that eventually, it is God's will that we should be living out. Learn that the only essence of life is one th...

God's true power Matthew 5:17-19 God's power is unquestionable.  It just seems that he's absent, thus, power from men started coming up, seemingly more powerful than God's, but also prone to corruption. But Jesus' power can be seen in his total obedience to the Father, his humility, and his service.  He fulfilled every bit of law in the Old Covenant to enable the people to live in justice and peace.  His heart, if emulated by all, will cause this world to be humane and be filled with compassion. God's power is seen in his service to bring salvation to all people.  If this is in our hearts, God is in all of us and this world can become a better place to live in.

God provides absolutely Matthew 5:13-16 If we have faith, we shall know deep in our hearts that God provides for all our needs.  Even in the most impossible circumstance, God is capable of not letting food go empty. How can we know this?  I shall focus on the gospel - God created us as salt of the earth and light of the world.  We are the life that God created to take care of the earth and to make it full. We are the salt to give flavor to the bland or dull. We are the light to bring people out from the darkness.  We influence people by the power of Jesus' words to change course from death to life and from darkness to light. Imagine if the whole world would only heed God's call to become his stewards.  This world will never grow hungry.  There will always be food and life for everyone.

The immaculate heart Luke 2:41-51 In the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we are invited to enter into a process of constant purification of our hearts until they beat in consonance with the pure hearts of Jesus and Mary. There are three things that we need to enter into the purification process: First, seek not for anything else except Jesus alone.  Like Mary and Joseph who sought endlessly for the Child Jesus, we are to seek Jesus amidst the noise and confusion of this world.  We need to empty our hearts with vain things.  Start seeking for Jesus. Second, realize that Jesus will always be in the Father's house.  He is never lost.  We are invited to enter always and find ourselves in the Father's house where we would always be safe in the arms and care of the Father. Third, Jesus' words can be interpreted as: "Do you not know that I must be busy with my Father's affairs?"  If our hearts are pure, our preoccupation is not in doing our own ...

Following the true law Mark 12:28-34 In the gospel for today, Jesus explains the commandment by which every person of goodwill should follow.  We know that Jesus further deepened this by giving a new command, "Love one another as I have loved you." The basis for following the law is Jesus himself.  That's why in the first reading, St. Paul focused on following the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  The basis for following the law is Jesus himself. There are three things worth fulfilling as we orient our lives to following God's law: 1. Know what is good and bad.  Follow what is good.  Detest what is evil. 2.  Know what is better.  Leave everything behind to follow Jesus.  Know him in the level of the heart why He is who he is.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning the end.  He is the way, the truth, and the life. 3.  Live Him out.  Be sent and travel on the path of salvation.  The gauge is to s...