Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Holy Family Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 The reading from Ecclesiasticus reveals a lot on how we are to love our parents and how parents are to love their children. In the gospel, Joseph, as a responsible father, led his family to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod.  In the end, Herod died and the family returned home. How do we regard our families? First, the family is the father taking the responsibility to lead the family to heaven As Joseph led his family to Egypt and back to Bethlehem upon the promptings of the angel, so too much fathers lead their family to God.  They should discern well whether every member is journeying to heaven. Second, the family is the mother having rights over the upbringing of the children The mother is Mary in full support of her husband Joseph.  It is also mothers in the Old Testament who are sources of real treasures in the family.  A mother shares all the love in her heart to her husband and children.  She is the pictu...

Real face of love Luke 2:22-35 For this 5th day of Christmas, we are confronted with the offering of Jesus in the temple.  Simeon prophesied and so did Anna. In the first reading, St. John revealed the importance of this new law which is also as old as time.  It is about loving others as God has loved us. I would like to explore aspects of loving as described by St. John; a love that is like Christmas when God was made man. Love starts with following God's commands If we truly love God, we shall follow him completely and without questions. Love is forever new It may be an old reality as old as time, yet, for love to be authentic, it makes all things new.  The pathways of love are always refreshing; it gives life to the soul.  People are transformed in the world of love. Love is not pretentious Being pretentious means attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.  Love cannot and w...

That we have heard and seen John 20:2-8  There are many themes that St. John proposed in his writings.  But all these are to strengthen develop the faith given to us by Jesus.  I would like to mention three of them: First, love Jesus said, "I give you a new command: "Love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13: 34)  and in John 15: 3: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." Love is the most supreme virtue one can live out.  And in 1 John 4: 9: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." Second, dichotomies St. John presents images as light and darkness, faith and unbelief, grace and sin.  There is a choice that he wants us to contemplate on based on the words and actions of Jesus, "And they believed."  May we sin ourselves confronting these choices and choosing the better one. Third, the Church ...

Give witness to God Luke 1:46-56 Mary, having been greeted by Elizabeth, sang the Magnificant as a sign of her overflowing spirit that gave witness to the glory of God.  This could also be our spirit as we approach Christmas, taking to mind these three things: First, proclaim God's greatness Everything is God's work and we are simply his instruments.  But everyday of our lives, let us give witness to him, not to ourselves.  Our lives are stories of God's presence. Second, give witness to God Tell others God's stories. The litanies of God's accomplishments over our lives.  These stories should inspire others to take courage. Hope, hope Hope against hope that God will bring to completion what he planned to do for mankind.  God will bring true justice.  He will straighten up things.  The poor shall see their vindication.  Those who have will see to their shame how they have not shared their resources.  We can attain true happens ...

Faith and freedom Luke 1:67-79 A faith-filled heart will always be a thankful heart that recognizes the work and the presence of the Lord. This is a fitting ending to our preparation this Christmas - the ability and the grace to detect how the Lord brings freedom into our lives and how we respond to this new found freedom. "Blessed be the Lord, for he has come to his people and set them free!" is the first utterance of Zechariah after nine months of being mute.  Now he can speak.  Before, he doubted the words of the angel, thus, he couldn't speak.  But he opened his heart to God and named his child, "John".  He is now freed from his muteness. We can only proclaim things if we live in God's ways.  Let us further distinguish the marks of a truly free person. First, recognizing that it is God who frees It is God who frees; it is He who works; it is He who sanctifies.  In the first reading God was the one who lifted David from being a shepherd to ...

The very being of John the Baptist Luke 1:57-66  Today's story brings us to the naming of John the Baptist who prepared the coming of the Lord. What kind of faith can we imitate from him? First, purifier Purifying means removing the contaminants.  We need to remove the contaminants that corrupts our relationship with God, like disordinate attachments to material things.  This leads us away from the Lord and knowing our true vocation.. Second, refiner Refining means removing the contaminants to surface the raw element.  We need to fine-tunes our hearts towards the Lord, the only reason for our existence Third, the fruit The fruit of faith is essence of our being. in relation with the One who created us, God himself.  It is mentioned in the Malachi that God will now accept the offerings of his people.  We are the offerors and our offerings are cleansed to perfection by selfless offering of Jesus. John shall be faithful follower of God who di...

Go in haste to serve God Luke 1:39-45  The reading from the Song of Songs is way too inspiring. "I hear my Beloved.  See how he comes leaping on the mountains, bounding over the hills. My Beloved is like a gazelle, like a young stag." (Song of Songs 2:8)  Could there be someone who's as excited and passionate to meet his lover than the Beloved? In the Gospel, Mary went in haste to her cousin Elizabeth.  "Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:39) The next four days will help us prepare to be like a gazelle or a stag, journey in haste to serve our Lord and our brothers and sisters.  Is that how we feel we go to Church activities?  What do we need to put energy into our faith and parish lives? First, God calls The one who calls us to service is God Himself, not the voice of evil, materialism or greed.  Only in knowing the loving God could we have...

Mary's faith Luke 1:26-38 This day brings us to Mary, who by her fiat, brought the Child Jesus into the world.  What is the quality of her faith? First, the Immaculate conception Even in the moment of her conception, she was free from original and any stain of sin.  Her graces are both sanctifying and actual.  Let us be conscious of God who bestows us with the all graces we received when we were baptized and every time we receive the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist. Second, Virgin The dogma teaches Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ's birth "did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it.  And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the "Ever-virgin"." (CCC 499)  Furthermore, "Mary is a virgin because her virginity is the sign of her faith "unadulterated by any doubt", and of her undivided gift of h...

Destroy that weak faith Luke 1:5-25 After having been exposed to the lineage of Jesus and Joseph's strong faith, in our desire to celebrate the mystery of our salvation and God's love that it is also important to learn a thing or two about the consequences of a weak faith like Zechariah's so we may not imitate him, rather, do exactly the opposite.  What are the signs of a weak faith? First, doubting Doubting leads us nowhere.  It is the exact opposite of faith.  Doubting in things unseen can only lead us to believing in material and tried and tested things.  But life is faith.  The only thing that helps us survive is our faith in God. Second, despair For Zechariah, things are too late.  He is too old and Elizabeth is both old and barren.  Hope is what keeps us going - for an OFW to hope that he would go home and realize a better life for the family; for us to hope that this world will not end in violence but there would be a better future ahe...

Payak na pananaw Matthew 1:18-24 Matapos na maiugat ang sarili natin sa Panginoon at siya lamang ang pinakadiwa ng Pasko, maraming mga bahagi ng ating buhay ang kailangang pang mapahinutulutan nating Siya'y papasukin.  Tulad ni Jose na tinataguriang matuwid dahil nais niyang maligtas ni Maria sa kapahamakan, pinakikita ang kanyang natatanging papel na bigyang pangalan ang nasa sinapupunan ni Maria upang matupad ang propesiya na "pasisibulin mula sa lahi ni David ang isang sangang matuwid, isang hari na buong karunungang maghahari." (Jer. 23, 5 - 8) Isang maka-Diyos na pananaw sa simula pa ang kailangan upang makalahok tayo sa mundo ng Diyos upang tayong maging instrumento sa paghahanda ng pagdating ng Panginoon sa ating pamilya, ka-trabaho, kaklase, kapitbahayan, atbp. Anu-ano ang mga katangian ng pananaw na ito? Una, batayang paninindigan "Fundamental option" ang tawag nito sa ingles; isang uri ng orientasyon kung tayo sa para sa Diyos o hindi.  Kun...

Rooted in Christ Matthew 1:1-17  The family of Jacob is teeming with pride.  Why?  It's because the lineage of the family dates back to Abraham's call by God to which he responded.  Thus, he became the father of many nations that are firmly rooted in God. Jesus is coming into this world with a definite lineage of families rooted in God.  This should give us something to be proud of - that Jesus is definitely human and divine. How do we root ourselves and our families to Jesus this Christmas? First, immediately know when we have uprooted ourselves If we ground ourselves in our money or power, even take the whole family with us, then we cease being rooted in Jesus.  Search all disvalues and be uprooted from them so we can be rooted in Christ. Second, know whom we are rooting upon Root the children in Christ.  We have already started doing so when we had them baptized.  But for us, be conscious if too much preoccupation in work...

Trained to be good messengers John 5:33-36 As we begin the Simbang Gabi, the nine days novena to Christmas, we need to remind ourselves that Christmas is not event of pleasure, pomp, and luxury.  It is not a story of us just giving and receiving gifts.  It is the story of Jesus entering into our world and touching our lives.  The only authentic gift is Jesus himself that we can give to others.  If we don't have Jesus, we cannot celebrate Christmas worthily. Jesus is orienting us to be good and effective messengers.  Being good and effective messengers means: Having credibility Having credibility means we can be trusted because we are living out human values - pakikisama, pakikiramay, pagtulong, katarungan, pagkakapantay-pantay, etc.  These are things we learned in home and school.  These are timeless values that we are expected to live out starting from the time we were young till the present.  Are we growing in credibility? Focusing o...

Messengers Luke 7:24-30 What is Christmas?  It is not an annual activity of merrymaking, but a once-in-a-lifetime event that we recall every year and hopefully everyday of our lives.  It is the story of God's wrath and punishment turned to forgiveness and love.  It is the story of everyday miracles of love, healing, and growth.  And Jesus caused that miracle to happen by becoming man. We haven't felt this in a long while.  All we thought is that Christmas is an annual activity of going to malls, buying gifts, and eating good food.  We haven't realized that our world is so wounded we have just covered our wounds with more wounds. In the gospel, Jesus praised the messenger, John the Baptist, who prepared for His coming, although at this point, people still didn't recognize the presence of the redeemer.  But perhaps we can correct this situation.  How do we become Jesus' messengers? First, know the message We cannot become messengers unle...

Insensitivity to God Matthew 11:16-19  In the first reading, God made a warning, "If only you had been alert to my commandments, your happiness would have been like a river, your integrity like the waves of the sea." In the gospel, Jesus made a similar warning for those who are not sensitive to God's commands, “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t be mourners.” When do we become insensitive to God's voice?  When do we start playing our songs?  When did we stop dancing to God's tunes? There are many moments we stop being sensitive to God: 1. when we are lured by money, not by poverty.  - when our primary preoccupation in this word money, not values. 2.  when we are blinded by power, not be service. - when we desire to be above all others, and not humble. 3.  when pride overwhelms us, not God. - when we become our own gods. Then we contribute to the destruction of this world. May we not be in...

Old Eve, New Eve Luke 1:26-38  Reflecting on the Immaculate Conception one cannot miss comparing the old Eve and Mary, the new Eve, and the implications it brings us as a Church. First, sin vs. grace The old Eve started sin and its transmission, hence, the teaching on "original sin."  On the other hand, the new Eve put an end to the cycle of sin in the world and brought grace.  The angel Gabriel greeted her, "Hail, full of grace." This is the manifestation of the Immaculate Conception.  God would not allow even a stain of sin to touch the mother of God. The Church's mission is to transmit grace, not sin to the world. Second, disobedience vs. obedience Adam and Eve's sin is disobedience, a defiance of God's will.  But Mary eradicated it through her absolute obedience, "I am the maidservant of the Lord; let it be done to me as you say." The Church, to be a living Church, has to have disciples or servants for its members.  It cannot...

Integrity Matthew 3:1-12  The readings for the second Sunday of Advent reflect a quality that is present in John the Baptist and of course, God himself - integrity. Integrity is a state of wholeness or completeness.  Isaiah points out a situation where the child sits side by side with a panther, symbolizing a state of peace.  God rules with justice and compassion.  There is life everywhere. Alas, we are not people of integrity.  We compromise completeness with sin.  We are a divided people according to the PCP II.  How do we attain the state of integrity? We can only do so if we align ourselves with God's plan and not our own.  God wants everyone to live; we want to live only for ourselves.  By heeding the idealism of God we shall start traveling in the path of righteousness and integrity. Second, like John the Baptist, let's walk the talk.  John lived in poverty to show to the people to cease worldliness.  If we walk th...

Be a disciple Matthew 9:35-10:1,5,6-8  Isaiah's reading is filled with promises.  What is remarkable is that it is God who fulfills all those beautiful promises of peace and plenty. Today's gospel compliments the first reading.  To fulfill those promises, God needs workers for the harvest.  We are all called to be disciples and workers in the vineyard of the Lord.  We need to orient ourselves as a community of disciples if we regard ourselves as Christians. Disciples are invited.  The call is from God Himself.  Disciples learn from the Master.  Disciples DO the Master's will.  Their lives would be fruitful. Be Jesus' disciple.