Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Recognize Jesus in daily life John 21:1-14  It would be nice if we connect the Resurrection experiences of the apostles with our daily life experiences.  These are the usual things that we do, like the usual things the apostles did like fishing.  We are also confronted with the daily challenges like the confrontation of the apostles with the reactive pharisees.   In the midst of these daily experiences let us strive to do the following: First, always give witness to Jesus - never lose sight of giving witness to Jesus in a world that tends to forget him; Second, offer every action to Jesus - whether this be fishing or office work, or school work, never lose sight of Jesus in daily life; Third, always recognize Jesus in the midst - the apostles recognized Jesus in the catch of fish; the apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, defended the faith from those who wish its death. Let's strive always to give witness to Jesus even in the ordinariness of life.

The Church, a sign of the resurrection of Jesus Luke 24:35-48 The resurrection stories are marked by a movement from disbelief to belief, confusion to clarity, and sorrow to joy.  This is the message of Jesus.  But there are profound teachings underneath the miracle of the resurrection: First, that Jesus is the Christ foretold in the Old Testament We are called to challenge even the little faith we have in Jesus instead of the things of this world; nourish it and make it grow. Second, that Jesus makes possible the forgiveness of sins Jesus would not allow men and women to die in their sins.  This is the central message of the resurrection.  Death and sin have no power over him. Third, we are called to be witness to the resurrection of Jesus This marks the very mission of the Church; it is the very reason of its existence - to tell the story of the resurrection and cause the resurrection of people. In a world geared to gloom and despair, the Church...

Called to announce the Good News John 20:11-18 Fresh from the Easter experiences, like Mary Magdalene and Peter, we are called to be proclaimers of the resurrection of Jesus.  What particular aspect of the resurrection do we proclaim about? First, always proclaim the forgiveness of sins.  Sin leads to death; forgiveness leads to life.  We who are condemned to punishment are made clean through the forgiveness of Jesus.  Let us focus on forgiveness rather than condemning people to death.  We just don't have the right mind to do it. Second, always proclaim hope, life, and joy.  Proclaim the Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus.  The Holy Father and the entire Church and all its members transmit no other news except this one; St. Paul said, "If Christ didn't rise from the dead, our faith is useless."  Our existence as Church does not depend on human efforts but simply on the grace of Jesus resurrected.  That's why we practice our f...

Disciples or betrayers? Matthew 26:14-25 With a day away from the celebration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the sin of betrayal is planted in Judas' heart.  He now fulfills his role as a traitor. In the first reading from Isaiah, "The Lord has given me a disciple's tongue."  We now are confronted with this question: Who are we - disciples or betrayers? The disciple's identity springs from his relationship with God himself.  As God is Lord, he is a follower.  He is not the owner.  Judas started owning his own plan of salvation apart from Jesus. Second, the disciple is molded to perfection by the master himself.  In Isaiah, we witnessed a meek disciple who let the violent hurt him.  But he stayed meek and humble.  On the other hand, Judas seeks more power; he just received thirty pieces of silver. Finally, a disciple is fruitful because everything is God's work and he is witness of God's blessings.  the traitor o...

Restoration John 13:21-33,36-38 Let's reflect about restoring things.  God already has his plan of restoring things: in and through Jesus. We have been torn by division and destruction caused by sin.  A restored world consists of the following: God is glorified above all.  The moment Satan entered in Judas, he ceased glorifying God.  Our lives should be filled with God's presence and all our efforts be geared at glorifying him and no other. Jesus glorifies the Father and is himself glorified.  He glorifies the Father through his obedience of his will as well as his actions of passion, death, and resurrection.  Let us travel through life's road through the salvific actions of Jesus. God's children will be reunited with him.  A happy reunion, all God's children will be restored to life and their relationships become whole again.  This is what we should look forward to in God's world where everyone experiences life in God and are one with...

What is right John 12:1-11 How do we know what is right and what is not? From the gospel, even though Judas seemingly had good intentions, Jesus reprimanded him not to stop what Mary was doing for him, "For my burial"; he added, "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." This Holy Week, we are challenged to be more discerning of God's ways rather than men's.  The first requisite is of course total adherence to God.  Follow God rather than men.  As Jesus is a direct reflection of God himself, so we as Catholics are called to reflect God in our own life, thought, word, and deed. We can know God's ways through his teachings, in scriptures, and in the Tradition of the Church. The second one is our respect and value for life and for the good of all, not just the desirable, selected few.  History is infected with all sorts of biases with people claiming they have the power to choose whom to accept or reject.  Enter i...

Godly person John 10:31-42 We are dwelling on the Godliness of God, offered to us in Jesus. Godliness is brought about by one's communion with the Father.  Jesus becomes the sacrament of the Father.  The Church is the sacrament of Jesus.  This marks our identity in God. A godly person is a disciple; he or she is consecrated to God; and all his or her actions are God's actions in the world, redeeming, healing. Remember the fruitfulness of a godly act - filled with mercy and compassion, not revenge or death.

Lifting Jesus up John 8:21-30 Glorifying Jesus at this stage in our Lenten preparation means knowing Jesus most deeply and believing totally in him. Today's gospel underscores the following: 1. that without him, people will die in their sins unless they believe in him.  Here we recognize the urgency to follow Jesus as disciples would. 2. that he is directly united with the Father as the Son of God; Jesus being the very image of the Father, all powerful but all-loving.  One's life need to reflect the image of the Father in the world. 3. that he will be lifted up in the Resurrection; Jesus is to be glorified by his passion, death, and resurrection. Let our lives be a constant experience of suffering, dying, and rising up with Christ then we shall see the full meaning of life in glorifying Jesus.