Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Easter Saturday Mark 16:9-15  It's quite puzzling that as St. Mark described the resurrection account, there were those who still didn't believe.  In today's times, we call it "skepticism". Skepticism kills the mind of possibilities of creativity, change and progress.  Skepticism kills the hope in us, most specially in our young people who are filled with idealism.  Skepticism kills our faith in God, the source of all promises.  Eventually, skepticism kills the love in our hearts and causes us to be selfish and greedy. Yet, despite the negativity, Jesus said, "Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation." He means what he says; for a positive outlook brings back creativity, faith, hope, and love.  Furthermore, his resolve is reflected in his apostles who declared, "It is better for us to follow God rather than men." For in men, all hope is lost; but in God, everything becomes possible.

Easter Thursday Luke 24:35-48 In this Easter Week let's turn our attention to Peter who gave witness to Jesus in an authoritative and compelling way.  The popes, filled with the Holy Spirit, also attested in this way. What is in the very heart of Peter may also be in the hearts that Jesus wants from all of us.  It's not simply the length of our days in the Church as Catholics that marks of our name as Catholics but in the following ways: 1. In our intense knowledge of Jesus - by allotting a significant portion of our lives to knowing him and the truths of our faith which are deeply grounded in him.  2. In the love that is planted in our hearts - the things that lie in the heart should be the same as Jesus' heart.   They manifest in our priorities in life, either for God or against him. 3. In our capacity to discern the scheme of things - coupled with our life's choices, we are faced with the truth of our being whether our knowledge of God or lac...

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" Luke 23: 46 I prayed for this when my mother was in the hospital; she was placed in a certain spot in ICU where she could see what lied beyond the window, for with the trees and leaves, there was light.  I said to my mother, "Nanay, please focus on the light, focus on the light of Christ.  Entrust your life only to him." This for me is what these last words mean, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." First, focus only on the Father Let us focus on nowhere else but the Father, the author of life, the first beginning and the last end.  Let's focus on uniting ourselves with him, can calling him with utmost intensity, "Father".  No one, not even men nor evil forces can separate ourselves from him.  Jesus showed the way when he prayed this; for this prayer reflected the total union between Jesus' spirit and his Father; and so with us. Secondly, entrust our spirit  Jesus' ...

Holy Tuesday John 13:21-33,36-38 "I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me." Betrayal is truly a loaded word.  The apostles started asking, "Is it I, Lord?" Meanwhile, in the first reading, Isaiah spoke of himself as called before he was even born: "The Lord called me before I was born,"from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name." All of us were called even before we were born.  But to speak of betrayal is a sad state.  Jesus said, But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born" (Matt. 26: 24). We betray when at the onset, we are not faithful to God because we prioritize mundane things.  We betray because we are not faithful to our vocation.  We betray because eventually, we have not fulfilled the very reason why the Lord created us in the first place. Let's stay faithful to our call, the call even before we were born.  Be attuned with the promptings of the Holy ...

Tuesday of the 4th week of Lent John 5:1-3,5-16 Today's readings focus on fullness and plenty, from barrenness of the desert to lush greenery and fields.  In the Gospel, that life-giving water is Jesus himself who healed the paralytic to health.  He  need not go to the waters of Bethesda. There are three things God restores us to health: First, from death to sin to life in grace. Second, from the darkness of mind to enlightened one. And third, from bodily sickness to health. Evil brings sickness; God is our health.