Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Tuesday of week 29 in Ordinary Time Luke 12:36-38 St. Pope John Paul II is regarded as the pope that brought us safely to the Great Jubillee of the New Millennium.  Everyone is uncertain that he would make, but he proudly prepared all of Christendom to welcome Jesus as we entered into the year 2000. This is also the gist of the readings for today.  They point to Jesus. St. Paul to the Romans pointed to Jesus as the destroyer of sin and restorer of grace. In the Gospel for today, Jesus explained that the servant who prepares for his master's return is truly blessed indeed. Pope John Paul II prepared the Church in so many ways.  First, he went out of Italy and traveled to different countries, 95 of them, to announce Jesus to them.  He also wrote various books, documents, encyclicals, all explaining one by one the image of the Lord in various topics that affect the Church. But what for me is most admirable is how he introduction to the whole world the beau...

Wednesday of week 27 in Ordinary Time Luke 11:1-4 Jonah's sentiments reflect a lot about our human frailties.  We all want to get even; we want justice; we want that our enemies suffer.  Well, the bad news is - this is not our story; this is God's story.  God chose to save Niniveh and save a people who couldn't understand which is left and right.  We will not get everything we want; rather, we can be assured that it's always God's will that will be followed, and God's will is filled with mercy and compassion. Instead of being too preoccupied with our wants and desires, opt more to fulfill God's will and plan for all of us.  The Lord's prayer says it all - about adoring God, fulfilling his will, providing us with food each day, forgiving others as we are forgiven by God, and delivering us from evil. Let our life story be God's story, not ours.

Luke 10:38-42 The people and  beasts of Niniveh starting from the king down to the least, repented in sackcloth and ashes.  But in the Gospel, Jesus had to reprimand Martha for being too preoccupied with the household chores that she forgot to pay attention to Jesus. Before we can proceed with asking for forgiveness, we have to know when we have sinned.  The trouble with our generation is that it forgot to understand what constitutes sin or not.  People who constantly excuse themselves for not serving the Lord because of a busy schedule; people living in without the benefit of the sacraments; people justifying how they hurt others in the name of justice, people who justify abortion as a way of life, divorces everywhere - we have lost sight of what is true and good. Only in admitting that we have sinned could we start the road to repentance.  Humility, the grace to understand that we have fallen short of the kingdom of God, becomes an imperative for forgive...