Inspirations at your Fingertips!

Thursday of week 3 in Ordinary Time Mark 4:21-25 Have you encountered a real change in life as you devoted your time, talent, and treasure to get to know, love, adore, and serve Jesus? It should happen that way.  The readings tell us that as Jesus is holy, so we are clothed in holiness. Jesus is full of love; so too may we love others. Jesus initiated the work of salvation; so too may we participate in the life of the Church that leads to salvation. In other words, the our lives shine through as we give witness to Jesus.  As the gospel describes it, "The measure we measure will be measured back to us."

11 January  Luke 5:12-16  While Christmas season is nearly over, realize that the true legacy of Christmas is just beginning and needs to be nourished.  The legacy is Jesus in our hearts.  in the first reading St. John expounds on the reality of Jesus and how he makes us new creation in God the Father. In the gospel, Jesus performed miracles that not only amazed the Jews but made them open to the reality of God's healing graces.  True enough, that Jesus' coming signaled the coming of the "year of favor" from the Lord. Jesus is the new era of our lives. Let us detect that newness in our lives brought about by Jesus' coming: First, the Spirit The Spirit gives us the life that we need to live fully, enjoy God's gifts and use it fully to serve others!  Our way of life is changed with meaningful works brought about by our intense relationship with the Holy Spirit that gives us life which we in turn also give to others. Second, water Water is f...

20 December Luke 1:26-38 We have started this nine days novena that leads to the celebration of Christmas, not as opening of gifts, but fulfilling a prophesy that "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.  Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.  In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow" (Is 35: 5 - 7). We were prepared so far as to start journeying into the world of integrity, solid faith, hope, and love.  Now, the Holy Spirit dwelt on Mary, the Immaculate Conception, whose heart is pure before God and man, and whose obedience was absolute, "I am the maidservant of the Lord; let it be done to me as you said" (Lk. 1: 38).  What does it take for us to incarnate Christ with such definitiveness? First, there is no...

Friday of week 26 in Ordinary Time Luke 10:13-16 Job, who sought an answer from the Lord for the misery he experienced, got the response he deserved, and much more, God revealed his true power of being the Creator of the entire world.  How could we question his ways? In the gospel, Jesus expressed his disappointment with Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for not listening to his words. We are called to listen to God not only with our ears, but with our minds and hearts.  Our ears lead us to hear, but our minds lead us to understand, and much more, our hearts lead us to form our lives in accord with the ways of God.  What we learn become part of our values and attitudes, and they translate to behavior, the very action of our lives. This is our prayer then: first, that we may learn God's ways; second, that we put them to heart; and third, that we may follow him in this journey through life.

St. Francis of Assisi Thursday of week 26 in Ordinary Time  Luke 10:1-12  If there as saints as relevant and as well known in today's world, it would be St. Francis, a man who renounced all wealth, even his father, so he can freely call God his father and follows of ways of Jesus. St. Francis, renounced everything, yet his wealth is the wealth of the creation of God. He also lived out the gospels in the literal way, and showed us that it is really possible to live that way of life that God provides. The first reading is about the total dependence on God; as he is also the one whom Job wants to talk to.  Yet his defender is God himself.  St. Francis denounced the world but made God his supreme defender and Father. The gospel is precisely how St. Francis lived in this world, not depended on any material things, but totally immersed in the mission to proclaim the Good News.  His wealth is love incarnated in himself. He taught us how to live like a chi...

Thursday of week 24 in Ordinary Time , Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions, Martyrs Luke 7:36-50 Who among us claim to be worthy to receive and and even demand to receive God's mercy? St. Paul admitted that he persecuted Christians before he was converted to the faith.  He then reminded the people to hold on to their faith in Christ crucified. In the Gospel, the unworthy woman who washed Jesus feet with her tears and dried them with her her may be more worthy to receive God's graces rather than the pharisee who invited Jesus to his home but in turn made more demands to him. As unworthy servants of the Lord this is what we can do: 1.  We rely totally on God's graces rather than our own This is a expression of our total helplessness vis. a vis. that world's call for us to rely totally on our own. On the contrary, only God can supply us with the graces necessary for us to live each day.  What we can do is to show...

Our Lady of Sorrows John 19:25-27 Whenever we think of Mary, it is inevitable that we always think of Jesus.  Mary is like the light of the moon that gets its light from the sun. As we have celebrated the Exultation of cross yesterday, now we recall how Mary partook of the sufferings of Jesus, her son, and eventually, shared in our sufferings as well as our way to Jesus. From the seven Sorrows of Mary, we could reflect on how the sorrows of Mary become salvific.  I shall mention three: First, "A sword shall pierce your heart" (Luke 2:33-35) From the very start, Mary's vocation is not one of glamour or fame; it's the mark of a disciple and a servant out to please God.  But Mary chose that path for us. Second, "Do you not know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2: 43-45) The pain of Mary losing her son is the pain of every mother and father to their children.  But isn't it that the vocation of every parent is to rear the children ...