Didache - Daily Bible Reflections for Catholics

Daily Reflections - March 3, 2012

2012-03-02T07:17:00.002+08:00

THE BEST WAY TO PEACE

Pope John Paul II was nearly killed by a frustrated assassin. The criminal was put to jail. The Pope, in a surprising gesture, visited his assailant and manifested to him his forgiveness. The Pope wanted to win him rather than lose him, to free him spiritually even if physically he was going to be imprisoned for a long time. Justice does not end with punishment. It should turn into reformation and conversion.

Jesus once told His disciples that they would be known by how they love each other. He knew that their witnessing would be more effective than their preaching. In the Gospel today, He said that love should include one’s enemies — something new to His Apostles’ ears then, and still is a struggle for Christians today.

But Christianity is addition. An enemy converted to the fold is most welcome and a significant victory. It is the task of the Christian to win the enemy, not to annihilate him. Every soul needs to be saved because Jesus died for every soul. Thus, loving does and should not discriminate. As Jesus hung on the cross, His first words were, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.” He could have unleashed His power over His tormentors, but He knew that it would not get them nearer to salvation. Instead, He expressed His love and forgiveness by dying on the cross. He was right. Many who realized His love followed Him. Christian love conquers all!

The Christian way is more persuasive and potent in creating a moral world. Getting even will not lead to the peace and order we so desire. Death penalties will not deter criminals. Loving our enemies is more effective. It has softened many hardened hearts. Love is possible even to an enemy. The goal is to win them, not defeat them, and to make everyone avail of the salvation wrought by Jesus’ death on the cross. The goal is not to let anyone be lost. Fr. Benny Tuazon

REFLECTION QUESTION: Forgiveness is a constant call during Lent. Are you responding to it?

Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to forgive those who have wronged me. And with a humble and contrite heart, I ask for Your forgiveness for my wrongdoings, too.

Daily Bible Readings - March 03, 2012

2012-03-02T07:16:00.003+08:00

1^st READING

The commitment to follow God as a disciple is dependent on our behavior. That is, we must both practice what we preach and lead righteous and holy lives. This is a lot to commit ourselves to as it means living a disciplined life until the day we die. We live in a world that tends not to like discipline. In fact, we tend to do our best to avoid it, if at all possible.

Deuteronomy 26:16-19

16 Moses spoke to the people, saying: “This day the Lord, your God, commands you to observe these statutes and decrees. Be careful, then, to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you are making this agreement with the Lord: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. 18 And today the Lord is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, 19 he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as he promised.”

P S A L M

Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8

R: Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

1 Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart. (R) 4 You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept. 5 Oh, that I might be firm in the ways of keeping your statutes! (R) 7 I will give you thanks with an upright heart, when I have learned your just ordinances. 8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me. (R)

GOSPEL

Perfection seems difficult to understand in the sense that it means living without sin. But this is exactly what it means. Jesus knows the power of the grace that is available to us through His life, death and resurrection. Is it hard to believe that we can live perfect lives with the help of the Holy Spirit? If that is so, then what is the use of the Holy Spirit?

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Matthew 5:43-48

43 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

think: Is it hard to believe that we can live perfect lives with the help of the Holy Spirit?

READING 2nd READING

TODAY’S

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Peter 1-5 BLES

Daily Reflections- March 2, 2012

2012-03-02T07:16:00.000+08:00

FORGIVE AND FORGIVE

Next to the Eucharist, ministering in the Sacrament of Reconciliation touches me most. To hear and understand people’s struggles, offer counsel, give God’s absolution, and render relevant and just penance, are indeed extraordinary honors given to any human being. Knowing that another sinner has gone back to God is a joy! Though the ministry of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is entrusted by the Catholic Church only to ordained priests, the task of reconciliation is for everyone. A reconciled person is another less agent of evil and additional potential agent of good.

In the Gospel, Jesus warns us that it will be more difficult if we do not reconcile among ourselves. “Settle with your opponent while you are on your way to court. Otherwise, your opponent will hand you over to the judge.” Even today, we know how expensive, time consuming and tiring it is to go to court. But if we try settling our conflicts by getting even, worse things will surely happen. Jesus counsels us by telling us to reconcile.

Peace on earth was the reason God sent His only begotten Son. It was lovingly and willingly done for our salvation. Remember, it was us who sinned. Yet it was God who extended His hand in reconciliation. That is how much He loved us. Reconciliation is really the best way for us. It leads us not only to peace within ourselves, but also with others and God. Reconciliation is salvation.

Throughout the ministry of the Lord Jesus, He sought sinners and invited them to Him. Zacchaeus, Magdalene, Peter, and even the Pharisees, Saducees, scholars and scribes were not spared. Many accepted the invitation. But many, sadly, also did not. Yet His work is never done. Now, He invites us to join Him in being an agent of peace among men. Every baptized Catholic is given that responsibility. Everyone is included in that mission. The Catholic Church’s celebration of the Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter seasons are meant to achieve this goal. Fr. Benny Tuazon

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you have a standing conflict with certain persons? What is preventing you from reconciling with them?

Lord Jesus, soften my heart and melt my pride to initiate reconciliation with the people I am in conflict with.

Daily Bible Readings - March 02, 2012

2012-03-02T07:14:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

Conversion is a key element of our faith. It sets the foundation for how our faith grows. None of us comes to faith without needing some kind of conversion. There are always aspects of our lives that can be better attuned to God’s Word and His will. Let us never be afraid to surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit so that He can guide us along the path of conversion.

Ezekiel 18:21-28

21 Thus says the Lord God: If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. 23 Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord God. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live? 24 And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die. 25 You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? 26 When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. 27 But if a wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; 28 since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

P S A L M

Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7, 7-8

R: If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! 2 Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication. (R) 3 If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand? 4 But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered. (R) 5 I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in his word. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn. 7 Let Israel wait for the Lord. (R) For with the Lord is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; 8 and he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities. (R)

GOSPEL

Is it up to us to make judgment on the decisions of others? Yes, at times it is, but in a definitive sense it is not. Judging others is something that we should not do, if at all possible. One reason for this is that God will judge us according to the standards we use to judge others. This is not a comforting thought unless we can be sure that we will always judge with the depth of love and mercy that God has for those who do not offend or judge others. Early in his pontificate, John Paul II wrote an encyclical called Dives in Misericordia, (Rich in Mercy). Let us take the time to read it and deepen our understanding of the mercy we should develop in ourselves.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the Lord, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Matthew 5:20-26

20 Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. 21 “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

BLESSING

LIST

think: Judging others is not something that we should do, if at all possible.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR James 1-5

Daily Reflections - March 01, 2012

2012-03-01T08:34:00.002+08:00

GETTING MORE FROM GOD

Something new came to my life when I was reassigned to a new parish. Aside from being parish priest, I was also the director of its parochial school. I had no experience in running a school before. The first months were orientation time. While I was learning, I was already functioning and starting to love the new challenges but was being made aware of my lack and inexperience. I was also adjusting to my new parish — another big responsibility. Then I felt I needed to discern whether to continue with both positions. Honestly, I saw that leaving the school would be very good for me. I prayed to God and asked Him to help me in my decision. No answer, or so I thought.

I went on dispensing both responsibilities until I realized one day that months had already passed since I prayed to God for help. Then I found out that He had answered my prayers. Unconsciously and gradually, I was able to adjust to both positions. And I realized that God wanted me to stay.

I am sure many Catholics had expressed their wills in prayer a lot of times and were frustrated or became impatient. The words of the Lord Jesus gives a perfect assurance that those who ask will be given; those who seek will find; and for those who knock, the door will be opened. God is not deaf, blind or calloused. So, where is the catch?

There is really no catch. We have to understand who God is. Indeed God is a provider. But God is not just a giver or a protector. God is a Father, a Savior in Jesus Christ, and an inspiration in the Spirit. Such is the Trinitarian nature of God.

Also, God is good — in the sense that He always gives the best for us, nothing less. Our wisest assessment will always fall short of God’s wisdom. Whenever we go before God, we should always remember to depend on His Will more than ours.

God’s mission did not stop in Jesus Christ. He continues that mission in us. Doubting Him, in the beginning, is not absolutely bad. But hopefully, we will be humble enough to follow His Will. Fr. Benny Tuazon

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: In a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 the highest), how would you rate your trust in God? What would make it a perfect 10?

Lord God, help me to trust always in the truth that Your love for me is perfect and unconditional, that You give me only and always what’s best for me.

Daily Bible Readings - March 01, 2012

2012-03-01T08:33:00.000+08:00

1^st READING

Esther knows where the real power is. She knows where to go to get help. She goes straight to the Lord in prayer. We can all learn something from her. There are times when we need all the help we can get. As Esther teaches us, it is as simple as humbly approaching God and asking Him to help us. Let us keep this in mind the next time we encounter difficulties.

Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25

[C:12] Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the Lord. 30 [C:14] She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids, from morning until evening, and said: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, 31 [C:15] for I am taking my life in my hand. 32 [C:16] As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O Lord, always free those who are pleasing to you. [C:23] Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord, my God. “And now, come to help me, an orphan. 40 [C:24] Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion, and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish. 41 [C:25] Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.”

P S A L M

Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 7-8

R: Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; 2 I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. (R) Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. 3 When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. (R) 7 Your right hand saves me. 8 The Lord will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. (R)

GOSPEL

Matthew affirms what Esther knows is true — that God is always ready to help His people. Do we believe this or not? Do we have the humility to recognize that we need to ask for help? Humility is critical to the life of a disciple because without it, a person would not be willing to learn from his mentor. And in this case, the mentor is Jesus.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

A clean heart create for me, God; give me back the joy of your salvation.

READING 2nd READING

TODAY’S

Matthew 7:7-12

7 Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, 10 or a snake when he asks for a fish? 11 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”

think: Do we have the humility to recognize that we need to ask for help?

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Hebrews 9-13

Daily Reflections- February 29, 2012

2012-02-29T07:30:00.001+08:00

PREACHING AND REPENTANCE

Jonah was an interesting character with an interesting story. A reluctant prophet when God asked him to prophesy, he foot-dragged, hemmed and hawed, protested and complained. But in the end, he obeyed and did what he was asked to do. Contrary to his expectations, the people over whom he had no control, repented.

Men simply want to be in control all the time. We get insecure and anxious if we can’t put a handle on things and events. We get rattled when we cannot predict the outcome. As a counselor, allow me to read into Jonah’s mind for a while. I should think that Jonah imagined the worst and initially refused to do God’s bidding because he could not really control the outcome of his preaching, or worse, he feared that the people would turn against him. Such a loss of control is not a very appealing prospect for men in general.

In the years I have been facilitating couple’s workshops and self-awareness modules for adults, it has always been the men who brush feelings aside when they begin to sense a loss of control. Oftentimes, sensing that they are about to be overwhelmed by their feelings, they get right back to thinking mode and declare themselves free from issues, anger or resentment, or that they have forgotten everything and forgiven everyone, and that they no longer have anything against the past or anyone from the past. Most who do so, go home with a sense of not having done what originally they have set out to do. They return home feeling incomplete and their time wasted.

But there is something that men do that can surprise even themselves. They can make a sudden turnaround for seemingly unexplainable reasons. Like Jonah did. He made an about-face. He preached metanoia but, without knowing it, he was the first to do what he asked people to do. He led by example. He literally turned around and did what God asked him to. And all it takes is a decision, never mind the feelings. What Jonah was asked to preach, he did. He repented! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: How well do you walk your talk?

May I always be true to my words, Lord. May my actions reveal that I am Your disciple.

Daily Bible Readings - February 29, 2012

2012-02-29T07:30:00.000+08:00

1^st READING

God is a God of mercy and compassion. He is also reluctant to exclude anyone from the life of grace He desires for us. Yet He will not force anyone against their will. He wants us to choose to love Him. Love that is not freely chosen is not love at all. Jesus knows this from His own choices as a human being in remaining obedient to His Father’s will despite the suffering it involved.

Jonah 3:1-10

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.” 3 So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord’S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,” 5 when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. 7 Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles: “Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. 8 Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. 9 Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish.” 10 When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

P S A L M

Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19

R: A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R) 16 [18] For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 17 [19] My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. (R)

GOSPEL

BLESSING

LIST

Repentance is the greatest sign we can give to an unbelieving generation. Unbelievers cannot understand repentance because it makes no sense to them as they do not have a concept of sin that demands conversion. This is one of the reasons why it can be so difficult to proclaim the Gospel to unbelievers. For the same reason this is why it is important that we live the fullness of our Christian lives in order to win unbelievers over to our way of life.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful.

Luke 11:29-32

29 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. 30 Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. 32 At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

BL T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Hebrews 5-8

Daily Reflections- February 28, 2012

2012-02-28T08:05:00.000+08:00

THE END FOR WHICH HE WAS SENT

The writer Matthew Kelly makes a good point when he says that most young people nowadays are missing a whole lot for the simple reason that they don’t know what they want. They don’t have singleness of purpose. And if one does not have a sense of purpose, it doesn’t matter much what happens. Anything will do. “Que sera, sera,” as the old song goes. Whatever will be, will be!

Kelly argues further that people who have a sense of purpose and are focused on what they want go a step farther. They eventually develop the virtues, habits and skills needed to propel that dream. Bill Gates knew what he wanted, and he lost no time developing whatever it would take to make him reach his dream. Blessed Mother Teresa also had it. So did Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Little Johnny Bosco also nurtured what he euphemistically called a dream. At nine years old, he already nurtured a vision that accrued from a dream about wolves becoming sheep. Almost 175 years after, that dream has become, and still is, a reality in more than 130 countries all over the world.

But apart from Mother Teresa of Calcutta, John Paul II, John Bosco and many other saints, there was someone else who had a dream for humanity, for the world, for all men and women of good will — God!

Today, the First Reading gives us a glimpse of that divine dream. Using the images of rain and snow that does not come down and return up without first producing good results, God’s Word, Isaiah tells us, does not return to Him void but achieves the end for which God sent it.

Our faith in the power of the same Word leads us to do as God’s Son did. We pray and talk to the Father in the words our Lord Himself taught us. And how do we know this prayer is efficacious? We know it through the example of the Son. He had singleness of purpose: to do the Father’s will, the end for which He was sent. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Have you found your life’s purpose? If you haven’t, avail of the grace of the Lenten Season to listen to God and know the purpose for which He created you.

Grant me, Lord, a singleness of purpose that I may fulfill Your will for my life.

Daily Bible Readings - February 28, 2012

2012-02-28T08:04:00.000+08:00

1^st READING

Isaiah prophesied that God’s will and word do not return without accomplishing their intention. Sometimes it may be difficult for us to see how this is true, but in faith we must learn to trust in the promises of God, or all will be lost. Jesus never said it would be easy or that we would always understand everything. I suppose this is why we call it a life of faith.

Isaiah 55:10-11

10 Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, 11 So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

P S A L M

Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19

R: From all their distress God rescues the just.

3 [4] Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name. 4 [5] I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him. (R) 15 [16] The Lord has eyes for the just, and ears for their cry. 16 [17] The Lord confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. (R) 17 [18] When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. 18 [19] The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. (R)

GOSPEL

It is not the words of our prayers that are important but the intentions and conviction with which we pray them. Words come easily and may represent very beautiful and noble ideals. However, if we do not put them into practice daily, they mean nothing. Jesus, You tell us in John’s Gospel that they will know we are Christians by the love we have for each other (John 13:35). Help me to live the truths I both believe and proclaim.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

One does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Matthew 6:7-15

7 Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, 10 thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; 13 and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

think: It is not the words of our prayers that are important but the intentions and conviction with which we pray them.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Hebrews 1-4

Daily Reflections- February 27, 2012

2012-02-27T08:03:00.001+08:00

BE HOLY!

The beatification last year of Pope John Paul II was long awaited and expected by not a few of us who knew him even from afar and loved him almost up close and personal. Twenty-four of my 29 years as a priest were spent during his pontificate. He became Pope when I was only 22 years old, working as a parish pastoral assistant to an Italian priest in a then very young parish that the priest started in Calamba, Laguna.

I got to see and meet the Pope from a close vantage point: first, when I belonged to a team that covered his visit in 1980 with my reliable old double lens parallax camera; and second, as a 39-year-old priest (the last time I officially belonged to the world of the “youth”), leading a whole bunch of seminarians at the Luneta Park for the World Youth Day 1995 in Manila.

I write about him because today, we are given an important challenge from the First Reading: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” It is hard for anyone who followed Pope John Paul II very closely not to associate him with holiness. The whole world sensed this. Everyone knew it, for Karol Wojtyla lived it right from the start. He was consistent and relentless in his pursuit of holiness. When he died, the whole world clamored for it. “Santo subito,” we demanded.

On closer look, this command from the Lord really sums up and gives meaning to what comes after. This is the real “word” that is the foundation of the 10 “words” or commandments (which is what Decalogue literally means).

Holiness is possible. This is what Blessed Pope John Paul II tells us. That was what he taught us when he beatified and canonized a record number of saintly men and women during his pontificate. He had a vision for himself and for the Church that he so loved and faithfully served. And despite the pain and the suffering associated with old age, he remained steadfast in that dream. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: What is your vision for your Christian life?

Lord, fire me up with the desire to be holy as You are holy.

Daily Bible Readings - February 27, 2012

2012-02-27T08:02:00.000+08:00

1^st READING

We hear an echo of this call to holiness in chapter 6 of Luke’s Gospel. In the Old Testament we find a focus on the numerous social injustices present in Jewish society. The Law tries to address these injustices but we are all aware of the deviousness of humanity – we simply find a way of bending the laws to suit our position. This is why conversion of heart is so essential. Unless we truly seek to live a holy life, sin will get the better of us most of the time when temptation comes our way.

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. 11 You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another. 12 You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. 13 You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer. 14 You shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord. 15 You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly. 16 You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the Lord. 17 You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him. 18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

P S A L M

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

7 [8] The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9] The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just. (R) 14 [15] Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (R)

GOSPEL

Once again we are presented with the challenge to ensure that our lives meaningfully speak of the values we proclaim when we call ourselves Christians. It is not going to be easy to live up to the high standard Jesus sets for us, but if we lower the standards and settle for second-best, what we are doing is giving in to sin and mediocrity. Let us seek the higher calling and embrace the cost of discipleship as it will bring us to the gift of eternal life.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Matthew 25:31-46

31 Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32 and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ 44 Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ 46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

think: Let us seek the higher calling and embrace the cost of discipleship as it will bring us the gift of eternal life.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Titus and Philemon

9-21

Daily Reflections - February 26, 2012

2012-02-27T07:58:00.003+08:00

THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT

Mountain trekkers and climbers are familiar with the experience — that moment when one either retraces his steps back down, or decides to make that “final assault” to conquer the peak. But in order to face the “time of fulfillment,” one needs to make difficult decisions and hard choices. One has to travel light, to say the least. One has to leave behind all other accoutrements and pare oneself down to the bare essentials. And there is no tarrying, no bargaining, no ifs and buts. One simply has to choose and decide wholeheartedly.

In my much younger years, I remember a time we took the longer and more difficult route from Pulag, via the Kabayan trail. We had a guest climber from abroad who hoodwinked us into believing that he had training and experience. At a particularly precipitous and dangerous part of the climb down, he panicked. He froze. And he wouldn’t budge, shaking with fright. The fear was contagious and paralyzing. As team leader, I knew I had to act swiftly and decisively, as there was no turning back at that point.

I would like to think that after the massive floods that Noah experienced, there was also no turning back. They just had to move on with life and move up to a higher plane. They were being invited by the Lord Yahweh to a covenant. It was a moment of fulfillment, something akin to what anthropologists refer to as a liminal moment, a threshold experience that leads one to something bigger, better, nicer and nobler. God did His part of the bargain. He promised no more floods ever. But Noah and his companions were taken to task, with a huge reminder for everyone to see — a “bow in the clouds to serve as a sign.”

That sign gives way now to a bigger one — that of the Son of Man who came down from the clouds, bringing a multiplicity of other signs. It is now the “time of fulfillment,” He says. And our end of the bargain is: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Where do you find fulfillment?

Lord God, my soul longs to find fulfillment in You.

Daily Bible Readings - February 26, 2012

2012-02-27T07:57:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

God promises Noah that He will never send a flood like this one again. It is a promise we need to consider, as it reveals to us that God desires the best for us in an unequivocal way. Sin is the flood that threatens our existence; the resurrection is the power that will roll back the flood. God promised not to send a destructive flood to fight sin. He sent His Son to die for us and put an end to the power of sin and death.

Genesis 9:8-15

8 God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. 11 I will establish my covenant with you,that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.” 12 God added: “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: 13 I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall Never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.”

P S A L M

Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R: Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

4 Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 6 Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old. 7 In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord.(R) 8 Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (R)

2^nd READING

Peter is reflecting upon the nature of baptism in this text. Through baptism we enter into the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is in baptism that we are reborn into a new life. Eternal life is beckoning to us through the generous offer of Jesus. Are we going to accept it or consign ourselves to being a footnote in history because of either our pride or sheer stupidity?

1 Peter 3:18-22

18 Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. 19 In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, 20 who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.21 This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

GOSPEL

Jesus spent some time in the desert reflecting upon the seriousness of the mission He was about to begin. The Gospel of Luke describes a number of temptations. After coming back to civilization the ministry of the Gospel began with full intent. He knew that the message He had to bring to the world was a watershed moment for human history; the news of the coming salvation of humanity could be nothing less.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Mark 1:12-15

12 The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, 13 and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. 14 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: 15 “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is athand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

think: Eternal life is beckoning us through the generous offer of Jesus.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Timothy 1-4

N 19-21 SABBATH PAUSE

My weekly time with God

THANK YOU LIST

Things to be grateful for from the past week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL NEEDS

Things to ask God for in the coming week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

HIDDEN TREASURE

Most important word God told me this week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Daily Reflections- February 24, 2012

2012-02-24T07:13:00.001+08:00

CALL AND THE LORD WILL ANSWER!

As I write, I can’t help but think about my brand new cell phone, the first “smart phone” I ever had since cell phones became de rigueur everywhere. Funny, but cell phones have become anything but “phones” — a word that literally has to do with sounds. Nowadays, we don’t “call” people anymore by phone. We text. We “miss call” them. We PM or SMS them. When we call people, hardly anyone readily answers. One first looks at who is calling and “ignores,” “rejects,” or takes the call.

The call-response continuum has been restructured. All this has belied the passage that has become my title for this reflection.

But this is precisely good news for us to consider today. Despite all the gizmos and gadgets designed to foster communication, there is really less and less personal interaction between individuals, when one can “delete” “friends” at will any time for the flimsiest of reasons. We need to re-appropriate this piece of good news.

It is good news for us, now that we are inundated by noise that masquerades as news. All sorts of dastardly acts that reflect man’s inhumanity to man, do leave us battered, if not tattered, as far as the “hope that is in us” is concerned. Add to that all the shallow showbiz intrigues, the inanities espoused by primetime shows, and the natural tragedies that take place everywhere in the world — and hope flies out the window.

But the communication that the postmodern world now understands is, for the most part, unidirectional. It is sad to note that most postings in Facebook and other social networking accounts go unanswered, maybe unnoticed, but people simply go on broadcasting in cyberspace. But the prayer that the readings speak of today is anything but unidirectional. “You shall call, and the Lord will answer!” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: This Lent, what questions about your life do you want to ask the Lord? Call on Him now.

Lord Jesus, help me to always remember that You do answer my every question in the way that’s best for me, in Your own time.

Daily Bible Readings - February 24, 2012

2012-02-24T07:13:00.000+08:00

1^st READING

The type of fasting that most pleases the Lord is when we are obedient to His will, that is, when we fast from placing our own wills in precedence to His will. Practicing this discipline takes a lot of sacrifice because it often means letting go of the things we enjoy and would rather do, and embrace a life that is focused on growing in holiness and obedience to God.

Isaiah 58:1-9

1 Thus says the Lord God: Cry out full-throated and unsparingly, lift up your voice like a trumpet blast; tell my people their wickedness, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2 They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the law of their God; they ask me to declare what is due them, pleased to gain access to God. 3 “Why do we fast, and you do not see it? Afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?” Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers. 4 Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw. Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high! 5 Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance that a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 This, rather, is the fasting that I wish releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; 7 sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. 8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; yourvindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry

for help, and he will say: Here I am!

P S A L M

Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 18-19

R: A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 3 [5] For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always. 4 [6] “Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.” (R) 16 [18] For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 17 [19] My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. (R)

GOSPEL

The most important aspect of fasting is the intention we have behind performing this act of penance. Fasting may be a useful thing in living a healthier way of life, but the spiritual gain from fasting has a lot to do with our intention when we fast. Motivation can be a tricky thing to measure so let us pray for the grace of the Spirit to purify our motivations in all that we do, and thus, help us keep our lives on the true path to eternal life.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord will be with you.

Matthew 9:14-15

14 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

1st READING 2nd READING

GOSPEL PSALM

TODAY’S

think: The type of fasting that most pleases the Lord is when we are obedient to His will.NG

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Timothy 1-3nd READ

Daily Reflections- February 25, 2012

2012-02-24T07:09:00.000+08:00

PLENTY EVEN ON THE PARCHED LAND

I was a young priest when the economy took a turn for the worse in the months and years following the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. I remember very well the many ways by which the Filipino people coped with much less, how we managed to stretch what little we had. Interesting new “recipes” that we now enjoy and take for granted were actually attempts at extending the lesser meat supply that people could afford — tokwa’t baboy, lugaw (which actually became a craze and a fad), along with many types of street food that now are part and parcel of our daily experience.

In many ways, less became more. The little that people had propelled them to work for more and actually achieve more with far less. But that more depended on a list of conditions.

People had to be creative. They had to learn to improvise. With government coffers empty, imported goods were out of the question for many people. We learned to make do with local ingredients, local parts, and whatever we could craft on our own.

The whole country looked like a picture of political, economic and cultural desolation. The land was more than just parched, literally and figuratively, most especially when El Niño ravaged the country in 1985. But out of this parched land came plenty! The four fateful and faith-filled days of February were the summation of everything good that happened despite, and maybe because of, the utter lack of so many things.

The First Reading today is a reminder of what sort of “plenty” awaits those who are willing to live with many “ifs” in real life: if we remove oppression; if we bestow bread on the hungry; if we observe the Sabbath; if we honor it instead of seeking our own interests, and so on.

There was precious little back then but so much treasure to speak of. At EDSA in those four days, there were miracles galore. Food and everything else flowed in abundance, proving what Isaiah spoke of — plenty even on the parched land! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: What blessings do you see in your present need?

Lord, help me to see Your love and providence even when times are hard.

Daily Bible Readings - February 25, 2012

2012-02-24T07:08:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

It is usually the poor who suffer most from the injustices of society for two main reasons. The first is that they are the least able to weather storms of adversity as they do not have ready access to the resources they need to do so. Secondly, they are least able to fight an injustice. The Church and all people of faith have a duty to fight for those least able to defend and support themselves. Let us seek to live just lives, helping others along the way to a better life themselves.

Isaiah 58:9-14

9 Thus says the Lord: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; 10 If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; 11 then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails. 12 The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; “Repairer of the breach,” they shall call you, “Restorer of ruined homesteads.” 13 If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight, and the Lord’s holy day honorable; if you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice — 14 Then you shall delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

P S A L M

Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.

1 Incline your ear, O Lord; answer me, for I am afflicted and poor. 2 Keep my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 You are my God. (R) Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (R) 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. 6 Hearken, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus calls everyone to follow Him, even the outcasts of society and its sinners. Tax collectors were considered traitors by the Jews because they enforced Roman oppression upon Jews. The taxes levied were quite onerous. This does not stop Jesus from naming a tax collector among the Twelve. This indicates quite clearly that we are not to judge anyone by their past life. What is important is whether or not we are presently responding to the grace of God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.

Luke 5:27-32

27 Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. 29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

think: Jesus calls everyone to follow Him, even the outcasts of society and its sinners.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Timothy 4-6nd READING

Daily Reflections- February 23, 2012

2012-02-23T07:11:00.006+08:00

THIS WILL MEAN LIFE FOR YOU

We all know how it feels — joyless days, dejection, disappointment, anger, resentment. We all know, too, where they lead us to — withdrawal from society, burying our heads in the sand of hate, hiding from friends, putting on a long face, and avoiding all forms of social interaction.

Henry David Thoreau wrote about going to his hideaway in the woods called Walden Pond. He wanted “to put to rout all that was not life!”

Yesterday, we entered seriously into our own, grander version of Walden Pond. We sort of retreated from the world. We paused awhile and considered how we may put to rout not only that which is not life but also that which causes downright death — the death of our soul.

How do we experience this kind of death? First in my list is the lack or absence of love. Two things are absolutely needed, Sigmund Freud says, for mental health: love and work. We need to experience loving others and being loved in return. Even neonatal and longitudinal studies have confirmed this over the past many decades. Newborn babies who were cuddled, exposed to a warm breast and placed near a beating human heart within 48 hours after being born, stood better chances of growing up psychologically whole and emotionally well-adjusted.

Second in my list is living like one is the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong — behaving as if whatever choices I make in my unbridled freedom can never be anything but right. This means nobody outside of me has the right to tell me what to do.

The third in my list is going it alone, doing a Lone Ranger, and cutting myself off from others, including God.

Let us hear it from today’s First Reading. We are given a choice between life and prosperity, death and doom. The Holy Book gives us the antidote to spiritual death. In place of the three listed above, we are told to love the Lord, heed His voice, and hold fast to Him. “That,” the passage says, “will mean life for you.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: When tragedy strikes, do you embrace it as an opportunity to choose life? Or do you choose doom?

I choose You, Lord, over all things and persons. I open myself to Your work in my life.

Daily Bible Readings - February 23, 2012

2012-02-23T07:11:00.001+08:00

1^st READING

A true faith life is always about the choices we make; it is all about the priorities we have in life. We can talk about being committed to God’s will, but if we do not make the choices to actually put such talk into practice, then it means nothing. Talk is cheap and easy; action is where we pay the price for our beliefs.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

15 Moses said to the people: “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. 17 If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other Gods, 18 I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy. 19 I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, 20 by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

P S A L M

Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6

R: Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

1 Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, 2 but delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. (R) 3 He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers. (R) 4 Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes. (R)

GOSPEL

We can spend our entire lives seeking the pleasures of the world and it will not satisfy our hunger for meaning in our lives. True meaning and satisfaction will only come when we accept the will of God for our lives and follow it. This is what the saints realized and focused on. It is not easy, but then the good things in life rarely come to us without a cost.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Repent, says the Lord; the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

LIST

2 Thessalonians 1-3

Luke 9:22-25

22 Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” 23 Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”

think: True meaning and satisfaction will come when we accept the will of God for our lives and follow it.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Thessalonians 1-3nd READING

Daily Reflections- February 21, 2012

2012-02-21T08:02:00.000+08:00

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

The story in today’s Gospel reflects a gap of communication between Jesus and the disciples. While Jesus was sharing with the disciples His prediction about His impending passion and death in Jerusalem for the second time, the disciples did not quite know what to make out of His words. But no one dared to ask Jesus about this. As a greater consequence, the disciples failed to relate with Jesus’ solemn words. They were discussing among themselves the issue of worldly greatness and ambitions at a time when Our Lord had His heart and mind set on suffering and death.

While we live in a time of more sophisticated and efficient communication, our Gospel underscores the fact that communication involves more than words and exchange of ideas. Communication is an interpersonal experience. Beyond and behind each word are emotions and feelings. To communicate is to read between the lines and feel what the other is trying to let you feel with his words. Besides understanding, authentic communication brings about empathy.

Empathy makes us feel what the other person is revealing deeply about himself and his experience. As we listen, we bracket ourselves and enter into the world of the other. From this empathy flows genuine compassion, and oneness of heart and soul.

In line with the call for Christians to be communicators of Good News through true understanding and compassion, Pope Benedict XVI teaches during the 2011 World Day of Communication that Christians have practical challenges in today’s digital age when the Internet has become a venue for new friendships. He sustained that Christians should be engaged in Internet and social networks not simply because of the desire to be present, but because these have become integral realities of life. Christians in the digital age should not succumb to the trend of making illusory avatars. But they should maintain real and authentic digital profiles that would enable truthful human exchanges of goodness of thoughts and sentiments. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What are your own standards in communicating with others? Do you communicate to impress or to express? Have you been “Christian” in your motives and attitudes in your participation in social networks through the Internet?

Lord Jesus, more than communicating myself to others, help me to communicate You to them.

Daily Bible Readings - February 21, 2012

2012-02-21T08:01:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

James wants to remind His listeners that we need to actively avoid any self-promotion when it comes to our service in the Kingdom of God. It is essential that we remain humble and meek at all times in order to never allow pride any place in our lives. Pride is one of the biggest enemies of the Gospel since, to receive the gift of salvation, one must humbly ask it from Jesus. If we are too proud, we will think it is beneath us to ask for anyone’s help for anything.

James 4:1-10

1 Beloved: Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? 2 You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. 3 You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks without meaning when it says, “The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy”? 6 But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. 9 Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

P S A L M

Psalm 55:7-8, 9-10, 10-11, 23

R: Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

6 [7] And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. 7 [8] Far away I would flee; I would lodge in the wilderness.” (R) 8 [9] “I would wait for him who saves me from the violent storm and the tempest.” 9 [10] Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels. (R) In the city I see violence and strife, 10 [11] day and night they prowl about upon its walls. (R) 22 [23] Cast your care upon the Lord, and he will support you; never will he permit the just man to be disturbed. (R)

GOSPEL

I wonder what it would have been like to know that you were going to die a violent death even though you were innocent of all sin. It is one thing to go to war with the knowledge that this is dangerous; it would be totally different to know you will die through no fault of your own. Such a reflection only serves to make me more impressed in the humility and love that Jesus manifested on the cross. Hopefully, we can imitate His empathy and compassion more faithfully.

LIST

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

Mark 9:30-37

30 Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. 31 He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. 33 They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. 35 Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” 36 Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me.”

think: Pride is one of the biggest enemies of the Gospel since, to receive the gift of salvation, one must humbly ask for it from Jesus.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Colossians 1-4nd READIN

Daily Reflections - February 18, 2012

2012-02-19T22:03:00.002+08:00

WE ARE LIVING THE END TIMES

We read today the Gospel account on the Transfiguration of Jesus. This time, let us draw another perspective on this very important event in the earthly life of Jesus. Biblicists point out that Peter’s reference to putting up three tents was no mere passing remark. It has to do with the Jewish belief that when the last days come, God will once more dwell with His people as He did in the Exodus experience: “When Israel lived in tents, and God too dwelt with them in the Tent of Meeting” (cf Deuteronomy 26:11-12; Ezekiel 37:27-28). Likewise, the mention of Elijah conversing with Moses links up with Revelations 11:3-6 where the sacred writer refers to the last days as a time when two witnesses will be sent by God: Elijah, who has the power to close the sky so that no rain falls; and Moses who has the power to smite the Earth with plagues. Elijah comes accompanying Jesus as the definitive prophet whom Moses himself refers to in Deuteronomy 34:10.

The earthly mission of Jesus therefore is not just the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. It is also the beginning of the End Times, for we expect no other revelation than what Jesus has taught. We expect no other messenger of God besides Jesus Himself. All that remains for us to do is to live out and apply what Jesus has given.

As Christians immersed in the Gospel truth and prayer, we need not be alarmed when we read about earthquakes, wars, tsunamis and massive destruction of lives due to cosmic upheavals. These do not make the End Times. We need not join the bandwagon of soothsayers and doomsday prophets. Our vision is clear: Jesus has come, and He alone is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Our faith in Him is our peace, our reconciliation, our rock. It is significant to note that, after the spectacular experience at Mount Tabor, where Peter, James and John saw a glimpse of heavenly power, the Gospel ends the majestic vision with a simple declaration: “Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.”Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you usually react to news reports about catastrophes and socio-political upheavals around the world? Pray now by casting all your cares and anxieties about the future to Jesus.

Lord Jesus, Your presence is a strong indication that all will be well.

Daily Bible Readings - February 18, 2012

2012-02-19T22:02:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

If we teach someone to do something wrong we become partially responsible for their sin. This is why Jesus warns that teachers of the Gospel can expect a harsher judgment than those who are not. Whether it is right or not, teachers and ministers of religion are held to a higher standard than the rest of the people. Let us see this as a blessing to inspire us to greater fidelity to God.

James 3:1-10

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, 2for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. 4 It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. 5 In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. 6 The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this need not be so.

P S A L M

Psalm 12:2-3, 4-5, 7-8

R: You will protect us, Lord.

1 [2] Help, O Lord! for no one now is dutiful; faithfulness has vanished from among the children of men. 2 [3] Everyone speaks falsehood to his neighbor; with smooth lips they speak, and double heart. (R) 3 [4] May the Lord destroy all smooth lips, every boastful tongue, 4 [5] those who say, “We are heroes with our tongues; our lips are our own; who is Lord over us?” (R) 6 [7] The promises of the Lord are sure, like tried silver, freed from dross, sevenfold refined. 7 [8] You, O Lord, will keep us and preserve us always from this generation. (R)

GOSPEL

The Transfiguration of Jesus reminds us of Jesus’ origins being in God. This remarkable epiphany stands in a long line of epiphanies through history. God chooses to reveal Himself to us in mysterious ways. Perhaps this is to protect us from understanding Him too well and so becoming presumptive about His love for us. Presumption is a major problem in virtually every place where it rears its ugly head.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.

Mark 9:2-13

2 Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. 11 Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He told them, “Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

LIST

think: God chooses to reveal Himself to us in mysterious ways.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Ephesians 1-3 s 1-4READING 2nd READING

Ephesians 1-3

Daily Reflections- February 17, 2012

2012-02-17T07:09:00.000+08:00

LIFE IS FAIR, after all!

A litany of complaints is how many would describe their situations and experiences in life. From many good acquaintances who have lost jobs, loved ones, and honest wealth, I have heard a common sigh: “Life is so unjust, so unfair.” To this is sometimes added the question: “Where is God?” I must say that these situations are challenging moments for a priestly answer.

The words of Jesus are not just words about authentic discipleship. They are utterances about the pursuit of the fullness of life. We are made to see that fullness of life comes not simply with achievements, but with sacrifice, self-renunciation and suffering. This seems to be the price that this broken world exacts of us. Doing good makes us encounter the imperfections of this world and undergo a real struggle in flesh and in spirit. Working for justice, for instance, compels us not only to face injustice, but it allows us to experience the real effects of injustice in ourselves. Working for excellence makes us first go through the pains brought about by mediocrity around us. Working for truth and righteousness makes us feel many times the cruelty of the forces of falsehood and corruption. Evil does not easily give up its foothold in this world!

If we do not give up, and if we do not give in to the forces of darkness and sin, this may cause our lives and limb. Falsehood and unrighteousness did not stop until it nailed Jesus on the cross. Pagan ways did not stop until it claimed the blood of many Christian martyrs. The forces of prejudice did not stop until they claimed the breath of Martin Luther. In the end, however, the sacrifices of the good and the righteous starved the evil, and cut evil’s vicious circle. In the end, it is the memory of the good who sacrificed themselves that is immortalized in the history of life. The forces of evil, once powerful and strong, are long forgotten.

Judge then for yourselves: Is life unfair? Or isn’t life fair, after all? Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

REFLECTION QUESTION: Recall the life story of a hero or saint who has become personally significant for you. What particular acts of sacrifice and self-offering did this person have to commit?

Lord Jesus, help me to always do good, trusting that the good will always triumph over evil.

Daily Bible Readings - February 17, 2012

2012-02-17T07:08:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

James tells us quite explicitly that the true test of faith in a person is his good deeds, not necessarily his knowledge of theology or capacity to understand the Scriptures. While knowledge and understanding are good and helpful for the work of a disciple, we shouldn’t focus on them to the detriment of living them out through the good deeds we perform for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

James 2:14-24, 26

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? 17 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. 19 You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. 20 Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. 23 Thus the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. 24 See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 26 For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

P S A L M

Psalm 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R: Blessed the man who greatly delights in the Lord’s commands.

1 Blessed the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commands. 2 His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed. (R) 3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house; his generosity shall endure forever. 4 Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just. (R) 5 Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; 6 He shall never be moved; the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance. (R)

GOSPEL

We are all called to take up our crosses and to follow where Jesus leads. For many people this has meant martyrdom. For most people it means the daily martyrdom of learning to love and serve our neighbor better each day. Let us reflect upon, not just our capacity to love one another, but also the will to put love into action.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

I call you my friends, says the Lord, for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.

Mark 8:34-9:1

34 Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. 36 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 37 What could one give in exchange for his life? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” 9: 1 He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power.”

READING 2nd READING

LIST

think: We are all called to take up our crosses and follow where Jesus leads.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Galatians 4-6 s 1-4READING 2nd READING

Daily Reflections- February 16, 2012

2012-02-16T10:23:00.002+08:00

A MYSTERY MIX

Peter is an interesting character, not only because he was the one chosen by Jesus to be the head of His group after He is gone, but because he is very much like us. Today’s reading shows how Peter is a mixture in his actions. Earlier in the Gospel the Lord commended him for giving the true and proper answer to His question: “Who do you say that I am?” A few moments later, Jesus rebuked him, referring to him as “Satan” (literal translation: obstacle).

Such is our life and experience in this world. Our days are a constant struggle between good and evil. As we move from event to event, from choice to choice, there are times when we progress and move on right ahead. But there are moments that we regress and we fall short of our past actions.

Jesus Himself gives us a good hint on how to face the realities of this “worldly mix” that we and creation are subject to. Jesus tells Peter, “For you are not on the side of God but of men.” Savoring these words of the Lord brings us to these realizations:

1. We need to constantly and continuously discern. There are no grey areas: either we move with God, or away from God. Every point needs to be examined.

2. We need to be cautious about what is humanly good. It’s true that we are made in God’s image and likeness, but not all our ways are God’s. Selfishness and distorted thoughts are behind some human motivations. Be cautious about the suggestions of our human intelligence and heart.

3. We must never presume. Many times, Jesus had taken Peter into some confidential mission and he must have enjoyed the unique privilege. However, he too failed, like here in Caesarea Philippi and during the Passion of Jesus in Jerusalem. He denied and abandoned the Lord. We should never be too self-confident, but instead nourish ourselves with prayer and humility, begging God’s Spirit to guide even the simplest acts that we do. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What are your own experiences of inner conflicts and contradictions in life? How do you manage to go through these?

Lord Jesus, help me to be more aware of my motivations for all my actions and decisions.

Daily Bible Readings - February 16, 2012

2012-02-16T10:22:00.001+08:00

1^st READING

There are no second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. One of the beauties of the Gospel is precisely this truth – that salvation is achieved in exactly the same way for all men and women, namely through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This means that we cannot consider any one person better than another one. We are all equal in the eyes of God.

James 2:1-9

1 My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonored the poor. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you? 8 However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

P S A L M

Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

1 [2] I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. 2 [3] Let my soul glory in the Lord; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R) 3 [4] Glorify the Lord with me, let us together extol his name. 4 [5] I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the poor one called out, the Lord heard, and from all his distress he saved him. (R)

GOSPEL

We like hierarchies because they help us know where we stand. They can take out a lot of anxiety in our lives. There are always struggles for leadership in human organizations. Thank God that the Church is more than a human organization. Holy Spirit, help the Church to remain faithful to its calling to proclaim the Gospel and provide support and a sense of community for all disciples of Jesus.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.

BLESSING

LIST

Mark 8:27-33

27 Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

think: There are no second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God. We are all equal in His eyes.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Galatians 1-3 s 1-4READING 2nd READING

Daily Reflections- February 15, 2012

2012-02-15T14:22:00.000+08:00

CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING HEALED?

I wonder what it would be like to be healed from something such as blindness. I had a brain hemorrhage when I was 17. I spent eight to 10 days in a hospital but I remember only a couple of those days. I was quite blessed because, even if my hemorrhage gave me a 50-50 chance to survive, I did not have to go through the knife. Neither did I experience significant after-effects. I look back at this experience and am very grateful for my full recovery. How much more amazing this experience would have been if it involved being debilitated and then healed.

The healing miracles of Jesus are a sign of God’s desire to heal us, not just physically but spiritually as well. Jesus demonstrates authority over sickness so we would believe that He can heal us from within through the forgiveness of our sins. It is critical that we recognize the truth of God’s love for us if we want to fully benefit from it. Nothing can stand in the way of God’s desire to redeem us except our refusal of the offer of salvation. Our tendency is to invent obstacles: “I am too much of a sinner. How can God really love little old me? I don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

Some of these excuses, if not all of them, have some basis, but Jesus tells us in the Gospel that He is far bigger than any of the problems we can think of so we should not worry about them. All we have to do is open our hearts to the solution — His love — and allow Him to set about the work of salvation from within.

Jesus will not hesitate to enter our lives if we welcome Him in. Perhaps it would be good for us to be seriously sick so that we will better realize our need for His grace? No, that is not necessary! All that is necessary is that we be humble enough to invite Him in. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you obstruct God from working in your life?

Lord Jesus, I welcome You into my life. Have Your way in me.

Daily Bible Readings - February 15, 2012

2012-02-15T14:19:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

God’s Word is life. Only a fool rejects it. There must be a lot of fools, or at least half-fools in the world. Why do people take some of the truth of the Gospel and not the whole thing? It is not logical. Either we believe God knows what He is doing when He directs our lives or we do not. We cannot believe it half the time and ignore it the rest of the times.

James 1:19-27

19 Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 for anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. 22 Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. 24 He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. 25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts; such a one shall be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is vain. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

P S A L M

Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5

R: Who shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart 3 and slanders not with his tongue. (R) Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 By whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the Lord. (R) 5 Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be disturbed. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus heals a blind man in today’s Gospel. The miracles of Jesus paint a picture for us of a God who is compassionate and interacts in the lives of His people. He is not a distant God looking down on us from afar and leaving us to our own ends. God has become as fully involved in our lives as is possible by sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem us.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to his call.

Mark 8:22-26

22 When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” 25 Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. 26 Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

TODAY’S

BLESSING

LIST

think: God has become fully involved in our lives as is possible by sending His Son, Jesus, to redeem us.

2 Corinthians 9-13

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Corinthians 9-13 s 1-4READING 2nd READING

Daily Reflections- February 14, 2012

2012-02-14T07:19:00.005+08:00

UNDERSTANDING LEADS TO BELIEVING

One of the key themes in all the Gospels is understanding the message of Jesus. It is very difficult to believe in something if one does not understand it. This is very true of the Gospel as it presents to us a new way of understanding and entering into a relationship with God, namely through His Son, Jesus. One of the difficulties the disciples had, and all who heard Jesus speak, was that He often spoke in parables and through His actions, and not necessarily in simple, straightforward language.

I wonder why Jesus chose to speak through miracles, signs and stories? Perhaps it was to present a very human face of God in the Gospel. The concept of God automatically instills a sense of awe in us, such that there is a need to bring things “down to earth.” We need to realize that the Incarnation is God speaking to us of His desire to be a part of our lives and not a distant being that we sometimes call on for help. Most images we have of God tend to set Him apart from us, out there somewhere. At best, the distance between God and us changes once in a while for a short period of time. This is not the God that Jesus presents to us. He is a God intimately involved in the daily issues of our lives — well, at least He is if we open our lives to Him!

Therein lies the issue at hand. Do we not see that God wants to be a part of our lives? And if we do understand this, why are we not letting Him into our hearts and lives? All the miracles of Jesus speak to us of basic aspects of human living — eating, healing and so on. This is a sign to us that God wants to engage us in all areas of our lives. The question that remains is whether or not we will allow Him to do this. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you offered your life to God today? Have you chosen to invite Him to be a part of all that you will do today?

Jesus, help me to open my heart and mind to Your grace and Spirit so that I will hear Your call to follow, and be faithful and obedient to it.

Daily Bible Readings - February 14, 2012

2012-02-14T07:19:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

The world has a myriad of seductions available to try and distract us from our goals. The only way we will prevail over the insistence of the world is if we place our eyes on the prize of eternal life and do not let them wander far from it. This is a very difficult thing to do in practice as the world’s enticements have an immediate reward, whereas with the Kingdom of God, the reward is well into the future.

James 1:12-18

12 Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. 13 No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters: 17 all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. 18 He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.

P S A L M

Psalm 94:12-13, 14-15, 18-19

R: Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.

12 Blessed the man whom you instruct, O Lord, whom by your law you teach, 13 Giving him rest from evil days. (R) 14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, nor abandon his inheritance; 15 But judgment shall again be with justice, and all the upright of heart shall follow it. (R) 18 When I say, “My foot is slipping,” your mercy, O Lord, sustains me; 19 When cares abound within me, your comfort gladdens my soul. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus provides for us in abundance; He can even provide us with a written language in order to express the Gospel to others. Sts. Cyril and Methodius whom we celebrate today developed the Cyrillic alphabet in order to translate the Scriptures into the language of the Slav people. There is no mountain too high that God’s grace cannot help us conquer it or go around it, as the case may be.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord; and my Father will love him and we will come to him.

Mark 8:14-21

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. 17 When he became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” 21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

think: There is no mountain too high that God’s grace cannot help us conquer it or go around it, as the case may be.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Corinthians 5-8

Daily Reflections- February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T07:13:00.000+08:00

SIGNS IN OUR LIVES

What signs should we look for in our lives? The answer depends on the context of the question. If the question asks whether or not a person is Christian, then the signs to look for are the fruits of the Spirit and the virtues. However, this is not the context in today’s Gospel passage. The signs we are talking about here are the signs that indicate the path we are to walk in life. Many people wait all their lives for an unequivocally sure sign that the path they are about to embark on is indeed the right one. However this sort of sign rarely, if ever, exists. In other words, they accomplish nothing or, at best, very little in their lives. This is a great shame as we have so much to give our local and Church communities.

The most important signpost we have is our faith in Christ. Not even Jesus was absolutely certain, in His humanity, of the path He was to walk in the work of salvation. Faith in God will not necessarily tell us the right path to take, but it will give us the strength and courage to take risks to test it. There is the answer to our question about signs!

We will never know if we are living God’s will for our lives unless we try it out. The satisfaction from a life well lived will come if and only if we are willing to test our judgment of the will of God as we understand it. Certainly we will make mistakes in doing this. A person’s sanctity has nothing to do with the number of mistakes he commits. Rather, it has everything to do with whether or not they are willing to make decisions that may or may not turn out to be the correct decisions.

What am I saying? Simply that a saint is a person who is willing to take the risk of following what he or she believes to be God’s will, embracing it fully if it proves to be correct, and humbly admitting a mistake if it proves to be otherwise.

There is no shame in making an honest mistake, particularly when it has to do with discerning God’s will. The only shame is never living fully all the potentials that God has blessed us with. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you tend to wait for certainty in a decision before you act? Are you afraid to make mistakes?

Holy Spirit, help me to commit myself to discern well my choices in life. Give me the grace to act on the result of my discernment with courage and humility.

Daily Bible Readings - February 13, 2012

2012-02-13T07:12:00.000+08:00

1^st READING

Patience, among many other attributes, is important for relationships. There are times when we will have to wait for others to catch up with us and times when they will have to wait for us. Patience helps in this process. We also have to work on developing the rest of the gifts and fruits of the Spirit so that we will have the ability to follow where Jesus takes us.

James 1:1-11

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. 2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it. 6 But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways. 9 The brother in lowly circumstances should take pride in his high standing, 10 and the rich one in his lowliness, for he will pass away “like the flower of the field.” 11 For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

P S A L M

Psalm 119:67, 68, 71, 72, 75, 76

R: Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I hold to your promise. (R) 68 You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. (R) 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes. (R) 72 The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (R) 75 I know, O Lord, that your ordinances are just, and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me. (R) 76 Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants. (R)

GOSPEL

It is not a good idea to be looking for signs all the time simply because this is not necessary. God has given us minds to discern His will. This is the normal way we should be making our decisions, not looking for some extraordinary sign from God to tell us which way to move or what to say next. Most discernment is a fairly simple affair requiring us to test our ideas against the Scriptures and traditions of the Church. We can also help each other out by sharing our ideas and lives with one another.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.

Mark 8:11-13

11 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12 He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

READING 2nd READING

TODAY’S

BLESSING

LIST

think: God has given us minds to discern His will. This is the normal way we should be making our decisions, not looking for some extraordinary sign from God.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Corinthians 1-4 s 1-4READING 2nd READING

Daily Reflections - February 12, 2012

2012-02-13T07:06:00.000+08:00

IN ALL THINGS

One of the most difficult tendencies that Christians have to overcome in living a truly moral and Christian life in the modern world is the tendency to compartmentalize our lives. Whether consciously or subconsciously, we divide our lives into compartments: spiritual life, work life, family life, and so on. The problem with this is that we become five or six different people as these “lives” have little in common. We become divided and split between various personalities.

Paul tells us that for a Christian, this is impossible. He tells us that it does not matter what element of our lives we are living at a particular moment, but that we should imitate Christ in all that we do. Our Christian faith must penetrate and affect our entire lives and our whole beings. Without this, we will not be living a truly Christian life. We cannot separate any aspect of our life from our Christian faith. Discipleship is learning how to integrate our faith into every aspect of our lives.

This tendency to compartmentalize our lives also contributes to the amount and severity of psychological illnesses of people in the world today. The prevalence of so many personality disorders, both the number of people who suffer from them and the severity of their suffering, indicates that there is a fundamental problem with people’s self-perception and capacity to discern and act on the things that are truly important in life. If only we can reintegrate ourselves as persons, accept who we are, and not be worried about how others perceive us, we would live healthier and fuller lives.

It is time for us to listen to the Gospel with greater clarity and commitment and to realize that, no matter who we are, God has created us and loves us. This is what matters ultimately. Of course we need the love of our family and friends, but we will discover we have far more of this love when we are true to who we are in God’s eyes and when we live a more integrated and simpler life. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you tend to please others rather than allow your true personality to shine? Are you a slave to what others think or might be thinking of you?

Lord Jesus, I resolve today to be more faithful to the unique life You have given me. Help me to be true to myself and to love You and others in all that I do.

Daily Bible Readings - February 12, 2012

2012-02-13T07:05:00.001+08:00

1^st READING

All societies have rules of exclusion and inclusion. Paul tells the Corinthians to exclude those who refuse to repent of serious sin from their community. Ultimately, leaders in any organization have to protect the weaker members of that organization from the sins of others, if at all possible. Obviously, we cannot condone sin in the fulfillment of this task. The responsibility to protect one another from sin is one we should take seriously.

Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or blotch which appears to be the sore of leprosy, he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest, or to one of the priests among his descendants. 44 If the man is leprous and unclean, and the priest shall declare him unclean by reason of the sore on his head. 45 “The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard; he shall cry out, ‘Unclean,

unclean!’ 46 As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean, since he is in fact unclean. He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.”

P S A L M

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11

R: I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

1 Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile. (R) 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. (R) 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just; exult, all you upright of heart. (R)

2^ND READING

Paul’s advice is universal – it is for all of us. We need to spend all the time we can studying the life of Jesus and getting to know Him more so that we can better witness to His love for us. The life of a disciple is never an easy one because the ultimate standard is high — Jesus Himself. Yet, just because it is high, this is no excuse for us to let ourselves off the hook. We need to aim high from the beginning and make sure that we do not let our eyes slip.

1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1

31 Brothers and sisters, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Avoid giving offense, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved. 11: 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

GOSPEL

LIST

Leprosy is a disease that excludes the sufferer from society, at least it did up until a cure was found last century. Sin has a similar effect – it excludes us from sharing in the glory of God; it places us outside the realm of salvation if the sin is serious enough and we do not repent. Lord, help us to realize the destructive nature of sin, and thus, avoid it to the best of our ability.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

A great prophet has arisen in our midst, God has visited his people.

Mark 1:40-45

40 A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” 42 The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. 43 Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. 44 Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” 45 The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

think: The responsibility to protect one another from sin is one we should take seriously.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Corinthians 13-16

SABBATH PAUSE

My weekly time with God

THANK YOU LIST

Things to be grateful for from the past week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL NEEDS

Things to ask God for in the coming week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

HIDDEN TREASURE

Most important word God told me this week

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Daily Reflections - February 11, 2012

2012-02-13T07:01:00.002+08:00

THE FEEDING OF THE FOUR THOUSAND

Jesus has pity on the people because they are hungry, so He miraculously feeds them. There are many stages to this event. There is the Eucharistic overtones whereby Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and then gives it to the people. This is precisely what happens at the Eucharist where we eventually feed not on the bread that was offered but the Body and Blood of Christ. The food we receive is not just physical food but the spiritual food that nourishes us for eternal life.

As we reflect on this story, it is important to keep this background in mind as we try to understand its meaning today. I doubt if we are going to see too many loaves of bread and fish multiplied to fill our hunger. However, the Church does encourage us to seek nourishment in the Eucharist every day if possible. This tells us that the spiritual reality we share in the Eucharist is one that captures the essence and heart of our faith. It is not enough to consider the Eucharist a mere ritual as it is more than that. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian lives and faith. The saints often remind us that there is little more important than celebrating the Eucharist with faith and humility.

There is also the idea that God does provide for His people. There will be times when this is literally true in a physical sense. I have personally seen food multiplied a number of times. We need to learn to trust that God provides for us. The fact that so many do not have food to eat is not because there is not enough food to go around. Rather, it is a result of the unwillingness of people to share their excess with others. The provision is there; it is sin that creates the situation where many go hungry. And so we need to see God’s provision in both a physical and spiritual sense. If we do not receive the physical food that we need, we can still trust that spiritually God is there at all times and there is nothing others can do to deprive us of that food for eternal life. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you eat well every day? Are there people around you who do not? Is there anything you can do to help at least a few of them?

Jesus, move me to share my blessings so that others may partake of the providence of God through my generosity.

Daily Bible Readings - February 11, 2012

2012-02-13T07:00:00.001+08:00

1^st READING

Israel has a history of mistakes and unfaithfulness in her relationship with God. There are many examples of where she has strayed from the path God put before her and her leaders. Yet, God always forgives them and draws them back into His realm of influence. God has never broken His covenant with us – He has always been faithful. It is important for us to learn these basic truths so that we can apply them in our lives.

1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34

26 Jeroboam thought to himself: “The kingdom will return to David’s house. 27 If now this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, the hearts of this people will return to their master, Rehoboam, king of Judah, and they will kill me.” 28 After taking counsel, the king made two calves of gold and said to the people: “You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 29 And he put one in Bethel, the other in Dan. 30 This led to sin, because the people frequented those calves in Bethel and in Dan. 31 He also built temples on the high places and made priests from among the people who were not Levites. 32 Jeroboam established a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month to duplicate in Bethel the pilgrimage feast of Judah, with sacrifices to the calves he had made; and he stationed in Bethel priests of the high places he had built. 13: 33 Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this, but again made priests for the high places from among the common people. Whoever desired it was consecrated and became a priest of the high places. 34 This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.

P S A L M

Psalm 106:6-7, 19-20, 21-22

R: Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

6 We have sinned, we and our fathers; we have committed crimes; we have done wrong. 7 Our fathers in Egypt considered not your wonders. (R) 19 They made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; 20 They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock. (R) 21 They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, 22 Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus feeds the four thousand. He does not want them to go hungry. Who would want them to go hungry? No one! Let us focus on the leftovers. What do they tell us in the context of this story? I think they tell us that God’s sufficiency is never just sufficient but over-abundant. Let us always remember this when we are worried about where the resources are going to come from for our next mission. It is God’s job to convert people – He will also provide the resources for us to help set the scene.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Mark 8:1-10

1 In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, 2 “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” 4 His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” 5 Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven.” 6 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. 8 They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over — seven baskets. 9 There were about four thousand people. He dismissed the crowd 10 and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

1 Corinthians 9-12

think: It is God’s job to convert people; He will also provide the resources for us to help set the scene.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Corinthians 9-12

Daily Reflections - February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T07:24:00.000+08:00

THE MESSIAH HAS ARRIVED

The Jews were waiting for the Messiah. There were many expectations, including miracles that He would work. There were also political and social expectations, some of which Jesus fulfilled, others He did not. For example, He did not deliver the Jews from their political captivity. The miracle we read about in today’s Gospel is part of a whole series of acts and miracles that are associated with the coming of the Messiah in the Prophet Isaiah.

The miracles that Jesus performed indicate that He is not just the Messiah but that, as the Messiah, He has authority over sickness, demonic activities and even the forces of nature. If we take these signs to their logical conclusion, we will see that the miracles point to the divinity of Jesus. Many people had performed miracles before Jesus, but none with the same absolute and universal authority. No one before had claimed the power to forgive sins either. When we connect all these aspects of Jesus’ ministry together, we begin to form a fairly comprehensive picture as to the way Jesus portrays Himself as the Incarnate Word of God.

The miracles also serve as signs that draw people to Jesus. It is easy to see how this would happen when we consider the spectacular nature of miracles and how people talk about it. It is critical that we do not downplay them or take them for granted. God still wants to work miracles today to draw more people to Himself in a world that seeks to open to the spiritual realm.

People today cry out for spiritual nourishment but do not seem to know where to look for it. Miracles would be a very good indication that the Christian faith is a good place to look for nourishment in the spiritual life. Let us pray that God will work miracles through us for the sake of the world and not for our own glory. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you expect miracles to happen in your life?

Lord Jesus, help me to expect miracles in my life simply because You want to use my life to draw others to Christ. Help me to bear witness to the miracle of the forgiveness of my sins to everyone I meet.

Daily Bible Readings - February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T07:23:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

One of the results of compromise (and sin for that matter) is that we lose control of the agenda. This is about to happen to Israel in a big way, namely the splitting of the kingdom in two. Solomon’s wives fostered compromise in religious beliefs and the price has come home to roost. Let us learn from Israel’s mistake and try to keep our own lives as far away as we can from any sort of compromise.

1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19

29 Jeroboam left Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. The two were alone in the area, and the prophet was wearing a new cloak. 30 Ahijah took off his new cloak, tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and said to Jeroboam: “Take ten pieces for yourself; the Lord, the God of Israel, says ‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp and will give you ten of the tribes. 32 One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant, and of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 19: 18 [19] Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.

P S A L M

Psalm 81:10-11, 12-13, 14-15

R: I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.

9 [10] There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god. 10 [11] I, the Lord, am your God who led you forth from the land of Egypt. (R) 11 [12] “My people heard not my voice, and Israel obeyed me not; 12 [13] so I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts; they walked according to their own counsels.” (R) 13 [14] “If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways, 14 [15] quickly would I humble their enemies; against their foes I would turn my hand.” (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus heals the deaf man. The language used to explain this healing to us is that Jesus “opened his ears.” This gives us an idea of how to apply the message of this healing to us. Jesus wants us to “open our ears” to the truth of the Gospel and to a deeper understanding of it. We need to heed this call and do our best to respond to it as any faithful disciple would. We all have things to learn about God. Are we humble enough to admit it?

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.

Mark 7:31-37

31 Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. 32 And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 34 then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) 35 And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 36 He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. 37 They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

LIST

think: We all have things to learn about God. Are we humble enough to admit it?

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Corinthians 5-8

Daily Reflections - February 09, 2012

2012-02-09T15:11:00.002+08:00

LOOKING AFTER ONE’S OWN

There is a simple principle that tells us that if we cannot look after those who are closest to us, why would we be concerned about people who are far from us? Yes, we do need to have a concern for all people, but let us be practical about things and concentrate first on the people who are close to us — the things we can do something about rather than those that are far from us and much more difficult to do anything about.

Jesus eventually responds to the request for healing from a foreigner because of her insistence and her faith. It seems somewhat extraordinary that a non-Jew has more faith than the Jews. She uses an interesting analogy in her argument but it gets Jesus’ attention because it is very convincing. We should think about it once in a while because the same could be true of our situations.

How deep is our own faith? How well do we respond to the graces God has given us to work with in our lives? Faith is not just about adherence to creeds and so on. It is all about how we live our lives — how faith affects the choices we make, and thus, provide a living witness of faith to the world. Preaching the Gospel is important, but living it is more important. This is where the focus of our lives must be — ensuring we give an evangelistic, true and uncompromised witness to the gift of salvation that God gave us. The Church, or the community of faith, exists for this purpose. We come together to support one another, but this support always goes beyond our individual selves to a shared witness to the Gospel.

Jesus recognized something of this level of faith in the Syrophoenician woman’s faith and responded accordingly. How stronger the witness of our faith would be if we had faith as deep as hers? This is something not only worth reflecting on, but acting on as well. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you willing to surrender you life to the will of the Lord? What holds you back from giving a deeper and more powerful witness of faith?

Jesus, You offer me the gift of faith every day. Help me to open my heart to a deeper trust and belief in You, in what You have done, and in what You will do in and through me.

Daily Bible Readings - February 09, 2012

2012-02-09T15:10:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

No matter how small the first compromise may be, it is still a compromise. Solomon wanted to please his wives and so allowed the compromise of worship of other gods, not just one but many. It started with one, but it ended with many and it became an influence on the whole nation. The challenge for us is to keep our own lives clean of compromise so that the essence and the truth of the arguments can shine.

1 Kings 11:4-13

4 When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange Gods, and his heart was not entirely with the Lord, his God, as the heart of his father David had been. 5 By adoring Astarte, the Goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites, 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done. 7 Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites, on the hill opposite Jerusalem. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their Gods. 9 The Lord, therefore, became angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 (for though the Lord had forbidden him this very act of following strange Gods, Solomon had not obeyed him). 11 So the Lord said to Solomon: “Since this is what you want, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I enjoined on you, I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant. 12 I will not do this during your lifetime, however, for the sake of your father David; it is your son whom I will deprive. 13 Nor will I take away the whole kingdom. I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

P S A L M

Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37, 40

R: Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

3 Blessed are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just. 4 Remember me, O Lord, as you favor your people; visit me with your saving help. (R) 35 But they mingled with the nations and learned their works. 36 They served their idols, which became a snare for them. (R) 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 40 And the Lord grew angry with his people, and abhorred his inheritance. (R)

GOSPEL

Jesus eventually listens to a woman who is not even a Jew. What does this tell us about Him, and consequently the Gospel? It tells us that

the scope of the Gospel will ultimately reach all men and women and not just a select few – a single nation. This act of mercy screams out loud to us to broaden our horizons beyond the limited scope we have at the moment and reach out for the world. Let us take the Lord at His word and dream big for the Gospel.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.

Mark 7:24-30

24 Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. 25 Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 28 She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

think: Let us take the Lord at His word and dream big for the Gospel.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ______________________________ ______

______________________________ _________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

______________________________ ___________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 1 Corinthians 1-4

Daily Reflections - February 07, 2012

2012-02-08T07:40:00.005+08:00

THE TRUE MEANING OF DIVINE WORSHIP

Continuing yesterday’s readings, we have this time a somewhat dichotomized situation between today’s First Reading and Gospel. While both have a thematic connection regarding the spirit of genuine worship of God, there is however a sharp contrast which we cannot help but notice.

Thanks to the evangelist Mark’s explanatory notes (since he originally wrote for the Romans, who were not familiar with Jewish practices, customs and traditions), we are able to enter into the context of the Gospel passage with ease. We readily feel the impact of — in fact, we should also easily identify with — Jesus’ denunciations of the Pharisees’ hypocritical attitudes.

Our Lord simply meant to bring back what was unfortunately lost, due to an overemphasis on human traditions and practices. Against the Pharisees’ prescriptions and prejudices against others, Jesus restored the true meaning of divine worship and adoration, with the spirit always prevailing over any legalistic custom or tradition.

Precisely, this genuine worship and adoration is what we have in King Solomon’s beautiful prayer on the formal dedication of the newly-built Temple of Jerusalem. The spirit behind it is sincerity and truth — a far cry from the duplicity of the Pharisees.

No, we need not junk altogether our religious practices. Should we follow liturgical rubrics, join processions, or pray the Holy Rosary, let’s be aware of the meaning and purpose behind our doing them. And of course, let us be authentic in carrying them out — lest we “nullify God’s Word.”

As King Solomon prayed over the Temple, “May your eyes watch night and day over... this place where you have decreed you shall be honored....” Let ours, too, be a prayer that our practices and rituals be honorable and pleasing to God. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What religious practices do you normally do? Have you thought of the purpose and meaning behind those norms?

Holy Spirit, move my heart and mind to be united to the angels and saints in heaven in giving glory and worship to our loving God.

Daily Bible Readings - February 07, 2012

2012-02-08T07:40:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

No earthly construction can contain the majesty of God, let alone be worthy of Him. Churches, icons, statues, etc. are merely that — representations of our love and commitment to following Him as His disciple. They are useful for the proclamation of the Gospel and for growing in holiness through prayer and reflection. Nothing can substitute for the real thing, namely, knowing and loving God in a personal relationship with Him.

1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30

22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the whole community of Israel, and stretching forth his hands toward heaven, 23 he said, “Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants who are faithful to you with their whole heart. 27 “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built! 28 Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O Lord, my God, and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant, utter before you this day. 29 May your eyes watch night and day over this temple, the place where you have decreed you shall be honored; may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place. 30 Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel which they offer in this place. Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”

P S A L M

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5, 10, 11

R: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

2 [3] My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (R) 3 [4] Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young — your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God! (R) 4 [5] Blessed they who dwell in your house! continually they praise you. 9 [10] O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of your anointed. (R) 10 [11] I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather lie at the

threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. (R)

GOSPEL

Rituals can help or hinder our relationship with God. They can be our friends, if they help us grow in our love for God and neighbor; or our enemies if they do not. Whatever the situation, rituals are not necessarily evil or bad; what matters is how we and others use, and at times abuse, them. Let us keep an open mind about the ways of the Church and not pass hasty judgment on practices we know little about. Let us remember that we are part of a big Church and there is room inside for many different expressions of faith.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; and favor me with your law.

Mark 7:1-13

1 When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, 2 they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.) 5 So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 6 He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 7 In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” 8 You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” 9 He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ 11 Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban’” (meaning, dedicated to God), 12 you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. 13 You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”

think: Let us keep an open mind about the ways of the Church and not pass judgment on practices we know little about.

LIST

LIST T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Romans 9-12

Daily Reflections - February 06, 2012

2012-02-06T13:16:00.000+08:00

GOD’S ABIDING PRESENCE

In today’s Gospel, Mark gives us an idea of the celebrity status of Jesus. “People immediately recognized him.” And more than just that, the crowds acknowledged His extraordinary healing power: “Wherever he put in an appearance, in villages, in towns, or at crossroads, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him to let them touch just the tassel of his cloak. All who touched him got well.” Such an astonishing outpouring of zeal for Jesus (on the part of the people) isn’t really surprising, especially when you consider their acute need for healing.

The First Reading, on the other hand, has a similar outpouring of enthusiasm from the Israelites, this time for the Ark of the Covenant during the solemn dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. While there was the appearance of a cloud manifesting God’s glorious presence, the dedication of the Temple represents man’s attempt to bring such a divine presence into a definite, tangible locus.

A concrete dwelling, after all, is essential — even perhaps for God. There, God’s presence abides forever. Paradoxically, such presence of God can never be confined in a box. Why, in Jesus’ case, the mere tassel of His cloak could already bring about His healing power! His appearances (in other words, His presence) in various villages, towns or at crossroads turned out to be not just crowd-drawers or traffic-stoppers. They were veritable encounters with God’s efficacious and loving presence. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you feel the presence of God within you?

Jesus, may Your abiding presence in my life help see me through both good and bad times.

Daily Bible Readings - February 06, 2012

2012-02-06T13:15:00.002+08:00

1^st READING

Temples, churches and other religious edifices are important for the practice of religion. However, nothing can substitute for the true care and love of one’s neighbor. There is absolutely no point in building a magnificent church if the members of the congregation do not love each other. It is our relationships with God and one another that will dictate our level of holiness and build true community.

1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13

1 The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes, the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel, came to King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the city of David, which is Zion. 2 All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month). 3 When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark; 4 they carried the ark of the Lord and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels that were in the tent. (The priests and Levites carried them.) 5 King Solomon and the entire community of Israel present for the occasion sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen too many to number or count. 6 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary, the holy of holies of the temple. 7 The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark, sheltering the ark and its poles from above. 9 There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets which Moses had put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel at their departure from the land of Egypt. 10 When the priests left the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord 11 so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the Lord’s glory had filled the temple of the Lord. 12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord intends to dwell in the dark cloud; 13 I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever.”

P S A L M

Psalm 132:6-7, 8-10

R: Lord, go up to the place of your rest!

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. 7 Let us enter into his dwelling, let us worship at his footstool. (R) 8 Advance, O Lord, to your resting place, you and the ark of your majesty. 9 May your priests be clothed with justice; let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy. 10 For the sake of David your servant, reject not the plea of your anointed. (R)

GOSPEL

The word has got out that Jesus is a healer and that He has some interesting ideas upon which to reflect. People come from all directions to see Him for one reason or another. I hope we are all aware of the reasons why we come to church and live out our faith. Let us always pray that these reasons are good and holy, worthy of a relationship with our Lord and Redeemer.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people.

Mark 6:53-56

53 After making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. 54 As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. 55 They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

1st READING 2nd READING

GOSPEL PSALM

LIST

think: It is our relationships with God and one another that will dictate our level of holiness and build true community.

T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today________________

_________________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Romans 5-8

Daily Reflections - February 05, 2012

2012-02-06T07:00:00.002+08:00

JESUS ON HUMAN SUFFERING

Even from the literary point of view, the verses from the book of Job (our First Reading today) are hard to beat. As a meditation on the perennial riddle of human suffering, it is a remarkable attempt to come to grips with such an unfortunate reality in our world. On the other hand, however, our Gospel passage also dwells on the same theme of suffering. But thanks to the new era inaugurated by Jesus Christ, this time there is a more optimistic tone.

Not that Jesus is offering any instant, feel-good solutions to suffering (as if there were such a thing!). Rather He is giving a new meaning to it all, along with His compassion and concern. To top it all, His own passion and death prove that He is no stranger to it.

Busy indeed was Jesus, with cures and healings almost one after the other. Before He knew it, already “the whole town was gathered at the door.” He didn’t shy away at all from this important aspect of His ministry: to bring healing to the sick and the suffering.

But perhaps Jesus wasn’t satisfied with the way things turned out. He noticed that maybe the people were more concerned with the physical cure, and maybe not so much with the Good News of salvation, which He really came to offer. As the Jesuit biblical scholar Nil Guillemette put it, “They were more interested in getting some divine aspirin, than in hearing His aspirations for them, His promise of future health and happiness in the land of God.”

Jesus is a healer, but also more. And consequently too, more than just the aches and pains we all have, there’s something more or beyond them. This, courtesy of the same Jesus Himself — through His own suffering and death on Calvary, gave a redemptive value to suffering.

We will never find the right words to explain the mystery of suffering — even if we seek them from the greatest literary works. Only in Jesus do we find meaning and redemption in pain and suffering. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you going through any suffering and difficulty right now? Seek Jesus and find meaning in your suffering.

Lord Jesus, You showed us the value of suffering through Your death and resurrection. Grant me the grace to look beyond the pain and instead focus on the blessing behind it. Amen.