Only You

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/103113.cfm) reminds me that no one can separate us from the Love of God.

The first reading is very inspiring and assuring.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

God did not spare his own son but allowed him to die for us! And we see that nothing and no one can separate us from God's love. Satan is powerless against God's love and not any of his creatures is strong enough to separate us from God's love.

Yes, it is inspiring and assuring. But i think only one person can separate us from God's love --- ourselves.

God loves us so much that he gave us free will. We are free to choose to love him or not. God will always love us, but it depends on us if we will allow Him to, and if we will respond to that love. That is why it is up to us to remain in his love or not.

May we always be conscious to remain in God's love.

Father God,

Thank you for today! Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for the reminder that no one and nothing is strong enough to separate me from your love. Lord, i know that only I have the power to choose to be separated from your love. I pray that it may never happen. May i always desire you, may I always allow you to love me, and may I always remain in your love. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Cake

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/103013.cfm) reminds me that loving God has a promise.

A Cake needs a lot of ingredients to make. You need flour, egg, baking powder, etc. If the ingredients are eaten on their own, they don't taste good. However when you put them all together with the right amount, they make a delicious cake.  This is similar to the first reading.

The excerpt of the first reading says:

We know that all things work for good for those who love God

There are a lot of things we cannot understand. There are a lot of challenges in life that we do not want to happen. There are a lot of experiences that we feel are unbearable or that we don't deserve. Taken separately, these things don't seem to be helping us improve our lives and our faith. However we get the promise that as long as we love God, all things will work for our good. God knows just the right amount of challenges, of pain, of suffering and hardships to make us into a stronger person, to be more and more like Him.

May we have the heart to just keep on loving God, and the faith that as we do so, God will work all things for our good.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for giving me another day to live. Thank you for your reminder and promise that as long as i love you and put you first, all things will work together for my good. May i have the heart and faith, Lord. In a special way I lift up to you SE21 who is spearheading the fundraising today. Continue to amaze them with your love, blessings and power. Bless their work and continue to prepare them as they continue to serve you. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Something Greater

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102913.cfm) reminds me that there is something greater coming than what we have right now

Sharing an excerpt from the first reading:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing

compared with the glory to be revealed for us

We all experience challenges in the life. Some may seem harder and bigger than others, but what is common is that all of us experience these things. However, we are reminded by Paul that what we are experiencing is nothing compared to what is coming. The things we experience as a result of doing God’s work – rejection from others, persecution from non believers, exhaustion, etc, are nothing compared to the glory awaiting us when we meet God.

In the gospel, Jesus affirms this. He says that the kingdom of God is a small mustard see – until it becomes a full blown tree, or a yeast that eventually becomes a leavened  bread. Right now, it may seem small. We are not seeing the whole picture, or the whole kingdom of God. We may even question if it’s worth it. However, we should have faith that when the perfect time comes, we will definitely be able to tell ourselves that it was all worth it.

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for another day to live. Thank you for your surprises. Lord, I pray that I always have faith in you, your plans and your kingdom. May I tirelessly work for it having complete faith that all my efforts are not in vain, and that it will all be worth it when everything is revealed. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Pray Like Jesus

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102813.cfm) reminds us how important it is to pray like Jesus

IT is easy to take things that we have for granted. They say that you don’t realize how special or important someone or something is until you lose them. In Usher’s song, it says that “you don’t miss your water ‘till the well runs dry.” And prayer, which strengthens our relationship with God, is something we can tend to take for granted.

We know that prayer strengthens our relationship with God. We know that prayer is important. However, we also know that God will always be there for us, and he will always be ready to accept us, that’s why we sometimes take prayer for granted- because we know God will always be there. However, we are reminded and inspired by Jesus in the gospel today to not take it for granted, instead, to maximize it.

Jesus, the Son of God, knows how important and valuable prayer is. Probably among all the people that waked the earth, Jesus best knows God. And probably he is the one who worked the hardest to proclaim God’s kingdom. He started it, and during his last years, all he did was to proclaim God’s kingdom. However, he is also the one who loved prayer most. Working for God, and his close relationship with God did not become excuses for Him not to pray. He did not say “Lord, I am tired from doing your work, and you know what’s in my heart – I’ll skip prayer tonight because I need rest as I again do your work tomorrow” or “Lord,  I have known you since the beginning of time, I don’t have to pray that much” No, instead, he consistently prayed, and prayed even harder to prepare him as he makes decisions, like in today’s gospel when he chose his disciples.

Prayer aligns our will with God, and prayer strengthens us as we do our work, as we do work for God, and as we live this life on earth. May we be inspired by Jesus love for prayer and challenged by his dedication and commitment to prayer.

How do I look at prayer? Do I spend unhurried time everyday for prayer? Do I make excuses for not being able to pray? Do I justify not being able to pray, telling God that I am too tired, or that he knows what is in my heart anyway? Do I love praying?

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for another week. Thank you for an extra day to rest from work. Lord, as we have the barangay elections today, I pray that you be with all of us in a special way. May we be guided and vote for leaders who would really serve us. May this elections be not only a peaceful one but an honest one. May your will be done, Father God. Lord, I also want to thank you for the reminder. Thank you for the inspiring life of Jesus. May I have the same love for prayer as Him. may I value prayer, and may I have the heart that would be disciplined to pray as often as Jesus. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflections:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/10/of-prayer-and-praying.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/09/prayer.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/09/power-of-prayer.html

Prayer from A Humble Heart

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102713.cfm) reminds me how God wants us to pray for – from a humble heart.

The first reading reminds me that God hears our prayers, especially of the poor and lowly. Not necessarily poor financially, but poor in the spiritual sense – humble and dependent on God. In the second reading, we see this in action, when we see Paul’s testimony that God heard his prayer as he was totally dependent on Him as he was doing his work. In the gospel we see how Jesus wants us to pray – with a humble heart, totally dependent on God and aware of our sins and shortcomings before God.

How do we pray? Are we like the Pharisee – bragging about our self-righteousness? Do we treat God as our servant – asking a lot of things from him, expecting him to give us what we want, and getting mad at him for not giving us what we asked?

Or are we like the tax collector – repentant and asking God’s forgiveness for our sins? Do we pray like the poor – totally dependent on God, open to receive his graces and his plans in our lives, even if it doesn’t necessarily coincide with what we want?

May we always remember the prayer of the psalmist – The Lord hears the cry of the poor

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another Sunday! Thank you for your message to me today. Lord, I pray that I have a heart of prayer – a humble, repentant and dependent heart. I am sorry for the times I pray just to ask things from you. Lord, mold me and change me, that my prayers be aligned to your will, and my heart be humble as I pray. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Last Chance

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102613.cfm) reminds me that God does not give up on us that easily.

The gospel tells us of the parable of the Barren Fig Tree. The tree doesn’t bear fruit so the owner wants to have it cut down. But the gardener asked the owner to give it one last chance, that the gardener will take it upon himself to do whatever he can – to nourish the ground, water it, and fertilize it. Then if it still doesn’t bear fruit, they he will cut it down.

So what does that mean?

The other night I woke up in the middle of the night, and I felt like it was shaking. Probably it was because of all the news about the Cebu and Bohol earthquake that have struck the country, or I was just having a bad dream. But that time, I felt scared, and I felt I was not ready to meet God. Good thing it was not, and I was given another chance to prepare to meet him.

God does not give up on us easily. Yes, we will eventually have to meet him, but even if we act as if we do not care or do not want him, he does not readily give up on us. Like the gardener, he gives his best in effort in making us feel his love, giving us ways and opportunities to repent of our sins and accept him in our lives. However, we cannot delay forever our meeting with him, and when we finally do, it is up to us if we bear fruit or not, if we will be ready or not.

How is God making his presence alive in my life? What circumstances does he give me to remind me to repent and surrender to Him? who are the people he uses to remind me how I should live me life? God is giving his best to make us repent, to save us… are we responding positively?

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day. Thank you for another opportunity to love you, to repent, and to live for you. Lord, I thank you for not giving up on me easily. I am hard headed and I sin, but you always have the effort to make me change, to make me realize how I should live my life. I pray that I always be sensitive to you, and that I be moved into action…so that when we finally see each other face to face, you will be happy with the fruits of my life. Amen.

Blessed weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

Teach Me

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102513.cfm) reminds me how important it is to pray and ask God to teach and guide us as we live our lives

In life, learning is very important. It is a continuous process. Learning does not end as we finish school, especially nowadays where technology makes everything accessible. And one of the best ways to learn is to ask someone to teach us.

The first reading reminds us that sometimes, we want to do good, but we actually do otherwise. We love God, yet we still find ourselves sinning and hurting him. in the gospel we see Jesus warning the people – that they can see and understand superficial signs, signs of the world, but are unable to understand spiritual signs. This reminds us that we need to be taught – to know how to live our lives based on how God wants us to.

The Psalmist sums it well – Lord, teach me your statutes. We pray for wisdom and ask God to help us, save us, and guide us as we live our lives on earth.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Lord, I pray that you remind me to pray for wisdom. May I always pray that you be there to guide and teach me. Create a humble and open heart in me, that I may willingly take what you want to give me, and be open as you guide me in living my life. Amen..

Blessed Friday!

In Christ,

-g-

Division

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102413.cfm) reminds me that no one should stand in between God and us.

One of the television series that I really like is blue bloods. It tells of a story of a family who are all involved in either the police department or the district attorney's office. I like it because of the interesting nature of the story, and because it shows the importance of family. Every episode, there is at least one scene where all get together over dinner and talk about their work, issues and concerns. This shows how important family is to most of us.

However, at first glance, the gospel seem to contradict this. Jesus dividing a family? Why?

Jesus does not want us to go against our families. In fact the first commandment after the three is directed to our family - honor your father and mother. However, we are reminded that no one, even our family, should stand between us and God. God should come first, period. No person, affinity or relationship should stand in the way.

May we always remember to put God first, and that nothing and no one should stand in the way of our relationship with God.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for the reminder that nothing and no one should stand in the way of you and me. Lord, i pray that you give me a heart that would put you first always.  Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Spiderman

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102313.cfm) reminds me of what Peter Parker's uncle told him in the movie spider man - with great power comes great responsibility.

The gospel reminds us of something similar

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

God expects more from us as things are revealed to us. Scary? More life challenging. God expects more from us as we know him more, because that's what the natural reaction should be. The more we know God, the more we feel his love, the more we experience his gentleness and forgiveness, the more we should want to stay away from sin - from hurting him.

If after knowing and experiencing these things from God and we don't change and don't improve, then something's wrong.

May we first allow God to love us, allow God to make us feel and experience his love, gentleness, power and forgiveness in our lives - and may it move us to change our lives to please him.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for continuously revealing yourself to me. Lord, I pray that I always allow you to love me. May I experience your love in a deep, personal and intimate way. And as i do so, I pray that you give me the heart that would always want to please you and continuously change for the better. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/09/to-whom-much-is-given.html

Are You Ready?

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102213.cfm) reminds me that we should always be ready to meet God

It’s ironic that all of us want to go to heaven, but we don’t want to talk about death. However, death is real, and everyone will have do experience it to go to heaven. That is why it is important to prepare for is while we are still alive.

Gird you loins and light your lamps. Girding the loin in those days meant to be ready for battle, or to simply be ready. And a servant who has a lighted lamp as he waits for the master’s return means that servant is ready, and awake. That’s how we should be. That’s how we should live our lives.

How can we be ready?

We do a lot of things. We pray, that’s good. We go to mass, on Sundays and if we have time, probably more than once a week. We read the bible. We confess. We help others with what we have. Yes, those are good things. Those are helpful things in preparing. But I believe those are not enough. Merely praying is not enough. Everyone can pray, even the scribes and Pharisees during Jesus time, but simple praying doesn’t guarantee salvation. We can pray with our hearts closed and far from God. Merely hearing mass is not enough too. We can be at mass, everyday, but not participate and be distracted with other things, other people. If we are in mass but our lives are not consistent with Christ’s, then it is not enough. We can read the bible, but if we read it using our minds, using intellect, and not the heart, then it is not enough. We can do good things, but if we do it to show off, then we already got our reward.

What we need to be prepared is simple – a surrendered heart.

A surrendered heart to Christ. As we surrender our hearts to Him, our motives be purified. Our actions will be sanctified. Our prayers will be aligned to his. our prayers will be to happen what God wants in our lives. When we hear mass, we fully participate and allow God to mold us, and to enter our lives especially as we receive the Eucharist. We allow him to consume us. We read the bible with an open heart, asking to reveal to us his messages everyday. And as we do good works, we don’t mind if no one recognizes us, because we do it to show love to God through others.

May we be challenged and prepare to be ready to meet God when he calls us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for giving me another day to live. Thank you for another opportunity to prepare my life as I the day I will meet you draws nearer. Lord, I ask that you help me surrender my heart to you. help me surrender my life, little by little, day by day. I ask that as I do so, you help me purify my thoughts, actions and motives. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Wrong Riches

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102113.cfm) reminds me that we should work for the right riches in life – this one and the next

There are people who get impressed by a lot of things – money, fame, power, etc. There are people who get blinded by these things, and fail to see the essence of life in favour of these. However, God is not impressed by these things or anything in this world. We see in the gospel he was not impressed by the man’s big barns and rich harvest. Instead, he called him fool, for he was busy with those things, the things of the world and with enjoying them, rather than preparing for the next life.

God can take us anytime. Really.

And when he does, there’s no turning back. All our riches of this world will remain on this world. All the fame, money, power, will all be left behind. So it is wise to also store riches in heaven – good works, faith, love for others. These things, though does not have value on this earth, have a lot of value in heaven, where we want to be forever.

In the first reading, we see someone wise enough to know what’s really important. Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Faith enables us to move mountains, to continue to trust in God and continue doing his work despite the challenges we continuously encounter. This faith enables us to work and store riches in heaven, riches we will not enjoy in this earth, but will enjoy in our lifetime in heaven.

May we pray for wisdom to be wise, and remember the saying that “working for God doesn’t pay much, but it’s retirement benefit is out of this world.”

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for another day. Thank you for another week. Lord, I pray that as I start this week, I be able to make wise decisions. May I work for and accumulate right riches in life, riches that would please you, riches that I would enjoy when you take me from this world. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

Surrendered

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102013.cfm) reminds me how powerful surrendering to God is.

In the first reading, we see the story of Moses and Joshua. They went to war and as long as Moses had his hands raised, they got the upper hand in the battle. Imagine it. This must be a cool sight. if his hands were raised they were winning. If he got tired and lowered his hands, the enemies take over. Wow. How magical, right? But why were his raising of hands powerful?

Probably because it signified his surrender to God.

In praise and worship, one of the outward signs of surrendering is the raising of hands. Think of someone being held up, or being arrested. One raises the hands as a sign of surrender. That’s what Moses was doing. Raising his hands, surrendering to God not only himself but his people.

Surrender is not a one time decision. It is an everyday, constant decision. The battle was not one in one sitting. A one time raising of Moses hands was not enough. Raising the hands can become painful if done for a long period of time, that is why he had Aaron and Hur to help him raise his hands, and eventually they won the battle.

In the same way, surrendering to God is painful, and we will eventually go tired and weary, and would want to go back to where it was comfortable. That is why we need people to help and support us, to make sure we push despite the challenges and hardships, that we continue to surrender to God until the time we will be called to meet him face to face.

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for giving me another day to live. Thank you for another opportunity to know more about you. Lord, thank you for the reminder on surrender. Lord, I am sorry for the times I give up, the times I put my hands down when I feel pain, when I get tired and weary. Lord, I pray that you send me people to always help me and guide me and remind me to continuously and faithfully surrender to you, despite all the pain it may cause me. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Inheritance

  

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101913.cfm) reminds me that we all inherit good traits.

We all inherit traits from our parents.  When one is tall, people automatically ask if the parents are also tall. We know that we inherit traits and characteristics from those who came before us.

In the first reading, we see that we inherited a great faith from Abraham. He was a man of faith, of great faith, as we see in the reading. In his old age, he believed God's word that he will not only have a son, but numerous descendants as well.

"He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be."

May we always remember that deep inside us is a descendant of a great man of faith, and that we too have that faith, we only need to continually nourish it and practice it.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another weekend. Thank you for giving us Abraham to inspire us with a great faith. Lord i ask that you help me strengthen and develop my faith so that as i use it, i may also inspire others and pass it on to my descendants. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Pass it on

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101813.cfm) reminds me that we should inspire and enable others to be workers of God.

In the first reading, we see St Paul, probably the greatest evangelist, writing a letter to Timothy. He mentioned that only Luke was with him as he was working. And St Luke, whose feast day we are celebrating today, became one of the four writers of the gospel, grew in faith as he learned from the best. St Paul was able to successfully train and inspire him to be an evangelist himself.

In the gospel, we again are reminded of God's call to us to be fishers of men. He calls each and everyone of us to work for him, no matter how big or small, how grand or how simple our ways are. And as we work for him, we should also desire to inspire others to do as well, and to train others to work for Him as well.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for fridays! Thank you for constant opportunities to love and serve you. Thank you for the reminder to serve you. Lord, i pray that you give me a heart that desires to serve you, as as I do so, in my little way, may I also inspire others to do so. Amen.

Blessed weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

God of All

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101713.cfm) reminds me that God is for all.

When i read the first reading, I was reminded of our Pope, Francis. He is a very welcoming Pope, he is not closing the door to other religions, and even to those without religions. He is very accepting, welcoming and accommodating.

I believe this is what God wants to be.

"Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised through faith."

We need to be welcoming and understanding, while having a firm grasp on our faith. In welcoming others, it would be easy to be tempted to let go of our Catholic values and unknowingly veer away from the faith. As we reach out to others, and bring others to Him, we should also work hard to strengthen the foundation of our faith, so that we will be strongly anchored on God.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day. Thank you for reminding me the importance of acceptance, openness, and discipleship. Lord, help me strengthen my faith in and relationship with you so that I will be strongly anchored on you as I reach out to others and bring them to you. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Heaven or Not

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101613.cfm) reminds me that it is up to us if we want to go to heaven or not.

All people will eventually die, and when we do, all who believe in heaven would definitely want to go in heaven. However, when you ask people, we seem to not be sure if we will go to heaven. It seems that we do not know how to get to heaven, and feel that it is entirely up to God to let us enter heaven or not.

Today, God reminds us that it is our choice. While of course actions are not enough, how we live our lives on earth has a big impact to where we will go. The reading tells us..

Yes, affliction and distress will come upon everyone who does evil...But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good...

Yes, it is up to us. The choices we make with our lives, the priorities in our lives, the way we live our lives, are all indications to God of where we want to go when we die. He is in heaven, so living a life of evil, away from him, enjoying this world too much, is us telling him that we dont want him, that we don't want heaven.

We are reminded again by the psalmist - "Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works"

May we know where we really want to go when we die, and live our lives telling God that.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for listening to me - my words, thoughts and actions. Lord, may I always remember that the choice to go to heaven is mine, and may i always live my life telling you that i want to. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Clean Inside

  

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101513.cfm) reminds me that we should be clean from the inside.

There is a saying that “you are what you eat.” If you eat healthy food, you eventually become healthy. If you eat unhealthy, oily and fatty food, you will become unhealthy, oily and fatty as well. This is because what we take in from outside makes what we are inside, and what we are inside manifests outside as well.

This is what Jesus was talking about. The Pharisees were hypocrites, cleaning the outside appearance but is very dirty inside. Their first manifests outside, when Jesus saw that they were more concerned on the strict observance of the law, rather than learn the real meaning of it through Jesus.

IT is easy to clean the outside, to look clean and beautiful. But may we remember that whatever is inside, whatever we are trying to hide, will eventually be manifested outside.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another holiday. Thank you for another opportunity to rest and spend time with family. Lord, I pray that I always be reminded that what is inside of me will eventually come out. With that, may I work on cleaning the inside of my heart, of my life, rather than work on the things other people readily see. I also pray Lord for all our fellow Filipinos affected bu the earthquake this morning. May we as a nation be one in praying and helping each other out. May this challenge bring out the goodness and the best in us. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Did you see the Sign?

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101413.cfm) reminds me how much we are fond of signs.

Road signs are very important, and helpful especially if one is not familiar with the road. IT tells motorists where to go, how to go there, what the rules, are, etc. If followed properly, it keeps people safe, and brings one to the destination.

Sometimes, or a lot of times, we want that kind of sign from God too.

Why not? Who would not want affirmation or assurance of what God wants us to do in a specific situation? Who would not want what God wants us to choose, or where he wants us to go? Even people in the bible asked for signs from God. However, it can also be taken out of bounds.

In the gospel we see Jesus warning the people about asking for signs. While it is normal to ask for signs, it becomes bad if the heart is closed to God’s signs. The people of Nineveh were living in sin, and did not ask for a sign. But when God sent Jonah to warn them, they repented. However, the people already have Jesus with them to warn them and preach to them, but their hearts were closed. They did not want him, they wanted a sign based on their own expectations and standards. They wanted God to conform to what they want, that’s why Jesus said no sign will be given to them.

How about us? Do we ask for signs, or do what we can – reading the bible, praying, receiving the sacraments, to know what God wants us to do, how God wants us to live our lives? If we ask for signs, are we open and sensitive to get signs not based on what we want, or do we want God to conform to what sign we want from Him?

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another week! Lord, I pray that you always make you presence alive in my life. Help me do my part so I will always be sensitive to you. May I work and do my part to build a strong and personal relationship with you, so that I would know you more, instead of just asking for signs. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

One of Ten

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101313.cfm) reminds me that I should thank God, especially after my prayers have been answered.

They say that “desperate times call for desperate measures.” And in times of desperate needs, we would be ready to do anything to get through. We do whatever we can in our human capacity to get by. We pray hard to God, and even make promises and bargain with him. “Lord, just help me with this, I will stop smoking,  or I will give up by vices”.  Or “Lord, if I get through this, I promise to hear mass everyday” These are some things we tend to say and do in times of desperate need. However, when situations change, when prayers are answered, when we got by already, our attitude seem to change as well. “Lord, it’s hard to give it up, I’ll just lessen it, okay?” or “Lord, can I just hear mass twice a week, I can’t seem to do it everyday?”

This is similar to how the ten lepers acted. They were all healed when they asked pity from Jesus.

Although they did not say they will go back to Jesus or be good people if they get healed, only one of them came back to Jesus to thank Him. only one of them remembered and made the effort to thank Jesus for hearing and answering their prayer – and this one is a foreigner, similar to the good Samaritan.

Why did the other nine not go back? Probably they were too excited with their healing that they forgot who healed them. Probably they did not acknowledge it was Jesus who healed them. Or probably they had a sense of entitlement that Jesus should heal them, because they were his own, unlike the foreigner who came back and thanked him.

What’s important to note is what Jesus told the man – “Your faith has saved you.” Yes, they were all cleaned. Not thanking Jesus will not make the other nine lepers again. however, only one was saved, because only one acknowledged Jesus, only one had faith that it was Jesus who saved him, and only one genuinely experienced God in his life – and will therefore be inspired to live the remaining days of his life for Christ.

May we never forget to thank God for answered prayers, and always acknowledge him as God in our lives.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day. Thank you for another Sunday! Lord I pray that I be like the one leper who came back to you and remembered you. when my prayers get answered, may I not forget you and thank you, and as I continuously experience your love, I pray that I may always live my life for you, and be saved as I do so. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Why Blessed?

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101213.cfm) makes me think, why will we be blessed if we hear God’s word and act on it?

We know what will make God happy – if we love him above all and love others as ourselves. We know that if we hear God’s word and act on it, God will be happy. We know that we should listen to and obey God’s word, because it will make him happy, and as grateful children, we want to make our Father happy. But why will we be blessed?

I used to attend basketball clinics when I was a kid. Kids usually go there to learn the scientific method of playing basketball. Of course, each kid would want to play actual five on five, whole court basketball. However, when you go there, you won’t readily get what you expect. You wont even be able to hold a basketball, not until you are ready. You will be taught the proper way of doing other things, jogging, defense, etc, before you even hold a basketball. Those things prepare you for the actual game, which usually comes towards the end of the clinic program.

I believe this is why we are blessed if we hear and do God’s word. God cannot readily give us his blessings if we are not ready. God cannot take us where we are meant to go if we are not yet ready, if our vision is limited to this world, if our concerns are all of this world. That is why we are blessed if we hear and act. Hearing God’s word, and acting upon it, slowly prepares us. It slowly readies us, slowly transforms us. Once we consistently allow God to do so, we will be transformed and there will come a time we will be ready – ready to receive his blessings, ready to achieve and actualize God’s great plans for us, ready to meet him face to face. That’s why we are blessed.

May we be inspired to hear God’s word and act on it, not because doing so makes God happy, but because doing so makes us blessed.

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for another day to live. Thank you for opportunities to live my faith. Thank you for the blessings you constantly give me and my family. Lord, I pray that today and everyday, I may thirst for your word. May I hear you word and act on it, and allow you to slowly transform me and ready me to receive all you want to give me. Amen.

Blessed weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

Relapse

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101113.cfm) reminds me to avoid relapse

There is an important principle in work that also applies in life. “You are only as good as your last achievement.” Makes sense, right? This should always keep us in our toes, always sharp and ready to accomplish things. We should not sit on yesterday’s achievements and be complacent and overconfident with what we are doing.

In the spiritual realm, this is true as well. We should not be overconfident of our change of lifestyle or our state of being freed from evil in our lives.

In the gospel, we see Jesus warning us about this. “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone…finding no place to go it says I shall return home to where I came from…then it brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, that the last condition of the man is worse than the first.”

Scary? Of course not, if we believe in God.

This just warns us not to be overconfident or complacent. As we are feed from evil spirits, as we live renewed lives, as we life a new life in Christ, we should not be overconfident and feel that we can handle everything that comes…because we can’t. As we are cleansed from evil spirits, from vices and sins, we should replace this with everything of God. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. Worship. We should not just be contented with our new self, but work hard as well to strengthen and develop it, replacing bad for good, and filling our lives with everything God wants to give us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another weekend coming up! Lord, I pray that I may not be overconfident. May I always work hard to have more of you, to know more of you. I pray that you fill my life with everything of you. Strengthen and protect me from the attacks of the evil one, and help me remain firmly in you. Amen.

Blessed weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/08/bad-lapse.html

Ask, Seek, Knock

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101013.cfm) reminds me how prayer changes us

The gospel today is the continuation of yesterday’s gospel about Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray.

He encourages us to be persistent in prayer. God hears us. He listens to us. And Jesus tells us that it is important and powerful to be persistent in praying to God. And he further continues to say that we should ask, seek and knock.

This should be taken in the right perspective and right context. We cannot pray and make God do whatever we want and pray for because he said that ask and you shall receive. We should remember that asking, seeking and knocking should be done properly, and with the proper perspective.

Prayer changes us. As we pray the Lord’ s prayer, we are slowly being transformed to be more and more like him, to be more and more what he created us to be. In the Lord’s prayer, we pray that “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  When we pray that, we also allow his will to be done in our lives. Everyday, we slowly submit to his will and allow his will to reign in our lives. Then as he changes us, what we seek, what we ask and what we knock for changes. In the gospel it says that “the Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” As we pray, we will ask his will to be done in our lives, and in the world. We will seek his kingdom, and we will find it. And we will knock at the gates of heaven and as we live our lives properly, it shall be opened eventually.

May we continuously allow God to mold, transform, and change us through prayer.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you again for another reminder on prayer. Lord, I again ask that you slowly transform me. Give me a heart that would want to pray, that would always want to be in your presence. Help me strengthen my prayer life, Lord, for I know that as I do so, it will be easier for you to change me, and to do in my life what you want. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-