Powerful Faith

The WORD today reminds me how powerful our faith is. 

Faith is something close to my heart. A lot of times, situation seems hopeless. I feel helpless. And it is my faith in God that somehow got me through. Faith. It is simple. It is powerful. In the bible it says that faith can move mountains, and that for those who have faith, nothing is impossible. I believe this is true. And in the gospel, we see why. 

The gospel today tells us of two stories of faith and healing and miracles. The first one was the woman with hemorrhage. She had great faith in Jesus, so great that she knew even a touch on his cloak would save and heal her. Probably this is what most of us Filipinos feel and think when we touch the image of Christ. We do not say that the image itself has power, same as the woman not saying that the cloak itself has power. It is Jesus, whom the cloak (and image) represents who has power and who we have faith into, that heals us. And the woman was brave when she admitted that she was the one who touched Jesus, though she doesn’t know how Jesus would react on her admitting it. Jesus could have gotten angry at her. But she was honest and brave. And we saw that Jesus affirmed her and said that “Daughter…your faith has saved you…be cured..”

The second story is about Jairus daughter. Jesus was on the way to heal her when they were told she was dead. We feel like this a lot of times, when we are told situation is hopeless and we cannot do anything about it anymore. Jesus is telling us today what He told Jairus. Do not listen to them. “Do not be afraid; just have faith” Simple words. Powerful words. Jesus is asking us, like he asked Jairus, to not mind other people telling us bad things, or making us feel down. Do not let the world bring you down.  Do not let the situation or other people dampen your spirit. Do not be afraid of what is happening. Just focus on me. Have faith in me. And as we do so, we will surely be pleasantly surprised like Jairus when the seemingly hopeless situation would be turned around by God’s grace, power, and love. 

Jesus appreciates our faith, and rewards us for it.

In both circumstances, Jesus tells us how important faith is. “Daughter, your faith has saved you, go in peace and be cured of your affliction” and “Do not be afraid, just have faith.” These words of Jesus should remind us how important faith is, and inspire us to have faith in Jesus, no matter what the situation may be. This should encourage us to build and strengthen our faith, by praying, reading his word, partaking of the sacraments, so we would know him more and experience him more so our faith would be strengthened.  

How is my faith in God? How do I live my faith? Do I have faith in God all the time, or only when my situation looks easy? How can I improve my faith? 

May we be inspired and moved into action.

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for another day to live. Thank you for the reminder on how important and powerful faith is. Lord, I am sorry for the times I doubt. Sorry for the times I give in to the temptation and power of the world. Sorry for the times I let the situation bring me down and doubt you. Lord, I pray that you give me faith – faith that would heal, faith that would work miracles, faith that would just focus on you in the midst of all that is happening around me. May you be happy with my faith, as I wait for the day you will tell me “my Child your faith has saved you…” Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• JANUARY 30, 2023
• January 31, 2023
• FEBRUARY 1, 2023

• Readings for the Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest

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Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Lectionary: 324

Reading I

Heb 12:1-4 

Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 22:26b-27, 28 and 30, 31-32

R. (see 27b) They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
Before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.

Alleluia

Mt 8:17

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mk 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side, 
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
“My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live.”
He went off with him
and a large crowd followed him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to him,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” 
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” 
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.

Other Plans

The WORD today reminds me that despite our good intentions, God may have other plans for us. 

It is relatively easier to pray when we have good intentions. It is relatively easier to ask for God's blessings and favors when what we are praying for or what we are asking is good. However, these do not guarantee that God will hear our prayer. 

Good intentions do not always get a yes from God. 

In the gospel, Jesus healed a man. He set him free from a lot of evil spirits. From Legion. And not surprising, after being healed, the man wanted to come with Jesus to be with him, to thank him through his service. However, surprisingly, Jesus did not accept him but instead told him to serve God in another way - by going home and announce what God has done for him.  

God sometimes has other plans for us. But it is always better that what we initially have in mind. 

The man did what he was told. And as he did, all were amazed. God sent him to do something and equipped him. And used him mightily. He brought awareness of God to people, even if Jesus was not with him. That was definitely better than just being with Jesus as he was used as a force multiplier. 

There are times we experience the same thing. We feel God is rejecting us and our plans, even if we feel our plans and intentions are good. However, just because his plans are different from us doesn't mean we won't like it. His plans are always better than ours, and as we humbly submit and follow his plans and allow him to use us, we will realize the wisdom of his plans.  

What are the things I am praying for? How does God respond? Do I have faith in him? Or do I want him to say yes to my prayers? What is he reminding me today? 

May we be like the man, humbling ourselves before God, submitting to his plans, and doing what he asks us to do. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for another week. Thank you for all the blessings. Thank you for being so generous. Lord, sorry for the times I prefer my plans instead of yours. Sorry for being hard headed. Sorry for not being humble enough to submit to your will, to your plans. help me be like the man. Help me humble myself before you always. Help me be submit to your will and your plans, especially when they are not what i expect. Help me just obey, and as I do, I have faith that you will use me mightily for your kingdom. Amen. 

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• JANUARY 29, 2023
• January 30, 2023
• JANUARY 31, 2023

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Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 323

Reading 1 

Heb 11:32-40

Brothers and sisters:
What more shall I say?
I have not time to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,
of David and Samuel and the prophets,
who by faith conquered kingdoms, 
did what was righteous, obtained the promises;
they closed the mouths of lions, put out raging fires,
escaped the devouring sword;
out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle,
and turned back foreign invaders.
Women received back their dead through resurrection.
Some were tortured and would not accept deliverance,
in order to obtain a better resurrection.
Others endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword’s point;
they went about in skins of sheep or goats,
needy, afflicted, tormented.
The world was not worthy of them.
They wandered about in deserts and on mountains,
in caves and in crevices in the earth.

Yet all these, though approved because of their faith,
did not receive what had been promised.
God had foreseen something better for us,
so that without us they should not be made perfect.

Responsorial 

Ps 31:20, 21, 22, 23, 24

R.    (25)  Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
How great is the goodness, O LORD,
    which you have in store for those who fear you,
And which, toward those who take refuge in you,
    you show in the sight of the children of men.
R.    Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
    from the plottings of men;
You screen them within your abode
    from the strife of tongues.
R.    Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Blessed be the LORD whose wondrous mercy
    he has shown me in a fortified city. 
R.    Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Once I said in my anguish,
    “I am cut off from your sight”;
Yet you heard the sound of my pleading
    when I cried out to you.
R.    Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.
Love the LORD, all you his faithful ones!
    The LORD keeps those who are constant,
    but more than requites those who act proudly.
R.    Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord.

 

 

Alleluia 

Lk 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

Mk 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,
to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat,
at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,
and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,
but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,
and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides
he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He  replied, “Legion is my name.  There are many of us.”
And he pleaded earnestly with him
not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,
“Send us into the swine.  Let us enter them.”
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.
The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,
where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,
they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,
sitting there clothed and in his right mind.
And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened
to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,
“Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis
what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

How To Live

The WORD today reminds me how I should live. 

God is a caring God. He sees us and is always there for us. He guides us. We see in the readings that he gives us instructions on how we should live, so when we meet him, we would be ready.

In the first reading, we see that we should seek the Lord. And we see how we are to act as we seek God. In the second reading, we are reminded how great and powerful God is, and how we should relate to him. These are things we should remember and do as we live. 

In the gospel, we see Jesus himself giving us the Beatitudes or what others call the “Be-Attitudes.” This is how God wants us to be. It reminds me that as we live this life on earth, everything will not be easy. We will experience challenges and persecutions, we will be frustrated with what is happening around us. However, Christ exhorts us to be faithful and to continue trusting in Him despite everything that is happening to us and around us. At the same time, it reminds me that those who having a great time, those who are worldly and powerful, will one day have to face God as well, and will be accountable for their actions. 

What is happening on our lives here on earth is not the end. This is not everything. God reminds us that there is a greater life after our life here on earth. All his promises in the beatitudes does not necessarily mean comfort will come in this life. Actually, if we examine the promises, all of those will come in the next life. However, we need to be faithful and remain living in God’s light as we live on earth to realize and experience those promises.

May we be encouraged and strengthened, and follow God’s instructions for our lives in preparation for eternity with Him.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live and love. Thank you for your promises and encouragement. Thank you for taking care of us and knowing and providing what we need to get by. Thank you for the instructions. Lord, sorry for not always following your ways. Sorry for being hard headed. Lord, I pray that I be faithful to you. Help me follow your instructions. May I be firm in faith and focus on you as I live this life on earth, having faith that I will claim and receive your promises as I do so. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• JANUARY 28, 2023
• January 29, 2023
• JANUARY 30, 2023

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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 70

Reading 1 

Zep 2:3; 3:12-13

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth,
who have observed his law;
seek justice, seek humility;
perhaps you may be sheltered
on the day of the LORD's anger.

But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
and speak no lies;
nor shall there be found in their mouths
a deceitful tongue;
they shall pasture and couch their flocks
with none to disturb them.

Responsorial Psalm 

Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 

R. (Mt 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 

1 Cor 1:26-31

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
"Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord."

Alleluia 

Mt 5:12a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

Mt 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."