Turning bad into good

The readings today show us how great God’s power and love is!

In the first reading, we see God’s great plan for the Israelites, how He wants to unite them all and bless them abundantly. The psalm shows us a prayer we should be saying in faith – that  God will guard us like a shepherd guards his flock. However, in the gospel, we see Caiaphas, the high priest, wanting to have Jesus killed. He wants the messiah killed. This is where we see God’s love and power.

The intention of Caiaphas was evil, but God turned it such that it resulted to something good. That’s how powerful and loving God is – he can turn man’s evil desires into something that will bring Him glory. His love for us is not affected by the evil desires of people. How blessed are we to have such God.

What is in my heart? Do I genuinely want to praise God, or do I want glory for myself? When times are tough, do I have faith that God will see me through, that he will keep his promises and guard me? Do I let bad things bring me down, or do I work to make them glorify God?

May we always remember that our God is powerful enough to turn an evil desire into something good, and loving enough not to give up on us easily.

God bless!

Victorious God

The readings today encourages us to focus on God and what he can do.

The first reading says that yes, there will be persecution, that the enemy will try to put us down. However, God has already won the battle. We just need to call on Him as we work for him, and we need to have faith in him and his saving power. We should focus on these things, not on what the enemy will try to do to us

But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.

The psalm encourages us to call upon the Lord, and we should have faith that he will always listen to our concerns.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies

Do I know and believe that God has already won the battle, that he has triumphed over sin and death, therefore I need not be afraid of anything? Am I focusing on the enemy and not on God? Do I realize what God has done and will continue to do in my life? How can I improve my faith? How can I put the focus on Him?

May we be inspired by the readings, and reminded what God has already done. We need not fear, God is on our side.

God  bless!

He keeps his promises

The readings today remind me to trust in God because he keeps his promises.

The first reading shows us God telling Abram, who became Abraham, that he is to be the father of kings, and will have lots of descendants, which during that time was a sign of blessings from God. We all know that God kept his promise to Abraham. This is echoed in the psalm, The Lord remembers his covenant forever.

In the gospel, Jesus said that whoever keeps his word will never see death. Of course, this is not physical death. We will all die. However, if we seek his will and obey his word, the bible, we will be with him in eternal life. That’s living. As we live our lives, it is good to be reminded of that promise.

Do I believe God’s promises with my whole heart?  When he says he has great plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11), do I believe and wait for his perfect time, or do I take things into my own hands? Am I keeping true to my word as well?

May we always remember that God keeps his promises, especially when things are tough in our lives.

God bless!

Freedom

Today’s gospel says a popular quote “The truth will set you free.” Jesus was inviting the Jews to believe in Him and be his disciples, then they will know the truth and the truth will set them free. They are not physical slaves, but Jesus said they are slaves of sin. Knowing and following Jesus sets us free from the bondage of sin, and sets us free to worship God with all we’ve got.

The three men in the first reading lives this freedom. They are free – not from persecution, but from false and worldly attachments. They were not worried about what other people would say about them disobeying the king. They did not care about their physical bodies. They were more concerned with following God and have great faith in Him. In the end, they were unharmed by the king’s plot, and was able to testify greatly by their faith and by the way they live their lives.

How about us? Are we free from material attachments? What prevents us from fully worshipping God? IS my life a testimony of my faith and love for God?

May we be inspired by the men in the first reading, who are ready to give up even their lives to live their faith. May we have  faith that as we serve Him, God will take care of us!

God bless!

I AM

The gospel today shows us Jesus telling that he is “I AM” What is I AM?  It may not be grammatically correct, but it signifies the name God gave to Moses. When God asked Moses to bring the people out of Egypt, he did not know who he was talking to. Back then, God did not have a name yet.  This was the name God gave to Moses – I AM (see exodus 3:14). This signifies that God is the eternal God, the one true God, the Supreme Being, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This is who Jesus is telling us he is in today’s gospel.

If we truly believe in Jesus being God, being I AM, we should live it in our lives. We will die in our sins (of this world) if we do not believe and live out that He is God.  Believing in God does not necessarily mean that things will be easy. Yes, he has great plans for us (see Jeremiah 29:11), but it does not say that it will be easy, and we must also do our part. We see in Exodus 3 that God wanted to save his people, as he told and commissioned Moses.

However, we see in today’s first reading that the people were impatient to wait on God’s plans to come to fulfilment, and they were punished.  We too can relate to this. When we become impatient to wait for God’s perfect plan to come into fruition, we do not necessarily die of snake bites, but we do not get what is best for us. IF we cannot wait for the perfect partner God is preparing for us and rush into relationships, we will just end up getting hurt. If we cannot wait for God’s perfect plan to unfold in our lives, be it in our career or other aspects of our lives, and take things into our own hands, we will realize that we are not fully happy and contented, simply because we were impatient to wait on God. We need to have faith in God’s perfect plan and perfect timing.

Do I believe that Jesus is God – the I AM? Do I live my life in a way showing it? Do I patiently wait in faith for the Lord’s plans to unfold in my life in his perfect time, or do I take things into my own hands?

May we remember to live our lives in glory of God, and to patiently wait on Him.

God bless!

Fiat!

As we celebrate Jesus Annunciation today, we are reminded of how powerful a “yes” to God is!

Mary was visited by the angel in today’s gospel. She was told she would be the mother of God. How frightening it must have been for a young girl to be told this. She was also told that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and God’s power will overshadow her and make her pregnant. There were a lot of concerns, especially as she did not understand everything that will happen and how things will happen. However, she still said yes. Fiat!

How inspiring.

The readings tell us how we can make God happy. How we should respond to God’s call. “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will”. Not our will, not our desires, but the Lord’s (see reflection http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/03/die-to-live.html ). Kahit na hindi mo gusto yung pinapagawa sayo, kahit na mahirap, we are encouraged to respond that way. That’s what will make God happy – not sacrifice or holocausts, but a heart that will readily say yes to His will.

Am I ready to give my yes to God when he calls me? What hinders me from giving my yes to Him? Do I have faith that as I give my yes, God will use me mightily for his purpose, and equip me with the things that I need to serve him? Do I believe that as I die of myself and embrace his will, nothing is really impossible?

May we always find it in our hearts to give our yes to God when he calls us, no matter how big or small a task it may be. Let us remember that God can only work mightily through us if we allow him, if we give him our yes and abandon ourselves to surrender to his will. Mary’s yes enabled God to user her mightily. Let us have faith that as God calls us and as we give our yes to him, he will equip and empower us to do the work he asked us to do.

Yes lang ng yes!

God bless!

Die to Live

The gospel today teaches us that we should die of ourselves in order for Christ to live in us.

Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.

How strong Jesus’ words are. We will only produce fruit if we die of ourselves. Scientifically, it’s true. The seed has to die to give life to a tree. When the seed dies in the soil, something bigger than it comes to life. This shows that dying is not enough. It has to die in a good soil for it to become a tree and bear fruits.

We need to die of ourselves and allow God to dwell and live in us. Jesus says that whoever hates his life in the world will preserve it. If we live our lives not for our own comfort and personal worldly concerns, but rather die of our natural worldly desires and allow God to live in us by following and serving Him, then we will have life for eternity, after we live on this world. That is real life. That is real living. We need to realize that this world is fleeting and we are merely passers-by in this world. We need to prepare for eternity.

Not living OF the world is not easy. There will be a lot of challenges, oppositions and persecutions from the enemy, the ruler of this world. However, we should be inspired by the second reading.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Christ, God’s only son, out of his great love for God and us, obeyed God and suffered in this world. However, when he was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation. Like Christ, we need to obey and trust God’s plan and expect him to use us mightily as we obey him, as we die of ourselves.

We are all living ON this world, but am I also living OF the world? What things do I need to die of in order that Christ may live in me? Do I realize that this world is temporary and that I need to prepare for eternity? Am I willing to die of myself and of my worldly concerns to be able to live for eternity with God?