Gross Heart

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072116.cfm) reminds me that I should always check the state of my heart. 

When we have visitors, we almost always clean the house. Yes, we still clean the house on a normal day. But cleaning is different when we are expecting visitors, especially important ones. We make extra effort to have the house the best way possible. We bring out special plates, utensils and things that we don’t use on a regular day. In as much as we do this much preparation for special guests, we should also do the same with our hearts.

The state of our heart affects the intensity and effectiveness of God’s presence in our lives.

In the gospel, we see that the people did not understand what Jesus was saying because of the state of their hearts. They hear what Jesus says, and sees his actions. But they do not understand because of their hearts. We see this a lot in the gospels. Jesus heals people and preaches to people, but not all are ready and willing to accept him. Same message, same person delivering the message, different effects – because of different states of their hearts.

We should check our hearts. We might be so busy and so caught up in the world that we do not have time to check our hearts. We may not realize it, but our hearts may not be fit anymore to hear and receive God. He has been talking to us, he has been making his presence alive and real. This effort from him is constant. But if we don’t feel it, then probably something’s wrong. If we are always worried and depressed, then we are definitely not getting God’s promise of peace and abundance. We may not be hearing God’s word. our hearts may not be in a proper disposition to welcome him.

May we never neglect to check our hearts, and always do our best by constant prayer and making the most out of the sacrament of reconciliation to clean our hearts and ready it to receive God.

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 the reminder. Lord, I am sorry for being so busy with the world that I don’t remember you. sorry for neglecting the state of my heart that causes me not to hear and feel you. help me do my best to keep it clean, to constantly pray and confess and try to live right so I would always be ready and sensitive to you. amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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July 21, 2016
Lectionary: 398
Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

This word of the LORD came to me:
Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!

I remember the devotion of your youth,
how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the desert,
in a land unsown.
Sacred to the LORD was Israel,
the first fruits of his harvest;
Should any presume to partake of them,
evil would befall them, says the LORD.

When I brought you into the garden land
to eat its goodly fruits,
You entered and defiled my land,
you made my heritage loathsome.
The priests asked not,
“Where is the LORD?”
Those who dealt with the law knew me not:
the shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after useless idols.

Be amazed at this, O heavens,
and shudder with sheer horror, says the LORD.
Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 36:6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11

R. (10a) With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
O LORD, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your faithfulness, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the mountains of God;
your judgments, like the mighty deep.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them to drink.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Keep up your mercy toward your friends,
your just defense of the upright of heart.
R. With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.

Alleluia See Mt 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 13:10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Readiness

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072016.cfm) reminds me that my readiness to receive God's word affects its effect. 

My wife took subjects on agriculture before we got married, back when we was still based in the province. One interesting fact she shared was that there are different kinds of soil. Not all will be conducive for plants and fruits. I thought any soil van be used to grow trees and flowers. Hindi pala.  It depends on the kind of soil if the seeds will bear fruit. In the gospel today, Jesus uses this in the context of spiritual growth and maturity.

The sower went out to sow. He put out the same seeds to the different soil. It was the same sower, and the same kind of seed. What was different was the kind of soil that received the seeds. And the kind of soil that received it had a huge impact on what happened to the seeds. 

The readiness and receptiveness of the soil determines what will happen to the seeds.

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.

We all have the same bible. We all have the same God. We all experience the great, unconditional and forgiving love of God through Jesus. However, we receive it differently. Some chose to prioritize worldly riches over spiritual ones, some allow stress and problems overwhelm us and take the focus away from God, some allow the devil to take away what God gave us, while some keep everything in their hearts and lives and allow God’s seeds of love to bear fruit in their lives.

However, I believe there is a little difference with us. The kind of soil was permanent. Nothing could be dome to change it. But not with us. We may be kind of rocky or shallow right now, but we don't need to be there forever. We can change our kind of soil. We can improve. We can make the decision to be better, to exert more effort, to be more ready and receptive. However, it works both ways. Even if we may produce good fruit now, we should not be complacent. We should make the continuous effort and decision to be fruitful.

May we be challenged and inspired by the fact that God gave us all his love, his word, his blessings and protection. May we prepare our hearts to receive him and allow him to bear fruit through us. May we constantly do our best to be productive and always bear good fruit for God. 

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 all the blessings you have been continuously giving me. Thank you for the reminder and the challenge. Lord, sorry for the times I just go with the flow. Sorry for not taking steps to improve my faith and relationship with you that affect the fruits I produce. Likewise, Sorry for the times I get overconfident and lose the effort to improve my relationship with you. Help me prepare my heart to receive you all the time.  Help me to always be a good soil, that your word in my life may take effect. May I be able to absorb it, give it its due importance, and allow you to bear fruit through me. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflections:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2015/07/your-decision.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/04/good-fruit.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/07/good-soil.html

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July 20, 2016
Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 397

Reading 1 Jer 1:1, 4-10

The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,
of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.

The word of the LORD came to me thus:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
“Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,
AI know not how to speak; I am too young.”

But the LORD answered me,
Say not, “I am too young.”
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Have no fear before them,
because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,

See, I place my words in your mouth!
This day I set you
over nations and over kingdoms,
To root up and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15 and 17

R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Whoever has ears ought to hear. 

Family of God

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071916.cfm) reminds me how I can be part of God's family. 

Life is unfair, both in good ways and in bad. Some people are born at an advantage - to a good family, financially abundant, healthy, with all the needed connections, etc. however, others are born at a disadvantage - with sickness, financial problems, etc. This may be the situation in the world, but not in our spiritual life. 

We can all be part of God's family if we want to. 

In the gospel, Jesus said that his mother and his brothers are not just in the worldly sense, but more so in the faith aspect. Jesus considers his mother and brothers, his family, those who do the will of God the Father. This means that even if we are born at a disadvantage in this world, we can still be part of God's family if we want to. If we do God's commandments. 

Doing God's commandments welcomes us in God's family. We are all welcome. It is just up to us if we really want to be a part of it. When we do God's commandments and live in his ways, then we are telling him we want to be part of his family. We are telling him that we love him. We are telling him that we are willing to surrender and be governed by Him. We are telling him that we subject ourselves in his will and he can do to us what he wants to do. 

Surrendering to God makes it easy for Him to bless us according to his plans and to his will. Opening up ourselves and our lives to him makes it easier for God to give us all he wants to. Doing these things make it easier for us to enjoy the benefits that come with being God's children. 

We may not be in the best situation in this world, but we can in our spiritual life. May we be willing to surrender to God, do his will, and let him treat us as his children. 

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 chance to be part of your family. Lord, sorry for the times I let the world dictate how my life would be. Sorry for thinking I cannot do anything about my situation. Sorry for not doing what I can to be part of your family. Lord, help me do my part. I humble myself and allow you to take control. I will do my best to always do your will. Because Lord you know that I want to be part of your family. You know I love you. Amen. 

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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July 19, 2016
Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 396

Reading 1 Mic 7:14-15, 18-20

Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.

Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea
all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (8a) Lord, show us your mercy and love.
You have favored, O LORD, your land;
you have brought back the captives of Jacob.
You have forgiven the guilt of your people;
you have covered all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your wrath;
you have revoked your burning anger.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Restore us, O God our savior,
and abandon your displeasure against us.
Will you be ever angry with us,
prolonging your anger to all generations?
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Will you not instead give us life;
and shall not your people rejoice in you?
Show us, O LORD, your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Alleluia Jn 14:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 12:46-50

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Recognizing the Sign

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071816.cfm) reminds me how important it is to recognize 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. They help keep people safe. However, there are a number of tests and studies that show that a lot of motorists, especially those driving public utility vehicles in our country, do not know the meaning of these signs. Therefore, they lose their purpose. They become useless. Signs would only be useful t if motorists know what they mean and if they are followed properly.

Sometimes, or a lot of times, we want those kinds of tangible signs 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. It is bad if the heart wants God to conform to what we want, not for us to be open to what God wants. 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.

Signs will only be useful if recognized and followed.

Aside from being open to what the signs tell us, we should also know how to recognize signs. Drivers are supposed to take examinations to familiarize themselves with road signs. If they don't know the meaning, research should be done. Else, signs would be useless. In the same way, we should also exert time and effort to know God more, so we can recognize his answers and his signs for us, and not just recognize what we want and be closed to our idea of signs.

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 and how God wants us to live our lives? If we ask for signs, are we open and sensitive to get and recognize signs not just based on what we want, but what God wants? Or do we want God to conform to what sign we want from Him?

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another week. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I am close minded. Sorry for not being open to you and for only wanting specific signs. Sorry for not recognizing you. 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 and recognize you, instead of just asking for signs. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

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July 18, 2016
Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 395

Reading 1 Mic 6:1-4, 6-8

Hear what the LORD says:
Arise, present your plea before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice!
Hear, O mountains, the plea of the LORD,
pay attention, O foundations of the earth!
For the LORD has a plea against his people,
and he enters into trial with Israel.

O my people, what have I done to you,
or how have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
from the place of slavery I released you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.

With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Alleluia Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 12:38-42

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;

and there is something greater than Solomon here.”

Loving Servant

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071716.cfm) reminds me that service should be done with love. 

Service is good. It is actually one of the love languages. Some people express their love by serving others – especially those they love. We also see that God wants us to serve him through others as a means of expressing our love for Him. He said that “faith without woks is dead,” and we see in the first reading how God rewarded Abraham who served others. 

So why is it that in the gospel, Jesus seemed to favour Mary, who was not serving him? why did Jesus tell Martha that Mary, who was listening to Him, chose the better part?

Service should be done with love. 

You should be a happy servant. We should be happy as we serve God, because it is our way of telling him we love him. it is one way of expressing our love to him. It is a concrete means of proving Our faith in and love for God. as such, it should not be considered a burden, and should not stress us out – which was what happened to Martha. She was so busy doing the work that she forgot to focus on, and even complained to, the one she should serve.

There is a time for everything. Yes, Jesus needs someone who will attend to their needs, but it is wiser to first focus on Jesus because he will not be around forever. With us, yes, service is important, but we should also have time for spiritual nourishment and rest as we serve. This makes our service more empowered and more effective. This will ground us and put love in our service as we offer it to God. 

May we be reminded to sit down and spend time with God so we can happily serve Him. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another Sunday. Thank you for continuing to remind me how you want me to live my life. Thank you for reminding me how important and necessary service is. Sorry for the times I serve the wrong way. Sorry for the times I feel burdened and stressed and tired as I Serve. Sorry for losing my focus on you when I serve. I ask that you give me a heart of service -  a heart that would always want to serve you through others. Remind me that my love is concretized by my service. That i should serve happily. I also ask that you remind me to take a break to rest and refresh my body and spirit. Like Mary, may I take time to rest and listen to you. may I work to be nourished by you. May I be a happy servant of you. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflections:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2015/07/faith-in-action.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2014/07/powerful-action.html

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July 17, 2016
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 108

Reading 1 Gn 18:1-10a

The LORD appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre,
as he sat in the entrance of his tent,
while the day was growing hot.
Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.
When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;
and bowing to the ground, he said:
“Sir, if I may ask you this favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the tree.
Now that you have come this close to your servant,
let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward you may go on your way.”
The men replied, “Very well, do as you have said.”

Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,
“Quick, three measures of fine flour! Knead it and make rolls.”
He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,
and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
Then Abraham got some curds and milk,
as well as the steer that had been prepared,
and set these before the three men;
and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.

They asked Abraham, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
He replied, “There in the tent.”
One of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son.”

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

R. (1a) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
One who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
One who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Reading 2 Col 1:24-28

Brothers and sisters:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ
on behalf of his body, which is the church,
of which I am a minister
in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me
to bring to completion for you the word of God,
the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.
But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

Alleluia cf. Lk 8:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and bring a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

Not Yet Time

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071616.cfm) reminds me that when it is not yet time, it will not happen. 

They say that if there's a will, there's a way. In Filipino, kung gusto may paraan. People do what they can do achieve something they really want. We do that. We give our best effort. We give our best. We give our all. However, we cannot control everything. We cannot control what will happen. And we will not always get what we want. This is something important to remember. 

Until God allows something, it will not happen. 

In the gospel, Jesus withdrew from the Pharisees to cool off. They wanted him dead, but he knows it is not yet time. So he went away, but he continued to do God's work. As he healed people, he told them not to tell others to keep his ministry discreet. And they did. God's word was fulfilled that no one will hear his voice in the streets. It may seem impossible that people would do that, but they did. It was not yet God's time so he did not get caught even if he was still publicly proclaiming God's word. 

In our lives, we all want things to happen. Promotion in career. Pay increase. Boom in business. Find a partner, settle down and have a family. Healthy mind and body. Restored relationships. We want a lot. We pray for these. And we do our best, we do what we can. However, we should be reminded that until God wills it, it will not happen. God's ways are not our ways. And his wisdom is far greater than ours. So we just have to trust in Him. However, we have to balance it out. We cannot just pray and wait. We have to do our part. We have to pray. Save. Improve ourselves. Learn more. Work hard. we do whatever we can and wait on God to do his part. 

May we always be reminded of the importance of doing our best, and trusting in God and have faith as we wait for his perfect time. 

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 the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I get too impatient. Sorry for wanting things my way and my time. Remind me of your great plans Lord. Remind me of your great power. May I always do my best, but have faith and patiently wait for your time for all the good things you have for me. I have faith that your timing is always perfect. Amen. 

Blessed weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

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July 16, 2016
Lectionary: 394
Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Mic 2:1-5

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
and work out evil on their couches;
In the morning light they accomplish it
when it lies within their power.
They covet fields, and seize them;
houses, and they take them;
They cheat an owner of his house,
a man of his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the LORD:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil.

On that day a satire shall be sung over you,
and there shall be a plaintive chant:
“Our ruin is complete,
our fields are portioned out among our captors,
The fields of my people are measured out,
and no one can get them back!”
Thus you shall have no one
to mark out boundaries by lot
in the assembly of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 10:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 14

R. (12b) Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
Why, O LORD, do you stand aloof?
Why hide in times of distress?
Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted,
who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
For the wicked man glories in his greed,
and the covetous blasphemes, sets the LORD at nought.
The wicked man boasts, “He will not avenge it”;
“There is no God,” sums up his thoughts.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
His mouth is full of cursing, guile and deceit;
under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
He lurks in ambush near the villages;
in hiding he murders the innocent;
his eyes spy upon the unfortunate.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!
You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow,
taking them in your hands.
On you the unfortunate man depends;
of the fatherless you are the helper.
R. Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.

When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Salvation

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/071516.cfm) reminds me that God focuses on our salvation, not on our condemnation. 

Confrontation should always be done in love. 

When you confront someone and tell the person what is wrong with him, the focus should be on conversion. The aim should be to make the person realize the mistake and have him learn from it. And have him change and improve. The focus should not be on condemnation or fault finding. Focus should not be on humiliating the person and making him feel bad about himself. This is what God wants from us. 

In the first reading, Hezekiah was supposed to die. He was given a few days to fix everything. But he prayed hard. And God, in his infinite goodness and mercy, healed him and extended his life. God wants salvation. God wants healing. Not death or condemnation. 

In the gospel, Jesus focused on life instead of the law. He let them do work and eat on a Sabbath, even if it was prohibited by the law. His focus was on them. Was on life. Not on blindly following the law. He desires mercy, not sacrifice. 

God loves us, and wants our salvation, not for us to be condemned. 

With this in mind, we should not be afraid to come to God. We should not be afraid that he will punish us or what we did cannot be forgiven. He is a loving God, and his love is greater than our sins. He wants us to he saved, not to be punished. He wants us to live. And we can only really live if we come to him and allow him to love us. To fill us. And to change us. 

May we always remember how much God loves us, and that he wants us to be saved. May we be one with the psalmist to proclaim that God saved us, and we shall not die in sin. 

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 the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I get scared of coming to you. Sorry for thinking that you cannot forgive me. Sorry for thinking that my sins are so great that you cannot look at me with love. Help me always remember your love for me. I allow you to love me. I allow you to fill me. Because I know that it is only through your love that I can live, that I can be saved. Love me, fill me, and transform me. Amen. 

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflections:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2015/09/lord-of-sabbath.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/07/mercy-not-sacrifice.html

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July 15, 2016
Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 393

Reading 1 Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8

When Hezekiah was mortally ill,
the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him:
“Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order,
for you are about to die; you shall not recover.”
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD:

“O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly
I conducted myself in your presence,
doing what was pleasing to you!”
And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go, tell Hezekiah:
Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David:
I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.
I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the LORD’s temple;
I will add fifteen years to your life.
I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria;
I will be a shield to this city.”

Isaiah then ordered a poultice of figs to be taken
and applied to the boil, that he might recover.
Then Hezekiah asked,
“What is the sign that I shall go up to the temple of the LORD?”

Isaiah answered:
“This will be the sign for you from the LORD
that he will do what he has promised:
See, I will make the shadow cast by the sun
on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz
go back the ten steps it has advanced.”
So the sun came back the ten steps it had advanced.

Responsorial Psalm Is 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16

R. (see 17b) You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Once I said,
“In the noontime of life I must depart!
To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned
for the rest of my years.”
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
I said, “I shall see the LORD no more
in the land of the living.
No longer shall I behold my fellow men
among those who dwell in the world.”
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
My dwelling, like a shepherd’s tent,
is struck down and borne away from me;
You have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs the last thread.
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Those live whom the LORD protects;
yours is the life of my spirit.
You have given me health and life.
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

Alleluia Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 12:1-8

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
“See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”