Food for Our Soul

Remain Steadfast In The Faith

1 Peter 5:8–9 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith…

When I was a teenager, I was taught that if I wanted to resist the devil, I had to rebuke him. So whenever an evil thought came to my mind or I was tempted, I found myself saying, “I resist you, devil, in Jesus’ name! I bind you, devil! Go away from me, devil! I rebuke you in Jesus’ name!”  This went on until God showed me one day that though I had “resisted” the devil, I had spent more time talking to him than to God! I was more conscious of the devil than of God throughout the day.  I checked the Word of God and realized that we resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are made right with God through Jesus’ blood, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)  Yes, the devil will continue to remind you of your mistakes, failures and sins. And he will tell you that because of these things, you cannot receive your healing, that you will have to pay for your mistakes or that something bad will happen to your family. He will accuse you, condemn you and try to persuade your heart to believe that he can do bad things to you.  But the truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in your life if he cannot persuade your heart. And your heart cannot be persuaded if it is “steadfast in the faith”, if it is established in righteousness. God says that once you are established in righteousness, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”. (Isaiah 54:14) So now that my heart is established in righteousness, I can boldly declare, “Yes, I may have these problems in my life, but I am not guilty in God’s eyes. I am justified in God’s eyes by faith because of what Christ has done. I am righteous by Jesus’ blood!” My friend, that is how you resist the devil and become undevourable!

Speaking from the Heart

To God, 

Be thankful 

that we live another day or we may live just fade away like a memory.

Be thankful 

that behind everything storm is surely the rainbow of hope and sunshine.

Be thankful 

for our mistakes because life would be so boring if we were all perfect.

Be thankful

for stress so that we can be reminded to relax and put variety in our lives.

Have a thousand and one reasons to 

BE  THANKFUL

Stay being kind and happy

God bless

Gospel Reflection

August 24, 2012

Friday

St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Feast)

by Rev. Fr. Deo Florencio (Lorenzo Mission Institute)

Megamall

First Reading:               Revelation 21:9-14

Psalm:                         Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18

Gospel:                        John 1:45-51    

45 Philip found Nathan'a-el, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathan'a-el said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathan'a-el coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" 48 Nathan'a-el said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathan'a-el answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

HOMILY

The Gospel today is about Jesus seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree.

Fr. Deo said that according to Bible scholars, Nathaniel is the real Bartholomew. Little do we know about the apostles. Matthew was a tax collector and an outcast, Simon was involved in terrorism, while others were fishermen, ordinary people and even sinners. Paano sila nagkaroon ng karapatan na maging foundation ng ating church? Why did God choose them to lead the Church and make other people to be like Christ in holiness?

Jesus saw His Apostles beyond who they were. Jesus saw them in God’s eyes and according to God’s plan. Jesus saw in them what they can become. Even if they were sinners, God had a greater plan for them. Like Jesus, do we also see others beyond their external appearance or their condition? Do we see the potentials of a person or what is in the mind of God for that person?

 

St. Bartholomew, Apostle – Pray for us 

Gospel Reflection

August 23, 2012

Thursday

St. Rose of Lima (Optional Memorial)

by Rev. Fr. Agapito "Aga" Tarog (Immaculate Conception Parish, Las Pinas)

Megamall

First Reading:               Ezekiel 36:23-28

Psalm:                         Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19

Gospel:                        Matthew 22:1-14           

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, `Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.' 5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.' 10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; 12 and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."

HOMILY

The parable of Jesus today is based on a normal Jewish custom. During the time of Jesus, when one invites a guest to a feast or a party, there are 2 announcements. One is the preliminary notice which is made in advance, and is without a date yet. The preliminary notice serves to alert the guests that there will be an upcoming feast or party. Second would be the final announcement or final summons. During the final announcement, the invitees are expected to prepare and be ready to attend on the day of the celebration.

Regrettably, in the parable, people were busy or chose to ignore the wedding feast. And the wedding feast being referred to in the parable is God's Kingdom. What then does the parable wish to convey?

First, the parable says that God is preparing a feast for all of us. The feast is a celebration of our reunification with God our Father in His Kingdom, and a gathering of all the scattered children of God in His household, His eternal dwelling place.

We all know that the invitation was extended to the Jews, as the chosen people of God. However, "many of them did not come", as they failed to recognize God in the person of Jesus who walked amongst them. But the feast is ready, and the King now extends his invitation to others, which in this case, are those who are not the chosen people - the sinners, the Gentiles, the rest of us. Tayo 'yon. We were not entitled, yet we have been given the privilege to join in the banquet of God. This is called God's grace, which was given to us through His providence and goodness. We should be thankful and appreciative of this grace. 

Second, the parable speaks of the 'wedding garment" to be worn at the feast. Father said that we have been invited to the feast when we were baptized. And during our baptism, we were given the (spiritual) "garment" to wear in preparation for God's party. But of course, along the way, our garments get dirty, through sin, thus we ought to make it clean in preparation for the feast. And every day, God gives us the chance to prepare for the feast - when we celebrate the mass, and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession). Are we careful enough to keep our garments ready - in all its purity and cleanliness - when we are already called by God to His feast? Or are our garments dirty? Do we take effort to make our garments clean through the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

God has already provided everything we need for us to be ready for His feast. Let us pray for the grace that we may prepare ourselves, so that we may not be caught flat-footed when God already calls us to the ultimate entry into His celebration in heaven.  

St. Rose of Lima - Pray for us

Gospel Reflection

August 22, 2012

Wednesday

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)

by Msgr. Bong Lo

Megamall

Reading 1, Ezekiel 34:1-11

¹ The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,² 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, "Shepherds, the Lord Yahweh says this: Disaster is in store for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Are not shepherds meant to feed a flock? ³ Yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the flock. ⁴ You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the sick ones, or bandage the injured ones. You have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them cruelly and harshly. ⁵ For lack of a shepherd they have been scattered, to become the prey of all the wild animals; they have been scattered. ⁶ My flock is astray on every mountain and on every high hill; my flock has been scattered all over the world; no one bothers about them and no one looks for them. ⁷ "Very well, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: ⁸ As I live, I swear it -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- since my flock has been pillaged and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of every wild animal, since my shepherds have ceased to bother about my flock, since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, ⁹ very well, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: ¹⁰ The Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I am against the shepherds. I shall take my flock out of their charge and henceforth not allow them to feed my flock. And the shepherds will stop feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their mouths to stop them from being food for them. ¹¹ "For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6

¹ Yahweh my shepherd, I lack nothing. ² In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me ³ to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice befits his name.⁴ Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for you are at my side. Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me. ⁵ You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over. ⁶ Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life. I make my home in the house of Yahweh all time come.

Gospel, Matthew 20:1-16

¹ 'Now the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard. ³ Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place ⁴ and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage." ⁵ So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. ⁶ Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing around, and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" ⁷ "Because no one has hired us," they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too." ⁸ In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first." ⁹ So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. ¹⁰ When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. ¹¹ They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying, ¹² "The men who came last have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the heat." ¹³ He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? ¹⁴ Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the last comer as much as I pay you. ¹⁵ Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?" ¹⁶ Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.'

HOMILY

Is God good in mathematics? In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus spoke about the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep so He can look for the 1 lost sheep. Imagine leaving the 99 in search of 1? When Jesus spoke about forgiveness, He said we should forgive, not only 7 times, but 70 times 7 times (when Jesus was actually saying we should forgive, always and forever). And at the Gospel today, he spoke about the owner of the vineyard who gave the same, exact wage to his workers, whether they worked in the morning, or worked in the late afternoon. By these examples, God seems to be not good in mathematics.


But then again, God does not think the way we think. Our God is more than a God of math. Our God is a God of love, of charity, of compassion. In today's Gospel, God knows that the workers needed the same wage for their family, whether they worked in the morning or late in the afternoon. He wanted to help the workers, and paid them according to the wage that was agreed upon. God is full of mercy and is a very generous God. Of course, we may feel uneasy or uncomfortable after reading the Gospel, but our thinking is not the thinking of God. We may think that God was unfair, but He was actually not. He was being very generous. That is why the "last will be first, and the first will be last".


We should not ask God to be fair and just, the way we understand the concept of "fairness and justice". If we asked Him to be just, in the manner that we understand it, then no one can be saved. No one can attain fullness of life. No one can enter the Kingdom of heaven. Like God, let us go beyond justice, and be merciful. We may be good in mathematics, yes, but let us not be calculating. God, as a good Shepherd, has better mathematics. 

Monsignor Bong Lo then related the Gospel to the Memorial of the Queenship of Mama Mary, which we also celebrated today. He said that we should understand God's Kingdom, not according to how we understand it. Kasi ang concept natin ng kingdom ay may hari na namumuno sa lahat at nasusunod sa lahat, at mayroon siyang reyna. God's Kingdom is totally different. To be in God's Kingdom, we should not be a slave of sin, not a slave of selfishness, not a slave of bad habits, but be free citizens in the reign of God, which is a reign of truth, of charity, of compassion, of forgiveness. 

 

As we honor the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary, let us remember that our Blessed Mother was faithful to God. She trusted God and allowed God to reign over her. That is why she is also a Queen of goodness and of compassion. Let us allow God's Kingdom to reign over us, and be instruments of love, of truth, of peace, of generosity, that we may share with God's glory, and one day become princes and princesses in the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Gospel Reading for The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)

First Reading:               Isaiah 9:1-6

Psalm:                         Psalm 113:1-8

Gospel:                        Luke 1:26-38    

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" 35 And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Gospel Reflection

August 21, 2012

Tuesday

St. Pius X, Pope (Memorial)

by Rev. Fr. Catalino Arevalo

Edsa Shrine

First Reading:               Ezekiel 28:1-10

Psalm:                         Deuteronomy 32:26-28, 30, 35-36

Gospel:                        Matthew 19:23-30         

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 27 Then Peter said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many that are first will be last, and the last first.

HOMILY

Although the Gospel today spoke about the difficulty of a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God, Fr. Arevalo did not touch on that but opted to reflect more on Ninoy’s memorial. He said that just as Jesus has freely given and sacrificed His Body and Blood as a gift to us and as partaken by us in the Eucharist, our life should also be a life of self-giving like Ninoy and also of constant faith like that of Pope St. Pious X.

We should take courage and inspiration in the example of the saints who gave their lives without condition for love of God, and also of Ninoy, who selflessly dedicated and gave up his life for his country.

He also spoke about DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo whose plane crashed recently in Masbate seas and whose body was recovered just this morning. Fr. Arevalo said that Sec. Robredo was one of the few honest government officials who, for years, did not enrich himself while in position, and who remained humble and committed to genuine service. He is a gift of God to the P-noy administration. He ends by saying that may our lives be self-giving as theirs, not necessarily to die, but in our own way, as “greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)

Pope St. Pius X – Pray for us