People do not put new wine into old wineskins... - Matthew 9:17
Let's have an ECG today. No, not electrocardiogram but an Examination of Core Grace. Do you ask God's blessings seem to be fleeting? Why He's unfair? I think the reason for these negative feelings is tha the "new wine" of God's grace is wasted because our hearts are old. The heart is made old by the collection of "garbage" of sin and unpleasant emotions stored within it. Thus all sorts of evil come out. No wonder we feel this way - the evils dumped by the world blur our sight and numb our feeling for God's true blessing.
Let God give us a heart transplant today: "I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Let's allow a new H-E-A-R-T to functions: Humility to serve many; Enthusiasm to love passionately; Availability to be present-moment-oriented; Responsibility to fulfill all our duties in life; and Trustworthiness to make God-entrusted things now.
Have a new heart and experience new wine - the Holy Spirit working within! Joie C.
Reflection: Don't allow my heart to decay because of worldly inluence?
Change my heart O God, make it ever true, may I be like You!
St. Ampelius, bishop, pray for us.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Here-n-Now Mission Society!
...the Lord appointed... - Luke 10:1
I read about a group of evangelists who, after a months of training, fund raising and preparation, were aboard the plane headed for a mission field in Africa.
The grand missionary trip ended even before it started. The plane crashed in the thick jungles, without a soul surviving.
I wondered, "Why the waste, Lord? How could you not even allow these eager hearts to be missionaries as they have dreamed?" God told me "Jon, I did. They've been missionaries all their lives!"
A young German named Wolfgang never had even a streak of a TV evangelist's flare. He just read his Bible ever lunch in his spot at the construction site. Amidst the jeering of his co-workers, he prayed for a way to demonstrate Christ's love to them.
When the workers went home at night, they always left their muddy boots behind. Wolfgang began staying late after work to clean their boots. The men were puzzled at first but then realized that Wolfgang was the only one among them who would perform this humble service. Only eternity will reveal the full effect of Wolfgang's shining life. He is Officer First Class for the 'Here-n-Now' Missionary Society. Jon E.
Reflection: Your mission territory's name is "Here." Have you seen it yet?
Lord, help me see the nearness of my mission territory, and the urgency of its present need , and the simplicity of its strategy.
St. Kilian, monk, pray for us.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Unconditional
I am your brother… - Genesis 45:4
Remember how we went gaga over penpal writing and autograph books during our high school days in the ’60s? (Ooops, I forgot. Didache isn’t just for people who grew up in the 60’s. It’s also for those who grew up in the 50’s. Kidding.)
One of the questions that was always in the autograph book was, “What is love?”
Some of our answer were:
“Love is blind and lovers cannot see.”
“Love is a many splendored thing.”
“Love is never having to say you’re sorry.”
Oh, those were the days, my friend, we thought would never end. Yes, we defined love in 101 ways or as many as the movie fan magazines or 45 rpm records that we bought then.
Today, if we were asked to sign an autograph book and define what love is, chances are our answer would be quite different. But the bottomline of true love is: it is unconditional. Yes, one that does not set conditions, one that does not expect anything in return.
Now ask yourself: Am I in love? Can this be love? Henry Y.
Reflection: How many times have I sacrificed myself in favor of a loved one?
Lord, help me to do things without expectation and to love without conditions.
St. John Gaulbert, abbot, pray for us.
Remember how we went gaga over penpal writing and autograph books during our high school days in the ’60s? (Ooops, I forgot. Didache isn’t just for people who grew up in the 60’s. It’s also for those who grew up in the 50’s. Kidding.)
One of the questions that was always in the autograph book was, “What is love?”
Some of our answer were:
“Love is blind and lovers cannot see.”
“Love is a many splendored thing.”
“Love is never having to say you’re sorry.”
Oh, those were the days, my friend, we thought would never end. Yes, we defined love in 101 ways or as many as the movie fan magazines or 45 rpm records that we bought then.
Today, if we were asked to sign an autograph book and define what love is, chances are our answer would be quite different. But the bottomline of true love is: it is unconditional. Yes, one that does not set conditions, one that does not expect anything in return.
Now ask yourself: Am I in love? Can this be love? Henry Y.
Reflection: How many times have I sacrificed myself in favor of a loved one?
Lord, help me to do things without expectation and to love without conditions.
St. John Gaulbert, abbot, pray for us.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Feels Like Heaven
"How awesome is this shrine!" - Genesis 28:17
Ever wonder how it feels to be blind? My grandfather, "Tatay David," who died in June 1985 due to complications from diabetes, was blind for nearly eight years. Even so, fancy dinners and concerts were what he enjoyed most when out family would take him out on Friday nights. And as I sat beside him all through the night, I made sure to give him complete details of what transpired.
Looking at the brighter side of it, it was his blindness that made him closer to God. He started his day listening to daily Scripture (courtesy of his apos), praying the Rosary (3x/day) and receiving communion every day from a volunteer nun. Oh! And a priest also saw him regularly for his confession.
A week before my lolo died, he shared with me his strangest dream of all. He narrated that he found himself in a big beautiful garden, The size, unimaginable, and the beauty, indescridable. This time he could clearly see everything. He no longer needed assistance in walking either. His experience of seeing and enjoying such beauty made him decide to stay there forever.
Today, 21 years have passed and I know in my heart Tatay David still enjoys walking around that "big beautiful garden." A glimpse of heaven, anyone? Marissa E.
Reflection: Blessed are those who have not seen but have believed...
How marvelous are Your works Lord! It is wonderful in our eyes! With the joy of seeing You face to face!
St. Godfrey, martyr, pray for us.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wrestling With The Lord
“I will not let you go until you bless me.” - Genesis 32:27
How could he? He knew he never had a chance. He knew it was always God who would prevail! How irreverent, above all, to “wrestle with the Lord!”
Ah, but this is Jacob - persistent, relentless, single-minded in his pursuit for blessing. Jacob never waited for his destiny. He made it happen. To Jacob, divine destiny should be met by human response. And he was named Israel!
Know what’s the most amazing of it all? The Lord allowing Jacob to wrestle with Him! It might have cost Jacob’s hip, but he surely developed some “inner muscles” in the process.
My favorite talk as a preacher is on the topic of surrendering fully to God. “Let God, let go!” Yet, how can I disagree with Jacob’s wrestling with God when I too have been “wrestling with Him all my life”?
“I will not let you go until you bless me.” I pray hard and offer at the Lord’s altar my dreams and my goals. But I also work hard in pursuing them. Persistently. Relentlessly. Stubbornly. Even if I know that it is always He who will prevail!
And you know what’s the most amazing of it all? The Lord allowing me to wrestle with Him!
So far, my hips are still intact, and I sure am developing some “inner muscles” too. Alvin B.
Reflection: Do you feel guilty when you “wrestle with the Lord”? Do you see that sometimes, for some divine purpose, He allows you to?
O God, teach me when to submit fully to you, and teach me when You allow me to “wrestle with You.” Amen.
Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz, martyr, pray for us.
How could he? He knew he never had a chance. He knew it was always God who would prevail! How irreverent, above all, to “wrestle with the Lord!”
Ah, but this is Jacob - persistent, relentless, single-minded in his pursuit for blessing. Jacob never waited for his destiny. He made it happen. To Jacob, divine destiny should be met by human response. And he was named Israel!
Know what’s the most amazing of it all? The Lord allowing Jacob to wrestle with Him! It might have cost Jacob’s hip, but he surely developed some “inner muscles” in the process.
My favorite talk as a preacher is on the topic of surrendering fully to God. “Let God, let go!” Yet, how can I disagree with Jacob’s wrestling with God when I too have been “wrestling with Him all my life”?
“I will not let you go until you bless me.” I pray hard and offer at the Lord’s altar my dreams and my goals. But I also work hard in pursuing them. Persistently. Relentlessly. Stubbornly. Even if I know that it is always He who will prevail!
And you know what’s the most amazing of it all? The Lord allowing me to wrestle with Him!
So far, my hips are still intact, and I sure am developing some “inner muscles” too. Alvin B.
Reflection: Do you feel guilty when you “wrestle with the Lord”? Do you see that sometimes, for some divine purpose, He allows you to?
O God, teach me when to submit fully to you, and teach me when You allow me to “wrestle with You.” Amen.
Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz, martyr, pray for us.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Favorite
In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations… - Genesis 41:57
We all know the story of Joseph. He was a favorite son, the only one who received a coat of many colors as a gift from his father.
He was also the one sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, the guy who was accused by Pharaoh’s wife of attempted rape, the guy who was imprisoned for most of his young life.
Well, it seems to me that his experience of being loved from a very young age was enough to permanently take on the perspective that life is good. His terrible experiences never erased that from his heart and mind. And when times of famine came, he had enough in his storeroom to share with others. Enough even for the very same brothers who had caused him so much misery.
What a contrast to his bitter and envious brothers!
When famine time came, they only saw punishment. Probably because guilt lurked in their consciousness of how evil they had been to their brother.
Is our experience of the Father’s love in our early Christian walk enough to take us through possible years of famine and deepen our faith maturity? Victoria L.
Reflection: Is our experience of the Father’s love in our early Christian walk enough to take us through possible years of famine and deepen our faith maturity?
May we always have the experience of early blessings fresh in our hearts especially as we go through darker times.
St. Cindeus, martyred priest, pray for us.
We all know the story of Joseph. He was a favorite son, the only one who received a coat of many colors as a gift from his father.
He was also the one sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, the guy who was accused by Pharaoh’s wife of attempted rape, the guy who was imprisoned for most of his young life.
Well, it seems to me that his experience of being loved from a very young age was enough to permanently take on the perspective that life is good. His terrible experiences never erased that from his heart and mind. And when times of famine came, he had enough in his storeroom to share with others. Enough even for the very same brothers who had caused him so much misery.
What a contrast to his bitter and envious brothers!
When famine time came, they only saw punishment. Probably because guilt lurked in their consciousness of how evil they had been to their brother.
Is our experience of the Father’s love in our early Christian walk enough to take us through possible years of famine and deepen our faith maturity? Victoria L.
Reflection: Is our experience of the Father’s love in our early Christian walk enough to take us through possible years of famine and deepen our faith maturity?
May we always have the experience of early blessings fresh in our hearts especially as we go through darker times.
St. Cindeus, martyred priest, pray for us.
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