GOD BLESS OUR HOME

2 Samuel 7:29

Do, then, bless the house of your servant that it may be before you forever…

“God Bless Our Home”. It’s hanging on the wall. The words “God” and “Our”, I understand. But “Bless” and “Home”? So, I asked my father what they mean.

BLESS – to provide someone or something with holiness or hope

HOME – it means more than just the house or structure. It may refer to the family living inside, where love and caring resides.

“God Bless Our Home” – may the Lord God bestow on our family His holiness, love, mercy and hope. A short prayer showing trust in God that He will be with us, His family, forever.

Create the relationships you wish for yourself and your family by being the example you want from each of them. God has seen fit to teach man about family by giving Him a family of his own. It is wrong to take your family for granted. Members of a family have obligations to one another. We have a right to expect love, support, encouragement, protection and even preference from our family.

Lord Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, you have lived within a family; teach me always to appreciate the precious gift of being part of a family. Show me new ways to protect and comfort those closest to me, and let me, each day, do something that will say ‘I love you’ without speaking the words.

Remind me also to frequently say those words of love, never be a part from any member of my family due to anger. Prompt me always to turn back without delay - to forgive, and be forgiven. Let me see your image within each person in my own family, and in my greater family, knowing that in your Kingdom, we will truly be one family, united by your sacrifice on the cross.

“You know what family is,
For You were a part of one.
Be a part of Your family, is my only wish
And my only wish for everyone.”

The family that prays together, stays together.

THE LONELY EMBER

Mark 4:20

“But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a big chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself comfortable but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the play of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet fascination.

As the one lone ember's flame diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and "dead as a doornail."

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

Just before the pastor was ready to leave, he picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."

Almighty Father, may I be a seed that falls on a rich soil so I may produce fruit. May I find the importance of hearing Your words and participating in activities that would glorify Your name, thereby helping me grow spiritually, opening my heart to accept You and opening my eyes to see You clearly and accept Your will. My heart burns with the desire to share the truth the best I possibly can. Bless us, Oh Lord with that wisdom that we may bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.

Come home to His Church and accept His Holy Flesh And Blood.

WILL OF GOD

Mark 3:35

“(For) whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Christ taught us that knowing God's will and living in obedience to that will is the key to it all! God is the potter; we are the clay. God keeps us spinning on His potter's wheel, shaping and reshaping us as He bathes our lives in tears to make us more Christ-like so He can use us for His will. Surrender daily. Keep your clay moist through daily prayer - prayer that's in accordance to His will. (George Müller (1805-1898), English evangelist & philanthropist)

Romans 12:1-2 tells us the steps of how to know God's will for your life: “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

There is no better sacrifice than for us to offer ourselves to God. This includes surrendering our lives, both spiritual and physical, to Almighty God, who is Creator over us all. Surrendering is not easily attained because surrender means to give up control. Many of us feel we have lost ourselves if we give up control. Yet, the Word says in Matthew 10:39, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” Know God's will for your life by listening to that still small voice inside of you.

Almighty Father, let me follow Your will. Teach me to trust Your sense of timing rather than my own and to surrender my will to Your greater and wiser plan. Help me let life unfold slowly, slow enough to appreciate life and all it holds.

“Your will, not mine
For in Your time
Everything shall be known
Trusting You fully, into the unknown.”

Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

ST. MARIA GORETTI

Mark 3:28

Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.

God hates sin, but He surely loves the sinner. The wages for sin is death, and the price for God's forgiveness is high, but He paid the price Himself. By Christ's loving act of grace, believers are eternally freed from the penalty and guilt of sin. "Without the shedding of Blood, there is no forgiveness." Once we're covered by the Blood of Christ, God doesn't keep a record of our sins. Our forgiveness is total and complete.

In 1902, an eighteen-year-old neighbor, Alexander, grabbed Maria Goretti from her steps and tried to rape her. When Maria said that she would rather died than submit, Alexander began stabbing her with a knife. As she lay in the hospital, she forgave Alexander before she died. Her death didn't end her forgiveness, however.

Alexander was captured and was unrepentant until he had a dream that he was in a garden. Maria was there and gave him flowers. When he woke, he was a changed man, repenting of his crime and living a reformed life. She is called a martyr and later was canonized as saint not only because she fought against Alexander's attempts at sexual assault. The most important aspect of her story is her forgiveness of her attacker -- her concern for her enemy extending even beyond death.

Almighty Father, I need to feel that I have forgiveness from You. So often my good intentions do not become what I want them to be, and so often the good I want to do, I don’t do. It is hard to face up to the wrong that is in my life. When I feel Your forgiveness, I feel clean and good inside and so free to be what You want me to be. Help me feel this goodness, and strengthen me to forgive those who have wronged me. May I follow the example of St. Maria Goretti, who even at death, was able to forgive her tormentor so he may also receive Your forgiveness, love and mercy.

“I sin, but You forgive
I hated, but You love.
In my life, You are the only One I need
In my death, may Your face the only one I see.”

My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with Him.

LOVE CATCH

Matthew 4:19

"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."

The streets are flooded due to a heavy rain. School classes are cancelled and students were advised to go home, though late already. In order for us to go home early, me and my friends decided to walk home, since the jeepneys are rare and full. As we walk, I suddenly slipped since the road is slippery. Laughing, my friends asked me if caught any fish. I stood up, regained my composure, and just said that I just wish I caught some fish, so we can have it cooked for our dinner. And we all headed home empty-handed that day.

Today, I have my share of slips – that is keeping me away from my faith and from my relationship with the Lord. But He helps me get up and regain composure. May I use this experience to further catch the fishes that matter to Him, and I have to start with myself. For Him, I would be His greatest catch. Are you willing to be caught, too?

Jesus disciples are not extra-ordinary people. They are fishermen, tax collectors, publicans who are hated by the Pharisees. And yet, they were chosen to serve an extra-ordinary Master, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the same token, we are not really extra-ordinary individuals. We merely live our lives a day at a time. And yet, our extra-ordinary Savior calls us for a life of evangelism and discipleship, to share the good news to everyone, making our lives fruitful and meaningful.

Almighty Father, Your kingdom is present in my life from my belief in You, may others come to see the gospel message in their lives just as well. Your Son, Jesus came after a few and made them fishers of men. He then comes to us in this way, for us to believe in the gospel so we too can be fishers of men, to draw ourselves closer to you. When we believe in the gospel we draw more to us because we live our faith and we draw them closer to you. Bring Your kingdom closer to us, truly believing we will see the gospel at work in our lives.

“You dangled Your bait, yet I ignore it
You showed me Your love, yet I looked the other way.
Help me, Jesus, to marvel at Your power and mercy
So, I may share the same to the fishes of the earth.”

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

BRAVERY

2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.

In college, a male student has to attend the ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corps). This is to prepare us in eventualities of war or other emergency situations that need beefing up military and police divisions.

During one of the trainings done in Fort Bonifacio, we were given each with a replica gun (a Garand rifle). Being a replica, it will not really fire bullets. But still, our platoon commander still blurted, “Whoever has the gun, has the power.” I can still remember the smiles in my batchmates’ faces. Maybe, they are thinking that if this is the gun we will use in battle, we would need more power and strength to use them as bat for striking the enemies down.

Man has always been impressed with power, whether physically, politically, financially, militarily, or spiritually, man has always been crazy about the search for, acquisition of, and demonstration of power. The message of the world is that power is good and weakness is bad. That power is proof that you are a winner while weakness is proof you are a loser. That the one with the power calls the shots and determines that the outcome of things most important to him will ultimately end in his favor.

But the message from God is different. The power of God, demonstrated most fully in the cross of Jesus Christ, must be the one that should impress us. Do you want to see some real power? Then look no further than the cross of Jesus Christ. First and foremost, look back at what He has done for our salvation. The word, the message, the testimony of the cross IS the power of God. You only need to seek Him for all the power you will ever need to smell, taste, touch, hear, or see. It can be found anytime through simple faith.

Almighty Father, You are our power, our strength. We are weak. Bless us with a measure of strength, as may be sufficient. When tempted by evil, deliver us, by granting us the power to overcome it. When daily work is too hard, give us the strength to be able to do it. If our burden oppresses us beyond our bearing, lighten the load, that our strength may be equal to it.

Proclaim God’s marvelous power to all the nations.

MESSENGER

Conversion of St. Paul

Mark 16:15

"Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

On his way to Damascus, to capture more Christian followers and bring back to Jerusalem in chains, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him why he is persecuting Christians, which in effect, he is persecuting the owner of the voice. He could not see anything and just asked the help of his companions. They went to Damascus and for three days, he was unable to see, eat or drink.

Ananias the disciple then came to see him. He was baptized and was able to see again. Saul, who was renamed Paul, was chosen by the Lord to be an instrument to carry His name before the Gentiles (non-Jews), kings and Israelites alike. He readily accepted Jesus and took the challenge of suffering, not against Him, but rather in His name. He remained some days in Damascus after his Baptism, and then went to Arabia, possibly for a year or two to prepare himself for his future missionary activity. His readiness to leave the past behind and entrust himself totally to the challenging plans of God kept him alive, strong and, excited until the last moment of his life.

Each of us has been called by God to go forth and proclaim the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all creatures. He calls man to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him with all His strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. You may now be blinded by your sins so you fail to see this eternal truth. Let Him open your eyes and show you the joy of being with Him. Let Him strengthen you as together, we proclaim the good news to every creature of this world.

Almighty Father, by the preaching of Your apostle Paul You have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world. Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to You by following his holy teaching; and have the courage to proclaim to the world Your love and Your promise of salvation.

Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

IN HIM ALONE

Mark 3:11

"You are the Son of God."

Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

Jesus rose from the dead and now lives in heaven with God the Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior.

Let me share with you another beautiful song (you may go to www.bukaspalad.com). Be blessed!

In Him alone is our hope
In Him alone is our strength
In Him alone are we justified
In Him alone are we saved

What have we to offer
That does not fade or wither
Can the world ever satisfy
The emptiness in our hearts
In vain we deny

When will you cease running
In search of hollow meaning
Let His love feed the hunger
In your soul till it overflows
With joy you yearn to know

In Him alone is our hope
Unto Him I pour out my heart
He alone will save me
With His love and mercy.

(“IN HIM ALONE” BY BUKAS PALAD)

In God I trust; I shall not fear.

SLAYING GOLIATH

1 Samuel 17:45

“…but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts…”

When was the last time you faced squarely – head-on – the Goliath in your life. I remember and recall a few – when my father was diagnosed with failing kidney due to diabetes, when the company I joined only 7 months earlier closed down its operations, finally deciding to expatriate to China but knows nothing about the place, the people, the language.

I felt afraid, angry or upset when what I call big problems or challenges comes. In effect, my attitude clouds my mind and eventually forgot the only path towards a resolution: God. Because of this, problems in our lives (even the ones we can easily solve) often are viewed as Goliath – ten feet tall and so overwhelming.

David was not afraid for he knows fully that he has God with him. It is not the sling or the stone that killed Goliath, but rather his trust and love for the Lord. His whole self has become an instrument of God to finally conquer the Philistines and bring peace to Israel. When everyone was afraid, David stood tall!

As we face the Goliaths in our life, Spend a quiet time talking to God, alone. Allow him to fill your heart with the Holy Spirit so you may see the problem as not so overwhelming. Allow Him to give you the courage and strength to overcome any problems, and in doing so, learn from the experiences you have been blessed with, be it bad or good. These attributes will allow you to conquer anything… even problems that seem 10 feet tall.

Almighty Father, what it is that You want me to learn? Let me live my life according to Your overall instructions, constantly reminding myself that You alone can provide us the real love that we so desperately search for. Give us the courage, strength and clarity of mind in facing the goliaths of our lives, that we may conquer them in Your name.

“Valiant---the word and up he rose---
The fight---he triumph'd o'er the foes,
And arm'd in gallant faith he took
Against the boaster, from the brook.”

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, my Salvation!

REST DAY

Mark 2:27

"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath…”

Due to increase in orders, my former company has to increase the working hours. This was done not by increasing the overtime hours, but by increasing the number of crews (operator teams) and making Sunday as working day. Hence, the operations became 24/7. In effect, the rest day of some employees may not necessarily fall on a Sunday. Three crews would have to come to office and work on what is supposed to be the rest day.

If the Pharisees still exist today, they would probably scoff at this idea, and exclaim, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” like what they always charge Jesus and his disciples. Yes, the Sabbath was made for man – it is our time to recharge, to energize our body, mind and spirit – to cultivate our familial, cultural, social, and religious lives. It provides us time to commune with God through worship, prayer, song, the study of His Word, through sharing the gospel with others, and fellowship with people and nature. It provides opportunity to experience God’s presence through companionship in a special way. We were made for companionship with God.

But, man is not only created for the Sabbath. Jesus, while observing the Sabbath, set himself in word and act against this absurd laws which made man a slave of the day. Basically, he is against these laws that put intolerable burden on men’s shoulders rather that on observing the Sabbath. It is NOT broken in cases of necessity (work, do labor) or charity (heal the sick, feeding the hungry). For caring for the needy is obeying the will of the Lord, who Himself, is the “Lord of the Sabbath”. Traditional activities (sport, restaurants, etc.), and social necessities (public services, etc.), require some people to work on Sundays, but everyone should still take care to set aside sufficient time for rest and divine worship.

Lord Jesus, give me rest. I offer you this day and all the moments of this week, and I implore you to keep me safe from sin. To this end I place myself in your sacred side and under the mantle of our Lady, my Mother. Let your holy angels surround us with peace; and let your blessing be upon us always.

“Help me to enter your rest today
help me to be still
and know in my heart
the deep peace of your mighty love.”

“Come to Me, and I will give you rest.”

LOVE AND RESPECT

1 Samuel 15:22

Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams.

Faith, Hope and Love. The greatest of these is love. But we do not love Christ when we do not keep His commandments. How could we truly love God and then disobey Him? This is impossible!

Faith always displays itself in obedience to God. There is no true faith in God apart from obedience to His every command.

Hope always show itself in obedience to God. If our hope is in God, that He will give us the desires of our heart, we are not then going to disobey Him.

To disobey God, our Father, in any matter, is absolutely unthinkable. This would be a certain indication that we do not trust God and are not pleased with Him or His ways. God has enough power to force every creature to obey Him. But God wants us to obey Him because we love Him.

God demands obedience from every creature, human, angelic, and whatever others there may be. If you wish to remain in the Kingdom of God, start asking God to help you be totally obedient to His every will. You will find this to be the most joyous of all ways to live. (2006 Trumpet Ministries, Inc.)

Since our birth, through our childhood days, up to our adult life, we show obedience to our parents, our superior, our spouses or even to our children. In the same token, we may demand obedience from our people, or children. The same obedience is expected by God from us – obedience from the heart. We must love Him, we must have faith in Him, and we must trust Him! Calling ourselves a Christian on its own won't do. Following the commandments won't do. Reading the Bible diligently won't do. We have to take the Word into our hearts and obey His every will.

Almighty Father, I obey You. Help me make the transition from just being a good Christian to being someone who has a deep personal and intimate relationship with You. May we have the highest of joys, the deepest of peace, and receive the fullest measure of Your love every day of our lives.

Obedience is an act of faith; disobedience is the result of unbelief

- Edwin Louis Cole

CELEBRATE CHILDREN

Feast of the Sto. Niño

John 1:34

“Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

Today is the Feast of Sto. Niño. All roads will lead to either Cebu, Pandacan or Tondo. For a number of years, I have been a front seat witness to this celebration having grew up in Tondo. Streets will be closed – and tables filled with food and drinks will line up the roads. There will be games for the children (we call “palaro”). There will be processions where statuettes of the Sto. Nino are carried to church. A lot of sharing, story-telling, family reunions, laughter and merry-making.

The Feast of the Sto. Niño demonstrates the Filipino’s love and fascination with children. However, about 400,000 abortions are guesstimated to be carried out annually, thousands of children are roaming the streets, dangerously selling things or begging money to make a living at a very tender age, many live through life with very little or no formal education at all.

Many have seen the goodness of the Lord, and even testify that He is the Son of God but only a few may really willing to die for His name. After this day, people would be back to their own selfish ways, until the next feast. Perhaps, next time, we should counterbalance our celebratory religiosity with a faith that reflects on our relationship with the Lord and others, especially the children of the world.

Oh Jesus, today we pray
for the children of our church
for the children of our city
for the children of our world.

May each day bring them
enough hugs for a smile
enough friends for security
enough adults to provide guidance.

May they grow in faith
so that they walk as your children,
children of grace, joy and peace. (Carmen Schrock-Hurst)

Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man. ~Rabindranath Tagore

GETTING WELL

Mark 2:17

Jesus… said to them, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Being interviewed for a job, the interviewer asked me, “Why do you want to join our company?” It is the one of the main questions to check my capability and interest in the job I am applying for. Am I really an ambitious person, willing to share my experience and skills for the advancement of the company; or just came there by chance, just accidentally.

I responded, “so I may learn from you in the area of transactional and sales business process; and so you may learn from me in the area of lean and six sigma.” Actually, prior the interview, I tried to learned about the company’s business model as much as possible. Therefore, I was able to understand their needs and how my experience and skills would fit their requirements.

What if we are given the chance to interview Jesus. We would probably ask a similar question, “Why did You want to come to the world?” He would answer with wisdom that could mesmerize us, enough to accept His service after only one interview question. And one of that responses is, “I will come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

That is why He came. He did not come for the righteous, or for those who think that they are already righteous. He did not come to those who feel they are far better than others, and because of themselves, they do not need to be saved anymore. Rather, He came to call sinners whom He loved, calling them to repent and sin no more, accepting fully His invitation for salvation. That is why He came. And by His grace He says, “Follow Me! Leave all. Place all hope in Me”. And He speaks the promise: “…and him who comes to Me, I will not cast out”.

Lord Jesus, I am now heeding Your call, heal me, for I am a sinner. Have mercy upon me according to Your loving kindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, our Divine Physician.

“As I am physically sick, I would need a doctor
As I am spiritually unwell, I would need my Master!”

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.

FORGIVEN

Mark 2:5

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven."

There are times that we find it hard to forgive another person, even if we want to. The reason we cannot forgive another person is often because we cannot forgive ourselves. When we reflect on how grievous our own sins have been, and how, despite all that, God still forgives us, we learn to forgive ourselves. Let me share with you what “they” say about forgiveness:

For this reason I have often reminded Christians and all persons of good will that forgiveness is needed for solving the problems of individuals and peoples. There is no peace without forgiveness! – Pope John Paul II

Once you know you have hurt someone be the first to say sorry. We cannot forgive unless we know that we need forgiveness, and forgiveness is the beginning of love. – Mother Theresa

Man’s deepest need is not for fairness, but for forgiveness. Forgiveness is the power to liberate from past sin and restore to an individual a sense of self-worth. Forgiveness is the power to deal with justifiable guilt, not by ignoring it, but by eliminating it. Forgiveness is a cool drink of water to a dry and parched tongue. It is the medicine which heals us at the deepest level of our being. We all need forgiveness. – J. David Hoke

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask today to forgive everyone in my life. I know that You will give me the strength to forgive and I thank You that You love me more than I love myself. Thank You, Jesus, that I am being freed of the evil of unforgiveness. Let Your Holy Spirit fill me with light and let every dark area of my mind be enlightened.

Oh Lord, purify our hearts and minds today. Lord, forgive us for the sins, faults and failings, for all that are bad in ourselves or that we think is bad. We forgive each other; and we truly accept Your forgiveness. We trust that You have forgiven us today, and we forgive ourselves.

“We love, because You love us.
We forgive, because You forgive us.”

Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.

CLEANSING POWER

Mark 1:40

"If you wish, you can make me clean."

A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Christian friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend's sermons, but he heard them often.

One night the diver went to the indoor pool at the college he attended. The lights were all off, but as the pool had big skylights and the moon was bright, there was plenty of light to practice by. The young man climbed up to the highest diving board and as he turned his back to the pool on the edge of the board and extended his arms out, he saw his shadow on the wall. The shadow of his body, was in the shape of a cross. Instead of diving, he knelt down and finally asked God to come into his life. As the young man stood, a maintenance man walked in and turned the lights on.

The pool had been drained for repairs.

We are all lepers – spiritual lepers, that is. What is worse, this disease affected our hearts, totally ignoring God up to a point of doing those that are exactly the opposite of His will. And worst of all, some of us do not believe that they ever can be healed! Yet, there is hope. There is hope when Jesus sends his gospel to us, and bids us to repent. "I believe in the forgiveness of sins": this is a sweet sentence of a true creed. Believe in the renewal of our hearts; for the Lord can give new hearts and right spirits to the evil and unthankful; cleansing our heart, our soul, our spirit – giving us salvation!

Almighty Father, make my heart clean. Renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you. He who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

“Make me know you, O Lord
In the depths of my soul.
Purify me and I will be clean.
Wash me whiter than snow.” – Gilberto Barreto

Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.

THY WILL BE DONE

1 Samuel 3:10

Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

In the old testament, a man called Elkanah from Ramathaim had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah who had children used to provoke Hannah who was childless, and this went on year after year. Every year, Elkanah goes to Shiloh and offer sacrifices to the Lord. There Hannah wept to the Lord in the Tabernacle with bitter soul and prayed that He would remove her shame and give her a child. She vowed saying “O LORD of hosts, if you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid, if you remember me and do not forget me, if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives…" (1 Samuel 1:11).

A year later, Hannah gave birth to a son and called him "Samuel" (which means "heard of God") for she has asked him of the Lord. He then grew and the Lord was with him and was established to be a prophet of the Lord. He became the last of the Israel judges and anointed the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.

The life of Hannah and Samuel is punctuated by total obedience to the will of God. For Hannah, giving up Samuel to be raised by Eli shows total sacrifice, and being true to her promise to the Lord. For Samuel, he was true to the Lord up to his death. He led the Israelites in fasting and confessing, “We have sinned against the Lord”, so they were able to defeat the Philistines. The Lord subdued the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

Almighty Father, Your will be done.

“Lord, I hear my name
Now I go before You, my Lord
If it is Your will
Let it be, let it be
Let me be what You will
Let me do Your will.”

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

DEVIL, BE GONE!

Mark 1:27

He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.

In his book, “The Art of War”, Sun Tzu emphasized that “If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.” But, “if you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

In our spiritual life with God, we should realize our enemy – the Devil. Being a fallen angel, the devil wants to drag people with him out of envy and jealousy. And he succeeded when he was able to tempt Adam and Eve to disobey the Lord. However, through the passion and the death of Jesus, we have triumphed over the devil for ever. And we, Christian, thanks to fidelity in the faith, conquers evil.

Still, we have to know the works of the devil. He is around us, tempting us to commit sin. We must take the devil very seriously but we must not think that he is almighty. The Christian faith must be nourished by prayer, humility, penitence and above all, faith in the love of the Father. And that love is stronger than everything, as shown by Jesus. We must have the awareness that the mercy of God is so great that it overcomes every obstacle, and cast out evils in our lives.

Almighty Father, I beg You to destroy the power of our greatest enemy - the evil spirits. Cast them into the deepest recesses of hell and chain them there forever! Take possession of Your Kingdom which You have created and which is rightfully Yours. Help us resist his temptations, so we may forever be at Your side and with Your love.

Lord Jesus, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of Peace, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

“My life is spent resisting the devil, for I love You, Lord.
Being with You, surrendering my life to You, loving You, forever.”

My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

TONET

1 Samuel 1:5

…because he loved her…

Today is her birthday. My wife and best friend for 15 years is celebrating her natal day today, so I would just make this brief.

Join me in offering this prayer for her.

+ Heavenly Father,
We praise You for all Your gifts to us.
In a special way,
We thank You for Tonet.
Bless her always in Your love.
May she ever grow in your faith, hope, and love.
Bless us too, Holy Father,
And this day, and the blessings with which we celebrate.
Help us all to praise You and give You glory
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen +

To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

CHRISTENING

The Baptism of the Lord

Matthew 3:16-17

After Jesus was baptized… a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

The tagalog word for baptism – “binyag” – has acquired various usage. Initially, it would mean being baptized, by water and spirit, whether you are Born-Again Christian, Catholic, Protestant. Then it would mean, for boys, undergoing the “ritual” for manhood, which is normally done when one reach the age of 10 and up. In general, when it is your first time to do it, “ikaw ay nabinyagan” (you have been “baptized”).

Today, in the Catholic world, we celebrate the baptism of the Lord Jesus in the River Jordan, by St. John the Baptist, his cousin. It signifies both an end and a beginning – playing a significant role in both of their ministries. First, it came at the height of John's ministry, after which his began to decline (“So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”).

It then served as the beginning of Jesus' ministry, which soon overtook the ministry of John. Jesus did not really "need" baptism because He was without sin, but was baptized anyway to introduce Himself to the world, and start His ministry of salvation until His death, resurrection and ascension.

At baptism, we accept Christ as our Savior, gained his friendship, the guidance of the Spirit, and the protection of the Father, acknowledging God’s presence in our life. We have Jesus who loved us so much to die for us, we have the Father who encloses us with his arms of mercy and safety, and we have the Spirit who lives inside of us - even after 2000 years we are still baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray+

We thank you, God, for the gift of creation, the gift of life and your presence with us. Almighty Father, by your Holy Spirit save those who confess the name of Jesus Christ that sin may have no power over them. Create new life for us, from the day that we are baptized till the day that we rise in Christ. Glory to you, eternal God, the one who was, and is, and shall always be, world without end.

Amen +

The Lord takes delight in his people.

DEADLY SINS

1 John 5:16

If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life.

The film is titled “SE7EN” (seven), which stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, is about two homicide detectives' desperate hunt for a serial killer. His twisted agenda involves choosing seven victims who represent egregious examples of transgressions of each of the Seven Deadly Sins. Viewing himself as akin to the Sword of God, he hands out horrific punishment to these sinners.

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin. When committed, these sins destroys the life of grace, and creates the threat of eternal damnation unless either absolved through the sacrament of confession.

LUST. Usually thought of as involving obsessive or excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature.

GLUTTONY. The over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste.

GREED. St.Thomas Aquinas wrote that Greed was "a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things."

SLOTH. The modern view of the vice is that it represents the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts - more a sin of omission than of commission.

WRATH. Inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger.

ENVY. Desire something that someone else has which they perceive themselves as lacking.

PRIDE. Failing to give compliments to others though they may be deserving of them; an excessive love of self.

Almighty Father, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because of your just punishments, but most of all, because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. Help me, Oh Lord, with the help of your grace, to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

…since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

RETREAT

Luke 5:16

…he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

In a war, to retreat does not necessarily mean to surrender. It could mean reorganizing the troop, reevaluating the strategy, taking a rest, finding some time to nurse the wounded and burying the dead. In our lives, we always try to find some times to rest – our mind, our body and our spirit. We look for a peaceful place to relax and renew our strength and regenerate our body.

Spiritually, however, I would say that to retreat is surrendering ourselves to our Lord God. We surrender ourselves totally to God as we renew our relationship with Him. We surrender all our successes and all our failures; all our angers and all our loves; all our sadness and all our joys; our friends and our enemies; all that we gave and all that we received. We unload everything that we are carrying at that moment and we let God take over.

Having relinquished our time, our thoughts, our feelings – we then start talking to God, giving our total selves to Him, in total silence and prayers. We retreat from this selfish world and enters His loving and heavenly presence.

Let us pray +

Behold, O kind and most sweet Jesus, I cast myself upon my knees in Your sight, and with the most fervent desire of my soul I pray and beseech that You would impress upon my heart lively sentiments of Faith, Hope and Charity, true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment.

Almighty Father, You are lavish in bestowing all Your gifts, and we give You thanks for the favors You have given to us. In Your goodness You have favored us and kept us safe in the past. We ask that You continue to protect us and to shelter us in the shadow of Your wings. We ask all of these through Christ our Lord.

Amen +

“To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances;
to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement”. - St. Augustine

HIGH PRAISES

Luke 4:15, 22

He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all… And all spoke highly of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His mouth.

“To praise”, by definition, means “to extol or exalt or even worship a hero, a ruler or a deity. But the Lord God is more than a hero or a ruler or a deity. He is our Father, our Lord, our King, our Salvation. If there is an act more powerful than just praising Him, then He is more than worthy to receive that. But, He is also a humble God - God was so humble that He became a man! He, the LORD of everything stepped down from His glory and took the form of a modest servant – dying for our sins and assuring our salvation.

Praising God starts in our hearts, “and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Then, praise Him continuously through prayers and songs, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1).

Then, together with our loved ones, give Him glory and praise, “I will tell of thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee” (Psalms 22:22).

And we praise Him, forever and ever, “Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised!” (Psalms 113:1-3).

Almighty Father, we praise You forever. To you we do lift up our hearts, our souls, our voices! It is only in You that we trust. We believe what Your Word says, that no one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame. Please show us Your ways and teach us Your paths. Give us the strength and courage to be obedient to Your Truth and Your teaching. For You are our God. You are our Savior. And You are our hope, today and tomorrow. In You and You alone do we trust.

Praise the Lord! And give thanks to His holy Name.

PHOBIA

Mark 6:50

They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!"

As a child, I have fear of cockroach (generally, entomophobia) and of ghost (phasmophobia). Although I have seen (and later on, killed) a lot of cockroaches, I haven’t really seen a ghost. In effect, I have already overcame my fear of the six-legged critter, but, for ghost, honestly, I still fear going through or being left in dark places.

In the bible, St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy mentions about “timidity” (to be fearful) – “for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control”. Sometimes, this “spirit of timidity” overcomes us, affecting our disposition. To overcome this fearfulness, we need to trust in and love God completely - not to be afraid of being alone, not to be afraid of being too weak, not to be afraid to love and be loved, of not being heard, and not to be afraid of anything, for in God’s eyes, “we are of more value than many sparrows”.

It is a refusal to give into fear. It is a turning to God even in the darkest times and trusting in God to make things right. This trust comes from knowing God and knowing that He is a righteous God -- total and complete trust!

Almighty Father, in You I put my trust, so, I will not be afraid of what any man can do to or against me. Teach me thy way, O LORD, that I may walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name. I give thanks to thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify thy name for ever.

Oh Lord, let all fear of man, fear of the unknown, fear of inanimate things be put away from us. Teach us to keep Your commandments, to walk in Your ways and to fear only You. May this fear leads us to obedience of Your will, giving us confidence in our heart, and experiencing joyful relationship with You, today and forever.

“Huwag kang mangamba, 'di ka nag-iisa
(Do not fear, for you are not alone)

Sasamahan kita, saan man magpunta
(I will be with you, wherever you go)

Ika'y mahalaga sa 'King mga mata
(In my eyes, you are worthy of my love)

Minamahal kita, minamahal kita."
(And My love for you is forever)

“Fear only two: God, and the man who has no fear of God.

HOLINESS

1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Whether we like it or not (I hope that we are more on the liking side), we are all saints. Having been created in the image and likeness of God, the love of God is already in our hearts since our conception. It is, thus, unexplainable, why, most of the times, we try to destroy that image. Out of pride and ignorance, we ignore all that are given us, and came to believe that all the good things we have now is due to ourselves; and all bad things come from God. Therefore, we sin and give in to temptation, because it satisfies the flesh – we want a feeling of something good and NOT something right.

In effect, we lost the saint within us. We become saints who try to be of this world. We harden our hearts and our minds. We claim that it is impossible; we say that we cannot stop sinning. We view sin as the law of gravity: insisting that it can't be broken. And yes, this is outright ignorance! “Come to your right mind, and sin no more. For some have no knowledge of God - I say this to your shame.”

We are not perfect, it is true. Although we have a desire to obey God as never before, there are still wrong desires that lurk within us - a war between the desire to do right and feel good. Therefore, we should realize the need for further repentance, desiring to be like Him. Our growth in holiness is the result of our cooperation with the Holy Spirit within us.

Let us pray +

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
that I love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
to defend all that is holy.
Guard me so, O Holy Spirit,
that I may always be holy.

Amen +

“Perfect holiness is the aim of the saints on earth, and it is the reward of the saints in Heaven” – Joseph Caryl

“COOL KA LANG” (BE COOL)

Proverbs 12:18

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.

A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Almighty Father, teach us to be kind and forgiving with one another, seeking to put the kindest thoughts upon the words and actions, always remembering our own attributes and weaknesses. Let us remember that we should be much more careful to note our own mistakes and faults than those of others.

Oh Lord, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from us, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven us.

“Fight manfully onward,
Dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus,
He'll carry us through."

Anger rests in the bosom of fools.

KING OF KINGS

The Epiphany of the Lord

Matthew 2:10-11

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.

When we try to go to place that we do not know, we normally ask for a map. The map will serve us our guide so we can reach the destination at the least possible time, without the risk of getting lost, as much as possible.

Armed only with the knowledge written through a prophet – “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah… from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel” – and His illuminating star – “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage” – the magi from the east embarked on a journey to pay their respect to the newborn King.

"The light that shone in the night at Christmas illuminating the Bethlehem Grotto, where Mary, Joseph and the shepherds remained in silent adoration, shines out today and is manifested to all. The Epiphany is a mystery of light, symbolically suggested by the star that guided the Magi on their journey. The true source of light, however, the "sun that rises from on high", is Christ."

"The shepherds, together with Mary and Joseph, represent that "remnant of Israel", the poor, the anawim, to whom the Good News was proclaimed. Finally, Christ's brightness shines out, reaching the Magi who are the first-fruits of the pagan peoples, signifying that Jesus is Lord of the Gentiles, too."

(by His Holiness Benedict XVI, 2006)

Let us pray +

Dear Lord Jesus, as You led the Three Kings to You by the light of a star, please draw us ever closer to You by the light of Faith. Help us to desire You as ardently as they did. Give us the grace to overcome all the obstacles that keep us far from You. May we, like them, have something to give You when we appear before You. Mary, Our Mother, help us to know Your Son.

May the transforming acceptance of Mary and Joseph, the imagination of the shepherds, and the persistence of the wise men guide us as we seek the Truth, always moving toward the Divine promise of salvation. Amen +

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

TAKE A WALK

John 1:43

Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

Every morning, I would take Tootsie (my ever-loyal dog) for a walk along the mini-park. Most of the time, there would be other dogs around. Tootsie would start wagging her tail and run towards them. In the process, she would pull the cable-leash, somewhat dragging me in the process. I would allow her to socialize for a while, while I just stand there.

After some time, I would then start pulling her, as if telling her that it is time to go. And she would respond accordingly, and start walking away from the other dogs, maybe telling herself that there is nothing that she can do now. She has to follow me back to the house.

In the bible, Jesus repeated over and over again, “Follow me”. Maybe we would ask, “Is he expecting to find a dog-mentality in us? Is he trying to foster a dog-mentality in us? Does Christian discipleship reduce us to being a "camp-follower" of Jesus? OF COURSE, NOT! Our Lord’s “Follow me” is an invitation – to a life full of love, for God and others, up to a point that we abandon ourselves. Hence, following Him also means being admitted to the Kingdom of God, totally abandoning the devil and his cohorts. Jesus is “pulling your cable-leash”, so are you ready to heed his invitation and follow Him, walking the same road with Him?

Lord Jesus, invite me to follow You, for You have been faithful and obedient to the Father. Your love to God was greater than all of things in this earth, even more important than Your life, crying out in agony, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me! Yet, let not my will but yours be done”.

Oh Lord, we grab the opportunity to walk on the same road with You today. Let us forever serve in love and faith, rejoicing and shouting for joy and being glad, for we know that You are our Master, forever and ever.

“My life is spent following You
Walking the same road, alongside with You.”

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

THE ROCK

John 1:40-41

Andrew… first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.

We are called by many names – depending on who calls us or how the person calling us feels at that time. Ever since, my nickname is “Jun” or “Jhun”, having the same name as my father, hence, a “Junior”. But in elementary days, I am either called “Roberto” (my baptismal name) or “Manacsa”. No one among my classmates called me by my nickname. Only through college and when I started working were I am called by my nickname Jun. This time around, most of my colleagues didn’t even know my real name.

My wife would call me “Love” or “Labing” during better times. On otherwise, bad times, she would either call me “Jun” or “Pssstt” sound. Then I know I have done something that is not good. At work now, I would be called “Sir”, “Bossing”, “Engineer”, “Manager”. And these, of course, signifies respect for the individual or shows one’s status.

In the gospel today, we were introduced to the first disciples of Jesus – Andrew and Simon. The latter became one of the three main apostles, along with James and John, who were chosen by Jesus to be present during certain important moments of His ministry. He was even called by Jesus as “Cephas” (Aramaic: "stone," Greek: "Petros," which in English is rendered as Peter). From there the Gospels paint a colorful picture of Peter as an eager and energetic figure who had both notable successes and failures in his journey with Jesus. In the end, he held on to his “nickname” and became a powerful witness to the Christian faith.

Let us pray +

Almighty Father, O God, who hast given unto Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose: grant that we may be delivered, through the help of this intercession, from the slavery of all our sins: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen+

“Pray for us that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.”

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.”

GROW IN GOD’S LOVE

1 John 2:29

If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him.

It has been a standard greeting among us Filipinos, especially for people we have not seen for quite a while. As a child, whenever I go my aunts, uncles, grandparents on Christmas or New Year, they would always exclaim, “Wow, ang laki-laki mo na” or “Binatang-binata ka na, ah” (“Wow, you’re all grown-up!”). Most of the time, it does refer to having grown physically. And, throughout the day being with them, additional comments can also be heard (“You are still naughty”, “You are still childish”, “You are wise, just like your father”).

Such comments can increase our self-esteem, for we know that other people recognize us and the traits that are within us. And as we go through life, those comments may make or break us, depending on how we accepted those impressions. Better to look at them positively and use as guides on improving ourselves.

Similarly, as we go through our Christian life, isn’t it great also that our God, the Father, could say the same comments – that we have grown in His love and act in righteousness, such that we are really worthy to be called His children. “We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope based on Him makes himself pure, as He is pure.”

Almighty Father, I am Your child and will remain forever to be in and with You. Let me grow in You, in Your mercy and in Your love so when it is time to see You face to face, You can truly exclaim that I have changed by acting in righteousness, making myself pure, though knowing that I am not perfect in Your eyes.

Oh Lord, grant us forgiveness for all the sins we have committed. Grant us the love that we may be called Your children, as we remain in You forever and ever.

“My life remains in Him, forever
And His love is bestowed on us, for we are His children.”

God pours His love into our hearts, so it may flow out to others.