My Rock of safety

“Lord, be my rock of safety, the stronghold that saves me! For the honor of your name, lead me and guide me.” (Psalm 31: 3-4)

Be my rock of safety.
Be my rock of security.
The Lord himself makes me feel secure.
I feel secure in the Enterprise. Thanks to the Lord.
I feel secure because I know that the Lord is leading and guiding me.
He is protecting me every moment and every step.
The Lord saves me from all dangers.

Daddy, for the sake of your name, lead me, guide me and use me.

The man and his wife

“The man and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3: 8)

The consequence of sin is flight. We flee from the offended party. We hide ourselves. We cover up. We lose our confidence. The snake does not tell us of the consequences of sin.

We should ask before the action: If I take this action you propose, are there any negative consequences?

Our first parents, tempted by Satan, brought evil into the world. Their sin was one of self-love, pride, and lack of trust in God. We inherit their fallen nature, and can only hope in God’s mercy to redeem us.

The sinner knows his sin, expects God’s justice, and acknowledges original sin (Psalm 51: 3-5)
Original sin, its consequences, a sinful world; God does not abandon us (Catechism of the Catholic Church 396 – 412)
Original sin ruptured the initial harmony between men and women (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1607)

The Master Salesman

“Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the Lord God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3: 1)

The devil is a master salesman. Watch his steps:

• He makes a suggestion
• We listen to him
• Then he states the promise
• We are enticed by the promise
• He urges action
• We act

These steps are not different from the model of advertising called AIDA. This stands for:

• A: attention
• I: Interest
• D: Desire
• A: Action

According to this model, to sell anything, you need to take the prospect from attention to action. You start by capturing the attention of the prospect and quickly develop her interest in the product. Then get the prospect to desire ownership of the product and at this point, urge action.
This also is the model for temptation. If we do not want to buy a product, we stop the sales pitch at the level of attention-grabbing. If we allow the salesman or the snake to grab our attention, we expose ourselves to the next level of the sales effort.

Faith and Persistence

“For saying this you may go home happy; the devil has gone out of your daughter.” (Mark 7: 29)
All things are possible for him who believes.
Your faith will bring you healing.
The Syro-Phoenician woman had faith and she was also persistent.

Receive God's Word with joy

“Receive and submit to the word planted in you; it can save your souls.” (James 1: 21)

When was the first time God’s word was planted in me? The very first time was at my Baptism when I was only a few weeks old. But then, I was not conscious of God’s word till I became much older. But the very first time I knew the power of God’s word was in a crisis. It happened many years ago. I was in deep trouble with regard to my job. I faced imminent termination and consequent financial crisis. I opened the Bible I found beside the night table in my hotel room and it fell to Exodus 14: 13 – 14. This is the word of God that I heard that night:

“Do not be afraid! Stand firm, and you will see what Yahweh will do to rescue you today; the Egyptians you see today you will never see again. Yahweh will do the fighting for you; all you need to do is to keep calm.”

As I write these words again today, I feel the power once more. I have some issues at the moment that border me. God’s word above assures me again that all that I need to do is to believe and to keep calm. All will be well because God himself will fight for me. Thank you Jesus.

I receive God’s word with joy and I will do whatever he tells me.

Fear the Lord

“Happy are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat of the fruit of your handiwork; happy shall you be, and favored.” (Psalm 128: 1-2)

Most Holy Spirit, fill my soul with the fear of God. I want to enjoy the blessings promised in the above Psalm.

What is the fear of the Lord? Reverence God, respect God; fear to offend him.
To walk in the ways of God is to walk with Christ who is the way.

What are the works of my hands?
• My ministries
• Seekfirstweb

God promises fruitfulness and blessings to those who fear him and walk with Jesus. I accept God’s word as true on the fruitfulness and prosperity of my work.
Faith that is firm is patient: I wait for the fruitfulness and prosperity with patience. I do not try to rush things or bring about the blessings by purely human effort. Faith that is firm is also obedient. I follow the lead and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Mission for Two

“Yahweh God said, ‘It is not right that the man should be alone. I shall make him a helper.” (Genesis 2: 18)

God gave man a helper in woman. Christ sent out his disciples in twos. The Book of Proverbs talks of the wisdom of being two in any mission.
“Wherever two or three of you gather in my name, I am there in your midst.”
“Wherever two of you agree on anything in prayer, it shall be done to you.”

Mary's Intercession

On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the 11th of February, the Church prays:

“God of mercy, we celebrate the feast of Mary, the sinless Mother of God. May her prayers help us to rise above our human weakness ….”

Mary s is a powerful intercessor for us before the throne of God. Some people may object and say, but isn’t Christ the sole mediator for us before God? And we may answer: What if Jesus Christ decided to delegate some mediation to other people? Can anybody prevent him from doing so? Is there any passage in Sacred Scripture that says that he cannot do this? As a matter of fact, one of the primary tasks of the priest both in the Old and the New Testament is to offer sacrifice for the people. Sacrifice is both intercession and mediation. In the common priesthood of the faithful which all Christians enjoy by the virtue of Baptism, we are called to be intercessors for the whole Church and for the whole world. The Catholic Church teaches that in the work of intercession in the Communion of Saints, Mary is primus inter pares, first among equals. This is a special gift and honor bestowed to the Mother of the Son. And God is free to distribute his gifts the way he wants. Who can question him?

In the fifth Glorious Mystery of the holy Rosary, we meditate on the coronation of Mary as Queen. The fruit of this mystery is to ask God to increase our confidence in the power of Mary’s intercession.

The Fruits of the Eucharist

Fruits of the Eucharist


On the feast of St. Scholastica, February 10, the Church prays in the Mass:

“God of mercy, we rejoice that on this feast of St. Scholastica you give us the bread of heaven. May it bring us pardon for our sins, health of body, your grace in this life and glory in heaven….”

If you want to know what the Church believes, listen to its prayers. This axiom is stated in the Latin as “Lex orandi, lex credenda.” It translates as the rule of prayer is the rule of faith. From the above prayer, we see what the Church believes are the fruits of the Eucharist. They are:

• Pardon of sins
• Health of body
• God’s favors
• Life eternal

Awesome! If this is true, why doesn’t everybody run to the Eucharist? In Isaiah 55: 1 – 3, God pleads with his people:

“All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
Come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread;
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and you shall eat well,
you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
the benefits assured to David.”

Why would people hear such a call and not run to the feast? Mystery!

The Better Part

“Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:42)

The above scripture reminds me of another:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroys, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” (Matthew 7: 19-21)

The message to me is similar: Do not waste time with the transient. Go for that which is enduring and permanent. This is the “better part.”

Lord, teach me always to recognize the better part and to go for it.

Questioning Jesus

“When he had gone into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable.” (Mark 7: 17)

The disciples frequently ask Jesus to explain parables to them. The disciple is expected to know more than the crowd. In private prayer and study, he should ask Jesus to explain his teachings to him.

Consecrate me in the truth

“Your word, O Lord is truth; make us holy in the truth.” (John 17: 17)

Thank you Father for your word. Consecrate me in the truth.

God's Supply System

“Oh, bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
When you open your hand, they are filled with good things.” (Psalm 104: 1, 27, 28)

Early in 1999, I confided to my journal the following reflection on the above Psalm.
“In casa, I look to God to provide me food in due time. My coffee is finished and my tea will go by tomorrow. I have only $3. But I am not worried. In due time, my Father will come with fresh supplies. I will do nothing rash. When God gives to me, I gather it. When he opens his hands, I am filled with good things.

I noticed this pattern of God’s supply system chez MI. Sometimes the store was very low. Then prayer. In due time, God supplied and filled the house with good things: quaker oat, cornflakes, butter, milk, fruits, etc. I believe I should expect the same system of supply in casa. Christ said: Do not worry about what to eat or drink. Your Father already knows what you need and will supply in due season. If you miss an item or two for some time, remember that man does not live on bread alone. There is life for him in the word of God, in obedience and in patience.

The Wages of Sin

“You are free to eat of all the trees in the garden. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat; for, the day you eat of that, you are doomed to die.” (Genesis 2: 16-17)

From the very beginning, the consequence of disobedience to God was established as death. Spiritual death, death of a relationship with God is the result of a mortal sin. There is nothing that man dreads as much as death. By making death the consequence of grave disobedience, God shows the gravity of sin.

Human traditions

“You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions.” (Mark 7: 8)

When does the commandment of God compete with human traditions in my life? When am I under pressure to follow human traditions than to obey God’s commandment?

Teach me your laws, O Holy Spirit. Direct my heart to obey you in everything. Grant me the courage to share your words with others.

Teach me your law

“Turn my heart to do your will: teach me your law, O God.” (Psalm 119: 36, 29)

The Bible teaches us in so many places the excellence of the will of God. Jesus teaches us to pray:
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Those who live by God’s will attest that in God’s will is all the peace, happiness and prosperity that we desire.

How does God teach us to do his will? He teaches us through his word. His word contains his revealed will. He also teaches us through the Church. Christ said to the apostles: ”Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10: 16)
We can learn all the word of God that we want. Only the active presence of the Holy Spirit in us enables us to do God’s will.

Be Fruitful

“God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1: 27 – 28)

Be fruitful and multiply.

It is your Father’s will that you bear fruit, fruit that will last. It is God’s will that every human being be employed and productive. I banish the thought from my mind of fear of unemployment. In so far as I seek the will of God in everything, I am employed and productive. I am producing outcome that will last.

My purpose in life is to learn and to teach. Using the 7-Way plan, I learn and teach. What am I producing?

I produce the following outcome:
• Peace and tranquility
• Knowledge
• Joy and consolation

Those who touched him were healed

“And wherever he went, to village or town or farm, they laid down the sick in open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were healed. (Mark 6: 56)

Where can we touch Jesus today? We can touch Jesus everyday in the Eucharist.

Lord Jesus, increase my faith in your presence in the Eucharist. When I touch you in the Eucharist, heal me of all that need healing in my life. Amen!

Times and Season

“God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals, days and years.” (Genesis 1: 14)

The story of creation: God created the world progressively step by step.

Times and seasons were created to regulate creation.

• A time for sowing and a time for reaping
• A time for learning and a time for teaching
• A time for waiting and a time for acting

There is time for everything.

The Lampstand 2

“You are the light of the world. A city set on the mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5: 13 – 16)

Amen! I accept your word dear Jesus. I am the light of the world. It is your intention that I be placed on a lampstand. Praise, honor and glory be to you. You want me to shine. I will. May the Father be fully glorified in me and in my work.

Matthew 5: 13-16 makes Christ’s intention for his disciples abundantly clear. He wants us to reflect his light to the world. He wants us to shine using the gifts he has given us.

There is a time to learn and a time to teach. There is a time to be under the bushel basket and a time to be set on a lampstand. Today I am under a bushel basket. I am learning. Tomorrow, I will be placed on the lampstand, shining. When the teacher is ready, the student appears.