How awesome is this place. It is the House of God.

“Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”  (John 2: 16).

We see Jesus displaying righteous anger when He witnessed unrighteous activities inside the Temple.  How far are you prepared to go to defend the sacredness of the House of God.  Many people are prepared to show some spirited zeal to defend the honor of their mother.  What would you do if you see someone in your parish drinking beer with a chalice?

Let us remind ourselves what the Bible says about the House of God:

"He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."  (Genesis 28: 17).

"They are to make a sanctuary for me, that I may dwell in their midst.  According to all that I show you regarding the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of its furnishings, so you are to make it." (Exodus 25: 8 - 9).

"Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle."  (Exodus 40: 35).

"And he said to them, “It is written:
"My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves.”  (Matthew 21: 13).

Jesus has left us an example of how to honor the House of God.  Watch out for an opportunity to do the same.

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I have sinned.

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”  (Luke 15: 18 - 19).

On Saturday, March 3rd, Day 18 of Lent 2018, the Scriptures invite us to know the most merciful Heart of God the Father and to come to Him with confidence to ask for mercy.

"Who is a God like you, who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever, but instead delights in mercy,
And will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our iniquities? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins."  (Micah 7: 18 - 19).

God will show us wonderful signs of His love and mercy during Lent 2018.

What is our response?

"Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts, Who pardons all your sins, and heals all your ills, Who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with mercy and compassion."  (Psalm 103: 1 - 3).

Glory to You, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ.

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They sold Joseph for 20 pieces of silver.

"They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver."  (Genesis 37: 28).

Who do you know that was sold for thirty pieces of silver?  (Matthew 26: 15).

What do you know about Divine Providence?

"Divine providence consists of the dispositions by which God guides all his creatures with wisdom and love to their ultimate end." (CCC 322).

"Divine providence works also through the actions of creatures. To human beings God grants the ability to cooperate freely with his PLANS." (CCC 323).

"The fact that God permits physical and even moral evil is a mystery that God illuminates by his Son Jesus Christ who died and rose to vanquish evil. Faith gives us the certainty that God would not permit an evil if he did not cause a good to come from that very evil, by ways that we shall fully know only in eternal LIFE."  (CCC 324).

Many years after Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, Joseph confirmed the mysterious and powerful providence of God:

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."  (Genesis 50: 20).

"When the LORD called down a famine on the land and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a slave."  (Psalm 105: 16 - 17).

"Father in Heaven, the hand of your loving kindness powerfully yet gently guides all the moment of our day. Go before us in a pilgrimage of life, anticipate our needs and prevent our falling.  Send your spirit to unite us in faith that sharing in your service we may rejoice in your presence. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.  Amen."

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First Friday in March

First Friday in March, 2018.

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus:  Jesus promised 12 special favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month.  In the 3rd month of the year 2018, we look at Promise #3.

#3.  I will console them in all their troubles.

In Promise #3, Jesus does not promise a trouble free life.  "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  (John 16: 33 ).
Troubles are opportunity to trust Jesus more. "I promise to be your strength in proportion to the trust you place on Me."

Remind the Lord often of these promises.

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday of March, 2018.

For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, click the link below:

http://sfjweb.com/?q=content/sacred-heart-12-promises

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How do you make your leaves stay green?

"This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from  the  Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land."  (Jeremiah 17: 5 - 6)

Where is your security?

The Bible warns us not to put our trust in human beings or in princes or in horses and chariots (tanks, fighter bombers, etc), or bank accounts and investments. (Cf Psalm 118: 8; 146: 3)

On Day 16 of 40 of Lent 2018, the word of God asks us: Who do you trust?

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit."  (Jeremiah 17: 5 - 8 NLT)

Lord direct our hearts to Yourself.

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Why should anybody choose to suffer and die for a cause that is a lie?

"The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Matthew 20: 28).

Today is Wednesday, February 28, Day 15 of 40 in Lent 2018.

Jesus said the above to his disciples in the earshot of the mother of the sons of Zebedee who had just requested the most prestigious positions in Jesus' cabinet for her two boys.  “You do not know what you are asking." Jesus told the lady.  My Kingdom will be very different from that of Herod, Nebuchadnezzar or Augustus Caesar.  There will be a lot of blood, suffering and death in what I am setting up.

You who desire to follow Jesus, do you know what you wish? (Matthew 20: 21).  “You do not know what you are asking."  (Matthew 20: 22).  Do you? Have you counted the cost of discipleship?

The 2016  movie, "Silence" by Martin Scorsese is the story of three young Jesuit missionaries who traveled to Japan from Europe in the 17th century to evangelize the Japanese. They foresaw clearly that they would be martyred.  They eventually made many converts to Christianity.  What impressed me most in the movie is that they did not hide the cost of discipleship to their young Japanese Christian family.  Most of these Christians with the three young missionaries paid the ultimate price for their faith in Jesus.  Their persecutors taunted them with the cruel irony that the only answer to expect from their Jesus was SILENCE!

Who will leave a comfortable life to embrace a missionary life in a far flung foreign country and culture?  If the Promise of Jesus is not true, there will be no missionaries, no Church.

"The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Matthew 20: 28).

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Practice what you teach.

"The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore observe and obey what they teach you; but do not be guided by what they do, since they do not practice what they teach."(Matthew 23: 2-3)

Reading leads to forgetfulness. Practice leads to remembrance. The disciples were to imitate Jesus and teach their new converts to practice the faith. Practice grows faith and leads to experiential knowledge.

"But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 5: 19).

Lord, help us to believe Your word; to teach what we believe and to practice what we teach. 

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Learn a very simple way to forgive.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven."  (Luke 6: 37).

Which is easier for you? Not to judge or condemn? How about  forgiving those who offend you?

It does seem that to forgive an offense is the toughest for most people.  I tumbled into a pure grace of how to forgive and to forgive.

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5: 44).

When I was in the corporate world, I took a secured loan to build a personal home. I had no experience about building.  I found a contractor and gave him 50% of the money.  He dug the foundation, laid a few blocks and disappeared with the money. I was devasted. What do I do? Prosecute him?  Ask friends at Police Headquarters to deal ruthlessly with him?   A tiny voice told me to leave him alone and pray for him.  I took the advice and prayed for him daily until the house was finished 6 months later.

On another occasion, three senior managers in the company I worked for many years conspired against me and had me fired. The same voice asked me to pray for them. I prayed for them by name for about 5 years before the pain was completely gone.  I have used the same tool of prayer again and again and it works.  Once you receive an offense, start immediately to pray for the person. Continue praying for the offender until you feel that you are healed.

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

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This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.

“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.”  (Genesis 22: 1 -  2).

Abraham did not merit the title, Father of Faith just by being a friend of God.  He underwent in his life one severe test after another. And he passed every one.

"I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”  (Genesis 22: 12).

The Scriptures the Holy Spirit offers us daily during the 40 days of Lent are full of stories of men and women that accomplished prodigious feats through faith.  Biographies and teaching by examples are powerful features of  divine pedagogy.

"In your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command.”  (Genesis 22:  17).

One man's obedience could be the cause of great blessings to millions.  Abraham is one example.  The Blessed Virgin Mary by her obedience undid the knots tied by Eve's disobedience. (Cf Genesis 3: 15).

In the Transfiguration, God urged us to listen attentively to His Son Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12: 2).
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”  (Mark 9:  2 - 10).

The beloved Son then gives us this great lesson:

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6: 33).
This is true!

"God our Father, you bid us listen to your Son, the well-behaved. Nourish our hearts on your word,
purify the eyes of our mind, and fill us with joy at the vision of your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

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You are God’s treasured possessions.

"And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.”  (Deuteronomy 26: 18 - 19).

Who are we?
+ God's very own people
+ Special treasure
+ God's treasured possessions
+ Holy people

"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."  (1 Peter 2: 9).

How do we Christians live up to such high ideals?

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  (Acts 1: 8).

The Holy Spirit is our hope.  Not just in being Christians but in acting as Christians.

"I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want.  But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law."  (Galatians 5: 16 - 18).

Glory to You, Lord Jesus Christ, Wisdom of God the Father!
"Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6: 2).

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The sinner cannot leave his sin without the initiative and grace of God.

"As I live, says the Lord, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he turn back and live."  (Ezekiel 33: 11).

Today is Friday, in the first Week of Lent 2018, Day 10 of 40.

The sacred word today is heavy on the theme of metanoia.  Metanoia means conversion, a deep change of heart and a firm decision to return to God.  St Ignatius Loyola,  said that a sinner cannot leave his sin and return to God without the initiative and  grace of God.

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."  (Philippians 2: 13).

“Oh, that today you would hear his voice,
‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert, where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works for forty years."  (Hebrews 3: 8 -  10).

Meribah was the desert place of testing, the combat zone between God and His people.  God tested the people to see if they had an obedient heart.   The people tried God by their obstinacy.  There ensued a battle of two strong wills.

"Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions."  (Psalm 51: 3).

“In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."  (2 Corinthians 6: 2).

10 days gone already in Lent 2018!

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You are Christ the Son. You are Peter the Rock.

"And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."  (Matthew 16: 18).

Today is the Feast of the Chair of St Peter.  Chair here means Cathedra, a symbol of Authority of Peter and his successors as supreme Pastor and Teacher of the Church.  Why does the Pope have this Authority?  Because it is the will and plan of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church.

Is the Pope a perfect man?
"But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”  (Luke 22: 32 NLT).

What is the core responsibility of the Petrine Ministry?
"After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," Peter replied, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs," Jesus told him."  (John 21: 15).

"Peter said to Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus replied: You are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church."  (Matthew 16: 16, 18).

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The word of God came to Jonah a second time.

"The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”  (Jonah 3: 1 - 2)

The word came to me too a second time.  The Parable of the Sower reminds me of the time when the word of God came to me the first time.

"The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit."  (Matthew 13: 22).

In between the first and second call of Jonah, what happened?
Jonah underwent purification through hardship.  In the belly of the whale, he was thoroughly refined and dazzled by the illumination of divine truths.

Do you hear any call to serve God? Do not be afraid. Do not harden your heart.  To serve the Lord is to reign.  He who calls you is faithful.  He will anoint you, qualify you and equip you with all the wherewithal for the job.  All that is required of the sower is to scatter the seed.  How the seed grows is not his business. God takes care of the rest.

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I believe that You are a Father to me at every moment of my life.

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him."  (Matthew 6: 8).

Tuesday in the 1st Week of Lent, Day 7 of 40 of Lent 2018. Consider  these truths of the Christian faith:
+ God knows everything.
+ God is able
+ God is willing
+ God is your Father
+ The Father knows exactly what we need and when we need it.
Why does this matter?  Because eternal life is knowing the Father, the One true God and Jesus Christ His Only Son. (John 17: 3).

"Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  (Hebrews 4: 16).

How about a little self-talk like this:
#1. I believe that You are a Father to me at every moment of my life, and that I am Your Child!
I believe that You love me with an infinite love!

#2.  I believe that You are watching over me night and day and that not a hair falls from my head without Your permission!

#3.  I believe that, in Your infinite Wisdom, You know better than I what is good for me.
I believe that, in Your infinite power, You can bring good even out of evil.

Abba Father, grant us through the discipline of Lent that we may learn to moderate our earthly desires and learn to love the things of heaven. Amen.

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You did it for them. In fact you were doing it for Me.

"Amen, I say to you:
Whatever you did for one of the least of my brethren,
you did it for me, says the Lord.
Come, you blessed of my Father,
receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."  (Matthew 25: 40, 34 RM).

These are some of the least of the brethren of Jesus:
+ Homeless
+ Hungry
+ Refugees
+ Imprisoned
+ Sick

The reward of ministering to them is huge.
"Come, you blessed of my Father,
receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."  (Matthew 25: 34).

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”  (Leviticus 19: 18).

"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13: 17)

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The necessity of the Temptation of Jesus in the Desert.

"At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert,  and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him."  (Mark 1: 12 - 13).

This is how Mark the Evangelist narrated the Temptation of Jesus. Pretty laconic but everything is there.  Let us examine the keywords and see how they apply to our Lenten Journey.

#1. The Spirit:  Note that the Spirit initiates the Temptation.  The word for temptation in Greek is scandalon which may apply to trials/tests or temptation to sin.  God never tempts anybody to commit sin. (James 1: 13)  But as a father trains and disciplines his children, so does Abba Father trains us.

#2  Desert:  The Place or period of temptation or tests.
"Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation,  for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him."  (James 1: 12).

#3.   40 Days:  The classical period of trials in the Bible.  Moses, Elijah and Jesus endured 40 Days of trials. The early Church saw the mystical value of 40 Days and prescribed 40 days as the duration for the Lent.  The Lent is an early institution of the Church and is also a period when the Catechumens (those preparing to enter the Easter Church at Easter Vigil undergo their final scrutinies).

#4.  Satan:  Our mortal foe.
"Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death."  (James 1: 14 - 15).

What are these sins?
"For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world." (1 John 2: 16).

#5  Angel:  Your Guardian Angel accompanies you closely in life especially in the Lenten Journey.

May God grant us all the grace to make the best of this Lenten Journey.

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Blessed are those who honor My Sabbath Day of rest.

"If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from following your own pursuits on my holy day;
If you call the Sabbath a delight,
the LORD’s holy day glorious;
If you glorify it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs—
Then you shall delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  (Isaiah 58: 13 - 14).

The Sabbath/Sunday Rest is a very important institution in Judaism and Christianity.
The Sunday Rest is a rehearsal for eternal rest which if you think of it is the main promise of Salvation.
"What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"  (Matthew 16: 26).

"Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong."  (Isaiah 56: 2 NLT)

Sunday Rest comes once a week and reminds us of creation and the Resurrection of Jesus in a weekly rhythm that forces us to pause our hectic addiction to activity. 

He who keeps holy the Lord's Day is blessed in accordance with the promises. 

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work."  (Exodus 20:8-10 NLT)

"That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes]." (Exodus 20:11 AMP)

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See the fasting I approve.

“Why do we fast, but you do not see it? afflict ourselves, but you take no note?”  (Isaiah 58: 3).

The people queried God and He answered them thus:
"See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers.
See, you fast only to quarrel and fight and to strike with a wicked fist!"  (Isaiah 58: 3 -  4).

The Lord knows everything, all things.  Nothing is hidden from Him.  (See Psalm 139: 1 - 18).  In short, on their fast days, they follow their own will and don't care for what God wants at all.

Now the Lord states the type of fast He approves:  
"Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh?"  (Isaiah 58: 6 -  7).

Note that the Lord says:  "Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose."
This is the type of fast that brings transformation of life and huge blessings especially during the Season of Lent.  You start from God.  "Father, what would You have me do in Lent 2018?"  Your Lenten resolution is not written on concrete.  It is like an open book which you update constantly.

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See the type of fasting I approve.

“Why do we fast, but you do not see it? afflict ourselves, but you take no note?”  (Isaiah 58: 3).

The people queried God and He answered them thus:
"See, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers.
See, you fast only to quarrel and fight and to strike with a wicked fist!"  (Isaiah 58: 3 -  4).

The Lord knows everything, all things.  Nothing is hidden from Him.  (See Psalm 139: 1 - 18).

Now the Lord states the type of fast He approves:  
"Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?
Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house;
Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh?"  Isaiah 58: 6 -  7).

Note that the Lord says:  "Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose."
This is the type of fast that brings transformation of life and huge blessings especially during the Season of Lent.  You start from God.  "Father, what would You have me do in Lent 2018?"  Your Lenten resolution is not written on concrete.  It is like an open book which you update constantly.

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Choose life and prosperity or death and doom.

"Moses said to the people: “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy."  (Deuteronomy 30: 15 - 16).

We saw through the Last Will of David (1 Kings 2: 1 - 3) and Moses /Joshua (Joshua 1: 1, 7) that genuine and lasting prosperity and success in life tied in the Scriptures to obedience to God's Law.

Ben Sira the Teacher states:
“If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses, shall be given him.” (Sirach 15: 15 – 17)

Today is Day 2 of 40 of Lent 2018.
The choice facing each of us is stark clear:
Life and prosperity / Death and doom.
Life and blessings / Death and curse.
Fire / water.

Scripture stresses again and again that it is good to keep God’s commandments.

Joshua made a choice for himself and his family:
"If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God." 
(Joshua 24:15 MSG).

Lent is the time to learn how to choose wisely. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you.

"Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help, that all we do may always begin from you and by you be brought to completion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."

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