Answer me when I cry to you

"Incline your ear, LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and oppressed.
Preserve my life, for I am devoted;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God;
be gracious to me, Lord;
to you I call all the day."  (Psalm 86: 1 - 3)

Answer me O God when I call to you.  You hear the cry of the poor.  Be merciful and answer my prayer.  I have nothing but you.  I have nobody but you.  O merciful and faithful God.  I know you will answer my prayer.  Thank you Father.

I will declare your greatness

"One generation praises your deeds to the next
and proclaims your mighty works.
They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory,
tell of your wonderful deeds.
They speak of the power of your awesome acts
and recount your great deeds.
They celebrate your abounding goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice."  (Psalm 145: 4 - 7)

I will declare your greatness.
"I will bear witness to you in the world, O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers."  (Psalm 17: 50; 21: 23)

Blessed are those who fear the Lord

"Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
and who walk in his ways.
What your hands provide you will enjoy;
you will be blessed and prosper"  (Psalm 128: 1 - 2)

The Church celebrates today the Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist.  Jesus praised John as the greatest of all born of woman.  John the Baptist, the privileged and only child of a priest was anointed in the womb.  John would rank high among those that are blessed.

The above brief biography makes me reflect on Psalm 128: 1 - 2 and ask myself, "What does it mean to be blessed?"  John lived an austere life in the desert.  He ended his life in death row and was beheaded.  Where is the blessing in the life of John?  Then I got the insight.  The blessed of God are not to be compared like the blessed of the world.  When the TV evangelist says that one is blessed, he probably means that one has lots of money, good family, good health and all creature comforts.

The blessed of God are those whom Jesus says possess genuine riches.  According to the Lord, there are two types of riches: riches that can rust or lost and riches that  cannot never rust and which no man can take from you.  John possesses the latter.  He is rich in faith, hope and love.  He is rich in patience, wisdom, humility, courage, peace and contentment.  He is rich in what matters most.  He is genuinely rich.

What type of riches do you prefer?

We are called to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ

"To this end he has [also] called you through our gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours."  (2 Thessalonians 2: 14 - 15)

The Choice, the Call and the Anointing.  We are called to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we shall not fear, worry or doubt.  We believe in prayer; we believe in the word of God; we believe in miracle.  We trust God and leave the rest to Him.

It is the Spirit that gives life

"It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."  (John 6: 63)

Father, sealed with the Holy Spirit, may your love make me what you have chosen, called and destined me to be. Amen.

We will serve the Lord

"If it is displeasing to you to serve the LORD, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24: 15)

As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.  So help me God.

My allotted portion and my cup

"LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.
*Pleasant places were measured out for me;
fair to me indeed is my inheritance."  (Psalm 16: 5 - 6)

Thank you Lord.  I accept my destiny.

Anoint me fully for the Cause.

Who is this bride, the wife of the Lamb?

"One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." (Revelation 21: 9)

Who is this bride, the wife of the Lamb?

It is the Church in its exquisite splendor at the end of time.  This idea makes my heart leap for joy.  Come Lord Jesus!

A second time he sent out servants pleading to them to come to his feast

"A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them." (Matthew 22: 4 - 6)

What a sad story!  The king prepared a great feast and those invited refused to come.  Some of the invited added insult to injury by killing the son who was sent to persuade them.  Some of the teachings and parables of Jesus have been called hyperbole or exaggerations to make a point.  Nobody would call the Parable of the Wedding Feast a hyperbole.

Jesus Christ suffered, died and rose from the dead.  He sent the Holy Spirit to the Church as He promised.  Jesus Christ bequeathed the Church the august Eucharist as He promised at the Last Supper.  The Eucharist is the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

Jesus Christ is the Good News.  The Eucharist celebrates the life of Jesus, the Lamb of God.  He is the Bridegroom and the Church is His Bride.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.
It is the true spiritual food and drink.  The risen Jesus is adored in the Eucharist because He is truly present in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is a profound mystery.
It is the medicine of immortality.
It is the antidote for death.
It is the pledge and sign of the great hope of our resurrection.

All are invited to come to this Feast that is abundant and free.  Very few accept the invitation.

My Good Shepherd makes me lie down in green pastures

"The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
he restores my soul.
He guides me along right paths
for the sake of his name."  (Psalm 23: 1 - 3)

My Good Shepherd makes me lie down in green pastures.  This is my destiny.

"LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.
*Pleasant places were measured out for me;
fair to me indeed is my inheritance."  (Psalm 16: 5 - 6)

If God is with you, it is accomplished

"For they are a nation devoid of reason,
having no understanding.
If they had insight they would realize this,
they would understand their end:
“How could one rout a thousand,
or two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless it was because their Rock sold them,
the LORD delivered them up?" (Deuteronomy 32: 28 - 30)

When you see a miracle, do you know it for what it is?  When one man is able to overcome a thousand men is this an ordinary or an extraordinary feat?  From time to time, God allows the miraculous to happen in our life so that our faith in Him will be stronger.

Miracles come in various forms and sizes.  Not every miracle is necessarily an extraordinary happening.  One of the best advice I was given many years ago is "Expect a miracle everyday."  I do enjoy small, medium and large miracles frequently in my life.

If God is with you, it is accomplished.  One with God is a majority

“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19: 21)

"Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."  (Matthew 19: 21)

The rich young man considered Christ's offer and turned away.  Why did he reject this historic offer of Jesus?  Probably he did not believe that the promised treasures in heaven would be better than what he enjoys here and now through his wealth.  If we truly believe in the promised treasures of heaven, our values and life would be markedly different.

Jesus continues....

"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life."  (Matthew 19: 29)

The rich young man should have responded with this scripture:

"LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.
Pleasant places were measured out for me;
fair to me indeed is my inheritance."  (Psalm 16: 5 - 6)

Lord, without you, we are nothing.  Give us the gift to embrace your call and the grace to see the hope that your call holds for us.  Amen!

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." (John 6: 56)

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."  (John 6: 56)

Lord Jesus, what an incredible saying.  Yet, it is true that in the Eucharist, you provide us your flesh and blood to be our food and drink.  I believe it because you say so.  I believe it also because the Church has believed and taught this from the very beginning.

Thank you Jesus for this awesome gift.  My you strengthen our faith never to doubt your words.  You promise that by feeding on you, we remain in you and you in us.  Lord, may this be always so.  Remind us always of this state of affairs between us.  Let us never waiver about the truth of you continual presence in us and with us.  Amen!

You revealed to mere children the mysteries of the Kingdom

" At that time Jesus said in reply, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike."  (Matthew 11: 25)

What has our dear Abba Father hidden from the wise of this world and revealed to mere children?  Our Father has given the gift of faith to the childlike.  He revealed to them the mysteries hidden in the seven Sacraments:  Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance, Matrimony, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick.  The childlike accept that Jesus Christ is in these Sacraments and work through these Sacraments.

The childlike are distinguished from the learned from having the gift of faith.  Faith gives us access to the mysteries of the Kingdom.

I believe in the word of God

"And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe."  (I Thessalonians 2: 13)

• I believe in Prayer.
• I believe in the word of God.
• I believe in Miracle.
• I leave the rest to God.

"God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid."  (Isaiah 12: 2)

I forgive you because you asked me

"At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan."  (Matthew 18: 26 - 27)

"His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?" (Matthew 18:  32 - 33)

The servant was forgiven all his debt "because you begged me to."  I was struck by this.  The size of his debt, duration of his debt, how and why he incurred the debt, do not appear to be factors in the forgiveness.  Only one thing matters:  the servant fell down and asked to be given time to repay the debt.  But the Lord was gracious and forgave the servant the entire huge debt.  When we take one step to the Lord, He takes ten steps towards us.

This parable should be a source of encouragement to anybody who has need of freedom from any debt.

God is faithful to His word

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."  (Luke 1: 45)

Lord, I am a glutton for your promises.  I cherish them all.  But do I believe that you will fulfill them all to me?  This is my prayer today, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.

Grant me solid, rocky faith that I will witness the fulfillment of your promises to me.

Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves."  (Matthew 11: 29)

How do I understand the above?
Trust in me.  See how gentle and humble I am.  If you learn to be like me, you will find that you will be at peace at all times.

Jesus Christ Our Hope of Glory is Waiting for Us

"To this end he has [also] called you through our gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (2 Thessalonians 2: 14)

Jesus Christ calls us to fellowship and promotion to glory through the Gospel.  The means through which we work out our salvation is through daily sanctification by the Holy Spirit and consecration to the truth.

The daily work of sanctification entails pain but we already know the expected end:  glory.
Let us therefore persevere in the race because Jesus Christ our hope of glory is waiting for us.

The Eucharist is the Food for the Journey

"But the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!
He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb."  (1 Kings 19: 7-8)

Elijah ate and drank and became strengthened by the food and was able to walk 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb.

The Christian life is a journey towards Heaven.  Elijah needed the food and drink provided by the angel to walk to Horeb.  So do Christians need the Eucharist in our walk to heaven.  The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ given to strengthen our journey to Heaven.