Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

"The Lord, the Lord, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity."  (Exodus 34:  6 NABRE).

Who is God?  Above Scripture verse is the self-revelation of God.

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity:  the eternal, holy and undivided Unity.  Three Persons in One God. A most profound mystery. Although I do not understand a bit of this, I believe  it absolutely because Jesus Christ revealed it and the Church teaches it as truth.

"Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come."  (Cf Revelation 1: 8)

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you."  (2 Corinthians 13: 13).

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This poor widow has experienced God's faithfulness.

"He [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”  (Mark 12: 41 - 44 RM)

"What return shall I make to the Lord for all that He has done for me?"  (Psalm 116: 12)

Who can outdo God in generosity?

This poor widow has experienced God’s faithfulness in provision and protection all the years of her widowhood.

We offer You this, O Lord our God from all that you have given us.

"O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

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Do you know the power of praise?

"Praise the LORD, O my soul;
I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live."

Do you know the power of praise?

"The LORD keeps faith forever secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free."

Do you use the power of praise?

"The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers."

Are you blessed by the power of praise? 

"The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever,
your God, O Zion, through all generations! Alleluia."  (Psalm 146:1-2, 6-7, 8-9, 9-10 RM)

Do you share the power of praise?

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O God, Your providence never fails in its design.

"Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’    The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12: 29 - 31 NABRE).

How do we fulfill these two greatest commandments?

"For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith."  (1 John 5: 3 - 4).

The Spirit that dwells in us is the guarantee that we are begotten by God.

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Lord I am coming quickly to talk with You.

"Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor.
See my lowliness and suffering
and take away all my sins, my God."  (Psalm 25:  16, 18 RM).

Once upon a time, when I was down and out, the Holy Spirit gave me the above verses for prayer.  I repeated the verses several times a day with loud cries. I cried aloud to God to relieve my illness and poverty.  God saw my tears and heard my loud weeping.  He had pity on me and put a smile on my face.  I went to Church and worshipped Him with a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

"My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”  (Psalm 27: 8 NLT)

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Render to Caesar what belongs to him. Do not neglect to render to God His.

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  (Mark 12: 17 NKJV).

What belongs to Caesar?
Work: Monday to Saturday, taxes, civil obedience, etc.

What belongs to God?
Sunday worship and rest, the Ten Commandments, etc.

What does God promise to those who render to Him what belongs to Him?
Pardon, peace, power, purpose, presence, protection, provision.

The express road to abundant life:
"But strive first for the kingdom of God  and HIS  righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  (Matthew 6: 33 NRSV).

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The stone the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.

"He [the landlord] sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son."  But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours."  (Mark 12: 6 - 7 NABRE)

This is one of the saddest parables in the Gospel.  Read the whole story in Mark 12: 1 - 12.  The ungrateful and grasping tenants had killed and thoroughly abused other messengers before the landlord sent his own Son.

What is the point of the whole story?  The incredible and longsuffering nature of God. No human king or landlord could tolerate a fraction of what these malevolent tenants did. While we are thankful for God's patience with our sins, it will be a mistake to think that this time of grace and mercy will last forever.

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