The gifts and call of God are irrevocable.

"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."  (Romans 11: 29).

Which gifts?

"The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide."  (Isaiah 11: 2 - 3).

Which call?

"I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last."  (John 15: 16, 19).

"To this end, we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith,
 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ."  (2 Thessalonians 1: 11 - 12).

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

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Do you want to be like the little one? Ask Jesus.

"Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom."  (Matthew 11: 25).

How do you see yourself before God?  Wise and learned or childlike and little one? 

Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.  (1 Corinthians 8: 1).  God prefers to reveal the secrets of the Kingdom to the childlike.   You may call this: Preferential option for the little ones.

What are these secrets?  They are mysteries which the mind of man cannot fully understand.  Yet once they are revealed are found to be reasonable.  The Lord gave the little ones the gifts of Understanding, Knowledge and Wisdom.  With these core gifts they are able to understand the mysteries of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus the Christ, the Church, Sacraments, etc.

St. James writes of two types of wisdom:  Wisdom that comes from above and the earthly wisdom.  The wisdom that comes from above bears the marks of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.  While earthly wisdom bears all the signs of Satan, Father of lies. (James 3: 13 - 18).

Do you want to know some of these little ones, check them out by googling "Doctors of the Church" and "Church Fathers".

Dear Jesus Christ, I want to be a little one. If You want me to be a little one, You have to make me one Yourself.  Remember Lord that all things are possible for You and nothing is too marvelous for You to do for me. Amen.

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Give an honest try to Praise and Thanksgiving.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever."

His mercy endures forever.  Absolutely true!

"Who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever." (Psalm 136: 1 - 4).

What do you know about the power of praise and thanksgiving? Praise and Thanksgiving is probably religion's best kept secret of all times. Just a few of the things that Praise and Thanksgiving can do for you:
#1.  Banish depression.
#2.  Wipe out the threat of opioid.
#3.  Heal marriages.
#4.  Fill your soul with contentment.
#5.  Put joy and smile on your face.
#6.  Renews your youth like the eagle's.

The word of God Never underperforms. Why do people refuse to check it out completely and then share their honest testimony?

"Bless the Lord, my soul;
all my being, bless his holy name!Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts."  (Psalm 103: 1 - 2).

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I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.

"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).

This servant certainly knew how to beg for relief. He knelt down and asked his Lord.  He knew something else for which we commend him.  He knew his master was compassionate and kindly.  How much do we know the Heart of Jesus?  The Sacred Heart waiting for us to come and to shower us with His forgiveness and love.

"Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan." (Matthew 18: 27).

Forgive the wasteful servant probably something like a million dollars?  If the master had forgiven 50% of the debt, he would be hailed as a most generous man.

"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).

Do not miss this very important phrase: "I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to." Asking for forgiveness is very important.

Look! This unforgiving servant is me and you. Consider how much God has forgiven us throughout our lives. Yet we bear all types of grudges. Lord have mercy!

Remember the ABC of Mercy?
A.  Ask for Mercy.
B.  Be Merciful.
C.  Completely trust Jesus for Mercy.

Do this and you will never have to fear this:
"So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”  (Matthew 18: 35).

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Shout joyfully to God, all the earth.

"Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!"

If God fills your soul with fire, what would you do?

If God fills my soul with fire, I will
Shout joyfully to God; sing praise to the glory of his name; I will proclaim his glorious praise.
and say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”

I will say to you my brothers and sisters: Come and see the works of God, his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
I will urge you: Bless our God, you peoples; loudly sound his praise.

I will always remember: Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!

I will shout like a crazy man: Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.

Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire.
(Adapted from Psalm 66)

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Her Feast Day O Most Blessed Virgin Mary on Solemnity of your Assumption.

 “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"  (Luke 1: 42 - 43).

Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist greeted Mary thus on the occasion of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.

Today, August 15th is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.  The Church throughout the world celebrates and rejoices in Mary's prerogatives and privileges.  What Mary enjoys today shall be ours sooner or later.  Mary is "Mother of the Lord" to be sure. Let us remember that this title was first given to Mary by Elizabeth when she was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out as a prophet.  (Luke 1:  41-42).

The Church Fathers had seen Mary as the Woman of Revelation 12: 1.
"A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

Mary did not seek her extraordinary privileges.  They were conferred by her Son Jesus the Christ for our sake. We rejoice in this truth.

Happy Feast Day O Most Blessed Mother.  Your Son Jesus Christ has made you our Queen, Mother and Teacher.  Your children will continue to love you Now and Forever!  Who dare say nay?

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You too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.

"For the Lord, your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes,  who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving them food and clothing." (Deuteronomy 10: 17 - 18).

Who should you share your bread with?  The orphans, widows and immigrants.

"So you too should love the resident alien, for that is what you were in the land of Egypt."  (Deuteronomy 10: 19).

Whom should you not persecute?
Those you insult as illegal immigrants.

"The Lord, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve; to him hold fast and by his name shall you swear.  He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you those great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.  Seventy strong your ancestors went down to Egypt, and now the Lord, your God, has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven."  (Deuteronomy 10:  20 - 22).

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

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Peter beginning to drown, cried out, Jesus save me!

"When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified."  (Matthew 14: 26).

The disciples were afraid to see Jesus walking on a violent sea as their boat was tossed about by the strong wind. In this state of confusion, they heard the familiar voice:
"“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”  (Matthew 14: 27).

Now the real drama is about to start:
Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”   (Matthew 14: 28 - 30).

The Lord Jesus reveals here that He is Master of nature.  All things serve Him. (Psalm 119: 19).
Do you believe this?
Yes Lord, I believe. Increase my faith.

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I love You, O Lord, my strength.

"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone!  Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.  (Deuteronomy 6: 4 - 5).

What does it mean to love the LORD with all your heart? Like you love your wife, children or friends with all your heart?
No. There is an important difference. Your wife or your husband can never claim to be the First Person in your life. He or she will be claiming to be God who has made that claim already for Himself. This is why the Church teaches that we worship and honor God with with a special level of worship called LATRIA. But for saints and angels, we honor them with DULIA. LATRIA WORSHIP Or ADORATION is reserved for God alone.

We love God with all our heart when we love Him above all things in heaven and on earth. We prefer Him to everything in heaven and on earth.  Always and Everywhere.

"I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer." (Psalm 18: 2 - 3).

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Call upon Me at the time of need and I will answer you.

"I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder."  (Psalm 77:  12 - 13 RM).

How often do you pause to remember and celebrate God's wonderful deeds in your life?
For example:
Your Baptism, Wedding.
Unexpected healing, Financial emancipation and  relief from Debt crisis.  And so forth and so on.

Why is remembering God's wonderful works in our life so powerful in lifting us up from despondency? We know that what happened before can happen again. The fire of hope is lighted. And we feel gratitude and love for the one who relieved us in the past at the moment of dire need. We are emboldened to ask for help in the present crisis. God's standing promise can be claimed: "Call upon me at the time of need and I will answer you."  (Psalm 50: 15) 

Satan being the father of lies and deception will give anything to cause us to forget God's merciful deeds.

The Holy Spirit causes us to remember God's wonderful deeds in our lives.  Ask Him every day to remind you.

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Sow abundantly and reap likewise.

"Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."  (2 Corinthians 9: 6)

The Lord Jesus says that pagans and unbelievers are always thinking of what to eat and clothes. In order words, they are preoccupied with money all day long. (Cf Matthew 6: 31 - 32).

Consider sowing and reaping genuine riches not just money or material things:
If you sow Prayer, you reap peace and calmness.
If you sow the Word of God, you reap wisdom and discernment.
If you sow Eucharist, you reap intimacy with Jesus.
If you sow Reconciliation, you reap a clean conscience.
If you sow Examination of conscience, you reap purity of heart.
If you sow Ministry, you will be ministered to when in need.
If you sow Spiritual Reading, you will reap understanding and spiritual insight.

Sow! Sow! Sow!

"Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift]."  (2 Corinthians 9: 7 AMP).

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O woman, great is your faith!

"Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour."  (Matthew 15: 28).

Who is this woman of great faith?
"A Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”  (Matthew 15: 21).

Wherever Jesus meets great faith, He is full of praise.  Is faith the secret missing ingredient in your life? It certainly appears to be so in my life.  I desire great faith. I pray for stupendous faith. And now, I leave the rest to God.

"She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured." (Matthew 9: 21 - 22)

Your faith can save you for Heaven, the ultimate goal and reward. And while here on earth, through your faith, you can taste Heaven even here on earth.

Since faith is a supernatural gift of God who encourages us to ask, seek, knock and we shall receive, find and enter, (Matthew 7:7)  let us approach the throne of grace with confidence to ask for this faith now and at every time of need.  (Hebrews 4: 16)

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Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?

"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses..... They complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the Lord has spoken? Has he not spoken through us also?”  (Numbers 12: 1, 2).

There are all types of sins. But questioning God's authority is to be avoided at all cost. There are men and women in the Church today who question the authority of Jesus over His decision that the priesthood is a reserved ministry for men.  Is this attitude borne of culpable ignorance or presumption?

"And the Lord heard this.  Now the man Moses was very humble, more than anyone else on earth."  (Numbers 12: 2, 3)
Why, then, do you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?  And so the Lord’s wrath flared against them, and he departed."  (Numbers 12: 8-9).

Many of us will leap to defend ourselves. Why not allow God to defend us as He defended Moses.  This is the quality in the lives of saints that I admire the most. Take for example: The 35 Doctors of the Church, men and women had outrageous slander against each and every one of them. The crimes they were charged with were invariably sex or money. Even Mother St Teresa of Kolkata who was canonized about a year ago was accused of being greedy for money. This is a person whom everybody knows was as poor as a Church mouse. The attack was to make her quit begging for money for the poor. She did not fall for such trap.

Today is the Memorial of St Dominic, the holy founder of the Order of St Dominic, officially known as Order of Preachers. St Dominic had more than his fair share of all types of accusations inspired by the Satan.

St Dominic pray for us.

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Because of food, the people were ready to rebel against God.

 “If only we had meat for food!  We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt, and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.  But now we are famished; we have nothing to look forward to but this manna.”  (Numbers 11:  4 - 6).

The journey to the Promised Land was a test of patience, endurance, faith, courage and humility for the Israelites. It was a very severe test. They failed. They lost their patience in spite of the fact that they still had the manna to eat. They looked back to former days in Egypt. They complained against God and Moses.

"He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your ancestors, so you might know that it is not by bread alone that people live, but by all that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD."  (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Abba Father, forgive us our grumbling, complaining and criticizing You.  Give us the humility, patience and gratitude we need to follow You in our life journey.  Amen.

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This is My beloved Son. Please listen to Him.

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  (Matthew 17: 5).

"The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." (John 10: 27)

Whose voices are competing with Christ's voices for our attention today?

Media, Family, Friends, Teachers, Parents?
Why do we listen to our parents?
Why do we listen to our teachers?
Why do we listen to our government?
Why don't we listen to our Bishops?

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." (Matthew 17:5)

Thank you Father for pointing Jesus to us. Open our hearts to listen to the words of your Son. Move our wills to obey him. 

We listen to Jesus in the Scriptures. St. Jerome says that ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ. We listen to Jesus especially as the Scriptures are proclaimed in the Eucharist. We also listen to Jesus in prayers.

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Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary who bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

"All generations will call me blessed, for God has looked on his lowly handmaid."  (Luke 1: 48 RM).

Who is the subject in the above Scripture? The Blessed Virgin Mary on the occasion of her visit to her cousin Elizabeth.  She uttered through the Holy Spirit this prophecy which has proved true for every generation.  (Luke 1: 48).

As Jesus was busy ministering, a woman approached and blessed Jesus thus: Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the eternal Father.  (Cf Luke 11: 27)

On the Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major,
the Church says:
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb."  (Cf. Luke 1: 28, 42).

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Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday in August, 2017.

August 04, 2017 First Friday in August.

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 8th month of the year, we look at Promise #8.

#8.  "Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection."

What do you think of the above Promise?  If this world is your stomach, you may be pitied if you think little of this Promise. (Cf Philippians 3: 19.)

But Jesus who knows exactly what we need, gave us 12 great promises to motivate us to strive for the Best.

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Friday, August 4th.

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Jesus performed few miracles in His home town because the people did not believe in Him.

"Because they did not have faith, he [Jesus] did not perform many miracles there. [Nazareth] (Matthew 13: 58 GNT).

No faith. No miracle.
Which is better? To have faith and enjoy all the good things God has in store for your life or to stubbornly stuck in your unbelief?

I would rather have faith and dwell in Your Sanctuary than to remain in the deep cold of faithless hopelessness.

What is faith brothers and sisters?
"To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.  It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God's approval."  (Hebrews 11: 1-2 GNT).

The people of Nazareth who knew Jesus as a home boy, knew His father and mother, knew all His relatives but allowed familiarity to breed contempt.  They refused to believe that He could perform any miracle.

For your faith to grow, pray and be nourished by the word of God every day.

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I had rather one day in Your Sanctuary than a thousand in Las Vegas.

"How lovely your dwelling,
O Lord of hosts!" (Psalm 84: 2).

In Exodus 40, Moses built the Dwelling Place of God, the Ark of the Covenant not haphazardly but strictly according to God's detailed instructions.  Solomon followed this pattern.  Cathedrals and the Churches are built not with cheap materials or in slipshod fashion but with deliberate purpose as  lovely Dwelling Places of God.

"Better one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere.
Better the threshold of the house of my God than a home in the tents of the wicked."  (Psalm 84:  11). 

I love beautiful Churches and Cathedrals. I hope you do too.

"Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young–
Your altars, O LORD of hosts, my king and my God!" (Psalm 84: 4).

How come it that the tiny sparrows and swallows worth 5 for a penny chose the best place in the world (near the Altar of the Most High) to build their nests and lay their young ones?  You may call this pure divine instinct.

"My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and flesh cry out for the living God."  (Psalm 84: 3).

Have you experienced the pure Pearl of Great Price that is the Sanctuary of God?  Why deprive yourself of this ocean of peace and mercy that is available to all?

"Blessed are those who dwell in your house!
They never cease to praise you." (Psalm 84: 5).

As David writes this line, he heaved a sigh of envy at the priests whose duty is to minister in the Sanctuary of God day and night.

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Jesus is the Pearl of Great Price.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.  When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."  (Matthew 13: 45 - 46).

Are you the merchant searching for the pearl of great value.  What if you realize that Jesus is the Pearl.  Are you prepared to sell everything to follow Jesus?

Lord Jesus, may you equip me with a generous spirit and a courageous heart to respond to You fully.

"More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ"  (Philippians 3: 8)

Jesus Christ is the Good News.  The Good News is Jesus Christ.  He is the top price, the Pearl of extraordinary value.  The idols that compete with Christ Jesus - health, family, money, job, property/tools, food are all considered as dung compared to the genuine and priceless Pearl which is Christ Jesus. 

"O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.  For me, the measuring lines have fallen on pleasant sites, fair to me indeed is my inheritance."  (Psalm 16: 5 - 6).

"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)

Lord, may we respond fully to Your extraordinary challenge. Amen.

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