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God's Message For You Today

Don't be discouraged! God will be with you through this week.

8 August
Monday

PAY YOUR TA XES!

“But that we may not offend them...” – Matthew 17: 27

I read my assigned verses for today several times, but I could not come up with a reflection. So I prayed, “OK, Lord, what will we write about?” Then I relaxed on my seat and listened to soft music coming from our radio.
Just then, the music stopped to give way to a news update on the Bureau of Internal Revenue. It explained some taxes and who should pay them. I straightened up. Didn’t I just read Matthew’s verses about Jesus asking Peter who should pay taxes? Coincidence? Or was it God telling me, then and now, that those required to pay taxes should do so?
It is never easy to pay our taxes, especially when we are not sure that we really should be paying such taxes. But Jesus was sure He shouldn’t be paying taxes. He knew He was a “subject” not of this world, but of the Kingdom of God. Yet He instructed Peter to pay their taxes. But, take note: Jesus made a miracle to produce the tax payment — apparently to prove what His citizenship really was.
Well, we lesser mortals can’t always have miracles, can we? On second thought, if God helped me write this piece, couldn’t He help me pay my taxes? Cynthia Santiago ([email protected])
8
REFLECTION:
Have faith and pray for a miracle during tax payment time!

Lord, I praise You as a God of Wonders, in all my circumstances.

-------

1st READING
God wants us to love and serve Him because it is only in doing so that we will fulfill our destinies. Also, God wants us to avoid many of the trials and sufferings that result from breaking the moral law and to receive instead the blessings that flow when we live as He has designed us to live.

Deuteronomy 10:12-22
12 Moses said to the people: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly, to love and serve the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul, 13 to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD which I enjoin on you today for your own good? 14 Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it. 15 Yet in his love for your fathers the LORD was so attached to them as to choose you, their descendants, in preference to all other peoples, as indeed he has now done. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be no longer stiff-necked. 17 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; 18 who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him. 19 So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens ourselves in the land of Egypt. 20 The LORD, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve; hold fast to him and swear by his name. 21 He is your glory, he, your God, who has done for you those great and terrible things which your own eyes have seen. 22 Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy strong, and now the LORD, your God, has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.”

P S A L M

Psalms 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
12 Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. 13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. (R) 14 He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. 15 He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! (R) 19 He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia. (R)

G O S P E L

In some ways this is a very strange story. Jesus tells Peter to catch a fish and tells him that he will find a coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax. Jesus does not think He should pay this tax, but He does so, so as not to cause offense. Yet many other times, Jesus acted contrary to others’ expectations and did create offense. What is the difference? Here, as far as Jesus was concerned, no great principle was at stake. When the Pharisees accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath, He does not do what they want as He is concerned to put love above the law.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
God has called you through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 17:22-27
22 As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief. 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes,” he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” 26 When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. 27 But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.”

my reflections
think: God wants us to love and serve Him because it is only in doing so that we will fulfill our destinies.

---------

THE HAMMER OF HERETICS

Today is a very special day forthe Dominican family around the world as they celebrate the feast of their founder and spiritual father, Dominic de Guzman. Dominic lived around the time of St. Francis of Assisi. Legend has it that the two met on at least one occasion. The first reading (not from the actual feast but from the ferial day) reminds us that we have to follow the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. This is what Dominic and the saints did. This is why they are placed before us by the Church as examples of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Dominic had a great love for the Lord to the extent that he shunned all the trappings of the priesthood so as to preach the Gospel with a new purity of heart and lifestyle. The Church had become very distant from the lives of the ordinary people. Because of this, many heretics were having great success because they lived simple lives rather than demanding that the poor people support the extravagant lifestyles of the clergy.
Dominic and Francis repudiated such lifestyles and took to the streets as beggars. Their simple lifestyles became a powerful witness to the truth of the Gospel and its power to redeem.
The Church needs to constantly go back to its original calling. In some places, it is too caught up in politics; in others, it is identified with the rich and powerful; in still others, it is so self-absorbed that it has lost any witness value. The role of the Church is to stand in solidarity with all men and women and, since most people are just getting by or poor, this is where the Church must be. Yes, the Church is there for the rich, too, but only as a means for them to attain salvation and not as a means to help keep them in power. Let us be mindful of the lives of saints and seek to imitate them in our own. Let us pray that we will stand in solidarity with God’s poor people. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:
Do I live in solidarity with God’s people or do I deliberately stand apart from them?

Lord Jesus, You left the glory of heaven in order to dwell on earth. Let me follow Your example of identifying Yourself with the poor.

St. Altman, pray for us.
 
His light is shining on you this Wednesday.

10 August
Wednesday

Feast of St. Lawrence,deacon and martyr

A MEANS TO AN END

Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. – 2 Corinthians 9:8

I’ve been serving the Lord since I was 13. But my ministry suddenly expanded a few years ago when Bo Sanchez invited me to be more involved in his mission of evangelization.
I didn’t have my own car, but three months after I came on board, the Lord led me to an 11-year-old car that was in great condition and within my budget. Then, invitations to preach, lead worship and give testimonies all over Metro Manila poured in. Sometimes, I’d have two talks in a day with meetings and activities in between. I would bring my laptop everywhere I went. Sometimes, I’d even have my percussion instruments because I also got invited to play for some events. I’d also have several outfits to suit the different events I was going to. Needless to say, it would be extremely difficult for me to get around with all my stuff if I didn’t have my own transportation.
This made me value my car so much more. I saw it not as a possession but as a means to fulfill my mission of bringing God’s Word to others. The Lord gave it to me right when I needed it most. Truly, when God calls us to do His work, He always equips us. George Tolentino Gabriel ([email protected])

REFLECTION:
Is there a higher purpose for the material blessings you’ve received?

Lord, help me to see every gift You’ve given me as a gift I can share with others.

-----------

1st READING
St. Paul uses an illustration from agriculture to illustrate a spiritual truth. The more we plant, the greater will the harvest be. Every day we have many opportunities to serve others. Each time we do it, we are sowing seeds for the Kingdom of God. We may not see the fruit but God’s Word is always fruitful.

2 Corinthians 9:6-10
6 Brothers and sisters: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: “He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

P S A L M

Psalms 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9
R: Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
1 Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. 2 His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed. (R) 5 Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; 6 he shall never be moved; the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance. (R) 7 An evil report he shall not fear; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear till he looks down upon his foes. (R) 9 Lavishly he gives to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory. (R)

G O S P E L

Just as a grain of wheat must die if it is to bring forth life, so too must we surrender all that we are and have to the Lord if we want them to be truly fruitful in His Kingdom. Yet death is never the end; rather it is the start of new life.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life, says the Lord.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

John 12:24-26
24 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

my reflections
t h i n k : Death is never the end; rather it is the start of new life.

------------

PERSEVERING IN FAITH

St. Lawrence’s faith in entrusting his life to Jesus even in the face of martyrdom by fire, which is what eventually happened, shows us what it really means to be faithful through trials and tribulations. How can a man stand firm in his faith even when threatened with death? This is a good question and it deserves our attention as it is applicable to the lives of thousands of men and women martyrs of the Church down through the centuries. How do we make sense of their lives in the context of our own struggles to be faithful to God?
Each of us has to answer that question according to our own faith and situations. My answer and your answer may have similar elements but they will not be exactly the same. The Church tells us that the blood of martyrs is the seedbed of faith. This may not be much consolation to the martyrs but it certainly gives us the Christian perspective on the nature of our faith and the demands it may make of us.
We need to remember that God always grants us the grace to be faithful to His will and never abandons us in our trials and sufferings. Remember, Jesus died for us while we were sinners with no guarantee that we would even accept His offer of salvation. Martyrdom cannot be understood from a purely worldy perspective as most of its roots are planted in the reality of heaven, not earth. Too often we spend our time analyzing spiritual realities with our roots anchored on the earth and not enough reaching out to heaven. Martyrdom is a prophetic witness as to what is important in life, which is our eternal life with God. Unless we believe this, we will never understand how a martyr can accept his or her calling.
As we remember St. Lawrence, let us thank him that his sacrifice stands as a beacon of prophetic witness to the values of life that truly matter: faithfulness to God, truth and so on. Let us seek to be faithful to these things in our own lives. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:
What are the things I really value in life? To what am I committed the most?

Holy Spirit, help me to truly believe that the things that really matter are those things that will bring us to heaven. ;

St. Thiento & Companions, pray for us.
 
Lasting Peace on Earth!
Bible writers often used
the word “earth” to
refer to humanity.
Genesis 11:1, for
example, states that “all
the earth,” the humans
alive at that time, spoke
the same language. The
apostle Peter had that
meaning in mind when he
wrote of “a new earth.”
Jehovah God would
renew human society in
such a way that
righteousness and justice
would replace violence
and hatred as permanent
“dwellers” in the land. In
a prophecy recorded at
Micah 4:3, the Bible tells
us: “He will certainly
render judgment among
many peoples, and set
matters straight
respecting mighty
nations far away. And
they will have to beat
their swords into
plowshares and their
spears into pruning
shears. They will not lift
up sword, nation against
nation, neither will they
learn war anymore.”
 
matagal tagal ding nawala si TS ah. I miss the daily bread :-)
 
Never lose sight of Jesus this Thursday.

25 August
Thursday

FAITHFUL AND FRUITFUL

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant...?” – Matthew 24:45

You have two options in life. First: Enjoy now, endure later. Many, upon receiving salary or bonuses, immediately shop till they drop. They enjoy temporary bounty without the thought of tomorrow. When poverty comes, they endure the consequences as they sing: “I wish that I could turn back the clock….”
Second: Endure now, enjoy later! I want to belong to those who choose the latter. They work hard, save, invest and tithe. Their motto: Live today with tomorrow in mind. When they’re old, they enjoy life and generously help many.
Faithfulness works the same way. What God entrusted to us we must grow. To grow fruits, we must work on the roots.
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar tells a story about the Chinese bamboo tree. From the time you plant it until its fourth year, it doesn’t show signs of growth. But on the fifth year, it finally sprouts and the tree grows up to 80 feet in just one season! During its “dormant” years, it was developing a root system to enable its long-term growth.
So faithfully sow your time, talent and treasure into the rich soil of God’s will. Endure sacrifices now and enjoy Godly prosperity later! Obet Cabrillas ([email protected])
25
REFLECTION:
Do you practice delayed gratification?

Lord, may I be that servant whom You find doing Your will when You return.


---------------

1st READING

Here we see the great love that the Apostle Paul had for the Christians at Thessalonica. He labored in prayer for them, that God will remedy any deficiencies in their faith. We can see from Paul’s example how our prayers can greatly help others in growing in virtue and overcoming any weaknesses.

1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
7 We have been reassured about you, brothers and sisters, in our every distress and affliction, through your faith. 8 For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 9 What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you, for all the joy we feel on your account before our God? 10 Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith. 11 Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, 13 so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.

P S A L M

Psalms 90:3-4, 12-13, 14, 17
R: Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
3 You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.” 4 For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night. (R) 12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. 13 Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! (R) 14 Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. 17 And may the gracious care of the Lord our God be ours; prosper the work of our hands for us! Prosper the work of our hands! (R)

G O S P E L

A familiar theme in the Gospels is to be alert and to stay awake. This is an inner attitude of prayerful attention to God and to His action in our lives. It can only be attained by detachment from the many concerns that absorb our attention and energy. We can grow in this alertness to God and His Spirit by prayer and fasting. We should seek to fast on Fridays from some food or other activity that we like so that we can give ourselves more completely to God.

ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R: Alleluia, alleluia
Isaiah 21-24
Matthew 24:42-51
42 Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 43 Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. 44 So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. 45 Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. 47 Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, 50 the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour 51 and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

my reflections
t h i n k : We can grow in alertness to God and His Spirit by prayer and fasting.

-------------

THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER

Sometimes people ask me why we should bother with praying because it is not as if God needs our prayers. This is precisely true but it misses one point — that prayer is primarily for us. We pray for our own sake, not for God’s sake; it is we who need the prayers. Prayer also reminds us as to what our life’s focus should be. The further reason for praying is that if we want a relationship with God, then there is no other way to maintain that relationship than by spending time talking to Him in prayer.
When our loved ones are far from us, we take the time to write them, email them, call them or use any of the Internet communication networks such as Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch with them. We do this to fulfill our felt need to communicate with them. The same is true in our relationship with God — it needs to be attended to if we want it to flourish. Any relationship needs sufficient attention if it is going to survive in our busy world.
One of the great dangers to any relationship is that it gets crowded out by the many other things that we have in our lives. This is why we have to constantly make choices and prioritize what we do with our time. When someone talks to me about his spiritual life, one of the first questions I often ask is what priority he gives to prayer. If little priority is given to prayer, there is very little point in the person seeking spiritual direction. I will just tell them the same thing every time, “Prioritize prayer in your life and then it will be possible for you to grow closer to God!” It is amazing how a great number of people say they want to grow closer to God but are not willing to prioritize prayer in their lives. It is like saying that you are hungry but you cannot be bothered taking time out to eat. Anyone can see that this just does not make any sense at all. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:
What priority do I give to prayer in my life? Should I be concerned about this aspect of my life or is it wellbalanced?

Holy Spirit, help me to put order to my life so that I could give appropriate time to prayer and other spiritual activities to improve my relationship with God.

St. Genesius, pray for us.
 
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Thursday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time

Book of Malachi 3:13-20a.
You have defied me in word, says the LORD, yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God, and what do we profit by keeping his command, And going about in penitential dress in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed; for indeed evildoers prosper, and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened attentively; And a record book was written before him of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, my own special possession, on the day I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked; Between him who serves God, and him who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays; And you will gambol like calves out of the stall

Psalms 1:1-2.3.4.6.
Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night.
They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers.
But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind.

The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:5-13.

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
 
This Tuesday, never forget how important you are to God.

11
October
Tuesday

religious hypocrisy

“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.’” – Luke 11:39

A professor of religious education had this interesting insight about the passion of Christ: “The most terrifying act of the Passion of Christ was not the betrayal or crucifixion; it was the devil walking in the robes of the Pharisees. Jesus Christ was not murdered by the pagan or the atheist, nor the unlearned. He was killed by people who were vessels of religious knowledge.”
In one of his sermons, St. Chrysostom, one of the radical Fathers of the Church, tackled the horror of religious hypocrisy which began with the Pharisees and continues to threaten our Church today. He said, “Who is fit to be a leader in the Church?…. Imagine a person of great intellectual ability, who twisted the words of Scripture to suit his own wicked purposes. That person could make a congregation believe that good was evil, and evil good.”
Priests, the religious, and all who serve the Lord are in danger of falling into the trap of hypocrisy just as the rest of us are. Fervent prayers to the Lord, invoking the intercession of Mama Mary, and a discerning heart are needed to see the evil hiding behind what is seemingly good. Dina Pecaña ([email protected])
11
REFLECTION:
“No faith unfaithful, can keep an adherent, falsely true.” (Tennyson)

Jesus, protect me from the evils of hypocrisy. Give me the grace to always know and see the truth You reveal to me.

----------

1st READING

The Apostle Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ even though it was scorned by the Jews and mocked by the Greeks. Yes, it was not a popular message that God has become flesh and died on a cross for our sins. Yet St. Paul knew that this was not his message but God’s, and that if he was faithful to its proclamation, it would bring about transformation of the world. Like Paul, let us not be ashamed of the Gospel message and that we are Christians.

Romans 1:16-25
16 Brothers and sisters: I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. 17 For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.” 18 The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; 21 for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 While claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. 24 Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

P S A L M

Psalms 19:2-3, 4-5
R: The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
1 [2] The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 [3] Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge. (R) 3 [4] Not a word nor a discourse whose voice is not heard; 4 [5] through all the earth their voice resounds, and to the ends of the world, their message. (R)

G O S P E L

The Pharisees were very concerned about ritual purity and when returning from an outing would always wash their hands up to their elbows. This was to wash away the defilement that they may have contacted while doing their daily activities. Jesus did not see that He could be made unclean by external things but only by sinful acts so He did not bother to wash His hands. This caused great offense to the Pharisees. Yet Jesus points out the real issue — that it is in the human heart where all evil desires lie. It is there that we need to be washed, not our hands, if we are to be truly clean.
Hosea 6-10
ALLELUIA
R: Alleluia, alleluia
The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R: Alleluia, alleluia

Luke 11:37-41
37 After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. 38 The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. 39 The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. 40 You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? 41 But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

my reflections
think: It is in the human heart where all evil desires lie.

-----------

Hypocrisy

One of the classical dramas I like is Moliere’s Tartuffe. This character, Tartuffe, is a through and through religious hypocrite. I wonder what Moliere would let Jesus tell him if the author of the drama had confronted Tartuffe with the Lord. For Jesus hated nothing more than hypocrisy. Already yesterday we said that Jesus could be very harsh when He met people who would not believe in His words which come from the Father. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus uses again strong words to unmask and correct the hypocritical attitude of His host, a respected Pharisee.
Jesus never speaks only to the persons He encounters. What He has to say is timeless, addressed to all who follow Him, even to us living 2,000 years after Him.
And I think what He tells us today quite clearly is to be careful of not becoming stuck outside the cup — concentrating on externals — while not taking care of inside business.
There is a temptation to avoid the hard work of inner growth: growth in attitude, value and spirituality. There is a temptation to stay outside because it’s often messy inside. So we avoid the mess by being superficial, concentrating on the look, on clothes, on symbols of honor.
There is that temptation to look good from the outside like the Pharisees or concentrate on what others are doing wrong or not to our liking. It is much easier spotting other’s faults instead of dealing with our own. Gossip is easier than prayer. Gossip is easier than the Gospel, being bearers of Good News.
Christianity is an inside and outside job, but it starts within. Daily conversion begins as an inside job, in the heart. In spite of the harsh words Jesus had said, in the end He gives us a way out. Even if our life is a mess inside, let us share something with the poor. Be generous – it covers a lot of sins, even hypocrisy. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Reflection Question:
Do I tend to project myself being better than I really am? Do I wear a mask when I meet people? Do I even try to cover up when I am with the Lord?

Lord, it is so difficult to be completely oneself. There is always the fear of what others would think about my weaknesses and failures. Lord, prevent me from wearing a mask; help me not to be a hypocrite.

St. Canice, pray for us.
 
not all knows evil does evil <-- morning devotion natangap ko
 
god is always there anytime tumawag ka lang agad ka nyang sasagutin at pagkakalo0ban sa iyung mga kahilingan.
 
You are God's pearl of great price. You mean so much to Him more than what you think. Look at your life and see how precious you are to Him
 
Each of us has fears which sooner or later we must face. It takes a lot of guts to overcome them, but I know you can do it. Go ahead, be true. Our dear Lord is in
 
Do not ask for easy paths along lifes winding road but for the promised grace and strength to carry all its loads. Following Jesus is always right but seldom easy.
 
Clear your thoughts before you think, clear your mind before you plan, clear your heart before you love, with all of these, put God 1st and everything will be clear according to his plan
 
Be happy with what you have, while working for what you want. Remember that a happy and successful life begins with God and ends for God
 
We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere. Friends are God’s way of taking care of us
 
Talk happiness, talk faith, talk health, say you are well and all is well with you and God shall hear your words and make them true. Have stress free day
 
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