Year of Faith

THE YEAR OF FAITH is designed to renew the faith 

of Catholics so that we will be credible, joy-filled 

witnesses to the Risen Lord in the world today, 

capable of leading others to faith. The year honors 

the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second 

Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the 

Catechism of the Catholic Church.

SEEDS WE SOW - Galatians 6:7

One autumn afternoon I drove past a field where a farmer had parked some massive machinery by the side of the road. A yellow caution sign read: “Harvest in Progress.” As I glanced over at the field, I knew instantly what the farmer had planted several months ago—tiny kernels of corn. I knew this because he was preparing to drive his harvesting equipment through acres of mature cornstalks.

While i

t may seem obvious that planting corn leads to harvesting corn, we sometimes deny the relationship between sowing and reaping in our spiritual lives. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived . . . ; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Living to please our flesh yields corruption in the form of wanting what isn’t ours, self-centeredness, and even substance abuse (5:19-21). Walking with the Spirit produces peace, kindness, and self-control (5:22-23). By God’s grace, we can choose to “sow to the Spirit” and reap eternal life (6:8).

Suppose Jesus declared today “harvest day” in our lives, and He asked us to gather up the yield of our everyday choices over the past year. What would we have to show Him?

Things of the world often pull at my heart,

But, Lord, help me see the end from the start;

Open my eyes to where my life’s going,

What I will reap from all I’ve been sowing. —K. DeHaan

GRATITUDE - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

In Lansing, Michigan, during the winter, we don’t get many sunny days. But last year God blessed us with one of those beautiful days, and it seemed that almost everyone was thanking God, except me. As I left my office, a man said, “What a wonderful day we’re having. This is a gift from God!” To which I replied, “Yes, but we’re getting snow later this week.” What ingratitude!

In his letters, the a

postle Paul helped his readers to develop a theology of gratitude. He wrote about thanksgiving more often than any other New Testament author. From the 23 times he used the word, we learn a few lessons about thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was always directed toward God and never toward people. People were gifts from God, and Paul thanked God for their growth, love, and faith (1 Cor. 1:4; 1 Thess. 1:2).

Thanksgiving is given through Jesus for everything (Col. 3:15,17). Paul believed followers of Jesus could be thankful for everything because God is sovereign, and He is working things out for the believers’ good (1 Thess. 5:18).

May we intentionally be aware of God’s gifts all around us, and respond with gratitude. In response to God’s gifts, it’s natural to say, “Thank You, Lord.”

LLord, for days that are sunny or gray we simply

want to say, Thank You! And for the daily grace

You give us in Your Son, may we always be faithful

to say, Thank You! You are so good to us.

Promise of God #268

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 WEB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Promise #268: I will always be close when you need My comfort.

We all need comfort. As children, when we scraped our knee playing in the backyard, we needed the comfort of a mother or a father to simply hold us and reassure us that everything was going to be okay. When we experience extreme disappointment or the loss of a loved one, words fail... What we need is comfort.

In today's Bible passage from 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells us that God is the Father of mercies (compassion) and the God of ALL comfort. Our God and Father is the source of ALL comfort and He wants us to be comfortable coming to Him to receive comfort whenever we need it.

Since we were created to receive comfort, we will seek it out somewhere. If we don't receive it from God, we will receive it from other things... Food, material things, false comforts, etc. God wants each and every one of us to run into His arms every time we need to be comforted! As we receive the comfort from His loving arms, we will then be able to be an expression of that same comfort to other people when they need a comforting shoulder to cry on.

Photo by Barry Adams

Christians Vocation

"Turn from Evil and Do Good; Seek Peace and Pursue it." Psalm 34:15

These words are very simple yet it is hard to do. Most of us want the easy way, sad to say but it is true.  When we are having problems in our lives we want it to be solve fast so we choose the easy way. Things we do: a) We just don't spoke or ignore that person as if she/he never exist. b) We make believe ourselves that everything is gonna be fine. c) and finally we are afraid of confrontations and failure. That's why we assume that our problem was solve, but it is not. Why? because you never really faced your trials in life. You never bother or seek advice from the mature people who have experienced the same way you did. and most especially you failed to pray and talk to God and tell Him everything.  

My brothers and sisters just talk and pray to God, make Him your best friend and your father.

Faith, Hope and Love

Unity of Believers

The unity Saint Paul speaks of in his writings to the Church in Corinthians transcends human circumstances of geography or social station. While there is great diversity in gifts among the people who make up the Church, the ONE SPIRIT BINDS all BELIEVERS together. Even with differences in our roles, we are UNITED through the Holy Spirit, and all are challenge to live lives of PRAYER and SERVICE.

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Speak about Peace

Speaking about PEACE brings TRUTH and LOVE into words

we speak to one another. Nearly everyone can recall the sting

 of unkind words and perhaps even the guilty awareness of 

the injury caused by unkind words that were spoken. Our 

LOVE of GOD is manifest in our speech and in our actions

toward one another. Respecting people's privacy and 

possessions is one way to act as people of peace. 

"Whoever would love life and see good days 

must keep the tongue from evil 

and the lips from speaking deceit" 

1Peter 3:10

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God's Promise to His Children

Everyone has it's own journey. Every journey in our lives is a 

challenge. Without God we cannot do it. but With God it will 

be a great adventure. Just as God with Moses, He is always 

with us as we face our new challenges in life. We may not 

conquer the whole world but everyday we face temptations, 

difficult people and tough situations. God promise us that He 

will never abandon us nor fail us. All you have to do is ask 

God to direct us to conquer many of life's challenges.

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Prayer Request - Joel Suarez

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=446662425374175&set=a.330033993703686.78627.328042170569535&type=1&theater

Prayer Request - Nar Flores

http://www.facebook.com/SoftheHT

Prayer Request - Tatay Erlindo Escalada

You are the Light

Each of us is called to be a light to the nations. The

LIGHT is GENERATED when we are TRUE to our 

VOCATIONS in LIFE. Each of us should acknowledged

 and developed our Talents or Gifts from God. Because

 the LIGHT that we bring to the world or each person

that we meet in life brings salvation. and for that we

became co-creators of God's work in salvation.

Promise of God #136

Psalm 23:6 WEB 
Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.

The Hebrew word for 'follow' in this Bible verse is pronounced 'radaph'. It means to run after, chase, hunt, or pursue. It is a very descriptive word that King David chooses when he talks about how goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life. 

Just picture goodness and mercy relentlessly hunting you down all the days of your life. Never stopping, never ceasing in their pursuit of you. This is the blessing that is the inheritance for every son and daughter of the Father of Lights. His goodness and His mercy will run after us, chase us and pursue us... all the days of our life!

May the reality of our Father's love and the intensity in which He pursues us become more real today than it has ever been before. God loves you because He is love and He cannot help but love. His love for you is not conditional or based upon your performance. His love is pursuing you and my prayer is that it will overtake and overwhelm you today!

Photo by Eric Boldt

Promise of God #133

Psalm 12:7 WEB

 You will keep them, Yahweh.
You will preserve them from this generation forever.

In Psalm 12, King David talks about the wickedness that existed in his generation and how the poor were being abused by the ungodly of the day. In the midst of this seemingly depressing situation David declares that even though ungodliness and pain surrounded him, the Lord would be faithful to watch over all His loved ones.

The NIV Bible says the Lord will keep the needy safe and protect us forever. The NLT Bible says that the Lord will protect the oppressed. Which ever translation you prefer, the point in today's promise is that the Lord has promised to watch over us and guard us forever...even in the midst of an ungodly generation.

We all know that we are called to be in the world but not of the world. My prayer today is that each one of us would feel completely safe in our Father's hands, knowing that He has promised to watch over us and guard us forever...even in the midst of very trying circumstances.

Photo by Steve Taylor

Promise of God #135

John 16:15 WEB 
All things whatever the Father has are mine;
therefore I said that he takes of mine, and will declare it to you.

Today's promise is at the very heart of the gospel message. All that belongs to the Father belongs to Jesus and all that belongs to Jesus belongs to us because we are one with Him. The Amplified Bible says John 16:15 this way... Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. (AMP)

It is the Holy Spirit who now lives in us that reveals, declares, discloses and transmits all that the Father has given to Jesus...to us as well. The more that we meditate on this simple promise, the more it will transform our thought life and align us with our true destiny as beloved children of the living God. In His high priestly prayer of John 17, Jesus makes a profound statement when praying to His heavenly Father... I in them, you in me. (NIV)

Colossians 1:27 says... Christ in you, the hope of glory. May this revelation become very real to us. Because of the finished work of the cross, we are now one with Christ and co-heirs of His glorious inheritance. (Romans 8:15-17) May faith rise up in our hearts today to simply believe that this is the gospel truth and the reason why Jesus died for us.

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #134

Psalm 5:3 WEB

  Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice.
In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.

God is with us when we are awake and He is with us when we sleep. King David declared in Psalm 139 that there was no place that he could go to escape the presence of the Lord. In today's promise, King David writes that the Lord is listening to our prayers when we call out to Him in the morning.

Think about this for a minute. God watches over us when we are sleeping and He is right there ready to hear our prayers the moment that we wake up! It absolutely amazes me when I think of how attentive our heavenly Father is to our needs. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:8 that our heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask. 

So when you first open your eyes tomorrow morning, think of this promise. God is waiting to hear from you. His heart is longing for us to commune with Him morning, noon and night. He is always watching over us and He is listening for our voice when we rise in the morning. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #132

Psalm 46:1 WEB

 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
  

In today's promise, the psalmist makes the declaration that God is ready to help us at the first sign of trouble. He is always with us and is our refuge and strength when we need shelter from the storms that come our way. Reading from the English Standard Version Bible, I want to read Psalm 46:1-3...

¹God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.ⁿ²Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, ³though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah (ESV)

When we read the first three verses of this psalm, we can full appreciate the result of us embracing the promise that God is a very present help for us in time of trouble... We will not fear. Even if the earth itself gives way, we will not fear. If the mountains are thrown into the sea... We will not be afraid. Though the waters roar and the mountains tremble... We will be safe in the secret place of the Most High.

In a time when natural disasters are at an all time high and there are increasing wars and rumors of wars, we need to be convinced that God is who He says He is. He is our ever present help in our time of trouble and He promises to be our refuge and the very strength of our life. May the revelation of this promise bring a peace to all of us that passes our understanding. 

Photo by Eric Boldt

Promise of God #131

Deuteronomy 31:6 WEB

  Be strong and courageous, don’t be afraid, nor be scared of them: 

for Yahweh your God, he it is who does go with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.”

These words were spoken by Moses at the very end of his life when he told the Israelites that he wasn't going to accompany them into the promised land. I can't imagine how the nation of Israel must have felt when their trusted leader of 40 years told them that his time of leadership was at an end. They must have been struggling with fear because Moses encouraged them not to be afraid. 

Moses went on to repeat this word of encouragement face to face to his trusted assistant Joshua in verses 7-8. It was important for Joshua to get a grasp on this promise from God as well because he was to be their new leader and the champion of their conquest of the promised land. In the time that these words were spoken, Israel was about to face literal giants in the land of Canaan so they needed to know for certain that God had promised to be with them wherever they went. 

While it is not likely that any of us will be facing literal giants in our daily life, we are all facing giants of discouragement, fear and despair in one way or another. My prayer is that this promise from God spoken thousands of years ago to Israel would bring comfort and strength to each one of us today. 

We don't have to be afraid. God is with us and He will never leave us. May this truth go deep into our hearts so that we will have the strength we need when we face our own giants. God will not fail us!

Photo by Barry Adam

Promise of God #130

Philippians 4:13 WEB 
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. 
  

In yesterday's promise, we talked about the kingdom principle of weakness. In today's promise, we talk about the kingdom principle of strength. The reality is that they are one in the same. In Philippians 4:13, the Apostle Paul makes the bold declaration that he can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens him.

The reason that Paul could say that nothing is impossible is because he had learned the secret that his own strength was made perfect in his weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:1-10) If we are leaning on our own abilities, then we can only do what we have the personal strength to do. If we realize the secret of our strength comes from us being empty of our own self-effort, then we will realize that there are no boundaries, barriers or limitations because Jesus knows no boundaries, barriers or limitations.

No matter what life throws at us, we are more than conquerors through Him who has loved us. (Romans 8:37) If we embrace the humility of a childlike heart and understand that true strength does not originate with us but with Christ that lives in us, then we will believe that we can truly live an impossible life. May each one of us see the incredible power and strength that is available because we can do all things through our elder brother Jesus, who gives us His power and strength to overcome in every situation. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #129

Romans 8:26 WEB 
In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses,
for we don’t know how to pray as we ought.
But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.
  

The KJV Bible says that the Spirit helps us in our infirmities when we don't know what to pray for. The NIV Bibles says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Today's promise brings good news to everyone who has every felt weak and uncertain of what to pray for. I find it very comforting to know that the Holy Spirit that lives inside of me, is ready, willing and able to help me in my greatest moments of weakness.

But what about the times when I feel strong? What is the role of the Spirit of the living God when I am walking in my own strength? Is He helping me then or is He just waiting for me to be reminded once again that apart from Jesus I can do nothing? (John 15:5) I believe that one of the greatest principles of the kingdom is the principle of weakness. As the Apostle Paul discovered in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, when he was weak, then he was strong because God's grace was made perfect in his weakness. 

If you are feeling weak today, be encouraged! The Spirit of the living God that lives in you will help you in your greatest times of weakness and will even pray through you the words that need to be spoken to the Father when you don't have the words to pray. May each one of us receive a deeper revelation of the glorious kingdom principle of weakness today. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Happy Mother's Day

Promise of God #128

Matthew 8:16-17 WEB 
16 When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons.
He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; 17 that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.” 

Jesus took upon Himself every sickness and every disease that mankind has ever experienced so that we could be healed. I cannot imagine the unfathomable price that Jesus paid for today's promise to become a reality for us in our generation. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus was sweating great drops of blood, He cried out to His Abba (Father) for the strength to drink from the cup that would pave the way to our redemption. It was at this crucial time in history that Jesus took upon Himself ALL our sin and exchanged ALL our brokeness for ALL of His life. I believe that only the Holy Spirit can bring revelation to us so that we can grasp in part the incredible sacrifice that Jesus paid so that we could become heirs of His glorious inheritance.

May God give all of us the grace today to comprehend the fact that Jesus took upon Himself all of our sickness so that we could be healed. May faith rise in our hearts today so that each one of us could appropriate the finished work of the cross in every area of our body and our soul that still needs to be healed. Thank you Jesus for saying 'yes' to your Father and drinking the terrible cup of the brokeness of humanity so that we might be made whole...spirit, soul & body. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Photo by Carl Dyck

Gospel Reading - May 13, 2012

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Cycle B

May 13, 2012

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This Sunday's Readings

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First Reading
Acts of the Apostles 10:25-26,34-35,44-48
The gift of the Holy Spirit comes to Cornelius and his household, and they are baptized.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 98:1,2-3,3-4
A song of praise for God's salvation
Second Reading
1 John 4:7-10
God is love.
Gospel Reading
John 15:9-17
Jesus commands his disciples to love one another.

Background on the Gospel Reading

Today's Gospel follows immediately after the Gospel proclaimed last week, in which Jesus taught that he was the vine and that his disciples were the branches. In the example of the vine and the branches, we learned that our union with Jesus will lead to fruitful service. Today's reading extends this teaching to describe the kind of service that Christians are called upon to offer to others.

When John wrote this Gospel, his community was influenced by a set of religious beliefs called Gnosticism. It appears that one of John's intentions was to distinguish Christian belief from the beliefs held by the Gnostics. Evidence of this can be found in today's Gospel.

One of the tenets of Gnostic teaching was the importance of knowledge, orgnosis, as the determining aspect of faith. We read today's Gospel as a response to this teaching. In John's Gospel, we hear Jesus affirm that he is known by the Father and that his disciples will know the Father by knowing Jesus. In this passage, however, Jesus reminds his disciples that this knowledge is to be expressed in love. Those who know Jesus well—and Jesus says that his disciples do know him—will love one another. Knowledge leads to love, which leads to action. John reminds his community that Jesus taught that love is the sign of a true disciple and, thus, a true Christian. Even more, a true disciple shows a particular kind of love, sacrificial love.

In the Greek, there are two words for love that are used in this passage. The first is agape. The second is philia. The first word is most often used to describe love for other persons and for God. It is understood as the highest and most perfect kind of love. The second word is used to describe the affection of friendship. In this context, John appears to use these words as synonyms. The root of the Greek word for friend comes from this second term for love, philia. By using this word, Jesus transforms the terms of his relationship with his disciples and redefines for them their relationship with God. In the Hebrew Scriptures, faith in God made one a servant of God.

Here Jesus teaches that his relationship to his disciples is based on friendship, not servitude.

Another aspect of Gnostic belief taught that a believer was an elect person, chosen and set apart from the world. John reminds his community that Jesus also taught that a disciple is one who had been chosen—one who had been chosen by Jesus. To be chosen by Jesus, however, is not to be set apart from the world. Instead, to be chosen by Jesus is to be sent to serve the world as he did. The disciples of Jesus were chosen and were sent into the world to bear fruit by serving others, by sacrificing for others, in love.

This reading, like last week's, is part of Jesus' Last Supper discourse. In the context of John's Gospel, these words are spoken before Jesus' Crucifixion. We read his instruction to the disciples in light of his death and Resurrection. We know that Jesus himself gives us the greatest example of the kind of love and service that he teaches to his disciples. He has, in fact, laid down his life for his friends, for his disciples, and for us. Through his death and Resurrection, we have received the grace to love others as Jesus has commanded.

Promise of God #127

Psalm 119:105 WEB Your word is a lamp to my feet,
and a light for my path.
  

Have you ever walked on a path in the forest in the middle of the night without a flashlight? If you have and there wasn't a full moon shining, it is a pretty difficult thing to manuevre. Without a light to guide the way, you will inevitably go off the path and at the very least, bump into a tree.

I believe the psalmist in today's promise is saying the same thing about the importance of God's Word for you and me. In the grand scheme of things, we are only little boys and little girls who need all the help we can get. We do not have the navigational tools to manage our own life. We need both the written Word of God and the timely spoken Word of God to guide us through this life. 

It is comforting to know that our God and Father equips us with all we need to live a godly life including lighting our path as we take one step at a time. Notice that the psalmist doesn't say that God's Word lights the path miles in front of us. He says that God's Word is a lamp unto our feet.

May each one of us rejoice in the fact that God has committed the resources of heaven to guide us on our life's journey. He has not left us in the dark to try to fend for ourselves, but has focused His Word like a huge beam of light at our feet to guide every step we take. 

Photo by Barry Adams

Promise of God #126

Numbers 6:25 WEB Yahweh make his face to shine on you,
and be gracious to you.
  

We live in an area in Canada where it is very cloudy in the winter months. Sometimes we can go weeks without ever seeing the sun. When the sun does eventually come out, the feeling of exhilaration is almost indescribable. The gloomy feeling of gray skies day after day can really take its toll on a person's emotional well being. 

Today's promise is taken from the priestly blessing in Numbers 6 that the Lord told Moses to pray over Israel on a daily basis. In this blessing from the Lord, Moses tells the people that the face of the Lord will shine upon them all the days of their life.  Can you imagine living every day of your life being aware of the brightness and warmth of our God and Father's countenance? 

Even though clouds do come our way, we can rise above the clouds (just like we can do in an airplane) and still see His face shining on us. My prayer today is that each and every one of us would feel the warmth of His love and the brightness of His face shining upon us. We are not called to walk this life alone. Our Father is watching over us every step of the way. 

Photo by Jeff Epp