Saturday May 17, 2008: 3:1-10; Mark 9:2-13

St. James speaks to us today about the power of the tongue. The tongue can be used to bless and it can also be used to curse. How many quarrels and disagreements results from the improper use of the tongue? Gossiping is a serious problem in our society today. People are always speaking unfavorably about other people. The definition of gossip is simple: it is something you say at the back of someone and you cannot repeat it in his or her presence. The problem with gossip is that most of the things that are always said are not true or are half truths. The Seniors in the high school some months ago had a very wonderful resolution for the whole school. “Spread good rumors about fellow students whenever you are tempted to gossip.” Gossiping brings divisions in the Christian family and it is not the kind of family that Jesus Christ wants. We are all one body in Christ. Why not we learn from our high school seniors today? Whenever you think about saying something uncharitable about someone, spread a good rumor about one wonderful thing the person has done.

Friday May 16, 2008: 2:14-24, 26; Mark 8:34–9:1

St. James challenges us today to match up our faith with actions. We can pray for all the poor in the world, we can pray for all the sick in the world, we can pray for the hungry in the world, if we cannot match up our prayers with some action, our faith is in vain. It is understandable if we do not have, but if we have, but do not give, in vain are our prayers. Christianity is a practical religion. Jesus Christ consistently showed this when he was here on earth. He did not only feed the people with spiritual bread, he also fed their immediate physical hunger. How many times have people brought great needs to us and even though we can help them, we assured them of our prayers and did not do anything practically to help them. I do not want to underestimate the power of prayer for those in need, but Jesus Christ uses also as instruments to answer those prayers of faith.

How can you help those who are in need today?

Thursday May 15, 2008: James 2:1-9; Mark 8:27-33

The great questioned posed to the Apostles by Jesus is, “Who do you say that I am?” It is the same question Jesus asks every one of us today. Who is Jesus Christ to you? Is he some nice great guy that once lived in this world? Is he one of the great prophets that lived? Who is he to you? Have you ever asked yourself this question? It is an important question every Christian should honestly try to answer. If we do not know who Jesus Christ is to us personally, it would be difficult to develop a concrete relationship of love with him. If you do not know your spouse, how can you build a long life relationship with him? For me, Jesus Christ is a brother, a friend and redeemer. I can always count on him being there for me through both difficult and easy times; joyful and sorrowful times. I can count on him to lay down his life again for me any moment and any time. I will not hesitate to do same for him.

Who is Jesus Christ to you? Can you give of your life for him?

Wednesday May 14, 2008: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; John 15:9-17

Jesus Christ in today’s gospel emphasizes love as the greatest commandment of Christianity. He presents himself as an example of this love. As the Father has loved him, so has he loved us. Jesus goes on to give us the greatest challenge of our Christian faith, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The challenge here is that Jesus Christ laid down his life for his enemies. St. Paul tells us that Christ died for us while we were still yet in sin. Sin makes us an enemy of Jesus Christ. If we are going to be Christ-like, we must do the same thing that he did, love our enemies. This is not an easy thing to do. We sometimes even find it difficult to love our friends. Judas sold Jesus Christ who was supposed to be his friend. Mathias is chosen to take the place of Judas whose selfishness led him away from the love of Jesus Christ. Mathias is called like every one of us to enter into this fellowship of love with Jesus and the Father.

Tuesday May 13, 2008: James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21

Imagine a life without temptations? Imagine if you did not have to make any choice? The greatest gift God has given to us is the gift of freewill. We have the freedom to choose between good and evil. Without this freedom, we would be robots remote controlled by God. When we face temptations, it is not God that tempts us to do evil. Evil is not created by God but it is the absence of the good. Every temptation however gives us an opportunity to choose God or evil. The classic “the devil made me do it” argument is not a good enough excuse for choosing evil over God. The sins we commit are borne out of our own selfish desires. Think about most of the sins you commit and see how many of them have to do with your desires? We must root out selfish desires from our hearts - the desire for material things; the desire for earthly things and things of the flesh. Our whole lives should desire God. When we desire God, he will help us to overcome temptations and at the end, we will receive the crown of life.
What are some of the evil desires in your heart? What must you do concretely to root them out?

Monday May 12, 2008: James 1:1-11; Mark 8:11-13

Saint James tells Christians to consider it a thing of joy if they encounter trials and persecutions. Why should a Christian rejoice in the face of trials? Biblical history shows us that this is always a test of faith. Abraham our father was tested. He was asked to sacrifice his only child, the child of promise. Job the righteous man was tested. He underwent many trials. He lost all that he had. Jesus Christ, who is himself God, was tempted by Satan. The important thing is to always persevere and overcome the temptations. Jesus Christ did not promise us that life will be all easy, but one promise he made to us is that at the end of the day, we will come out victorious. In the story of Abraham, because of his faith, he was credited with all righteousness; in the case of Job, the Lord blessed his later years more than his earlier years. We will always be rewarded for our perseverance in faith. The trials should not scare us, but we should look at them as another opportunity to strengthen our faith in the one who has called us.

What are some of your trials and how do you overcome them?