Luke 20: 27-40 (Saturday, November 24, 2007)

The Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection and Angels. They hold as authoritative only the first five books of the bible, the Torah. Their question in today’s gospel is to disprove the teaching on the resurrection. Jesus does not attempt to respond to them using the teachings on the resurrection in Maccabees and Daniel. He knows they will not accept these authoritative. He returns to Exodus 3. When the Sadducees argue against Jesus using the example of marriage, they are looking at resurrection more or less as a resuscitation of the body. Christian resurrection as understood in the New Testament is not resuscitation. It is a transformation in which our bodies are no longer mortal or corruptible. The resurrection conquers all authority and the last enemy of the human person is death. The resurrection conquers death. Since death is conquered by the resurrection of Jesus, Christians too can hope in the resurrection. And since Christians are transformed and they would live forever with Jesus in heaven where he is the all in all, there would be no need for marriage.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you are our resurrection and our life. Come alive in our lives that we may live as people who hope for the resurrection.

Luke 6: 27-38 (Thursday, September 13, 2007)

Jesus Christ in today’s gospel sets out to show the Christian difference. Christians have a higher calling. While the regular people in the society live a life of retribution, Jesus calls Christians to rather live differently. They are to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, pray for those who mistreat them, etc. These commands by Jesus are rooted in love. It is only the heart that loves fully can live this life. Jesus Christ sets himself as an example for us. He prayed for his enemies even when they were crucifying; even when he was harshly treated, he was submissive and still loved them. Just as Jesus Christ was kind to the wicked, we too are called to the same way of live. Our reward is not on this earth, it is in heaven.

As you go out today, say hello to a difficult co-worker; hold the door with a smile for a colleague you cannot stand; call a family member you are estranged from; write a nice note for your spouse who has been aggravating you recently. We cannot truly become the people God has called us to be if we do not begin to live practically these commands of Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you lived a life of love and taught us to love like you have loved us. Lead us develop good relations with the people we cannot stand and help us to always think positively about the people we love the least.

Luke 1: 39-56 (Wednesday, August 15, 2007 – Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

We celebrate today the feast of Mary. Mary is a model of faith. We can only understand this dogma of the assumption in light of Christ and the Church. Mary is the one that was specially prepared to give birth to Christ. She said “yes” to God and took upon herself a difficult challenge of being the mother of the savior. She was faithful even at the Cross. She becomes the first person that Jesus gives the honor of raising her body and soul to heaven. The Christian hope of the resurrection is that we all would be raised body and soul.

Vatican II describes Mary as the symbol of the Church. Her yes at the annunciation made her the first Christian. She gathered with the Apostles in the upper room praying and interceding for the Holy Spirit. Her life was full of grace and because of that, her soul constantly proclaimed the glory of the Lord. It was only right that she who is full of grace is the first to experience the resurrection of the body and soul.

Today’s feast reminds us all of our destiny. We are made for heaven. Again and again the scriptures tells us about the resurrection of the body and soul. The most faithful one, Mary, has shown us the way, we her children must follow. We can only follow by emulating her virtues of faith and humility. As we celebrate her feast today, let us contribute our pains, sufferings and inconveniences to the capital of graces and in return ask the Blessed Mother to intercede for us that we might be faithful and humble.

Prayer:
Blessed Mother, we acknowledge you today as the one full of grace. We know you are proclaiming the glory of the Lord in heaven. We ask you to intercede for us that we might be faithful and humble. We pray that through you constant intercession for us, we will one day re-unite with you and your son, together with all the angels and saints in our eternal home in heaven.

Matthew 15: 21-28 (Wednesday, August 8, 2007)

One of the strong themes in both the first reading of today from Numbers and the gospel is thinking positively about yourself. This is really important. Sometimes we get into an attitude of wishing evil things. We speak about our situation or our family’s situation only in negative terms. We in a sense make ourselves victims. Christians should always keep a positive attitude. We need to keep things positive because the event of the cross and the resurrection has brought us liberation. In the first reading, the people of Israel referred to themselves as grasshoppers. The Lord’s response to them was simple, “I will do to you just what I have heard you say.” In the gospel, the Canaanite woman persisted that Jesus can extend the blessings meant for the lost sheep of Israel to her and bring about the healing of her daughter possessed by a demon. Jesus’ response to her was also very simple, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you have wished.” These two reasons give us a god contrast. The people of Israel in the Old Testament reading were negative and they received the negativity they wished for; and the Canaanite woman was positive and she got a positive response.

As Christians, we are encouraged to always trust in the Lord. To know that he is aware of our situation and that he will help us. Let us always pray good things about ourselves and always let other people know how good the Lord has been to us rather than dwelling in the negative.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you have liberated us from bondage and given us freedom. Help us to always experience your presence in our lives. When we have the tendency to become negative and fail to realize all you have done for us, always help us to acknowledge your goodness and think positively about our situation.

Matthew 13: 47-53 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)

In today’s gospel, Jesus gives us a glimpse into what will happen at the end of time. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous. We live in a world in which hell is never talked about – it sounds too mean to be taught to children, we deceive ourselves. Our children grow up without knowing the consequences of living an evil life. God is all loving and all rewarding, young people think. We delude ourselves of two eternal options: heaven or nothing. It is either every one goes to heaven or nothing happens at death. The scriptures is unambiguous that there is going to be a day of reckoning, when God will separate the good from the bad; the righteous from the unrighteous. God will not only reward the righteous for a life well lived, but he will also reward the unrighteous. While the righteous will go to heaven where they shall know no pain or sorrow, the unrighteous would be thrown into an everlasting furnace of fire where they shall burn. This is the truth of the scriptures we must take seriously to heart as we continue to live our daily lives. It is not the wish of God that we go to hell fire, but if we make hell our option by not living a righteous life, God shall certainly grant us that desire.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, your plan for us is that we may live a life with you in eternity. In this world, Satan lures us with many offers that constantly lead us to a life of unrighteousness. We acknowledge you as the righteous one. Share your righteousness with us today so that we may continue to make righteous decisions that lead us to you rather than foolish decisions that make us stray from your path. Give us the graces we need to live a righteous life, so that at the end, we will be receive into your eternal kingdom where we truly belong.

Matthew 13: 24-30 (Saturday, July 28, 2007)

We are all created good. God created us in his own image and likeness. God’s image and likeness is perfect. The Psalmist says we are created a little less than the angels; and the author of Genesis says, God saw all that he made was good. Our evil or failure to be good is not God’s fault but our own freewill to choose evil over the good. Even when the human person chose evil over the good, God still wished salvation for all of us and he sent Jesus Christ to come and die on the Cross that we might be save.

On the other hand, the devil has been sleepless ever since he was defeated and thrown out of heaven. He has constantly sought to lead God’s people astray. St. Peter tell us that our enemy the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for who to devour. He is the one that sows the seeds of sin in our hearts. Jesus constantly gives us the opportunity to repent; to turn to him. The parable of today clearly tells us that the day of reckoning is coming, when we shall give account of how we lived our lives. On whose side are we? The reward of those who are on the side of Jesus is eternal life in heaven; and the reward for those who picked the side of Satan is the eternal fire of hell.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ we acknowledge that we were created out of love and you offered your life for us because you love us. We go through life facing many temptations from the evil one the devil. We promise to follow you, yet we constantly fall again and again in sin. Do not condemn us in your justice O Lord, but through your loving mercy, give us the strength to continue to be faithful to you, so that on the last day, we will re-unite with you, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the angels and saints in our eternal home in heaven.