gracedandloved

[gracedandloved]

Family

I turn my thoughts today on the family. This Christmas has been one big family reunion for all of us. All of my siblings were around. My nieces from the States were all here including their husbands. How time flies. They have all grown up into fine professionals. While, I savor the joy of being with them. I also feel a bit of sadness when i am with them. I am the only one it seems who has no sense of achievement in this family. My failure is so big that I have practically lost direction in life. I cannot even bring my own son for them to see. Yet, today. I pause and give thanks to God for this family. Despite everything. They are the only ones that I have now.

[gracedandloved]

The infirmity of unbelief

GOSPEL Lk 13:10-17 This daughter of Abraham, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day? A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.” ****** There is blindness in the leader of the synagogue in today's reading. The blindness that refuses to see the goodness of God working even though human tradition says it should not work on the day dedicated to the Sabbath. At the end of this story, the woman is cured of her infirmity because she refused to be tied down by the concept of the law. While the synagogue leader wallows in his own sickness. The sickness that prevents him from experiencing the goodness of god at work.

[gracedandloved]

To be Whole in loving

GOSPEL Mt 22:34-40 You shall love the Lord your God and your neighbor as yourself. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two *** To love God requires wholeness and integrity. Loving God cannot be compartmentalized .

[gracedandloved]

Blessed

FIRST READING Eph 1:1-10 God chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world. A reading from the beginning of the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In Christ we have redemption by his Blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. ***************************************** I find consolation in the thought that We have ben blessed with every spiritual blessing since the foundation of the world.

[gracedandloved]

The feast of god

GOSPEL Mt 22:1-14 or 22:1-10 Invite to the wedding feast whomever you find. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ ********************************************************************** God continually invites us to share Life with him. It is an invitation . It is never a command. What response do we make of this invitation.

[gracedandloved]

GOSPEL Lk 10:38-42 Martha welcomed him into her house. Mary has chosen the better part. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her. **************************************** Like Martha, I find myself anxious about many things. Teach, me today to be like Mary - to choose the better part.

[gracedandloved]

Like the vineyard , we are all graced in order to be gracious.

[gracedandloved]

Octobe 5: graced to be gracious

GOSPEL Mt 21:33-43

He will lease his vineyard to other tenants.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

*******************************************************************************

In time, God will have to take us into account as to what we have done with the gifts that he has bestowed upon us. We are graced by a gracious God , who calls us to be gracious to others.

[gracedandloved]

Hidden service

"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." St . Therese of the Child Jesus. To serve and to be seen and eventually to be praised. I am often tempted Lord to follow this path. In fact, I sometimes find myself longing to be praised for the good that I have done. Teach me to be like St. Therese - to learn the value of hidden and simple service. And eventually believe that small deeds can also convert many souls.

[gracedandloved]

The prayer of Job

FIRST READING Jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23 Why is light given to the toilers? A reading from the Book of Job Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said: Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, “The child is a boy!” Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth, like babes that have never seen the light? Wherefore did the knees receive me? or why did I suck at the breasts? For then I should have lain down and been tranquil; had I slept, I should then have been at rest With kings and counselors of the earth who built where now there are ruins Or with princes who had gold and filled their houses with silver. There the wicked cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest. Why is light given to the toilers, and life to the bitter in spirit? They wait for death and it comes not; they search for it rather than for hidden treasures, Rejoice in it exultingly, and are glad when they reach the grave: Those whose path is hidden from them, and whom God has hemmed in! Lord, how often am I like JOB condemning the lot i find myself in; condemning the life that has now befallen me. Like him may I also find wisdom in your ways.

[gracedandloved]

Amoeba

Dear Gio,

Today , August 31, you were rushed to the hospital because of an Amoeba attack. Mom told me that you were vomiting and felt so cold and was very weak. When these types of emergencies come, I worry a lot. I am not with you and I could not even be there to hold your hand and assure you that everything will be all right.

According to the doctor, you might have gotten the amoeba thru the water that you were drinking. Kindly be careful of everything that you eat and drink. We want you to be healthy and strong. Mom has worried a lot about you today. I advised her to be strong for you.

Go now and rest Gio. I hope you can sleep well tonight .

[gracedandloved]

[gracedandloved]

It's not about being perfect

Dear Gio,

The other day I learned that you were the only one in your pre-school class that got a perfect score in all the exams you had. It must have been a proud moment for you. Your mom told me that you kept on asking her to call me so that you can ask me for your prize for getting a perfect score. When I inquired about what you wanted, you said that you wanted a "tab". Your mom and myself had a good laugh with that request. At 3 years of age, you are already asking for a tablet and I do not know who placed that idea inside your young head.

I , to am proud, that you got a perfect score and next time we meet , we should celebrate that. However, I also would want to tell you that Life is not all about being perfect. As you grow older you will realize that you will not succeed or will not get a perfect score in all the things that you will be doing. Mistakes will come along the way, Failure is inevitable too. What counts for in life is that deep in your heart you know that you have given your best. What counts is that in every mistake - we will have the capacity to learn. I hope and pray that you will grow into someone who will have that capacity. I am not asking you to be perfect - I just want you to grow up and learn in trying to give life your best shot.

Young as you are you have already displayed that innate capacity to know that a  prize is waiting for every perfection that you achieve. Yet, I want to assure you that you do not need to be perfect in all your test scores all the time in order for us to celebrate - for in success or in failure - I will always be there for you to love you  and accept you. 

Grow up into a fine man, Gio. Give life its best shot. But in perfection and in failure, I will be here for you - that is a promise that I hope to keep.

[gracedandloved]

Its almost a year since i was suspended from ministry. Slowly, i am beginning to rebuild myself. There is still a long way to go. Honestly, i am afraid of the future. I have no security to speak of. I entrust everything to you o lord. Literally, you are my security.

[gracedandloved]

Its almost a year since i was suspended from ministry. Slowly, i am beginning to rebuild myself. There is still a long way to go. Honestly, i am afraid of the future. I have no security to speak of. I entrust everything to you o lord. Literally, you are my security.

[gracedandloved]

Happy birthday mommy

[gracedandloved]

Prayer

Lord, as i move on in life, teach me to be a good father. Give me the courage to raise Gio in a god fearing way.