Laong nila an taga Tago kuno para-away pero hanugay. Mamingawuni naman ganahani mandahap-dahap nan notisya. Naman ini na pabyon inhimo para kita na mga Tagon-on magkasinusihay, magka-binayluay nan mga gilaong, nan notisya, nan kaayuhan.
She had been bleeding for twelve years. When the world gave up hope for a cure she gave up on life. But she went to him....touched him. No more bleeding.
It had been years since he was home. He had renounced his family in favor of ambition, money, pleasure. None of it satisfied. He knew the answer: GO HOME. Only there could he begin again. So he decided to go. To grovel. But his father ran out to meet him. Welcomed him back. Told him he belonged there. No groveling.
Where am I this Lenten Season? What are my priorities? How much anger, obsession, willfulness, rationalization poisons my life? Isn't there way out of it? Yes, there is. JESUS CHRIST. Touch Him. How? COME HOME. Come back to Church. Every Sunday. No groveling. No excuses. Just come home to Church. The Father's waiting. The Holy Mass ( if you're Catholic) is a miracle.
Jesus lays it on the line the night before he dies: "Apart from me you can do nothing." Not some things. "Nothing." That nothingness you feel in your life? It comes from being apart from Jesus. It all ends when you are reunited with him. Why stay apart? Come home to Church, to the Sacraments.
"Do you love me?" Jesus asks. The way we spend our Lent decides it. "Do you love me?" The world has plenty of reasons to stay away. Forget the bleeding world. You belong home, in Church. Come home. Get a new start. Touch Jesus - do everything.
I'm coming home Jesus. I'm coming back to Church. Because, yes....I LOVE YOU.
Last edited by cordapya on Fri Mar 31, 2006 3:56 am, edited 8 times in total.
" The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me."
Trusting confidence can be shaken, and perhaps overhelmed, by the setbacks and discouragement of daily life. We experience very real sufferings and trials. They can so absorb our attention and drain our spiritual resources that we lose sight of God's love and providential care.
Contemplating Christ's passion we integrate into our lives a more Christian attitude towards suffering. Even if we cannot fully comprehend the mystery, at least we know that God is not distant. He is not a stranger to human suffering. Rather, he has experienced it more acutely and more profoundly than any man ever has. The sufferings of Jesus, in all their terrible dimensions, were the human suffierings of a man who was also truly God. Look at the crucifix. No matter how great our sufferings, we can never say, "The Lord has forgotten me." Rather, we must be convinced tha, "In the wounds of his body we need the secrets of his heart."
Lord Jesus, give me the strength of your cross to endure all my struggles in life / sufferings.
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Can you remember a moment when you seemed to see the beauty and glory of Jesus, either through the medium of a picture, a film, or in the interior of your imagination? If so, call that face and form up now. If not, ask Jesus to "show you" His face. In the Bible we are told to seek always The Face of the Lord.
I believe this seeking is especially urgent at two different times: times when, like the people of Exodus, we are so eager to see visible good now that we seek or worship a "golden calf," and secondly at times of sadness when everything looks gray.
Who or what has been a golden calf to you in the past? a human you almost idolized - worshiped? The perfect grades in school or a smashing salary?
What have been your worst gray times? Did God pull you through?
Right now consider as a necessity rather than a luxury getting a picture of Jesus full of beauty and glory to compare to "the calf" or to contrast to gray moods. May Jesus never have to tell you, "I have come to my Father's name, yet you did not accept me."
Lord Jesus, help me to seek your face.
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No one likes being told, "You're wrong." or " You don't know." But maybe we are wrong, or don't know. The truth can come in ordinary guises; perhaps that's why a prophet does not gain acceptance in his native place. When Jesus said that the Scriptures were fulfilled in his mission, His townspeople would not believe that God's plan could be accomplished in one just like them. The truth that Jesus spoke to the people of Nazareth concerned God's generosity; the one true God loves both Jews and Gentiles and even a Gentile woman. God's mercy knows no limits. Naaman the Syrian was humble enough to let his servants correct him and he ended up a man of faith. We need to listen to the truth whatever its source, even if that source is our own conscience telling us, "You have a problem." Often we can be the last ones to hear what our hearts are telling us. In these day of Lent, I need to ask myself; would I have joined the crowd that pushed Jesus to the edge of a cliff and wanted to shove him over, because he told me the truth? or do I recognize, not only the truth but truth himself when he speaks to me?
Lord Jesus, help me to face my problems and to confide in your care.
Our early efforts, marked by generous resolutions to rededicate ourselves to Christ and to follow him closely during this sacred season, have been beset with attacks of our old enemies. Selfishness, indifference, faint heartedness, sloth, and long standing bad habits have become discouraging obstacles to perseverance.
The prayers of today's remind us that we are not alone. Our heavenly Father knows our weakness and hears our distressed pleas. "Lord guide us in your gentle mercy, for left to ourselves we cannot do your will. Father, accept our gifts and make our hearts obedient to your will."
Jeremiah the prophet reminds us that opposition and suffering enter the lives of those committed to accomplishing God's will. John's Gospel recalls the opposition that Jesus faced. It challenges us to decide anew to accept him as our Messiah and Savior. Our minds and hearts will not be strong if they are divided or uncertain.
Lord Jesus, help me renew my desire to accept you wholeheartedly as my Savior.
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The world lost its first innocence at the beginning of the human race. Since that time, the original sin of Adam consigns to every human being the difficult task of uncovering deceptions about what makes us happy. Since the human person is created for transparent communion with the God who "formed man out of the clay of the ground." no alternative remains for anyone other than to seek wholeheartedly the gift of divine friendship. No person can remain neutral before God.
How blessed a thought that the gift of Christ's friendship "is not like the offense" of Adam. Personal sin constrains our human energies, and closes us off from God and one another. Eventually sin destroys what makes us happy. Within the Church of Christ, we receive the offer of new life and the chance once again to commune in friendship with God. For this reason, St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that Christ is our best friend.
It takes time to become accustomed to this new innocence. Christ's temptations, as recorded in the Gospel, are meant to comfort us. One should not conclude, "Well, he was weak too." Instead, realize that Christ once and for all has reversed the strategies of the devil. Evil seductions no longer can triumph over the one whose best friend is Christ.
Lord Jesus, save me from my deceptions and make me your friend.
Two unust judges once tried to entice Susanna into sin, but she called out to God for help and he answered her. What about this story and you -- especially if you are someone who has put your Christian faith on hold? All of us are sinners and in need of God's help! Call on Him and He will answer, "Fear no evil, I am with you!"
The Gospel is full of compassion, forgiveness, and direction, and Jesus want us to have these gifts. I don't know what Jesus wrote in the sand, but that, along with His invitation for those without sin to cast the first stone, sent them scurrying! Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery that he does not condemn her, but rather he forgives her, and he instructs her to go and sin no more. Isn't that what God tells us every time we go to Confession!
We are fast approaching Easter. Don't waste Lent! Recommit your lives to Christ! Renew your baptismal promises renouncing Satan and his sinful enticements! Receive the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist as often as possible, and then sit back and experience God's awesome grace!
Lord Jesus, fill me with the fortitude to know my sins and make a good Lenten confession.
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In this age of incredible wealth, I see more and more people acquiring more and more "stuff." There are always advertisements to tempt us into thinking our lives would be so much better with these new and improved items.
Jesus is pleased that we're successful, and he doesn't condemn us for having nice things. But Lent is an opportunity for us to focus less on our material possessions and more on the need to be spiritually close to God. If our continual pursuit of material goods has drawn our attention away from God, then Lent is a time to make a positive change. Simple fasting and charitable works towards those in need are sacrifices that can bring us closer to God, closer to a better understanding of this Lenten season, and closer to living the life of a Catholic/Christian - closer to grace.
When we stop complicating our lives with the constant striving for a new and improved model, when we worship God rather than the dollar/peso, we live more simple, yet we are rich in spirit and appreciative of God's many gifts. If we take our monetary success, which is also a gift from God, and use it to help those less fortunate, we are truly living Jesus's teachings.
Lord Jesus, draw me close to you through my sacrifices for others.
Freedom or slavery, truth or darkness, serenity or confusion are all biblical themes.
The Jews to whom Jesus speaks are trapped in lies and confusion. First they say they are not slaves, next they claim their fathers is Abraham, and finally they insist their only father is God himself. Jesus knocks down each argument, which ends finally in the most tragic of realities - the rejection of himself.
O God, our Lenten journey is nearly complete. You remind me in these readings today how much you love me and desire to equip me with true knowledge of myself so that I may have that freedom to follow you, whether in life or in death. Thank you for your constant guidance; I beg you to keep me always a faithful disciple. As you sent your angel to deliver your servants from the white-hot furnace, send your angel to deliver me from any danger that would threaten my total commitment to you. In life and in death I am yours.
Lord Jesus, help me to know, love, and embrace the truth in your Word and in the teaching of the Church you founded.
Lent means "spring" in Old English: the season when the frigid hardness of winter thaws into a spring lush with warm life. Spring in nature is a paradigm for the melting of the cold hard heart lacking love to warmth of grace in the Holy Spirit.
The conversion of soul from hardness of heart to the love of grace began with the promise made to Abraham. The promise took the form of a covenent of obedience and love by his Passion. The faith of Abraham looked forward to his day - the whole time of the Incarnation. Those who obey and love will not experience the death of sin, thanks to the I AM. The Lord's clear statement of his divinity fans the growing hostility between himself and those who do not believe in him as Abraham implicitly did.
In preparing for Easter, we must see Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promise to us of a truth and love that will melt our hard hearts, Our suffering is the joyous sign of the healing of our hearts for the spring of the Holy Spirit.
Lord Jesus, soften my hard heart and make me responsive to your promptings.
"Put faith in [my] works, so as to realize what I mean that the Father is in Me and I in Him."
Where is our faith, my faith? In what have I put my faith? In money? Power? Relationship? My career? Stability? A well-rounded life? Or merely myself? Where have I put my faith? This is so crucial, so essential to the possibility of a life worth living because it necessarily has an answer. I cannot avoid putting faith in something. If I live, I aim my living at something and I aim it at that in which I have put my faith, that which I have decided will satisfy my living.
But, does it satisfy my living? Have I put my faith in something that really satisfies my living? Can that in which I have put my faith really fill all the space of my heart? Perhaps not. Not to worry. Because even if we are slaves in a life that is like a foriegn land, a land where nothing satisfies, and we long to fill ourselves with what seems to fill those others around us and cannot, if we but turn towards where Jesus is, wanting to return to what really satisfies, he sees us and comes to embrace us while we are still far away. This is Lent.
A friend of mine told me, "It took me years pf parenting to realize that my eldest daughter is not like me. She is herself! For all of my aspitations for her, she has her own personality, gifts, and challenges. What am I to do with this child? I often wondered when she suddenly revealed a new facet of her self that did not fit my agenda."
Isn't this the same stance we often take in our encounter with Jesus Christ?
Like the chief priest in the Gospel, we wonder, "What are we to do with this Man?" He has suddenly revealed a facet of himself that does not fit my limited concept of Him. And yet, today as ever, Jesus of Nazareth is himself! He bursts out of the tomb of our limitations and reveals someone ever mysterious, ever new. Isn't it time we put aside our false aspirations for him? The Spirit of Love calls us to open our hearts, to embrace the truth of Jesus Christ through the Word, the sacraments, and those who live in the midst of his great Mystery. Then perhaps we will be ready to ask, "What does this Man want to do with me?"
Lord Jesus, help me to know you truly and to love your will for me.
PALM SUNDAY
Last edited by cordapya on Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:12 am, edited 4 times in total.
Personal Reflection - THE SACRED GROUND OF OUR EXISTENCE
There is no more exciting day for Christians in Jerusalem that Palm Sunday consistently brings the living Christian community to its feet, and out onto the streets.
Christ's words and actions are the rock-root or our faith. Palm Sunday marks us as willing participants in the plan of salvation, our truest desire to be redeemed.
Regrettably, the crowds and intensity are nowhere near as great on Easter Sunday morning. With time, I learned to understand that for many believers who llive close to real suffering, even the ancient memory of truimphal acceptance still has the power to excite.
Palm Sunday offers each of us, at the end of Lent, a poignant pause to assume fully our participation in the Paschal Mystery. For me, this is the season of the soul - the time for sacrifice, understanding suffering, offering service, being a witness, emptying oneself, bowing low and recognizing the sacred ground of our existence wherever we are. This is the place to proclaim: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Lord Jesus, may I make this week truly holy by uniting my sacrifices to your saving cross.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock..."(Rev. 3:20)
It is true. I stand at the door of your heart, day and night. Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be Me, I am there. I await even the smallest sign of your response, even the least whispered invitation that will allow Me to enter.
And I want you to know that whenever you invite Me, I do come always without fail. Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love, and bringing the many gifts of My Spirit. I come with My mercy, with My desire to forgive and heal you, and with a love for you beyond your comprehension, a love every bit as great as the love I have received from the Father. "As much as the Father has love me, I have loved you." I come - longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up and bind all your wounds. I bring you My light, to dispel your darkness and all your doubts. I come with My power, that I might carry you and all of your burdens; with My grace, to touch your heart and transform your life; and My peace I give to still your soul.
I know you through and through - I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you - even in your wanderings. I know every one of your problellms. I know your needs and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you not for what you have or haven't done. I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image. It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed My Blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life, and I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.
I know what is in your heart. I know your loneliness and all your hurts. The rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. I know especially your need for love, how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, but seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasures - with the greater emptiness of sin. Do your thirst for love? "Come to Me all you who thirst...". I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine, to the point of dying on the cross for you.
I thirst for you. Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe my love for you. I thirst to love you and be loved by you. Come to Me, and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation, and give you peace, even all your trials. You must never doubt My mercy, My acceptance of you, My desire to forgive, My longing to bless you and llive My life in you. If you feel unimportant in the eyes of the world, that matters not at all. For Me, there is no one anymore important in the entire world than you. Open to Me, come to Me, thirst for Me give Me your life and I will prove to you how important you are to My heart.
Don't you realize that My Father already has a perfect plan to transform your life, beginning from this moment? Trust in Me. Ask Me every day to enter and take charge of your life and I will. I promise you before My Father in heaven that I will work miracles in your life. Why would you do this? Because I THIRST FOR YOU. All i ask of you is that you entrust yourself to Me completely. I will do all the rest.
Even now, I behold the place my Father has prepared for you in My Kingdom. Remember that you are a pilgrim in this life on a journey home. Above all, do not run from Me when you fall/sin. Come to Me without delay. When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Savior. There is nothing I cannot forgive and heal, so come now and unburden your soul.
No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life, there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change: I THIRST FOR YOU. You don't need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My Love that will change you. You forget Me, and yet I am seeking you every moment of the day standing at the door of your heart, and knocking. Do you find this hard to believe? Then look at My Heart that was pierced for you. Have you not understood My cross? Then listen again to the words I spoke there for they tell you clearly why I endured all this for you: "I THIRST..."
Only there could he begin again. So he decided to go. To grovel. But his father ran out to meet him. Welcomed him back. Told him he belonged there. No groveling.
The Father's waiting. The Holy Mass ( if you're Catholic) is a miracle.
