Gospel for April 15, 2008

John 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was then taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. MyFather, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

~ We should seek to unite our hearts and minds with the Father that we may be empowered to do His will.

Gospel for April 14, 2008

John 10:11-18

I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

~ What has God taught you today?

Gospel for April 13, 2008

John 10:1-10

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Gospel for April 12, 2008

John 6:60-69

Many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Gospel for April 11, 2008

John 6:52-59

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Reflection: Do I believe in the reality of the Eucharist?

Gospel for April 10, 2008

John 6:44-51

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: ‘They shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Jesus is the bread of life, and His words are the nourishment of our spirits.

Gospel for April 9, 2008

John 6:35-40

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen [me], you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Gospel for April 8, 2008

John 6:30-35

The crowd said to Jesus, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Gospel for April 7, 2008

John 6:22-29

The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

Gospel for April 6, 2008

Luke 24:13-35

That very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

It is sunday today...let us go to church and hear God's words.

Gospel for April 5, 2008

John 6:16-21

When it was evening, his disciples went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and
went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not
yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. when
they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and
coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, "It is
I. Do not be afraid". They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat
immediately arrived at the shore to which they are heading.

God wanted us to be brave despite the fearful circumstances that we are in. He wanted us to believe that He is always with us in every event of our lives. We could not avoid the feeling of fear, especially in unexpected or unpredictable times but to always trust in the Lord, then there is nothing to be afraid.

You Are Blessed

If you woke up this morning
with more health than illness,
You are more blessed than the million
who won't survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger
of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of torture, or the pangs
of starvation, you are ahead of
20 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear
of harassment, torture or death
you are more blessed than
than almost three billion in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator,
clothes on your back, a roof over your head,
and a place to sleep, you are
richer than 75% of this world.

If you hold up your head with a smile,
on your face and are truly thankful,
you are blessed because the
majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand
hug them or even touch them
on the shoulder, you are blessed because
you can offer God's healing touch.

If you can read the words here
you are more blessed than over
two billion people in the world
that cannot read anything at all.

You are so blessed in many ways
you may never even know.
Have a happy and blessed weekend.

Gospel for April 4, 2008

John 6:1-15

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised His eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to Him, He said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him, because He himself knew what He was going to do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little. One of the disciples, Andrew, brother of Simon Peter, said to Him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many"? Jesus said, "Have the people recline". Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, He said to His disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted". So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, "This is truly the prophet, the one who is to come into the world. Since Jesus knew that they were gong to come and carry Him off to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Jesus has satisfied the hunger of the five thousand people who came to him. And He wanted us to be free from hunger for the years to come. We may be full in the stomach but are we full spiritually? The hunger for peace within ourselves, the hunger for righteousness could all be filled by God if we come to Him.

Reflections:

Am I feeding others? Or am I fed by others?

Don't Upset

Many times in our lives some people have wronged us, some may be petty but some may be something that is not worth forgiving. So, we tend to be hurt for a long time, with the thinking that the person who caused such pain should pay and be punished.

In painful situations, it is a common reaction to be hurt and upset. Various thoughts would be instilled in the mind about how that person would undo such painful acts or how vengeance would be a welcome alternative. Being a common reaction, that is really inevitable since the society that we belong to presets a scenario that we have grown to be used to.

For instance, we have the justice system. Every wrongdoer is judged and consequently has to pay for his sins through prison sentence or death penalty. In the movies that we watched, we cheered for the ending where the criminal gets his punishment.

But then, we also know that in the long run all these feelings of hurt would subside and eventually be gone. So why wait that long to let go of hurt? Whenever you're upset, it is not the other person who is on the losing end, but yourself. Even if you already inflicted pain unto other people, the hurt and suffering that you have felt does not subside. Anger is like a virus that serves no purpose other than to exist and grow at the expense of its host...you.

You can stop being upset at any time and you can stop being angry at any time. You can embrace peace and offer forgiveness. In that way, you will get past your bad moments and be relieved with your life.

You have no right to be upset. If you believe that you have every right to be one is not a good thinking. It is simply a mistaken idea.

You have the right to be at peace. Peace is present whether you embrace it or not, but you can place things accordingly so that you will not see or feel the effects. Anger may not exist...it can only be a product from an error, but peace is true and exists eternally. Embrace the eternal. Embrace peace.

Offer your right to be at peace to God. Every concern of ours should be cast away to the Lord. He will fix all things for you. And with his Holy Spirit, you will be taken towards the light, so you know that help is just a thought away.

Claim that your hurt and anger has been resolved. When you allow God to be in your life, everything will follow. Believe that you have been released from the agony and thus forgiveness shall be felt.

When you allow peace and love to enter your mind and embrace them, your capacity to forgive grows wonderfully.

The Three Trees

This story has been relayed many many times before. Just want to share it here. It is called The Three Trees.

Once there were three trees on a hill in a woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said. "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter." and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsman said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one" and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and women came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the king of kings in it's boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

Gospel for April 3, 2008

Here's the gospel for today, April 3, 2008. Jesus clears the distinction between the revelations from humanity and the divine revelations. The revelations from above has the higher authority. God sends for us someone who speaks about his words. We may question those authorities but it can very well be discerned, as can be gleaned through the way of life of the person.

The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.

John 3:31-36

Have a nice Thursday ahead!