Your parish needs all the help it can get from you. Volunteer and be part of any service in your parish today - Daily Bible Reflections September 15, 2017

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

FROM PERSECUTOR

TO PROMOTER

 

“I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man” – 1 Timothy 1:13

 

       Bro. Noe Dora was a radical Protestant preacher. He was determined to convert as many people as possible to his religion, especially Catholics. He hated the Catholic Church and believed that it was teaching evil, not good. He would visit the houses of his members to destroy the images and materials related to the Catholic Church.

       One day, he was in the house of a newly converted follower doing his usual practice of destroying Catholic images. He picked up a statue of Mama Mary and stared at it. He felt something strange and heard these words in his mind: “What did My mother do, for her image to be destroyed this way?”

       That odd event led him to study the Catholic faith. He secretly read about the faith, met up with a priest, and attended Mass. His six-year study led him to receive the sacrament of baptism and later he became a Catholic. Bro. Noe now travels around the Philippines and nearby countries to share his testimony. His personal goal is to bring back as many people as possible to the Catholic Church.

       It’s never too late for anyone to repent and change. Alvin Fabella (alvinfabella@yahoo.com)

 

Reflection: Your parish needs all the help it can get from you.  Volunteer and be part of any service in your parish today.

 

Lord, help me to be a credible Catholic witness so that others may return to our Mother Church.

 

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

Lord, protect us from envy. Keep our hearts close to You. We trust in Your good plans for us - Daily Bible Reflections July 12, 2017

 

ENVY VS. INSPIRATION

 

“Go to Joseph and do whatever he told them.” – Genesis 41:55

 

        Envy led the brothers of Joseph to sell him as a slave. It was also envy that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Today, envy leads to the killing of one’s reputation and good name. When people are envious, they kill their brother and sister with their tongues or with their words through malicious gossip.

         We need to guard our hearts for envy can creep to us subtly. We can be tempted to envy our brother or sister when they are promoted, when they do better than us in their families and careers, when they receive the things we want for ourselves.

       Instead of feeling envious, we should be inspired. These people deserve their reward because of their hard work, faithfulness and obedience. They are blessed because they follow God’s will for their lives. The Holy Spirit teaches us to be happy for other people when they are blessed. Their success are good examples for us to follow. When we do our best in what God has called us to do and when we follow His ways, He also has His own reward in store for us. Marjorie Duterte (marjorie.travels@gmail.com)

 

Reflection:“I too, invite myself — and everyone — to see if, in my heart, there is any jealousy, any envy, which always leads to death and doesn’t make me happy; because this sickness always leads us to regard the good others possess as if it were against us. And this is an ugly sin. It is the beginning of many, many crimes.” (Pope Francis)

 

Lord, protect us from envy. Keep our hearts close to You. We trust in Your good plans for us.

 

St. John Jones, priest and martyr, pray for us.

:“Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6) - Daily Bible Reflections June 21, 2017

BLESSED ARE THE

NAMELESS

 

“And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” – Matthew 6:18

 

       I am a silent worker in our office. Even after two years in my current job, I’m still not used to our office culture of everyday meetings and detailing the things I do and have worked on. For me, as long as my supervisor knows what I am doing, I’m OK with it.

    I also happened to meet someone who is planning to enter the seminary. During a search-in session which I attended, he shared that he always brings a piece of bread or biscuit in his bag. Not for him, but to give to a beggar who enters the jeepney or bus he is riding in. And even if I had not seen him since then, I fondly remember him for such a kind act. I knew there and then that he would be a good fit for priesthood.

      I also greatly admire those who donate church pews without revealing their names. They’re the ones who believe that their reward is not in this earth, but in heaven. Indeed, blessed are those who are humble and do not boast for they will receive God’s greatest blessing. Gracious B. Romero (graciousromero@gmail.com)

 

Reflection:“Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)

 

Lord, help us to be cheerful givers. Amen.

 

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, martyr, pray for us.

Are you comfortable jumping into the unknown, with only God’s love to catch you? It’s easier said than done - Daily Bible Reflections June 2, 2017

EVERYDAY

MARTYRDOM

 

“But when you grow old... someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” – John 21:18

 

       Nanay Remy was my foster mother when I spent two weeks in the mountains of Batangas on an immersion camp in college. She was a spirited elderly woman, with hair grayed by age, legs toughened by walking, hands calloused by labor, and face wrinkled by smiles. Each day, I accompanied her as she went around to do chores. Among many tasks, I would carry the buckets of water, collect the wood for cooking, and occasionally pound some corn for chicken feed. She was a busy woman, wrapped in the poverty of life.

       I couldn’t forget how she spoke with much dignity and wisdom. “I’m a native of Pampanga,” she said. “I grew up in a well-off family, and I had a future ahead of me. But then I met Banoy, who was a farmer here in Batangas. We fell in love. He uprooted me from that life and brought me here. Many times, I regretted that decision. I wasn’t ready for this poor life. I would complain, but I still held on. Now I have no regrets. My family is here, and so my heart is here.”

       That’s martyrdom. It’s dying to yourself every day because you know what is really important. Migs Ramirez (migsramirez.seminars@gmail.com)

 

Reflection:Are you comfortable jumping into the unknown, with only God’s love to catch you? It’s easier said than done.

 

Mama Mary, saying yes to God wasn’t easy but you did it. Teach me to say yes and follow Jesus closer even during my trials.

 

Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs, pray for us.