Life Inspirations

March 2, 2011

THE DESIRE FOR ETERNAL LIFE

We see in the desire of James and John something unbecoming of a true disciple. A disciple’s reward is doing what his Master tells him to do, not seeking to gain favors from him. It is no wonder that the other disciples become incensed when they find out about the request of James and John. However, Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, is able to defuse the situation by refusing to entertain the brothers’ request and secondly by using the incident and response of the others as the basis for a teaching.
Jesus assures them all that anyone who desires to be first must willingly place oneself last. What does this mean? The desire for honors is the desire for leadership and attention. Jesus tells the disciples that leadership comes with a cost, one that is probably initially surprising to the group. Leadership is all about service. The disciples will come to understand this much better after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus’ response to James and John is to question their willingness to serve and thus lay down their lives. If I were one of the brothers, I think I would be fairly ashamed about what I had done at this point. By expressing their desire for favors the brothers are ultimately saying that they deserve better than the rest, perhaps even setting themselves up over the others in their own eyes. Jesus does not follow their line of reasoning and comes back to the crucial question: It is not at all a matter of what someone deserves (because we all deserve to be judged and condemned for our sins), but how fully a person is willing to serve his brother or sister. This is what the Kingdom of God is all about, laying down one’s life in the service of the people of God. James will do this in the ultimate manner when he is martyred for the sake of the Gospel.
As we seek to find our own places within the plan of God for everything, we can be pretty sure that it will contain some very difficult sacrifices.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Reflection Question:
How serious am I in trying to discover God’s will for my life? Do I try hard enough to achieve this goal?

Jesus, You have revealed to us the love of God, our Father. Help us to always put first His plan for the salvation of all.

Sts. Jovinus & Basileus, pray for us.

Daily Bible Reflections

March 2, 2011

Servant Leader

“But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”– Mark 10: 43-44

Have you ever heard of a president of a company going down on his knees in order to shine the shoes of his employees?
This is a president of a company that generates millions of dollars and enjoys steady increases in their annual sales since it opened more than 60 years ago, operates more than 1,400 outlets and employs more than 50,000 people.
The president engages in such a powerful form of gesture to inspire his people in providing a genuine sense of customer service.
I always thought that being on top meant telling people what to do, when to do it and how to do it. But Christ showed me a different path to greatness — to be a source of blessing to every person and situation that life gives me.Orange Garcia (orange_garcia@hotmail.com)

REFLECTION:
How do you intend to bless the people that you come in contact with today?

Lord, I pray for a heart filled with genuine service so that they may see You in me.

PLANT IN THE SPRING

Daily Bible Reflections
March 1, 2011

Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously, according to your means. – Sirach 35:9

When I watched the replay of Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Ricky Hatton, I recalled the great quote by Jim Rohn. He said, “You must be good in either two things: planting in the spring or begging in the fall.”
From Monday to Saturday, Manny starts training from 5:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Manny is a winner because “he plants during spring.”
I am not Manny, but the stage is my ring. When it comes to my talks for The Feast, I “overtrain.” I read a ton of books just to give one single talk. For many days, I’d labor over it, crafting my message, selecting the right stories, choosing and re-choosing the right adjectives and adverbs, rehearsing my entire talk over and over again — until I can give my talk in my sleep.
Why do I “overtrain” in my talk preparation?
Because I love my audience.
Because they deserve the best.
Because I can’t give nothing than my best to God, the One who anointed me with the gift to preach.Bo Sanchez (bosanchez@kerygmafamily.com)

REFLECTION:
What’s your boxing ring? How can you overtrain to win for God?

Dearest Father, may I be like Your Son, Jesus, who gave nothing but the best for You in His life.

Daily Bible Reflections

February 28, 2011

21st CENTURY MARTYRS

“For man it is impossible but not for God.”– Mark 10: 27

Evangelizing Muslims is an “impossible task” in the eyes of several Christians I’ve talked with. Statistics I’ve read show little effort to bring the Gospel to our Muslim brothers.
In my six years of active parish ministry, we have only one case of baptism of a Muslim convert.
“Is the spread of Islam unstoppable? Are Muslims unreachable?” So concludes the introduction of the book, A Friend of Ishmael. The book narrates the episodes of Christians who had the passion to introduce Jesus Christ to our Muslim brothers. They are modern-day saints and martyrs who “dared to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the heart of radical Muslim” in Afghanistan, Iraq, Cyprus, Sudan and the Philippines.
Many of them suffered imprisonment and died as martyrs. But they succeeded in bringing the love of Jesus to them and organizing Christian churches among Muslims.
What seems impossible is not impossible after all! Not by men but through His Spirit!Cristy Galang (cristy_cc@yahoo.com)
28
REFLECTION:
How much passion do I have in bringing Jesus to others? Do I shy away from evangelizing them?

Free me, Lord, from a lukewarm spirit. Mold me and use me to bring Your love to others especially to those whom I tend to think are impossible to minister to. Amen.