Daily Bible Reflections - January 14,2013

A SMALL YES

 

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Mark 1:17

 

I heard this call way back in 1980 and with God’s grace, I said, “Yes, Lord.” In more than 30 years, I do testify that Jesus was able to “fish men” through me in various ways — in my counseling, my writings and reflections, and in the various ministries I embarked on, especially in my parish ministry as coordinator of the BEC (Basic Ecclesial Communities).

Our zone leaders here are simple folk and some have not even finished secondary education. But the Lord used their yes to serve as leaders in building BECs to “fish men” in the parish areas. There are those who were unchurched before but are now potential area leaders. Their weekly Bible sharing sessions give Jesus a chance to speak to them, direct them and mold them as Christians. Some of them have already whispered a yes to the Lord, too.

My life has taught me that our small yes to the Lord, faithfully lived, is all He needs to build His Church and fish men — the children whom He longs to be with forever. Our positive response consequently fishes other yeses for  the Lord, bringing in more and more fishers of men for the Kingdom. Cristy Galang (cristy_cc@yahoo.com)

 

Reflection: Listen to the Lord in prayer or through Scripture or in the silence of your heart. Whatever He tells you to do, say yes.

 

Lord, I want to follow You all the days of my life here on earth. I surrender my all, Lord, that You may be able to use me for Your greater glory. Amen.

 

Servant of God John the Gardener, pray for us.

Daily Bible Reflections - January 11,2013

CHOOSE TO BE HEALTHY

 

Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” – Luke 5:13

 

In December 2011, I had the privilege of interviewing people who were healed through natural and alternative healing methods. Many of them simply changed their eating habits — from an “eat anything” diet to a plant-based one.

One was a pancreatic cancer survivor who drinks guyabano tea as her water. Another one drinks pure, fresh calamansi extract every morning as his maintenance for a stronger immune system. From near-death, most of them are now enjoying their second lives.

But what I realized from their stories is that our health is in our hands — not in the doctors’.

We can choose to be healthy or unhealthy, depending on what we put into our bodies. And this is what I am guilty of. Although I try to eat less meat and more fish and fruits, I still do eat a lot of sweets and chips, and drink soda.

But as the Lord said to the leper in the Scripture passage today, “Be made clean,” I believe that, with God’s grace, I can make a turnaround.

So for this year, I promise to myself and to the Lord that I will nourish myself only with healthy food, not only physically but also spiritually, emotionally and mentally. Tess V. Atienza (svp_tvatienza@yahoo.com)

 

Reflection: What do you want to be healed of? Ask the Lord to heal you.

 

Lord, I present to You my unclean self. Make me clean again.

Blessed William Carter, pray for us.

Daily Bible Reflections - January 8,2013

THE GENOGRAM

 

Everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.– 1 John 4:7

 

In marriage preparation or in marital counseling, one of the tools used to help the couple know one another better and heal family relationships is the genogram. They are asked to draw their family tree, which includes not just the names and dates of birth and death, but also detailed information about relationships, traits, illnesses, achievements, disorders and significant life patterns.

Knowing these would help each partner know where the other is coming from, cut trans-generational negative patterns that could affect their union, and many other benefits.

When I did mine as a course requirement for the Pastoral Counseling course I took at the Center for Family Ministries, I noted how I took after both my father and mother in terms of talents. I got from my father my analytical mind and my love for writing. From my mother, I got her heart — her compassion, her strength of spirit and quiet countenance.

Now I wonder, if we put God at the topmost of our family genogram, what traits would we discover that we inherited from Him? After all, He created us all in His image and likeness. Tess V. Atienza (svp_tvatienza@yahoo.com)

 

Reflection: What traits did you inherit from your ancestors? Are they godly traits?

 

God, our Father, thank You for creating me in Your image and likeness. Help me to become more like You each day of my life.

 

Blessed Angela of Foligno, pray for us.

Daily Bible Reflections - January 7,2013

TRUE OR FALSE

 

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. — 1 John 4:1

 

Three fully made-up and identically dressed contestants enter the stage. A male celebrity guest will try to guess who the real girl is among the three. If he guesses correctly, he wins the cash prize; if not, the prize goes to the contestant

whom he thought was a girl. The three contestants employ different tactics to deceive the celebrity. They change their

voices, act and walk in a weird manner, and give silly answers to serious questions. This surely gives the celebrity a big headache. There are times when the celebrity-guesser picks the wrong contestant.

“Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak for God,” a Bible commentary says. We may be deceived by the

eloquence of their words, not noticing that their lives speak of a different gospel. St. John reminds us to “test the spirits to see whether they belong to God.” Do they walk their talk? What are the fruits of their ministry? Do they point towards God and not to themselves? Is the message they proclaim consistent with Jesus’ teachings? Be vigilant and see if they pass the test. Judith Concepcion (svp_jmc@yahoo.com)

 

Reflection: Do you accept everything that you hear or see as absolute truth? Be discerning lest it lead you into a trap.

 

Lord, grant me a discerning spirit that I may not be led astray. St. Raymund of Penyafort, priest, pray for us.