what are we worth?

the gospel says that we are "worth more than many sparrows".  on this earth, we will never really know how valuable we are in God's eyes.  and then we remember "you are dust and to dust we shall return"
so we go back and forth knowing that we really arent much-- like dust-- but also that we have a divine nature-- the Holy Spirit.

truth or lies?

paul's letter to the romans is the first reading and in it he says, that we"...exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator"


this is the sin of adam and eve and effects are still with us.


how often do we see ourselves giving more credence to a ideology-- whether political or religious-- than God himself?  is not this a form of exchanging the truth for a lie?


can we see this in our society and how this form of secularism affects us as a community?

focus

"blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it"

who doesn't want to be blessed?  but the steps we hear today are to "hear" God's word and to do it.  if we are not deliberate about these steps, we will miss the mark in the blessing that comes with these actions.

be blessed; be deliberate

the power of the rosary

on this feast of "our lady of the rosary", it seems to me that the power of the mysteries of this popular meditation is deeper within our catholic consciousness than we know:

the incarnation in the nativity,
the resurrection,
the descent of the Holy Spirit

are central to the christian identity and life

mystery is part of the beauty of faith and those moments that we realize that our seemingly insignificant lives are wrapped up in it,  we are richer for it

let it go

our "saint" of the day, blessed marie rose durocher, said to her sister on her deathbed your prayers are keeping me here-- let me go"

what a wonderful gift at the end of life--- to let go.  pray for this grace

action and contemplation

how much are we like martha?  she was concerned and anxious about many things

how much are we like mary?  she chose the better part of being with jesus

traditionally, this scripture has been interpreted as the aspects of action and contemplation in the christian life. can there be harmony?  how do i live this today?

protect, announce and guide

God uses...
the archangel michael to protect us
the archangel gabriel to announce that Jesus reigns
the archangel raphael to guide us

let's be attentive to the ministry of these angels today and always and in all ways

lorenzo ruiz

today's the feast of st lorenzo ruiz-- the ONLY (officially recognized) filipino saint!! he was a father of three and is now praying for ALL fathers

Lk 9:51-56

Lk 9:51-56 jesus rejected the responses of revenge and violence.  do we?

luke 9: 46ff

comparing ourselves to others will always be a trap-- especially in trying to be the greatest.  we will never be satistifed or accpeting of who God has made us.  and our own spirits are damaged in the process

welcoming children as the least among us will make us the greatest.

indeed, the first shall be last and the last first

romans 14: 17

as i prepare for a retreat talk for later today, my main thought is God's Will for our lives.  one word comes to mind: JOY!!!  see romans 14: 17.  the Spirit is the anchor for this JOY

padre pio saying

"The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain" 


Padre Pio

first things first

the first reading from haggai has some sharp words from the Lord to examine the fruits of our actions.  the message is that it always starts with keeping God first in our worship-- lest we begin worshiping other things in the process

have ears?

after teaching the parable of the sower and the seed, jesus says in today's gospel , "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."


how do i actively listen to the Lord in my life?  with all the contrary voices that can guide us, be attentive today to the subtle urgings of the Spirit


may we bear fruit from the seed that God has planted in each of us

divine pursuits

1 tim 6:11

But you, child of God, avoid all this.
Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion,
faith, love, patience, and gentleness.


life is being reminded that the ideals of our faith, to which we strive, are indeed a pursuit and to take it day by day moment by moment

no contempt for youth

as we begin the new youth ministry year, it is providential that the first reading for mass is from paul's letter to timothy:

Let no one have contempt for your youth,
but set an example for those who believe,
in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.


pray for our youth-- especially here at sacred heart-- that they grow in these areas this year

lift high the cross

from phil 2: 6ff

jesus was exalted because he humbled himself even to death on a cross.  we share in that gift of resurrection.  how heavy is my cross today?  how can i help others carry their crosses?

st john chrystostom

"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude."   


— St. John Chrysostom

that's it...

mary's yes

the feast of the most holy name of the blessed virgin mary is today; we heard the "annunciation" (luke 1: 26-38) as the gospel.

it is always inspiring to know that mary's response to God's will was a resounding YES.  "let it be done to me according to your word" is a very inspiring scripture verse to me.  i want to be that open to God's will in my life and to share the joy that she as the mother of jesus had

GOD's mercy

it is simple to follow: if God forgives us, we must forgive one another; it is difficult to live out

if we practice forgiveness during the seemingly less serious offenses like leaving the dishes unwashed in the sink and someone denting my car then, we cultivate the "attitude of forgiveness" within ourselves.

it is then possible to then forgive in the more serious areas that enter our lives such as  an unfaithful spouse, the betrayal from a close friend

and today-- the tenth anniversary of 9/11 -- can we, as a nation, even forgive,  those who perpetrated these crimes against thousands of innocent people?

we have a long way to go in this lofty ideal of forgiveness.  it will be only through the Spirit that we can have the strength for this level of healing to occur.

fruit trees and houses

i have always liked this image of a tree. : a good tree does not bear bad fruit; a bad tree does not bear good fruit.  simple yet profound

what kind of fruit do i bear right now in my life?  which branches need pruning?

the second image is a house. what kind of foundation is beneath the house?  on solid rock?  on shifting sand?

mary's birth

as a son of the heart of mary (claretian missionary), i cannot imagine life without her loving presence so: happy birthday mary!

without mary, as we know her, we do not have jesus as we know him.  eventhough she was the mother, she is defined by her son jesus.  in God's perfect plan, mary is an integral part

disturbing teachings of jesus

how counter cultural is jesus' primary teaching in his sermon on the plain from luke's gospel (lk 6:20ff)?

But woe to you who are rich,for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way."


we SHOULD be disturbed...

living life

jesus goes up the mountain to pray and then chooses his apostles. THEN they go down to the plain and heal the sick

this is a template for us too. we seek union with God in prayer, we make the best decisions that we can according to God's will and then resolve to jump into the messiness of life and be instruments of healing

lofty goal

but there by the grace of God i go...

confront one another as you would want to be confronted

"love one another as yourself", love does no evil against another; love is the fulfillment of the law.  this is seen in how we correct one another as in the Gospel today: if you are wronged, go to the person in private.  how often do we not do this?  it is easier to talk to others about how the person wronged/hurt us.  we may go to everyone BUT the person him/herself.

that is not how we would want the other to treat us.

but it is not easy to confront others with charity.  it is awkward at best.  few of us do this well.  but this is the ideal of the christian way and we must attend to these types of situations because we are our brother and sister's keeper.  if they are going astray, we must help them see how the consequences harm our relationship

the Holy Spirit will continue to lead and guide us toward this healing way

a shifting faith

st paul says in colossians 1:23 that our call is to "...persevere in the faith, (be) firmly grounded, stable and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel..."


is instability and "shifting" part of our human nature?  how do we stay grounded and persevere in faith?


what can i do today to receive the grace to move closer to this ideal of our faith?

new ways to grace

jesus gives us the image of "new wineskins" in the gospel.   the old ways of responding to God have a newness in the person of jesus as the Christ

often times, we try to do things the same old way and can get stagnant;  it is the same with our relationship with jesus.  we often do not choose to try new and different spiritual practices that will open us up to grace and blessing

let's ask the Spirit to lead us to try something out of the ordinary in our walk with Christ

prayer for one another

sometimes we need help in how to pray for one another.  


a great way is col 1: 9-11--


be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding^e10to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God,11strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy"

harmony

the first reading from pauls first letter to the thessalonians (4: 9-11), says  "aspire to live a tranquil life; to mind your own affairs" 


it never ceases to amaze me how much gossip disrupts this ideal.  gossip  brings no tranquility; by definition, it is contrary to minding our own affairs.  let's pray for the grace to live this type of tranquil harmony

"home"

well, i am going to seattle later today

i always see it as home-- it is where i was born, grew up and all my family still lives there

it has changed since i last lived there-- the summer of 1991when i did my clinical pastoral education at swedish hospital and martin de porres shelter.  but it stays  the same too.

as  a missionary, i have had the pleasure of calling many different places "home"  but it is always temporary

like living in this world

we are all on borrowed time;  home is where the heart is

"fear" the Lord

Fear the LORD = wonder and awe before God and God's works.  this is the ultimate respect and honor


being scared of God doesnt contribute to a healthy relationship-- just as in our human relationships.


those who have  a capacity for wonder stay open to the world of goodness and have hope for beauty to break through

open hearts

our hardness of hearts leads to us losing focus on the ideals of our faith-- like in marriage (Mt 19: 3-12)

there are many other consequences that our hard hearts causes.  if we examine all the deadly sins (envy, greed, lust etc), a hard heart is lurking somewhere in the background

allow the HolySpiritto shape our hearts to an openness to God's will today

how often must i forgive?

the question:  how often must i forgive?

the answer: always

the reason: healing-- mostly one's own

the question:  how long will i choose to hold on to my own hurt?

paradox

gospel paradox: to find life we must lose it; death brings life.  i love the way God turns things around for us!

for the kingdom...

gospel reflection: become humble like a child?--- just say "yes"!

doing what we know

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  even when we have strong religious experiences of Christ, these words can still be difficult to do

deny self

know thyself--- it will be the only way if we are to deny our false selves.  only then can we carry our crosses well

"satan"

in matt 16: 13-23, peter knows jesus' identity  but then jesus calls him "satan".  peter was trying to sway jesus away from his mission-- to go to jerusalem, suffer die and rise.

satan always tries to tempt us away from God and God's will and mission

peter just didn't understand; he had to experience it all first and then needed the power of the Holy Spirit to help him really KNOW and then have the power to share it effectively



it all led peter to his own suffering, death and resurrection

are we so different from peter?

persistent prayer

the woman in the gospel today persisted in her prayer to jesus and her faith was the source of her daughter's healing.  how can we persevere and continue to present jesus with the desires of our hearts for our loved ones?

fear? nawww

everytime that Jesus says "do not be afraid" (like in today's gospel), it comforts and strengthens me


faith is about learning old lessons from a current perspective...


martin luther king jr said: "fear knocked at the door.  faith answered.  there was no one there"

jesus' love

jesus looks at us with compassion and gives us himself.  this is the very definition of love: self giving and there is nothing that can separate us from this divine love

fair dealing

"Do not deal unfairly... but stand in fear of your God." Lev 25: 17  strong words!  esp if one is in politics.   let's pray for our senators

the new AND the old

to those instructed in the kingdom of God... "is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."

if we only stay with the old, we cannot respond to the newness of the re-creation of the Holy Spirit; if we only stay with the new, we embrace every passing fad

wisdom and prudence help us integrate the old and the new: only if we live through the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit

God's rule

gospel reflection: mt 13: 46 talks about the kingdom of God as "a pearl of great price"-- how do i cherish God "ruling" my life?

solitude and identity

"Critics have also noted the American fear of loneliness. Individual identity is sacrificed in an effort to stay close to the herd, to be no different from others in thought, feeling, or action. To stand aside, to be alone, is to assert a personal identity...one of the surest signs of the resolution of the identity crisis is an increased capacity for being alone, for being responsible for oneself."

Merton, Thomas. Contemplation in a World of Action (Notre Dame, Indiana: Notre Dame Press, 1998) 42, 43

sign chi do

ever since our intro to sign chi do on july 16th, i have been thinking a lot about the power of this style of prayer.

i have been practicing daily the "be still and know that i am God" and "come Holy Spirit".  i will often do these in front of the blessed sacrament and feel the energy from the Eucharist.

sign chi do is consistent with my belief in the holistic nature of who we are in prayer: the Spirit reaches all parts of us: mind body, soul, spirit.  the intentionality of the scripture within the prayer allows our minds to focus on the Word of God and centers us in the present with the actions.

the deep and coordinated breathing as an integral part of the prayer helps us take in the Spirit's energy.  it is no accident that ruah in hebrew means both breath and Spirit.  the power of the "Holy Breath" reverberates through our bones if we are attentive to that gift.

it was a grace to learn that chi do in korean means "prayer" because that is what this really is: a way to experience the great Mystery of God through sign and breathing.

i look forward to grow in this style of prayer; i desire to be a facilitator to show others this gift of the Spirit!

check out:  http://www.signchido.com/

be a servant!

gospel reflection  (matthew 20: 26):: "whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave"  do we REALLY believe this?


the gospel paradoxes always inspire me and help me realign my life

the pearl of great price

in the gospel today, it says that the kingdom of God is like the person who found the buried treasure in the field then out of JOY sold what he had in order to obtain it

out of joy!

it was the greatest thing he ever found and he did all he could to have it

why do we often take our faith in the kingdom of God for granted and treat it as something we shrug at instead of the greatest gift that we have?  can we too joyfully give up whatever it takes in order to realize what is already given?

"everything"?

“We will do everything that the LORD has told us.” (Exodus 24)-- oh, if only we had this kind of faith/strength!

THY will be done

jesus said:
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.” 


and it


relates to the Lord's Prayer's "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"


how do i align my will with God's will in a noisy world where it is a challenge to LISTEN in prayer?

the will of God: JOY!

john 15: 9-17--jesus teaches us because his will for us is that his joy may be in us and our joy might be complete.  accept this JOY today!

our weeds

gospel reflection: the weeds and wheat also exist in each one of us..."how is our soul garden?" how patient am i with my own weeds?

approaching jesus

jesus' answer to his opposition in today's gospel was to withdraw and attend to those who followed him--- he cured them

we must come to jesus for him to heal us

gospel reflection: jesus' spirit will be our strength and healing.  how do i approach jesus today?

mercy

 "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" echoes "i desire mercy not sacrifice"

strive to be child-lke

But Moses said to God,
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
He answered, “I will be with you;
and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you:
when you bring my people out of Egypt,

you will worship God on this very mountain.”


how great is it to realize that God is ALREADY present to us and that this very presence will sustain us in what we must do!






“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.


gospel reflection: what an invitation to be child-like in order to KNOW jesus! can we confuse being childish with being child-like at times?

God chooses the weak and sinful

moses was saved as a baby from pharoah who wanted to kill him; jesus escaped herod's attempt to kill him. grace & providence trumps violence


it always amazes me that moses killed a man and went forward to become the leader of the hebrew people and let them out of slavery.  God uses the most unlikely of people to be instruments of freedom and grace

st benedict

benedict is the founder of western monaticism and his rule is influential to this day.  one of his famous quotes is "ora et labora"  pray and work

check out a few chapters:  http://www.osb.org/rb/text/toc.html  (and remember that it is for monks who live together in a common like-- but there are applications to many lifestyles)

i like this quote from the prologue:
"For as we advance in the religious life and in faith, our hearts expand and we run the way of God's commandments with unspeakable sweetness of love."

st benedict, pray for us!

good soil

is our faith stagnant or growing?

if we are to believe the gospel for today's mass, it all depends on the soil in which the word of God is planted

how is your/my soil?  is fertilizer needed?

how does God see us?

Mt 10:24-33


gospel reflection: we dont often realize how PRECIOUS we are in God's eyes 


it is beyond our imagination that God sees us differently than we see ourselves.  our limited human vision sets conditions for our self acceptance.  or at the other end of the spectrum, we believe ourselves to be something GREATER (esp in non essential areas) than we really are.   this is the source of an unhealthy pride


the solution?  God's perspective.  
how we intuit God's perspecive?  prayer


indeed, the center of it all is God's love for us AS WE ARE

how to live in this world

“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves."


gospel thought: we need the the Spirit's gifts of wonder to be simple as doves; courage and wisdom to be shrewd as serpents

"Because I could not stop for Death"

by Emily Dickinson




Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

your kingdom, come

it is a worldview to be able to state:  "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt 10:7-15).  it is a style of life to look for this kingdom in the here and now.  jesus' actions show us God's will for healing in our world and in our lives


"without cost you have received; without cost you are to give" helps us try to keep self serving intentions at bay

victims of rape

"unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single grain.  but if it dies, it will yield a rich harvest"

children always capture our hearts.  our compassion comes to the fore when a child dies tragically.  this is what captivates us still about maria goretti.  she forgave her murderer after he attempted to rape her and was part of his conversion in jail when she appeared to him in a dream.

just as revenge breeds revenge; forgiveness breeds forgiveness

maria goretti is the patron saint of young women and victims of rape.  we pray for their healing of mind body and soul

how jesus sees us

first mass reading: jacob "contended with divine and human beings and prevailed" and had seen God face to face. grace comes to us when we wrestle with our faith because God always wins-- and when God wins, we win too

gospel: jesus had a deep compassion for his people because they were troubled and abandoned. he still sees us and the world the same way

rationale for beginning

well, i am going to try my hand at "blogging". i am going to start with the twitter style-- 140 characters and i will repost the reflections on FB and twitter

i think it will help me in my reflections for the daily readings for mass

any help that i you can give me would be appreciated greatly