Making Friends With The Lord Jesus

Idolatry was the worst sin that God wanted to shield His chosen People from. Israel was surrounded by idolatrous nations. And so even with their best efforts, they got contaminated, especially when their leaders married heathen spouses. Creatures are mere creatures. They cannot perform anything close to what God does.

The first reading tells about the different kingdoms that will reign on earth and of a certain kingdom that will outlast all of them. We should belong to this one.

The first reading provides us the episode of some Judean youths who were among those chosen by the pagan king to be trained in the Chaldean culture. We witness in their story their efforts at being faithful to God and follow his commandments. They were concerned with not defiling themselves with the food from the king's table. So they arranged with the chief eunuch that a trial be conducted, n...

He should be King of all of us: in our minds, our hearts, our actions, our rest and entertainment, all our relationships, and so forth. This requires struggle, constant struggle. Sometimes we lose, sometimes we win. What we cannot do is to surrender and remain down and out. A Christian is one who gets up every time he falls. This affirms Christ to be our King!

This is a typical challenge for anyone who seeks to live the good life here on earth and later eternally. To affirm the universal kingship of Jesus would require a constant struggle to conquer God's rivals to the throne. Especially stubborn is our egoism. In this struggle, we need the grace of God in order to be victorious.

Proof of our fidelity to God above all may be required of us. Heroism is needed here. Eleazar gave the supreme sacrifice of himself instead of giving in to doing something prohibited by God.

The text of the first reading today comes from the first book of the Maccabees. The faith of the Israelites was challenged by the usurpation of the divine prerogative of the King of Israel at that time. He wanted to agree with the pagan kingdoms around Israel. Many Israelites suffered death for they remained faithful to the God of Israel. Shall we be able to withstand the onslaught of rising and s...

The book of Proverbs provides the source of the first reading of today's 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. It talks about the beauty and bounty of having a good wife.

Yesterday, we pondered on the folly of those who deny the existence of God when contemplating the Universe. The force that prevents us from recognizing the Creator is an aspirant to the title of God. Lucifer thought he was greater than God. He sort of suffered a delusion. Pride, attachment to the goods of this world like pleasure and money rival God. So, other gods come into existence. St. Peter a...

It is stupidity to not have known God. This is the message in a nutshell of the first reading of the mass today. The material universe begs us to find the Maker. We posit the existence of that Maker. Otherwise, the universe would lack rationality. It would be insufficient of itself to account for itself.

We need to be knowledgeable and committed to God to be truly wise.

The Gospel of today tells us of the gratitude of one Samaritan leper, among the ten lepers who were cured by Our Lord, when they obeyed Him to report to the priests. Our Lord praised his faith and that faith saved him. Jesus wondered why the others did not return to Him to express their Thanksgiving. This we need to do. We should not take for granted the gifts that God showers on us.

The Book of Wisdom tells us in the first reading of the mass today God's admonitions, especially for those in authority here on earth. Authority is from above. It is a gift to use in governing that we need to give an accounting for when we face the ultimate source of all authority. Wisdom requires this recognition and submission to this higher power. Accounting will be made for the authority&#...

The first reading of today's mass is taken from the Old Testament Book of Wisdom. It explains to us more about the nature of Wisdom and how to attain it. Of course, it is a grace from God and a Gift of the Holy Spirit. However, we need to practice it. The way to follow is to be sincere and simple. This is due to our fallen nature and personal sins. We have a tender part in our souls that we fe...

The first reading of the 32nd Sunday in ordinary time hails from the Old Testament Book of Wisdom. Its text speaks to us about wisdom and its value. It is worth our trouble to pursue this Wisdom, which certainly involves the truth as it is. Thus, wisdom is all about the truth. Against this are the attitudes rampant in this misinformation age, namely, gaslighting, giving your spin on the news, etc....

The atmosphere reigning in the Catholic Church was initially characterized by warmth and communication, sharing and mutual support. They were not simply concerned with their internal problems and challenges. They had a vision and attitude of togetherness and of working cohesively from their respective places with the other churches. The atmosphere governing their relationship with one another show...

We read in the first reading of the mass today about St. Paul's conviction regarding his vocation to evangelize the pagans or the Gentiles as the Israelites called them. We also need to exude our Christian life naturally so that the others would be influenced to ask us what makes us tick with regard to our faith.

Today we celebrate the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, located in Rome, Italy. This temple is the seat of the Bishop of Rome. Just like any bishop in his diocese, the Pope has an official seat and that is found in the cathedral of the diocese. Today, the Church reminds us that we are living members of the Mystical Body of Christ. Jesus in the Gospel tells us that this temple be destroyed...

This is the commandment that St. Paul gives his listeners and readers in Rome. It all stems from Our Lord Jesus Christ's teaching regarding love for our neighbor.

St. Paul points out to us in the first reading of the mass today, Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time, that we form a body among us members of this body. We relate to each other according to the different gifts we have received. And thus, we organically help each other and help the whole.

This is the mystery that God reveals to us in St. Paul's letter to the Romans when we read in the first reading of the mass today about, “God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.” Thus, we can be confident in Him and His mercy and His favor. This is so, despite our sins, or the gravity and number of our sins. We may be disappointed with ourselves. We may think that we have done so...

The three readings of the mass of today, the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, bring us to face our grave responsibility of matching what we teach with what we do. There needs to be an equivalence between the two. Malachi warns the leading men of Israel in the first reading. Jesus in the Gospel echoes the same ideas. The second reading provides us an example of someone who truly takes care of his shee...

God reveals to the world his undying love for the Chosen People, even though the Jews rejected him and had him crucified. With this behavior of God, we should appreciate also that He does not give up on us ever. It's the devil with his allies, the world, and the flesh, who will try his very best to get us to distrust and give up on God. He does not change his choices.

St. Paul shows how much he is willing to sacrifice or undergo to secure the salvation of the people of Israel. He attests to his willingness to be condemned and be cut off from Christ-if that were possible, to get salvation for his fellow Israelites.

Today, All Souls' Day, we remember in a special way all the faithful departed, especially our loved ones. We owe this to them. We owe them our suffrages, i.e., our prayers for Our Lord to shorten their stay in Purgatory. They are satisfying their temporal punishment. They are suffering a lot. Furthermore, we try our best to shorten the sufferings of our dear beloved on earth when they are sick...