No one, Except Jesus

First of all let us thank the lord for the predicted rupture did not happen.
It is not the first time that someone predicted the day of rupture.

It is good that today we must listen to our lord who says, "I am the way, the truth and the life".

Let me ask you a question, What do you think would be the best thing that will happen to you when you are lost to some place and you are looking for a right direction?

When you are lost it is right to ask for direction not only to one person. Why? Because sometimes the one you asks did not know also the right way. But you are lucky if the first person you ask will say, "I know that place" but is better if someone answers, “I have been there" and the best answer you can get is when someone says, "I live there, I am going there and you can come with me to be there". That is the best answer you can get when you are lost.

My friends, if you are asking for the right direction, Jesus can claim everything that we said to be the best answer. When he said to his disciple that he is going, He does actually mean that he will go away instead he really wants to say that he will be going home. He is returning to his father. And he will not face the father only as a god but the word of the father incarnated, a god who became a man. He will go home with a very beautiful promise, I am going home just ahead of you, I will face my father and your father. I will stand as your intercessor before our father in heaven. He is our greatest intercessor. Why? Because he had experienced all of our pains and sufferings.

When Jesus claims that he is the way, truth and life, it is because he has the right to everything. He does not only show us the right way but the way to where he came from. He cannot only teach us some truth but all truth about the father because He knows the father. He have done all of these for us to be a part of his life.

If we look to every religion in the world like Muslim, Buddhist and many other religions, all of them teach about the way to God, the truth about everything and about life at its fullness. But this is what I want to ask, of all the teachers about this God, Whoever has claim that He and the Father are one? Whoever has claim that he was before Abraham? Whoever as a teacher claims that he is the son of God and literally means it?

No one except Jesus.

We have to rejoice in these, that truly in Jesus can be found the right way to the Father, the right way of living life and the truth about everything.

The beauty about this God is that he leads us. Recently I was shock when a bishop said; all of those who are pushing to pass the RH bill are just Christians only by name. For me it is only this, that all of us now that in the crisis of this issue must know and have a deep understanding about the issue for us to decide correctly. Let us know why the bishop says something like that, know why they are pushing against it and somehow getting angry because they are not being understand. It is an invitation to us. God will not permit his people to be deceived. He will not permit that his bishops will lead us to something that is not right and not in the truth. He will not permit that his church goes to something that will harm its people.

Today, the challenge is to asks ourselves, Do we truly believe in Jesus as the way, as truth and the life?
Then if we do, let’s ask him that through the church he may guide us as the way and the truth of our lives.

In the mass, when a priest raises the chalice and the bread and declares what we called doxology, “Through Him, With Him and in Him...." and all of the people will answer the great Amen. Why? Because it means that when the priest said that all of these are created Through Jesus and we will return to the father through Jesus and with Jesus who will accompany us and in Jesus whom we can find the eternal life. We answers, Amen, that is true, that is what we believe in.

Friends, today let us declare Jesus as truly the way and the truth and the life. The sure way that leads to the father, the only truth we must proclaim and believe in and the life for all of us.



May your life be truly blessed,


Ash




(reflections from the homily of father mario)

Hear His Voice

Some of us have our own pets, Pets that we take care of, pets that we love, pets that became a part of our lives.

Our pets, especially cats and dogs are very good in recognizing its master. They know and they feel the love and attention given by their master. They can easily recognize the voice of the master.

When Jesus tells us today that He is the shepherd and the sheep knows his voice, it is like us being the master of our own pets and our pets knows our voice.

Hearing his voice is just a result, because we experience the goodness of Jesus our good shepherd.

When He said, my sheep listens to my voice; he means that because the sheep heard his voice they also want to obey his commands.

My friends, the question that we must asks to ourselves today is, "Do we hear the voice of our shepherd? And do we follow him because we experience his goodness and love in our lives?"

In this world, there are so many voices that call us. And we need to choose from all of these voices, which is from our good shepherd. Most of the time, the voices of others are sweeter and attractive than the voice of Jesus. It is easy to accept the invitation of this world and not to the invitation of Jesus, because the moment you know Him you will witness not only his power and glory but also the crucified Jesus. And we are fearful about the life of sufferings and trials of a person who is willing to serve the lord. But the lord promise that whoever is willing to hear him and to obey him, there is eternal life awaits us, a life that is full, a life in abundance.

In our office, school and even at home, when decisions are needed to be made. Ask Jesus to help us and we must listen to what He will say.

When we have a project or something, we must consult the Lord. He wants to be a part of everything that we do. He wants to a part of every decisions that we make in our life.

Today, He also declares himself as the gate where we can find answers to our problems and where we can find a life that is full. But more than that, he asks us to be a sheep who recognize his voice, who listen to him and who follow him. We can only do that if there is a personal experience between us and our God of love.

It feels so sad when there are Christians only by name. Christians who were baptized, goes to church the personal relationship with God is not growing. That is why in times of trials, they can here so many voices that they don't recognize which voice is coming from Jesus.

Friends, the lord invite us to have a personal relationship with him. Let us know him more intimately and let us experience his love and care. Let us have moments of silence with him. Go to him in our moments of difficulties. It is then we will see that He is the gate that in the end will bring us to everlasting life.

In our country today, the Philippines, One of the most talks about issue is the Reproductive Health Bill.

The bishops of our country will not speak against it if they know that it will bring so much good to us. If our bishops and the church stand against it, it is because after they have read the bill and after the study that they make, the feel that it is not something that will bring goodness to our society.

Hopefully, before we speak, before we make our own commentary, as a member of the church and as a citizen of this country, let us read the bill, study it, and have a deep understanding for it. Then we might realize that the voice of Jesus can be heard from the voices of his shepherds in our country.

My dear friends, many times that most of us do not know the issue. Maybe that is our assignment, to know, study, and have a deep knowledge about the issue for us to hear and recognize the voice of our shepherds and the voice of our chief shepherd, Jesus. Who only desires our good and to bring us to eternal life.

May your life be truly blessed,

Ash






(inspired by fr.mar)

Hopeless Moments

Do you have some moments in your life that seems to be very hard to accept and to understand?

I think all of us have that kind of moment.

Moments of disappointment in spite of doing the best that you can.
Moments of hopelessness, moments of despair, moments of seeming total defeat.
There are times that we feel that hope is moving away of you, and your faith gets weaker and weaker everyday. You can feel pain in your heart because of the defeat that you experienced. You can feel disappointment because thing does not go according to your plan.
With these moments we ask, "Where is God?", moments that we could not just understand.

Probably that is feeling of the two disciples going to Emmaus.
For three years they follow Jesus, they took pride of being followers of this one who is great, speaking with authority and with power from above. They knew in their heart that he was the anointed one, he was the one who will save Israel, and then the last thing they saw of him was hanging on the cross, dying a death of a criminal.
becaus of his death they chose to walk away from Jerusalem just to be away from it all.

But it is good to know that even they were the one who walks away, even they were one who escapes from this seeming total defeat of their lord, Jesus did not get angry to them but he follow and accompany them in their road to Emmaus. In their moment of great depression, here is Jesus walking with them. There is Jesus telling to them that all of these are needed to happen but still in the end God will be victorious. That all of these needed to happen so that the love of God for this sinful world may be proclaim.
As he continue to explain to them, their hearts were aflame because they recognize his presence in his words and when Jesus broke the bread, that was then when they realize it is Jesus the eucharistic lord.

Friends, there is a story about pope Benedict.
Benedict XVI was previously known as cardinal Ratzinger. He is very close to John Paul II. And when John Paul II in his moments of so much weakness because of parkinson's disease, he still celebrates a mass even that the words he says can hardly be understood. We can realize at that moment that this man is over spent for God. It was in that moment when he told cardinal Ratzinger, "Stay with me up to the last moment".
And so when cardinal Ratzinger was chosen to be pope it was not easy for him to instantly accept the papacy because at that moment he is already 78 years old but with faith in God he accept. When he became pope, that is the moment when he says, When you are the pope you can see all the depravity of all man, man in his worst. But you would also see the glory of God and in this journey of god almighty and weak man, the mighty and power of God will still be victorious. It will still be the glory of God that in the end will be victorious against the weakness of man.

Today, we ask God to be with us, to be close to us. And he is close to us if only we could recognize that he speaks to us through his words and he is truly present in the holy Eucharist.
We ask God to make us feel that presence in our moments of despair and moments that he seems to be away.

Today as we ask God to make us feel his presence, I would like to say thank you to God for the gift of mothers.
There is someone who says, "Since God cannot be physically everywhere, He created mothers."
Because of their care, sacrifice and love we can feel the care, sacrifice and love of our God.

For all the mothers, Thank you for your love.


May your life be truly Blessed,

Ash

Peace be with you!

Sino nga ba ako?

This past days, ngiisip ako tungkol sa sarili ko, iniisip ko ang role ko sa mundo, pra saan ba at nandito ako?

Sa mga nakakakilala sakin, na sana nga totoong kilala nila ako. Ako ay isang taong moody, taong mhirap pkisamahan, minsan masayahin minsan sobrang tahimik, laging magisa, mainitin ang ulo. May nagsasabi din na mabait "daw" ako, matalino dn daw, at pde mpgktiwalaan. Yung mga positive n sinasabi nila about sakin, hindi ko agad inaacept, iniisip ko lang na sana mapatunayan ko nga sa sarili ko na totoo ang sinasabi nila.

Sa pagkakakilala  ko sa sarili ko, Alam kong bugnutin ako, suplado, madaling mairita sa mga bagay o mga nangyayari na hindi ako komportable, di ako magaling sa pakikipagkaibigian pero marunong akong makipagkaibigan, mahal ko ang aking mga kaibigan. Tahimik ako lalo na kung wala ako sa mood makipagbiruan. Di ako nakikisalamuha sa mga tao dito samin, sa totoo lng wala nga akong kaibigan dito sa lugar namin. 

Sa kabila nang lahat ng iyan, Isa lang ang sigurado ako, na kahit totoo marami akong katangian na hindi magugustuhan ng maraming tao, totoo mahirap ako intindihin at pakisamahan, pero alam ko na sa kabila ng lahat ng ito ako ay mahal ng aking Diyos.

Sa kabila ng aking katahimikan, marunong akong magbiro.

Sa kabila ng aking kasungitan, marunong akong tumawa.

Sa kabila ng aking pawang kawalan ng pakialam, marunong akong magalala at makiramay.

Sa kabila ng aking galit, marunong akong magpatawad.

At sa kabila ng aking mga dinaranas, marunong parin akong magtiwala at magmahal.

Marahil iba iba ang pagkakakilala ng mga tao sakin, depende kung gaano ako kalapit sa kanila at kung gaano sila kalapit sa akin. Pero di natin maiiwasan na may mga pagkakataon na kung sino pa yung naging malapit sayo, kung sino pa ung ginagalang at nirerespeto mo,kung sino pa yung pinagkakatiwalaan mo, kung sino pa yung taong minahal at pinapahalagahan mo, sila pa ung taong magiisip nang masama tungkol sayo. Pag uusapan ka na bka may gawin kang ganto o gnyan, pg iisipan ka na prang isa kang kriminal na dapat katakutan.

Hindi na bago sakin na mging iwas ang tao sakin dahil nga sa personalidad na mayroon ako. Halos parepareho ang impresyon ng tao sakin sa tuwing may unang beses na mkikita ako. 

Dahil jan. paunti unti ay pinipilit kong baguhin ang aking sarili at alisin ang mga pangit kong ugali. Unti unti ay nagagawa ko naman pero minsan ay ndi maiwasan na bumalik ang ugaling hindi pa tuluyang nawawala.

Minsan naisip ko, ang dinadanas ko ay naranasan ni Hesus, maging ang kyang mga alagad na malapit niyang nging kaibigan at nkasama ay tinalikuran siya pagdating sa krus, yung mga taong sumalubong sa kanya pagpasok sa Jerusalem ay sya ring mga taong sumigaw at humiling na ipako siya sa krus.

Marahil ito ay hamon sa akin, upang tularan si Hesus, na sa kabila ng pagtalikod at pagtatatwa ng knyang alagad, nang oras ng knyang muling pagkabuhay tinawag pa rin niya silang mga kaibigan at kapatid. At ginusto niya na mkipagkita sa kanila sa Galilea. Sa Galilea na kung saan una silang nagkita. Handa si Hesus na mgumpisa silang muli ng knyang mga kaibigan. Ito ang tingin ko ay hamon sa akin ng Diyos na makita ko ang katotohanan, ang katotohanan na kung ano ba talaga ang tingin sa akin ng mga tao. At sa katotohanang ito ay matutunan kong magpatawad at patuloy na magmahal at magsimula muli sa kanya kanyang version namin ng Galilea.

Ipinagdarasal ko, na sana sa mga taong ngiisip ng masama sa akin. Sana biyayaan din sila ng Diyos ng kakayanang magsuri muli, balikan at matuto sa nkaraan at mula doon ay matutong mgsimula muli ng panibagong pakikipag kaibigan. Pinagdarasal ko rin na biyayaan ako ng Diyos ng kakayanang magmahal pra sa mga taong nagiisip ng masama pra sa akin.

Sa mga tao na ngiisip ng masama at nksakit sa akin, hindi ko kayo kilala pero ang masasabi ko lng, bago kyo mgisip ng mga mssmang bgay n pede kong gawin, gusto kong mlaman niyo na iisa ang ating Diyos, kung di nyo man po ako lubusang kilala sana kilala ninyo ang ating Diyos dahil naniniwala at nagsisikap din akong sumunod sa kanya. Para nmn maisip ninyo kung kya ko ba talagang gwin ang mga bagay na iniisip nyo.  Marunong po akong mgpatawad at inaanyayahan kita na bumalik at magsimula muli sa ating Galilea kung saan tayo unang ngkakilala.

Sa mundong ito maraming klaseng tao tayong makikilala, May mga taong tunay na magmamahal sa atin, may mga tao din namang nandyan pra tayo ay ibagsak at pgisipan ng masama. Pero ang mahalaga malaman natin na sa bawat taong ating makikilala, sila ay may dalang biyaya galing sa Diyos, maaring hindi ito sa anyo na kaaya-aya pra sa atin pero ang biyaya ay nandyan parin. Matutunan dn sana nating makita gamit ang ating mga mata ng pananampalataya, na katulad mo at katulad ko ang mga taong yan ay nilikha rin sa wangis ng ating Diyos.

Makita sana natin ang Diyos sa bawat isa.

May your life be truly blessed,

Ash

PAID in FULL

When we are in debts, the word that we would like to hear or to read is the words that says, "PAID".
It means that your credits were gone and it is fully paid.


One of the last words of Jesus on the cross were "It is finished", consumatum est in latin. These are the words that tells us that His mission on earth was done. But if we look at that words in the context of a tax collector, that might mean, fully paid.


Today when Jesus appears to the apostles and show His wounds in his hands and on his side. It is like Jesus telling to them, "All your sins or all your debts are fully paid".
But Thomas did not believed that Jesus appeared to the other disciple, Thomas wants to see a proof he wants to see a certificate of full payment. In the next few days, Jesus appears again and show to Thomas His wounds, for me it is like Jesus saying, "Yes Thomas it is true, PAID IN FULL, and here are my wounds as a receipt and as certificate of full payment".


Pope John Paul II declared eleven years ago, On the Jubilee year 2000, The holy father in front of the whole church declared that sister Faustina Kowalska as a saint. And by this declaration the church also declares that her diary and all its contents are true.

One of the entry on the diary that Jesus said to sister Faustina goes like this,
"I desire that on the feast of the compassion and mercy of God may be the refuge and shelter of all souls. On that day, the very depths of my mercy are going to be open. Let no soul be afraid to come and ask for my mercy even if their sins are that great. And I desire that on the sunday after easter will be the day of the divine Mercy "


When the pope declared sister Faustina as a saint of God he also declared this day as the feast of God's Mercy, He is the king of Mercy for the whole world, He is the one that declared your debts are Paid in Full.


It is also great that after eleven years, today Pope John Paul II have been beatified.


It is like God saying, truly now I will say to you that the mercy of God is for real, that the mercy of God of for everyone who can accept their sinfulness and can confess the need of His mercy, and also to be merciful to others.


When we look at the image of the divine mercy, We will notice that it is not the crucified Jesus instead it is the Risen Lord, the resurrected image of Jesus. We will also notice that it is like Jesus have entered a door and two rays coming on His heart symbolizes the blood that have been poured out and his mercy for humanity.  His hands are in the form as if He shows his wounds. The image of the Divine Mercy is like the image of Jesus in the Gospel, when he appeared to his disciples saying I come because I paid for all your sins and I have conquer even death. But then Jesus added, Now I give you the ministry, Go and forgive the sins of humanity.


Friends, It is a day of thanksgiving in front of the great compassion of the God of Mercy.
Today truly we can say to all the rest of the world, "Jesus We Trust in YOU".
As our responsorial psalm says, Give thanks to the lord for He is good, and His love is everlasting.


As we celebrate the Divine Mercy, let us not forget, "There is no sin greater than the Love and Mercy of God"


We continue our life knowing that in this God can be found the refuge of the sinful humanity.


May your Life be truly blessed,

Ash






(inspired by Fr. Mar)