Friday, December 19, 2014

Advent Recollection Dec 2014






Audio for the main recollection is here, 


Audio for the homily is here.





My rough notes for that day.


Why bother preparing if we know he is coming ? Schedule is full. Most important person that can help us is Mother Mary. John the Baptist also very important. What comes to mind? Prepared for coming of the lord . John the Baptist. One advent tweet, prepare the way of the Lord. Start in advent preparation. Parody modern life. Word of God only John the Baptist. We need to have moment of desert. Personal downtime. To be connected to God. Cultivate interior space. Prepare the way . Prepare for the fiesta. Everything involves preparation. Previous preparation prevents poor performance. 

Make straight his path. Smoothing. Rough attitudes. Read our life. Read word of God oyster reacts grain of sand. Irritation. Lord can use sufferings to produce beautiful pearls in our life. Make them straight . Advent privileged time of preparation. Stay awake . Lord comes three moments. Final coming we don't know . 


Vigilance . Here and now . What is humility. ? Internal attitude seeking and searching. Restless searching. All called to be moving. Humility . Importance , please Jesus . Dress up. He must increase and I must decrease. Lord must increase in our lives. No room left for Jesus . The one greater than us is coming. Me , myself and I challenging task. 

The less someone serves Christ but the more unhappy they are. Give Jesus this Christmas. Recollection receive Jesus. 

Christmas in a family . Orphans.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Humbly Regard Others As More Important Than Yourselves

Sorry we have had no entries for a while. How convenient that I publish a new one when it is my turn to give the talk. This is material that attempts to explain the Gospel Readings for Sept 28 2014

 Ed


 26th Sunday Ordinary Time







































My rough notes:



Saint Ruiz


. He was killed for refusing to leave Japan and renounce his Roman Catholic beliefs during the persecution of Japanese Christians under the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century.

"Thy will be done"

Saint Lorenzo is patron saint of, among others, the Philippines and the Filipino people.
"becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross."

It is not whether you win or lose its how you play the game. - grantland Rice
How many people have heard that??

The Lord measures our perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.

-- St. John of the Cross
First reading

Ezekiel challenges two old beliefs common among his people:

    That children inherit the guilt of their ancestors,
    and that God is more strict than merciful.

Self help guru Anthony Robbins had a saying that the past does not equal the future. meaning the future is what you decide it to be.

This was the main theme of the previous Gospel last Sunday. That was what all my priest was saying in Greenbelt. Oscar Wilde

the line:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?

talks about fairness. there is nothing more fair than getting what you deserve based on your actions and having the actions of the ones before you having no bearing.

that is exactly what is said here:
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
he does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;

there is nothing more fair than that. Forget what anyone else did, it is what you decide to do . that is what counts. This is very contrary to the saying

the sins of the father are the sins of the son.
John Connor: The whole thing goes: The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves.


Second reading
The notes I read for this reading pretty much show utter contempt for the short version of the reading. I have to admit that was version I was initially going to use. If you followed the unabridged version of the second reading you might have noticed it is the Apostles Creed just in different words.  (story of Lola Net)
p.188
"Jesus became man emptying himself of his divinity so we can become divine."   maybe your journey towards being Christlike will not be built in a day.  But what Father James in his book is suggesting reminds of another quote. "inch by inch it's a cinch, yard by yard its  hard. Little decisons and actions daily will bring you closer to God. It is a lot like baseball. Don't always be looking for the rare home run. Consistent singles by the whole team over time will get you to victory.
No pork diet,

Gospel
Jesus upbraids the religious leaders of his day for failing to recognize the hand of God at work in events of their lives.
A very obvious inference here is that is not what you say but what you do that counts.

What you do directly coincides with your beliefs. I can't tell you I believe in a healthy diet but when you see me all you see on my plate is lechon, chicharon and doughnuts. 

That is why they are called values. In MBA class there are the declared values ( which is mostly PR ) and your actual values.
In father James book there is the context of the "cheap yes". Cheap grace. It is just a word but does not cost anything.

He says " we believe what we want to believe often to justify our own mediocrity. the story of the bike and the sports car. Believe the rumor of the bad priest but fail to look at the example of the good priest in front of you.

There are so many examples of those willing to put others before themselves in our faith. I can not in good conscience say the same of our local politicians. But those that know me I am sure are not surprised.

Recognize the cheap yes for what it really is, a no. When you say yes you should have some conviction. Some integrity.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

― C.S. Lewis

French writer Léon Bloy, who in the last moments of his life, said: “The only real sadness in life is not becoming a saint”.


Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

Reading 1 EZ18:25-28

Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
he does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Responsorial Psalm ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R/ (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.

Reading 2 Phil 2:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,any solace in love,any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel Matthew  21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not, '
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."


Points To Ponder

1.   Do I always look for fair in life?? Whose definition of fair am I applying?
2.   How different am I when no one is looking?
3.   Personal : how often do I go to confession? Do I hold anything back when I do?


Sunday, March 16, 2014

Thursday, February 27, 2014

You Can Not Serve God And Wealth







Gospel Readings for March 2 2014 can be found here. 


http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030214.cfm

We are pleased to present you the sharing from Wednesday Feb 26 of Luna:  


                  As the word of God is a two-edged sword, the struggle against the lure of money and of all the world can offer us pierces our soul. It is the definitive element of who we truly are, of who we will end up to be. Will be sheep or goat? Will we be good shepherd or wolf?  Will we be the victorious servant with ten talents or the one with none left? Will we be for God or against God?
     •                  To the Lord, to 'expand time'  is just a very little thing.
                  Because God is righteous and holy. His individual encouragement towards each one of us has its greater purpose -which is love for mankind and the advancement of His Kingdom which is perfect and good..
                  An honest reading of the Gospel leads to the conclusion that 'wealth' refers to every thing that is in excess of what we need to live a decent life.
                  God commands us to hate wealth. Since God loves us greatly, deep enough to give to us His Kingdom, then it means that wealth is not good for us. It can be concluded that wealth can harm us and take us away from Him It cannot be merged with the Kingdom that he wants to give us.
                  We can become 'salt and light of the earth'  only and only when we are under the attitude of both loving God and hating wealth. There is no compromise.
                  (Nevertheless.) because we love God, we ought to blossom into our full potential as the servant given the ten talents which he doubled for His master. The talent may very well (or should in fact) include the ability to earn or grow money.
                   Read Psalm 69. A Christian who is able to enter into its lamentations will end up saying, "Oh yes, everything is rubbish compared to the person of Christ who has given Himself to me".
                   The question of how much are your legitimate needs is between you and God. "He will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's heart."
      •                  The slave-steward is each one of us who at the present moment has more than enough for his or her daily needs.
    •          The ration' comes from the Lord, as yielded by all that He has created, including our talents. The 'proper time' refers to the stage of the other person's life, when he is in need in the meantime that he or she has not yet been strengthened. And it may very well be that even in his or her strengthening we are also to take part so that in the end everybody works and bears fruit.





Conclusion 1 : Materialism is intrinsic in us, Christians including. 
Conclusion 2 : Take heart, God will help us overcome. 
Conclusion 3 : We have legitimate needs and God knows it. 
Conclusion 4 : God is brilliant!!! God is awesome!!! What more can we say?
Conclusion 5 : Ask and we shall receive. Ask Him why and He will explain. 
Conclusion 6 : Anything in excess inhibits the Kingdom of God. 
Conclusion 7 : It is a process. Fight, rest, fight. 
Conclusion 8 : Jesus is worth it. Everyhing else is rubbish. 
Conclusion 9 : Let's change our mindset. The whole world is God's one big household where
we are each called to task. 
Conclusion 10: Halleluiah Lord! Yahoo!


REFLECTIONS
1.     How does God's Word help you address your daily and long-term worries?
2.     How can you and the Church help our country's poor?
3.     What is God's Word to you today? Where are you in the journey of faith of choosing to love God instead of the world?

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Your Heart Is Free Have The Courage To Follow It






To either liven things up or out of sheer desperation the community turned to me to preach this week. I really did put some time and thought into it so it does read a bit like my normal blogs. I appreciate the brave souls that came out and listened and even stayed.I included my Powerpoint from that night.  Plus Happy Birthday Sister Malou!  




Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time


Reading 1 Sirach 15:15-20

If you choose to keep the commandments they will save you. 
The Ten Commandments are a gift. 
They are not shackles they are a gift meant to free you. 
The eyes of God see all he has made. That includes you and me.
Psalm ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

follow the way of God and you will have no worries. 
being good to your servant which I take to mean be good to those who some may see as less than yourself. 
pray that you have the discipline and the care and the grace to follow the Law. 

Second Reading 1 Cor 2:6-10

God has revealed wisdom to us through the Spirit. 
The Law of God does not really have it's origin from man but from God. 
To achieve what is Divine or what is beyond human capability we have to act what is beyond normal human experience and human expectation. 

Gospel Matthew  5:17-37

Messiah does not erase , preclude or disregard the Law of Moses. 
Key here is to understand the law and through the example of Jesus is to do follow the law and go even beyond that . He is not there to contradict but to enhance.
When we read the phrase " not the smallest letter or the smallest part
Jesus  life and teaching are definitive revaluation of the will of God.


YOU SAY:                         JESUS SAYS:
No Murder                         Not even anger
No Adultery                       Not even an adulterous thought
Divorce for Indecency         No divorce
No false oaths                   No oaths at all
An eye for an eye              No retaliation
Love your neighbor             Love your enemies

Possible springboard Questions:
1. What has been my approach to the buffet of God's Law? Is it the way God would want us to approach the buffet?

2. What have my been my "battles"? What do I have around me now that I have easy access to that I can use as a resource as additional weapons in my future battles ?

3. In what areas am I just satisfied with man's law as opposed to going and making the effort to go beyond man's law and get much closer to what Jesus said is his law , by his example?



If the questions do not make sense, you should listen to the podcast of the entire talk. 




Ed


This week's Gospel readings are here.

Powerpoint for this week's readings is here. 

https://www.mediafire.com/?b5fxbk2kn9k5ddf




Mediafire of the podcast for this week is here


http://www.mediafire.com/listen/lqv00y5i2j1bogc/Ed_SOW_Feb_16_2014_Gospel__Full.mp3  (podcast) 


All Verbum Dei Audio in Dropbox here.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bhkkb3qsi4o8n33/wJUOiVP68V


page 52 in Sharper Than A Sword  by Father James McTavish

Mediafire for all the School of the Word audio is here:

 http://www.mediafire.com/?2ydbw8552x5fe