Taurians….

January 31,2008-What do you have with you now? Think of all the things that your life: talents, qualities, belongings–these are not truly ours. We do not own anything. For all that we have in life is only lent to us. God entrusted these things to us so we can be grateful for His blessings.

January 30,- The Lord invites us to be good and conscientious sowers. We are to care for the land. We must till the soil ourselves and ready it to receive the seeds of God’s Living Word. We must water the shoots with every prayer and good work. This allows them to take root and bear much fruit.

January 29,- Jesus points to what make someone brother and sister and mother to Him. It’s beyond blood relations- we are family if we all do the will of God, the Father. The ties that truly bind us to Him are made stronger when we praise and serve Him. May we not be ‘distant relatives’ to Jesus!

January 28,- We are at peace when we are centered. But often we don’t feel at peace because our minds is all over the place. We keep running away from the center and stay on the edge. The farther we go, the more unsettled and lost we will be. Prayer allows us to piece back our scattered lives together for God.

January 27,- ‘Change your ways..’ ( Mt4:17) The message that Jesus proclaims is something we need. When we begin to believe that we need to change, the more we have to listen. Lord, give me the courage to admit that some things in my life need to change and that I should follow Your example. Amen.

January 26,- God has a dream for us. he created us so we can share His joy and glory. He gives us earthly goods so we can give and care. he send us His Son so we can walk His path. Consider your own dreams-for yourself, for others and for the world. Do they allow you to dream God’s dreams?

January 25,-  Paul was a devout Jew. he so loved his faith that he would hurt and kill for it. But the blinding light that struck him on the road changes him and   leads him to see things with fresh eyes. Following Paul, let’s examine ourselves: Are we stuck with some attitudes or beliefs that hinder us from truly seeing?

January 24,- Ever asked yourself why God has to take pains coming down to us and being one of us?  He certainly knows we will fall into the same patters of sin. God BELIEVES in us. No matter what happens, He sees much hope and future in us. This is how God sees you. You’re worth all His effort. Do you see this too?

January 23,- When Jesus stretches out the man’s paralyzed hand. He is also surrounded by people whose minds are likewise closed and hardened. he feels deep sadness for they too suffer froma deeper, more harmful paralysis. See yourself among these people in need of healing. What has hardened you in life?

January 22,- We don’t really want to be called slow. But sometimes we do- slow to anger, slow to hurt or blame others. To be slow enought to walk with those lagging behind, slow enough to enjoy the sunset and starry skies. Lord, teach me to slow down so I will hear your Word each day.

January 21, 2008- St. Agnes was martyred for refusing to marry her pagan suitor. Her name means lamb, a symbol of innocence and purity. Agnes was pure not only because she remained a virgin but also because she gave her life to Jesus. Her heart and soul were solely for Him. May her childlike purity challenge our ways.

January 20,-Our Ancestors receive the Sto. Nino as a gift when they were baptized as Christians, a most meaningful gift. We are first of all God’s children. Our life comes from the father. His goodness and mercy sustain us. As Jesus shows us-to be childlike is to live as if you are God’s own, dependent on Him alone.

January 19,-As we walk to the corridors and streets of our lives, we sometimes ask each other: ‘What are you doing here?’ As the third week of 2008 ends, ask yourself…What am I doing here? What am I doing with my life and gifts while on this earth? What have I done to others and the world? Tell God who and what you have become.

January 18,–We found people around us paralyzed by many things: fear, disease, hardship, attachment. As the 4 men in the Gospel did, we can ‘carry’ the paralyzed. We can help them to openings that promise greater freedom and peace. We can empower them as the Lord has empowered us!

January 17,-Leprosy is now a curable disease. Lepers can now stay at home to recuperate. But a different kind of leprosy still afflicts us. We exclude othersfrom our lives. We stay away from those we call undesirable. We choose to be unfeeling sometimes. Jesus’ hand touches us as he says: ‘Be Clean’.

January 16,-When told that everyone was looking for Him, jesus answered, ‘Let’s go to the nearby village that I may preach there too.’ The demands of work and people didn’t stop Jesus from being available to others. to those distant, he reached out. He that what he had to do. How does the Gospel speak to you?

January 15,-Rome has declared Venerable a 6-year-old girl, Antonieta Meo. Diagnosed with bone cancer at 5, she remained cheerful amid great pain, playing with other kids despite her leg amputation. She prayed: Dear Jesus, you’re holy and good, give me back my leg. If you don’t want to then may your will be done.

January 14,- Simon, Andrew, James and John were all busy with their fishing. Jesus calls out to them to share that there is something more to fishing. You maybe preoccupied with getting a big catch or mending your nets, which is well and good. But do you find your daily job part of the Lord’s bigger work? Go fish for God.

January 13,-One thing we take for granted is that we are all God’s Beloved. God fashions and nurtures us with such tenderness and love. But it’s we who refuse to be loved. We go elsewhere looking for his love, not realizing we are running away from it. Listen: Do you really allow God to love you?

January 12,-’That he increase but that I decrease. ‘(Jn 3:30) John’s words on Jesus can enlighten our dealings with others. Do we rejoice in the victory and joy of others? Or are we threatened when they do better? Make it a personal mission these days to help others ‘increase’ and celebrate their moments of growth.

January 11,-’As for Jesus, he would often withdraw to solitary places and pray.’ (Lk 5:16) We know where Jesus got all His energy and vision. He was always in place, always making the right connection. Before the ‘crowds’ of the new year overtake us, we’re invited to get  into the daily habit: find time for God!

January 10,-The shepherds and wise men must’ve felt great joy visiting Jesus in the manger. They could have stayed but did not. They instead went back to their homes and occupation. Our real encounter with Jesus inspires us to go back to where we come from. And there, we work to make Jesus’ presence more felt.

January 09,- When you are straining at your oars and the wind is against you, do not be afraid. Jesus sees you and and is with you on your boat, even as you are tossed by the stormy sea. We are to look at Jesus, not at the disciples have seen, everything will be still before the break of day.

January 08- With whatever we have, no matter how little or lowly, we can give. This is the miracle Jesus works with the loaves and fish. No one will be poor or hungry. If we only know how to share our precious loaves and fish. If we only realize others’ hunger is far more important than the fear for our own.

January 07- We long for Light. We light a candle in the dark. We’re restless when the night is long. We look for even just a pin of light when our life is at its darkest. Jesus comes: ‘on those who live in the land of the shadow death, light has shone.’ In which areas of your life do you long for light?

January 06- The wise men are from far away East. It’s they who are drawn to and led by the star, not the regular residents of Bethlehem or Jerusalem. God has a way of drawing the ‘farthest’ or most distant’ among us to Him. He knows no distance. He is after all, a God who is for all and with all. This is Epiphany!

January 05- ‘We have found the one..’ Philip tells about Nathanael about Jesus. One by one the disciples now learn about Jesus and are drawn to Him. What do you know about Jesus? (Reflect before you scroll down)
Is your personal experience of Jesus manifested in your faith, the quality of your life and relationships?

January 04,- Now that the way has been prepared John the Baptist quietly disappears from the scene. He exits because the One greater than He, Jesus, has come. In our daily efforts and our life’s goals we have to ask whose greater glory working for: ours or the Lord’s. We have to decrease, Jesus must increase.

January 03-Peace, joy and hope dispose us to prayer. So do boredom, loneliness and restlessness. They may be unpleasant experiences yet they too are dispostions, matter of prayer, They show us our inner longings. They point to something in us yearning to be filled. They direct us to the only One who fills us.