Good and Bad

GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 47-53

Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

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I Believe in Him

John 11: 19 - 27

And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

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Reaffirm your faith today and shout,

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Do this daily and know that your faith will never falter.

These are my 'magic words' which never fail to brighten my day. 

Whenever I feel lonely or sad,

Whenever I feel angry,

Whenever I feel betrayed,

Whenever I feel desperate,

Whenever I feel lost,

Whenever I feel happy,

Whenever I feel excited,

Whenever I feel content,

Whenever I feel blessed,

Whenever I feel grateful,

I always make sure to express my faith in the Lord by exclaiming,

"I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!"

      Though I may not feel his presence, I know that He is with me. That's why, I refrain from thoughts like, 'If only the Lord was there, this could not have happened,' or 'Why did you allow this my Lord?' However, there may be times when I become like Martha in the gospel wherein I pray that the Lord undo an unbearable event. And in the worst cases, I can't stop myself from putting the blame on the Lord. However, just because I know that the Lord's power is incomprehensible, this does not allow me to question His ways. It is during these times that I reaffirm my faith and exclaim, "I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!" And strangely each time I do this, I feel at ease and relaxed. It's like my soul has been energized and my burden has been lifted. Just as Martha has reaffirmed her faith, I too seek to strengthen my faith in the Lord for I will always believe in him.

Miracle Don't Just Happen

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”

And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you,
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”