Good Listeners

Today the church celebrates the Annunciation and with this feast we commemorate the amazing event of incarnation. The second person of the trinity come down  to us. God takes flesh and come to saves us from the eternal death. But how can we understand that today? Well, the key word here is "Listen" Mary heard the voice of the angel and she agreed with it. In that moment the author of life came to be one of us. Are you a good listener? Are you listening the word of God? Are you living it out? What do you feel when you hear the word of God at Church? 

Are You A Prophet?

Today's Gospel Jesus says that a Prophet is not recognized as a prophet in his own land, and it is truth. I have been with my family and they don't get what I share about my faith with them. why? the simple reason  is because they know you from the early stage of your life. How someone from us come to teach what is good or bad if we fed him? That was the same reaction with Jesus. They knew him  for many years and now he comes with a message different from the regular bases. Have you ever feel that? whn you want to teach something and you are rejected because they know you well? if that is the case remember the message does not come from you. it comes from someone else. That person is God, who sends you to share that news. Don't get disappointed if they don't listen to you. Keep working and sharing your faith to them even when you don't see any change.

Living Water

 What would you like to drink? Soda, wine, juice or water? that is the common question at the plane, but what do you think if you go to a trip and someone asks you this question  Do you want to drink a living water? the first reaction will be: what do you mean? Is it an energized water or something like that? I would say this water is more than a soda or coca. this living water is something beyond our thoughts. This water is God himself who wants to give his being for our own sake. If you are thirsty don't go to fill that need out side of God. Go to the fountain of life. When you realize about that water you never will be thirsty again.

Are You a Good or Bad Son?

Today's gospel Jesus tells us a parable well known for many people and it is about the Prodigal son. I don't have to re-write it here once again, but I just want to bring out some ideas about that amazing story in which sometimes we have found ourselves as a good sons or bad sons. Moreover,  I think most of us we think we are in the good side "perfect sons or daughters". I mean no-one wants to be called the bad son. We love to be recognized as a good sons and daughters. However, sometimes we think wrongly and here the gospel appears in our help. The gospel shows us two three sides: The father, the old son and the youngest son. The youngest wants his part of the inheritance, even when his father still alive. Tt could be interpreted that the youngest son doesn't care about his father, the old son is angry for the actitud of his brother towards his father but more about himself. The old son thinks about his own benefits not about his father. So how does story apply to us? Well, The father is God and either way I am the youngest or the old brother. If I am the good son, I need to check how is my actitud towards those who are away from God. Sometimes we complain about those who don't come to church on Sundays and we are angry or disappointed about their actitud. We think much about that and we miss our relationship with our father who is close to us. Are we angry about those who don't come to church? Or are we doing something to bring them back? The father on heaven does not pay attention to those tiny things, but he pays attention to our way of loving those who are away from him.

Are You a Good Steward?

Today's Gospel we find the parable of the Landowner and his vineyard and also what happened with it. But going to the main point of this Gospel how can we apply that in our lives? Maybe you are thinking that you are not a landowner or you don't have vineyard or something similar. but what will you think if I say to you that you are a real steward and you have a vineyard under your care? Will we you agree with that? Maybe yes or maybe not, and the answer could be both maybe you think you don have it, or maybe you have lost it already. 
What? yeah you think you don't have it or you have lost it already. Let me explain that. You are a landowner because it has been given to you something to manage and it is your body and the vineyard is the fruits you receive from your body...Have you been a good steward so far? Are you taking care of that land given to you years ago? or are you wasting it? remember at the end the owner of vineyard will come and will ask you account of that land. God will come and he will ask you about how you took care of that gift.

Is Jesus your Rock?

In the first reading today (Jeremiah 17:5-10 )t we find a strong statement about our faith and how we understand it. This statement is about in what or in who do we put our trust? any idea what I am talking about? I am talking about trusting in God alone and not someone else. Do you trust completely in God or just 50/50? You probably will say: My trust is in God alone....good but that is completely real? think about it. when you got desperate do you go first to God or you just look for him as the last source? The prophet says "Cursed is the man who trust in human beings who seeks his strength in flesh" The prophet is not saying that we must not trust in people. he is saying that we cannot trust in human beings as our final way or choice.many people have put their trust in things or people and they had fallen into sin, because Human being is not the final goal. our final goals is God alone and in him we will be blessed. Don't put your life into the hands of one who will die one day and who will not save you. Put your trust in Jesus who is the rock of salvation in who God dwells.

Why Are We looking for Jesus?

Today's Gospel brings to us a particular character and especially for the whole Universal Church. This character is Joseph the step father of our Lord Jesus. Saint Joseph was declared to be patron Saint of the Church and also of patron of the good death, but our focus today is not about Joseph, it is about Jesus and his answer to his parents, who were looking for him. Have you ever experience that sensation of losing someone under your care? Like a youngest brother or sister or maybe someone else? I have had that experience and it is horrible, your mind flows and you start thinking in different consequences about your lost, and even more painful if you are one of the parents of that missing person normally a child. But guess what, 2000 thousands years ago was the same for Mary and Joseph who  were looking for their son.

The Gospel does not tell us if they were worry, but it tells us that they were looking for him insistenly among their relatives and acquaintances. Any guessing about what were Mary and Joseph thinking? I think they were afraid to lose the Son of God, especially Mary, but after a while this fear turned in another direction when they found Jesus at the temple. And of course as good parents Mary and Joseph asked him why he has done that to them? And Jesus as a wise boy answered with something very powerful and different  to them. Jesus did not answer their question. He asked them with another question WHY WERE YOU LOOKING FOR ME? So what this passage tells us today? Are you looking for Jesus? if you do so, WHY are you looking for him? What do you want to find in him? is is this lent the time for looking for Jesus? or maybe should we wait another lent? Think carefully about what is the motive to drive you near to him? because one day Jesus is going to ask YOU why were you  looking for me? And what will be your answer?