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?

Are You the First One?

Today's gospel invites us to think about our humility and how we deal with it in our daily lives. As  humans we want to be first in many things and sometimes we do not care about how we get there. the thing is get there (being the first one). For example, it could be on  our job, school or even in our families, but Am I really the first one or the last one? that is the question that Jesus answers in the gospel today. He said if you want to be the greatest you must be the servant of all. So are you the servant of your family or are you the one who want everything done for you? Heaven is made to those who serve as servants and not for those who think that they are better then others. from the moment you humble yourself you will be exalted. Let's work together in this lent for our conversion from the first place to the last place.

Are You a Judge?

Are you a judge? if you are you know what does mean. The judge knows what is right and wrong according to the Law, but today's gospel goes beyond human law. It goes beyond humans standards, Jesus  teaches another way of act. Human judges are capable of error, but God isn't so that is way Jesus teaches The best way to Judge. It is not Judging others. When we judge we make ourselves better than others without any considerations, and it puts us in the wrong place. God is the only one who judges. if other person is wrong, you do not judge him. Let God works in his way to correct that person and don't make yourself better than God. The season of Lent is the season of being humble and meek.

Going Up and Going down

Second Sunday of Lent

The Church presents us the gospel of the transfiguration of the Lord  in this second Sunday of Lent, but for what she does that? I see in this gospel our reality of faith. I mean some days we feel like we are up at the mountain, everything looks good and sometimes perfect. We go to the church and we are close to God. Our lives are the best on the planet, but when problems come we get down and we depart from the mountain to a desert place in which we think we do not feel God. In that moment we feel we are not worthy to continue walking with God and we fear him as the apostles were at the transfiguration. God Says now as he said before Don't be afraid, I am our savior and I will help you in this situation, my light will lead you, just trust in me and everything will be ok. Trusting in God is the way to transform ourselves in what he wants us to be. let the Transfiguration of the Lord transform your problems and don't let them take you away from the mountain. let the light of Christ be your light always and you will say "Lord it is good to be here".

How Be Perfect Today

Be perfect as the heavenly father is perfect! This statement found on the today's gospel asks us something very hard even impossible to follow if we think about perfectness as something without error, misunderstandings or mistakes. Perfections in our world means something different to anyone for some perfection means surgeries, or beauty, nice features or so on, but for Christians it should means God. God is perfect in all senses and we realized that we are full of wickedness. So what does Jesus say us about perfection? I believe that Jesus when talks about perfection he talks about love. Love makes us different. When someone loves that person is experiencing God and when you experience God you are sharing his person into yours. We are not perfect in the sense of God is, we are perfect because we have that opportunity of love and forgive others. Forgiveness takes us from our wickedness to the real love and real love is perfect, because it is God. so in that sense Jesus invites us to be perfect as his father is. Lent time to preparare our selves to love and forgive as the God does with us.

Are you Angry in front of God?

March 14, 2014. Friday of the  First Week of Lent.

In today's Gospel Jesus tells us how we must go to worship God and this is through the way of the reconciliation with my brothers and sisters before present ourselves to God. We are not allow to offers sacrifices to God if our hearts are carring darkness that takes us away from him. Sometimes we carry angriness, madness for small things toward our brothers and sisters even without thinking the consequences of our feelings. Today Jesus remembers us that we must stop for a while and rethink about relationships with our friends, families and fix our wrongdoing. God is love, not angriness..Don't let darkness destroys your communication with God

What are you asking to God?

"Ask and it will be given to you" This is the invitation in the gospel today and which Jesus invites us to do. Do you ask God things? if you do so maybe you have realized that sometimes you don't get what you asked for and sometimes we get disappointed about it, because God did not want to give it to us and we got mad of him. Don't we? well, I think so. Many times I have heard comment likes I don't believe in God because he didn't give that or this, or he didn't give what I was asking for and so on, and from here a question comes: Does God care about us? if He does why he doesn't answer my prayers? The answer could be, God does not answer some prayers because those things asked in prayer don't work out for our salvation and he as a good father wants his children fine and he is not going to provide bad things to his children. So when you ask things in prayer say: God I ask you this if that is your will thank you but if it's not give something else according to your will. 

Is Your Mouth Cleaned?

In today's Gospel Jesus tells us that nothing that enters in our body make us bad people, but things that go out make us bad people. He was talking about food and its function. I mean people at Jesus's time were arguing about impure food coming into our mouths were the origin of our impurity, but Jesus said what makes us impure it is not the food but it's our feelings and emotions that come from  our hearts that make us sometimes unworthy. This time of the year will be good to us to think if I am carring bad things in our hearts like angry for someone or envy or things that make us sad during the day.

Are Your Heart Far From God?

Do you think you are close to God? or Are you far from God? Don't worry if you are far, there are always ways to come closer to him. But in the other side don't be pride if you are close to God or your think you are. Sometimes we think we are close to him but indeed we are far away, because our pride of believing that we know God takes us in another ways, even more further than those who think they are far.
Remember knowing God makes us humble and not pride of ourselves. When we think we know better than others in that moment we fail. In today's gospel the Lord tells us that some people praise him with their lips, but their heart are away from him. That is sad, and we need to recognize that reality. Sometimes we go to the Church to praise him, but our hearts are full of anger, lies, fear and other many feelings that make us unworthy to praise him. Brothers and sisters let this Lent to be planted in our heart, so that Christ be praised with our mind and heart through our lips!

Do you recognize Jesus?

Nowadays many people talk about Jesus and his actions, miracles and so on. Many people claim to know him completely, and I think that is good, but do you recognize Jesus or do you know him? That will be a good question for a test in this time of lent.
Do you know him? Could you recognize him anytime? How could you tell others that you know Jesus and this Jesus is the real Jesus from the Gospel? Oh yeah there are many Jesus out there and those Jesus are different from what we hear on the gospels. I mean those Jesus are creations of our minds to fulfill our own ideas and wants about God and Jesus. Let's work together in this Lent to know the real Jesus and put away our own wrong idea of who is Jesus. Conversion means cleaning so let's clean our heart and welcome Jesus our servior.

Be Salt

How many of us have found bitter people around us? I think it could be many. Maybe at the bus or at the store or just simply in your place. But why this happens? Why people are mad or sad or angry? My first answer will be: something happened to them and they react in the wrong way, and it's ok, but it's not ok to carry that during all day and sharing that with others, none has the fault of your situation or maybe yes, but don't let the sadness or angriness take over and destroys the light that lives in you. Jesus today tells us to be the salt of the earth. This means that we are called to be the happy people around those who don't feel that happiness. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus who is the light of the world. So our mission is to enlighten others with our lives so I ask you Are you ready to do that?  We are called to show them the teste of life, but if you are not ready to show that, you will be that salt without teste. the world needs that teste which comes from Jesus and we are his tools. Be ready to give your life for that mission.

Jesus Compassion

Jesus was moved with pity when he saw a huge crowd following him. Have you ever being moved with pity by people around you? Today's Gospel talks about how Jesus was moved with pity for those who were following them through the places that he went. He really touched their heart, maybe not because he is God, but he touched their heart because he showed compassion for his brothers and sisters in their needs. Sometimes we don't show those feelings for those we love or we care. Our culture limits us to show them and when this happens we hide Jesus to them. We say to be christians, but our behaviors sometimes show different things of being a Christian fellow. Show compassion to others is a sign of mercy and doing that we are reflecting Jesus to them. Let's be move for Jesus's pity  and his words in this time of lent!

What things take us away from God?

Today's Gospel we heard that Herod killed John the Baptist, even when he knew that John was righteous and holy man. so what did happen to him? Well, Herod put his own being above God and his law, and it took him far away from God and his mercy. Herod preferred to please the human heart rather than God. He said: “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” and he did He murdered a holy man in order to please his own desires, and that happens nowadays, the world asks us the same. Every day temptation comes to our door and asks  us: ask whatever you wish and I will grant it to you, and some times we agree with it, and doing that we are killing things that come from God. The world wants to destroy our standards of conduct in front of God. The world wants us slave from our own desires and with that we kill our own relationship with God. Have you ever thought what takes us away from God? Maybe money, certain kind of friends, business, conversations? These and more could be our own Herod ready to behead our more precious gift: Our relationship with God.

Jesus Gave Us Power Over Our Difficulties

Today's gospel Jesus tells us how He gave authority upon the Apostles to clean people from evil spirits and be free to serve God. This means that whoever approaches them with sincere heart and ready to accept the good News will be clean.that is awesome, but  how many of us are cleaned today? or how many of us are waiting to accept that news and being clean? Ash Wednesday yesterday remembered us that we need to repentance and going back to the Lord, who is rich in mercy and slow in anger. Don't wait until he comes, go and accept him right now with openness of heart and he will fill you with his love and he will set you free from your problems.

Ash Wednesday

Once again we have celebrated Ash Wednesday and with it we remember our human and fragile condition. We are pilgrims in this world and we struggle all the time with this world, so the church helps us to walk through and especially in this day the Church in her wisdom uses the formula  "Remember you are from dust and to dust you shall return". This is a powerful statement for us, because the Church says to us that we are gonna die and we will return to dirt, but our hope does not end there, our hope goes beyond dust or dirt, it goes beyond our human condition, and it rests in God. it is for that reason we go to Church this day. We recognize our need of  him, ashes represent to us that opportunity to say Sorry and start looking for the way to please him. Don't let sin crush you, crush sin with pray.