Sunday Reflections: The Evil within Us

In our Gospel Reading for tomorrow's Liturgy, we will hear Jesus telling His disciples about His immanent passion and death in Jerusalem under the hands of the chief priests and the elders. But since they were all expecting for a triumphant and political messiah, Peter somehow rebuked the Lord and told Him that that will never ever happen. Peter can never imagine his "messiah" to be bloodied, dirtied, jeered at, humiliated, and dead! But Jesus told him that he is not thinking the way God does but the way humans do.

Many times in our lives we are blinded by so many things that we tend to forget the very "basics" of our lives. Our lives are "participations" in the Divine Life of God, hence we should always be in line with God's thoughts. But more often than not, we find it hard to align our selves and wills to God's hence, we sometims wrestle with Him, even rebuke Him, as what Peter did.

Let us ask for the grace to be truly open to the movements of God in us and that we may never be blinded by the evil within us as humans. May we think, act, and ultimately love as Jesus our Lord does. Amen.

Sunday Reflections: The Power of Faith

Jesus apparently refused to give heed to the request of the Canaanite Woman. But I think it was just a test. And the Woman surpassed the test! Her faith was put to the test but her faith ended up triumphant!

Many times in our lives our faith is being put to the test. Various concerns and troubles visit our day and seemingly those concerns and worries bog us down. But let us see the greater picture: those worries and concerns are just opportunities for us to deepen our Faith in the Lord.

Let us beg for the grace then to be truly steadfast in our faith and never to allow trials and tribulations to overwhelm us. May our faith in the Lord see us through in every trial in life. Amen.