WHAT IS ABOVE IS SUPERIOR

Thursday of the Second Week of Easter John 3:31-36. Our gospel for today is a beautiful reminder about the supremacy of the realities above. We are all spiritual being with a human body. My dear friends, we are not meant for below because our origin is from above. I remember what I told last Tuesday: “The love of heaven make us heavenly. The love of the world make us worldly.” Today never allow the things below hold your rising. We cannot go up holding hands with the world. Rise up to heaven by letting go what is temporal. Let us set our minds of the things above because what is above is above! In today’s first reading (Acts 5:27-33) we learn that obedience to God must never be delayed. Brethren, no matter what happened ALWAYS obey the Lord than men. “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” Folks, we are challenge to obey God even if we do not know where our obedience may lead us to. Do not drift away from Jesus for nothing and for no one. Those who believed in the Son of God will be rewarded but those who dont will be punished. Remember, in the days of Noah, obedience saved eight people and disobedience ended the world. We are reminded today that obedience is a mark of a wiseman. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” When we love the Lord, obedience stops to be a burden and obedience becomes a delight. We will never have this day again so make this day best day ever by choosing to obey God than men. We will never go wrong in obeying God. In whatever we do strive to be the best at it. Just be the best you can be. Do not strive to be better than others rather; strive to be better than your best self. Today, make a decision to become a better person of today than you were yesterday. Folks, let us make the rest of our life the best of our life. Blessings Fr. Jhack

YOU ARE LOVED

Wednesday of the Second week of Easter Year C John 3:16-21 Evil is real and present in our world nowadays. Poor people are suffering. Some people turns to be evil (they love darkness than light). Economy is sinking and places of worship were shrinking. We live in a world where there is a strong potential of evil. Basically, its an experience of darkness right? The apostles in today’s first reading were summoned by the Lord to spread the light but the high priests put them into a place of darkness. They were put into prison. But God sent them an angel and free liberate them from a place of darkness. Friends, God’s love is beyond our comprehension. Yes, there is evil but God came to save us. God came to destroy our destroyer. “For God so love the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Friends, we deserve nothing but God gives us everything. God will continue to love us no matter how many mistakes we have made for nothing can change God’s love for us. Today tell yourself, I am loved by God and nothing can take this away from me. Jesus the light of the world assures us that whoever follows him will never walk in darkness again. Friends, to spread the light we are challenge not to partake in the unfruitful works of darkness. Hate darkness my dear friends. This a tough job but this is the effective way to cease the power of darkness. You know what, whatever is done in love will always triumph. God’s love endures forever! Blessings Fr. Jhack

WHAT IS ABOVE IS ABOVE

Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter Year C John 3:7-15 “What is born of a flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. “ Our Gospel speaks about the conversation of Nicodemus with Jesus. It was called a nocturnal dialogue because Nicodemus approached Jesus at night for fear to be seen by his fellow Pharisee. In that conversation Jesus speaks about heavenly things but Nicodemus thinks on the human level. Today’s gospel is reminding us that to understand heavenly things we must not spend most of our lives talking about earthly things. The love of heaven make us heavenly. The love of the world make us worldly. Sometimes we are like Nicodemus a clever teacher, an expert of the law but we lacked a certain wisdom because we dwell more on earthly realities. We live anonimously in a seemingly dark way of living. Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to desire more heavenly treasures and virtues. Unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God. Our first reading for today provides us wonderful witnessing of being born in the spirit. The first christian community teaches us heavenly practices. “No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.” Being born in the spirit means not being materialistic.” Friends, the action of Nicodemus challenges us today to keep our eyes on where we want to go, not on what we feared. Focus on your destination not in your frustrations. Focus on your journey not on the dogs that barks along the way. Anthony Robbins said: “Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear.” Blessings Fr. Jhack

GO AND TELL

Monday within the Second Week of Easter Year C Mark 16:15-20 Each of us is called to be an evangelizers. We are invited to be missionaries and are called to continue his mission and ministry. “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” is the mandate of today’s gospel. Go, make a move and spread the goodnews. Folks making Jesus as our topic in our daily conversations with everybody is evangelizing. Introducing Him to the people around us is evangelization. Use whatever platforms to make the name of the Lord viral. Use whatever means to make Jesus be known. Introduce Him to everybody. You know what, putting up a rosary or religious images displayed in your car is evangelization. Acts of kindness is evangelization. Teaching your kids how to pray, how to behave is evangelization. A promise not to repeat same mistakes especially those whom you hated most is evangelization. Folks, let us be endorser of His message of love and salvation. Friends, if we wanted to start a bussiness, make Jesus as our product. When we do this, He promised us salvation as our reward. “The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.” Don’t think that evangelization is a hard task. No, its not because of His abiding presence. He Himself assured us of signs of His presence. We can pick up snakes in our hands, and if we drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt or poison us; laying on our hands to the sick, will bring healing. We can have the ability to speak many languages. Simply put, when we become evangelizers we become powerful because of Jesus. No earthly dominions can harm us because of Jesus. We can make impossible things possible because of Jesus. Today, allow youself to be channel of God’s presence to others. Don’t use your energy to worry, use your energy to believe! Show God your faith and He will show you His faithfulness. Blessings Fr. Jhack

THE NAME OF GOD IS MERCY

Second Sunday of Easter DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY John 20:19-31 Today is the second Sunday of Easter otherwise known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Our readings for today is giving us concrete manifestation of what mercy is all about. Our first reading presented mercy as treating each other as brothers and sisters by living in common. The early church is a community that truly care for each other. Needs are being met. Mercy is presented as CHARITY: looking after for the needs of other. “They would sell their property and possessions and divide them according to each one’s needs.” If we live in common nobody will be left out. Community is the first gift of resurrection. Resurrection unites people in faith and charity. You know what, the wounds of our society nowadays is individualism. Many had the tendency like “mind your own bussiness.” We are invaded by too much exclusive privacy and we dont mind others anymore. We don’t care about others anymore. Friends, let us remember that individualism destroys community and family life. Let us destroy self interest and selfishness by personifying mercy. How? Share your resources so that the wounds of our society will be healed. Sold your properties to give comfort those in need. Contribute so that no needy person in our community. Be mindful of the wounds of the poor. Let this be our mission to accomplish today. In our second reading, we are reminded that HOPE is another gift of resurrection. The resurrection doesn’t eliminate our wounds but give us light despite all the darkness. Let us hope amidst of trials and persecution. “We will undergo trials for while.” HOPE- have only positive expectations. It is by the mercy of God that we have new life in God. In our Gospel the risen Lord will visit even those initially doubted. Like the disciples we find ourselves praying and hiding in a room. Hiding because of fear of being infected by the virus. The disciples locked the door not because of COVID 19 but because they were afraid of the local authorities. They are the next target of persecution. But amidst of the lock doors lo and brehold Jesus appeared to them bringing the message of mercy: PEACE. He came not to take revenge but to heal with a greetings of peace and offering of reconciliation. Brethren, like Jesus we are challenged to be an agent of forgiveness. Forgiveness is another form of mercy. Let us heal wounds by providing the medicine called mercy. Today promise to stop hurting others from now on. Forgiveness will erase doubts. Forgiveness will elimate hatred and take out revenge. Mercy therefore is the best proof of love. Indeed, mercy is love in action and the second name of love. Friends, “If our sin is as big as the ship in the sea, dont worry because God’s mercy is as wide as the ocean. We just floating in the ocean of God’s mercy.” If your mistake is a huge as the plane up above. Don’t worry because we are just flying in the sky of God’s mercy. God’s mercy is as deep as the sea and as high as the sky! Conclusion. God’s mercy is the greatest attribute of God. Even though we sin God does not stop loving us. Even if we don’t deserve heaven, God made heaven possible for us. In fact, by His resurrection He opened heaven for all of us guys. Friends, God’s love is everlasting it endures forever. Therefore, stop remembering what God has forgotten. Your sins are forgiven. Prayer: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and the whole world. Jesus King of Mercy, I trust in You! Blessings Fr. Jhack

GOD CAN USE YOU

Saturday within the octave of Easter Mark 16:9-15 Jesus appears not only once but three times. Mary told the disciples that Jesus had appeared to her, they did not believe her. Maybe because shes a woman and women were considered voiceless, powerless and no influential status. The message of the gospel is very clear: God will use nobody to transformed everybody. God will use the weak to lead the strong. God will use the humble to shame the proud. Today, we are challenge to be a broadcaster of this truth. Everyone of us is called to be an evangelizers. You are a newscaster and the news that you are going to spread is this: Jesus is alive. Friends, never allow stubbornness and hardness of our heart prevent us from becoming an evangelizer. Pope Francis once said: “An evangelizers must never look like someone who just come back from funeral.” Spread the joy of the resurrection wherever you go. Lack of faith is the problem nowadays. No wonder why the Gospel ends with a command: “Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Gospel to all creation!” In today’s first reading we are reminded to obey God than men! Dont be afraid to be used by God because He is with us like a mighty warrior. God uses weak people and not superstars. God loves to use the insignificant people to do great things for the gospel. Please be aware that Noah got drunk, Jacob lied, Moses was a murderer, Rahab was a prostitute, David had an illicit affair, Joseph plan to divorce Mary, Peter was a denial king, Judas was a traitor but God uses them. He can use you too to spread His message. Like them let us joyfully say-“Here I am Lord, send me.” Blessings Fr. Jhack

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Friday within the octave of Easter John 21:1-14 Most of the disciples of Jesus were fishermen and of course fishing is their way of life. When Jesus called them to be fishers of men they stop fishing and followed Jesus for three years. When Jesus died some of them went back to their old ways of living-fishing again as told in today’s gospel. However, they caught nothing. Perhaps they tried all the tricks they knew but still they caught nothing. After a long break their trying so hard to catch fish, they did their best, they tried everything they knew in fishing but still they caught nothing! Friends, there are moments in our life that we are like these disciples; we tried everything but nothing happened. We did our best but seems our best is not enough. We try but we failed. We felt frustrated, disappointed, discouraged and we wanted to give up. Today let us learn from the gospel, “try something new”-never give up. “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” Three points i would like to share. First, when somethings in our life doesn’t work well, never surrender. Never give up. Folks, raise your hands to God and let Him take over. Remember this: life has two rules. Rule number one, never give up. Rule number two, always remember rule number one. Success is a journey not a destination. Second, when you are disappointed, do not be tempted to go back to your old ways (fishing-fishing) Try something new. The Lord wants us to grow. Start something new and fresh because life is great and amazing amidst of failures. Old ways, won’t open new doors. When your tired passing through the doors, tried to pass in the window because some windows are wider than doors. Finally, the gospel is reminding us that the Eucharist is the best vitamin for those who are depressed and struggling. When you are in difficulty come to Jesus. When you allow Jesus to come into your life, you will no longer drag your burdens and problems but you will be dragging the overflowing blessings of God. He will turn your nothingness to something. He will turn your sorrow to joy. He will turn your frustration into celebration. He will turn your cross into crown. Get ready to be blessed! Blessings Fr. Jhack

PEACE BE WITH YOU

Thursday within the octave of Easter Luke 24:35-48 In today’s gospel Jesus promised peace to his disappointed disciples. “Peace be with you” he said. It is a peace not of this world. Jesus offers peaces to calm their fears. Jesus wanted to bring their emotions back to normal. He knows that they were troubled and frustrated that is why He assured them of his peace. Friends, in our troubled moments always remember that God is journeying with us. Be still! Let His peace be your strenght. In the silence, our fears will be replaced by courage. Our desparation will be changed into moments of hope because of God’s promise of peace. Just as Jesus opened the minds and hearts of His disciples to understand the scriptures may God also open our hearts and minds so that our worries and anxieties will be replaced by His peace. Let me end my reflection by qouting St. Teresa of Avila: “Let nothing dusturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything. He who has God finds he lacks nothing.” Troubled hearts must not stay in each of us. Blessings Fr. Jhack

CHRIST IS OUR COMPANION

Wednesday within the octave of Easter Luke 24:13-35 The two disciples were going back to Emmaus frustrated and disappointed! They felt helpless and hopeless because the death of Jesus shattered their expectations. Have you been knockdown? Imagine yourself losing a loved one, losing an idol. Imagine yourself watching a game and your favorite team is in losing end! What do you feel? Perhaps some may say “turn off the TV!”These are the experience felt by these two disciples on their way back to Emmaus. Frustrated, disppointed and with a sense of defeat. (BOKYA.) They were disappointed by the tragic end of the Lord because they have expections in Him as their promised messiah. His death shattered their hopes and dreams. They were put to shame. Sometimes, there are moments in our life that we feel like that. Why? Because we forgot the promise of the Lord. We feel like God has let us down and He no longer cares. We thought everything was a failure and misery. But hey, its not the end yet! The game is not over yet! If you’re opponent leads by 5-0 score in a hockey game, the game is not over yet. The final buzzer doesn’t sound yet. In a moment like this Jesus is with us and He is listening as we tell him our hopes and dreams. Brethren, when you are on your lowest, when you’re down look up to the highest. Raised up your eyes up above. Hold on to our faith because eventually God will appear to us again in an unexpected ways. Today’s gospel is reminding us that in our moment of disappointments, in times of frustrations God walk with us. He is with us in our struggles. Please remember this: God is close to the broken hearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. Friends, even in our depressing moments God can be found. Even in seemingly defeat experience God is there. Today, do not allow your frustrations steal the amazing presence of God in you. Do not allow your blessings be robbed by your fears. God is here but unrecognized. Blessings Fr. Jhack

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS NOT YOUR PROBLEMS

April 19, 2022 Tuesday within the octave of Easter John 20:11-18 Death is never easy to deal with. Right? Mary Magdala was not able to recognize Jesus because she tend to dwell on her sorrow. Her mourning makes her mistakenly identified Jesus as a gardener. My dear friends, the message of today’s gospel is very clear. When we focus more on our pains it will blind us to recognize the presence of God in our lives. We can’t see the light if we love to hide in darkness. We cannot taste what victory is if we love to talk about defeats. We will not suceed if we nailed our thoughts on our failures. Healing is impossible if we keep touching our wounds. Forgiveness is unattainable if we keep remembering our painful memories. We cannot feel the joy of Easter if we are stuck to the sorrows of lent. Blessings can be elusive if we always complain and not grateful to what we have. Enjoy your blessings and stop looking to what is missing. Count your blessings not your problems. Count your blessings not your troubles. Our sorrows and pains can paralyze us if we allow them to dominate in us. Remeber this: A negative mind will never give us a postive life. Friends, train your life to see the good in everything. Why? Because the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Our happiness and success depends on the quality of our thoughts. If we always dwell on our sorrows the identity of the risen Lord will remain a garderner. Today if you have pains talk to Jesus not to a gardener. Finally, “I have seen the Lord” was Mary’s proclamation and revelation. Folks, if we aspire to see the Lord, move away from the tomb because Jesus is no longer a slave of the tomb. Search the Lord, find Him but don’t look Him in the tomb. Today, many of us seek the resurrected Christ but we failed to find Him because we look for Him in the tomb of temporal pleasures. We look for Him in a wrong stations. When you are disappointed seek the Lord not other else. We cannot find Him in the tomb of wealth and fame. We cannot find Him in the tomb of prestige and power. Today refuse to entertain any stories of pain. Train your mind to see the beauty of the world everyday. Don’t ruin a good today by thinking about the bad yesterday. Brethren, try to be positive in a negative situation. We are reminded by our gospel today that when we seek the risen Lord our sorrows will be turned into hope. Our disappointments will be replaced by delights and joy. Friends, remember this, “one day all will be well.” Let me end my reflection by qouting again our Responsorial Psalm of today. “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” Blessings Fr. Jhack

MONEY TALKS

Monday within the octave of Easter Matthew 28:8-15 Money talks. This is the name of the game in today’s gospel. “The chief priests assembled together with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldier telling them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him while we were asleep.” My dear friends, I don’t know if you noticed this too but when money rules us, the truth is silent. When money talks nobody notices what grammar it uses. Hey, if money talks, that talk is very cheap. Money can jeopardize the truth but it can’t hide it. Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time but it ain’t goin away. Never trade your dignity, your integrity and your morals with money. If you have much money never use it to spread fake news. Use whatever you have to circulate the truth.One author says: “I love listening to lies when I know the truth.” Friends, keep watch because there are so many “users” around us with this kind of behaviour-keep talking and I’ll keep counting. Don’t give money the chance and power to hide the truth. Rather than money give me the truth. People need the truth nothing but the truth. Friends, the truth may hurt a little while but a lie hurts forever. Truth will always be the truth even if nobody believes it. Finally, the truth will lead us to the place where Jesus wants to meet us. “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Brethren, where is your Galilee?what is your Galilee? Find it because the instruction of Jesus to meet in Galilee is an assurance of finding the truth. What kind of truth? The truth that He is alive! The only vehicle that will transport us in Galillee is riding and following the route of truth. Blessings Fr. Jhack