The mystery of God In his First Letter to the Corinthians chapter 2:1 St. Paul speaks of the mystery of God. “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of...
The lies that the Devil sows in the heart of Christians are sown to distract and discourage, to confuse and to contradict, to divert and to dilute the truth. This was the intent...
One of the tactics of the Devil is to speak lies to us. Rightly is he called the Father of lies. One of his favorite lies is that of fear. These fears are...
Homily: Twenty-second Sunday Year A Reading 1: Jeremiah did not want to be a prophet for the Lord, but he submitted to the will of God. Even though God told him that the...
“Every time we make the decision to love someone, we open ourselves to great suffering, because those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain. The greatest pain...
Reflection on Scripture Twenty-second Sunday Gospel A Take up cross
By spiritaflame 10:07 AM Reading ReflectionsTwenty-second Sunday Gospel AFrom that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be...
Though Peter answered correctly when Jesus asked the question, “Who do you say that I am”, Peter didn’t know the full consequence of his statement. To say Jesus is “the Christ” is not...
Thought of the Day August 24, 2020 "Who do you say I am?"
By spiritaflame 10:04 AM Thought of the DayThere is a question that Jesus
will ask each of us at the time of our personal judgement after death. It is
the same question Jesus asked the twelve disciples: “Who do you say that I
am?” They had followed him for a short
time. They had heard his teachings, were privileged to witness many signs and
wonders. “Who do you say that I am?” He wasn’t looking for their opinions,
which they gave when they reflected what others were saying. Jesus was looking
for their present conviction. “Who do you say I am?”
That conviction came to Peter as a personal revelation-grace from God. It was a leaped of faith from any personal feelings or mere human insight. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” From later encounters with Jesus, it is clear that Peter uttered the right words without the right conviction. In Peter’s understanding at the moment, Jesus wasn’t the Christ as revealed by God, but the Christ according to human desires of the Jewish people at the time.
"Who do you say that I am?" Jesus is addressing you and me with this question now in preparation for the time of our judgment. Do we have an opinion about Jesus or a conviction? Is that conviction based on God's revelation and our acceptance or on our expectation about Jesus, the Jesus we want him to be for us? As Peter came into a full, proper understanding of who Jesus was, will we? "Who do you say that I am" is not a casual question but the fundamental question of our existence.
Homily: Twenty-first Sunday Year A Reading 1: Shebna, though appointed as head of the palace, was more focus on himself, rather than the needs of the people and the will of God. Eliakim...
I came across this quotation from St. Augustine, who lived from 350-430. How appropriate it is for our own day. “Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured...
Reflection on Scripture Twenty-first Sunday Gospel A You are the Messiah
By spiritaflame 10:28 AM Reading ReflectionsTwenty-first Sunday Gospel AWhen Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" · Caesarea Philippi was situated about twenty miles...
Thought of the Day August 18, 2020 Pilgrimage or journey?
By spiritaflame 10:17 AM Thought of the DayOur life is a pilgrimage. On a journey or tour we go to specific sights to see things. On a pilgrimage our focus is to meet a person, specifically God. We are searching...
Thought of the Day August 17, 2020 Pilgrimage or journey?
By spiritaflame 10:40 AM Thought of the DayOur life is a pilgrimage rather than a journey. One is sacred, the other is secular. The points of interest on a pilgrimage are primarily holy places and things. The points of interests...
What is childlike faith? Because of the relationship between child and parent, the child trusts and believes what the parent says. For the child, without analyzing it, is completely dependent on the parent...
Thought of the Day August 13, 2020 Simplicity of a child
By spiritaflame 10:08 AM Thought of the DayWhy does Jesus use a child as our model of discipleship? It is because in a child is the absence of duplicity. What you see in a child is what is there. There...
Homily: Twentieth Sunday Year A Reading 1: Isaiah is speaking to his fellow Jews, who have not lived up to their covenant with Yahweh. He reminds them: observe and do what is right...
Thought of the Day August 12, 2020 The innocence of a child
By spiritaflame 10:45 AM Thought of the DayJesus said: “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” The key word is “become”. Jesus is not suggesting that we physically return to the state of a...
Reflection on Scripture Twentieth Sunday Gospel A Persistent faith
By spiritaflame 10:34 AM Reading ReflectionsTwentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Gospel AThen Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. • Matthew tells us about a rare event for Jesus, a journey into...
Thought of the Day August 11, 2020 Choose life or choose death
By spiritaflame 10:17 AM Thought of the DayAs God the Father loves us by creating us in his own image and likeness and as the Son of God loves us by giving his life in ransom for ours, so the...
It is hard for us to fully comprehend God’s unconditional love for us, even more so when we reflect on his death on the cross for our redemption. He himself expressed his love...
Thought of the Day August 7, 2020 Jesus: The incarnate love of God
By spiritaflame 9:57 AM Thought of the DayGod has shown us his love through creation, especially creating man and women in his own image and likeness. And when they sinned, God manifested his love by promising a Savior. We can’t...
NOVENA FOR THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY August 6-14, 2020 Lord Jesus Christ, You have destroyed the power of death and given the hope of eternal life in body and soul. You granted your...
Thought of the Day August 6, 2020 Love: justice and mercy
By spiritaflame 10:49 AM Thought of the DayGod shows his everlasting and unconditional love in many ways. Yesterday we reflected on God’s love through creating human beings in his own image and likeness. But we know what was the...
Homily: Nineteenth Sunday Year A Reading 1: Elijah, the only living prophet in Israel, confronted the false prophets of Baal with the truth that the God he worshipped was the only true God. ...
Have you ever reflected on your existence? Are you an accident or a conscious choice of God before your parents conceived you? The Scriptures tell us that before time began, God foreknew us...
Reflection on Scripture Nineteenth Sunday Gospel A Keep eyes on Jesus
By spiritaflame 1:52 PM Reading ReflectionsNineteen Sunday Gospel AThen he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain...
In baptism we enter into a personal and communal covenant with God as a result of his love. Alienated from God from birth, now through a rebirth we become a new creature. Our...
Thought of the Day August 3, 2020 Behold, I stand at the door
By spiritaflame 10:01 AM Thought of the Day"'I stand at the door knocking and waiting; whoever lets me in, with him I will sup" (Rev. 3:20). You need not seek Him here or there, He is no further than the...
