Bear Fruits of Goodness

   

Third Sunday of Lent

23 March 2025

 

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

 

Reflection

By: Anabelle P. Balla

 

I have started writing my autobiography and it is challenging to make quick progress with so many events to include. I tried organizing my thoughts based on important people in my life, but the list kept growing. I also attempted to break it into short stories, which resulted in a lot of content to cover. My life has been full of experiences, never boring.

However, beyond the stories and individuals, I reflect on my contributions and impact. Am I achieving my purpose and making a positive difference?

I realized that the measure of a fruitful life goes beyond tangible achievements. It is found in the love I share, the kindness I extend, and the positive impact I have on those around me. It's the comforting words I offer to a friend in need, the lessons I teach my children, and the care I provide to my community. It's not just about the milestones but also the moments of grace, forgiveness, and compassion.

We are meant to live fully, make our lives beautiful and productive, and nurture God's creations with love. With God, we can bear fruits of goodness that can help make this world a better place to live.

Prayer

Father, may the story of my life inspire those around me to cultivate their own fruitful lives, rooted in faith, love, and service. In Jesus' name. Amen.

All Things Are Possible

   

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

13 October 2024

 

First Reading: Wis 7:7-11

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

Second Reading: Heb 4:12-13

Gospel: Mk 10:17-30

 

Reflection

By: Fely C. Santiago

 

"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God."

Our family has experienced real tests of faith. These experiences "elevated" our faith to the highest level. My third apo was born a blue baby and was not breathing for 10 minutes. It was during CoVid time in 2022. And if that wasn't enough, three weeks after he was born he was positive for CoVid and had to be confined in the hospital again. Today he is 1 year and 10 months old and a very strong and healthy baby. Our fifth apo was born in October 2023 and was revived for 40 minutes. She lived only for four days and didn't make it. It was the saddest moment for our family. We stormed heaven with prayers but she was destined to become our angel in heaven. Our sixth apo was born premature 32 weeks because her mother was having hypertension and we had fear she might have pre-eclampsia and either the baby or the mother will not make it. We surrender everything to God. Now that premature baby is 8 months old, strong and healthy. Our seventh apo from the mother who lost our fifth apo developed PTSD and we were anxious throughout her pregnancy. The  last two weeks prior to her delivery seemed to be the longest time for our family as we await the birth of her baby. Finally on September 15 of this year, she had a smooth Caesarian section to a healthy and strong baby boy, our sixth living apo.

Our grandchildren are the joys of our heart and they are testimony of God's mercy and faithfulness. They are all our miracle babies and we are thankful to the Lord that we have been entrusted with these beautiful grandchildren. Really nothing is impossible with the Lord. Our faith is our only weapon. If we have faith as small as a mustard that is more than enough. Jesus, I trust in You.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, as I spend time with You, I am aware of how blessed I truly am. I think of Your love and Your mercy and how it has helped us overcome all the challenges in life. Thank You for always being there for me Lord and to find peace in the midst of trials and difficulties. Give me the grace to always have a childlike trust in You. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Ang Katarungan ay Pag-ibig

    

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ika-25 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon)

24 September 2023

 

First Reading: Is 55:6-9

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

Second Reading: Phil 1:20c-24, 27a

Gospel: Mt 20:1-16a

 

Reflection

By: Renato C. Vibiesca

 

Ang talinghaga ni Jesus sa Ebanghelyo ay pagpapakita ng pambihirang kabutihan ng Diyos sa tao. Ang may-ari ng ubasan sa kwento ay buong araw na naghanap ng mga manggagawa, matiyaga niyang sinusuyod ang liwasang-bayan upang kahit pa ang patambay-tambay lamang ay makapasok bilang manggagawa sa kanyang ubasan. Pagpapakahulugan na ang kabutihan ng Diyos ay para sa lahat ng tao.

Noong bata-bata pa ako, madalas na patambay-tambay, nagpapalipas ng oras, malimit na naghahanap ng pagkakalibangan. Parang iniiisip ko noon na mahaba pa naman ang oras ko sa mundo kaya’t maglibang-libang muna para sumaya sa buhay. Wala pa namang mga gadget noon, walang social media, walang Netflix, wala pang matinong teknolohiya kaya’t literal na tambay na nagpapalipas ng oras sa kwentuhan sa kanto, nababarkada na nauuwi pa sa pagbibisyo, kung saan mayaya ay sumasama agad, ‘yung sinasabi na easy go lucky o sa prinsipyo na “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorow we die”, na sa panahon natin ngayon ay magpaka-YOLO. Pero dahil sa kabutihan nga ng Diyos, hahanapin ka Niya kahit saan ka pa magpunta at aalukin ka Niya ng biyayang hindi natin matatanggihan. Ito kasi ang biyaya ng Diyos na kahit kailan at kahit saan sa mundo ay hindi natin makakamtan. Sa madaling salita ay gusto Niyang maligtas tayo, gusto Niyang makapiling tayo habambuhay na masaya sa Kanyang kaharian. Kung sakali mang muling maligaw tayo ng landas, kahit magdadapithapon na ng buhay ay hahanapin pa rin tayo ng Diyos, dahil nga walang hanggan ang Kanyang kabutihan.  

Isa pa sa mapagninilayan natin sa Ebanghelyo ay ang naging ugali ng ibang manggagawa nang sumapit na ang oras ng kanilang sahod sa pagtatapos ng araw ng trabaho. Parang nawala ang tiwala ng mga manggagawa nang pangatuwiranan pa nila na may mali sa pamamalakad ng may-ari ng ubasan. Ang nag-uudyok sa kanila na parang dinaraya sila ay matinding inggit sa ibang manggagawa na tila nalamangan sila sa oras ng pagtatrabaho. Ito kasi ang madalas na pamantayan natin sa ating mundo, bilangin kung ilang oras nagtrabaho at may katumbas na kabayaran, kung mag-over time ay may karagdagan pa, kung mag-overnight ay may night differential pay pa, kung nag-half day ay kalahati lang ang sweldo at kung undertime ay may kabawasan din sa sweldo. Pero iba naman ang kabutihan ng Diyos. Hindi ito tulad ng pag-iisip natin na parang katarungan sa pagnenegosyo at walang lamangan. Ang katarungan sa Diyos ay maipadama Niya sa lahat ang Kanyang kabutihan ng walang tinatangi, walang VIP, walang favoritism, walang panahon at kahit pa nga ikaw ay sa huling yugto na ng iyong buhay tumugon sa Diyos, at ito ang kabutihan ng Diyos na walang hanggan. Hindi ba’t sa mga huling hininga na nabatid ng isang magnanakaw ang kaligtasan niya nang humingi siya ng tawad kay Jesus habang nakabayubay sila sa krus? Kaya’t hindi natin pwedeng ikahon ang kabutihan ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng pagsusukat natin ng oras ng paglilingkod, o dami ng mga ginawa natin kumpara sa ibang tao. Ang grasya ng Diyos ay walang sukat, ang kabutihan Niya ay walang hanggan. Amen.

Prayer

Panginoong Jesus, labis ang pasasalamat namin sa walang hanggang kabutihan ng Diyos sa amin.  Dalangin namin na maging matibay ang aming pananampalataya sa Diyos upang makapaglingkod kami nang naayon sa kalooban ng Diyos.  Amen.

Magaling at Mabuti

Epiphany of the Lord   6 January 2019

First reading

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

                

Second reading

Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

Surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Gospel

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection

by Gary Tulabut

How do you translate “good” in Tagalog? Google Translate gave me these top answers which can be used to describe a person: mabuti, mahusay, magaling, and mabait. Mabuti and mabait refer to a person’s character. While mahusay and magaling refer to a person’s skills.

Last summer, during the Baccalaureate Mass prior to the graduation of the college students from the school where I teach, the Mass Celebrant brought up the topic of being good. He also asked what its definition is and how is it to be good.

He focused on the Tagalog translations magaling and mabuti. In his sermon, he mentioned that since those students were about to graduate, they have proven to be good. Good in the field they chose. Good in engineering, nursing, criminology, teacher education, etc. In other words, magaling.

But being good does not end in skills. One should also be a good person. In other words, mabuti. Because only by being mabuti can one put the skills into the right use.

The wise men, in today's Gospel, were good astrologers. They must be really good in their craft as they’re even been called wise men. Using their skills in the right use is true wisdom indeed. Using their expertise, they sought the star of the new born King and paid Him homage.

Let’s use our skills to do good deeds. Let’s start by following the star of the Superstar Himself, then lead other people to do the same. No matter how small that talent is, let’s put it into good use by first being mabuti, then using our galing to serve and lead people to become good disciples of Jesus.

Prayer

Thank You Jesus for the talents You have given us. May all our small talents put together lead people to You. Amen.

Thank You

First Reading: Nm 11:25-29

The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, the LORD bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied. Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent; yet the spirit came to rest on them also, and they prophesied in the camp. So, when a young man quickly told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp, " Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses?aide, said, "Moses, my lord, stop them." But Moses answered him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!"

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14

Second Reading: Jas 5:1-6

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one;

he offers you no resistance.

Gospel: Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ,  amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."

REFLECTION:

by Cris Balla

Equal Employment Opportunity. This is what came to my mind when I was reading the first part of the Gospel.

                       

While equal employment opportunity is probably a recent invention, it appears that even Moses had espoused the idea thousands of years ago. And so did Jesus 2 millennia back. 

But more than the equal employment opportunity clause, I think that God is also telling us to partake in His goodness by doing good things as well.  I think that Jesus is calling us to do something good - not literally driving out demons, but something probably within the bounds of our abilities. 

It could be as simple as teaching our children good manners and right conduct. Or it could be giving up some of our precious time to help build houses for our less fortunate brothers.

There are many good things we can do. Maybe to start with, avoid doing something that is obviously not good.

"Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us." What Jesus did was encourage the performance of good deeds.

How often do we encourage others to perform good deeds?  How often do we appreciate someone doing a good deed? How often do we say the words "Thank You!"? 

...I think that maybe if we do more of it, this could be a better place to live… Think about it.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for giving us the grace to partake in Your goodness. Help us to role model gratefulness and to develop the habit of encouraging others to do good so many will give glory to Your name. Amen.

                                                           

Mr. and Ms. Good Deeds

“ Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding, give them peace and joy. “  – Mother Teresa 

First Reading: Ezekiel. 34:11-12, 15-17

For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were  scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal (but the sleek and the strong I will destroy), shepherding them rightly. As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD, I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.

Resp. Psalm: Psalms 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

Second Reading: 1Cor. 15:20-26, 26-28

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will (also) be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

" When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations  will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Reflection:

By Beth R. Eguia

The last Sunday of the Ordinary Time commemorates the Solemnity of Christ the King.  This reminds us to live a righteous life everyday for we never know the time and the hour He will call us. At the end of time, the sheep and the goats will be separated, with the sheep at the right and the goats at the left. And God will account for the good deeds the sheep have done while the goats will be thrown over to hell.

The same thing applies for us, doing a good deed whether big or small should come as a natural way of living. It does not have to be known by others for God sees every small detail we are doing each day. What constitutes a good deed? It should be done for others without expecting anything in return. To an employee, it could be praying for his not so good boss and continue serving him well. To a taxi driver, returning the exact exchange of taxi fare to his passengers. To a street vendor, selling items at the right price and using a correct weighing scale. To a student, studying hard and not cheating on exams, or helping his parents at home in doing household chores without asking anything in return.

There are a lot of good things in us. We just have to learn to use them well and ask the Holy Spirit to empower us. Most of the times, the environment and the people can influence the way we live. So it is important that we are rooted to the source of goodness and truth and that is God. How do we do that? Through constant prayer, we should ask for this grace to live a righteous life for we cannot do it alone. We need God’s mighty hand to battle the evil around us so that when we see Him face to face, we are all prepared to meet Him. And He will say to us “Welcome Mr./Ms. Good Deeds. I have been expecting you.”

Prayer:

Dear Lord, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, may we always be reminded of Your great love for us and to do good for others. Grant us the grace to live our lives in a  righteous way each day. Amen.