Gratitude

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

12 October 2025

 

First Reading: 2 Kings 5:14-17

Responsorial Psalm: 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-13

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

 

Reflection

By: Ma. Rosalina S. Flores

 

A fews days ago, my Facebook memories reminded me of that long post and an entire album I shared about my Bell's Palsy journey.

My Bell's Palsy Journey

In October 2022, when my neurologist doctor told me that my Bell's Palsy was resolved, I purposely posted my healing story on Facebook, documenting everything from the first day I experienced symptoms to the day I completed 15 sessions of physical therapy. It's my way of reminding myself to give thanks and glorify the Lord for His unwavering goodness and faithfulness toward me during that difficult time.

Today's Gospel recounts the story of the ten lepers who were cleansed but only one, a Samaritan, has returned to thank and glorify Jesus for the miracle. The other nine were also healed but did not bother to give thanks to the One who made it possible.

How about us? Do we remember to thank God for the many blessings we receive? Not only for the things we have prayed for fervently, but also for those we did not ask for really, do we acknowledge God as the source of everything good in our lives?

It's easy to turn to God in times of struggle, but it’s hard to recognize Him when things are going well. Our Sunday Gospel reminds us that all blessings, whether it’s healing from sickness, finding our dream job, settling down with someone special, or simply being alive, are gifts from God. Let’s take time to thank Him for everything.

As Jean-Baptiste Massieu said, “Gratitude is the memory of the heart", let us remember to be grateful every day for all the blessings, big or small.

Like Mary, may we always proclaim the goodness of the Lord, our God, our Savior.

 

Prayer

Dear Lord, teach me the virtue of gratitude, to always recognize that every blessing comes from You. As we are blessed, may we bless others, too. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

Stay Grateful!

Second Sunday of Easter

Sunday of Divine Mercy

11 April 2021 

 

First Reading:  ACTS 4:32-35

Responsorial Psalm:  PS 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

Second Reading:  1 JN 5:1-6

Gospel:  JN 20:19-31

 

Reflection

By: Fely C. Santiago

 

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love is everlasting."

 

At this time of the pandemic when people are losing their jobs, businesses are closing down, families are losing their loved ones to CoVid-19, there is just so much uncertainty and anxiety. How long will this pandemic last? How long, O Lord? This is the question of so many of us.

And it can be overwhelming. And today we are reminded to give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love is everlasting in whatever circumstances we may have.

Can we pause for a while and be present for the moment? This is the Second Sunday of Easter and we should be thankful that we are still alive! Start writing down the things that you are thankful for and you will be surprised! Start it right now. Thank God for  a new life every morning, for the sunshine, for the rain, for the trees, for the flowers, the plants, the mountains, the sea, your eyes to see, your ears to hear, there is food on the table, you still have your feet to walk, you have friends, you can still meet people online, the gift of technology, you can connect and browse the internet, you have your phone, the comfort of your bed, the air-conditioner, the electric fan, your kitchen, your home, and on and on and on. How many were you able to list down?

 

Yes, we may be filled with dark clouds but the Lord is here. Let us keep the faith and hope in the Lord. Let us thank Him for His continued presence and unconditional love. We just have to believe that. The Lord is our only refuge at this time of the pandemic and for that we should already give thanks. We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. We strive for the grand spiritual adventure, which we haven't had, and neglect the many gifts from God that we do have. Let us be satisfied with the small measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given to us.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is everlasting!

Prayer

 

Lord Jesus for whatever life may bring I say THANK YOU! Give me the grace of a grateful heart all the time. Because when there is gratitude and humility, there is peace. Thank You for everything You have given me Lord including the gift of life that I sometimes take for granted. All this I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

 

 

Be Vigilant, Be Grateful

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

8 November 2020
First reading Wisdom 6:12-16

Resplendent and unfading is wisdom,

and she is readily perceived by those who love her,

and found by those who seek her.

She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire;

Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed,

for he shall find her sitting by his gate.

For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence,

and whoever for her sake keeps vigil

shall quickly be free from care;

because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her,

and graciously appears to them in the ways,

and meets them with all solicitude.

Second reading                                                          1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,

about those who have fallen asleep,

so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,

so too will God, through Jesus,

bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 

Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,

that we who are alive,

who are left until the coming of the Lord,

will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself, with a word of command,

with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,

will come down from heaven,

and the dead in Christ will rise first. 

Then we who are alive, who are left,

will be caught up together with them in the clouds

to meet the Lord in the air. 

Thus we shall always be with the Lord. 

Therefore, console one another with these words.

Gospel                                                                          Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins

who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 

Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 

The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,

brought no oil with them,

but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 

Since the bridegroom was long delayed,

they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight, there was a cry,

‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 

The foolish ones said to the wise,

‘Give us some of your oil,

for our lamps are going out.’

But the wise ones replied,

'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’

While they went off to buy it,

the bridegroom came

and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 

Then the door was locked.

Afterwards the other virgins came and said,

‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’

But he said in reply,

‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Therefore, stay awake,

for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Reflection

By Art B. Reyes

In the United States, Thanksgiving is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, holidays being observed. It is an annual national holiday celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. 

As a tradition, the Filipinos living there take turns in hosting the Thanksgiving dinner for their friends and their families. There was a year when I was chosen to host the occasion for our big circle of friends. And because I love to cook, I prepared several dishes that they love. Several nights before the actual day, I listed down all the necessary items that I needed to buy and bought them the following day. And on the Thanksgiving day itself,  I finished preparing the meals well ahead of time so I would have some time to do some more house cleaning. Later on that day, when every guest was around, we excitedly started to partake the foods. There was one food missing though. The rice, I forgot to cook the rice!

On this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, teaching His disciples the importance of being prepared. Jesus talks about what it means to be prepared to receive the Kingdom of Heaven. He told His disciples to understand that the exact day and time cannot be predicted. He teaches the disciples that they must remain vigilant so that they will not be caught unprepared.

Sometimes in our life, no matter how prepared we thought we are, there is still something that is left out. No matter what we do, we can never really be prepared for surprises and eventualities. There are struggles that come our way unexpectedly, sometimes in the dark chapters of our life, when we are close to giving up. But this is where our faith comes in. Never give up! Let us do our part, to the best of our abilities! And whatever we can control, let us take care of it, and to God we leave the rest.

We all know that our “time” will eventually come. Everyone will one day face our Creator. Can we say that we are well prepared to meet Him? How do we best prepare for that time? A life well-lived! 

Let us live not only for ourselves but also for others! And let us not be driven by our ambitions alone but by godly missions. May we also prepare our hearts for the unexpected blessings that come our way! Our God is the greatest provider! His blessings are abundant and sometimes given by surprise! 

Let us be vigilant and forget not to be grateful!

Prayer

Lord, help me walk with You in holiness so that I will fulfill my destiny and the purpose of my existence. Give me the wisdom and the grace to live a life that is pleasing to You. Amen.

God’s Generosity vs. Human’s Selfishness

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time20 September 2020
First reading Isaiah 55:6-9

Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Second reading                                                          Philippians 1:20-24, 27

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.

Gospel                                                                          Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus said to his disciples: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.’

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.

Now when the first came they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Reflection

By Ma. Rosalina S. Flores

When I was in high school, our substitute Math teacher gave us a quiz. I was happy because I topped the exam, 98% if I remembered it right. My hard work in solving algebraic expressions paid off. As someone who was known in class for not copying and never allowing others to copy from me, getting the highest score was really an achievement. But, I never expected the next scenario, as the teacher said that my score will also benefit my classmates who were exempted from the exam, for they represented our school to a Math Quiz Bee the other day, although they did not qualify. My score in the test will be their scores too. I must admit that I felt like being cheated. I could not comprehend the wisdom behind the decision. Since they were exempted, I did not mind if the teacher just give them 100%, but please do not make us even by giving them the same score as mine. Because it seemed to me that I took the exam for them which I found unfair. I was the one who planted but others harvested. When the teacher finished his three-month stay in our school was the point that I let go of my bitterness and accepted his wisdom although I did not fully understand.

In today's Gospel, the vineyard workers were also upset because of the good treatment of the landowner towards the latecomer laborers. Even though the latecomers worked for only one hour, they still received the usual daily wage, equal amount as the pay of those workers who toiled the day's burden and the heat. Despite the grumbling, the landowner stood firm on his decision and generosity.

At first glance, because we think as humans, we will surely agree that the landowner was quite unfair. Why did he give equal pay to each one of them? In the normal job setup, people are paid according to the number of hours they worked for. Those who work less will receive less, and those who work more will be given more - daily minimum wage plus overtime if necessary. But as the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed in our First Reading today, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD", the wisdom and actions of God as symbolized by the landowner in the parable cannot be fully figured out. There are things in our life that cannot be explained because events will unfold according to God's plan and timing. We just have to trust Him.

Another issue presented in the Gospel is human's selfishness compare to God's generosity. Men are naturally selfish but God is ever generous. From the time He created the world and us, to the giving of His own beloved Son to save us from our sins, God will never be outdone in generosity. And that became the problem of the vineyard workers; they felt insecure on how generous the landowner was – a trait that they do not possess. We should be cautious of the two faces of human's selfishness as described in today's Gospel: the desire to be the sole recipient of one's generosity known as greed and the envy towards others' goodness.

Today's parable is also a reminder to all of us that knowing Jesus is a constant call. It does not mean that we heed His call earlier than the others; we are far better and can be sure of eternal life. In fact, those who are following Jesus at this point in time must be more vigilant because they could fall to the sins of complacency and pride. The early the call, the long road to walk on, but rest assured that Jesus is there as our great companion in the journey. And those who will be heeding the call lastly should not be worried, too. Because just like the repentant thief on the cross who was brought by Jesus to paradise, there is no late and last, but always God's perfect timing of changing a stoned-heart. We will be saved by God's grace and not by our good deeds.

Prayer

Lord, teach me to be generous in love as You are to me and all. Give me a heart that finds delight on your generosity to others. Likewise, let me heed Your call now, for journeying with You is always the best and most certain in this world. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.