Urban Laic

#79: Religious Freedom Is Essential For Peace

2011-01-12T23:04:00.000-06:00

The most valuable thing that we have is friendship with God. I refer to that condition of the soul by which we can receive communion without committing sacrilege. I mean the life of grace, when the Holy Spirit dwells within you. I mean the key that unlocks the door of heaven, the clean soul, purified not by your merits but by the sanctifying grace which purifies you.

Neither ten good deeds, nor a hundred can cleanse your soul. Only priests can administrate the sacrament of penance, which has this effect for the recipient.

Neither ten books with beautiful thoughts, nor a hundred can feed your soul, only priests can consecrate bread and turn it into the body and blood of Christ, which has this effect for the recipient.

To enjoy this great good, we need to live in a society that respects religious freedom. Each individual must be free to practice religion in public and private settings. This includes freedom of access to places of worship and freedom of religious ministers to serve the congregation and administer the spiritual benefits.

Today's reflection is based on a passage from the first book of Samuel. The quote is 1 Samuel 6, 1-21. I recommend that you pray before you read ahead to ask the Holy Spirit for enlightenment.

Points for reflection.

1. Those have power should consult wise men and follow their recommendations: return to the people their sacred objects and also repair the wrongs with a valuable offering. In this way, the powerful regain the esteem of the people. In every house and every school parents and teachers should allow their children to have religious experiences. Do not be afraid of what a person or a religious community can do; in contrast, fear a gang of godless men.

2. The people must participate freely in worship activities. The joy of participating in the spiritual goods is shared with the community. If your community has religious freedom, take every opportunity to meet God in the sacraments, especially the confession of your sins and communion. Also participate in other acts of devotion, such as:

pilgrimages
rosaries
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

3. Finally there are those who choose not to go. They are those who do not appreciate the sacred things. They feel no hurry to meet God. They have lost their sense of wonder. Their attitude towards God is the same as more or less everything else: “whatever”. They live on the benefits that Christianity has given us through the transformation of the savage tribes into civilized society but are not interested in corresponding to God with a little of their time. These are like the 70 men from the reading who saw the ark but were not there to celebrate the return with offerings, and died. A man without religion is like a zombie, a walking dead.

Let us ask Mary, Queen of confessors, that we do not lack spiritual assistance in our lives.

Thank you for making this reflection with me. Here you are appreciated and loved in Jesus Christ. You are the reason for my blog.

God bless you.

Please leave your comments so that others may benefit from your thoughts.

#78: Three symptoms of separation from God

2011-01-05T20:19:00.000-06:00

The love between two people is manifested every day through faithfulness. Faithfulness is manifested through communication with messages filled with love.

Two people are thus united by a circle of love that binds them together. Love is the uniting principle and the couple remains faithful to each other through constant exchanges of loving messages.

The communication is made not only with words but with all the ways that people have to express themselves and by the acts done in favor of their loved one. Thus, the words, details and services rendered to the beloved, are ways to communicate love.

The same is with God, but with the difference that love, loyalty and communication are perfect in one direction and flawed in the other. From God to you, love is perfect and its manifestations are insurmountable. From you to God, infidelity, disordered attachments and infrequency in prayer, sometimes even breaking the circle of unity and deforming it.

Sin is like an infidelity in the loving relationship between two people. If God is first in your life, you will not allow sin in your life, nor will you even go near to places where people commonly go to sin.

Today's reflection is based on a passage from the first book of Samuel. The quote is 1 Samuel 4, 12-18. I recommend that you pray before you read ahead to ask the Holy Spirit for enlightment.

Symptoms of a person separated from God.

1. A person separated from God becomes a spectator of the negative changes occurring around him. While the apostle is a leader who looks after the beloved ones of his Beloved, the spectator just sits apathetically.

2. A person separated from God is found away from the road or at best on the roadside. In other words, this person spends much of his time in sinful activities or near those who are engaged in sin. Sin has shaped his body and has impacted on his physical appearance and mood.

3. A person separated from God loses, one by one, the temporal things to which his heart is attached and ends up neglecting his health and life of grace. At the end , his life is empty and his spiritual blindness does not allow him to regain the path to happiness.

These people separated from God need good advice, though often they do not want to listen. If this is the case, then at least pray for them.

Let us ask Holy Mary, Morning Star, to guide our steps towards full union with her Son Jesus Christ. Remember the motto: "To Christ through Mary."

Thank you for making this reflection with me. This is a place where you are appreciated and loved in Jesus Christ. You are the reason for my blog. God bless you abundantly.

I'd love to know what this reflection meant to you. Do not go without leaving your comments, your purposes, whatever you want.

#77: Dispositions to conceive a child

2010-12-30T18:38:00.000-06:00

Among everything that you can do for your family, only children are eternal. Everything else is just, used up, sold or forgotten, but your children from the moment of conception begin to exist forever. Even if your children die their souls will live forever.

What God promised Abram is also at your fingertips: that your descendants will be countless as the stars in the universe. (Gn 15,5) Think about it, the calculations are easy to do, if your children have in turn their own children, and this goes on generation after generation, your descendants after thirty generations can easily be more than a billion and after 60 generations more than a trillion.

Today's reflection is based on a passage from the first book of Samuel, which tells the birth of the prophet Samuel. The passage is in 1 Samuel 1,19-28. I recommend that you pray before you read ahead to ask the Holy Spirit to His light.

Points for reflection.

1. Life is a gift from God. The union of gametes is not enough for life. God intervenes in the moment of conception and adds the soul to form a complete human being with body and soul.

2. Fertility is a blessing. Every blessing is in answer to prayer, so prayer done by the couple favors fertility. The couple can earn the trust of God with good behavior and be blessed with children.

3. Choose names for your children that will remind them of their vocation. Man’s universal vocation is life in the Holy Spirit. (Catechism, paragraph 1699)

Let us ask the Virgin Mary, Queen of families, to teach us to value human life and our role as co-creators with God of future generations of men.

Thank you for making this reflection with me. Yyou are appreciated and loved in Jesus Christ. You are the reason for my blog.

May God bless you.

I'd love to learn what this reflection has meant to you. Do not go without leaving your comments, your purposes, whatever you want.

#76: What does pervert mean?

2010-12-26T16:13:00.000-06:00

The worst way to help someone, who has become a pervert and has abandoned the way of Jesus Christ, is to pretend that it does not matter, to say that we love that person and that everything is fine.

A pervert is one who commits acts of infamy and walks to his eternal damnation. Even though his condition may be the result of circumstances that pushed him to do so, this person needs a life change to find true love.

The pervert is one who has a sexual behavior that is detrimental to society. A person with a conduct detrimental to society has three characteristics:

He does not seek to form a new family.
He is exposed and becomes a carrier of venereal disease and other ills.
His life is impoverished with a group of other negative people.

Acts of infamy are those who bring dishonor to the person and his family. Dishonor isolates the individual in disgrace for three reasons:

Perverts are disgusting like flies and cockroaches for the things they do.
People are afraid of perverts that can carry diseases and hurt their children with physical or spiritual ailments.
Friendship with a pervert can bring dishonor to you even if your conduct is above reproach.

It may be recalled here that although we call things by their name, as Catholics we are called to reach out to the neighbor without distinction of persons. If there is anything that we can do to help, we should help, if only in our prayers. We hate the sin not the sinner.

The reflection of today is based on a passage from the book of Judges that recounts a crime committed by the inhabitants of a town called Gibeah. The quote is Judges 19, 22-30. I recommend that you pray before you read ahead to ask the Holy Spirit for His light.

Points for reflection

1. You should choose well the place where you're going to have fun, and the people you hang out with. If you don’t, people will take you where you do not want to go and make you do what you loathe. Just as good deeds are observed and imitated, evil can sprinkle onto you, and before you know it, you can be involved in a problem beyond your control.

2. Do not expose your family to any physical or moral danger. Choose well your holiday vacation spot. Avoid a situation where you could lose your family. Do not encourage immoral activities that may turn your children tomorrow into adult perverts.

3. Share your mistakes and experiences, not to encourage others to sin, but to warn them of the consequences. Some people like to show off about their experiences and laugh at their sins, but this is a grave offense against modesty. You, on the contrary, be prudent and look for the good of your audience first.

Let us ask Mary, Virgin most prudent, to teach us the virtue of purity to remove any perversion from our own behavior.

May God bless you abundantly.

#75: Christmas is a time for hospitality

2010-12-21T22:20:00.000-06:00

Christmas dinner requires many preparations motivated by the pleasure and joy of spending time together as a family. The preparations would be lengthy to describe here, but I'm sure every family has a tradition on this subject, and year after year the same recipes are repeated and anticipated by everyone.

Something not to miss in each family is that someone should be responsible for inviting the lonely. We must invite the relatives who have no family of their own so that no one spends Christmas Eve by themselves.

Today's reflection is based on a passage from the book of Judges. The quote is Judges 19, 11-21. I recommend that you pray before reading ahead, asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.

Points for reflection

1. The holy man of God goes out into the world and meets all kinds of people, but at a reasonable hour, towards the end of the day, he seeks shelter to rest among his own. His own are those who share his faith and traditions.

2. Sacred Scripture in this passage, through the conduct of the old man, teaches us that despite the fatigue that can be felt after working all day, we must remain vigilant to the opportunities that God gives us to serve others.

3. A wise man should be prepared so as not to inconvenience, but also should be humble and let himself be helped by those who have the willingness to do so. The practice of virtues is dependent on each other’s need to give and receive. For this reason, you do as much good when you give as when you ask for help. When you give you do a good deed. When you ask for help, you let another person perform a good deed that will serve him in his final judgement.

Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, house of gold, to intercede for us so that we may expand our hearts and learn also to share our home with others.

May God bless you abundantly.

#74: Guidelines for marital reconciliation

2010-12-17T22:08:00.000-06:00

The couple's relationship over the years of married life has stages of communication and closeness that are exchanged for times of estrangement.

The stages of communication and closeness usually coincide with important dates such as:

anniversaries,
birthdays,
the birth of a child
the reception of a sacrament in the family.

On the other hand, the times of estrangement are a consequence of the selfishness of the couple, which is trying the patience of both spouses every day. So the days lived routinely tend to separate the couple, while special days achieve the opposite effect, uniting the spouses.

The key is to have a married life full of special moments. Some of these moments spent with family in addition to those already mentioned are:

the recitation of the Holy Rosary
Mass,
missions,
works of mercy,
prayer before meals.

Every day that the family does not have a special moment, the marriage is placed in danger. You should not wait to split up to start looking for ways to procure closeness with your spouse.

The reflection of today is based on a passage from the book of Judges. The quote is Judges 19, 1-10. I recommend that you pray before you read, to ask the Holy Spirit for His light.

Guidelines for marital reconciliation in the light of Scripture.

After a serious offense to your marriage, that by which your spouse probably deserves death and all your hatred, the first thing to do is forgive. In order for there to be reconciliation in your marriage, you must first forgive. To be able to return to the joyful life you must first forgive.
To be able to forgive you must first learn to be humble. The proud cannot forgive. To forgive is the ability of the humble. No one deserves to be forgiven, but forgiveness is an act of mercy. The humble know that God has forgiven and forgotten their sins without deserving it, and in return, they know how to forgive and forget the offenses of others.
The extended family must work together to achieve unity of the couple. Reconciliation is the responsibility of the whole family. Each with prayers, kindness, hospitality and whatever each can do to help to reset the unity. Otherwise, the people responsible for putting more distance between the couple are cursed, maybe not forever, but they commit serious sin. Each scan their own conscience and do not forget to forgive.

Let us pray to the Virgin Mary, to intercede for the unity of families, especially our Christian families, whom are called to be visible symbols of God's love.

May God bless you abundantly.

#73: Recommendations to Begin Anew

2010-12-14T22:01:00.002-06:00

In the span of a lifetime there are several opportunities to start again. Some go to another city. Others move to a different home nearby. A family moves into the neighborhood, while the other migrates to another country. A parent loses a job and starts a business. Another marries for the first time and begins a new family.

This types of changes or important events in life require three things in common:

• information and plans

• resources and logistics

• determination and perseverance.

Before undertaking the change you need information to make a good plan. Once you've made your plan, you need to get the resources and means to travel safely. Finally, once all the loose ends are tied together, the decision has to be taken as a family and they must all agree with the change of life, because most of the time there is no turning back.

Today's reflection is based on a passage from the book of Judges that tells the migration of the Danites, a tribe of Israel. The quote today is Judges 18, 11-26. Before reading, I recommend you to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for enlightment.

Points for reflection.

1. Your life is changing for the better if you are now closer to God. You might have left behind something you like, but if you now have a closer relationship with God, then the change was for the better, both for you and your family.

2. The whole family should pursue together the change of life and not be living apart. If you live together, the man cares for his wife and the woman in turn cares for the children.

3. Hold on to God like a drowning man clings to what keeps him afloat. God is your strength to endure what is to come as a result of the change of life. Do not be fooled by strangers that want to take you away from God.

Let us ask Mary, who had to migrate to avoid the soldiers from destroying her family, to teach us to be strong and confident in God.

May God bless you abundantly.

#72: The two mistakes of individualism

2010-12-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

God is the center and the meaning of human life. Individualism therefore is fundamentally wrong as an ideology because it place the individual at the center, pretending to achieve freedom in this way. Two mistakes are evident. First to place the individual at the center and above every institution or person, even though that place belongs only to God. Second to have liberty as the main goal, when only God is the true goal and meaning of life.

Christians are servers by vocation, because we see Christ in others and know that what we do for them is as if we did it for God himself. Christians advance in the way of life, not from place to place, or from one object to another but from one person to another. When a Christian meets another person she stops to greet, talk and see if she can offer help. The individualist, in contrast, walks around other people, if not pushing them and putting them aside.

Now let's consider a passage from the book of Judges. The passage is Judges 17, 7-13. I recommend that you pray before you read ahead, asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.

The story we read might as well have been written about Jesus Christ.

Christ was born in Bethlehem but lived there for a while as a foreigner because His parents had their home in Nazareth.
Christ is a priest like the Levite in the passage, and He is also looking for a place to live. Christ wants to live in your heart.
The relationship we have with God is Father to son.
True prosperity comes from the individual's relationship with God, when God is the center of the individual's life.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, to accompany us on our journey through life.

May God bless you abundantly.

#71: The land of your enemies.

2010-12-12T16:36:00.000-06:00

Do you imagine how your life would be, if you were captured by your enemies and sent to a strange land from where you could not return?

First you would lose your belongings. Your enemies would strip you away from them. Once you were taken, what ever was left behind would be picked up by other people. Even if you could somehow miraculously return, you would find nothing of what you own today.

Your enemies would make it impossible for you to maintain contact with family and friends. As the days, weeks and years went by fewer people would remember you. You would live friendless, surrounded only by those who hate you.

In that strange land, you would not even have the chance to use your talents, or practice your profession. Even communicating would be hard, for nobody would care about what you had to say. You would be treated as a prisoner or at best as a slave, forced to undertake the most humiliating of chores and unthinkable acts to delight your enemies.

Life in the land of your enemies would be existence without hope. A perpetual torture where you could not even decide when or how much to sleep. There would be no one to exchange a kind gesture with.

The true land of your enemies is hell and your real enemies are demons. I do not write this to scare you. I just want you to contemplate with clarity a place where you will never want to live.

Today's reflection is based on a passage from the book of Deuteronomy. The passage is found at Deut, 28, 47-68. Before you read I recommend that you pray to the Holy Spirit and ask for His light.

Points for reflection.

1. The Christian life is a life of joyful service to God and man, motivated by love. This service is the way to pay forward all the blessings of God. Over time we develop an ever closer relationship with God that allows us to perceive what we have received and the opportunities that each day we have to serve our neighbor.2. God has given much to you to help Him, however, if you live in a selfish manner and do not help, you will become useless, a waste of God's resources. Your soul will dry up and your defenses will be low against the enemies of the soul.3. Christ has bought us with His death on the cross so that we can have a happy eternal life. The damned in hell have no savior. Those condemned are just shadows and ashes of the human beings that they were. It is important to reflect upon and appreciate the sacrifice that Christ made for you to correspond to such a huge gesture of love and not fall into the ranks of the apathetic and damned.
Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of all saints, we too may one day join the choir of angels.

May God bless you abundantly.

#70: Three rules to choose your couple without committing a mistake.

2010-12-10T07:00:00.006-06:00

There will come a day, dear friend, long before you are wise and mature, when you will choose a partner for the rest of your life. Since that day you will make a decision without being well prepared, I want to share with you three rules for choosing a partner without making a mistake.

Rule #1.

Choose a healthy person of the opposite sex with whom you can have a family. Beyond her physical appearance or social position, pay attention to her health and habits, because raising a family requires a lot of teamwork and there are few opportunities to rest.

Rule #2.

Even if you're really in love, get advice from your parents. It is important to know what your parents think of your partner before entering into a commitment, not only because you marry a person, but you're going to live together with her family and she in turn will live together with your whole family too. Keep in mind that the grandparents and uncles can be a great support for the new family being formed. So try to choose your in-laws well.

Rule #3.

Choose a person who loves God above all things. This is the most important rule. If your partner has this quality you are going to be benefited in the following ways:

the relationship will be long and fruitful

your house will be real home

your children will grow with an upright conscience

your estate will increase

the couple's love will grow year by year

To enrich the subject we should make a reflection from a passage in the Bible. The reflection of today is based on a passage from the book of Judges that recounts the marriage of Samson. The passage is found in the book of Judges chapter 14, numbers 1 to 11. If you intend to read the passage I recommend praying before to the Holy Spirit to ask for His light.

Points for reflection.

It's great to have communication with your parents, but it is better to listen to them with humility and follow good advice to avoid much needless suffering.
We must reflect on the things that happen during the day and accept them willingly. Over time we learn to see God's hand in all events and we can discover God's will. The opposite attitude is to grumble about everything that happens in your life and not see the benefit that the experience may have for your soul.
If you abandon Christ´s way you encounter the dead. In the reading, death is represented by the corpse of the lion, which was overcomed by the power of God infused to Samson. Do not waste time browsing among the spiritually dead because they can hurt you.
The honeycomb and the bees described in the reading represent something sweet and dangerous. It may be an analogy of the sweetness of the pleasures that will never truly satisfy you. Stay away from the honey that steals the life of grace. Only God can fully satisfy you because we were created by Him and for Him, the sweetness of God is greater and it remains.

Let us ask Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, to teach us to sanctify ourselves through our marriage together with our partner.

Thank you for making this reflection with me. This is a place where you are appreciated and loved in Jesus Christ. You are the reason for my blog. May God bless you.

I'd love to know what this reflection meant to you. Do not go without leaving your comments, your purposes, whatever you want.

#69: Where is the way to heaven?

2010-12-09T07:00:00.001-06:00

Heaven is a spiritual place of eternal happiness. To get there we first have to prepare for a good death, for no one can enter heaven without leaving behind the physical body.

In order to prepare for a good death you have to live a righteous life. The righteous life is lived by advancing along the way to heaven without deviating from the path.

Q: Where is the way to heaven?

A: Christ is the way to heaven because heaven is a place of perfect union with Christ.

The reflection of today is based on a passage from the book of Judges. Before reading the passage pray and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.

22 When Abimelech had ruled Israel for three years,
23 God put bad feelings between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who rebelled against Abimelech.
24 This was to repay the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal and to avenge their blood upon their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and upon the citizens of Shechem, who encouraged him to kill his brothers.
25 The citizens of Shechem then set men in ambush for him on the mountaintops, and these robbed all who passed them on the road. But it was reported to Abimelech.
26 Now Gaal, son of Ebed, came over to Shechem with his kinsmen. The citizens of Shechem put their trust in him,
27 and went out into the fields, harvested their grapes and trod them out. Then they held a festival and went to the temple of their god, where they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.
28 Gaal, son of Ebed, said, "Who is Abimelech? And why should we of Shechem serve him? Were not the son of Jerubbaal and his lieutenant Zebul once subject to the men of Hamor, father of Shechem? Why should we serve him?
29 Would that this people were entrusted to my command! I would depose Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, 'Get a larger army and come out!'"
30 At the news of what Gaal, son of Ebed, had said, Zebul, the ruler of the city, was angry
31 and sent messengers to Abimelech in Arumah with the information: "Gaal, son of Ebed, and his kinsmen have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.
32 Now rouse yourself; set an ambush tonight in the fields, you and the men who are with you.
33 Promptly at sunrise tomorrow morning, make a raid on the city. When he and his followers come out against you, deal with him as best you can."
34 During the night Abimelech advanced with all his soldiers and set up an ambush for Shechem in four companies.
35 Gaal, son of Ebed, went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. When Abimelech and his soldiers rose from their place of ambush,
36 Gaal saw them and said to Zebul, "There are men coming down from the hilltops!" But Zebul answered him, "You see the shadow of the hills as men."
37 But Gaal went on to say, "Men are coming down from the region of Tabbur-Haares, and one company is coming by way of Elon-Meonenim."
38 Zebul said to him, "Where now is the boast you uttered, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Are these not the men for whom you expressed contempt? Go out now and fight with them."
39 So Gaal went out at the head of the citizens of Shechem and fought against Abimelech.
40 But Abimelech routed him, and he fled before him; and many fell slain right up to the entrance of the gate.
41 Abimelech returned to Arumah, but Zebul drove Gaal and his kinsmen from Shechem, which they had occupied.[1]

Points for reflection.

Sins give us immediate pleasure but have negative consecuences on our happiness that far exceed the alleged benefits we got. One consequence is the temporal punishment that we must purge. The temporal punishment is suffering that God allows in order for us to value the life of grace and return to Him.
Alcoholic drinks will loosen the tongue and under its effect you can say things that bring you serious problems. It is better to stay sober and alert to take care of yourself better.
When people want you to fail, they will give you false or incomplete information to mislead you to make bad decisions. If you find yourself surrounded by enemies make sure you obtain reliable information and verify it by several sources. The Catholic Church is a source of reliable information on matters of faith because the Church wants your salvation.

Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary to teach us to live with Christ as she did throughout her life.

God bless you.

[1]Judges 9, 22-41

#68: A world without God is exclusionary

2010-12-08T07:00:00.005-06:00

The greatest atrocities that history has witnessed were made by men and women who sought to build societies without God:

the invaders killed citizens
settlers killed Indians
the Nazis killed their neighbors
Communists killed their bosses
feminists killed unborn children

The world without God seemed small and they felt the need to reduce human numbers so more was available for those remaining. The justification for these killings was based in:

hatred,
revenge
liberty
military or racial supremacy
and ecology

They forgot that God created the world out of nothing and that under this truth, the world is inexhaustible. If God wants it, He can provide whatever is necessary so that the world continues to exist.

Today's reading is from the Book of Judges. Jotham appears in this passage, also Abimelech his brother and the men of Shechem. Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, cursed Abimelech because he killed his seventy brothers and proclaimed himself king. Since Abimelech was supported by the men of Shechem, Jotham also cursed them.

Ask the Holy Spirit for help and continue reading.

7 When this was reported to him, Jotham went to the top of Mount Gerizim, and standing there, cried out to them in a loud voice: "Hear me, citizens of Shechem, that God may then hear you!
8 Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. So they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'
9 But the olive tree answered them, 'Must I give up my rich oil, whereby men and gods are honored, and go to wave over the trees?'
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come; you reign over us!'
11 But the fig tree answered them, 'Must I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?'
12 Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come you, and reign over us.'
13 But the vine answered them, 'Must I give up my wine that cheers gods and men, and go to wave over the trees?'
14 Then all the trees said to the buckthorn, 'Come; you reign over us!'
15 But the buckthorn replied to the trees, 'If you wish to anoint me king over you in good faith, come and take refuge in my shadow. Otherwise, let fire come from the buckthorn and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'
16 "Now then, if you have acted in good faith and honorably in appointing Abimelech your king, if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and with his family, and if you have treated him as he deserved -
17 for my father fought for you at the risk of his life when he saved you from the power of Midian;
18 but you have risen against his family this day and have killed his seventy sons upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your kinsman -
19 if, then, you have acted in good faith and with honor toward Jerubbaal and his family this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he in turn rejoice in you.
20 But if not, let fire come forth from Abimelech to devour the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come forth from the citizens and from Beth-millo to devour Abimelech."
21 Then Jotham went in flight to Beer, where he remained for fear of his brother Abimelech.[1]

Points for reflection.

Atheists make their plans and projects without consulting God and only manage to diminish people. A person has a mission in life intended by God from eternity. Everyone has to find his mission in life and accomplish it. The mission that God has for each person is sweeter, more fruitful and wonderful than any human plan.
God's plans are always looking to increase life and love. The plans of men have a limited horizon and only consider how to share what their eyes see. God's plans are inclusive for the whole human race, while the men have plans for a limited number of beneficiaries.
Stay away from people who recommend that you hurt your brothers. These people seek a world without God, an exclusive world.

Let us pray to Mary and ask her intercession as we celebrate her feast day, to teach us to have an inclusive heart like hers. She is Mother of God and of all human beings.

God bless you.

[1] Judges, 9, 7-21

67# Caution: the apostle's life is difficult if you live wrong.

2010-12-07T07:00:00.003-06:00

God likes to make use of smaller, poorer and less powerful people to fulfill His divine plan. God chooses the weak so that no one will doubt that the merit of the good things attained belongs to Him. For example, for the evangelization of America, God chose St. Juan Diego, an Indian not a Spanish, to carry the message of the Virgin Mary to the bishop.

If God asks something from you, do not be scared, nor feel cocky, because He chose you to make sure no one doubts, starting with you, that His is the merit of anything good that follows. The history of salvation is God's work and we are unworthy collaborators.

The apostle's life is difficult if you live wrong. The apostle is a witness of God. The apostle preaches what God inspires him and what God has done in his life. If the apostle forgets to pray and he forgets to ask God for help in every job, then everything starts to go wrong, because the work is of God, not of the apostle. Remember Jesus Christ praying. Christ is the role model for all good apostles.

In today's reading taken from a passage in the book of Judges, we find Gideon, a farmer turned warrior by God's request, pursuing the enemies of Israel even though he was outnumbered by a ratio of fifty to one. Fifteen thousand enemy soldiers against three hundred badly supplied men. I recommend, before you read, that you make a prayer to the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.

4 When Gideon reached the Jordan and crossed it with his three hundred men, they were exhausted and famished.

5 So he said to the men of Succoth, "Will you give my followers some loaves of bread? They are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian."

6 But the princes of Succoth replied, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give food to your army?"

7 Gideon said, "Very well; when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my power, I will grind your flesh in with the thorns and briers of the desert."

8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request of them, but the men of Penuel answered him as had the men of Succoth.

9 So to the men of Penuel, too, he said, "When I return in triumph, I will demolish this tower."

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their force of about fifteen thousand men; these were all who were left of the whole Kedemite army, a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen having fallen.

11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the camp when it felt secure.

12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled. He pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, captive, throwing the entire army into panic.[1]

Points for reflection.
1. The apostle sets out to win souls to God with all the disadvantages. His only advantage is God, but God alone is enough to win, because the souls are thirsty for God.
2. The apostle has to beg for help and often can not find it because people ask for proof in exchange. The people asking for proof also thirst for God, but have stopped looking for Him because they do not want to lose the privileges they have earned.
3. The path of the nomads is the way of those who are in transition, the path of youth. Young people constitute a social group where the apostles can win many souls to God.

Let us ask Mary to teach us to be good apostles letting ourselves be guided by the loving hand of God.
God bless you.

[1] Judges, 8, 4-12

#66: "I dedicate this victory to my Daddy God."

2010-12-06T07:00:00.008-06:00

As soon as the referee whistled the end of the soccer match, the reporters ran to meet with the players to get the interview. One reporter asked Walter Ayoví, football player for the cuadruple champions Rayados del Monterrey, to whom did he dedicated his victory, and he answered while breathing heavily: "I dedicate this victory to my Daddy God."

Walter Ayoví demonstrated his quality on and off the field, because he is one of the best players in the team, and yet he is also humble and knows how to honor Him, who deserves honor. God knows how to do justicie, and in His providence the football entered the Santos's goal three times, and Rayados won the Cup.

The reflection for today is based on a passage of the book of Judges. I recommend that you make a pause at this time to pray to the Holy Spirit for His light.

9 My heart is with the leaders of Israel,

nobles of the people who bless the LORD;

10 They who ride on white asses,

seated on saddlecloths as they go their way;

11 Sing of them to the strains of the harpers at the wells,

where men recount the just deeds of the LORD,

his just deeds that brought freedom to Israel.[1]

Reflection points.
1. The people, that make up the army of the Lord to conquer souls for Christ, are close to God's heart. Do not remain seated just watching us go by without doing your part of the work.
2. Every catholic is a missionary and every missionary has different weapons or talents to fight for God, but we all walk along the same way and work for the same purpose. Find your place in the ranks. Some pray, others preach and still others write, but we all want that more people open their hearts to God and believe.
3. Victory is celebrated not for pride but for divine justice that has prevailed. The end of war time is the beginning of peace time. It is better to give credit to God for our success to remember that peace and divine justice are the main goals. The purpose of winning is not to humiliate our opponents but to celebrate together the sovereignty of God, his kindness and his power. Winning does not give you the right to hurt your adversary. Victory celebrations are joyful, but charity must always prevail to have lasting peace.

Let us pray to the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, asking her to let us be filled with joy as we witness the marvelous deeds of God.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Holy Scripture. This is a place where you are appreciated. This is a place where you are loved in Christ. You are the purpose of my blog. May God bless you abundantly.

I love to read your comments. What do you get from this reflection? Just write about anything you want that could be helpful to you or someone else.

[1] Judges, 5, 9-11

#65: Easy method to live happy without much conflict

2010-12-05T07:00:00.001-06:00

Every human being has a distorted self image. This distortion is caused by sin. Sin hinders our capacity to really know ourselves.

If we do not know ourselves correctly, then we accumulate false expectations as we go on with our lives. We hold false expectations in our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves and in our relationship with others. These series of false expectations lead to a series of frustrations that can manifest themselves through sadness, fury, bitterness and even violence.

Which then is the method to live happy without much conflict?

Before answering the question, I invite you to reflect upon a passage of the book of Judges, that might shed a light on the answer to the question. Please pause for a moment to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you with the reflection so that you may bear fruit in your life.

20 In his anger toward Israel the LORD said, "Inasmuch as this nation has violated my covenant which I enjoined on their fathers, and has disobeyed me,

21 I for my part will not clear away for them any more of the nations which Joshua left when he died."

22 Through these nations the Israelites were to be made to prove whether or not they would keep to the way of the LORD and continue in it as their fathers had done;

23 therefore the LORD allowed them to remain instead of expelling them immediately, or delivering them into the power of Israel.[1]

Reflection points.
1. In order for our relationship with God to prosper we must honor the alliance that we have with Him, in other words we must obey His commandments; additionaly, we must learn to hear His voice. You might think that God calls every once in while. God actually calls all the time. He calls in silence in every moment of your day to suggest His will.

2. If your behaviour is no different from the people that live distant from God, then do not expect preferential treatment, only because you made the sign of the cross over your forehead sometime in the past. We must be constant and faithful. Only our love of God will make constancy and faithfulness possible.

3. God allows trials to purify your heart. He releases you from your disordered affections so that your heart will be vacant for God to occupy. If God is number one in your heart then you can be faithful.

Which is the method to live happy without much conflict?

The easy method to live happy without much conflict is humility. Humility is the virtue that helps us to know ourselves as God sees us. Humility helps us to have reachable expectations. Humility helps us in every relationship, be it with God, with ourselves and/or with others.

If you want to know more about humility, I recommend that you read the writings of:

Mother Theresa of Calcutta,
Saint Francis of Assisi,
Saint Therese of Lisieux and
Saint Jean-Marie Vianney.

A couple of books are also very helpful to learn about humility:

The practice of humility by Pope León XIII, and
Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis.

Finally, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is the best teacher of humility after Christ himself.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Holy Scripture. This is a place where you are appreciated. This is a place where you are loved in Christ. You are the purpose of my blog. May God bless you abundantly.

I love to read your comments. What do you get from this reflection? Just write about anything you want that could be helpful to you or someone else.

[1] Judges, 2, 20 - 23

#64: How to educate your children for salvation

2010-12-04T07:00:00.002-06:00

The education of children is homework for parents. Homework is work meant to be done at home. The education of children is work that parents do at home.

The quality of the school, where your children go to, has no correlation to the quality of people that your children will be. The quality of the education that you personally provide to your children has positive correlation to the quality of the people that your children are and will be. If you want your children to be successful in life, then you have to educate them.

For a catholic, the most important goal and the only one transcendent is to accomplish eternal salvation. If your children achieved salvation then they were successful in life.

How then, are you going to educate your children for salvation?

Before answering this question, were are going to reflect upon a passage of the book of Judges, that may give you insight to find the answer yourself. I recommend that you pray to the Holy Spirit before reading ahead.

16 Even when the LORD raised up judges to deliver them from the power of their despoilers,

17 they did not listen to their judges, but abandoned themselves to the worship of other gods. They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken, and did not follow their example of obedience to the commandments of the LORD.

18 Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge and save them from the power of their enemies as long as the judge lived; it was thus the LORD took pity on their distressful cries of affliction under their oppressors.

19 But when the judge died, they would relapse and do worse than their fathers, following other gods in service and worship, relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.[1]

Reflection points.
1. God is the first stakeholder interested in raising people among the Church to teach us the way to heaven. The family is the domestic church. Therefore, God has determined that parents teach their children the way to salvation.
2. When parents are not around, children tend to rebel or relax in their conduct. The more time that parents are away the more the children grow accustomed to rebellious and morally relaxed behaviour. Do not be surprised if children that receive no faith education directly from their parents end up seeking by themselves and finding a variety of exotic ways or gods. If this process repeats itself from one generation to the next then great grandchildren will most likely follow very different lifestyles than their great grandparents. Take it for a fact, that it is part of human nature to seek some type of god even if we are not taught to do so.

What have we learned in this passage about how to educate our children for salvation?

Father and mother must be close to God, they must live in grace.
For as long as they live together with their children, parents must teach them to obey the commandments for the love of God.
Parents must protect their children from harm to body and soul, while children grow in wisdom to discern for themselves.

By following these 3 steps, your children will grow to be judges, in the biblical sense, and they will teach your grandchildren, even if you are no longer around.

We ask Holy Mary to intercede for us and to teach us to educate our children in the true faith that grants eternal life.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Holy Scripture. This is a place where you are appreciated. This is a place where you are loved in Christ. You are the purpose of my blog. May God bless you abundantly.

I love to read your comments. What do you get from this reflection? Just write about anything you want that could be helpful to you or someone else.

[1] Judges, 2, 16-19

#63: Five Gifts That You Recieved From God and How to Correspond

2010-12-03T07:00:00.003-06:00

In every day life, we are accustomed to giving something in exchange for another thing that we receive. For example, we walk into a store, pick what we want, paid for the items and walk away with them to do as we please. Another example is paid work. We go the office, work for certain amount of hours and some days later we expect to be paid a salary.

In God's case, we are indebted to Him since the beginning of our lives. God has given each one of us five gifts for which he has received no payment:

Life
Family
Liberty
The Church and the sacraments
The gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What are you going to give God in exchange for those five gifts that He has given you?

Today's reading is from the book of Joshua. This reading can help us to find the answer to the question above. Before you start reading, pause for moment of prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to make a good reflection.

16 But the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD for the service of other gods.

17 For it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed.

18 At our approach the LORD drove out (all the peoples, including) the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

19 Joshua in turn said to the people, "You may not be able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

20 If, after the good he has done for you, you forsake the LORD and serve strange gods, he will do evil to you and destroy you."

21 But the people answered Joshua, "We will still serve the LORD."

22 Joshua therefore said to the people, "You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the LORD." They replied, "We are, indeed!"

23 "Now, therefore, put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."

24 Then the people promised Joshua, "We will serve the LORD, our God, and obey his voice."[1]

Reflection points.

1. Do not waste time seeking wisdom in other religions and sects. Do not abandon God's wisdom. Sometimes we are more familiar with celebrities' quotes than with the Word of God. We must dedicate some time each day to approach God through the Bible, and as you read you can also chat with Him about anything that on your mind.

2. Every day we are exposed to temptation and we sin with more or less moral gravity. This is why it is important to keep up our motivation through prayer. We must remain faithful to the Lord.

3. We must choose once and for all that God be the center of our lifes, the first in our hearts and truly the greatest love of our lives. Only when we have made this choice, can we begin to be free from sin and happy.

May our Holy Mother in heaven teach us to correspond to God for His gifts and blessings by being faithful.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Scripture. This is a place where you are appreciated. This is a place where you are loved in Christ. You are the purpose of my blog. May God bless you abundantly.

I would love to read your comments. What do you get from this reflection? Just write about anything you want that could be helpful to you or someone else.

[1] Jos, 24, 16-24

#62: God and His Promises

2010-12-02T07:00:00.003-06:00

Of all the types of gods that we might have had, the truth is that we have the best God.[ Ex,8,6] We could have had a fickle god, but instead we have an eternal God.[Gn,21,33] We could have found ourselves kneeling to a diabolical god, but instead our God is holy.[Lev,11,45] We even might have had to do with a god made of energy, but instead our God is noncreated spirit.[Jn,4,24]

It could have been unthinkable to have a relationship with God, but instead God is nearby,[Deut,4,7] so close in fact that he likes to dwell inside of us.[1Cor,3,16] Our relationship with God could have been very similar to the way a master relates to his slave, but instead God treats us like a Father to a son[Rom,1,7] ,and a Friend to a friend[Jn,15,15] and an Advocate to a defendant.[Jn,14,16]

In summary, God is a great person and it is worth the effort that you invest to know Him better; and if I might add He created you in His own image[ Gn,1,27], therefore I am pretty sure that you are a person that I should get to know better.

Today's reflection will be centered on only one verse from the book of Joshua. Before you read it, I recommend that you make a pause in prayer to acknowledge God's presence and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you.

14 "Today, as you see, I am going the way of all men. So now acknowledge with your whole heart and soul that not one of all the promises the LORD, your God, made to you has remained unfulfilled. Every promise has been fulfilled for you, with not one single exception.[ Jos, 23, 14]

Reflection points.

1. In order to get out of this world everyone of us needs to experience death, which is nothing more than leaving behind the physical part of our body and continuing with the spiritual part. In fact, for the most part, our lives will be spiritual. The part that we are currently living, which we call our lives, is as tiny in length as a blink of the eyes in comparison to the eternal life that awaits us. God placed death in our path and He is waiting on the other side with open arms to embrace us in a way that only two spiritual beings can embrace one another.

2. God's promises are remarkable. ¿What are His promises? and ¿why are they remarkable? God promises: love, plenitude, company, help, protection, nourishment for body and soul. Only God can give us these things in such a perfect way and that is why his promises are remarkable.

God's promises are sacred because they have infinite value and they are gifts that come from Him. His Name, His honor and his promises are not to be used in vain; for example, by uttering a false oath. God honors His word and abides by His promises. We must not smear God´s reputation by promising something in God's Name that we have no intention of actually doing.

Be careful with your promises because we are fragile beings. Today we are here but tomorrow could be our last day. So remember the second commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. I believe it is the second in the order of commandments because after love, God's promises are essential for our happiness.

So let us pray to our Holy Mother and ask her to teach us to keep the second commandment, by removing from our mouths blasphemous words, dirty words, spells, enchantments, and perjury.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Scripture. This is a place where you are appreciated. This is a place where you are loved in Christ. You are the purpose of my blog. May God bless you abundantly.

#61: Leaders and tyrants

2010-12-01T07:00:00.002-06:00

The world has leaders and tyrants. Leaders are people with moral integrity, that can inspire other people to join together for a common purpose. Tyrants on the other hand, are powerful people that inspire fear on other people and obligate them to commit indignant acts unworthy of human beings in exchange for permission to live.

Today we will reflect together a passage from the book of Joshua. Before you start to read, acknowledge God's presence and ask the Holy Spirit for enlightment.

3 On learning what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, the inhabitants of Gibeon

4 put into effect a device of their own. They chose provisions for a journey, making use of old sacks for their asses, and old wineskins, torn and mended.

5 They wore old, patched sandals and shabby garments; and all the bread they took was dry and crumbly.

6 Thus they journeyed to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, where they said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land to propose that you make an alliance with us."

7 But the men of Israel replied to the Hivites, "You may be living in land that is ours. How, then, can we make an alliance with you?"

8 But they answered Joshua, "We are your servants." Then Joshua asked them, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

9 They answered him, "Your servants have come from a far-off land, because of the fame of the LORD, your God. For we have heard reports of all that he did in Egypt

10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take along provisions for the journey and go to meet them. Say to them: We are your servants; we propose that you make an alliance with us.'

12 This bread of ours was still warm when we brought it from home as provisions the day we left to come to you, but now it is dry and crumbled.

13 Here are our wineskins, which were new when we filled them, but now they are torn. Look at our garments and sandals, which are worn out from the very long journey."

14 Then the Israelite princes partook of their provisions, without seeking the advice of the LORD.

15 So Joshua made an alliance with them and entered into an agreement to spare them, which the princes of the community sealed with an oath.

16 Three days after the agreement was entered into, the Israelites learned that these people were from nearby, and would be living in Israel.

17 The third day on the road, the Israelites came to their cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim,

18 but did not attack them, because the princes of the community had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. When the entire community grumbled against the princes[1]

Points of reflection

1. The human being has the necessity of making an alliance with God, through His representatives on Earth. Maybe at this point in your life your path has been distant from God, but now you feel His presence and the only way to come out of this situation in good standing is by means of an alliance.

Jesus Christ has made a new alliance with humanity and everyone of us must sign this deal in order to be saved. By this I mean that we must believe in Christ and publicly recognize Him as Lord and Savior, so that we may aspire to be included among the chosen. This is the meaning implied in the following verse found in the book of Saint Mark: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.[2]

2. People that live distant from God lie on a daily basis and they are skillful at lying, for the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.[3] These people have the following strategy: to offer immediate satisfaction in exchange for your acceptance of the deal.

When people such as these approach you with an offer, do not be naive and self-sufficient. It is better to ask for time to think the deal through. You must present your decision first to God and ask for His advice. To seek advice you have several resources: the Bible, your own conscience, prayer, spiritual direction and counsel from family members with moral integrity.

3. Strong leadership is found in people like the Pope. This strength comes from his closeness to God.

When a leader walks away from God he or she loses moral authority and leadership. The leader may maintain power and may be able to enforce his will, but people will not be inspired to follow him or her. People follow and obey leaders, but tyrants are only obeyed.

Let us ask our Holy Mother, herself an excellent christian leader, to teach us to believe in Christ, to ask for good advice and to become true leaders close to God's heart.

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Scripture. This is a place where you are appreciated. This is a place where you are loved in Christ. You are the purpose of my blog. May God bless you abundantly.

[1] Joshua, 9, 3 - 18
[2] Mark, 16, 16
[3] Luke, 16, 8

#60: Faith defeats the greatest evil

2010-11-30T00:06:00.002-06:00

Introduction: The Missions

If you are catholic, I am certain that at least once you have been a missionary. If you haven´t, then the next time you can, go on a mission.

The first missions were organized by Jesus Christ himself. He told his disciples to share the good news to all the nearby towns and villages.[1] Ever since then, the Church has never ceased to organize missions by sending priests as well as secular people to spread the Gospel.

Missions always have the same purpose: to annouce the good news to each new generation. Since there are some many bad news, which is the good news? The good news is the Kingdom of God. God rules and will rule always.

Pope Bendict XVI wrote in his book Jesus of Nazareth a chapter that explains that the Kingdom of God is Jesus Christ himself. These terms are interchangeable when you read the Bible. For example, in the same passage I refered to earlier, Jesus sends his disciples with the following errands: to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Therefore, following the Pope's teaching, we can substitute kingdom of God and the errands will be: to proclaim Jesus Christ and to heal.

Reading of the Word of God.

Todays reading is taken from the book of Joshua. Before you read I recommend that you pray for a moment to acknowledge the presence of God and to ask for the light of the Holy Spirit, so that your heart and soul will open willingly to the Lord.

The king of Ai saw this, and he and all his army came out very early in the morning to engage Israel in battle at the descent toward the Arabah, not knowing that there was an ambush behind the city.

Joshua and the main body of the Israelites fled in seeming defeat toward the desert,

till the last of the soldiers in the city had been called out to pursue them.

Since they were drawn away from the city, with every man engaged in this pursuit of Joshua and the Israelites, not a soldier remained in Ai (or Bethel), and the city was open and unprotected.

Then the LORD directed Joshua, "Stretch out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will deliver it into your power." Joshua stretched out the javelin in his hand toward the city,

and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose from their post, rushed in, captured the city, and immediately set it on fire.[2]

Reflection.

The mission is an errand of God. The errand is a conquest type operation. Therefore, if you are a missionary, go out and conquer you brothers in Christ for God. The javelin that you hold in your hand is the faith that you have received from God. The winning tactic is to show your faith in the climatic moment of the battle. Expose yourself away from cover and let everyone see you, and in that moment show your faith, share your testimony. Your testimony is the account that explains how God has acted in your life. The hearts of the people are moved by testimonies like these. Their hearts will feel attracted to God and they will be better inclined to accept your faith.

Where do you get a javelin like that in the middle of the desert? A javelin like that can only come from God. Ask God for faith and he will more than gladly give it to you. Use your faith to defeat evil. The greatest evil is the evil of incredulity.

Finally let us ask our Holy Virgen Mother to teach us to pray with the same amount of faith like when se said: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.[3]

Thank you for reflecting with me this passage of Scripture. This is a place where you are appreciated. This is a place where you are loved in Christ. You are the purpose of my blog. May God bless you abundantly.

[1] Luke, 9, 6
[2] Joshua, 8, 14-19
[3] Luke, 1, 38