INSPIRATION = IN SPIRIT ACTION

 

168 : the number of hours in a week.

1:for some, the average number of hours a person spends at Church for Mass in a week to worship, 're-charge', nourish the spirit

Surprised? Not really. Some people practice their faith only by going to Mass every Sunday. In that single hour, not even their full attention is given to God. It begs the question: how can it be so difficult to completely give yourself to one hour of undivided attention and prayer?

Inspiration doesn't come easy. Inspiration, though divine and spontaneous, needs to be worked for in order to induce its presence. It also needs practice.

In Latin, inspirare "inspire, inflame, blow into," from in- "in" + spirare "to breathe". Literal sense "act of inhaling.

Inspiration for me is a word coined out of three: IN SPIRIT ACTION. It is the Holy Spirit moving in you. If it is not practiced, if it is not fully applied - even at a mere "1/168 hour-pace" - then it is bound to expire. It might grow stale. It might end, or it might go away.

Are you inspired, or 'expired'? Do you inspire or do you expire too easily?

Train your faith! The goal is for you to practice "in spirit action" until your pace moves from 1/168 to 1/24 hours a day until it reaches a 1:1 ratio; That for every hour of every day of every week of every month year after year, you will always be thinking, doing, praying, serving and living for God's greater glory. You will always include Him in the equation. 

So ingrained will this value be in you that it becomes your second nature, as in breathing, something that is "divine and spontaneous" to you - something truly inspirational. The spirit will finally work in you so much so that it becomes a part of you. The spirit active in you will make you feel more alive every single day in every single way.

All you need is to start with that one hour. Commit to it, give it your all, and the rest will follow.

May this inspire you to receive His love more and share Him as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart.

 

Fr. Vic Y. Apacible
Rector / Parish Priest

WONDER OF GOD'S WORD

"BUT SOME SEED FELL ON RICH SOIL, AND PRODUCED FRUIT"

One day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.

And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

God’s Word shares in His creative and healing power. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made” (Ps 33:6). And when the Word became a frail human being, the words He uttered possessed a power which no human word could have. They stilled storms (see Mt 8:23); restored sick people to health (see, for instance, Lk 17:11-14); called dead persons back to life (see Lk 7:11-17; Mt 5:41 and Jn 11:43f); subjugated the devil (see Mk 1:25-27). By the power of His Word, a piece of bread and a cup of wine were and are transformed into His Body and Blood!

The word of Christ had the power to transform people: a simple fisherman was transformed into the leader of the Church (Peter); a persecutor, into a tireless apostle (Paul); a hardened sinner, into an announcer of the Resurrection (Mary Magdalene).

Sown like a seed in the hearts of men, Christ’s word can work incredible wonders. But, for all its divine, omnipotent power, his word will bear fruit only if and to the extent that we allow it to do so. Its fruitfulness depends on our response – our openness, sincerity, generosity, perseverance.

The wonderful transformation undergone by Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene and innumerable others can become our own personal experience, if we want. Thanks to the power of the Word, in spite of our weakness, we can soar to greatness and thus make the Kingdom a magnificent reality in us and around us. But if we are proud, self conceited, backsliding, inconsistent, stone-like. , then the Word’s Divine Power will be reduced to nothing because of our weakness and wickedness.

Today, as at the creation of the world and as two thousand years ago, God sends His Word to us. It is up to me and you to let it bear fruit in plenty as it has the power to do.

But there is more to today’s message than the challenge to let the seed of God’s Word bear fruit in our lives.

The other part of the message concerns the sower – the sower we are called to be. This is very much a part of our vocation as disciples of the Lord who are expected to become apostles, i.e., believers sent to proclaim the Word. We are all called not only to receive and treasure God’s Word in our hearts and to make it bear abundant fruit in our life, but also to sow it in the hearts of other people. This demands of us the faith, the hope, the humility, and the optimism of the sower.

The sower scatters the seed with faith because he believes that the seed has immense potentials of life, and the land to which he entrusts it has the power to transform those potentials into reality. We should have the same faith when we present God’s Word to our brothers and sisters.

The sower scatters the seed abundantly even in days of drought, hoping that the rain will come and transform the dusty fields into the fertile wombs that will bring forth an abundant harvest. So should we continue preaching the Word with undying hope, even when we do not see signs of a positive response. God’s Word has a very long life. It can bear fruit at a time and in ways that elude our limited perceptiveness.

Faith and hope, joined together, produce optimism: the optimism of the one who knows how to confidently wait for the rain to fall, the sun to shine, and the breeze to blow . . . till the harvest season comes, in God’s own time.

CHALLENGE TO BE COMPASSIONATE LIKE JESUS

"GO YOUR WAY, YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU."

This last Sunday of October is also the last Sunday of the Month of the Rosary and of the Missions. We continue praying for our missionaries, offering for them our rosaries and our material support.

But today is also Prison Awareness Sunday. The prisoners are people we often forget and, perhaps, we do not want to think about. But they are still our brothers and sisters who, like everybody else, need our compassion, understanding, and prayer.

Let us keep this in mind as we offer this Eucharist for all those who are serving prison sentences, those who are doing their best to assist them, and all the personnel in our penitentiaries.

At the same time, deriving encouragement from the compassionate attitude of Jesus toward Bartimaeus, we seek the Lord’s help for our personal needs and for the needs of all mankind. In this Eucharistic celebration, we will adapt the request of the blind man from Jericho and implore, “Lord, let us see the wonders of your love!”

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!” Many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately the man received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.

LONG LIVE THE GOD OF LIFE

"TALITHA KOUM!"
"LITTLE GIRL, I SAY TO YOU, ARISE!"

Death is one of the inescapable sad realities of our life. It is particularly hurting when it snatches away people who are young or are specially beautiful, strong or needed in a family or society. Our faith tells us that suffering and death are not part of God’s original plan for mankind. They were introduced into our life by the devil when he convinced the first human beings to disobey God’s instructions. Their destructive presence is further strengthened every time we sin.

Today’s Liturgy of the Word reminds us that the God in whom we believe does not want death and suffering because He is a “GOD OF LIFE.” He wants that all human beings may have life and have it to the full. Such is the message of the First Reading and the Gospel.

In this Eucharistic celebration, let us be thankful to the Lord for the gifts of life and wholeness in mind and body. Let us also pray that all human beings may enjoy these blessings.


When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.

People from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out.

Jesus took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.


Euchalette, 28 June 2009
WORD AND LIFE PUBLICATIONS
MCPO Box 1820, Makati City, Philippines

JESUS: OUR HOPE IN THE STORMS OF LIFE

"QUIET! BE STILL!"

Life is not smooth sailing from beginning to end. Sooner or later, something happens that disrupts its tranquility. In those trying situations, Jesus is our only hope of salvation. And we must learn to turn to him as the disciples did during the storm that threatened to sink them.

Violent “storms” do not batter only individuals, families or institutions. They attack also the Church. But in spite of all these “storms” the Church has not only managed to survive, but also to grow, thanks to the presence of Jesus in Her.

Let this consoling thought accompany us as we are about to begin this Eucharistic celebration and offer it for the salvation of both individual believers and those parts of the Church that are undergoing severe tests and trials.

Today we also observe “Father’s Day.” This is a wonderful opportunity for us to manifest our love for all the fathers in the world, especially our own. Let us do so by offering this Eucharistic Sacrifice for them.

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.

Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even the wind and the sea obey?”

MAKING SENSE OF IT ALL: CHRISTS' PASSION AND RESURRECTION

"YOU ARE WITNESSES OF THESE THINGS."

On this last Sunday of April, the third Snday of Easter, we continue to meet the Risen Christ. He sets the hearts of His Disciples at peace and opens their minds to understand the message of the Scriptures concerning his destiny of pain and glory.

It is only in the light of the Resurrection that we are able to make sense of the violent passion and death of Christ. It is likewise in the light of His Resurrection and the eternal life He earned for us that we can come to accept the trials of life with faith and patience.

Only in the Risen Christ can we make sense and oppose the many forms of death that threaten our existence. In this Eucharist, let us ask for an increase in faith, patience and strength for ourselves and all the people we love.

The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish. He took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."


Euchalette, 26 April 2009
WORD AND LIFE PUBLICATIONS
MCPO Box 1820, Makati City, Philippines