Journey with the Bible - 1/7/2012

Today's Readings - http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010712.cfm

I've been sick for the past few days, and it wasn't a pretty one, I have never been this sick in a long time. I wanted to read and blog, but my body was just so weak, and I could not eat at all. I offered up my pains at the foot of the Cross. "We have this confidence in God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14). Praise God, today I feel better. It's amazing during those days that I was sick, I felt no prompting nor words or inspiration, it's as if God is telling me to just rest and take it easy. God is definitely taking care of me.

Today even before I came out of the house for my doctors appointment words are just coming one after another and so I shall write.

Let's talk about the First Reading...Have you ever experienced in your prayer life, when you are asking something to God and God sends you something else or none at all? Yep! happened to me. I used to get mad before, but now I learned that Gods plan is greater than what I have in mind. For example, at work we have this pooling system to play the lottery and every time there is a big jackpot we would collect money and play. And then I would be praying to God to let us win...while deep inside in my heart I know that more money is not really the answer. While gaining more money may help us in paying off our mortgage and sending our kids to college, God knows that it might lead me to corruption, laziness and worldliness. So now I changed my prayer and still ask for blessings, but I try to align my thoughts and my will to what is of God and at the end of it I say..."Let Your will be done and not mine".

And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have asked him for is ours.
If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly,
he should pray to God and he will give him life.
This is only for those whose sin is not deadly.
There is such a thing as deadly sin,
about which I do not say that you should pray.
All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. (1 John:15-17)

I'm a big Yankee fan. I don't know much about their history but I love to watch baseball. I get all so emotional when they lose and when there's a shady pitcher in the mound. Sometimes I would sit down on weekends and that will preoccupy pretty much the rest of my day. It was time consuming. I then realized, it was taking a lot of my precious time away from my family, my kids and most importantly from God. I even had the nerve to ask God to let them win the playoffs, that was so silly of me. As if God really cares about them winning the World Series more than saving souls. Anyways, I was at a point where it became an idol to me. I even imitated what they wear, like bracelets...etc. A lot of athletes nowadays are into rituals and superstitions and a lot of their fans are imitating them. While sports in itself is not bad, there's really not too many good athlete out there to imitate. A lot of them are living in the world, and unfortunately their fans and even our kids are following them, we even follow their private lives. For women, just think of shopping addiction, stack of clothing, designer bags, and some of them only gets used once, and it goes back in the closet. These are just some of the worldly things that can become idol in our life, and we are warned in the Bible about idols. "Children, be on your guard against idols (1 John 5:21)".

So whats the answer to idolatry? It's very obvious, it's all over the Gospel...it's Jesus! If you want to get rid of those idols and be transformed from water into wine, come to Jesus. Instead of idolizing sports athletes or celebrities and looking for inspiration, instead of satisfying yourselves with things that are fleeting, why don't we look at Jesus. He's the only one that can satisfy us.

Allow me to tell you a secret. In fact, the saints know about this throughout history. Let's look at the wedding at Cana, pay close attention when Mary asked Jesus to help the bride and the groom because they ran out of wine. All Mary told Jesus was "they have no wine" and "Do whatever He tells you", but Jesus knows already what is her concern, and a miracle happened. So what's the secret? If you want a shortcut to Jesus, go to Mary, she will help you pray for your concerns, she will bring up our petitions to her son Jesus and intercede for us. Maybe now you are asking "How is that a shortcut if there is a third party?". Good question. Let's look at 1 Peter Chapter 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers". Say for example, when someone doesn't hear you from afar, you either yell or ask someone to tell that person what you want to say. And then that person, comes close to the person from afar and tells the message. In a court setting, the only person that can come close to the judge is who? the lawyer. In the same manner that the righteous ones are so close to God, so when the righteous ones such as Mary, the saints and holy people pray for us, the eyes of the Lord are upon them. So you want your prayers to be more effective? Be holy for God is holy, take advantage of the intercession of Mary and our saints and those who have gone before us. Take advantage of the sacraments as often as you can, most especially reconciliation and the mass, ask people to pray with you or pray for you. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them". (Matthew 18:20)

So now when I pray, I ask for all of them to pray with me and for me. So that my prayers are even louder and more effective, than just praying on my own. I am not trying to say that praying on your own is not sufficient. But just like vitamin supplement is good for our health, so are the saints and the holy ones of God. And by the way, I replaced my sports idolatry with learning and imitating the lives of the saints.

Jesus loves you!