Divine confirmation - Fifteen

GospelMT 13:10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said,

"Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?"

He said to them in reply,

"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven

has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.

To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;

from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

This is why I speak to them in parables, because

they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.

Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,

and your ears, because they hear.

Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people

longed to see what you see but did not see it,

and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

source: usccb.org

Reblogged: Desert Five: The other Joseph the dreamer

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': Desert Five: The other Joseph the dreamer:

I am alien to my own family, my own brethren, my own flesh and blood.

I leave.  

I hide. 

They persecute me for no reason at all. 

And they have all the reasons to hate me. 

One nearly crippled my right knee -- out of jealousy! 

I have kept a distance. 

A safer distance. 

"For my love, they are my adversaries." 

I run away from house when the world is an enemy. 

For, they side with those who disagree with me. 

Tearing more the wounds. 

Never to heal. 

A family is hardly a refuge in time of adversities. 

It's safe to be alone. 

Safest to suffer alone. 

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" 

Father and Mother had loved me. 

But both are now past earth-life. 

Jealousy! 

Envy! 

These rule the hearts! 

Why, O God, why? 

Simply because I was loved more? 

Is it my fault? 

Were my parents to blame? 

Or: was it Divine Grace to be favored that much? 

And, no matter how parents tried to make it secret, still would it make manifest. 

The other Joseph the Dreamer? 

Dreams in my sleep that I dream: dreams that came to pass and dreams that are about to come to pass. 

A dreamer of prophecies? 

Or: a prophet of dreams? 

But, God, You know better than I.

Reblogged: 'No clapping during Lent'

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': 'No clapping during Lent': Earlier when this blog was not yet transitioning to what it is now, the Lord already made me feel of the positive Archdiocese response to this calling. Reason, I was reminded of the need to humble myself when this time comes. To keep myself low, I had lived as homeless and have accepted humble duties. I am made aware of the dilemma of obeying the Lord speaking through this blog and one is I might have become spiritually proud. Personally, I wish I have been out of this hometown or I have been elsewhere so I won't be able to see you obeying the Lord, lest I become proud. We cannot be proud, however, if we are physically ill. One may appear robust but in reality possesses the gift of a "thorn in the flesh" to keep him down by the Divine Will. It is not your problem to keep me humble; it is the Lord's concern and mine. Your problem is to obey the Lord's directives shown in this blog. Your obedience is your own humility. You need, as well, to humble yourself. Please do not think of me becoming proud when you obey the Lord because, by so doing, you are doing it for the Lord and this is the desire of my spirit -- for the greater glory of God -- and we benefit from observing this foremost duty of mankind which is to "love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind," the first of the Ten Commandments. God does not need to be glorified because He is already Glory Himself. We glorify Him because it is rightly for us to be doing so, being creatures of a Creator; and we benefit from glorifying God. Being reverent to His Eucharistic Presence here on earth has positive effect to the Archdiocese and the whole nation in general. Thus, the Archdiocese will be a light, an example for the whole nation to see and emulate, therefore the world. The Lord let me see how you struggle to obey. You have had a notice on the projector screen at the Cathedral saying to stop clapping during Masses for the duration of the Lent season. A priest, however, seeing me in the Mass one First Saturday, despite the notice flashed on the screen, did otherwise. The priest encouraged the congregation several times to clap within the Mass he officiated and I attended. I have a feeling to leave the hometown so the Archdiocese can obey the Lord's bidding freely. Let me tell you the stoppage of clapping during Masses in this year's season of Lent has damaging effect on the enemies of this nation and the Philippine Church. The spirit of the "enemies" within the person of the highest VIP of the land is trembling in fear, exposing his guilt in the process if you read between the lines the speeches he delivered regarding the ICC. Here is a warning, though. Since the stoppage of clapping is only intended within Lent, it is understandable clapping is to resume on Easter and onward. Meaning to say, the VIP will be able to recover from the damage he has incurred as a result of the Archdiocese's obedience in turning back to Eucharistic reverence by ceasing to clap during Lent.

Divine confirmation - Fourteen

Reading 1EZ 2:2-5

As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me
and set me on my feet,
and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:
Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
rebels who have rebelled against me;
they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart
are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

Responsorial PsalmPS 123:1-2, 2, 3-4

R. (2cd) Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.

Reading 22 COR 12:7-10

Brothers and sisters:
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.

AlleluiaCF. LK 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMK 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. 

When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,

and many who heard him were astonished. 

They said, “Where did this man get all this? 

What kind of wisdom has been given him? 

What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 

Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,

and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? 

And are not his sisters here with us?” 

And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,

apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.

He was amazed at their lack of faith.

source: usccb.org

Divine confirmation - Thirteen

Reading 1AM 8:4-6, 9-12

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
"When will the new moon be over," you ask,
"that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?"
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!"

On that day, says the Lord GOD,
I will make the sun set at midday
and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentations.
I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth
and make every head bald.
I will make them mourn as for an only son,
and bring their day to a bitter end.

Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the LORD.
Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it.

source: usccb.org

Reblogged: DU30 and the broken Sto. Niño

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': DU30 and the broken Sto. Niño: I had a dream in my sleep barely a month before this man was to take a seat in the highest office of the republic -- and the dream goes this way: There was a certain platform, a bridge that looks like a stage as well, it was made of steel and plywood installed in the vicinity of a local marketplace. It appears to be an impermanent structure because it has no foundation at all -- it was like a table being put up to be folded back again afterwards. On either ends of the platform, two sets of stairs opposite to each other were being assembled. And I saw this man holding a statue of the Holy Child Jesus or the "Santo Niño" ascending the "bridge" via stairs on the left. He was holding the statue by the left hand and the hand was down, gripping the statue in its middle. I was following him on his ascent -- but I lost sight of him because a group of persons was following him as well. But I was with the group of those following him. On reaching the top left of the platform, he and the entourage walked down the stairs opposite to the stairs he used to make ascent. As I was behind them, I saw the same statue of the Sto. Niño he was holding lying broken beneath the stairs where they passed through on their way down. End of dream.

Reblogged: Photo-vision: Philippine eagle and the cloud

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': Photo-vision: Philippine eagle and the cloud: At 2:30PM earlier, as I was waiting for local government's "Arroz caldo" (hot rice porridge) feeding program at Rizal Park, I saw an outline of a cloud that looked like a bird whose wings were spread and stretched as an eagle. I was seated under the wings of the Philippine Eagle-designed roof of the park stage when I saw this. There was a message impressed in my heart on seeing the scenery: a soul or spirit leaving the body of the "Philippine Eagle"! Does it mean death to the "Philippine Eagle"? But who is the "Philippine Eagle" represented to in this photo-vision?

Reblogged: The sickle above City Hall

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': The sickle above City Hall: "Sickle" is an implement for cutting grass and grain, consisting of "a curved, hooklike blade mounted in a short handle." The sickle-shaped cloud was seen above City Hall on January 15, 2017. What is God telling us in the photographic vision (photo-vision) we see above? From the Bible, "sickle" could mean "harvest" or "judgment." Revelation 14: 14 and Joel 3: 13. It could also be symbolic in part of communism. For, "communism" is symbolized by "hammer and sickle." Secondly, "City Hall" is associated with DU30. Does it mean "judgment" for "city hall" in the offing? Or, is our country a "communism" in the making under his leadership? Depending on our response to the Divine Messages contained in this blog, the result could either be "judgment," meaning "eradication" from the highest office of one representing the "city hall" or the turning of our nation into a province of a communist China through this man. The photo-vision above is showing us either of the two scenarios our country is headed in the days ahead. Return reverence to the Holy Eucharist now to stop the trail leading to "communism." Clerical irreverence, let it be recalled, to the Holy Eucharist in this part of the country has catapulted this man (who came from the same locality) into the highest office of the land. We have been warned earlier in this blog about this. But, please, let not our anger be personal with anyone who holds views contrary to ours. Offer up your Holy Masses, prayers and sacrifices also for this man so that when the Hand of Justice befalls him, the salvation of his soul will be one of our crowns in heaven.

Divine confirmation - Twelve

Reading 1AM 7:10-17

Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam,
king of Israel:
"Amos has conspired against you here within Israel;
the country cannot endure all his words.
For this is what Amos says:
Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land."

To Amos, Amaziah said:
"Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."
Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
Now hear the word of the LORD!"

You say: prophesy not against Israel,
preach not against the house of Isaac.
Now thus says the LORD:
Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city,
and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by measuring line,
and you yourself shall die in an unclean land;
Israel shall be exiled far from its land.

Responsorial PsalmPS 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R. (10cd) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

source: usccb.org

Reblogged: Hands in worship

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': Hands in worship: "All you peoples, clap your hands; shout to God with joyful cries." -Psalm 47:1. Clapping of hands was used to worship God in the Old Testament -- and even today by non-Catholic Christians, the "born-again" and the Catholic charismatics. Doing so is fitting as it is biblical -- but the location where we do the clapping is a matter worth examining. The non-Catholic "born-again" Christian communities do hands-clapping during worship at "their" place of worship -- and it is all right! -- while the Catholic charismatics do it even during the conduct of the Holy Mass and in their assemblies within the Catholic churches where the Tabernacle of the Eucharistic Host is enshrined -- let us see if it is all right. The Old Testament is the announcement of the coming of Jesus-Messiah -- thus, prior to His Passion and Death on the Cross. The hands-clapping act as a form of worship to God is proper in the Old Testament because the Old Testament is prior to Jesus' Passion and Death on the Cross.

Why is it appropriate, then, to clap hands in worship when the non-Catholic "born-again" Christians do it? Because they clap their hands at "their" place of worship and "their" place of worship is without the Tabernacle that enshrines the Eucharistic Host (the Real Presence of Jesus Christ that bore the marks of His Passion and Death on the Cross) that only the Catholic Church has been entrusted with by Jesus Christ Himself (remember transubstantiation: only Catholic priests can turn Bread and Wine into the Real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ). Therefore, the Catholics must not clap their hands before, during and after the Holy Mass is officiated within the Catholic churches simply because the Holy Mass is a remembrance of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and the Tabernacle that encloses the Eucharistic Host is always enshrined in the center of the Altars in all the Catholic churches of the world.

What is rejoicing in front of a suffering man? Such is like a mockery to him. The same is true with the Lord when we clap our hands in front of His Eucharistic Presence and the Holy Eucharist. In Lamentations 2:15, clapping is not only used to worship God in the Old Testament but also to ridicule, to deride or to mock. Holy Mass is Holy Mass, it must be conducted with utmost solemnity, reverence and love -- as well as the Eucharistic Presence in the Tabernacle. Catholic charismatic communities must, therefore, withhold the practice of clapping every Holy Mass and hold charismatic activities outside the Catholic churches where we are free to clap our hands to worship God. Lastly, let me quote Ezekiel 21:22 where it is written, "Then I, too, shall clap my hands and spend my fury. I, the Lord, have spoken."

Divine confirmation - Eleven

Reading 1AM 5:14-15, 21-24

Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.

I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the LORD,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.

Responsorial PsalmPS 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16BC-17

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Hear, my people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you;
God, your God, am I."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"For mine are all the animals of the forests,
beasts by the thousand on my mountains.
I know all the birds of the air,
and whatever stirs in the plains, belongs to me."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"If I were hungry, I should not tell you,
for mine are the world and its fullness.
Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls,
or is the blood of goats my drink?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

source: usccb.org

Reblogged: The confessional: tribunal of mercy

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': The confessional: tribunal of mercy: A good counselor is not measured if one is a good adviser, but a good listener. Attentive, silent listening encourages the troubled to unload. Unloading empties the excesses of the heart. When the heart is emptied, illumination comes in. A solution to the problem! Wisdom from above! Eureka! God speaks to the heart of a person! That is the essence of confession. A counselor needs not give advice, but facilitates the troubled to have a good confession so that God Himself can speak to man's own heart. But when a confessor does give advice, it is not one that reprimands: for, the confessional is a 'Tribunal of Mercy.' God is Mercy: so must the priest-confessor, God's own representative on earth, show mercy. Reprimanding discourages further and later confessions. Confessing sins committed is not an easy thing to do. Confessing itself is a sign of repentance -- even if confessed sins are habitual. Will a man be denied the sacrament of confession just because of habitual sins? Is his lot a condemnation? Bad habits are signs of being under an ancestral bondage and curses which can only be broken off by the highest form of prayer, the Holy Eucharist! All the more that the person prone to habitual sins, needs mercy: attention, prayers and frequent confessions of temptations to avoid committing the same sins. When people are discouraged to confess again and they receive the Body of Christ in the Holy Eucharist with unclean hearts, men of God in the confessionals are answerable to God. One more thing: does face-to-face confession encourage a good, honest confession? Certainly not, because most withhold the shameful, secret sins of the heart. Go back to the confessionals with windows covered with linen or something that prevents the confessor from knowing the identity of one who confesses. The confessor must not even look at the window. Trying to know who confesses is already committing gossip in his heart as well as comparing confessed sins with fellow confessors, directly or indirectly. Jesus Christ is One Who hears confessions using the ears of priests; thus, what is heard inside the confessional must only be between the Lord and one who confesses.

Reblogged: Earthquake stops at prayer of repentance

'THE HEART WHERE I WILL SPEAK': Earthquake stops at prayer of repentance: Earthquake 2010 in Davao City is unforgettable.

I was in my room: very close relatives were with me when it started to shake.

It began shaking slowly and steadily.

Quickly, I prayed: "Forgive me, Lord, for all my sins!"

But the tremors continued and even increased its intensity.

Quickly, I prayed again -- this time: "Forgive the sins of my family!!"

But it increased its swift to-and-fro steady shaking -- with a sign to increase for more.

"Forgive the sin of Davao City!!!"

The quake stopped suddenly at the height of its momentum.

As if the ground never shook seconds before I blurted out the third prayer.

Unnatural!

The intensified tremors should have gradually lowered its intensity before it has to stop.

But it stopped -- immediately!

Divine confirmation - Ten

Reading 1AM 2:6-10, 13-16

Thus says the LORD:
For three crimes of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke my word;
Because they sell the just man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals.
They trample the heads of the weak
into the dust of the earth,
and force the lowly out of the way.
Son and father go to the same prostitute,
profaning my holy name.
Upon garments taken in pledge
they recline beside any altar;
And the wine of those who have been fined
they drink in the house of their god.

Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were as tall as the cedars,
and as strong as the oak trees.
I destroyed their fruit above,
and their roots beneath.
It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and who led you through the desert for forty years,
to occupy the land of the Amorites.

Beware, I will crush you into the ground
as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves.
Flight shall perish from the swift,
and the strong man shall not retain his strength;
The warrior shall not save his life,
nor the bowman stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor the horseman save his life.
And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD.

Responsorial PsalmPS 50:16BC-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23

R. (22a) Remember this, you who never think of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
"When you see a thief, you keep pace with him,
and with adulterers you throw in your lot.
To your mouth you give free rein for evil,
you harness your tongue to deceit."
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
"You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes."
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.
"Consider this, you who forget God,
lest I rend you and there be no one to rescue you.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."
R. Remember this, you who never think of God.

source: usccb.org

Crusade prayer 87: Protect our nation from evil

O Father, on behalf of Your Son save us from communism. 

Save us from dictatorship. 

Protect our nation against paganism. 

Save our children from harm. 

Help us to see the Light of God. 

Open our hearts to the Teachings of Your Son. 

Help all Churches to remain true to the Word of God. 

We beg you to keep our nations safe from persecution. 

Dearest Lord, look upon us with Mercy no matter how we offend You. Jesus, Son of Man, cover us with Your Precious Blood. Save us from the snares of the evil one. 

We implore you, dear God, to intervene and stop evil from engulfing the world at this time. Amen.

source: crusadeprayergroup.org

Divine defense - Eleven

Reading 1WIS 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
and the creatures of the world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,
for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who belong to his company experience it.

Responsorial PsalmPS 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

source: usccb.org