A-MA-ZING

Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, his greatness is unsearchable. – Psalm 145:3

       A couple of years ago, we went to Coron, Palawan. It’s probably one of the best destinations I’ve ever been to.

       All the islands, the rock formations, the beaches and the underwater life are simply jaw-dropping.

       The sun was setting as we rode the boat to head home. Everyone was silent, staring at the sea. It was a beautiful sight. Then I heard my wife silently sing, “Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing, God” (from the song “Indescribable” written by Laura Story and popularized by Chris Tomlin).

      God is the best Artist of all. God is the Master Creator. God is a-ma-zing. But what’s more amazing is that despite all the beauty that’s in the world, He made us His best creation. He loves us above all else, and is gracious and compassionate to us. That’s our God.

       He’s all-powerful and all-great. But all-gracious and allloving, too. That’s why He deserves all our praise. Paolo Galia (pgalia@gmail.com)

Reflection: Look at yourself in the mirror. Thank the Lord that He made you His best creation. Thank Him for His goodness and favor towards you.

Dear Lord, thank You for creating me in Your image and likeness. Thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

St. Elizabeth of Portugal, pray for us.

God can turn around any of our situations in a flash. He has the power to make the poor rich and to bring the rich down in an instant. Through prayer and reflection, may we realize what the call to holiness demands of us.

Hosea 2:16, 17-18, 21-22

16 Thus says the Lord: I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart. 17 She shall respond there as in the days of her youth, when she came up from the land of Egypt. 18 On that day, says the Lord, She shall call me “My husband,” and never again “My baal.” 21 I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy; 22 I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord.

Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R: The Lord is gracious and merciful.

2 Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. (R) 4 Generation after generation praises your works and proclaims your might. 5 They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty and tell of your wondrous works. (R) 6 They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds and declare your greatness. 7 They  publish the fame of your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your justice. (R) 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. (R)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that healing happens when people have faith. Let us believe that Jesus can heal through us. By God’s grace, we can be ministers of physical and spiritual healing. Let us be open to what God wants to do through us. It is His power at work, not our own.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.

Matthew 9:18-26

18 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” 22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. 23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. 25 When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl  arose. 26 And news of this spread throughout all that land.

think: Let us be open to what God wants to do through us.

Thank You Lord for: __________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Chronicles 13-14 

As a German, it was not easy for me when I came to the Philippines, seeing so many faithful touching images, relics and statues. My Western mind whispered sarcastically: superstition.

       But my attitude began to change when one day I had to prepare a short homily about today’s Gospel passage regarding the hemorrhaging woman who touched the cloak of Jesus and experienced instant healing. I had read and heard it many times before and focused always on the daughter of the official whom Jesus called back to life. But that afternoon I had just witnessed again an elderly lady in our church touching the statue of Our Lady, wiping it with her handkerchief, and then touching her neck with the same handkerchief. Somehow this simple faith touched me also.

       I asked myself again the question: Can clothes or relics heal? The answer is no. It is our faith that heals, not the cloth or the particle of a saint’s bone.

       “Your faith has healed you,” Jesus told the woman so that she would not get a wrong idea and think that His cloak was miraculous. She had faith in Jesus and so this heart-to-heart contact with the Lord caused the miracle. Everything connected with Jesus is life-giving, even His cloak.

       We use many things that bring us in contact with the sacred: holy water, medals, scapulars, relics, statues. It is not the mere contact with these holy objects that gives us grace or protect us. They rather bring us in contact with God, with the Blessed Mother, or with a saint whose intercession we invoke. This contact should be a reminder to live a life that pleases God.

       And so the story about the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak and was healed because of her faith helps us to have the right attitude towards religious articles we use.

       We thank our Church for giving us these reminders so that we feel closer to God or Mary or to a saint, and so hopefully use them in the proper way as a help on our way to heaven. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTION: When you use holy water, medals, or touch a statue, are you aware that you actually try to get in contact with the divine?

Lord, make me use with reverence the holy articles the Church provides us. Help me to always believe that it depends on my faith whether my prayer will be granted. Amen.