“… the water that had become wine…” – John 2:9

       I was in high school then and I wanted to attend a rock concert. We were poor but thank God for friends who provided me with clothes for the night and chipped in for my concert ticket.

       As I was about to leave, Nanay stopped me. “Who will get the kaning-baboy (pig feed) from the neighbor?” So I went to get a pail loaded with leftover food. Then the unthinkable happened. I tripped along a wet alley and was covered with pig feed!

       I wept as I headed to the bathtub, I mean the bat-tab (batya’t tabo, or pail and dipper). As I washed myself, I looked up to heaven dreaming, “On my 10th wedding anniversary, I’ll bring my wife and my kids to Disneyland.” (Talk about daring faith! Not only was I poor, I couldn’t get any girl to answer me.)

       But God made my wish come true. On my 10th wedding anniversary, I brought my family to Disneyland and had a blast! The Lord turned my water into wine — my dream into my destiny.

       It’s your turn now. Surrender your dream to Him and He will crown your efforts with success. Obet Cabrillas (obetcab@yahoo.com)

Reflection:“I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary.” (Lou Holtz)

Lord, get me out of the prison of the ordinary. Enable me to live out Your design as an extraordinary person by doing that little “extra.”

St. Raymond of Peñafort, priest, pray for us.

There are sins that are deadly and those that are not. But whether mortal or venial, it is still a sin. True holiness removes all sin from our life. God gives us His grace to live a sinless and righteous life.

14 Beloved: We have this confidence in God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 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. 16 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. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. 18 We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the Evil One cannot touch him. 19 We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One. 20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Children, be on your guard against idols.

R: The Lord takes delight in his people.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2 Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. (R) 3 Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. 4 For the Lord loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. (R) 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; 6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats. 9 This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. (R)

Let us listen to the Lord and obey His will for our life. Mary is the perfect example of obedience – she did what God wanted her to do. Her life shows us the path of discipleship and holiness. Our faith leads us to Jesus. Our will enables us to follow where He leads. May we listen to His call and respond just as Mary and the saints did.

A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.

1 There was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. 9 And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

think: Like Mama Mary, do you do what Jesus tells you?

Read the Bible in one year  John 19-21

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

Have you ever been in a gathering where you felt so underdressed?

       I was once invited by a friend to pass by her house to bless the newly renovated Lourdes grotto in her garden. I told her I would pass by after dinner. I arrived at her house, looking so casual in my polo, slacks and sandals, with my stole and holy water in hand, only to find out that it was a big affair. There was catering, a number of arranged tables, and her friends were in semi-formal evening wear. Needless to say, I blushed in embarrassment. I literally felt naked before all of them. I gave a very moving one-hour homily on Our Lady of Lourdes that night to make up for being too underdressed.

       Today, we read the story of Jesus’ first miracle. Jesus and Mary were invited at a wedding. The wedding host ran out of wine and Mary interceded on their behalf. After ordering that the jars be filled with water, Jesus instructed the servants to give to the guests. The water was turned into fine wine.

      The late Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that the water at Cana turned into wine because the water blushed when it saw the face of its Creator. Blushing in awe and worship is the only appropriate stance before the mystery of God.

       Why don’t we blush anymore today? Why is it that when it comes to things of the Lord, we readily lower the standards of propriety? How come we attend Mass like we’re going to the gym or about to take our afternoon siesta? How come we take communion like we’re receiving a wafer? How come we approach Christmas just like the many secular holidays in the calendar?

       Admit it, we have become so cavalier before God and His mysteries. It’s not like God needs our attention to massage His divine ego. We need it. When we take seriously our encounter before God, it is us who benefit from it. It makes us grow in grace and genuine worship. The next time you go to Mass or the adoration chapel, be conscious who it is you are facing. You will surely blush in awe. Then you won’t need any artificial blush-on. Fr. Joel Jason

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

Do you prepare for church as an encounter with your God? Do you consider it important to take pains preparing yourself?

Lord Jesus, never let me take You for granted. Ingrain in my consciousness a deep awareness of Your real presence in the Eucharist and in my prayers. Not for Your sake, but for mine. Amen.