We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair. – 2 Corinthians 4:8

       It still haunts me to this day. And people have a hard time picturing me every time I tell them that point in my life when I experienced a breakdown.

       Have you ever gone through the same thing?

       Where everything is just so dark, and light seems out of sight?

       Where the pain is just so unbearable, and relief seems out of reach?

     Well, I have. And I believe that everybody else has, in varying degrees.

        Life has taught me that during such times, we just need to hold on.

       To have faith that we can still carry on and keep taking the next step.

      To have hope that everything works out at the end and keep moving forward.

       To have love that lights our way and keep giving our best.

     And before we know it, our break point becomes our breakthrough point. Orange Garcia (orange.garcia@outlook.com)

Reflection: When was the last time a break point became your breakthrough point?

Lord, please give me the courage to do what is right, no matter what the cost.

St. John Francis Regis, pray for us.

One of the great mysteries of the Gospel is that God would choose to use us to spread the Gospel message to the ends of the earth. We have demonstrated our sinfulness and unworthiness to do this task and yet God still chooses to make us conduits of the Good News of salvation. Perhaps He does so to remind us of our fragility – that we hold such a beautiful and life-giving message in fragile hands. Whatever His reason is, it is certainly a humbling experience.

7 Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we too believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. 15 Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

R: To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

10 I believed, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 I said in my alarm, “No man is dependable.” (R) 15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R) 17 To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. 18 My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people. (R)

Controlling our desires is essential to our holiness. Our refusal to dwell in sinful desires is so important in overcoming the work of sin in our lives. If we allow disordered desires to control our minds, we are opening our hearts to sin. If we cannot control our thoughts, we are going to find it impossible to control our actions as well. Let us keep this in mind whenever we are tempted by a disordered or unholy thought.

Shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life.

27 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. 28 But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. 31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. 32 But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

think: What practical ways can you do to combat sin in your life?

Read the Bible in one year  2 Kings 4-6

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

EARTHEN VESSELS 

I love to reflect on the image of earthen vessels as it is full of all possible points of focus. However, the one I always come back to is that of the fragility of earthen vessels. If you drop them, they shatter. And so is the nature of our faith — it often hangs by a thread and needs to be nurtured carefully.

       It always amazes me that God chooses fallible and weak instruments in the service of His Gospel. Many of the saints fit into this category. They were literally nobodies before the Holy Spirit plucked them from obscurity and transformed their lives. It is their simple “yes” that made all the difference. And so it can be with each one of us. Amazing! You and I can also become saints. This truth ought to blow our minds as it is rooted in the promise of grace that is the Holy Spirit.

       Each of us is potentially a channel of grace beyond our wildest imagining. However, most of us do not give the Holy Spirit the chance He needs to work this miracle in us. We spend much of our time worrying about how we are going to achieve the impossible, and not enough in surrendering our lives to the power of the Holy Spirit, who is the Author of many impossibilities. God’s grace is available to us, but we simply do not see it, or worse, ignore it. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do in our lives starting today. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

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

Do you tend to be self-sufficient or dependent on the Holy Spirit when it comes to your spiritual life?

Holy Spirit, come and transform me into the saint You want me to be. I am ready to surrender all to Your grace, power and gifts. Amen.