"For His sun rises on the bad and the good, He rains on the just and the unjust." - Mt 5:45 It is so easy to show love to those who love us back. It's easy to be kind to those who are nice and deserving of kindness. Now think of those people who annoy us or have hurt us. Do those people deserve our love? It's very difficult to say yes. Yesterday, we were told to retaliate with love. Today, the gospel tells us that everyone is deserving of love, no matter the sin they may have done. God's love is unmeasurable and doesn't judge. God showers all with blessings, even if there are those who feel they aren't deserving. Even those who try to push God away. God doesn't choose who he loves. He loves all of us. Every single one of us. Heavenly Father, we are humbled by your generous heart! You continue to bless us despite our shortcomings, despite our sin, despite our unworthiness. Lord, may we strive to love the way you love - tireless and with no judgement. Amen.

"When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles." - Mt 5:39-41 When someone does something wrong to us, our first instinct is to fight back. We don't want to be pushed around or made a fool of. That person had no right to do that to us! We want to make that person feel what they made us feel. It is only fair right? But today's reading teaches us that when we are faced with these situations, we are not supposed to react with vengeance but with love. Following Jesus' example, he was faced with so many haters, so many people plotting against him and yet he could have easily fought back and destroyed them, he's the son of God, he could do anything! But he didn't. He retaliated with love. He continued to share love. I will be the first to say that this is one of the hardest things I ever have to do. To not be angry and to love instead. I'm the type of person who keeps a grudge to someone who has hurt and humiliated me but with the grace of God, I am slowly letting go of my anger. Removing this from my heart and making more space for God's love and blessings to fill me instead. Anger and hate weigh us down but love and light lift us up! Heavenly Father, we pray for the strength to forgive those who have hurt us deeply. We pray for them Lord that they may be blessed with your love and in turn, avoid hurting anyone else. Lord we lay the pain in our hearts at the foot of your cross and open ourselves to your graces. Amen.

A blatant message from today's gospel: "Put your trust in God. I solemnly assure you, whoever says to the mountain, 'be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and has no inner doubts but believes that what he says will happen, shall have it done for him. I give you my word, if you are ready to believe that you will receive whatever you ask for I prayer, it shall be done for you." - Mark 11:22-24 Heavenly Father, With you, nothing is impossible. I place it all at the foot of the cross. Your will be done Lord. Amen.

Struck for the Day - Feb 23, 2016

"Come now, let us set things straight, says the Lord." - Isaiah 1:18 I admit that my prayer life isn't as great as it used to be. A part of me is embarrassed because I feel like I am unworthy. But the truth is, God never judges us. In fact, He welcomes us back every time. What struck me with this verse is how loving the Lord sounds. 'Let us set things straight'. He doesn't demand that we do it ourselves, rather, He will be with us through it all. He truly is a great and loving God.

Struck for September 3

“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” It's not always easy to understand God's plan for us. We wonder why we don't get things we ask for and feel that our prayers are going unanswered. As much as we try not to, doubt comes creeping in. During these times, we must remember to "lower our nets" and have faith in God's grand plan for us.

Daily reflection - June 23

"But how narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are to find it." Last night, I watched the movie version of one of my favorite musicals, the last five years. Unfortunately, that musical does not have a happy ending for the married couple. After watching it, my first thought was "ayoko magpakasal! Ang hirap! Too much effort!" But then I thought that yes, marriage is hard work. It's something that you have to work on constantly. It's a choice that you make every day. It's tough and the easy way out is divorce but marriage, and love, is worth it. This is just like our relationship with God. To strengthen our faith and follow His word is a choice we make every day. We stumble and we stray but we always find ourselves back on the right path. This road may not be easy, but it is definitely beautiful. Heavenly Father, we thank you for always guiding us back to you and receiving us with open arms every time. When roads are rough, you hold our hand and never let go. You're there to catch us when we trip. Lord, every day we choose to be your faithful servant. Our lives are yours Lord. Amen.

I know it's late but I really want to share my struck from yesterday's readings because I felt it was such a beautiful message. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction." Many people seem to have the misconception that if you have a good spiritual life, you won't have any (or as much) problems. If you have a good relationship with God, you will have a happy, easy life. This is not true at all. For me, it actually feels like I had more challenges when I started serving in our community. What has changed though, is how I deal with these challenges. Sometimes when I feel like I'm at the lowest of lows, the only thing that keeps me strong and pushes me to keep fighting is knowing that God will see me through anything. I believe that no matter how bad things may seem now, it will get better. Heavenly Father, at our lowest of lows it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We may not see it but we know it's there. You give us the strength to keep pushing on, to keep putting one foot in front of the other until we see that glimmer of light. You are our comfort in times of need, Lord! Your love for us is great and unfailing. May we continue to find our strength in you and grow in your love. Amen.

"May his holy name be praised throughout all the ages, Because it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me." This verse struck me at first because I found it so odd. Praise the one who has scourged me? Why would I do that? Why would God scourge me anyway? But re-reading the story of Tobit, our "scourging" is actually a blessing. It humbles us to see that God is what brings us light. In the reading, Tobiah tells Tobit "courage, father" before applying the medicine to his eyes which heals him. Through our suffering, we must have courage because whatever God has led us to, He will also be the one who will lead us out of it. Heavenly Father, it is not easy to see suffering as your blessing. At the moment, we may feel anger, hurt, and confusion but we lift all these feelings and lay them at the foot of your cross for we know that by letting go of what is not of you, we are making room to receive your love. Amen.

Prayers are Powerful

Hi loves, sharing my struck for the day 😊 "Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours." - Mark 11:24 I was reflecting on this line earlier, the first thing that popped in to my mind was "just keep the faith that God will answer your prayers!" But God doesn't always answer yes to all our prayers. Sometimes the things we pray for isn't what He has planned or isn't good for us. As we grow in our faith, our prayers evolve. The more we get to know God, the more we know what He wants for us, what kind of person we should be to be in His likeness, what would be pleasing to Him. And this will affect the things we ask for in our prayers. Yes we still ask for things in our prayers but in the end, we have faith that whatever His answer will be is His will. Heavenly Father, every day our love for you grows and our faith in you becomes stronger. Though we may slip at times and lose sight of our way, you always bring us back. Thank you Lord for all the answered prayers, even if those were not the answers we were expecting, those were the answers we needed. Amen.

Reflection - 28 May 2015

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” Have faith in the Lord's plans for you for His plans for us are far greater than anything we've imagined.

Sharing my struck from today's reading: "Nothing is impossible with God" -Luke 1:37 The past couple of weeks have been pretty hard for me. Being injured and being able to fully use only one arm is tough. It makes every day simple things like getting ready in the morning and eating difficult to do. Work has been really busy since February and this injury doesn't make things any easier, especially since my job requires a lot of typing, taking notes, and making presentation decks. Since I am right-handed and my right shoulder is the one that's injured, it adds an extra challenge to my already crazy busy work. On top of this, my injury will affect one of the things I love to do most - pole. Doctor said that I will need to undergo strength training before I can even get back on the pole and the tricks I may do are limited. This completely breaks my heart. I have to admit, there have been days that I'm so frustrated with this injury because it makes me feel so helpless and I hate that. This verse comes at a time I need it most. I'm claiming in faith that God will give me a speedy recovery and this injury will not be the end of pole for me. If Elizabeth was able to bear a child even if she was barren, then I would be able to pole again for nothing is impossible with God.

There are times that we feel alone in our darkest hour but the truth is, we are never alone. God is with us always, even if we may not realize it at the time. Everything in His perfect time.

"I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind." 



Over the weekend, I joined the SYA weekend. I went in to this retreat with no expectations. I knew what I needed though but I didn't know what I was going to get from this. All I knew was I needed healing. What I got was so much more than what I thought I needed. God gave me a lot of answers, and He gave me a new community I can turn to. This weekend, I was able to admit things to myself and learn to love the person I have become despite the past. In fact, I have become a better person BECAUSE of my past. He has renewed me yet again. What happens in the past, who I was in the past will be left there. God has given me the opportunity to move forward to greater things. My heart is full of God's love because slowly, I'm able to let go of the anger and hurt in my heart. The more I let go of what is not of Him, the more I make room for the blessings and love I will receive from Him. 

Heavenly Father, you are truly amazing. Never did I doubt that all things happen according to your plan. You never abandoned me, rather you were preparing me for greater things. You have me a new beginning yet again. Thank you for never ever giving up on me Lord! Amen.

Sharing my struck for today: "You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. " Let us remember this in those moments we are feeling disheartened. God never fails us. Happy Friday loves!

Sharing with you my struck for the day. "He removes the mountains before they know it; he overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars beneath it tremble. He commands the sun, and it rises not; he seals up the stars." All of us have our own mountains to move. Challenges this big make us feel hopeless and we feel at a loss on what to do. Today's first reading reminds us that nothing is impossible with God. When we feel we cannot handle it, we are not strong enough, lift it up to The Lord. Because with God, we can do anything. Heavenly Father, there are days when we feel we can't go through all these mountains in front of us. We are ready to give up but you, Lord, are our strength and our rock. Thank you Lord for your blatant messages. Thank you Lord for friends who are your instruments of love and keep us focused on you. Amen.

He is our rock and our strength. He is with us always.