Making Wise Choices

"Just as the weeds are gathered up and burnt in the fire, so the same thing will happen at the end of the age:  the Son of Man will send out his angels to gather up out of his Kingdom all those who cause people to sin and all others who do evil things..."
Matthew 13:40‭-‬41 GNBDK

Reflection:
Our journey on earth is temporal and we will leave behind everything we've gathered. The choices we make will determine where we spend our eternity. And God is very clear about this, after all he has given us a free will. The question then is; what will we choose? 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the grace to make wise choices in your everyday life. May Jesus always inspire you surrender your will to God and may his Holy Spirit help you discern at all times. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Submit to God

Jesus told them another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches.” Jesus told them still another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with forty litres of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.”
Matthew 13:31‭-‬33 GNBDK

Reflection:
The mustard seed is so small, that one without knowledge of it, perhaps might even discard is dirt. And yeast is surely is not an aromatic food. Yet the power and potential of these small and insignificant things are come to fruition when mixed with nature.  And so it is with us, when submit and align ourselves to God, great things will happen. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the wisdom and understanding of who you really are. May your all your limitations and short comings be dwarfed under the cross of Jesus. And may his Holy Spirit yield to you as submit to God. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Give it all to Jesus

“There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.” Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and distributed it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, and they all had as much as they wanted.
John 6:9‭,11 GNBDK

Reflection:
We think little of ourselves with what we have and what we can offer the world. For that is how the human mind has adapted to survival from the primitive age, being aware of the negative. But we have a God who is a God of the impossible, a God who has overcome death. A real and living God; when we then, entrust the little we have to him, He will multiple it and there will be more than enough. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the grace to submit all you have to Jesus his son. May all you give be multiplied manifold for the greater glory of God. And may his Holy Spirit keep you attuned to the will of God. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Keeping your Faith Hot

Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man sowed good seed in his field. One night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the plants grew and the ears of corn began to form, then the weeds showed up."
Matthew 13:24‭-‬26 GNBDK

Reflection:
We all like our Coffee either hot or cold, none of us would drink it when it is lukewarm. The same is with our faith, when it gets lukewarm; the idols of the world seem more attractive and we begin chasing new Gods, thus becoming weeds. Sooner or later it will be harvest time, and the fruit we bear will determine our eternity. How would you keep your faith then, hot, cold or lukewarm?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father sets your heart on fire for the love of his son Jesus. May your new found faith lead you to bear good fruits led and guided by his Holy Spirit. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Word and Fruit

"And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it: they bear fruit, some as much as 100, others sixty, and others thirty."
Matthew 13:23 GNBDK

Reflection:
The word of God is the seed that is sown within us every time we hear it. But in order to bear fruit we must nurture the word, allowing it to grow within us, by being obedient to it,  by understanding what it is saying to us. By allowing God to have his way, is when we bear fruits.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the Grace to remain in his word as you renounce the old and accept and receive Jesus willingly. And may his Holy Spirit help you discern God's ways and help you bear abundant fruits. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Experiencing God

Jesus answered, “The knowledge about the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. For the person who has something will be given more, so that he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing will have taken away from him even the little he has. The reason I use parables in talking to them is that they look, but do not see, and they listen, but do not hear or understand.
Matthew 13:11‭-‬13 GNBDK

Reflection:
Most of us are cradle Catholics and everything to do with our faith and its practice seems mundane, but once we have a personal encounter with God life is never the same, for like the disciples we come to know God, and the secrets of the kingdom are given to us. What is it then that is stopping us from experiencing our living and loving God?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the thirst to know and experience him in his word, made flesh in Christ Jesus his son. May this personal encounter bring about your conversion as you lead a life, led by his Holy Spirit. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Rejoice in all circumstances

We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies.
2 Corinthians 4:8‭-‬10 GNBDK

Reflection:
The Christian life is contrary to popular culture. While the world reacts to suffering as something negative, as Christians we are called to rejoice in our suffering, for through it we are made one with Christ and what a privilege it is to be helping him carry the cross. For in suffering God is the closest to his people, it is for our weakness that God accepts us. Are we willing then, to accept him and his ways?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the Grace to rejoice in all circumstances as you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. May his Holy Spirit teach you to understand God's ways and walk in it joyfully. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

The Will of the Father

"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
Matthew 12:50 NIV

Reflection:
Jesus defines how important is the will of the Father. Even when He taught us to prayer (The Our Father), he invoked the Fathers will, because the will of the father is of utmost importance to him, which is why Jesus came into this world. Everything in it was created by the Father, and it his by his will that we were created and he chose to give us a free will. The question is, what will we do with our free will?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father pours on you his grace, as you submit yours for the fathers will to be done, just like Jesus. May this your resolve, bring you eternal joy and peace of mind and body. And may you be led at all times by his Holy Spirit. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

His word, our guide

No, the LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.
Micah 6:8 GNBDK

Reflection:
When we buy an appliance,  along with it we get a user manual. We refer to the manual prior to using the appliance, which in turns gets us the maximum and best utility. Similarly, our Creator has given us a user manual for our lives, in the form of his word as He knows what is the best for us. Are we then refering to his word on how to live our lives?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father draws you close to Jesus his son, the word made flesh for your salvation. May the comsumation of his word bring you eternal joy and peace as you walk in the way,  the truth and the light guided by his Holy Spirit. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Be Still and Know God

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Mark 6:30‭-‬31 NIV

Reflections:
In our world full of noise and commotion, Jesus invites us to come by ourselves to him and get rest. For he is the source and font of all our strength and doing. And the peace that Jesus gives the world cannot give nor can it take it away.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father draws you to his son Jesus so that you can experience the peace and joy of life in all its fullness. And may his Holy Spirit teach you to be still and know God. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Walking in the way of Jesus

When Jesus heard about the plot against him, he went away from that place; and large crowds followed him. He healed all those who were ill
Matthew 12:15 GNBDK

Reflection:
The life of Jesus is a great example for us in every sense. Jesus calls us to live a life of practicality, when we are unwell, we've got to see the doc and take our meds, likewise if there is a place we ought to avoid, we ought too. And if we ask ourselves the question what would Jesus do, in our everyday life, we'd get answers that will align our lives to the will of God. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father strengthens your faith as you submit your will to him. May you always walk in the way,  the truth and the life in Jesus and may his Holy Spirit help you discern every situation and circumstance. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

The call to Acceptance

"If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’  you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Matthew 12:7‭-‬8 NIV

Reflection:
'You know what, this person did this,  even thou they go to Church and are part of that prayer group' sounds familiar? We often judge people for their doing, but judgement belongs to God alone, and it is mercy that He desires. Which is why Christ died on the cross, so that our sins maybe forgiven. When you know Christ, you will know mercy and then there will be no sin. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father, pours out his grace on you so that you can see his love. As you accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour may your life be witness to God's mercy. And may his Holy Spirit teach you to be accepting of all of God's creation. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

A call to rest

“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest.  For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”
Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 GNBDK

Reflection:
We all are hurting in someway or the other, truth is our world is broken by sin. But we have redemption and call to rest in Jesus, a promise through his word. Today the easiest thing to do when we are in pain, is to turn to facebook, or have a drink or simply gossip about how bad the world is. The question is; Are you consciously rejecting Jesus? 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father draws you to Jesus his son, the sign of peace and source of all goodness and strength. May you find eternal joy and fulfilling rest as you are led by his Holy Spirit to answer God's call. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Being like a Child

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."
Matthew 11:25‭-‬26

Reflection:
As we grow older our mindsets and attitudes go through tremendous change, and often we think we know better. But Gods ways and thoughts are unlike ours, the more we think of ourselves, the less we will know of God. A little child will trust her father who lifts her up in the air only to hold her back, can we trust God in the same way?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father pours out his grace on you so that you can simply trust God with all your heart and mind. May you walk with Jesus along the way and may his Holy Spirit help you stay in humility and in reverence to God at all times. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Turning away from sin

The people in the towns where Jesus had performed most of his miracles did not turn from their sins, so he reproached those towns.
Matthew 11:20 GNBDK

Reflection:
While God's mercy works beyond sin,  he wants us to make the choice of accepting him and renouncing our old sinful ways to life. For as we are made new by the blood of Jesus, it is sin that make us unclean again. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father changes your heart to make it anew in Jesus his son, may constantly beat for God and his ways. And may his Holy Spirit stay close to guard and guide you. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Carry your Cross

"Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it."
Matthew 10:38‭-‬39 GNBDK

Reflection:
How privileged are we, that we have a life manual in the word of God. Today it reminds us that we all have our own crosses, and we ought to carry our own cross like Jesus did. But often,  we get lost, complaining about our cross or comparing our cross with other's. As Christians we are follows of Christ, can we do then as Christ did?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the grace to humbly accept and carry your cross just like Jesus did. May you find joy in doing the will of God and may his Holy Spirit comfort,  counsel and guide you along the way. Amen

God Bless you and your loved :)

Choosing Love

Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons and daughters — this was his pleasure and purpose.
Ephesians 1:4‭-‬5 GNBDK

Reflection:
God in all his wisdom knew man would fall, yet he not only chose to make man, but also to save him,  through his son Jesus. God is love, and we are created in his image so we have a choice, a choice to love God and man or not. What will you choose?

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father, pours out his grace on you as choose to love and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and reciprocate this love to those around you. May his Holy Spirit bless you with fruits and gifts. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Do Not Be Afraid

For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent.  As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted.  So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!
Matthew 10:29‭-‬31 GNBDK

Reflection:
We often are worried and anxious about the all things here on earth. But we believe in God who made this earth, and has given us authority to subdue it, the same God who even came down to conquer sin and death, so that we can have eternal life. Will He not be concerned about how we live then? His word promises us, 'not to be afraid, for even the hairs on our head our counted.' Hallelujah...

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the grace to surrender each and every moment of your life into his Hands,  and as you do so may you experience the warm embrace of Jesus his son, who willingly accepted the cross for you. And may his Holy Spirit strengthen your faith and trust in God. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Missionaries of Christ

"Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves."
Matthew 10:16 GNBDK

Reflection:
Jesus forewarns us about the mission we have as Christians. As the world cheers for popular culture, we are called to stay rooted in the truth and to do this gently yet being cautious along the way. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the grace to carry on the mission of Jesus Christ his son. May you stand firm in your faith and rooted in his word. And may his Holy Spirit teach you to discern every situation and circumstance. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Accepting God

If the people in that house welcome you, let your greeting of peace remain; but if they do not welcome you, then take back your greeting. And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet. I assure you that on the Judgement Day God will show more mercy to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than to the people of that town!
Matthew 10:13‭-‬15 GNBDK

Reflection:
God is love and therefore accepts us for who we are, but God will never enforce his love, the acceptance of his love is a choice left to us. And the choice we make will have its own consequence. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father,  draws you to his son,  as you seek him with humble and contrite heart. May Jesus transform your life as you choose to walk in his ways and may his Holy Spirit give the you the wisdom and understanding to life. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

The Authority of Jesus

Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness.
Matthew 10:1 GNBDK

Reflection:
All power and authority, over the earth comes from Jesus alone, for he is word through which this world came into existence. And Jesus gives this authority, to his disciples, the lineage that continues with our priests. Therefore we are called to respect this authority for it comes from our high priest, Jesus Christ himself.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father draws you close to Jesus his son, as you surrender yourself to his authority, and may his Holy Spirit help you discern with wisdom and understanding. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Praying for Shepherds

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:37‭-‬38 NIV

Reflection:
Most of us are like sheep without shepherd, wandering around not knowing where to go. Jesus is aware of this, and reminds us to pray about everything, even to send the right kind of people/shepherd in your life. So that you will not stray away but be lead to the pastures prepared by God. 

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father draws you to his son Jesus as you call out to him and willing surrender your every prayer and petition. And may his Holy Spirit help you discern the calling. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Made well in our Faith

Jesus turned round and saw her, and said, “Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well.” At that very moment the woman became well.
Matthew 9:22 GNBDK

Reflection:
When we reach out to Jesus, we ought to go as we are, for Jesus came down for us. And with faith like a child and courage in our hearts, he calls us to reach out to him. And when we do so we will be well.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the Grace to come as you are to Jesus his son,  may you be made well by your faith and may his Holy Spirit be with you at all times. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Strength and Weakness

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

Reflection:
While we all have our talents and strengths, we all have our weaknesses  too. The world will choose to work with your strengths and reject you for your weakness. But God's ways our not our ways, and His strength is manifested in our weakness. All we need to do is humbly acknowledge our weakness and surrender to him.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the Grace to praise him in all circumstances, may you find strength in Jesus Christ his son to whom you surrender everything. And may his Holy Spirit be your helper and guide. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

New Life in Christ

"No one patches up an old coat with a piece of new cloth, for the new patch will shrink and make an even bigger hole in the coat.  Nor does anyone pour new wine into used wineskins, for the skins will burst, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins, and both will keep in good condition."
Matthew 9:16‭-‬17 GNBDK

Reflection:
Christ makes all things new. As we submit to change through Christ, we cannot let our former lives come into the new, for like the cloth, it will only rip a bigger hole. And change in our new life cannot just be outwardly, but has to originate from within or else we'd end up bursting like the old wineskin.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you grace to reach out to Jesus his son, may your life be changed and renewed from the inside out and may his Holy Spirit lead and assist you to a wholesome and fulfilling new life. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

A Call to Repentance

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’  For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:12‭-‬13 NIV

Reflection:
Even the righteous fall, but the good news is, Jesus is there offering his hand of help, especially when your down. But the enemy will make you feel unworthy of trying to get up again, or blind you to your sin, making you feel falsely righteous. However, we ought to know that Jesus  came to call sinners, and he desires mercy, all we need to do is humbly acknowledge our sin and reach out to him.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the Grace to humbly acknowledge all your short comings as you reach out to Jesus for help and forgiveness. And may his Holy Spirit convict you of the smallest of actions that takes you away from God. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

The forgiveness of sins

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
Matthew 9:6‭-‬8 NIV

Reflection:
There is no doubt about the existence of sin on earth, that said, Jesus has given us a path to reconciliation. And it is through this way, that here on earth our sins can be forgiven. All we need to do is repent with sincere heart  and take part in the sacrament of Confession. And in the authority of Jesus, who commissioned Peter to his church, all our sins will be forgiven.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the Grace the frequent the sacrament of Confession with sincere and contrite heart. May you find unconditional love and acceptance in Jesus his son and may his Holy Spirit be your help at all times. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Open the eyes of our Hearts

The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and went into the town, where they told the whole story and what had happened to the men with the demons. So everyone from the town went out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory.
Matthew 8:33‭-‬34 GNBDK

Reflections:
While we see the world with our eyes,  we also have filters that paint the picture of what we see, these filters could be anything from pride, ego, fear, hate etc. And it is these filters that don't let us see the good that people do in our lives.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father pours out his grace on you so that you can open the eyes of your heart and see the world with Love just like Jesus. And may his Holy Spirit bless you with wisdom, knowledge and understanding to discern all things. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Acknowledge your Doubt

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25 GNBDK

Reflection:
We all go through moments of doubt, and the best thing to do is acknowledge this doubt. Living in denial of doubt will only strengthen it.  But when we acknowledge it we allow ourselves to experience the grace of God, this grace that changes our doubt to prayer, as we say 'My Lord and my God'.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father pours out on you his grace allowing you to walk in the ways of Jesus. May you humbly acknowledge all your short comings as you are strengthen by his Holy Spirit to pray for God's will to be done in your life. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Jesus First

A teacher of the Law came to him. “Teacher,” he said, “I am ready to go with you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lie down and rest.”  Another man, who was a disciple, said, “Sir, first let me go back and bury my father.” “Follow me,” Jesus answered, “and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Matthew 8:19‭-‬22 GNBDK

Reflection:
While we all enjoy the feel good factor of religion and piety, we ought to understand that Christianity is much more than that. For Christ came into the world to take up the cross, and if we want to be his true disciples, then Jesus has to be our priority at all times and in every circumstance.

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you the grace and understanding to his ways. Like Jesus may you humbly submit to the Father's will as you carry your cross and may his Holy Spirit be your comforter and guide. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)

Called Believe

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Mark 5:36 NIV

Reflection:
The voices of the world may tells us that the situation we are in is hopeless, and there is no way out. But Jesus reminds us to not be troubled by the ways or voices of the world, but to believe, for on that cross hope was earned for all eternity.  Therefore, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Prayer:
I pray that God our Father gives you grace to stay strong in your faith. May you always be rooted to Jesus allowing him change your heart. And may his Holy Spirit help you believe. Amen

God Bless you and your loved ones :)