My Daily Nourishment

God’s economic policy for His people was radical. On the 50th year, all debts were to be cancelled and all land and property was to return to its original owners. All slaves were to be set free as well. The huge disparity in wealth that exists today is not God’s will. We all have a responsibility to ensure that we pay our workers more than the basic wage so that they can live with true dignity as children of God.

Leviticus 25:1, 8-17

1 The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 8 “Seven weeks of years shall you count — seven times seven years — so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years. 9 Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month let the trumpet resound; on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo throughout your land. 10 This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property, every one to his own family estate. 11 In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee, you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines. 12 Since this is the jubilee, which shall be sacred for you, you may not eat of its produce, except as taken directly from the field. 13 In this year of jubilee, then, every one of you shall return to his own property. 14 Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly. 15 On the basis of the number of years since the last jubilee shall you purchase the land from him; and so also, on the basis of the number of years for crops, shall he sell it to you. 16 When the years are many, the price shall be so much the more; when the years are few, the price shall be so much the less. For it is really the number of crops that he sells you. 17 Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God. I, the

LORD, am your God.”

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The image of Mary going up to a town in Judah and being greeted with great joy by her cousin Elizabeth harps back to the story in the book of Samuel, where King David accompanied the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. With the coming of the ark, God’s presence comes to His people. With the coming of Mary, God visited Elizabeth, and the child in her womb is filled with the Holy Spirit and leaps for joy.

Luke 1:39-56

39 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” 46 And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior. 48 For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. 49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. 51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. 52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, 55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56 Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

my reflections:

think: Jesus is the first to rise from the dead and the Virgin Mary, being without sin, is the first fruit of His resurrection.

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The celebration of the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven is a celebration of hope. We pray that the gift Mary received of being raised from the dead and into eternal life in heaven will be ours also. This is a sign of hope for us — that where she goes, we hope to go as well. What else does the Feast of the Assumption teach us?

The Assumption is all about the fulfillment of God’s promises that life in heaven is the ultimate goal of all Christians. Mary becomes the first to receive this gift just as she leads the way for us in most, if not all, aspects of the Christian life. In this way the Feast of the Assumption also indicates the deep honor in which the Catholic Church holds Mary. However, we must remember that devotion to Mary or any of the saints is not enough for one’s conversion.

Conversion and holiness are the result of the decisions we make and the actions that these decisions lead to. Jesus constantly reminds us of this fact in the Gospels where He tells us that it is not those who cry out “Lord! Lord!” who will enter the Kingdom of God, but those who do the will of His Father in heaven. In one of the occasions where He says this, Mary is present and Jesus uses her as an example in affirming that His real mothers (brothers and sisters) are those who follow the will of God, not just those who are related to Him by blood.

The challenge of discerning the will of God for our lives remains with us until we die. We cannot allow its difficulty to discourage us. We should simply redouble our efforts in seeking God’s will and then responding to it. If we are earnest in our search for God’s will, it will not take too long to discover it. God is not trying to hide His will from us!

Reflection Question:

Do I already know what is God’s will for my life? Am I responding to it in faith every day?

Holy Spirit, help me to come to know what God’s will is so that I can do my best to be obedient to it each and every day of my life.

Special Thanks to Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL for this very inspiring messages.

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According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life. The Roman Catholic Church teaches as dogma that the Virgin Mary “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” This doctrine was dogmatically and infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus. This belief is known as the Dormition of the Theotokos by the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches. In the churches which observe it, the Assumption is a major feast day, commonly celebrated on August 15. In many countries it is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation.

In his August 15, 2004, homily given at Lourdes, Pope John Paul II quoted John 14:3 as one of the scriptural bases for understanding the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. In this verse, Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.” According to Catholic theology, Mary is the pledge of the fulfillment of Christ’s promise.

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It is sometimes very difficult to get rid of vices. I am very thankful that I am not into it nor my husband. We just live a normal life and quite happy and contented about it. I heard of some people who are getting addicted to alcohol, drugs or cigarettes. There are rehabilitation centers who are offering treatments to these kind of problems. There are these so-called suboxone treatment detox centers who are helping such kind of addictive patients. You better consult and ask the experts if you are willing to get healed with sickness such as alcoholism, drug addiction and the like. If you want to get rid of your vices, these professionals will help you undergo some treatments to bring back your normal life. Good luck!

This Exodus story shows us how fear drives out faith. When the children of Israel see Pharaoh and his chariots pursuing them, they tell Moses they would have been better left in Egypt to die. Fear leads to despair and unbelief. In contrast, Moses hears the word of God for him and the people in this crisis, and then moves in obedience and faith to see God work a mighty miracle.

Exodus 14:5-18

5 When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them. They exclaimed, “What have we done! Why, we have released Israel from our service!” 6 So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiers — 7 six hundred first-class chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all. 8 So obstinate had the LORD made Pharaoh that he pursued the Israelites even while they were marching away in triumph. 9 The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh’s whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 Pharaoh was already near when the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they cried out to the LORD. 11 And they complained to Moses, “Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” 13 But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today. These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still.” 15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16 And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split the sea in two, that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land. 17 But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers. 18 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I receive glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and charioteers.”

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First of all I would like to thank all my family and friends for all the birthday greetings you sent me. Thank you so much for remembering me during my special day. The birthday and thanksgiving party last Saturday was very successful. Everybody were happy ans truly had fun. I am also very glad because most of my wishes this year came true. I might not be able to buy one of those prada sunglasses which is my birthday wish but at least I made some people happy. Instead of having it, I will go for a 5-day holiday in Vienna, Budapest and some other places in that area.

Lastly thanks to all friends who helped me during the preparation of the party and also for all those who had sent their greetings and wishes.Most of all thank you dear Lord for everything especially for giving me another year and still hoping and praying for another half decade in my life. My birthday wishes; good health always for me and my family, love, peace, happiness and more travels to come.

The last weekend of the month is almost approaching. The so-called “Big Day” is almost coming. I need to get ready for a lot of things before that day comes. I am also hoping to keep in touch with my family and friends before or during that day.

It is good to know that with the modern technology we have now, it is just so easy to interact and keep in touch with our loveones and friends. Taking for example the conference call services by Zip conferencing, the free yahoo messenger or skype video calling, all of these will take us nearer to anybody who is thousand miles away from us especially our family and friends. Thanks to the genius who invented these things that made our lives more easier, convenient and comfortable. Most of all special thanks to the One Above for everything in this world.

The Scribes and Pharisees demand of Jesus a sign, not because they want to believe in Him, but to challenge Him and His authority. What greater sign could God have given them than coming to them in the person of His Son? We do not need signs to have faith. Rather we should place our whole confidence in Christ for in Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells and is given to us each time we receive holy communion.

Matthew 12:38-42

38 Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. 42 At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.”

my reflections
t h i n k : We do not need signs to have faith.

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Good morning peeps! I am quite tired and sleepy now and I believed I can no longer stay for more minutes. Before that let me share this food image before I sign-off. It was last Saturday when we visited Munich. One of the malls we visited was Oberpollinger. You can find a lot of designers shops here last Gucci, Prada, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and a lot more. We also had our dinner there. A restaurant called Le Buffet is located in the last floor of the mall. You can find a lot of foods and restaurant supplies inside. The menus varies from Asian foods to Mediterranean, German and American food. It is quite affordable. I want to go back dining there again in my next visit.

My eyes are too tired now. Have a nice week to all!