… God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. – Revelation 7: 17
A lot of things that happened to my life only made sense when I found God.
Before, they just seemed to be unexplainable, unwanted and undesirable events.
My parents separated when I was just a kid. I was sick of epilepsy when I was in high school. My father died when he and my mom were about to reconcile. And a host of painful, traumatic events happened one after the other. The heaviest was when I almost died of a possible incurable disease.
Yet, now I always proclaim, “I have a great life!”
I really do.
Because when I found God, my life changed — from seeing only the sad, ugly and painful things to noticing the happy, beautiful and victorious events that were also happening to me. I just didn’t see it until God wiped away my tears.
With God in your life, the tears from your eyes will be tears of hope, peace and joy! Alvin Barcelona (alvinbarcelona@gmail.com)
REFLECTION:
Are you shedding tears of sorrow and pain, anger and bitterness? Let God wipe them away. Today.
Lord God, I offer to You my past. Let me live in the present in Your Presence! And let me be excited about the glorious future You have for me forever. Amen.
The Gospel is beginning to take root in the Gentile community as well as among the Jews. This will become a challenge for the Early Church as they try to discern how the Gospel is to be lived by those who have not come from a Jewish background. Although faith is the key, this understanding was still being developed — the Gospels were not yet written. Slowly the Traditions and Doctrine of the Christian Faith begin to develop and solidify in the community of the faithful.
Acts 13:14, 43-52
14 Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. 43 After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God. 44 On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. 46 Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 48 The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, 49 and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. 50 The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
P S A L M
Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5
R: We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; 2 serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. (R) 5 The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. (R)
2nd READING
In heaven there will be no more sorrow. We will all be happily praising God together. This is the life for which God has created us. Boring? Self-absorbed on the part of God? Not really. In praising God, the reason for our being, we will be brought to true fulfillment.
Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
9 I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. 14 Then one of the elders said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. 17 For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
G O S P E L
Listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd is critical for a disciple. Only when we obey His Word and calling will we graze on green pastures and discover the fullest meaning of life. We may be able to get part of the way all on our own, but deep down inside something will always be missing when we are not living in obedience to God’s Word.
John 10:27-30
27 Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”
my reflections
t h i n k : Only when we obey His Word and calling will we graze on green pastures and discover the fullest meaning of life.
The fourth Sunday of Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday. We are invited to reflect upon the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and we as His sheep. This is a very important image from the point of view of God as the sheep are totally dependent upon the shepherd for their care. It is the shepherd who leads them to good pasture and to water, and protects them from wild animals and thieves. The same is true in our spiritual lives — we will never find true contentment and satisfaction apart from allowing Jesus to guide us into the arms of our loving Father in Heaven.
The opening line of the Gospel today captures a very important aspect of the shepherd-sheep relationship. It speaks of the sheep listening to the voice of their shepherd. In reality, the sheep are able to distinguish the voice of their shepherd from all the other foreign voices that may be giving instructions at any one time. It is that voice they follow; it is that voice that they trust.
We, too, must become adept at distinguishing between the voice of God and the many other voices in the world that could lead us astray. It takes time and effort on our part to learn to recognize the voice of God in the midst of the maelstrom of voices we encounter every day. It is a matter of life and death that we are able to do this or we will find ourselves developing a life plan that leads us away from eternal life rather than closer to it.
In his Letter to the Colossians, Paul warns them to avoid the empty philosophies of the world (Colossians 2:8-9) and thus place their lives under the grace of God and His wisdom — a wisdom and truth that lead to everlasting life. We have choices to make in our lives and surely they have consequences — and sometimes the consequences could lead to either eternal life or eternal death. Let us pray for the wisdom and grace to listen to the right voices and to be guided well in making our life choices.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
Reflection Question:
Which are the voices I give authority to in my life? Are they voices that guide me along the path of eternal life or are they more concerned with matters of this world?
Jesus, help me to learn to recognize Your voice and that of the Father and the Holy Spirit so that I will be guided well in all my actions.
1. The FEAST is the one of the happiest places on earth.
Find one near you!
Pasig
Sunday
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Valle Verde Country Club (beside The ULTRA)
Preacher: Bo Sanchez
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Valle Verde Country Club
Preacher: Obet Cabrillas
Quezon City
Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 12 n.n.
Convention Hall, Bureau of Soils, Visayas Ave., Q.C.
Preacher: Eng Si
South
Sunday
11:00 a.m - 12:30 p.m.
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Cinema 10, Festival Mall, Alabang Preacher: Arun Gogna
Rizal Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Valley Fair, Taytay,Rizal Preacher: Pio Espanol
Bustos
Sunday 2:30 p.m - 5:30 p.m.
San isidro labrador Parish, Liciada, Bustos
Preacher: Chito Manaois
Ortigas
Monday 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Roofdeck, Prestige Tower,
F. Ortigas Ave., Pasig City Preacher: Vic Espanol
Makati
Thursday, 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
AIM Conference Center, Benavidez cor Paseo de Roxas
Preachers: Randy Borromeo and George Gabriel
Manila
Friday, 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Cinema 4, SM Manila (near City Hall), Manila Preacher: Obet Cabrillas
Angeles
1st & 3rd Friday, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Professional Bldg., Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City Preacher: Marvin Tan
Laguna
Saturday, arter the 4:00 pm Mass - 6:30 pm. 2/F Activity Center, Pavillion Mall, Km. 35 San Antonio, Binan, Laguna
Preacher: Hermie Morelos
Marilao
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Cinema 2, SM Marilao, Bulacan Preacher: Alvin Barcelona
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A music lover and enthusiast who believes it's never too late to follow your music passion! He knows how to play the keyboards, guitars and drums and learned it through self study. He believes that self education is key in learning your passion.
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