Who's the Rock? Who Builds the Church?

Who is the Rock that Christ referred to? Wasn't it Peter?

Then, who builds the Church? Isn't it Christ? Believe it or not, Christ does it. The fact that the Catholic Church still exists today is evidence enough for that.

Just read on...

Pope Benedict XVI holds the papal staff while leading a procession prior to an open-air Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 16, 2008. (Photo courtesy of Christus Vincit at Flickr).

The Gospel Today
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

May We All Have Twice the Centurion's Faith

The centurion's faith in this gospel is exceptional, especially in today's time. All he asked was for Jesus to "say the word" and he knew that his servant would be healed. Amazing.

Jesus and the Centurion at Capernaum, an illustration by Willam Hole at BiblePictureGallery.com

The Gospel Today The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. (Matthew 8:8)

A Daring Prayer to the Lord

When was the last time you made a daring request to the Lord in your prayers, done in a humble and obedient manner?

I can't help but be impressed by this leper's attitude towards Christ in the gospel today...

Jesus Heals the Leper. Picture courtesy of BiblePictureGallery.com

The Gospel Today And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." (Matthew 8:3)

Is Your House on Solid Ground? on Rock?

What's a solid ground? What's a rock?

They mean strong footing. A strong footing gives you a great degree of immunity from circumstances that go against you in life. A weak footing makes you vulnerable.

Image from Maxing Out: 33,000 Miles of Global Adventure

The Gospel Today

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)

Just how on earth do we achieve such solid footing in life?

What Everybody Ought To Know About the Immaculate Heart of Mary

What do we understand about the Immaculate Heart of Mary? Then, most importantly, how do we feel about it? Does it strike reverence in us? or does it mystify us?

The Immaculate Heart of Mary.
What's in it for us today?

The Gospel Today
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. Luke 2:51

A priest once explained that the "heart" as constantly referred to in the Bible is NOT the physical heart as we know it now. Instead it refers to the "seat of the will or inclination," "the vital or most essential part" or "the very essence" or "the core."

Understanding The Sacred Heart of Jesus

What comes to your mind with the words "Sacred Heart"? Do you see a school? or a hospital? a painting? a statue? I grew up seeing all these things in my mind.

In truth, all those I mentioned are nothing but reminders of an event 2,000 years ago in Mount Calvary that contains a message for all of us...

The Gospel Today
One soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. John 19:34

What has that event got do with us now, really?

Are You A Christian To Be "IN" the Fellowship?

Am I a Christian to be "in"? to be part of the fellowship? Or am I here for the Lord? Christians these days need to check themselves.

In most areas of the world, Christians are no longer rounded up to be fed to lions every time they go to mass. Once upon a time, you keep your Christianity a secret; that is, until you attend mass.

The Gospel Today
Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. Matthew 6:6

What Jesus certainly foresaw was that, time would come when Christianity would be the "In" thing and some people would become "Christians" to be "in," to be part of the fellowship, to be part of a prestigious name, to have business networks within.

So You Think Christians Are Wimps?

Some say Christianity is for wimps. You heard them, don't you?

Well, how about the other way around? You think it's easy to pray for people who hate you? It's much easier to give them the same, isn't it? Yet Christians are being told to love these enemies and pray for them. Is that wimpy? Or, rather, heroic?

The Gospel Today
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45

Consider this. Spartans were feared because of their uncanny discipline to obey their superior's commands, even to the point of dying. When a king saw how Spartan soldiers marched to death on a cliff upon the orders of their commander, the king trembled in fear and surrendered without a fight.

The Gospel Says Offer NO Resistance to the Devil?

The gospel today seems hard to accept. Offer no resistance? Let the devil take control? and even give him more of what he asks for? What is this?

The Gospel Today
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. Matthew 5:39

As I grew in faith, I began to see the wisdom in the gospel today ...

1. By resisting, we give up control --- This is a bit hard to explain, but martial arts practitioners would understand this very readily. In both Judo and Aikido, I was taught that to defeat the opponent we take control of his own momentum and then use that momentum against him. Meeting an opponent's momentum head on is a no-no.

Being Men of Our Word

When our word serves as our signature, when people know things will move simply because we said so, that, to me, is the essence of manliness, exemplified by the no less than Christ himself.

Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.
From the Gospel Today, Matthew 5:37

In fact, Christ said anything more than yes or no comes from the evil one. What can the word "more" mean that we should guard against it?

SOLIDARITY by Tony Meloto

This article entitled "Solidarity" from no less than Tony Meloto, has been circulating among members of the Mission Core Group in CFC West B Sector.

Tony Meloto addresses the participants of the Australian Gawad Kalinga Youth Great Adventure Tour (GKYGAT) in this January 2007 photo from http://blog.marcopalmero.com

I am not part of the MCG, yet I got the privilege of securing a copy from one of the MCG members, who thinks it's alright to post this in the web for those who are curious about how Tony Meloto thinks about the decision of the CFC International Council to 'Let Go' of Gawad Kalinga.

Here it goes (all emphases mine)...