Our Gospel for Oct 24. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --
greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."


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Ang Talinghaga Patungkol sa Fariseo at Maniningil ng Buwis

Lucas 18:9-14

May ilang mga nagtiwala sa kanilang mga sarili na sila ay matuwid at hinamak nila ang iba. Sa kanila ay sinabi rin ni Jesus ang talinghagang ito. Dalawang lalaki ang umahon sa templo upang manalangin. Ang isa ay Fariseo at ang isa ay maniningil ng buwis. Tumayo ang Fariseo at nanalangin siya sa kaniyang sarili ng ganito: Diyos, pinasasalamatan kita na hindi ako katulad ng ibang tao. Hindi ako katulad nila na mga mangingikil, mga hindi matuwid at mga mangangalunya. Hindi rin ako katulad ng maniningil ng buwis na ito.

Dalawang ulit akong nag-aayuno sa loob ng isang linggo. Nagbibigay ako ng ikapu sa lahat ng bagay na aking tinatangkilik.

 
Ngunit ang maniningil ng buwis na nakatayo sa malayo ay hindi man lamang niya itinataas ang kaniyang paningin sa langit, sa halip ay kaniyang binabayo ang kaniyang dibdib. Sinabi niya: Diyos, pagkalooban mo ako ng iyong habag, ako na isang makasalanan.

 
Sinasabi ko sa inyo: Ang taong ito ay umuwi sa kaniyang bahay na pinaging-matuwid at ang isa ay hindi. Ito ay sapagkat ang bawat isang nagtataas ng kaniyang sarili ay ibababa, at ang bawat isang nagpapakumbaba ay itataas.

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Note: If you want to share your reflection, please click the "post a comment" below.

What happens in Heaven when we pray?

I received this email and I thought that I wanted to share this wonderful message with you!

I dreamed that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, ' This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received.  I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world. 

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.  The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth. 

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed."  How is it that there is no work going on here? ' I asked.  "So sad," the angel sighed.  "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments"  "How does one acknowledge God's blessings? " I asked..  "Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord. " "What blessings should they acknowledge?"  I asked.  "If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world 's wealthy. "  "And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."  "If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day. "  "If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... You are ahead of 700 million people in the world." "If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death you are envied by, and more blessed than, three billion people in the world."  
"If your parents are still alive and still married ...you are very rare."  "If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all those in doubt and despair......." Ok, what now? How can I start? 
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you as very special and you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.  Have a good day, count your blessings , and if you care to, pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are

ATTN:   Acknowledge Dept .   "Thank you Lord, for giving me the ability to share this message and for giving me so many wonderful people with whom to share it. "  If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you not send it on ??? ? I thank God for everything, especially all my family  and friends .