Choose Faith and Ask for Help

Choose Faith and Ask for Help by Rick Warren “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6 (NLT) "It does not bother God when you ask for help. He stands ready to help you in every moment of life." When faced with the reality of a situation that is overwhelming, the best thing you can do is focus on God. The disciples, in Matthew 8, knew that Jesus could do something about the storm that threatened their lives as they were tossed on the sea. Their answer to the overwhelming storm was to ask Jesus for help. “The disciples went to him and they woke him up, shouting, ‘Lord save us, we are going to drown” (Matthew 8:25 NLT). Why is it that we wait until it gets really bad before we think we have to pray? One of the keys to dealing with anxiety is to cry for help earlier because God wants to help. Instead of trying to live life on your own and let the worry overwhelm you, turn to God. He wants you to live life connected to him, talking to him, and getting connected with others because when you try to do it on our own and never ask for help, worries just multiply. Maybe it’s hard for you to admit your needs. Maybe you think no one cares. Maybe you’re convinced you know the answer and no one else does. I think a lot of people don’t ask for help because they don’t want to be a bother to anyone. It does not bother God when you ask for help. He stands ready to help you in every moment of life. “Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). Talking to God in prayer is the single most effective cure for worry, and it needs to be the attitude of your life. Our verse today gives us the formula for how this works. “Pray about everything.” First, you talk. As you talk to God about everything, you will find the anxiety level lessening in your life. “Tell God what you need.” That’s the second thing. A lot of times people go to God in prayer and tell God about everything and everyone else, but don’t share their needs with him. Tell him what you are worried about! “Thank him for all he has done.” There is something about gratitude that lessens anxiety and opens the door to peace and incredible faith in your life. No matter what you’re going through in life right now, there is something you can look back on and say, “God, I’m grateful for that.” So hang on to that.

Our Gospel for Feb 2. The Presentation in the Temple.

Luke  2:22-32

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses,Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord ,
and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons ,in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

Dinala ni Jose at ni Maria si Jesus sa Templo

Lucas 2:22-32

²²Naganap na ang araw ng kanilang pagdadalisay ayon sa kautusan ni Moises. Pagkatapos nito, dinala nila si Jesus sa Jerusalem upang iharap sa Panginoon. ²³Gaya ng nasusulat sa kautusan ng Panginoon: Ang bawat batang lalaki na nagbubukas ng bahay-bata ay tatawaging banal sa Panginoon. ²⁴Dinala nila siya upang maghandog ng hain ayon sa sinabi sa kautusan ng Panginoon. Ang hain ay isang tambal na batu-bato o dalawang inakay na kalapati.
   
 ²⁵Narito, sa Jerusalem ay may isang lalaki na ang pangalan ay Simeon. Ang lalaking ito ay matuwid at maka-diyos na naghihintay sa kaaliwan ng Israel. At ang Banal na Espiritu ay sumasakaniya. ²⁶Ang Banal na Espiritu ay naghayag sa kaniya na hindi siya mamamatay hanggang hindi niya nakikita ang Mesiyas ng Panginoon. ²⁷Siya ay pumunta sa loob ng templo sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu. Dinala ng mga magulang ang maliit na batang si Jesus sa templo. Ito ay upang magawa nila sa kaniya ang naaayon sa naging kaugalian sa kautusan. ²⁸Nang dinala nila ang maliit na bata, kinarga siya ni Simeon at pinuri ang Diyos. ²⁹Sinabi niya: Panginoon, ngayon ay papanawin mo na ang iyong alipin na may kapayapaan ayon sa iyong salita. ³⁰Ito ay sapagkat nakita na ng aking mga mata ang iyong pagliligtas. ³¹Inihanda mo ito sa harap ng lahat ng mga tao. ³²Ang kaligtasang ito ay isang liwanag upang maging kapahayagan sa mga Gentil. Ito ay kaluwalhatian ng Israel na iyong mga tao.
   

Our Gospel for February 1. Jairus"s Daughter and the Woman with a Hemorrhage.

Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,“My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.”He went off with him and a large crowd followed him.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had.Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”Immediately her flow of blood dried up.She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to him,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling.She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
While he was still speaking,people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother
and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.

 Ang Babaeng Maysakit at Batang Babaeng Patay

 Marcos 5:21-43

 ²¹Si Jesus ay muling tumawid sa kabilang ibayo sakay ng isang bangka. Nagsiksikan sa kaniya ang napakaraming tao at siya noon ay nasa tabi ng lawa. ²²Narito, lumapit ang isa sa mga pinuno ng sinagoga na nagngangalang Jairo. Pagkakita niya kay Jesus nagpatirapa siya sa kaniyang paanan. ²³Siya ay namanhik nang lubos na nagsasabi: Nag-aagaw-buhay ang anak kong dalagita. Sumama ka sa akin, ipatong mo sa kaniya ang inyong mga kamay upang siya ay gumaling at mabuhay. ²⁴Sumama si Jesus sa kaniya.
   Sumunod kay Jesus ang napakaraming tao at nagsiksikan sila sa kaniya. ²⁵May isang babae roon na labindalawang taon nang dinurugo. ²⁶Siya ay lubhang naghirap sa maraming manggagamot na tumingin sa kaniya. Naubos na ang lahat niyang ari-arian ngunit hindi pa rin siya napabuti kahit kaunti, bagkus ay lalo pa siyang lumubha. ²⁷Nang marinig niya ang patungkol kay Jesus, nakipagsiksikan siya sa napakaraming tao hanggang sa likuran ni Jesus. Hinipo niya ang damit ni Jesus. ²⁸Iniisip niya: Kung mahihipo ko lang ang kaniyang damit, ako ay gagaling. ²⁹Dagling naampat ang kaniyang pagdurugo at nalaman niya sa kaniyang katawan na magaling na siya mula sa sakit na nagpapahirap sa kaniya.    
 ³⁰Kaagad ding nalaman ni Jesus sa kaniyang sarili na may kapangyarihang lumabas sa kaniya. Pagbaling niya sa karamihan, nagtanong siya: Sinong humipo sa aking damit?
   
 ³¹Sinabi sa kaniya ng kaniyang mga alagad: Nakikita mong nagsisiksikan sa iyo ang napakaraming tao. Ngayon ay nagtatanong ka: Sinong humipo sa akin?
   
 ³²Nagpalinga-linga pa rin siya sa palibot upang tingnan ang babaeng gumawa nito. ³³Ang babae ay natatakot at nanginginig sa pagkaalam ng nangyari sa kaniya. Siya ay lumapit at nagpatirapa sa harap ni Jesus at ipinagtapat ang buong katotohanan. ³⁴Sinabi ni Jesus: Anak, pinagaling ka ng iyong pananampalataya. Humayo kang payapa. Gumaling ka na sa sakit na nagpapahirap sa iyo.
   
 ³⁵Habang nagsasalita pa si Jesus, may mga taong dumating mula sa bahay ng pinuno ng sinagoga. Sinabi nila: Ang anak mong babae ay patay na. Bakit inaabala mo pa ang guro?
   
 ³⁶Ngunit nang marinig ito ni Jesus, kaagad niyang sinabi sa pinuno ng sinagoga: Huwag kang matakot. Manampalataya ka lamang.
   
 ³⁷Hindi niya pinahintulutang sumama sa kanila ang sinuman maliban kina Pedro, Santiago at Juan na kapatid ni Santiago. ³⁸Siya ay dumating sa bahay ng pinuno ng sinagoga. Nakita niya ang pagkakagulo ng mga tao, may umiiyak at humagulhol nang husto. ³⁹Nang nakapasok na siya, sinabi niya sa kanila: Bakit kayo nagkakagulo at umiiyak? Ang bata ay hindi patay kundi natutulog lang. ⁴⁰Pinagtawanan nila si Jesus.
   Nang maitaboy niya ang lahat, isinama niya ang ama at ina ng bata at ang mga kasama niya. Pumasok sila sa kinahihigaan ng bata. ⁴¹Hinawakan niya ang kamay ng bata at sinabi sa kaniya: Talitha kumi!⁴²Agad na bumangon ang dalagita at lumakad. Siya ay labindalawang taong gulang na. Lubhang namangha ang mga tao. ⁴³Mahigpit na ipinagbilin ni Jesus sa kanila na huwag itong ipaalam kahit kanino. Sinabi rin niya na bigyan nila ng makakain ang dalagita. Ang ibig sabihin nito ay: Dalagita, sinasabi ko sa iyo: Bumangon ka.

Our Gospel for January 31. The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac.

Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,to the territory of the Gerasenes.When he got out of the boat,at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs,and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”
(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)
He asked him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him,“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town
and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus,they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them
all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.


Pinagaling ni Jesus ang Inalihan ng Demonyo

Marcos 5:1-20

 1Dumating sila sa kabilang ibayo ng lawa sa lupain ng mga taga-Gadara. 2Pagkababa ni Jesus mula sa bangka agad siyang sinalubong ng isang lalaking galing sa mga libingan na may karumal-dumal na espiritu. 3Siya ay may tirahan sa mga libingan at walang makagapos sa kaniya kahit na sa pamamagitan ng mga tanikala. 4Madalas siyang lagyan ng mga pangaw at tanikala ngunit nilalagot niya ang tanikala at pinagsisisira ng mga pangaw. Walang sinumang makapagpaamo sa kaniya. 5Palagi siyang sumisigaw, araw at gabi, sa mga bundok at sa mga libingan at sinusugatan niya ng bato ang kaniyang sarili.

 
 6Subalit pagkakita niya kay Jesus mula sa malayo, siya ay tumakbo at sinamba niya si Jesus. 7Sumigaw siya nang malakas: Ano ang kinalaman ko sa iyo, Jesus, Anak ng kataas-taasang Diyos? Ipangako mo sa Diyos na huwag mo akong pahirapan! 8Sapagkat sinabi sa kaniya ni Jesus: Lumabas ka sa taong iyan, karumal-dumal na espiritu!

 
 9Tinanong siya ni Jesus: Ano ang pangalan mo?
   Siya ay sumagot: Ang pangalan ko ay Hukbo, sapagkat marami kami. 10Nagmakaawa siya nang husto sa kaniya na huwag silang palayasin sa lupaing iyon.

 
 11Doon sa may libis ng bundok ay mayroong isang malaking kawan ng mga baboy na nanginginain. 12Nagmakaawa ang lahat ng mga demonyo na nagsasabi: Papuntahin mo kami sa mga baboy upang sa kanila kami pumasok. 13Kaagad silang pinayagan ni Jesus. Ang mga karumal-dumal na espiritu ay lumabas sa lalaki at pumasok sa mga baboy at mabilis na tumakbong palusong tuloy-tuloy sa lawa. At lahat ay nalunod sa lawa. Ang kawan ng mga baboy ay halos dalawang libo ang bilang.

 
 14Ang mga nagpapakain ng mga baboy ay nagmamadaling tumakbo at ipinamalita ito sa lungsod at sa kabukiran. Pumunta roon ang mga tao upang tingnan kung ano ang nangyari. 15Lumapit sila kay Jesus at nakita ang taong inalihan ng mga demonyo na nakaupo, nakadamit at nasa wastong pag-iisip. Siya ang nagkaroon ng isang Hukbo at sila ay natakot. 16Isinalaysay sa kanila ng mga nakasaksi ang nangyari sa inalihan ng mga demonyo at patungkol sa baboy. 17Nagsimula silang mamanhik kay Jesus na umalis sa kanilang lupain.

 
 18Nang sumakay na si Jesus sa bangka, namanhik ang inalihan ng mga demonyo na isama siya. 19Hindi siya pinayagan ni Jesus. Sa halip ay sinabi niya: Umuwi ka sa iyong bahay, sa iyong pamilya. Ibalita mo sa kanila kung ano ang ginawa sa iyo ng Panginoon at kung papaano ka niya kinahabagan. 20Siya ay umalis at nagsimulang maghayag sa Decapolis kung ano ang ginawa sa kaniya ni Jesus. Ang lahat ay namangha.

Our Gospel for January 30. The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:

The Beatitudes*

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn,for they will be comforted.Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.Blessed are the clean of heart,for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”


Ang Pangangaral sa Bundok

Mateo 5:1-12

 1Pagkakita niya sa napakaraming tao, umahon siya sa bundok. Pagkaupo niya, nilapitan siya ng kaniyang mga alagad. 2Nagsalita siya upang turuan ang kaniyang mga alagad. Sinabi niya:
    3Pinagpala ang mga mapagpakumbabang-loob sapagkat
   sa kanila ang paghahari ng langit. 4Pinagpala ang mga
   nahahapis sapagkat sila ay aaliwin. 5Pinagpala ang mga
   maaamo sapagkat mamanahin nila ang lupa. 6Pinagpala
   ang mga nagugutom at mga nauuhaw sa katuwiran
   sapagkat sila ay bubusugin. 7Pinagpala ang mga
   mahabagin sapagkat kahahabagan sila. 8Pinagpala ang
   mga may dalisay na puso sapagkat makikita nila ang
   Diyos. 9Pinagpala ang mga mapagpayapa sapagkat
   tatawagin silang mga anak ng Diyos. 10Pinagpala ang
   mga inuusig dahil sa katuwiran sapagkat sa kanila ang
   paghahari ng langit.
    11Pinagpala kayo kung kayo ay inaalimura ng mga tao
   at pinag-uusig at pinagwiwikaan ng lahat ng uri ng
   masasamang salita na pawang kasinungalingan dahil sa
   akin. 12Magalak at magsaya kayong totoo sapagkat
   malaki ang inyong gantimpala sa langit.