Blessed are the Beautiful Feet!

I opened my email once again to read the daily reading, psalm and gospel and I was struck with the reading:

For, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring (the) good news!" But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?" Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for "Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." --Rm 10:9-18

I was particularly struck with those words I have typed in bold letters (Rm 10:13-15) as it made me reflect on the talks with some friends from the Netherlands. They say that they believe in God but do not see the need for the church. One in fact hates the church and would mock me when I tell that I give to the church, saying that I should instead just give to the people in need and I would say that I do that too but I like to support the church because I get my spiritual nourishment from her! I would say that somehow they are lucky to have parents and their church before that taught them about God and the faith but what about the next generation? Who would teach them about God???

Then I thought of all "sisters" in the community who are really very active in evangelizing the good news. Going out of their comfort zone, going to mission areas just to proclaim God's goodness. How beautiful and blessed they are! How beautiful are their feet that walks to proclaim Christ!

The Joyful Visitation

I once told my cousin that I would pray the rosary apart from the family rosary we pray every night. And often times I'd pray the Joyful mysteries even if it not a Monday or Saturday because I particularly liked the second mystery -- the Visitation. And each time I say it, I would ask Mama Mary to visit me and care for me as she visited and cared for my namesake, her cousin Elizabeth more than 2000 years ago!

Today I was talking with my cousin in Skype, and she told me that now, she too asks Mary to visit her as she has visited her cousin Elizabeth more than 2000 years ago.

I am sure that Mary indeed visits us when we ask for her Joyful Visitation!

St. Martin de Porres

Today is the feast day of St. Martin de Porres.

He is one of the Patron Saints of our family as we also ask for his intercession when we pray the rosary. I remember shouting his name when I was in the recovery room after my operation last July, I am just not sure if I was shouting it in my dream or I actually shouted his name.

He has a statue in Sto. Domingo Church on the right side (on the left is our Lady of La Naval) and they have a novena every Tuesday at 5:45 pm. I wonder if they still give bread (pandesal) to the people after the novena? Somehow I felt that he visited me during my operation so I thought I'd also visit him on his feast day.

Happy feast day! Please continue interceding for us.