Religion-To Have Faith

When you have been dragged down into the mud and life seems hopeless, just look at the picture below and you will know that even there the sun still shines brightly and the waters of life will always calm your soul.  


Anartici

                                                                                                                                   Photo By: Linda Kaye Perez 

                                                                       Gerlache Strait, Antarctica

What a fantastic view-Right?  You might say we were on top of the world-No we were at the bottom of the world. But in the big scheme of things, being in the Universe, there is no top or bottom, just there!

If you look carefully at the photo, the distant mountain peak shrouded by clouds is about 15,000 feet tall, but as we traversed through the strait earlier in the day we sailed  right by that peak and it did not seem so tall. 

So there is nothing that is so bad that you can not overcome if you put your mind to it- Determination and Will Power along with a little faith in yourself and someone or something greater then yourself, will get you through.

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From The Christ

“Come to me,” he said to the little children. And they came. “Listen to my message,” he said to all. And they listened. “Follow me,” he said. Easier said then done!

With human frailties, such they are, it is extremely difficult if not impossible for us to drop everything and follow anyone into the unknown. That takes real faith!

Sometimes, under duress and desperation we will blindly follow those who offer an escape from what appears to be an insoluble situation - thinking, in many cases wrongly, that the answer lies in an abyss.

Once we have fallen off the edge, we wonder - WHY? WHY didn’t I see that coming? WHY me is the typical reaction most of us have. But the real question should be, why didn’t we listen better?

For any message given, a great deal of supposition and conjecture exists. Even though Christ meant it literally, he understood that not many would follow in his footsteps. Most of us will walk along side of him, holding on to the cruxes of daily lives; ready to turn away when the road gets bumpy.

Yet his message is truly all encompassing and very personal in nature, for we all are made to be unique individuals, with much diversity. Therefore, his message is directed to each of us as if we were the only one left in the world.

Granted, it may take all of our lives to correctly interrupt the message he sends, but oh boy! When we finally get it, what an enlightenment we will experience.

And when you do finally get it, you will not be able to explain it to anyone else, for the message is for you and you alone. You will just have to live it. And the rest must be left to FAITH!

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What seems impossible to us is but a comma to the

Good Lord Above .

With God nothing is impossible-He created you!


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Hanging on the Cross

  When Jesus was nearing the end of His mission here on earth in human form, and remember he is after all just like you and I-Some may ask, how can this be, to be Human and God simultaneously? Well, only a loving God through Jesus Christ-His Son could he take on such a form in order to show us his true love for his children. Jesus was willing to suffer and die, just like we suffer and die.

  Yet this supreme sacrifice of suffering and death did a great deal more then just that-it opened the gates of heaven once again for us to enter. Now Why?! Why would God do that? Because Jesus paid the price!  He paid the price for our indiscretions. He is the portal for our eternal reward.

  So, every deed Jesus performed, every miracle, and every word Jesus spoke had and continues to have a profound meaning. And many of these meanings are beyond our comprehension. In time we fully will know and understand. We must have patience.

  As he approached his death, hanging from that cross, with the weight of our sins bearing down on him, he uttered seven words or phases on our behave. In a soft and painful voice he exclaimed his fifth word I Thirst.

  At this point in time he had already asked his father, our father too, to forgive us for we knew not what we were doing. It takes a special person to do this, and Jesus is a special person, the greatest of those few that have been willing to do the same as Jesus did all throughout history.

  But what does this word, Thirst mean to me? What does it mean to you? We know from scripture that it had been prophesied long before Jesus came to earth that he would bring these lessons of wisdom to us at the right moment in time, so that they could forever reverberate throughout the Universe. Everyday, if we listen carefully, we can hear and witness his words…begging us to act in his fathers behave. Are we listening?

  All throughout his ministry Jesus spoke and performed deeds of kindness, even on the cross, and when saying, “I thirst” he was not just expressing the human version of the word, but much more;

  He thirst for the truth, he thirst for our understanding of what it means to be the children of God, he thirst for you and me to be happy, just as Adam and Eve were promised, but if only had they listened and accepted God’s divine Truth.

Harry J. Perez,

Presented at a Good Friday worship service at Holy Name Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas on April 15, 2022.

He Uttered 7 WORDS

First Word: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing"   Luke 23:34          (Jesus is asking his Father to forgive us)

Second Word: " Truly, I say to you, today, you will be with me in paradise"   Luke 23:43   (Jesus is telling us that everyone is welcomed in his Kingdom)

Third Word: "Jesus said to his mother: Woman, this is your son. Then he said to his disciple: This is your mother"    John19:26 

(Jesus is telling us that because he came into the world through an earthly Mother in Mary, that she is now our Mother as well since now God shares our Humanity through Jesus)

Fourth Word: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"    Mark 15:34

(Jesus is showing his Humanity and that his Humility is what has saved US)

Fifth Word: "I thirst"    John 19:28  (Jesus is testifing to the DIVINE TRUTH)

Sixth Word: "It is finished”   John 19:30     (Jesus has now completed his MISSION on earth)

Seventh Word: " Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit"    Luke 23:46

(Jesus has returned to the Father to continue his MISSION as the right Hand of GOD - His mission is to bring back his children to where they belong and nothing or no one can put asunder between the two)

Amen

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Pastoral Reflection 6-5-22

 

Pastoral Reflection

By: Harry J. Perez, Pastoral Council Member

       It is often said the Human Race is made of the “What”, the “Who”, and the “Why” of our existence.  Through the span of time we have come to learn that the Who - we are the children of God, and the Why - that God is so full of LOVE that he has to share it with someone. Consequently, we have come to hope and easily embraced the thought that some Almighty Benevolent Creator exists that will care for us. Because of that embrace we have struggled with the What of what we are.

       God knew we would have trouble understanding and truly accepting a simple explanation. Therefore he spoke to the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-14) to “Prophesy over these bones” that lay over the earth, and for them be put together and to put flesh onto them so they would become creatures. Then the Lord God would say to this creature “See! I will bring spirit (his spirit) into you, that you may come to life”, “and know that I am the Lord”.  Because of this, each and every one of us, owe everything to the Lord.

    With acceptance of Who and Why we are, hope becomes faith, the faith that we desperately need to accept and embrace What we are. Thus, the spirit of the Words of Jesus become truly relevant in our lives. Remember Jesus Christ is just as human as we are, and God at the same time. If God can do this - he can do anything. Trust in Him!


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 Pastoral Reflection 11-7-21

 

Pastoral Reflection

By: Harry J. Perez, Pastoral Council Member 

            This Sunday’s readings, as most of the biblical readings, are about faith in our Lord. Yet these are specifically about an individual’s faith in God. As we often think when we hear that God speaks to us that he is speaking to the masses, well not necessarily true. He really is speaking to each one of us individually, just as he spoke to the woman in Zarephath in the first reading today, through the prophet Elijah. Remember that God in his infinite glory created each one of us in his own image and likeness and he personalizes every thought, every whisper, as if he is speaking to himself – after all we are part of him.

          In this reading the women’s faith was on the brink of collapse. Elijah brought her back and restored her faith, just as God will always provide us with the grace we need when we are on the verge of giving up. He will never abandon us in our hour of need. He could never abandon himself and since we are integral part of his existence-he will never quit on us.            

      When Jesus Christ, God’s begotten son, came into the world, he came to eradicate the taint of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve, and therefore removing the barrier between God and his beloved creation of Humanity. Jesus continuously spoke about how our faith would save us from the consequences of the original sin and how we can secure eternal peace through the expression of our love for him by believing in him, having faith in him.

        In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all that she had from her whole livelihood”. In other words, she had the ultimate faith that her Lord God would take care of her. Could we do the same? Is our faith strong enough to trust in God to the fullest of measurements?

             May God bless you and keep you strong until the day of your salvation.

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Pastoral Reflection 8-15-21

 Pastoral Reflection

By: Harry J. Perez, Pastoral Council Member

             Today we celebrate the second greatest gift that God the Father bestowed on his children. While God, as the Father, embraced humanity by becoming one of us in Jesus Christ, the first gift, demonstrated that through Jesus’s rising from the dead He had the power to move mountains. Therefore, through his power that He invested in us, we too have the power to move mountains. He showed us this by assuming his earthly Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary (the second gift), into heaven with both body and soul, proving once and for all that he can command the eternal promise. One day we will follow her and join her son for all eternity in heaven.

            As it was foretold in the Book of Revelation, “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.” This was the beginning of the end for the power of the Dragon (the evil one) and preventing the attempt “to devour her child when she gave birth.” But instead, a loud voice in heaven said: “ Now have salvation and power come,” and he came, Jesus Christ the King of endless glory.

           Now the only question left to answer is whether we will use the power given to us from above, to do good, or to do nothing for the good of all!  If we stand by and do nothing, we will be the ones “swept away” along with the stars by the dragon.

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Pastoral Reflection 2-23-20

Pastoral Reflection By: Harry J. Perez, 

Pastoral Council Member

Holy Name Catholic Church, San Antonio, Texas

         As we all face adversity everyday we must hold on to, through our faith, the reality that God really does exist and that he truly loves us; his children. Just as Moses also came to the conclusion that God exists and that he wanted Moses to lead, nurture and care for his people, we too are being asked to follow in Moses’s footsteps and do the same. God wants us to be a shining example, as to how to be true Christians. And just as God asked Moses to remind us that in order to truly love God, we, God’s children, must also love our neighbor, for our neighbor is God’s child as well.

       It is my thought that the answer to all our troubles in this world is very simple: if your about to do something for or against your neighbor and you would not want that done to you, then you will know that it is wrong. It is like oil and water; love and hate do not mix well together.

       Today’s gospel remains us, that the sun will rise again tomorrow “on the bad and good and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust,” as well, for it is not for us to judge our neighbor not even ourselves. History has repeatedly shown us that the spirit of the free, will always triumph over those who choose to trample over the meek and humble. The spirit of the free is comprised of the Holy Spirit and Humanity working together to achieve God’s mission on earth.

      “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” To know and love the Lord is to fear losing that love that he has for us. We must endeavor to stay in the grace of God, for not to do so puts us in the loneliness place in the universe. It’s a hell of a place to be.

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Pastoral Reflection

By: Harry J. Perez, Pastoral Council Member

Reflection 9-13-20

Holy Name Catholic Church

San Antonio, Texas 

In the first reading today, the Book of Sirach, 27:30-28:7(130A) reminds us that we as human beings are plagued with hateful things that lead to anger and all sorts of perversion, and ultimately to vengeance. We may first think that these things are the result of our own self-pity, but soon they impact our neighbors, and in many cases they return the favor. And the cycle begins.

We must stop and think as to how the final outcome of this behavior will result in, the back and forth payback. This will drive us away from the real purpose that God has for our existence.

In the second reading, Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans, (Romans 14:7-9) projects the true meaning of why we are here on earth, to arrive in perfect union with our Creator. Saint Paul said, “Brothers and sisters: None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord;” 

This is why Jesus Christ (God himself) came to us as flesh and blood, first to save us from ourselves, but more importantly to save us for himself, so “that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”

The holy Gospel according to Matthew (18:21-35), points to what Jesus says regarding how God the Father expects us to deal with his creation. Jesus illustrates to us through an analogy that since everything belongs to the Father, we are but mere stewards of this creation, which we are to care for it as he cares for us. When we are not doing so as expected, and he is willing to forgive us those indiscretions, then he expects us to do the same toward our neighbor. It’s all about taking care of each other for God’s sake.

In God and with faith we can conquer all things, we can win the war against hate. We can do so much more. We know this because we have been told so through the scriptures. But we must obtain faith for ourselves somehow, so that we can weather the storms ahead that threaten to derail our mission to help our neighbors and ourselves in reaching our eternal reward. Remember that we cannot do this by ourselves but through the grace of God, Jesus Christ his son came into the world to be that help. We must trust him.

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Pastoral Reflection 12-6-20

Pastoral Reflection

By: Harry J. Perez, Pastoral Council Member

Holy Name Catholic Church

San Antonio, Texas

 

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah

    The Prophet Isaiah doesn’t hold back from getting to the point; while the City of Jerusalem was once the City of the people of God, it’s claim to such honor and status would soon be coming to an end. He asked that Jerusalem step aside and proclaim loudly the Good News that there was a new beginning about to come upon them.

       Saint Peter in his second Letter also bluntly said “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief…and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.”

     With the world falling apart all around us, and seemly everything going to hell in a hand basket, and witnessing the insanity of it all, we will know we are blessed when we recognize the good things in our lives, and to see them before our time on earth is over.  Sadly we will be instrumental in our own demise (end of the world), whether we have achieved what God has intended for us, or not. But only God knows when that time will be, and worse than that is we won’t know what will hit us when it happens. We will just wake up one day in a different place, where the temperature will be either a lot warmer than we‘re used too, or with the best weather ever, forever.  From: www.http://threelightsgreen.com  (Hit the Want to be Inspired button)

        The Prophet Isaiah reminds us through the Holy Gospel according to Mark: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way…” Will we get another John the Baptist to prepare our way before the second coming is upon us? And will we listen before he arrives?  Those who are ready to listen will hear it loud and clear. Those who don’t really care won’t know what hit them. God blesses all who listen.

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 Pastoral Reflection 5-23-21

 

 Pastoral Reflection

By: Harry J. Perez, Pastoral Council Member

 

In the beginning of our Universe, God, the Supreme Being, the Creator, established order. And even though everything seemed to be in chaos then, and still seems to be in chaos today, we must have faith; God IS in control.

The order of all things was his mission, and he accomplished it through an orderly progression of his message to us through the prophets. Everything he told us has, or will, come to past. In the Gospel according to John, Jesus said to the disciples (and to us) “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me.”

Jesus continued “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” When the Holy Spirit came to the disciples he also came to us. Their message is our message, and his message will always be the truth. That truth is everlasting, meaning that it will always apply to every age, to every person that has ever existed, and will ever exist. It will not change.

The Holy Spirit is God present in the world every moment, yesterday, today and every day here after. The Spirit of God will speak to us and guide us, if we let him. Have you ever had a moment in your life when you are given choices to pick from and you wondered which was the right one? You labored over that choice, and if you were wise, you would ask God to help you in making the right choice. Low and behold your inner voice told you what to do; that is the Holy Spirit talking to you.

As we all progress through time those things that Jesus couldn’t tell us because we would not be able bear it, they will begin to unfold before our eyes and we will understand the totality of his message.

And as Saint Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians, “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” That collective benefit is God and us uniting in spirit and love, for all eternity.

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Free To Choose

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   © Harry Perez 2012