Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Juan 6:37-41)

Ang tanan nga mga tawo nga ginahatag sang Amay sa akon magapalapit sa akon, kag ang mga nagapalapit sa akon indi ko gid pagsikwayon.

Kay nagkadto ako diri halin sa langit indi agod tumanon ko ang akon kaugalingon nga kabubut-on, kundi agod tumanon ko ang kabubut-on sang Amay nga nagpadala sa akon.

Kag ang kabubut-on sang nagpadala sa akon amo ini: nga indi ko pagpabay-an nga madula ang bisan isa ka tawo nga iya gintugyan sa akon, kundi nga banhawon ko sila sa katapusan nga adlaw.

Kay amo ini ang gusto sang akon Amay: nga ang tanan nga nagakilala kag nagatuo sa akon makaangkon sang kabuhi nga wala sing katapusan, kag banhawon ko sila sa katapusan nga adlaw."

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Meditation: 

Is your hope in this present life only? What about the life to come after our death? God puts in the heart of every living person the desire for unending life and happiness. While death claims each of us at the appointed time, God gives us something which death cannot touch – his own divine life and sustaining power. In the Old Testament, one of the greatest testimonies of faith and hope in the midst of great suffering and pain is that of Job: For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another (Job 19:25-27).

Jesus made an incredible promise to his disciplies and a claim which only God can make and deliver: Whoever sees and believes in Jesus, the Son of God, shall have everlasting life and be resurrected! How can we see Jesus? He is present in his word, in the breaking of the bread, and in the church, the body of Christ. Jesus reveals himself in many countless ways to those who seek him with eyes of faith. When we read the word of God in the bible Jesus speaks to us and reveals to us the mind and heart of the Father. When we approach the table of the Lord, Jesus offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us (I am the bread of life, John 6:35). He promises unbroken fellowship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from everlasting life with God. And he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection. Is your hope and desire to see God face to face?

What is faith and how do we grow in it? Faith is an entirely free gift which God makes to us. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals who Jesus is. We can believe in Jesus Christ because he is himself God, the Word made flesh. Faith is a personal adhearance to God and the free assent to the whole truth which God has revealed. Faith is active submission to the One who created us in love and who sustains us by his grace and power. To obey in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth has been guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. We can entrust ourselves wholly to God and believe absolutely what he says. To live, grow, and persevere in faith to the end we must nourish it with the word of God. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) said: I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe. Jesus promises that those who accept him as their Lord and Savior and submit to his word will be raised up to immortal life with him in the Day of Judgment. Do you know the inexpressible joy of belief and hope in the resurrection (see 1 Peter 1:3-9)? 

"Lord Jesus Christ, your death brought life and hope where there was once only despair and defeat. Give me the unshakeable hope of everlasting life, the inexpressible joy of knowing your unfailing love, and the unquestioning faith and zeal in doing the will of the Father in heaven."

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 5:1-12a)

Sang makita ni Jesus ang madamo nga mga tawo, nagtaklad siya sa bakulod kag nagpungko didto. Nagpalapit sa iya ang iya mga sumulunod, kag nagpanudlo siya sa ila nga nagasiling, "Bulahan ang mga tawo nga nagakilala nga nagkulang sila sa Dios, kay sakop sila sa paghari sang Dios. "Bulahan ang mga nagakasubo, kay lipayon sila sang Dios. "Bulahan ang mga malulo, kay mangin ila ang kalibutan. "Bulahan ang mga tawo nga luyag gid maghimo sang kabubut-on sang Dios, kay buligan sila sang Dios sa pagtuman sina nga handom. "Bulahan ang mga maluluy-on, kay kaluoyan sila sang Dios. "Bulahan ang mga tawo nga matinlo ang ila tagipusuon, kay makita nila ang Dios. "Bulahan ang mga tawo nga nagapaluntad sang paghidaet sa mga tawo, kay pagatawgon sila nga mga anak sang Dios. "Bulahan ang mga tawo nga ginahingabot tungod sa ila pagsunod sa kabubut-on sang Dios, kay sakop sila sa paghari sang Dios. "Bulahan kamo kon tungod sa inyo pagsunod sa akon ginayaguta kamo, ginahingabot, kag ginabutang-butangan sang tanan nga kalainan.

Amo man ini ang ila ginhimo sang una sa mga propeta. Gani magkalipay gid kamo kay dako nga balos ang inyo mabaton didto sa langit."

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Meditation:  

What is the good life which God intends for us? And how is it related with the ultimate end or purpose of life? Is it not our desire and longing for true happiness, which is none other than the complete good, the sum of all goods, leaving nothing more to be desired? Jesus addresses this question in his sermon on the mount. The heart of Jesus' message is that we can live a very happy life. The call to holiness, to be saints who joyfully pursue God's will for their lives, can be found in these eight beatitudes. Jesus' beatitudes sum up our calling or vocation – to live a life of the beatitudes. The word beatitude literally means "happiness" or "blessedness". 

What is the significance of Jesus' beatitudes, and why are they so central to his teaching? The beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness that God has placed in every heart. They teach us the final end to which God calls us, namely the coming of God's kingdom (Matthew 4:17), the vision of God (Matthew 5:8; 1 John 2;1), entering into the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:21-23) and into his rest (Hebrews 4:7-11).  Jesus' beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the goods he puts at our disposal. God alone satisfies. Theresa of Avila's prayer book contained a bookmark which she wrote:  "Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you; All things pass: God never changes. Patience achieves all it strives for. Whoever has God lacks nothing, God alone suffices." Is God enough for you? God offers us the greatest good possible – abundant life in Jesus Christ (John 10:10) and the promise of unending joy and happiness with God. Do you seek the highest good, the total good, which is above all else? 

The beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to the world's understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? Poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God's word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and spiritual oppression. God reveals to the humble of heart the true source of abundant life and happiness. Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will more than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this world. Thomas Aquinas said: "No one can live without joy. That is why a person deprived of spiritual joy goes after carnal pleasures." Do you know the happiness of hungering and thirsting for God alone? 

"Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for you and show me the way that leads to everlasting peace and happiness. May I desire you above all else and find perfect joy in doing your will."