Help us, Lord!

Some years ago, I saw an interesting picture of a groom and his bride kneeling before the altar on their wedding day. Unknown to the groom, his buddies wrote on the sole of his left shoe the letters “HE,” and on his right shoe were the letters “LP,” that, when put together, read HELP!

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In today’s Gospel (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus marveled at the Canaanite woman who had great faith in believing that her daughter will be healed. She reminds us today of the most simple, and the most beautiful prayer: “Lord, help me.”

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We need God’s help. When we forget God, refuse to call on Him, and begin to take matters into our hands, we lose our way. May we never forget: There is a God, and you’re not him. We need God to help us—heal, enlighten, lead, and protect us.

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HEAL. We need God’s healing. We need restoration of our bodies from sickness. We need emotional healing and spiritual healing as well. And we need healing in our relationships. Prayer and faith in God can heal us of our brokenness. In humility, we come to our Lord and humbly pray: “Heal me O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)

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ENLIGHTEN. Many of us carry burdens and heavy loads as we journey on. The burden of work and daily life struggles, the presence of negative emotions in our hearts and in our relationships, the presence of evil, temptations, and falls in our spiritual journey make our path dark, lonely, and scary. We need the Lord to remind us that we are not alone, and that, we should not go it alone. We come to the Lord today and listen to His words: “Come to me all you who are tired and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

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LEAD. We need someone to lead us and show us the way. There is so much noise and rush all around us, and we need someone to guide and instruct us, lest we lose our way. Yes, we need Him to lead us back when we follow our wants, desires, and vanity because of our selfishness and pride. Yes, we need the Lord especially when we fall, so that we can rise, and follow Him again. Today, we listen to the Lord’s words: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

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PROTECT. It is the Lord who is our shield from all that would harm us. It is so necessary to be by His side where we are safe. He is our refuge and strength, and He has assured us that He will not abandon us, as a shepherd tends and protects his flock. Yes, He is with us always and in all ways! “Though I walk in the valley of darkness and in the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

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Trust more, worry less.
Pray more, think less.
Smile more, frown less.
Amen!

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-Last Saturday, I blessed 92-year-old Lola Carmen in her car. I have been doing this for some years now. It was always a happy encounter as I would also joke with her as I did with my own Mama then. But last Saturday, after I prayed over her, she requested me to bring her Holy Communion to her car, which I did. She was smiling as she waved goodbye. The next day I heard that she died. Pray for us, Lola Carmen!

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Msgr. Bobby Mejia died in his sleep last Aug. 18. He was a cousin of mine, a humble, simple, prayerful, and saintly priest. Pray for us, Insan!

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Yesterday, Aug. 19, was the Feast of St. Ezekiel Moreno, patron of cancer patients who helped heal my cancer in 2018. Muchas gracias Saint Ezekiel!

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A moment with the Lord.
Lord, please heal, enlighten, lead, and protect us. HELP! Amen.

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