Oasis of Love - Iligan

Oasis of Love - Iligan An Outreach of Oasis of Love Cebu

21/02/2025

Daily Prayer

Lord, I know my prayer life is weak. I know I need to give more attention to my daily conversation with You. Help me to form a strong habit of prayer, each and every day, so that this life of prayer will become the guiding light of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.

What is it that makes your soul beautiful? Prayer. What is it that keeps you from sin? Prayer. What is it that fills you with hope? Prayer. What is it that leads you on the road to holiness? Prayer. Prayer is the key to all things. Without prayer, each and every day, you are directionless in life and are left to your own wisdom and ability, which is a frightening state to find yourself in.

Do you pray? Not just every so often, at Sunday Mass or before meals. But do you truly pray every day? Do you spend moments alone speaking to God from the depths of your heart and let Him speak back to you? Do you allow Him to initiate a conversation of love with you every day and throughout the day? Reflect, today, upon your habit of prayer. Reflect upon whether you can honestly say that your daily conversation with God is the most important conversation you have each day. Make this a priority, the number one priority, and all else will fall into place.

-Reflections on Divine Mercy

21/02/2025

Word Today
Mark 8:34 – 9:1
02/21/25

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Denying oneself has a purpose. It is not dying for its own sake, but losing our life for the sake of saving it. The opposite process, what Jesus calls saving one’s life, results in losing it.

Brothers and sisters, doing good things for others can become a self-seeking endeavor if we are doing it to feel good or to be thought of as a “good person.” When we neglect our responsibilities, even for “religious” reasons, we build for ourselves. The key to not building for ourselves is making the will of God the highest priority in our lives. We need to let him build or tear down as he sees fit.

Brothers and sisters, the problem is our pride and selfishness, we spend much time and energy in life building what is not of God. Jesus wants to form us as true disciples in the way of the glory; rather, he wants us to shine in glory with him, to reign with him. We can more fully walk his sacrificial path, trusting that it will lead to the highest good of salvation for ourselves and others.

Mama Mary, guide us to make the will of God the highest priority in our lives.
Shalom.
-Tatay Dodong

19/02/2025

Word Today
Mark 8:27-33
02/20/2025

In the Gospel, we see Jesus amid his mission. He has been teaching and performing miracles for some time now, and he wants to find out if anyone is beginning to realize who he is. So, he asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter receives the grace to answer correctly: “You are the Christ.”

Brothers and sisters, Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah, the Savior, the One whom the Jewish people have been waiting for so long. But when Jesus Goes on to explain what kind of Savior he is, Peter immediately rejects the whole idea and takes Jesus aside to rebuke him. We see that even Peter does not understand God’s plan. He is still thinking as the world thinks, not as God does. He expects that any Savior from God should help him and will not lead him through an experience of suffering and death!

Brothers and sisters, this is always a challenge for us. Jesus asks us today, “Who do you say that I am?” He is asking who he is for us. When we affirm that Jesus is our Savior and acknowledge our need for him – then he asks us a deeper question: Knowing more clearly where I am leading you, now who do you say that I am? Am I still your Lord and Savior? Will you follow me to the Cross, where you will find your true life in communion with me and my Father? With the grace we receive from him, we respond with the words of today’s Liturgy: “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.”

Mama Mary, help us to remain always faithful to our covenant with Jesus.
Shalom!
-Tatay Dodong

19/02/2025

Hearing the Voice of God

Lord, I love You and desire to seek You in all things. Help me to be aware of the ways in which You speak to me day and night. Help me to be attentive to Your voice and to be led by Your gentle hand. I give myself to You completely my Lord. I love You and wish to know You more fully. Jesus, I trust in You.

It's true that, throughout your day, God is speaking to you. He is constantly communicating His truth and His direction for your life, and He is constantly bestowing His Mercy. The problem is that His voice is ever so gentle and silent. Why? Because He wants all of your attention. He will not attempt to compete with the many distractions of your day. He will not impose Himself upon you. Rather, He waits for you to turn to Him, to set aside all distractions, and to be attentive to His quiet but clear voice.

Do you hear God speak? Are you attentive to His gentle interior promptings? Do you let the many distractions of your day drown out God's voice or do you habitually set those aside, diligently seeking Him all the more? Seek His interior promptings this day. Know that these promptings are signs of His unfathomable love for you. And know, that through them, God is seeking your full attention.

-Reflections on Divine Mercy

18/02/2025

Word Today
Mark 8:22-26
02/19/2025

In the Gospel, we read about a blind man brought to Jesus for healing. He cannot see where he is going; he allows Jesus to lead him. He is truly walking in blind faith! Then Jesus puts spittle on the man’s eyes. The blind man begins to experience healing, but he is not cured all at once. Jesus lays his hands on him a second time to complete the healing.

Brothers and sisters, what can we learn from this story of the gradual healing of the blind man? He represents us. In our fallen nature, we are blinded by sin, unable to see rightly. Brothers and sisters, we can see, but not perfectly. We need to come back to Jesus again and again and allow him to touch us with his healing grace. Once we have experienced the grace of conversion and the healing that Jesus gives us, we must not return to the darkness of our former way of life.

Brothers and sisters, we have been called to die to a worldly way of life, where we seek our fulfillment in the pleasure and attractions of this world and rise into a new life, where we focus on allowing the Lord to transform us into his own image. The Gospel Acclamation invites us to welcome the light of grace in our hearts: “May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to his call.”

Mama Mary, show us how to die in worldly ways and rise into new life in Jesus.
Shalom!
-Tatay Dodong

18/02/2025

Being Misunderstood

Lord, help me to walk the road of heroic virtue. At times, this road will leave me misunderstood. And, at times, others will tempt me to turn away from Your divine voice. Help me, at all times, dear Lord, to hear only You and to be obedient only to Your most holy Will. Give me wisdom, strength and courage to always follow Your divine ways of Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.

We are called to be saints. And if we walk down that road, we will be called to live heroic virtue. Heroic virtue will not always be understood by others. In fact, in the opinion of worldly wisdom, heroic and holy virtue is foolishness. But we must not allow the opinions of worldly "wisdom" to confuse us, tempt us or distract us from the road of true virtue.

Are you misunderstood, at times, because you are striving to live a holy life? Do others give you this or that bit of advice which seems to be in contradiction to the voice of God in your own conscience? Reflect upon the road of virtue God is calling you down. The world does not understand the road of virtue, Mercy and forgiveness that we are called to embrace. The world does not understand that we must accept injustice at times in silence and trust. The world does not understand the joy we have when we suffer for the sake of Christ. Keep your eyes on the voice of God as He speaks to you in your conscience and do not let the opinions of others or the world lead you astray.

-Reflections on Divine Mercy

17/02/2025

Word Today
Mark 8:14-21
02/18/2025

Today Jesus warns his disciples against the Pharisees’ way of thinking, which he compares to leaven. Jesus also mentions the “leaven of Herod.” Herod had taken his brother’s wife for himself, and when John the Baptist rebuked him for this, Herod had John killed to silence him. Herod, then, is another example of one who is determined to seek his fulfillment in this life, with no thought of God’s ways.

Brothers and sisters, we often focus on our basic daily needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. Jesus teaches us, these things should not be our first concern. In the Sermon on the Mount, he tells us, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ But strive first for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:31-33). Our first concern must be seeking God’s will in our lives. Opening ourselves up to his transforming grace is what fulfills us, as he makes us into a likeness of Christ himself.

Brothers and sisters, we know that our life here will not last forever. We will pass through death and will enter into eternal life. One of the greatest examples of this passage to new life is a gift we have already received: the Sacrament of Baptism. In Baptism, we died to our old, sinful life and were reborn to a new life as children of God. We have been set free from our preoccupation with the things of this world so that we can pursue the fullness of life in God.

Mama Mary, open our hearts so we can receive the fullness of God’s life.
Shalom!
-Tatay Dodong

13/02/2025

Word Today
Mark 7:31-37
02/14/2025

Today’s Gospel presents us with yet another example of intercession for the healing of the sick. We see a distinction between what we can do for others by the power of intercession and what only God can do for each individual person. Jesus does not perform the miracle in front of the man’s friends. He removes him from the noise and distractions of the crowd. Jesus’ physical touch and his words bring the man the power to hear and speak plainly.

Brothers and sisters, this scene reminds us that sometimes the Lord wants to take us away from the crowd. So that we can focus on his words and actions. He wants to open the ears of our hearts to hear what he is saying to us. He wants us to change our way of life in response to his word.

Brothers and sisters, there is a difference between hearing, listening, and following. Hearing is a physical capacity to receive sounds. Listening takes hearing deeper, bringing what we hear into our hearts so that we can reflect upon it. But the proper fruit of listening to the word of God is to follow it, to put the word into practice. But there are many examples in Scripture of people who do not follow the commands of God, and the results of disobedience.

Mama Mary, grant us the grace to always say “no” to the lies of the devil.
Shalom!
-Tatay Dodong

13/02/2025

The Lord's Gaze Casts Out Fear

Lord, help me to turn my eyes from all my fears. Help me, instead, to seek out Your loving gaze and to allow that gaze of love to cast out all that is not of You. Lord, if I could only see Your face, radiant and beautiful, living in my soul, I would be consoled and comforted in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.

Do you know that our Lord gazes upon you, night and day, with perfect love and affection. Do you know that He knows every detail of your life and walks with you through everything? This may be hard to believe because we cannot hear Him audibly, see Him with our eyes, or touch Him with our hands. But His intimacy is much deeper than the physical world. His intimacy is one that looks into our soul and loves us. His gaze of love, if we let it, will cast out all fear in life.

What is it that you fear the most? What is it that causes you the greatest anxiety? Today, try to identify the cause of your fear. And when you do, know that our Merciful Lord has already seen it all. He is aware of your situation and looks at you with love. The key is to look back at Jesus, to seek His face within your own soul, and to gaze back at Him with love. There, by looking intently upon our Lord, you will find the courage you need to let go of all that weighs you down and you will allow His grace to lift you on high.

-Reflections on Divine Mercy

13/02/2025

Word Today
Mark 7:24-30
02/13/2025

This Gospel reminds us that even though we are unworthy, we nonetheless should be welling to approach the Lord on behalf of others who need his healing grace. Like the Syrophoenician woman, we must exercise holy boldness in our prayer, that God can work a miracle. If it is God’s holy will, then it will be done.

Brothers and sisters, how many times do we fail to intercede for someone in our lives because we feel we are somehow not worthy or not in God’s good graces? The Greek woman in today’s Gospel. Feels no shame in coming before Jesus, baring the need of her daughter to him refusing to accept any answer but “yes.” This woman is extraordinary for her humility, love, and faith. Humility radiates from all her gestures and words as she falls at Jesus’ feet. A beautiful example for us to follow, she even accepts being included in the category of “the dogs.”

Brothers and sisters, Mary brought the wedding couple’s need to Jesus, “They have no wine.” Jesus’ first response to Mary at that time was similar to his negative-sounding comment to the Greek woman today. Yet Mary did not give up; she placed the matter in his hands and told the servants to do whatever he told them. This is the kind of humility, love, and faith that defeats the evil one.

Mama Mary, help us to exercise “holy boldness” in prayer.
Shalom!
-Tatay Dodong

12/02/2025

Patience in Hardship

Lord, I surrender to You those things that are most difficult for me. I thank You for them and believe that they are what will help me grow in holiness more than anything. I especially offer to You (mention any personal difficulty). Receive it Lord as my offering to You and give me the grace to transform it into love and Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.

What is of greater value to God? To be successful in all that you set out to do, or to endure every hardship of life in patience and peace? Many may struggle with this question and want to choose both. Certainly it is easy to see that if we set out to accomplish the Will of God and all that He wants of us, this will be of great value for the Kingdom of God. But what if that which God calls us to do is to embrace patience and peace in the midst of some apparent struggle of difficulty? Is this of great value? Yes, it is of the greatest value because in this process of growing in patient endurance we are made truly holy.

What is it that is most difficult for you each and every day? What tries your patience more than anything? Do you look at this trial as an "obstacle" to happiness and fulfillment in life? If so, try to look at it from a different perspective. Try to see any difficulty as an opportunity for virtue and, in particular, an opportunity for personal growth in patience. Growing in that virtue delights the Heart of Christ and is of the greatest value for His Kingdom.

-Reflections on Divine Mercy

12/02/2025

Word Today
Mark 7:14-23
02/12/2025

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about limits and what is proper, what defiles us and what does not. He corrects a misunderstanding that arose from the many dietary restrictions of the Old Testament: that some foods were unclean. Jesus “declared all foods clean.”

Brothers and sisters, Jesus explains further that not one food or another defiles us but what comes from within our hearts. The purer our hearts become, the less defiled we are. Jesus lists some sins so that we know exactly what he is talking about: “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.

Brothers and sisters, in our own lives, when we choose sin, we are replicating the evil choice of our first parents. When we choose sin, we defile ourselves. This was never the plan of God. There are many “trees” from which we can enjoy good fruit. However, The best fruit comes from the “tree of life” – the Cross of Jesus Christ. On the Cross Jesus reestablished justice and holiness in the human family, making it possible once again for us to use our freedom to care for creation, especially to care for one another, and to give God glory.

Mama Mary, guide us in using our freedom wisely, choosing love over sin, and striving for holiness.
Shalom!
-Tatay Dodong

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