These are sins that God hates. This should be preached frequently in church. How often do you hear this in your place of worship?
Please be honest 🙏 🙂
Early signs pointed to serious instability, not just in oil, but in the bond market. The 10-year Treasury yield surged to 4.45%, signaling deeper financial stress. Analysts warned that the bond market was becoming a bigger threat than energy prices.
Then, everything shifted.
Within hours, President Donald Trump intervened, postponing planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days. The decision followed warnings that continued escalation could trigger major market fallout.
And that’s when the most important move happened:
Oil prices dropped.
Not slightly, sharply.
Brent crude futures plunged as much as 14% at one point, before stabilizing. Even after recovering some ground, prices were still down significantly from their peak.
Let that sink in.
Oil prices didn’t rise with tension, they dropped the moment policy shifted.
That drop wasn’t random. It came right after signals that escalation might pause. It came before markets fully opened. And it came as investors recalibrated expectations around war risk and supply disruption.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Within minutes, Iran denied that any real negotiations were taking place. That uncertainty caused oil prices to rebound partially, erasing nearly half of their losses.
Still, even after the rebound, crude hovered around $90 per barrel, down from the highs, but far from stable.
Gas prices are pushing toward $4 per gallon nationally, with some states far exceeding that. In California, prices are nearing $6 per gallon.
And when oil spikes, or even stays elevated those costs ripple outward:
Truckers pay more for diesel
Businesses pay more to transport goods
Consumers pay more for everything they need on a daily basis.
One truck driver reported spending $1,800 in diesel in a single week, a 40% increase from normal costs.
That cost doesn’t disappear. It gets passed down the chain.
At a recent town hall, a young worker asked a simple question:
“How does a war halfway across the world help me?”.
It’s a question many Americans are asking, especially as prices rise at the pump, in grocery stores, and even at fast-food counters.
Officials continue to frame the situation as:
“Short-term pain for long-term gain.” lies.
But markets operate in real time, and so do people’s lives.
Analysts suggest there may be a two-week window to stabilize the situation. If tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continue, oil prices could spike again. This price gyrations are hurting and not helping anybody around the world.
So, is this market manipulation? Yes, if you ask me. Somebody is always benefiting whether the prices are going up or down.
But to many, there are no clear evidence of deliberate manipulation.
But the timing is hard to ignore:
Policy shifts
Market reactions
Oil price swings
All happening within hours.
But don't forget, whether you support this government or not, we are all going to feel their policy impacts.
Stay sharp!
Pal Ronnie
Broccoli, kale, cauliflower
Contain compounds that support detox pathways
Blueberries, strawberries
High in antioxidants → reduce cellular damage
Carrots, peppers, spinach
Rich in vitamins + protective phytochemicals
Beans, lentils, chickpeas
High fiber → supports gut health
Oats, quinoa, brown rice
Linked to lower colorectal cancer risk
Salmon, sardines
Omega-3s → anti-inflammatory effects
Almonds, walnuts
Healthy fats + antioxidants
⚠️ Avoid moldy peanuts (aflatoxin risk)
Apples, citrus
Fiber + vitamin C
Anti-inflammatory
Core of Mediterranean diet
Linked to reduced risk of:
Liver cancer
Endometrial cancer
Avoid very high temperatures (>65°C)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 23)
Response: Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Casting the first stone. What does this mean? It means that the evil we do has a way of returning to us. What we throw into the world often comes back, sometimes with greater force.
From experience, those who are quickest to accuse others, those who take pleasure in exposing the faults of others, are often the worst offenders themselves. Yes, it may sound harsh, but it is true.
If you find yourself enjoying conversations about the sins of others, pause and reflect. You may be worse than those you are discussing. Why? Because there is a hidden pride in it.
We speak about others to hide behind their sins. We say, “Look at what they have done,” so that no one looks at us. We create distractions so that our own weaknesses remain unseen.
But the truth is this: if we were truly aware of our own faults, if we truly examined our conscience, we would not take pleasure in discussing others.
The stone is always light when we are throwing it at others. But when we are asked to throw that same stone at ourselves, suddenly it becomes heavy, and we drop it.
“Let the one who has not sinned cast the first stone.”
These are not just words, they are a mirror.
The woman in the Gospel was guilty. She did not deny it. She stood there in silence.
But what about her accusers?
Was she alone in that sin? Where was the man? Why was only she brought forward?
Those ready to stone her were not innocent. Perhaps some of them had committed worse sins. Yet they stood there, ready to judge her.
When Jesus spoke, something happened.
The stones became heavy.
Not physically, but spiritually.
Each one realized: “If I throw this stone, I condemn myself.”
And so they walked away.
My friends, how easy it is to point fingers. How easy it is to discuss others’ failures.
But Jesus calls us to something higher:
Not condemnation, but reflection
Not exposure, but mercy
Not gossip, but prayer
When people bring you stories about others, close your ears. Ask yourself:
Am I better?
Would I want my own sins exposed like this?
Imagine if Jesus had listed the sins of the Pharisees publicly. Imagine the shame.
But He did not.
Why? Because mercy triumphs over judgment.
A wise saying reminds us: “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
Holiness is not proven by exposing others, it is proven by humility and prayer.
If you want to measure your holiness, here is the test:
Can you see the faults of others and remain silent?
Can you pray for them instead of speaking about them?
If yes, you are growing in holiness.
If not, there is work to do.
Some people enjoy gossip. They seek it out, share it, and feel justified. But they forget: their own story is not fully known.
Others remain silent, not because they are ignorant, but because they understand grace.
Imagine if everyone’s sins were exposed. None of us would stand.
It is only by the grace of God that we are here.
So today, let us make a decision:
To drop our stones
To guard our tongues
To pray for others
Because the moment we forget our own weakness is the moment we begin to fall.
Let's drop our stones, lest we end up throwing them at ourselves.
Amen.
Have a great week.
God bless Fr. Blessed for this Word.
On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, the final Sunday before we enter into Holy Week, the Church places before us one powerful theme: from death to life, from the grave to the glory of God.
All the readings today speak one message: God brings life where there is death.
In the First Reading, God speaks through the prophet Ezekiel: “I will open your graves and raise you.” This was not only about physical death. It was about a people in exile, broken, humiliated, and without hope. Their suffering felt like a grave. Their despair felt like death. Yet God promised: “I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.”
The Psalm echoes this cry: “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” These depths are not just physical, they are the depths of sorrow, fear, anxiety, and pain. And yet, even from the deepest darkness, God hears.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul teaches us something deeper: there is a kind of death that happens even while we are physically alive. When we live according to the flesh, when we are trapped in sin, we are spiritually dead. But when the Spirit of God lives in us, we are made alive again. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is at work within us.
Then we come to the Gospel, the raising of Lazarus.
Lazarus is not just dead. He is four days dead. The situation is beyond hope. Martha herself says, “Lord, by now there will be a stench.” In other words, it is too late. It is finished.
But Jesus declares:
“I am the resurrection and the life.”
Not I will be. Not I can be.
But I am.
And then He calls into the tomb: “Lazarus, come out.”
And death obeys Him.
My dear friends, this Gospel is not only about Lazarus.
It is about you and me.
Because we all experience different kinds of “death”:
Physical death, the loss of loved ones
Emotional death, heartbreak, trauma, depression
Spiritual death, sin that separates us from God
Moral death, when we lose our sense of right and wrong
Situational death, poverty, sickness, failure, despair
Sometimes we feel like Lazarus, buried, stuck, and forgotten.
But today, Jesus stands before your “grave” and says:
“Come out.”
Before the miracle, Jesus asks Martha one question:
“Do you believe this?”
And she responds:
“Yes, Lord, I believe.”
That faith opened the door to the miracle.
God can raise anything in our lives, but we must believe.
Even when:
It looks finished
It smells like failure
It feels too late
God is not limited by time, decay, or human logic.
This miracle points forward to something greater:
Just as Lazarus came out of the tomb,
Jesus Himself will rise from the dead.
And through His Resurrection:
Death will be defeated
Sin will be conquered
Life will be restored
As He says in John 10:10:
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
So I ask you today:
What grave are we in?
What part of our lives feels dead?
Where have we lost hope?
Bring it to Jesus.
Because our stories are not over.
Our lives are not finished.
Our grave are not our end.
God is still able to call us out.
Amen
Happy Sunday, and
God bless you 🙏
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 7)
Response: “O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.”
Gospel: (John 7:40–53)
There are some people for whom, however clear the truth may be, despite evidence beyond reasonable doubt, they will still refuse to see it. They will refuse to believe in it and they will refuse to be convinced about it. Not because they do not see it, but because they have chosen not to see it and not to be convinced about it.
The guards who were sent to arrest Jesus went to do the work as they were ordered. They were following strict instructions. But when they got there, when they saw Him and had the opportunity to listen to Him from their firsthand experience of seeing Him and hearing from Him, they saw and heard the truth and were convinced. And they saw how useless the order to arrest Him was. They returned without arresting Him.
Even if they were following strict orders, they saw for themselves how wrong the order was, to arrest a man who had committed no crime, to arrest a man who spoke the truth.
Now you may ask, were they wrong not to have followed the instructions given to them? Should they have followed the order?
Following orders should not blind us or stop us from reasoning. We must apply reason. How many people were arrested and are in prison today because their case officers were just following orders? Think about it.
The chief priests and Pharisees were disappointed with the guards on the sole motive that no authority had believed in Jesus, and so the guards had disobeyed the order. But if the authorities are evil and fail to see the truth despite how glaringly evident it is, must others also choose not to see it simply because authority refuses to?
They were old enough to judge for themselves.
Let us ask ourselves: do we follow orders from such authorities simply because they have said so?
The guards dared to oppose authority because they had come to believe in the truth. They saw it, they were convinced, and they recognized that the order given to them was an evil order. They knew their jobs were at risk, too.
Sometimes authority may pressure us to do evil to serve personal interests, and we comply simply because we are told to. But where is the voice of reason? Where is the voice of good conscience? Where is the voice of good and righteous judgment?
It is different when authority asks us to do what is good. But when the instructions are evil, we must not follow it simply because it comes from authority. We are called to judge for ourselves, using reason, conscience, and truth.
The soldiers placed reason, good conscience, and right judgment above blind obedience. They chose to do what was right.
We are not told what happened to them afterward, but it is possible they suffered consequences, perhaps punishment or loss of status. Yet they chose to suffer for what is right rather than be rewarded for doing what is evil.
They stand in contrast to those who accepted bribes to spread lies about the resurrection. Those men followed evil orders for gain. But the guards in today’s Gospel chose truth over comfort.
My friends, even when we are under authority, even when we are given strict instructions, we must ensure those instructions are not evil.
Put reason first.
Listen to your conscience.
Judge rightly.
When you see the truth, have the courage to follow it, not because you were told to, but because it is right.
Amen!
God bless you all
Happy Saturday
