CAMPAIGN PERIOD

We have to be aware of the fact that we are engaged in a battle every single day of our lives. There is a competition going on whether we admit it or not. It is like a campaign period when everybody is soliciting for our votes. The world continues to lure us with its major attractions that sometimes get a hold of us. One crucial thing that we have to keep in mind is that the battle has already been won but it is up to us to claim the victory for ourselves or be deceived by the false propaganda that this world is continuously campaigning for. Do we truly vote for God or not? The battle is actually more within ourselves, to follow the ways of God or the world because we have already been assured that whoever does the will of God remains forever. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 John 2:12-17
...For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

No matter what it is that we are going through right now we can always draw strength and inspiration in the truth that God has the world in the palm of His hands and it can't be moved. God is over, above, around, about and all over the world. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R: Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
...Say among the nations the LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity.

There is no doubt that God is with us but are we with or for God. In any good relationship we know that it should be a 2-way or mutual thing. One can not govern over or not respond to the other. If we aim to develop an intimate relationship with God then we need to work on it. We can learn from Anna the prophetess from today's gospel. It was said that “she was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer.” Her devotion to the Lord paid well. We sometimes go through life like a routine and we do things automatically without much thought. There are times when we just let things and circumstances pass us by without noticing any difference. Anna did not fall for this kind of trap or complacency. She immediately knew and felt the Lord's presence. There may be thousands of babies being presented in the temple during that time but she spotted the Lord. This could not have been possible if not for her prayerful and discerning attitude. Just like her, may we be sensitive always to God's presence in our midst and be endowed with discernment. This is what happens when we decide to always draw near to God. He will surely not just draw nearer but nearest to us. God does not just match or double our works and efforts but maximizes to the superlative. We’ll never find ourselves in the losing end but always in a winning situation with the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 2:36-40
...She never left the temple, but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer. 38 And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.