If we sometimes feel so tired and fed up with what's going
on with our life then there is no reason for us to lose hope if we believe that
we are under the care of a loving, merciful and just God. Each of us is called
to fulfill our God given destiny here on earth. We can consider ourselves God's
co-workers if we take upon ourselves the mission to spread the Good News of
salvation that Jesus has won for us. We need not do exactly as Apollos and Paul
in today's 1st reading. It doesn't matter whenever, wherever, whatever and
whoever. We can contribute to the growth of God's Kingdom right here and right
now. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
...What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers
through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. 6 I
planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. 7 Therefore, neither the
one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the
growth. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will
receive wages in proportion to his labor. 9 For we are God’s co-workers; you
are God’s field, God’s building.
Let us truly be wise in the real sense of the word rather
than of the world and not forfeit all our benefits from the Lord. Today's psalm
speaks of the people the Lord has chosen to be His own. This is the reason why
the fallen angels/demons are so jealous of men. We are indeed special in the
eyes of God that in Gen 1:26, "Then God said: "Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion..." We are not just
chosen by God to be His own even before everything came to be but we are on top
of His creation. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21
R: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
...From heaven the LORD looks down; he sees all mankind. (R)
14 From his fixed throne he beholds all who dwell on the earth, 15 he who
fashioned the heart of each, he who knows all their works. (R) 20 Our soul
waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, 21 for in him our hearts
rejoice; in his holy name we trust.
We may all be in a situation or state wherein we think that
we are already doing good in our service to God without realizing that we have
actually reached our plateaus and we need to move on to another level. In order
to do this we need to exert not just more but extra strength to do this. Those
who are working out in a gym or in physical fitness regimen for a long time may
know what this is about. There will come a point wherein we do not see results
as often as when we just started, that's the plateau. It's time to be more
creative and add more challenges in the workout to see results and achieve
goals. Today's gospel tells us that Jesus did not just stay in one place but
went to the other towns. It may not necessarily mean for us that we have to go
to another place. It simply challenges us to move on to the next level and
improve our performance. Jesus tells us not to get stuck but move on. Nothing
is impossible with God all things are possible. We've heard and seen so many
miracles throughout our lifetime and thus we should always remember them and
cling to them so that it will serve as our light and guide as we go on our way
always hoping that God will never deprive us of our own miracles. Today's
gospel also reminded me of Atty. Moya's talk on the 8th commandment, "Thou
shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." This is centered on
truth and honesty. It forbids all kinds of falsehood and commands total
truthfulness: love & live the truth. But what made me share this has
something to do with the example in today's gospel when Jesus silenced the evil
spirit who was telling the truth about Him. It goes to show that there are
times when we are not supposed to tell the truth all the time. That there are
some things better left unsaid if it's not charitable or it could hurt someone.
It also reminds us not to be too quick to judge other people. We have to
exercise prudence and seek to always mitigate the situation rather than
instigate or push someone to anger and cause to destroy relationships or hurt
people. The Devil is not only the father of lies but also the master of
deception. He can twist the truth and use it to his evil advantage. We should
always have the deep respect for the truth and know the importance of
appropriateness of communication. We must reconcile truth and charity which
tells us to keep silent or hide the truth for the sake of charity. CCC 2469
"Men could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence
that they were being truthful to one another." The virtue of truth gives
another his just due. Truthfulness keeps to the just mean between what ought to
be expressed and what ought to be kept secret: it entails honesty and
discretion. In justice, "as a matter of honor, one man owes it to another
to manifest the truth." Respect for the Truth in Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC) 2488 states the right to the communication of the truth is not
unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of
fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not
it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it. CCC 2489
Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request
for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for
privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what
ought not be known or for making use of a discreet LANGUAGE. The duty to avoid
scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth
to someone who does not have the right to know it. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 4:38-44
...38 And Jesus rising up out of the synagogue, went into
Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever, and they
besought him for her. 39 And standing over her, he commanded the fever, and it
left her...But he laying his hands on every one of them, healed them. 41 And
devils went out from many, crying out and saying: Thou art the Son of God. And
rebuking them he suffered them not to speak, for they knew that he was Christ...But
he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God
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