It can be told, we are God's dwelling place. Thus we ought
to do everything in our power to make ourselves pleasing and holy before the
Lord. When we speak of physically constructing something like a temple we've
got to have all the necessary funds and materials to build it. It really costs
a lot to build especially at this time when there is economic distress all over
the world. Spiritually, it is not like we are lacking in resources of any kind
to fulfill this. The Holy Spirit has the gifts, well equipped and will never
run low to carry out this task of building us into a temple of God
Ephesians 2:12-22
...you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of
the household of God,...
Through him the whole structure is held together and grows
into a temple sacred in the Lord; 22 in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
What a wonderful world this place that we live in could be
if only we listen to the instructions constantly being given to us in the
scriptures. We have an awesome God who always speaks to us in a very timely and
specific manner. His messages are fitted to the situation we are presently
experiencing right now. We should remain confident that God will make a way. There
is really nothing more that God can do for us that He has not done. God is
never short of blessings to shower on us. He has made it all available to us
through His Son. All that is needed is for us to make our move. Let us open
ourselves to God's presence in our lives and know that there is never a moment
in our life when He is away from us for it is always the other way around. For
we are the ones turning away from Him and placing blocks and hindrances between
us whenever we can't find Him.
We are constantly being faced by challenges to our faith
especially at this present time. It is easier to be firm in our faith when
times are easy but when tough times come that is when we are put to the test.
No matter how difficult things may seem we should never give in to the pressure
and remain steadfast. We can always choose to do the right thing if we safeguard
in our hearts the truth about God knowing that it is always for the best. We
need not be afraid of anything although this is something that we all find very
difficult to do. Day in and day out we are bombarded by the realities of life.
There are times when we just can't help but be worried and anxious of so many
things. It even comes to a point when we feel like giving up but we should
always keep in mind that there is hope, for God the Just One is sure to save
us. They say faith and reason do not work together just like science and
religion. This is not a fact but a fallacy. These things in fact compliment
each other because one supports the other. There is no faith without reason and
vice versa. We can not just have one and lack the other. This has to be very
clear in our heads. We should always try to condition ourselves in the
atmosphere of God's presence. We should gear ourselves toward that direction so
that we place ourselves within His reach, it's not that God can not reach us
but we hinder God from reaching out to us. When we do not respond to His call
and shut off our ears although we are within hearing range, we fail to get the
message. Which reminds me of Bernadette's ear, when we went to her doctor she
underwent a procedure (ear lavage) in order to unclog her left ear but prior to
that she was already instilling ear meds for 4 days. The nurse explained to her
that it can be painful and can cause her to feel dizzy and asked her if she
still wants it done and she agreed. Sometimes we have to resort to very
uncomfortable measures in order to be cured in the same way we should maintain
such condition spiritually so that we can always keep our ears open to God's
word. Wherever God is, there is always peace and prosperity. It is only natural
that we have longings and desires because God Himself planted it in our hearts.
We all long for the good things in life and God Himself can provide for all
these things. It is just sad that we reach out for other things that we thought
are good for us. We do not realize that we have to seek first the Kingdom of God
Psalm 85:9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14
R: The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
...9 [10] Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear
him, glory dwelling in our land...The LORD himself will give his benefits; our
land shall yield its increase.
Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.
11 [12] Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from
heaven. (R) 12 [13] The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall
yield its increase. 13 [14] Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along
the way of his steps.
There is a need to be really vigilant at all times. Being
always on the watch and careful of our actions at all cost. We must admit that
there are moments when we become out of focus but God has always been faithful
in giving us reminders. We need to have the confidence and conviction that we
are where we are and doing what we are doing today because God has lead us to
it. If such is the case then there is no reason to be afraid for we will surely
be blessed. Today we should commit ourselves to the vigilant waiting for the
Lord, for in Him alone, we place our trust. Doing God's will in our lives at
all times is a sure way of preparing for the 2nd coming or the return of Jesus.
There were lots of predictions as to when will this day come. Sometimes we lose
track of what the 2nd coming of Jesus is all about and tend to be out of focus.
Instead of focusing on the end of the world or the Armageddon in which the
signs of the times that accompany the 2nd coming of Christ being proclaimed
like the so called earthquakes, floods, fire and hailstorms and tornadoes are
already happening and rattles us by causing so much fear, anxiety and confusion
it would be better if we focus more on the reality that the Kingdom of God is
at hand and is here right now within our individual selves. It would help us
stay in focus and more in control if we concentrate more on our personal lives
and mind our very own armageddon on our last day here on earth that we should
all prepare for. Each day of our life is a battle being fought for the
ownership of our souls that we really have to be mindful of right now, whether
we will come to see the end of the world or not and it is coming soon or later
that we really don't know. One thing is sure, we will all leave this earth and
die and that is the reality that we all have to face and prepare for. During my
nursing student days we used to make a lot of NCPs (Nursing Care Plan)
especially in our clinical rotations in different hospitals. These NCPs based
on our instructor's format are composed of 5 columns namely, ADPIE which stands
for A- Assessment, D- Diagnosis, P-Planning, I-Implementation and E -
Evaluation. We are able to carry out our duties well and give the optimum care
to patients if we can come up with priority NCPs. It's just as the name itself
says, nursing care plan with its important components (ADPIE). We all need to
have a good NCP not just in the hospital setting but in our daily lives. In
doing so we are well prepared and ready for anything that might or is bound to
come up. If we are always on the look out and well equipped then we can picture
ourselves just like those servants in today's gospel, truly blessed. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Luke 12:35-38
35 Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light
your lamps 36 and be like servants who await their master’s return from a
wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are
those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to
you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on
them. 38 And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared
in this way, blessed are those servants.”
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