The love of God is so perfect in every way that we can not
find a trace of the slightest irregularity in its perfection. This is why it is
not forced or mandatory. The same is true with the word of God. Today's 1st
reading tells us how salvation was offered first to the Jews, then to the
Gentiles and to the rest of the world. It is all up to us how we choose to
respond to it. May we all realize the impact of this reality in our life now
and for eternity. It doesn't mean that if we are friends of Christ we are
totally free from life's difficulties and trials. There are still times when we
are tensed and our hearts are troubled. We still worry, become anxious and
afraid because we live in this reality. We should accept the fact, that just
like Paul and Barnabas in today's 1st reading, who worked hard to spread the
Good News they were still susceptible to the violence of this world. We can
strive to avoid suffering but there is nothing we can do to eliminate it
altogether. We can not prevent events that cause this. We still have trouble in
our hearts. No one is capable of doing this only God who became man and entered
this world. But let us not forget that
even Jesus, the Son of God, who is true God and true Man was greatly distressed
and troubled at the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42-44) He prayed to God,
"Father if Thou be willing remove this cup from me nevertheless not My
will but Thine be done." When we pray to God this does not eliminate
either what we are distressed of. We pray but still go through our mini
passion. In the light of these things we ought to remember always that evil and
death has no power over us because Jesus is resurrected. Whoever has God lacks
nothing, He alone suffices. God will always prioritize us, His people but if we
are stubborn and don't want to listen then we forfeit our price. Have you ever
experienced your name or raffle ticket being called out in a draw and you
forfeited your price because you weren't there, you weren't patient in waiting
or you just decided that it would be better for you to just leave. Let us keep
in mind that the price of eternal life is worth all our time and treasure. No
one is excluded from the gift of eternal life. Everybody is given the same
privilege as were given to the chosen people of God. God is fair and just in
all His ways. All we need to do is respond in the way that the Gentiles did in
today's 1st reading instead of reject it like what most of the Jews did. If
we've really come to believe then we should also work to spread the Word of
God. No one should ever claim that they haven't heard or known about God since
it is our prime duty to spread and make it known throughout the whole world. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Acts 13:14, 43-52
...Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was
necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the
Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the
Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’
”
The Jews knew of the prophecy that from King David’s lineage
would come forth a King, the foretold Messiah of Israel. During the reign of
King Ahaz and all other kings of Israel who did evil things the
royalty was cut off. During the Babylonian captivity and in exile, those born
of the line of David, of royal blood went in hiding for fear of being killed.
Even though the divinic dynasty was cut off, from the tree of Jesse, the father
of King David, came forth the shoot that brought forth the King. We remember
that it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The genealogy of
Jesus in Matthew 1 tells of this family tree. We would find at the end of this
lineage, Joseph who is the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Joseph is not
king but a carpenter and being Jew knew of the prophecy as foretold by the
prophet including this one from Isaiah 7:14 … the Lord Himself shall give you a
sign, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name
Emmanuel.” as spoken to him by the angel who appeared to him. He finally
understood the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel . Isaiah is important to
better understand Jesus. Joseph knew of the need for secrecy and not to make
public these things because the reigning king at that time is Herod. He is not
Jew but an Edomite who was just appointed by the Romans to be king. He is king
not for the Jews but for the Romans to collect taxes for them. This is mainly
the reason why Herod wants all male babies born at the time of Jesus, dead.
Joseph dreamed a lot of dreams and it was through them that Joseph was able to
successfully carry out his mission as the protector of the baby Jesus. Another
point of reference here is the fact that in the Old Testament (OT) there was a
foreshadowing of the Magi or Wise Men who came to worship Jesus in the manger.
It was at the time of the reign of Balak an evil king in the OT when Balaam
also a wise man from the East prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there shall
come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom . He was asked to exact a curse
upon Israel
but from his mouth came forth a blessing. A star and a scepter signifies kingship.
In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men who were looking for a star that would
direct them to the newborn King of Israel who would inform Herod of his
whereabouts but warned in a dream not to go back to him in a dream. Jesus is
truly our King. The Kingship of Jesus is accompanied by many more wonderful
things that we still have to know of. In the Jewish tradition the # 3 and 7
stands for perfection and completeness. It is somehow puzzling to know that
there are 3 sets of 14 generations from the time of Abraham to the exile to the
time of Jesus. So why the #14? The significance of the #14 stands for the name
of King David which is equivalent to 14 in Hebrew. The 3 sets of 14 stands for perfect royalty
and king that all leads to Jesus. It could also be equivalent to 6 sets of 7.
The #6 signifies the date when the beast is made or the beginning thus the #666
which signifies the beast of all beasts. The 6 of 7 sets could mean the
beginning of the 7th set. 7 is also the Sabbath. The new 7 is the new creation.
Jesus is the beginning of the 7th set. Why the fuss in all of these? It is a
consolation to know that we have a God who is King. The King of kings and the
Lord of lords. We will eventually come face to face with our Creator and God
who made heaven and earth. The time is now to make a conscious move to be in
touch with this truth. It is such a waste that we don't always realize God's
presence among us. When there is nothing more rewarding than to always be aware
of God's presence and cry out to Him in joy. Whenever we are in a relationship
with someone and give our 100% into it then we can not help but expect it to
work. But there are times too when we have given our all and yet it doesn't
seem to be enough. We sometimes are bound for disappointments. When these
things happen then is really no reason to be sad for we can always go to God
for consolation whose love for us endures forever. We are all called to become
partakers and residents of the eternal Kingdom of God Elm Street " every time the girl in
this movie falls asleep, her nightmare begins and Freddie Krueger appears to
wreak evil and havoc in her life. She has to stay awake or else something
really bad happens to her and the people around her. Somehow this should make
us realize the importance of being awake, conscious and in touch with reality.
If there's one thing that we have to always be aware of, that is God has our
best interest in mind. It may not be easy to see, understand and have a grip on
this reality always especially at times when we seem down and out as in falling
flat on bed without a care in the world like dumb sleepyheads. We have to rise,
wake up and shine. We ought to always get a hold of this truth in today's psalm
and never let it leave our consciousness. We will eventually come face to face
with our Creator, and the time is now to make a conscious move to be in touch
with this truth. Our devotion to God should have no limits for He is Almighty,
All Powerful and Holy. We should remain faithful to God and never stray away
from the path where He leads us. Let us stay within the flock that God has
formed for us. When we are being cared for by God who is constantly and
consistently good, kind and faithful forever and ever then we are confident
that we are safe and secure in the fold where we belong like a flock tended by
the Good Shepherd. We should always remember that we have a God who cares for
all our needs for we belong to Him. May we all take part in the grand banquet
that God has prepared for us in heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5
R: We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; 2 serve the LORD
with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the LORD is
God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. (R) 5 The LORD is
good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.
Today's
readings answer in a way everything there is to know about the saints and what to
do to be like them. We must realize that
it is not only them who have been given the privilege to be a saint but all of
us. We are called to fulfill our destiny in being union with God. We must
remain hopeful that when that day comes we will be one of those fortunate ones
bearing the seal of the Lord. God is constantly reminding us of His great love
for us, calls us by name and considers us as His own. We should always be aware
of this privilege and not forfeit the benefits and honor to be counted as one
of these people being spoken of in today's 1st reading. Only the tough gets
going and the survivor lives. This is a standing regulation in most extreme
challenge game shows or high rating reality shows that are very popular
nowadays. This is exciting for most of us to watch on television because we see
how they battle with their skills and find their way up to the winner’s spot.
The winner gets home with the trophy and the most exciting prizes that they
could think of. A very attractive
package of gifts and surprises are in store for the winner. This is one of the
things that lure people to go for it. Only those who dare to take the challenge
can emerge as the winner. Somehow we could connect this type of thing with this
passage from today’s 2nd reading. We ought to realize that just like those
extreme challengers, we are also participants of this game called life and in
the end when everything is over and done, a prize awaits us. No eye has
seen, no ear has heard nor can we imagine what God has ready for those who love
Him. Amen. Hallelujah!
Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
9 I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which no one
could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the
throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their
hands. 14 Then one of the elders said to me, “These are the ones who have
survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “For this reason they stand before God’s
throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the
throne will shelter them. 16 They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will
the sun or any heat strike them. 17 For the Lamb who is in the center of the
throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Sometimes we hear so many voices from all around telling us
what to do. We need to concentrate or focus
which voice to listen so we do not end up distracted. We may have experienced
getting two different opinions at the same time and become lost. There's
nothing to worry about if we've accustomed ourselves to God's voice. We will
surely distinguish it from the nuisances. Especially when God's heart and our
hearts have become hearts beating as one. No one can snatch us away from God's
strong and caring hands. If we are
confident in this truth and really believe this then there is no more room for
us to fret and be anxious for we are under His care, safe and secure. We better
put our act together and make a stand for it. For no one can't take that away. We
are the sheep, the Lord is the Good Shepherd. Jesus leads us to green pastures
and in it we find rest. No amount of success and prosperity in life can ever
suffice the deep longing in our heart and soul. As we go along life we find joy
and happiness in the people we meet, the things of this world and the
relationships we form with friends and loved ones. But almost always all of
these never last and if they do it will only be throughout our lifetime. All of
us has to leave this present life and on to the next. If we are not being led
by the Good Shepherd then we will find ourselves lost in the process. Only
Jesus can truly lead us to everlasting happiness. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 10:27-30
Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and
they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No
one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is
greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The
Father and I are one.”
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