CITY OF GOD

Today's 1st reading tells us of the murder of Stephen, a holy and righteous man. What a way to die! Stephen did not have the slightest trace of anger and is full of forgiveness for those who stoned him. We should long to have this kind of disposition in life that even at the point of death he still begged for mercy and forgiveness not on his own behalf but for the very people who caused his death. It is an act of forgiving people even if they don't ask for it. The memory of Stephen's great love, faith and devotion to God has become a legacy to us, Christians. May our lives become an inspiration too for others to draw strength and courage the way Stephen did for Christians and non believers like Paul. Most especially for Saul who was later on called Paul since he was not a believer of Jesus yet during that time, in fact he was one of the feared persecutors of Christians. St. Paul or Saul as he was called originally was a part of it. It must have been a sight, just imagine he was being stoned to death and yet he visualizes and shouts of the glory of God. We have a lot to learn from the example of the life of Stephen especially during times when we encounter trials and hardships that may not even get close to losing our lives and dying a very cruel death like what happened to Stephen. We can learn a lot from our Church and Salvation History. In fact 1/2 of the people who became Catholic converts have delved into the study of History. It is His story, her story and our story. It has patterns, though it surprises really well. We have to discover the past, learn from what happened and be open to it. We need to know the faith and not be susceptible to lie. We are witnesses of what evil can do to people but behind all of those things, God is behind it. The gates of hell did not prevail, the Church remains protected. We have to know what can be learned from this to prevent similar things from happening again. Paul was a persecutor of Christians but he became a saint. His life progressed with his testimonies because he admitted to the killing of Christians and repented. He bore witness to Jesus Christ and revealed how great a Savior we have in Him. Have you ever seen anybody so peaceful and undisturbed even in the face of adversity? We still need to learn a lot from Stephen from today's 1st reading. He has shown us a perfect  example of total trust in God. He did not just speak the works of God, he also worked with great wonders and signs. His entire being shows forth the glory of God that no one can deny. This reminds me of Fr. Arnel Celis whom I showed my petal with the face of a cherubim, he said that I look like it. Whether it's true or not, is no longer important. What matters most is that we should all strive to be like Stephen who reflects the glory of God in his face. This makes me think that we should not only be conscious of our physical appearance which most of us are too concerned about. Although it is also right that we care for our temporal needs while we are still residents of this temporary world, all the more should we be conscious of looking after our spiritual needs to nourish and sustain our souls which is lasting and will enter into eternity. We wouldn't want to look deformed or ugly permanently when we come face to face with God our Creator.  Physical beauty is fleeting and can only last for a lifetime or while still young whereas the beauty of our souls can withstand endless lifetimes and last for eternity. It should be our goal that someday people who look at us will be drawn to us because we have become living models of Christ before our fellowmen, beautiful inside and out. I pray that just like Stephen we will be filled with God's grace and power, show forth great wonders and signs and resemble the face of an angel. If we go through a lot of trouble just to look beautiful and handsome in the eyes of men how much more in the eyes of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 7:55-60

Stephen, filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. 58 They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep.

We don't want to be losers here in this life, do we? All the more should we not want to be losers in the next life for eternity. We have a God who fights our battles and we are assured of His victory already. We should all be well aware of God’s angels that surround us and are sent by God to us to always light, guide, rule and guard. It is just a matter of persevering and committing to the task that we are all called to fulfill. To live a life of faith in words, thoughts and deeds in our Lord Jesus Christ who lived, died and resurrected all for our sake. Erase all doubts and be faithful to the One God who is most high above every other god. We should develop an image of God that is fitting to Him as described in today's psalm. There are significant events in our life that we can associate with certain major decisions we made and can never forget. The place where we are right now is exactly where God wants us to be. If God brings us here then He will bring us through it. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our life at this precise moment. God's purpose for us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place where we are now. That's God, He passes us through a lot of things for us to see His glory. We all long to become a member or even be identified with groups and associations that hold a good name and reputation. It helps us in many ways and keeps us abreast with the latest trends in our profession for example. It could be considered an asset and we would definitely not leave it out from our resume because it speaks well of us. There are even associations that require us to fulfill certain requirements in order to qualify. We even have to go out of our way and make some sacrifices such as go through rigid screening, pass certain examinations and maintain certain units in order to comply with the qualifications. All of these we are willing to do and make ourselves able just to belong. Considering that these are all earthly memberships that could only last a lifetime. What about eternal memberships that continue even after this life is over? To be a part of the Kingdom where our Lord is King is the ultimate goal we should all set our eyes on. Whenever we are faced with problems and difficulties in life we should always find consolation in a God whom nothing is lost for He knows and sees all. We may still not be in perfect shape for the Lord but God is constantly at work in those who are just and upright of heart.  We have all the reasons to rejoice and be glad knowing that we have a God who is just. We should always acknowledge that without God we are nothing and God's power over us can only go as far as we allow Him to. Nothing else matters more than this truth that we have a God who is high over all the earth and exalted far above all gods. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9

R: The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.

...Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods.

Whether we like it or not there is judgment day. Today’s 2^nd reading is very clear about it. But before this happens God gives a time of mercy and now is the time of mercy. We have to avail of it now and square our accounts with God right this very moment. We don’t wait and put this aside. Let us truly be wise in responding to God’s call to us now and be counted as the blessed ones who have the right to the tree of life and enter the city of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20

I, John, heard a voice saying to me: “Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates. “I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the hearer say, Come.” Let the one who thirsts come forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water. The one who gives this testimony says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Our confidence lies in the truth in today's gospel. Jesus cares for us, he even prayed for us. If only we will truly be one with Jesus in all aspects of our lives and be totally united with Him then there is no more room for doubt that God who is Almighty, All Powerful, Immortal and Holy is able to make good things happen in our life and be a living testimony and reflection of God. What binds all the virtues together is love. All virtues should be motivated by love which articulates them all. We can use love for the service of God. Love is our motivation that makes the machine of an organism move and to speak God and His will. Love inspired in our hearts makes us give ourselves to others. We have to guard ourselves, too. There are times when we fight for a good cause which takes anger to keep us moving. We become driven by anger and we need to be above these things. It must be humble work and we have to be above some point of view. It should exactly be the kind of love that today's gospel speaks about. It is also noteworthy that chapter 13 of John up to today’s gospel which is taken from chapter 17 is parallel with the 5 books of the Old Testament. Chapter 13 speaks of the  last supper and a farewell speech of Jesus which is parallel to Deuteronomy 32, the long prayer of Moses wherein he encouraged and emphasized the importance to obey the law and concludes the book with long prayers in chapters 32-33. We have to pay attention to how our Lord Jesus is doing something similar to what Moses has done. Putting together what Moses had done we would find that Christ is doing the same. It is important for us to keep coming back to all the gospels. If we may recall, at the very beginning of John 2 Jesus starts his public ministry at the wedding of Cana when he responded to the request of Mary that His hour has not come. While in chapter 13, he said that the hour has come. Obviously, the sense of the hour is to designate the final movement by which He redeems the world through obedience to the Father. He wanted to bring this out through the gospel. In chapters 5 and 8 we repeatedly read Jesus saying that the Father and I are one. He also asks the Father to give Him glory but He does not cling to the gifts that the Father gives Him but always return the glory to God. He would always say that everything of mine is yours. Christ is giving us an inner life, a deeper insight to the true meaning or the substance of the divinity through Him. No mere creature would be capable of accepting infinity from the Father only the Infinite Son but it is His nature to give it back to the Father and not cling to it. St. Augustine said that mutual self giving of one person to the other personifies the Holy Spirit. The gift of eternal life is the very purpose that the Father sent Him to the world. In John 6 the purpose of giving Himself through the Eucharist is the way to have eternal life.  He reveals the name of God which is Father. It is so powerful that it makes them one. Some denominations have stopped baptizing in the name of the Father. The name Father can not be eliminated from our faith since it gives strength and make us one. Jesus always say, “I have not come to do my will but the will of my Father. My disciples are those who keep my word. Those who remain in Him the Father and the Son will remain in Him.” The words of Jesus has the power to unify us with the Father & Son and bring us to eternal life. It is well to meditate on these words of Jesus and imbibe wisdom which is the key to understanding the relationship of Jesus and the Father by which we are to live and bring us to eternal life. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 17:20-26

20 Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me… I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”