MY 2 OLIVE PLANTS

Today's 1st reading reminded me of my mother when my husband and I weren't married yet but we're going steady and serious with our relationship already. Although I haven't been married seven times like Sarah in today's reading my mother warned me that I needed to be honest to Edwin about my medical condition which can prohibit me from bearing children. I can never forget what the doctor, who is also a very close family friend and turned out to become one of our primary sponsors during our wedding, told my mother after she examined me which I was not suppose to hear back then but accidentally did, that I might not be able to bear any children due to the much worse condition that I have compared to my aunt whom I inherited it from and who had a difficult and took a very long time before she finally conceived. I knew what I had back then so I did as I was told and confided to my husband, Edwin about it and to my surprise he open mindedly accepted my condition. Just like the rest of the story in today's 1st reading wherein Sarah and Tobiah were both blessed by God, we were also blessed with 2 sons or my 2 olive plants, Jude and Allan, despite the discouraging report of the doctor about my medical condition. God is good. Amen. Hallelujah!

Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1bcde. 9-17; 8:4-9a

...I will explain the situation to you very frankly. 11 I have given her in marriage to seven men, all of whom were kinsmen of ours, and all died on the very night they approached her. But now, son, eat and drink. I am sure the Lord will look after you both.” ...Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, “My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance.” 5 She got up, and they started to pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. He began with these words: “Blessed are you, O God of our fathers; praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever. 6 You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.’ 7 Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age.” 8 They said together, “Amen, amen,” 9 and went to bed for the night.

One of the purposes of marriage is for procreation. When we enter into it we should be open to having children and the responsibilities that go with it. It is a very challenging task and we need to know how to really walk in God's ways in order to live a happy and favored life. There is only one thing needed and that is to follow the ways of the Lord. Whenever we come to a point in our lives when we encounter trials and difficulties and standing up firm in our faith in God seems to be an impossibility then all the more should we remain faithful and true to God. The psalm reading tells us exactly why. This fear being spoken of in today's psalm is the holy fear of the Lord and is different from other kinds of fear that we know. It's more of the kind of fear that is coupled with respect and is the beginning of wisdom as written in Proverbs 1:7. We have to be perfectly aware of this and strive to maintain it within ourselves so as not to lose sight of this aspect of God's Holiness. Over the years, the olive has been the symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power and pureness. The olive tree and olives are mentioned over 30 times in the Bible, in both the New and Old Testaments. It is one of the first plants mentioned in the Bible, and one of the most significant. For example, it was an olive leaf that a dove brought back to Noah to demonstrate that the flood was over. The Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem is mentioned several times. Olive oil has long been considered sacred; it was used to anoint kings and athletes in ancient Greece. It was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples as well as being the "eternal flame" of the original Olympic Games. Victors in these games were crowned with its leaves. Today, it is still used in many religious ceremonies. Today's psalm mentions and compares children to olive plants. We have always been awed by such great affection a mother has for her child. We've seen a lot of things throughout time that attest to this. I am a mother myself and I have done things beyond my capacity because of how much I love my children.  This love of mothers for their brood grows into something very special which explains why they are referred to or likened to olive plants around the table. Let us hope and pray that the Lord will continue to look after our families. No matter how difficult this year is, for our families we have to be confident in God's assurance in today's Psalm reading. If we truly believe that we have an Extraordinary and Awesome God then we, too must be willing to take on the challenge of doing something out of the ordinary and really get out of our way to live out what God calls us to do. Nothing is ever wasted for it has always been proven throughout all generations that those who follow and obey the Lord will surely be blessed not only today but all the days of our lives. We really have to always start with the basics, keep it simple and really get down with the real stuff. We've got to take things one step at a time. We know for a fact that we humans have a tendency to make things complicated.  We know exactly why. It is because we want to make excuses, create our own rules and get away with it. God tries to make it as simple as possible for us but we just don't want it His way because we've got to have it our own way. That's when the problem starts. It is always easier said than done but we've got to take God's word for it. I like the writing on the shirts of my son, Jude and these young people when they attended the YFC (Youth for Christ) Youth Camp. It says, "It's not about me, it's all about God." It's right on target and what it is all about. For in the end and to top it all, it will all come down to us as a blessing and favor from God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R: Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

1 Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! 2 For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; happy shall you be, and favored. (R) 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table...may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

In today's gospel Jesus said to the man who answered with understanding that the kingdom of God is not far from him. We may wonder why He didn't say he belong to the kingdom of God instead. It's because there's still a lot of work to do after the understanding is the part where we live it which comprises the greater challenge. Things that are happening around us may not be very pleasing and acceptable the way we all wanted it to be. Life is never easy but there is really no need to complicate it further by trying to figure it out and rationalize it with our limited minds and comprehension. When Jesus ascended to heaven He has promised to send us the Helper and the Comforter. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to endow us with the gift of understanding so that we can truly appreciate and grasp in our minds the true and most essential things that should matter in the Kingdom of God. The gospel is known to all people whether learned or not because it is the law that God has inscribed in our hearts. The problem lies in the hardening of our hearts and pollution of our minds. Whenever we allow ourselves to stray farther away from God and fall deeper into the pit of sin then it becomes very difficult for us to always grasp this truth. It helps to always be in touch with this truth so we don't end up forgetting and neglecting it the way we usually do when we are bombarded with so many different and contradicting things that we encounter every day. It is a wise move to take advantage of every opportunity God is sending our way to always be surrounded by God's reminders instead of being carried away by the world's enticing but empty promises. We've often heard people say that in a relationship we should never put everything in it and should leave some for ourselves. This is quite true in a way because we can only give what we have and if we end up empty and with nothing at all left to ourselves then we become unable to love anybody in the process. But with God, the more we love Him, the fuller and more abundant we become thus enabling us to fulfill all other things. With God we are sure that we have invested our love wisely and will surely not lose. We are called to a response to love God and be an instrument of this love to the world and build a civilization of love. We should enthrone Christ as the king of our homes and daily live out the beating of the sacred heart of Jesus. It is not just a call but a command to commit to consecrate our lives to higher goals for our salvation. We enthrone the sacred heart of Jesus in our homes because He is king of our homes.  Everything that we do should have reference to Him. We make an effort to love His holy name, His sacred heart and speak of His sacred love. We have to keep on believing and always on fire. When we look at the world we can easily fall into despair but we can do otherwise and bring hope and build a civilization of love through the sacred heart of Jesus. Souls on fire are ignited through the experience of our love for the Lord. We need to be always aware of who we receive especially during Holy Communion so we can grow and be instruments of His love, that’s our mission. We need to be part of the Christian revolution and be a builder of a civilization of love. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 12:28-34

28 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” 29 Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ 33 And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.