IN A ROW

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians from today's 1st reading reminds us to set our goals and priorities right. We may be living our lives without knowing what we are primarily created for. The purpose of man's existence is very clear in the Baltimore Catechism. There are 3 things we ought to do as we answer this question. Why did God make you?  Number 1, God made me to know Him, 2 to love Him, and 3 to serve Him in this world, so we could be happy with Him for ever in heaven.  "In him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) We are all aware of the wonderful feeling of being chosen and qualified and the other way around.  Let us get these 3 things, straight in our minds so as to be happy and not find ourselves disqualified in our final day here on earth. Sometimes questions cross our mind and our thoughts wonder why people need to succumb to feelings of loneliness. We fail to grasp the meaning of why people have to be apart for one reason or another and why we have to experience feelings of despair due to loss or separation. Mother Mary was orphaned at a very young age which a lot of people may not know. She went through the pain of loss at a tender age and was able to bear it with much grace which brought her to becoming the Magnificat. It should give us a feeling of consolation and relief if we go through trials and difficulties in life for God has a reason and a mission for everything. He allows things to happen not to punish or torment us but for us to emerge strong and victorious in testifying to the gospel. Whenever we get annoyed at some things we should look at it as part of the discipline and training that each persevering Christian should undergo. God has His ways of affirming, confirming and agreeing with us and one of these is through the scriptures and daily readings. Sometimes we need to redo and rethink all over again but as the saying goes “practice makes perfect” not a single thing we do and put our efforts into for the glory of God is put to waste. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22b-27

...If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast... To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all things to all men, that I might save all. And I do all things for the gospel's sake: that I may be made partaker thereof. Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

Have you ever felt so at home in a certain place that you feel like you can stay there for a long time? I did. I have met these people who are so welcoming and accepting and it feels like I can stay with them for the longest time. And to think that these people are the ones I hardly even know, so just imagine how it would feel like dwelling in the house of the Lord as spoken of in today's psalm. We ought to be aware of that big difference always. It is a matter of dwelling in a place where there is eternal life of peace and joy or damnation. Our earthly bodies will naturally yearn for earthly desires which are just bound to last only here on earth. We've got to really get it straightened out and listen to the yearning of our souls which will outlast this world. In heaven we will be glorified magnificently. We will live forever with strength, power, beauty and sharing a new humanity with Jesus. There is no place else we would rather be than in God's dwelling place. We all hope to wear that crown of heaven and take our place in God's kingdom.

We have to go the extra mile always in doing everything in love. For God is love and He is in us. We should also be careful not to taint and mess up ourselves and this is only possible if we take good care of God's dwelling place as suggested in today's psalm. We are the temple or dwelling place of God and this we should know by now and always be aware of. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12

R: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

[3] My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (R) 4 [5] Happy they who dwell in your house! Continually they praise you. 5 [6] Happy the men whose strength you are! Their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage (R) 11 [12] For a sun and a shield is the LORD God; grace and glory he bestows; the LORD withholds no good thing from those who walk in sincerity.

If we really want to lead our brothers and sister to the right path then there is no other way to do it than to be a living example of Jesus Christ. We can’t just go around preaching about the gospel without preaching through our life’s example. We should become what we preach. As the saying goes, “The best sermons are lived not preached.” It is of prime importance that we take every opportunity that God sends our way. Of course, God will never leave us empty handed all we have to do is follow the advice in the gospel. When we train hard just like any other athlete aiming to win the gold then we become good, better and eventually the best Christian for the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 6:39-42

39 Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”