Why is it that nothing seems to be perfect in this world?
There are times when just as we are about to achieve something really close to
it suddenly something happens and without even knowing it the picture perfect
scenario changes into a not so pleasant one or worst into something we never
ever wanted to happen. In everything there is always a reason and we can't help
encounter such things because we live in an imperfect world but we can always
hope in Jesus our Lord and Savior who will make all things perfect in His time.
We are indeed God's priority! He surely looks after all our cares and concerns.
I am reminded of the time when Sis Em invited me to attend the AFCCPC (Alliance
of Filipino Catholic Charismatic Prayer Communities) North Pacific Regional
Conference in Stockton , CA
Philippians 3:17–4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers, and
observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in
us...For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct
themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are
occupied with earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it
we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring
all things into subjection to himself. 4: 1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.
Today's psalm reminds me of this popular game called,
"Trip to Jerusalem "
I guess, everybody's familiar with it. We may all have played this game when we
were young or even when we're older. The fastest, quickest, most alert person
who gets the last seat wins. If we are not paying attention or are too slow
then we are bound to lose. We have to put up a good fight in this game in order
to win because the chairs are always lacking so every round there is always one
person who doesn't get a seat and gets eliminated. It is just a game but people
have a lot of fun doing their best so as not to be eliminated and win. People
who engage themselves in this kind of game and want to win exert a lot of
effort. It is so tiring and can exhaust one's energy in the game. And to think
that after all our efforts only one person gets to win. Isn't it a relief that
we can go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
We need not worry that all our best efforts would just be wasted because
God has reserved a seat for each one of us. If we are all set and very sure
where we are headed then nothing can stop us from being there. Considering, too
that we have a God who has secured a place and our future for us. John 14:1-3,
" Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You
have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may
be." Nothing or no one can prevent us unless we ourselves decide not to
go. The truth is, it's all up to us. We are confronted with a lot of things
every day and if there is one thing we should choose and decide for then peace
is one of them. It is important that we work and pray for peace to always reign
in our midst. If we have peace that passes understanding always safeguarded in
our hearts then we can rejoice in the Lord at all times. We should always be
confident of the truth that we are blessed and secure in the knowledge and
truth that we are where we are right now, doing what we are doing right now at
the exact time God has provided for us, for with God there is always a perfect
time for everything. When we are feeling tired from all the day's work all we
want to do is just go home. Nothing could be more rewarding than coming home to
a place where we find rest and peace. Our life here on earth could be compared
to something like this. It is nice to know that at the end of the day or our
life's journey we can go rejoicing to the house of the Lord and find ourselves
welcome there. Ideally, there should be no other place we want to be, more than
a place where there is peace and prosperity. It is a choice we have to make but
sometimes we make the wrong choices and choose to be just anywhere but in a
place such as this. We have all the time to be in different places that is fun
and exciting. There is nothing wrong with being in these places for as long as
we know our limitations but do we get the same joy and fulfillment when we go
into the house of God. We should be balanced human beings. We should not just
seek to satisfy our physical but spiritual needs as well. Let us tap our
dormant souls that are left unattended for so long and revive it to really feel
what the psalm tells us today. As much as we are confronted by the fact that we
are still inhabitants of this imperfect world we are in we can not live as if
it does not exist. We might as well make the most of what we can do while we
are part of it. We’ve got to set goals in order to achieve this and keep our
eyes focused on it. It helps go through our daily life if we have set goals
that we want to achieve and fulfill. The SMART acronym tells us that our goals
should be S for specific, M for measurable, A for attainable or achievable, R
for realistic or relevant and T for timely or time based. This is very
effective in helping us improve as a person especially at times when we can't
get our acts together. We can always set SMART goals from time to time in order
to keep track of our performance in whatever field we want to work on and excel.
It helps a lot in assessing ourselves in order for us to make an evaluation on
how we our doing with our life. After each SMART goal we set for ourselves and
have achieved it gives us a sense of fulfillment knowing that we have
accomplished something. Little by little everyday we step up the ladder of our
SMART goals. All of these should eventually come up to rejoicing with what we
have made of our life. These we continue to do until it all sum up to bring us
to that ultimate SMART goal. It should all lead us and point to our final
destination when we go up to the house of the Lord. There is no greater joy
than being with the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M Psalm 122:1-2. 3-4ab. 4cd-5
R: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
1 I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the
house of the LORD.” 2 And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem.
(R) 3 Jerusalem ,
built as a city with compact unity. 4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the
LORD. (R) According to the decree for Israel , to give thanks to the name
of the LORD. 5 In it are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David.
(R)
We should dismiss this wrong notion that if we are holy and
pure then we are automatically boring and dull. It is actually all up to us if
we want to be this way. Being a child of light should come with all the
goodness that goes with it. Instead of blowing out of proportion the real
situation we should work our way out to become prudent. Prudence is the ability
to make right decisions in complex situations, decisions that lead to the best
and right thing. Without this we can be in big trouble. We’ve got to be able to
decide in a situation that we’re in what the right thing to do which is the
best thing to do. How do we get something done? There are some folks who
probably just can’t figure out what to do. There are other folks who look at
the problem and they can figure out a solution. It’s a core and they execute
that core. It’s practical wisdom. We’ll find in the Book of Proverbs a lot of
things about wisdom even in Sirach, Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature
in scriptures. As the children of this world claim to be full of worldly wisdom
so should we children of the light, if we believe and say so, should be full of
heavenly wisdom and truly be smart and wise. In today's gospel, our Lord said
that the people of this world are much smarter in their dealings with each
other than are the children of light. This man was a scoundrel and he was a
scoundrel all the way. His god was himself and his ideal was financial security
and he served self well all the way. My dear friends what one has to say about
this man and the people of this world and what our Lord is trying to get over
to us is that they are consistent. Are we? We say we believe in God, not some
vague deity above the tower but the God of love who took us out of nothingness
in love. Who came down, died for us and sustains us in love. Who has destined
us for an eternity of love? Do we really believe in Him? When trouble comes, we
wring our hands and furrow our brows. We have sleepless nights and headaches.
There is this little piece of doggerel, about the sparrow saying to the robin,
“Do you really like to know what motivates those foolish mortals as they rush
around and worry so? The robin responded to the sparrow, “I think that it must
be they have no Heavenly Father such as one that cares for you and me.” In the
official thanksgiving of the priest after mass every morning, there is the use
of the Canticle of Daniel, when Daniel calls all creation to praise and worship
God, the sun, the moon, the stars, the valleys and the hills. We can find this
line that every bird in the sky blesses the Lord. Outside the window in New York where Fr. Leo
Clifford lives, birds fly by very often. He said that sometimes one will alight
in his window sill and peck the glass in the window to remind him that we
neither sow nor spin nor gather into barn and our Heavenly Father takes care of
the birds. How much more will He take care of us? We say we believe in eternity
but if we examine ourselves, don’t we live as if time were to go on forever.
One should think of the little flower saying that there had never been more
than 3 minutes in her whole life when she was not thinking of our Lord with
whom she was going to spend through eternity. When we say we believe in people
that everyone of us is a child of God that we are going to be together in
paradise do we realize how we treat people as our brothers and sisters in the
Lord? Remember He told us that what we do to them, we do to Him. Sometimes we
don’t like others because of our sophistication, because of their background,
because of their lack of education. My dear friends we say that we believe in
spiritual values, that it isn’t what we have but what we are inside. But look
at the way we go to the mall and spend money and buy material things. Where is
our conviction? Where is our consistency? Well, my dear friends all that we can
do is keep trying and begin again. And then the poem and psalm that we say,
after mass everyday is surely true. Oh God, You are my God. For You I long, for
You alone my soul is thirsty. My body pines for You like a dry, weary land
without water so I gaze on You in the sanctuary for Your love is better than
life. On my bed, I remember You, on You I mused through the night for You had
been my help, in the shadow of Your wings I rejoice. My soul clings to You,
Your right hand holds me fast. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 16:1-13
1 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who
was reported to him for squandering his property. 2 He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’ 3 The steward said to himself, ‘What
shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do
so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their
homes.’ 5 He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said,
‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive
oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write
one for fifty.’ 7 Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He
replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory
note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward
for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in
dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
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