THE BLESSING

There are times in our life when we are confused and don't know what to do. But most of the time too we are just making things more difficult and worse than it really is. God will always show us the right way to go there is no doubt about that. Sometimes the problem is not knowing what to do but not doing what we're supposed to do. If only we would only take time to look around us and assess our situation then all the signs will surely point us to the right direction. We've been given the faculties as a human being all the senses that enable us to see, hear, feel, taste, smell and think. Even those who lack one or two of these senses have developed a keen sense in the other senses. An example is a blind man although blind have a very keen sense of hearing and smelling that compensates for the loss of sight. All of these and the other capacities and capabilities as man have made us fully equipped and wonderfully created by God. Sometimes we have a lot of excuses and alibis. We are all meant to be the person God has meant us to be. If only we would always be attuned to Him we would find out that God does not require impossibilities from us. There would even be times when we encounter people, events and situations that just fit in and fall into perfect place. Just like what happened a couple of years ago when we received word with regards to a change of schedule in our trip. It all worked for the good because it matched the time and date that we were earlier hoping to get and with an additional treat.  Funny how at times we just overlook those little things that happen to us but it made us realize that should not be the case. God is always there to guide and direct us whether in big or small things. This can not be denied, always evident and further confirmed in today's 1st reading. Amen. Hallelujah!

Deuteronomy 9:4-10

“Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”

Most people I believe will agree with me when I say that who we are today is the sum total of what we've done in the past and what we're still doing in the present. But the most important part of the equation that we should never forget to add in our life is the Multiplier, for whatever it is that we can do, is just a small fraction of what God can do in our lives. There is no doubt that the Lord will show us the right path if we go to Him at all times. Sometimes we go through life not really knowing what we're missing. Let us no longer miss out but rather benefit and enjoy in the goodness of God. We sometimes wonder how an act of obedience to God can seem so difficult at times even if we know for a fact that it is for our own good. It is our sins that draw us farther away from God, bury us deeper and bind us in chains. It all begins in just a slight act of disobedience or negligence on our part which takes a hold of us and before we know it we've gone so far away from God. Let's not wait any longer before it's too late. The time is now for us to repent and go back to God. There are 2 bible verses which I consider very special and of great importance to me. The first is from Romans 8:28 which says that, "We know that all things work for good for those who love God,who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son..." The second one is from Ephesians 6:10-17, "Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one.And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." It is noteworthy that we realize the important aspect in this bible passage about the need to wear an armor and most especially for us to realize the need for a weapon when we engage in battle and the only weapon mentioned is the sword which is the word of God. Sometimes we tend to look at things in a general way and miss the important details or only see, read and hear the things that we want and do not take the words of God in its entirety. There are lots of prosperity preachers who present the word of God in this manner and tend to overlook the equally important details and instructions that God also wanted us to pay attention to. God has definitely made it clear that everything will work for good but just the same, we have to take note of the following words which say that we need to conform to the image of Jesus. We definitely should not miss nor overlook this so that we can surely be saved and delivered. It is inevitable that we always give praise to God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 79:8, 9, 11, 13

R: Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

8 Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. (R) 9 Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake. (R) 11 Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you; with your great power free those doomed to death. 13 Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; through all generations we will declare your praise.

All these benefits and blessings that the Lord gives us come in a clause. As in today's gospel we are called to be just like God, loving, merciful and forgiving. Jesus speaks of it too in the Lord’s Prayer. We receive all the blessings "as we forgive those who trespass against us." We should always have compassion for our brothers and sisters especially those who have been in rough and grave situations. We should think in this way, "Had we been born in a different family and had these experiences they had then we could have committed the same thing they did, or had we been raised in much different circumstances we could have done the same thing." We should stop judging and condemning people and be more accepting of them. Our broken nature originated from original sin and thus we have this inclination to sin. In the Middle East we find an endless retribution in people always trying to get back at each other. We dread war and bloodshed that cause human sorrow needlessly. There is violence that go around the globe but if everyone will live the gospel today then we can witness how beneficial forgiveness is in our own lives. Resentment is just like drinking poison and sitting there while waiting for the other person to die. When we learn to forgive we set the prisoner free and find out that the prisoner is ourselves. Unforgiveness makes us smaller but forgiveness makes us go beyond. The past hurts devour the present and until we let go of the past we can never move forward. We should not choose to be miserable. We should rather be thankful for the suffering and think of the comradeship, humility, courage and greatness of our lives that are fruits born from it. We should put ourselves up to the challenge of great love to see how far we can go just like our Lord when He was nailed on the cross still asking forgiveness for us. We have to be ready to forgive as we study the crucifix and see the ability to do as Jesus did, even making excuses when He said, “they don’t know what they’re doing.” We are called to live differently today as the world is living today. Let us not waste our time while we still can, we have to do all in our power to take advantage of doing everything we can do for the glory and praise of our God. Nothing is outside the knowledge of God. Let us not delay nor stall for every single thing we do for the Lord will definitely count. For we can never outdo, outgive and surpass whatever blessings God has in store for us. Our God's generosity is limitless and immeasurable that even if we have our hands full, He continues to shower us with His graces to overflowing.

He will surely see to it that whatever we do for His sake will go back to us in a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing. I could never forget this passage because it is one of her favorites since I grew up always hearing her quote this. My mother was widowed at a very young age of 32 and left with our care when we were still very young, aged 4, 3 and 1. She never remarried and just devoted her life to us. She was not just our mother but stood as our father at the same time. She worked hard in order to provide for all our needs. As far as I can remember, we were never in want at any single time. My mother would always attribute this to God our Provider. She often said that widows and orphans are very special to the Lord. Another thing I am reminded of is my experience before when I was just new in the Charismatic Renewal and still in the honeymoon stage with the Lord. I was boldly declaring about my new found relationship with God and Mama Mary and somebody who happened to be a "born again" Christian kept on bluffing me. I should have been irritated and annoyed with her because I wasn't doing anything wrong with my outward display of faith. Instead of giving in to her I decided to keep up a nice face, still be gracious to her and just kept silent. I could have answered back and defended myself but I felt in my heart that it won't do any good to both of us. Although it should not always be the case we should fervently pray that we will always strive to be good and trust God. He knows perfectly well what's in our minds and hearts and what matters most is that we think, speak and act exactly the way Jesus would. Whenever we feel that someone doesn't like us we should still treat that person with the same kindness we treat a person who likes us. We must not have special preferences in people and try to treat them equally as best as we can. It is very difficult but if we continue to pray to God for grace then we can carry on with it and do exactly what the gospel says. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 6:36-38

36 Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful. 37 Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 38 Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”