During the time of Moses, the presence of God is very
evident as in today's 1st reading. God came to them in a dense cloud
accompanied by peals of thunder and lightning and a very loud trumpet blast
which made God's people tremble. Nowadays we rarely or no longer experience
these trembling when we communicate with God. We started drifting away from God
and could hardly feel God's presence in our lives and fail to establish a clear
communication line with Him. There had been many interruptions, distractions
and hindrances in our lives that keep us from being fully aware of God. We have
gotten used to the things around us and the daily events in our lives that we
sometimes take things for granted already. It is not God who changed rather it
is us, His people, who have changed by neglecting and breaking our relationship
with God. I am very sure that if we will only do our part in this relationship
then we can also see marvels and wonders or even greater things happening in
our lives. For the God who appeared to Moses and made His presence felt to His
people is still the same God we have today full of might and power. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Exodus 19:1-2. 9-11. 16-20b
...the LORD told Moses, “I am coming to you in a dense
cloud, so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they may always have
faith in you also.”...On the morning of the third day there were peals of
thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud
trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 But Moses led
the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the
foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was all
wrapped in smoke, for the LORD came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from
it as though from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 The
trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God
answering him with thunder...
God is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. His power
extends throughout all generations. We should never ran out of reasons to
always praise and thank God for He never leaves us empty handed since
everything is linked and works wonderfully well for those who stay connected
most especially when the going gets really tough and the rough gets on going
for we have a dependable God who comes up with more and more blessings and
angels sent to us for our welfare. The same God who saved Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego is the same God who continues to lift us up from our miseries for He
is a God for all ages. There is a need for us let go and avoid too much
attachment to the things that the world offers and learn the art of fasting and
abstinence which not only in the form of food and could be in any other things.
A little sacrifice goes a long way with God and can truly rid ourselves of the
hindrances and obstacles that keep us from truly giving glory and praise to
God. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R: Glory and praise for ever!
29 [Dan 3:52] “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy
and exalted above all forever; and blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages...“Blessed are you who look
into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted
above all forever.”...
Today’s gospel focuses on the gift of discernment and these
notes on Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition is a big help for those who want to
have blessed eyes and ears that see and hear what many prophets and righteous
people longed to see and hear. Amen. Hallelujah!
Reflection in the Ignatian Tradition.
Discernment is a process of giving conscious attention to
what we think and what we feel in relation to particular choices we are making.
Discernment is the basis for the practical and experiential application of
Ignatian Spirituality to every-day life. In order to make good decisions, we
need to "read" the data available to us both in terms of factual
information and also our feelings about what we know. Our immediate experience
contains elements of both intellectual understanding and spiritual
appreciation. Attention to these two components of our thought and feeling
processes enables us to recognize and choose what is better rather than what is
less good.
The word "discernment" suggests faith: to ask God
for help in choosing the better option - but only if we have agreed to act on
the help that we will receive in a relationship of trust with God. The
adventure of engaging in a process like this always brings us closer to God.
Trust is founded upon our experiences. God completely
understands our present concern and us. God wants to help us make the free
personal choice that will bring us towards the fulfillment of our purpose in
life. It is God's desire, as well as ours, that decision - making by
discernment will provide us with the best conclusions we can make at this time.
Becoming clear as to what is to be decided is necessary:
"either this or that," one issue at a time. If that question is
decided, then a further decision may be needed. The sharper the focus of the
question to be decided, the better it is.
For major issues, list the individual factors into
"pro" and "con," one side at a time, prayerfully, without
“censoring.” Write down your thoughts and feelings relative to only one side at
a time
If there is some reason that we notice, one so strong that
we can hardly imagine being able to choose the other side, we need to know
whether this is an obstacle to our freedom or a brilliant light that gives us
our "answer." Fear and disturbance accompany an obstacle; peace and
clarity reveal God's hand. When we can calmly look at all the reasons we have
on both sides of an issue, it will usually become rather clear which side
really is in accord with our values, what will be the better thing to do. Seek
confirmation?
The Right Time
In making an important decision, we would like to "get
it over with" as soon as possible. If we have an immediate deadline, God
will help us decide within the limited time we have. When a discernment process
is brought to a natural completion, there is an accompanying sense of
peacefulness. Though we might be under considerable pressure from within to
reach a conclusion, we might at the same time know that we are not yet ready.
It is very helpful in making important decisions to be looking for the kinds of
surprises that bring us clarity and joy – signs of God’s activity.
The act of writing down some thoughts, feelings, and
reflections often enables us to determine their relative importance. Writing is
also a means of sorting wishful fantasy from deep desire.
When Peace Is a Sign
"Are you at peace with your decision?" We
experience a kind of satisfaction which many of us identify as a sense of peace
that goes beyond mere selfishness when any of us chooses what is better rather
than what is only more immediately attractive. We operate from a kind of
"holy selfishness" when we make decisions that are right for us. A
truly good choice we make is not just for our benefit, but also for all those
who will be affected by what we do or say. Peace is confirmation from God about
the better decision. We cannot directly cause the experience of peace; peace is
a true sign of an inner reality that cannot be faked or forced. Real peace is
more than a momentary approval of a decision. It is an indicator about our
relationship with God, others, and us.
Certainty in
Decision-making
At least once or twice in our lives most of us have had the
experience of becoming suddenly and with great clarity aware of a major
direction that we should take in our lives. Often, we also sensed that God was
directly involved in the experience. Later on, we might have had doubts.
Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. God, who is creating us
continuously, knows the best time to reveal something that is wholly suitable
for us. We cannot know ahead of time how things will turn out, but we can
experience surety about how appropriate the path is for us and have a strong
desire to follow wherever it leads.
Making a decision that is strongly influenced by God does
not mean that it will be accompanied by ease or by fame. But we do find the
capacity to pour our energies in a particular direction rather than to reserve
ourselves and keep all our options open. It is helpful to recall our special
graces or inspirations from time to time.
If we are careful to
observe the positive or negative direction of the thoughts that enter our
minds, we can “have it both ways.” When the thoughts are flowing in keeping
with our direction, they are worth our consideration. They confirm the route we
are taking. When they are contrary and disruptive, they can safely and wisely
be dismissed as simply irrelevant on our path to God. By pointing in the
opposite direction they actually give us an indication of the correct path upon
which we want to continue.
Within ourselves, we have the capacity either to reflect or
to rationalize. We can try to understand what has happened, or we can “explain
away” something that is unfamiliar. Our integrity requires that we honor all
our experiences. It is right that we do recall these experiences that might
have been from God. Notice the difference between the time of the event and
what followed later. Our own sense of honesty will guide us in naming rightly
what was from God and how we doubted it afterwards.
When Not to Make a Decision
When we are knocked off our center, cannot find God in our
thoughts or prayers, and find ourselves more pushed around by our feelings and
thoughts than by what invites or encourages us, it is definitely a bad time to
be making a decision. Not making a decision except when there is peace inside
may seem a difficult rule to follow. Making a decision at a time when we are
being influenced by thoughts and feelings against our basic orientation towards
God can cause great harm to ourselves and to others.
There is an illusion in times of confusion that making a
decision – any decision – will give us relief. That is equivalent to reaching
blindly into a bag of good and bad apples and just taking one. Even if we
happen to get a good one, we would consider ourselves lucky, not smart, or
wise. This “rule” about not acting while we are without peace does not mean
that we can always take time to get comfortable before making important
decisions. When a crisis occurs, we have to move quickly. Most often we will
have an immediate clarity about what is the “right thing” for us to do. If we
reflect back on the decisions we made when we had to decide “on the spot”, we
will probably recognize that most were the proper choices. There is no time
when God is not present, though we might not be aware of it.
Thinking and Feeling
One of the big secrets in our relationship with God is the
connection between what we think and what we feel. God is good, so our
experiences of God are accompanied with thoughts and feelings that are
appropriately positive. Most of us also have some other kinds of experiences
which are not necessarily “bad” but they do not come to us directly from the
gracious love of God. We do not make up our own feelings, but when we pay
attention to what is going on in our minds we gain some understanding of our
feelings.
In making decisions, we help ourselves by attending to the
“spiritual weather” we are experiencing. When our minds are cloudy and our
feelings correspond, it does not mean that we have become less good than we
were before, or less a responsive and responsible child of God. But the
confused set of thoughts and concomitant discomfort do not come to us from God.
When God approaches us, we find that our thoughts flow easily on how to act in
accord with our values, and feel confidence and a sense of rightness.
-end of Ignatian reflection-
It is really important that we take advantage of the
opportunities that come our way to spend time with family and loved ones. It's
nice to know that a family is a family no matter what and we all belong to one.
We all love the idea of a family. Though, this is especially true and important
knowing that we are all members of God’s family. We are sure to receive nothing
less than what we deserve as such. How about all other opportunities in life
that God gives us? Just think of those that we all lost. How easy it is for us
to miss the opportunity for everyday. What can we do as a child of our Father
in heaven and a member of God’s family? Sow a thought, reap an act, sow an act,
reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a lifestyle, sow a lifestyle, reap a destiny.
It all begins with a decision or thought, an act and then it becomes a pattern.
It has dared us to become who we are. Sometimes we lose sight of this important
reality that we should always be aware of. A love is not a love until it is
given away. A song is not a song until it is sung. God gives us His own love to
share it with our family, friends and fellow human beings. We have been
redeemed by the precious blood of our Lord.
We must listen to the still and small voice that tells us that we are
not alone. It is a holy task to listen. It is therapeutic to call and to
listen. In doing so, wisdom finds an
echo in our heart. We should all say to ourselves, “I should pass this way once
any kindness I can do let me do because I shall not pass this way again.” We’ve got to give it our best shot. Jesus
said in the gospel that the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
is granted to some but not to all. Why is this so? It all depends on our
commitment to God. If we go all the way with the Lord then nothing else could
be in the way for us to be granted all the blessings that we long for. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:10-17
The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak
to them in parables?’ 11 He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the
mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has
not been granted...16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your
ears, because they hear. 17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous
people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear
but did not hear it.”
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