HALF OR WHOLE?

It is quite a surprise for us whenever we hear a daughter in law treating her mother in law with so much love and devotion to the point of still choosing to be with her even if her husband already passed away. Sometimes we just couldn't understand why people decide to do things the way they do. Instead of going back to her own family she chose to stay with her mother in law. The rest of the story about the life of Ruth tells us that she did not regret the decision she made. But during that time it might make us wonder whether she made the right decision or not because it surely doesn't look like it at that time when she decided to stay with Naomi, her mother in law. Just like Ruth who was very firm in that very difficult and life changing decision in today's 1st reading we should also follow her example in continuing to stand firm in her decision against all odds. We all know how Ruth the Moabite became the great grandmother of King David, the family tree where our Lord Jesus Christ came from. For those who do not hesitate, are not afraid nor discouraged and wholehearted in carrying what God has planned to do, they are assured of the great blessing and God given destiny that await them. Amen. Hallelujah!

Ruth 1:1. 3-6. 14b-16. 22

...Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye, but Ruth stayed with her. 15 Naomi said “See now!” Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her god. Go back after your sister-in-law!” But Ruth said, “Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God 22 Thus it was that Naomi returned with the Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, who accompanied her back from the plateau of Moab...

Not once did the word of God ever failed. My mother used to say that God loves the fatherless and the widow in a very special way as if nothing else matters. I grew up as a child constantly hearing her say this and believing it myself as I was growing up and knowing more about the Lord. She has greatly influenced my faith in God. I should say that wherever she may be right now, which I feel, think and believe is in the company of God with all His angels and saints in heaven, her memory will live on forever in my heart and the hearts of the people whose lives she touched. According to St. Therese, the poorer you are the more Jesus will love you. The world's point of view is very contradictory to the beatitudes. The world chooses strength over weakness and poverty. What seems to be foolish for the world and folly to man is wisdom to God. Jesus is attracted to our poverty and weakness because it is where we meet Jesus. Unlike the world who is attracted to strength and hires the smartest and world’s greatest. We have all kinds of difficulties and struggles. These are what drive us to Christ to cling to Him. Instead of always trying to complain and talk about it what we do is keep our eyes on the Lord. Sometimes He places something before us that He wants us to do. The challenge for us is to turn to Him in our weakness and cling to Him in prayer, faith, hope, love and abandon ourselves to Him. Let us trust God's mastery and expertise to mold and make of us a masterpiece, a genuine work of His hands. Today’s psalm reading mentioned the word captives which reminded me of priest’s talk on “New Kind of War” several years ago. There are always captives in war and he mentioned that we, Christians must be aware of the war that our adversary, the devil is waging on us. We have a very committed and determined adversary. Looking at the present moral condition of people here in the US he said that he is not surprised at all at how things are turning out in the present moment since the moral demise of a country precedes the ultimate demise. Whatever may be happening around us and could be getting worse with each passing day, we can be assured that God will help His friends but not His enemies. We need to know on which side we are. It is indeed a difficult battle we are facing in our lives but we must remember that human beings do not do well when all is well. We are strengthened by the trials just like steel that is subjected to heat in order to temper it. Greatness is forced on a lot of people just like what happened to those people after the incident in the Sept. 11 tragedy. It is pushed in the crucible of tribulation but despite of it we can be assured of the promises stated in today psalm. We should continue to rely on our one true source of help for only Him can satisfy our soul. God's help is all the help we need, nothing more and nothing less. We ought to realize by now what the wisest thing to do is not based in the standard of the world but of the Lord our God. Our confidence and trust must rest on the Lord alone who makes all good things possible. If we will always fill our hearts with gratitude and praise for the Lord then we will realize how things in our life turned out for good which seem to be not the case at the time it was happening for our God is faithful and everything that is said in today's psalm. Our hope should only be in the Lord for He alone keeps faith, secures justice, gives good, sets captives free, gives sight to the blind and raises up the lowly. It is a consolation to know and be reminded of it so as to always keep in mind that we have a God who is everything that we ever need, want and long for.

If God is able to do all things then there is really nothing to fear. We can always count on God to make things turn out for the best. Let us not be dismayed or discouraged by our circumstances for He will surely fulfill what He has promised. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 146:5-6ab. 6c-7. 8-9a. 9bc-10

R: Praise the Lord, my soul!

Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD, his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. (R) Who keeps faith forever, 7 secures justice for the oppressed, gives good to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. (R) 8 The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those that were bowed down; the LORD loves the just. 9 The LORD protects strangers. (R) The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts. The LORD shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. (R)

What is the greatest commandment? T o love God above all and love our neighbor as ourselves. Why do we have to love ourselves? We are the child of God and God Son lives in me. Everyone can sing “I am special”  God created us especially with something to do on this earth that no one else can do and must love ourselves for who we are. We have to realize the dignity of being a child of God. We must love our neighbor for God lives in each one of us. CS Lewis said there are 4 kinds of love, love of a mother for a child, love of a man for a maid, friend for a friend which are all inspiring, beautiful and romantic. The 4^th kind of love is agape, we do good to those who hate us because we are the child of God and Christ is in each one of us. In the story of the Good Samaritan, no name is mentioned. It doesn’t matter because love is no respecter of persons. We do our duty without any recompense. We should remember that God never have to create us but He did. He created us for glory, gave each of us a name and has prepared a special place for us. When we leave this present world and He utters our name we will fly to Him faster than sound. It is because we are created by God to be with Him in heaven even before we were born. When we stand face to face with God He will ask us the big question: Why aren’t you like you? That unique creation of mine, that radiant human being I put in this earth in whom I can shine, how disappointed we can be if we find that we have  disappointed Him. He will not ask us why we are not like John Paul II, St. Francis of Assisi or St. Therese of the Little Flower. We are supposed to be the person for which we are created, in glory and in honor.  The prayer of St. Ignatius should be our prayer: Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for reward save that of knowing I am doing Your Will. It is easier to follow the will of God whenever we are experiencing the good times but when the going gets tough and the tough really gets going then the scenario changes. The words: with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind are all extremes or superlatives and requires us to do exactly what it is asking us to do and obey at all times and not be half hearted Christians. Jesus never stops teaching, coaching and giving examples on how we should go about with our lives. He is after our welfare and the fulfillment of our desires in order for all of us to lead a wonderful life. We can trust Him to carry out whatever is needed for us to attain it provided we follow and obey His commandments, which is in truth the way to be truly happy. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 22:34-40

...“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself...