GET UP AND FOLLOW

We need to observe the Sabbath and not just follow our own pursuits. People are into a real busy work week and do not even go to church. Do we make time for God? Do we reflect on God and worship Him? Are we endlessly just trying to do as much as we can in order to have as much as we can? We need to realize that once we recognize God’s law then we quickly recognize our need for grace that brings us to prayer life. There is a constant force of the culture, the temptations to live an extravagant and impure life, and the force of our fallen human nature that make us give in to sin. We better recognize sin in our life. Things can get difficult and we can not do all in our strength. We struggle with sin most of the time. Our sins isolate us. We’ve got to change, admit to ourselves and then to a priest. We should avail of the sacrament of confession and do away with fear of what the priest might think. This is our human nature. Confession is a beautiful experience when we hear those words of absolution. Our sins are gone and forgotten and we are forgiven. To tell another person could be so liberating, it helps us to believe in God’s acceptance and forgiveness. It awakens something in us to help us believe in God’s love for us. The priest in the confession is like the father in the Prodigal son. Waiting in the confession chamber is a duty to the priest. He makes himself available for us and just be there for people to experience God’s forgiveness. God's faithful people will always find consolation and assurance as stated in today's 1st reading which reminds me of the several experiences I had. First, it was my visit to this monastery with a friend. We were about to get lost because my friend forgot the map and was not able to search in the internet prior to our trip the directions to the place. Although she's been there once already she felt that we are not going the right way as we were driving down the road. Though, we've been thinking already that not a lot of people know about that place and we might not be able to find it. We continued to be positive and hoped in our God who sends angels ahead of us to lead us to the right path.  She decided to stop over at McDonald's to use the restroom and ask somebody who might know the directions going there. We never expected that the first person whom we came across to ask for directions knows exactly the way. He was sitting there like an angel waiting for us to come in order for us to find our way and not get lost. It was a very wonderful feeling on our way to the monastery that despite the still long road, twists and turns that we traveled we never got lost for the directions given to us were so precise and without  a slight mistake from the time calculation, streets and landmarks. Considering that the man whom we talked to was maybe already in his early 80s and yet he was able to direct and guide us without fail. Another overwhelming treat for us in going to that place was when we were welcomed by the scenic beauty that envelopes this monastery in Valyermo. The long and winding roads which lead to the monastery are along the mountain ranges and it was simply exhilarating just looking at the breathtaking and awesome views that surround us. Upon arriving the place we were greeted by the major changes in the monastery which used to be according to my friend, secluded and undeveloped, but has underwent several improvements including the newly built buildings and chapels. There was also an additional building for the Arts & Crafts Center. I was able to see all kinds of ceramics molded into the images of almost all the saints, angels, the Blessed Mother Mary and Jesus. I was so full of joy and excitement upon seeing all those works of art. It was like I can spend the entire day just staring and appreciating each one of them. It was like I am so close to them in their perfect abode of endless peace and joy in heaven. And to think that on the day I went there the title of my reflections was “In Paradise” without having any idea that I will be going to this place which is almost like you are in paradise. It was indeed a very rewarding pilgrimage which paved the way not only for spiritual blessings to abound but was also a time of refreshing. We were able to make the way of the cross on the mountain/hill with each and every station rising higher until we reached the summit. We also had a chance to attend Holy Mass in their chapel celebrated by all the monks, abbots and brothers in the Monastery. We had lunch with them, too and were served soup by the monks/brothers themselves. It was a very rewarding experience, I can never forget a single thing about it. It is really as if heaven is just a stone's throw away.

Another thing that I am reminded of are my 2 sons, Allan and Jude. They have always been a light and inspiration for me. I just shared about how my eldest son, Jude when he was still a little child showed me a bible passage which contains the same message that is in today's 1st reading, on the day my mother died. It happened too that the bible he showed me has a picture of a beautiful garden by the spring with animals grazing in it and looks like paradise. I was suddenly reminded too of how my mother used to spearhead an activity in church. She used to solicit for the poor and distribute the goods to them during the Christmas season. This I just realized upon reading a part of today's 1st reading, "...if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted..." which I guess is part of the exact bible passage that my son Jude showed me on the day my mother died. Although it happened quite a long time ago already I could never forget it. By the way today is very memorable because it is also the day he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. As for my younger son, Allan, I have always been inspired by his pacifying and assuring words whenever a conflict is about to break out. He has in several occasions became cool and refreshing water for me whenever I am about to get fired up by worry, panic and anger. We all have a tendency to, accuse people, pigeon hole them and succumb to malicious speech and sarcasm. And in today’s 1^st reading we find a warning for the people to stop false accusation. These occasions with my 2 sons I have always treasured in my heart which I have always been reminded of through the words of God in the scripture. The endless connections, signs and wonders that God continues to display is just too much of a coincidence since there is no such thing as coincidence with God only divine intervention. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Isaiah 58:9-14

...If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; 10 if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; 11 then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails...If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; if you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable; if you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice — 14 Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 

We have to be grateful to God for He is indeed merciful and gracious in all His ways. He gives us not just one but various options when it comes to accessing the graces He is dispensing and showering upon us. God provides all means in order for us to avail of all the blessings He wants to give us. When things are about to come to an end or maybe has reached its final stages and been waiting for quite a long time already and yet things are still uncertain as to how it will all turn out then we are placed in a very challenging situation as to how we are to react. Whether in despair or continue to hope in the Lord is always a choice we have to make. But oftentimes, things are easier said than done but it is always a consolation to know that we have a God who always show us the way. It is a reality that we have to attend to a lot of things waiting for us to be done. God wants us to become individuals capable of handling things in our lives with balance, in whatever we do, He is always with us.  We may have been surprised by some kind of news from somebody while thinking about a particular concern and even before we can come up with a solution it was already addressed. It is a blessing from the Lord that when times like these come when we are having a dilemma or unable to access of one option there are still other choices left that we can make use of. God never leaves us empty handed, He always has reinforcement and a back up. Let us not lose sight of the Lord who loves us and will always rescue us in our miseries and make us glad. Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us who we are.  The actions we engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time. God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Virtuous acts build in us strength. The word virtue comes from the word manly which is strength and power. Virtue is a habit that makes it easy and pleasurable to do the right thing. Golden virtue isn’t always easy. It is hard. But what is vice, it is a habit that makes it easy to do the wrong and evil thing. Let’s take exercise as an example. People make it their New Year’s resolution and people who go to the gym noticed that it’s packed on January but they’re gone by the 3rd week. If we’ve ever engaged in an exercise program for the first time, we know that we feel bad, tired, exhausted and wake up sore. This is because we do not have the habit of exercise. We have not trained and our bodies are not used to it. It hurts and it’s hard the first time we work out. If we persevere past the first few weeks and developed a habit of regular exercise then we end up getting used to it and become easy that when we don’t exercise we feel bad. What happens is that we build up the power or the virtue. We’ve conditioned ourselves so that it becomes second nature to us. If we want a progressive course we need to do something hard. No pain no gain. The next time we work out we add up a little bit more since we are stronger. We can move forward and grow in our ability to lift weights. This is the deal. The actions we do have an impact of what we are. It’s like when we start lifting weights we start to change and look different. We look like someone who has strength, power and endurance. This is the point, God is about building champions. The goal of the Christian life is to build champions. Well, not necessarily athletic champions but spiritually. A real champion in every aspect of life. God wants us to be strong, loving, wise and to have the power to live. It’s not so much what we do that counts but it’s who we become. That’s what the commandments, teachings and God is all about. Nowadays, a fatal disease is no longer fatal but just a life threatening disease if left uncared for. Modern Science has come up with several interventions to combat these diseases. When we don’t feel well, we consult a doctor for advice on how to care for ourselves. An example could be hypertension, before people just die of it without prior treatment but since the dawn of anti hypertensive medicines and proper care to maintain a good blood pressure there has been significant improvement on such cases. The same with our souls we have a disease that if left uncared for can cause death. It would be better to think of our souls as such. It’s easier to be receptive to the gospel if we consider ourselves lost. We have been saved by God but we can lose it just as we can lose our human life for not caring for it. We all have a terminal disease called sin, we need a doctor to give us advice. Our souls need a Divine Physician and consult the sacred scriptures in order to know the things to follow. The sacraments serve as the medication that we can compare to medicine from the doctor that we don’t understand how it works. It is the same with the sacraments although we may not understand fully how it works just like how medicines work to cure our diseases. In the spiritual life our physician is Jesus Christ, He tells us what to do on how to be healed. We must not follow quacks and pseudo scientists. We must trust our souls not to quacks but to God. We follow the saints who have lived their life in an exemplary nature. We should also follow the example of the great men in the bible who never doubted God's goodness and mercy. In this way we become free of the serious symptoms of the sicknesses of the soul like pride, covetousness, envy, lust, sloth, anger and gluttony. We seek the truth and the truth will make us free. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Psalms 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.

1 Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me, for I am afflicted and poor. 2 Keep my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 You are my God. (R) Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. (R) 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you. 6 Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my pleading.

 

We have to check ourselves for any disease of the soul like that of harboring guilt and mistakenly taking it as a form of repentance which is not. We should make a distinction between a contrite heart and a heart full of guilt. We should have a disposition that though we are sinners, we know that we have been forgiven and should maintain a spirit of joy and love in response to this. Whereas, if we wallow in guilt and misery then we remain despondent of the great love and overwhelming affection that God has given us all. The greatness of God's love and sacrifice for all of us can overcome and can make all things well. All is well with Jesus. God is the greatest physician of all times, no matter what our ailments are, be it physical, emotional or mental He can cure our infirmities and make us whole again. God reminds us though, in order to find our way back to perfect health in all aspects of our life we have to repent and not just be sorry for our sins but repair what we've done and resolve to become the person God has meant us to be because no matter how broken we are God can do wonders with us if we only trust in Him and be confident that He will make us new. He has already paid the price for our sins when He took it upon Himself by dying on the cross. Today’s gospel brings our focus on the life of Levi the tax collector or more popularly known as St. Matthew. Pope Benedict XVI on reflecting on his life said that Jesus does not exclude anyone from His friendship. Tax collectors and prostitutes during the time of Jesus are considered public sinners. They work for Rome and can set their own commission from taxes they collect from the locals. They are despised for this no less than the prostitutes. Jesus called Peter, James & John while they were fishing and did the same for the tax collectors. We are mistaken to think that God thinks as men do. He chooses whom He wills and gives grace to those He wills to Himself. This is the heart of the good news of the gospel. God does not abandon us to our sins. He offers grace to sinners. We may want to recall the story in the gospel of the Pharisee praying in the front row of the temple and the tax collector at the farthest end beating his breast. He prays to God as a repentant sinner would and felt closer and came out justified to God. The repentant tax collector can be a model for us. Although he sinned, he did not stay in his sinful habit and converted. We can experience God’s forgiveness in the confession. This is one way we can draw closer to Him and come to know Him in an amazing way. For all of us, to some degree we can come up with reasons not to go to confession. As Pope John Paul II said, the sin of modernity is that people have lost the sense of sin. We have to recognize the evil that we have done and must repent. The absolute bedrock of spiritual life is to follow the 10 commandments, work against sin and stop sinning. We are sometimes misled and think that if we have a type of prayer we think that we already have a spiritual life. We’ve got to have the humility to say that God is smarter than we are and follow and obey what we are told in the 10 commandments. Matthew is a model of conversion and change. He did not just stay where he was at. Faith led him to change, he got up and followed him. He left his livelihood and left his post.  What false idols do we have in our life? Let us pray for grace to see in our lives clearly what we’re attached to and pour them down. Are we really in God’s disposal? Can He do to us what He wants to do with us? Or are we still caught up in sin? Let’s pray for freedom and imitate St. Matthew. It is not impossible to really be in touch with God's wonderful and amazing ways. If only we will have the courage to be just like St. Matthew/Levi in today's gospel who got up, followed Jesus and left everything behind. Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Luke 5:27-32

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,  ...“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”