INVEST WISELY

This is the hardest part of the deal. We can know and feel everything there is to know about our Lord Jesus Christ but if we don't live it out in our lives then it's for nothing.

We should always have faith, hope and trust in the word of God despite the prevailing situations all around us. These things do not change the fact that He is God and in control. We have a God who is trustworthy and reliable and whom we can rely, depend on and will never forsake nor abandon. If there are moments in our life when we are faced with trials and persecutions we can be assured of the fact that God never leaves His gaze on us. He knows exactly what is going on with our life and will always be a loving, merciful and powerful God who is able to see us through whatever we are going through. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Timothy 2:8-15

...But the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; 12 if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. 13 If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself…15Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation.

No matter how unsure life may be and how unfair it may seem we can always rely on the one true God who was, is and will always be forever. If we will just take to heart at all times the assurances of God in the scriptures then there is really nothing that should stop us from following the right path that leads to God. We should constantly implore God's help in prayers so that we faithfully live out His example in our lives. In the Philippines there is an expression being said when people are so bent over and head strong about doing a certain task like nothing can ever stop them. It is known as, “Kina-career mo naman yan” In English, “You’re making it a career!” If we will look at the meaning of career in the dictionary we’ll find that it means, course of action; height of activity or run or move at full speed. Come to think of it, that’s how we should act when it comes to the most important aspect of our life. There is really no doubt about the goodness of God. If there is one thing in this world that we can depend on that is the mercy of God. We should constantly implore God's help in prayers so that we faithfully live out His example in our lives. Our confidence in God should never waver nor falter. It should be our goal to grow and mature in our knowledge and love for God. As we move forward in it then we win for ourselves a friendship that is like no other. We have seen a lot of broken relationships in our lifetime and if we will base our understanding of the word friendship on that then we will start to lose faith and confidence in friends. It is so reassuring and comforting that in the friendship of God we can be sure that it is something we can always count and depend on. Everything comes from God. All good things come from God. All blessings come from God. God pours out to us the all abundant love in every possible way. Love and life is not simple other wise we will be living in a heavenly world where there is no strife, deceit, injustice and division.  The world we live in is fractured, unless we stop doing mundane and distracting things that pulls us away from visualizing the things of God then we will just find ourselves distracted and unfocused. We just might find ourselves going in all directions but not really finding where we are supposed to go. God teaches us His ways with the guidance of the Holy Spirit directing us every step of the way. This is how we should relate to God by aiming to encounter Him in an intimate and personal way. It is possible that all our hurts and injuries be turned to compassion for those who have caused us so much pain because God who is full of mercy and love is the one who did it first for us and we ought to follow.  It is indeed a consolation to know that we are in the hands of God. There is no reason to fear nor doubt, for the Lord will surely bless and keep us at all times. This made me think of the children who squirm and try to break free from the protecting hold of a parent. Sometimes we are no different from the children because we want God to let loose of His hold. We have a gentle and loving God who will never impose nor force Himself. It is all up to us whether we remain or wriggle free from the loving grasp of God's hands.  God always work with perfection. We can always be assured that if we allow ourselves to go through the Refiner's fire then we will surely come out perfect. God is always precise in His moves and can never go wrong. We should be very grateful and awe inspired as we realize that there is nothing beyond the power of God. If we are sensitive and attentive enough to the Lord then we would discover that God allows the events in our daily experiences to happen in a way that is best for us. Although there are times when we just can’t see it the way it is. It is in the consultation of the word of God that we can find so much consolation and hope in our daily walk in life. As we develop this communication with God through scriptures we would find it to be always connected if not perfectly fitted as God opens up our mind and allows us to grasp things in a very unbelievable way. Our God is beyond compare, awesome, wonderful and marvelous. If we give to God all our concerns and anxieties and trust in His goodness and mercy then He will always direct our steps in the way that He wanted us to go. A few years ago in a Lenten Retreat at St. Lorenzo the speaker said that Catholicism is the religion of the soul while Protestantism is the religion of the mind. This is because Protestants have a problem accepting things that are not written in the scriptures. The language of the mind makes use of words alone which are limited unlike the language of the soul which goes beyond what is written and extends to signs, images, symbols and metaphors. There are things that are beyond human comprehension and expression. This explains why we are a people attracted to signs and symbols. Dan Brown, a famous author of books, Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons are only a few of them, which deal greatly on the meaning of signs and symbols has become a hit. His style appeals to the public that's why he has earned millions and become popular. It is in this nature of ours that God speaks to us not just in physical terms and words but in spiritual language as well.  We have to be aware of the truth of the richness of our Catholic dogma, doctrine, discipline and practices. Our Catholic faith is so rich, it's like eating cheesecake and if we ever think of leaving the Catholic fold after knowing these truths it would be like exchanging the cheesecake for a sugarless donut. Liturgical cycles of the Church are very interesting in the light of the seasons of love, life and faith. Advent is defined as anticipation of something that is coming. We are well aware of the 1st coming (Parousia) when Jesus came to this world more than 2,000 years ago and the 2nd coming of Jesus which no one knows exactly when it would be. But there is one more thing we need to really prepare for which is the 3rd coming or our own personal coming of Jesus when we die. As Catholics, we might want to ask ourselves why we go to Church and attend mass. We come to the Lord at a designated time and place to know of the mystery of life. If we somehow come to know of these signs, symbols, images and metaphors although not totally then we could relate better in our relationship with God. The Mass is full of these signs and symbols that appeals to our sense of sight, sound and smell. There are lots of explanations that go with these practices. Though these practices can change in the course of time the core teachings of the Catholic Church like the dogma and doctrine are all non negotiable and would stand through time. We should no longer doubt in our minds all the things that God is capable of doing. Life is a mystery which is much like a black hole. Once we fall into that black hole then there is no more turning back from where we came from. We just go on and on learning about life until such time when we come to the knowledge of its full mystery when we die.  For God has reserved for us something special like the front row seats in a spectacular play in a theater. No less than the prime spot for the Lord will always grant our heart's delight as we faithfully cling to Him. While we still can, we must come to a better understanding of these things and strive to learn the deeper meaning of our faith. No one in his right mind can ever deny the presence of a Supreme Being who created all of us and this wonderful world we live in. It remains a mystery how the sky hangs on high without ever getting tired and falling, even the rising and setting of the sun, the moon and the stars that bedecks the sky and the planets that rotate around the sun without ever losing its alignment and end up bumping into each other. Even the wisest and most brilliant scientists are continuously amazed at the endless and infinite discoveries and revelations of the universe as they strive to unravel its mystery. From generation to generation and ages past no single human being was able to completely unfold it for human intelligence is simply insufficient and can never measure up to God's. Have we ever wondered and asked how things in our life came to be? There is only one thing that needs to be done, that is to call on God endlessly at all times for guidance. As we try to look back and recall may we always find ourselves confidently claiming all our life's events as according to what God has planned for us and if not then it is about time that we call on to God with these words in the psalm reading. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10, 14

R: Teach me your ways, O Lord.

4 Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 8 Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (R) 10 All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 14 The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him, and his covenant, for their instruction.

In today's gospel Jesus said to the man who answered with understanding that the kingdom of God is not far from him. We may wonder why He didn't say he belong to the kingdom of God instead. It's because there's still a lot of work to do after the understanding is the part where we live it which comprises the greater challenge. Things that are happening around us may not be very pleasing and acceptable the way we all wanted it to be. Life is never easy but there is really no need to complicate it further by trying to figure it out and rationalize it with our limited minds and comprehension. When Jesus ascended to heaven He has promised to send us the Helper and the Comforter. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to endow us with the gift of understanding so that we can truly appreciate and grasp in our minds the true and most essential things that should matter in the Kingdom of God. The gospel is known to all people whether learned or not because it is the law that God has inscribed in our hearts. The problem lies in the hardening of our hearts and pollution of our minds. Whenever we allow ourselves to stray farther away from God and fall deeper into the pit of sin then it becomes very difficult for us to always grasp this truth. It helps to always be in touch with this truth so we don't end up forgetting and neglecting it the way we usually do when we are bombarded with so many different and contradicting things that we encounter every day. It is a wise move to take advantage of every opportunity God is sending our way to always be surrounded by God's reminders instead of being carried away by the world's enticing but empty promises. We've often heard people say that in a relationship we should never put everything in it and should leave some for ourselves. This is quite true in a way because we can only give what we have and if we end up empty and with nothing at all left to ourselves then we become unable to love anybody in the process. But with God, the more we love Him, the fuller and more abundant we become thus enabling us to fulfill all other things. With God we are sure that we have invested our love wisely and will surely not lose. We are called to a response to love God and be an instrument of this love to the world and build a civilization of love. We should enthrone Christ as the king of our homes and daily live out the beating of the sacred heart of Jesus. It is not just a call but a command to commit to consecrate our lives to higher goals for our salvation. We enthrone the sacred heart of Jesus in our homes because He is king of our homes.  Everything that we do should have reference to Him. We make an effort to love His holy name, His sacred heart and speak of His sacred love. We have to keep on believing and always on fire. When we look at the world we can easily fall into despair but we can do otherwise and bring hope and build a civilization of love through the sacred heart of Jesus. Souls on fire are ignited through the experience of our love for the Lord. We need to be always aware of who we receive especially during Holy Communion so we can grow and be instruments of His love, that’s our mission. We need to be part of the Christian revolution and be a builder of a civilization of love. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 12:28-34

28 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” 29 Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ 33 And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.