THE BETTER PART

 Sometimes we feel guilty about something that we didn't directly or indirectly cause. Or we feel responsible for the actions of other people especially those who are close to us. We must keep in mind that we are not supposed to own the decisions and actions of other people since there are certain limits to this and must know up to where our responsibilities extend. In the same way we must not blame other people for things we ourselves have caused. We must be brave enough to accept the consequences of our actions and not point fingers. We have to be clear about these things for God said that sins will be punished accordingly in its appointed time. So while we still have the time let us see to it that everything is in the right order before it gets too late.

Exodus 32:15-24. 30-34

...So Moses went back to the LORD and said, “Ah, this people has indeed committed a grave sin in making a god of gold for themselves! 32 If you would only forgive their sin! If you will not, then strike me out of the book that you have written.” 33 The LORD answered, “Him only who has sinned against me will I strike out of my book. 34 Now, go and lead the people whither I have told you. My angel will go before you. When it is time for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

We should always keep in mind that if Moses was able to turn back God's anger and withhold His destructive wrath how much more Jesus His only begotten Son who suffered, was obedient to the point of death on the Cross and gave Himself as ransom to redeem us from all our sins. Let us not forget even for a second nor neglect this truth every single minute, hour and day of our lives that we have been ransomed, saved and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus. Our little gods and idols can not do anything for us. They are useless and stupid things. How foolish we can be as a people of God  to do such things and be off track by turning away from where the Lord has pointed out. A lot of terrible things happen when we forget. Important and significant events in our life should always hold a special place in our hearts. We must not ignore those times when we had those special moments with the Lord. These will serve as a constant reminder to us and would definitely help us remain faithful to the Lord. Our memory of this, though very wonderful to forget may sometimes become dull or fade in the background when we are beset by the present and daily cares of this world. We may eventually lose the awe and wonder that we used to feel about it as time passes most especially when we encounter trials and difficulties. Today's psalm tells us to always remember, never forget and always tell our story of the goodness of God. Let us not forget and be mindful always of the love of God. Sometimes when things don't turn out the way we wanted or expected we get sidetracked by the realities of this world then we start to immediately or slowly lose sight of the goodness of God. No matter what our situation is we must not forget that God saved us, had done great and wondrous deeds and He alone has the power to make things happen and not happen in our lives. We have to be in a relationship with the only true God. If there's something we really need to be thankful to God for bringing us to life at this present time that is the fact that we have a glorious background that we can always draw strength, hope and inspiration. We need to focus on this and be aware that we've got so many things in this present life to look back to and be blessed. The timeline of our salvation history demonstrates God's persistent and consistent effort to win our hearts and be in a relationship with us. Not to forget that after Jesus, the saints followed which added to the color of this long time running declaration and evidence of God's great love for us. It's been quite a while already that He has been waiting for our answer much more than a suitor offering his pledge of love to his lady. We should never doubt any single moment that God is good all the time and all we need to do is just give thanks to Him no matter what our circumstances may be. Let us always remind ourselves of the good things God has done in our lives. Let us always count our blessings instead of focus on the negative things. We are constantly reminded in the readings today to always work for the things that win the favor of God. It's not because of any selfish motive but because what we do is born out of great love for the Lord. God calls us to repent and live a new life. There's one very important thing that we should be guided with. We always have to keep in mind that a repentance born out of fear will never last but repentance born out of love will last. We should always keep in mind the great love of God for all of us. Our Lord's instructions are very simple and easy to understand. It is in the following and obeying part that we find difficulty in doing. Let us always focus our eyes on the Lord and remember to follow and keep what the responsorial psalm tells us if we intend to live a blessed life not just in the beginning but to the end. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22, 23

R. (1a) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; they exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock. R. They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. R. Then he spoke of exterminating them, but Moses, his chosen one, withstood him in the breach to turn back his destructive wrath. R.

God can do a lot of wonderful and amazing things in our lives if we just open our hearts to the kingdom of heaven and all that it represents. We must cultivate, nurture and nourish it in our hearts, minds and souls until it reaches its full maturity. I can still remember when I was still in Japan, I together with the other Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) participants were given during the Summer Fair in the Science Complex in Hiroshima, beautiful and small plants. It wasn't that difficult to take care during the summer. All I had to do was water it everyday and leave it outside the terrace of my room. It just kept on blooming with beautiful flowers. But when winter time came that was when I started to have a problem. My co-participant from Columbia told me that her plant was already dead because she found it frozen and dried up. I decided to bring my plant inside the room during nighttime and leave it outside the terrace only in the morning whenever the sun was shining brightly. But I was able to commit to it only for a short period of time because my work in the laboratory did not allow me to go back early to HIC (Hiroshima Intl. Center) where I was staying or sometimes I was just too tired that I've completely forgotten about it. Then one day I just found out that my plant was also dead. I felt bad about it and realized that if only I had paid more attention to it and became diligent in taking care of it then it would have survived winter and lived up to Spring. In today's gospel unlike the plants in Japan that we cared for Jesus is telling us that no matter how little or insignificant we feel we are and how difficult our situations are we must liken ourselves to the mustard seed and yeast which in due time has grown and risen to its full capacity. If only we would always entrust ourselves to the TLC (Tender Loving Care) of a trustworthy God who always pays attention, not forgetful and is diligent in giving us the perfect care. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 13:31-35

31 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” 33 He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”