We can never outdo the generosity of our God. Thus we should always look at the positive side of things. We should dwell on the goodness of God rather than on the misconceptions or wrong mindset we have of God. We could probably have a better understanding of God if we are truly open to the truth that we have a God who is abounding in grace and mercy who can always give and provide whatever we need whether it be material, spiritual and any other aspect that God is able to make right. We have to be more inclined to think of the greatness and infinite love of God our Father. God doesn’t want us just to be whole human beings and restore us to what Adam & Eve were when they blew it in the Garden. God wants us to be more than that. He wants to elevate our human nature and divinize it. He wants us to share in His own Divine nature. This is an incredible thing and call. It was only possible because God became man and we can share in his virtue. This is what the real Catholic life is all about. It’s not just about making it or going to heaven by the skin of your teeth after struggling. It’s about growing in holiness and becoming like Jesus all throughout our life, a champion not without struggles. As a matter of fact without the struggles we can never become a champion. But with victory and excellence not with hopelessness, despair and frustration. This is God’s desire for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this has already been given to us. We should continuously be thankful that though we deserve to be punished for all our sins, Jesus took it upon Himself because of His great love for us. We are truly blessed! Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 5:12. 15b. 17-19. 20b-21
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned. If by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. .Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We need to persevere in prayer so that as we improve and daily grow in His knowledge and ways then we can easily discern and be more sensitive of how God speaks to each one of us in a very close and personal way. We should always listen intently to what God is telling us so we could effectively carry out what He wants us to do. It is God's will that we engage in activities that will enrich and deepen our faith in Him. In order to love someone better we have to know him/her better. The more you know about a person the more you become close to each other. The same way with God there is a need to really know more or everything there is to know about God. We must not be distracted and dissuaded to do otherwise when beset with problems and difficulties. If we have developed a great sense of confidence and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ then we can fearlessly and undauntedly do whatever He wills for us. We've got the very best friend we can ever have in Jesus. All we have to do is listen to and follow Him. He is the Rising Sun and Light of the world who came to live with us to direct our feet into the path of peace. Doing God’s will may not be easy but if we have placed it in the center of our hearts then it will just come naturally as it becomes the powerhouse or mitochondria of our beings. The transcendent nature of humanity calls for dialogue and human understanding. In the face of difficulty and sign of contradiction we should never lose heart. Remember these words from the gospel, Mt. 5:10-12, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Violence is not overcome by violence. The world needs God. Authentic weapon for peace is religious freedom as in to practice faith without coercion. Today we remember the plight of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who suffer greatly for the faith. We pray that religious freedom will not be eroded for those who can practice it. We continue to hope in the grace of God for that alone will suffice. It is also very important that we follow the example of Mary's perfect obedience to God's will so that we can find delight in following God's laws. May our Lord show us the path to peace and use us as instruments and builders of peace. Nothing should ever stop us from doing the will of God for it is ultimately the best option we've got. If we have developed a great sense of confidence and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ then we can fearlessly and undauntedly do whatever He wills for us. Once we've known who God is and what He is capable of doing in our lives then there is really nothing that should stop us in saying with all our hearts the responsorial psalm for today. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 40:7-8a. 8b-9. 10. 17
R: Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
6 [7] Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; 7 [8] then said I, “Behold I come.” (R) In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, 8 [9] to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” (R) I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know. R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. May all who seek you exult and be glad in you, And may those who love your salvation say ever, “The LORD be glorified.” (R)
God is fair and just in all His ways. We can rely on Him to carry out everything perfectly. We should be relieved in the fact that everything will come to pass in His perfect time in accordance to God's standard and not ours. In the meantime, we should always be prepared. If we don't know what to expect then we are at a loss. Jesus in today's gospel tells us that sooner or later we will all come face to face with God on our last day here on earth. No one can deny the fact that we will all die and it is something that we must not be afraid of. Instead we should all be ready for it when it comes and while we still have time. There is always hope as long as we live. Those who have prepared and acted in vigilance will never be caught unaware. Nothing beats those who are always ready and prepared. We have a responsibility in our hands and we are accountable for it. Let us do all in our power to measure up and give it our best. We sometimes get shocked at how this modern world of ours have drifted further down the pit of moral decay and got into the lure of what seemed to be the accepted and existing norms of our society. It is so difficult most especially for us trying to live the call of Jesus in our lives. It looks like wherever we go we are faced by these challenges. Sometimes we feel like people have no more room for godly talk. Just when we thought that we're running out of godly resources in our environment today's gospel served as a reminder of the movie, "Spiderman". The following words of Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility" is a modern version of the bible passage from today’s gospel. Although we are sometimes overwhelmed by the discouraging reality of the kind of world we live in, God never runs out of occasions and circumstances to always reinforce His words which serve as guiding principles in life that can always keep us attuned and conformed to Him rather than to this present world. Although there are times when we find ourselves overwhelmed by the tasks in our hands, we should be glad and rejoice that we are continuously being entrusted with responsibilities knowing that God will not give us anything that we can not accomplish. There is a need to be really vigilant at all times. Being always on the watch and careful of our actions at all cost. We must admit that there are moments when we become out of focus but God has always been faithful in giving us reminders. We need to have the confidence and conviction that we are where we are and doing what we are doing today because God has lead us to it. If such is the case then there is no reason to be afraid for we will surely be blessed. Today we should commit ourselves to the vigilant waiting for the Lord, for in Him alone, we place our trust. Doing God's will in our lives at all times is a sure way of preparing for the 2nd coming or the return of Jesus. There were lots of predictions as to when will this day come. Sometimes we lose track of what the 2nd coming of Jesus is all about and tend to be out of focus. Instead of focusing on the end of the world or the Armageddon in which the signs of the times that accompany the 2nd coming of Christ being proclaimed like the so called earthquakes, floods, fire and hailstorms and tornadoes are already happening and rattle us by causing so much fear, anxiety and confusion it would be better if we focus more on the reality that the Kingdom of God is at hand and is here right now within our individual selves. It would help us stay in focus and more in control if we concentrate more on our personal lives and mind our very own armageddon on our last day here on earth that we should all prepare for. Each day of our life is a battle being fought for the ownership of our souls that we really have to be mindful of right now, whether we will come to see the end of the world or not and it is coming soon or later that we really don't know. One thing is sure, we will all leave this earth and die and that is the reality that we all have to face and prepare for. During my nursing student days we used to make a lot of NCPs (Nursing Care Plan) especially in our clinical rotations in different hospitals. These NCPs based on our instructor's format are composed of 5 columns namely, ADPIE which stands for A- Assessment, D- Diagnosis, P-Planning, I-Implementation and E - Evaluation. We are able to carry out our duties well and give the optimum care to patients if we can come up with priority NCPs. It's just as the name itself says, nursing care plan with its important components (ADPIE). We all need to have a good NCP not just in the hospital setting but in our daily lives. In doing so we are well prepared and ready for anything that might or is bound to come up. If we are always on the look out and well equipped then we can picture ourselves just like those servants in today's gospel, truly blessed. There is really much and still more to learn from today's gospel. Jesus has left us with a vast resource of learning to attain to the kingdom of God
Luke 12:35-38
Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”
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