During the time of the Old Testament, the prophets of Baal known as the god of sexual fertility kill babies and offer it as sacrifice. Archeologists found that some Israelites have followed this practice as evidenced by babies in clay jars at the threshold of their homes. This kind of practice leads to violence. We can read in the 1st reading what came out of their infidelity to God. Nowadays we see this kind of violence. Every day we see in the news the different images of this violence that come in all forms although we do not want fertility and has all kinds of bills to prevent fertility, the violence is there because the virtue of chastity and purity is being violated. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defeated the prophet Baal and went into the cave and prayed for rain. This cave is where the Monastery of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was built. We can associate our devotion to Mt. Carmel in wearing a scapular. We should never think that it is like magic that we can wear and go to heaven. It is not rather it is like wearing the yoke of Christ. In John 19 Jesus said from the cross Woman behold you son and vice versa. He entrusts us to Mary because she did the will of God. He entrusts Mary to us, too. We dedicate and entrust ourselves to Mary. The Old Testament events foreshadowed the coming of Jesus as the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice and offering. The circumstances happening all around us should make us realize that it is all pointing to our destiny as God's Children, redeemed and saved by the Blood of Jesus. Nothing ever happens beyond the knowledge of God. Everything is within His charge and under His control. He makes things happen for a reason and a purpose at a designated time and place. Today's readings made me even more convinced of the fact that we have a God who plans things in our life in accordance to His Perfect Design. Let us not be insensitive to the things that God continues to show and teach us for our ultimate good. If there’s one thing sure then it is the fact that we can be confident of placing our hope and trust in a God who makes all things beautiful in His Perfect time. The readings today are very significant to me because it is exactly the same readings on the day I received my I-140 (immigrant visa) approval in 2008. I can never forget it because the readings are perfectly fitted for the good news I just received on that very day. Although it happened many years ago I can never forget and will always remember. Here is what I wrote in June 12, 2008 in my reflection entitled: WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS
Alleluia! It finally came! The approval of my I-140 petition, Immigrant visa finally came. Just like this long awaited downpour or rain in today's 1st reading, I have waited, too and anticipated several times although it seemed like there is nothing. Our God is faithful. Amen. Hallelujah!
1st book of Kings 18,41-46.
Elijah then said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." ..."Climb up and look out to sea," he directed his servant, who went up and looked, but reported, "There is nothing." Seven times he said, "Go look again!" And the seventh time the youth reported, "There is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea." ...In a trice, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell...
We might have been waiting too for long for a specific blessing like a parched land for heavy rain. We must not lose hope despite the fact that we are constantly attacked and tormented by the enemy with a lot of doubts and insecurities. We should hold on fast to the Lord and consider everything as preparation. The Lord has spoken and it is our duty to nurture and always remember the words He has spoken to us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalms 65,10.10-11.12-13.
It is right to praise you in Zion, O God.
The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest. 9 [10] You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God’s watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain. Thus do you prepare the earth: you drench plowed furrows, and level their ridges. With showers you keep the ground soft, blessing its young sprouts. You adorn the year with your bounty; your paths drip with fruitful rain. The untilled meadows also drip; the hills are robed with joy...
We’ve got to straighten up some things about God. Who He is and what He wants for our life. What is our picture of God? It’s not surprising to know that most of us think that God doesn’t want us to have fun. It’s like all the things that we want to do with our friends that are interesting and exciting when we were young was against God’s commandments. It may seem like we have to settle for less. What’s worse is that all the faithful Catholics get less out of life. This is part of the propaganda way back in the Garden of Eden. God gave us a magnificent paradise wherein there is perfect intimacy and no shame with each other. In the Garden they have everything they need but gave just one limit, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is very interesting because God said, “Don’t do this because you will die.” The reason why God commands us something is because He is a loving Father who cares for us. He wants us to have the best. But then came the serpent, he didn’t create Adam & Eve, nor gave the garden or anything at all. All the serpent gave was a lie and told Adam & Eve not to listen to God or they’ll lose out and won’t become like God. They were made to believe that God is holding out something from them and is actually their rival because God doesn’t want them to have what He has. So instead of trusting the one who gave them everything, they trusted a stranger. They doubted and disobeyed God. Instead they listened to the liar. They were hooked into a downward spiral of destruction. This is what sin is all about. It is a trap. It is disguised as an apparent good because the fruit looks good and desirable but it ends in disaster. The relationship with God is messed up and so creation turned against them, thorns and thistles appear and things in life become hard. This is what sin does, it seemed small but it gets out of control. Things get worse and worse and there are broken lives everywhere. This is the reality about sin. We are draining life out of ourselves unless we recognize the One, True and Living God. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out there. It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes virtue appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most by those who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food most? The person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a person after a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the most. The person who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things in the world that people want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit of pleasure. But God commands them to be used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life is to follow God’s commands. 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.
Heaven is the realization of being a champion. In heaven we will be glorified magnificently. We will live forever with strength, power and beauty sharing a new humanity with Jesus. Nothing compares to the true and everlasting joy that awaits those who will enter the Kingdom of heaven. We are all called to be with God in heaven. On our final day it is not God who will condemn us but as the scripture tells us , "...it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die..." and also added in today's gospel, "... your opponent will hand you over to the judge..." We really have to be attentive to all these things and details and not take them for granted. We know how things can fall apart when we fail to attend to the seemingly insignificant matters in our life. Remember God is on our side but He is also a just and fair God. Though, Jesus has already won the battle and paid the price and having known of this truth, it is: #1 the iniquities that we continue to commit and #2 our opponent which both create a deadly combination that can bring us to hell. It could ban us from the kingdom of heaven and what could be worse than that? We really ought to realize the impact and importance of this knowing that it is not just a lifetime that is at stake here but eternity. Our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. They may be observing all the rules and precepts but only because they want to be pleasing in the eyes of others but what about in the eyes of God. God can see through us and dig deep into us. It’s time to do something not just with our outward appearances but with our hearts. Just think of farmers at work. They have to plow the field and dig deep into the soil so that new life can be planted and grow. It’s quite the same with us. We need to remove the dirt in our hearts so that the Holy Spirit can plant new life in us. We need some work to be done. It involves pain, suffering and recovery but it is all worth it. Our fidelity is not with God if we keep up and hold on to our defenses, justifications, gripes and complaints. We may not be aware of it but it becomes our false idols. We have to throw it away and stop worshipping a false God. It’s time we recognize who really is Lord of our lives. . Let us trust that God who sees through our hearts and knows all things will find us worthy as we strive to do our best to be part of His kingdom. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 5:20-26
20 Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21 “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
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