GOD’S FAVORITES

Sometimes we encounter disappointments in life in the form of favoritism when we turn out to be the person who is not the favorite. It is so disheartening for all of us especially if it is very obvious and puts us in a humiliating way that hurts our ego. It is already a big deal in itself but to love and care for a person who does not reciprocate our feelings and disregards it in favor of another person is much worse. We can't help but feel bad about it. We know that feeling this way does not make things better nor would it change how others should feel about us in a genuine kind of way. This should not put us down. God knows our heartaches and longings. By knowing that He knows no favorites because we are all God’s favorites should make all the difference and what matter most. I am an orphan but I have always been reminded by nanay when she was still living that orphans and widows are special to God. I have never felt in want although my father died when I was just 3 yrs old and we were all left (with my brothers) in the care of my nanay. Now that she is gone too, all the more have I realized what she meant about the orphans. My nanay never remarried and had to raise us up by herself. She has always been hopeful in the Lord and never doubted that God will always provide. I thank her once again for her gift of living Christ's example. Up to this present time, pondering about the things that are happening I know I can never thank her enough because I can still feel her prayers working for us. I know that she will always remind God of His promises to the orphans and she will constantly be our patron in heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18

12 The LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. 13 Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. 14 The LORD is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint; 16 The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. 17 The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, 18 nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right, and the Lord will not delay.

The considered powerful and mighty of this world is what appear to be the blessed and favored ones as far as human logic and reason are concerned. The exact opposite of what Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount and Plain (Beatitudes) in the gospels. A lot of people find it difficult to really understand the beatitudes since it contradicts the values of this world we live in. The poor, weak, hungry and sorrowing are called blessed. This may not sound acceptable for everybody and would even go around its meaning to get away with the real issue that Jesus wants us to face. Whatever it may be that's still stopping us from grasping the wisdom of God let us pray to God that we will always hold on to His word as He assures daily. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world. We’ve got to have the right heart, mind and attitude. Be poor in spirit and receptive to the Word of God. It doesn't make sense that despite these truths that are ever before us we still reject Jesus. Let's admit that we do it one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. Pope John Paul II narrated a story when he was in the hospital for his operation. Just before the surgery, he went out of his room unnoticed and visited a very sick boy on the verge of dying. His mother was so depressed that no amount of words was able to console her. She told the Pope to tell God to go away. The Pope answered her that he did tell God to go away but He wouldn't listen. He embraced the inconsolable mother and told her that God knows exactly the place where He needs to be and that is none other than with her. We should realize that God never leaves nor forsakes most especially in times of despair. He is always there for us. Have you heard of blind obedience? Following without knowing exactly why you follow. Take the example of suicide bombers, who willingly die to spread terrorism. What courage! We should know that it is always worth it to obey God, obeying and knowing fully well that it is for our own good. We all have fears in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. We may have encountered situations wherein we were not able to plan ahead and totally placed us in a very unexpected, uncertain and insecure position.  They just happen suddenly that we have no time to prepare and really caught us off guard. This has caused us to feel at a loss. Just imagine how it feels to be blind not knowing where to go and groping in the dark. But we can be assured that God will rescue us from all distress and deliver us from our troubles. The wickedness and the hatred may persist but let us not lose hope and despair because we have a mighty Savior and Redeemer in our Lord Jesus. This truth stated in today’s psalm reading should keep us going and do exactly what we are told. The Light of the World already came and judgment day is coming soon. In fact, judgment is happening even now. In Deuteronomy 30:15 "Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom..." God asked us to choose. It's got to be one way or another. There should be no mingling or ambiguity. It is all up to us. We can be assured that if we take God’s side then we’ll definitely taste and see His goodness. If we will just seek God at all times then we surely find Him. Let us not turn to anything or anyone else but to God alone. Let us be firm and wise in our dispositions to really stick to God's ideals and principles alone instead of the suggestions and insinuations of the so called wise and learned of this world's standard. For if we do, we'll find ourselves rescued, saved and  truly blessed. We should always keep our hopes up in the Lord no matter what our situations are because it can never change the fact that He is God and always in charge and in control. There are times when we feel forsaken or abandoned but we must always hold on to the truth that He loves us so much. He would never leave us in misery. Let us remove all doubts and fears. Nothing should make us feel afraid for God hears our cry. He will surely carry out what is clearly for our own good and the best. All we need to do is allow God to work in our lives and stop hindering His grace to flow in our lives. If there's one big obstacle that is blocking this flow then it is surely not God. It is time we analyze the things in our life that continue to build up and shut out God. We don't want that happening and it's all up to us for the Lord hears and saves us. Although there are times when we do not have to sweat at all and things just come and fall into place we also have to know that our life is mostly a product of the choices we make. Our choices must always be responsible and carefully decided on. We've got to have a reliable standard for it. One without fail and is sure to work. Actually there is only one thing that we can surely depend on and that is the goodness of the Lord. If we always have this in mind then nothing should stop us to always look at God, listen and follow Him. We should not care so much about gaining the approval and admiration of men rather than God. Our focus first and foremost should be to please God and everything else will follow. Even if it sometimes does not work the way we expected and planned things to be. We can be assured that the Lord heard, hears and will hear all our prayers and surely has the best answer at hand in His most perfect time. In guarding our faith the bible passage from Ephesians 6:10-11 which is about the armor of God is an important tool. If we read it we will find the only weapon mentioned in the said bible passage is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We should check it once again and be aware of this important information as Catholic Christians. In the gospel about the temptation of Jesus the devil also demonstrated his knowledge of the scriptures. As it is written, we need to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. We are undoubtedly engaged in this battle every single day that's why we are in need of a weapon. This reminds us of the importance of knowing the word of God by heart since it is our only weapon. God never fails. He would always make things work for our good and rescue us in our distress. I have always believed in angels even before I got this petal from a healing service with the image of a cherubim miraculously imprinted on it. It's been a while since I got it and has served as a testimony of God’s abiding love. I have no doubt in my mind that God will always deliver me from all my fears. I always keep my rose petal with me and show it to almost everyone I meet, as a way of propagating God's goodness to me. I can still remember and will never forget how my mother used to narrate to us how I was miraculously saved by my angel several times. First was when I was about 2 months old, and I fell from a height of 2-3 ft countertop when the nanny after giving me a bath left me for only a second to get something and upon returning found me already unconscious and lying on the hard, ceramic tiled floor. I was rushed to the doctor but he told them that if I fail to regain consciousness within an hour then he said I am gone. To everybody's surprise I started to cry even before the time is up. Another one was when I was barely 2 yrs old when I almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My parent's house is right beside my grandparent's house which is right in front of the school where my mother used to be a public school teacher. She said she was standing in the center of the stage of the school that was why she had a good view of the things around her even the terrace of my grandparent's house so she got the shock of her life when she saw me there alone running very fast heading toward the open gate while a speeding jeepney was coming and looked as if I would really get hit and it would be too late even if somebody was there to stop me. She was already screaming from afar together with the other teachers who saw it and was trying to call the attention of the driver but to no avail for he didn't even slow down because their screams were of no match to the loud engine of the jeep.  It was just a miracle that the moment I stepped on the side of the road, I suddenly stopped and stood very still as if someone was holding me back. She said it was my guardian angel who held me and prevented me from getting hit by the jeep.  I don't remember personally any of those experiences it was only through my mother's stories that I came to know about them. But when I was older like in 4th grade I could already remember how I was spared again from being hurt seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top of my head fell on my desk a split second after I stood up and left my chair.  My classmates were really shocked and were hovering around me and told me that it was really close. One of my bestfriends, Myrsa got me even more scared of what could had happened when she said that fluorescent lamps are laden with poison that once it gets broken, the poison is released and if the broken glass cuts your skin open the poison will get in and the wound caused by it will never dry up or get healed. From then on I developed this childlike trust in God and thanked God for saving me from death. There was another instance in my life as a child when Myrsa and I were left all alone in school while waiting for our ride home and the deafening sound of lightning and thunder got me very scared. Myrsa played the role of my guardian angel when she tried to calm and stop me from crying by telling me that I should not be afraid because the lightning is the flash bulb of God's camera. She continued by saying that I should not cry but instead smile for God was just taking our picture. Myrsa's legendary stories played a role in my developing a great faith in God. Another funny story was what she told me about the needle. She said that we must be careful with needles because it will find its way into our bodies and once it's inside it will go to our bloodstream and very quickly end up pricking our hearts which can cause us to die right away. There was one time when I lost a needle and couldn't find it anywhere. I went to bed very early that day which surprised my mother and was asking me if there was anything wrong. I decided to myself that I would just wait for my death silently and not tell anybody. I was praying to God not to give me a painful death and let me not feel it once the needle pricks my heart. When I woke up the next day I was so glad that I was still alive and thanked God for sparing me from death. Those were the early formative years of my faith which started out in a funny, amusing but definitely amazing way. We all have fears in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. If we will just constantly nourish and fill ourselves with the words of God in scriptures then there is really no reason for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. He will never allow us to be defeated and conquered for He is always there to rescue us. Amen, Hallelujah!

Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 (7a)

R: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

1 [2] I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. 2 [3] Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. 17 [18] When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. (R) 18 [19] The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. 22 [23] But the LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. 

Don't worry, the Lord will understand you if you do it. Have you heard this famous and overused line before? Sometimes we Christians are like that. We tend to rationalize and justify every action that we do. Although, it is already obvious that among all the choices that we have in life we can always decide for the ultimate good we still settle for something less or worst choose what is bad. Have you been into a situation wherein nobody seems to understand or agree with your decision? There is no reason to fret for we have a God who knows exactly what we're going through, He is always with us to love and support us. Somehow, this also reflects the message of Bro. Bo Sanchez. He said that there are 3 Cs that we obtain when we go through trials and sufferings. The first C is comfort. As the bible tells us, blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Come to think of it but this is in fact very true. Looking back at those times when we are in sorrow and pain there will always be something or someone that comforts us. The 2^nd C is character, we develop it whenever we are put through difficulties. The 3^rd C is compassion. We become better person as we emerge from one trial after another. The analogy presented to us is in the form of a person who heard God’s voice telling him to push on a big boulder. Every single day he would push on it but he would not see it budge even a bit. Until finally after a month he said to God that he is not doing it anymore for nothing seems to happen. The Lord answered him and said that something happened for he developed muscles. This is when Bro. Bo mentioned about our hope in God especially at times when we feel like nothing good is happening to us. Our hope has something to do with our perception and position. He said that when he was still in his 20s and heard someone say that he is 40 he thought that the person is old but now that he is in his mid 40s he thinks that the person is young. The same is true when we are presently experiencing a trial and in deep pain and agony but after going through it we look at things differently. This should be our position with God although we may be in a difficult situation we should always have that attitude and perception of hope which is to position ourselves as if we’ve already gone through the pain for we have a God who will surely see us through it.  In our journey of faith as a Christian many people would say and agree that it is like a bed of roses but not without the thorns. We get a lot of that as we travel through life most especially if we have committed ourselves to serve God. I like this saying, "Life is God's gift to us and what we make of our life is our gift to God." We have to strive living our life as in this song, "Lord I offer my life to you, everything I've been through use it for your glory. Lord I offer my days to you, lifting my praise to you as a pleasing sacrifice, Lord I offer you my life. All that I am, all that I have, I lay them down before you Oh Lord, all my regrets, all my acclaims, the joy and the pain, I'm making them yours. Things in the past, things yet unseen, wishes and dreams that are yet to come true, all of my heart, all of my praise, my heart and my hands are lifted to you. What can we give that you have not given. And what do we have that is not already yours? All we possess. All these lives we're living, that's what we give to you, Lord." Not everybody would be as receptive and pleasant as we wanted them to be. Just like Paul in today's 2nd reading who was greeted with a lot of setbacks and difficulties, we have to continue and not be discouraged. Nor should we take it personally against the people who have harmed us. It's kind of easy to say but hard to do. This is the challenge that Paul leaves us with and not everyone is brave enough to take and truly commit to it. Let us be aware that this task that the Lord our God is entrusting to us is offered to all without exception. It shouldn't be just Paul who could utter these very words in today's 2nd reading. We should also be able to say it ourselves. Our fight of faith  is something like choosing to be in the right frame of our life and not turn back. We may have come to a point in our life when things are harder than ever but as long as we are in the right frame we should not be moved. God permitted such situations in our life. It is only in going through some things that we gain understanding of how things work and acquire knowledge that can only be learned most effectively in actually experiencing it for ourselves. There are some things we would not have known about and discovered if not for the experiences we've gone through. As in James 2:17, "So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead." We've got to have something to conquer before we can be a conqueror, something to overcome before we can be an overcomer and a test to have a testimony. If we will just be very grateful to God for all the things He has done for us and try to look back and recall we will find that all throughout our lifetimes we really have a lot of things to be really thankful for and find that we can never out give our God. We should be able to say the very same words in today's 2nd reading with much conviction knowing that we did our best for God's greater glory. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

...I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance...The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from the every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Let us always be reminded of the truth that as we soar high and become blessed, there is a tendency to claim it for our own personal glory. We must always strive to keep our feet on the ground and bring back all the glory to God. We should always go back to the truth in this gospel by becoming like Jesus who stooped down to our level, became man, served and died for humanity. Sometimes we are so preoccupied with how we are faring in the eyes of men without realizing that God's point of view and criteria should come first. We've got to discover the secret hidden in today's gospel and genuinely live it. Without truly understanding the real meaning of being humbled before the Lord then we can never apply what today’s gospel is telling us. It is important to know how we picture God in our life. It will automatically create a series of reactions in us. Let us not be caught off guard or unprepared. We may be getting the wrong impressions. Just like the Pharisee in today's gospel who thought that he was right before God and the tax collector was the one who was unacceptable to God. Jesus, who is God the Son, King of Kings and Lord of Lords humbled Himself to the point of a most humiliating and painful death on a cross during that time when only the worst criminals were punished in that manner. God the Father, suffered to see His Beloved and only Begotten Son shed His blood and became the Sacrificial Lamb of God who took away all our sins. If this could not move us to true humility then nothing else could. Let us always conduct ourselves with all humility, though, there are times when we tend to forget. We must keep in mind that we must avoid following the example of the Pharisee and be like the tax collector although sinful was honest before God and humbly admitted his iniquities. God doesn't care if we are as dirty as a rag, all we have to do is be humble in admitting it before Him and He will make as brand new. Even when we go through a spiritual rut we must not hesitate to come before God and cling to him even more, knowing that only He can deliver us from all evil. Let us examine ourselves very closely, we may not be thinking and acting the way God expects us to. They say a lot of people die because of wrong impressions or Maraming namamatay sa maling akala. Let us strive to align everything in our lives in accordance to God's standards and not ours most especially if we truly want to be in union with a Perfect God. When we go to God in prayer we must keep in mind that God is the source of all good things and without Him we are nothing. When we get the real picture of our relationship with God we become better and better. We need not say or do anything to exalt ourselves because our efforts are merely nothing as compared to God’s. All we have to do is trust that God who sees and knows all will put everything in our life in its perfect order. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 18:9-14

...everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”