FIRST AND FOREMOST

Today’s 1^st reading suddenly reminded me of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”. He was so devastated by the fact that a lot of people are sacrificing their lives for his sake and so he thought of leaving to spare them from harm. But his friend Ron stopped him from doing so and told him that if he thought that it was just because of him then he is wrong because it is something bigger than what he thought. Sometimes we succumb to despair whenever we are confronted with very disappointing situations and when we fail to reach the mark we set for ourselves. It may sound confusing that it is stated that God delivered all to disobedience. Could there be some misunderstanding here in St. Paul’s words? The truth is there isn’t. Just like Harry Potter we must not be too hard on ourselves when we run into trouble. There is a reason for everything. We just have to continue trusting the Lord no matter how inscrutable His judgments and how unsearchable His ways are. We can always rely on God to bring to fulfillment and completion whatever He has begun for He is a God of tremendous power.  Amen. Hallelujah!

Romans 11:29-36

Brothers and sisters: The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given him anything that he may be repaid?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To God be glory forever. Amen. 

The mention of the watery depths in today's psalm reading should remind us of our own personal experiences. We are never alone. It is undeniable that God is good. We must realize that He is present in each and every person we meet. The earth is really full of the goodness of the Lord.   God always send us the right people at the right time and the right situation. Although there are also some setbacks and we are still experiencing the ups and downs of our faith we just have to consider everything as a part of our daily walk in the shore of the Sea of Galilee with Christ at our side. Here are some pointers for review to strengthen our faith in God

I. Man needs to be saved because of his fallen nature. (Rom 7:21-24 & CCC 1949)

-Man is dominated  by greed, pride and lust (CCC 407 & 1 Jn 5:19 ) The devil has acquired a certain domination (Gal 5:19) and we are engaged in a battle that has been won but does not stop there since we have to always put on our guard for the enemy does not rest. He called the whole process of being saved as "justification" .

 II. "Man is saved by God's grace alone based on CCC 1996.

-The question is how does the grace of God become an active part of our life or "by what are we justified?" The example he gave here was a newborn baby who is baptized. A baby has not merited anything yet but is saved by the mere act of being baptized. He mentioned about Martin Luther's despair about his salvation which led him to formulate the doctrine of justification by "Faith  alone" He misunderstood the Bible passage Rom 3:28 which mentioned faith alone apart from works of the law. Paul in this letter to the Romans was pertaining to the Jewish Law which is being practiced during their time like circumcision, washing of the hands and the like which are practices that can not really justify a person. Faith alone doctrine states that justification simply means being "declared righteous" We can not just be declared righteous but be made righteous by not continuing to sin.

III. Justification actually means being "made righteous" i.e. it entails the sanctification of his whole being (CCC 1989, 1990, &1995) We are justified not by faith alone nor by works alone. Justification has its stages i.e. initial and progressive. Initial justification takes place at our baptism. We still have a tendency to backslide and during the hour of death is the period of intense spiritual battle over our soul. That is why we need to mature in our faith.

IV. Certainty of Salvation

"Once saved, always saved?"  If we believe in this it tends to put off our guard. (1 Jn 5:13-14) We should say instead "I know I am saved, still being saved and will continue to be saved."  Justification is a life long process as stated by Paul in 1 Cor. 4:3-5, 9:27. In Phil 2:12 Paul also encouraged us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. For the enemy is waging war on us and we need to be very aware of this and claim God's protection over us at all times. (Eph.6:11-12)

V. Epistles against works?

I guess there have been some misunderstanding here of the following bible verses:

Rom. 3:28 (Obedience of faith) Martin Luther based his belief on faith alone on this specific verse he failed to see that Paul in addition to what was mentioned earlier was attacking the Jews with regards to their ceremonial laws and that it not enough to just hear the law but to observe it. (Rom 4:5 Total adherence) An example he gave was attending the mass not just as an obligation but with the heart. Consider it a privilege and do it for the love of God. He said we are saved by grace not by works but we obtain the grace of God by good works and the motive is mercy (Eph. 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5)

VI. Epistles supporting "Works"

Here are several bible passages cited to us by Atty Moya that support the need for us to cooperate and work with God. James 2: 14-22& 24 say that faith without action is dead. From the gospel of Matthew: What must I do to be saved? (Mt. 19:16-21) When the rich man asked this question he was told to keep the commandments and he said he already did so Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor for he is very attached to his possessions that he has to let go of all attachments. We are also called to keep our fire burning for the Lord so that we don't end up like the 5 virgins in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Mt 25:1-13. The same principle applies with the Parable of the Talents or Silver pieces that we have to cultivate the goodness in ourselves and let it grow. It is also very clear from Mt. 25 31-46 which mentions about the last judgment that we can not just accept the Grace of salvation but needs to do our part, too since it specifically stated here that whatever we have failed to do will go to eternal punishment. Also it is stated in Mt 7:21-27 that we need to live His words because not everybody who says "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven for there is a need to turn away from our wrongdoings. He said that there is no dichotomy between Christ and His doctrine. If we really believe in God then we also need to do what He teaches. The will of God will never take us to where the grace of God will not protect us. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our lives at this precise moment. God's purpose for us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place we are now. In the midst of all these unsightly things there should always be a burning flame of hope that God will never forsake nor abandon. We should always maintain our confidence in God and never lose hope and courage in the great love that God has for us. The ignorance of our faith is ignorance about Jesus. We may sometimes think that evangelization is just work for the priests and the religious. It is not limited to them but anyone who is baptized should take on this responsibility. JFK said, "Here on earth, God's work must truly be our own." Nothing should ever stop us from being part of the work of God. God made man in His own image and likeness. (Gen 1:26) In this context we need to define personhood well and know the perils of limited definition. It could be classified into 2 definitions, nominal and real. Nominal definition of personhood is decided by man. It is approaching something that we don't know but we already have the answer. We make decisions and play God. The dangers of this definition of a person are:

1. nominal- when we deny to identify a person as a real person. Example is abortion, when doctors deny the fact that at the moment of conception a person already exists.
2. real but limited - We do not deny but identify them as persons but with lesser worth like the sick and terminally ill. Just because they are old, weak and sick they deserve to die as in the case of euthanasia.
3. full and real but limited - Kills people as in the Holocaust.

The whole principle involved here is discovery and deciding. When our approach is discovery then we are being lead to the events in our life with a sense of total surrender, trust and faith in the Lord's Providence for the realization of things that are unseen and hoped for. God may not fully reveal and present us with a surprise but we maintain full confidence in a God who brought us to wherever we are right now. In deciding, our approach is a lot different since we already have an answer for something that we don't know yet. It boils down to the fact that we think we know too much but we don't. We end up playing God. We need to remain as man and allow God to be God of our life. When man becomes God, we lose everything because we are not God. We have to realize the impact in our life of discovery versus deciding.
We should ascribe to the real definition of personhood. It answers the question what, how and what is it meant to be. Our approach in life to achieve faith and righteousness is by discovery and through an authentic Christian life. It is discovery in the sense that we are open to the intention and purpose of God for us. With a seeking and expectant faith we should allow God to lead us in discovering what is ahead of us and prepared by God. The approach should be in a manner of discovering what God's intention is and respecting it. Checklist of Evangelization.
1. Do we see God as the Primary agent?
God is the Primary Agent of Evangelization. It is not about us but about God.
2. Do we see Evangelization as everyone's responsibility?
We must not end up like the Dead Sea that just received water but did not give out. The same thing happens to us when we do not take the responsibility of evangelization  as our own. We have to work on improving our skills for the work of God.
3. Do we communicate God's love?
4. Is total human betterment part of the ministry?
5. Do we respect other traditions?
God does not take sides. There is an equal opportunity for all but we have to make sure that we are on God's side. We need to rid ourselves of any triumphant or arrogant attitude towards people of other faith. The Abrahamic religion has a common denominator which is belief in God. We are not the sole professor of truth. We need to listen for God's revelation from others, too not only from us.
6. Does our love go beyond Catholic borders?
The kingdom of God is older and a broader reality than the Catholic Church. We need to live a humble life and forgive each other.
7. Is our approach ecumenical?
We do not have the monopoly of God because the Good News has no border and dealt with a common faith.
8. Do we use all available media?
The best media is our own life, no need for TV. The example of how we live our life is the best means to evangelize. Walk the talk.
9. Do we fully utilize existing groups?
Ministries that renew and energize members.
10. What is our total image?
We've got to maintain a wholesome image unlike the Crusaders, though they were able to convert many to the faith, the spread of the Good News was carried out using the sword.

We must take extra care in projecting the right image as Good Messengers of the Good News. We should not have any fear or hesitation in carrying out the task that the Lord has given us. In our commitment to follow the Lord there are times when we encounter disappointments. We can say that serving God is not lying on a bed of roses, though God rewards those who obey Him we have to realize that we too must share in the passion of Christ if we truly are His followers. For we know that the Lord in His great love, is always there for us. What matters most is that we always call on God and allow His saving power to rescue us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 69:30-31, 33-34, 36-37

R: Lord, in your great love, answer me.

29 [30] But I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me. 30 [31] I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. (R) 32 [33] “See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts be revive! 33 [34] For the LORD hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” (R) 35 [36] For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. They shall dwell in the land and own it, 36 [37] and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall inhabit it.

We can never out give God. Today’s gospel teaches us to be generous in the manner that God wants us to be. There are times when we are guilty of being generous and kind to people for the wrong reasons. We must examine our motives and intentions and make sure that God is our first and foremost reason for our actions. We should really live the lesson being taught to us by Jesus in the gospel and not expect anything in return for the good we do for the Lord Himself will surely reward us at the right moment. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 14:12-14

12 On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. 13 Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 14 blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”