Saturday, January 18, 2020

POINTING FINGER

Our God is incomparable for He loves us with a love greater than any other. From the moment we were conceived in our mother's womb, even before we were born, God already knows each one of us by name.  Let us always align our will, intentions, motives and actions with God. It is always good to check ourselves constantly and regularly at every given opportunity. Nothing is ever wasted nor considered useless for as long as we offer it to God. We have all been called by God for a purpose. He already had a plan laid out for us even before we were born. We are that special to God. Let us not forget our holy calling from God. Let us become the man or woman God has meant us to be and live each day of our lives in answer to this call. The readings for today continue to reflect on the Holy Servant Songs of Jesus. The mention of being called even from a mother’s womb, the 2 edged sword and polished arrow are symbols of God’s words. The Word that reaches to the ends of the earth, penetrates the hearts of people and able to separate soul and spirit.  The passion and death of our Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecies more than 500 years before this event took place. It is part of the plan that God revealed to the world. We have to develop an awareness of these things and Jesus Christ Himself. Let us constantly build our confidence in God who never fails. There is really nowhere else to go but to Him alone. By just looking back at our past and present we can only come up with just one thing which is God is constantly at work and in charge of our lives for as long as we live even unto death. Many of our brothers and sisters all over the world suffer persecution for their faith. This is a fundamental human right proclaimed to be enjoyed by everyone. Religious freedom is the path to peace according to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. It is a sacred right to have religious freedom. Without openness to the transcendent, a human being withdraws to himself and fails to experience authentic freedom which leads to violation of other human rights as well. This is vital in building a just society.  Wherever religious freedom is denied human dignity is offended with a resulting threat to justice and peace. We can not deny the assistance and various contributions of religious communities and believers. It has proven to be effective for the promotion of the common good. This is a force that could not be reckoned with or the truth that we can not deny. No matter how radical secularization tries to eliminate any reference to religion or any input the voice of religion may have. It can not ignore the religious dimensions of a society. This is a truth that we can not deny. Authentic religiosity is the source of a loving approach of brothers and sister as a whole family. It has to be freely chosen according to one’s conscience and not violently imposed. God beckons humanity with a loving plan and calls for a free and responsible answer that engages the whole heart. Amen. Hallelujah!


Is 49:3, 5-6
3 You are my servant, he said to me, Israel, through whom I show my glory. 5 For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, ...I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

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 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
1 [2] I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. 4 [5] Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust; who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood. (R) 6 [7] Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me.

With all the shortages that affect the whole world and the different crises that we are all facing today we can't help it, if we feel insecure and afraid. Especially in times when we start to run out of resources, this usually happens to most of us these days. We must realize that there is only one thing needed and we have to make it our choice so that it will not be taken away from us. We need not be worried and anxious about a lot of things. As in Lk. 10:41-42, The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." If we choose the right thing then we can claim all other things, as in Mt. 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." To top it all, we are assured in today's 1st reading that we are sufficient for God alone provides. They say experience is the best teacher. As we go on with our daily life and charge each day to experience, there is a need to really open the door of our hearts and allow Jesus to not just be a part of our life but be guided by the WWJD (What would Jesus do?) principle and do exactly what Jesus would do if he happens to be us. In the 2nd reading, it is written, “to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,” This pertains to the church. It continues to grow but it is also a reality that Christians are the most persecuted people in the world. As Christ said in John 15:20, “Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” We have to pray for our brothers and sister that are suffering throughout the world for their faith, who profess the name of Jesus Christ as our Lord. Statistics say that for every 10 people, 7 can not proclaim their faith. Christians are the most persecuted. There are 2 types of religious persecution, one by the government and the other is those who belong to minority groups. These are in the form of political oppression, discrimination and intolerance. Religious freedom has declined in several countries. There is hostility against the Catholic Church for its stand on prolife issues. This is a reality for the majority of Christians. We are encouraged to support our brethren in whatever way possible especially through prayers. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Cor 1:1-3
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


St. John continues to proclaim in today's gospel what he has testified and seen about Jesus. We, too are challenged to be like him as we go on with our daily lives let us attune ourselves to God and listen to His messages that we can no longer deny it, as we confidently proclaim and become living witnesses that God is with us, God is good all the time. A lot of things have happened already and we must not have a single doubt in mind that Jesus is indeed the Son Of God the Most High, through Him all things are made possible. Just as John was able to testify with much conviction and certainty about Jesus so must we, too based on our own personal relationship with Him. Throughout our lifetime, it is inevitable that we all reach a point when we can come up with our own great and unforgettable stories to tell in our journey with Jesus. In this regard we can all stand up in proclaiming out loud the experiences and events that we've been through in the same manner that John did which testifies to the one true God. In all that we do and hope to fulfill in this life may we be like John the Baptist who points to Jesus. We might have heard about it or seen a painting of John with a pointing finger. Today’s gospel is the one being depicted in that painting where John was pointing to Jesus Christ. We may want to ask ourselves this question. Does our life point to Jesus or does it obscure Jesus? Can we say the same thing that John said in John3:30, “He must increase; I must decrease."  We pray for this to actively take place in our lives and truly point to Jesus. Jesus is the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity and is one with God the Father and God the Spirit. One God in 3 Divine Persons, Father, Son and Spirit. According to St. Cyril of Alexandria, our question might be this, why did Jesus our God submit to baptism? The answer lies in the fact that He received the Spirit in Baptism in so far as He is also human. The Spirit is already His, in Him and through Him. He received the Spirit for our sake. If we are to reason correctly then we know that He did not receive the Spirit for Himself but for us in Him so that all gifts come down to us through Him. Jesus remained God when He became man. What He was not, our human nature, He assumed so that He receives in, by and through His human nature the Spirit for our sake, benefit and advantage. He is definitely up close and personal for He took our nature to Himself in order to renew our nature in its entirety. In the light of this truth that the Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus we are called to have a claim on the gifts that are existent with the Holy Spirit. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. We pray that we maintain ourselves in a state of sanctifying grace so that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are fully operative in us.Amen. Hallelujah! 


John 1,29-34.
...“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ ...“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”


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