WHO ARE WE IMITATING?

I could never forget when I went jogging at the grounds of the Pacific Palms Hotel where I came across someone who was also jogging with his 2 dogs. I was really impressed to see that his dogs were not on a leash and simply jogging along his side without straying away from him. They looked so disciplined and focused on their master. I really love the way they look. The man was just jogging and looking straight ahead while his dogs jogged close to his side and was looking at him from time to time as if making sure that they don't miss a single thing from their master. This is the first time I have seen something like this and to think that it was an open space where they could easily ran off. I guess, these dogs were really trained and have developed a deep trust in their master's voice and command. I have seen many dog lovers and we would just be amazed to see how they love and care for their pets. It may sound outrageous but sometimes it went as far as the extraordinary to the point of exceeding the love and care a person would give to another human being. Come to think of it, if this is possible then how come we humans can not even be as half obedient to God the way a lowly dog is to its master. Humans rank as the topmost creature in the hierarchy of God's creation. In fact the bible says in Psalm 8:5-7 What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them rule over the works of your hands, put all things at their feet and in Psalm 139:14 I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be. Let us not just know this bible passage but proclaim it with dignity and conviction knowing that we should live up to who God made us to be. Jeremiah reminds us today that we ought to follow God's commands. He even reminded us of the day His people left the land of Egypt.  God has done wonders and miracles as in Exodus 8:15 "the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." Yet Pharaoh remained obstinate and would not listen to them, just as the LORD had foretold." Plagues overwhelm the magicians of Egypt. Each of the plagues were all attached to Egyptian deities like frogs and flies. By using these plagues God has clearly demonstrated  His power to defeat Egypt and showed that their gods is not god at all. We should not be lacking in understanding how great the power of God is and finally come to our senses that our faith should rely on the one true God alone. Amen. Hallelujah!

Jeremiah 7:23-28

23 Thus says the LORD: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper. 24 But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me. 25 From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day, I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets. 26 Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed; they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers. This is the nation which does not listen to the voice of the LORD, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech.

Today's psalm reading is used as a preparatory psalm in the Liturgy of the Hours just as it was used in the Old Testament. Each time we hear it, there is an emphasis to the fact that is just the same as it is proclaimed today. During the time of Moses there had been an incident of great rebellion and testing on the part of the chosen people of God. The same message is being said to us because there is a possibility that we also harden our hearts today. Massah means rebellion and Meribah means testing. It refers to the time they rebel when they had no water. Moses struck the stone in the desert and water came out. We can read in Numbers 13 when Moses sent out spies to check out the promise land and when they returned in Numbers 14 they were full of discouragement. They came back and reported that the Land of Canaan is too strong to conquer but Joshua & Caleb, trusted God. They didn’t look at the problems of the walls of the Canaan. But the people believed the spies and concluded that it’s impossible to overcome these barriers. They wanted to choose new leaders and kill Moses & Aaron and go back to slavery in Egypt. Due to their unbelief the whole generation never entered Canaan only the new generation with both Joshua & Caleb did. The goal is to enter into rest in the land of Canaan but they refused because they believed their fears rather than believe what they’ve already seen in God’s miracles in Egypt. Psalm 95 is used so often in the Liturgy of the Hours and encourages us how today we must listen well. They do not just apply to the people in Numbers 13 & 14. It also applies to the Church and we consider ourselves the New Israel. Let God call us to attention. We don’t have to fall back to the same sin of disbelief. No matter how hard the world makes us do so. The Church is beginning to experience persecution. Today we have to keep in mind what God already said in the past especially as we hear the words of His Son today. Jesus Himself gives us a greater authority than the prophets and the angels. When we look at our day, there are a number of strains that we have to alert ourselves.  There are New Age beliefs that everything is God including the forces of nature. It is moving towards the act of depersonalizing God by a vague force. It clouds the truth of God the Father, God the Son & God the Spirit. There is this New Age notion vs. the Christian notion of God. The catch here is the fact that there are no demands upon the faithful to be obedient. A hardened heart is equivalent to disobedience. There is no longer a clear distinction about the truths of the faith. It's just a matter of loving nature and taking care of the environment. No other demands like obeying the 10 commandments. The truth is not existent with the New Age. They water down the Person of Jesus and lead others to disbelieve in Him. Certain scholars deny Him as a historical figure or is believed that He had a wife as depicted in the fictitious Da Vinci Code. These are all things that are far from the authentic gospel. The image of Jesus is being shaped to imitate our worst moments and sins. It makes him appear like He is no better than we are and attack His moral character. It is an act of impunity to God’s character as if He is just a character of fiction. It looks like God is on the dock as C. S. Lewis put it. Instead of us being on trial, God appears to be the one who’s on trial. Let us not fall into this kind of thinking nor continue in our lack of faith or let anything shake our faith. Some dogs are amazing in their ability to show devotion and faithfulness although they do not even measure up to the dignity and standing of human beings they are capable of obeying their master with so much love and respect.  This should make us realize all the more can we do it and a whole lot better than that. We have to make a decision to be with Christ. God is the Good Shepherd. He will not scatter but draw people to holiness, righteousness and goodness. How can we be lost or led astray? There are things we need to do if we want to be under the care of the Good Shepherd, listen to His voice, follow His guiding hand and stay within the circle of the flock He tends. The truth is that we should never have any doubts about our decisions for as long as we know that it is all for the glory of God first and foremost and everything else will follow. We have this faith and confidence in God as in Philippians 4:6-8, "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." When someone speaks to us we sometimes ignore, refuse to listen, simply pretend that we haven't heard anything or misunderstood what we heard because we are too distracted or busy to give time to listen well. Let us always open our hearts and mind so that we become sensitive to the voice of God talking to us.  Surely there were times when we heard and experienced the voice of God giving us “out of this world” instructions and we responded nonchalantly as if we never heard anything, refused outright and rejected it. If before we just choose to do it whichever way we wanted it without much thought from now on let us respond to God in the best way we can with hearts full of love and obedience. When we grumbled and complained we all know for a fact that it didn't make things any better. We would have to practice more and make perfect the art of trusting and hearing God's voice. God is never short of anything. God is God and He will always be. Let us no longer confuse ourselves with the inaccuracies and discrepancies of our human hearts and minds. Let us keep it focused on Him who is Holy and Perfect. Let us all acculturate ourselves to the Kingdom of God to become a true member of His society. In this way we become a fit and authentic member of God's nation. No one can ever love and care for us more than God. He is the source of living water thus we thirst no more. Indeed, if today we hear His voice, let us not harden our hearts and let Jesus come. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

...For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. (R) Oh, that today you would hear his voice: 8 “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.”

There is no neutral or middle thing for the Lord. It is either we are with Him all the way without any exceptions or we are against Him. We could not choose to divide our loyalty because it will only destroy us in the process. It's like we are in a battle and our full strength and cooperation is needed to keep our defenses up or we end up losing it and captured by the enemy. We've got to make a clear stand by now in all areas and aspects of our life whether big or small and from the least to the most important or significant. We have to be aware of the fact that what we are dealing with here is a "no fuss and beat around the bush thing". We have to know on which side we are in and really go for it. Exorcism of demons is part of Jesus’ ministry. In today's gospel people were amazed at how Jesus was able to cast out evil spirits. These various evil gods and demons are a real presence at the time of Jesus and appear to rule even in the ancient world. The crowd is looking for a sign and they have seen enough to bring them to amazement but with it go together, the blindness and the hardness of the heart. This is a perennial problem when people see what God is trying to do but because of the hardness of heart it just won’t sink in. We have to examine our conscience and should ask ourselves what are the signs of the presence of God in our life. How are we paying attention or listening to the signs that God gives us. This is the call of today’s readings. Christ answered His critics in the gospel that every kingdom divided against itself will be laid to waste. Is satan divided against itself? Do we think that satan will tolerate a civil disobedience in his kingdom? The answer of course is that satan is not divided against itself, he won’t tolerate that. He will terrorize and make people absolutely frightened to make them follow his bidding. This is satan's way. As God works in His mercy, satan operates through terror. Who are we imitating?  There is no doubt that God can defeat Satan and has already shown this since time immemorial to all generations.  Jesus' ability to cast out demons is similar to God casting out the power of Egypt. Christ is using the power of God to liberate his people. He is the new Moses. He is doing a great liberation from delivering us from satan and sin. Like the multiplication of the loaves and the manna from heaven. Christ is leading and invading the power of evil and bringing the kingdom of God into the presence of this darkness, to Israel and the whole world to gain freedom of the demonic. In His short parable in the gospel he likened a strong man and his army to satan and his devils. He controlled people’s lives and continue to debilitate and deform human nature. We are made in the image and likeness of God but he distorts this image because that’s his goal. There are other ways he does this, through violence and any of the capital sins. He uses the lust industry and distorts human love. This demonic distortion is what Christ wants to conquer. The violence, oppression, anger, lust and the capital sins are all part of the distortion but Jesus has overcome and the forces of evil are defeated. He can take souls away from the clutches of evil but He sets a challenge for us. He said that whoever is not with me is against me. We see so many forces of the anti Christ in the world today through violence, avarice and sex which are very rampant. They are the demonic devices and ways which the evil one works. We should make a decision to always be for Christ and not compromise with the enemy. Satan is considered as one of the major obstacles of the Kingdom but we need to know that not everything is due to Satan's evil schemes. We are reminded that there is also the human intervention like personal ambition, attitude, ignorance and arrogance of people who are supposed to be models of faith but turned out to be the obstacles themselves. Testing the spirit if it is of God’s or not is very important. We should always remember the WWJD (What would Jesus do?)principle. We are God's temple and we have to make sure that we are well protected or else someone is going to take over us. We take note in 1 Peter 5:8 it is written, Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour. If we are not careful with the way we live our life before we know it we have already been conquered and defeated. We have a very cunning and deceitful adversary who is always on the lookout for an opportunity to attack us in the most discreet and unsuspecting way. If our enemy is this determined then we too have to get our acts together. We must not lose heart for we have a company of angels and saints that are surrounding us. We should remain confident that no other battalion or army can defeat the entire legion of angels and saints of God in heaven. They are on our side to guard and defend us. We should feel great knowing that we have a Great and Loving God who would move heaven and earth for our sake. We just got to be very clear on which side we are. Are we for or against God, there is no in between. Our action will speak for itself. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 11:14-23

14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute person spoke and the crowds were amazed. 15 Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” 16 Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. 17 But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. 18 And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. 19 If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

OUR DESTINY

Things happen for a reason. Let us always thank God in every situation no matter how unpleasant it may seem for there is always a lesson to be learned from any experience and use it to make us a better person/Christian for God. Since we have an Infinite God there is always room for improvement as long as we live.  When people die they leave behind them their memories that can always be shared to others. That's why while we still have the time and opportunity, we should work our best in leaving behind good memories that will serve as a reminder and inspiration to our children and children's children. Today's 1st reading tells us that we are to live the covenant and at its heart are the statutes and decrees spoken of by Moses. If we live the heart of the covenant then we could take possession of the Land. This land is a foreshadowing of heaven. Right now we take the land interiorly as we receive communion, we become one with Christ. Jesus is in communion with God the Father and we take communion with Christ. What faith confesses, the sacraments communicate. Baptism makes us sons of God. We see in scriptures, that we have the right to become children of God. As in 2 Peter 1:3-4, "His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power. Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire." He has granted His precious and magnificent promises for us to be partakers of the divine nature. Also in Col 2:12 You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.  Baptism makes us sharers of the divine mystery. In Romans 8:14-17, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, 3 Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” We share in the very destiny of Jesus. We live out this call that we’ve been given. We are called by God and destined for God. We are called to beatitude to take possession of the land and to lay hold of the beatific vision of the light. We have the dignity as human persons and are moved by grace to direct ourselves to this fulfillment. It is by our act of choice and the grace. It is our duty to develop an informed conscience and also through revelation. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1849) Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law." It violates eternal law, reason, humanity and our dignity as children of God. We are sometimes labeled as supermarket Catholics because we treat our faith in the same way when we go shopping in a supermarket. We only pick up what we need and like and leave behind what is not useful or does not appeal to our taste or preferences. We choose what's economical and what's fitted to our budget and sometimes we fail to realize that is for our own good that we have to follow everything and not modify it according to our own liking. The formula for a truly happy life is the 10 commandments. It doesn't limit freedom but instead enhances freedom and be truly wise and intelligent. 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, were 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, it 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 disobeyed God and 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 source of life. 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 strong 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. 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. Amen. Hallelujah!

Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
1 Moses spoke to the people and said: “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 5 Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the LORD, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. 6 Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? 8 Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 9 “However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”

No matter what we're going through we can always rely on God to uphold and defend our cause. If we claim to be true followers and believers of our Lord Jesus Christ then we can put a claim on these same blessings and privileges bestowed on the chosen people of God. His covenant with His people is everlasting. There is a big difference between a covenant and contract. A contract is an agreement which is all about an exchange of goods while the covenant is an exchange of relationships. God wants to have a relationship with us first and foremost and through it everything else will follow. No poet, writer or artist can ever describe in words or paint in canvass the love of God. For the immensity of its beauty and glory is immeasurable and beyond understanding.  The readings for today point to the fact that we have a responsibility in our hands if we truly claim that we are a people of God. We have to follow and obey God at all times which can only be done and fulfilled if we have full knowledge of what God wants us to do. We’ve got to realize the most essential and important things in life that we sometimes lose sight of and tend to neglect. Let us not be dissuaded nor distracted by the allurement of this world and end up losing what really matters most. Our God is Perfect but we are still part of this imperfect world thus we are bound to experience the daily struggles of life. This reminds me of this incident when this lady who was already very careful in her movements still ended up scraped in her arm. She didn't even figure out how it could have happened. When we bump into something we usually develop a bruise but we would sometimes find one without knowing how it came to be. We sometimes get wounded and bruised even before we know it. Take the example of those people who are taking medications (anticoagulants) that predispose them to bruise easily. Well, things happen even if we do not want or expect it but we can always draw strength and inspiration from today's psalm knowing that God is our Mighty Healer and Savior. There are times when we are in a hurry to work things out on our own and forget to peacefully surrender all our concerns to God. That's when we end up tired and beaten because we've used up all the energy of our mind, body and soul. It's what usually happens to most of us when we are confronted with dilemmas.  If we have learned how to truly wait for the Lord then we are not far from that place of peace where God is leading us. If we look back at what we've been through especially our trials and difficulties, then we can only feel so blessed and find gratitude in our hearts for all the things that lead to now. It will always be good to undergo trials and hardships in life and remain steadfast in the Lord for everything will pay off in the end. Not a single thing that we've been through for the glory of God will ever be in vain. Victory is indeed for those who acknowledge the Son Of God, Jesus Christ. It is only right that we give all glory, honor and praise to God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20

R: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

...He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! 16 He spreads snow like wool; frost he strews like ashes. (R) 19 He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them.

Jesus is very clear in today’s gospel that He has come not to abolish but to fulfill the law. He comes in obedience to the Father and lives it perfectly. We fall into this vicious cycle of believing in Jesus and still continue to sin.  He did not come to overturn but to fulfill the law.  We are to avoid sin and do good. We trust ourselves to the mercy of God. Though, we still grow as we struggle with sin. We must humble and renew ourselves in charity. Now is the time for conversion of our life to goodness. We should assess ourselves. Are we become holier as we struggle against sins? Are we moving away from sins of our predominant fall? What sins do we usually repeat in our confession? Are we struggling and fighting against it? What do our friends and families remind us of? How do we worship? How is our moral life? Is it lived in the whole pillar dedicated to the commandments? Our personal sin is the enemy that we’re fighting. Our pitfall is that we’re trying to change the external all the time. The other people around us and the situation instead of looking at the battle we have to find in ourselves. The usual loophole is our covetousness towards our neighbor’s goods. It comes up in different forms, these desires that is not in harmony with reason. It is the concupiscence and lust of the flesh. Lust is a huge epidemic and problem to live the 6th & 9th commandment. We need help and God’s grace. We need chastity and must appeal to Him for that grace. We should avoid near occasions that cause us to sin. It’s in the heart so we have to make the radical approach not to let it enter our heart. We need to work on the purity of heart in order to see God face to face when our time comes. We are called to be like Him and see our brothers and sisters as children of God. We also have to fight our desires to have more and more. The more we have the more secured we are. There is this deep tendency in us to place our security in things and people.  We are always confronted with the temptation to do predominant work in our life and pull us away from God. It scatters our energies and focus to do something to build up our esteem, pride and ego. We tend to desire to control others, call the shots and not to submit to God. We need to seek His direction and His will. It should be the trajectory of our life, to prefer God over everything else. When we lack security then we should cling to God. Whatever sin it is that defeat us, we should make a firm and conscious effort to get out of our selfishness, go to others, fight sin and appeal to God for grace. Today's gospel holds the key to excel and be great in the kingdom of heaven. Let us not have second thoughts or falter when it comes to deciding for the Lord. Whatever it is we decide to do, let us make sure that God is always our main reason. In doing so, we can be sure that we are not taking the wrong side and are clearly not supporting the cause of the evil one. It is very sad that nowadays people no longer give much care about this. We sometimes fall into the trap of complacency and tend to conform to the alluring and tempting materialism that this world offers. We always set God aside and place Him in a corner treating Him like a nobody. We always end up calling the shots while we continue to ignore and take for granted what should clearly be taken first place and seriously. If we truly are grateful to the one true God whom we should love, respect and honor above any other gods that try to win our loyalty and praise then we should try to start by following His commandments in heart, body and soul. For only when we do the right thing before God can we find true freedom. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Matthew 5:17-19

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

FORGIVENESS

We have some fairly easy questions in life that we can answer right away but the committing part is the one thing we all have difficulty in doing. In this regard we can start by learning the act of true prayer. Today's 1st reading is a prayer of total surrender and abandonment to the Lord. This prayer is an inspiration for all who are going through suffering and trials especially to those who do not know where to turn in times of need. We will do well to learn the basic thrust of this prayer and apply it in our lives.

God's instructions to us are all very clear and consistent. It is in ourselves where we find the conflict at all times. It is when we succumb to pride and sin that we end up in a mess. We always think that we can have our way and get away with the consequences of our actions. We should realize that instead of having it our way and suffer its consequences we should rather have it God's way since He could definitely answer for us and cannot be put to shame. We can always rely on the kindness and mercy of God. He directs our actions, leads us to the right decision and supports us all the way by placing the right people in our midst at the right time. Amen. Hallelujah!

Daniel 3:25, 34-43

Azariah stood up and prayed aloud: 11 [Dan 3:34] “For your name’s sake, do not deliver us up forever, or make void your covenant. 12 [Dan 3:35] Do not take away your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your beloved, Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, 13 [Dan 3:36] to whom you promised to multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven, or the sand on the shore of the sea... But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; 17 [Dan 3:40] as though it were holocausts of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, so let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame...And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. 19 [Dan 3:42] Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. 20 [Dan 3:43] Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”

No matter how unsure life may be and how unfair it may seem we can always rely on the one true God who was, is and will always be forever. If we will just take to heart at all times the assurances of God in the scriptures then there is really nothing that should stop us from following the right path that leads to God. We should constantly implore God's help in prayers so that we faithfully live out His example in our lives. In the Philippines there is an expression being said when people are so bent over and head strong about doing a certain task like nothing can ever stop them. It is known as, “Kina-career mo naman yan” In English, “You’re making it a career!” If we will look at the meaning of career in the dictionary we’ll find that it means, course of action; height of activity or run or move at full speed. Come to think of it, that’s how we should act when it comes to the most important aspect of our life. There is really no doubt about the goodness of God. If there is one thing in this world that we can depend on that is the mercy of God. We should constantly implore God's help in prayers so that we faithfully live out His example in our lives. Our confidence in God should never waver nor falter. It should be our goal to grow and mature in our knowledge and love for God. As we move forward in it then we win for ourselves a friendship that is like no other. We have seen a lot of broken relationships in our lifetime and if we will base our understanding of the word friendship on that then we will start to lose faith and confidence in friends. It is so reassuring and comforting that in the friendship of God we can be sure that it is something we can always count and depend on. Everything comes from God. All good things come from God. All blessings come from God. God pours out to us the all abundant love in every possible way. Love and life is not simple other wise we will be living in a heavenly world where there is no strife, deceit, injustice and division.  The world we live in is fractured, unless we stop doing mundane and distracting things that pulls us away from visualizing the things of God then we will just find ourselves distracted and unfocused. We just might find ourselves going in all directions but not really finding where we are supposed to go. God teaches us His ways with the guidance of the Holy Spirit directing us every step of the way. This is how we should relate to God by aiming to encounter Him in an intimate and personal way. It is possible that all our hurts and injuries be turned to compassion for those who have caused us so much pain because God who is full of mercy and love is the one who did it first for us and we ought to follow.  It is indeed a consolation to know that we are in the hands of God. There is no reason to fear nor doubt, for the Lord will surely bless and keep us at all times. This made me think of the children who squirm and try to break free from the protecting hold of a parent. Sometimes we are no different from the children because we want God to let loose of His hold. We have a gentle and loving God who will never impose nor force Himself. It is all up to us whether we remain or wriggle free from the loving grasp of God's hands.  God always work with perfection. We can always be assured that if we allow ourselves to go through the Refiner's fire then we will surely come out perfect. God is always precise in His moves and can never go wrong. We should be very grateful and awe inspired as we realize that there is nothing beyond the power of God. If we are sensitive and attentive enough to the Lord then we would discover that God allows the events in our daily experiences to happen in a way that is best for us. Although there are times when we just can’t see it the way it is. It is in the consultation of the word of God that we can find so much consolation and hope in our daily walk in life. As we develop this communication with God through scriptures we would find it to be always connected if not perfectly fitted as God opens up our mind and allows us to grasp things in a very unbelievable way. Our God is beyond compare, awesome, wonderful and marvelous. If we give to God all our concerns and anxieties and trust in His goodness and mercy then He will always direct our steps in the way that He wanted us to go. A few years ago in a Lenten Retreat at St. Lorenzo the speaker said that Catholicism is the religion of the soul while Protestantism is the religion of the mind. This is because Protestants have a problem accepting things that are not written in the scriptures. The language of the mind makes use of words alone which are limited unlike the language of the soul which goes beyond what is written and extends to signs, images, symbols and metaphors. There are things that are beyond human comprehension and expression. This explains why we are a people attracted to signs and symbols. Dan Brown, a famous author of books, Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons are only a few of them, which deal greatly on the meaning of signs and symbols has become a hit. His style appeals to the public that's why he has earned millions and become popular. It is in this nature of ours that God speaks to us not just in physical terms and words but in spiritual language as well.  We have to be aware of the truth of the richness of our Catholic dogma, doctrine, discipline and practices. Our Catholic faith is so rich, it's like eating cheesecake and if we ever think of leaving the Catholic fold after knowing these truths it would be like exchanging the cheesecake for a sugarless donut. Liturgical cycles of the Church are very interesting in the light of the seasons of love, life and faith. Advent is defined as anticipation of something that is coming. We are well aware of the 1st coming (Parousia) when Jesus came to this world more than 2,000 years ago and the 2nd coming of Jesus which no one knows exactly when it would be. But there is one more thing we need to really prepare for which is the 3rd coming or our own personal coming of Jesus when we die. As Catholics, we might want to ask ourselves why we go to Church and attend mass. We come to the Lord at a designated time and place to know of the mystery of life. If we somehow come to know of these signs, symbols, images and metaphors although not totally then we could relate better in our relationship with God. The Mass is full of these signs and symbols that appeals to our sense of sight, sound and smell. There are lots of explanations that go with these practices. Though these practices can change in the course of time the core teachings of the Catholic Church like the dogma and doctrine are all non negotiable and would stand through time. We should no longer doubt in our minds all the things that God is capable of doing. Life is a mystery which is much like a black hole. Once we fall into that black hole then there is no more turning back from where we came from. We just go on and on learning about life until such time when we come to the knowledge of its full mystery when we die.  For God has reserved for us something special like the front row seats in a spectacular play in a theater. No less than the prime spot for the Lord will always grant our heart's delight as we faithfully cling to Him. While we still can, we must come to a better understanding of these things and strive to learn the deeper meaning of our faith. No one in his right mind can ever deny the presence of a Supreme Being who created all of us and this wonderful world we live in. It remains a mystery how the sky hangs on high without ever getting tired and falling, even the rising and setting of the sun, the moon and the stars that bedecks the sky and the planets that rotate around the sun without ever losing its alignment and end up bumping into each other. Even the wisest and most brilliant scientists are continuously amazed at the endless and infinite discoveries and revelations of the universe as they strive to unravel its mystery. From generation to generation and ages past no single human being was able to completely unfold it for human intelligence is simply insufficient and can never measure up to God's. Have we ever wondered and asked how things in our life came to be? There is only one thing that needs to be done, that is to call on God endlessly at all times for guidance. As we try to look back and recall may we always find ourselves confidently claiming all our life's events as according to what God has planned for us and if not then it is about time that we call on to God with these words in the psalm reading. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6, 7bc, 8, 9
R: Remember your mercies, oh Lord.
4 Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 6 Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your kindness are from of old. 7 In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD. (R) 8 Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way.

Today's gospel is one of the memorable parables for me because of the lessons and explanations it offers and learned from it about our Catholic faith concerning purgatory. Our God is consistent to all His attributes which includes not just merciful but just. We ought to realize that God treated us with ultimate love and mercy and it is only right and fitting that we fulfill all righteousness for the glory of God. Purgatory is an expression of this great love and mercy of God for us. He gives us all the chances we can get in order for us to square our accounts with God. We ought to realize that our entry to the kingdom of heaven can be withheld or worst be denied access to it.  Let us not place the eternal inheritance that is already being handed to us in grave danger. It tells us to be wise and diligent in handling our affairs well while we are still here on earth so as not to regret later the consequences of our actions. It is a consolation that the key lies in today's gospel. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God we can't help but become the person God has meant us to be, full of compassion and mercy. And the best way to attain this is to have a forgiving heart as implied in today's gospel. Forgiving someone who offended you 77x. This may sound “Mission Impossible” (MI) if we have become so attached to the values of this world. That's why there is an urgent need for us to always align ourselves to the will of God. It is only through His supernatural grace that we can do all things. We must avail of every possible means to attain holiness. The measure that we use with our brothers and sisters is the same measure that God will use to us. If we place judgment on others then we have also placed judgment on ourselves. Let us take care not to overlook and take for granted this reality that Jesus Himself said in the gospel. It is really a must that we learn to forgive those people who hurt us. The gospel requires us to forgive in order for us to go across whatever it is that is stopping us from fulfilling our God given destiny which is surely bound for success. We can never move on if we continue to harbor ill feelings in our hearts. It can be compared to the powerful flow of water in a river that can never be put to a stop unless we surrender it to God. We should truly be able to put a halt to the raging emotions in us. Thus, it is for our own good that we overcome all the hurts that we've experienced from people and really learn to forgive them from our hearts. Unless we do this we can never move forward and reach our goals and destinations in life. We read in the gospel that Peter wanted to put a limit on forgiveness. The gospel is especially relevant for those with deep hurts. Each time the memory of that hurt comes back, we have to forgive. We have to be honest that we haven’t been without guilt ourselves. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2843 it is stated, "Thus the Lord's words on forgiveness, the love that loves to the end,(Jn 13:1) become a living reality. The parable of the merciless servant, which crowns the Lord's teaching on ecclesial communion, ends with these words: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."(Mt 18:23-35.) It is there, in fact, "in the depths of the heart," that everything is bound and loosed. It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession." It is not in our power to not feel the hurt of the memory or even to forget because it is part of our emotional well being to do so when it comes back. But the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury and the memory of the hurt to compassion. This ability to love comes from the Holy Spirit and can help us transform that hurt into intercession. Just like what Jesus did at the cross when He said, Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing even to the point of making excuses. When we run into people who have hurt us it is an unbelievable feeling to rise above the need for revenge. Forgiveness should be part of our life because revenge is just a never ending cycle. We have to adhere to putting God first and be disciplined in ourselves. We learn from the experience of forgiveness from the life of people who had been through a great deal of pain but were able to overcome it. We learn through their message of forgiveness and start ourselves as we forgive the little things done against us and then eventually it will be easy to forgive the big things. The gospel reminds us of our situation. We are debtors of an even greater debt. The reality of our situation is that we have a huge debt that we can't pay back.  We’re created out of nothing and while we were still sinners Jesus died for us to inherit eternal life. The debt you and I have is far greater than we can pay back. However great our suffering may be, it does not compare to what the Lord has done for us. If we think of this we may want to ask, is there anything way too big to forgive? On our own we can't do it but through the strength given to us from His love, forgiveness and mercy. We recall the words of Jesus while He was crucified on the cross. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do, today you will be with me in paradise and behold your son, behold your mother. These are words of compassion and love at a time He was suffering and in a great deal of pain. We have to look upon the crucifix and remember what the Lord has done for us. We should picture ourselves at the foot of the cross for our sins and its forgiveness.  No one in this whole wide world ever had a perfect circumstance and situation. We have all been through our share of sorrows. The saints became saints in the midst of their trying times. They had all the reasons to be bitter. Instead of living with regret and resentment they looked at Jesus who was rejected Himself and offered their rejection in union with His. When we are assailed by pain and suffering we look to Him. Though, He was innocent but He died for us sinners. If we have deep and lasting hurts whenever they come back all we have to do is look at our Lord who is innocent but suffered and died for our salvation. We pray to Jesus and ask to turn our hearts like His own. The measure that we use with our brothers and sisters is the same measure that God will use to us. If we place judgment on others then we have also placed judgment on ourselves. Let us take care not to overlook and take for granted this reality that Jesus Himself said in his words in today's gospel. The goodness and mercy of God is repetitively mentioned thus God expects us to be just like Him full of mercy and compassion to our brothers and sisters. And as we grow in the knowledge and love of God we can't help but become the person God has meant us to be, compassionate and merciful. And the best way to attain this is to have a forgiving heart as implied in today's gospel. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 25 Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. 26 At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ 27 Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. 28 When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. 31 Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. 32 His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 33 Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ 34 Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. 35 So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

THE LIVING WATER

According to Rabbi Marc Gellman author of the book, “Does God have a big toe?’ Moses is a patient man.  When he saw the burning bush other shepherds were there too and also saw it but did not wait long enough to notice what Moses saw since they were all too preoccupied and had other things to do. Moses was also busy but he patiently waited that’s why he saw the burning bush phenomenon which the others failed to see. He therefore said that it pays to be patient. A patient man submits to God’s timeframe, respects the timeframe of others and reacts peacefully in times of delay. On the other hand an impatient man has little regard for timeframes other than his own and is troubled over delays. He further explained by citing the gardener in the parable of the fig tree. He said that the gardener exhibited a fair amount of patience and tolerance for the fig tree because he was willing to buy time for it to bear fruit and not cut it down. In today’s 1st reading, Naaman was tested for his patience and tolerance. He traveled a long way just to reach Elisha and had to be tolerant of the Jewish influence and tradition before he got healed. God calls us to follow instructions specifically and take action even though we are not comfortable doing it.  We should develop in us this kind of attitude and follow God’s instructions no "ifs" and "buts". God does not exempt anyone but will really go out of the ordinary just to make Himself known to everyone and save us. In the case of Naaman, God made use of an Israelite girl who was captured and became the slave of Naaman's wife. This little girl paved the way for the healing despite her being captured and turning into a slave. Instead of becoming bitter and defeated she was still able to proclaim and spread the power of the one true God. Isn't it challenging that we, too are given the same opportunity in our daily lives to still go on proclaiming and sharing to others the goodness of God despite the odds and difficulties that are before us. Leprosy is a sickness that speaks to us of sin. Elisha a prophet from the Old Testament speaks to us of the necessity of the sacrament of baptism. These words of Elisha, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” caused Naaman to be cured of leprosy as he went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. It was followed by his profession of faith when he returned to Elisha and on his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.” This is a prefigurement of the sacrament of baptism as the church invites us to wash and be clean and the soul of a person becomes like an innocent child when plunged into the waters of baptism and asked to profess our faith. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 1257 it is stated, “The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation. (Jn 3:5) He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations and to baptize them. (Mt 28:19-20)  Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament. (Mk 16:16) The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit." God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.” The Lord Himself affirms that baptism is necessary for salvation as he spoke to Nicodemus in John 3. The Church does not neglect this mission and it is imperative for us that we proclaim the gospel to all the nations not with a sense of indifference. We are not asked to force the gospel, the Church has given a command to go and teach about Jesus and have a deeper relationship with Him. The Jordan river is beautiful because this is the water that Jesus stepped into, He has sanctified the water. The Jordan is beautiful because of our faith. We recognize it because of Jesus’ encounter with the water.  As we can see in the 1^st reading that Naaman refused at first and expected to do something extraordinary. This is how we are, how foolish we can be at times. If he was asked to do something extraordinary he would have followed right away and yet when asked to do something that seem so plain and simple, he refused.  Jesus came to us a simple man and did great things. The act of washing is very common. For whoever is brought to the fount of baptism, seems so plain but can do something tremendous to our souls. Through the union of Christ and His church there is power in the pond of baptism. One of the effects of baptism is described in what happened to Naaman. Leprosy can cause the flesh to rot and stink. Our soul rots and stink of hell and we can’t free ourselves of that unless we are baptized. It is dependent on the power of God, this need for cleansing. Jesus says come to this pond and become cleansed and by faith we know what happens to our soul. The flesh of a little child is soft and clean. Everybody loves a baby and this grown man (Naaman) is made that way, the same thing happens to our soul, it is made brand new. As CCC, 1213 states, “Holy Baptism is the basis of all Christian life. Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word." Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Kings 5:1-15

1 Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. 2 Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife. 3 “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,” she said to her mistress, “he would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 “Go,” said the king of Aram. “I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments. 6 To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed, “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!” 8 When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king, “Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 The prophet sent him the message, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. 12 Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” With this, he turned about in anger and left. 13 But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” 14 So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”

Only Jesus can make us whole and satisfy our soul. We should take note of the fact that we are not just physical human beings. The moment we leave and pass away from this world we cease to be in our physical state but our souls live on. If at this present moment we attend to the needs of our physical bodies we should also do the same for our souls which will pass from this world to life eternal. There is an end to all that we hold and see right now since we are just passing by. Our true and everlasting home belongs with God. If our physical bodies need nourishment in this life in order to live so does our souls. When we are in a state wherein we feel so deprived and famished, a helping hand can go a long way. We may not totally understand the concept of purgatory as a whole but this is what we are supposed to be to our brothers and sisters who long to see God face to face but is yet to happen. We, the Church Militant active and living can serve for them as a beaming light in the darkness and a guide to the right path. Let us not neglect pray for the faithful departed souls of our loved ones, family and friends. Have you heard of this very vital information about survival. Our bodies can go without food for a long time but not without water. We can all die of dehydration faster than starvation. Let us make sure we don't dehydrate our souls to the point of death and exhaustion. Just like Naaman the Syrian who plunged into the water of the Jordan River and was cleansed, we should also drink from the river of God's living water and live. It always make the crowd or audience laugh whenever asked who want to go to heaven and everybody started raising their hands but if the question is changed to who want to die everybody started putting down their hands. The truth is we can only see God face to face when we die if we are worthy to stand before Him. And we have all become worthy because of Jesus' sacrifice but can we handle the truth. People who are on the verge of dying and have come to accept their situation and longed only to be with God are the luckiest people since they have found the ultimate satisfaction and consolation to all their longings. Considering that they died in the grace of God, which made me think of people who died and happened to have a lot of unfinished businesses here in this world. We may have a lot of questions about such things but we must believe that God is in control and in charge. He will take care of whatever we left behind. According to Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, a Jesuit priest and author of the book, "Holy Longing", man's desire is so intense that he called it a raging inferno. It's unstoppable and powerful that it creates holes in our souls. We can attempt in our human nature to fill in these holes but we still end up with a hollow feeling. These holes come in different shapes. We may be trying to fit in the wrong shape into these holes. These holes can only be filled in by God. Only God our Creator knows best and He is the only one who can determine which will fit into our soul. We all have our desires and longing in life but if we insist on doing it our way and not follow the pattern and shape that God has given us then we will never be truly happy.  Just like the deer in today's psalm, only God can quench the thirst in our souls. May all our basic instincts be rooted from our longing for God. Only in God can we find true satisfaction. In Him alone is the thirst of our soul quenched. If we hear the song composed from the psalm reading for today we may imagine and picture a deer panting and drinking water in the stream. This kind of longing and thirst we have all experienced one way or another in our lifetime whether it be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. We may search long and hard but find none that can fully satisfy if we fail to recognize the rivers of Living Water which only God can give and provide. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4

R: Athirst is my soul for the living God.

1 [2] As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. 2 [3] Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and be hold the face of God? (R) 43: 3 Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling-place. (R) 4 Then will I go in to the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy; then will I give you thanks upon the harp, O God, my God!

We may all have experienced rejection at one time in our life. It's very painful and difficult as it is to be rejected by someone but what's even worse is the fact that the people whom we expect to back us up are the ones who turn their backs on us. We must not despair if this happens for even Jesus experienced the same thing. All we have to do is follow the example of Jesus in continuing the work that God has given us to do and not lose hope. What Jesus was offering to the people in Nazareth was not wasted for it was extended to the people in Capernaum (town in Galilee) and to the whole region. We all have our own Nazareths and we must not despair over it rather we must look forward to reaching out to the Galilees of our lives and move on to the next level. We all have other aspects and regions in our life that we also need to pay attention to and develop. We just have to put our trust in the Lord who is able. Everything will come to pass and God's word will always carry out its mission and not go back to Him without accomplishing its purpose. Today's gospel brings back my focus on what I have been doing since I came here to the US. I can still very clearly remember that day of OCT 7, 2007 when I received God's Word in Habakkuk 2:2-3 which is: Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.
From then on I've taken it upon myself to write down daily reflections based on the assigned bible readings as my personal mission for Jesus. During the course of my writing I have inevitably included in my journal people whom I have encountered and inspired and touched my life in a special way which all just happened in a way that the scriptures unfold and reveal our participation in each and every message being conveyed and sent to us in the daily readings. Since then these reflections have amounted to quite a lot already and during my free time, I have been bent on compiling and organizing all the daily reflections that I have written since OCT 2007. I have made an index and table of contents for it which I have just finished and updated. It has become easier and readily available for quick reference. Several years ago the foreword in Companion for today’s gospel and the reflection of Fr. Steve Tynan in Sabbath have encouraged me to continue with this mission. In the foreword it says:
Jesus does not “pull any punches here.” He says it simply as He sees it. This is the best way to make the truth known. Jesus needs to let people know what His mission is from the beginning so that they cannot accuse Him of deception later on. Whether people understand Him or not is not the issue at the moment. What is critical is that the Gospel is proclaimed in its fullness and that everybody has the opportunity to respond to it in its fullness as well.
In Sabbath, I partly quote Fr. Steve:
...Jesus was never interested in any attention the people wanted to give Him — His sole concern was to live and proclaim the Gospel as best as He could.
It is this example that we must seek to follow. Otherwise, we will become distracted from the things that should be our focus and we will fail to achieve what we could have achieved, if only we had been wholly obedient to God.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
 I am fully aware of my shortcomings and imperfection in spreading the Word of God but it is in what Fr. Steve said above that gave me the courage and strength to keep on going. It is in this very personal and significant events and circumstances that I encounter daily whether big or small that we have truly been part of the Word, yes, the Word that is made flesh. Jesus is indeed in each one of us. God gives me a reason to always have something to write about and the presence of each one of us in this present life have given me a lot of reasons to continue writing. Everybody has been a source of inspiration and God’s instrument. We should all find ourselves believing the same thing. God believes in us. We may sometimes come to a point in our lives when we have to act out of faith despite the uncertainty of our situation. We may also suffer the disapproval, ridicule and objection of the majority who questions the logic of our actions and doubts our motivations. I am sure that the widow in Zarephath hesitated if not faltered for a moment when asked to give away hers and her son's last meal in the time of famine just as Naaman the Syrian objected and grumbled at first when they were told of what to do by these 2 great prophets of their time. If we are to look closely at the qualifications of these 2 characters from today's gospel we would find that they both do not belong to the chosen race of God, the Israelites. Their only qualification was that they followed and obeyed what they were told to do.  You know why? God does not call the qualified rather He qualifies the called. We are all called by God. Our response depends on how we feel and think about it. They (Naaman and the widow) felt that persistent and undying spark of love that does not lie when God called and spoke to them in their hearts. Always take the opportunity to recognize Jesus in every situation of our life lest we lose the chance and fail to recognize it. God will not come uninvited. He will enter only if we open up the doors of our hearts and welcome Him. He will never force Himself on anyone. He is the Perfect Gentleman. He respects our longings and desires that sometimes without realizing it we've completely missed our chances and lost what truly matters and counts. Let us not end up rejecting Jesus in our hearts and missing the only Blessing that really matters because we are too preoccupied with other small blessings. Jesus is already with us but we sometimes drive Him away with our indifferences, doubts, fears, unbelief, and ignorance of the true wisdom of God. Let us pray fervently to God that He will always be with us to stay. Amen. Hallelujah!

 Luke 4:24-30

And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. 26 It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury...

EVERLASTING LOVE

We can sometimes easily change our minds and decide against something that we were just considering at one moment. It could be contradictory to what we were earlier stating but it happens to all of us and can not deny that's how we are at times. Our minds can only be occupied with and focused on a few things if not just one at a particular time. No matter how good and brilliant we may be, we all have our limitations. We may be up to something yesterday but can suddenly change today and could definitely not tell what tomorrow may bring. Everything seems to be uncertain except for the fact that we have a God that is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever as in today's 1st reading and that is all that matters. There is none like God. There is no one and nowhere to go but only to God. We have to decide once and for all to live for Jesus alone.  It is time we have a grasp of the depth of God's love and mercy. Without realizing this we can never come to appreciate how much God wanted us to be in a relationship with Him. Today's 1st reading tells us that He is willing to go as far as the unreachable just so He can get this everlasting love across to us. We always see these words of Jesus in the gospel, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As the Apostle Paul says, “On behalf of Christ, we are acting as ambassadors and appealing that you return to God.” God is appealing to us to be reconciled to Him through Christ. What could be done so that God is pleased with us rather than angry at us? Who can have qualms about God's mercy if we seriously return to Him? He will certainly welcome those who return as the Loving Father to His prodigal son. We are free to sin but later on must pay the heaviest penalty of the consequences of sin. When we have returned to God how can we can continue receiving His forgiveness and remain His friends, sons and daughters. What does He asks of us? Nothing except that we keep His commandments. The Apostle John explains that His commandments are not burdensome, if it is to us how much more are the torments of hell. Unless we are mad, we don't dare want to experience it. We have to think of it over and over again and never forget. Now is the time of mercy but later the time of justice. One can easily square accounts with God with a small effort of repentance we can gain great forgiveness. With a brief mourning one can avoid eternal wailing. But later the riches of the whole earth could not even gain a single drop of cold water or a dip in a burning tongue as in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:24). On the other hand any good work done now in account of charity can obtain the kingdom of heaven. What could be clearer than what the 1st reading is telling us today? The time to act is now. Amen. Hallelujah!

                                 

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
…Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old; as in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs. 18 Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, 19 and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;20 you will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.

We can never fathom the wisdom of God but we can always remain confident in the truth that His kindness is perfect and everlasting. He makes all things work for good. When we feel so helpless, miserable and alone, never ever doubt that He can't help but be the loving God that He is. God loves us so much that he will adjust to our needs and make things work for good. There is no reason for us to even doubt and hold back anything from the Lord for nothing is too difficult for Him. If we are confident of God's Providence in our lives then nothing should even make us doubt that God is able to redeem us and take us out of misery. God has made known His kindness, mercy and secures justice for all. He knows exactly what we need at the precise moment and brings forth everything in its appointed time. Furthermore, God wanted to take our transgressions as far as the east is from the west. How far is the east from the west? Only God knows. We know that the distance is unfathomable, that’s what the Lord does with our sins. How much does He loves us? We know that His love and mercy is immeasurable. There is really none like our God. And reading part of the psalm reading made me remember the song "Loving and Forgiving". He is our best bet for always and there is no one or nothing else that could or should take first place in our lives more than the Lord. Whenever we receive goodness and kindness from people we meet we are very much delighted and pleased with it. How much more would we feel if we have God's favor resting upon us. There is nothing else better compared to this. We may search long and hard but we can never really find true satisfaction and remain restless unless we have God in our life. We only have to believe in God's kindness and mercy and we will surely see it happen in our life before our very eyes. He is our refuge and strength. To whom can we go but to God alone. The world’s point of view is very contradictory to the message that God wanted us to live by.  We need to pray hard for the desire to always follow what is pleasing before the Lord and not forget that it is what really matters first and foremost. We are so blessed that we did not live during the time when Christians were being persecuted and martyred and what we are enjoying right now are already the benefits of God's marvelous work wrought by His mighty hand. This is why we should stop complaining and just keep our hope if we truly believe that we have a God and Father who is full of kindness and goodness. This reminds me of the prophet Amos. He is a prosperous herdsman/farmer, well educated and traveled. His time (746-786) was an age of prosperity but severely marked with moral decay and spiritual bankruptcy. He experienced a luxurious life, lived in the garrison city a place dominated by people of power and had all the time to study the scriptures. He lived in affluence, belonged and embraced the "clan system/wisdom" which is a guild or crusade to maintain the purity of the tradition of the temple of Jerusalem which houses the "Ark of the Covenant". He saw the evil of excess in Tekoa, he witnessed the "left" (poverty) and the "right" (wealth and affluence) side. Being himself a dresser of the sycamore tree who worked with his people, he also saw the plight and injustice that is existent during that time. His prophetic mission emerged as an offshoot of his kingly and priestly status and was able to go through all these stages making him a good "nabi" hebrew word for prophet. We, too as followers of Jesus should also go through certain stages and fulfill our call or mission to be king, priest and prophet in our own personal lives. What I learned in the bible study about the very relevant and essential Hebrew word "pescher" which means repetitious study, reading and pronunciation of the word of God is a tool to achieve this goal and always be reminded about the goodness and benefits of being a genuine, equipped and well fulfilled follower of Jesus. The God of yesterday, today and forevermore. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

R: The Lord is kind and merciful.

Delivers your life from the pit, surrounds you with love and compassion, ...As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful...Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. (R) 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.

We will never ever come to the full realization of this great and immense love that God has for us until the time we come into perfect union with God in heaven. For that to happen we have to die first, leave our human bodies and depart from earth. For the mean time God is trying to get this across to us in a variety of ways that we can relate to, in the things that we are familiar of, here on earth. Today's gospel, Jesus cited not just 1 but 3 parables like the love of  the Holy Trinity, just to get His message across. The story of the Prodigal son never ceases to amaze us. By man's standards what the son did was unforgivable for it is an act of disrespect and dishonor for a father. By God's standards we may not fully understand for it is simply His nature to love us with such careless abandon even if we don't measure up. In other words we have a God who loves us to the max, no holds bar. Thus, these passages of the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the gospel today invite us especially during this Lent to be like the son who rehearses his lines when he said “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” In response, his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Or we could be like the older son who became angry and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. Judging from these we can say that neither of these sons younger or old truly knew their father. When the younger son squanders the property and said "I am not worthy, just treat me like your hired hands." He did not grasp the depth of His father's love and mercy. Sometimes we are like this when we are not totally convinced that God will receive us back. Many of us can identify with the older son upon coming back and hearing the celebration instead of welcoming back his younger brother was dominated with the hardness of his heart. When his father came to him, the oldest son reveals his depravity and voices out his bitterness as he recounts the sins of the younger brother. This is what resentment does, he makes his own the sins of his brother. He was not able to welcome back the younger brother. He is in fact like the younger brother to a certain degree. This is because every single thing that he does he will calculate as shown by his words as he said that all these years the father hasn’t given him a darn thing. This is deep seated resentment and bitterness. Both sons wanted to lay claim of all that their father possess. They just wanted to take hold of what their father has. All that the father wanted them to do is to be like him. This is very important in our relationship with God our Father. We need to become better in whatever relationship we presently have with God. We could be one of the 2 sons and could definitely learn a lesson from this. There is a need for us to assess what kind of relationship we have with God. We might think we are in a higher level of relationship with God but we could be wrong. In the same way that the older son taught that what he and his father had was the real thing. It turned out that he had not perfected yet the kind of love that God wanted us to have in our hearts. We sometimes fall into the same trap when we think we are doing everything that is good. Our love should know no boundaries in the same way that God loves us. We should realize that if we become like God the Father that’s when we truly inherit everything. Do we truly know our heavenly father? Well, we can do better than these two sons, if we wish to lay hold of heaven and the glory that is His.  The beautiful thing to effect here is that God has given us Jesus and the way to do it is through Him. Jesus knows the Father and He and the Father are one. Since the story tells us of a father's great and unconditional love for his son this reminds me of the 4 levels of happiness. The 1st level is known as laetus which is short lived just like eating a favorite dish. The 2nd one is felix and is much like the 1st one also. It could be something that we've been hoping to have and received as a gift from someone. Although the happiness here is not as short lived as the 1st and may last longer it would still eventually wear off. The 3rd is beatitudo which is the happiness coming from service to others and emanates from the joy that we feel when we help other people. We could probably take the example of the saints who lead a selfless life dedicated to others. This is long lasting happiness. Although this definitely lasts longer than the 1st and 2nd it is still not everlasting happiness. The 4th level of happiness is gaude which is perfect since it is depicted by agape, unconditional love of God. This produces everlasting happiness. Let us not settle for anything less. It should drive all of us to attain and reach this level as the father who loves his son so dearly in today's parable in the gospel. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

...“A man had two sons, 12 and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. 14 When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. 15 So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. 16 And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 17 Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. 18 I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” ’ 20 So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ 22 But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. 25 Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. 27 The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. 30 But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ 31 He said to him, ‘My son, youare here with me always; everything I have is yours. 32 But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ ”