THE HAND OF THE LORD

Life is never easy and fair at times. If we go through trials and hardships and sometimes lose heart when confronted by the doubting and questioning minds of some people then we should always stand firm in our principles and convictions anchored in Jesus. No matter how difficult it may seem we must not lose sight of what kind of suffering Jesus had to go through and all our problems will fade in the background. We should always have the attitude of humble acceptance and complete surrender clinging only to God and not on any person, thing, situation or possession in life. These experiences will all amount to something great in the end. Which reminds me of the story of a silversmith (narrated by Fr. Joseph Magdaong) who purifies silver by allowing it to sit on the fire at its extreme heat until it finally comes out pure. The silversmith knows that the work is done once the silver starts to reflect the image of the silversmith/refiner. But it is also of prime importance that the silversmith does not remove his gaze on what he is doing because it will also ruin the silver if he exceeds even just a small fraction of the refining process. Allow this to sink in to our souls and know that we have a Perfect Silversmith in God. He never leaves His gaze upon us and knows exactly what we have to go through to bring out the best in us. In whatever we are going through right now, let us believe and trust that we are in the steady hands of the Expert who will never miss nor fail. Amen. Hallelujah!


Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
...For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. 3 He will sit refining and purifying [silver], and he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.

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. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10, 14
R: Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
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) 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. (R) 10 All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 14 The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him, and his covenant, for their instruction.

Today's gospel tells us of the story of the birth of John the Baptist and the extraordinary circumstances that went with it. He was considered the precursor or the forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah. He was the one who prepared the way of the Lord. This should make us think that like John we too are called for a mission in which the ultimate goal is also to prepare the way for the Lord. For John it was His first coming but for us it is His 2nd coming. As Catholics, we believe that the 2nd coming of our Lord comes in 2 ways. The 1st is when we die and meet with God face to face which could be referred to as the coming of Christ to us individually and the 2nd is at the end of the world which is the final judgment as in Revelations when the moon, the sun, and stars are no more. Or it could also be just one time for those of us who will live up to that final day of judgment. As the bible tells us nobody knows the time or day of when will that be. It is for our own good that we are always prepared for that final day whether it's the end of the world or when we die which we're all going to be someday. Another important point to consider as we make preparations is to make an assessment of our life. We look in retrospect at the life of John and see how the hand of the Lord was with him. This should also make us look at our life in the same manner and realize that after all we've been through in life we would never have reached this far if not for the truth that the hand of the Lord is with us too. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 1:57-66
...All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.