BAD TIMING

Sometimes we just can't get a good picture of how the world operates. There are times when we have been doing everything good and yet something else happens apart from our expectations. We live in a world that is disorderly and full of chaos as we look all around us we can see its proof and evidence. These should not cause us to despair but rather hold on to God even more who is the source of all that is good. Amen. Hallelujah!

Jeremiah 18:18-20
...Must good be repaid with evil ...

We look to God always in the midst of all the turmoil. No matter how long and hard we try to search for happiness outside God we can only find it in Him as St. Augustine says, My soul is restless until it rests in Thee." Only with Him do we find rest, fulfillment and satisfaction. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalms 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
R: Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
...my trust is in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” 15 [16] In your hands is my destiny;...

In today’s gospel we can say that James and John have a bad timing. It is not exactly the time you ask for exalted positions or title of prestige or power when the Lord was just telling them of His passion and death but He does not come down hard with them unlike with the Pharisees. Jesus wanted them to understand that Christianity’s greatness is not as the world sees it. Jesus wanted us to realize that as He drink the cup of His suffering and death on the cross and took upon Himself our sins we too, share in that baptism as we renew that on Easter. We have been baptized into His death and resurrection and we have to embrace that baptism. Jesus is the One Mediator who won our salvation. He redeemed all an gave His life as ransom for many. The cross is a unique sacrifice of God because of His Incarnate Divine Nature but we are called to share in the cross and be one with Him. Christ suffered for us and He desires to associate us with this sacrifice which we do in the Holy Mass. We can also offer our very selves as we offer it up to the Lord to draw closer to Him. As in Col. 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,…” This is a challenging teaching and we can share in His redemption and be generous in the giving of ourselves to obtain graces for others those who do not know the Lord. We are pouring out ourselves and this becomes redemptive if we do it by faith and unite it with Christ. We totally abandon ourselves to Him. Unlike the world that exercise authority and make their authority felt by lording it over and chase power and success, to be great is to serve in Christianity’s view and the only path to holiness. The race that the world is after is for higher status, to dominate and lord our achievements, to wield our special knowledge and insights over others and try to beat off and fight them. St. Francis just totally took himself out of such a race of worldly power. For him, what a man is in the eyes of God is just so much he is and no more. In everything is grace by God’s election and no one could boast. We just have to go on living under obedience so we know for certain what the will of God is. We just have to trust God in everything. All we have to do is strive to follow the way of the Lord in our life and be confident that He is always looking out for our best interest. Sometimes we think that we can have our own way with God and that we are smarter than Him for devising our own plans and questioning Him when things do not turn out the way we wanted it. In moments like these can we truly exercise our faith in God and see how far we are willing to go with God's plan. When we see things happening to us and not understanding the reason for it we may as well look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said, "Let this cup pass me by but not my will, but Yours be done." We should have the same courage to say the same thing knowing that He will not put us through something without seeing us through it. THOSE THAT WAIT ON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS AN EAGLE. THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY AND WALK AND NOT FAINT. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 20:17-28
...“You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”