IN OR OUT OF SEASON

Today's 1st reading reminded me of a very special person in my life who had been instrumental in the building up and growth of my faith during the first year of my Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Her name is Mrs. Teofista Tan Tena or Sis Pat, she is my boss in the very first regular job I had. We worked for more than a year and continued to keep in touch with her for years even after I transferred to another company. She had always been very enthusiastic in sharing to me a lot of things about the Catholic faith and was reminded me of her sharing about what happen to our souls after death. She said that the moment we breathe our last our souls will automatically and immediately return to God our Creator and the source of the breath of life. She said that during that moment when our souls hurry back to God, we will be confronted by this blinding & shining brightness of God's light that nothing can be hidden and everything in ourselves is exposed. That is when we'll see the impurities of our souls stained by our unconfessed and unrepented sins. Although it may sound a bit farfetched or difficult to prove today's first reading somehow gave me an inkling of what it might be like. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Timothy 6:13-16
I charge (you) before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ 15 that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see...

It is such a waste that we don't always realize God's presence among and in us. When there is nothing more rewarding than to always be aware of God's presence. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M
Psalm 100:1b-2. 3. 4. 5
R: Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; 2 serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends.

What divine coincidence it is that as I am reminded of Sis Pat, the gospel reading for today speaks of the parable of the seed and the sower. We all know that God speaks to us in many unique and different ways through circumstances and people we meet everyday. These should inspire us always, though it may have been a long time ago, our experiences with people like Sis Pat whom we can consider an instrument of God in placing the seed in our hearts during that planting season should always remain there, continue to grow and nurture whether in or out of season as in seed planted in rich soil. Amen. Hallelujah!