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 to 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.

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 to see that in today's psalm it mentioned about the friendship of God and that we can be sure that it is something we can always count and depend on. 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. 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. We can never deny the awesome and wonderful signs that God has wrought in the life of St. John the Baptist from the moment he was conceived, the time of his birth until he fulfilled the ministry and call that God has given to him. If we are to look very closely and intently at our own lives there is no denying to the truth that the hand of the Lord is always with us. It is up to us how we live this truth, whether we grow and become strong in spirit like John the Baptist is a choice we have to make. He is a well known figure in our Christian faith. We can surely learn from his example and live out God's mission for each one of us to its fulfillment. 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
...they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother said in reply, “No.He will be called John.” 61 But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 62 So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63 He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. 65 Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 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.