TOUGH LOVE

It's tough to love the unlovable much more to love them as ourselves. I had the chance of watching the movie of Pope John Paul II and was very touched by his love for the poor and the sick. He visited Mother Teresa and even said that if it is only possible he would rather stay and exercise his office right at the heart of the place where the abandoned and rejected of the society are. The 1st reading today reminds us to have the willingness to always be of service to whoever that person may be. Amen. Hallelujah!

James 2:1-9
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please, ” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?...However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors...

Something that Pope John Paul II said in one part of the movie really touched me. It was that part when he was in the hospital for his operation. Just before the surgery, he went out of his room unnoticed and visited a very sick boy on the verge of dying. His mother was so depressed that no amount of words was able to console her. She told the Pope to tell God to go away. The Pope answered her that he did tell God to go away but He wouldn't listen. He embraced the inconsolable mother and told her that God knows exactly the place where He needs to be and that is none other than with her. We should realize that God never leaves nor forsakes most especially in times of despair. He is always there for us. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world. Have you heard of blind obedience? Following without knowing exactly why you follow. Take the example of suicide bombers, who willingly die to spread terrorism. What courage! We should know that it is always worth it to obey God, obeying and knowing fully well that it is for our own good. We all have fears in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. It is only fitting for us to do exactly what it tells us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
1 [2] I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. 2 [3] Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R) 3 [4] Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. 4 [5] I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.

We want to do things the easy and the quick way and this is not very surprising at all. Even St. Peter himself did not want to hear about the passion and death of Christ in today's gospel. We might be tempted to think that Jesus is a sadist because He wants to go through all the pain and suffering that the cross entails rather than be spared from it when He can obviously will anything to happen because He is God. Jesus wanted to set a good example for us by being obedient to the will of God the Father. It is only by dying on the cross that the resurrection can have meaning. Jesus wanted to show us that we may not be able to eliminate the harsh realities in life but we can always hope for a deliverance and resurrection in Him. Sometimes in life it is by going through something even the very difficult experiences that we learn great lessons. It is a brutal teacher indeed but we gain knowledge from it. We can always look to something and be assured that God will not let us go through something without seeing us through it. We better hold on to God and never let go rather than be won over by the false propaganda of Satan and end up a loser. In today’s gospel also we hear Jesus pose this question to His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” and in all places asked this in Caesarea Philippi. History tells us that this place is the center of paganism during that time. His disciples answered Him with a variety of things with regards to who He is. This is a question we ought to answer ourselves. The true meaning of His kingship is revealed on the cross. There is a newness in it, that He is a king who came not to be served but to serve. He speaks in riddles and parables but today’s gospel is the turning point as He speaks more openly and clearly although He still doesn’t want to tell everybody because they might misunderstand. It is difficult to understand the authentic identity of Jesus apart from the cross. This is why Jesus rebuked Peter when he tried to stop Him while talking about his suffering and death. He is trying to teach us that He’s the Savior and that God alone saves. He is the Messiah indeed through the Paschal mystery (suffering, death and resurrection). In this context we should learn to deny ourselves, take up our own crosses and follow Him. We must realize that no servant is greater than His master. If Jesus embraced His cross, so must we. We should not look at Jesus and see Him as someone who just taught us beautiful things as a teacher. We should go further and not allow Satanic temptation to pull us away from Jesus on the cross. It is the devil’s goal to pull us Christians away from the cross at all cost. Satan can easily lead us away from the cross because our human nature does not want to embrace the cross. It is just a natural reaction because we don’t want to suffer and lose our lives for this world. Jesus does not ask us but we’re invited to share in His Paschal Mystery and in His cross. The world oppresses us to deny the gospel because our ego dictates us to do it our way. We have to deny ourselves and let go of our ego. The world pushes us to live by our own rules. We need to relinquish ourselves and trust Him who is the Savior rather than trust ourselves with our own will. We are tempted by the world to go to a different direction which is not in alignment with the gospel and contrary to the spirit of the gospel. We must be aware of the struggles as spoken of in Daniel 7 where he speaks of end times, the struggle in this worldly kingdom and how God’s kingdom will triumph. We have to trust and believe in Him. Is it really in our gut that we are going to follow Jesus on the cross? The world is not taking us there rather it is the faith that we profess. He is the Savior. He saves us through the cross. Let us strive and choose to think the way God does and not as human beings do. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 8:27-33
27 Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”