AN INHERITANCE

It is a natural reaction from most people who hear about someone entrusted a big inheritance to feel envious of his/her good fortune. I always hear people say that such person is so lucky. Actually, there is no sense in feeling that way if we just realize that we've all been handed down an inheritance from God through Jesus Christ. We are a people beyond lucky but truly blessed. We should realize by now that we are more than royalty because we are heirs of not just a great fortune but an imperishable, undefiled and unfading inheritance. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you 5 who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. 6 In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

God is always true and faithful to his covenant. We can count on Him to carry out and fulfill His part. It is our part of the covenant that we need to be concerned about. We've got to respond to God and fulfill our part of the bargain for our own good. This we need to be aware of and keep in mind always. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9, 10c
R: The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
...He has made known to his people the power of his works, giving them the inheritance of the nations...

It is not true that God makes it difficult for us to enter heaven rather it is ourselves who make it difficult. When we cling to people and things more than we cling to God then that's when it becomes difficult. We've got to realize by now that nothing is impossible for God and by uniting ourselves to Him we can overcome anything. We've got to surrender everything to God and unite our wills with Him so that what seems to be impossible becomes possible. St. Dominic Sabio said that he would choose death rather than sin. We have to know what helps us to overcome sin in our life. St. Ignatius of Loyola said that we have to retrace the steps that led us to fall into sin and strive to eliminate it. It is in the beginning when sin is easily overcome. We have to attack sin at a point where it can still be easily removed or put to a stop. One more important thing is to avoid occasions of sin. We must not underestimate the effects of original sin. If we play with fire we will get burned. Furthermore, "Curiosity kills more than just cats, it can kill the soul." We have to resist temptation and offer negative resistance but when a temptation is difficult, we offer positive resistance through prayer. We do this by invoking the presence of God in moments of temptation. We can also do the opposite virtue for which we are being tempted. For example we are tempted to hate and despair we make an act of love and hope. If it's an attack to chastity then we direct ourselves to other things. There is a parable about making it is easy to live virtuously. It is about a man who said that there are 2 wolves fighting within us. When asked who won he answered it is the one who we feed the most. We have to feed the good wolf in us through spiritual reading, frequenting the sacraments, spending time in prayer and engaging in healthy spiritual friendships or anything that can inspire and strengthen our character to what virtue is in need of. We’re not Pelagians who believe in the theory that we can be holy by our own strength alone. We need the grace of God. If we know we are lacking in devotion we ask for fervency and a fiery love of God. We should work and develop abhorrence for sin as in hate intensely what God loathes. We should see sin for what it really is. Eve looked upon the fruit and saw that it is pleasing to the eyes. It may have an appeal but it brings destruction. An offense to God is an attack to our own dignity. Sin is a threat to our union with God because it delays or prevents it. Sin may appeal to us in a very irresistible way but we have to keep in mind that all it can give is just a momentary sort of delight. We need to think of ourselves walking on the edge of a cliff. If we want to strive for holiness and perfection we need to move further away from the cliff so as to increase the distance between us and the cliff and thus prevent falling into sin. It is a difficult task but as the gospel tells us today, "All things are possible for God.” Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 10:17-27
...“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ...“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”