We are all members of the body of Christ so we are all
called to fulfill our own God given mission to make all things right. We are
invited to live at peace with everyone by first becoming a person of peace. It
can never be done in hostility but only in gentleness. In 1 Tim 5:3, it is stated that we should treat others
even our enemies with courtesy and respect. It is how we relate and disagree
with one another that tell much of who we really are. It is rooted in the truth
of who we are and what we honestly believe. The will of Jesus for the community
is unity. He prayed not only for the disciples but for all those who believe. A
Christian community should love and respect each other even when we disagree.
Heroic virtues and holiness should just be something ordinary since it is the
way it should be for a true Christian. When we pray for patience we should be
willing to go through the process of planting, cultivating and nourishing
it. Though we feel inadequate in
ourselves we need not despair because God has given each one of us a gift for
some benefit and the others too. We all belong in God's big family and we are
all part of His body. We are all connected in a way and God will bring to us
people, events and situations that will perfect us and our needs for His
greater glory and for the good of the entire people of God, the Church in which
we are all a part of. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a12
Brothers and sisters:As a body is one though it has many
parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also
Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or
Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many … 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and
individually parts of it.
The Jews knew of the prophecy that from King David’s lineage
would come forth a King, the foretold Messiah of Israel. During the reign of
King Ahaz and all other kings of Israel who did evil things the royalty
was cut off. During the Babylonian captivity and in exile, those born of the
line of David, of royal blood went in hiding for fear of being killed. Even
though the divinic dynasty was cut off, from the tree of Jesse, the father of
King David, came forth the shoot that brought forth the King. We remember that
it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the
stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The genealogy of
Jesus in Matthew 1 tells of this family tree. We would find at the end of this
lineage is Joseph who is the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Joseph is not
king but a carpenter and being Jew knew of the prophecy as foretold by the
prophet including this one from Isaiah 7:14 … the Lord Himself shall give you a
sign, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name
Emmanuel.” as spoken to him by the angel who appeared to him. He finally
understood the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel . Isaiah is important to
better understand Jesus. Joseph knew of the need for secrecy and not to make
public these things because the reigning king at that time is Herod. He is not
Jew but an Edomite who was just appointed by the Romans to be king. He is king
not for the Jews but for the Romans to collect taxes for them. This is mainly
the reason why Herod wants all male babies born at the time of Jesus, dead.
Joseph dreamed a lot of dreams and it was through them that Joseph was able to
successfully carry out his mission as the protector of the baby Jesus. Another
point of reference here is the fact that in the Old Testament (OT) there was a
foreshadowing of the Magi or Wise Men who came to worship Jesus in the manger.
It was at the time of the reign of Balak an evil king in the OT when Balaam also
a wise man from the East prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there shall come a
Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel
who will dispossess Edom .
He was asked to exact a curse upon Israel but from his mouth came
forth a blessing. A star and a scepter signifies kingship. In parallel, it was
also the 3 wise men who were looking for a star that would direct them to the
newborn King of Israel who would inform Herod of his whereabouts but warned in
a dream not to go back to him in a dream. Jesus is truly our King. The Kingship
of Jesus is accompanied by many more wonderful things that we still have to
know of. In the Jewish tradition the # 3 and 7 stands for perfection and
completeness. It is somehow puzzling to know that there are 3 sets of 14
generations from the time of Abraham to the exile to the time of Jesus. So why
the #14? The significance of the #14 stands for the name of King David which is
equivalent to 14 in Hebrew. The 3 sets
of 14 stands for perfect royalty and king that all leads to Jesus. It could
also be equivalent to 6 sets of 7. The #6 signifies the date when the beast is
made or the beginning thus the #666 which signifies the beast of all beasts.
The 6 of 7 sets could mean the beginning of the 7th set. 7 is also the Sabbath.
The new 7 is the new creation. Jesus is the beginning of the 7th set. Why the
fuss in all of these? It is a consolation to know that we have a God who is
King. The King of kings and the Lord of lords. We will eventually come face to
face with our Creator and God who made heaven and earth. The time is now to
make a conscious move to be in touch with this truth. It is such a waste that
we don't always realize God's presence among us. When there is nothing more
rewarding than to always be aware of God's presence and cry out to Him in joy. Whenever
we are in a relationship with someone and give our 100% into it then we can not
help but expect it to work. But there are times too when we have given our all
and yet it doesn't seem to be enough. We sometimes are bound for
disappointments. When these things happen then is really no reason to be sad
for we can always go to God for consolation whose love for us endures forever. We
are all called to become partakers and residents of the eternal Kingdom of God Elm Street " every time the girl in
this movie falls asleep, her nightmare begins and Freddie Krueger appears to
wreak evil and havoc in her life. She has to stay awake or else something
really bad happens to her and the people around her. Somehow this should make
us realize the importance of being awake, conscious and in touch with reality.
If there's one thing that we have to always be aware of, that is God has our
best interest in mind. It may not be easy to see, understand and have a grip on
this reality always especially at times when we seem down and out as in falling
flat on bed without a care in the world like dumb sleepyheads. We have to rise,
wake up and shine. We ought to always get a hold of this truth in today's psalm
and never let it leave our consciousness. We will eventually come face to face
with our Creator, and the time is now to make a conscious move to be in touch
with this truth. Our devotion to God should have no limits for He is Almighty,
All Powerful and Holy. We should remain faithful to God and never stray away
from the path where He leads us. Let us stay within the flock that God has
formed for us. When we are being cared for by God who is constantly and
consistently good, kind and faithful forever and ever then we are confident
that we are safe and secure in the fold where we belong like a flock tended by
the Good Shepherd. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R: We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
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. Enter his gates
with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; give thanks to him; bless his name. 5
For he is good, the LORD, whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness,
to all generations.
I know that whatever caused some things to happen the way
they did, Jesus wants to make it clear that He can bring back to life whatever
it is that died whether it be physical, emotional or every aspect of our lives
that is subject to death. For nothing is too difficult or impossible for God. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Luke 7:11-17
...13 When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her
and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 15 The
dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother...
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