THE BATTLE

Most Catholic Churches have a devotion to St. Michael, the Archangel. In fact in St. Martha and several others this prayer is being prayed regularly in his honor. "St. Michael the Archangel defend us in the day of battle be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray and do thou O Prince of the Heavenly Host by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." Today's 1st reading from the Book of Daniel reminds us of this very important role of St. Michael especially on that final day of judgment. We should be aware of the fact that we are indeed caught up in this continuous battle wherein war is being constantly waged and fought between good and evil. It would be really wise if we can get all the help we need in order to emerge victorious in all the battles we encounter daily especially on that final day of unsurpassed distress. Daniel quoted the scriptures from prophets that lived before him. Rabbis of Jerusalem have collected these scriptures into Torah and then into scriptures, and considered statements inspired by God. A message from heaven is not just for the time of the prophet himself but for all time.  It applied to the prophet’s own day and up to the present time. Here is Daniel a couple of centuries later from Jeremiah and Jesus in His time and in the book of Revelation. As the angel speaks a word is sent forth. If we seek God correctly not for ourselves but for the good of all people then we develop a connection to God. In the face of difficulty and impending doom we turn to God and beg for mercy while maintaining confidence that whatever may be the outcome we remain steadfast in our faith. The most important is that we never stop praying for everything written must be fulfilled. Whatever Daniel has understood in all his visions and prophecies, the Lord is asking to expand his mind. It all starts with and end with God and it is our choice whether to end up in the Lord’s side or not. Amen. Hallelujah!

Reading 1

Dn 12:1-3

..."At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress...“But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever."

I have always been amazed of the fact that the scriptures of the Old Testament has always been spoken of as the foreshadowing of the New Testament which is the fulfillment of everything that was written. The apostles were able to connect Jesus to the scriptures in the Old Testament and became very convinced that He is indeed the Messiah and Savior of the world. The 1st reading taken from Daniel and the Psalm reading for today were written several hundred years apart. This is judging from the timeline of the reign of King David (1000BC) to whom the Psalms were attributed  but we can detect the uniformity of the message regarding the end times and the resurrection. We live in a dynamic world and it changes so fast. They say that nowadays, whatever we hold true for now may not be the case later. It is a consolation to know that in the midst of this unsure world we still have something that we can hold on to. The words of God can stand the test of time and will remain to be true from generation to generation. There may be some negative speculations and forecasts that are being hurled right in front of us about our present situations most especially with the uncertainty and unpredictability of prevailing conditions. We need to keep this in mind, only God can keep us safe from all harm. A holy man once said this, "If we don't go to the desert we have nothing to bring in the marketplace." If we have no prayer then nothing works. We have to pray. We need to take time to be alone with God because if we don't, then we make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy. The scriptures tell us of stories based on real life experiences of holy men and women who lived at a different time and period than today. It is a consolation to know that the God of yesterday is still God of today and tomorrow. This gives us the confidence to really hold on to Him for He is living and true now and forevermore. The message of the readings tells us to turn our gaze on the inevitable which is sure to come. If we try to look at the facts of life there are very few things that we can permanently hold on to. All these things will come to pass and we will all eventually leave this world no matter how long we may have lived already, it will eventually come to an end. When that final day comes we must be found prepared and ready for the inheritance that God gives us. When we went to Las Vegas I saw that one of the shows we can watch for entertainment is a magician named Angel. I was reminded of the time when he was a guest in Oprah. He wowed the viewers and the crowd by being able to predict 5 days before the show the things that Oprah and 2 random guests from thousands of people from  the audience are going to say. He wrote in a piece of paper these three things: delicious, John and Kevin and kept them in a suitcase with a surveillance camera on for 5 days so that no one can see it or even come near it before the show. What’s very interesting was the fact that on the day of the show when Oprah was asked what word comes to her mind she answered, “delicious” and the other 2 who were chosen randomly from almost more than a thousand crowd along Michigan Ave. in Chicago. It was done by throwing a ball and whoever catches it will be the one who will be asked. The man from the crowd who got the ball was asked the name of his first pet and he answered, “John” while the woman who  got the other ball was asked who was her first kiss and she answered, “ Kevin”. All of their answers matched the 3 things that he wrote 5 days in advance. It was kind of unbelievable to see something like this and couldn’t quite come up with a good explanation how it came to be. If it was just a trick he did make a good presentation because it appeared very convincing. How can a man predict in advance the things that these people are going to say? If this man who claims to have the power of prediction was able to do it all the more can a powerful God predict our future. But we must keep in mind that it’s choice not chance that determines our destiny. There is only one real failure in life that is possible and that is not to be true to the best one knows. We should always settle for best and make God our choice. For there is nothing more assuring than the fact that we have a loving God and Father who surely has our destiny secure. We must be secured in the knowledge that as children of God our Father we are heirs of His Kingdom and co-owners of this vast creation. May we find the Lord as the only treasure in our lives worth keeping. When God calls us for a task we should always be ready, willing and able to follow Him no matter what the cost. Always follow where the Lord leads us. Nothing else could be worth more than God's inheritance. Sometimes we are confronted with so many allurements that we begin to be influenced by the way the world judges things. Let us always hold fast to God's views and ideals that we may not lose sight of the path to life and our inheritance. Amen. Hallelujah!

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. 8 I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. (R) 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body, too, abides in confidence; 10 because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. (R) 11 You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. (R)

We have all been made worthy to receive the gift of eternal life. The only question here lies in our ability to respond, accept and be totally aware of the gift. Thus the need to always pray, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph save souls.” Amen. Hallelujah!

Reading II

Heb 10:11-14, 18

...But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

We encounter days wherein we experience the extra spice of life with all its ups and downs twists and turns whew! We may never have thought such things happening all at once. This is so because God never ceases to surprise us every day since he always fills it with a lot of signs and wonders that serve as a reminder for us. One thing is sure, He will never leave us empty handed and will always guide and protect us at all times especially in that dreadful day or time whether it be our daily or final battle. Indeed everything will pass away as stated in today’s gospel. The heaven that exists right now is a place only for souls but time will come when Jesus will raise all the dead and we will be with God in heaven with resurrected bodies. Amen. Hallelujah!

Gospel

Mk 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. "And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky...Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away...