We can always rely on the word of people whom we trust. We
have this confidence that we can count on them and they will never let us down.
As we develop this mutual relationship of trust and love we eventually become
very good friends. The same is true also with our relationship with God, in
today's 1st reading we are advised to follow it because we have a God who is
trustworthy more than any best friend we could ever have. In the Philippines
we have this expression, “Dinudugo na ako.” In English it can be translated as
“I am bleeding.” Although not literal in its meaning when someone says this it
is to emphasize the fact that a person is having a very difficult time. I guess
the essence of blood or what it stands for in every culture can not be
underrated. This is what came to my mind upon reading this in Companion. “Blood
is very important in Jewish and Christian theology as it is seen as the life
essence of the animal or person and it belongs to God. This is why the Jews
will not eat food made from blood. In that blood symbolized the life essence of
a being; it was offered to God as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. This
is why Christians see the shedding of the blood of Christ as the definitive
offering of sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, because as Jesus is without
sin, His offering is totally meritorious and capable of bringing true and
lasting forgiveness. Previously, sacrifices had to be continually offered as
they were imperfect.” Amen. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 10:19-25
19 Brothers and sisters: Since through the Blood of Jesus we
have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary 20 by the new and living way he
opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, 21 and since we have “a
great priest over the house of God,” 22 let us approach with a sincere heart
and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold unwaveringly to our
confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. 24
We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. 25 We should
not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one
another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.
We can't
claim to be this kind of person, a Christian but conduct ourselves in a very
unlikely way. Let us no longer be deceived by the false and misleading truths
and principles that this world presents to us every single day. We have to be
grounded at all times on this truth that today's psalm is telling us. There was
a time when Tita Neds complained that something is wrong with the television.
She said that somebody fixed it already but it didn't stay fixed for long. It
wasn't the manufacturer who repaired it that was why. If it was brought to its
manufacturer they would definitely know what to do with it. We've got to be
conscious of this reality and apply it to ourselves. When something goes wrong
we should know where to go, to whom we really belong, the Lord. This is the
covenant: we belong to the Lord and He belongs to us for we are His people and
He is our God. If we look at what's happening in the world today most
especially the economic crisis wherein even the leading nations are being
challenged by the present situation then we are really bound to anticipate the
worst. Not even those people who used to be very confident of their present
jobs in their respective stable companies can be too sure of what's going to
happen next. There have been so much speculations of what will be the outcome
of this worldwide problem of the economy and most of them are not good. With
all these rubble, there is just really one thing we need to focus on and that
is God. It is not easy to live life in this world but we can rejoice and be
glad, we have an army, a battalion, a full house of saints with all the angels
constantly and endlessly praying and singing in heaven, the so called
triumphant Church/army of God, who intercede in our behalf and is joyously
inviting us to be one of them. We are being reminded by the readings today to
always keep ourselves blameless before the Lord no matter how tough things are.
God wants to be with us, there is no doubt about that. But just like water and
oil which can not be put together and mixed so is God and man if we are in sin
or harbor anything that can not be attributed to the holiness of God. We can
not force two different things to go together. Water is a polar molecule and
oil is non polar. They do not mix because they are two different substances as
in the adage, "Like dissolves like." God can not change. He is
already who He is, Holy in all His ways. We can change. We can be like God in
His holiness and goodness if we want to be with Him forever. Let us not lose
sight of what a mighty God we serve who made the heavens and the earth. We pray
to God to open our eyes that we may see the wonders of His love. We should
think profoundly of our daily walk with the Lord which consists of not only a
leisure stroll in the plains and valleys of life but a steep climb up to the
top of the mountain. We must avail of the sacrament of reconciliation. It gives
us renewed strength and hope. Our life consists of steep and dangerous climbs
but we must not forget that God is always at our side. If we are to carefully
assess our life we would find that it feels good whenever we are able to
overcome most of our pitfalls though there are some that still needs
improvement. We must praise and thank God that every time we experience a fall
back and backslide we can immediately go back to Him through the sacrament of
confession which restores us to our original path and right track. It is God's
desire that we will someday come face to face with Him. There is a need for us
to prepare for that day. We are sometimes guilty of not focusing on God's
countenance alone, there are times when we get distracted by other things and
today's psalm reading serves as the reminder. I heard a story about God's
radiating and blinding light that when we stand before Him nothing is hidden
from Him, He will never turn away from us but if we ourselves are tainted with
the guilt of our sins then we can not withstand His presence and will
definitely hide and ran away from Him, far from His ever blinding Light that
penetrates us. Let us all hope that when that day comes we can stand in His
Holy Presence and claim with confidence our rightful place in His Kingdom. For
our information, all of us are eligible to be in heaven with God. There is no
doubt about this since we have been made and washed clean by the Blood of the
Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. A virgin is with child. The Old
Testament scriptures have foretold of this and point to the coming of Christ.
The prophets preannounced and prefigured His coming and pointed to the
fulfillment in Jesus in the New Testament. He has loved us first and continues
to do so. He encounters us ever anew in the sacraments especially in the
Eucharist. The Church helps us to respond to God’s initiative through word and
teaching and the gathering of believers who respond faithfully. We have to be
firm, resilient and faithful people of God. We’ve got to really focus on what
is truly important and essential. We live in a world where there are so many
distractions that we tend to lose sight of what should be our greatest and most
important concern. After all has been said and done we will find in the end
that what truly matters is not what will last only in this lifetime but for all
eternity, a reward from God our Savior. When somebody invites us for a party we
just don't go there without preparing ourselves for it. Much more gatecrash and
just go to a party without an invitation. We are blessed that God has invited
us. The best we could do being privileged, honored and counted to come to His
banquet in heaven is to make preparations and always be ready to take part in
it, really belong and not end up an outcast. We should not lose sight of this
standing invitation that God gives us in our daily life. There is indeed a need
to always be prepared so that when the final moment comes we can reside in the
heavenly abode of God. In every game there is a rule to follow and only those
who play it fair and square can finish to the end and win their prize. Today’s
psalm gives us a guideline to follow in order to make it through. We should
always long to see the face of God at all times in every person, event and
circumstance in our lives. Let us always hold on to this image so that someday
when we finally come face to face with God we will receive a blessing and
reward for He will surely bring about what He said He would do. In the course
of the time and in the history of mankind we hear of people like Abraham chosen
by God. The chosen people were given laws and ordinances to follow. The
remnants of the chosen people or those who were faithful to God in keeping
these commandments like Simeon and Anna, Joachim and Anne are those who belong
to the Hebrew generation, kept the Jewish tradition and prepared the way for
the coming of the Messiah. This initiation of God in loving us first should
bring us to act and make love blossom as a response on our part. We've got to
be consistent to the kind of people who longs to see God's face. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R: Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
...For he
founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (R) 3 Who can
ascend the mountain of the LORD? Or who may stand in his holy place? 4 He whose
hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. (R) 5 He
shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior...Such are
the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob."
I could
remember a time when I hesitated for a moment when I was about to hand over to
this home health nurse a copy of a daily reflection that I wrote and got
inspiration through him the way I normally do with most of the people I am
around. A lot of questions popped into my mind like, Would he mind receiving a
bible reflection? Is he Christian? Can I really do this? I've encountered a lot
of sensitive issues here in the US Kingdom of God Kingdom of God Roman empire . They think of the Messiah as the
one to free them from the Roman rule and use the knowledge of the kingdom for
power and control. It is like putting Jesus in a box and keeping Him at a
distance so as not to allow Him to change us. We have to follow and submit to
God. The seed planted in our hearts although a mystery and can not fully be comprehended
will draw us closer to him through faith and good works. It is much different if we are to live our
vocation and grow in our knowledge and understanding of the faith. We develop
trust and personal adherence in a form of clinging to God. We see this in the
life of people with no high theological understanding. They articulate their
deep love for God and understanding in simple ways. With people who are still
suffering and struggling with difficulties that are not taken away, the hidden
nature of the mystery persists. Just like this particular time that was very
difficult for a friend of mine whose husband passed away to see the light of
hope. But we continue to believe that in a moment of darkness filled with grief
and despair of losing a loved one there is still hope that light is still
shining through and is bound to be known to all in His most perfect time. We
have to have faith in the heart and believe that everything will unfold in His
time and be able to discover the light in the midst of trying and uncertain
moments. We may not grasp the meaning of all the things at the moment but
everything will soon come to pass and only the light of God's truth will
prevail. The veil is lifted and finally
see God for who He is through faith, obedience and generous living in the
gospel. This is the only way we can experience His love in a very real way.
Though, still with the cross but still following his inspiration. This means
real change in our lives that only the gospel can bring about as we remain faithful
to it. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 4:21-25
Jesus said
to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or
under a bed, and not to be placed on a lamp-stand? 22 For there is nothing
hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. 23
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” 24 He also told them, “Take care
what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
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