Jesus understands. He knows exactly what we have been
through and are going through right now even much more than we can imagine. Let
us trust that He knows better than we all do and be confident of God who
created us all. It should also give us a better perspective, the best
motivation and inspiration to always offer everything that we do to God whether
it be a simple or great task that is in our hands knowing that Jesus His Son
has already perfected it for us. If we sometimes come to a point where we feel
so lost and unsure if what we are going through and doing is still worth it,
let us always keep in mind that for as long we do it to honor and glorify God
then it should make us think very hard and not just twice before we ever give
up. Let us not miss out on the ultimate
blessing and the inheritance won for us by our unbeatable and undefeated
Savior. All things happen for a reason and a purpose within the appointed time.
God gives us valuable instructions for life that will make it pleasing and
acceptable before Him. We should be mindful of the word of God being given to
us in the scriptures and in our daily circumstances. The bible has been
described as something like a manual that teaches us, Christians to go about
with our lives. Just like any new equipment that comes with a manual in order
to operate it properly so are God's words to us. We have to discover the joy of
always consulting the word of God through the daily readings. In doing so we
may even come to a point of making a commitment to write down reflections and
share it to family and friends. It is in documenting and organizing our
thoughts or journaling that we can access, read it readily and be reminded
constantly. When God created us He intended for us to be guided and directed in
accordance to His will and that's what the word of God does for us. For nothing
else matters more than what matters to God. Jesus is 100% divine and human
except for sin. This is a Church teaching that was emphasized during our bible
study. The arch of Mark's gospel which illustrates 2 opposite parts represented
by Jesus as Son of God and Son of Man is highlighted by the center of the arch
where Jesus' divinity meets His humanity in the cross as the perfect victim
(sacrificial lamb/scapegoat) of man's salvation. When things get out of hand we
have no one to blame but ourselves for Jesus the perfect sacrifice is surely
not lacking in everything that He has given us for our own welfare. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Hebrews 4:12-16
12 The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any
two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. 13 No creature is
concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to
whom we must render an account.
It always pays to be watchful and alert at all times.
Although we sometimes fail to measure up due to our own shortcomings or could
be the doing of another, God assures us in today's psalm that if we fall into
the trap of the enemy we can always repent with a deep remorse for our sins and
resolve to make the precepts of the Lord the joy of our hearts. In doing so, we
find ourselves naturally restrained from sin and maintain our innocence. It is
so hard to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord if we do not know exactly
how to go about with it. It's just like when we have to comply to certain
requirements in school and follow the standard set by it. We need to have a
pattern or outline from which we can base our work. Just as it is so in other
things, the more we are all in need of God's precepts. The absolute bedrock of
spiritual life is to follow the 10 commandments. We are sometimes misled into
thinking that when we have a type of prayer then we think that we already have
a spiritual life. We’ve got to have the humility to admit that God is smarter
than we are and we need to follow and obey what we are told in the 10
commandments. We should be totally and absolutely convinced that He knows best.
Satan uses half truths and half lies in his devilish tricks. Satan’s claims
seem to come true in one level. Take the example of our 1st parents
after eating of the forbidden fruit their eyes were opened and did become in
one sense like God. The fallen angels made their free choice by radically and
irrevocably rejecting God so in turn they seduce and mislead Adam & Eve. It
was through sin that humanity was afflicted by death. Because of one man’s
disobedience many were made sinners. When tempted in the Garden, Adam failed to
remain faithful to God and His commands. Jesus, the New Adam, is God’s servant
totally obedient to the Divine will. Jesus is the devil’s conqueror and takes
back the plunder. What the devil has stolen from us, Jesus has recovered for
us. Pope Benedict XVI commented about what the Lord experienced in the desert
and said that at the heart of all temptations is the act of pushing God aside
because we conceive Him as secondary. It is an act of constructing our world
with our own lights and building our own foundation and setting God aside as an
allusion. Temptations come in many varied forms but one thing is sure, it does
not invite us to directly do evil because it is too blatant and would outright
turn us off. It is very subtle and yet an act of pushing God’s commands aside
and placing the devil’s temptation as primary. If we want to remain victorious
throughout life, we have to keep Him in the center of our life and hold on to
His words which are Spirit and life. God’s ever present help can be found in
the scriptures. It's just like a soldier going to battle wearing the armor of
God. It never fails and always there to defend and protect from the snares of
the evil one. So always take up our sword which is the word of God. God's
perfect word can refresh the soul. Have you ever wondered really how it feels
to be refreshed? Whenever we take a shower or a warm bath and put on clothes
that are well fitted and comfortable it refreshes our body. It could also be whenever
we go to a place where we can unwind, relax, be away from the tensions,
stresses, noise and turmoil of the fast paced lives that we lead and just
appreciate the beauty of nature that surrounds us and the peace and quiet it
offers to our tired bodies in order to be more in touch with God's voice in us.
It is so refreshing it gives our minds and hearts a better view and perspective
of how to live our lives. The same thing with our souls, we should always keep
it clean, healthy and clothed with maximum security, protection but comfortable
enough we don't even know it's there. Like it has become fused in us, there's
nothing more right than following and obeying the law of God. Today's psalm
reading guides us on how we should go about with our lives by always keeping in
mind God's laws. None of us is perfect but through our imperfections we can
always run to God for help and guidance. He will never refuse nor forsake us
for He can only love and care for us. There are people who have alienated
themselves from God and we can’t just force them to go back. God does not do
that, it’s not how the Lord works, instead we pray and pray for them. If we
wait long enough and adhere to God’s precepts then we will finally obtain joy
in our hearts. As water prevails over the rock throughout the course of time so
does the Holy Spirit that is continuously flooding or washing over the man’s
heart. The Holy Spirit moves in and
continues to work upon us and tenderizes us. The song entitled, "Your
Words Are Spirit and Life" by Bernadette Farrell was impressed to me. It
is a beautiful song that I have always loved to sing and I just realized that
the words of this song are taken from this psalm which made me start singing
it. Well, we just have to fully discover what the words of God can make us do.
When things get out of hand we have no one to blame but ourselves for God is
surely not lacking in everything that He has given us for our own welfare. We've
got everything we need because there's nothing more that God could and should do
for us that He has not done. All we have to do is completely trust and obey the
judgments of the Lord. GOD'S LAW MAKES US LIVE A VIRTUOUS LIFE (CCC 1803
"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if
there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.") May we
truly recognize the genuine and precious treasures that we should all strive to
achieve and work for which is none other than these things spoken of in today's
psalm. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
R: Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
7 [8] The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9] The
precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the LORD is
clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring
forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. (R) 10 [11]
They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than
syrup or honey from the comb.
We don't really know anything at all. Judging from today's
gospel we also fall into the same trap as the Scribes and Pharisees. This is
what happens when we fail to see how the mind of God works. Whenever things do
not go the way we wanted it then it would be best to always trust the mind of
God that works for the ultimate good. Speaking of battles makes us think of
wounds and injuries that can lead to sicknesses and there is really nothing to
fear for in every fight we take we are assured of a Divine Healer that can make
us whole. We should always follow what God wants us to do no matter how
difficult it is at the present moment. There should be no doubt that He will
carry us through. Today's gospel assures us that God is willing and able to
cure all our ills and sicknesses. The problem lies not in God's ability to heal
us but in our acceptance of the fact that we are sick and need healing. It may
be easier for a severely ill person to recognize one's sickness because it is
very obvious and undeniable than for someone whose illness and symptoms are
just mild and unnoticeable. It is more dangerous in a way because the illness
just creeps up very slowly and discreetly. It’s completely widespread and
terminal just like some cancers even before we know it. We need to be aware of
how we are doing ourselves. This does not apply to just our physical state but
most importantly our spiritual. Let us not neglect nor overlook this seemingly
fine condition we thought we are in and be caught unaware when everything
becomes too late. Fr. Joel Jason wrote this paragraph below in his article in
Sabbath.
Psychology journals now even speak of a so-called “mild
addiction.” I have a friend with a drinking problem who calls it his “daily
fix.” Included in this mild addictions are gluttony, chain smoking and heavy
drinking. But whether it is light or heavy, it is still an addiction. It’s a
form of sickness. Treating them lightly only gives a false sense that we are
doing OK when in fact we’re getting sicker by the day.
Today in the Gospel, Jesus reminds us, “People who are
healthy do not need a doctor; sick people do.” It was a subtle but stinging
remark directed to those religious leaders of His time who choose to be blind
to their own moral sickness. Today we have the same problem. We don’t even know
that we are sick because we invent names like “mild addiction” or “daily fix”
to avoid calling ourselves to task. Companies who make contraceptives even
market a pill with anti-pimple ingredient, taking advantage of the insecurities
of the youth. What’s next? A pill fortified with beta-carotene? We are becoming
sick and we do not even know it. Jesus, remind my heart.Fr. Joel O. Jason
Reflection Question:
When you see grossly overweight children, do you find it
cute? Do you justify your disordered desires by calling them “mild addictions”?
Lord Jesus, more than the physical, I need spiritual healing
in my heart, in my desires, in my will. O Hesus, hilumin mo, aking sugatang
puso. Amen.
We need to receive the medicine of the Divine Physician to
be healed and saved. Just like Levi in today’s gospel or more popularly known
as Matthew we have to be a true disciple of Christ. Live the gospel, become
living witnesses and role models. The disciples leave many things behind.
Despite of who Matthew is God loves him. He was greedy and a corrupt man. When
he got up and followed Jesus he left his office. We have to ask the Holy Spirit
to reveal things to us. We have to throw away all our garbage in our character
and relationship like vices, lust, pride, anger, materialism, being stingy in
giving treasures to the Lord. We still have a lot of things to be transformed
in our lives. As in John 10:10, A thief comes only to steal and
slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more
abundantly. We need to remove the fear of surrendering to the Lord. The
disciples of Jesus love to be in the company of the Master. They talked,
walked, ate and spent time with Jesus to learn. They were with Jesus 24 hours a
day and so must we to be His disciple. Here are some recommendations from a
retreat to be a disciple. First, we have to greet and thank God before we get
out of bed and wake up. Say our prayers and read the bible. When we worship God
we close our eyes. Make a habit of praying before starting and after work. Pray
before meals even in public places. Pray for safety when we travel and pray
before we go to bed. A disciples transforms his/her past for God’s purposes.
God uses all our past experiences for us to attain the kingdom of God
Mark 2:13-17
…As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at
the customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed
Jesus. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat
with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. Some
scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax
collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and
sinners?” 17 Jesus heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need
a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but
sinners.”
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