Malachi 3:1-4
...For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s
lye. 3 He will sit refining and purifying [silver], and he will purify the sons
of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due
sacrifice to the LORD.
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 aware that no one but the Lord is the King of glory. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10
R: Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
7 Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient
portals, that the king of glory may come in! (R) 8 Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
One thing I
can never forget with my friend Bernadeth when she was in an unwell state was
when she confided to me about how she really feels about people trying to be of
help, nice and consoling by saying to her, "I understand how you
feel." She said that she doesn't believe them when they say it. According
to her, they don't really know how she feels unless they themselves undergo the
same thing that she went through in which she said that some people have really
no idea. In fact, she said it with so much stress I almost started to doubt the
credibility of this principle relating to Patient Care that I learned way back
in Nursing School
Hebrews 2:14-18
...he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he
might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of
the people. 18 Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is
able to help those who are being tested.
Today’s gospel is about the presentation of Jesus in the
temple in obedience to the Mosaic law of Joseph and Mary. There is a wide variety of aspects to
contemplate upon. In Israel at that time, women had to
wait 40 days before the presentation of the child she has given birth. They
understand that when a woman bears a child they are in the realm that belongs
specifically to God. The birth of a child is something that depends on God
giving life and there is a great sacredness in the process of giving birth to a
child and they are set apart. This ritual needs to be completed before entering
the life of community. We can not often understand the OT teachings. At this
time a woman is considered unclean although not necessarily sinful since it could
also mean something sacred. We could look at it in a way they see the
scriptures since they are considered very sacred. In the synagogue everyone is
forbidden to actually touch a scroll with their finger so they have a stick to
point at the scripture. It is very sacred and if you touch it you become
unclean. The idea is that it is so sacred and considered a power that belongs
to the realm of God. If you are rendered unclean then one has to go in a ritual
bath. This is why Jewish women have to go into a ritual bath after 40 days
because they entered into the realm of God when they give birth to a child. It
works in a way that it is also at the time when the body after birth is
completely healed. All these things work hand in hand with each other as the mystery
of God unfolds in our very own lives. The characters of Simeon and Anna are
inevitably drawn into this event of Jesus' life. They serve as models of faith
and hope for the people of God. There is no doubt that God is with us but are
we with or for God. In any good relationship we know that it should be a 2-way
or mutual thing. One can not govern over or not respond to the other. If we aim
to develop an intimate relationship with God then we need to work on it. We can
also learn from Anna the prophetess. It was said that “she was constantly in
the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer.” Her devotion to
the Lord paid well. We sometimes go through life like a routine and we do
things automatically without much thought. There are times when we just let
things and circumstances pass us by without noticing any difference. Anna did
not fall for this kind of trap or complacency. She immediately knew and felt
the Lord's presence. There may be thousands of babies being presented in the
temple during that time but she spotted the Lord. This could not have been
possible if not for her prayerful and discerning attitude. Just like her, may
we be sensitive always to God's presence in our midst and be endowed with
discernment. This is what happens when we decide to always draw near to God. He
will surely not just draw nearer but nearest to us. God does not just match or
double our works and efforts but maximizes to the superlative. We’ll never find
ourselves in the losing end but always in a winning situation with the Lord.
When God stooped down to our level and disrobed his kingship for our sake He
knew from the start what He is headed, for He is All knowing. But some still
contradicts God despite everything He has done for us. And this is all because of
His great love for us. Jesus is an obedient and loving Son as He is a symbol of
perfection. That even His own mother was not spared of the hurt and pain is way
too much for Him. From every beginning to the end of it all, there should only
be one truth that guides us to the ultimate, unsurpassed and unending power of
God which has long been revealed throughout the ages. Jesus came to save us.
This is a very powerful statement that not every one of us can grasp its true
meaning. There's this story of a man who heard a banging on the windows one
winter night and saw the freezing sparrows who were trying to get in. The man
tried to save them by shooing them away towards the barn where they could have
shelter. Every time he tried to come near them he scares them and they fly
away. He realized that he can not save them because they can not understand
him. The only way to save them is to become small like them and lead them to
where they should go. Unless he becomes one of them there is no way he can save
them. This is what God did in order to save us. Jesus manifested God’s love. He
became a model for us to follow. This is all because He wanted to give us a
participation in His Divine Life. Mass is a perfect worship to God who is
perfect. During mass we offer Jesus, the perfect sacrifice to God who lived in
humble obscurity laid down His life in death, obeyed perfectly and won life for
us, the Church. Death is a part of life
and we ought to prepare for it. Not in the morbid kind of way but by giving and
surrendering all in union with Jesus. Simeon and Anna were both righteous,
devoted to God and prayerful. They were gifted by God with prophetic
revelations. We, too are gifted with the Holy Spirit but there is a need to
unleash the power in us. We can start by striving to follow the good example of
the holy men and women who came before us and faithfully and diligently wait on
the Lord. It is an opportunity just like Simeon and Anna in today’s gospel to
say our yes to the Father as Jesus did. We are reminded that even Jesus
followed what was written in the law. We are reminded to conduct our affairs of
this world in accordance to the law and live a life that is pleasing in the
eyes of the Lord. We ask the intercession of the Blessed Mother whose heart was
pierced by a sword, may we be always covered by her blue mantle of protection. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 2:22-40
...“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace,
according to your word, 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you
prepared in sight of all the peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”...“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
contradicted 35 — and you yourself a sword will pierce — so that the thoughts
of many hearts may be revealed.”
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