In today's 1st reading the disciples of Jesus saw a
paralyzed man healed and a dead woman raised up. In those days the followers of
Jesus were being persecuted and they surely needed that kind of boost.
Nowadays, we have the richness of this glorious background and enjoying the
freedom to exercise our faith in Jesus. We need God and His presence in our
lives to quiet the storms we are experiencing and receive peace. In Jesus we find
forgiveness and salvation. He gives Himself to us to have the fullness of life.
He is the Good Shepherd. He does not possess us but wants to have a
relationship with us. He knows us individually and intimately. We are made in
God's image and have a body and soul. This reality exists and we have to know
ourselves in a deeper level not just in the material alone but the spiritual
component that images God. Only in the light of Jesus can we find ourselves. By
looking through this lens that invite us to this spiritual knowing and live as
the Lord has lived. Amen. Hallelujah!
Acts 9:31-42
... “Tabitha, rise up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and
sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the
holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive...
When we hear of amazing stories we can not contain our
excitement. May we be always mindful of it at all times and filled with this
kind of emotion in all circumstances. We all have sinned and bore the guilt in
us. We have all been destined to die but Jesus took upon Himself all our sins
and paid it in full. He made an offering of Himself for our sake. The least we
could do is to give honor to this Holy Sacrifice. Let us cloth ourselves with
the blood which Jesus shed for us in Mount
Calvary
1. nominal- when we deny to identify a person as a real person. Example is
abortion, when doctors deny the fact that at the moment of conception a person
already exists. 2. real but limited - We do not deny but identify them as persons but with lesser worth like the sick and terminally ill. Just because they are old, weak and sick they deserve to die as in the case of euthanasia.
3. full and real but limited - Kills people as in the Holocaust.
The whole principle involved here is discovery and deciding. When our approach is discovery then we are being led to the events in our life with a sense of total surrender, trust and faith in the Lord's
We should ascribe to the real definition of personhood. It
answers the question what, how and what is it meant to be. Our approach in life
to achieve faith and righteousness is by discovery and through an authentic
Christian life. Discovery can be best defined in the sense that we are open to
the intention and purpose of God for us. With a seeking and expectant faith we
should allow God to lead us in discovering what is ahead of us and prepared by
God. The approach should be in a manner of discovering what God's intention is
and respecting it. We've heard of several occasions when people are spared from
death or any tragic or unpleasant event because they missed the bus, woke up
late, got stuck in traffic and something just came up which delayed them. I
guess, it has happened to us too, somehow. After feeling annoyed and impatient
because of that incident, we just found out that what appeared to be a nuisance
and a problem turned out to be a blessing. It will always be good to undergo
trials and hardships in life and remain steadfast in the Lord for everything
will pay off in the end. Not a single thing that we've been through for the
glory of God will ever be in vain. It is only right that we give all glory,
honor and praise to God. We need not wait and see any longer for it is in our
very own lives that God wants us to start paying attention to in order to make
a return for all the good he has done. What Jesus has done for all of us is the
ultimate sacrifice of love ever known in the entire history of mankind. It is
impossible for us to repay what He has done but with hearts full of gratitude
we can follow what the psalm reading today is telling us. It is only right and
fitting that we honor our vows and promises.
This shows how grateful, confident and assured we are of the Lord’s
goodness. It is only right and fitting that we give 100% loyalty to God who
deserves more than all the praises we can give. Let us cloth ourselves with the
blood which Jesus shed for us in Mount
Calvary
Psalm 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R: How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he
has done for me?
12 How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he
has done for me? 13 The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon
the name of the LORD. (R) 15 Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of
his faithful ones. 16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of
your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R) 17 To you will I offer sacrifice
of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
Some things do not always come easy. There are things that
we might find hard to accept and believe unless we are totally convinced of it.
So how do we become totally convinced of something? We must be able to witness
it and come to a decision that it is proven and tested. There is a need to make
use of our faculties in order to achieve this. The nature of Jesus’ death on Calvary is a sacrifice. All Christians recognize this
sacrifice as a mystery. That Jesus offered His life on the cross as a supreme
sacrifice but most Christians don’t realize how difficult it would have been
for 1st century Jewish Christians to come to that conclusion. Why?
If we were there on Calvary on Good Friday
even the most devout Jewish disciples would have been unable to describe that
experience as a sacrifice because for them there’s really nothing more to it
than a Roman execution. It took place outside of the walls of Jerusalem , far from the place where there
were no burnt offerings, odors and no priests and thus there is no sacrifice.
And yet in one generation all Christians came to conclude that indeed what
Jesus suffered on the cross was the supreme sacrifice. How did they reach such
a conclusion? Only by looking at Good Friday in a light of what Jesus did on
Maundy Thursday. When He instituted the Eucharist He didn’t simply celebrate
the feast of the Passover He established the Passover of the New Covenant and
it was more than just words. He took bread and said, this is my body which is
given up for you and then he took the chalice and spoke about how this blood of
the new and everlasting covenant will be poured out for the remission of sins
do this in remembrance of me. Was this just a rhetoric and ritual or is there a
reality and truth to what Jesus said and did? The proof that Jesus really gave
us His body and allowed his blood to be poured out for the remission of sins is
precisely given to us there on the cross. But the nature of Jesus’ death on the
cross is illuminated as a sacrifice only by retracing and looking at it in the
light of the Passover of the new covenant. The Eucharist and Calvary
are inseparable. There are 2 sides to
the same sacrifice. Jesus shows us that in His death He did not lose His life
for in the Eucharist He already made His life a gift of love. This love is what
conquers death and the conquest of death is what occurs on Good Friday. As
Catholics we have a lot to teach other Christians who do not understand the
mystery of the Mass.
For indeed it’s the Eucharist that illuminates the mystery of Jesus’ death as a
sacrifice just as Jesus’ death shows us that the Eucharist is more than just
mere ritual but is the mystery of Jesus high priestly act of self giving
love. Sometimes we reach a point in our
lives when we experience so much trials and hardships in life that makes us
doubt and lead us to question God. We better be convinced and not falter
knowing that God is able to fulfill all His promises. In this day's gospel,
Jesus asked Peter if he wanted to leave, may we also find ourselves saying
these same words that were professed by Peter. We should carefully look back
and examine our own lives. And very often this is what I always hear people say
especially Christians who have a big faith in God. At hindsight we come up with
a better understanding of the things that have already occurred and could come
up with the best judgment in relation to the things that are happening. I
believe that God has given us enough proof and evidence for us to be totally
convinced and believe. The only question lies if we are willing to not just
profess the same words of Peter in today's gospel but really believe, act on
it, find the courage to live it through and hold on until the end. The gospel
for today is a continuation of the Bread of Life discourse which is the heart
of the gospel of John. There are many words of Jesus in the bible where we are
not supposed to take literally but rather figuratively. His words that spoke of
Himself as the Gate, Door and the like are titles attributed to Him that are meant
to be taken figuratively. The Bread of Life should be understood literally and
sacramentally. If we are to read the previous gospel from John we would see
that Jesus makes a noticeable shift and used the verb "eats",
"drinks" and "feeds". The reaction of His followers in
today's gospel and in the previous explain and attest to this. Jesus really
meant it when He said to eat and drink His blood. It is indeed a very hard
teaching that we ought to accept and believe. Take note of John 6:66 (which has
the #666)in today's gospel " As a result of this, many of his disciples
returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him." We
need to be clear of this truth and be united with Christ in Holy Communion. We
must receive with the proper disposition
for this to take effect in our soul. Anyone aware of mortal sin and receives
Communion is receiving unworthily. We must receive worthily otherwise we are
putting judgment on ourselves as St. Paul says"...whoever eats in an
unworthy manner is guilty of profaning our Lord..., he who eats and drinks
without discerning brings judgment upon himself..." (1 Corinthians 11:29)
We have to receive Christ in a state of grace. According to St. Justin, no one
may take part in the Bread and Wine, the Eucharist unless he believes what the
Church teaches is true and lives in keeping with what Christ taught. Unworthy
Communion is a sacrilege. It outrages God more than all other mortal sins
because it attacks not just the 10 Commandments but the Person of Jesus Christ.
It is a profanation, crucifies Jesus Christ in our hearts and brings to
ourselves chastisement. It is a greater crime than in Mt. Calvary
John 6:60-69
60 Many of his disciples who were listening said, “This
saying is hard; who can accept it?” 61 Since Jesus knew that his disciples were
murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? 62 What if you
were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the
spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken
to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who
would betray him. 65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one
can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.” 66 As a result of this,
many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer
accompanied him. 67 Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words
of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the
Holy One of God.”
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