In today's 1st reading, Paul did his part in reaching out
first to the people whom God has chosen to reveal the good news but when his
mission seemed to be futile he recognized the need to move on to the next. Nothing
seemed to stop or discourage Paul. He continued with his mission against all
odds. The Lord has already planted the seed in his heart and he has chosen to
nurture and let it grow. If only we could get ourselves to acquire his fervor
and zeal to spread the word of God then we could very well be assured of making
this present world of ours a better place to live and the best place in the
company of God with all the angels and saints in the world to come. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Acts 18:1-8
...Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the
word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. 6 When they opposed him and reviled him, he
shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your heads! I am
clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”...
Is there any other place we would like to be other than in
the loving presence of God? This, I'm sure we can and should have a straight
answer without delay. No one should ever claim that they haven't heard or known
about God since it is our prime duty to spread and make it known throughout the
whole world. There is no denying to the truth that all of us are given the
chance to know who our God is and it is also our duty and responsibility to
take part in this mission of spreading the good news and make known to everyone
to the best of our ability the saving power of God. We should consider each day
as an opportunity to know and learn more about our God. Whether it be an ordinary
or special day in our life nothing should be amiss and should be spent in
giving glory to God our Savior and Master. We can never ever deny the greatness
of our God even just by looking at the simplest part of God’s creation like the
tiniest grain of sand to the largest ocean in the world. As in Jeremiah 5:22,
“Will you not tremble before me who set the sand as limit to the sea, as an
everlasting barrier it can not pass? Its waves may toss but not prevail, they
may roar but can not pass beyond.” We ask ourselves how in the world can a tiny
grain of sand hold the vastness of the ocean in the same way we know that we
have a God whose saving power is known throughout the earth. It is our duty to
ourselves to aim for the ultimate good which is the will of God in our lives.
This is not something that we still have to search and look for. It is already
programmed in us and made known to us by the Lord. If by any chance this is not
the case especially for those people who have not heard or known about our Lord
Jesus since birth then the Lord Himself knows how to deal with them in
accordance to His Divine Wisdom and Mercy. For us who have been blessed and
endowed with the privilege of hearing and knowing about Jesus, this is coupled
with a responsibility. The principle that to those who have been given much,
much is also expected definitely applies to it. We have a responsibility in our
hands to make known to everyone we meet about this vital truth that could spell
the difference between life and death. It is always for our good to attend
activities that nourish our soul. We are enlightened and inspired because of
the many good things we can learn from it. Whenever we hear words of wisdom it
could always help us make sense of the things happening around us even
suffering. It gives a feeling of special joy and gladness in every person’s heart.
If we continue to stand by the principles of God then we will come to know that
there is no truth in the saying that faith is against reason. We can truly
appreciate the relevance of the truth as explained by Pope John Paul II that
true faith come together with true reason. It is the same thing as saying that
Theology tells us that God created the world while Science tells us how God
created the world. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out there.
It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes virtue
appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter is, it’s
not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most by those
who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food most? The
person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a person after
a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the most. The person
who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan enjoys it the most. It
is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things in the world that people
want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit of pleasure. But God commands them to be used so that it
leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life is to follow
God’s commands. Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just
give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like
machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us
who we are. The actions we engage, the
words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making
ourselves all the time. We, Catholics believe that God gave human beings reason
although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason can figure
out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out without God
having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities to be deemed
a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, had
this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4 virtues or
qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all the other
virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal means hinge.
The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope. They are also
the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else depends on the
cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or
fortitude) We can also find all the cardinal virtues, like justice which means
giving each person his or her due in the Book of Proverbs, Sirach, Ecclesiastes
and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We all know even as kids
instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries out as
soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not fair, he
got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person is doing.”
This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice. Each
person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of
justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A
person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our
passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is
like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it
belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites.
Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got
to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person.
Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not
courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If
there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re
just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or
fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s
right. In the same way that we want justice to prevail always since it is very
frustrating when we encounter situations that are very unjust. We are reminded
in today's psalm that we can all be assured of the truth that the Lord rules
the earth and He rules with justice there is no doubt. We've got to take hold
of the marvelous things that God has done. Nothing else matters than the truth
that we are all loved by God and given the privilege of taking part in His
great kingdom in heaven. God revealed to us Himself in various different ways.
In the gospel of Mark: "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God"
(Mk 1:1) is summarized by the phrase - The person of Jesus, and the gospel of
Luke:"The gospel of glory to God in high heaven and peace on earth to
those on whom his favor rest (Lk 2:14) is summarized by the phrase - Joy to the
world, while the gospel of John:"the gospel of the Word that became flesh
and made his dwelling among us and we have seen his glory" (Jn 1:14) is summarized
by the phrase - Eternal life then the gospel of Matthew is where all this
happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet (Mt 1:22) and is
written almost 55x in this gospel and summarized by the phrase - The Coming of
the Kingdom. God's saving power is manifested in this treasury of books that
have been preserved and handed to us from generation to generation. No one can
deny the fact that to all God has been gracious and loving with no exception at
all. God's faithful love should compel us to do the best we could ever do. There
was a time when my computer got bugged down and happened to be the same time
that I heard and was touched by the homily of Fr. Joseph Magdaong in the
healing mass at St. Christopher where Hendrie who fixed my computer was serving
as a member of the choir. It had been 3 years since I heard about this story of
a tailor and his needle but I would never forget and always remember it
especially the perfect timing and situation when I heard it. This tailor who
was about to die spoke his last and they were these words, "Give me my key
to heaven." At first those people who were there and heard him did not
understand what he was talking about until they realized that he was asking for
his needle. In the same way we must have our own keys in heaven as we try to
examine ourselves and find out what is it in our life that can be compared to
that needle in a tailor's life or our special talents that we can offer to God.
I could still very well remember that I was on the verge of tears upon hearing
that because I immediately thought of this computer that I am using to spread
the word of God through my everyday reflections on the word of God that I write
and share to others through e mail. I am just full of gratitude and joy in my
heart for all the amazing things that God had done especially of the fact that this
computer which I consider the needle in my life remained in perfect condition
since that time on. There is a need for us to respond to God's call to each one
of us to become channels of His blessings as His power is revealed in us. We
will just run out of excuses and alibis why we should not give honor and praise
to God. There is really nowhere to go but to God and that we would have to
realize not sooner or later but right now and act on it. But we have to trust,
hope and rely on God rather than our own power. Let's face it we sometimes rely
too much on ourselves and too little on God. We are troubled about a lot of
things when sometimes there's really no cause for it. There are levels of
anxiety. Exaggerated anxiety and discouragement are one of the greatest
obstacles to holiness. There is a level of anxiety that we just have to trust
in God's Grace and Goodness. We should not disturb our inner peace not even
momentarily. Life on earth is a great struggle indeed for God's Kingdom. A lot
of things can bother and bring us down but we do not have to stay that way. We
have to exercise our minds and wills to put our confidence in God. He is the
one whom we can totally trust and depend on to save us. Our life is much about
the daily revelations of God to us through all the circumstances that surround
us which points to only one truth, He is victorious. Victory is surely in our
hands once we've made the right move and choice. Let us take our stand and know
that God's grace is sufficient for us. We will not be put to the test beyond
our strength. Things are bound to get better for as long as we hold on to God's
promises. Today's psalm, kind of remind me of this preaching about this wise
man from the East in the Old Testament (OT), he is a prophet named Balaam and
served an evil and wicked king. King Balak wanted Balaam to exact a curse upon Israel but from
his mouth came forth a blessing. He prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there
shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom . A star
and a scepter signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men in
the New Testament (NT) during the time of King Herod an Edomite who were
looking for a star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel, Jesus.
He is truly our King and the fulfillment of God's promise. We are all called to
respond with gratitude to the Lord who has revealed His saving power to us.
There is no doubt that the God of the house of Israel is still the same one true
God of today. The same privilege is handed over to us as the chosen people of God , Israel
Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
R: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
...He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel ...
The Lord has spoken and His words are everlasting. What He
has promised to do is sure to happen. In today’s gospel we remember the heart
of Mary pierced by a sword as prophesied by Simeon. A heart full of sorrow but
was turned into joy. We look to Mary and follow her example. The pain that she
experienced is something that is more than any woman could endure. At the time
when the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she will bear Jesus, the Son of
God she just surrendered her will to God. It was not an easy decision for her
at that time but she trusted God completely. She may not have understood
everything but she entered into that deep trust in God and believed. It was a
decision not merely based on some vague feeling or a pleasant emotion that
makes people good when times are good. Thus the title "Seat of
Wisdom" perfectly fits her. Our Lady not only does the normal part of
loving. She is filled by the love of her Son that is given to her in very
extraordinary circumstances. Not by a normal birth and conception before
marriage, she conceived in her womb the Son of God and with that conception is
a God sent promise. Her motherhood goes beyond the normal sufferings that any
mother experiences. She traveled to Bethlehem
in her pregnancy, was refused of a place to stay and gave birth in a manger.
She had to give up a home and went into exile in Egypt . She continues to believe in
that Son of hers, the Son of God as He perplexed her, in the finding of Jesus
in the temple and when she heard the words of Simeon in the
Presentation,"...a sword will pierce your heart..." In the wedding in
Cana , she said, "Do whatever He tells
you". She stored and kept it in her heart although she did not understand
everything. She loved and continued to believe until she saw and heard the
mocking words addressed to her Son during the scourging and the crowning with
thorns until she stood at the foot of the cross. That was not what's in her
mind when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her to inherit the throne of King
David. At the foot of the cross she was given a sad substitute in St. John when told,
"Mother, behold your son" She accepts that and enters into an
experience of charity and suffering. Normally a person would fight back to
those who hurt our children. It is a normal reaction if we see others harm our
child. Jesus truly became flesh in the womb of Mary. We have to take the
reality of the choice that Mary made, the reality of the incarnation. What we
need is true devotion to Mary that brings us close to God. We look through the
gospel and see the dividing line whether we accept or reject it. We have to
recreate and enter into that Incarnation without over spiritualizing or
rejecting it which brings us away from God. Some Catholics has the temptation
of being accustomed like the people of Nazareth .
They grew up with Jesus and Mary as part of their environment but never live it
seriously. Sometimes we become overly familiar. We become horrible hypocrites.
Our devotion to Mary turns out to be a skirt where we can hide in. We claim to
be on a pilgrimage with Mary but it makes no impact in our lives. We never
understand the suffering of Christ. We misuse the scapular but continue to live
our sinful behavior. The scapular should be worn as if we are putting on the
yoke of Christ. The externals of this devotion become a block when we fail to
understand and live the charity that Mary did. Let us be careful that
everything we do is not just superficial. We have to enter into the love of
Mary in which she felt the love of Jesus in what He did for us to redeem us.
Bring us to a deeper love of Christ our Lord and look at Jesus through her
perspective and love. Let us follow the example of Mary, from that joyful
moment of the annunciation as she fulfilled the promise of God to the throne of
King David to the sorrowful sight of her only Son as she stood at foot of the
cross and ultimately to the glorious resurrection. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 16:16-20
...Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while
the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
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