We should actually feel the grace of God moving in our lives
before we can become effective in convincing our fellowmen to build and take
part in the kingdom
of God
Acts 11:21b-26; 12: 1-3
...While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the
holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them.” 3 Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands
on them and sent them off.
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, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
R: The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous
deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 2 The Lord has
made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his
justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house
of Israel .
(R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing
joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)
We have to stand up for something or else we'll end up
falling for anything. It's also another thing what we are determined to live up
to. These things we've got to decide on and be firmly committed to. We are
God's special creation according to His image and likeness. We have to be
always aware of this profound dignity that is bestowed on man by God. We ought
to live up to this privilege and honor as salt of the earth. The priest said
that even without us doing anything we are already salt of the earth and light
of the world. He didn't say we are salt of the earth if we serve others and
light of the world if we do good. The problem lies in the fact that when we
sin, we lose our taste and obscure our light. Let us not allow any of the
things that rob the taste of our being salt and hide the light that is within
us dominate who we really are. Let us hold on to this identity God has given us
and not allow it to be trampled underfoot. All we have to do is just live up to
who God has meant us to be, salt of the earth and light of the world. When our
Lord went to Calvary he was going away beyond
the call of duty. No one could compel or
coerce any man to give his life for others. But our Lord made it clear that no
one was taking away His life away from Him freely He was laying it down as a
sacrifice of love to the Father for you and for me. I wonder if we in our lives
have learned that lesson. There are certain demands, certain duties imposed on
everyone on this earth. The employee has to go to work every morning, spends a
certain number of hours on the job and performs certain duties as expected. It
is the same with the mother and father. They must feed and cloth their
children, educate them and treat them humanely. And so it is with the husband
and wife, certain obligations are laid to them by the fact that they are one
and two in one. It is the same with the priest, with the lawyer, doctor and
student. There is another dimension to life that we have to learn if we are
going to live radiantly on this earth. The student will never learn the meaning
of education until he goes to the library himself beyond what is demanded of
him by the professor and study and research on his own. Then will he begin to
enjoy learning in itself. The mother and the father and the children will never
become a family as such until they could go beyond what the law demands. And
the man who works would never enjoy his occupation until he stops thinking
about the paycheck. In every country and community there are 3 kinds of people,
1st the lawless who break the law, refuse to do their duty and have to be taken
care of with the penal system. 2nd there is the man and the woman who are the
people who do what the law demands. Last, there are the volunteers who go
beyond the call of duty. They are the backbone of every country and every
community. Everyday they are the salt of the earth But isn’t it what
Christianity is all about. Isn’t this what our Lord has taught us, to give our
cloak as well as our coat and to go the extra mile. Not to turn away from him
who would borrow from us. To forgive not 7x but 70x7 (Mt. 18:21-22) that same
person who does the same stupid things all the time who is indifferent and
callous who never says thank you and takes us for granted. Our Lord said if you
love those who love you what is there to that? The pagans do that. You and I
must love our enemies, do good to those who hate us and pray for those who
persecute us that we may be the child of our Father in heaven who causes the
rain to fall on the good and the bad (Mt. 5:45) and the sun to shine on the
just and the unjust. We have been tutored by the years that all the good things
and its loveliness is not of our own making. This comes only from our union
with God who lives within us. We can not be loving to our enemies, forgiving to
those who hurt us, understanding and compassionate on our own. These are all a
gift of God to us. It comes from the union with our Lord as we try to live day after
day. Who compels Mother Teresa to do the things she does? Who compels the
mother and the father to offer a sacrifice of themselves and do without, so
their children can be educated, grow up and take their place in life? All of
this comes from the Lord in whom we believe lives within us. Day after
monotonous day we must go on striving, failing, falling and beginning again.
The Lord doesn’t ask us to succeed in anything, success is His gift. What we
are asked to do is to try and to go on trying all the days of our lives. And so
we pray, “Lord lift us up of our lethargy, apathy, coldness, and indifference
and make us so aware of your love for us that we may learn to love you in
return.” Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 5:13-16
13 Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the
earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no
longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 You
are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do
they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a
lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. 16 Just so, your light
must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your
heavenly Father.”
No comments:
Post a Comment