CHOOSE THE BEST PART

The 1^st reading for today may have a tendency to give us a wrong impression about the true nature of God. When we read the Old Testament it is always good to consider a lot of factors and background of the passage we are reading. We often encounter this kind of conversation between God and man wherein God is being blamed for the bad things that are happening as if God is capable of willing something bad to happen. People from the Old Testament lived by this principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth wherein life taken away is considered payment for a wrong doing.  We may not totally or completely know the reason for it but it helps to think that they lived in a violent era and had witnessed barbaric situations in their time and age. We have to praise and thank God that those days are over for we now live in the time wherein we are witnesses of a great truth about a loving and merciful God. Jesus the son of God gave up His life and shed blood for our sake. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Kings 17:17-24

Elijah went to Zarephath of Sidon to the house of a widow. The son of the mistress of the house fell sick, and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing. So she said to Elijah,

“Why have you done this to me, O man of God? Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt and to kill my son?” Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” Taking him from her lap, he carried the son to the upper room where he was staying, and put him on his bed. Elijah called out to the LORD: “O LORD, my God, will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying

by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times and called out to the LORD: “O LORD, my God, let the life breath return to the body of this child.” The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah; the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived. Taking the child, Elijah brought him down into the house from the upper room and gave him to his mother.

Elijah said to her, “See! Your son is alive.” The woman replied to Elijah, “Now indeed I know that you are a man of God. The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth.” 

We sometimes think that God does not answer our prayers but He does. Let us not fall into this wrong notion, lose hope and turn into different kinds of addictions which cause so much wasted pain and suffering. This is a wicked age and our life should redeem. Only the Lord our God can bring about this redemption in our lives. If the Son of God had His enormous and most unbearable share of suffering for our sake don't we think that we should also bear our own daily crosses? We should have the courage and the strength to suffer for the gospel most especially at this time of the world when there is great hostility to the gospel. To suffer always with the confidence that God who sees and knows all would definitely see us through it all. God is above all our troubles, fears and anxieties, whatever it may be, our ills and even death itself. The "culture of death" and its kingdom has been robbed of its power. Jesus has resurrected from the dead and the kingdom of God is among us. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. John 3:35-36, "The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him." Notice that it is written in the present tense, which means now and will have its fullness when we die and raised on the last day. We begin possessing it even now. There is really no denying to the truth in life that we all have to go through a process of trial and hardship but what's most reassuring is the fact that despite all the disappointment and pain we can all be rescued by our Mighty God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-13

R: I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

1 [2] I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. 3 [4] O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit... For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. (R) 10 [11] “Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper.” 11 [12] You changed my mourning into dancing; 12 [13] O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.

Nothing or no one can deny the transforming power of God. St. Paul in today’s 2^nd reading taken from his letter to the Galatians testifies to the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is truly a powerful and mighty God. No matter how hopeless, impossible or desperate things may seem to be never ever doubt that something great can still come out of it. Sometimes God calls or makes use of the unlikely people and situations for a greater purpose than what we have in mind. He allows these things to happen for a reason. As we may all know Paul's life is the so called gold standard of conversion because the end point is all for the glory of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Galatians 1:11-19

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.

But when God, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace,

was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,

 I know that whatever caused some things to happen the way they did, Jesus wants to make it clear that He can bring back to life whatever it is that died whether it be physical, emotional or every aspect of our lives that is subject to death. For nothing is too difficult or impossible for God. In the light of today’s gospel I would also like to share this reflection in Didache which has really touched me entitled, COMING SOON.

The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. – Luke 7:15

Luigi and Mela have been waiting for a child since they got married many years ago. But they wouldn’t get pregnant. They tried everything humanly possible. “Lord, how long do we have to wait? Will this child ever come?” they prayed.

Austin was the blackest of the sheep. Booze? He drank the place dry. Drugs? He didn’t let a chance pass. Women? He had plenty. Monica, his mother, would cry her way to sleep while praying for his conversion. She did this for 39 years.

It’s never over till God says it’s over. It’s time to believe again. God says, “I can still bring that dream to life.” Are you in a major setback? With God you can turn it into a set up for a greater comeback!

Don’t be surprised if you see Luigi and Mela kiss a handsome boy crashing the drums to heavenly music. Their son, Sean, is now in high school! By the way, the agonizing mother Monica has a longer name now: Saint Monica. And her son Austin’s real name is Augustine — Saint Augustine, to be exact, the great theologian and doctor of the church.

Their time has come. And yours is coming!  Jon Escoto (faithatworkjon@gmail.com)

REFLECTION:

You have been confronted by obstacles that have been there year after year. Are you ready to give up?   Keep the faith, friend. You might be quitting one day too soon.

I want to believe again, Lord. Breathe life into my faith that my time is coming.

Luke 7:11-17

...13 When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother...