We’ve got to straighten up some things about God. Who He is
and what He wants for our life. What is our picture of God? It’s not surprising
to know that most of us think that God doesn’t want us to have fun. It’s like
all the things that we want to do with our friends that are interesting and
exciting when we were young was against God’s commandments. It may seem like we
have to settle for less. What’s worse is that all the faithful Catholics get
less out of life. This is part of the propaganda way back in the Garden of
Eden. God gave us a magnificent paradise wherein there is perfect intimacy and
no shame with each other. In the Garden they have everything they need but gave
just one limit, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This
is very interesting because God said, “Don’t do this because you will die.” The
reason why God commands us something is because He is a loving Father who cares
for us. He wants us to have the best. But then came the serpent, he didn’t
create Adam & Eve, nor gave the garden or anything at all. All the serpent
gave was a lie and told Adam & Eve not to listen to God or they’ll lose out
and won’t become like God. They were made to believe that God is holding out
something from them and is actually their rival because God doesn’t want them
to have what He has. So instead of trusting the one who gave them everything,
they trusted a stranger. They doubted and disobeyed God. Instead they listened
to the liar. They were hooked into a downward spiral of destruction. This is
what sin is all about. It is a trap. It is disguised as an apparent good
because the fruit looks good and desirable but it ends in disaster. The relationship
with God is messed up and so creation turned against them, thorns and thistles
appear and things in life become hard. This is what sin does, it seemed small
but it gets out of control. Things get worse and worse and there are broken
lives everywhere. This is the reality about sin. We are draining life out of
ourselves unless we recognize the One, True and Living God. God is so good that
He gave everything we ought to follow and do for our own welfare. All we have
to do is really be faithful to Him and His commandments and everything will
surely go well with us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Book of Exodus 20,1-17.
Then God delivered all these commandments:
"I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt
You shall not have other gods besides me...
It always pays to be watchful and alert at all times.
Although we sometimes fail to measure up due to our own shortcomings or could
be the doing of another, God assures us in today's psalm that if we fall into
the trap of the enemy we can always repent with a deep remorse for our sins and
resolve to make the precepts of the Lord the joy of our hearts. In doing so, we
find ourselves naturally restrained from sin and maintain our innocence. It is
so hard to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord if we do not know exactly
how to go about with it. It's just like when we have to comply to certain
requirements in school and follow the standard set by it. We need to have a
pattern or outline from which we can base our work. Just as it is so in other
things, the more we are all in need of God's precepts. The absolute bedrock of
spiritual life is to follow the 10 commandments. We are sometimes misled into
thinking that when we have a type of prayer then we think that we already have
a spiritual life. We’ve got to have the humility to admit that God is smarter
than we are and we need to follow and obey what we are told in the 10
commandments. We should be totally and absolutely convinced that He knows best.
Satan uses half truths and half lies in his devilish tricks. Satan’s claims
seem to come true in one level. Take the example of our 1st parents
after eating of the forbidden fruit their eyes were opened and did become in
one sense like God. The fallen angels made their free choice by radically and
irrevocably rejecting God so in turn they seduce and mislead Adam & Eve. It
was through sin that humanity was afflicted by death. Because of one man’s
disobedience many were made sinners. When tempted in the Garden, Adam failed to
remain faithful to God and His commands. Jesus, the New Adam, is God’s servant
totally obedient to the Divine will. Jesus is the devil’s conqueror and takes
back the plunder. What the devil has stolen from us, Jesus has recovered for
us. Pope Benedict XVI commented about what the Lord experienced in the desert
and said that at the heart of all temptations is the act of pushing God aside
because we conceive Him as secondary. It is an act of constructing our world
with our own lights and building our own foundation and setting God aside as an
allusion. Temptations come in many varied forms but one thing is sure, it does
not invite us to directly do evil because it is too blatant and would outright
turn us off. It is very subtle and yet an act of pushing God’s commands aside
and placing the devil’s temptation as primary. If we want to remain victorious
throughout life, we have to keep Him in the center of our life and hold on to
His words which are Spirit and life. God’s ever present help can be found in
the scriptures. It's just like a soldier going to battle wearing the armor of
God. It never fails and always there to defend and protect from the snares of
the evil one. So always take up our sword which is the word of God. God's
perfect word can refresh the soul. Have you ever wondered really how it feels
to be refreshed? Whenever we take a shower or a warm bath and put on clothes
that are well fitted and comfortable it refreshes our body. It could also be
whenever we go to a place where we can unwind, relax, be away from the
tensions, stresses, noise and turmoil of the fast paced lives that we lead and
just appreciate the beauty of nature that surrounds us and the peace and quiet
it offers to our tired bodies in order to be more in touch with God's voice in
us. It is so refreshing it gives our minds and hearts a better view and
perspective of how to live our lives. The same thing with our souls, we should
always keep it clean, healthy and clothed with maximum security, protection but
comfortable enough we don't even know it's there. Like it has become fused in
us, there's nothing more right than following and obeying the law of God.
Today's psalm reading guides us on how we should go about with our lives by
always keeping in mind God's laws. None of us is perfect but through our
imperfections we can always run to God for help and guidance. He will never
refuse nor forsake us for He can only love and care for us. There are people
who have alienated themselves from God and we can’t just force them to go back.
God does not do that, it’s not how the Lord works, instead we pray and pray for
them. If we wait long enough and adhere to God’s precepts then we will finally
obtain joy in our hearts. As water prevails over the rock throughout the course
of time so does the Holy Spirit that is continuously flooding or washing over
the man’s heart. The Holy Spirit moves
in and continues to work upon us and tenderizes us. The song entitled,
"Your Words Are Spirit and Life" by Bernadette Farrell was impressed
to me. It is a beautiful song that I have always loved to sing and I just
realized that the words of this song are taken from this psalm which made me
start singing it. Well, we just have to fully discover what the words of God
can make us do. When things get out of hand we have no one to blame but
ourselves for God is surely not lacking in everything that He has given us for
our own welfare. We've got everything we need because there's nothing more that
God could and should do for us that He has not done. All we have to do is
completely trust and obey the judgments of the Lord. GOD'S LAW MAKES US LIVE A
VIRTUOUS LIFE (CCC 1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there
is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things.") May we truly recognize the genuine and precious treasures that
we should all strive to achieve and work for which is none other than these
things spoken of in today's psalm. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalms 19,8.9.10.11.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
7 [8] The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R) 8 [9]
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the
LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. (R) 9 [10] The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. (R) 10
[11] They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also
than syrup or honey from the comb.
We will always have opportunities coming from the Lord but
there is a need for us to cultivate ourselves and make it conducive and optimum
for growth that will bear much fruit. It is time for us to work toward that goal
to be the rich soil and eventually become a sower who plants the seeds in
others and yield a hundredfold. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13:18-23
...the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word
and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or
thirtyfold.”
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