If we will honestly dig deep into our hearts we will find
that true love, happiness and satisfaction lie deep within us. All we have to
do is search deep into it by removing all blocks, obstacles and hindrances that
prevent us from exposing to the surface what God has planted. If it remains
hidden then we tend to be led astray. We forget and neglect what we are truly
called for to do and fail to be the person God has meant us to be. Let us try
to remove all obstacles in our path. This reminds me of Sister Loreta's garden
in her house at Walnut. I was so impressed at how it looks like. Despite the
scorching summer heat of the sun her
garden remained beautiful. It is not dried up because I found out from her that
whenever the gardener comes to mow her lawn she will immediately water it while
the roots are exposed. Just like in our life we really have to cut off or
remove excess baggage or useless garbage in us that prevents us from making the
garden of our life emerge in full bloom. Amen. Hallelujah!
Book of Numbers 20:1-13.
"Listen to me, you rebels! Are we to bring water for
you out of this rock?"
Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his
staff, and water gushed out in abundance for the community and their livestock
to drink.
Today's psalm reading is used as a preparatory psalm in the
Liturgy of the Hours just as it was used in the Old Testament. Each time we
hear it, there is an emphasis to the fact that is just the same as it is
proclaimed today. During the time of Moses there had been an incident of great
rebellion and testing on the part of the chosen people of God. The same message
is being said to us because there is a possibility that we also harden our
hearts today. Massah means rebellion and Meribah means testing. It refers to
the time they rebel when they had no water. Moses struck the stone in the
desert and water came out. We can read in Numbers 13 when Moses sent out spies
to check out the promise land and when they returned in Numbers 14 they were
full of discouragement. They came back and reported that the Land of Canaan Canaan .
But the people believed the spies and concluded that it’s impossible to
overcome these barriers. They wanted to choose new leaders and kill Moses &
Aaron and go back to slavery in Egypt .
Due to their unbelief the whole generation never entered Canaan
only the new generation with both Joshua & Caleb did. The goal is to enter
into rest in the land of Canaan but they refused because they believed their
fears rather than believe what they’ve already seen in God’s miracles in Egypt .
Psalm 95 is used so often in the Liturgy of the Hours and encourages us how
today we must listen well. They do not just apply to the people in Numbers 13
& 14. It also applies to the Church and we consider ourselves the New
Israel. Let God call us to attention. We don’t have to fall back to the same
sin of disbelief. No matter how hard the world makes us do so. The Church is
beginning to experience persecution. Today we have to keep in mind what God
already said in the past especially as we hear the words of His Son today.
Jesus Himself gives us a greater authority than the prophets and the angels.
When we look at our day, there are a number of strains that we have to alert
ourselves. There are New Age beliefs
that everything is God including the forces of nature. It is moving towards the
act of depersonalizing God by a vague force. It clouds the truth of God the
Father, God the Son & God the Spirit. There is this New Age notion vs. the
Christian notion of God. The catch here is the fact that there are no demands
upon the faithful to be obedient. A hardened heart is equivalent to
disobedience. There is no longer a clear distinction about the truths of the
faith. It's just a matter of loving nature and taking care of the environment.
No other demands like obeying the 10 commandments. The truth is not existent
with the New Age. They water down the Person of Jesus and lead others to
disbelieve in Him. Certain scholars deny Him as a historical figure or is
believed that He had a wife as depicted in the fictitious Da Vinci Code. These
are all things that are far from the authentic gospel. The image of Jesus is
being shaped to imitate our worst moments and sins. It makes him appear like He
is no better than we are and attack His moral character. It is an act of
impunity to God’s character as if He is just a character of fiction. It looks
like God is on the dock as C. S. Lewis put it. Instead of us being on trial,
God appears to be the one who’s on trial. Let us not fall into this kind of
thinking nor continue in our lack of faith or let anything shake our faith.
Some dogs are amazing in their ability to show devotion and faithfulness
although they do not even measure up to the dignity and standing of human
beings they are capable of obeying their master with so much love and
respect. This should make us realize all
the more can we do it and a whole lot better than that. We have to make a
decision to be with Christ. God is the Good Shepherd. He will not scatter but
draw people to holiness, righteousness and goodness. How can we be lost or led
astray? There are things we need to do if we want to be under the care of the
Good Shepherd, listen to His voice, follow His guiding hand and stay within the
circle of the flock He tends. The truth is that we should never have any doubts
about our decisions for as long as we know that it is all for the glory of God
first and foremost and everything else will follow. We have this faith and
confidence in God as in Philippians 4:6-8, "Have no anxiety at all, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known
to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever
is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of
praise, think about these things." When someone speaks to us we sometimes
ignore, refuse to listen, simply pretend that we haven't heard anything or
misunderstood what we heard because we are too distracted or busy to give time
to listen well. Let us always open our hearts and mind so that we become
sensitive to the voice of God talking to us.
Surely there were times when we heard and experienced the voice of God
giving us “out of this world” instructions and we responded nonchalantly as if
we never heard anything, refused outright and rejected it. If before we just
choose to do it whichever way we wanted it without much thought from now on let
us respond to God in the best way we can with hearts full of love and obedience.
When we grumbled and complained we all know for a fact that it didn't make
things any better. We would have to practice more and make perfect the art of
trusting and hearing God's voice. God is never short of anything. God is God
and He will always be. Let us no longer confuse ourselves with the inaccuracies
and discrepancies of our human hearts and minds. Let us keep it focused on Him who
is Holy and Perfect. Let us all acculturate ourselves to the Kingdom of God
Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
...Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the
LORD who made us. 7 For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the
flock he guides... (R) Oh, that today you would hear his voice: 8 “Harden not
your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, 9 where your
fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.”
Aren't we
glad that today's gospel assures us that we have a Church built by Jesus Christ
and nothing can prevail against it? We can actually learn a lot from
Sts. Peter and Paul and their example. Both were very committed to our Lord.
They were willing to leave everything behind and follow Him. They both lived
out the cross of Jesus. We see the recognition of St. Peter in today's gospel
which shows that he is very committed to our Lord and followed Him. Peter's
proclamation of the truth made him a solid foundation of the Church that not
even the gates of hell shall prevail against it. As members of the Church that
is founded on solid rock may we become like Peter always ready and confident in
announcing the truth about God. Although there is a series of problems despite
this commitment, Peter was the one who told Jesus not to talk about His dying
and being crucified in Jerusalem
and got told, "Satan, get behind me." He was also the one in the
Garden of Gethsemane after a series of important events like the
transfiguration with James and John and the raising of Jairus' daughter, cut
off the ear of the high priest servant with such impetuosity but also the one
who denied Christ 3x. St. Paul was also a man who made a serious
commitment to Christ. He has a Roman citizenship and came from the tribe of
Benjamin. He came from an affluent family that he was educated under the
supervision of this prominent teacher, Gamaliel. St Paul mentioned in the scriptures that he
was a persecutor of the Church but was converted to Christ. With true humility
he recognized how bad he really was and doesn't deserve the favors that Christ
has given him. He was willing to talk about his failures. We look at Peter and
Paul who both gave a testimony of their blood for the gospel. They preferred to
be executed and tormented rather than change their testimony. In doing this
they both highlight something else especially St. Peter. This is the kind of
man that is chosen. He is very much the man like each one of us. We can also
make the best choice that is presented to us. We must recognize that our lives
have to be a life of dying to ourselves. This is something that we could learn
from and be the Lord's instrument for the redemption of our world. Praise and
thank God for sending not only angels but also saints to the rescue. Funny, how
we sometimes find ourselves saying one thing this minute and then another thing
the next. Just like Peter in today's gospel, we witnessed the sudden shift when
in the first part of the gospel, Jesus was commending him for having professed
a truth that can not be revealed through flesh and blood but through our
Heavenly Father. But in the latter part, Jesus rebuked him for behaving otherwise.
This tells us that no matter how totally unreliable we are, at times. God does
not give up on us. He continues to shower us with grace and mercy and it is all
up to us if we will respond with faith and humility the way Peter did who
persevered despite of all the struggles until the last hour. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 16:13-23
...He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon
Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus
said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood
has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 18 And so I say to you,
you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys to the
kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly
ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. 21 From that time
on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders,
the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be
raised. 22 Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid,
Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” 23 He turned and said to Peter,
“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God
does, but as human beings do.”
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