ARE YOU DISPLEASED?

If we believe that God has a plan and a purpose in our lives and we are completely submissive to His will then there is no reason for us to be displeased when things don't work out as expected. This reminds me of the time when I attended the San Lorenzo Bible Ministry and the topic was about the Gospel of Luke. The main focus was about the heart of man. In fact the selected reading was taken from Luke 12:22-34(... For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.) which is about the dependence on God and also considered as the heart of Luke's gospel. All gospel writers are Theologians and very learned during that time. Theology is a requirement in order to be a scholar of any discipline or study. It was imperative at that time to be a Theologian before one can be called a scholar since they believe that the relationship between God and man should be well understood first and all other things will follow. If we have a mastery of our thinking and feeling coupled with fear of the Lord then we have wisdom. We've got to have a constant check and balance. Luke is very much into the heart and it was said that in order to have a good heart we have to really work our way to it. In the same way a physically fit and muscular man worked his body to attain physical perfection. Matthew, Mark and Luke are considered the synoptic gospels. But Matthew and Luke are more similar in many ways than Mark. Mark uses the "guts" while Luke was more into the heart. Luke saw something that Mark did not. He saw something good in the Sadducees and Pharisees by the way he presented them in his gospel. He always looked at people whether good or bad to be a part of God's plan and saw the optimum goodness in anything even the bad that is happening. We need "rats" or bad people in our life. In the same manner that it was the Jews or the these Sadducees and Pharisees who preserved Judaism during the time when there were no temples. Their rigid way of observing the law paved the way for Judeo-Christian in which most of our present tradition is based upon and handed to us. Luke also warns us that if we don't take care of our heart then we end up in eternal damnation as in Luke 16:19-31 (Parable of the rich man and Lazarus) If we persist in our hardened hearts in the way the Israelites did in today's 1st reading then we will surely suffer the consequences of our action. The Lucan teaching is cardiocentric which means anything that we learn, see and hear from scriptures is salvific and centered in the heart. God does not only see through the heart but He also listens to our hearts. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Samuel 8,4-7.10-22.

...Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer: "Grant the people's every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.

If we enter into agreement with any person we have to make sure that we are able to fulfill it and vice versa for the person whom we make a contract with. It is so disappointing when things do not turn out the way it should be and terms and conditions are not followed. I guess, we have all encountered mishaps and are dismayed along the way.  It is always best that if there's someone whom we should observe and maintain a covenant with then there should be no other but God. For His words and promises will always remain true. As in Habakkuk 2:2-3, "Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late." We can be assured that His covenant will last and stand firm. Thousands of years have passed and only one name remains tried and true and continues to stand the test of time and even eternity, the name above all names, Jesus. If we are to look closely and pay attention to the succession of events of the salvation history or covenant history which goes back to the time of Adam & Eve and Noah and dates way back to 1800 BC during the time of Abraham, Moses (1200), David (means the favored one,1000), Exodus (600) to the birth of our Lord Jesus we will see God’s faithfulness and steadfast love for His people.  In this time line are significant events that happened from the time of Creation when God created man who fell into sin and became unfaithful and how God continuously called us back to Him by showing us who He really is throughout the length of time. As dramatic events unfold, like the entrance of the Israelites to the promised land, the pockets of rebellion as they took over the 12 tribes and settled into a life of monarchy (kings) from their 1st king (Saul) to King David and King Solomon, the time of David is described as the greatest time of the people of God. Today’s psalm speaks of how God is pleased with His faithful servants and promises to maintain kindness forever. As we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph we look at him in the eyes of the Jews, he was the person who gave Jesus His proper name and claim as descendant of King David. Joseph was more of a foster father, because he was truly the legal father of Jesus. In like manner, he was not just the guardian of Mary. Before the law and traditions of Israel, he was the husband of Mary of Nazareth, the one who legitimized the “virgin birth” of Jesus to Mary. In the church’s liturgy, Joseph, aside from the Blessed Mother, is the only saint mentioned in the “Divine Praises” for the Eucharistic Benediction.  Then, according to experts on the apparitions of Fatima, Joseph was the only saint who appeared with the Blessed Mother in those phenomena that happened in Portugal." All these things tell us that there is really no cause for worry and fear for we have a God who is faithful to all His promises. We should always be reminded of this reality and never doubt that everything will come to pass. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 89:16-17, 18-19

R: For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Blessed the people who know the joyful shout; in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk. At your name they rejoice all the day, and through your justice they are exalted. R. For you are the splendor of their strength, and by your favor our horn is exalted. For to the LORD belongs our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel, our King. R.

There are different kinds of faith that bring about healing. In today's gospel it was the faith of the 4 men and not of the sick person alone who brought about the healing. It tells us of the power of friends. Just like this paralytic in today's gospel who was helped by his friends we should be thankful for the presence of people in our lives who continue to serve as the link that bridges the gap in our relationship with God. A paralytic was unable to come near Jesus but his friends went to a great extent just to be able to bring him near Jesus. They really went out of their way by opening up the roof of the house and passed through it to let down the mat where the paralytic was lying in order for him to come near Jesus. They have to go through a seemingly unimaginable task of breaking through the roof of a house. Who would do that? We can tell from the story that they are people who are determined, unstoppable, courageous, brave and united. They worked as a team and were clearly ready to face all odds especially because they are moving as a group which means they have the power of 4 people not just one. This reminds me of a speaker who talked about the power of leverage. We can benefit from a lot of things that He has blessed and endowed us. One of them is the gift of people, the family, friends and even the shortest encounter we have of our daily contacts that seem to not matter or be of benefit to us but can still impact our lives in a meaningful way at present and in the days to come. Although much to our displeasure, it is really inevitable that in our daily walk we can find people also in today's gospel who simply refuse to believe and don't share a common belief. At any given situation we must always be open to God's options not ours for in the end we will always find glory in His works and witness His astounding miracles as manifested in the gospel. It shows us a threefold manifestation of the Divinity of Christ. First is the ability of Jesus to read our hearts and minds. This not a human power, only God can do this. We can not hide anything from God, He knows all our thoughts. The 2nd manifestation is the ability of Jesus to grant spiritual healing. The moment he said this, "Your sins are forgiven" the paralytic man got healed spiritually. We hear these words in the sacraments of confession and anointing of the sick. God has the power to set us free from sin and set the soul back in union with God. Third is the power of God to grant physical healing. God can restore bodily health and put the body in the right order that God has designed it to be. Evil is the absence of the good that rightly belongs there. It is not absent because of God but because we fall away from grace. Suffering takes meaning from the action of Christ's redemption. Sometimes we miss the point just like the scribes. They did not recognize who Jesus is in spite of these divine manifestations. The paralytic and the 4 men acknowledged the power of Jesus but the scribes rejected it. Instead they accused Him of blaspheming. With regards to ourselves, I guess it is easier for us to say that He’s God at this present time than those scribes, the paralytic and the 4 men because it is a new concept that is difficult to grasp at that time. Do we really grasp the meaning of His divinity that Jesus is God? The 4 men who carried the paralytic had faith that is selfless. They wanted what is good for their paralytic friend and were focused at the good of another that’s why they were able to grasp the power of God. The scribes were selfish and can’t get beyond their mind’s view and not focused on the good of others. They failed to recognize the good that God can provide the paralytic. This is what happens when we don’t accept the Light into our lives and keep ourselves in the dark. Like these scribes who were present there observing inside the house which is believed to be the home of Peter. The Church stands firm in the witness of the apostles and the disciples about the Divinity of Jesus. He has the power to free us from sin and the effects of sin and sanctify our suffering and give meaning to it in union with His redemption. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” — he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”