The word holy has become confined to the narrow mindset of
some people. There is a tendency to qualify as holy only the things that are
obviously related to it. But God in His broadmindedness and vast goodness can
always see in its entirety and qualify what is truly holy in the godliest sense
of the word. The time is now to answer God's call to holiness. We are all
called to a universal love. We should work for a heart that does not harbor ill
feelings and dwells on retaliation and revenge. This is something we all
struggle with because human nature wants to retaliate and revenge. It is not a
Christian attitude that we want to get back at the person, talk about them and
delight in their vices and misfortunes. Although talking about our heartaches
can help us bear our burdens it should be with a view to get beyond it and not
just sit on it nor cherish a grudge as to make much of it. When we nurse
resentments and retell the story of what has been done to us we are just
torturing ourselves. This is especially true when a certain person reminds us
of a wound in the past then it becomes just like pouring salt in it. This
aggravates the situation and makes us want to retaliate. When we do we make it
as false idols because we disobey God’s law and give in to our feelings and
emotions. As Christians we are called to let it go. God can liberate us from
the bondage of evil and get beyond it by His grace. We can take advantage of it to refocus ourselves and know our ultimate goal and
priority should always be to please God. We should be imitators of God because
we are all created in His image and likeness (Gen.1:26). We too are wonderfully
made (Psalm 139:14). We may come up with all kinds of excuses not to be the
person God has meant us to be and live up to it but we only have ourselves to
blame for this. We have been well equipped in all aspects to bring out the best
in each of us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Book of Leviticus 19,1-2.11-18.
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite
community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. “You
shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart. Though you may
have to reprove your fellow citizen, do not incur sin because of him. Take no
revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”
We can never fathom the wisdom of God but we can always
remain confident in the truth that His kindness is perfect and everlasting. He
makes all things work for good. When we feel so helpless, miserable and alone,
never ever doubt that He can't help but be the loving God that He is. God loves
us so much that he will adjust to our needs and make things work for good.
There is no reason for us to even doubt and hold back anything from the Lord
for nothing is too difficult for Him. If we are confident of God's Providence in our lives
then nothing should even make us doubt that God is able to redeem us and take
us out of misery. God has made known His kindness, mercy and secures justice
for all. He knows exactly what we need at the precise moment and brings forth
everything in its appointed time. Furthermore, God wanted to take our
transgressions as far as the east is from the west. How far is the east from
the west? Only God knows. We know that the distance is unfathomable, that’s
what the Lord does with our sins. How much does He loves us? We know that His
love and mercy is immeasurable. There is really none like our God. And reading
part of the psalm reading made me remember the song "Loving and
Forgiving". He is our best bet for always and there is no one or nothing
else that could or should take first place in our lives more than the Lord. Whenever
we receive goodness and kindness from people we meet we are very much delighted
and pleased with it. How much more would we feel if we have God's favor resting
upon us. There is nothing else better compared to this. We may search long and
hard but we can never really find true satisfaction and remain restless unless
we have God in our life. We only have to believe in God's kindness and mercy
and we will surely see it happen in our life before our very eyes. He is our
refuge and strength. To whom can we go but to God alone. The world’s point of
view is very contradictory to the message that God wanted us to live by. We need to pray hard for the desire to always
follow what is pleasing before the Lord and not forget that it is what really
matters first and foremost. We are so blessed that we did not live during the
time when Christians were being persecuted and martyred and what we are
enjoying right now are already the benefits of God's marvelous work wrought by
His mighty hand. This is why we should stop complaining and just keep our hope
if we truly believe that we have a God and Father who is full of kindness and
goodness. This reminds me of the prophet Amos. He is a prosperous
herdsman/farmer, well educated and traveled. His time (746-786) was an age of
prosperity but severely marked with moral decay and spiritual bankruptcy. He
experienced a luxurious life, lived in the garrison city a place dominated by
people of power and had all the time to study the scriptures. He lived in
affluence, belonged and embraced the "clan system/wisdom" which is a
guild or crusade to maintain the purity of the tradition of the temple of Jerusalem which houses the "Ark of
the Covenant". He saw the evil of excess in Tekoa, he witnessed the
"left" (poverty) and the "right" (wealth and affluence)
side. Being himself a dresser of the sycamore tree who worked with his people,
he also saw the plight and injustice that is existent during that time. His
prophetic mission emerged as an offshoot of his kingly and priestly status and
was able to go through all these stages making him a good "nabi"
hebrew word for prophet. We, too as followers of Jesus should also go through
certain stages and fulfill our call or mission to be king, priest and prophet
in our own personal lives. What I learned in the bible study about the very
relevant and essential Hebrew word "pescher" which means repetitious
study, reading and pronunciation of the word of God is a tool to achieve this
goal and always be reminded about the goodness and benefits of being a genuine,
equipped and well fulfilled follower of Jesus. The God of yesterday, today and
forevermore. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
R/ (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful. Bless the LORD, O my
soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my
soul,
and forget not all his benefits. R/ He pardons all your
iniquities, heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, crowns
you with kindness and compassion. R/ Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to
anger and abounding in kindness. Not according to our sins does he deal with
us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. R/ As far as the east is
from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. As a father has
compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R/
What's your standard? I used to do R & D (Research and
Development) work at the ITDI (Industrial Technology Development Institute)
when I was in the Philippines
and if there's one important thing that you've got to have that is to establish
a set of standard to be used for the analysis. The same way with our life we've
got to continue R & D work too, if we want to see improvement and success.
As we are faced constantly with the struggles of daily life we have to discover
new things, ways and strategies to come up with the best. As we go along our
way we've got to carry on using the optimum parameters based on the only proven
and reliable standard that is God’s. There should be no biases or indifference among the community of God. Today's 1st
reading presents to us a problem among the disciples at the time of Jesus and
even up to the present time. We should avoid taking sides and engaging in
actions that instead of uniting, create factions. We should closely guard
ourselves against these things. We have to be very careful in conducting our
affairs. We might not be aware of it but there are times when we are inclined
to do certain things without realizing that it does not do any good to us and
others. No matter how noble and religious this activity we are engaged in or
people we identify and work with, it could not mask, hide or camouflage any
flaw if it's just for human or personal glory. What's worse is that we are no
longer reflecting our Lord Jesus Christ in doing so and in the process is
actually doing more harm than we ever come to know. Why is this so? It is just
like the fact that there are only 2 sides on a coin, it's just head or tail and
no in between, we too, have to be conscious that whatever our actions are, they
only mean one thing or the other, to picture God in it or not. Amen.
Hallelujah!
1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells
in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. Let no one
deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let
him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness
in the eyes of God, for it is written: “He catches the wise in their own
ruses,” 20 and again: “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are
vain.” 21 So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to
you, 22 Paul or Apollos or Kephas, or the world or life or death, or the
present or the future: all belong to you, 23 and you to Christ, and Christ to
God.
Today's gospel is another mission impossible based on human standards. But
let us not forget that we are not the children of God for nothing. I have seen
many people who were able to transform themselves and have inspired many people
to change. There was one friend of mine when I was still in college who used to
be very skinny and weak, he was the laughing stock of the group and called "Palito"
because they say he is as thin as a matchstick. After several years that we
haven't seen each other I got the shock of my life when I finally saw him. He
is so physically fit with all the works and the muscles almost a perfect 10. I
couldn't have recognized him if he hadn't called my attention. When I asked him
what he did, he said he enrolled in a gym and worked out. He hired a fitness
trainer who coached him with the proper diet and exercise. The most important
thing of all was he followed and did everything that was required of him. He
said it wasn't easy but he said "no pain, no gain!" If we really want
to be perfect like our Father in heaven then it's time we start working
out by engaging in an aerobics of faith
and feeding ourselves with all the nutritious and healthy stuff and stay away
from food that is not beneficial not only to our physical but our spiritual
bodies as well. Let us start developing not only physical but spiritual muscles
as well. Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfill the law of the prophets. He
came that we may have life and have it abundantly. We have to exceed the letter
of the law and know that the Spirit of the law gives life and understand it
better. St. Augustine
said, "Love and obey God then do what you will." We must be united to
the will of God to the best of our abilities in order to always be aligned to
His will.
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."
A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. It
allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of
himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and
spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The
goal of a virtuous life is to become like God. Today’s gospel also teaches us
what Christianity is all about. Here it goes again. The mind boggling and
endless train of thoughts that follow once the faith and reason argument
ensues. Not a lot of people will agree with its recommendation and may even end
up twisting its real meaning by adding up some justifications and excuses. To
love one's enemies and be perfect just God is perfect may seem impossible. But
our God is very clear in this and if we will also be serious and really commit
to it then nothing is hard and impossible since we can do all things through
Christ who strengthens us. We need not be told dear friends since we have been
tutored by the years that all of this loveliness is not of our own making. The
ability to love our enemies and pray for those who hate us 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 and 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 compelled Mother Teresa to do the things she
did? Who compels the mothers and the fathers to sacrifice themselves and do
without so their children can be educated and 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.” Another very significant event I could associate with the
gospel today is an incident in a graduation party several years ago where all
the God's Children members were gathered together seated in a big table. There
was a very interesting conversation among us. We all actually didn't know how
it started but the topic shifted to purgatory. There was one person there who
said there is no such thing as purgatory. The Catholic Church teaches us that
all of us whether living or dead belong to the Church. The living are members
of the militant church, those in heaven are the Church triumphant and those who
are yet to enter heaven or in the so called "purgatory" are the
Church suffering. We are taught that people who have accepted Jesus as Lord and
Savior but die with unrepented sins and have not asked forgiveness are in
purgatory to be purged and made clean before facing God. It was said that God
is All Holy and Ever Bright and Shining in Perfection that just a single stain
of sin left in our soul makes us shy away from His presence. It is said that
we, ourselves would rather be purged first than stand not properly clothed of
holiness before God. This reminds me of the Parable of the Wedding Feast in
Matthew 22:11-14, "But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a
man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, 'My friend, how is
it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to
silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and
cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of
teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen." Although this passage
depicts being thrown in hell it is implied that we have to be properly dressed
before we face God. The only thing left when we die is our soul because our
mortal bodies are left to rot on earth and turned to dust. We have a merciful
God that is why we have purgatory. God knows that it is not easy for man to
maintain a perfect, free of stains and spotless soul at all times during our
lifetime and could still have the hope of being with God in heaven. Based on
our Catholic teachings and in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew
18:32-35, this place being spoken of here where the servant was tortured until
he was able to pay back the whole debt is like purgatory. It is written, “You
wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should
you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in
anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the
whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives
his brother from his heart." In this place he was given the chance to pay
back the whole debt unlike in the Parable of the Wedding Feast when he was
immediately thrown away in darkness. Before this story gets any longer and even
more elaborate without the main point being stressed, the emphasis lies in the
fact that we are all called, as the gospel today tells us and what I also
mentioned to the unbelieving person in purgatory, to be perfect just as our
Heavenly Father is Perfect. For the purpose of giving glory to God, it is
noteworthy to mention that this person who was so antagonistic at that time and
had already distanced herself to the Catholic faith is now back to the fold. All
the readings for today are beautifully linked. It conveys the message about
loving our fellowmen, enemies included and forgiving them. The idea of
forgiveness does not tell us justify, overlook, excuse and not to hold a person
accountable for any wrong doing. In fact, legitimate self defense is not considered
bad. We have to love our enemy, our neighbor and everyone without exception. We
have to rule over our feelings. We may not feel like doing good but we must not
equate forgiveness with the feelings but with right thing to do. We need to go
the extra mile. We are called to action, to love even the most unlovable. It
may seem exaggerated and unnatural but we have to put goodness into the society
rather than respond and react in an unchristian way. As the gospel tells us
today, the sun rises on everyone and His love and mercy is for all. It is just natural that our love is
proportional to what we get in return. We must remember that God Himself as
written in Romans 5:7-8, Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just
person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died
for us. We have to love and radiate this
grace and forgiveness that we’ve been given. Even while we were enemies of God,
He sent His son to offer us His forgiveness. Thus, we are called to
supernatural love through God’s grace. This is given to us in the sacraments
during mass when Jesus offers Himself to us. We all have opportunities to live
this great call of charity. In prayer we
call upon that grace to love and see what it does. This is the perfection that the gospel calls
us today. It is a challenge to true faith come together with true reason and
somehow reinforces the faith against reason mentality. I firmly believe that
goodness and evil once it is started can go a long way and the start of an
endless cycle. If you decide for evil then be ready for the things that will
follow. It is better to suffer once and
for all than to retaliate and resist and regret its consequences for the rest
of our lives throughout eternity. Let us always be wise and decide for God in
all our actions than to be easily dissuaded and get carried away by the
"spur of the moment" and the tempting lure of this world which can
lead to eternal damnation. My mother always says that love begets love and you
sow what you reap. Anger, hatred and vengeance should find no room in our
hearts. These are things that do not reflect the holiness and perfection of
God. We might think that it is an impossibility to exist in this world without
ever having to succumb to these things but as God our Father in heaven is
perfect and holy so must we strive to be like Him. Sometimes we gather all our
strength and abilities to do something very difficult but in the end our best
intentions and efforts aren't just enough. Everything will amount to nothing in
the end even if we seem to be succeeding at first because we will eventually
run dry, become empty and totally out if we fail to draw strength, fortitude
and courage from the ever flowing and unending well of God's Grace. We must
remember that it is not through our own power that we can do it but through
Jesus Christ our Lord who strengthens us. Nothing is hidden from God and
everything we do if offered to God as a form of sacrifice will always work out
for good. (Rom 8:28)Although it may not be instant and will take time we should
always keep in mind that if we do everything in Jesus name and for His greater
glory then when we are sure to be rewarded according to God's promises, riches
and glory. Let us always be an ever ready servant of the Lord who will not
refuse an opportunity to shine for the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was
said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you,
love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for
he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the
just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense
will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your
brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So
be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
