It's tough to love the unlovable much more to love them as ourselves.
I had the chance of watching the movie of Pope John Paul II and was very
touched by his love for the poor and the sick. He visited Mother Teresa and
even said that if it is only possible he would rather stay and exercise his office right at the heart of
the place where the abandoned and rejected of the society are. The 1st reading
today reminds us to have the willingness to always be of service to whoever
that person may be. Amen. Hallelujah!
James 2:1-9
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to
the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and
fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also
comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say,
“Sit here, please, ” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at
my feet, ” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges
with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose
those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that
he promised to those who love him?...However, if you fulfill the royal law
according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as
yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors...
The considered powerful and mighty of this world is what
appear to be the blessed and favored ones as far as human logic and reason are
concerned. The exact opposite of what Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount
and Plain (Beatitudes) in the gospels. A lot of people find it difficult to
really understand the beatitudes since it contradicts the values of this world
we live in. The poor, weak, hungry and sorrowing are called blessed. This may
not sound acceptable for everybody and would even go around its meaning to get
away with the real issue that Jesus wants us to face. Whatever it may be that's
still stopping us from grasping the wisdom of God let us pray to God that we
will always hold on to His word as He assures daily. Our God indeed is a
perfect God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning and believing
that He knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His
power that we exist in this world. We’ve got to have the right heart, mind and
attitude. Be poor in spirit and receptive to the Word of God. It doesn't make
sense that despite these truths that are ever before us we still reject Jesus.
Let's admit that we do it one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. Pope
John Paul II narrated a story when he was in the hospital for his operation.
Just before the surgery, he went out of his room unnoticed and visited a very
sick boy on the verge of dying. His mother was so depressed that no amount of
words was able to console her. She told the Pope to tell God to go away. The
Pope answered her that he did tell God to go away but He wouldn't listen. He
embraced the inconsolable mother and told her that God knows exactly the place
where He needs to be and that is none other than with her. We should realize
that God never leaves nor forsakes most especially in times of despair. He is
always there for us. Have you heard of blind obedience? Following without knowing exactly why you
follow. Take the example of suicide bombers, who willingly die to spread
terrorism. What courage! We should know that it is always worth it to obey God,
obeying and knowing fully well that it is for our own good. We all have fears
in life and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be
the case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's
psalm tells us then there is no reason for it. We may have encountered
situations wherein we were not able to plan ahead and totally placed us in a
very unexpected, uncertain and insecure position. They just happen suddenly that we have no time
to prepare and really caught us off guard. This has caused us to feel at a loss.
Just imagine how it feels to be blind not knowing where to go and groping in the
dark. But we can be assured that God will rescue us from all distress and
deliver us from our troubles. The wickedness and the hatred may persist but let
us not lose hope and despair because we have a mighty Savior and Redeemer in
our Lord Jesus. This truth stated in today’s psalm reading should keep us going
and do exactly what we are told. The Light of the World already came and
judgment day is coming soon. In fact, judgment is happening even now. In
Deuteronomy 30:15 "Here, then, I have today set before you life and
prosperity, death and doom..." God asked us to choose. It's got to be one
way or another. There should be no mingling or ambiguity. It is all up to us.
We can be assured that if we take God’s side then we’ll definitely taste and
see His goodness. If we will just seek God at all times then we surely find
Him. Let us not turn to anything or anyone else but to God alone. Let us be
firm and wise in our dispositions to really stick to God's ideals and
principles alone instead of the suggestions and insinuations of the so called
wise and learned of this world's standard. For if we do, we'll find ourselves
rescued, saved and truly blessed. We
should always keep our hopes up in the Lord no matter what our situations are
because it can never change the fact that He is God and always in charge and in
control. There are times when we feel forsaken or abandoned but we must always
hold on to the truth that He loves us so much. He would never leave us in
misery. Let us remove all doubts and fears. Nothing should make us feel afraid for
God hears our cry. He will surely carry out what is clearly for our own good
and the best. All we need to do is allow God to work in our lives and stop
hindering His grace to flow in our lives. If there's one big obstacle that is
blocking this flow then it is surely not God. It is time we analyze the things
in our life that continue to build up and shut out God. We don't want that
happening and it's all up to us for the Lord hears and saves us. Although there
are times when we do not have to sweat at all and things just come and fall
into place we also have to know that our life is mostly a product of the
choices we make. Our choices must always be responsible and carefully decided
on. We've got to have a reliable standard for it. One without fail and is sure
to work. Actually there is only one thing that we can surely depend on and that
is the goodness of the Lord. If we always have this in mind then nothing should
stop us to always look at God, listen and follow Him. We should not care so
much about gaining the approval and admiration of men rather than God. Our
focus first and foremost should be to please God and everything else will
follow. Even if it sometimes does not work the way we expected and planned
things to be. We can be assured that the Lord heard, hears and will hear all
our prayers and surely has the best answer at hand in His most perfect time. In
guarding our faith the bible passage from Ephesians 6:10-11 which is about the
armor of God is an important tool. If we read it we will find the only weapon
mentioned in the said bible passage is the sword of the Spirit which is the
Word of God. We should check it once again and be aware of this important
information as Catholic Christians. In the gospel about the temptation of Jesus
the devil also demonstrated his knowledge of the scriptures. As it is written,
we need to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. We are undoubtedly
engaged in this battle every single day that's why we are in need of a weapon.
This reminds us of the importance of knowing the word of God by heart since it
is our only weapon. God never fails. He would always make things work for our
good and rescue us in our distress. I have always believed in angels even
before I got this petal from a healing service with the image of a cherubim
miraculously imprinted on it. It's been a while since I got it and has served
as a testimony of God’s abiding love. I have no doubt in my mind that God will
always deliver me from all my fears. I always keep my rose petal with me and
show it to almost everyone I meet, as a way of propagating God's goodness to
me. I can still remember and will never forget how my mother used to narrate to
us how I was miraculously saved by my angel several times. First was when I was
about 2 months old, and I fell from a height of 2-3 ft countertop when the
nanny after giving me a bath left me for only a second to get something and
upon returning found me already unconscious and lying on the hard, ceramic
tiled floor. I was rushed to the doctor but he told them that if I fail to
regain consciousness within an hour then he said I am gone. To everybody's
surprise I started to cry even before the time is up. Another one was when I
was barely 2 yrs old when I almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My parent's
house is right beside my grandparent's house which is right in front of the
school where my mother used to be a public school teacher. She said she was
standing in the center of the stage of the school that was why she had a good
view of the things around her even the terrace of my grandparent's house so she
got the shock of her life when she saw me there alone running very fast heading
toward the open gate while a speeding jeepney was coming and looked as if I
would really get hit and it would be too late even if somebody was there to
stop me. She was already screaming from afar together with the other teachers
who saw it and was trying to call the attention of the driver but to no avail
for he didn't even slow down because their screams were of no match to the loud
engine of the jeep. It was just a
miracle that the moment I stepped on the side of the road, I suddenly stopped
and stood very still as if someone was holding me back. She said it was my
guardian angel who held me and prevented me from getting hit by the jeep. I don't remember personally any of those
experiences it was only through my mother's stories that I came to know about
them. But when I was older like in 4th grade I could already remember how I was
spared again from being hurt seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top
of my head fell on my desk a split second after I stood up and left my
chair. My classmates were really shocked
and were hovering around me and told me that it was really close. One of my
bestfriends, Myrsa got me even more scared of what could had happened when she
said that fluorescent lamps are laden with poison that once it gets broken, the
poison is released and if the broken glass cuts your skin open the poison will
get in and the wound caused by it will never dry up or get healed. From then on
I developed this childlike trust in God and thanked God for saving me from
death. There was another instance in my life as a child when Myrsa and I were
left all alone in school while waiting for our ride home and the deafening sound
of lightning and thunder got me very scared. Myrsa played the role of my
guardian angel when she tried to calm and stop me from crying by telling me
that I should not be afraid because the lightning is the flash bulb of God's
camera. She continued by saying that I should not cry but instead smile for God
was just taking our picture. Myrsa's legendary stories played a role in my
developing a great faith in God. Another funny story was what she told me about
the needle. She said that we must be careful with needles because it will find
its way into our bodies and once it's inside it will go to our bloodstream and
very quickly end up pricking our hearts which can cause us to die right away.
There was one time when I lost a needle and couldn't find it anywhere. I went
to bed very early that day which surprised my mother and was asking me if there
was anything wrong. I decided to myself that I would just wait for my death
silently and not tell anybody. I was praying to God not to give me a painful
death and let me not feel it once the needle pricks my heart. When I woke up
the next day I was so glad that I was still alive and thanked God for sparing me
from death. Those were the early formative years of my faith which started out
in a funny, amusing but definitely amazing way. We all have fears in life and
sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the case.
If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells
us then there is no reason for it. If we will just constantly nourish and fill
ourselves with the words of God in scriptures then there is really no reason
for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. He will never allow us to be
defeated and conquered for He is always there to rescue us. Amen, Hallelujah!
R: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
1 [2] I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. 2 [3] Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad. (R) 3 [4] Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. 4 [5] I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (R) 5 [6] Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. 6 [7] When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
The word of God never fails. It has always been a source of
enlightenment, assurance and encouragement especially at times when we needed
it the most. It has been consistently living up to what it stands for from
Ephesians 6:17 as sword of the Spirit. Also in Hebrews 4:12, "Indeed, the
word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to
discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." We can always prove this
to be true if we will constantly consult the word of God in the daily readings,
we will find that it always perfectly fits the situation that we are presently
in for we have a God who knows everything that is going on with us, is always
around and never leaves us. We want to do things the easy and the quick way and
this is not very surprising at all. Even St. Peter himself did not want to hear
about the passion and death of Christ in today's gospel. We might be tempted to
think that Jesus is a sadist because He wants to go through all the pain and
suffering that the cross entails rather than be spared from it when He can
obviously will anything to happen because He is God. Jesus wanted to set a good
example for us by being obedient to the will of God the Father. It is only by
dying on the cross that the resurrection can have meaning. Jesus wanted to show
us that we may not be able to eliminate the harsh realities in life but we can
always hope for a deliverance and resurrection in Him. Sometimes in life it is
by going through something even the very difficult experiences that we learn
great lessons. It is a brutal teacher indeed but we gain knowledge from it. We
can always look to something and be assured that God will not let us go through
something without seeing us through it. We better hold on to God and never let
go rather than be won over by the false propaganda of Satan and end up a loser.
In today’s gospel also we hear Jesus pose this question to His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” and in all places
asked this in Caesarea Philippi. History tells us that this place is the center
of paganism during that time. His disciples answered Him with a variety of
things with regards to who He is. This is a question we ought to answer
ourselves. The true meaning of His kingship is revealed on the cross. There is
a newness in it, that He is a king who came not to be served but to serve. He
speaks in riddles and parables but today’s gospel is the turning point as He
speaks more openly and clearly although He still doesn’t want to tell everybody
because they might misunderstand. It is difficult to understand the authentic
identity of Jesus apart from the cross. This is why Jesus rebuked Peter when he
tried to stop Him while talking about his suffering and death. He is trying to
teach us that He’s the Savior and that God alone saves. He is the Messiah
indeed through the Paschal mystery (suffering, death and resurrection). In this
context we should learn to deny ourselves, take up our own crosses and follow
Him. We must realize that no servant is greater than His master. If Jesus
embraced His cross, so must we. We should not look at Jesus and see Him as
someone who just taught us beautiful things as a teacher. We should go further and
not allow Satanic temptation to pull us away from Jesus on the cross. It is the
devil’s goal to pull us Christians away from the cross at all cost. Satan can
easily lead us away from the cross because our human nature does not want to
embrace the cross. It is just a natural reaction because we don’t want to
suffer and lose our lives for this world. Jesus does not ask us but we’re
invited to share in His Paschal Mystery and in His cross. The world oppresses
us to deny the gospel because our ego dictates us to do it our way. We have to
deny ourselves and let go of our ego. The world pushes us to live by our own
rules. We need to relinquish ourselves and trust Him who is the Savior rather
than trust ourselves with our own will. We are tempted by the world to go to a
different direction which is not in alignment with the gospel and contrary to
the spirit of the gospel. We must be aware of the struggles as spoken of in
Daniel 7 where he speaks of end times, the struggle in this worldly kingdom and
how God’s kingdom will triumph. We have to trust and believe in Him. Is it
really in our gut that we are going to follow Jesus on the cross? The world is
not taking us there rather it is the faith that we profess. He is the Savior.
He saves us through the cross. Let us strive and choose to think the way God
does and not as human beings do. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 8:27-35
Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea
Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of
the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said
to him in reply, “You are the Messiah.” Then he warned them not to tell
anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer
greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and
be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took
him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at
his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking
not as God does, but as human beings do.”...“Whoever wishes to come after me
must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save
his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the
gospel will save it.”
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