We really have to grow up!
We're no longer kids who need to be told the opposite. Reverse psychology
sometimes work especially on children aged 2-4 who are said to be going through
the negativity stage but we know that we can do better than that. As mature
individuals we find it insulting if somebody will tell us to do the exact
opposite of what they want us to do. God would always give us the right
instructions and would not resort to giving the opposite. God respects us and
will always treat us with dignity. So let us decide to act in accordance to
this. Nothing in this world can be more rewarding than what the 1st reading
tells us today. There are so many things we can benefit a lot from but they are
quick fixes and do not last long. Somehow we can always derive something out of
our efforts or things could be worse when we totally get nothing out of it in
cases when we mess up things. If the case is that we were able to get something
out of it, whether it is there to stay a little while or longer and satisfy us
fully or not could never be answered unless we first commit to God and do
exactly as we are told below. We live in a very harsh, tough and competitive
world which is no doubt very imperfect and the best thing that we can do is to
work for things that do not perish unlike all the other things in this world
and hold on to God who is perfect. Amen. Hallelujah!
Micah 6: 1-4, 6-8
You have been told, O man, what is good, and
what the LORD requires of you: Only to do right and to love goodness, and to
walk humbly with your God...You have been told, O man, what is good, and what
the LORD requires of you: Only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk
humbly with your God.
God saves. There is no question about that but we have to
also be diligent in fulfilling our part of the bargain. This reminds me of the
vow I have made when it was impressed to me way back Oct. 7, 2007 in the
reading from Book of Habakkuk 1,2-3.2,2-4. “Then the LORD answered me and said:
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.”
From then on I've been writing daily reflections that can be
read by everybody and to my surprise it has become integrated in my daily
activities. As time and days go by, a lot of things started to unfold before
me, most especially the enormous message contained in that prophecy in
Habbakuk. This has given me inspiration and joy to continue doing it.
Definitely God is not asking us to resort to some extreme or out of this world
act. The emphasis is on the importance of following the commandments of God and
doing what we've got to do. We need not wait any longer and see any further for
God wants us to start paying attention to His commandments and apply it in our
very own lives in order to make a return for all the good He has done. There are
times when we just have to ignore what other people may say or think and
continue in the belief that we are God's people and have to be obedient in what
He has asked us to do and stay loyal to Him no matter what the cost is. We've
got to make things very clear for us. Sometimes we insist on doing things our
way and more often than not we end up in trouble. It's about time we realize
that there is no other way but the Lord's way. We get the impression that if we
do one good thing for the Lord then the rest of our actions are already covered
and justified. Well, that's what the enemy wants us to think so we can go on
doing our own thing without much care whether is it really pleasing to God or
not. Our God is perfectly and wholly good in every aspect and we can't expect
Him to yield to a partly good and bad child. Because He loves us, we need to be
disciplined in order for us to straighten up. There is this Catholic convert
who was raised in the belief that the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon . When he
encountered for the first time listening to the Palestrina, he said that it
doesn't sound like it came from hell and sounded much more like what the angels
sound in heaven. When he visited for the first time, St. Patrick's Cathedral in
New York City , he figured that the whore of Babylon could not be
something this beautiful. He realized and understood that there could not be
such a disconnection of what could be so beautiful and what is good and true.
He could find all of these elements of goodness, beauty and truth in the
Catholic church and what eventually brought him to the faith. The beauty that
the faith produces is something that shines throughout more than 2000 years of
the Church. We are not supposed to engage in a battle that is not destined to win
at all. If we know that we are losing in the first place why pursue it? There
are so many battles in life that we have to face everyday but there is no need
to fight them all. It is not about us but about God. The only guarantee that we
are going to win it through and through is to be sure first which side we are
on and make sure that it is God's side. Let our words coincide with our work
and action so that men will see and become convinced that we are God's obedient
people. Sometimes we say one thing and mean something else. If we can confuse,
convince and win people over to our side then we are definitely wrong if we
think that we can do the same with God or even get away with it. If there's
something we should be doing with our life then that is to be upright before
the Lord first and foremost and everything will follow. It is not wise to gain
the admiration of men at the expense of losing the approval of God. Nothing
else matters more than being upright in the eyes of God. No matter how
difficult things may seem to be at present we can always count on God at all
times. The Lord hears our cries and supplications. He knows and sees all and He
will surely make things right for us. No matter what happens to us we can
always be assured of a God who will always look after us and will make sure
that we are not taken advantage of. If God is for us, who can be against us? If
we respond to His call and faithfully follow His precepts and be the person He
has meant us to be then we are assured of His saving power. There are moments in our
life when things happen to us and we feel that God is touching us in a special
way. It seems so obvious that God is speaking to us in a variety of ways
through our situations and circumstances. Today’s psalm reading tells us something
very specific. It says that God will not just make us feel that we can somehow
conclude that He is trying to communicate something to us but really show and
demonstrate to the upright His saving power. There will always be times
when we seem to not know where to go. No matter how difficult our situations
may be, God will never leave us groping in the dark. All we have to do is to
really take into serious consideration the words in today's psalm reading. The
present civilization is in decline. There is so much moral decline and decay
going on around us. The solution can be found in the psalm today. We have to
have self discipline and will power to put a stop to the atheistic society that
is on the rise. We need to become an active participant of the on going seminar
for self restraint to control our appetites. To not pursue our own selfish good
but the common good in order to rebuild our society and witness the saving
power of God. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23
R: To the upright I will show the saving power
of God.
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” And the heavens proclaim
his justice; for God himself is the judge. R....“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess
my covenant with your mouth, 17 though you hate discipline and cast my words
behind you?” (R) 21 “When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you
think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before
your eyes. 23 He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him
that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
Have we become an evil and unfaithful
generation? We tend to doubt some things unless we have proof. What God expects
of us is to believe even in the midst of uncertainty. Let us just focus on the
truth that God will always give what's best for us. If we maintain an open
communication line with God, there is indeed no more need for proof and sign.
Everything that happens to us should be considered as God’s way of calling us
to Himself. We must not be doubtful or unbelieving anymore like the scribes and
Pharisees in today’s gospel. What could be greater than the sign of God’s
infinite love for us, Jesus who became man, suffered, died and resurrected for our
sake. The gospel also reminds us once again of the sign of Jonah. Whatever
signs or significant meaning it remind us of or could be none at all, there's
something to learn here which we must all come to know. Fr. Tony's said in his
teachings that Jonah is an entertaining lesson of the great capacity of people
to do good and evil. Even the Ninevites or our enemies for that matter can
still be a source of goodness since repentance and salvation is not a monopoly.
We must not lose sight of God's image of love and mercy first before that of a
just and a punishing God. Sometimes we tend to label people as hopeless or just
like Jonah who was very prejudiced against the Ninevites. And we can't blame
him for they can be considered as enemies of their race and an adulterous and
filthy nation incapable of change and conversion. This is why Jonah is also a pointed
message to all "righteous/holier-than-thou people" that if an evil,
good for nothing and messed-up Nineveh can
put on ashes/sackcloth" and repent, more so can a "God knowing,
fearing, righteous and good Jerusalem
Matthew 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 He said to them in reply, “An
evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of the
whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of
the earth three days and three nights. 41 At the judgment, the men of Nineveh
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