ROT AWAY

It is frightening to see something rotting because it could be associated to dying too. I always shiver whenever I see a dead animal on the street that is starting to decay and smell. I am sure nobody wants to go near it and be contaminated of the stench and germs that it carries. We might not realize it but today's 1st reading tells us indirectly that whenever we sin we expose ourselves to the process of rotting and death eventually if we fail to remedy our situation. In fact I have read and heard several times already that sin accompanies death. We may not see it with our visible eyes but every time we sin our soul starts to deteriorate and become susceptible to the destructive elements of sin. We must not allow this to happen to us and avoid sin in order for our souls to remain intact and not rot away. God is Almighty and if we have the confidence in our All Powerful God then nothing is supposed to affect our disposition. We should maintain a sense of well-being and hope that no matter how difficult things may seem to us we will always reflect in us the peace that passes understanding. Amen. Hallelujah!

Ezekiel 24:15-23

15 The word of the LORD came to me: 16 Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears. 17 Groan in silence,...You shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.

We have unforgettable experiences in life which remains etched in our memories no matter how long it may have been. These experiences whenever we remember them may cause us to recall too, the emotions and feelings that go with it and elicit from us a smile, laughter or tears. If we are to dwell on the truth that Jesus gave up His life for our sake, His Father suffered His only Son to serve as ransom for our deliverance and His Holy Spirit descended from Heaven, dwelt in us and always with us then we will never forget and will always remember. Today's psalm reading is taken from Deuteronomy and could have been written thousands of years ago even before the time of Jesus Christ. But its message still resounds to this very day. People nowadays are acting as if there is no God with the way they go about with their lives. This reminds me of the Catholicism talk of Fr. Barron in EWTN. He said that there are 4 things that Jesus despised on the cross. These are the things which we typically seek. It is sad to see how we sometimes put our loyalty in such things without realizing that everything comes from God and He should be first. The main point is detachment. We should look to our Lord on the cross and despise what He despised on the cross, wealth, pleasure, power and honor.  Wealth, He has none of it, He was stripped naked even of His clothes. Pleasure, He was at the limit of physical and psychological suffering. Power, he was nailed on the cross. Honor, he was mocked as he was publicly displayed and crucified. On the cross, he is the ultimate peace maker and the bringer of divine mercy. If Thomas Aquinas is right then Jesus on the cross is a picture of a happy man. He is the personification of the beatitudes. In order to be truly happy then we have to despise what He despised on the cross and love what He loved on the cross, to do the will of His Father. We should never take God for granted and start to think of all the good things He has done for us.  Let us not become like Israel and Judah who turned their backs on God. It is sad to see how they put their loyalty in fame, honor, power and riches without realizing that everything comes from God and He should be first. Amen. Hallelujah!

Deuteronomy 32:18-19, 20, 21

R: You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

18 You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, You forgot the God who gave you birth. 19 When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing and anger toward his sons and daughters...What a fickle race they are, sons with no loyalty in them!” (R) 21 “Since they have provoked me with their ‘no-god’ and angered me with their vain idols, I will provoke them with a ‘no-people’; with a foolish nation I will anger them.”

We should always have this attitude of readiness to always obey, follow and live the example of the life of Jesus. There is no reason to feel sad if we believe that we can always restore what is lost and gain a hundredfold to the point of overflowing whatever we give up for the building of God's kingdom. We can never out give our God whom we owe our existence, the Creator. God doesn't want us to settle for anything less. Let us be open to His abundance for He has the best and excellent surprises in store for all of us. It has helped me realize that if we think that we're already contented with how things are going then we need to think twice and hard. There's more to it than what we are able to think and imagine. Just like in today's gospel when the rich young man was further challenged by Jesus to go beyond the boundaries of goodness and be perfect in every way. We too must not hesitate to go beyond our capacities and discover that there is something more in store for those who are willing to give up more. Let us learn the art of letting go and letting God in order to reach infinity and beyond. Detachment is a word that is not easy to practice especially with not just things but people too. Today's gospel asks us to do just that in order to be perfect. Whew! We must admit that all of us have certain attachments in this world that we could not just let go of. It's not only with material possessions that today's gospel is talking about but also with people that we find hard to detach ourselves from. We should only cling to God alone. Although God being loving and perfect in everything that He is, surely does not want us to turn our backs from these attachments we have in this world in the literal sense of the word but it is in finding ourselves still with peace and joy despite the absence of them. It is because of the knowledge that God alone suffice. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 19:16-22

16 A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”...‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.