Jesus
Christ came to this world more than 2000 years ago. I believe that nothing
about the life of Jesus was left to mere chance or by accident because
everything in His life happened for a reason in fulfillment of His mission. He came
to make all things right. This mission is also ours. I quote the words which I
heard from the Filipino telenovela entitled: "May Bukas Pa
1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a12
Brothers and sisters:As a body is one though it has many
parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also
Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or
Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many … 27 Now you are Christ’s body, and
individually parts of it.
The Jews knew of the prophecy that from King David’s lineage
would come forth a King, the foretold Messiah of Israel. During the reign of
King Ahaz and all other kings of Israel who did evil things the
royalty was cut off. During the Babylonian captivity and in exile, those born
of the line of David, of royal blood went in hiding for fear of being killed.
Even though the divinic dynasty was cut off, from the tree of Jesse, the father
of King David, came forth the shoot that brought forth the King. We remember
that it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The genealogy of
Jesus in Matthew 1 tells of this family tree. We would find at the end of this
lineage is Joseph who is the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Joseph is not
king but a carpenter and being Jew knew of the prophecy as foretold by the
prophet including this one from Isaiah 7:14 … the Lord Himself shall give you a
sign, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name
Emmanuel.” as spoken to him by the angel who appeared to him. He finally understood
the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel . Isaiah is important to
better understand Jesus. Joseph knew of the need for secrecy and not to make
public these things because the reigning king at that time is Herod. He is not
Jew but an Edomite who was just appointed by the Romans to be king. He is king
not for the Jews but for the Romans to collect taxes for them. This is mainly
the reason why Herod wants all male babies born at the time of Jesus, dead.
Joseph dreamed a lot of dreams and it was through them that Joseph was able to
successfully carry out his mission as the protector of the baby Jesus. Another
point of reference here is the fact that in the Old Testament (OT) there was a
foreshadowing of the Magi or Wise Men who came to worship Jesus in the manger.
It was at the time of the reign of Balak an evil king in the OT when Balaam
also a wise man from the East prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there shall
come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom . He was asked to exact a curse
upon Israel
but from his mouth came forth a blessing. A star and a scepter signifies
kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men who were looking for a star
that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel who would inform Herod of
his whereabouts but warned in a dream not to go back to him in a dream. Jesus
is truly our King. The Kingship of Jesus is accompanied by many more wonderful
things that we still have to know of. In the Jewish tradition the # 3 and 7
stands for perfection and completeness. It is somehow puzzling to know that
there are 3 sets of 14 generations from the time of Abraham to the exile to the
time of Jesus. So why the #14? The significance of the #14 stands for the name
of King David which is equivalent to 14 in Hebrew. The 3 sets of 14 stands for perfect royalty
and king that all leads to Jesus. It could also be equivalent to 6 sets of 7.
The #6 signifies the date when the beast is made or the beginning thus the #666
which signifies the beast of all beasts. The 6 of 7 sets could mean the
beginning of the 7th set. 7 is also the Sabbath. The new 7 is the new creation.
Jesus is the beginning of the 7th set. Why the fuss in all of these? It is a
consolation to know that we have a God who is King. The King of kings and the
Lord of lords. We will eventually come face to face with our Creator and God
who made heaven and earth. The time is now to make a conscious move to be in
touch with this truth. It is such a waste that we don't always realize God's
presence among us. When there is nothing more rewarding than to always be aware
of God's presence and cry out to Him in joy. Whenever we are in a relationship
with someone and give our 100% into it then we can not help but expect it to
work. But there are times too when we have given our all and yet it doesn't
seem to be enough. We sometimes are bound for disappointments. When these
things happen then is really no reason to be sad for we can always go to God
for consolation whose love for us endures forever. We are all called to become
partakers and residents of the eternal Kingdom of God Elm Street " every time the girl in
this movie falls asleep, her nightmare begins and Freddie Krueger appears to
wreak evil and havoc in her life. She has to stay awake or else something
really bad happens to her and the people around her. Somehow this should make
us realize the importance of being awake, conscious and in touch with reality.
If there's one thing that we have to always be aware of, that is God has our
best interest in mind. It may not be easy to see, understand and have a grip on
this reality always especially at times when we seem down and out as in falling
flat on bed without a care in the world like dumb sleepyheads. We have to rise,
wake up and shine. We ought to always get a hold of this truth in today's psalm
and never let it leave our consciousness. We will eventually come face to face
with our Creator, and the time is now to make a conscious move to be in touch
with this truth. There is no sense in brooding or crying over spilled milk. We
should always believe that God will always fill our glasses to the brim and
overflowing. We can always count on the Lord's help at all times. There was, is
or will never be a time when the Lord abandons the poor, the afflicted, those
in sorrow and misery. It is just a matter of trusting and hoping always in the
Lord. Our devotion to God should have no limits for He is Almighty, All
Powerful and Holy. We should remain faithful to God and never stray away from
the path where He leads us. Let us stay within the flock that God has formed
for us. When we are being cared for by God who is constantly and consistently
good, kind and faithful forever and ever then we are confident that we are safe
and secure in the fold where we belong like a flock tended by the Good
Shepherd. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 10:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R: We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; 2 serve the LORD
with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the LORD is
God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. Enter his gates
with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; give thanks to him; bless his name.
5 For he is good, the LORD, whose kindness endures forever, and his
faithfulness, to all generations.
I know that whatever caused some
things to happen the way they did, Jesus wants to make it clear that He can
bring back to life whatever it is that died whether it be physical, emotional
or every aspect of our lives that is subject to death. For nothing is too
difficult or impossible for God. In the light of today’s gospel I would also
like to share this reflection in Didache which has really touched me entitled,
COMING SOON.
The dead man sat up and began to
talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. – Luke 7:15
Luigi and Mela have been waiting for
a child since they got married many years ago. But they wouldn’t get pregnant.
They tried everything humanly possible. “Lord, how long do we have to wait?
Will this child ever come?” they prayed.
It’s never over till God says it’s
over. It’s time to believe again. God says, “I can still bring that dream to
life.” Are you in a major setback? With God you can turn it into a set up for a
greater comeback!
Don’t be surprised if you see Luigi
and Mela kiss a handsome boy crashing the drums to heavenly music. Their son,
Sean, is now in high school! By the way, the agonizing mother Monica has a
longer name now: Saint Monica. And her son Austin’s real name is Augustine — Saint Augustine , to be
exact, the great theologian and doctor of the church.
Their time has come. And yours is
coming! Jon Escoto (faithatworkjon@gmail.com)
REFLECTION:
You have been confronted by
obstacles that have been there year after year. Are you ready to give up? Keep the faith, friend. You might be
quitting one day too soon.
I want to believe again, Lord.
Breathe life into my faith that my time is coming.
Luke 7:11-17
...13 When the Lord saw her, he was
moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 He stepped forward
and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I
tell you, arise!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him
to his mother...
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