We may have been through tough times and would never even
think of reliving them again but we must not forget the valuable experience
gained from it and the lessons we have learned. They say experience is the best
teacher and it is. The art of being patient and knowing how to wait is
something that we don’t acquire overnight. It is a product of our experiences
with all the unexpected twists, turns and the agony of the uncertainty of the
waiting. It wasn't an easy thing to wait but it will always pay off and worth
it if we wait with joyful hope in our hearts knowing that God is Good and
Almighty. Nothing is impossible with God. Sometimes we just miss the point and
fail to see things in the proper perspective. When we do something and engage
ourselves in activities that we consider as our offering to the Lord we
immediately think that we have already been made righteous and holy. We can
never fool God by masking our wrong doings through these things. If we think
that we can deceive God and go along with our show then we are wrong in the
same way that Paul puts it in today’s 1st reading. It is not that
God is very difficult to please but more of our hearts, who alone God can see,
that has the wrong motives. We have to get rid of all malice, pretense and ill
feelings that do not conform to the Holy Spirit of God. The word freedom has
certainly been misused, misunderstood and interchanged for free will most of
the time. Our free will is unlimited but freedom is limited. As today's 1st
reading tells us, if we submit to the yoke of slavery due to sin then we certainly
lose this freedom. We are free to do anything that we will but we are bound by
the consequences of our actions. The more we choose to do good and follow God
the more we become free because everything that God stands for leads us to
freedom. If we succumb to evil and fall into sin then we become bound to it and
lose our freedom. Let us not be confused
any longer and continue to be duped by the enemy's false ideals and padded
lies. Amen. Hallelujah!
Galatians 5:1-6
1 Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so
stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery....Once again I
declare to every man who has himself circumcised that he is bound to observe
the entire law...5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of
righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Another interesting event I am reminded of is one of the MI (Militia
Immaculata) Meetings we had in the past
wherein we were asked to introduce ourselves briefly by saying our
names, parishes where we belong and the time when we were consecrated to the
Mother Mary. I can never forget the date I was consecrated (March 15, 2008)
since it was the same date, but in 1995, of my mother's death anniversary but I
would rather call it her birth to eternal life. It was highlighted by another
significant event which was a dream I had at that same time of my aunt, Tita
Edna who also passed away on the same month, but on the 24th in the year 1992.
The dream was quite interesting and very vivid because I saw Tita Edna riding in a van and the moment I saw her I
took off immediately and ran after the van which I almost missed if I did not
leap and managed to make it to the door of the van from which I almost fell.
When I finally made it inside the van, I saw that she was about to eat so I
offered her a hand sanitizer and saw that it made her so glad that I had it.
She immediately applied it in her hands and thanked me for it. It suddenly gave
me the impression that the van could be a symbol of our transportation to
heaven. It is very difficult to catch that ride, we have to be always alert and
vigilant we might end up missing it and worst never be able catch the ride ever
again. That is, if we are too busy with other things we tend to neglect what
should we be paying attention to and end up missing out on our ride and get a
different ride which instead of bringing us to heaven, be brought to another
destination which I guess none of us would like to be. We must always know on
whose authority we are basing our actions. It will always help to examine
ourselves and really be aware where our loyalty lies. Are we for God or against
God or are we just for God in the superficial sense? If we are deeply rooted in Him then we can
withstand that horrible day of trial and
still find ourselves persevering in our faith. Just the thought of ending up in
hell should really make us pray fervently to God. Today's psalm teaches us the way to always be
attuned to God's Spirit in order for us to truly see the word of God, as the
light shining like a lamp for our feet. If we really want to be truly happy
then there is just one thing we have to always do that is to always keep
ourselves blameless before the Lord. We can never run away from the probing
eyes of God because nothing is hidden from Him. We sometimes have this
impression that our God requires impossibilities from us. We misinterpret and
take things in a different way whenever we hear of rules and regulations to be
followed. The decrees of our Lord are not meant to make things difficult for us
nor do they burden or tie us down. This is the deception and we should start
looking at it the right way. Just imagine life without God's decrees to guide
us, it would be very disorderly and chaotic. It's like driving in the freeway
wherein one can just go his or her own way without any regard for any traffic
rules and regulations. Real freedom is the ability to follow God and being
totally free of the grasp and hold of sin that brings death. Some sins bring
instant death but others just like cancer slowly creep in and before we know it
has already eaten us up whole. God loves
us so much that He has given us His decrees because it is in following them
that we become totally free and live. The only way to true freedom is by
following God's commands. In doing this we become free of the bondage of sin
and live a power filled life based on the Truth. We should believe that if
there is someone in and out of this world who is most reasonable, just, fair
and at the same time loving, caring, slow to anger and rich in kindness that is
no other than our God. One thing for sure, if He requires us something, He will
definitely equip us for it because it is written, "I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me." If we commit ourselves to following
God then we will surely be blessed. Allow me to use the word "luck"
or "swerte" in Tagalog in lieu of any other more appropriate word
like blessed or pinagpala in Tagalog since I have always been hearing this word
being used very often by some people in reference to certain situations within
the broad context of this word. I just couldn't help but share it, first and
foremost due to some personal circumstances. We often hear people say to
another who is about to embark on something challenging, “good luck” If the
word luck may have been associated with whatever negative meaning then consider
it excluded from here and out of context for the mean time. Let's just say we
would like to broaden the scope of our vocabulary. This is to further drive the
point or message in today's psalm and is actually the catch here. This is to
come up with an induction that following the law of the Lord is just as
synonymous to being blessed, lucky, swerte or pinagpala or any other word that
we could closely associate with this. It is not very easy to lead a life like
that of the saints who followed the example of Jesus. Ignorance is not an
excuse. We should always seek to enrich our knowledge about God so that we will
continuously grow in our faith. Our world is ever changing with all the new
technology coming up, it's so surprising that whatever is considered the latest
and gold standard today may not hold true the following day. If there's one
thing we should rely and hold on to in this very dynamic world of ours, then it
should be something constant and enduring.
It gives us great consolation that we have a God who is true to His
word. We may have heard it but we haven't learned yet. It is a lifelong journey
and quest to know God better. Nothing can be more rewarding than having great
peace in our lives. We can make this possible by adhering to God’s law and
committing to following it in word and deed. It will always be well for us to consult
the scriptures that shed light and give understanding. It is only right that we
follow the law of the Lord if we are really for God then our works should
follow us and testify to who we really are. We've got to make sure that what we
sought and yearn for, is what should bring us genuine riches, true delight and
the most precious treasure which the world can not give and only God can bring
about. It is only right that we follow the law of the Lord if we are really for
God then our works should follow us and testify to who we really are.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
R: Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
... your salvation according to your promise. (R) 43 Take
not the word of truth from my mouth, for in your ordinances is my hope.
What comes to mind the moment I read today’s gospel is a
dead rat. It stinks very badly and unless we get rid of it then it is there to
stay. No matter how much we clean our house if we can not locate where the dead
rat is then we remain stinky. We have to search every crack, crevice and the
most hidden places in our home and locate where it is in order to get rid of
it. It’s just like when we do something wrong we don’t want people to know
about it and try our best to hide it. Or worse we have become calloused of our
sins that we don’t care anymore by justifying and making all kinds of excuses.
There is not much difference between the two because both are means of covering
up. The first one is the literal cover up and the other one is the figurative.
As the word itself suggests, we cover up our sins literally by not letting
other people know and figuratively when we expose ourselves to others but
instead of owning the wrong we have done we make excuses and justifications,
point a finger or divert the blame to others and not confront the real issue.
We are all guilty of it one way or another. We have to realize it literally and
figuratively and be wise rather than fools.
In the midst of a chaotic world, we should always find an inner peace
within ourselves. It is always what's inside and deep within us, that is most
important. Sometimes we get caught in the prevailing and acceptable standards
of this world we tend to be mechanical in the things we do and find our
motivations empty and meaningless. When we are driven to action and our purpose
is superficial and is just meant to create an impressive image and show off for
others to see, then we become no better than the Pharisees in today's gospel.
Jesus encourages us to be wise and not fools by going beyond the superficial
and go deeper into the heart of goodness which in turn will gain for us
everything. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 11:37-41
... The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you
cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder
and evil. 40 You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
41 But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean
for you.”
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