We are all aware of the existence of the irony of things.
Today's 1st reading is a picture of incongruity that in the 1st few statements
the Lord is pronouncing a judgment of woe to a rebellious and polluted nation
that seemed so hopeless and could not be subject to conversion but in the next
had suddenly changed and purified them. There is a lot more to learn in life
than we really come to know. God is presenting to us a variety of scenarios and
situations in its diversified forms which in turn widens and broadens our
perspective and points of view. If there's something not going right somewhere
in our life it is important that we press our ears closer to hear God's voice.
We may be very busy doing things our own way that we sometimes neglect to heed
what God is telling us. Or the trials and difficulties we are experiencing in
life should work in a way that we become closer to God rather than stray away
from Him. Whatever it is that is happening to us we should always trust that
God has our best interest in mind and to Him alone should we draw near. We
should be aware how determined the enemy is in bringing us all to perdition.
Sometimes we are made to believe that in the midst of the holy mass, prayer
meetings and religious gatherings we are already safe, secure and free from
temptations but all the more should we be careful and wary for the enemy works
even harder to steal, deceive and snatch away the benefits and the good things
that are rightfully ours. It gives me great consolation that in today's 1st
reading, God assures us of His protection whenever we come to Him in praise. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
1 Thus says the LORD: Woe to the city, rebellious and
polluted, to the tyrannical city! 2 She hears no voice, accepts no correction;
in the LORD she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near…But I will
leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take
refuge in the name of the LORD; 13 the remnant of Israel. They shall do no
wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful
tongue; they shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.
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 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. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust
everything to Him without questioning 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.
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 me 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!
Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19, 23
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) Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your
faces may not blush with shame. 6 When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him. (R) 16 [17] The LORD confronts the
evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. 17 [18] When the just
cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. (R)
18 [19] The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in
spirit he saves. 22 [23] But the LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one
incurs guilt who takes refuge in him...
Sometimes we have doubts and hesitate to do the right thing
and look for alibis in order to justify our actions but it is good to know that
God will always wait and be patient to us in responding to Him the right way
just like the 1st son in today's gospel. Though, he hesitated at 1st his change
of mind and heart in response to God is what matters most. No matter how right
and sure we already see, think and feel we are it will always be good to take a
second look at things and reconsider your position on certain matters and
decisions that we make in life. The Lord
will never take offense even if we reject Him for as long as we make amends and
reverse our action. God always give us chances. It is always our final action
to respond positively to Him that counts. Just like in today's gospel, Jesus
did not take it against the first son that he refused to follow but rather
focused on his change of heart and obeyed. It is also the same with us. There
are times when we are not obedient to what God wants us to do. But we can
always make an about face turn to God. There may be some wrong decisions we
made along the way but we can always make right our wrongs and start anew.
Bottom line, no matter how imperfect we may be, God knows our shortcomings and
will always be patiently waiting for us. All we have to do is take a step
towards the right direction, make a U turn and go back to God. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Matthew 21:28-32
28 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the
people: “What is your opinion? A man had
two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard
today.’ 29 He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind
and went. 30 The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in
reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?”
They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax
collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God
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