Life is never easy and fair at times. If we go through trials and hardships and
sometimes lose heart when confronted by our doubting and questioning minds then
we should always stand firm in our principles and convictions anchored in
Jesus. No matter how difficult it may seem we must not lose sight of what kind
of suffering Jesus had to go through and
all our problems will fade in the background. Nothing we do in our entire
lifetime will ever seem fit for a God who is perfect in countless ways and will
always fall short of His glory. We just have to be thankful that God never
gives up on anyone of us for He looks not on our sins but on our faithfulness.
We always have a choice to improve, move forward and not lag behind. After all
the years and experiences God is continuously at work in us and will always
look forward to that day when we will come to be with Him, perfected through Jesus
and united with Him in His wonderful kingdom in heaven. We should always have
the attitude of humble acceptance and complete surrender clinging only to God
and not on any person, thing, situation or possession in life. These
experiences will all amount to something great in the end. Which reminds me of
the story of a silversmith (narrated by Fr. Joseph Magdaong) who purifies
silver by allowing it to sit on the fire at its extreme heat (blue flame) until
it finally comes out pure. The silversmith knows that the work is done once the
silver starts to reflect the image of the silversmith/refiner. Just in case we
do not know, there is also a danger that if a silversmith has exceeded the
refining process it will totally ruin the silver that's why a good silversmith
keeps an eye on the silver 100% of the time during the refining process. Allow
this to sink in to our souls for in time we will all come to know that we are
in truth blessed and full of grace whenever we are subjected to this kind of
situation knowing that we have a perfect and good silversmith who keeps a close
eye on us and never leave us. In whatever we are going through right now, let
us believe and trust that we are in the steady hands of the Expert who will
never miss nor fail. God always work with perfection. We can always be assured
that if we allow ourselves to go through the Refiner's fire then we will surely
come out perfect. God is always precise in His moves and can never go wrong.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Malachi 3:1-4
...For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s
lye. 3 He will sit refining and purifying [silver], and he will purify the sons
of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due
sacrifice to the LORD.
We can't claim to be this kind of person, a Christian but
conduct ourselves in a very unlikely way. Let us no longer be deceived by the
false and misleading truths and principles that this world presents to us every
single day. We have to be grounded at all times on this truth that today's psalm
is telling us. There was a time when Tita Neds complained that something is
wrong with the television. She said that somebody fixed it already but it
didn't stay fixed for long. It wasn't the manufacturer who repaired it that was
why. If it was brought to its manufacturer they would definitely know what to
do with it. We've got to be conscious of this reality and apply it to
ourselves. When something goes wrong we should know where to go, to whom we
really belong, the Lord. This is the covenant: we belong to the Lord and He
belongs to us for we are His people and He is our God. If we look at what's
happening in the world today most especially the economic crisis wherein even
the leading nations are being challenged by the present situation then we are
really bound to anticipate the worst. Not even those people who used to be very
confident of their present jobs in their respective stable companies can be too
sure of what's going to happen next. There have been so much speculations of
what will be the outcome of this worldwide problem of the economy and most of
them are not good. With all these rubble, there is just really one thing we
need to focus on and that is God. It is not easy to live life in this world but
we can rejoice and be glad, we have an army, a battalion, a full house of
saints with all the angels constantly and endlessly praying and singing in
heaven, the so called triumphant Church/army of God, who intercede in our
behalf and is joyously inviting us to be one of them. We are being reminded by
the readings today to always keep ourselves blameless before the Lord no matter
how tough things are. God wants to be with us, there is no doubt about that.
But just like water and oil which can not be put together and mixed so is God
and man if we are in sin or harbor anything that can not be attributed to the
holiness of God. We can not force two different things to go together. Water is
a polar molecule and oil is non polar. They do not mix because they are two
different substances as in the adage, "Like dissolves like." God can
not change. He is already who He is, Holy in all His ways. We can change. We
can be like God in His holiness and goodness if we want to be with Him forever.
Let us not lose sight of what a mighty God we serve who made the heavens and
the earth. We pray to God to open our eyes that we may see the wonders of His
love. We should think profoundly of our daily walk with the Lord which consists
of not only a leisure stroll in the plains and valleys of life but a steep
climb up to the top of the mountain. We must avail of the sacrament of
reconciliation. It gives us renewed strength and hope. Our life consists of
steep and dangerous climbs but we must not forget that God is always at our
side. If we are to carefully assess our life we would find that it feels good
whenever we are able to overcome most of our pitfalls though there are some
that still needs improvement. We must praise and thank God that every time we
experience a fall back and backslide we can immediately go back to Him through
the sacrament of confession which restores us to our original path and right
track. It is God's desire that we will someday come face to face with Him.
There is a need for us to prepare for that day. We are sometimes guilty of not
focusing on God's countenance alone, there are times when we get distracted by
other things and today's psalm reading serves as the reminder. I heard a story
about God's radiating and blinding light that when we stand before Him nothing
is hidden from Him, He will never turn away from us but if we ourselves are
tainted with the guilt of our sins then we can not withstand His presence and
will definitely hide and ran away from Him, far from His ever blinding Light
that penetrates us. Let us all hope that when that day comes we can stand in
His Holy Presence and claim with confidence our rightful place in His Kingdom.
For our information, all of us are eligible to be in heaven with God. There is
no doubt about this since we have been made and washed clean by the Blood of
the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. A virgin is with child. The Old
Testament scriptures have foretold of this and point to the coming of Christ.
The prophets preannounced and prefigured His coming and pointed to the
fulfillment in Jesus in the New Testament. He has loved us first and continues
to do so. He encounters us ever anew in the sacraments especially in the
Eucharist. The Church helps us to respond to God’s initiative through word and
teaching and the gathering of believers who respond faithfully. We have to be
firm, resilient and faithful people of God. We’ve got to really focus on what
is truly important and essential. We live in a world where there are so many
distractions that we tend to lose sight of what should be our greatest and most
important concern. After all has been said and done we will find in the end
that what truly matters is not what will last only in this lifetime but for all
eternity, a reward from God our Savior. When somebody invites us for a party we
just don't go there without preparing ourselves for it. Much more gatecrash and
just go to a party without an invitation. We are blessed that God has invited
us. The best we could do being privileged, honored and counted to come to His
banquet in heaven is to make preparations and always be ready to take part in
it, really belong and not end up an outcast. We should not lose sight of this
standing invitation that God gives us in our daily life. There is indeed a need
to always be prepared so that when the final moment comes we can reside in the
heavenly abode of God. In every game there is a rule to follow and only those
who play it fair and square can finish to the end and win their prize. Today’s
psalm gives us a guideline to follow in order to make it through. We should
always long to see the face of God at all times in every person, event and
circumstance in our lives. Let us always hold on to this image so that someday
when we finally come face to face with God we will receive a blessing and
reward for He will surely bring about what He said He would do. In the course
of the time and in the history of mankind we hear of people like Abraham chosen
by God. The chosen people were given laws and ordinances to follow. The
remnants of the chosen people or those who were faithful to God in keeping
these commandments like Simeon and Anna, Joachim and Anne are those who belong
to the Hebrew generation, kept the Jewish tradition and prepared the way for
the coming of the Messiah. This initiation of God in loving us first should
bring us to act and make love blossom as a response on our part. We've got to
be aware that the no one but the Lord is the King of glory. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10
R: Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
7 Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient
portals, that the king of glory may come in! (R) 8 Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
One thing I can never forget with my friend Bernadeth when
she was in an unwell state was when she confided to me about how she really
feels about people trying to be of help, nice and consoling by saying to her,
"I understand how you feel." She said that she doesn't believe them
when they say it. According to her, they don't really know how she feels unless
they themselves undergo the same thing that she went through in which she said
that some people have really no idea. In fact, she said it with so much stress
I almost started to doubt the credibility of this principle relating to Patient
Care that I learned way back in Nursing
School
Hebrews 2:14-18
...he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he
might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of
the people. 18 Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is
able to help those who are being tested.
Today’s gospel is about the presentation of Jesus in the temple
in obedience to the Mosaic law of Joseph and Mary. There is a wide variety of aspects to
contemplate upon. In Israel at that
time, women had to wait 40 days before the presentation of the child she has
given birth. They understand that when a woman bears a child they are in the
realm that belongs specifically to God. The birth of a child is something that
depends on God giving life and there is a great sacredness in the process of
giving birth to a child and they are set apart. This ritual needs to be
completed before entering the life of community. We can not often understand
the OT teachings. At this time a woman is considered unclean although not
necessarily sinful since it could also mean something sacred. We could look at
it in a way they see the scriptures since they are considered very sacred. In
the synagogue everyone is forbidden to actually touch a scroll with their
finger so they have a stick to point at the scripture. It is very sacred and if
you touch it you become unclean. The idea is that it is so sacred and
considered a power that belongs to the realm of God. If you are rendered
unclean then one has to go in a ritual bath. This is why Jewish women have to
go into a ritual bath after 40 days because they entered into the realm of God
when they give birth to a child. It works in a way that it is also at the time
when the body after birth is completely healed. All these things work hand in
hand with each other as the mystery of God unfolds in our very own lives. The
characters of Simeon and Anna are inevitably drawn into this event of Jesus'
life. They serve as models of faith and hope for the people of God. There is no
doubt that God is with us but are we with or for God. In any good relationship
we know that it should be a 2-way or mutual thing. One can not govern over or
not respond to the other. If we aim to develop an intimate relationship with
God then we need to work on it. We can also learn from Anna the prophetess. It
was said that “she was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in
fasting and prayer.” Her devotion to the Lord paid well. We sometimes go
through life like a routine and we do things automatically without much
thought. There are times when we just let things and circumstances pass us by
without noticing any difference. Anna did not fall for this kind of trap or
complacency. She immediately knew and felt the Lord's presence. There may be
thousands of babies being presented in the temple during that time but she
spotted the Lord. This could not have been possible if not for her prayerful
and discerning attitude. Just like her, may we be sensitive always to God's
presence in our midst and be endowed with discernment. This is what happens
when we decide to always draw near to God. He will surely not just draw nearer
but nearest to us. God does not just match or double our works and efforts but
maximizes to the superlative. We’ll never find ourselves in the losing end but
always in a winning situation with the Lord. When God stooped down to our level
and disrobed his kingship for our sake He knew from the start what He is
headed, for He is All knowing. But some still contradicts God despite
everything He has done for us. And this is all because of His great love for
us. Jesus is an obedient and loving Son as He is a symbol of perfection. That
even His own mother was not spared of the hurt and pain is way too much for
Him. From every beginning to the end of it all, there should only be one truth
that guides us to the ultimate, unsurpassed and unending power of God which has
long been revealed throughout the ages. Jesus came to save us. This is a very
powerful statement that not every one of us can grasp its true meaning. There's
this story of a man who heard a banging on the windows one winter night and saw
the freezing sparrows who were trying to get in. The man tried to save them by
shooing them away towards the barn where they could have shelter. Every time he
tried to come near them he scares them and they fly away. He realized that he
can not save them because they can not understand him. The only way to save
them is to become small like them and lead them to where they should go. Unless
he becomes one of them there is no way he can save them. This is what God did
in order to save us. Jesus manifested God’s love. He became a model for us to
follow. This is all because He wanted to give us a participation in His Divine
Life. Mass is a perfect worship to God who is perfect. During mass we offer
Jesus, the perfect sacrifice to God who lived in humble obscurity laid down His
life in death, obeyed perfectly and won life for us, the Church. Death is a part of life and we ought to
prepare for it. Not in the morbid kind of way but by giving and surrendering
all in union with Jesus. Simeon and Anna were both righteous, devoted to God
and prayerful. They were gifted by God with prophetic revelations. We, too are
gifted with the Holy Spirit but there is a need to unleash the power in us. We
can start by striving to follow the good example of the holy men and women who
came before us and faithfully and diligently wait on the Lord. It is an
opportunity just like Simeon and Anna in today’s gospel to say our yes to the
Father as Jesus did. We are reminded that even Jesus followed what was written
in the law. We are reminded to conduct our affairs of this world in accordance
to the law and live a life that is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. We ask the
intercession of the Blessed Mother whose heart was pierced by a sword, may we
be always covered by her blue mantle of protection. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 2:22-40
...“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace,
according to your word, 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you
prepared in sight of all the peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”...“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
contradicted 35 — and you yourself a sword will pierce — so that the thoughts
of many hearts may be revealed.”
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