We can successfully battle all the evils that beset us. It
is a standing reality that we live in a world full of temptations and
difficulties but we can always emerge victorious if we have Jesus in us. Let us
cleanse our hearts, minds and bodies that just like Mary we become a fitting vessel
and dwelling place of Jesus. Let us not miscarry Jesus and give birth to Him
full term. I am reminded once again of
today's 1st reading of Msgr. Kevin Kostelnik's homily in the Our Lady of the
Angels Cathedral when he said this: "The farther away we are from God, the
more destructive our life become and the greater fear we have." Peter in
today's 1st reading is totally different and transformed from that fearful man
who denied Jesus 3x. He has become full of courage, strength and all of a sudden
is boldly proclaiming about Jesus without fear of being arrested or killed. The
Holy Spirit filled him up with all the gifts and fruits to announce and live
out this truth about Jesus knowing that there is no other name by which we are
to be saved. Today's 1st and psalm readings have a phrase and word that were
repeated twice. They are worth looking into. The phrase: "the stone
rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone", and the word: name.
Once again, we are faced with the reality of the undeniable and repetitive
truth of the prophecy in the Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament. It
was David in the Psalms of the Old Testament and Peter in the Acts of the
Apostles of the New Testament. I believe and agree that we need to look back
and recall this truth which needs to be repeatedly proclaimed and believed in
for life. There is power in the name of Jesus. We might have seen instances
when people use an access or entry code or just say the name of the person who
lives in certain subdivisions or gated homes in order to be allowed to go
inside. These are restrictions in order to ensure safety and maintain order in
the places where people live. It just made me think that God has given us a
powerful name in order to have access to the many blessings and promises that
are in store for those who would believe. What a glorious privilege and
blessing that all can come to know and avail of the power of the name Jesus.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Acts of the Apostles 4,8-12.
... If we are being examined today about a good deed done to
a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, 10 then all of you and all the
people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the
Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this
man stands before you healed. 11 He is ‘the stone rejected by you, the
builders, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is no salvation through
anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race
by which we are to be saved.”
God is the source of all good things. Only Jesus can satisfy
our souls. We should be really careful in setting our priorities. Sometimes we
end up making the wrong choices and decisions in life. We end up rejecting
something that should be valued and treasured more than anything else in this
whole wide world. All we need to do is trust that the Lord will always take
care of all our needs we need not tire ourselves to the point of exhaustion
because it is better to take refuge in the Lord than resort to trusting in or
own strength and others. According
to Fr. Joseph Koterski a Jesuit priest and a professor in Fordham University
Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
R. (22) The stone rejected by the builders has become the
cornerstone.
...It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
... Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the LORD;
Aside from
the rules to follow there are also certain criteria to meet in order to qualify
for certain games. It is a consolation to know that we have all been
pre-qualified through our Lord Jesus Christ to enter into His Kingdom. We are
God’s children and the rest is up to us. If we are to live up to this honor and
privilege or not is all in our hands. Let us always be faithful to Him, who
alone can deliver us. We may have heard stories of how people who died come
rushing to be with the Lord and describe the unexplainable joy of being able to
see God face to face. Since we are still part of this mortal body we still do
not feel the urgency of being with the Lord since we still belong to this world
as stated " See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be
called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know
us is that it did not know him. " That is why we are always continuously
struggling between good and evil because technically we are still in this world
and somehow attached to it that we should make a conscious effort to always
cling to the Lord. But as earlier stated in the bible passage only the clean
and pure of heart can stand before Him so we should always guard our actions
that each day be an offering to the Lord as we continuously work toward this
goal. It is not easy but it is also said that the Lord will bless and save
those who love Him. It is with this hope that we persevere in what we do. The
2nd reading for today emphasizes to us the truth and privilege we have as God's
children. We must not neglect and forfeit this by always being mindful of the
good things that God is continuously showering upon us and strive to really be
deserving of the blessings He has bestowed on us. With the confidence of a
beloved child of God, we all strive to become like Him in every way. Human
parents although imperfect are capable of giving to their children all the best
that they could offer. Parents could relate to this and would definitely agree
to it. What can our Father in Heaven give to us more than the title, children
of God? Today's 2nd reading gets even better by continuously affirming
not just me but each one of us as well, who long and hope in the Lord. Amen.
Hallelujah!
First
Letter of John 3,1-3.
1 Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that
we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does
not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.We do know that when it is revealed
we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself
pure, as he is pure.
Our Lord draws a comparison between 2 shepherds, hired hand
and the Good Shepherd.
There is no indication that the hired hand is a bad
shepherd. Not all the money in the world could compel a man to give his life
for the sheep. Our Lord tells us that He is the Good Shepherd willing to lay
down His life for the sheep. Remember the Good Shepherd knew each sheep by
name. He loves the sheep and would die for the sheep. When our Lord went to Calvary he was going away beyond the call of duty. No one could compel or coerce any man to give
his life for others. But our Lord made it clear that no one was taking away His
life away from Him freely He was laying it down as a sacrifice of love to the
Father for you and for me. I wonder if we in our lives have learned that
lesson. There are certain demands, certain duties imposed on everyone on this
earth. The employee has to go to work every morning, spends a certain number of
hours on the job and performs certain duties as expected. It is the same with
the mother and father. They must feed and cloth their children, educate them
and treat them humanely. And so it is with the husband and wife, certain
obligations are laid to them by the fact that they are one and two in one. It
is the same with the priest, with the lawyer, doctor and student. There is
another dimension to life that we have to learn if we are going to live
radiantly on this earth. The student will never learn the meaning of education
until he goes to the library himself beyond what is demanded of him by the
professor and study and research on his own. Then will he begin to enjoy
learning in itself. The mother and the father and the children will never become
a family as such until they could go beyond what the law demands. And the man
who works would never enjoy his occupation until he stops thinking about the
paycheck. In every country and every community there are 3 kinds of people, 1st
the lawless who break the law, refuse to do their duty and have to be taken
care of with the penal system. 2nd there is the man and the woman who are the
people who do what the law demands. Everyday they are the salt of the earth
(Mt. 5:13). Last, there are the volunteers who go beyond the call of duty. They
are the backbone of every country and every community. But isn’t it what
Christianity is all about. Isn’t this what our Lord has taught us, to give our
cloak as well as our coat and to go the extra mile. Not to turn away from him
who would borrow from us. To forgive not 7x but 70x7 (Mt. 18:21-22) that same
person who does the same stupid things all the time who is indifferent and
callous who never says thank you and takes us for granted. Our Lord said if you
love those who love you what is there to that? The pagans do that. You and I
must love our enemies, do good to those who hate us and pray for those who
persecute us that we may be the child of our Father in heaven who causes the
rain to fall on the good and the bad (Mt. 5:45) and the sun to shine on the
just and the unjust. We have been tutored by the years that all the good things
and its loveliness is not of our own making. This comes only from our union
with God who lives within us. We can not be loving to our enemies, forgiving to
those who hurt us, understanding and compassionate on our own. These are all a
gift of God to us. It comes from the union with our Lord as we try to live day
after day. Who compels Mother Teresa to do the things she does. Who compels the
mother and the father to sacrifice themselves and do without so their children
can be educated, grow up and take their place in life? All of this comes from
the Lord in whom we believe lives within us. Day after monotonous day, we must
go on striving, failing, falling and beginning again. The Lord doesn’t ask us
to succeed in anything, success is His gift. What we are asked to do is to try
and to go on trying all the days of our lives. And so we pray, “Lord lift us up
of our lethargy, apathy, coldness, and indifference and make us so aware of
your love for us that we may learn to love you in return.”
It is always a consolation and a relief to know that we have
a Good Shepherd who loves and cares for us and more. We can be assured that
everything on heaven or on earth is under and within the power of Jesus and
above all else our Mighty Savior and Redeemer. Only in Jesus can we find
everlasting peace and comfort. The Good Shepherd is one who forms and unites
the flock as a special people of God. In Matthew 28 and John 20 we read about
the great commissioning of the apostles by Jesus. He said to them, “whose sins
that you forgive, are forgiven and as the Father has sent me, so I send you,
and he who receives you receives me.” He left this ministry to continue the shepherding.
This entire mission is directed in gathering the flock, transform and save all
of us, the people of God by the word of the gospel and the redemptive paschal
mystery of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. Those who follow Him are His
ministers and they are to hand on what is given to them. As Jesus said to Simon
Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said
to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him,
"Feed my lambs."..."Tend my sheep."..."Feed my sheep...
He told him 3x to shepherd the flock but he must be united with Jesus before he
can properly tend the flock. Peter had to learn humble discipleship. When Peter
tried to dissuade Jesus from the cross he was rebuked “Get behind me satan.”
Peter had to follow Jesus. The critical part is when he realized and said in
Peter 2:20-25 “…follow in His footsteps, stay close to the shepherd and
guardian of our souls.” Peter followed Jesus and recognized His voice. Man
needs God. We have to be shown the path to God and this is what real shepherds
do unlike the hired hand. According to Blessed Pope John Paul II, priests are
called to authoritatively proclaim God’s words. The thieves and robbers apply
to those people who exploit, serve themselves, use to their advantage and teach
their own gospel not of Jesus. We are all called to be baptized and receive the
Holy Spirit in order to be saved from this corrupt generation. We need a
shepherd because we can’t do it on our own. When we look at our own lives evil
is constantly present to us in the world. It’s ridiculous to go into this dark
valley without Jesus. People are scandalized by how the world turns out. It
could be such a terrible place if people fail to depend on God in prayer. We
need to hear His voice, follow Him and be led to find the verdant pastures. If
we follow Him then we can drink of the restful waters, He will never abandon us
and there is nothing we shall want. The saints would say, “Only the Lord.” To
have life more abundantly, this is what we crave for. It is the life in the
sacraments and in the gospel that lead us to follow his footsteps to the
endless restful waters in green pastures. In John 6, He told us to eat His body
and drink His blood to have eternal life. He used the Hebrew word to chew or gnaw,
as in eating of the animals. It is the more graphic word to describe it and not
just symbolic. The Church can understand the real presence of God in the
Eucharist. Transubstantiation where real change has taken place makes His body
and blood available to us. If we have Jesus in our life who lays down His life
on the cross, bring sheep that are led astray home and continually make Himself
available in the Holy Eucharist then we will have the fullness of life in
abundance. Amen. Hallelujah!
Jn 10:11-18
Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...This is
why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
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