WORSHIP

 Today’s reading from Sirach presents a very profound level of wisdom for offering sacrifices. It is written, "To keep the law is a great oblation, and he who observes the commandments sacrifices a peace offering." To show obedience to the moral law of God is as important as the offering of animal sacrifices in Israel. It is counted as being as good as the offering up of sacrifices. It should not call for rebellion against the law for the just one’s offering is most pleasing, as written, "The just man’s offering enriches the altar and rises as a sweet odor before the Most High." The offering up of sacrifices is very much part of what people ought to do. Doing so and obeying God's commands are both morally right.  In the book of Pope Benedict XVI he said that Israel is freed from Egypt not just to gain freedom but in order for them to go to the land of promise and worship properly. This is the goal of the liberation from Egypt not just for freedom alone. It causes confusion to live with the worship of Egyptian gods and goddesses. There is a need to separate from them to avoid confusion and not be drag down to a low level of religion. In the Torah, the 1st 5 books of the bible, there are sections on moral commandments and how to offer sacrifice. There are significant parts of the book of Numbers on how to offer sacrifice. To worship is an important element of Israel’s identity but it is not meant to be used as some form of magic to buy God’s favor. They have to obey the moral law which came before the liturgical law. A person has to be righteous in order to offer a righteous sacrifice. One has to be moral to offer a moral sacrifice. The moral code is in itself a form of worship and offering of a high level of sacrifice. Worship itself is important but the living out of God’s moral commands is in itself worship. In Hebrews 10:7-10 it is written, “Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.'" First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law. Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second. By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” This is a dialogue between Jesus and God the Father. Christ makes it clear that He has received a body with which to do the Father’s will. The offering of animals is not as good as Jesus’ offering of Himself. His act of worship and sacrifice is obeying the Father all the way to the point of death on the cross. He is both the priest and victim. Christ came to offer His sacrifice that is why Pope Benedict XVI said that the cross is where this new kind of worship goes on. It is an obedience to God and the sacrifice. We should reflect on this more deeply. To keep the law is a great oblation and a peace offering. In a great sense, doing the moral law is a delight to God and a very good idea but there is one difficulty namely, us. As much as we know and see that this is the idea, our obedience does not match up with the moral law. Our sacrifice of doing what God asks of us, falls short of God’s glory. The attraction to do our own will rather than make a sacrifice of obeying the commandment is great. Christ has done this law. He has turned His obedience to every law and turned it to the sacrifice of the law. Through Him, we are able to come to that one act of obedience that is our worship. We may be weak, small and a nobody but we are in the immense worship of Jesus. We can make it to be our act of worship in the Holy Mass so that what we offer in the Consecration is going to be our obedience. We are taking that one moment of obedience of Jesus on the cross and join it to our own sacrifices. As in Romans 12:1 “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. We join our own suffering with Christ on the cross, a spiritual offering.  Through obedience to the word of God, we are uniting ourselves, giving our hearts, minds, souls and bodies through the Holy Mass.  A sacrifice of ourselves poor as it can be, with Christ it becomes as rich and as powerful as it can be. We have to live out our priesthood that comes to us by our baptism. We also exercise our kingly element when we bring our own bodies under the control of God’s law and the prophetic when we bring the word of God to form our very minds. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 35:1-12

...Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously, according to your means. 10 For the LORD is one who always repays, and he will give back to you sevenfold. 11 But offer no bribes, these he does not accept! Trust not in sacrifice of the fruits of extortion, 12 for he is a God of justice, who knows no favorites.

God saves. There is no question about that but we have to also be diligent in fulfilling our part of the bargain. This reminds me of the vow I have made when it was impressed to me way back Oct. 7, 2007 in the reading from Book of Habakkuk 1,2-3.2,2-4. “Then the LORD answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.”

From then on I've been writing daily reflections that can be read by everybody and to my surprise it has become integrated in my daily activities. As time and days go by, a lot of things started to unfold before me, most especially the enormous message contained in that prophecy in Habbakuk. This has given me inspiration and joy to continue doing it. Definitely God is not asking us to resort to some extreme or out of this world act. The emphasis is on the importance of following the commandments of God and doing what we've got to do. We need not wait any longer and see any further for God wants us to start paying attention to His commandments and apply it in our very own lives in order to make a return for all the good He has done. There are times when we just have to ignore what other people may say or think and continue in the belief that we are God's people and have to be obedient in what He has asked us to do and stay loyal to Him no matter what the cost is. We've got to make things very clear for us. Sometimes we insist on doing things our way and more often than not we end up in trouble. It's about time we realize that there is no other way but the Lord's way. We get the impression that if we do one good thing for the Lord then the rest of our actions are already covered and justified. Well, that's what the enemy wants us to think so we can go on doing our own thing without much care whether is it really pleasing to God or not. Our God is perfectly and wholly good in every aspect and we can't expect Him to yield to a partly good and bad child. Because He loves us, we need to be disciplined in order for us to straighten up. There is this Catholic convert who was raised in the belief that the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon. When he encountered for the first time listening to the Palestrina, he said that it doesn't sound like it came from hell and sounded much more like what the angels sound in heaven. When he visited for the first time, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, he figured that the whore of Babylon could not be something this beautiful. He realized and understood that there could not be such a disconnection of what could be so beautiful and what is good and true. He could find all of these elements of goodness, beauty and truth in the Catholic church and what eventually brought him to the faith. The beauty that the faith produces is something that shines throughout more than 2000 years of the Church. We are not supposed to engage in a battle that is not destined to win at all. If we know that we are losing in the first place why pursue it? There are so many battles in life that we have to face everyday but there is no need to fight them all. It is not about us but about God. The only guarantee that we are going to win it through and through is to be sure first which side we are on and make sure that it is God's side. Let our words coincide with our work and action so that men will see and become convinced that we are God's obedient people. Sometimes we say one thing and mean something else. If we can confuse, convince and win people over to our side then we are definitely wrong if we think that we can do the same with God or even get away with it. If there's something we should be doing with our life then that is to be upright before the Lord first and foremost and everything will follow. It is not wise to gain the admiration of men at the expense of losing the approval of God. Nothing else matters more than being upright in the eyes of God. No matter how difficult things may seem to be at present we can always count on God at all times. The Lord hears our cries and supplications. He knows and sees all and He will surely make things right for us. No matter what happens to us we can always be assured of a God who will always look after us and will make sure that we are not taken advantage of. If God is for us, who can be against us? If we respond to His call and faithfully follow His precepts and be the person He has meant us to be then we are assured of His saving power. There are moments in our life when things happen to us and we feel that God is touching us in a special way. It seems so obvious that God is speaking to us in a variety of ways through our situations and circumstances. Today’s psalm reading tells us something very specific. It says that God will not just make us feel that we can somehow conclude that He is trying to communicate something to us but really show and demonstrate to the upright His saving power. There will always be times when we seem to not know where to go. No matter how difficult our situations may be, God will never leave us groping in the dark. All we have to do is to really take into serious consideration the words in today's psalm reading. The present civilization is in decline. There is so much moral decline and decay going on around us. The solution can be found in the psalm today. We have to have self discipline and will power to put a stop to the atheistic society that is on the rise. We need to become an active participant of the on going seminar for self restraint to control our appetites. To not pursue our own selfish good but the common good in order to rebuild our society and witness the saving power of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 50:5-6, 7-8, 14, 23

R: To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

...Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you, for your burnt offering are before me always. (R) 14 “Offer to God praise as your sacrifice and fulfill your vows to the Most High. 23 He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me; and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

Nothing is ever wasted or taken for granted if we work for the glory of God. We have a Generous and Almighty God who doesn't need anything from us but whom we need everything from. What's at stake here is not just a limited period of time here on earth but eternity. It surely is worth all our time, effort and resources. Let us not continue to be duped by the enemy into believing his lies and deception and switch our total allegiance to God. Be wise and act now. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 10:28-31

28 Peter began to say to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. 31 But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”