NABI'S PESCHER

 What is it that God could have done for us that He has not done? I believe that the sacrifice of His only Begotten Son is the ultimate proof and evidence of this great and immeasurable love that He has for all of us. If we truly understand this, who really God is and what He has done then we truly are not far from the Kingdom of God. I learned during our bible study 2 things or criteria for a humble heart. They are both related to the 4 levels of happiness. The 1st level which is L1 is instantaneous and short-lived and eventually results in bitterness, manipulation and deceit since the goal is centered on the "I, me and myself". L2 although a bit longer is also focused on self-gratification thus ends in disappointment too. L3 is definitely longer than L1 and L2 since the focus is not on the self but on "them" It does not seek to control anybody, full of sincerity and joy, it is a ministry to be of help to others thus it gives fulfillment but could also be temporary. L4 is the kind of happiness that is born from "agape", the intentions and motives are all based from the purity of desire to please God alone first and foremost thus it brings forth eternal and everlasting happiness. Why work for something that is short-lived and temporary when we can gain eternal joy. It seems easier said than done since the criteria call for placing the needs of others before our own which is characteristic of L3 and L4 and knowing our proper place in the whole scheme of life. We must realize that L1 and L2 though, bring about happiness are just instantaneous and short-lived usually products of reckless decisions that can only lead to disaster and woe. What is being emphasized by Bro. Willy Santa Maria, the speaker, is that we can attain and experience the kingdom of  God right now even while we are still here on earth. He said why settle for hamburger when we can go for the steak. We should be wise in following the natural order of things since there is a hierarchy of values whether in grace or in sin. We must always treasure that we received the highest form of redeeming grace coming from Jesus and must strive to conform to that standard. Not everyone is fully aware of this truth in today's 1st reading. They say that what we don't know couldn't hurt us. Therefore we could say that what we know could hurt us and if this is true then we have to take responsibility for what we know about God. It is not enough that we believe in God because even the devil does and we should do better than that. We are ambassadors for Christ and ministers of mercy and His reconciliation. We need to turn away from all our sins and wrong doings and be reconciled to God. Thank and praise God for the sacrament of penance/confession that God instituted. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 5:14-21

...God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

We can never fathom the wisdom of God but we can always remain confident in the truth that His kindness is perfect and everlasting. He makes all things work for good. When we feel so helpless, miserable and alone, never ever doubt that He can't help but be the loving God that He is. God loves us so much that he will adjust to our needs and make things work for good. There is no reason for us to even doubt and hold back anything from the Lord for nothing is too difficult for Him. If we are confident of God's Providence in our lives then nothing should even make us doubt that God is able to redeem us and take us out of misery. God has made known His kindness, mercy and secures justice for all. He knows exactly what we need at the precise moment and brings forth everything in its appointed time. Furthermore, God wanted to take our transgressions as far as the east is from the west. How far is the east from the west? Only God knows. We know that the distance is unfathomable, that’s what the Lord does with our sins. How much does He loves us? We know that His love and mercy is immeasurable. There is really none like our God. And reading part of the psalm reading made me remember the song "Loving and Forgiving". He is our best bet for always and there is no one or nothing else that could or should take first place in our lives more than the Lord. Whenever we receive goodness and kindness from people we meet we are very much delighted and pleased with it. How much more would we feel if we have God's favor resting upon us. There is nothing else better compared to this. We may search long and hard but we can never really find true satisfaction and remain restless unless we have God in our life. We only have to believe in God's kindness and mercy and we will surely see it happen in our life before our very eyes. He is our refuge and strength. To whom can we go but to God alone. The world’s point of view is very contradictory to the message that God wanted us to live by.  We need to pray hard for the desire to always follow what is pleasing before the Lord and not forget that it is what really matters first and foremost. We are so blessed that we did not live during the time when Christians were being persecuted and martyred and what we are enjoying right now are already the benefits of God's marvelous work wrought by His mighty hand. This is why we should stop complaining and just keep our hope if we truly believe that we have a God and Father who is full of kindness and goodness. This reminds me of the prophet Amos. He is a prosperous herdsman/farmer, well educated and traveled. His time (746-786) was an age of prosperity but severely marked with moral decay and spiritual bankruptcy. He experienced a luxurious life, lived in the garrison city a place dominated by people of power and had all the time to study the scriptures. He lived in affluence, belonged and embraced the "clan system/wisdom" which is a guild or crusade to maintain the purity of the tradition of the temple of Jerusalem which houses the "Ark of the Covenant". He saw the evil of excess in Tekoa, he witnessed the "left" (poverty) and the "right" (wealth and affluence) side. Being himself a dresser of the sycamore tree who worked with his people, he also saw the plight and injustice that is existent during that time. His prophetic mission emerged as an offshoot of his kingly and priestly status and was able to go through all these stages making him a good "nabi" hebrew word for prophet. We, too as followers of Jesus should also go through certain stages and fulfill our call or mission to be king, priest and prophet in our own personal lives. What I learned in the bible study about the very relevant and essential Hebrew word "pescher" which means repetitious study, reading and pronunciation of the word of God is a tool to achieve this goal and always be reminded about the goodness and benefits of being a genuine, equipped and well fulfilled follower of Jesus. The God of yesterday, today and forevermore. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 103:1-2. 3-4. 9-10. 11-12

R: The Lord is kind and merciful.

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits... Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. (R) 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.

Whenever we make a promise be sure to always fulfill it. If there's one thing I can never forget about Tita Peling it is her constant and repetitious proclamation of what the gospel today is telling us. She has emphasized the importance of honoring one's word and fulfilling the promises we make. And I agree with her that whenever we make a promise to someone most especially to God, we must stick to it and honor our word. In so doing we turn our backs on the evil one, choose to please God, make a conscious and concrete effort to wholly decide for Him. The truth is, it is the least we could do in response to God's awesome love and faithfulness to all His people. People would rather be neutral on certain matters in order to play safe. It's time for us to make a stand, it's always worth to take God's side. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 5:33-37

33 Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’...Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.”...