Revelation 21:9b-14
...He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed
me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its
radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. 12
It had a massive, high wall,...
There is really none like our God. We can have all the
things that this world can offer but in the end we will still be wanting and
not satisfied if we do not have God in the center of our life. The Lord has
always been faithful and not a single moment would He ever not be. We should
have the confidence always of a beloved child of God and the honor of being on
top of God's creation. The Lord is always ready to extend His help and shower
His blessings on us, His people. The question is, are we willing to accept His
help and stay within the circle of His blessings? This question is very
critical and sometimes left unanswered, neglected and taken for granted. When
we choose to continue in the path that does not lead us closer to God the
answer is clear, it is a no. When we direct our actions in things that draw us
closer to God then it is a yes. If this is so true for us then we ought to do
as the psalm reading today tells us. All our thoughts, words and actions should
reflect how great our God is. As humans we tend to downplay God's role in our
life because we subject our experiences to human terms and conditions. We are
still bound by the limitations of this world we are in and we can't help it. We
sometimes just go with the flow and get carried away by the pressures imposed
to us by our present and existing situations. Our study of World History tells
us of the different and various kinds of kingdoms and dynasties which ruled
throughout the length of time. None of the most famous and powerful of these
kingdoms still stand today and remain as influential to the entire world as it
used to be. This tells us one thing that earthly kingdoms will eventually cease
to exist. Only God's Kingdom prevails for eternity. Sometimes we might even
have to come to a point when we look and sound strange for others or even suffer the ridicule of not
just others but the very people who comprise our circle of close family,
relatives and friends. What matters most is that we ought to give God what He
rightly deserves, to be extolled and praised forever. Today's psalm tells us
that we owe God more than just plain courtesy for His goodness. Whenever we
watch box office hit super hero movies, news about it spread like wildfire and
the promotion for it is international that almost everybody around the globe
gets to know about it and watch it. If only we can devote that same fervor and
enthusiasm in spreading word about the greatest Super Hero of all times, Jesus
and make a decision to watch His life unfold and be part of our own, then we
can someday be a part of God's great Kingdom in Heaven. If we truly desire this
then we should always be mindful of the words of God written in the bible since
it is indeed what its acronym stands for which is B - basic I-instructions
B-before L-leaving E-earth. It is very important that we have read and
understood well what is written in the bible before we exit this world. This
reminds me of the video games that my sons used to play. When they finish one
level they have to enter into the next level which is more difficult and so on
and so forth until they reach the ultimate task and win the final battle. It
was like they needed to be well prepared and more skillful for each level. This
somehow reminds us of how we should approach our final day here on earth. The
gate of heaven has been opened and made accessible for us, there is no question
about it but the question is, "Are we ready and able to go through
it?" As in Eph. 6:13, "Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil
day and, having done everything, to hold your ground." Another thing is we
have no idea when will that day come because we really do not know the time or
the hour. One thing for sure, the only way to go through it is by being well
prepared for it. Thus I wanted to share this story which I got from an email.
Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.
He loved the 4th wife the most and adored her with rich
robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the
best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing
her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would
leave him for another.
He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was
always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a
problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the
difficult times.
The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made
great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not
love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of
her!
One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short.
He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, I now have four wives with me,
but when I die, I'll be all alone.'
Thus, he asked the 4th wife , 'I loved you the most, endowed
you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm
dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'
'No way!', replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without
another word.
Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.
The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, 'I loved you all my
life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'
'No!', replied the 3rd wife. 'Life is too good! When you
die, I'm going to remarry!'
His heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, 'I have always turned to you for
help and you've always been there for me.
When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'
'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the
2nd wife. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'
Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King
was devastated.
Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you
no matter where you go.'
The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was
very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.
Greatly grieved, the King said, 'I should have taken much
better care of you when I had the chance!'
In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives:
Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort
we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we
die, it will all go to others.
Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much
they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the
grave.
And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of
wealth, power and pleasures of the world.
However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us
wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only
part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us
throughout Eternity. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalms 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R: Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of
your Kingdom.
10 Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your
faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and
speak of your might. (R) 12 Making known to men your might and the glorious
splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your
dominion endures through all generations. (R) 17 The LORD is just in all his
ways and holy in all his works. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth. (R)
If we just try to look back and recall we will find that all
throughout our lifetimes we really have a lot of things to be thankful for. We
should continue to trust God who knows the things that happened, happening and
is bound to happen as in today's gospel. I should say that God is reminding me
once again of some special events in my life. Firstly because the gospel
reading is about the story of Phillip who was the one who introduced Nathaniel
or St. Bartholomew to Jesus which reminds me of this person in my life who was
also instrumental for the deepening of my faith in Jesus. I could still
remember the homily of Fr. Rolly when he said that today's gospel should remind
us of the person who brought us closer to God. In my life she is Gloria Dar. I
consider her a part of my Christian life in almost the same manner that Philip
in today's gospel was to Nathaniel/St. Bartholomew. I was just new in the
Catholic Charismatic Renewal then and I must admit that she was one person that
God has used tremendously in my life. I could never forget when I was still
pregnant with my son Jude most especially because it was Sis Gloria Dar who
envisioned Jesus carrying a baby standing in the middle of our prayer circle
and specifically described Him wearing the Sacred Heart attire and said these
words, "I have a message for my daughter, consecrate the baby in your
womb." This happened in a prayer
meeting I attended during that time which happened to be on the 9th day of my Sacred
Heart novena, and Sis Gloria, the prayer leader whom I just met, did not know
of my novena neither of my pregnancy nor would even suspect of it. Looking back
at my life back then most especially at that time when I first had this
devotion to the Sacred Heart, I can never deny and forget for the rest of my
life the dramatic and significant events that happened during my novena to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Jude Thaddeus which opened up the door for
miracles to happen. I have witnessed the
revelation of God's great love to me especially when I gave birth to Jude, my
1st born son, as proof of His undeniably awesome and unbelievable miracle when
he came out normal and healthy despite my problematic pregnancy. From that day
forward, God never ceased to amaze me every single turn in my life since His love
is beyond comprehension. Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that
today’s gospel happened to be the same gospel when I shared about my younger
son, Allan’s experience with Bishop Soc Villegas who told him to become a
priest. If we are clueless about a lot of things then we can be assured that there
is someone who knows all these things. Today's gospel gives us a glimpse of
Jesus' true divinity. He is God and Immortal, nothing is hidden from Him and
everything is known to Him. It gives us confidence knowing that we have a God
who is able to carry us through. We can learn from Nathaniel or St. Bartholomew
as we profess with confidence the very words that he said to Jesus and really
believe in words, thoughts and deeds. Signs and wonders are wrought by God's
mighty hand each and every day. On top of it all is the promise of Jesus our
Savior to see greater things than we have all witnessed for the best is yet to
come. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 1:45-51
...Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus
answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig
tree.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the
King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I
told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than
this.” 51 And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky
opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
No comments:
Post a Comment