The people who are chosen to lead
and play an active role in the several activities and ministries that the
Church promotes must really be a good follower of Christ keeping in mind the
noble task entrusted in their hands. Today’s 1st reading is a clear guideline
as to what kind of person is most worthy to serve the Lord. May we all find ourselves
subscribing and obediently following what the Church teaches us. At the time
when I was a newly appointed Communion Minister I experienced a dilemma with
regards to my commitments that might get in the way of this noble task that I
have just taken responsibility of. We all encounter situations when we are
having second thoughts on the decision we just made. The best thing we could do
is pray to God to bless our decision and if ever it was not the best thing to
do then we ask God to show us His ultimate will. God is indeed a God of order
that the moment we pray for guidance and direction as to what exactly does God
want us to prioritize we would surely receive an answer. Whether it is in the
form of a something which is a clear and obvious sign of what He wanted us to
do or not we must keep in mind the truth that God answers all our prayers.
Although there are instances, too when God seemed to not care we must never let
the truth leave our minds. No one else could care and love us more than God
could and this we have to truly believe. There is really no need to ask God for
a sign since the will of God is wide between good and good, there are also
times when we are favored with by God by clear signs and circumstances that
will remove all our doubts with regards to a specific decision. We may or may
not be immediately greeted by the answers and prayers we've been asking God but
we just have to believe that if things are not meant to be then God will surely
show us the right path. For as long as we comply to the requirements or
criteria of being a good follower of Christ keeping in mind the noble task
entrusted in our hands then we can be assured of His loving guidance and
direction. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 Timothy 3:1-13
This saying is trustworthy whoever
aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Therefore a bishop must
be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent,
hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not
contentious, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children under control with perfect dignity; for if a man does not
know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of the church of God
We should always strive to do our best in
making ourselves a pleasing sacrifice before God. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 101:1b-2ab. 2cd-3ab. 5. 6 (or
Psalm 31:2-3b. cd-4. 5-6. 15-16. 20)
R: I will walk with a blameless
heart.
1 Of mercy and judgment I will sing;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise. 2 I will persevere in the way of integrity;
when will you come to me? (R) I will walk in the integrity of my heart, within
my house; 3 I will not set before my eyes any base thing. (R) 5 Whoever
slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I destroy. The man of haughty eyes
and puffed-up heart I will not endure. (R) 6 My eyes are upon the faithful of
the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in the way of integrity
shall be in my service. (R)
The most holy and sacred woman who ever lived here on earth
is Mary. We are so blessed to have her as our own mother, for Jesus shared and
extended to us this noble and holy privilege. Today we celebrate the Feast of
the Our Lady of Sorrows and commemorate the courage and strength of Mary in
carrying out the most noble task ever known to man which she has faithfully
fulfilled thus it gives us the inspiration to not grow weary in facing further
trials that come our way and not despair and lose hope. The passion and death
of Jesus on the cross is the ultimate pain and suffering that a human being
could endure. It follows that the ultimate sorrow a mother could experience is
to see her very own son subjected to such an excruciatingly painful way to die.
On an afternoon of unnatural darkness she had to endure such cruel pain and
agony that more than human nature could endure. Mary had to stand by and see
the soldiers come and claim as their own all that was left of her dead son
(John 19:24-25, Matthew 27:35). There at the foot of the cross was the little
heap of Christ’s earthly belongings. They are the only heirlooms and the only souvenirs
that she could have. There is the seamless tunic that she must have woven
stitch by stitch with such love. There was his headdress which she had mended
and his sandals which she had kept clean. And now these men were casting lots
as to whose they should be as a reward and recompense for putting her son to
death. We know that this world of ours is cruel, cold and heartless. But it can
be kind to all men on 2 occasions, at birth and death and to be born and to
die. To come into the world and to go out of it finds hospitality easily even
from the world. But how was our Lord treated on those occasions? Why was it
that it seemed too much just for Him to be born? It took the Almighty all His
time to obtain a visible foothold of His own world. He wasn’t wanted. There was
no room for Him in the inn. Though, we did hear the angels voices singing on
the hillside that night but those voices soon changed. It changed into wailings
of women, mothers mourning the loss of their sons in the killing of the
innocents because man had been seeking God to murder Him. And at His death He
wasn’t allowed to die a natural death like the rest of men. In the very prime
of manhood His life was trampled out of Him as if it was something tiresome.
His body was swiftly buried or else it would be polluting the air of festivity
in the city (Mark 15:42, John 19:31) Mary stood at the foot of the cross as her
heart was pierced with so much sorrow seeing her only Son, Jesus crucified.
Only a heart full of faith, courage, strength and conviction could withstand
such kind of sorrow and pain. Mary never
fainted nor faltered maintained reverence in God in that time of great sorrow
and remained obedient. She is the “Stabat Mater” (Standing Mother) and such is
the heart of Mary, a mother, immaculate and strong. Mary is the Lady of Sorrows
for all these but we know from our faith that the pain of our Lady from that
afternoon is nothing to what she endures now every time she sees a soul lose
the garment of sanctifying grace for we are her children for Jesus said
“Behold, your mother.” For whenever we
sin, a human being made in the image and likeness of God is brought lower than
the beasts. All the beauty is turned
into hideousness. All the love turned into hatred and despair. There is only
one evil in our lives and that is sin. Sin means we lose our God, the light
goes out of our soul and we have become withered branches fit only to be burned
in everlasting fire. We are living in a world now that says that sin doesn’t
matter. That sin is only a little word in a dictionary that has long since lost
its meaning. “Times have changed” we are told. Sin is the source of Mary’s
greatest sorrow. May we realize that it places us in a better position with God
when we know that we have the Our Lady of Sorrows, none other than our very own
Blessed Mother who will always be with us, offering her cries and tears as she
constantly prays for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. She is
perfect enough for God to be the mother of His only Son surely she will also be
for us, more than perfect as our Mother. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.
Amen. Hallelujah!
John 19:25-27 (or Luke 7:31-35 or Luke 2:33-35)
25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his
mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 26 When Jesus
saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother,
“Woman, behold, your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your
mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
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