We can never outdo the generosity of our God. Thus we should
always look at the positive side of things. We should dwell on the goodness of
God rather than on the misconceptions or wrong mindset we have of God. We could
probably have a better understanding of God if we are truly open to the truth
that we have a God who is abounding in grace and mercy who can always give and
provide whatever we need whether it be material, spiritual and any other aspect
that God is able to make right. We have to be more inclined to think of the
greatness and infinite love of God our Father. God doesn’t want us just to be
whole human beings and restore us to what Adam & Eve were when they blew it
in the Garden. God wants us to be more than that. He wants to elevate our human
nature and divinize it. He wants us to share in His own Divine nature. This is
an incredible thing and call. It was only possible because God became man and
we can share in his virtue. This is what the real Catholic life is all about.
It’s not just about making it or going to heaven by the skin of your teeth
after struggling. It’s about growing in holiness and becoming like Jesus all
throughout our life, a champion not without struggles. As a matter of fact
without the struggles we can never become a champion. But with victory and
excellence not with hopelessness, despair and frustration. This is God’s desire
for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this has already been
given to us. We should continuously be thankful that though we deserve to be
punished for all our sins, Jesus took it upon Himself because of His great love
for us. We are truly blessed! Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 5:12. 15b. 17-19. 20b-21
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.
If by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the
grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the
many. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that
one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification come to reign in life through
the one Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act acquittal and life
came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made
sinners, so, through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.
.Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in
death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
We need to persevere in prayer so that as we improve and
daily grow in His knowledge and ways then we can easily discern and be more
sensitive of how God speaks to each one of us in a very close and personal way.
We should always listen intently to what God is telling us so we could
effectively carry out what He wants us to do. It is God's will that we engage
in activities that will enrich and deepen our faith in Him. In order to love
someone better we have to know him/her better. The more you know about a person
the more you become close to each other. The same way with God there is a need
to really know more or everything there is to know about God. We must not be
distracted and dissuaded to do otherwise when beset with problems and
difficulties. If we have developed a great sense of confidence and faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ then we can fearlessly and undauntedly do whatever He wills
for us. We've got the very best friend we can ever have in Jesus. All we have
to do is listen to and follow Him. He is the Rising Sun and Light of the world
who came to live with us to direct our feet into the path of peace. Doing God’s will may not be easy but if we
have placed it in the center of our hearts then it will just come naturally as
it becomes the powerhouse or mitochondria of our beings. The transcendent
nature of humanity calls for dialogue and human understanding. In the face of difficulty
and sign of contradiction we should never lose heart. Remember these words from
the gospel, Mt. 5:10-12, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they
insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely)
because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Violence is not
overcome by violence. The world needs God. Authentic weapon for peace is
religious freedom as in to practice faith without coercion. Today we remember
the plight of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who suffer greatly
for the faith. We pray that religious freedom will not be eroded for those who
can practice it. We continue to hope in the grace of God for that alone will
suffice. It is also very important that we follow the example of Mary's perfect
obedience to God's will so that we can find delight in following God's laws.
May our Lord show us the path to peace and use us as instruments and builders
of peace. Nothing should ever stop us from doing the will of God for it is
ultimately the best option we've got. If we have developed a great sense of
confidence and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ then we can fearlessly and
undauntedly do whatever He wills for us. Once we've known who God is and what
He is capable of doing in our lives then there is really nothing that should
stop us in saying with all our hearts the responsorial psalm for today. Amen.
Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 40:7-8a. 8b-9. 10. 17
R: Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
6 [7] Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to
obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; 7 [8]
then said I, “Behold I come.” (R) In the written scroll it is prescribed for
me, 8 [9] to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my
heart!” (R) I announced your justice in
the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know. R. Here I
am, Lord; I come to do your will. May all who seek you exult and be glad in
you, And may those who love your salvation say ever, “The LORD be glorified.”
(R)
God is fair and just in all His ways. We can rely on Him to
carry out everything perfectly. We should be relieved in the fact that
everything will come to pass in His perfect time in accordance to God's
standard and not ours. In the meantime, we should always be prepared. If we
don't know what to expect then we are at a loss. Jesus in today's gospel tells
us that sooner or later we will all come face to face with God on our last day
here on earth. No one can deny the fact that we will all die and it is
something that we must not be afraid of. Instead we should all be ready for it when
it comes and while we still have time. There is always hope as long as we live.
Those who have prepared and acted in vigilance will never be caught unaware.
Nothing beats those who are always ready and prepared. We have a responsibility
in our hands and we are accountable for it. Let us do all in our power to
measure up and give it our best. We sometimes get shocked at how this modern
world of ours have drifted further down the pit of moral decay and got into the
lure of what seemed to be the accepted and existing norms of our society. It is
so difficult most especially for us trying to live the call of Jesus in our
lives. It looks like wherever we go we are faced by these challenges. Sometimes
we feel like people have no more room for godly talk. Just when we thought that
we're running out of godly resources in our environment today's gospel served
as a reminder of the movie, "Spiderman". The following words of
Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility" is a modern
version of the bible passage from today’s gospel. Although we are sometimes
overwhelmed by the discouraging reality of the kind of world we live in, God
never runs out of occasions and circumstances to always reinforce His words
which serve as guiding principles in life that can always keep us attuned and
conformed to Him rather than to this present world. Although there are times
when we find ourselves overwhelmed by the tasks in our hands, we should be glad
and rejoice that we are continuously being entrusted with responsibilities
knowing that God will not give us anything that we can not accomplish. There is
a need to be really vigilant at all times. Being always on the watch and
careful of our actions at all cost. We must admit that there are moments when
we become out of focus but God has always been faithful in giving us reminders.
We need to have the confidence and conviction that we are where we are and
doing what we are doing today because God has lead us to it. If such is the
case then there is no reason to be afraid for we will surely be blessed. Today
we should commit ourselves to the vigilant waiting for the Lord, for in Him
alone, we place our trust. Doing God's will in our lives at all times is a sure
way of preparing for the 2nd coming or the return of Jesus. There were lots of
predictions as to when will this day come. Sometimes we lose track of what the
2nd coming of Jesus is all about and tend to be out of focus. Instead of
focusing on the end of the world or the Armageddon in which the signs of the
times that accompany the 2nd coming of Christ being proclaimed like the so
called earthquakes, floods, fire and hailstorms and tornadoes are already
happening and rattle us by causing so much fear, anxiety and confusion it would
be better if we focus more on the reality that the Kingdom of God is at hand
and is here right now within our individual selves. It would help us stay in
focus and more in control if we concentrate more on our personal lives and mind
our very own armageddon on our last day here on earth that we should all
prepare for. Each day of our life is a battle being fought for the ownership of
our souls that we really have to be mindful of right now, whether we will come
to see the end of the world or not and it is coming soon or later that we
really don't know. One thing is sure, we will all leave this earth and die and
that is the reality that we all have to face and prepare for. During my nursing
student days we used to make a lot of NCPs (Nursing Care Plan) especially in
our clinical rotations in different hospitals. These NCPs based on our
instructor's format are composed of 5 columns namely, ADPIE which stands for A-
Assessment, D- Diagnosis, P-Planning, I-Implementation and E - Evaluation. We
are able to carry out our duties well and give the optimum care to patients if
we can come up with priority NCPs. It's just as the name itself says, nursing
care plan with its important components (ADPIE). We all need to have a good NCP
not just in the hospital setting but in our daily lives. In doing so we are well
prepared and ready for anything that might or is bound to come up. If we are
always on the look out and well equipped then we can picture ourselves just
like those servants in today's gospel, truly blessed. There is really much and
still more to learn from today's gospel. Jesus has left us with a vast resource
of learning to attain to the kingdom
of God
Luke 12:35-38
35 Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light
your lamps 36 and be like servants who await their master’s return from a
wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are
those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to
you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on
them. 38 And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared
in this way, blessed are those servants.”
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