UNWAVERING HOPE

We may not be in the same situation like this martyred family during the time of the Maccabees but we are also called to stand up for our faith in our own little way. The following passages from today’s 1^st reading are statements of bravery of a dying person with a sure hope in God who brings us to everlasting life. It is in this kind of courage that we can see unbelievable acts of faith even in the face of death. They have recklessly abandoned whatever life that is left for them to hold on in this present and tangible world. This is in lieu of their loyalty and unwavering hope in God who can raise them up to live forever and restore whatever has been lost. Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14

We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.” 9 At the point of death he said: “You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying.” 10 After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, 11 as he spoke these noble words: “It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again.” 12 Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man’s courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing. 13 After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. 14 When he was near death, he said, “It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the God-given hope of being restored to life by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life.”

We are the temples of the Holy Spirit. We do not have the Holy Spirit as a birth right but a gift. We are born with original sin and this redemption from sin and the kingdom of darkness is what makes it possible for us to receive of the Holy Spirit. A lot of people in our society like the part that we are temples. We claim that our bodies are temples so we have to treat it well and take care of it by doing exercise. But too often we say that we are temples but we don’t say of what. When we listen to the way we speak we find that we are temples of ourselves. Like the New Agers who consider themselves to be god. We see our bodies as the temple of ourselves because we see ourselves to be god. Each body should be treated with respect since it is the place where God can be worshipped which is derived from the presence of the Holy Spirit. This should be our purpose when taking all the aspects of our body with its wide variety of urges and desires. We can bring it all under the power of the Holy Spirit if only the body is well oriented to the worship of the Holy Spirit.  We've got to be aware of the fact that being a follower of God doesn't mean that we can be spared from all troubles and problems. God did not promise us this but one thing is sure, if we continue to stand by Him and all the things that He represents then we need not be anxious of anything at all for He got us covered. At this present time we can compare our life to a journey. We have been declared victorious and have conquered and overcome everything through Jesus Christ our Lord. And yet we still get distracted by the enemies who convince us otherwise. Let us march on to our victories and seize every opportunity that comes to us every day. We have to have something to overcome before we can become an overcomer, something to conquer before we become a conqueror and a test before we can have this testimony. Let us not lose heart because we are covered and protected by God like the young in the shadow of its mother's wings. Mind God's business and everything else will follow. This is the example that our mother left for us. We grew up always hearing our mother speak of Job's great faith and loyalty to God. She held on to every word of God in the bible and claimed every promise in it especially the one for the widow and orphan. Looking back at all those years our family had to pass through those trials and difficulties of growing up without a father by our side and our mother had to raise us all by herself there is no doubt that she did it because she inclined her ear to God and heard His word. If we are to die this very day, can we proclaim to the Lord with confidence these words in today's psalm? We ought to develop in ourselves the attitude of the saints and martyrs who have no fear of death. This doesn't mean that we have to be masochists and desire for a morbid death. Rather it is all because of the fact that we can firmly stand on the promises of a God who is able to supply us with everything.  For only God who is Himself the author of true happiness can grant us lasting and genuine joy to the full. In this present time when we are still bound to this world we may not be able to fully comprehend the glory that awaits those who live life in the presence of our God and hope in that eternal life  to come but we who are faithful will experience joy in full when His glory appears. There are times when we are being tested by the Lord to a point of almost giving up. But we simply and definitely must not. We are lucky we no longer belong to that time when we have to give up our life to profess our faith. That is why we always have to maximize our capabilities for God, nonetheless, it's not easy, but think of the inspiration that the early Christians martyrs left us to proclaim their faith. Temptations and distractions are everywhere it is so easy for us to stray away from the path to God. When it happens just pray hard to God that He will deliver us from that situation because every single minute of our life counts, let us seize the opportunity to achieve our goals that will bring us to our eternal abode. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of that because the Lord our God sees all good things that we do and let us always focus on that and be conscious that whatever situation we are in now, we can always try to build a life that is anchored on God. We can confidently say these words from the psalm. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15 (15b)

R: Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

1 Hear, O LORD, a just suit; attend to my outcry; hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit. (R) 5 My steps have been steadfast in your paths, my feet  have not faltered. 6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my word. (R) 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. 15 But I in justice shall behold your face; on waking, I shall be content in your presence.

Our God is an all or nothing God. It's either you are with Him or against Him because there is no in between. We've got to make a stand whether we are really for God in all aspects of our life. We can never be a half hearted Christian or a Sunday Catholic but not for the rest of the days. Sometimes we think that we can fool God by not totally committing to Him and still think that we can play safe by continuously patronizing both worlds that of God's and the enemy. Today's parable shows us what will happen if we do not take the right course of action and fail to make the right move. In the end, we have to be ready for the pros and cons of our action. The Lord is a just God and will reward us according to his riches and glory. Let us never doubt a single minute that whatever we are working for at this present time will never be in vain if we offer everything to God.  Whatever it is that we devote our time, money and effort, we often hear this question, "Is it worth it?" God is always worth it. After all these things are done, may we find ourselves in the shoes of the trusted servant in the gospel. Let us pray that we'll not end up like this unworthy servant that even the little he had was taken away.  May the Lord find us worthy of the blessings He has given us and we continue to cultivate whatever is entrusted to us, be it a big or small blessing and find ourselves bearing fruit for the greater glory of God.  Sometimes we commit the same mistakes over and over again and we never seem to learn. There has got to be a time when we have to learn and change for the better. We just can't keep on doing it and be sorry for it repeatedly and not change the vicious pattern. Eventually we will have to take responsibility for all those things and suffer the consequences. Today's gospel is more of a reminder that we can't get away with things by playing around the rules. It has to be clear for us what specific course of action we have to take. Or else we might end up in trouble with the game we wanted to play and find out that the trick is on us. As in Jesus' words from the gospel, "‘With your own words I shall condemn you,..." We can't expect to get away with something that we are responsible of. We need to realize that the servant who was punished by being deprived of even the little he has was not totally wicked as compared to those who despised the master, don't want him as king and rallied against him. This servant was discreet enough, so he thought, not to make any bold or open move as to announce publicly that he dislike the master. He is neutral in the sense that he still accepted the gold coin entrusted to him but decided not to do anything about it. He was punished not for doing something bad like the enemies of the master or for what he did but for what he did not do. Sometimes we think that by being neutral, not making a stand or playing safe is safe enough. Well it isn't. The Lord encourages us to take an active part in our salvation. Living life to the full is a risk. But we should be willing to take that risk unlike that servant in the gospel today because nothing is too risky when we know that we've got what it takes to succeed. We are children of God and being that, more will be given. It is something that we have to respond in the most enthusiastic, productive and effective way just like those 2 other servants who were entrusted with more. Now this is safe enough. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 19:11-28

...“A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. 13 He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ 14 His fellow citizens,  however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ 15 But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ 17 He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ 18 Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ 19 And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ 20 Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ 22 He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; 23 why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ 24 And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ 25 But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ 26 ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.’ ”