“Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” – 1 Kings 3:9a
The group of companies I worked for was closing down and I was about to lose my job. Some people with whom I had former business dealings offered me more than double my salary to manage their company. Upon closer scrutiny, I learned that this company didn’t pay minimum wages and didn’t pay the right taxes. But I desperately needed a better job then and lifted my cause in prayer to God. Through my wife’s prayer, God told me not to take the job.
A few years later, a multi-billion tax scandal landed on the front page of the papers. At the center of the scandal was this same company. Its owner, who had offered me the job, was on the run. If I had taken the job, I would have been his fall guy and taken the raps. I thanked God for the wisdom that he had given me not to take on that employment.
When we’re on the side of integrity and honesty, our discernment will always be a wise one!Rolly España (rolly@homeliving.com.ph)
REFLECTION:Do you put your trust on what the world tells you or what God’s Word tells you?
Lord, thank You for the grace to discern what is wise from Your perspective.
-END-
Whenever we receive news that really surprise us in an unpleasant manner, we can either decide to keep our peace or lose it. There are ways to react to things that come our way. Our reaction could depend on how we see and feel about things. Whenever we are confronted with slight or even big concerns it would be best not to succumb right away to our emotions and give ourselves some time to think and compose ourselves. God would definitely not leave us groping in the dark. But it would be best to follow Solomon's wisdom in today's 1st reading. We have to put our trust on what God’s Word tells us and not on what the world tells us. We have to pray to the Lord for the grace to discern what is wise from our perspective. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 Kings 3:4-13
...“Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” ...
“Don't trust too much, don't
love too much, don't care too much because that "too much" wiil hurt
you so much...” This is a quotation I came across on Facebook. It somehow
answers the part where we have to hurt so much. We use our mind to sort out
what is true. God has given us the intellect, will, passions and emotions.
Sometimes our emotions lead and carry us away in the search and to discern the
truth. Our mind can seek the truth and our will can choose the truth freely.
After the fall of our 1st parents, even if we know what is right we
have been infected by the malice of the world and our will have become
weakened. Our emotions play a big role in our will. This is why it should be
properly directed. Our emotions go up and down and it is not the proper gauge.
Some relationships should not just be built upon a bunch of good feelings. It
is a very dangerous basis for love. We need to ask the question of truth and
get a hold of our emotions so that we can put our relationships in proper
perspective. There are so many things that we are worried about but only one
thing is needed and we have to be sure that we pick the best option. We need
not confuse ourselves by even considering the options that the world enticingly
and seductively present to us. Does this song sound familiar? "Gusto kong
bumait pero di ko magawa." (I’d like to be good but I just can’t) Because
we are still in this world and its laws
dominate us it is
indeed hard to
serve the law of God.
But we are constantly reminded
that if we
only make a stand on which side we are then God will deliver
us. There is only one thing needed and we have to choose the best part. We have
to do things according to God's statutes and precepts which is the only sure
way to live a happy and abundant life first here on earth and then for
eternity. There is one thing we need to
do. Let us always focus on Jesus and follow the example He has left for us to
live by. What a friend we have in Jesus. He is never amiss on anything. Let us
not hesitate to reach out to Him for in Him we find a true friend who is ready
to help us. If we come to Him at all times for guidance and direction, He will
always be there to take our hand and lead us to the right path. The Lord knows
exactly what's in our hearts. There are times when people judge us based only
on what they see but what matters most is that we are right before God. The
truth is that we ought to realize by now that only God can deliver us from all
evil and there is no one else to whom we can go but to Him. The Lord has
promised and He will fulfill. This should give us so much joy and peace in
knowing this. There is no doubt that God in His goodness surely sheds light,
giving understanding to the simple in times of affliction. We need to always
hold on to God at all times and never lose hope in Him. We just got to hold on
tight! No matter what happen let us always keep in mind that God fulfills all
His promises. It may not be right away and could be later but He will surely
reveal things in His most perfect time. We've got to realize that there is no
love greater than the love God is offering us. We need to make sure that what
we sought and yearn for, is what should bring us genuine riches, true delight
and the most precious treasure which the world can not give and only God can
bring about. Just imagine ourselves walking in the dark without knowing what we
are stepping on and where we are headed. It is very difficult there is no doubt
about it. We need light to guide our steps and show the way. We have to realize
that loving God means obeying with all our heart. Have you experienced waking
up or going to bed at the same time everyday? It's because of the circadian
clock or the rhythmic biological cycles that happen or recurring everyday in
us. Let us pray to God that we develop in ourselves an instinct and discipline
to naturally follow His commands like the circadian clock. The time to act is
now. Let us seize every opportunity to know the Word of God while we still can.
1. Do we see God as the Primary agent? God is the Primary Agent of Evangelization. It is not about us but about God.
2. Do we see Evangelization as everyone's responsibility?
We must not end up like the
3. Do we communicate God's love?
4. Is total human betterment part of the ministry?
5. Do we respect other traditions?
God does not take sides. There is an equal opportunity for all but we have to make sure that we are on God's side. We need to rid ourselves of any triumphant or arrogant attitude towards people of other faith. The Abrahamic religion has a common denominator which is belief in God. We are not the sole professor of truth. We need to listen for God's revelation from others, too not only from us.
6. Does our love go beyond Catholic borders?
The
7. Is our approach ecumenical?
We do not have the monopoly of God because the Good News has no border and dealt with a common faith.
8. Do we use all available media?
The best media is our own life, no need for TV. The example of how we live our life is the best means to evangelize. Walk the talk.
9. Do we fully utilize existing groups like ministries that renew and energize members?
10. What is our total image?
We've got to maintain a wholesome image unlike the Crusaders, though they were able to convert many to the faith, the spread of the Good News was carried out using the sword. We must take extra care in projecting the right image as Good Messengers of the Good News. We can't just take one passage and take it as a whole, we have to consider the entire scriptures. It must be read within the living tradition of the Church. It is written in the Church's heart in the very essence of who Jesus is. The analogy of faith and inner harmony should co-exist and take all of them together as a unity. To take just one part of the truth and depend solely on it for everything else to unravel would end up in heresy and find ourselves outside the truth. The depository of faith is entrusted by the apostles to the whole of the Magisterium of the Church. This task of giving an authentic teaching of the depository of the faith is given to the living successors of Peter who is the Pope and the Bishops in our Catholic Church. We must have the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the Magisterium of the Church. If the Church is not a Divine institution it would have crashed 2000 yrs ago. Living tradition and sacred scriptures are the means to transmit the faith. We need to know this to understand how God's plan works through things revealed by God to us and recalled by faith.
Another interesting event I am reminded of is one of the MI
(Militia Immaculata) Meetings we had in the past wherein we were asked to introduce ourselves
briefly by saying our names, parishes where we belong and the time when we were
consecrated to the Mother Mary. I can never forget the date I was consecrated
(March 15, 2008) since it was the same date, but in 1995, of my mother's death
anniversary but I would rather call it her birth to eternal life. It was
highlighted by another significant event which was a dream I had at that same
time of my aunt, Tita Edna who also passed away on the same month, March 24 in
the year 1992. The dream was quite interesting and very vivid because I saw
Tita Edna riding in a van and the moment
I saw her I took off immediately and ran after the van which I almost missed if
I did not leap and managed to make it to the door of the van from which I
almost fell. When I finally made it inside the van, I saw that she was about to
eat so I offered her a hand sanitizer and saw that it made her so glad that I
had it. She immediately applied it in her hands and thanked me for it. It
suddenly gave me the impression that the van could be a symbol of our
transportation to heaven. It is very difficult to catch that ride, we have to be
always alert and vigilant we might end up missing it and worst never be able
catch the ride ever again. That is, if we are too busy with other things we
tend to neglect what should we be paying attention to and end up missing out on
our ride and get a different ride which instead of bringing us to heaven, be
brought to another destination which I guess none of us would like to be. We
must always know on whose authority we are basing our actions. It will always
help to examine ourselves and really be aware where our loyalty lies. Are we
for God or against God or are we just for God in the superficial sense? If we are deeply rooted in Him then we can
withstand that horrible day of trial and
still find ourselves persevering in our faith. Just the thought of ending up in
hell should really make us pray fervently to God. Today's psalm teaches us the way to always be
attuned to God's Spirit in order for us to truly see the word of God, as the
light shining like a lamp for our feet. If we really want to be truly happy
then there is just one thing we have to always do that is to always keep
ourselves blameless before the Lord. We can never run away from the probing
eyes of God because nothing is hidden from Him. We sometimes have this
impression that our God requires impossibilities from us. We misinterpret and
take things in a different way whenever we hear of rules and regulations to be
followed. The decrees of our Lord are not meant to make things difficult for us
nor do they burden or tie us down. This is the deception and we should start
looking at it the right way. Just imagine life without God's decrees to guide
us, it would be very disorderly and chaotic. It's like driving in the freeway
wherein one can just go his or her own way without any regard for any traffic
rules and regulations. Real freedom is the ability to follow God and being
totally free of the grasp and hold of sin that brings death. Some sins bring
instant death but others just like cancer slowly creep in and before we know it
has already eaten us up whole. God loves
us so much that He has given us His decrees because it is in following them
that we become totally free and live. The only way to true freedom is by
following God's commands. In doing this we become free of the bondage of sin
and live a power filled life based on the Truth. We should believe that if
there is someone in and out of this world who is most reasonable, just, fair
and at the same time loving, caring, slow to anger and rich in kindness that is
no other than our God. One thing for sure, if He requires us something, He will
definitely equip us for it because it is written, "I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me." If we commit ourselves to following
God then we will surely be blessed. Allow me to use the word "luck"
or "swerte" in Tagalog in lieu of any other more appropriate word
like blessed or pinagpala in Tagalog since I have always been hearing this word
being used very often by some people in reference to certain situations within
the broad context of this word. I just couldn't help but share it, first and
foremost due to some personal circumstances. We often hear people say to
another who is about to embark on something challenging, “good luck” If the
word luck may have been associated with whatever negative meaning then consider
it excluded from here and out of context for the mean time. Let's just say we
would like to broaden the scope of our vocabulary. This is to further drive the
point or message in today's psalm and is actually the catch here. This is to
come up with an induction that following the law of the Lord is just as
synonymous to being blessed, lucky, swerte or pinagpala or any other word that
we could closely associate with this. It is not very easy to lead a life like
that of the saints who followed the example of Jesus. Ignorance is not an
excuse. We should always seek to enrich our knowledge about God so that we will
continuously grow in our faith. Our world is ever changing with all the new
technology coming up, it's so surprising that whatever is considered the latest
and gold standard today may not hold true the following day. If there's one
thing we should rely and hold on to in this very dynamic world of ours, then it
should be something constant and enduring.
It gives us great consolation that we have a God who is true to His
word. We may have heard it but we haven't learned yet. It is a lifelong journey
and quest to know God better. Nothing can be more rewarding than having great
peace in our lives. We can make this possible by adhering to God’s law and
committing to following it in word and deed. It will always be well for us to
consult the scriptures that shed light and give understanding. We've got to
make sure that what we sought and yearn for, is what should bring us genuine
riches, true delight and the most precious treasure which the world can not
give and only God can bring about. It is only right that we follow the law of
the Lord if we are really for God then our works should follow us and testify
to who we really are. Amen. Hallelujah!
R: Lord, teach me your statutes.
9 How shall a young man be faultless in his way? By keeping to your words. (R) 10 With all my heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commands. (R) 11 Within my heart I treasure your promise, that I may not sin against you. (R) 12 Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes. (R) 13 With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth. (R) 14 In the way of your decrees I rejoice, as much as in all riches.
Jesus also acknowledges the need for us to rest and regain
our strength after a whole day's work. We should not overdo anything so as not
to exasperate ourselves and become less effective in whatever we do. There are
times when we end up just tiring ourselves in a lot of needless ways and must
always take a closer look of what we're going into before doing something. This
reminds me of the great amount of time, energy and effort a friend of mine had
placed into something without much thought and just ended up with having to go
back to what she previously had but with having more work to do. We are all
guilty sometimes of going to and from and doing things just to end up for
nothing but what matters most is that whenever we do something we should keep
in mind that just like Jesus our
compassion for people who are in need should always take precedent in our
lives. Although, there are times when we become so weary of what we do. In
today's gospel, the apostles just came from their missionary efforts and are
very tired. They were told by Jesus “Come away by yourselves to a deserted
place and rest a while.” They also
needed to recharge themselves to carry on their mission. Although we may not
realize it but sometimes we just have to get away for a while in order to get
the much needed rest that our bodies need. We may also come to a point in our
lives when we feel like we are in a far away place all by ourselves in a
deserted place as described by Jesus in today's gospel. We sometimes think that
our lives was suddenly put to a stop or on hold, for it looks like we've
reached the end of the line and nothing exciting seems to be happening. If this
is the case, we could consider ourselves to be in hibernation or in a forced
resting mode although we may not like it. Let us not despair and think that we
are going down the drain. God is not yet finished with us until He tells us so.
Nothing is ever wasted for as long as we always make sure that we don't stray
away from Jesus. Whatever aspect in life it is, we may want to look at this,
take it and ought to consider everything as preparation. It is best to take
advantage of this period that we're going through to rest a while and just be
in hibernation in order to come out better Christians ready to fulfill our God
given destiny with much fire and enthusiasm. It is of great consolation to know
that we have a God who answers all our needs even before we ask for it. We need
not whine, complain nor put matters into our hands because He got us covered
and well taken care of. We might not be fully convinced of this if we still
allow the world's influence to overpower us. This is perfectly understandable
because we are still in this world. Let us not forget that we are not of this
world and are destined for much greater things than any of us could imagine.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 6:30-34
30 And the apostles coming together unto Jesus, related to
him all things that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them: Come
apart into a desert place, and rest a little. For there were many coming and going:
and they had not so much as time to eat. 32 And going up into a ship, they went
into a desert place apart. 33 And they saw them going away, and many knew: and
they ran flocking thither on foot from all the cities, and were there before
them. 34 And Jesus going out saw a great multitude: and he had compassion on
them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach
them many things.
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