We have a God who never fail and will always fulfill what He
said He would do. This prophecy of Samuel in today’s 1st reading
explains why Jesus was often referred to in the scriptures as Son of David. The
long history of the chosen people of God speaks of a Messiah whom they have
long waited for. The more we get familiar with the scriptures the better our
understanding of the prophecies from the Old Testament in connection with the
New Testament. The deeper we know more about them the better our amazement and
appreciation of how God works in mysterious, wonderful and miraculous ways. The
long span of more than 4 thousand years that date way back to the time of
Abraham to the time of Jesus speak of God's faithfulness to His covenant with
His people. I often hear people say that life is so uncertain and that nobody
knows what's going to happen next. Everything that we do seems to be a gamble
for we are so imperfect and bound to make mistakes and wrong decisions. There
are times when we look at our lives and ask where it is headed, when are things
going to happen and change for the better and what awaits us in the days to
come. It is so appeasing to know that we have a God who always speaks to us
through the events, people and circumstances that surround us. In today's 1st
reading, it tells us that only time can tell, all we have to do is remain
faithful to God and persevere to the end since it speaks of Samuel telling
David of a prophecy which was fulfilled 900 years later in Jesus. God's
promises will always be true and can stand the test of time all throughout
generations. Before I got myself involved in bible study I was just taking the
title of Jesus as "Son of David" for what it is, just a title they
have decided to call him. After several sessions things become clearer to me
and taken on a deeper meaning. People who address him in the New Testament as
Son of David are people who know of the salvation history of Israel or the chosen people. They
are the very people who have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah because
they have been promised of one who will come from the House of David as
foretold by the prophets of old. This is
very interesting that we find our Christian faith rooted in Jewish heritage.
The more we know of the ancestral beginning of Christianity the better our
appreciation of it and eventually and inevitably lead to awe and marvel of
God's wonders and miracles. St. Joseph
is the foster father of Jesus and protector of the Holy Family. Joseph is an
unwitting accomplice to the work of salvation. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is
his betrothed. He is given no options as to what he wants as regards the birth
of Jesus. Yet somehow Joseph manages to allow the grace of God to lead and
guide him such that he willingly accepts his role as foster father of Jesus and
protector of the Holy Family. We, too sometimes find ourselves in a situation
when we have no idea how things came about, it just happened without exerting
any effort on our part. It just shows how God is able to do wonderful things in
our life. All we need to do is follow the example of Joseph who at that time
did not have any idea whatsoever that those were going to happen to him. Joseph
is a righteous man; he stands in the line of righteous men stretching back to
Abraham. It was mentioned above that he had little choice about the direction
of his life. However, we must not fail to reflect upon the option that he could
have simply walked away and left Mary and the child in her womb to fend for
themselves. He could not do this as he was a good man and could see that Mary
was going to need his help. Though he may seem to be a somewhat silent observer
in the work of salvation, he plays a much greater and more important role than
most give him credit for. He allowed God to lead and guide him through that
situation which he obviously did not plan or intend to happen. In whatever situation we are in right now,
whether it's all part of our plans or not, let us continue to allow the grace
of God to work for He can surely bring about goodness and prosperity in our
lives. We may be in a situation where we are not truly satisfied with what is
happening around us but we must continue to believe. What a glorious promise
from God to His faithful servant David. He has the same words for those who
will faithfully and perseveringly follow His lead. If we can only look back and
examine carefully our lives in the past then we can gauge from there if we have
been totally obedient to His will in our lives. Are we missing out on
something? Let us be quick and diligent to assess our lives so as not to miss
out on the best things that God has in store for us. We can always count on God
to carry out the plans He has for His people and always be true to His word.
There is no greater joy in the knowledge of the hope, joy and love that Jesus
is our Savior. Amen. Hallelujah!
...Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’ ” 17 Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.
We are assured of a God who never breaks His promise and
will see everything come to fulfillment. He will not disappoint nor let us down
for His love for us endures forever. The promises of our God will stand firm. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 89:4-5, 27-28, 29-30 R:
For ever I will maintain my love for my servant.3 [4] “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: 4 [5] I will make your dynasty stand for ever and establish your throne for all ages.”...
The legacy of King David has been handed down to us through
Jesus. We have all been given the opportunity to prosper and bear much fruit as
in today's gospel but all of it remains a seed with all its potential that
still needs to be realized through our cooperation. I remember when I was
picking out a specific greeting card that I was planning to give to someone.
From out of the many greeting card choices, I suddenly singled out this
particular greeting card with a picture of a bird which I had not chosen and
just made fun of, since we were laughing and joking about it. Today's gospel
contains this bible verse, "some seed fell on the path, and the birds came
and ate it up...As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the
word sown in them." It just dawned on me that these birds can pose as a
very enticing and interesting view for us with regards to our life in the same
way that Satan can deceive us all. We can just watch them and be fascinated as
they eat the seeds without realizing that we are being robbed of God's Word in
us. This particular scene reminded me of a time when I had the opportunity of
enjoying this picturesque garden overlooking a small stream, with lots of birds
in it and almost looks like paradise. I enjoyed the view and even fed the
birds. God’s message with regards to the gospel today has become more intense
as these circumstances start to unfold before me. Its urgency tends to be
heightened even more by the fact that we are constantly in a battle, day in and
out which we might not be completely aware of since we do not know what’s
really going on around us. Sometimes we can be lured into something very
beautiful without realizing that there is a catch to it. We must not forget
that the choice is completely ours. We have all been chosen, qualified and
equipped for a fruitful harvest but it is all up to us to respond in accordance
to this great privilege. Let us all seek to nurture this seed that Jesus has
planted in our hearts. Just like any other plant that grows, it needs to be
well taken care by regularly watering it and exposing to air and sunlight
depending on the specific demand of the plant. The same way with us who have
already been planted with God's word. Let us constantly ask God to always open
our minds and hearts to the mysteries of His Infinite love and mercy that we
may become the rich soil where the seed of the Word of God can be cultivated
and bear much fruit. Let us guard with all our strength this perfect gift of
God to us in Jesus Christ and never let it be stolen away by the enemy. We have
the power and the will to drive it away. In today's gospel the Lord is inviting
us to examine ourselves closely and become the rich soil and produce fruit. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Mark 4:1-20
...“The mystery of the kingdom of God
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