Isaiah 55:10-11
10 Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and
snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making
it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats,
11 so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me
void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
The considered powerful and mighty of this world is what
appear to be the blessed and favored ones as far as human logic and reason are
concerned. The exact opposite of what Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount
and Plain (Beatitudes) in the gospels. A lot of people find it difficult to
really understand the beatitudes since it contradicts the values of this world
we live in. The poor, weak, hungry and sorrowing are called blessed. This may
not sound acceptable for everybody and would even go around its meaning to get
away with the real issue that Jesus wants us to face. Whatever it may be that's
still stopping us from grasping the wisdom of God let us pray to God that we
will always hold on to His word as He assures daily. Our God indeed is a perfect
God and we must entrust everything to Him without questioning believing that He
knows what's best. We must be aware of the truth that it is by His power that
we exist in this world. We’ve got to have the right heart, mind and attitude.
Be poor in spirit and receptive to the Word of God. It doesn't make sense that
despite these truths that are ever before us we still reject Jesus. Let's admit
that we do it one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. Pope John Paul II
narrated a story when he was in the hospital for his operation. Just before the
surgery, he went out of his room unnoticed and visited a very sick boy on the
verge of dying. His mother was so depressed that no amount of words was able to
console her. She told the Pope to tell God to go away. The Pope answered her
that he did tell God to go away but He wouldn't listen. He embraced the
inconsolable mother and told her that God knows exactly the place where He
needs to be and that is none other than with her. We should realize that God
never leaves nor forsakes most especially in times of despair. He is always
there for us. Our God indeed is a perfect God and we must entrust everything to
Him without questioning believing that He knows what's best. We must be aware
of the truth that it is by His power that we exist in this world. Have you
heard of blind obedience? Following without knowing exactly why you follow.
Take the example of suicide bombers, who willingly die to spread terrorism.
What courage! We should know that it is always worth it to obey God, obeying
and knowing fully well that it is for our own good. We all have fears in life
and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the
case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm tells
us then there is no reason for it. We may have encountered situations wherein
we were not able to plan ahead and totally placed us in a very unexpected,
uncertain and insecure position. They
just happen suddenly that we have no time to prepare and really caught us off
guard. This has caused us to feel at a loss. Just imagine how it feels to be
blind not knowing where to go and groping in the dark. But we can be assured
that God will rescue us from all distress and deliver us from our troubles. The
wickedness and the hatred may persist but let us not lose hope and despair
because we have a mighty Savior and Redeemer in our Lord Jesus. This truth
stated in today’s psalm reading should keep us going and do exactly what we are
told. The Light of the World already came and judgment day is coming soon. In
fact, judgment is happening even now. In Deuteronomy 30:15 "Here, then, I
have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom..." God
asked us to choose. It's got to be one way or another. There should be no
mingling or ambiguity. It is all up to us. We can be assured that if we take
God’s side then we’ll definitely taste and see His goodness. If we will just
seek God at all times then we surely find Him. Let us not turn to anything or
anyone else but to God alone. Let us be firm and wise in our dispositions to
really stick to God's ideals and principles alone instead of the suggestions
and insinuations of the so called wise and learned of this world's standard.
For if we do, we'll find ourselves rescued, saved and truly blessed. We should always keep our
hopes up in the Lord no matter what our situations are because it can never
change the fact that He is God and always in charge and in control. There are
times when we feel forsaken or abandoned but we must always hold on to the
truth that He loves us so much. He would never leave us in misery. Let us
remove all doubts and fears. Nothing should make us feel afraid for God hears
our cry. He will surely carry out what is clearly for our own good and the
best. All we need to do is allow God to work in our lives and stop hindering
His grace to flow in our lives. If there's one big obstacle that is blocking
this flow then it is surely not God. It is time we analyze the things in our
life that continue to build up and shut out God. We don't want that happening
and it's all up to us for the Lord hears and saves us. Although there are times
when we do not have to sweat at all and things just come and fall into place we
also have to know that our life is mostly a product of the choices we make. Our
choices must always be responsible and carefully decided on. We've got to have
a reliable standard for it. One without fail and is sure to work. Actually
there is only one thing that we can surely depend on and that is the goodness
of the Lord. If we always have this in mind then nothing should stop us to
always look at God, listen and follow Him. We should not care so much about
gaining the approval and admiration of men rather than God. Our focus first and
foremost should be to please God and everything else will follow. Even if it
sometimes does not work the way we expected and planned things to be. We can be
assured that the Lord heard, hears and will hear all our prayers and surely has
the best answer at hand in His most perfect time. In guarding our faith the
bible passage from Ephesians 6:10-11 which is about the armor of God is an
important tool. If we read it we will find the only weapon mentioned in the
said bible passage is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We
should check it once again and be aware of this important information as
Catholic Christians. Last Sunday's gospel was about the temptation of Jesus
wherein the devil also demonstrated his knowledge of the scriptures. As it is
written, we need to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. We are
undoubtedly engaged in this battle every single day that's why we are in need
of a weapon. This reminds us of the importance of knowing the word of God by
heart since it is our only weapon. God never fails. He would always make things
work for our good and rescue us in our distress. I have always believed in
angels even before I got this petal from a healing service with the image of a
cherubim miraculously imprinted on it. It's been a while since I got it and has
served as a testimony of God’s abiding love. I have no doubt in my mind that
God will always deliver me from all my fears. I always keep my rose petal with
me and show it to almost everyone I meet, as a way of propagating God's
goodness to me. I can still remember and will never forget how my mother used
to narrate to us how I was miraculously saved by my angel several times. First
was when I was about 2 months old, and I fell from a height of 2-3 ft
countertop when the nanny after giving me a bath left me for only a second to
get something and upon returning found me already unconscious and lying on the
hard, ceramic tiled floor. I was rushed to the doctor but he told them that if
I fail to regain consciousness within an hour then he said I am gone. To
everybody's surprise I started to cry even before the time is up. Another one
was when I was barely 2 yrs old when I almost got hit by a speeding jeepney. My
parent's house is right beside my grandparent's house which is right in front
of the school where my mother used to be a public school teacher. She said she
was standing in the center of the stage of the school that was why she had a
good view of the things around her even the terrace of my grandparent's house
so she got the shock of her life when she saw me there alone running very fast
heading toward the open gate while a speeding jeepney was coming and looked as
if I would really get hit and it would be too late even if somebody was there
to stop me. She was already screaming from afar together with the other
teachers who saw it and was trying to call the attention of the driver but to
no avail for he didn't even slow down because their screams were of no match to
the loud engine of the jeep. It was just
a miracle that the moment I stepped on the side of the road, I suddenly stopped
and stood very still as if someone was holding me back. She said it was my
guardian angel who held me and prevented me from getting hit by the jeep. I don't remember personally any of those
experiences it was only through my mother's stories that I came to know about
them. But when I was older like in 4th grade I could already remember how I was
spared again from being hurt seriously when the fluorescent lamp right on top
of my head fell on my desk a split second after I stood up and left my
chair. My classmates were really shocked
and were hovering around me and told me that it was really close. One of my
bestfriends, Myrsa got me even more scared of what could had happened when she
said that fluorescent lamps are laden with poison that once it gets broken, the
poison is released and if the broken glass cuts your skin open the poison will
get in and the wound caused by it will never dry up or get healed. From then on
I developed this childlike trust in God and thanked God for saving me from
death. There was another instance in my life as a child when Myrsa and I were
left all alone in school while waiting for our ride home and the deafening
sound of lightning and thunder got me very scared. Myrsa played the role of my
guardian angel when she tried to calm and stop me from crying by telling me
that I should not be afraid because the lightning is the flash bulb of God's
camera. She continued by saying that I should not cry but instead smile for God
was just taking our picture. Myrsa's legendary stories played a role in my
developing a great faith in God. Another funny story was what she told me about
the needle. She said that we must be careful with needles because it will find
its way into our bodies and once it's inside it will go to our bloodstream and
very quickly end up pricking our hearts which can cause us to die right away.
There was one time when I lost a needle and couldn't find it anywhere. I went
to bed very early that day which surprised my mother and was asking me if there
was anything wrong. I decided to myself that I would just wait for my death
silently and not tell anybody. I was praying to God not to give me a painful
death and let me not feel it once the needle pricks my heart. When I woke up
the next day I was so glad that I was still alive and thanked God for sparing
me from death. Those were the early formative years of my faith which started
out in a funny, amusing but definitely amazing way. We all have fears in life
and sometimes they drive us to the point of despair. This should not be the
case. If we truly believe with all our mind, heart and soul what today's psalm
tells us then there is no reason for it. If we will just constantly nourish and
fill ourselves with the words of God in scriptures then there is really no
reason for us to fear rather be always filled with joy. He will never allow us
to be defeated and conquered for He is always there to rescue us. Amen,
Hallelujah!
Psalms 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19
R: From all their distress God rescues the just.
...When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all
their distress he rescues them. 18 [19] The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
We should pray the "Our Father" and look at it in
so many different aspects. We have prayed it so often that it's very easy for
us to forget the power of this prayer and what they mean. We should pray it
like we have never prayed it before and take time to really think about what
the words mean. What a wonderful thing it is that Jesus, Himself taught us how
to pray. He told and allowed us to call His Father, our Father. Who does that
make us? What a great privilege and honor to become children of God and call
Him Father. It is so important that we take the time to think about this prayer
and let the words that we say all the time come alive in all different aspects.
He said when we pray say, "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth
as in heaven" If only we will do the will of God instead of our own twisted
wills then even if we are not yet in paradise it will become very much like
heaven. Again he said, "Give us today our daily bread;" Whenever we
say this we tend to think only of the material needs but St. Thomas Aquinas
said that the spiritual should have a predominance over the material. We've got
to have a love for the spiritual things more than the material things. God
wants us to ask for the material things but He wants us even more to ask for
spiritual things. A temporal thing could have something to do with a job, food,
fulfillment of our ambitions and all sorts of things along with many others.
Spiritual blessings would be the grace of true, deep, loving and humble acts
like faithfulness in marriage and to rear the children. When Jesus said whatever
you ask in my name, God the Father would grant it, He didn't mean for us to ask
something out of vain glory. To ask in
His name means that it has something to do with His purpose of coming here on
earth. It has something to do with eternal salvation and to grow in His grace.
Whenever we ask for something material we should add in our prayer that it
would be God's will but when we ask for something spiritual then we already
know that it is God's will. Today's gospel
and all the readings are telling us that God’s word will always achieve its
end. Pope Benedict XVI said that Jesus
is the definitive and perfect Word made flesh who dwelt among us. The Word
exists before creation, the 2nd person of the Trinity and everything that
exists is willed by God. The very basis of reality is pulled together because
of Him. If we build our lives on this Word we build our lives on rock. We’re
made through and in Him. The fulfillment of creation and this fullness we are
to have finds its true meaning in Him since we come from God. Verbum Domini,
the Word of God precedes and exceeds sacred scriptures. We find that necessary
truth in the sacred scriptures. It renews the Church and gives life. The Word
is the constant source of renewal. When we encounter Jesus Christ we are
renewed. We become His disciples and He gives us His teachings. He speaks to us
and gives us eternal life. In the gospel we read that the disciples approached
Jesus and asked how to pray. Catholics are often accused of babbling on like
the pagans because of memorized prayers. We see that today Jesus teaches us the
Our Father prayer. The misunderstanding with memorized prayers came from the
practices of pagans at the time of Jesus who babble on while thinking that they
can manipulate their gods if they do such a thing. Our Catholic prayers are not
a form of manipulation. When we pray we also seek to listen and we don’t try to
control God in some way. A good suggestion of the Holy Father is the prayerful
reading of the scriptures. We have to spend time in the scriptures and
prayerfully read. It is good to study but we must not neglect to go to the
scriptures in prayers. This is fundamental in spiritual life. The Word of God
is at the basis of all spirituality of a Christian life. We need to pray and
meditate on the scriptures. Apply the scriptures in our life with perseverance
and doing it while believing in and pleasing God. We ask God in prayer what it
means and listen to God. As in Matthew 7, Ask and you will receive, seek and
you will find and knock it will open unto you. We need to ask from God for the
meaning of the scriptures through the Holy Spirit. Pope Benedict XVI gives a
method for prayerful reading in the following. 1. Reading of the text and find
what’s the literal meaning which leads to a desire to its content, 2.
Meditation, know what the biblical text says to us and must ask ourselves and
know what it says to us. 3. What do we say to God? Offer Him prayers, adoration
and speak to Him. 4. Contemplation, is a gift of God. It is His own way of seeing
things which leads us to conversion. We need to know where we need to change.
This is the concrete reality of our life, to conform our lives to the word of
God. Sometimes we are more infected by the worldliness than we are by the Word
of God. God gives in His Word the gift of renewal that creates within us a
truly wise and discerning reality which leads to forming the mind of Christ
that brings about a conversion. God wants to join us in this journey of
conversion and penance. When we take the scriptures in faith it's like we walk
once more with God in the Garden of Eden like in Genesis when Adam & Eve
walked with God in the garden and received the fullness of life. This is what
He wants to give us now that Jesus Himself obtained for us. I love this quotation
that I got from an email, "When God takes something from your grasp, He's
not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something
better." We should always have the confidence of what today's gospel is
telling us and have no more reasons to doubt. There is an unexplainable joy in
knowing that Almighty God is not unreachable for He is always with us. All we
have to do is just pray wisely. It is in knowing the words of God that we can
always stand firm, confident and unafraid in His promises in the midst of the
chaos of this world. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 6:7-15
7 Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble
like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them. Your Father knows what youneed before you ask him. 9
“This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. 11 Give us today
our daily bread; 12 and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who
trespass against us; 13 and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
the evil.’ 14 “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father
will forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father
forgive your transgressions.”
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