Wisdom 2:1, 12-22
1 The wicked said among themselves, thinking not aright: 12
“Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself
against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us
with violations of our training. 13 He professes to have knowledge of God and styles
himself a child of the LORD. 14 To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely
to see him is a hardship for us, 15 because his life is not like other men’s,
and different are his ways. 16 He judges us debased; he holds aloof from our
paths as from things impure. He calls blest the destiny of the just and boasts
that God is his Father. 17 Let us see whether his words be true; let us find
out what will happen to him. 18 For if the just one be the son of God, he will
defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. 19 With revilement and
torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and
try his patience. 20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to
his own words, God will take care of him.” 21 These were their thoughts, but
they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, 22 and they knew not the hidden
counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern
the innocent souls’ reward.
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. 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. In the gospel about the temptation of Jesus
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 34:17-18, 19-20, 21, 23
R: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
16 [17] The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy
remembrance of them from the earth. 17 [18] When the just cry out, the LORD
hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. (R) 18 [19] The LORD
is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. 19
[20] Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the LORD
delivers him.
Today's gospel is taken from John or the 4th gospel. Its
genuineness is affirmed by the whole character of the narrative. The
arrangement of this gospel follows historical order of events and portrayed
with precision of eyewitness. Even the most minute subsidiary circumstances are
mentioned with special concern to determine exactly the time of occurrence. It
is accepted as one of chief and historically credible sources of knowledge of
the life of Christ. The 4th gospel has a high Christology that emphasizes the
Divine aspects of Jesus’ identity compared with low Christology that emphasizes
human aspects. John’s belief in the preexistence of Christ is very pronounced.
According to Frances Hogan, she believes that it was John the youngest of all
the apostles who really wrote the gospel. The person behind the gospel have
seen and heard Jesus first hand. He came to Jesus as a teenager and seems to
know the heart of Jesus instinctively. It was to John that Jesus gave His
mother on the cross. John was taught by God's beloved mother, Mary. The book of
John is known as the book of signs. The Book of Signs (Jn 1:19-12:50)
The seven signs are miraculous deeds of Jesus that reveal
his true identity. They show Jesus bringing different types of people to
believe in Him while at the same time provoking many among the Jews to
hostility. The author interprets them for the reader by various reflections,
narratives and discourses. Many Jews were provoked to hostility on account of
the declarations of Jesus which they could not accept as in today's gospel.
Signs and symbols are very important to John as it is to us. God is from above
and we are from below. From our human level it is very difficult for us to
grasp the meaning of things in our life in relation to God. We have to look
beyond the physical and understand them better as we go beyond the surface into
its deeper meaning. The same is true in our relationship with God, the more we
know about Him the better we understand the things in our life. We can look
into the things happening in our life and find meaning in it. It becomes
symbolic in a sense that God has communicated to us, making us more inclined to
do things that are divine. We should praise and thank God for the perfect
example and pattern of Jesus' life that He left for all of us that serve as an
inspiration and guide. There is no doubt as to the perfection of our God who
knows exactly the time when things are bound to happen for He knows best. Let
us just continue to trust His Divine Providence that everything happens for a
reason at the appointed hour. Jesus was destined to suffer and die for our sins
because He was obedient to the will of God and that same destiny resurrected
Him from the dead and now seated at the right hand of the Father reigning in His
kingdom forever and ever. May our destiny be to always obey the will of God.
Amen. Hallelujah!
John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30
1 Jesus moved about within Galilee; but he did not wish to
travel in Judea , because the Jews were trying
to kill him. 2 But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. 10 But when his
brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as
it were in secret. 25 Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
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