We commonly hear people say, “What we don't know won't hurt
us.” But I say otherwise, what we don't know will certainly hurt a lot. That is
why in today's 1st reading we are encouraged to know more about Jesus in order
to live a life of peace and grace in abundance.
2 Peter 1:2-7
2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance through
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has bestowed on us
everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who
called us by his own glory and power. 4 Through these, he has bestowed on us
the precious and very great promises,
It just makes sense that we trust somebody that we know. How
can we trust somebody whom we don't know anything about? It's time that we use
all our resources in order to grow in knowledge of who really is our Lord Jesus
Christ. The more we know about Him the more we will love Him. There's still a
lot to know about Him. Nobody can be more interesting than Him, who has the
greatest story ever told. There is really no other way but to God. It may not
be easy but we can be assured that God will always provide for the means like a
very tall ladder that can reach the high heavens. Today's psalm brings back
memories of the endless connections and confirmations of the events which took
place in Oct 2007. I must say, it is just a prelude to the significant and
unforgettable turn of events before the year 2007 ends. Technically speaking,
it was culminated on the very last day of the year, Dec. 31, 2007. On this very
day, I was introduced to Psalm 91. Reading the prayer for the very first time
made me shed tears. It felt like it almost summarized the protection and
guidance that the Lord has been showing me since that memorable month of
October 2007. It was all new to me then since I never knew a single line of it
until that day when I met Tita Tess and Tita Piling who gave me the El Shaddai
bracelet which I still have on my wrist up to this day and handkerchief where
the Psalm 91 is imprinted and the rest is history. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 91:1-2, 14-15b, 15c-16
R: In you, my God, I place my trust.
1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide
in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 Say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.” (R) 14 Because he clings to me, I will
deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. 15 He
shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I
will deliver him and glorify him.
When God sent Jesus to the world, we must realize that it is
not that easy for a Father to put at stake the life of His only begotten Son
for our sake but He did. Just to dwell on this truth should already compel us
to keep and treasure the gift of eternal life that God is offering us and never
ever lose it. Let us not end up rejecting and losing what is being handed to us
just because we are not fully aware what we are missing. Let us not miss out on
what's most important in our lives, Jesus. Let's get to know more about Him!
Today we celebrate the feasts of Sts. Charles Lwanga and Companions. They are
martyrs known for their great faith in God. They have been subjected to various
unimaginable tortures but they never waivered in their profession of faith.
Nowadays we are no longer faced with these kinds of dangers in our faith
because we are blessed to have the freedom to practice it without fearing for
our lives but the world we live today tries in the most discreet and enamored
way to draw us away from our faith. This is what the world does to draw us away
from our commitment to the Lord. We have to be like the saints with tremendous
strength and boldness in their faith in God. . Charles Lwanga and Companions
faced their death and martyrdom with great courage. When Charles was sentenced
to death, he seemed very peaceful, one might even say, cheerful. He was to be
executed by being burnt to death. While the pyre was being prepared, he asked
to be untied so that he could arrange the sticks. He then lay down upon them.
When the executioner said that Charles would be burned slowly to death, Charles
replied by saying that he was very glad to be dying for the True Faith. He made
no cry of pain but just twisted and moaned, “Kotanda! (O my God!).” He was
burned to death by Mwanga’s order on June 3, 1886. When we read the accounts of
the saints who endured trials, persecutions and sufferings, we might as well
come to think of ourselves, too. Do we endure with love of the Lord in the
sufferings that we encounter daily? God has sent prophet after prophet in order
to come to a relationship with us throughout the course of our salvation history.
Finally, He sent His beloved son and we all know what happened. By our own
sins, He was killed and put to death so that in his mercy we have been adopted
and get the identification of beloved sons and daughters of God. We beg
forgiveness and mercy we receive the entire inheritance that Jesus has won for
us. We should recognize the great gift of our baptism, which means that we are
Christians. The life of God is within us. We must not reject this truth and
accept our identification. We can’t change it and be called by any other name.
We lay hold of the inheritance of eternal life by perfect identification (I.D.)
in Jesus Christ. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 12:1-12
...‘ 10 Have you not read this scripture passage: ‘The stone
that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 by the Lord has this been done, and it is
wonderful in our eyes’?” 12 They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared
the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they
left him and went away.
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