The Lord is constantly calling us back to Him since the time
of Adam & Eve when our 1st parents committed original sin. No
matter how much God tries to win us back to Him and how much we try to return,
ultimately original sin means we are going to sin seriously and mess up. We
need God’s grace and the 4 great virtues (Prudence or wisdom, justice,
temperance and courage or fortitude) to be perfected in order to combat the
effects of sin. Faith, hope and charity are supernatural. These are things that
human beings would never know that they need or could have without God giving
them supernaturally that’s why they are called the theological virtues. We only
know about them through divine revelation and we couldn’t know about them by
reason. We can only have them through God’s grace. The theological virtues,
faith, hope and charity are the crown of the first 4 cardinal virtues that
transform and make them possible. God doesn’t want us just to be whole human
beings and restore us to what Adam & Eve were when they blew it in the
Garden. God wants us to be more than that. He wants to elevate our human nature
and divinize it. He wants us to share in His own Divine nature. Charity is all
about loving with God’s love. Loving as the 3 persons of the Holy Trinity love
each other and sharing in that goes way beyond human nature. This is an
incredible thing and call. It was only possible because God became man and we
can share in his virtue. This is what the real Catholic life is all about. It’s
not just about making it or going to heaven by the skin of your teeth after
struggling. It’s about growing in holiness and becoming like Jesus all
throughout our life, a champion not without struggles. As a matter of fact
without the struggles we can never become a champion but with victory and
excellence not with hopelessness, despair and frustration. This is God’s desire
for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this is given to us. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Jer 26:1-9
… Perhaps they will listen and turn back, each from his evil
way,..
The mention of the watery depths in today's psalm reading
should remind us of our own personal experiences. We are never alone. It is
undeniable that God is good. We must realize that He is present in each and every
person we meet. The earth is really full of the goodness of the Lord. God always send us the right people at the
right time and the right situation. Although there are also some setbacks and
we are still experiencing the ups and downs of our faith we just have to
consider everything as a part of our daily walk in the shore of the Sea of Galilee with Christ at our side. Here are some
pointers for review to strengthen our faith in God
I. Man needs to be saved because of his fallen nature. (Rom
7:21-24 & CCC 1949)
-Man is dominated by
greed, pride and lust (CCC 407 & 1 Jn 5:19 ) The devil has acquired a
certain domination (Gal 5:19) and we are engaged in a battle that has been won
but does not stop there since we have to always put on our guard for the enemy
does not rest. He called the whole process of being saved as
"justification" .
II. "Man is
saved by God's grace alone based on CCC 1996.
-The question is how does the grace of God become an active
part of our life or "by what are we justified?" The example he gave
here was a newborn baby who is baptized. A baby has not merited anything yet
but is saved by the mere act of being baptized. He mentioned about Martin
Luther's despair about his salvation which led him to formulate the doctrine of
justification by "Faith alone"
He misunderstood the Bible passage Rom 3:28 which mentioned faith alone apart
from works of the law. Paul in this letter to the Romans was pertaining to the
Jewish Law which is being practiced during their time like circumcision, washing
of the hands and the like which are practices that can not really justify a
person. Faith alone doctrine states that justification simply means being
"declared righteous" We can not just be declared righteous but be
made righteous by not continuing to sin.
III. Justification actually means being "made
righteous" i.e. it entails the sanctification of his whole being (CCC
1989, 1990, &1995) We are justified not by faith alone nor by works alone.
Justification has its stages i.e. initial and progressive. Initial
justification takes place at our baptism. We still have a tendency to backslide
and during the hour of death is the period of intense spiritual battle over our
soul. That is why we need to mature in our faith.
IV. Certainty of Salvation
"Once saved, always saved?" If we believe in this it tends to put off our
guard. (1 Jn 5:13-14) We should say instead "I know I am saved, still
being saved and will continue to be saved." Justification is a life long process as
stated by Paul in 1 Cor. 4:3-5, 9:27. In Phil 2:12 Paul also encouraged us to
work out our salvation with fear and trembling. For the enemy is waging war on
us and we need to be very aware of this and claim God's protection over us at
all times. (Eph.6:11-12)
V. Epistles against works?
I guess there have been some misunderstanding here of the
following bible verses:
Rom. 3:28 (Obedience of faith) Martin Luther based his
belief on faith alone on this specific verse he failed to see that Paul in
addition to what was mentioned earlier was attacking the Jews with regards to
their ceremonial laws and that it not enough to just hear the law but to
observe it. (Rom 4:5 Total adherence) An example he gave was attending the mass
not just as an obligation but with the heart. Consider it a privilege and do it
for the love of God. He said we are saved by grace not by works but we obtain
the grace of God by good works and the motive is mercy (Eph. 2:8-9 and Titus
3:5)
VI. Epistles supporting "Works"
Here are several bible passages cited to us by Atty Moya
that support the need for us to cooperate and work with God. James 2: 14-22
& 24 say that faith without action is dead. From the gospel of Matthew:
What must I do to be saved? (Mt. 19:16-21) When the rich man asked this
question he was told to keep the commandments and he said he already did so
Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give to the poor for he is very
attached to his possessions that he has to let go of all attachments. We are
also called to keep our fire burning for the Lord so that we don't end up like
the 5 virgins in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Mt 25:1-13. The same
principle applies with the Parable of the Talents or Silver pieces that we have
to cultivate the goodness in ourselves and let it grow. It is also very clear
from Mt. 25 31-46 which mentions about the last judgment that we can not just
accept the Grace of salvation but needs to do our part, too since it
specifically stated here that whatever we have failed to do will go to eternal
punishment. Also it is stated in Mt 7:21-27 that we need to live His words
because not everybody who says "Lord" will enter the kingdom of
heaven for there is a need to turn away from our wrongdoings. He said that
there is no dichotomy between Christ and His doctrine. If we really believe in
God then we also need to do what He teaches. The will of God will never take us
to where the grace of God will not protect us. God knows exactly and with
perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our lives at this precise
moment. God's purpose for us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that
only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place
we are now. In the midst of all these unsightly things there should always be a
burning flame of hope that God will never forsake nor abandon. We should always
maintain our confidence in God and never lose hope and courage in the great
love that God has for us. The ignorance of our faith is ignorance about Jesus.
We may sometimes think that evangelization is just work for the priests and the
religious. It is not limited to them but anyone who is baptized should take on
this responsibility. JFK said, "Here on earth, God's work must truly be
our own." Nothing should ever stop us from being part of the work of God. God
made man in His own image and likeness. (Gen 1:26) In this context we need to
define personhood well and know the perils of limited definition. It could be
classified into 2 definitions, nominal and real. Nominal definition of
personhood is decided by man. It is approaching something that we don't know
but we already have the answer. We make decisions and play God. The dangers of
this definition of a person are:
1. nominal- when we deny to identify a person as a real person. Example is abortion, when doctors deny the fact that at the moment of conception a person already exists.
2. real but limited - We do not deny but identify them as persons but with lesser worth like the sick and terminally ill. Just because they are old, weak and sick they deserve to die as in the case of euthanasia.
3. full and real but limited - Kills people as in the Holocaust.
The whole principle involved here is discovery and deciding. When our approach is discovery then we are being lead to the events in our life with a sense of total surrender, trust and faith in the Lord's Providence for the realization of things that are unseen and hoped for. God may not fully reveal and present us with a surprise but we maintain full confidence in a God who brought us to wherever we are right now. In deciding, our approach is a lot different since we already have an answer for something that we don't know yet. It boils down to the fact that we think we know too much but we don't. We end up playing God. We need to remain as man and allow God to be God of our life. When man becomes God, we lose everything because we are not God. We have to realize the impact in our life of discovery versus deciding.
We should ascribe to the real definition of personhood. It answers the question what, how and what is it meant to be. Our approach in life to achieve faith and righteousness is by discovery and through an authentic Christian life. It is discovery in the sense that we are open to the intention and purpose of God for us. With a seeking and expectant faith we should allow God to lead us in discovering what is ahead of us and prepared by God. The approach should be in a manner of discovering what God's intention is and respecting it. Checklist of Evangelization.
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 Dead Sea that just received water but did not give out. The same thing happens to us when we do not take the responsibility of evangelization as our own. We have to work on improving our skills for the work of God.
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 kingdom of God is older and a broader reality than the Catholic Church. We need to live a humble life and forgive each other.
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?
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 should not have any fear or hesitation in
carrying out the task that the Lord has given us. In our commitment to
follow the Lord there are times when we encounter disappointments. We can say
that serving God is not lying on a bed of roses, though God rewards those who
obey Him we have to realize that we too must share in the passion of Christ if
we truly are His followers. For we know that the Lord in His great love, is always there for
us. What matters most is that we always call on God and allow His saving
power to rescue us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O LORD, for the time of your favor, O
God! In your great kindness answer me with your constant help…
I could never forget the time when Bro Ojie Engalla was
hospitalized for a serious condition and had to undergo brain surgery to clip
off ruptured blood vessels. Everybody in the St. Martha Community stormed
heaven with prayers for the success of his operation and healing. When we
visited him in the hospital that was when I realized that God really worked a
miracle on him. He said he is very thankful for his St. Martha Community and
was never mistaken when he chose it to be his parish. And I must say that I can
say the same thing. Today is the feast day of St. Martha and I must admit that
she is one of the saints who is close to my heart. She is a hardworking prayer
intercessor who never stops in her labor for the service of God. Just like St.
Martha we should all be firm believers that God answers all our prayers no
matter how impossible it may be. Although the qualities of St. Martha depicted
in a certain bible passage where she complained to the Lord that she is the one
doing all the work does not speak very well of her we could still learn
something from it. We should look at the example of the industrious and service
oriented attitude of St. Martha especially when our lazy and careless sides get
the better of us. It happens to the best of us when we sometimes run away from
work and hesitate to be involved. As we make ourselves available for God's work
we too like St. Martha in today's gospel can eventually transcend from that
worried and anxious woman to a person of faith. When we are totally surrendered
to the will of God nothing or no one should drive us to fear not even death
itself. This is because we are confident of the saving power of God. He will
never lead us to where His love can not reach us. We can always be assured of
the loving arms of our Savior. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 11:19-27
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died. 22 [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of
God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” 24
Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me,
even if he dies, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will
never die. Do you believe this?”...
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