Have you ever won in a raffle? I did. It feels great! Although this happened 5 years ago I could never forget when I won a $1000 gift card in a Nurse Expo at Long Beach because it was very memorable and significant in many ways. I never thought that my name will be drawn. I was just sitting there looking after the bags and the tons of souvenir items of my nurse companions when my name was called. I can't believe my ears! From out of the many entries, my name was picked. Not just that, I still do not have my license at that time so I needed to give them proof that I am a USRN. It was good that I brought the letter from the California Board of Registered Nursing stating that I already passed and they were kind enough to accept it. Up to this time that gift card remains useful for me because I bought a laptop and a camera out of it. I felt that it was exactly what I wanted to buy back then even though I already have a desktop computer which I can use because I was still living with my aunt then. I never thought that I would be moving out of their house and would be needing my own computer in order to communicate with my family in the Philippines and of course to make a journal of my daily walk with God such as this one to proclaim His word and His glory. God knows exactly what we will need even before the need arises and for that I say, "It is indeed a gift of God!" Another thing I am reminded of is my co-participant in a training that I attended in Japan. He is from Korea. The duration of the training is almost one year so it is important to have a good rapport among the participants. Unfortunately, our personalities do not go well together. I sensed something different about him and was confirmed when I found out that he didn't believe that there is a God. He claimed to be an atheist. At first, I was trying to be really extra careful and nice to him and was even injecting discreetly some Christian values and ideas to him whenever we are engaged in a conversation. I should say that next to the challenge of my research work there in Japan, he posed to me a difficulty that I never thought I would be able to handle and surpass. Everyday especially during our 1st few months in Japan, I would pray hard for strength in order to withstand whatever challenges that lie ahead of me during the day. This involves putting up with his manners and attitude on top of the fact that we are from different countries with very diverse cultural background and beliefs. After several weeks of constantly praying and putting on hold my temper and practicing patience, gentleness and courtesy to the best of my ability, I finally succumbed to the pressures I've been experiencing then and blurted out all my repressed and bottled up anger. Whew! You could just imagine what I did by how everybody who saw me reacted. They had the impression that I am the Filipina who can pulverize people with an iron fist like Pacquiao. Although it worked since he stopped bothering me from then on, I also regretted what I did for I know that getting back at someone in that manner is not pleasing before the Lord. I am a professed believer of God and should embody this faith. What I did is not a reflection of a person who believes in God. It is imperative that we act what we believe in our thoughts and words. The story about my Korean co-participant in Japan did not stop there. It is not yet over until God says so. God arranged for something else to happen. Another participant got very sick and was hospitalized and we ended up visiting her together. On our way to the hospital, I started a conversation with him which unexpectedly led to his unbelief in God and the theory of the evolution. Judging from where it was going I thought it would end up in disaster that is why I am still in awe at how things happened the way it did. I could never understand or figure out up to this time how I was able to speak those words that I spoke to him. It was as if someone else was speaking in my behalf. Instead of opposing his ideas I just found myself even agreeing with him. This is what I said, “Let us say the evolution theory is true, but consider even for a moment the hardship with my research work wherein I needed to transform the microorganism or simply put it as, improve the strain. I need not change the microorganism which was a fungus to another microbe like a bacterium but just introduce a tiny bit (DNA) of characteristic to improve it. Just the thought of changing fungi into bacteria is already an impossibility that I could never even think about since the transformation alone and the maintenance in itself is already hard work. I told him I've been putting all my efforts and whatever intelligence left in my brains after slaving myself to work beyond midnight just to succeed in my experiments and there was no room for mistake or even a short period of neglect for timing and strict maintenance is a must or else everything I worked for will be gone. I asked him in the light of his being a science researcher himself, that if he believes that humans evolved from a single cell to a very complicated human body like we have right now, a genius must have sustained, maintained and watched over our evolution to our present condition, wonderfully made and crafted by none other than the greatest Genius, Researcher and Scientist of all time.
As I was talking to him, his face suddenly lit up as if he was like a person who was losing his way and finally found it. He said, "Well I guess that was what I've been waiting to hear, I should say." From then on, he became nice and polite to me for the rest of our stay in Japan . He even went with me to mass in a Catholic Church after that. Amen. Hallelujah!
Ephesians 2:1-10
...For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
The Jews knew of the prophecy that from King David’s lineage would come forth a King, the foretold Messiah of Israel. During the reign of King Ahaz and all other kings of Israel who did evil things the royalty was cut off. During the Babylonian captivity and in exile, those born of the line of David, of royal blood went in hiding for fear of being killed. Even though the divinic dynasty was cut off, from the tree of Jesse, the father of King David, came forth the shoot that brought forth the King. We remember that it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 tells of this family tree. We would find at the end of this lineage, Joseph who is the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Joseph is not king but a carpenter and being Jew knew of the prophecy as foretold by the prophet including this one from Isaiah 7:14 … the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Emmanuel.” as spoken to him by the angel who appeared to him. He finally understood the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel . Isaiah is important to better understand Jesus. Joseph knew of the need for secrecy and not to make public these things because the reigning king at that time is Herod. He is not Jew but an Edomite who was just appointed by the Romans to be king. He is king not for the Jews but for the Romans to collect taxes for them. This is mainly the reason why Herod wants all male babies born at the time of Jesus, dead. Joseph dreamed a lot of dreams and it was through them that Joseph was able to successfully carry out his mission as the protector of the baby Jesus. Another point of reference here is the fact that in the Old Testament (OT) there was a foreshadowing of the Magi or Wise Men who came to worship Jesus in the manger. It was at the time of the reign of Balak an evil king in the OT when Balaam also a wise man from the East prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom . He was asked to exact a curse upon Israel but from his mouth came forth a blessing. A star and a scepter signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men who were looking for a star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel who would inform Herod of his whereabouts but warned in a dream not to go back to him in a dream. Jesus is truly our King. The Kingship of Jesus is accompanied by many more wonderful things that we still have to know of. In the Jewish tradition the # 3 and 7 stands for perfection and completeness. It is somehow puzzling to know that there are 3 sets of 14 generations from the time of Abraham to the exile to the time of Jesus. So why the #14? The significance of the #14 stands for the name of King David which is equivalent to 14 in Hebrew. The 3 sets of 14 stands for perfect royalty and king that all leads to Jesus. It could also be equivalent to 6 sets of 7. The #6 signifies the date when the beast is made or the beginning thus the #666 which signifies the beast of all beasts. The 6 of 7 sets could mean the beginning of the 7th set. 7 is also the Sabbath. The new 7 is the new creation. Jesus is the beginning of the 7th set. Why the fuss in all of these? It is a consolation to know that we have a God who is King. The King of kings and the Lord of lords. We will eventually come face to face with our Creator and God who made heaven and earth. The time is now to make a conscious move to be in touch with this truth. It is such a waste that we don't always realize God's presence among us. When there is nothing more rewarding than to always be aware of God's presence and cry out to Him in joy. Whenever we are in a relationship with someone and give our 100% into it then we can not help but expect it to work. But there are times too when we have given our all and yet it doesn't seem to be enough. We sometimes are bound for disappointments. When these things happen then is really no reason to be sad for we can always go to God for consolation whose love for us endures forever. We are all called to become partakers and residents of the eternal Kingdom of God . The invitation to be His favorite is open to all because we are all special to Him. Only through enrichment of our souls can we truly appreciate and experience this reality now and for all eternity. If we as human beings are concerned about our physical appearance, all the more should we strive to enhance our overall spiritual condition. We should also build up spiritual muscles and strive to maintain a balanced Christian life. The best way to do it is to always attach to the main source of all goodness. In the horror movie entitled, "Nightmare on Elm Street " every time the girl in this movie falls asleep, her nightmare begins and Freddie Krueger appears to wreak evil and havoc in her life. She has to stay awake or else something really bad happens to her and the people around her. Somehow this should make us realize the importance of being awake, conscious and in touch with reality. If there's one thing that we have to always be aware of, that is God has our best interest in mind. It may not be easy to see, understand and have a grip on this reality always especially at times when we seem down and out as in falling flat on bed without a care in the world like dumb sleepyheads. We have to rise, wake up and shine. We ought to always get a hold of this truth in today's psalm and never let it leave our consciousness. We will eventually come face to face with our Creator, and the time is now to make a conscious move to be in touch with this truth. Our devotion to God should have no limits for He is Almighty, All Powerful and Holy. We should remain faithful to God and never stray away from the path where He leads us. Let us stay within the flock that God has formed for us. When we are being cared for by God who is constantly and consistently good, kind and faithful forever and ever then we are confident that we are safe and secure in the fold where we belong like a flock tended by the Good Shepherd. We should always remember that we have a God who cares for all our needs for we belong to Him. May we all take part in the grand banquet that God has prepared for us in heaven. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 100: 1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5
R: The Lord made us, we belong to him.
1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; 2 serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; give thanks to him; bless his name. 5 For he is good, the LORD, whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.
Today’s gospel is definitely not a far cry from the messages being conveyed in all the other readings for today. In fact it is explicitly stated what will become of those who fail to store up treasures in heaven. Everything else will be for nothing if we are not wise enough to realize what’s truly important and essential in this life. We should not continue wasting and throwing away precious time and opportunities to invest and be rich in what matters to God. God is indeed a God who will always assure us and will never leave us feeling at a loss. There are so many conflicts going on around us and sometimes we get too carried away by the concerns of this world we sometimes overlook what's most important and essential. Although we are part of this world we should not forget that at the end of it all, the only thing that will matter is our stored up treasure that matters to God. What is our main focus in life? If we still find ourselves attached more to other things than what God calls us to do then we are in danger of missing the true wealth. It is easier when we have to choose between good and bad but more difficult when we are confronted with choices that are both good. Today's gospel speaks of a fool who did not make the wisest choices. We must pray for the gift of discernment in order for us to recognize what is truly important and essential in life. Today’s gospel is also another assurance from the Lord that He will never forsake nor leave us and will always uphold our cause. It is only right and fitting that we continue to give honor and praise to Him by reflecting God in our lives. We have to be rich in the eyes of God and not in the eyes of men. God's impression of us is what matters most and everything else will follow. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 12:13-21
...“Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”... … God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ 21 Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
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