For those who have gone ahead of us, we suppose and hope that they have done their part and are now enjoying the eternal bliss in heaven with God. On the other hand, we who are still in this world are not just on an extended stay for nothing. We are still here up to this moment for a reason and we better make good use of this time the way St. Paul did in his letter to the Philippians. Let us not go on living our lives without realizing this very important truth that we all have to respond to achieve our highest potential for our own sake and for the glory of God. Amen. Hallelujah!
Philippians 1:18b-26
...For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. 22 If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. 23 I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary...
It always make the crowd or audience laugh whenever asked who want to go to heaven and everybody started raising their hands but if the question is changed to who want to die everybody started putting down their hands. The truth is we can only see God face to face when we die if we are worthy to stand before Him. And we have all become worthy because of Jesus' sacrifice but can we handle the truth. People who are on the verge of dying and have come to accept their situation and longed only to be with God are the luckiest people since they have found the ultimate satisfaction and consolation to all their longings. Considering that they died in the grace of God, we may think of people who died and happened to have a lot of unfinished businesses here in this world. Thinking of such may prompt us to ask questions about such things but we must believe that God is in control and in charge. He will take care of whatever we left behind. Only Jesus can make us whole and satisfy our soul. We should take note of the fact that we are not just physical human beings. The moment we leave and pass away from this world we cease to be in our physical state but our souls live on. If at this present moment we attend to the needs of our physical bodies we should also do the same for our souls which will pass from this world to life eternal. There is an end to all that we hold and see right now since we are just passing by. Our true and everlasting home belongs with God. If our physical bodies need nourishment in this life in order to live so does our souls. Have you heard of this very vital information about survival. Our bodies can go without food for a long time but not without water. We can all die of dehydration faster than starvation. Let us make sure we don't dehydrate our souls to the point of death and exhaustion. Just like Naaman the Syrian who plunged into the water of the Jordan River 7x and was cleansed, we should also drink from the river of God
Psalm 42:2, 3, 5cdef
R: My soul is thirsting for the living God.
1 [2] As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. (R) 2 [3] Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Sometimes no matter what good we do, it remains unnoticed and unappreciated by others. If this happens then we should be thankful for it, because today's gospel tells us that if we remain humble in our dealings with people and do not seek human praise then the good we do will inevitably show and be known. But if there are times when this is still not the case, then all the more should we become joyful for God Almighty knows and sees all. We would definitely enjoy the esteem of God more than any other. We should all be aware of what the gospel teaches us today and its effects on our soul. God never stop giving us pointers and tips on how to combat the enemies of our soul, evade the evil schemes and designs being hurled at us each day and to turn every single thing to our advantage. We can look at it in a literal or figurative way but the essence of it all lies in the truth that we should direct all our actions to loving and serving God with all our heart, body and soul. As in Roman 8:28, "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." We need to totally trust God in His goodness and know that He has our best interests protected. He will see to it that not just some but all of our needs are met. Take note of this, it is our needs not our wants that God cares for most. We've got to make a distinction of these 2, needs and wants. Although God is capable of taking care of both and sometimes allow it on some occasions, we should learn the lessons that today's gospel is telling us. We just ought to abandon ourselves to the Lord even if it seemed to be the lowliest place we could be and we will surely find ourselves in places we've never ever dreamed of. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 14:1, 7-14
1 One sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. 7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, `Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, `Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
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