Whenever we are in a foreign land or with people who have different backgrounds we are sometimes confronted with a slight if not major case of culture shock. There is a need to acculturate oneself to some of their practices like the use of chopsticks and all those Japanese stuff when in a place like Japan . The same is true here in the US even though the spoon and fork is what they use here there are a lot of things that's entirely different with what we, Filipinos have been used to. Today's reading gave me a sense of relief that although we are assailed by these differences only one thing is sure, the culture that we really need to get accustomed to is God's. Next week (January 17) we celebrate the feast day of St. Anthony, the abbot and monk. Saint Athanasius, who knew Anthony and wrote his biography, said, "Anthony was not known for his writings nor for his worldly wisdom, nor for any art, but simply for his reverence toward God." He has this desire to love God above all things and to deny himself in order to know more about God. His countenance has a great beauty in it that attracted many people to him. His appearance reflects the purity and joy of his soul. Even if he has given up many things he has a radiance in his face that reflects his very soul that gives him a cheerful countenance that never changed. He projects the truth that he has something great within him, a life with God. There is a difference between Catholic monasticism and other forms like Buddhism. Buddhism practices meditations to eliminate all desire which is thought to be the source of all evil. This approach is an impersonal awareness of reality. There is a technique, right breathing and posture that need to be attained. There is this tendency to embrace transcendental meditation wrongfully. With Catholic monasticism, there is no technique, no right breathing or posture to attain. What is essential is to understand the gospel, hear and take it as directed personally to every person. Act on it by living the gospel and following Christ. It is thoroughly a love matter, union with God, transformative and life changing with a life of prayer. The Holy Spirit inspired both the Old and the New Testament. We look to both as the best way to understand what the Holy Spirit says. What the Holy Spirit said in the Old Testament is applicable to the New Testament and still is to us today. There is a lively attentiveness to the scriptures. God has not abandoned us. When we read the gospel we should be aware that the same Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament is speaking to us today in the scriptures. As the 1st reading tells us today, we become partners of Christ. Jesus is engaged to a commitment to see through the project. Christ is committed to see us get to heaven if not for this He should have not offered His life for our sake. He has given a firm down payment for us. This holds true only if we hold firm to the end of our lives to that day when God Himself will tell us, “Welcome good and faithful servants.” Amen. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 3:7-14
7 The Holy Spirit says: “Oh, that today you would hear his voice, 8 “Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works 10 for forty years. Because of this I was provoked with that generation and I said, “They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know my ways.” 11 As I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter into my rest.” ’ ” 12 Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. 13 Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. 14 We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.
Today's psalm reading is used as a preparatory psalm in the Liturgy of the Hours just as it was used in the Old Testament. Each time we hear it, there is an emphasis to the fact that is just the same as it is proclaimed today. During the time of Moses there had been an incident of great rebellion and testing on the part of the chosen people of God. The same message is being said to us because there is a possibility that we also harden our hearts today. Massah means rebellion and Meribah means testing. It refers to the time they rebel when they had no water. Moses struck the stone in the desert and water came out. We can read in Numbers 13 when Moses sent out spies to check out the promise land and when they returned in Numbers 14 they were full of discouragement. They came back and reported that the Land of Canaan Canaan . But the people believed the spies and concluded that it’s impossible to overcome these barriers. They wanted to choose new leaders and kill Moses & Aaron and go back to slavery in Egypt . Due to their unbelief the whole generation never entered Canaan only the new generation with both Joshua & Caleb did. The goal is to enter into rest in the land of Canaan but they refused because they believed their fears rather than believe what they’ve already seen in God’s miracles in Egypt . Psalm 95 is used so often in the Liturgy of the Hours and encourages us how today we must listen well. They do not just apply to the people in Numbers 13& 14. It also applies to the Church and we consider ourselves the New Israel. Let God call us to attention. We don’t have to fall back to the same sin of disbelief. No matter how hard the world makes us do so. The Church is beginning to experience persecution. Today we have to keep in mind what God already said in the past especially as we hear the words of His Son today. Jesus Himself gives us a greater authority than the prophets and the angels. When we look at our day, there are a number of strains that we have to alert ourselves. There are New Age beliefs that everything is God including the forces of nature. It is moving towards the act of depersonalizing God by a vague force. It clouds the truth of God the Father, God the Son & God the Spirit. There is this New Age notion vs. the Christian notion of God. The catch here is the fact that there are no demands upon the faithful to be obedient. A hardened heart is equivalent to disobedience. There is no longer a clear distinction about the truths of the faith. It's just a matter of loving nature and taking care of the environment. No other demands like obeying the 10 commandments. The truth is not existent with the New Age. They water down the Person of Jesus and lead others to disbelieve in Him. Certain scholars deny Him as a historical figure or is believed that He had a wife as depicted in the fictitious Da Vinci Code. These are all things that are far from the authentic gospel. The image of Jesus is being shaped to imitate our worst moments and sins. It makes him appear like He is no better than we are and attack His moral character. It is an act of impunity to God’s character as if He is just a character of fiction. It looks like God is on the dock as C. S. Lewis put it. Instead of us being on trial, God appears to be the one who’s on trial. Let us not fall into this kind of thinking nor continue in our lack of faith or let anything shake our faith. Some dogs are amazing in their ability to show devotion and faithfulness although they do not even measure up to the dignity and standing of human beings they are capable of obeying their master with so much love and respect. This should make us realize all the more can we do it and a whole lot better than that. We have to make a decision to be with Christ. God is the Good Shepherd. He will not scatter but draw people to holiness, righteousness and goodness. How can we be lost or led astray? There are things we need to do if we want to be under the care of the Good Shepherd, listen to His voice, follow His guiding hand and stay within the circle of the flock He tends. The truth is that we should never have any doubts about our decisions for as long as we know that it is all for the glory of God first and foremost and everything else will follow. We have this faith and confidence in God as in Philippians 4:6-8, "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." When someone speaks to us we sometimes ignore, refuse to listen, simply pretend that we haven't heard anything or misunderstood what we heard because we are too distracted or busy to give time to listen well. Let us always open our hearts and mind so that we become sensitive to the voice of God talking to us. Surely there were times when we heard and experienced the voice of God giving us “out of this world” instructions and we responded nonchalantly as if we never heard anything, refused outright and rejected it. If before we just choose to do it whichever way we wanted it without much thought from now on let us respond to God in the best way we can with hearts full of love and obedience. When we grumbled and complained we all know for a fact that it didn't make things any better. We would have to practice more and make perfect the art of trusting and hearing God's voice. God is never short of anything. God is God and He will always be. Let us no longer confuse ourselves with the inaccuracies and discrepancies of our human hearts and minds. Let us keep it focused on Him who is Holy and Perfect. Let us all acculturate ourselves to the Kingdom of God
Psalm 95:6-7, 8-9, 10-11
R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
...Oh, that today you would hear his voice: 8 “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, 9 where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works. (R) 10 Forty years I was wearied of that generation, I said: “This people’s heart goes astray, they do not know my ways. 11 Therefore I swore in my anger: “They shall never enter my rest.”
Sometimes we come to a point when we just have to keep silent and not say anything at all as suggested in the gospel. There are so many reasons why. We can be sure that we can trust God’s judgment on this more than anything and anyone else. But if we are to look at the “keeping our mouths shut” aspect from a different angle then we would find that it works. We know for a fact that some things are better left unsaid. Or no matter what we say the words we speak of just fall on deaf ears. Sometimes or most of the time silence could convey a better message than saying anything at all. In whoever or, whatever situation is involved at any time it is always for the best to follow what God tells us to do and take His word for it than follow our own. And as we trust in His goodness all we have to do is obey and do what is being asked by the Lord. It is mind boggling that Jesus warned the leper after being healed to tell no one anything. This was because Jesus did not want the people to misunderstand things surrounding His being the Messiah. He did not want them to look up to Him as a political leader that will free them from oppression from the Roman rule at that time. His main reason for coming is to free us from sin which is the root cause of all suffering and death. If we feel that we have been very preoccupied with a lot of worldly things that we are starting to neglect and care for our spiritual concerns, then it's time to stop and look at ourselves very closely. We may not notice it and even before we know it we may have developed a leper soul. Leprosy is something that creeps into you unknowingly because it damages the nerves and leaves you numb and insensitive and will catch us by surprise when suddenly a part of us becomes damaged, beyond repair and will just fall off. All we have to rely and depend on is God's will to happen in our lives and nothing else matters. For nothing is impossible with a Great and Big God. Our imperfections will be made perfect our impurities cleansed if we only know where to really go. Before it's too late we better go to Jesus right away. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 1:40-45
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” 42 The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. 42 The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. 43 Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. 44 Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” 45 The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
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