Things happen for a reason. Let us always thank God in every situation no matter how unpleasant it may seem for there is always a lesson to be learned from any experience and use it to make us a better person/Christian for God. Since we have an Infinite God there is always room for improvement as long as we live. When people die they leave behind them their memories that can always be shared to others. That's why while we still have the time and opportunity, we should work our best in leaving behind good memories that will serve as a reminder and inspiration to our children and children's children. Today's 1st reading tells us that we are to live the covenant and at its heart are the statutes and decrees spoken of by Moses. If we live the heart of the covenant then we could take possession of the Land. This land is a foreshadowing of heaven. Right now we take the land interiorly as we receive communion, we become one with Christ. Jesus is in communion with God the Father and we take communion with Christ. What faith confesses, the sacraments communicate. Baptism makes us sons of God. We see in scriptures, that we have the right to become children of God. As in 2 Peter 1:3-4, "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. Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire." He has granted His precious and magnificent promises for us to be partakers of the divine nature. Also in Col 2:12 You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Baptism makes us sharers of the divine mystery. In Romans 8:14-17, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, 3 Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” We share in the very destiny of Jesus. We live out this call that we’ve been given. We are called by God and destined for God. We are called to beatitude to take possession of the land and to lay hold of the beatific vision of the light. We have the dignity as human persons and are moved by grace to direct ourselves to this fulfillment. It is by our act of choice and the grace. It is our duty to develop an informed conscience and also through revelation. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1849) Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law." It violates eternal law, reason, humanity and our dignity as children of God. We are sometimes labeled as supermarket Catholics because we treat our faith in the same way when we go shopping in a supermarket. We only pick up what we need and like and leave behind what is not useful or does not appeal to our taste or preferences. We choose what's economical and what's fitted to our budget and sometimes we fail to realize that is for our own good that we have to follow everything and not modify it according to our own liking. The formula for a truly happy life is the 10 commandments. It doesn't limit freedom but instead enhances freedom and be truly wise and intelligent. It’s not surprising to know that most of us think that God doesn’t want us to have fun. It’s like all the things that we want to do with our friends that are interesting and exciting when we were young, were against God’s commandments. It may seem like we have to settle for less. What’s worse is that all the faithful Catholics get less out of life. This is part of the propaganda way back in the Garden of Eden. God gave us a magnificent paradise wherein there is perfect intimacy and no shame with each other. In the Garden they have everything they need but gave just one limit, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is very interesting because God said, “Don’t do this because you will die.” The reason why God commands us something is because He is a loving Father who cares for us. He wants us to have the best. But then came the serpent, it didn’t create Adam & Eve, nor gave the garden or anything at all. All the serpent gave was a lie and told Adam & Eve not to listen to God or they’ll lose out and won’t become like God. They were made to believe that God is holding out something from them and is actually their rival because God doesn’t want them to have what He has. So instead of trusting the one who gave them everything, they trusted a stranger. They disobeyed God and listened to the liar. They were hooked into a downward spiral of destruction. This is what sin is all about. It is a trap. It is disguised as an apparent good because the fruit looks good and desirable but it ends in disaster. The relationship with God is messed up and so creation turned against them, thorns and thistles appear and things in life become hard. This is what sin does, it seemed small but it gets out of control. Things get worse and worse and there are broken lives everywhere. This is the reality about sin, we are draining life out of ourselves unless we recognize the one true source of life. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out there. It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes virtue appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most by those who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food most? The person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a person after a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the most. The person who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things in the world that people want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit of pleasure. But God commands them to be used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life is to follow God’s commands. Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us who we are. The actions we engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time. God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and strong or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Heaven is the realization of being a champion. In heaven we will be glorified magnificently. We will live forever with strength, power and beauty sharing a new humanity with Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah!
Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9
1 Moses spoke to the people and said: “Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 5 Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the LORD, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. 6 Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? 8 Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 9 “However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”
No matter what we're going through we can always rely on God to uphold and defend our cause. If we claim to be true followers and believers of our Lord Jesus Christ then we can put a claim on these same blessings and privileges bestowed on the chosen people of God. His covenant with His people is everlasting. There is a big difference between a covenant and contract. A contract is an agreement which is all about an exchange of goods while the covenant is an exchange of relationships. God wants to have a relationship with us first and foremost and through it everything else will follow. No poet, writer or artist can ever describe in words or paint in canvass the love of God. For the immensity of its beauty and glory is immeasurable and beyond understanding. The readings for today point to the fact that we have a responsibility in our hands if we truly claim that we are a people of God. We have to follow and obey God at all times which can only be done and fulfilled if we have full knowledge of what God wants us to do. We’ve got to realize the most essential and important things in life that we sometimes lose sight of and tend to neglect. Let us not be dissuaded nor distracted by the allurement of this world and end up losing what really matters most. Our God is Perfect but we are still part of this imperfect world thus we are bound to experience the daily struggles of life. This reminds me of this incident when this lady who was already very careful in her movements still ended up scraped in her arm. She didn't even figure out how it could have happened. When we bump into something we usually develop a bruise but we would sometimes find one without knowing how it came to be. We sometimes get wounded and bruised even before we know it. Take the example of those people who are taking medications (anticoagulants) that predispose them to bruise easily. Well, things happen even if we do not want or expect it but we can always draw strength and inspiration from today's psalm knowing that God is our Mighty Healer and Savior. There are times when we are in a hurry to work things out on our own and forget to peacefully surrender all our concerns to God. That's when we end up tired and beaten because we've used up all the energy of our mind, body and soul. It's what usually happens to most of us when we are confronted with dilemmas. If we have learned how to truly wait for the Lord then we are not far from that place of peace where God is leading us. If we look back at what we've been through especially our trials and difficulties, then we can only feel so blessed and find gratitude in our hearts for all the things that lead to now. It will always be good to undergo trials and hardships in life and remain steadfast in the Lord for everything will pay off in the end. Not a single thing that we've been through for the glory of God will ever be in vain. Victory is indeed for those who acknowledge the Son Of God, Jesus Christ. It is only right that we give all glory, honor and praise to God. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalms 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20
R: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem .
...He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word! 16 He spreads snow like wool; frost he strews like ashes. (R) 19 He has proclaimed his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to
Jesus is very clear in today’s gospel that He has come not to abolish but to fulfill the law. He comes in obedience to the Father and lives it perfectly. We fall into this vicious cycle of believing in Jesus and still continue to sin. He did not come to overturn but to fulfill the law. We are to avoid sin and do good. We trust ourselves to the mercy of God. Though, we still grow as we struggle with sin. We must humble and renew ourselves in charity. Now is the time for conversion of our life to goodness. We should assess ourselves. Are we become holier as we struggle against sins? Are we moving away from sins of our predominant fall? What sins do we usually repeat in our confession? Are we struggling and fighting against it? What do our friends and families remind us of? How do we worship? How is our moral life? Is it lived in the whole pillar dedicated to the commandments? Our personal sin is the enemy that we’re fighting. Our pitfall is that we’re trying to change the external all the time, the other people around us and the situation instead of looking at the battle we have to find in ourselves. The usual loophole is our covetousness towards our neighbor’s goods. It comes up in different forms, these desires that is not in harmony with reason. It is the concupiscence and lust of the flesh. Lust is a huge epidemic and problem to live the 6th & 9th commandment. We need help and God’s grace. We need chastity and must appeal to Him for that grace. We should avoid near occasions that cause us to sin. It’s in the heart so we have to make the radical approach not to let it enter our heart. We need to work on the purity of heart in order to see God face to face when our time comes. We are called to be like Him and see our brothers and sisters as children of God. We also have to fight our desires to have more and more. The more we have the more secured we are. There is this deep tendency in us to place our security in things and people. We are always confronted with the temptation to do predominant work in our life and pull us away from God. It scatters our energies and focus to do something to build up our esteem, pride and ego. We tend to desire to control others, call the shots and not to submit to God. We need to seek His direction and His will. It should be the trajectory of our life, to prefer God over everything else. When we lack security then we should cling to God. Whatever sin it is that defeat us, we should make a firm and conscious effort to get out of our selfishness, go to others, fight sin and appeal to God for grace. Today's gospel holds the key to excel and be great in the kingdom of heaven. Let us not have second thoughts or falter when it comes to deciding for the Lord. Whatever it is we decide to do, let us make sure that God is always our main reason. In doing so, we can be sure that we are not taking the wrong side and are clearly not supporting the cause of the evil one. It is very sad that nowadays people no longer give much care about this. We sometimes fall into the trap of complacency and tend to conform to the alluring and tempting materialism that this world offers. We always set God aside and place Him in a corner treating Him like a nobody. We always end up calling the shots while we continue to ignore and take for granted what should clearly be taken first place and seriously. If we truly are grateful to the one true God whom we should love, respect and honor above any other gods that try to win our loyalty and praise then we should try to start by following His commandments in heart, body and soul. For only when we do the right thing before God can we find true freedom. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 5:17-19
17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
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