Today’s 1st reading which is a letter of Paul to the Thessalonians reminds me of my thesis experiment in Japan about transformation of this microorganism I worked on. It was very difficult in itself to transform it but it was even more difficult to maintain it. It is much more difficult to make it functional since there is really a need to nurture it for growth in appropriate and optimum conditions. It took me almost a year to establish the right medium that will be most favorable for its growth and there is no room for neglect, it should always be kept that way. In the end, all of the sacrifices really paid off. I was able to finish my thesis, successfully defend it and obtain my Master's degree. The price that God paid for our sins is really great, the death of His only begotten Son, Jesus. Let us not waste this priceless gift and reap the entire benefits by maintaining the gift in us and render it functional in our lives. The benefit of this is far greater than any reward that one could ever imagine. Today’s 1st reading should make us realize that there is a need to listen to what God is telling us in our every day life. We need to take proper action in response to God’s call. It should cultivate in us a new found and renewed conviction in fulfilling God's word in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 Thessalonians 1:2-5, 8-10
2 Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly 3 calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, 4 knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God, how you were chosen. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction. You know what sort of people we were among you for your sake. 8 In every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.
We may have seen people who are exercise and health buffs and really take care of their bodies well. Just by looking at them we can already say that they work hard to develop a muscular and strong body. They were able to get good results because they have committed themselves to a strict diet and exercise regimen. In the same way, we should work hard and stick to a regimen that will maintain our souls in perfect shape. No matter who we are, what we do and where we are we can no longer have any excuse not to praise and give glory to God “as is where is”. We are all God's children and we should rightfully assert our place in the kingdom of our God the Father. We are the Church of God which does not pertain to just the physical structure but also the Spiritual Church of God which is our souls dwelling in the physical temple of God Japan . I was late and did not see the demonstration so when I was given the flowers to arrange I just did it for the sake of just getting it over and done with. What do you expect? I was not proud of what I did. In fact I even removed the label from my work so nobody would know that I was the one who did it since I am representing the Philippines . It is a consolation to know that we have a God and Creator who knows perfectly well what He is doing. No matter what we do to ourselves He will never disown us. Since we are still in this world but definitely not of this world, which is temporary. It should always be our daily commitment to God that we reconnect, refocus, realign and all kinds of action that will redirect us to God in order to withstand this constant battle and tug of war between good and evil. We just have to realize that it is ourselves who eventually disown and turn our backs on God knowingly or unknowingly. If we remain faithful to the Lord and live our lives according to His decrees then we will always find ourselves rejoicing as stated in the psalm reading today. We just need to remind ourselves always that when He created us, humans, He saved the best for last. He even fashioned us in His own image and likeness. In fact, up to this present time, scientists and scholars have not fully solved and understood the mysteries and wonders of the human body and soul. As far as science is concerned we the humans are the most advanced living creatures in this planet endowed with all the capacities that no other creatures are capable of. God will never run out of good things in store for us. We might have hit rock bottom or the lowliest place in our lives but we can always be assured that our God speaks in our hearts and will never forsake nor abandon. If there's one thing that should never leave our minds and hearts then that is the truth that we are on top of God's creation and takes delight in us. If we are faithful to God then we can claim all the benefits of being God's kingdom of priests. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a, 9b
R: The Lord takes delight in his people.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2 Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. (R) 3 Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. (R) 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; 6 let the high praises of God be in their throats. 9 This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
If there are things that come to my mind upon reading today's gospel then these are the unpleasant things and disappointments we encounter in life. We can never get away from these things since there will always come a time when we are confronted with situations in our lives when we just can't tolerate things anymore. Or we encounter people who just do not get it or refuse to get it. Jesus called them the hypocrites, the blind guides and fools. Whew! Even Jesus came to a point when he has to label them as such just to get His point or message across to us. It is very tiring when we are around these kind of people because they simply do not want to listen and insist on the wrong they are doing. We too are no different from these scribes and Pharisees if we are not open to the instructions of God to us and continue to follow our own way. Misunderstandings and misconceptions can be corrected and reformed through proper information and counseling but the outright disregard and disobedience on our part is another thing. This is what Jesus is emphasizing here in the gospel. Let us not be stubborn anymore and be mindful of what God is telling us. There are times when people question our decisions without realizing the basis for it. Sometimes the obvious becomes the basis and the real and most important reason is overlooked. It feels good to know that our God is all knowing which is why we should always settle for what is best before God and not before men. He knows the underlying reasons for our every action and that's what counts most.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 23:13-22
13 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites...blind guides...Blind fools...You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?...
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