Today's 1st reading speaks of the consequences of the failure to conduct ourselves right, the way a people of God would. Time and again even way back in the Old Testament, the New Testament and up to the present time. God wants to have a relationship with His people. God has made the new, perfect and everlasting covenant, as shown in the repetitive words that can be found all throughout the scriptures, "I will be your God and you will be My people." There is no doubt about the faithfulness of God in fulfilling His part of the covenant because He has shown from generation to generation that he is indeed our God but have we fulfilled our part of the covenant in truly being a people of God. We might want to pause and ask ourselves this very question and not end up always asking God why we witness so much chaos and disorder nowadays. It is time we make a real effort to let the goodness of God prevail. Amen. Hallelujah!
Baruch 1:15-22
...And the evils and the curse which the LORD enjoined upon Moses, his servant, at the time he led our fathers forth from the land of Egypt
Most people I believe will agree with me when I say that who we are today is the sum total of what we've done in the past and what we're still doing in the present. But the most important part of the equation that we should never forget to add in our life is the Multiplier, for whatever it is that we can do, is just a small fraction of what God can do in our lives. There is no doubt that the Lord will show us the right path if we go to Him at all times. Sometimes we go through life not really knowing what we're missing. Let us no longer miss out but rather benefit and enjoy in the goodness of God. We sometimes wonder how an act of obedience to God can seem so difficult at times even if we know for a fact that it is for our own good. It is our sins that draw us farther away from God, bury us deeper and bind us in chains. It all begins in just a slight act of disobedience or negligence on our part which takes a hold of us and before we know it we've gone so far away from God. Let's not wait any longer before it's too late. The time is now for us to repent and go back to God. There are 2 bible verses which I consider very special and of great importance to me. The first is from Romans 8:28 which says that, "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son..." The second one is from Ephesians 6:10-17, "Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one.And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." It is noteworthy that we realize the important aspect in this bible passage about the need to wear an armor and most especially for us to realize the need for a weapon when we engage in battle and the only weapon mentioned is the sword which is the word of God. Sometimes we tend to look at things in a general way and miss the important details or only see, read and hear the things that we want and do not take the words of God in its entirety. There are lots of prosperity preachers who present the word of God in this manner and tend to overlook the equally important details and instructions that God also wanted us to pay attention to. God has definitely made it clear that everything will work for good but just the same, we have to take note of the following words which say that we need to conform to the image of Jesus. We definitely should not miss nor overlook this so that we can surely be saved and delivered. It is inevitable that we always give praise to God. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 79:1b-2. 3-5. 8. 9
R: For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
...Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. (R) 9 Help us, O God our savior, because of the glory of your name; deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake.
We can surely benefit from paying attention to details at times. Or maybe there are times when we are completely aware of the details but just plain stubborn and hard headed. God gives us instructions that are very clear, the problem lies not in the things we ought to do but in us. In the 1st reading we are made aware of the consequences of our inability to fulfill our part of the covenant with God. The psalm reading further brings us to the realization that only God can bring us out of our miseries and there's nothing more sensible to do but obey God. Finally the gospel shakes us and wakes our senses to the pitfalls that we, Christians usually fall into as we fail to look into the details and really get the message whenever we are called to listen and accept Jesus in our lives. If we are to really pay close attention to the words of Jesus in today's gospel we will find that He used the word, woe which is defined as grievous distress, affliction, or trouble and is synonymous to anguish, tribulation, trial, wretchedness and melancholy. It is quite a strong word that people in the time of Jesus use to emphasize a point and get a serious message across. I guess, it applies not just to them but to us as well. It is very sad that the people in His time and nowadays do not differ much in this aspect. We've got to respond to this reality and call. Let us feast on the mighty deeds of Jesus rather than wait for something really woeful before we wake our senses up. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 10:13-16 (or Matthew 18:1-5. 10)
13 Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida ! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon , they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And as for you, Capernaum , ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ ” 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
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