NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT

What the 1st reading is telling us today is easier said than done especially when it comes to the point when our own personal interests are at stake. Just like any other difficult task that needs to be done we need to study it well, apply what we've learned and repeatedly do it in order to gain mastery over it. As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect." and we really need to. If we sincerely intend to become followers of Jesus then we have to make sure that we are perfectly trained for the task of loving our neighbor as ourselves. It would surely help if we can follow what this charismatic song is telling us: "Little by little everyday, Jesus is changing me. Since I've made that turn about face, I've been living in His ways." This also reminded me about the talk of Charles Whitehead at the SCRC. Now I know why, it is well fitted for the readings today. Especially his experience on the train while riding with a bum or a punk. He described him with a shocking orange hair standing on its ends and got the surprise of his life when he felt a prompting of the Holy Spirit to tell that man standing right next to him that he has nice hair. At first he was hesitant but he finally gave in and told it to the man. With a loud and somewhat irritated voice the man snapped at him, Why did you say that for? He mastered all his strength in order to have the courage to answer him that he is a charismatic and the Holy Spirit prompted him to say that. He wasn't prepared for the response because the man asked him if the Holy Spirit has something to do with Jesus and told him that for days he has been thinking about him. He excitedly responded yes to him and that was the start of the man's conversion when he asked him if he could spend time with him and tell more about Jesus. 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 or outrightly refused and rejected it. Whichever way we chose to do it before let us resolve to respond positively to God from now on. Charles Whitehead decided for love when he risked being mugged by that punk in the train. When he courageously obeyed God he witnessed a surprising conversion of a bum. God is talking to us through the daily circumstances in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!

Romans 13:8-10

Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law...whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law. 

As human beings we all long to be loved and be in a relationship especially if we are in that stage of life defined by Erikson in psychosocial development which is love. The Intimacy vs. Isolation conflict is emphasized in this stage which is around the ages of 20 to 34. It is important that we enter into a relationship forming intimate, reciprocal relationships (e.g. through close friendships or marriage) and willingly make the sacrifices and compromises that such relationships require. Though, we are also aware of rejections such as being turned down or our partners breaking up with us. We are familiar with pain, and to some of us, rejection is painful; our egos cannot bear the pain. We should realize all the more the importance of establishing an intimate relationship for that matter with God always at the center.  If we allow God to take an active part in our life especially in our relationships then He will surely do. He will not intrude or trespass but if we will gladly invite and welcome Him then He will surely come to be with us. Just imagine having a good friend at our side ready to support and help us at all times. We will never be disappointed if we stick to God and all the things He stands for. In fact we will find that God can be our constant companion and friend, the greatest one we could ever get. It is never easy, we are still striving and sometimes struggling to do the work that God has lead us to do, nevertheless, we are hopeful and persevering that we can make a difference. Trustworthiness, honesty and sincerity is the key. Have you ever been in darkness that you can't see even the tiniest thread of light? I have been to such and know exactly how it feels to be trapped in darkness. We were in a cave and it was pure black. It felt good when a torch was lighted and shone through the darkness. We all depended on that light to take us where we were going. The same is true with our own lives when we stumble and fall and feel as if we are left all alone in the dark. We must not forget that there is a light that shines within us. God dwells in each one of us. If we conduct our affairs justly and not choose to do wrong then no darkness can terrify us. We can always rely on the words and promises of God for they are trustworthy. Despite all the negativities that assail us from day to day and the list is endless, we should remain hopeful and steadfast in the Lord for we are not relying on the limited efforts of human beings but on God. What are we willing to put at stake just to uphold our faith and confidence in God? Sometimes we are tested by the difficult circumstances that we are faced with and when these trying times come up our disposition in life tend to waver and we start to lose our ground. We can always come up with alibis and excuses most especially the overused line which is "The Lord will understand." Of course He will always understand but it is in these situations that we are being offered the chance of reaping bountifully instead of just sparingly. Let us not miss and always take advantage of every opportunity that the Lord sends our way to really take the challenge. To have the heart of a champion who knows no defeat only victory. It is time we discover who we really are in the eyes of God and prove what we are really made of. It is through the daily events in our life especially those that challenge us to go further down the road of life that can bring us to the peak of our faith. If we are always full of doubt and uncertainties it could mean that we are not confident of the greatest and sole source of blessings who is God Himself. Only the brave, daring and courageous make it big. But it is also true that the more daring we are the more chances we have of losing more. There is always a 50/50 probability whenever we place our bet on something. But if we are betting, giving our all and putting at stake all that we've got on the words and promises of our Lord then our probability turns into 100% certainty. If God says so then it is ultimately and without a trace of doubt very true. The light that is within us will surely break through the darkness and not have fear. Although many people misunderstand the fear of the Lord. Recalling the verse in Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 9:10, the fear of the Lord is called the beginning or foundation of wisdom. In Proverbs 15:33, the fear of the Lord is described as the "discipline" or "instruction" of wisdom. They think that the fear of the Lord is something that is good to have when we first start out as a Christian, but that we should grow beyond it. That should not be the case; rather, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because it is one of the foundations of our religious life. It is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. When we are infused with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit the way that Christ Himself would. It confirms the virtue of hope. We often think of hope and fear as mutually exclusive, but the fear of the Lord is the desire not to offend Him, and the certainty that He will give us the grace necessary to keep from doing so. It is that certainty that gives us hope. The fear of the Lord is like the respect we have for our parents. We do not wish to offend them, but we also do not live in fear of them, in the sense of being frightened. In other words, it is not a fear of punishment, but a desire not to offend God that parallels our desire not to offend our parents. This gift "fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him. It is always for our own good to have a holy fear in the Lord. It is not the same as fear in the sense that we are just compelled to do something solely because of fear but rather with love and respect. God is indeed one who speaks to us in many ways especially through the circumstances that surround us. He knows exactly the day and the hour and make everything fit perfectly according to His plan. Nothing can ever be wiser than a man who follows the Lord with all his mind, heart and soul. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Psalm 112:1b-2. 4-5. 9

R: Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands. 2 His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth; the upright generation shall be blessed. (R) 4 Light shines through the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just. 5 Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; (R) 

If we will take the literal meaning of today's gospel passage we'll find that another difficult task is at hand. Just imagine hating our own life and family just to be a disciple of Jesus. Whether we should take it literally or figuratively is beside the point what matters here is that we are 100% convinced that we have an Almighty and Loving God who wants what is best for us beyond our imagination and would not wish for us to end up miserable. He is able to make all things possible, nothing is too difficult for Him and we are in the palm of His hands. The Lord is not being unreasonable when he said this statement from the gospel. He is simply stressing a point with regards to making God the center and driving force of everything that we do. In this respect there should be a balance in everything we do and know the art of detachment. Life of detachment is the pathway to a simple life. There is a Jewish expression found in Luke 9: 57-62  "Let the dead bury the dead!" which can be interpreted in English as the dead being the "slow pokes and half hearted people"  in Filipino are the so called " mga papatay-patay" This can also be related to God's call to us in in the Book of Revelation 3:14-19 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea, write this: " ...I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth..." This is a picture of hypocrisy and duplicity which the Lord rejects. Also in Luke 12:32-34- store treasures in heaven, let go of possessions as spoken of in the gospel today (Luke 14:25-35) and Luke 16:13 which is about God and mammon. Money is not evil in itself but the love of money. Resources not shared is greed and talents not shared is lust.  Whatever may be our situation in life we've got to know how to let go of it and trust God who makes all our efforts worthwhile. Before we expect to benefit from the gifts and reap the fruits there is a need to respond and take full responsibility in a manner that is comparative to God's tremendous blessing to all of us. True enough, today's gospel calls us to always be prepared and not just embark on something without much thought. Whatever we're going through and wherever we are now, there is no doubt that there is a reason for everything. God has a lot in store for us just consider everything as preparation for He is just waiting whenever we are truly ready. Today's gospel also reminds me of this story about a newly wed couple who were asked to choose their wedding present. They can only choose one out of the three which are love, health and wealth. It took some time before they finally decided to make a choice. It was something they both thought about and chosen carefully before they came up with a decision. They should both agree and unanimously vote for only one thing. Just like in today's gospel, Jesus said, "Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’” It was almost like it, in the sense that they too sat down and calculated the impact of the values of the wedding presents in their life. Upon careful scrutiny they finally decided to set aside health and wealth and choose love instead. If we ourselves are to be asked, we would find that it wasn't an easy decision to make. If we know the key to the answer then it would be easier to decide. The married couple knew of it, God is love and where there is love, there is health and wealth. They made the right choice because when they invited love to come into their home, health and wealth followed. The wisdom of God is folly to the world but in the end God will always prevail thus we look forward to His deliverance. Amen. Hallelujah!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 14,25-33.

Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them, If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? ...In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.