We should never ever reduce our dignity as human beings to anything less than what God made us to be. In today’s 1st reading we find the reason why we must submit to God's will. We are created in his "image and likeness" (Gen.1:26-27) and our ultimate end is to be with God. We are in this world but we are not of this world. We came from God and we all go back to Him. That is what our life is really all about since all of us will die someday and each day that passes should be thought of as a day closer to God. Since our end is God we should all know how to relate with God. In the beginning God created everything to be in harmony, man, the land and all creatures. But man sinned leading to a rupture with God, one’s self and others. We have to go back to where God had intended it to be. If everything happened by chance there is a tendency for us to wane in our resolution and our responsibility is deemphasized. The understanding that a Creator made the world leads to a fundamental responsibility to it. When we watch these movies about the end of the world it gives the impression that our world exists by random and we look upon the universe as a product of chance. Everything that exists comes through Jesus. Everything in the universe came through Christ. He is the foundation of all reality. Creation is existent and made through and for Him. It does not exist by chance and is ruled by God and His plan. Colossians 1:15-16 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. Ephesians 1:3-14 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved…Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. John1:3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; Look at creation and see its beauty, in the microscope and telescope. God is the creator. God shows a great love for everyone in this world not in a mythological world. Gen 1:27 God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. We are capable of reason because of our mind. God gives choices but we also have a free will we can go beyond instinct and go against the will of God. We are the image of God and we have a unique personality because of the dignity of a person. We are unrepeatable which makes us distinctive and like God. Man and animals have some similar gifts like emotions and body but what distinguishes us is reason. Our freedom to choose what is right and wrong is conscience. We choose good and avoid evil. It is easier said than done. How many people want to lose weight but it is not easy to lose weight because there are a lot of temptations aside from food. The same is true with our conscience. In Romans 7:18 it is stated, For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. The natural law is humanizing, but it is dehumanizing when we don’t obey the natural law. Human beings should make a decision to accept Christ as the one mediator so we can go to heaven not in hell. The speed of light is constant throughout the universe, even gravity is a constant and because it applies in the universe that is why we can apply science. There are laws, human beings have reason and discover these laws. God made us distinct from all animals to be able to do these things. Psalm 33:6 By the LORD’s word the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host. This is a radical statement. All the pagans believe that God created the world through sex and violence. God created the world by His word and it came to be. All reality came to being by God’s word. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands. Christians should study Science not be a skeptic but to be able to discover the beauty of creation and God’s wisdom in its order. To display the wonders of God. Wisdom 13:5 Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these; for the original source of beauty fashioned them. Or if they were struck by their might and energy, let them realize from these things how much more powerful is the one who made them. For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen. We look at the ocean and see how wide it is, the sunset, mountain vastness and outer space is even more amazing with trillion of stars and millions of galaxies. We have perception so we do not just see but we have a mind to appreciate it. Romans 1:19-20 For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; St. Bonaventure said that God loves creation so much and took on human nature. The creatures of this sensible world signify the invisible God. This part of reality we need to understand. There was this time when we had a conversation with regards to this person who easily pass judgment on people although, I am sure that he doesn't mean anything really bad about it and was just very careless in his choice of words and say things without much thought and little care. Although this is the case, I was suddenly reminded of what I have learned from several talks and seminars I've been to in the past which happens to be explicitly demonstrated in today's 1st reading. It tells us of the story of Creation. God created the world with a single command of His words and everything came to be. There is power in the words. We ought to say them with care and caution and choose to say words that build and create at all times. God created the world through His words. There is power in words. We ought to realize this and take advantage of this by using words for creating something good and beautiful. Let us not fall trap to the wrong use or choice of words and take for granted what it can do and not do to us. We also sometimes say things that do not build and create goodness but rather destroy and cause trouble. If we can't say anything nice at all we better not say anything at all. Therefore, we have to use words wisely and only when necessary. God has created for us a really wonderful place to live in. Everything we need and we'll ever need is right before us. God loves us so much that He designed a perfect world for us to live in. We have a responsibility to care for the environment because it is a gift from God. If we start to become more conscious, aware and involved then we can surely develop an attitude that is godly and from it will eventually and inevitably arise a love for a God, though Infinitely Great, Omnipotent, Almighty and beyond our full understanding is also Gracious, Generous and is able to make all things possible.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Genesis 1:1-2:2 (or 1:1, 26-31a or Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 or Exodus 14:15-15:1 or Exodus 15:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 17-18 or Isaiah 54:5-14 or Isaiah 55:1-11 or Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 or Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4 or Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28 or Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6)
1 In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. — 4 God saw how good the light was. God then separated the light from the darkness. — 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” ...7 God made the dome, and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it. 8 God called the dome “the sky.” ...God called the dry land “the earth,” and the basin of the water he called “the sea.”...Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed...
God is the source of all good things. Only Jesus can satisfy our souls. We should be really careful in setting our priorities. Sometimes we end up making the wrong choices and decisions in life. We end up rejecting something that should be valued and treasured more than anything else in this whole wide world. All we need to do is trust that the Lord will always take care of all our needs we need not tire ourselves to the point of exhaustion because it is better to take refuge in the Lord than resort to trusting in or own strength and others. According to Fr. Joseph Koterski a Jesuit priest and a professor in Fordham University
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 (or Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24, 35 or Psalm 33:4-5, 6-7, 12-13, 20-22 or Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11 or Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13 or Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11 or Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4 or Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19)
R: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever...
We have this hope as presented to us in today’s 2nd reading. We are able to rise from our being dead in our sins because Jesus Christ conquered sin through His death on the big cross. Just like Jesus we too have to accept freely whatever little crosses that come our way in our daily life to the point of even dying to ourselves so that we can be raised up. Every single activity whether religious or secular is just a constant and undeniable reminder for us that we have a God who suffered on Maundy Thursday, died for our sake on Good Friday, rose from the dead on Good Saturday and is fully resurrected on Easter Sunday. The awe and wonder of these mysteries contain the love and mercy being applied to us without any exemption provided we take the words of God for it and never neglect it. Being in union with Christ means freedom from the slavery of sin. We should live for God alone and reflect it to others that they may know the God that we serve.
The 2nd reading for today is a testimony that we are blessed and honored since God is with us. He is great and Almighty. Amen. Hallelujah!
Romans 6:3-11
...We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. 10 As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. 11 Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
It is not always pleasant to talk about death. Whenever people talk about it some may feel very uncomfortable and may not even want to think of its possibility despite of its certainty. Though a few people would even welcome and look forward to it to the point of being misunderstood. This should be the right attitude because it is something that we should prepare for. The gospel reading for today invites us to dwell on these words "on entering the tomb" We must one way or another, be able to picture ourselves dead and placed in the tomb. When that time comes let us hope and fervently pray to be utterly amazed as an angel welcomes us to enter the Kingdom of God
Mark 16:1-7
...On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed...
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