James 4:1-10
...3 You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions...7 So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you...
Since I arrived here in the US, I can say that I have never been closer to God the way I am right now. Every single day is a new day with the Lord full of surprises. I could never forget that time when I got a call from an old friend and elementary classmate whom I haven't seen for almost 20 years. It gave me a new found joy of being able to talk to her and relate how things are with both of us. To top it all I found out that she lives near Beaupre, Quebec in Canada where the stately and famous basilica of St. Anne is situated. Being born on St. Anne's feastday, I was named after her that is why she is very close to my heart. I believe that I am already an inch closer to fulfilling my dream of being able to do a pilgrimage in that Church. We all have experiences like a trial, hardship or a fortunate event that made us shed tears of joy or sadness. These are the events in our lives that are supposed to draw us closer to God and gather strength from. It should give us the disposition and firm resolve that going through it made us a better person. Thus, it should make us see every single day as a new day with the Lord, full of surprises. We can face anything with courage because we just can’t deny the care and support that God extends to each one of us. Let us not doubt this truth and always be open to God’s grace. It would be best to really follow what the psalm is telling us today. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 55:7-8, 9-10a, 10b-11a, 23
R: Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
6 [7] And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. 7 [8] Far away I would flee; I would lodge in the wilderness. (R) 8 [9] I would wait for him who saves me from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Haven’t we noticed that most of the saints have their images depicted as carrying the baby Jesus. This is because the characteristics of a child that are so often associated with helplessness, fully dependent, trusting and innocent makes them a perfect example of how we should be before God. And also how we should not undermine people but instead welcome everybody in the light of the truth that Jesus is in each one of us. There are so many explanations for it but one of the best is stated in today's gospel. Sometimes we are lacking in direction because we fail to follow the simple and effective strategies in life that we can all avail of. One of the best things to do is read our bibles. We must all consult the word of God which is living and true. When we read it we should always follow the rule of the W-O-R-D. W stands for the word that strikes us the most while listening or reading the gospel. O stands for the order of God in relation to the word impressed to us. R stands for reflection on the word as to its significance in relation to our present situation and circumstance. D stands for direction, after having thought of the word of God, discerned God's order, reflected on it based on our lives then we can follow the right direction leading us to the right path. We sometimes fail to achieve our goals because we did not follow the W-O-R-D. We could apply the principle of the W-O-R-D for today’s gospel. In doing so we could realize that God is telling us to aim high and be the first. If we truly believe that we are God's children then we ought to be the first and the best within the context of the gospel. Our life on earth is just temporary and we will all come to leave everything behind here on earth. If we truly believe in life after death which is eternity then we should work hard to attain this goal of achieving to be first in the life that awaits us for eternity rather than working to be the first in this temporary life. Amen. Hallelujah!
Mark 9:30-37
...Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one who sent me.
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