We may have been through tough times and would never even think of reliving them again but we must not forget the valuable experience gained from it and the lessons we have learned. They say experience is the best teacher and it is. The art of being patient and knowing how to wait is something that we don’t acquire overnight. It is a product of our experiences with all the unexpected twists, turns and the agony of the uncertainty of the waiting. It wasn't an easy thing to wait but it will always pay off and worth it if we wait with joyful hope in our hearts knowing that God is Good and Almighty. Nothing is impossible with God. Sometimes we just miss the point and fail to see things in the proper perspective. When we do something and engage ourselves in activities that we consider as our offering to the Lord we immediately think that we have already been made righteous and holy. We can never fool God by masking our wrong doings through these things. If we think that we can deceive God and go along with our show then we are wrong in the same way that Paul puts it in today’s 1st reading. It is not that God is very difficult to please but more of our hearts, who alone God can see, that has the wrong motives. We have to get rid of all malice, pretense and ill feelings that do not conform to the Holy Spirit of God. The word freedom has certainly been misused, misunderstood and interchanged for free will most of the time. Our free will is unlimited but freedom is limited. As today's 1st reading tells us, if we submit to the yoke of slavery due to sin then we certainly lose this freedom. We are free to do anything that we will but we are bound by the consequences of our actions. The more we choose to do good and follow God the more we become free because everything that God stands for leads us to freedom. If we succumb to evil and fall into sin then we become bound to it and lose our freedom. Let us not be confused any longer and continue to be duped by the enemy's false ideals and padded lies. Amen. Hallelujah!
Galatians 5:1-6
1 Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery....Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised that he is bound to observe the entire law...5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Another interesting event I am reminded of is one of the MI (Militia Immaculata) Meetings we had in the past wherein we were asked to introduce ourselves briefly by saying our names, parishes where we belong and the time when we were consecrated to the Mother Mary. I can never forget the date I was consecrated (March 15, 2008) since it was the same date, but in 1995, of my mother's death anniversary but I would rather call it her birth to eternal life. It was highlighted by another significant event which was a dream I had at that same time of my aunt, Tita Edna who also passed away on the same month, but on the 24th in the year 1992. The dream was quite interesting and very vivid because I saw Tita Edna riding in a van and the moment I saw her I took off immediately and ran after the van which I almost missed if I did not leap and managed to make it to the door of the van from which I almost fell. When I finally made it inside the van, I saw that she was about to eat so I offered her a hand sanitizer and saw that it made her so glad that I had it. She immediately applied it in her hands and thanked me for it. It suddenly gave me the impression that the van could be a symbol of our transportation to heaven. It is very difficult to catch that ride, we have to be always alert and vigilant we might end up missing it and worst never be able catch the ride ever again. That is, if we are too busy with other things we tend to neglect what should we be paying attention to and end up missing out on our ride and get a different ride which instead of bringing us to heaven, be brought to another destination which I guess none of us would like to be. We must always know on whose authority we are basing our actions. It will always help to examine ourselves and really be aware where our loyalty lies. Are we for God or against God or are we just for God in the superficial sense? If we are deeply rooted in Him then we can withstand that horrible day of trial and still find ourselves persevering in our faith. Just the thought of ending up in hell should really make us pray fervently to God. Today's psalm teaches us the way to always be attuned to God's Spirit in order for us to truly see the word of God, as the light shining like a lamp for our feet. If we really want to be truly happy then there is just one thing we have to always do that is to always keep ourselves blameless before the Lord. We can never run away from the probing eyes of God because nothing is hidden from Him. We sometimes have this impression that our God requires impossibilities from us. We misinterpret and take things in a different way whenever we hear of rules and regulations to be followed. The decrees of our Lord are not meant to make things difficult for us nor do they burden or tie us down. This is the deception and we should start looking at it the right way. Just imagine life without God's decrees to guide us, it would be very disorderly and chaotic. It's like driving in the freeway wherein one can just go his or her own way without any regard for any traffic rules and regulations. Real freedom is the ability to follow God and being totally free of the grasp and hold of sin that brings death. Some sins bring instant death but others just like cancer slowly creep in and before we know it has already eaten us up whole. God loves us so much that He has given us His decrees because it is in following them that we become totally free and live. The only way to true freedom is by following God's commands. In doing this we become free of the bondage of sin and live a power filled life based on the Truth. We should believe that if there is someone in and out of this world who is most reasonable, just, fair and at the same time loving, caring, slow to anger and rich in kindness that is no other than our God. One thing for sure, if He requires us something, He will definitely equip us for it because it is written, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." If we commit ourselves to following God then we will surely be blessed. Allow me to use the word "luck" or "swerte" in Tagalog in lieu of any other more appropriate word like blessed or pinagpala in Tagalog since I have always been hearing this word being used very often by some people in reference to certain situations within the broad context of this word. I just couldn't help but share it, first and foremost due to some personal circumstances. We often hear people say to another who is about to embark on something challenging, “good luck” If the word luck may have been associated with whatever negative meaning then consider it excluded from here and out of context for the mean time. Let's just say we would like to broaden the scope of our vocabulary. This is to further drive the point or message in today's psalm and is actually the catch here. This is to come up with an induction that following the law of the Lord is just as synonymous to being blessed, lucky, swerte or pinagpala or any other word that we could closely associate with this. It is not very easy to lead a life like that of the saints who followed the example of Jesus. Ignorance is not an excuse. We should always seek to enrich our knowledge about God so that we will continuously grow in our faith. Our world is ever changing with all the new technology coming up, it's so surprising that whatever is considered the latest and gold standard today may not hold true the following day. If there's one thing we should rely and hold on to in this very dynamic world of ours, then it should be something constant and enduring. It gives us great consolation that we have a God who is true to His word. We may have heard it but we haven't learned yet. It is a lifelong journey and quest to know God better. Nothing can be more rewarding than having great peace in our lives. We can make this possible by adhering to God’s law and committing to following it in word and deed. It will always be well for us to consult the scriptures that shed light and give understanding. It is only right that we follow the law of the Lord if we are really for God then our works should follow us and testify to who we really are. We've got to make sure that what we sought and yearn for, is what should bring us genuine riches, true delight and the most precious treasure which the world can not give and only God can bring about. It is only right that we follow the law of the Lord if we are really for God then our works should follow us and testify to who we really are.
Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
R: Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
... your salvation according to your promise. (R) 43 Take not the word of truth from my mouth, for in your ordinances is my hope.
What comes to mind the moment I read today’s gospel is a dead rat. It stinks very badly and unless we get rid of it then it is there to stay. No matter how much we clean our house if we can not locate where the dead rat is then we remain stinky. We have to search every crack, crevice and the most hidden places in our home and locate where it is in order to get rid of it. It’s just like when we do something wrong we don’t want people to know about it and try our best to hide it. Or worse we have become calloused of our sins that we don’t care anymore by justifying and making all kinds of excuses. There is not much difference between the two because both are means of covering up. The first one is the literal cover up and the other one is the figurative. As the word itself suggests, we cover up our sins literally by not letting other people know and figuratively when we expose ourselves to others but instead of owning the wrong we have done we make excuses and justifications, point a finger or divert the blame to others and not confront the real issue. We are all guilty of it one way or another. We have to realize it literally and figuratively and be wise rather than fools. In the midst of a chaotic world, we should always find an inner peace within ourselves. It is always what's inside and deep within us, that is most important. Sometimes we get caught in the prevailing and acceptable standards of this world we tend to be mechanical in the things we do and find our motivations empty and meaningless. When we are driven to action and our purpose is superficial and is just meant to create an impressive image and show off for others to see, then we become no better than the Pharisees in today's gospel. Jesus encourages us to be wise and not fools by going beyond the superficial and go deeper into the heart of goodness which in turn will gain for us everything. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 11:37-41
... The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. 40 You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? 41 But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
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