GOD'S REWARDS

Today is "All Saints Day" and we may have wondered what set them apart from all others. Today's readings answer in a way everything there is to know about them and to do to be like them.  We must realize that it is not only them who have been given the privilege to be a saint but all of us. We are called to fulfill our destiny in being in union with God. We must remain hopeful that when that day comes we will be one of those fortunate ones bearing the seal of the Lord. God is constantly reminding us of His great love for us, calls us by name and considers us as His own. We should always be aware of this privilege and not forfeit the benefits and honor to be counted as one of these people being spoken of in today's 1st reading. Only the tough gets going and the survivor lives. This is a standing regulation in most extreme challenge game shows or high rating reality shows that are very popular nowadays. This is exciting for most of us to watch on television because we see how they battle with their skills and find their way up to the winner’s spot. The winner gets home with the trophy and the most exciting prizes that they could think of.  A very attractive package of gifts and surprises are in store for the winner. This is one of the things that lure people to go for it. Only those who dare to take the challenge can emerge as the winner. Somehow we could connect this type of thing with this passage from today’s 1st reading. We ought to realize that just like those extreme challengers, we are also participants of this game called life and in the end when everything is over and done, a prize awaits us. No eye has seen, no ear has heard nor can we imagine what God has ready for those who love Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

Book of Revelation 7,2-4.9-14.

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count,

from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.” All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed:

“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”

We can't claim to be this kind of person, a Christian but conduct ourselves in a very unlikely way. Let us no longer be deceived by the false and misleading truths and principles that this world presents to us every single day. We have to be grounded at all times on this truth that today's psalm is telling us. There was a time when Tita Neds complained that something is wrong with the television. She said that somebody fixed it already but it didn't stay fixed for long. It wasn't the manufacturer who repaired it that was why. If it was brought to its manufacturer they would definitely know what to do with it. We've got to be conscious of this reality and apply it to ourselves. When something goes wrong we should know where to go, to whom we really belong, the Lord. This is the covenant: we belong to the Lord and He belongs to us for we are His people and He is our God. If we look at what's happening in the world today most especially the economic crisis wherein even the leading nations are being challenged by the present situation then we are really bound to anticipate the worst. Not even those people who used to be very confident of their present jobs in their respective stable companies can be too sure of what's going to happen next. There have been so much speculations of what will be the outcome of this worldwide problem of the economy and most of them are not good. With all these rubble, there is just really one thing we need to focus on and that is God. It is not easy to live life in this world but we can rejoice and be glad, we have an army, a battalion, a full house of saints with all the angels constantly and endlessly praying and singing in heaven, the so called triumphant Church/army of God, who intercede in our behalf and is joyously inviting us to be one of them. We are being reminded by the readings today to always keep ourselves blameless before the Lord no matter how tough things are. God wants to be with us, there is no doubt about that. But just like water and oil which can not be put together and mixed so is God and man if we are in sin or harbor anything that can not be attributed to the holiness of God. We can not force two different things to go together. Water is a polar molecule and oil is non polar. They do not mix because they are two different substances as in the adage, "Like dissolves like." God can not change. He is already who He is, Holy in all His ways. We can change. We can be like God in His holiness and goodness if we want to be with Him forever. Let us not lose sight of what a mighty God we serve who made the heavens and the earth. We pray to God to open our eyes that we may see the wonders of His love. We should think profoundly of our daily walk with the Lord which consists of not only a leisure stroll in the plains and valleys of life but a steep climb up to the top of the mountain. We must avail of the sacrament of reconciliation. It gives us renewed strength and hope. Our life consists of steep and dangerous climbs but we must not forget that God is always at our side. If we are to carefully assess our life we would find that it feels good whenever we are able to overcome most of our pitfalls though there are some that still needs improvement. We must praise and thank God that every time we experience a fall back and backslide we can immediately go back to Him through the sacrament of confession which restores us to our original path and right track. It is God's desire that we will someday come face to face with Him. There is a need for us to prepare for that day. We are sometimes guilty of not focusing on God's countenance alone, there are times when we get distracted by other things and today's psalm reading serves as the reminder. I heard a story about God's radiating and blinding light that when we stand before Him nothing is hidden from Him, He will never turn away from us but if we ourselves are tainted with the guilt of our sins then we can not withstand His presence and will definitely hide and ran away from Him, far from His ever blinding Light that penetrates us. Let us all hope that when that day comes we can stand in His Holy Presence and claim with confidence our rightful place in His Kingdom. For our information, all of us are eligible to be in heaven with God. There is no doubt about this since we have been made and washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. A virgin is with child. The Old Testament scriptures have foretold of this and point to the coming of Christ. The prophets preannounced and prefigured His coming and pointed to the fulfillment in Jesus in the New Testament. He has loved us first and continues to do so. He encounters us ever anew in the sacraments especially in the Eucharist. The Church helps us to respond to God’s initiative through word and teaching and the gathering of believers who respond faithfully. We have to be firm, resilient and faithful people of God. We’ve got to really focus on what is truly important and essential. We live in a world where there are so many distractions that we tend to lose sight of what should be our greatest and most important concern. After all has been said and done we will find in the end that what truly matters is not what will last only in this lifetime but for all eternity, a reward from God our Savior. When somebody invites us for a party we just don't go there without preparing ourselves for it. Much more gatecrash and just go to a party without an invitation. We are blessed that God has invited us. The best we could do being privileged, honored and counted to come to His banquet in heaven is to make preparations and always be ready to take part in it, really belong and not end up an outcast. We should not lose sight of this standing invitation that God gives us in our daily life. There is indeed a need to always be prepared so that when the final moment comes we can reside in the heavenly abode of God. In every game there is a rule to follow and only those who play it fair and square can finish to the end and win their prize. Today’s psalm gives us a guideline to follow in order to make it through. We should always long to see the face of God at all times in every person, event and circumstance in our lives. Let us always hold on to this image so that someday when we finally come face to face with God we will receive a blessing and reward for He will surely bring about what He said He would do. In the course of the time and in the history of mankind we hear of people like Abraham chosen by God. The chosen people were given laws and ordinances to follow. The remnants of the chosen people or those who were faithful to God in keeping these commandments like Simeon and Anna, Joachim and Anne are those who belong to the Hebrew generation, kept the Jewish tradition and prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. This initiation of God in loving us first should bring us to act and make love blossom as a response on our part. We've got to be aware that the no one but the Lord is the King of glory. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M 

Psalm 24:1b-2. 3-4ab. 5-6

R: Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

1 The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (R) 3 Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? Or who may stand in his holy place? 4 He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. (R) 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such are the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob."

Aside from the rules to follow there are also certain criteria to meet in order to qualify for certain games. It is a consolation to know that we have all been pre-qualified through our Lord Jesus Christ to enter into His Kingdom. We are God’s children and the rest is up to us. If we are to live up to this honor and privilege or not is all in our hands. Let us always be faithful to Him, who alone can deliver us. We may have heard stories of how people who died come rushing to be with the Lord and describe the unexplainable joy of being able to see God face to face. Since we are still part of this mortal body we still do not feel the urgency of being with the Lord since we still belong to this world as stated " See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. " That is why we are always continuously struggling between good and evil because technically we are still in this world and somehow attached to it that we should make a conscious effort to always cling to the Lord. But as earlier stated in the bible passage only the clean and pure of heart can stand before Him so we should always guard our actions that each day be an offering to the Lord as we continuously work toward this goal. It is not easy but it is also said that the Lord will bless and save those who love Him. It is with this hope that we persevere in what we do. The 2nd reading for today emphasizes to us the truth and privilege we have as God's children. We must not neglect and forfeit this by always being mindful of the good things that God is continuously showering upon us and strive to really be deserving of the blessings He has bestowed on us. With the confidence of a beloved child of God, we all strive to become like Him in every way. Human parents although imperfect are capable of giving to their children all the best that they could offer. Parents could relate to this and would definitely agree to it. What can our Father in Heaven give to us more than the title, children of God? Today's 2nd reading gets even better by continuously affirming not just me but each one of us as well, who long and hope in the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

First Letter of John 3,1-3.

1 Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

Thomas Aquinas said that the perfect exemplification of the beatitudes can be seen if we look at Jesus. He is a happy man, a picture of freedom and joy. The main point is detachment. Jesus is detached from the things which we typically seek. He loved doing the will of His Father. We need to look to our Lord on the cross and despise what He despised on the cross, wealth, pleasure, power and honor.  Wealth, he has none he was stripped naked even of His clothes. Pleasure he was at the limit of physical and psychological suffering. Power, he was nailed on the cross. Honor, he was mocked as he was publicly displayed and crucified. On the cross, he is the ultimate peace maker and the bringer of divine mercy, if Aquinas is right then Jesus on the cross is a picture of a happy man. We are all on the building business, building a life that will endure, we are each a foreman to our building, we are masters of our own faith. Others take a material build a shack, a cathedral or build a tragedy, as William Shakespeare says, “to be or not to be” We are each given a bag of tools, a stepping stone or a stumbling block. The buildings we build are … Lost of a loved one, broken relationship and how we react to them depends on whether we have built a house on sand or rock, the test is the daily grind.  There is no end to the daily grind we just have to live one day at a time. The challenges depend whether we have taken the words of our Lord seriously. Take the extra mile. Is the Lord right? Nothing is built on hatred. Nothing lasts until it is built on love. Forgiveness is important. A person who is unforgiving suffers from various ailments. PJPII forgave the person who tried to kill him. Have we built our life on Him who is the rock? Or think that we know better. Our house is in ruin until the Lord come to make it a fitting dwelling. There is only one thing that can make us truly happy, to get to heaven. When our Lord saw the sadness of human beings he gave the formula in the sermon on the mount. Not once does He mentioned, money, fame, houses, entertainment and exotic cruises. The formula for happiness lies in the truth that our heart is at rest. According to Oscar Wilde there are 2 terrible tragedies in life, not to get what our heart sets upon or to get it. Some of us get this truth the hard way. Poverty in spirit means that we are empty. By nature of course we are like a vacuum because we have to be filled with something. When we finally get what we long for, that is when we realize that we can not have them nor could we own them forever. The only way to attain true happiness is to be possessed by the Lord. We have to learn to let go of yesterday. For example, the joys of our youth we must enjoy God’s gift to us today which is called the present. We must learn to face all these challenges with our Lord and be empty of everything except Him. The beatitudes will serve as our map in our quest to heaven. Beatitudes are like eyeglasses that help us to see what is important so as not to lose sight of what is right. Whenever we are to decide and act on something we might as well ask ourselves this, “Is this choice going to bring me closer to heaven?” The more we get our vision corrected the more we get closer to heaven. What is going to bring us closer to heaven? St. Francis of Assisi is a pilgrim in search of the glory of God. He renounced his riches and served God. These are the kinds of choices that pilgrims make to get closer to heaven. We spend our whole lives to get closer to God. We are in contact with God and making choices to be closer to God. If we live our lives as pilgrims in a journey to heaven then we will be happy. We will be recognized for our love and joy. We are not expected to take this journey alone and walk in a lonely path. The Church is with us to help us in this journey and help us to stay in the right path. The sacraments, mass, baptism and penance are the tools to reach our heavenly destiny. God never wants us to be discouraged. We can bring all our sins to Him in confession. The Eucharist the guiding light of our journey is the earthly physical presence of Christ on earth. It guides, feeds and reminds us of the manna in heaven. We also have the Blessed Mother when Jesus gave us His own mother at the cross. She loves us as her children. The final destination of our pilgrimage and journey is heaven. A reward awaits us in heaven just like any rewards program that you hear of, the more usage of a credit card the more rewards and so will it be when we have used all our talents for the Lord and offered all our sacrifices to Him. Funny how some people would prefer patronizing a certain establishment over another based on the reward but what we don't realize is that our God can reward us more than any other in this  whole  wide  world  so let us be conscious  of our actions  and always  prefer God above  everything.   Whenever we allow ourselves to be affected by the negativity of this world and the people around us then we succumb to the possibility of discord and open ourselves to further disagreement. We do not realize that when we answer back and try to vindicate ourselves we just end up complicating things even more. We should just keep silent and not say anything at all. This reminds me of what I read about preaching, it is said that we should preach with our life, live by example and just use words when necessary. We need to listen more attentively to God and commit to Him unconditionally. We should all humbly pray to God that we will be able to perseveringly live up to that challenge of being truly poor in spirit and become part of His kingdom. We have all been called to take part in this game called life.  The best way to win the game is to know how to play it and be actively involved in it. How would you like the idea of a game wherein you need not run all the way to the finish line to get your prize? We may not be aware of it but we could already be winning prizes along the way and need not wait for the final moment. The answer lies in today’s gospel and also in the version of Luke's gospel. The beatitudes has a semi hidden meaning in it. In a retreat we were asked to read them all and find out what that is, nobody was able to come up with the answer. It was just very simple. All the beatitudes are in the future tense only the first one which is “Blessed are the poor in spirit” is in the present tense. It means it is already happening right now and it is already in their hands. For it is written, theirs is the kingdom of heaven and it didn’t say will be. This means that we begin possessing it even now and have its fullness when we die and raised on the last day. The Kingdom of God is among us. Whatever relationships we have that with Jesus is above all. We prize the access to material things and all other worldly pleasures without realizing that loyalty to God is access to all. He is primary above all other things, above all our troubles, fears and whatever may be our ills and even death itself. God rules above all and He has authority on heaven and earth. We have the free will to do as we want. We have to be fully aware that the Kingdom of death has been conquered and defeated we can stand on the authority of God in Jesus who resurrected that can't be stopped because the Kingdom of heaven has already been handed to us. When Jesus' blood came upon us we are saved. But we have to acknowledge it and admit our sins and turn away from it. Jesus is the source of forgiveness and healing. We have to bear witness and reveal how great a Savior we have in Jesus, risen from the dead and only Savior of humanity. God gives us these beatitudes. It means supreme blessedness and felicity that comes from God. Being poor in spirit in the biblical sense is like the man who discovers his own limitations being a creature before the Creator. Our suffering and sorrow create a hollow place in our hearts, get our attention and make us thirst for help and love. God comforts and fills us with Himself. We accept our limitations in order for the kingdom to be a reality. For those who mourn beatitude, a Christian writer said that troubled souls are safe and the untroubled are the ones unsafe. The reason for this is because we are just in the place where God can reach us. We seem to remember God more often when we have problems. The meek and docile seek God’s will patiently in contrast to using force and control. We need to wait on Him and receive everything from the Lord with gratitude. We learn to appreciate the things in this world better, look at it in the right perspective and use it according to God's purpose. God is not limited by any circumstance and He comes to those who want Him and hunger for righteousness. We can't be pure of heart if we are fractured by sin. If we put God first in our life, He’ll come to us in a deeper way. A child of God is transformed by His grace to bring peace to the world. We become like Christ and help redeem the world. The world is contrary to the gospel. As we look to the blood of the martyrs which became the seed of the Church we also unite our own sufferings with Christ. It becomes redemptive suffering. We need to have the spirit of the beatitude to transform the world and maintain the saltiness in this life. This is the way that a Christian becomes effective to the world and be salt of the earth.   Amen. Hallelujah!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5,1-12.

"...Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.....

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven....."