I haven't seen the movie, “The Untouchables” yet but I have heard much about it. It has become a byword when a person gets away with crime, murder or something evil then that person is labeled, the untouchable. But wait, consider this for a moment, how do you think does it feel to be God's Untouchables? Wow, I am sure it is the best thing that could ever happen to us. Since we are still in this world, things are far from ideal and perfect around us. We are always confronted by the enemy's plans and schemes. But if we put to heart and take action on what is said in today's 1st reading then we'll gain the confidence that we are protected because we belong to God. We can not deny the fact that God makes His presence known to us in many wonderful ways that we can all think about. This sharing in Didache is inspired by a bible passage from today's 1st reading and is very reflective of a God who does not hesitate to answer our prayers. We too have experiences when we feel God's answer to our prayers in the form of circumstances and events that surround us. It is surely nice to hear about testimonies that acknowledge the truth that God answers prayers like this one from Didache entitled: MESSAGE FROM THE PIANO
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. – 1 John 5:14
Lian, the daughter of my older brother, invited me to her wedding to be held in Virginia on November 21, 2008. I wanted to attend the wedding, but because I had 101 commitments in Manila , I thought I’d never make it.
Two days before my flight, I was at a mall shopping for stuff to bring to the US . I still had doubts that God really wanted me to go. I just needed one more confirmation.
Then, as I marveled at how an electronic grand piano in the middle of the mall operated by itself, it played The Star Spangled Banner. I often shop at this mall and I always hear this grand piano playing mostly love songs. This was the first time that it played a national anthem — and of the US at that! I knew then this was the confirmation I was asking God for.
Yes, I asked God for a confirmation about my trip to the US because I’ve long believed the promise in today’s reading in 1 John 5:14-21, “that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” And, as I experienced, He gives us a definite answer! Cynthia Santiago (boses2go@gmail.com)
REFLECTION:
How confident are you that God hears you?
Lord, strengthen my faith, that I may always be confident that You listen to my pleadings. -end-
Let us make a shift to what I learned from our Apologetics class with regards to what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in (CCC) 1949:
Called to beatitude but wounded by sin, man stands in need of salvation from God. Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the grace that sustains him: Philippians 2:12-13:Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
The devil has acquired a certain domination in man. Man is dominated by greed, pride and lust.
We must be cleansed of impurities, stains of our sins, must be sanctified and not be like white washed tombs. Sins are offenses against a person, society and God. They vary in their degree. Here are the impurities that must be cleansed:
1. Venial sins that have not been forgiven (CCC 1472;1862) 2. Mortal sins (CCC 1857-1859) (1 Jn. 5:16-17) a violation of the 10 commandments, serious in nature, full knowledge, deliberate consent and voluntary. Sins that lead to death. God knows our heart, to whom much is given more is expected. No one is deemed ignorant in the conscience of the Law. There are 2 types of ignorance: a) Vincible ignorance something that a person can overcome since it is our responsibility to know more about our God. If we did not act on the good thing that we have access or within our means then we can not be excused from it. b) Invincible ignorance - something you can not overcome. Ex. pagans who are in unreachable places. Basic goodness is inculcated by God in every person. Our conscience dictates us to worship our Creator.
2.Sins that have not been fully atoned for. We must repair the consequences of our sins. We should fully pay for it. In Luke 19:8 Zacchaeus said, "Listen Sir, I'll give 1/2 of my possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anyone, I'll pay him back 4x as much." The consequences of sin are guilt and punishment due to sin (CCC 1473) and also in 2 Samuel 11-12 when David repented of his grievous sins of adultery and murder but also suffered its consequences.
CCC 407:
The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man's situation and activity in the world. By our first parents' sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14)
Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action, and morals. It is also what the 1st reading is telling us today. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 John 5:14-21
14 Beloved: We have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours… We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one.
We may have seen people who are exercise and health buffs and really take care of their bodies well. Just by looking at them we can already say that they work hard to develop a muscular and strong body. They were able to get good results because they have committed themselves to a strict diet and exercise regimen. In the same way, we should work hard and stick to a regimen that will maintain our souls in perfect shape. No matter who we are, what we do and where we are we can no longer have any excuse not to praise and give glory to God “as is where is”. We are all God's children and we should rightfully assert our place in the kingdom of our God the Father. We are the Church of God which does not pertain to just the physical structure but also the Spiritual Church of God which is our souls dwelling in the physical temple of God Japan . I was late and did not see the demonstration so when I was given the flowers to arrange I just did it for the sake of just getting it over and done with. What do you expect? I was not proud of what I did. In fact I even removed the label from my work so nobody would know that I was the one who did it since I am representing the Philippines . It is a consolation to know that we have a God and Creator who knows perfectly well what He is doing. No matter what we do to ourselves He will never disown us. Since we are still in this world but definitely not of this world, which is temporary. It should always be our daily commitment to God that we reconnect, refocus, realign and all kinds of action that will redirect us to God in order to withstand this constant battle and tug of war between good and evil. We just have to realize that it is ourselves who eventually disown and turn our backs on God knowingly or unknowingly. If we remain faithful to the Lord and live our lives according to His decrees then we will always find ourselves rejoicing as stated in the psalm reading today. We just need to remind ourselves always that when He created us, humans, He saved the best for last. He even fashioned us in His own image and likeness. In fact, up to this present time, scientists and scholars have not fully solved and understood the mysteries and wonders of the human body and soul. As far as science is concerned we the humans are the most advanced living creatures in this planet endowed with all the capacities that no other creatures are capable of. God will never run out of good things in store for us. We might have hit rock bottom or the lowliest place in our lives but we can always be assured that our God speaks in our hearts and will never forsake nor abandon. If there's one thing that should never leave our minds and hearts then that is the truth that we are on top of God's creation and takes delight in us. If we are faithful to God then we can claim all the benefits of being God's kingdom of priests. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 149: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 9
R: The Lord takes delight in his people.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2 Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. (R) 3 Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. (R) 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; 6 let the high praises of God be in their throats. 9 This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
Mary's privilege and honor as the Mother of God is no doubt a singular grace given to her alone. She has been
greatly blessed by God for being chosen to carry Jesus in her womb and nurse her. It has been written and foretold from past generations. It was through the total surrender of the Blessed Mother Mary to God’s will that the Word of God is manifested in her life. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. We can learn a lot from the kind of life that Mary lived and ask her to intercede for us. For who could better show us the way to Jesus other than her who gave birth to our Savior Jesus Christ. We also in our own way can conceive Jesus although not in our wombs but in our hearts and who could better teach us to do this other than the mother of Jesus whom He gave to mankind at the foot of cross. “Behold our Mother.” She understands for there is nothing that she doesn’t understand since she experienced the killing of her Son. St. Anselm brilliantly captures the crucial role of Mary in our salvation history. He said, “God... is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father by whom all things were given life, and Mary the mother through whom all things were given new life. For God begot the Son, through whom all things were made, and Mary gave birth to him as the Savior of the world. Without God’s Son, nothing could exist; without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed.” This is an incredible thing. It was only possible because God became man. There is an interplay between God’s grace and Mary’s free acceptance. This is what the real Catholic life is all about. This is God’s desire for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this is given to us by God in Jesus through Mary. Let us no longer be tricked into believing otherwise and know that just like Mary we are also called to play our part in the history of salvation the way she did. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 2:1-11
There was a wedding in Cana in Galilee , and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”…
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