It is always for the best to consult scriptures and be guided by it. Let us pray that we all find ourselves bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit as we commit to not only the duties and responsibilities we owe our families but to love them wholeheartedly. It is always for the best to consult scriptures and be guided by it. Today's 1st reading gives us good instructions as to how we become better Christians every day. As we constantly do this and develop in ourselves a love for it we will just be surprised as to how we will see the words of God take its form through our experiences and come alive in us. It is through our total surrender and acceptance of God’s will in our lives that we can experience perfect peace. No amount of disturbance or chaos should ever push us to the brink of doubt and despair. We should always have the confidence that if God brings us to it, He will bring us through it. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God will not protect us. We must not give in to sadness or desperation for what we are going through today. God knows how we feel and knows exactly with perfection what is being allowed to happen at this precise moment. God’s purpose is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place we are now. I would like to quote the words of William Faulkner, “I have found that the greatest help in meeting any problem with decency and self respect and whatever courage is demanded is to know where you yourself stand. That is to have in words what you believe and are acting from.” For this we should continue to carry on and maintain in ourselves the things Paul that is saying in today’s 1st reading. Amen. Hallelujah!
Colossians 3:12-17
Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Our Catholic faith teaches us that once a person breathed his last then that's it, only we, the living and those left behind, can still offer prayers and take advantage of every breath we are still able to make. While we still can, we give praise to God in our prayers with the hope of being able to rise again and come to the glory of seeing God face to face together with all our dear faithful departed ones who already breathed their last and have gone ahead of us. Another thing I am reminded of in today’s psalm is the article of Rev. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI entitled, “Religious language as icon” in the Tidings newspaper dated September 4, 2009. Especially the one about his narration of Henri Nouwen who wrote the book “Return of the Prodigal son” which became his signature work. Just like the prodigal son we all have to return to God and we better be prepared for it and do as the author did. He said that before he wrote the book he went to the Hermitage museum in Russia and sat for whole days contemplating Rembrandt’s famous painting of the prodigal son. He was given permission to study the painting from various angles letting it speak to him in varying moods which resulted in one of the finest commentaries ever written on both Rembrandt’s painting and on the meaning of that famous parable in the Gospels. He said that what Henri Nouwen did is what we need to do with a lot of the classical language of Scripture, the creeds and dogma. It should put us in touch with something that we can know but struggle to conceptualize and explain. It is meant to be grasped at levels beyond just the intellect. We cheat ourselves of meaning whenever we treat Scripture, the creeds, and the dogmas of our faith as simple statements of history and newspaper accounts in literal language. We risk our very lives on this truth because they speak to us more as does an icon than as does yesterday’s newspaper. It is meant to be studied, contemplated, meditated, knelt-before and prayed-with, rather than taken literally. What we are experiencing right now we can relate to the scriptures and can give meaning based on our personal encounters with certain bible passages. If we frequent the word of God we would find that they are undeniably related and significant which should inspire us to take note of the different and several meanings we were able to grasp, contemplate, understand and absorb in the heart with every life mystery as Rev. Rolheiser puts it. Honor, power and glory be to our God forever and ever and as the psalm today tells us let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
R: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
1 Praise the LORD in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his strength. 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for his sovereign majesty. (R) 3 Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him with lyre and harp, 4 praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipe. (R) 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Alleluia.
Today's gospel inspired me to share about my mother. I could never forget this passage because it is one of her favorites since I grew up always hearing her quote this. (Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing…) My mother was widowed at a very young age of 32 and left with our care when we were still very young, aged 4, 3 and 1. She never remarried and just devoted her life to us. She was not just our mother but stood as our father at the same time. She worked hard in order to provide for all our needs. As far as I can remember, we were never in want at any single time. My mother would always attribute this to God our Provider. She often said that widows and orphans are very special to the Lord. Another thing I am reminded of is my experience before when I was just new in the Charismatic Renewal and still in the honeymoon stage with the Lord. I was boldly declaring about my new found relationship with God and Mama Mary and somebody who happened to be a "born again" Christian kept on bluffing me. I should have been irritated and annoyed with her because I wasn't doing anything wrong with my outward display of faith. Instead of giving in to her I decided to keep up a nice face, still be gracious to her and just kept silent. I could have answered back and defended myself but I felt in my heart that it won't do any good to both of us. Although it should not always be the case we should fervently pray that we will always strive to be good and trust God. He knows perfectly well what's in our minds and hearts and what matters most is that we think, speak and act exactly the way Jesus would. Whenever we feel that someone doesn't like us we should still treat that person with the same kindness we treat a person who likes us. We must not have special preferences in people and try to treat them equally as best as we can. It is very difficult but if we continue to pray to God for grace then we can carry on with it and do exactly what the gospel says. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 6:27-38
...32 For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same...Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
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