TRUE FAITH

We should be very careful of the kind of company that we keep. In today's 1st reading we are told of the fate of King Solomon because of his intermarriages with women from other faith. We may not be practicing polygamy the way King Solomon did but we could be married in a sense to a person or thing if we have become joined in such a way as in blended flavors, which the dictionary uses as an example to further elaborate on the word, marry. In fact, I have often heard this joke in the Philippines when someone likes a person and they are always together, are very good friends although not romantically linked, they would say, " E di pakasalan mo" In English, marry him, her, or it because it could pertain to a person, place or thing.  Now it makes better sense if I would hear somebody throw a similar joke. To marry is a very strong word that it requires loyalty and total devotion. No wonder, the Catholic Church maintains its position regarding marriage and divorce. Today's 1st reading tells us of how the life of King Solomon which started so beautifully ended in misery all because he failed to uphold his faith and got carried away by the influence of his many wives. We must learn to stand up to be faithful to God and never compromise our morals. We need to protect our faith in God in various ways and one of the things we can do is to learn the lesson of King Solomon's story. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Kings 11:4-13
4 When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of his father David had been...

We should always keep in mind that if Moses was able to turn back God's anger and withhold His destructive wrath how much more Jesus His only begotten Son who suffered, was obedient to the point of death on the Cross and gave Himself as ransom to redeem us from all our sins. Let us not forget even for a second nor neglect this truth every single minute, hour and day of our lives that we have been ransomed, saved and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus. Our little gods and idols can not do anything for us. They are useless and stupid things. How foolish we can be as a people of God  to do such things and be off track by turning away from where the Lord has pointed out. A lot of terrible things happen when we forget. Important and significant events in our life should always hold a special place in our hearts. We must not ignore those times when we had those special moments with the Lord. These will serve as a constant reminder to us and would definitely help us remain faithful to the Lord. Our memory of this, though very wonderful to forget may sometimes become dull or fade in the background when we are beset by the present and daily cares of this world. We may eventually lose the awe and wonder that we used to feel about it as time passes most especially when we encounter trials and difficulties. Today's psalm tells us to always remember, never forget and always tell our story of the goodness of God. Let us not forget and be mindful always of the love of God. Sometimes when things don't turn out the way we wanted or expected we get sidetracked by the realities of this world then we start to immediately or slowly lose sight of the goodness of God. No matter what our situation is we must not forget that God saved us, had done great and wondrous deeds and He alone has the power to make things happen and not happen in our lives. We have to be in a relationship with the only true God. If there's something we really need to be thankful to God for bringing us to life at this present time that is the fact that we have a glorious background that we can always draw strength, hope and inspiration. We need to focus on this and be aware that we've got so many things in this present life to look back to and be blessed. The timeline of our salvation history demonstrates God's persistent and consistent effort to win our hearts and be in a relationship with us. Not to forget that after Jesus, the saints followed which added to the color of this long time running declaration and evidence of God's great love for us. It's been quite a while already that He has been waiting for our answer much more than a suitor offering his pledge of love to his lady. We should never doubt any single moment that God is good all the time and all we need to do is just give thanks to Him no matter what our circumstances may be. Let us always remind ourselves of the good things God has done in our lives. Let us always count our blessings instead of focus on the negative things. We are constantly reminded in the readings today to always work for the things that win the favor of God. It's not because of any selfish motive but because what we do is born out of great love for the Lord. God calls us to repent and live a new life. There's one very important thing that we should be guided with. We always have to keep in mind that a repentance born out of fear will never last but repentance born out of love will last. We should always keep in mind the great love of God for all of us. Our Lord's instructions are very simple and easy to understand. It is in the following and obeying part that we find difficulty in doing. Let us always focus our eyes on the Lord and remember to follow and keep what the responsorial psalm tells us if we intend to live a blessed life not just in the beginning but to the end. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 106:3-4, 35-36, 37, 40
R: Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
3 Blessed are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just. Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people; visit us with your saving help. (R) 34 They did not exterminate the peoples, as the LORD had commanded them, 35 but mingled with the nations and learned their works. (R) 36 They served their idols, which became a snare for them. (R) 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 40 And the LORD grew angry with his people, and abhorred his inheritance. (R)

In today's gospel we are being reminded to always keep our feet on the ground and always maintain a spirit of humility knowing that we are all sinners and if we will just come to God with this kind of attitude then God who can discern anything even those hidden in our hearts will surely grant all our heart's desires. We must be willing to accept whatever situation is pulling us down and offer it to God with all trust and confidence that He will make a way. This woman in today's gospel is pagan. Jesus didn’t want to preach in Tyre and didn't want anybody to know He was there. Jesus seems not inclined to grant the woman’s request. He says, “The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Instead of leave, she agreed to what He said and remarked herself, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” She was full of faith, humility and love in her heart that Jesus said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Jesus already healed many and He did so by personally and actually touching them or allowing them to touch Him. This time, Jesus performed a “remote healing.” for this woman's daughter. There is definitely and absolutely no barrier too strong, big and remote for the healing of Jesus to flow. It is in this extreme demonstration of faith coming from a pagan woman since birth that Jesus was compelled to pronounce an instant blessing. She may not be worthy to receive any blessing judging from her current status but God did not look on her sins but on her faith. In the same way that we, too are not worthy but as we profess in all the masses we attend to, only say the word and we will be healed. The gospel connects to the 1st reading in a way in what happened to King Solomon who had all the right qualifications being the son of King David but did not live up to his legacy. This woman may have not been born from a chosen race but had definitely lived up to the expectations of true faith in God and was rewarded.  Amen. Hallelujah!

 

Mark 7:24-30

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.