Sometimes we get carried away with our emotions and anger and we do things that we regret later. In today's 1st reading, Jeremiah showed us the perfect reaction which is to confide to God in prayers whatever complaints, feelings of vengefulness and retaliation we have. It is sometimes so difficult to understand the way some things work. Sometimes we just can't get a good picture of how the world operates. There are times when we have been doing everything good and yet something else happens apart from our expectations. We live in a world that is disorderly and full of chaos as we look all around us we can see its proof and evidence. Sometimes we encounter people and situations in life when we are confronted with evil in our midst. We can not discount the fact that this is a reality that we have to deal with everyday. This may be very true but let us not lose heart. In the complexities and complications of life all we have to do is trust in God. It should not cause us to despair but rather hold on to God even more who is the source of all that is good. He alone is King and Ruler of this world and is always with us to help and guide us every single step of the way. Amen. Hallelujah!
Jeremiah 18:18-20
"Come," they said, "let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah... Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life? Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them.
The confidence of the martyrs in God did not waver up to the end. They stood firm in their faith and remained steadfast. I have read that the most critical point in our life is during the time of death because it is when a battle between good and evil is being waged over our soul. We might have heard of different stories of people about to die who were reported to have seen all sorts of vision. As we read the psalm for today may we find ourselves truly internalizing and believing the words thus visualizing the glory of God the way the saints and martyrs demonstrated for us during the critical hour of their life. We are a work in progress and we need to acknowledge our sins, mend our ways and surrender our life to the Lord. The world believes that it is foolish to believe what we can not see but we have to believe in what we do not see and face them all with faith, this is according to St. Thomas Aquinas. The testimony of those who believe help to build up our faith and the more witnesses we have the more solid it becomes. We look to the Gospel and see that there are so many witnesses and testimonies with very little variation. They speak of the truth of the life of Jesus. We have to accept everything that the Gospel tells us. With this great love that He offered to all of us, there is no doubt that God will make all things beautiful in our lives in His time. Our persistent cries and tears to God are always heard. God has given us very clear instructions from the very start. If only we will stick to it then we can be assured of a life lived to the full. We’ve got to have faith that of Abraham who believed even though his wife is with age that the one who made the promise is trustworthy. What God says is true and He does not lie. Padre Pio said that the most beautiful act of faith is one made with sacrifice and effort even in the presence of darkness. We have to believe that God has the best things in mind for us. If He allows some things that are not pleasant in life this is only to bring about the best. Although faith is not the best of the virtues, it is the rarest. Real faith inspires all actions and reveals God in everything. How rare is real faith next to danger. We sometimes feel that we do not see so much evidence of the reality of God. God does not give us so much light so that we are not forced to accept Him nor does He give too little that we can not find Him. He gives us just enough light so as to put to practice our faith. Nothing can ever frighten or scare us not even death if God is our stronghold. We can rely on so many things in this world like wealth, fame, power and success but only in the Lord can we find true security and satisfaction. There is no denying to the truth that we have a God who is always there for us whether in good or bad times. We can be assured that we can take comfort and hope in the Lord. Our enemies may be lurking from every side but we don't have to worry or be afraid. God is our refuge and strength. He can rescue us from the clutches of our persecutors and set us free. We should never have any doubt that God is able to do all things for our good for there is nothing more that He could do that He has not done. We should always be praising and thanking God in all circumstances knowing that God will always be there for us. He knows and sees all things much more than our limited points of view and angles of reference. God can view things in a multidimensional level while we can only see a single or at most double dimension. If we are looking at a not so pleasant view trust that God can see a better view than what is before us. If we have experienced an almost dangerously impossible situation wherein escape and deliverance seemed to be farfetched then we are in a worst case scenario. Believe it or not, this kind of situation could drive anyone to panic. Even the most steadfast in the faith community could succumb to anxiety and fear with regards to such situation. In fact, it could even come to a point where the most steadfast may go to a certain extent of negotiating for the sake of the lesser evil. It is this type of experience that could turn out to be unforgettable and could forever be etched in our mind not only because of the trouble and difficulty we went through but most of all the love and concern we experienced and witnessed from people in the community. Although it could indeed be a frightening experience when we could have just chosen to give up and succumb to the obviously convenient option for the sake of getting it over and done with but didn't for the sake of the truth of God. If we do then we would find that it is all worth it even though we have to learn some lessons in life the hard way. It is evident that the harder the situation we are in all the more could we feel God's ever reliable and strong hands secured all around us. We can not deny it and should always believe that God's truth and saving power prevails at all times. We look to God always in the midst of all the turmoil. No matter how long and hard we try to search for happiness outside God we can only find it in Him as St. Augustine says, “My soul is restless until it rests in Thee." Only with Him do we find rest, fulfillment and satisfaction. Let us trust God in His divine providence and goodness that He will never abandon nor forsake us. He will rescue us at all times for He can turn back or fast forward the hands of time for everything is right on time with God. He is the God of the eternal now. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16
R: Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
4 [5] You will free me from the snare they set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 [6] Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God. (R) 13 [14] I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side, as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life. (R) 14 [15] But my trust is in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” 15 [16] In your hands is my destiny; rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
In today’s gospel we can say that James and John have a bad timing. It is not exactly the time you ask for exalted positions or title of prestige or power when the Lord was just telling them of His passion and death but He does not come down hard with them unlike with the Pharisees. Jesus wanted them to understand the kind of Messiah He is and that Christianity’s greatness is not as the world sees it. It is because of His great love for us that He chose to become man. He left us with the greatest proof of love which is to give up His own life and suffer an excruciating pain in the most difficult way. Jesus wanted us to realize that as He drink the cup of His suffering and death on the cross and took upon Himself our sins we too, share in that baptism as we renew that on Easter. We have been baptized into His death and resurrection and we have to embrace that baptism. Jesus is the One Mediator who won our salvation. He redeemed all and gave His life as ransom for many. The cross is a unique sacrifice of God because of His Incarnate Divine Nature but we are called to share in the cross and be one with Him. Christ suffered for us and He desires to associate us with this sacrifice which we do in the Holy Mass. We can also offer our very selves as we offer it up to the Lord to draw closer to Him. As in Col. 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,…” This is a challenging teaching and we can share in His redemption and be generous in the giving of ourselves to obtain graces for others those who do not know the Lord. We are pouring out ourselves and this becomes redemptive if we do it by faith and unite it with Christ. We totally abandon ourselves to Him. Unlike the world that exercise authority and make their authority felt by lording it over and chase power and success, to be great is to serve in Christianity’s view and the only path to holiness. The race that the world is after is for higher status, to dominate and lord our achievements, to wield our special knowledge and insights over others and try to beat off and fight them. St. Francis just totally took himself out of such a race of worldly power. For him, what a man is in the eyes of God is just so much he is and no more. In everything is grace by God’s election and no one could boast. We just have to go on living under obedience so we know for certain what the will of God is. We just have to trust God in everything. All we have to do is strive to follow the way of the Lord in our life and be confident that He is always looking out for our best interest. Sometimes we think that we can have our own way with God and that we are smarter than Him for devising our own plans and questioning Him when things do not turn out the way we wanted it. In moments like these can we truly exercise our faith in God and see how far we are willing to go with God's plan. When we see things happening to us and not understanding the reason for it we may as well look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said, "Let this cup pass me by but not my will, but Yours be done." We should have the same courage to say the same thing knowing that He will not put us through something without seeing us through it. THOSE THAT WAIT ON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH THEY SHALL MOUNT UP
Matthew 20:17-28
...“You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” ..."You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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