Haggai 1:1-8 / Luke 9:7-9
Human beings stand out from the rest of creation as a species that has intellect and will.
That makes human beings really unique in that a person can think about a situation that he encounters and chooses what to do next.
Along with this, a person is also able to remember what has gone on before and reflect about his choices.
In the 1st reading, the word of the Lord was addressed to the people through the prophet Haggai.
What the Lord said can be summed up in one sentence: Reflect carefully how things have gone for you.
The Lord told the people to reflect on the situation of their lives as they cared more about building their own homes instead of building the Lord’s Temple.
In thinking more for themselves than about what the Lord wants of them, they ended up always being in need and not being able to accomplish anything.
Indeed, to live life without reflecting on what life has been and what life is about, we will not be able to see what the Lord is showing and telling us.
In the gospel, king Herod heard the amazing accounts about Jesus, and his thoughts were on John the Baptist whom he had executed.
But if Herod had reflected on the message of Jesus, he would have avoided being a tragedy unto himself.
So let us listen to the Word of God, let us also reflect on what we are listening and seeing.
May we see that the Lord is showing us the way of peace and that He is also leading us to a life of peace.