Colossians 1:9-14 / Luke 5:1-11
Among the apostles whom Jesus chose, the one whom we know about the most, and hence, the one whom we talk about often, is St. Peter.
Besides being known as the first pope, there are other characteristics about him that make us wonder why Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
As we know it, St. Peter denied Jesus, not just once but three times; he slept during prayer, he was impulsive and he shoots his mouth off.
Yet we cannot deny that there was a child-like sincerity about St. Peter.
In today's gospel, we see that sincerity along with his simplicity and humility.
St. Peter was humble enough to take instructions from Jesus even though he himself should know better.
And when he saw the truth in Jesus he was humble and sincere about acknowledging his unworthiness and sinfulness.
Maybe that was what Jesus saw in St. Peter - his capacity for sincerity and humility.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul told the Colossians that a perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding are the keys of knowing the will of God.
More importantly, we must know what God has done for us: He has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in His kingdom, and in Jesus we gain our freedom and the forgiveness of our sins.
When we truly understand that, then we, like St. Peter, will be sincere and humble enough to follow the will of God and to go out even if it's into the deep water.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 31-08-11
Colossians 1:1-8 / Luke 4:38-44
Movies like Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda and other martial arts movies in which a novice learns martial arts, there is always this underlying important lesson or principle that is always emphasized.
It is expressed in different ways like: be focused; have only one mind; do not be distracted.
These are simple lessons and principles that are necessary for any great achievement, but they are not that easy to adhere to, simply because we lose focus and get distracted.
Jesus had many people looking for Him; He was in great demand, He was popular and famous; He was needed.
Yet He did not lose focus, He only had one mind, and He was not distracted.
That was why in the gospel we heard Him say: I must proclaim the Good News to other towns because that was what I am sent to do.
The love Jesus had for His Father kept Him focused with one mind and that kept Him from being distracted.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul also affirmed the Colossians for being focused in their faith which they expressed in their love for each other.
So whether it is about our secular life or about our spiritual life, if we want to make any progress or attain any achievement, the simple lessons of being focused, having only one mind and not being distracted have to be strictly adhered to.
More importantly, let us keep our eyes on Jesus alone, because He will show us what our lives are all about and what we need to do.
Movies like Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda and other martial arts movies in which a novice learns martial arts, there is always this underlying important lesson or principle that is always emphasized.
It is expressed in different ways like: be focused; have only one mind; do not be distracted.
These are simple lessons and principles that are necessary for any great achievement, but they are not that easy to adhere to, simply because we lose focus and get distracted.
Jesus had many people looking for Him; He was in great demand, He was popular and famous; He was needed.
Yet He did not lose focus, He only had one mind, and He was not distracted.
That was why in the gospel we heard Him say: I must proclaim the Good News to other towns because that was what I am sent to do.
The love Jesus had for His Father kept Him focused with one mind and that kept Him from being distracted.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul also affirmed the Colossians for being focused in their faith which they expressed in their love for each other.
So whether it is about our secular life or about our spiritual life, if we want to make any progress or attain any achievement, the simple lessons of being focused, having only one mind and not being distracted have to be strictly adhered to.
More importantly, let us keep our eyes on Jesus alone, because He will show us what our lives are all about and what we need to do.
Monday, August 29, 2011
22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 30-08-11
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11 / Luke 4:31-37
There is a game that is played often in parties and functions, or on radio and tv shows.
Generally that game is called "Name the tune" and the contestants try to guess the title of the song with just a few notes being played.
Of course that means that one has to be very familiar with songs in order to give the title of the song with just those few notes.
When Jesus spoke, His words carried power and authority. And it was the evil spirits that immediately recognized that it was the voice of the Holy One of God and were repulsed by it.
But we, the people of God, should be "impulsed" by the voice of God - we should immediately respond to it.
But if like what St. Paul said in the 1st reading, that we are living in the dark and are spiritually dead, then the words of Jesus would not find a response in us.
We would know if the words of Jesus will resonate in us when we are able to sense the promptings that God is giving us.
In the loud and noisy world, Jesus is playing for us a soft and gentle tune and that would awaken a response in us.
So everyday let us have a quiet time with the Lord so that in the noisy world we would still be able to feel and listen to the soft gentle promptings of Jesus.
There is a game that is played often in parties and functions, or on radio and tv shows.
Generally that game is called "Name the tune" and the contestants try to guess the title of the song with just a few notes being played.
Of course that means that one has to be very familiar with songs in order to give the title of the song with just those few notes.
When Jesus spoke, His words carried power and authority. And it was the evil spirits that immediately recognized that it was the voice of the Holy One of God and were repulsed by it.
But we, the people of God, should be "impulsed" by the voice of God - we should immediately respond to it.
But if like what St. Paul said in the 1st reading, that we are living in the dark and are spiritually dead, then the words of Jesus would not find a response in us.
We would know if the words of Jesus will resonate in us when we are able to sense the promptings that God is giving us.
In the loud and noisy world, Jesus is playing for us a soft and gentle tune and that would awaken a response in us.
So everyday let us have a quiet time with the Lord so that in the noisy world we would still be able to feel and listen to the soft gentle promptings of Jesus.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Passion of St. John the Baptist, Monday, 29-08-11
Jeremiah 1:17-19 / Mark 6:17-29 (2019 / 2023)
We might wonder how Jesus would have felt when he heard about the death of his cousin, John the Baptist.
Not much is said about their relationship, but we can guess they knew each other from their earliest days, probably played together, talked about life.
Both knew they had a mission.
And both also know that the mission cannot be accomplished without putting their lives on the line.
John the Baptist was the first to do it and that line was drawn across his neck.
For Jesus, it was drawn at the cross.
And for us, that line will also be drawn for us.
A line that will cut across the various aspects of our lives when we have to decide between whose side to stand on.
To stand on God's side, then there will be lines drawn right across our faith, our love, our hope, our security, our future, which will result in sorrow and pain, and maybe even some scars and wounds.
But it is through those sorrows and pain, and those scars and wounds that God will continue to save the world.
For it is by Christ's wounds that we ourselves have been healed and saved.
May we, like St. John the Baptist, put our lives in the hands of God, and bear witness to truth and love.
Not much is said about their relationship, but we can guess they knew each other from their earliest days, probably played together, talked about life.
Both knew they had a mission.
And both also know that the mission cannot be accomplished without putting their lives on the line.
John the Baptist was the first to do it and that line was drawn across his neck.
For Jesus, it was drawn at the cross.
And for us, that line will also be drawn for us.
A line that will cut across the various aspects of our lives when we have to decide between whose side to stand on.
To stand on God's side, then there will be lines drawn right across our faith, our love, our hope, our security, our future, which will result in sorrow and pain, and maybe even some scars and wounds.
But it is through those sorrows and pain, and those scars and wounds that God will continue to save the world.
For it is by Christ's wounds that we ourselves have been healed and saved.
May we, like St. John the Baptist, put our lives in the hands of God, and bear witness to truth and love.
Friday, August 26, 2011
21st Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday, 27-08-11
1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 / Matthew 25:14-30
Life is often given many analogies, and one of which is that of the waters of a river.
Life is said to be like the waters of a river. The waters are always flowing, and in one direction.
There are some certainties in that it is always flowing in one direction and it flows from a source to the sea.
Yet there are also some differences. It is said that you don't step into the same river twice, even though it may be at the exact same spot.
Because some things have changed - the waters are not the same, the river bed has changed, the surroundings have changed.
Similarly life has some certainties, yet life is always changing. We are the same person as yesterday and yet in some ways we have changed.
The gospel parable talks about duty and responsibility. Yet there is also this aspect of the necessity of change.
With whatever duty and responsibility we are given, we must also want to grow with that duty and responsibility and change into a better person.
That is what life is all about also. Life with its certainties of duties and responsibilities and accountability also has that dynamic change that helps us understand life and live it more meaningfully.
Not to accept any of these is to bury our life in the ground and that will be like a living death.
The God we believe in is the God of the living, not the God of the dead.
Life is often given many analogies, and one of which is that of the waters of a river.
Life is said to be like the waters of a river. The waters are always flowing, and in one direction.
There are some certainties in that it is always flowing in one direction and it flows from a source to the sea.
Yet there are also some differences. It is said that you don't step into the same river twice, even though it may be at the exact same spot.
Because some things have changed - the waters are not the same, the river bed has changed, the surroundings have changed.
Similarly life has some certainties, yet life is always changing. We are the same person as yesterday and yet in some ways we have changed.
The gospel parable talks about duty and responsibility. Yet there is also this aspect of the necessity of change.
With whatever duty and responsibility we are given, we must also want to grow with that duty and responsibility and change into a better person.
That is what life is all about also. Life with its certainties of duties and responsibilities and accountability also has that dynamic change that helps us understand life and live it more meaningfully.
Not to accept any of these is to bury our life in the ground and that will be like a living death.
The God we believe in is the God of the living, not the God of the dead.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
21st Week in Ordinary Time, Friday, 26-08-11
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 / Matthew 25:1-13
By and large, our lives are filled with hectic schedules and we are busy most of the time.
But no matter how busy we might be, there comes a quiet moment now and then, and the question about life pops up.
It may be while having a conversation with someone, or maybe just looking at the sunset or admiring a painting. The question just pops and flashes before us.
We begin to ask ourselves: So what is my life all about? What is the meaning of my life?
Such questions have prompted many people to embark on a spiritual journey in discovering who God is in their lives.
We too will have to answer those questions at one point in time.
In answering that question, St. Paul went straight to the point.
He told the Thessalonians that what God wants for them is to be holy.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul specifically pointed out sexual morality as an expression of holiness.
We need to ask ourselves how are we to express holiness concretely in our lives.
Maybe we should heed the call of today's gospel to be alert - to be alert and watchful of complacency and carelessness in our spiritual life and in our relationship with God.
All of us are called to be holy. To be any lesser is to take God for granted.
By and large, our lives are filled with hectic schedules and we are busy most of the time.
But no matter how busy we might be, there comes a quiet moment now and then, and the question about life pops up.
It may be while having a conversation with someone, or maybe just looking at the sunset or admiring a painting. The question just pops and flashes before us.
We begin to ask ourselves: So what is my life all about? What is the meaning of my life?
Such questions have prompted many people to embark on a spiritual journey in discovering who God is in their lives.
We too will have to answer those questions at one point in time.
In answering that question, St. Paul went straight to the point.
He told the Thessalonians that what God wants for them is to be holy.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul specifically pointed out sexual morality as an expression of holiness.
We need to ask ourselves how are we to express holiness concretely in our lives.
Maybe we should heed the call of today's gospel to be alert - to be alert and watchful of complacency and carelessness in our spiritual life and in our relationship with God.
All of us are called to be holy. To be any lesser is to take God for granted.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
21st Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday, 25-08-11
1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 / Matthew 24:42-51
There is this story about how three devils discussed about how to tempt people to sin.
The first said: I will tell them that there is no God, so sin all you want and have all the pleasures of life.
The second said : I will tell them that there is no hell, so sin all you want and enjoy all the pleasures of life.
The third said: I will tell them not to be in a hurry, that they still have lots of time left on earth, so they can still sin and have what they want, and they will fall for it.
So will we fall for the third temptation? Will we think that we still have lots of time ahead and there is no urgency to repentance?
We will know we are falling for it by our attitudes, e.g. complacency, procrastination, laziness.
We will know we are falling for it by our lukewarmness towards prayer and going for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We will know we are falling for it when we keep saying "Later on when I am free ..." when it comes to spiritual nourishment and formation.
Sin, like weeds, don't grow overnight. They creep in slowly.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul affirmed the Thessalonians for keeping their new found faith and he was relieved that they were still holding firm in the Lord, even though there was no urgency or crisis.
In the gospel, Jesus warned His disciples to stay awake, to be alert, to be aware of any slacking or back-sliding.
Because if in our faith and in our relationship with God, we do not feel the sense of urgency, that need for be alert and stand ready and be on the watch, then it may mean that we are falling into the devil's tactics.
As it is said, the man who thinks that he is safe must be careful not to fall (1 Cor 10:12).
There is this story about how three devils discussed about how to tempt people to sin.
The first said: I will tell them that there is no God, so sin all you want and have all the pleasures of life.
The second said : I will tell them that there is no hell, so sin all you want and enjoy all the pleasures of life.
The third said: I will tell them not to be in a hurry, that they still have lots of time left on earth, so they can still sin and have what they want, and they will fall for it.
So will we fall for the third temptation? Will we think that we still have lots of time ahead and there is no urgency to repentance?
We will know we are falling for it by our attitudes, e.g. complacency, procrastination, laziness.
We will know we are falling for it by our lukewarmness towards prayer and going for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We will know we are falling for it when we keep saying "Later on when I am free ..." when it comes to spiritual nourishment and formation.
Sin, like weeds, don't grow overnight. They creep in slowly.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul affirmed the Thessalonians for keeping their new found faith and he was relieved that they were still holding firm in the Lord, even though there was no urgency or crisis.
In the gospel, Jesus warned His disciples to stay awake, to be alert, to be aware of any slacking or back-sliding.
Because if in our faith and in our relationship with God, we do not feel the sense of urgency, that need for be alert and stand ready and be on the watch, then it may mean that we are falling into the devil's tactics.
As it is said, the man who thinks that he is safe must be careful not to fall (1 Cor 10:12).
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