Actively Do Good

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/060615.cfm) reminds me that we should actively do good.

A lot of us were taught not to do bad things. We should not kill, we should not cheat, we should not curse, etc. we basically try to follow the 10 commandments. This is good, but we should not end there. We see in the first reading that aside from not doing evil, what God also wants is for us to actively do good.

Our faith should be accompanied with good works.

We should not be too shy or too modest to proclaim all the good God has done in our lives. We should actively do good, because not doing good is actually bad. There is actually what we call the sin of omission, where in we skip the opportunity to do good to others. Prayer and fasting are good, but almsgiving and living in righteousness is better. Avoiding sin is important, but actively doing good is better. We should not be contented with simply avoiding sin, but we must strive to be like Jesus and actively do good to others. We need to actively work to make God’s love more real and more alive in others.

The amount or gravity of our actions are not as important as the mere action or the decision to do good. In the gospel, we see that Jesus told his disciples that the widow who put in a few cents gave the most. Obviously, in the worldly sense, it was very little, but not in God’s eyes. Not in God’s standards. He sees and gives importance to our hearts as we live and act. Therefore, no matter how simple our good works may be, God is pleased as long as they are done for love of Him.

May we be inspired and challenged, not just to avoid sin, but actively do good as well.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another weekend. Thank you for another reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I get contented with just avoiding sin. Sorry for the times I get contented in not doing bad things. Help me become more sensitive to you. as I avoid sin, may I actively seek out ways to serve you and do good. Help me, in my own little way, to do good to others and make them feel your love. Amen.

Blessed weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

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June 6, 2015

Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 358

Reading 1 Tb 12:1, 5-15, 20

Tobit called his son Tobiah and said to him,

“Son, see to it that you give what is due to the man

who made the journey with you; give him a bonus too.”

So he called Raphael and said,

“Take as your wages half of all that you have brought back,

and go in peace.”

Raphael called the two men aside privately and said to them:

“Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory.

Before all the living,

acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,

by blessing and extolling his name in song.

Honor and proclaim God’s deeds,

and do not be slack in praising him.

A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,

but the works of God are to be declared and made known.

Praise them with due honor.

Do good, and evil will not find its way to you.

Prayer and fasting are good,

but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.

A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness.

It is better to give alms than to store up gold;

for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.

Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life;

but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.

“I will now tell you the whole truth;

I will conceal nothing at all from you.

I have already said to you,

‘A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,

but the works of God are to be made known with due honor.’

I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed,

it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer

before the Glory of the Lord;

and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead.

When you did not hesitate to get up

and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead,

I was sent to put you to the test.

At the same time, however,

God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.

I am Raphael, one of the seven angels

who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord.”

“So now get up from the ground and praise God.

Behold, I am about to ascend to him who sent me;

write down all these things that have happened to you.”

Responsorial Psalm Tb 13:2, 6efgh, 7, 8

R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

He scourges and then has mercy;

he casts down to the depths of the nether world,

and he brings up from the great abyss.

No one can escape his hand.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

So now consider what he has done for you,

and praise him with full voice.

Bless the Lord of righteousness,

and exalt the King of ages.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

In the land of my exile I praise him

and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,

and may all of you praise his majesty.

Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.

R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.

Alleluia Mt 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are the poor in spirit;

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 12:38-44

In the course of his teaching Jesus said,

“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes

and accept greetings in the marketplaces,

seats of honor in synagogues,

and places of honor at banquets.

They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext,

recite lengthy prayers.

They will receive a very severe condemnation.”

He sat down opposite the treasury

and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.

Many rich people put in large sums.

A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,

“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more

than all the other contributors to the treasury.

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,

but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,

her whole livelihood.”