Surrendered

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101616.cfm) reminds me how powerful surrendering to God is. 

In the first reading, we see the story of Moses, Joshua and the whole Israelites going to war with Amalek. They went to war and as long as Moses had his hands raised, they got the upper hand in battle. Imagine it. Wow. This must have been a cool sight. if his hands were raised they were winning. If he got tired and lowered his hands, the enemies take over. Wow. How magical, right? But why were his raising of hands powerful? Probably because it signified his surrender to God.

Surrender to God is not a sign of weakness and defeat. Is it a sign of humility and power. 

In praise and worship, one of the outward signs of surrendering is the raising of hands. Think of someone being held up, or being arrested. As Robin Padilla would say in his movies, suko na ako, taas na ang kamay ko sayo. One raises the hands as a sign of surrender. That’s what Moses was doing. Raising his hands, surrendering to God not only himself but his people. 

It is wise to surrender to God. It is wise to surrender to the almighty being who made heaven and earth, as the psalmist says. And it is wise to surrender to and keep calling on God, as Jesus pointed out in the gospel. We need to be persistent, just like the widow in the parable. Just like Moses who would raise up his hands after he gets weak. Minsan kailangan maging makulit. 

However, surrender is not a one time decision. It is an everyday, constant decision. The battle was not won in one sitting. A one time raising of Moses hands was not enough. Raising the hands can become painful if done for a long period of time, that is why he had Aaron and Hur to help him raise his hands, and eventually they won the battle. This is the important of having friends who would support us in our spiritual journey. It is also a call to be friends who would support and help others who are weak. Surrendering to God can be painful, and we may eventually get tired and weary. It may lead us to go back to where it was comfortable. That is why we need people to help and support us, to make sure we push despite the challenges and hardships, that we continue to surrender to God until the time we will be called to meet him face to face.

May we be willing to always surrender to God, and be friends who would help and encourage others do the same. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for giving me another day to live. Thank you for another opportunity to know more about you. Lord, thank you for the reminder on surrender. Lord, I am sorry for the times I refuse to surrender to you and instead trust in myself or on others. Sorry for being hard headed. And sorry for the times I give up. Sorry for the times I put my hands down when I feel pain and when I get tired and weary.  Lord, help me to always surrender to you. Help me choose to submit to you everyday all of my concerns, worries, fears, dreams and my plans. I just lift them up to you and trust that you would take care of everything. I also pray that you send me people to always help me and guide me and remind me to continuously and faithfully surrender to you, despite all the pain it may cause me. In the same way, I ask that you use me to help others surrender to you as well. Have your way in me always. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

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October 16, 2016
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 147

Reading 1 Ex 17:8-13

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua,
“Pick out certain men,
and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle.
I will be standing on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand.”
So Joshua did as Moses told him:
he engaged Amalek in battle
after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up,
Israel had the better of the fight,
but when he let his hands rest,
Amalek had the better of the fight.
Moses’hands, however, grew tired;
so they put a rock in place for him to sit on.
Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (cf. 2) Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
I lift up my eyes toward the mountains;
whence shall help come to me?
My help is from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer your foot to slip;
may he slumber not who guards you:
indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps,
the guardian of Israel.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade;
he is beside you at your right hand.
The sun shall not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The LORD will guard you from all evil;
he will guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and your going,
both now and forever.
R. Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Reading 2 2 Tm 3:14-4:2

Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

Alleluia Heb 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
discerning reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”