Live Wisely

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102517.cfm) reminds me that I should live wisely. 

I think the famous line from spider man, with great power comes great responsibility, is similar to the last verse from today's gospel. An uncle of mine always mentions this bible verse to us, as a reminder of our responsibility not only to our family, but more so to others who do not have the capacity to pay us back for helping them out. To whom much is given, much is required. Also, a very dear lasallian brother told us before his take on it. To whom much is given, much is expected. This us true not only with our financial blessings, but also on how we live our life and take care of our souls. 

"Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

God expects more from us as more things are revealed to us. Scary? More like challenging. God expects more from us as we know him more, because that's what the natural reaction should be. The more we know God, the more we feel his love, the more we experience his gentleness and forgiveness, the more we should want to stay away from sin - from hurting him. The more we know him, the more we realize his love for us, the more we should love him back and live pleasing to Him. 

On the other hand, If after knowing and experiencing these things from God and we don't change and don't improve, then something's wrong. If after feeling his love and knowing how much he loves us, and still we choose to ignore him, we choose to sin, then we are telling him that we do not love him. We are telling him that we do not want to be with him. Thus, someone fully aware of God's love and his will, yet choose to live away from him will eventually be punished more than someone who is ignorant of these. 

May we first allow God to love us, allow God to make us feel and experience his love, gentleness, power and forgiveness in our lives - and may it move us to change our lives to please him. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for continuously revealing yourself to me. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I don't do what is pleasing to you. Sorry for my sins that tell you I love myself more than I love you. Help me live right. Lord, I  allow you to love me. May I experience your love in a deep, personal and intimate way. And as i do so, I pray that you give me the heart that would always want to love you, serve you, please you and continuously change for the better. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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October 25, 2017
Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 475

Reading 1ROM 6:12-18

Brothers and sisters:
Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies
so that you obey their desires.
And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin
as weapons for wickedness,
but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life
and the parts of your bodies to God
as weapons for righteousness. 
For sin is not to have any power over you,
since you are not under the law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law
but under grace? 
Of course not!
Do you not know that if you present yourselves
to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey,
either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart
to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

Responsorial PsalmPS 124:1B-3, 4-6, 7-8

R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us, 
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive;
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us 
a prey to their teeth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.

AlleluiaMT 24:42A, 44

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 12:39-48

Jesus said to his disciples: 
"Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

Then Peter said,
"Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
And the Lord replied,
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
'My master is delayed in coming,'
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant's master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly. 
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."