Immediately Follow

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/113017.cfm) reminds me that we should immediately follow God when he calls us. 

People react differently when being summoned. Whatever the situation is, wether it is a superior calling regarding work, or your parents telling you to do something, the reaction differs. Some would take their time and wait until the person is mad before heeding the call. Others wait two to three times of being called before following. While others follow and respond to at once. This is similar to how we react with our faith. And God reminds us to respond and follow immediately. 

As we celebrate the Feast of St Andrew, we see how he was. We should be inspired and encouraged with how he reacted when Jesus called him. They left whatever they were doing and immediately followed Jesus. No questions. No planning. They just left everything and followed him. They had faith in Him. And they held on to that faith. 

We should immediately respond and follow when God calls us. 

We should not ignore his call. We should not wait multiple times before we respond. We should immediately follow Him. We should respond to Him. We should learn how to trust in Him. Things may not be perfect. The situation may be ugly. We may still be doing and taking care of things. But we should be ready to follow Him. We should be ready to leave everything behind for him. 

May we be inspired by St Andrew and be ready and willing to immediately respond and follow God as he calls us. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I do not immediately follow you. Sorry for the times I prioritize doing my things over following you. Sorry for waiting until I have free time before I do things for you. Help me be like St Andrew. Help me have that faith in you that would be willing to drop everything for you. Amen. 

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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November 30, 2017
Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Lectionary: 684

Reading 1ROM 10:9-18

Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?
Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for

Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.

Responsorial PsalmPS 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R. (10) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.

or:
R. (John 6:63) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

AlleluiaMT 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father 

and followed him.

Surprise

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112917.cfm) reminds me that God will surprise us, especially when we least expect it. 

In the first reading, we see a powerful man in the sense of the world. King Belshazzar gave a banquet. He is powerful and influential, and he is enjoying it. He is having the time of his life when suddenly, God surprised him. He saw a vision, and he was disturbed. Eventually he had Daniel interpret it.

God will come when we lease expect us – and we cannot deny the state of our hearts when he sees it.

We eventually saw through Daniel that the king was not living right. The king has rebelled against God. He disrespected God and worshipped worldly possessions – gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. All things that are in the world. Beautiful but useless. We see what he considers important when he told Daniel that he will be given gifts, money and power if he can interpret the dream. This shows that these things are really important for him. and he thinks these are the things other people consider important as well.

Sometimes, we feel that God is silent, but his silence does not mean his approval. He is always watching.

The king may have been able to live wickedly for a while. He may have thought he was unstoppable. However, God sees us. And in his perfect time, he will come. And he will catch us doing what our heart contains and not what we project to other people. He may be silent, but that does not mean he allows wickedness. Sometimes he is just giving us a chance to repent and come to our senses. But when we refuse to, if we continue to ignore him, then he will come and judge us.

May we never equate God’s silence to his approval, and be aware that when God surprises us, we cannot deny the state of our lives. And we will be punished, or rewarded, as we deserve.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for another reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I think your silence means your approval. Sorry for the times I try to get awy with bad things and think it’s okay since you seem to be silent. Sorry for all my excuses. Help me always live right. Help me listen to your small voice. Help me live pleasing to you. So that when you come to surprise me, it will be a happy occasion – the start of eternity with you. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps 

See related reflections:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.sg/2011/11/hes-got-your-back.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.sg/2014/11/protected.html

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November 29, 2017
Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 505

Reading 1DN 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords,
with whom he drank.
Under the influence of the wine,
he ordered the gold and silver vessels
which Nebuchadnezzar, his father,
had taken from the temple in Jerusalem,
to be brought in so that the king, his lords,
his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.
When the gold and silver vessels
taken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in,
and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers
were drinking wine from them,
they praised their gods of gold and silver,
bronze and iron, wood and stone.

Suddenly, opposite the lampstand,
the fingers of a human hand appeared,
writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace.
When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, his face blanched;
his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook,
and his knees knocked.

Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king.
The king asked him, "Are you the Daniel, the Jewish exile,
whom my father, the king, brought from Judah?
I have heard that the Spirit of God is in you,
that you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom.
I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve difficulties;
if you are able to read the writing and tell me what it means,
you shall be clothed in purple,
wear a gold collar about your neck,
and be third in the government of the kingdom."

Daniel answered the king:
"You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else;
but the writing I will read for you, O king,
and tell you what it means.
You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven.
You had the vessels of his temple brought before you,
so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers,
might drink wine from them;
and you praised the gods of silver and gold,
bronze and iron, wood and stone,
that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence.
But the God in whose hand is your life breath
and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.
By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down.

"This is the writing that was inscribed:
MENE, TEKEL, and PERES.
These words mean:
MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;
TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;
PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

Responsorial PsalmDN 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67

R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Sun and moon, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Stars of heaven, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Every shower and dew, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you winds, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Fire and heat, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Cold and chill, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

AlleluiaREV 2:10C

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
And I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd:
"They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Do Not Be Deceived

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112817.cfm) reminds me that we should be carful and not be deceived by impostors. 

There are a lot of criminals nowadays. In the Philippines, one of the modus being used is called the "Budol Budol" wherein people are tricked into believing that their master/parents got into an accident and needs money. They are told to break in to the house vault or forcibly take jewelry and precious items supposedly for their master's use. When they give it to the criminals, who pretend to be friends of their master, they will eventually find out they have been victimized. They were deceived in believing the impostors.

This is similar to what the devil will try to do. The devil will always try to deceive us and take us away from God.

In the gospel Jesus says that there will be people who will come in his name and deceive others. We are warned not to be deceived. There are a lot of people and groups who claim to be the true group, true religion, or have divine origins. Whatever they say, no matter how other people may take it, we should not believe it. We should not be deceived.

Jesus will come back, Yes, but not in the form of another person. He will come back as Jesus. When he comes back, there will be no question. We will know it is him. This is why we should only believe in Him and guard our faith against those who try to distract us and keep us away from God.

May we guarded and careful as we follow only God

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for always providing for me. Thank you for all the blessings. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I lose my focus on you. help me be vigilant of my faith. Help me always keep my focus on you. May I never be deceived by others, no matter what they say, do and how the people react to them. Help me keep my eyes and my heart to you. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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November 28, 2017
Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 504

Reading 1DN 2:31-45

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:
"In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,
very large and exceedingly bright,
terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.
The head of the statue was pure gold,
its chest and arms were silver,
its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,
its feet partly iron and partly tile.
While you looked at the statue,
a stone which was hewn from a mountain
without a hand being put to it,
struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.
The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once,
fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer,
and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace.
But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain
and filled the whole earth.

"This was the dream;
the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.
You, O king, are the king of kings;
to you the God of heaven
has given dominion and strength, power and glory;
men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell,
he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all;
you are the head of gold.
Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours,
then a third kingdom, of bronze,
which shall rule over the whole earth.
There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron;
it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others,
just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.
The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron,
mean that it shall be a divided kingdom,
but yet have some of the hardness of iron.
As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,
and the toes partly iron and partly tile,
the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
The iron mixed with clay tile
means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage,
but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
In the lifetime of those kings
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people;
rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms
and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.
That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain
without a hand being put to it,
which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.
The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future;
this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure."

Responsorial PsalmDN 3:57, 58, 59, 60, 61

R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"You heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.

AlleluiaREV 2:10C

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
And I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 21:5-11

While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" 
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' 
Do not follow them! 
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end." 
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

Only On God

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/112717.cfm) reminds me that I should put my faith only on God. 

They say that in Philippine politics, there are only results – those who won, and those who were cheated on. There are a lot of reasons people give for losing. They do not want to accept the fact that they indeed lost. This is also sometimes how we generally are. As the saying goes, kung gusto madaming paraan, kung ayaw madaming dahilan. IF you want it, there are many ways how to do it, but if you don’t want it, there are many excuses. However, with our spiritual life, this should not be the case. Excuses should not be given.

There are no valid excuses for not standing up for the faith. 

In the first reading, we see that Daniel and his friends trusted only on God. They had faith that God will bless them and keep them healthy, despite not getting the usual food allotted to them. They stood up to their faith. They did not give excuses for not standing up for the faith – that they are forced to eat unclean food, that they need the energy food gives so they can do their work and glorify God, that they had no choice but to eat unclean food. They stood up for the faith. They trusted only on God. And they were rewarded.

Sometimes, we think too much. Sometimes we analyze too much. We think that our faith, that our service to God is dependent on so many things. We sometimes think we need to be rich to be able to give to God’s kingdom. The gospel shows us otherwise, and how much God values our giving, no matter the amount. We think we need connections to work for God’s kingdom. We justify not serving the poor by saying we need rest to do our work well. There can be many excuses for not doing God’s work, for not standing up for the faith, but we are reminded today that none of these is valid.

God is all powerful. His power is not dependent on anything or anyone. And as we work for him, as we serve him, as we put our faith in him, we should remember that we too should not focus on other things. Our service to God and the effectivity of our actions are not dependent on worldly things. We just need to focus on God and trust in Him, and he will do the rest.

May we remember God's power and goodness, and have faith only in Him. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another week. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I give a lot of excuses for not standing up to my faith and not doing your work. Sorry for the times I forget that you are all powerful and all glorious. Help me remember to just put my faith in you as I do your work. Give me the strength to always be brave for you. Give me the wisdom to always focus on you, no matter what happens in this world. May I live only for you. May I focus only on you. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2015/11/two-small-coins.html

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November 27, 2017
Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 503

Reading 1DN 1:1-6, 8-20

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came
and laid siege to Jerusalem.
The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
and some of the vessels of the temple of God;
he carried them off to the land of Shinar,
and placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god.

The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain,
to bring in some of the children of Israel of royal blood
and of the nobility, young men without any defect,
handsome, intelligent and wise,
quick to learn, and prudent in judgment,
such as could take their place in the king's palace;
they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans;
after three years' training they were to enter the king's service.
The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine
from the royal table.
Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah.

But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself
with the king's food or wine;
so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.
Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy
of the chief chamberlain, he nevertheless said to Daniel,
"I am afraid of my lord the king;
it is he who allotted your food and drink.
If he sees that you look wretched
by comparison with the other young men of your age,
you will endanger my life with the king."
Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain
had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,
"Please test your servants for ten days.
Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men
who eat from the royal table,
and treat your servants according to what you see."
He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days;
after ten days they looked healthier and better fed
than any of the young men who ate from the royal table.
So the steward continued to take away
the food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables.
To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency
in all literature and science,
and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.
At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation,
the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.
When the king had spoken with all of them,
none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah;
and so they entered the king's service.
In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them,
he found them ten times better
than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.

Responsorial PsalmDN 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!

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 21:1-4

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, "I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."