No Looking Back

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100417.cfm) reminds me that God does not want us to look back to our sinful life as we serve him. 

We have a saying that goes “Ang hindi marunong tumingin sa pinanggalingan, hindi makararating sa paroroonan.” This shows that in our journey in life, it is important to know and remember where we came from, where we started, and not to forget our beginnings. However, in God’s kingdom, it may not always be best to look back as we move forward to serve him.

Everyone in Christ is a new creation. 

As we follow God, we are made new. The old self, with the sins, are left behind. This is why in gospel today, we see how God wants us not to look back as we follow Him. we should not look back to our old self and our sins, and just focus on Him, our new life, our new self, as we serve Him. It is said that we can’t serve two masters, so we should choose him and not our old self.

Once you decide to choose God, to follow Him, then it should be permanent. 

No need to reminisce of your old life, or old decisions or sins. That will just open the doors to temptation and relapse. As we choose God, as we allow ourselves to be transformed, we should just let God use and mold us, and not look back to what we are before.

As we live our new life in Christ, as we allow Him to mold and use us, may we not be tempted to look back at our old lives and just focus on what lies ahead. Let us keep moving forward towards him. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for always reminding me. Thank you for the opportunities you constantly give me to serve you and to choose you. Thank you for reaching out to me. Sorry for the times I am not that serious in changing and shaping up for you. Sorry for half hearted decisions to do good and serve you. Lord, I pray that as I live, I may constantly choose you. May I never look back to my old self and accept the new person you are making me. As I serve you, may I choose to keep moving forward and focus on you as I follow you. Amen. 

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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October 4, 2017
Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lectionary: 457

Reading 1NEH 2:1-8

In the month Nisan of the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,
when the wine was in my charge,
I took some and offered it to the king.
As I had never before been sad in his presence,
the king asked me, "Why do you look sad?
If you are not sick, you must be sad at heart."
Though I was seized with great fear, I answered the king:
"May the king live forever!
How could I not look sad
when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins,
and its gates have been eaten out by fire?"
The king asked me, "What is it, then, that you wish?"
I prayed to the God of heaven and then answered the king:
"If it please the king,
and if your servant is deserving of your favor,
send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors' graves,
to rebuild it."
Then the king, and the queen seated beside him,
asked me how long my journey would take
and when I would return.
I set a date that was acceptable to him,
and the king agreed that I might go.

I asked the king further: "If it please the king,
let letters be given to me for the governors
of West-of-Euphrates,
that they may afford me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah;
also a letter for Asaph, the keeper of the royal park,
that he may give me wood for timbering the gates
of the temple-citadel and for the city wall
and the house that I shall occupy."
The king granted my requests,
for the favoring hand of my God was upon me.

Responsorial PsalmPS 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
Though there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
"Sing for us the songs of Zion!"
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten! 
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you!

AlleluiaPHIL 3:8-9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
"I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus answered him,
"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."
And to another he said, "Follow me."
But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father."
But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God."
And another said, "I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home."
Jesus answered him, "No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God."

He Is With Me

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100317.cfm) reminds me that I should live my life proclaiming and showing how great God is. 

I am part of a Singles church group in the south, and the last line of our mission is a call to live a life proclaiming God and his greatness. We want others to see God living and alive in us, and would eventually want to be with us. This is similar to what we see in the first reading. 

How great it must have been. People coming up to them and telling them they want to be with them and go with them, for they heard God is with them. Their actions speak and proclaim God. Word got around that God is with them, and it drew people to them. We should live like this. 

Our lives should proclaim God. Our lives should remind people how great God is. Our lives should make God more alive and more real in this world. We should be ambassadors of Christ, proclaiming him to others not just with our words, but more importantly with our lives. We should live consistent with the gospel values. We should treat others right. We should find joy and peace in all situations.  

May we live a life proclaiming God and may our lives show others that God is always with us. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I do not live pleasing to you. Sorry for focusing only on myself and what I want. Sorry for forgetting you.  Help me live right. May other people see you in me. May my life proclaim your greatness and your goodness. Help me and use me. Amen. 

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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October 3, 2017
Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 456

Reading 1ZEC 8:20-23

Thus says the LORD of hosts:
There shall yet come peoples,
the inhabitants of many cities;
and the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another,
and say, "Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD";
and, "I too will go to seek the LORD."
Many peoples and strong nations shall come
to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem
and to implore the favor of the LORD.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
In those days ten men of every nationality, 
speaking different tongues, shall take hold,
yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say,

"Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

Responsorial PsalmPS 87:1B-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (Zec 8:23) God is with us.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
R. God is with us.
I tell of Egypt and Babylon
among those that know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
"This man was born there."
And of Zion they shall say:
"One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD."
R. God is with us.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
"This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
"My home is within you."
R. God is with us.

AlleluiaMK 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 9:51-56

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?"
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

To Be Great

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100217.cfm) reminds me that I should be childlike to be great in God's eyes. 

Young children usually obey their parents. When they are asked to be quiet, to do or not to do something, they don't usually ask why. Sometimes they do, but even if they don't fully understand the explanation of their parents, they still obey. They still follow. They respect their parents. Hindi sila pasaway na gagawin ang gusto nila. This attitude is what God wants us to have. This is what God wants us to be - childlike. 

In the first reading, we see that this is what God wants from the people. He wants them to obey and submit themselves to Him as their God. He said that they shall be my people, and I will be their God. In the gospel, Jesus said that God did not reveal things to the wise and learned of the world. Instead, he revealed them to the childlike.

What is being childlike? A childlike attitude puts full faith and trust in the parents  

Kapag bata, walang choice eh. The child needs to rely on the parents to walk, stand up, eat, etc. Ganun nalang yung dependency nya sa magulang. Ganun nalang yung tiwala nya sa magulang. Complete faith

A childish attitude is the opposite. 

It is when a person wants to have things their way. Kapag hindi nakuha ang gusto, magdadabog o magagalit. Gusto laging masunod. The focus is on the self.

This is why God blessed the childlike. He blessed those who relied on Him, instead of relying on their own personal achievements. He blessed those who know that they are nothing and everything that they have is from God, not those who think highly of themselves because of their accomplishments and credentials. And in the gospel, Jesus said that God revealed himself to the childlike and not to the learned. Because the childlike have open hearts ready to welcome Him and will not argue with him or push him away. 

God wants us to have that childlike faith – faith that will humble ourselves and totally rely on and trust in Him, knowing that He is the only one who loves us enough to die for us and save us from our sin, and that everything happening will lead to a full life in Him.

Are you childlike or childish? Are you proud of your own accomplishments and credentials that you forget the source of all those? Do you get mad at God when things don’t go your way, or when you don’t understand everything that is happening? Do you have full faith in God, confidently walking with him even if you can only see until the next step, knowing that He will be there every step of the way?

May we be sensitive to how we react to God, and work on having and pray for a childlike faith and attitude towards God.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another week to live and to experience your love. Thank you for reminding me the importance of being childlike and not childish. Lord, sorry for the many times I act childish. Sorry for getting mad at you when things do not go my way. Sorry for wanting things my way. Sorry for not having faith in you. Increase my faith. May I always trust in you, especially when things are challenging. A lot of times, I do not understand what is happening and how all these could turn into something great. But Lord, i have faith that you can see, and that as long as I cooperate with your plan, things will turn out great. May I develop that childlike faith as I live my life in service of you. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-worlds-greatest.html

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October 2, 2017
Memorial of the Guardian Angels
Lectionary: 455/650

Reading 1ZEC 8:1-8

This word of the LORD of hosts came:

Thus says the LORD of hosts:

I am intensely jealous for Zion,
stirred to jealous wrath for her.
Thus says the LORD:
I will return to Zion,
and I will dwell within Jerusalem;
Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city,
and the mountain of the LORD of hosts,
the holy mountain.

Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women,
each with staff in hand because of old age,
shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem.
The city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Even if this should seem impossible
in the eyes of the remnant of this people,
shall it in those days be impossible in my eyes also,
says the LORD of hosts?
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun,
and from the land of the setting sun.
I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem.
They shall be my people, and I will be their God,
with faithfulness and justice.

Responsorial PsalmPS 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 AND 22-23

R. (17) The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence.
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion;
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.

AlleluiaPS 103:21

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Bless the LORD, all you angels,
you ministers, who do his will.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."

Final Answer

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100117.cfm) reminds me that what's important to God is not the initial, but the final action. 

In the game who wants to be a millionaire, the contestant is given choices. After analyzing the choices and picking an answer, the host will ask if it is the final answer. If the contestant says yes, then thats the time the choice will be compared to the correct answer. It is not a touch move game wherein the first choice is the final. The same is true with God. 

God looks at our final answer. Our final action and decision will be judged, not the initial one. 

In the first reading, the wicked men referred to are the sinners and outcasts at that time, while righteous men are the scribes and pharisees. God gives chances to sinners, to wicked people to change their ways and follow God. Maybe they have not known who God really is. Maybe they're just waiting for someone to guide them to repentance. That is why God is waiting for them to repent and he will save them. However, the righteous already know what to do and how to act. So if they do evil, it is with the knowledge that it is indeed evil, and it shows they are choosing wickedness over good, so they will be punished even if they did good works before. 

In the gospl, Jesus repeats this concept. What is important to God is our actions, not our words. Talk is cheap. It is easy to say good things. It is harder to do them. And even if we initially do not choose to do good, if eventually we change, then God is pleased. He considers our final decision, our final action - to love him or hate him.

We all sin. We all hurt God. And we all have the opportunity to choose God, or choose wickedness. God does not judge us by our sins, but by our heart. Our heart determines our final action, our final answer. The state of our heart will determine if we choose God or wickedness. Then when we make that choice, that's the time we will be judged. 

May we take comfort in the fact that God does not judge us by our initial actions, and make the most of every opportunity to repent and choose God. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another Sunday. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for all the blessings. Thank you for your patience and love for me. Lord, sorry for my sins. Sorry for hurting you. Sorry for the times I choose wickedness instead of you. Help me live right. I want to be with you. Help me see you and choose you in the little decisions in life, so that as I live, I will be consistently showing you what my final answer is. Amen. 

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

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October 1, 2017
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 136

Reading 1EZ 18:25-28

Thus says the LORD:
You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,
he does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Responsorial PsalmPS 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice, 
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Reading 2 PHIL 2:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

OrPHIL 2:1-5

Brothers and sisters:
If there is any encouragement in Christ,
any solace in love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any compassion and mercy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,
united in heart, thinking one thing.
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests,
but also for those of others.

Have in you the same attitude
that is also in Christ Jesus.

AlleliuaJN 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not, '
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, 'but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,

you did not later change your minds and believe him."