Faith in You

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/111014.cfm) reminds me that God has faith in me.

God sees us a lot better than we see ourselves. God sees not only our past or current state, but more importantly, he sees what we can become if we allow Him to work in and through us. He sees not only the challenges and sins, but also the goodness in us.

It is hard forgive, especially if we are hurt by people closest to us. That is why when Jesus taught about forgiveness, his disciples asked him to help them forgive. What Jesus is asking from us, to always be ready to forgive, is not easy. Yet he asks it nonetheless…because he has faith in us, in our goodness, in our capacity to forgive.

And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

The disciples asked Jesus to help them forgive, to increase their faith. Jesus said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, then we can move mountains.

Really, that small faith is enough?

I used to think that yes, that probably is enough. But what I discovered is that it becomes enough not because the requirement is small, but because of God.

God has faith in us!

It is his faith in us that increases the power of our little faith. It is his faith in us, our capacity to do good, our capacity to do great things through him, our capacity to love and to forgive, that enables us to do so, to move mountains, to forgive others even when we are deeply hurt, to love others the way Jesus wants us to. Yes, I believe that it is not just our faith, but God’s faith in us, that enables our mustard seed sized faith to do great things.

May we not be disheartened by our little faith. May we pray that God increase our faith. And while we wait, may we do our part and allow Him to, and trust in Him that he will add to whatever little faith we have.

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for another week. Thank you for all the blessings you have been giving me. Lord, I pray that you continue to increase my faith in you. And while you are in the process of increasing my faith, I ask that you continue to complement my faith, and continue to have faith in me. Your faith in me increases the power of my little faith, and I pray that as I continuously experience your love and faith in me, my faith will slowly and eventually increase as well. Help me be able to forgive others especially when I am deeply hurt. Enable me to love others without thinking of myself, of what I can get in return, and just love others the way you want me to. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/11/he-has-faith-in-us.html

Zeal

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110914.cfm) shows me a different side of Jesus.

We all know Jesus is a very peaceful man.  He is very gentle and loving. He heals people. He feeds people. He teaches people. There are times he gets had at Pharisees but he is not violent. However, in today’s gospel, we see a different side of Him.

Zeal is defined as great energy and enthusiasm in pursuing a cause. And as Jesus was pursuing the cause of spreading God’s kingdom, this is how he reacted to people who disrespected his Father’s place

He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.

How about us? Do we also have that zeal to spread God’s kingdom and keep his house clean and respected? Do we even care?

Sometimes we get so engrossed by what we are doing and what we want to happen in life that we forget all about God’s kingdom. Jesus is not asking us to be full time missionaries, but He wants us to care about God’s kingdom. May the busyness of life not make us forget what is essential in life.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to experience your love and your blessings. Lord, sorry for the times I forget you, that you take a back seat in my life. May I have Jesus’ zeal for you and your kingdom, that no matter what I do and what happens to me, I may never forget you. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Wise with Wealth

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110814.cfm) reminds me again that we should be wise in using our wealth

Nothing lasts forever, thus, we should use what we have to invest and prepare for eternity.

In the gospel, we see Jesus reminding us of this.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?

Worldly things are meant to prepare us for eternal ones.

We should not hold on to anything of this world. In the gospel we see that “We came to the earth naked, we will leave the earth naked.” Everything that we accumulated here on earth would be left here on earth. God wants us to be wise and use whatever temporary things we have to prepare for eternal ones in heaven. Our resources and time, all of which are temporary, should not only be used for ourselves, but to serve and benefit others as well.

May we live by the quote – live simply, so that others may simply live. And be wise stewards and prepare our eternal place in heaven by the temporary riches on earth.

Father God,

Thank you for today Thank you for another day to live thank you for another reminder to be wise with my gifts. Lord, sorry for the times I get caught up accumulating or just even thinking of worldly things. May I be sensitive to the needs of others, and use whatever I have on earth for others. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

ps

see related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/11/invest-in-eternity.html

Wise

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110714.cfm) reminds me that we should be wise in using what we have.

A few years back, I read a book called “The Law of Rewards” and one of the main point it says is that we should invest in eternity. The book puts it that we are just travellers in this world, and heaven is our real home. We will just stay in this earth for a short time. That being the case, we should be wise and use whatever we have on earth to build our home for eternity. To use temporary resources on earth to build our house in heaven, instead of holding on to it and enjoying it here.

God wants us to use our worldly blessings to prepare for eternal ones.

In the gospel, we see the story of a dishonest steward. It was said that during that time, the stewards get a certain amount or percentage from the money the owners get. They have an automatic cut from the payments of the people. That is why when the steward found out he will be dismissed from work, he actually did not “cheat” the master to gain favour from the people. What he actually did was to take off his “cut” or his share in the amount, and just asked the people to pay exactly what will be given to the master. In that way, he found favour in the eyes of the people, and the master commended him for using his resources (or letting go of it) in preparation for his being fired from the job.

God has given us resources on this earth. And to live decently and comfortably, we don’t actually need a lot. What we spend is sometimes above and beyond the actual basics that we need. This is what God wants us to realize – that we should not enjoy too much that we forget other people. We are given resources not only for ourselves, but for us to help others as well. In doing so, we are not only doing good, but being wise as well. Money and everything in this earth will pass away, will gather dust, and will be left in this earth when we die. We need to be prudent and wise with how we use what we have. As we use our resources to help others and build God’s kingdom, we are being wise and use these temporary resources to build our eternal home in heaven.

May we live by the quote – live simply, so that others may simply live. And be wise stewards and prepare our eternal place in heaven by the temporary riches on earth.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for your love. Thank you for another day to live and to serve you. I pray that I always be reminded how to use my resources properly. I thank you for providing for me and my family, and I make the decision to share whatever I have to others. May I be generous not only with my material resources, but with my time and prayers as well. Create in me a heart that would always be sensitive to others. May I be a happy giver for your kingdom. Amen.

In Christ,

-g-

ps

see related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/11/invest-in-eternity.html

Found

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110614.cfm) reminds me that wherever we may be, God will find us.

Love is a very famous yet overused topic. We all want love – we want to be loved and we want to love, be it romantic love or otherwise. For romantic love, a lot of people want one. We search long and hard to find our one true love. But other people say that you don’t need to look for love, because love will find you. And since God is love, I believe this is true for him as well.

There is no problem if you can’t find God. He will find you.

In the gospel we see that Jesus came to dine with sinners. Yes, he did not stay in the temple to pray and be with the holy ones of that time. He came to the streets looking for sinners.

This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
……
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
…..
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
….

‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

God will go the extra mile to find you. That’s how special you are. No matter how sinful you are or you may feel, he will come to you. He will find you.

Sometimes we feel ashamed to come to God, especially when we feel sinful, or when we know we are living in sin. We think that we need to clean ourselves first before we come to Him, before he can accept us. But I believe this is not the case. Christian rapper Lecrae echoes this in his song

So if you feel like you gotta clean yourself up

Before you can come to Him, Forget it

Just come to Him

He’ll take you as you are,

and he’ll change YOU From the inside, out

However, God finding us is not the end. Like the sheep in the gospel, even if the owner finds it, if the sheep would run away and resist, it won’t be back with him. In the same way, we should be ready and willing to accept Jesus. We should be willing to surrender and go back to him. We should be willing to let him bring us back, heal us, and change us.

May we be reminded how special we are in God’s eyes, and be ready and willing to return with him when he finds us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for all the love you have been giving me. Thank you for seeing me in a special way, even if I don’t see myself that way. Thank you for taking the extra mile to find me. Sorry for staying away, Lord. And I pray that you help me have a humble and contrite heart to come to you and come with you when you call me. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Renounce

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110514.cfm) reminds me that we should be ready to renounce everything from God.

There are a lot of stories of people renouncing things in the name of love or a cause. Some renounce inheritance or the acceptance of their family just to fight for their loved one. It’s a “you-and-me-against-the-world” attitude or mentality, they are willing to go against everything and everyone for the sake of their love, or for the sake of what they believe it. This shows how much importance someone or something has.

In the gospel, this is also the attitude God wants from us.

If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
…

In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple

God does not want us to go hating our family or argue with our family. In fact, the other day we were reminded how much God wants us to honor and respect our parents. However, our love for parents or family should not come in between our love for God.

Nothing should come in between our love for God.

God should be God in our lives. Family relationships, work, business, possessions or any other belief should come before God. When we say we love God and want to follow Him, we should be ready to go all out. To love God with all that we have. This is the first commandment.

God does not ask that we live like many of the saints, who renounced all material possession they had and lived in poverty. We need these things not just to survive, but to be able to help and bless others as well. Blessings are meant to be shared. We are just reminded today that these things should not take the place of God in our lives.

May we be ready to follow God and love God above all.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for your great love that you make me feel everyday. Thank you for all the blessings, especially those I tend to ignore or take for granted. Lord, thank you for the reminder today. Help me be detached from anything and everything of this world. May nothing and no one come before you in my life. May I always be ready to renounce everything in this world for you. Amen

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

God of All

  

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110414.cfm) reminds me that God is for all.

There are very few people who are comfortable in dealing with people from all walks of life. Some get intimidated and annoyed by rich and influential people, while some cannot step out of their comfort zones to be with the poor and marginalized. However, with God, this is not a problem. He is the God of all.

In the gospel we see that he is for all. He invited everyone – from the chosen people, to the poor and sick.

Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled

God’s love is for all. He accepts everyone.

His house is big enough to accommodate everyone. His heart is big enough to love us all. His power is great enough to bless and protect us all.

No matter where we are in our journey in life right now, God is willing to take us in. we may be very dirty – having lots of sins and not living the way God wants us to. We may be poor, focusing on worldly things and forgetting the essential – the spiritual things. We may be changing – trying to change and improve from our old sinful self to the new self in Christ, or we may be walking and living right, doing our best to follow Christ everyday. No matter where we are, God wants to take us in. The only concern is if we want to be taken in.

God cannot force us if we don’t want to come to his house. He cannot force us clean. He will only make himself always available for us. May we find it in our hearts to heed his call.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love and experience your love. Thank you for the reminder Lord that you love me so much, that you are God of all. Thank you for always being ready to accept me. Help me surrender to you. No matter where I am in life right not, may I be willing to enter your house and allow you to enter my heart. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-