Reaction

  

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121914.cfm) reminds me that we have different reactions to similar things.

They say that you cannot control what happens in life. You cannot control what life throws as you. You cannot control other people and their behavior. But there is one thing that you can control – your reaction to these things. You cannot control challenges, but you can control how you react to these challenges. You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can control how you behave.

This is what we can see in today’s readings.

Both in the first reading and gospel, we see angels bearing good news to people. In the first reading (See Judges 13 http://usccb.org/bible/judges/13:2), the angel told Manoah’s wife that she will bear a son, while in the gospel (See Luke 1 http://usccb.org/bible/luke/1:5) the angel told Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will also bear a son in their old age. Both good news. Both redemption. But they reacted differently.

Zechariah was full of doubt. Well, who can blame him? He and Elizabeth are very old, and probably they have stopped hoping and praying for a child. However, we see Manoah’s reaction was very different. When he learned about the good news, he prayed to God and asked him to tell them how they are to prepare. Then when the angel was sent to them, they thanked the angel so much and gave their offering to God. Such faith! Surrendered heart full of faith!

No matter how we react, we cannot stop God’s plan from being fulfilled.

Of course, Manoah and his wife did their best to prepare until God’s word was fulfilled in them bearing Samson. But even if we doubt, like Zechariah, God’s word and plans cannot be stopped. Like him, we may just have to bear unnecessary pain because of our faith (or lack of it) or our reactions to things. Our reaction will just determine how we participate in God’s plans, but no matter how we react, we cannot stop His plans from being fulfilled.

May we have faith in God like Manoah, and be inspired by Elizabeth’s surrendered faith in God’s perfect time as we say “So the Lord has done for me at a time he has seen fit…”

How do I react to things that are happening in my life? Do I do my best to react in a way God wants me to, or do I let the situation get the best of me and affect my reaction? Do I believe in God’s word to me, or am I full of doubt and let me fears or past hurts affect the way I see God’s word? What is God telling me today?

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another day to experience you. Thank you for the reminders today. Lord, help me have faith like Manoah. May I be ready and willing to receive good news and do my best to prepare my heart and my life for you. Cast away all my doubts and fears, and may this day give me a renewed faith, renewed hope, and a renewed life founded on you. Amen

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

God With Us

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121814.cfm) reminds me that God is always with us.

Presence is important. We need to feel the physical presence of someone to be secured and to be assured that someone is there. However, God is reminding us today that he is always here with us, even if we may not feel it.

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus

God takes care of things, even if we do not see it, even if we do not know it. In the gospel, Mary did not know that Joseph had plans of divorcing her quietly so she may not be put to shame. Though he was a good man, and intention was good, God had better plans. He sent the angel to assure Joseph that everything happening had God’s blessing. God was with Mary, though she did not feel him moving in her life.

God is with us as well, even if we don’t feel him.

A lot of times we say we don’t feel God because we do not get what we want. But that’s just immature of us. Maybe we don’t feel God because he protects us, because he stops bad things from actually happening to us. That’s why we feel that things are normal and boring, because God is there, always with us to protect us.

We may not experience God in a grand way, like the angel appearing to Mama Mary or in a dream directly speaking to us through an angel like Joseph, but until now, God is present. He is active and moving in our lives, blessing and protecting us. May we learn to trust in Him, and appreciate all things he does behind the scenes.

Is God alive in my life? How? Do I feel him loving and protecting me? In what way? Do I need grand signs to know that he is with me, or do I trust his word, and feel his presence through different things in my life?

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 your protection. Thank you for another reminder that you are always there. Lord, sorry for the times I fail to see you. Sorry for the times I do not acknowledge you in my life, just because things seem normal. Lord, I know that you are working behind the scenes, and you are protecting me from danger. I trust in you, Lord. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ.

-g-

Great Orchestrator

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121714.cfm) reminds me how great an orchestrator God is.

I have always been fascinated with orchestra conductors. They have such powerful and amazing roles. They direct the sound of different instruments with just their hands. Every motion they do has a corresponding sound and effect on the whole orchestra. It is both cool and difficult to be in that position. They know how to make every instrument play and be a part of a great music. One instrument alone may be boring to listen to and may not make great music, but he knows how to put all the instruments together to make great music, to make masterpieces.

God’s role is similar to that – though a lot bigger and more difficult. He is the great  orchestrator of things.

In the gospel, we see the genealogy of Jesus. How great and perfect it is! From the time of Abraham until Jesus, everything was planned by God. Three sets of 14 generations. Wow. How great. How perfect

Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations

In the same way God did this in the life of Jesus, he is still working right now in our lives. Things may seem to be a mess, things may not look good, things may not make sense, but we just have to trust in the great orchestrator. In the same way that just one instrument in the orchestra may be boring, unless joined by other instruments to create masterpieces, God also knows what other things are lacking in our lives, and he is planning everything, so when everything comes together, it will be something great. It will be his masterpiece.

Let us trust in God and his great plans for us, for when the time is right, we will see all things come together and the greatness of God’s plans in our lives will come to fruition.

What are the things that are bothering me lately? What are my concerns? What are missing in my life? What instances in the past do not seem to make sense, until God’s perfect timing came and everything made perfect sense? What is God teaching me today?

Father God,

Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another day to experience your love. Thank you for the reminder to just trust in you. Lord, it is very difficult to just surrender and trust, especially when things do not make sense, or when I am in a very tough situation. But Lord, you see everything, and you know how to make everything work for my good. Help me surrender and trust in you, Lord. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Act, not Say

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121614.cfm) reminds me that God looks at our actions and not just our words.

Words and actions go hand in hand but in times of conflict, actions win. They say that actions speak louder than words, and in a lot of situations, this is true. What we say is important, but merely saying it is not enough. Words should be backed up by actions. Words should be proven by actions.

In the gospel, we see that Jesus appreciates those “sinners” who say they will not follow God, but eventually turned to follow him, than the righteous who says they will follow God but do not live their lives according to their words.

He came to the first and said,
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he 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

God does not give up on us. He sends people to convince us, to help us change our ways and live for Him. However, the decision to follow him is ours, not his. He gave us freewill, and no matter how many or how great his signs and help are, we still choose.

It is easy to say we love God. It is easy to say we love others. It is easy to say we are Christians. But it is difficult to live it. It is not easy to be patient with others. It is not easy to see the good with others. It is not easy to live right, especially when no one sees us. It is not easy to choose God in the big, but more importantly, the little decisions we make everyday.

May we prepare for Christmas, may we be reminded that our actions should go hand in hand with our words.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live .thank you for another day to experience your love. Lord, thank you for the reminder. Thank you for not giving up on me. I ask that you help me live my life in a way that would please you. May my words always be backed up by actions. Help me to be willing to step out of my comfort zone and do things for you. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2011/12/actions-speak-louder-than-words.html

God’s Wisdom

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121514.cfm) reminds me of God’s wisdom in our lives.

There are a lot of things we worry about. A lot of things we want answers to. A lot of fears in our lives. But today’s gospel reminds us that God’s wisdom is infinite and is always there.

In the gospel, when the people seemed to have trapped Jesus, we see divine wisdom in action. He knows that they are thinking in their minds, and he knows how to answer them to show the wisdom and power that he has.

Nothing can keep God’s plan from happening.

The people had no power to force Jesus to do something he did not want to do or tell what he does not want to tell. And we should be encouraged because the world has no power over Jesus, and no matter how we feel, or what may be happening, is not out of God’s control.

God’s wisdom sees the logic of what is happening in our lives.

There are a lot of questions in our minds, but we are reminded today that God’s wisdom makes sense of everything, and though we may not yet see and understand it now, we should have faith that in His perfect time, everything would make sense.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day, for another week. Lord, thank you for the nice reminder as I start another week. You know my fears and concerns, Lord. You see what I don’t see. Help me to just trust in you. I know you have great plans for me. Things may not make sense now, things may not look good, but I know that your wisdom is above all, and that your plans will eventually come into fruition in my life. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Happily Preparing

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121414.cfm) reminds me that we should be happy when we are preparing for God’s coming.

Attitude is important. They say that a mother’s overall disposition while pregnant affects the baby. When people cook, they say that the mood of the person cooking affects the food being prepared. Same is true with God – he sees the attitude of our hearts and wants us to be happy while preparing for him and doing things for him.

The readings tell us that God wants us to be happy. In the first reading, we see Isaiah say:

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul

The second reading then shows us St Paul reminding the Thessalonians to always be happy, because that’s what God wants for us.

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus

Then the psalm reminds us what should be the reason for us being happy.

R/ (Is 61:10b) My soul rejoices in my God.

In the gospel, we see John doing his role in the salvation history. He was sent to prepare the way for Christ. He is not the star, but he was happily pointing everyone to Jesus. He knows his role, and he knows who he is serving. That’s why he is happy doing his role, because his joy is from God, in doing God’s task for him.

God wants us to be happy for a reason. He wants us to be real happy, to have real joy, because we can only have this if we are really founded on Him. If he is our rock, our foundation, then no matter what the situation is, no matter what we do for him, we will be happy.

As we continue to prepare for Christmas this year, may we have this attitude. May we be happy as we prepare, not stressed out thinking of all the gifts we are to buy, or the traffic, or the expenses. Let us remember the real reason for this season. May we be happy knowing that our true love, our master, our rock, is the real reason for this season, and that we are preparing our lives to be the best version of ourselves as our way of thanking him for all the love he has been giving us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to rest. Thank you for another week to be reminded of the importance of preparing for you. Lord, help me have a happy heart while preparing for you this season. May I do all things for you out of love, and may you be pleased with my effort to prepare my heart and my life. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Awesome Elijah

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121314.cfm) reminds me how awesome the prophet Elihah is.

The first reading shows us some cool facts about Elijah:

How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob

How interesting! How cool is that?! Elijah taken in a whirlwind of fire in a chariot with fiery horses! Wild! And how awesome Elijah’s role is, to re-establish people and prepare them for Christ’s coming. During that time, it was believed that Elijah would come back before the Messiah comes. And in the gospel, Jesus tells us that it’s true. However, he did not come in a way they wanted to or they expected him to. He came in the person of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus. By baptizing and proclaiming the message, he prepared the people for Christ’s coming. That’s how he re-established the people with God.

This is again an example that God’s ways are not always our ways. As Elijah came in the person of John the Baptist, the Messiah came in Jesus, a carpenter’s son born in a stable – not the mighty king and ruler they were expecting. It reminds us that even if things does not fit the way we expect them to be, God’s purpose will still be accomplished. We should not close our minds and expect God to behave in the way we expect him to be.

Another thing is that God uses us in ways we don’t expect, if only we allow him. We may not know the implications or effects of the things that we do for Him, but we still do it anyway. He needs us to. He used John to prepare the way for Christ, and after 2000 years, he still needs people who will do that. In our own little way, we can. As we prepare ourselves, we should also be open and let God use us, we should also do our part to help others prepare for Christ’s coming.

As we approach Christmas, preparation has been the theme for a number of days now because it is important. God is continuously inviting us. He’s just waiting for our reply.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another reminder of how generous and rewarding you are. Thank you for showing me how awesome Elijah is, because it shows how generous you are in rewarding people who serve you. Lord, like Elijah, help me prepare for you. Help me prepare for Christmas. And help me take it one step further, to prepare not just myself, but in my own little way, help prepare it for others as well. May  the way I live my life prepare others for you. Amen.

Blessed Weekend!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2011/12/awesome-elijah.html