Division

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102617.cfm) reminds me that God brings division from those who do not believe in Him. 

Jesus is the price of peace, but the gospel seems to contradict that at first glance. But looking at it closely, it is not an intentional division, but rather, he reminds us that he comes to divide those who are following him from those who are not.

In the first reading, we see that the wages of sin is death. If we constantly sin, we are telling God we want death over life with him. This is why God wants to separate us, his followers, from those who do not follow him. This is why he brings division. 

Family is very important, especially to us Filipinos. Through thick and thin, family stays together. A family should be one, with no issues and division. However, we are reminded in today’s gospel that nothing should come in between us and God. Nothing and no one. A division may occur, among friends, among those we love, and even among family members, as we try to follow God.  However, we are reminded that we should not let attachment come in between our faith, and nothing should separate us from God.

God’s ways are not always easy, but it always worth it. May we be encouraged to stand firm, and avoid division by doing our best to bring our loved ones to Christ as well.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another opportunity to experience you. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I am not strong in faith. Sorry for wavering and for choosing others over you. Lord, I pray for strength to stand firm, to stand for you no matter what happens. Help me be brave and live and defend my faith and love for you. I ask that you help me to also spread your love to others. May I also bring others, especially those whom I love, closer to you. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps 

see related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2016/10/divided.html

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October 26, 2017
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 476

Reading 1ROM 6:19-23

Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature.
For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness for lawlessness,
so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed? 
For the end of those things is death.
But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God,
the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,
and its end is eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6

R. (Ps 40:5) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

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 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father, 
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

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."

Ready

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102417.cfm) reminds me that I should always be ready to meet God. 

It’s ironic that all of us want to go to heaven, but we don’t want to talk about death. We don't want to die. However, death is real, and everyone will have do experience it to go to heaven. That is why it is important to prepare for is while we are still alive.

Gird you loins and light your lamps.

In the gospel, Jesus said that the servants should gird their loins and light their lamp. Girding the loin in those days meant to be ready for battle, or to simply be ready. And a servant who has a lighted lamp as he waits for the master’s return means that servant is ready, and awake. That’s how we should be. That’s how we should live our lives. Ready. Ready to meet him. 

How can we be ready?

We do a lot of things. We pray, that’s good. We go to mass on Sundays and if we have time, probably more than once a week. We read the bible. We confess. We help others with what we have. Yes, those are good things. Those are helpful things in preparing. But I believe those are not enough. Merely praying is not enough. Everyone can pray, even the scribes and Pharisees during Jesus time, but simple praying doesn’t guarantee salvation. We can pray with our hearts closed and far from God. Merely hearing mass is not enough too. We can be at mass, everyday, but not participate and be distracted with other things, other people. If we are in mass but our lives are not consistent with Christ’s, then it is not enough. We can read the bible, but if we read it using our minds, using intellect, and not the heart, then it is not enough. We can do good things, but if we do it to show off, then we already got our reward.

What we need to be prepared is simple – a surrendered heart.

A surrendered heart to Christ. As we surrender our hearts to Him, our motives are purified. Our actions will be sanctified. Our prayers will be aligned to his. our prayers will be to happen what God wants in our lives. When we hear mass, we fully participate and allow God to mold us, and to enter our lives especially as we receive the Eucharist. We allow him to consume us. We read the bible with an open heart, asking to reveal to us his messages everyday. And as we do good works, we don’t mind if no one recognizes us, because we do it to show love to God through others.

May we be challenged and prepare to be ready to meet God when he calls us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. thank you for giving me another day to live. Thank you for the reminder. Thank you for another opportunity to prepare my life as I the day I will meet you draws nearer. Lord, sorry fr the times I forget this. Sorry for not giving this the attention it deserves. Sorry for being lazy and complacent. I ask that you help me surrender my heart to you. help me surrender my life, little by little, day by day. I ask that as I do so, you help me purify my thoughts, actions and motives. Help me live right so I will always be prepared. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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October 24, 2017
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 474

Reading 1ROM 5:12, 15B, 17-19, 20B-21

Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.

If by that one person's transgression the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one
the many will be made righteous.
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification
for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 40:7-8A, 8B-9, 10, 17

R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

AlleluiaLK 21:36

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples: 
"Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants."

Foolish

The WORD today reminds me that it is foolish to focus on things of the world. 

I used to play Shadow Fight 2 on my phone. The game, though action type, requires energy for you to fight. You also need coins so you can upgrade your weapons and armor. Coins are earned by fighting small battles. One time, I badly wanted to defeat the big boss of the level so I fought consecutive battles to win coins so I can upgrade my weapons and armor. I was happy because I had enough coins to get upgrades, so the fight would be relatively easy. However, in the middle of the battle, the game suddenly shut down. Hassle. When I restarted the game, not only was my progress not saved, but my coins were lost as well! Super hassle! 

That is something I don’t want to happen in life, and Jesus reminds us in the gospel today not to let that happen, especially with our spiritual life. we should not be too focused on material things, and being too complacent as we forget important things in life. 

It is foolish to accumulate worldly riches at the expense of eternal ones.

Money, power, fame and influence take time to accumulate. However, it can be easily taken from us, either by someone more powerful, more famous, more influential or someone with more money. Worse, it can be taken overnight by God, when he decides to take us out of this world – only us with nothing we can bring. This is why we should not forget to accumulate eternal riches as well.

Worldly riches are not bad in themselves. They become bad, however, when they become the purpose of life. they become evil when we commit evil and forget our values just to get more of them. IT becomes foolish when we focus on these riches and forget heavenly things and treasures we can work for even if we’re still here on earth.

We won’t be around forever, so we do not need too much. May we remember to also focus on heavenly things – to do good, to pray, to spend time with and serve God, even as we accumulate and work for earthly riches to survive here on earth.

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 week. thank you for the reminder not to be a rich fool. Lord, sorry for the times I act like the rich fool. Sorry for being too focused on worldly things that I neglect spiritual ones. Sorry for not giving enough time and attention for you. I ask that you help me focus on you and live right. Help me live wise. May I never be too focused on accumulating earthly riches at the expense of my soul. May my focus always be right and my values intact. Help me live preparing for the time you will call me to be with you. Amen.

Blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

Se related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2015/10/eternal-treasure.html

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October 23, 2017
Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 473

Reading 1ROM 4:20-25

Brothers and sisters:
Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
But it was not for him alone that it was written
that it was credited to him;
it was also for us, to whom it will be credited,
who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification.

Responsorial PsalmLUKE 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.

AlleluiaMT 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
"Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
He replied to him,
"Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd,
"Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions."

Then he told them a parable.
"There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, 'What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?'
And he said, 'This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'
But God said to him,
'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?'
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God."

Not An Excuse

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102217.cfm) reminds me that following and serving God do not have exempt me from other responsibilities in life. 

I had friends in college who were very keen on spiritual activities. They were doing bible study sessions multiple times a week, which would extend until late at night. This is something good, yearning for God and wanting to spend time with people knowing more about him and talking about him. however, some of their classmates were telling me that these people became remiss in their responsibility for school – not doing their part on group projects and not being 100% in class because they sleep late at nigh due to bible study sessions. It was sad that their actions do not reflect a good testament to the faith.

Following God does not exempt us from other rules and responsibilities in life. 

In the gospel, Jesus tells us that he expects us to give to Caesar what is due Caesar, and to God what is God’s. We cannot serve the country and say we do not need to serve God anymore, since we are serving the country. Likewise, we cannot say we do not need to serve others anymore if we are serving God. These things go hand in hand. 

Serving others and doing our responsibilities are necessary to strengthen and proclaim our faith to others. 

We need to give proper attention to the different aspects in our lives. We cannot say it is okay to be mediocre in our studies or career or business because we are doing extra-curricular work serving God. Serving God is not an excuse for mediocrity. We need not excel in every aspect of our lives, but we should try. We should give our best in everything – in our service to God, in our work, in our relationships with other people – parents, family, significant other, etc.  This is a good testament of our faith. This is what God wants.

May we always do our best, in serving God and in fulfilling our responsibilities, so we can give a good testament to our faith. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for giving me another day to live. Thank you for another Sunday. Thank you Lord for reminding me how you want me to live. Lord, sorry for the times I am not able to do this. Sorry for being contented with just one. Help me live the way you want me to. Lord, as I live my life today, I pray that I give my best in everything that I do. May I do my best not because I want recognition or praise, but because as I offer my life to you, I want to give you the best in all aspects of it, because you deserve the best that I can give. I will give my best because I want my actions and my life to be a positive testament of my faith. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

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October 22, 2017
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 145

Reading 1IS 45:1, 4-6

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I grasp,
subduing nations before him,
and making kings run in his service,
opening doors before him
and leaving the gates unbarred:
For the sake of Jacob, my servant,
of Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by your name,
giving you a title, though you knew me not.
I am the LORD and there is no other,
there is no God besides me.
It is I who arm you, though you know me not,
so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun
people may know that there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, there is no other.

Responsorial PsalmPS 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10

R. (7b) Give the Lord glory and honor.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.
Worship the LORD, in holy attire;
tremble before him, all the earth;
say among the nations: The LORD is king,
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Give the Lord glory and honor.

Reading 21 THES 1:1-5B

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

AlleluiaPHIL 2:15D, 16A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off
and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. 
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,
for you do not regard a person's status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" 
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 
Show me the coin that pays the census tax." 
Then they handed him the Roman coin. 
He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" 
They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."