Obey Nonetheless

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090513.cfm) reminds me how important it is to obey God, despite our apprehensions or questions.

In the gospel, we see Jesus preaching, and eventually making miracles. He told Simon to lower his nets so he can get some fish. at first, Simon was apprehensive, saying that they worked all night and caught nothing. Probably he was thinking that – who is this guy, he is not even a fishermen. And it shows, because he asked me to just lower my nets, but this is not a spot where we usually catch fish. but he did not let these thoughts win. He eventually obeyed – we have worked hard all night but caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets. Beucase of his faith and obedience, he was blessed.

A lot of times, we experience what Simon did. However, not all of us get past the initial apprehension phase. We are all carrying our problems, burdens and concerns. There may be times we feel what Simon felt – working hard all our lives and still accomplishing nothing, still the same problems, concerns and worries. Tired. Frustrated. However, we should not let these things overpower us. We should not let these things prevent God from working in our lives.

Had Simon told Jesus that he was too tired from working all night, even if Jesus had the power to bless him, Simon won’t be blessed. If Simon gave in to the temptation to say “Hey, we worked all night and diid what you are telling us to do, and we got nothing. So please, give me a breal” or something like that, he would really not catch anything.

God’s wisdom is beyond our understanding, and his goodness is never ending.

We don’t need to understand why he is asking us to do things, or it does not need to make sense what he is asking us to do. Sometimes, he just wants us to obey, have faith and be humble. Then he can bless us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for giving me another day to live. Lord, I ask for the gift of faith. I ask for the gift of humility. Lord, there are a lot of times I get tired or frustrated in life. My efforts seem to get me nowhere. Same probems, same concerns, same everything. But Lord, may these things not make me lose focus on you, may these things not make me lose my faith in you. Lord, I pray that I always be humble and obedient to you. may my faith always be bigger than my concerns. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Clear Purpose

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090413.cfm) reminds me how important it is to have a clear purpose in life.

In the gospel we see Jesus healing people, all who came to him, no matter how simple or serious their sickness may have been. He cured them all. Then when the people did not want him to leave because of all he has done for them, he told them that his purpose was to proclaim God's kingdom. He knew exactly what his purpose was and he did not let anything get in the way.

We are all made to proclaim God's kingdom. We are all asked to glorify God with our lives. We may have different ways of doing it, or different means of expressing it, but we are called to do it, like Jesus. It is important to know this, so like Jesus, we will not be distracted and we would know that all our efforts should be directed towards our purpose.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for the gift of life. I especially lift up to you my mom as she celebrates her birthday today. Continue to bless and protect her, keep her healthy, happy and always loving you. Lord, i thank you for giving us mothers to make us feel and remember your love. Lord i also pray that you constantly remind me of my purpose in life, and may i always make efforts to live by it. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

In Mind or By Heart

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090313.cfm) reminds me that knowing Jesus should not be just in the intellectual level, but by heart.

Merely knowing God is not enough.

We see in the gospel that the demon knew who Jesus was – when the people did not. However, Jesus was not pleased with the demon telling others who he was, because the intention of which was not to glorify God.

God wants us to know him not with our minds, but with our hearts.

God wants us to know him on a deeper, on a personal, on an intimate level. God wants us to experience him. To know him is to have a relationship with him.

Knowing God on a personal level, knowing him by heart, would eventually manifest in our lives. Unlike the demon, who knew who Jesus was, but did not live it. If we really know Jesus, our lives would show it. Our lives would reflect it, and we would be able to glorify God with the life we live.

May we strive to know God on a deeper, personal and intimate level. May we know him by heart.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your goodness. Lord, I pray that I may know you on a personal and intimate level. May I not be satisfied with merely knowing you, who you are, what you can do, but strive to continuously know you and experience you more in my life. And as I do so, I pray that I would be able to glorify you with my life. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/09/to-know-him-is-not-enough.html

Rejected

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090213.cfm) reminds me that as servants of God, we will experience rejection, like Christ.

In basketball, the centers or big guys are usually the dominant players in the court. Smaller, although more athletic players, are afraid of them, especially if the big guys are known to be good in blocking shots. They are afraid of their shots being rejected by the big defender. And being rejected affect some players. Some get traumatized and would not want to go near the big guys again, thus affecting the quality of shots they make. Some does not want to take shots anymore, while some want to get back at the big guys and exert more effort to be able to make the basket.

In the gospel, we see Jesus experience this. Rejection.

He was doing God’s work, proclaiming God’s message. What he was doing was right. What he was preaching was correct. But he still got rejected. Sucks, right?

In the passage he says “because he (God) has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” That is exactly what Jesus is trying to do – to bring the good news of salvation. However, his own people and eventually the chosen people Israelites are obviously not the poor God was referring to. They rejected his message. They rejected Jesus. But this did not put Jesus down, this did not dishearten him, because he has faith in God’s mission, and he knows that the poor – the gentiles, will be the ones ready and willing to accept his message of salvation.

As we live for God, as we do God’s work, serve him, we too will experience rejection. Well, if we don’t, probably we’re not walking his path, right? But these rejections should not dishearten us. Like Jesus, we should just move forward and continue doing God’s work, having faith that God, who anointed us, will continue to use us as he wishes, and our efforts will never be futile as we work for God.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another week. Lord, I ask that you give me a heart like Jesus. May I never tire of working for you, despite the challenges, rejections and hurts I experience. May I not focus on these things, but focus on you, your message, and your reward as I work for you. May I always get strength, guidance and direction from you as I live for you. Amen.

Blessed Week!

In Christ,

-g-

Humility

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090113.cfm) reminds us that God wants us to be humble.

The readings today emphasize humility. In the first reading, we are encouraged to be humble as we live our lives, and to be more humble as we accomplish greater things. The greater we are, the more humble we should become. In the gospel, Jesus himself taught about humility – being humble enough and not wanting attention to ourselves, even if we rightfully deserves it.

They say that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of ourselves less. Feeling inferior is different from humility. God loves us, and there is no reason why we should think of ourselves as lesser than others. We may have different talents and gifts, but God is the one who gave us those things. Rather, we should be happy and confident with ourselves because we are children of God, but this does not give us the right to be boastful and proud. No matter what we have accomplished on earth should not give us a right to think more of ourselves. Rather, as stated in the reading, the more we accomplish on earth, the greater we are, the more humble we should be. Humility – thinking of ourselves less, thinking of other people more.

As we live this life, we want to accomplish things. We want to make our parents, families and friends proud. In fact, we should shine bright… not for ourselves, but for God. And being accomplished and successful does not give us the right to impose what we want to other people, to think that we are always right, and to want our way to always be done. May we learn the virtue of humility – and learn to submit to God, to our parents, to our superiors, to our leaders, and treat them with respect, even if we may feel we know more, even if we may feel we are right, even if we feel we deserve to be in their shoes.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for reminding me how much you love me. Thank you for giving me challenges that help me grow as a person, as a servant of God. Lord, I pray for humility. May I always remember how much you love me, and feel confident about myself, but may I also be humble in  my life, in my service. Lord, purify me as I live my life, as I serve you. May I always do my best to excel and to shine for you. And may we always remember to submit to authorities as we live our lives on earth. Amen.

Blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2013/03/humility.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/02/humility-and-faith.html

Start Small

The WORD today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/083113.cfm) reminds me that God does wants us to do the right things even at small scales.

They say that great things start from small beginnings. I believe this is true. We have to start small, take baby steps, and do things right in a small scale, and not want to do it big or start it big at once.

There are a lot of people I know that say they will help the poor when they reach the point that they have a lot. Kapag mayaman na ako, tutulong na ako sa mahirap. This is a noble desire, but most people will never consider themselves rich, or have a lot. We will always want more. We will always feel we need more, especially if we compare ourselves to other people.

We have to start now even if we start small.

In the gospel, the master did not immediately give the servants huge amounts. They gave them small portions. Then after they invested and did the right thing, we see the master giving them bigger responsibilities. It does not matter how much they made, what matters is they did the right thing with the little they had.

In life, God does not expect grand results. God does not expect grand gestures of service, of our faith, of love. OF course, God would love those, but God would be happy as long as we do things right, even at small scales. Then eventually, he would give us bigger responsibilities, bigger opportunities to do things for Him.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for a Saturday. Thank you for your love, that knows no boundaries. Lord., I ask that you give me a humble and obedient heart. May  I always be ready and willing to do things for you, to do the right thing, even at a small scale, even if it may seem insignificant. Lord, I am working for you, not for other people, and what matters to me is that you are happy with my actions, with my life. May I always be reminded of that. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Be Wise

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/083013.cfm) reminds me that God wants us to be wise as we live our lives here on earth.

At first read, the gospel seems harsh. Ang damot naman.bakit ayaw mamigay ng mga meron pa. Diba sabi ni Jesus we should share with others, that sharing is caring? Initially, that was what I felt. However, looking deeper, we can see what God wants to tell us.

God wants us to be wise. How? In the gospel, the wise virgins had extra oil, while the foolish did not. The oil differentiates them, and we can say that the oil signifies good deeds. Good deeds can’t be given by others to you. it is something you have to do for yourself. It Is something you have to work for to attain. Good deeds, working for God, serving God… these are things we cannot share with others. And God calls us to be wise and have these things in “Stock” and have lots of it to be ready when he comes.

“Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour”

God does not want us to be up all day wating for him. In the parable, even the wise virgins fell asleep. So staying awake is more than just physical, it is being ready when he comes. Being prepared. Whatever we do in this life we have, we should not forget that calls us to be wise, and wants us to be wise and prepared to meet him.

Father God,

Thank you for today! Thank you it’s Friday already! Lord, thank you for your wisdom, thank you that even if I don’t understand things at first, you will never fail me as long as I keep faithful to you and search you. Thank you for being true to your word, that if I seek you, I will find you, if I seek you with all of my heart. Lord, I pray that as I live my life on earth,  I may be wise and prepare so that when I meet you, you will be glad to see me. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-