Gracious God

The readings today remind me that God is such a gracious God, far from a human being.

In the first reading, we can see his love for us even if we constantly reject him. IT must have been so painful for him to be rejected by us, humans he himself created, saved, and loved, but he continues to love us even if we are not deserving of it. Until now this happens – every time we sin, every time we insist our way instead of his, every time we disregard what he teaches us, we continue to hurt him.

The gospel is a continuation of yesterday’s. Jesus gave them instructions on what to do and what not to do. What is striking to note is how Jesus instructs them in relation to people who do not accept them.

Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town."

The same way Jesus came as a baby in a manger, not forcing us to accept him, He is telling his disciples not to force people to accept him. They should do what they were told to, but in the event that people do not listen, they should not lose heart. It is not their fault if other people do not listen. They are not to be dishearten, not to lose focus, and just continue working for God.

IT may seem like Jesus is harsh in the gospel, compared to God being merciful in the first reading. I believe that just as he is gracious, he is also fair. He does everything to reach out to us. He sends people in an attempt to make us believe and follow him. Kaya lang, kung hindi parin tayo makikinig, pasaway na talaga tayo. He can only do so much, As St Augustine said, God who created us without us, cannot save us without us. He does not want to punish us, but if we constantly reject him, we bring it upon ourselves.

Do I realize how gracious God has been to me? Do I thank him for that? Am I willing to accept him in my life? Am I sensitive to him when he comes through other people and circumstances?  Am I ready to go out into the world and work for him?

Dear God,

Thank you for all the blessings you give to me. Lord, I am not worthy of your love, I am not worthy of these blessings, but because you love me so much, you continue to shower me with such. I thank you lord for constantly blessing me and for never giving up on me. Lord, I ask that you help me choose you, and live my life as a testament of that decision. In my own little way, may I bring people to you and proclaim your kingdom. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

He sent them out

In today’s gospel, we see Jesus sending the disciples out into the world. First, Jesus gave them what they needed. He spent a lot of time with them, praying with them, teaching them, developing their faith. Then in today’s gospel, it explicitly says that Jesus gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and cure every disease and illness. Astig diba, ang lakas! =)

Jesus first took care of the needs of his apostles. Hindi sila pinili, tapos pinadala agad sa mundo. He first nurtured them. He took care of them. He strengthened them. As young in the faith, this is what God does to us. He nurtures us. He teaches us things. He slowly reveals himself to us. He is asking that we see his importance, and that we build our own personal relationship with him. This is when we start getting strong, founded on him.

However, it does not stop there. God did not bless us only for ourselves. Our blessings, our faith, our whole being is not only for ourselves. It should be used to build the kingdom of God, and God asks us to do just that. He will send us out.

Having a strong faith and relationship with God is useless if it does not build God’s kingdom. Our lives should magnify God, and should make people want to love God more. This is why Jesus, after making sure they are ready, sent out the apostles. We too, once we get enough foundation, are asked to go out into the world and build God’s kingdom. We do not necessarily need to go to different places and become a missionary to do this. In our own respective homes, work, and community, we can be ambassadors of Christ by living a life centered on Him.

Am I willing to build God’s kingdom or do I just want to benefit from Him? Am I willing to give of myself to bless others and proclaim his kingdom? Am I living a life proclaiming God’s goodness? How can I be an ambassador of Christ in where I am right now?

Father God,

I thank and praise you for providing all that I need to serve you. Thank you for taking care of me, and for making sure I grow in faith. You never cease to provide opportunities for me to build my faith and strengthen my relationship with you. Lord, I ask that you help me have the heart that would go the extra mile for you. May I be a willing instrument for your work. May I be selfless and be willing to go out of my comfort zone to build your kingdom. Help me live my life proclaiming your greatness. Amen.

Stay blessed!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps,

See related reflections:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/04/eyes-on-him-who-equips.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/06/equipped-for-task.html

Focus

Today’s readings show us the difference of having our focus on God.

In the gospel, Jesus just healed a possessed man. We can see two reactions – one set of people were amazed in Jesus’ power, and one set was very opposed to it.

In construction, a hard hat protects people from injuries. On the road, helmets provide motorists support and protection. However, we see in the gospel that the Pharisees’ hardness of heart prevents them from accepting Christ as God in their lives.

Having a closed and hardened heart makes it impossible to see the goodness in other people, in this case, even to Jesus himself. Because of that, they missed the very reason for living – Jesus. No amount of miracle or good deed will be enough for someone whose heart is closed to someone or to something. A hardened heart chooses to focus on the negative rather than the positive.

In the first reading, we see a people focusing on the negative. They were not focused on God. Their hearts were closed to God, and God was certainly not pleased with them. When they lost their focus on God, they started to do evil things and eventually led a life opposite what God wants.

Is my heart hardened? Is my heart and my life focused on God? Do I choose to see the goodness in other people, or do I focus on their shortcomings? Am I focused on serving and loving God, or on loving and pleasing myself? What can I do to be able to continually focus on God and see the goodness in people and circumstances?

Dear God,

I praise and adore you for all that you are. Father God, I know how great, loving and powerful you are. However, there are times that I still lose my focus on you, and for that I am sorry. Sorry for wanting to get things my way and not yours. Sorry for wanting things and attention to myself and not only on you. Sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me, instead of praying and giving you control over things. Lord, I know how great you are, and I just want to ask for your help that I may always seek your will, and that I always focus on you, no matter how good or bad a situation may be. All this I ask in Jesus name, Amen.

Have a blessed Tuesday!

God bless!

In Christ,

-g-

Impossibility

The gospel today is similar to last the July 1 Sunday’s (See reflection: http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/07/faith-that-heals.html  ), however, today’s gospel struck me because in Matthew’s version of today’s gospel, the child is already dead (compared to July 1 when she was at the point of death when Jairus went to Jesus). The official in today’s gospel showed a lot more faith in Jesus, coming to him and asking him to come with him to heal his dead daughter.

What faith that it! Call it desperate. Call if blind. Call it stupid. It is real, genuine faith.

The official could have just gone on with his daughter’s death. However, he did not. He fought death. We do not know the reason, it may be because he loves the daughter so much that he was desperate and just needed to believe in someone who could raise his daughter and found that person in Jesus. It could have been his faith, knowing and hearing about Jesus, the Messiah, having faith that his concern could be easily solved by Jesus. What we know is he came to Jesus with something big, something huge, something impossible. He told Jesus that he needed Jesus to bring her dead daughter back to life.

The condition for a miracle is difficulty. The condition for a great miracle is impossibility (Angus Buchan, Faith like Potatoes [Movie])

Again, God proved that what is written in his book is true. Nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26).

He honoured the man’s faith (as opposed to the people in his own town, see reflection: http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/07/lack-of-faith.html ) and did what the man believed he could do. Ang galing ng faith ng taong yun. Ang galing talaga ni God.

Tayo, paano? When faced with a seemingly impossible situation, how do we react? Do we let our emotions rule? Do we let the natural world overcome us? Do we let our faith in God win the battle? Do we let God shine the brightest by bringing to him, in faith, the seemingly impossible situation, and allow him to perform a great miracle in our lives?

May we always remember that nothing is impossible with God, and that a seemingly impossible situation is what gives God an opportunity to give us a great miracle.

Dear God,

I praise and thank you for the weekend. Thank you for giving me time, a lot of it, to rest and refresh my body and my spirit. Lord, as I start this new week, I thank you for giving me a good story which shows your power and the need for our faith. Lord, help me to always have that faith in you, especially when things seem impossible and when I seem helpless, because I know that only then will you shine the brightest. May I always allow you to surprise me and may my life and my faith lead others into worshipping you. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-

PS

See related reflection:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2012/07/faith-that-heals.html

Lack of Faith

In today’s gospel, we see the power and importance of faith, ironically, through the lack of it.

Jesus went to his hometown, and the people, instead of being proud that Jesus came from there, belittled him and took offense at him. They did not believe that someone from their own could really be God’s Child. This lack of belief, this lack of faith, was the reason why Jesus did not do a lot of miracles. Yes, Jesus needs our faith.

In the second reading, we see Paul reacting the other way. He had complete faith in Jesus. He was willing to suffer, kahit hirap na hirap na sya, for God. He was willing to take all the hardships just so God would be magnified and glorified. Ganun kalakas ang faith nya kay God, faith that is more than words – faith that is willing to suffer and experience pain for God’s greater glory.

I believe we are challenged by God. We are asked to look at ourselves and see what our heart says. Is our faith strong, or are we like the people who do not trust in God? When we pray, do we really have complete faith in God and his love and power, or do we just pray just in case God hears us? Is our faith strong enough to be willing to suffer for God? When God does not seem to hear us, like his response to Paul’s request in the second reading, do we have a humble heart and will still continue to serve Him, or do we walk away from him when we don’t get what we want?

Father God,

I thank you for the gift of faith. Lord, I ask that you help me strengthen my faith. I know faith is such a powerful and important aspect of my life, and I ask that you help me develop it. Kahit maliit, kahit mala mustard seed, I know it is enough, that it is a good start. May I have faith and may I be willing to suffer and still serve you because of that faith, knowing that your name will be glorified in everything. Amen.

Have a blessed Sunday!

In Christ,

-g-

In His Time

The readings today remind us that in God’s time, in God’s perfect time, things will unfold in front of our eyes.

I think as human beings, we generally are impatient. Especially now, in this day and age, that everything seem so fast. Everything is instant. If you want coffee, there’s instant, so you won’t have to wait for a long time. There are also a lot of instants – instant noodles, instant spaghetti, etc etc etc (yes, puro pagkain. Sarap=) ). Technology has also make life faster for us – no more waiting for weeks for the snail mail to come from your special someone – a text message is just one button away from your cellphone, no matter where in the world the other person may be. No more waiting months to get to know the person – there is social media available nowadays. I came from a seminar and people were pushing for speed – fastest way to process billions of transactions, fastest computer servers, etc etc etc. Even in our careers. People cannot seem to wait. Gusto agad maging boss. Gusto agad umangat, wala pa naming foundation. We seem to be impatient and want things get done as soon as possible.

Well, our ways are not God’s ways.

Sometimes, despite all the technology advancements around us, God wants us to be still and wait. Wait in faith for his plans to unfold.

Unfortunately, no matter what technology we use, hindi natin kayang madaliin si God. We just have to obey and listen to him.

The readings tell us that. Everything will happen in God’s time. Peace. Blessings. Salvation. Fasting. All in God’s time. While we are waiting for that time to happen, we are supposed to be patiently wait in faith. Serve while waiting on the Lord. Continue living a life pleasing to Him. Continue being peaceful, trusting in faith that in His time, everything will be perfect. Meantime, we just have to be still, know he is God, and serve Him.

Am I impatient? In what ways? Do I believe that God has great plans for us, and that in his perfect time, things will unfold before our eyes? Am I willing to serve him while I’m waiting?

Dear God,

I am sorry for being impatient. Sometimes, even if my intention is good, I become impatient waiting for your plans to come into fruition, and I feel that my plan is better. Forgive me lord for thinking that. Forgive me for being hard headed. Lord, I know that you have great plans in store for me, and now, as I wait on you, I will do my best to be still, be patient, and serve you. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

Will you get up?

In today’s gospel, we see Jesus calling Matthew, the tax collector. It was just an ordinary day for Matthew. He was just sitting there, doing his normal job. Suddenly, Jesus drops by and calls him. He simply said “Follow me”, and that was more than enough for Matthew to leave everything behind to follow Jesus.

I believe Jesus also visits us everyday. Probably not as explicit as his visit to Matthew, but Jesus uses people around us to remind us of his presence. He uses people to ask us to follow him – to leave our worldly life with all its concerns and follow Him. He asks us to leave that bad habit we can’t seem to let go of, and fully follow Him. He asks us to get out of the harmful relationship and follow him without something heavy burdening us. He asks us to leave the concerns of this world – money, fame, power, and follow Him, trust in Him to provide for everything we need. He disturbs us, he asks us to step out of our comfort zones and follow him.

Am I sensitive enough to recognize when Jesus comes and ask me to follow Him? Like Matthew who was just waiting for Jesus’ call, am I ready to respond to him when he calls me? Am I ready to get up and get out of my comfort zone to follow Him? How can I follow God? Is there anything, or anyone, that I should let go before I can fully follow Christ?

May we be inspired by Matthew, who certainly knew what the first reading and the psalm meant – Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out from the mouth of God.

Dear God,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for not giving up on me, kahit na makulit ako, kahit na hindi kita pinapansin. Lord, I ask that today, I be extra sensitive to you when you come visit me through other people or circumstances. Lord, sana mapansin ko na ikaw yun. And Lord, may I have the heart of Matthew that will readily leave everything behind and follow you when you call. Amen.

Have a blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-