Today's Gospel (Lk 17:7-10): "We have only done our duty..."

"Jesus said to his disciple, «Who among you would say to your servant coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep: ‘Come at once and sit down at table?’...."

Meditations: Today, the Gospel message is not placed on the master's attitude, but on the servant's. Jesus, with the example of a parable, invites his apostles to consider the stance of service: the servant should fulfill his duties without expecting any reward: «Do you thank this servant for doing what you commanded?» (Lk 17:9)...

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Sunday 32nd Week (C) in Ordinary Time ..."He is God of the living and not of the dead, and for him all are alive"

Today's Gospel (Lk 20:27-38):
Some Sadducees arrived. These people claim that there is no resurrection and they asked Jesus this question, «Master, in the Scripture Moses told us: ‘If anyone dies leaving a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife, and the child to be born will be regarded as the child of the deceased man’.

Now, there were seven brothers; the first married a wife, but he died without children; and the second and the third took the wife; in fact all seven died leaving no children. Last of all the woman died. On the day of the resurrection, to which of them will the woman be wife? For the seven had her as wife».

And Jesus replied, «Taking husband or wife is proper to people of this world, but for those who are considered worthy of the world to come and of resurrection from the dead, there is no more marriage. Besides, they cannot die for they are like the angels. They too are sons and daughters of God because they are born of the resurrection.

Yes, the dead will be raised, and even Moses implied it in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. For he is God of the living and not of the dead, and for him all are alive».


Meditations:
Today, Jesus makes it clear his claim about resurrection and eternal life. Sadducees doubted, or even worse, they ridiculed the belief in eternal life after death, which was defended —instead— by the Pharisees and we also defend it.

The question the Sadducees asked to Jesus «On the day of the resurrection, to which of them will the woman be wife? For the seven had her as wife?» (Lk 20:33) let us catch sight of a possessive sort of juridical mindset, demanding proprietary rights over a person.

Furthermore, the trap set up for Jesus raises an equivocal still existing today: imagining eternal life as an extension, after death, of the earthen existence. Heaven would, thus, consist of the transposition of the beautiful things we now enjoy. But, «it is only too evident that —on the basis of man's experience and knowledge in the temporality— it is difficult to build a fully adequate image of the “future world”» (John Paul II).

To believe in eternal life is one thing, but to imagine what it will be like is another thing altogether different. When a mystery is not surrounded by respect and discretion, it risks being trivialized by curiosity and, finally, ridiculed.

Jesus' answer has two parts. In the first one, He tries to make clear that the marriage institution has no reason to be in the other life: «those who are considered worthy of the world to come and of resurrection from the dead, there is no more marriage» (Lk 20:35). What does persists and reaches its maximum fullness is whatever we have sowed in this world as far as authentic love, friendship, fraternity, justice and truth... are concerned.

The second part of the answer leaves two certitudes with us: «For he is God of the living and not of the dead» (Lk 20:38). To trust in this God means to realize we are meant to be alive. And being alive consists of being with Him in a continuous manner, forever.

Furthermore, «and for him all are alive» (Lk 20:38): God is the source of life. The believer, submerged in God through the Baptism, has been able to escape forever from the clutches of death.

Join me in my prayer as I say:
Lord , You gave me the Good News to console me when I am in trouble, to replace my confusion with peace. Your Word brings light to my darkness.

But Lord, I know that the Gospel is there, to trouble me when my life has become too comfortable.

The Gospel can also serve to give me discomfort when life has become too easy, to shake me out of my smugness; to prick my pleasurable liefstyle.

My well equipped life; my access to money; my nice and branded stylish clothes; my beautiful house; my access to popular vices; these can sometimes make me forget that not all people are blessed as I am.

Lord, let me share not only from my abundance but from my substance.

Let me share not only from the tip of my wallet but from the back of my wallet. Lord, I want to share not only my extra but also what is essential to me.

Lord, help me to learn how to share. Help me to become a blessing for other people. Help me to defend the innocent, the lost, the children, the weak and the oppressed. Lord, my liffe is too comfortable. My life is too easy. There is always food on the table.

Lord, I want to be ready... I want to be willing to take up Your Cross, to offer some sacrifice....to follow You....Amen.

..."There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner".

Today's Gospel (Lk 15:1-10) says...

Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering. «This man welcomes sinners and eats with them».

So Jesus told them this parable: «Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and seek out the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together and say: ‘Celebrate with me for I have found my lost sheep’. I tell you, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent... I tell you, in the same way there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner».

Meditations:

What can I say about this powerful message but to really be enlightened of its essence in our daily life as sinners in this sinful world we live in. You see, even in monasteries and convents where goodness and holiness dwell, the pangs of evil still penetrate and overpower God's servants and triumph over their weaknesses.
For in the Scripture today, it says that the evangelist of God's mercy imparts two parables of Jesus that lighten up his Divine behavior towards those sinners returning to the right path. With the human image of joy, he reveals God's goodness finding pleasure in the homecoming of those who moved away from sin.

It is like coming back to the Father's home (as more distinctly will say at Lk 15:11-32). «For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved» , and He did it while welcoming those that, full of confidence, «were seeking the company of Jesus , to hear what He had to say» , as He healed their soul as the doctor heals the body of the ailing.

While the Pharisees believed they were so righteous and felt they needed no doctor, it is actually for them —the evangelist says— that Jesus proposes the parables we read today.

If we feel spiritually sick, Jesus will tend to us and will be happy that we have gone to him. But if, on the contrary, we would think, as those proud Pharisees did, that we need not to plead forgiveness, the divine Doctor will not heal us.

Each time we recite the Lord's Prayer, we must feel like sinners, as we say «and forgive us our sins...». And we sure must be grateful to him for doing it! As grateful we must also be, for having placed, so mercifully, at our disposal, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

St. Augustine tells us that Jesus Christ, God and Man, gives us an example of utmost humility by removing the “tumor” of our arrogance, «for, though great is the misery of a haughty man, greater is still the mercy of the humble God».

Let us further add that the lesson Jesus gives to the Pharisees is also an example for all of us; we cannot throw sinners away from us. The lord wants us to love them as He has loved us and we must rejoice to bring back home the lost sheep or to recover the lost coin.

Have a blessed Thursday to all of you....

when good prayers are not answered

We believe that Gospel texts are always true and that the Scripture is always telling the truth. It is because we believe that God never lies and always fulfills His promises.

The Lord tells us that all prayers are answered. In the Scripture, it is said that: "Knock and it will be opened, seek and you will find". There is certainty in that statement.

But we know from life's experience that not all prayers are answered. This puts me in a dilemma because I strongly believe that the Scripture is always true and correct.

So that our faith experience does not get shattered, we then have to excuse God, shrug our shoulders and silenty tell ourselves: "maybe what I am asking for is not good for me or that I will not profit from what I am asking for."

Whether we approve it or not, some prayers are not answered, or better still, are not answered the way we liked it and the way we asked for it.

This certainly places us in a dilemma because in the Scripture, God promises that all prayers will be answered and then somehow we experience that even good prayers like when we pray for peace, but yet there is still war in Iraq; when we pray for spiritual healing but then crimes still abound in every corner of the world; when we pray for physical healing yet our family members and friends still die from their ailments; and when we pray for abundance but then famine still engulfs people from the third world countries, and other basic prayers don't seem to get answers from God.

It is a big mystery indeed; a big mystery that even me could not fathom. Well, let me just share with you what I actually do when such occasion happens, when my prayers don't get answers from God.

When I pray like crazy for the approval of my greencard application which I submitted three years ago yet as of this writing, there is not a word from the INS whether it's approved or denied,... and when I make acts of sacrifice and practically cry and kneel down before God and asked Him to give me the grace and blessing and grant my petition for a friend from Albuquerque, who was figthing for his life when he met a serious car accident while driving his way home from Arizona but nothing happens and he still died,.... I only look at the Cross and ask the Almighty Father, "Why did You allow Your Son to suffer this way?"

It is a big mystery that the Father allowed His only Begotten Son to suffer and die on the Cross. It is a big mystery that the father allowed the deaths of the victims of Glorietta blast in Makati Philippines just recently, the death of soldiers from war in Iraq, the death of children from extreme hunger and famine in the African continent, the destruction of so many houses ad properties in the California fires and many others.

It is a big mystery why some of our good prayers are not answered by God the way we expect them to be answered.(Luke 11:9)

For as long as the world still exists, there will always be mysteries in life. There will always be good prayers that won't get answers from God just like the mystery of His Son who's nailed and died on the Cross.

But if you can understand and accept why the Father allowed His Son Jesus to die on the Cross, then perhaps you will be able to understand and accept why some good prayers are not answered by God.

Be calm and have a happy Saturday!

Halloween treats...

Today. I drove Sr Kateri out to town early in the freezing cold on a pitch black darkness of the wee hours of the morning for her 8 o'clock Ct scan at St Vincent hospital in Sta Fe, an hour and a half drive from the monastery.

Sr Kateri needed to go to St Vincent Hospital for her medical ct scan. Nothing serious about her. It's only part of her regular monthly follow-up check-up.

From the hospital, we proceeded to Studio X- the community gift shop's web designer and had some time with its owner-manager Nancy for some important discussions with our plan to re-design the whole gift shop web. We ended the discussions and brainstorming just past twelve and so we went to a nearest restaurant for our late lunch. We went back to the monastery after lunch and i had to drive her in going back from Bode's store in Abiquiu and back to the monastery.



After taking a break from posting meditations here, and after going through the difficult days that passed by, I am back again to my bring you some food for thoughts that you may bring and pack as the day unfolds and finally ends with you; that is, posting the day's Gospel and my reflections .... so my friends, here we go.

Today, the Gospel message from Luke 13: 22 - 30 is giving us a proof of the wisdom and brilliance of Jesus Christ.

He is asked the question, " are there many who will be saved?"

If Jesus answered there would be few who would be saved, then many of us would certainly get disappointed and discouraged. We would say, "I am not good enough. No matter effort I would exert, I will still be damned anyway, so I may just as well enjoy and endure my damnation."

ON the contrary, If Jesus said that many will be saved, then most probably, many of us will be presumptuously proud.

We would then say, "I am not that very bad. I think I am gonna be included in that number. I am not that wicked and so, I don't have to be scared because I will certainly and surely be included."

But the Lord did not say, "yes, there are many." nor "no, there are'nt many."

Rather, Jesus simply said, "do your best and I will take care of the rest."

That is what I am trying to say to you that the Lord is full of wisdom and brilliance. He delivers us from presumptuous pride and as well as from discouragement and despair from our repeated mistakes and flaws we commit in our lives.

Then after the Lord has delivered us from both, He leads us into self-responsibility.

And that's where we usually and constantly fall short. Without self- responsibility, we never feel accountable to ourselves simply because we are not that ready to take the responsibility for ourselves: for what we do with our present condition; for what we say to ourselves in our daily encounters with life.

We feel and think: "everybody is at fault except me. The whole situation is bad not because of me, but because of all of you."

Now, the Lord is asking us to once and for all, take the responsibility and be accountable for ourselves. Let's do our best and He will take care of the rest. God will never spoon feed us. God will not give us salvation on a silver spoon and platter. We must do our share. He is counting on us and with His loving mercy and grace, we will make it work so that one day, when we woke up one morning, we can say: I have succeeded and reached my goal!

Happy Wednesday to all of you...and have a great Halloween night.

Don't give up...

Today, Jesus reminds us that we should pray continually and not lose heart (Luke 18:1-8).

While I was taking a monastic walk at the monastery's grounds this morning after the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, I could not help but to notice the dry leaves that were scattered by the freezing wind on the ground. The fresh leaves from the lush branches of green trees were gone! All that were left was nothing but a dead-like shape of trees standing on the ground.

The fresh green branches that went away can very well symbolize our great hopes and dreams. Of course, we all have the right and are entitled to dream dreams and create visions of our future, and the future of our loved ones. And this dream gives us the strength to sustain a spiritual energy in us to hope and look forward. This strength gives us hope that drives us to carry on no matter what the cost.

But the fresh lush leaves of branches dried up, turned brittle and changed their color. From fresh green color of hope, they turned yellow and soon enough, turned earth brown and fell on the ground.

How quickly do we see our hopes and dreams dry up! How quickly our hopes and dreams fall! When we feel that our hopes and dreams have been shattered by the cruelties of life, then it is high time to remember that it is God, not us, who make hopes and dreams come true!

Many of us haven't yet even began to take steps to realize and materialize our dreams and we aready suffer from the paralysis of hurt and brokenness. We succumb to self-pity; at other times withdrawn.

Although we cannot reverse the turning of fresh green leaves to dry brown, we must not forget that for those who give their complete trust and confidence in God, even the most impossible dream can come true. Everything is possible for those who have faith and trust in God.

We must keep on hoping and trusting God no matter how unfair and cruel life may seem to be. We must keep on hoping no matter how useless and helpless we may feel ourselves to be.
God has not given up on us. We should not give up on ourselves.

Favors granted or not granted, petitions heard or not heard, the person in Jesus Christ will always be there. So that, if your faith rests on the person of Jesus, then even if you are faced with a difficult life, a crisis or a problem, even if your prayers seem to remain unanswered, you will still sustain a faith that is constant, consistent and persevering.

With or without Jesus working on your prayers and petitions, you believe in Jesus Christ. Because your faith is not based on Jesus who does things for you, but your faith is in His being Jesus , your Redeemer and the Way to eternal life.

Before I end, let me pray with you my prayer when my life comes to a point when it seems to be at a standstill....

..."Lord, I get discouraged because I confess the same sins over and over again. I grew weary of praying for my dreams over and over again that seemed not to be answered.
At times, i feel embarrassed because my sins are repeated a million times over. I tremble in shame, Lord. I am disgusted with myself for I have slackened from the disciplines of life.
I may be discouraged Lord, but You will never be discouraged
with me. I may be a disappoinntment to others but You are never disappointed of me because You see much hopes and dreams in me, a wicked sinner.
Lord, I will not give up. I will not give up on trying. I will try to be good if not better. I will try to reform, but I give no assurance that I will not fall again or ever.
But Lord, when I fall, bring me back to You. When I forget, remind me of your endless love. When I am lost, show me the way.
Lord, I wil not give up because I know You will never give up on me. Lord, do not grow tired of forgiving me. Lord do not grow tired of me. Lord, do not give up on me."...amen.

Happy Sunday to all of you.

Lk 11:5-13: ...Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.

-------------------->>photo owned by katsushiro of Flickr

...Jesus said to his disciples, "Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says: ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine who is traveling has just arrived and I have nothing to offer him’. Maybe your friend will answer from inside: ‘Don't bother me now; the door is locked and my children and I are in bed, so I can't get up and give you anything’. But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him, and he will give you all you need. "

"And so I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened. If your child asks for a fish, will you give a snake instead? And if your child asks for an egg, will you give a scorpion? Even you evil people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more then will the Father in heaven give holy spirit to those who ask him!"...


Pondering on the Gospel, i shall strongly say, that it is a catechesis on prayer Jesus is giving us. He solemnly asserts that the Father always listens to him as He listens to us.

But at times, we seem to see that reality indicates that it is not always like this, that it does not actually “works” in such this way.

Life is fleeting, and as we watch the years pass by ever faster and faster, we can grow impatient and can even fall victim to despair.

Most of us may think and ask ourselves, "Why is life so hard? I try to pray so hard, do good and do the right things, but why is it that my prayers are still unanswered?" "What kind of friend is God? After all this time, what reason do I have for believing such phrase: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you"?....

And sometimes in great despair, we blurt out in our minds:"It is vain to serve God; and what do we profit by keeping his command?"

Surely these statements may be very disturbing. They may even shake the faith of the Brethren who have been faithful to God and to His Precepts and Commands.

But if we analyze things deeply, we may say that this is because we must pray with an attitude adequate to an effective prayer! The first premise is dedication and perseverance. We must pray never ever feeling disheartened, even if we think our prayer is being ignored, or is not given heed to, right away.

This is the attitude of that inappropriate man calling on his friend's home, in the middle of the night, to request a favor. With his doggedness he will get the loaves he needs.

God is the friend who listens from within to whom is persistent enough. We must believe that He will end up by giving us what we are asking, because in addition to being a friend, He is also our Father. In our own vernacular language: 'Ang magulang ay hindi nakakatiis para sa anak! Ang magulang ay hindi pwedeng matiis na nakikita nyang ang anak nya ay naghihirap.' So, we never should give up on our father. We never should give up praying to God! We should never give up on God!

The second concept Jesus teaches us is confidence and filial love. God's paternity goes far beyond man's paternity, which is limited and imperfect: "Even you evil people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more then will the Father in Heaven?"…

The third one Jesus is trying to tell us in today's Gospel is that: more than anything else in this world, we have to call for the Holy Spirit and not only for material things. Jesus encourages us to invoke the Holy Spirit, assuring us we shall receive It: ..."much more then will Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Lk 11:13). This petition is always listened to. It is very much like asking the grace of the prayer, as the Holy Spirit is its source and its origin.

Lastly, let me summarize the essence of today's Gospel , that we must pray faithfully and devotedly, because one grace God has not granted us once, He may grant to us some other time. And on our hands, we must humbly place our whole mind in God, and God will place his grace upon us, as He pleases......In His time. In God's time!

Happy Thursday to you all....

Lk 11:1-4: "Lord, teach us to pray..".

--------------->>photo owned by House of Hope of Flickr

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place and when He had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples". And Jesus said to them, "When you pray, say this: Father, hallowed be your name, may your kingdom come, give us each day the kind of bread we need, and forgive us our sins, for we also for-give all who do us wrong, and do not bring us to the test".

...meditating on today's Gospel, I can summarize it in a single phrase: ....the best concept and attitude for Christian prayer is that of a child in front of his father.

It is very striking that we can see that the prayer, according to Jesus, is something like a “father-son” relationship. That is, a family matter based on a relation of closeness and love. The image of God as a father speaks to us of a relationship based on affection and intimacy, not on power and authority.

To pray as Christians means to position ourselves in a situation whereby we see God as our father and we speak to Him as his sons. To pray is to talk with God.

But about what?.

About Him. About ourselves and Our Joys, love and reparation, sorrows, successes and failures, noble ambitions, daily worries, and our weaknesses! And acts of thanksgiving and petitions as well...

When sons speak with their parents they try to transmit, through their words and body language, what they feel in their heart.

We become better praying men and women when our relation with God is more intimate, as that of a father with his son.
Jesus himself left with us his own example.

Lk 10:38-42:...Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed...

...As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, He entered a village and a woman called Martha welcomed him to her house. She had a sister named Mary who sat down at the Lord's feet to listen to his words. Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving and finally she said, «Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving?». But the Lord answered, «Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her»...


Meditating on the Gospel, I must say:
Today, as every day, we can learn very much from the Gospel. Jesus, invited to Martha's home in Bethany, gives us a lesson of humanity: ...
He, who loved people, lets people love HIM, for both things are equally important. It would be a serious mistake, with harmful consequences for sanctity, to refuse God's and others' affection , and on another hand, it is dreadful to be anxious or be uncomfortable and much worse, to be jealous of, with someone's affection to God and to His creatures.

Martha or Mary? But..., why opposing those who loved each other so much and loved God too? Jesus loved Martha and Mary, and their brother Lazarus, and He loves each one of us, too.

On the path of sainthood not any two souls are exactly alike. We all try to love God, but within our own style and personality, without imitating anyone. Our models are Christ and the Mother of God. Do you resent how others treat God? Do you also resent how others treat and show their love to others? Try to learn from this personal piety.

Jesus had observed Martha for quite awhile and had looked into her soul. What HE saw was a woman who was not at peace. She was a good soul who had fallen into the trap of letting the ordinary tasks of daily life overwhelm and rule her days, instead of just the opposite.

That very thing can happen to any one of us, if we forget that we're not walking through our days alone, if we forget that the Lord walks with us.

If we attend to the Lord's presence and trust HIM, He'll give us the courage and strength we need; and He'll help us to keep our vision clear and to know what really matters and what does not. He'll help us to be unmindful, and not to be anxious and uncomfortable of how others love God and His Brethren.

Walking consciously and faithfully with the Lord is the "one thing that is required." Everything else will follow, most especially a calm and a peaceful heart.

Happy Tuesday to us all!....

(Lk 10:25-37): living on the surface?

-------------------------->>image owned by Simon_K of Flickr...

...A teacher of the Law came and began putting Jesus to the test. And he said, "Master, what shall I do to receive eternal life?". Jesus replied, "What is written in the Scripture? How do you understand it?". The man answered, "It is written: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself". Jesus replied, "What a good answer! Do this and you shall live".

The man wanted to keep up appearances, so he replied, "Who is my neighbor?". Jesus then said, "There was a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. It happened that a priest was going along that road and saw the man, but passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite saw the man and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, too, was going that way, and when he came upon the man, he was moved with compassion. He went over to him and treated his wounds with oil and wine and wrapped them with bandages. Then he put him on his own mount and brought him to an inn where he took care of him. The next day he had to set off, but he gave two silver coins to the innkeeper and told him: "Take care of him and whatever you spend on him, I will repay when I come back". Jesus then asked, "Which of these three, do you think, made himself neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?". The teacher of the Law answered, "The one who had mercy on him". And Jesus said, "Go then and do the same"...

Pondering on today's Gospel....
Today, a Teacher of the Law asks Jesus the kind of question we may have asked ourselves more than once, in our life: "Master, what shall I do to receive eternal life?" (Lk 10:25). He wanted to put Jesus to the test. The Master, though, wisely answers what is written in the Scriptures, that is, to love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself (Lk 10:27). The key is to love. If we seek the eternal life, we know that "faith and hope will go away, but love will remain forever" (1Cor 13:13).
Any life project, any spirituality, which has no love in its center furthers us away from the actual meaning of our existence.

Most Catholic adults and, indeed, most of their children know the story of the Good Samaritan, which is today's gospel. And most of us would have a ready answer to the question, "According to Jesus, who is my neighbor?" Our answer would be simple and clear: "Everybody," and our answer would be right. But that doesn't close the matter. There's a further question: Is our right answer surface knowledge or dynamic knowledge? Is it strictly correct information, or does it actually affect and determine the way we live?

Jesus' proposal is clear: "Go then and do the same". It is not a theoretical conclusion of the debate but an invitation to live the reality of love, which is not only a vaporous feeling but a behaviour that defeats social denominations and stems from a person's heart. St. John of the Cross reminds us "at the twilight of your life you will only be examined of love".

That's the crucial question for us all, and it can be phrased in another way: How Christian are we, in fact? Does Jesus' teaching determine our priorities, our lifestyle, the way we do business, the way we treat one another, our willingness to forgive, our readiness to help?

So how Christian are you really?

Contemplating on Lk 6 35-42 ...Know yourself:

photo above is owned by katenottle of Flickr...

The theme of the gospel Lk 6: 35-42 is, very clear: hypocrisy, sincerity and truthfulness.
The Greek philosopher, Socrates, said that to be able to discover happiness in life you must know yourself.

We will try to know ourselves deeply, and in knowing ourselves deeply, hopefully rise up from the hypocrisies we harbor in our hearts.
How do we know ourselves? There are some of us who say that we can know ourselves by what we do. in fact, some people may be correct in saying that. You know yourself in terms of what you do. We are identified by our work.

Unfortunately, that is not always a good way to know ourselves. When we do nothing, does it mean that we are nothing already?

Sick people who are bedridden cannot do anything. Are they nothing? They are certainly still somebody. So, we do not judge ourselves simply by what we do.

Some say that you can be known by what you say. That is not always the case. There are times that we are careful with our words because we don’t like to hurt or make enemies. We are very careful with our words because we don’t want to lose our friends.

We do not judge ourselves in terms of what we do, neither in terms of what we say, but in terms of what we think because no one censors the way we think. We think according to our pleasure.
We do things according to what we think is right. We do not always do what we think of.
We always think, and that is the way to judge ourselves so we can really know who we are. Knowing your thoughts, knowing your mind, knowing what you think could be seen as the ways by which we react to situations.

It is very easy to be tolerant. It is very easy to be good. It is very easy to be good and behave inside the church. It is very easy to smile inside the church because everybody seems to be good here.

I will cite to you examples to prove what kind of person you are even though you are inside the church.
When a person goes to communion, he quietly falls in line because he is prepared and very much disposed for it. When he see someone who does not fall in line, an urge to hit this undisciplined person can overcome him. This thought can cross our minds.

We cannot judge a person in an ideal situation but rather in terms of his reaction during times of crisis. Only at the point of crisis, at the point where the situation is not so ideal, will we know our true selves, by the manner we react.

It is very easy to know ourselves if only we will have time to look at our reactions to crisis. We will perhaps fail if we will judge ourselves better by what we think.

Today, I tell you to check your thoughts. If you will check your thoughts, you will be able to know yourself more deeply. If you know yourself more deeply, God will be able to enter into your heart.

But, I am warning you, this examination of thought might be a painful process. This checking of thought might cause trouble and make you afraid.

It can make you realize that you are not the perfect person that you project to be. That you are not the holy person, the good person that you want to be, that people think about you. It might be painful, but I assure you, it is worth it because this kind of pain is the pain that leads to growth.

Child bearing is painful. A mother bears a child although she knows the pain that accompanies childbirth. She endures the pain and discomfort of childbearing because it brings about new life and self fulfillment. This is the kind of pain that I am inviting you to face and carry. The pain of realizing ourselves, the pain of realizing that we are hypocrites in varying degrees.

Let us ask God to make us sincere, to make us honest, to make us truthful.

Pope Paul VI once said, “what the world needs now are not teachers, what the world needs now are not speakers, what the world needs now are witnesses who speak and act the way they think. If speakers and teachers are credible, are important, its is first of all because they have become witnesses.

Let us ask the Lord to make is truthful, honest and sincere

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Today's Gospel (Lk 16:19-31): "Now he is in comfort and you are in agony"...

Jesus said to the Pharisees, Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man's table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores.

It happened that the poor man died and angels carried him to take his place with Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried. From hell where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest. He called out: ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus with the tip of his finger dipped in water to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire’. Abraham replied: ‘My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you or from your side to us’.

The rich man implored once more: ‘Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send Lazarus to my father's house where my five brothers live. Let him warn them so that they may not end up in this place of torment’. Abraham replied: ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them’. But the rich man said: ‘No, Father Abraham. But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent’. Abraham said: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the grave'.

Meditating on today's Gospel it says...
Today, Jesus confronts us with the social iniquity direct consequence of the growing inequality between rich and poor. As if belonging to one of these awful scenes we are used to watch on TV, the Lazarus' yarn hits us, and achieves the sensationalist effect to prompt our emotions: «Even dogs used to come and lick his sores» (Lk 16:21). The difference is obvious: the rich man was dressing in purple and fine linen clothes, while the sores covering him were the poor man's only dress.

But the situation is balanced when both die. And, it is now when the difference is reversed: one takes his place with Abraham; while the other, is simple inhumed. If we had never heard this story before and we would like to apply the values of our present society, we might reason out that who reached into Heaven was the rich man and the poor one, logically, buried in the sepulchre.

Abraham, the Father of the Faith, pronounces the sentence spelling the final outcome: «My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well off while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort and you are in agony» (Lk 16:25). God's justice changes the situation altogether. God does not allow the poor man to remain forever in anguish, hunger and misery.

This message has moved millions of rich men's hearts and have converted large crowds through history; but, what kind of message will be needed in our over-developed, hyper-communicated, globalized world to make us realize all the social injustices which we are directly responsible of, or, if nothing else, which we tolerate as accomplices?
Whoever heard Jesus' message desired to rest by Abraham's side, but how many, amongst us here, will have enough by being buried when dead, without wanting to receive the consolation of our Father in Heaven? The true wealth is getting to see God, and what we need, as St. Augustine asserted, is: 'Walk with the man and you will reach God". That the Lazarus of everyday help us find God.

Luke 16: 1 - 13...You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money

photo owned by storm crypt of Flickr

Text
1 Jesus told his disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
2 And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'
3 And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4 I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.'
5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?'
6 He said, `A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
7 Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?' He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.'
8 The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.
10 "He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot give yourself both to God and to 'mammon' (personification of wealth and avarice as an evil spirit)".

my reflections:
Today's Gospel gives us an astounding impact on how we should conduct ourselves in dealing with God and to one another in the pursuit of wealth and money.

We are reminded once again that material goods and wealth are necessary and good, because they come from God's hands. Consequently, we have to prize them.

But we cannot “worship” them as if they were God and the ultimate meaning or purpose to our existence.

Let us give ourselves a clear understanding that riches are meant for us only to better serve God and men, our brothers; but not to expel God from our heart and our deeds: as what in (Lk 16:13) says, "You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money".

Do not let greed drag us along; we have to practice liberality, which is a virtue we should all have, whether rich or poor, each one depending upon his circumstances.

We have to give others; share them what we have!... What if I have enough for my own expenses? Yes, but you must also try to increase your wealth to be able to give more (parish, diocese, Caritas, apostolate, monasteries).

Remember St. Ambrose's words: "It is not part of your worldly goods what you give to the poor; what you are giving them is already theirs. Because you have appropriated what has been given for the fulfillment of all. Land belongs to all, not only to the rich".

Luke 8: 4 - 15... Seeds not fruits

text:
4 And when a great crowd came together and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:
5 "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it.
8 And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,
10 he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved.
13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
15 And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.

my reflections:
One time, i went to 'Whole Foods' in Sta Fe to buy fruits for my community's week-long consumption.

Monks love to eat varieties of fruits so i made it right to drop by the grocery store to pick some for them as i would not want them to get disheartened and disappointed in case they find nothing in the pantry the next day.

To my great surprise, i saw nothing in the fruit stand and so i asked for assistance from one of the guys connected with the grocecy store and said to him: "hey, i did not know you don't sell fruits anymore!." i exclaimed. The guy replied: "i'm sorry brother, but we don't sell fruits anymore", he apologized. "why is that so? hhhmmm, it's a bit strange that you don't carry fruits anymore huh?," i quickly told the man with a bit of sarcasm. "But wait a minute brother, we sell seeds, you may want to buy a few of them", the man explained in a little bit of excitement. I was taken aback. I thought to myself, what can seeds do to the monk's appetite and enthusiasm for fruits?...

Well, just like in today's Gospel, Jesus Christ sells seeds. he sells seeds of peace, joy, and unity to us.

The seed for joy is called forgiveness. If we learn to forgive, to love our enemies, to forget our grudges, then the seeds of peace and joy will grow and we will reap the fruits we are asking from the Lord.

Let us look therefore, into our hearts and see if we are ready to sow those seeds.

Sometimes we are just too preoccupied, too excited with such compulsive concern on harvesting and enjoying the fruits, that we are not ready to work and labor.

We can ask the Lord for peace, joy and unity, but first let us be ready to take from Him the seeds that grow in order to enjoy the fruits we aim and long for.

God bless us all....

Lk 15:1-32: ...rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner

(Lk 15:1-32):
....So Jesus told them this parable: «Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and seek out the lost one till he finds it?
And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together and say: ‘Celebrate with me for I have found my lost sheep’. I tell you, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent.....

Reflecting on the day's Gospel, it says...
Today, we are to consider one of the most celebrated parables of the Gospel: the parable of the prodigal son, who, while realizing the gravity of his offense to his father, goes back to him and is received with immense joy.

To see the circumstances driving Jesus Christ to disclose this parable, we can move up to the beginning of this Gospel. According to the Scripture, «Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say» (Lk 15:1), and this made Pharisees and scribes frown and mutter: «This man welcomes sinners and eats with them» (Lk 15:2). They thought the Lord was not to share his time and his friendship with persons of such dubious lives. They could not care less about those who, far from God, needed to be converted.

But, while this parable proves that nobody is meant to be lost for God, and encourages sinners by fostering their self-assurance and by showing them his goodness, it also includes a very important lesson for those who, apparently, do not feel the need of a spiritual rebirth: so, let us not decide that someone is “wicked” or do away with anyone; rather, let us always behave generously as a father accepting his lost son. The elder son's distrust, pointed out at the end of the parable, coincides with the initial malicious gossip of the Pharisees.

In this parable, not only is invited he who most certainly needs conversion, but also who thinks he does not need it. Its beneficiaries are not only publicans and sinners, but also the Pharisees and scribes; not only those who decidedly live by turning their back to God, but, maybe, all of us, who, having been blessed by him, in spite of everything, conform ourselves to what little we give him in exchange, and skimp our generosity either with him or with our fellow men. At the Vatican Council II we are told that by presenting us to the mystery of God's love, we have been called to establish a personal relationship with him, to set out on a spiritual path that will change us from the old man we are into the new perfect man after Christ.

The conversion we may need could perhaps be less noisy, but more radical and deep, and more constant and preserved: God is asking us to convert ourselves to love.