June 15, 2021 – Tuesday of the 11^th Week in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061521.cfm)

Why do people who tend to complain a lot, find life miserable? Why do people who love to keep things only for themselves always feel unsatisfied?

When we tend to complain a lot then we only see the ugly, the mistakes, the failures and the not so nice in life . We find life miserable because we believe that life is so unfair to us. Hence, no matter how provided we are by our parents, or no matter how much wealth we have possessed, and no matter how many achievements we have succeeded, when we only see the ugly in us and in others, life will be miserable.

When we also keep things for ourselves only, then, this tells us how insecure we have become. We shall only recognize what we do not have and do not see what we already have. Thus, we will always feel unsatisfied because our tendency to keep things for ourselves will remove us from the confidence of being graced and being gifted.

If we have developed one or these two attitudes, then, we are missing many things in life. St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians recounts to us today the grace of God received in the churches of Macedonia.  Macedonia, a Greek territory, had been subjected to many trials and affliction. However, Paul recognized that despite those and their profound poverty, the Christians in Macedonia were filled with abundant joy. Within that joy was an overflowing wealth of generosity on their part.

Paul happily tells us that through their joy expressed by their generous heart, then, they offered their lives to the Lord and to the Apostles for the sake of the Gospel.

Such attitude by the first Christians in Macedonia tells us today that we can remain contented, happy and filled with joy in life despite the afflictions, the poverty and the sickness that we are suffering at this moment. This was the spirit behind the Macedonians because they recognized and were fully aware of the grace of God in their life.

They very presence of the Apostles and the gift of faith were enough reasons of becoming conscious and confident in God’s loving and faithful presence. Consequently, that joy in their heart made them generous. Despite their poverty, there was an overflowing wealth of generosity, an expression of true joy.

This is God’s invitation for us today. We are called to become more conscious of God’s grace, of God’s loving and faithful presence to us. In that awareness, we may grow in our confidence with God and be filled with joy in our heart even when we are suffering and poor. May it lead us to become generous in our words and actions even to the extent of loving our enemies and praying for those who have hurt us, persecuted us and insulted us for the sake of their conversion and peace. Hinaut pa.