How blessed are you today? In the midst of our own trials in life today, have we realized how blessed we are? And have we become a blessing also to others?
The Book of Genesis, in the first reading, tells us about blessing. Abram who was called by the Lord to leave his homeland and family, was blessed by God. Abram’s faith and confidence in the Lord made him blessed and felt blessed despite the difficulty of leaving his comforts. As Abram had been blessed, through him, all the communities of the earth shall find blessing in him. Everyone, who met Abram and those whose were touched by him, were blessed.
The Lord said to him, “I will bless you… so that you will be a blessing.” This reminds us now that each of us too is blessed by the Lord in many ways. And the blessings of God calls us now that we shall become a blessing to others, to our brothers and sisters and neighbors.
This is God’s invitation for us today that we become a blessing to our communities and that we will not become the face of evil and curse. Jesus reminds us today also, not to judge others, not to judge the lives and situations of our brothers and sisters. Judging others and to develop and nurture prejudices in our hearts will only make us indifferent to the lives of many and indifferent to the feelings and experiences of others.
Moreover, our judgments, prejudices and biases are signs that we may become faces of curses and evil to our community. This is not what God wants for us.
Thus, we may learn to develop the attitude of constant discernment of the different realities in our community, of making our presence felt by those who are in difficulty, of being understanding to those who need to be understood. In such actions and attitudes, we may be able to give hope and courage to others. In this way, others shall find blessing in us as we have been blessed by God. Hinaut pa.
When I was growing up, I was taught to fear God because He brings punishment to disobedient children. I was taught to be good and to follow my parents and elders so that God won’t be angry at me and condemn me in hell. Somehow, I developed dependence on rules and regulations, at home and at school. I tended to be hard on myself and on others whenever rules were broken. Yet, I was also inclined to feel righteous by being an obedient boy but condemning to those who did not follow the rules.
Such upbringing made me believe that God was like an old grandfather always holding a stick and whose eyes were always angry, ready to strike a naughty boy.
However, this belief in God made me distant from God. Faith and my relationship with the Lord was motivated by fear of punishment. Is this the kind of faith that God wants us to develop, then? Does God want us to relate with Him through fear?
Surely, this is not what God wants. God’s self-revelation in our history tells us that God is our creator, defender, savior, a parent, a friend, and a companion because his love is everlasting, as what the Psalm proclaimed today. Indeed, in Jesus, God tells us that He is with us, he brings good news, freedom and salvation.
This is the very image that has been revealed to us in today’s Gospel. The disciples who were terrified by the storm thought that Jesus was indifferent to the dangers they were facing. Yet, they were wrong. Jesus was entirely confident in the Father. This is what Jesus showed to them as he calmed the storm and brought peace. Having these images and experiences of God, should we be afraid of Him which could prevent us to develop an intimate relationship with God?
God desires us that we love Him. He constantly invites us to come closer to Him because through Him, then, we shall find the fullness of our life. Jesus desires that we grow in gratitude to God for not giving up on us and for being always with us. In fact, St. Paul told us in his letter to the Corinthians, “Christ died for all” – for each of us no matter how underserving we are.
We find this in the life of Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Mary is motivated by love and gratitude to God. Despite the fear that she felt at the announcement of Angel Gabriel to carry in her womb the presence of God, love and gratitude also must have filled her heart to respond to God.
Her constant listening to God allowed her to understand more fully the identity and mission of her Son and Lord. Because of this, Mary must have discovered herself in God’s plan of salvation. And Mary responded to Gabriel saying, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done according to your word,” because the love and gratitude in her heart made her more confident not just with herself, with her ability and strength but most especially, she has become totally confident to God who loves her.
Indeed, Mary, our Mother, brings inspiration to us now that our God, certainly, desires that we become grateful to Him because it is when we become grateful that we become confident. By being grateful to God, our insecurities will certainly lessen and our fears will be transformed into faith. This is how we become a new creation, as what St. Paul told us, because gratitude brings us closer to Christ and whoever is in Christ is a new creation.
Let us also remember that when we become grateful, we also become joyful because we will be able to recognize how blessed we are. This is also how the old things in us, (our old hatred and grudges, anger and insecurities) shall pass away so that new things will come.
Mary, as a new creation, is certainly a joyful woman, and no wonder, she is blessed among women because with her is the presence of God.
This gratitude and joy will move us also to recognize ultimately the source of blessings. When we are able to recognize God then, it also follows that we will be moved to respond to Him in love.
The Book of Deuteronomy (6:5) tells us to love the Lord God with all our heart, whole being and strength. Loving the Lord then, is our expression, not of fear, but of our deep gratitude to God.
Moreover, Jesus reminds us of the immediate result of loving the Lord. The love of neighbor is the concrete manifestation of loving the Lord. Remember, God’s image is in each of us. Therefore, if we love God, then, it also means that our love is being expressed towards ourselves and with our brothers and sisters who are created in God’s image and likeness.
Thus, we should be very careful when we tend to become so stiff with our religious practices but having a growing indifference towards people around us, then, our devotion to God is empty and merely motivated by fear. Our religiosity can be a mere appearance of our arrogant devotion when we also refuse to see and recognize the abuses in our community and choose to be silent amidst oppression and injustice committed against the powerless and the weak.
To love God calls us then, to love one another. And we can begin and renew our commitment today by being grateful to God which would hopefully make us joyful persons like Mary. When we are joyful, God transforms us to be generous to others, both in our words and deeds. Thus, joyful and grateful persons are truly generous because true generosity springs forth from those attitudes of gratitude and joy. However, when we pretend to be generous but having an impure motive, just to advance our personal interests, then, this is not a true expression of love towards others, but selfishness.
Hopefully, we will be constantly reminded through our devotion to Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help to grow not in fear but in gratitude and that Jesus invites us to love our God and our neighbors, regardless of our differences. Hinaut pa.
As a Redemptorist missionary, traveling is a big part and parcel of my life and work. As we all know, to journey around the Philippine islands would entail a lot of travel by land, sea or air. This would mean taking the car, bus, tricycle, boat, walk, bike, horse, fast ferry or plane and/or combination of all.
Once at the pre-departure area of Cebu SuperCat terminal, it was announced that our trip to Dumaguete on that day was cancelled due to incoming typhoon. A number of us were grumbling as we lined up ourselves to get our ticket refunded. It happened that one of the passengers recognized me and chatted with me. Expressing her disgust, she suggested to me, “Father, why don’t you pray like Jesus did, for the storm to pass us by.” I replied to her, “It never and will never cross my mind that I am Christ, or I am the Christ. I am a Christian, just a mere follower of Christ.”
Our Gospel today about calming of the storm, I think, teaches us about our life as Christians. It tells us what it means to be a Christian. The word Christian comes from the proper noun “Christ”, which means Messiah or Savior and the suffix “ian” which mean a follower of, a fan of. Meaning, to be a Christian is not to be Christ, but to be a disciple or follower of Christ. It is like if one is a follower of Vilma, they are called “Vilmanian,” and “Noranians” for Nora. The suffix “ian” could have an acronym. If we attached IAN to Christ, IAN could mean I Am Now with Christ. But if we detach or separate “ian” from Christ, IAN could mean I Am Nothing without Christ. Meaning, if we only remain in Him, we are assured of our salvation and eternal life. Apart from Him, we are nobody. With Him, we are blessed.
In our world today, we could recognize that there are people who claim that they are Christ, who promised that they will save us, thinks that only them who can save us, and through their own efforts, on their own, they can save themselves and others – in other words, people with messianic complex. There are also people nowadays who expect others to be their Christ who will do and save the day for them. Just like people, who wants and expects others, like their priests & government officials to heal them from sickness, forgive their sins and faults, solve their problems, fix their mess, help them financially and even perform miracles like calming the storm, exorcised their demons, and others.
Our Gospel is a clear reminder that Jesus is the Christ, and we are Christians – His mere follower. As Christians then, we need Christ – we need to be and live life with Him for without Him we can do nothing. We thus need to travel & journey with Him in our day to day lives.
Jesus also is teaching us today about PEACE, COURAGE, and FAITH. First of all, Peace is not the absence of war, conflict, storms or turmoil in life, but Peace is the sense of Calmness in the midst of life-storms, and the sense of Serenity despite wars, conflict, and difficulties in life. We cannot avoid storms in life, but what is required of us is the calmness and serenity of Jesus who says: “Quiet” amid these storms, and difficulties. He also teaches us that Courage is more than just moving on – moving fighting forward, but more on holding our ground, facing the odds, still holding on standing, and asking for help.
Jesus who says: “Be Still” shows us courage in the midst of the storm not by fighting or controlling it, but by facing the storm without being overwhelmed by it. In the same way, courage in the midst of life-storms and difficulties would mean the Christ-like attitude of not only “no retreat, no surrender”, but also “don’t fight nor flee but face it and ask for help”. Facing life-adversities is not about getting rid and getting out, but more so getting through life-challenges. And lastly, Jesus who asks: “Do you not yet have faith?” is also teaching us that Faith is not more than just the absence of fear and doubt, but to remain steadfast and trusting in the Lord’s will and ways, even when in fear and doubt.
In life, then, as His followers, we travel with the Lord in peace, courage & faith. Via con Dios. Go with God, Walk with Jesus.
As Christians, followers of Christ we pray that we may always recognize His presence and help in our life journey and so bless us with peace, courage, and faith in the midst of storms in life, most especially during these pandemic times. Amen.
The bacteria that caused the bubonic plague in the middle ages claimed 25 million lives – about three-fourths of Europe’s population. The survivors wondered where God was in this disaster. “Where are you, Lord? Don’t You care?” Today the Covid 19 virus causing the pandemic poses similar questions on God’s role and presence in this global havoc and tragedy!
Indeed, when we feel drowned by misery we often cry out, “Where are you, Lord? Don’t You care?” We don’t seem to recognize the Lord’s abiding presence even in the midst of storms, adversity, sorrow, temptation! Yet, He is always by our side with blessed assurance, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” “It is I, do not be afraid.” When the Lord calms our storm and calls our name, we have to realize that great indeed is His loving mercy that elicits faith and longing to entrust to Him all our needs and cares.
Loving Father, our faith is Your gift, empowering us to relate to You with trust by accepting Your life-giving word. Your love strengthens our faith, enabling us to do justice and act with kindness to the poor and voiceless even in the face of trials and difficulties. How blessed are we whenever we allow Your love to rule in our heart and mind goading us to choose what is good and in accord with Your will!
Brothers and sisters, may the Lord deepen our faith in His redeeming power and love. May we always recognize His abiding presence with us and take courage in doing His will in all circumstances. Amen.
“How often do I worry? How often do I find myself anxious of many things?”
Our worries and anxieties is part of our life the moment we have become aware of ourselves and of the world. Parents would naturally worry about their growing children. Lovers may feel anxious of the security in their relationship. Workers and professionals may worry with the demands of their work and their relationships among their colleagues and superiors. We may worry these days because we might be infected by covid with its new variant. We may worry also about the vaccine that it might have terrifying side-effects on us.
However, when our worries and anxieties reaches the smallest and most trivial things in life and settle on them, then, we will be lost and distracted so much. These trivial worries and anxieties could paralyze us to the point that we will lose our peace of mind and worst our capacity to choose and transcend difficult moments in life.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites his disciples to set their hearts and seek instead the kingdom of God. Jesus felt that the disciples had grown more worried about their food, their appearance before the people, their security and even their future. Because of so much worries and anxiety, they became distracted and settled only with trivial things in their life
Consequently, it made their hearts full that it prevented God to fill them, to surprise them and satisfy them. Jesus also wants us that we become free from worries and anxieties which only prevent God to come to us and fill us with his presence.
Thus, the Lord invites us today to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness. This will brings us into confidence in God who is most generous to us. This is what we have heard from the Paul’s letter today. Paul acknowledged God’s voice saying to him, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Indeed, God’s grace sustains us and satisfies us only we are fully aware of God’s presence.
Today, we are called to seek God’s Kingdom. This means that we become more familiar with God’s presence in our everyday experiences. It is when we become familiar with His presence that we also grow in confidence and faith in God.
To seek God’s righteousness also means being more attuned with God’s desire for us. God’s desire lead us to peace, freedom and joy.
We may come and grew more in our confidence in God, whose grace is sufficient for us and therefore, find freedom from our unnecessary worries and anxieties. Hinaut pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 