Many of us would certainly find ourselves worrying about tomorrow, about our future especially when we are already experiencing difficulties today. This is how we would make plans for our dreams for ourselves and for our families because we want a future that is secured.
However, aside from these worries, we could also experience worries at home, at school, at our workplaces and even with our relationships. And when these worries become overwhelming for us, they affect our relationships. In addition, when we experience failures in our dreams or in our relationships that the worries become more intense.
Yet, in today’s Gospel, Jesus comforts us by reminding us, “do not worry about tomorrow, do not worry about your life.” Jesus first reminded his disciples who at that times became worried on what they would have and on how their future be like by following the Lord. St. Matthew, the author of this Gospel, wrote this story to also remind the early Christian Community during his time, not to worry too much with material things in life.
This is an invitation to be more trusting in God, in His divine providence. God, indeed, takes care of everything even the smallest creature on earth, how much more to us who are all dear to the Lord. God takes care for us.
Thus, we embrace today and claim this comfort from the Lord, not to worry too much, but to be more trusting in God and in his ways of doing good and wonderful things for us. This also teaches us to be more trusting with people around us, those who work with us and those who accompany us in this journey of life. Kabay pa.
What do you see? What attracts and catches your eye? Beauty and goodness? Or ugliness and failures? Our eyes are usually attracted and caught up by what is already hidden deep within our heart (spiritually speaking), where our emotions and deep thoughts are found. These emotions and thoughts may also be greatly influenced by our longings and inner desires. Thus, we may also ask, what is it that I actually long for, that I desire the most?
Is it comfort and riches? Is it pleasure? Is it inner peace and confidence? Is it forgiveness? Is it love and affection? Is it contentment in life? etc. Depending on what we really long for and desire the most, that our eyes will also be easily attracted into what we see from outside. When what we long for is peace and love, then, our eyes will shall surely be more attracted to things that shall express and show peace and love. Yet, when what is within us are the desires to be powerful, to be rich and influential, to be violent, to take revenge and hate, then, what we shall see are opportunities on how those desires will also be expressed in our actions.
Thus, Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “The Lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.”
This is how we understand the cruelty we find in the first reading from the Second Book of Kings. Athaliah whose heart was filled with anger and hatred, upon seeing the death of her son, Ahaziah, became more vicious. What she saw were opportunities on how to take revenge, to take the throne and take control and power. Her eyes were attracted on how to slaughter the whole royal family. Athaliah was actually the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who murdered the innocent Naboth in order to grab his land. Both, worshipped Baal, a false god and where after the life of Prophet Elijah for reminding them of their sins against the Lord God and against the people.
This pictures out what Jesus tells in the Gospel, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.” Indeed, these people were after riches and power for themselves which turned them corrupt and evil. They were certainly, in darkness, as the Gospel says.
However, Jesus calls us today, “to store up treasures in heaven” by looking and by being attracted of the things of heaven. Thus, Jesus invites us to be more conscious of things that will last. Jesus was not talking about material possessions, neither human desires for recognition and power nor human cravings for self-gratification.
Jesus calls us to treasure the relationship we have with God and our relationship among ourselves as families, friends and community, as a church. This means that it is also an invitation to give priority to these relationships, in nurturing and giving importance through sharing of gifts and of our persons and giving sacrifices for one another and not in destroying each other.
Therefore, be daring in building intimate and deeper relationships with God and with others by giving what we have – our time and presence, by not fearing to take sacrifices for our loved ones, and by always being grateful of these relationships. This brings us to see more the needs of others, and not just our own needs and to see on how we can be more life-giving. Kabay pa.
The Lord teaches us how to pray. Isn’t it beautiful? The Lord himself taught us how to approach the heart of God not with a lengthy prayer, but with a greater confidence to God who we also call as our Father. Hence, Jesus taught his disciples on how to truly ask the Father and to pray sincerely.
This is where we also find Jesus’ warning for the disciples not to babble in their prayers but of empty words meant to only impress people. Jesus was conscious how the pagans would use many words but merely babbling. Well, the pagans believed that they have to use a lot of words in order to appease a violent and angry god. However, our God is not violent neither angry not need to be appeased. God, as Jesus introduced to us, is our Father.
By calling God as our father, this brings us into the affection we have with God. God would surely love being called as our Father, whose only desire is for us to grow in love.
This invites us now that our prayers and other forms of devotions are not meant to impress others or to flatter or manipulate the Lord because of our long, wordy and unintelligible prayers. What the Lord wants from us is our sincere and humble hearts that recognizes God as our Father.
The Lord’s Prayer brings us, indeed, into sincerity and humility because the prayers acknowledges first God, as our Father whose “divine will” takes priority than our own. Thus, we seek and recognize the will of God for us and not our wants. This brings us to be more aware of our needs of the present moment, of today, and not to be burdened by our past or to be anxious of what is to come tomorrow.
This is very important to remember that the prayer Jesus taught allows us to be more aware of our present moment, of our needs and graces of the here and now. This will certainly make us more contented and confident in life for we shall see how God provides and works for us in the present moment.
Indeed, Jesus invites us and teaches us on how to seek God’s desires because God knows what is best for us by praying the way he prays. May this simple but powerful prayer of our Lord gives us more confidence in the presence of God dwelling among us whose only desire is the best for us. Kabay pa.
To hit back when we are hurt can sometimes be our immediate response. Even without thinking, a child may hit a playmate when he or she is hurt. Among us adults, this kind of attitude is also evident, as a simple misunderstanding would lead to endless quarrels, lawsuits and even violence. This sounds actually simple and natural yet this has big implications in our relationships.
Yet, Jesus taught his disciples to “love your enemies and pray those who persecute you.” Is it not ridiculous? Our natural response is to hit back thinking that hitting back takes away our pain and anger. However, Jesus teaches the other way around, to love our enemies and pray for those who have hurt us.
But, how could we love those who have hurt us, those who have abused us, those who betrayed us and caused us pain in our life? Our immediate response is to take our revenge. If we cannot express physical violence against them, then, we express it in our words and on how we treat others and ourselves. But most of all, we linger to hatred, to pain and anger.
We do not realize that once we let aggression, violence, hatred and anger to dominate in our hearts and minds, we become prisoners of our own pain. Then, the pain that we endure leads us to feelings of more anger, hatred and bitterness. When we linger to these they will lead us to a heart that seeks only revenge.
However, we when find love and forgiveness in our hearts that begins with accepting and embracing those painful experiences and go on with life, then, we will be free. Loving one’s enemies or those whom we hate is an expression of mercy and forgiveness that will make us free. It will not erase the scar of betrayal or abuse or pain that we endure but we will be able to stand up, to wipe our tears, go on with life and transform pain into kindness.
Thus, for us who have done wrong to others and caused damage, Jesus also calls us to humble ourselves and acknowledge our sins. Our Psalm expresses today a humble heart that fully recognizes ones sins and evil done to others. In recognizing our sins, this also entails responsibility to what we have done. Hence, this how justice and mercy shall meet.
Certainly, the Lord desires that each of us becomes free of guilt so that peace and reconciliation shall be in us. The Lord wants us to be free and not to be prisoners of anger, hatred, bitterness, guilt and violence.
Showing love then, is not about telling the person, that what he/she did was okay and pretend as if nothing happens. No! Of course not. If we have caused pain and damage, then, that really happened and there is a need for us to acknowledge and take responsibility from such action.
Love and prayer, then, bring us towards reconciliation and healing to our wounded heart so that we will be free and at peace. This means that we choose love and not anger and hatred and we choose God and not evil. Kabay pa.
It was violent, cruel, brutal and merciless. These are some of the words one could describe on what happened with Naboth the Jezreelite. He refused to give up his ancestral heritage but was falsely accused. He was treated with so much brutality, viciously framed for a crime he did not commit and murdered in daylight by the minions of Jezebel.
And no one stood for Naboth. Nobody dared to defend him. King Ahab, on the other hand, though did not commit the crime directly but played passively. He was passive because he did not want to be involved himself. Yet, he did not also choose to stop Jezebel because he knew he would be able to benefit from such corrupt and murderous act of her wife.
This tells us really that no matter how much possessions we may have or no matter how secured we can be materially, or no matter how much power and influence we may possess, it does not mean that we will be satisfied. This has been shown already by Ahab even before the murder. Ahab was disturbed and angry because he did not get what he wanted despite he did not need it. Because of that greed of Ahab through the cunning and vicious plans and actions of Jezebel, the little possession of Naboth was taken away from him including his life.
Is God then, blind to this kind of crime committed against the weak and powerless? Our Psalm proclaims to us today the prayer of a man like Naboth, “Lord, listen to my groaning.” This is an appeal to the Lord to listen to that groan filled with pain. It is a cry for help from a person who find life too much to bear because of the exploitation and abuse from others.
The author of the Psalm also recognized that indeed, the Lord is not blind or deaf to that painful groan for the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and the deceitful. This is the very image that Jezebel gained after that murderous act, bloodthirsty and deceitful.
However, what is more puzzling in today’s invitation from the Lord for us is this, “offer no resistance to one who is evil.”
Does it mean that we become passive to the abuses committed against us, against the weak and the powerless? In the case of Naboth, it was perhaps even impossible to resist because the evil scheme against him was just too overwhelming. He was alone.
However, to offer no resistance to one who is evil has a deeper meaning. Not to resist to one who is evil, is not allowing evil to control us. Meaning, once we fight back to one who is evil it may bring us into the same position of the one who is evil. We shall tend to resort to the same violence. Hence, responding evil with evil or responding to violence with violence will only bring us into an endless cycle of evil and violence.
The wisdom of Jesus lies in the offer of peace. To offer the other cheek when someone strikes us on the right cheek, though this sounds ridiculous for many of us, is an opportunity for the one who hurt us to embrace peace and reconciliation. Peace and reconciliation is truly a difficult path. A very unpopular one. However, this is the only way to end the cycle violence and evil.
Moreover, this is not an excuse to just remain passive to the abuses and other forms of oppression. It does not mean that when your spouse physically abuse you, or a family member is sexually abusing you, or a friend or colleague is exploiting your goodness and generosity, or a powerful and influential person oppressed the weak in the society that we remain passive and indifferent. The teaching of Jesus is meant to keep violence at the minimum and not to escalate more violence towards others and ourselves. In such situations, we are called to get out from the abusive relationship, to demand justice and reparation and show mercy.
To demand justice then is to make the perpetrator take the responsibility and the consequences. To show mercy is to get rid of hatred and anger within our hearts for us to live freely by offering peace and reconciliation towards those who have wronged us.
Therefore, God invites us today to live freely by not allowing evil to control us or to have an access into our hearts by holding on to grudges, hatred, anger and selfishness. God calls us to be more satisfied with what we have and to be grateful of the blessing God gave to us so that unlike Ahab, our hearts won’t grow ungrateful and corrupt. God calls us too that in the event when an evil act is committed against us, do not give a chance to evil to have a control over us by resorting to evil also. Jesus calls us to offer peace, not violence, not anger, not hatred, and not also indifference in the face of evil and violence. Offer peace that gives and promotes life. Kabay pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 