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Tag: God's Grace

  • Bitterness Deprives Us of God’s Grace

    Bitterness Deprives Us of God’s Grace

    February 5, 2025 – Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020525.cfm)

    When the brain is deprived of oxygen, medical science tells us that it can lead us to loss of consciousness. And longer deprivation of oxygen as in the case of drowning can lead to more damage to the brain and even death. When we too are being deprived of essentials in our relationships like love and acceptance, it also leads us to confusion, depression and even in losing ourselves.

    In matters of faith, depriving oneself of the grace of God will lead us to hopelessness and misery in this life. Yet the Holy Scriptures teach us that God always gives life, blesses life and renews our life. God never stops that.

    In fact, this is the reason why grace overflows so that no one will be deprived of the grace of God. The first reading from Letter to the Hebrews reminds us of this. We were reminded to strive for peace with everyone because without it, we shall have troubles and bitterness in our hearts. As the grace of God overflows, the Letter also invites all Christian believers to “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.”

    This tells us that our participation has an effect in making God’s grace to truly overflow and be experienced by all. However, one can actually deprive oneself or others of the grace of God when the heart refuses God’s grace.

    Yet, why would a person refuse to welcome and accept something that is so wonderful like the grace of God? Is this even possible? Indeed, this is very possible that a person will refuse to accept God’s grace because of a heart hardened by jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred. This is a heart seeks no peace.

    This is what we have heard in today’s Gospel. As Jesus went home, he was welcomed with bitterness and hatred by his own neighbors. Jesus did many miracles in other places but was questioned and judged by the people who knew him. Their thoughts were merely based on the familiar background of Jesus of being a carpenter, being a son of Mary, being a brother to his cousins.  Outside of these, they failed to see that there was more in the life of Jesus. The people failed to see the overflowing grace in the life of Jesus. As a result, the people took offence at him.

    They felt offended because they could not accept the opportunity of being graced by the life of Jesus who was only ordinary for them. This is how a bitter and hateful heart affects our relationship with others. All Jesus could do was to heal few sick people. And it was not that Jesus did not want to do any miracle because of their bitterness towards him. Jesus just couldn’t because the people did not cooperate with the grace of God. The bitterness in their hearts made them refuse and be deprived of God’s grace.

    Indeed, God can only work when we allow God to work miracles. The lack of faith of the people is a way of refusal of God’s grace. This tells us that God, though all-powerful, does not impose the Divine power on us. God would rather invite us to allow Him to work miracles for us.

    Besides, the people expressed their non-cooperation with the grace of God through their lack of faith. And Mark tells us that Jesus was amazed of their lack of faith. It was just amazing for the Lord because the people have witnessed how the grace of Jesus’ life could do for them yet they still refused. The lack of faith in them was even reinforced because their hearts were filled with jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred.

    Yet, as the Letter to the Hebrews calls us, “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.” This is the call for us today. Let us not deprive ourselves of the grace of God or deprive others. Let God’s grace overflow then, through us and through the gift of persons of one another, like St. Agatha whose feast we celebrate today.

    St. Agatha though was subjected to suffering because of a sexual desire of a Roman governor, grew more in her faith in God. In the midst of torture, even when her breast was torn off and later was burned alive, the grace of God flowed through her. Her commitment to Christ and through her martyrdom, she became a channel of miracles of healing.

    And so, with St. Agatha’s intercession, let not our hearts nurture bitterness, hatred, jealousy and false judgment on others in order not to deprive ourselves or others of the grace of God. Let us rather nurture an attitude that welcomes the grace of God through the gift of our persons. And we can do this by striving for peace. Hinaut pa.

  • The Glory of God Alive in Us 

    The Glory of God Alive in Us 

    October 4, 2022 – Tuesday of the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100422.cfm)

    Paul recalled how his former way of life was very destructive, violent and filled with hatred. Yet, the Lord had greater plans for Paul. Despite the dark-past story in the life of Paul, God still worked wonders in his life. This was how Paul recollected that moment when Jesus revealed himself to Paul. The encounter of Paul with the Lord became a moment of conversion and transformation. Paul saw how at fault he was. Paul also was able to recognize how blinded he was.

    Such personal realization of sin and darkness in the life of Paul became also the opportunity for the Lord to heal and bring freedom in the heart of Paul. Thus, Paul expressed this encounter in his letter to the Galatians, “[The Lord] called me through his grace.” Indeed, it was grace that saved Paul and transformed his life.

    This moved Paul to give his whole life and undivided heart for the Lord, for his commitment to love others and bring them to the Lord. Consequently, people around Paul “glorified God because of him.” Yes, the people who were touched by him, glorified the Lord because they must have witnessed how God worked wonders in the life of a person like Paul whose history was filled with hatred and bitterness, violence and malice against Christians.

    Indeed, the Lord works wonders in our life when we also begin to choose him, embrace him fully as the Lord chooses us and embraces us despite the mess we have in our life. This is something that our Gospel today pictures about. Mary who sat beside the Lord Jesus and listened to him “chose the better part.” Mary realized at that moment that Jesus came to visit them and so she choose God. However, Martha who was typically anxious and a worrier, made herself busy in preparing things.

    Jesus did not need much serving at that moment. Yet, Martha made herself be overwhelmed with unnecessary concerns and worries. This became the reason why Martha was so distracted and failed to embrace the presence of the Lord at that moment. But Mary, choose the better part. She choose the presence of God at that moment. This transformed the life of Mary, and well, later on also of Martha, as the two became saints.

    Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a well-loved saint. Certainly, we too glorify God because of his works and example. St. Francis also chose the better part. He chose God who first chose him. Francis, indeed, chose the Lord over prestige and privileges. This was how he lived a simple way of life and an undivided heart for Christ and His Church.

    This is the invitation for us today and that is to also choose the better part, in choosing and embracing the Lord wo has called us through his grace and who visits us today. Like Paul, Mary, Martha and Francis, may we also let the glory of God be alive in us by letting the grace of God transform our heart that may be filled now with grief and sorrow, anxieties and worries or with hatred and anger, bitterness and malice, violence and greed into a heart that is free, at peace and healed. Kabay pa.

  • God’s grace is a sheer gift not earned

    God’s grace is a sheer gift not earned

    November 10, 2020 – Tuesday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111020.cfm)

    Homily

    As Jesus reminded his disciples that a master need not be grateful to his servant and so is God need not be grateful to us. Like the servant in today’s Gospel, we too do not earn anything. Our good works and even expression of our devotion do not merit anything.

    Do you think that this is too bad? Well, if our mindset believes that our relationship with God is like when we are working, that what we do must be compensated with some wages, then, this really looks bad. However, our relationship with God is not something like this where we do good works, love others and love God, do our prayers and Church obligations and expect something good in return from God. God has no obligation whatsoever to us. We do not need to be compensated for our good works on earth.

    Nevertheless, our relationship with God  is entirely based on “grace.” God’s grace is not a compensation to us, not a reward and not a merit given to us. God’s grace is a sheer gift given to us because God is generous, because God is pure love.

    If God would rate and give points to the way we live our life, all of us may fail for God’s standard is not like ours. However, this sheer gift of God’s grace is given to us as God’s expression of love. It is not that God is indebted also to us because we adore and worship God, but because God’s love naturally overflows and God indeed is the fullness of love.

    Thus, just as Jesus reminded again his disciples, we too are “unprofitable servants,” yet blessed and loved by God. Should we not be grateful then?

    We are called to be grateful. This is our response to that pure gift of grace from God. Paul tells us that as the grace of God has appeared to us, then, we are to live our lives having self-control not driven by our selfish-intentions and impulses, to be honest in our words and deeds and to live a holy life. In this way, then, we are to express our gratitude to the Lord who is all good and generous to us for God is full of love. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR

  • GRACE given to each of us

    GRACE given to each of us

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    October 24, 2020 – Saturday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102420.cfm)

    Homily

    Recognizing the grace of God in each of us is a call to a personal encounter with the Lord. Paul reminds us in today’s letter to the Ephesians, “Grace was given to each of us, according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” In our encounter with God’s grace, it invites us to grow from our infancy and childishness towards maturity in our knowledge of God and of ourselves. This movement necessarily involves letting go of those unnecessary things, attitudes, vices, behaviors, beliefs and lifestyle that separate us from the grace of God and prevent us from truly encountering and knowing the Lord intimately.

    Thus, our encounter with God calls also us to go beyond ourselves even beyond our comforts, beyond our fears and beyond our sins and weaknesses. God calls us to step forward and to come out our own hiding places of insecurities, of anger and hate, of pretensions and compulsive behaviors.

    This is basically the invitation of Jesus from the Gospel today. Jesus gave us the parable of the fig tree. In this parable, Jesus tells us that the Father is a God of many chances. God gives us many chances to change our ways and to come nearer to him so that we may find fullness of life with God. This is described to us as Jesus expressed in the parable how the owner would visit the tree. And also, in the person of the gardener, Jesus tells us that indeed, God gives us another chance when we fail and commit mistakes.

    The gardener expressed hope to the owner as he asked him to give the fig tree another year. The gardener promised to cultivate it so that it may bear fruit. The gardener saw hope in that tree. He saw the grace in that tree. That gardener is the Spirit dwelling within us, the grace given to us. This tells us now that God never loses hope in us.

    Indeed, God always sees hope in each of us. Even though that others may treat us as beyond hope and beyond repair because of our failures and big mistakes in life, but then, God sees hope beyond our hopelessness. That is why, God’s spirit would always entice us to recognize him and encounter him. This is how the grace of God moves us and inspires us to see beyond and discover Christ’s gift of Himself to us, of his gift of salvation and gift of hope.

    We may also remember that God makes the move through the people around us, through our friends and loved ones and even strangers who will remind and teach us that God is within us. God’s grace is waiting to be recognized, and waiting to be welcomed and embraced. Hinaut pa.

    Jom Baring, CSsR