Pride and Prejudice

Gospel:    Luke 4:16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

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Why do we see things as they are? Why is it so difficult to accept that things aren't always how we perceive them to be? Why is it then that no prophet is accepted in his own native place? The reason is simple, human comprehension is limited. Oftentimes, we only look at things from one perspective - that is, the perspective that benefits us. We always look for our 'comfort zone' and reject the unknown.

Likewise, when we know someone, we establish our own image of him. Then we get trapped in the mindset that this person will stay the same until the end of time. We neglect change and other factors because we only see what we want.

Jesus was rejected by the people of his town. Because the townspeople saw Jesus growing up as a carpenter's son, they refused to believe that HE could be the messiah. They were blinded because they perceived Jesus according to their standards. They found it hard to accept that the savior they were waiting for came in the guise of a lowly carpenter’s son! They must have thought that the messiah would come from a house of prestige and status. They couldn’t imagine themselves bowing down to someone of lower rank. Their pride mixed perfectly with their prejudice chased Jesus away.

So, why then did Jesus visit Nazareth when HE knew what awaited HIM? Again, the reason is simple, Jesus is not human and hence his comprehension is not limited. HE treats all of us similarly regardless of our caprices. HE loves us equally and wants us to know that HE will always be with us even though HE knows that by doing so, only suffering awaits HIM.

Touched by Jesus' great love, let us not allow ourselves to be blinded by pride and prejudice. For it is only when we step out of our 'comfort zone' that we see things in a new light. Why don't we try to love like Jesus?

Substance over Form

Gospel   Mt 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.

You do not enter yourselves,

nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

You traverse sea and land to make one convert,

and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna

twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,

‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,

but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’

Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,

or the temple that made the gold sacred?

And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,

but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’

You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,

or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;

one who swears by the temple swears by it

and by him who dwells in it;

one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God

and by him who is seated on it.”

"One of the many things I learned from Accounting that is applicable to real life is Substance over Form."

As Christ's followers, we are expected to do good. But if our acts of goodness are solely based on this expectation, then we are missing the whole point of it. With that, we forget the real reason behind that goodness and that is to be like Jesus who overflows with kindness and compassion. Doing good just for show is meaningless and that is what makes us hypocrites.

Yesterday, a member of Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD) shared God's message to her. She reminded the whole Couples for Christ (CFC) community of the "heart for service" and that answering the cry of the poor is not for commercialization but should be driven by the passion to reach out to the less fortunate. 

The Gospel today poses the question: "Which is of greater worth: the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?". It is like comparing the value of a gift and the value of the person offering the gift. It is also like comparing the value of an act and the reason behind that act. In the end, it is not the act but the heart that matters. That is what we call Substance over Form.

A Satisfied Heart

Gospel, Matthew 20:1-16

'Now the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard.
He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard.
Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place
and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage."
So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same.
Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing around, and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?"
"Because no one has hired us," they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too."
In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first."
So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each.
When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each.
They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying,
"The men who came last have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the heat."
He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius?
Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the lastcomer as much as I pay you.
Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?"
Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.'

***

Being Rich is a choice

Gospel Mt 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

Childlike not Childish

Matthew 18:1-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

***

When we were still in our childhood days, we were so dependent to our parents that we almost didn’t want to part with them. They are the ones whom we run to when we cry and get troubled. We ask them so many things when we don’t know the answer. We ask help from them for our assignments and school projects. We obey them because we fear that they might get angry with us and simply believe that they know what's best for us.

As we grow old we tend to be independent. We crave for freedom that we almost wanted  to be far away from them, to be away from rules. We get angry when are being rebuked by them because of our wrong doings. We tend to disobey them because walls of pride are already built when they don’t agree of what we really wanted.  We tend to think that we’re already mature enough but actually, by having these behavior,we are already being childish.

What God wants us to be is to be childlike not childish. That is being humble,being dependent to God and having a complete trust in Him. God gave us intelligence and talents but we must still rely on him not on ourselves. He is the One we can cry to and open up with our problems. We can ask from Him guidance when making decisions. We obey because we love him and we trust his plan for us.

With this video, I hope that we'll be encouraged to make a total surrender to God and be reminded that He is always here for us. :)

Fruitful Faithful

Gospel: Luke 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Spiderman

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,

“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”

He replied to him,

“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”

Then he said to the crowd,

“Take care to guard against all greed,

for though one may be rich,

one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.

“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.

He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,

for I do not have space to store my harvest?’

And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:

I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.

There I shall store all my grain and other goods

and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,

you have so many good things stored up for many years,

rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’

But God said to him,

‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;

and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’

Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves

but are not rich in what matters to God.”

Good and Bad

GOSPEL: Matthew 13: 47-53

Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

+++

I Believe in Him

John 11: 19 - 27

And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary sat in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

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Reaffirm your faith today and shout,

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Do this daily and know that your faith will never falter.

These are my 'magic words' which never fail to brighten my day. 

Whenever I feel lonely or sad,

Whenever I feel angry,

Whenever I feel betrayed,

Whenever I feel desperate,

Whenever I feel lost,

Whenever I feel happy,

Whenever I feel excited,

Whenever I feel content,

Whenever I feel blessed,

Whenever I feel grateful,

I always make sure to express my faith in the Lord by exclaiming,

"I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!"

      Though I may not feel his presence, I know that He is with me. That's why, I refrain from thoughts like, 'If only the Lord was there, this could not have happened,' or 'Why did you allow this my Lord?' However, there may be times when I become like Martha in the gospel wherein I pray that the Lord undo an unbearable event. And in the worst cases, I can't stop myself from putting the blame on the Lord. However, just because I know that the Lord's power is incomprehensible, this does not allow me to question His ways. It is during these times that I reaffirm my faith and exclaim, "I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!" And strangely each time I do this, I feel at ease and relaxed. It's like my soul has been energized and my burden has been lifted. Just as Martha has reaffirmed her faith, I too seek to strengthen my faith in the Lord for I will always believe in him.

Miracle Don't Just Happen

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

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.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”

And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you,
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”