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.”

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?”

The Better Part

Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village 

where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary

who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. 

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,

“Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? 

Tell her to help me.” 

The Lord said to her in reply,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 

There is need of only one thing. 

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her.”

Package Delivery

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? 

How do you read it?” 

He said in reply,

“You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;

do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,

“And who is my neighbor?” 

Jesus replied,

“A man fell victim to robbers

as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. 

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. 

A priest happened to be going down that road,

but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 

Likewise a Levite came to the place,

and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him

was moved with compassion at the sight. 

He approached the victim,

poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. 

Then he lifted him up on his own animal,

took him to an inn, and cared for him. 

The next day he took out two silver coins

and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,

‘Take care of him. 

If you spend more than what I have given you,

I shall repay you on my way back.’

Which of these three, in your opinion,

was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” 

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” 

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Happy Laborers

Gospel: LK 10:1-9

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit. 
He said to them,

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest. 
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way. 
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you. 
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment. 
Do not move about from one house to another. 
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,

‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

What Matters Most?

I have a confession to make. I find it hard creating an article. To make it more specific, creating an English article. I'm having difficulty constructing sentences with the correct subject-verb agreement. Until now, I still get lost and confused in dealing with tenses - past, present, and future. I find it hard also to finish an article that possesses coherence.  And actually, right now, in this article, I doubt you'll finish reading without spotting errors at least one.

I have another confession. It takes me 3-7 hours to compose an article. That's true. The thought and idea of each article is actually formulated for a maximum of 1 hour. The remaining hours are for backspacing, rewriting, analyzing, choosing the right words, deleting excess "s" (for verb, you know what I mean) and all of the editing stuffs while I am still in my composing phase yet. That's why it's a big WOW for me whenever I heard someone that he can compose an article in an hour - fully edited, fully polished, ready for publication.

Yet, here I am, trying hard and giving my best to just create an article. And you might wonder why? It's pretty obvious that I am not good in English, BUT WHY IN THE WORLD I STILL CHOSE TO COMPOSE AND CREATE ARTICLES FOR GOD? Am I that ambitious trying to dream hopelessly that someday I will be someone who can write and author a novel, or whose name is in the newspapers, magazines, and in other publications?

My answer is just a partial "yes". Because my main reason is more than the reasons I have just mentioned. And what is it?

I'll answer that in a moment. But first, let me share to you a bible story..

"Recognize Me, Remain in Me, And Be Forever With Me"

Gospel: John 8:31-42

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,

“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone. 
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them,

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains. 
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you. 
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”

They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” 

Jesus said to them,

“If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham. 
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”

So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication. 
We have one Father, God.” 

Jesus said to them,

“If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

***

Recognized

         During Jesus' ministry, it's hard for the Jews to believe in Him and in His words. As a son of a carpenter, it's hard for them to accept His precepts. It became harder for them when His words seems to contradict with the laws they already have, the laws handed to them by Moses, enhanced, modified and made complicated by the pharisees and priests that time.

         In today's gospel, it's like Jesus is talking to the Jews this way:

         "Abraham talked to God. Abraham listened to God. Abraham followed and obeyed God. And now you're telling me that you're the descendants of Abraham who listened and obeyed God? And now you're telling me that God is your Heavenly Father? How come my words doesn't have any room among you? If Abraham is truly your ancestor, then you should have listened and obeyed God. If God really is your Father, then you should have recognized me, listened to me, loved me because He will surely tell you that I am His son, and I came from Him. Or maybe He already have told you but you didn't listen to Him. You ignored Him when He told you that I am His son, and the one who is going to free you from your inequities. And you find it hard to believe what He have told you because you knew and judged me for I am just a son of a poor carpenter."

         As our God, as our Father, God likes talking to us everyday. Showing, leading, and instructing us in our every decision. 

         But oftentimes, just like the Jews, we fail to recognize God's directions in our life. We don't mind listening to Him anymore. Or worse, we listen to Him, but we're not obeying what He's telling us. Because we fail to recognize the purpose and reason behind His every instruction. And also because we're already loaded with our own self-approved beliefs and with what the people have told us.

         It's like having a conversation with Him that goes like this,

         Us: "Hey, God, what's your advice for my problem?"

         God: "Ahm, do this..<God will provide His solution..>"

         Us: "Err! Your advice seems so uncomfortable and hard to do and it contradicts with what I have in mind.. Sorry, I'd rather follow mine. Thanks anyway."

         We're not anymore submissive to God. And when troubles and misfortunes come our way, it's easy for us blaming Him for what we have become.

         In our time, where new, loud, convincing, and sometimes confusing and misleading beliefs and new age wisdom, God is still speaking with us,

         "Listen to Me. Heed My words. Know that Jesus is My Son. Recognize Him, honor Him and believe in Him. I sent Him to set an example and for you people to follow. He's your Messiah. I sent Him for the salvation of humanity. Only through Him people will achieve eternal life."

         How do we recognize the voice of God in our life?

         Do we still pray?

         Do we still read the bible?

         Do we still contemplate on every verses?

         Do we still participate in the activities of faith community?

         Just like Jesus who recognized the reason of His Father why He would have to suffer and be crucified, which is for the salvation of humankind, in the deepest and silence of our hearts - talk to God. Seek and search God. Recognize His voice.

         And when you find His Holy presence, don't just listen to Him, obey His instructions. Recognize the purpose of His instructions no matter how difficult it may seem. Recognize that whatever He tells us to do, it's for the best.

         And most of all, God wants us to recognize His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior who has gone through sacrifices, sufferings, and death to pay for our sin.


Clarified

         In Jesus' time, basing from the basic laws, priests and pharisees formulated new complicated laws to follow. And because pharisees and priests were highly honored, respected and known to be God's anointed one to lead that time, whatever law they passed on, people will just follow.

         This led to confusion and at the same time caused burden to the people. People didn't know anymore what and where to start. They didn't know anymore if the laws still coincide with what their God really wants them to do, if they're still in accordance with the will of God.

         Some of them religiously followed each law. Some found themselves guilty for they failed to follow some of the laws. While some, because of confusion, just gave up following the laws, including God's original laws, and chose to live a "lawless" life, went astray, and became guilty sinners.

         They became victims of the laws. Some who fervently followed all the laws became slaves of laws. Some who can't follow all the laws became slave of guilty feeling. And some who gave up all the laws and lived sinners became slaves of sin.

         Today, we're experiencing this same confusion and burden in our day to day living. Everyday, we encounter rules, principles and ideals (let's call them worldly laws) that we can't fully understand but we still follow. And these modern worldly laws are mostly invented, created, advertised, advised, lived, implemented, and even demanded by known, popular, famous and powerful people.

         Some of these worldly laws are still in-line with God's will, but sad to say, the majority are also derived from God's laws, only twisted, that do not coincide anymore with God's will, which is used to lure and mislead other believers. And we can't already determine which is which. Dragging us to confusion. Burdening us with our every decision.

         Unfortunately, some of us base their decisions from these wrong "worldly laws", became victims, were led astray, and became prisoners and slaves of guilt, fear, anxieties, and sin.

         Today's Gospel is reminding us what and who to follow: Remain in Jesus. Jesus wants us to be free from these confusions and burdens especially those caused by the "twisted" truths about God's law. In His time, He even simplified the laws into just two major laws, first is we should love God, and second we should love our neighbor.

         Jesus did not mean to break the laws, but He only wanted to simplify them to free the mind of the people from confusion, from loading their mind with lots of things to follow, and to give clarity to the complicated laws imposed by pharisees and priests.

         What does "remaining in His words" means?

         ..It's putting His every word on top of others.

         ..It's His words that is our top priority.

         ..It's His words that should be our basis to every decision we make.

         ..That there is no way we should follow the words of people that contradict with His words.

         ..It's letting ourselves to unload and unlearn the worldly laws we already have in our lives, and letting His words fill and guide us.

         ..It's faithfully following His words.

         ..And it's thinking and contemplating in His every word everyday until we discover their intention and truth.

         Jesus came to earth not just to offer His life in the cross. But before fulfilling this greatest task, He first made it sure that we will have something to refer to and to live by. By preaching and by actions, He destroyed the walls of confusion that trap us from seeing the truth.

         Jesus has already clarified everything to us. Jesus has already said everything that will serve as our guide to live our life. He has already determined what are the things that matter to God.

         And we only have one thing left to do: To remain in Him and in His words.


Freed

         Israelites during the time of Moses were captives of Egypt. There, they were forced to work and serve the pharaoh. They lived in fear, guilt, and anguish. They were slaves. Yet, upon hearing their cries, God heard them. He sent Moses to a mission, a mission to free the Israelites from the hands of Egypt and guide them to the Promised Land, a land of milk and honey.

         Israelites were slaves of Egypt that time. And in Jesus time, even nowadays, yes, people are not anymore slaves of Egypt, but Jesus told us that we're still slaves - slaves of our sins. We are slaves of our own will and pleasures. We live in fear, guilt and anguish because of our sin. We looked to ourselves as hopeless and unforgivable sinners. 

         So God sent His only begotten Son to redirect and help us repent. To change our beliefs. To change our actions. To inspire and guide us. To give clarity on everything.  To free us from the dominion of our selfish will, desires and pleasures. To show us the right way. To reveal to us the truth. To take away the feeling of guilt, fear, and anguish caused by our sin. To pay the ransom demanded by our sins. To give up His own life so we may have life. And To free us from the chains and slavery of sin and curse of death.

         The truth is, God selflessly sent His Son to pay for our sin.

         The truth is, Jesus didn't mean to break the laws, He only wanted to free us from confusion.

         The truth is, He is the Son of God, but He chose to live according to the will of His Father, to be a man vulnerable to pains.

         The truth is, He was overwhelmed and was scared by the thought of that one day He will be crucified to death, yet He chose to stick to plan laid before Him by God.
         
         The truth is, Jesus didn't died for nothing.

         The truth is, He suffered and died to so we may live.

         The truth is, He was not thinking if His sacrifice will change us and will make us turn away from our sins.

         The truth is, He's not thinking of Himself when He's at the cross. He thinking about us, about our salvation.

         The truth is, He died while we were sinning.

         The truth is, He did it all not because He wanted to be famous. He wanted us to be saved, to free us from the curse of death caused by our sins.

         The truth is, until now, He's calling us - to remain in Him.

         The truth is: Jesus offers freedom for those who will believe and follow Him - by repentance, by faith, and by action.

***

Prayer

         Loving God, thank you for patiently and consistently talking to me. Teach me how to acknowledge Your Holy Presence each time I pray and help me to humble myself to obey and to put Your every word that you'll say before my own words. Allow me also to distinguish laws, ideals , and principles that are in accordance with Your will and those that are not. And make me brave enough to follow those that coincide with Yours. Help me to recognize Jesus more as my Savior and Redeemer. Because only by remaining in Him, contemplating in His words, and following Him we can find true freedom - our salvation. All these things, Oh God, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”

Gospel: John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews: 

“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”

For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them,

“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.”

***

My Father

          Currently, I am with a project manager who urges us to call her by name or by any name we are comfortable with rather than affixing "Ma'am" or "Miss" to her first name. At first, it was weird and difficult to all of us addressing her that way. Mainly because it feels like we're already denying her of the respect she deserves. But she's the one encouraging us to do so. She even dated each of us for a deeper personal conversation.

          To be comfortable. That's my project manager's reason. To eliminate the feeling of fear, shyness, awkwardness or any negative feelings that would affect or even inhibit us from expressing ourselves whenever we'll have conversation, personal or work-related matters. She wants us to feel comfortable talking to her just like how much we are comfortable talking with our close friends. The respect was still there, but truly, we're like talking to a boss and a friend all at the same time.

          And personally, I comfortably call my project manager "'Nay".

          People in Jesus times followed and adored God because of fear. They saw God as a powerful entity.  A merciless "boss". A monster that is so fast in executing punishments to those who disobey Him and His commandments. Thus they followed and talked to Him gently, with the right and pleasing words, with fear in their heart, while shaking on their knees. In effect, they can't anymore tell God the content and the state of their heart. People who longed for forgiveness that time felt hopeless. They thought God hated them so much, and that He will not, in any means, forgive them. The relationship between man and God seems so distant and superficial. A relationship built more on fear, and not anymore on love.

          In today's gospel, Jesus is urging us to call our God our Father, a loving Father. Jesus manifested it by addressing God his Father. Not because he wanted to be equal with God, but because he wants to demonstrate to us that God desires us to be His' children, and that He is pleased when we call Him our Father.

          God wants us to be comfortable with Him. God wants us to be close to Him. So close that the need of embracing us will be easy for Him. God wants us to look upon Him as someone who is compassionate enough and is willing to listen and do everything for the good of His children. God wants to establish an intimate relationship with us. God wants us to treat Him just like how Jesus treated Him. God wants to be a loving Father to us.

          He never wanted to be a boss to us. He wants us to accept Him as our Father.

          Be comfortable.
          
          From this day onward, when you pray and talk to Him, be His child. Don't hesitate calling Him "My Father".

          Allow yourself to have an intimate relationship with Him.

Is At Work Until Now

          Yet, we might ask:
          If God desires to be a loving Father to us, then why does He allow trials and challenges to come our way? Why is it that everytime we commit sin, it seems that He's punishing us for something wrong we've done?

          Just like our earthly father would discipline us to correct our character and attitude, so is our Father in heaven who loves us more and desires the best for us. (Hebrews 12:5-13)

          Our Father in heaven is at work. Our Father is training us to crawl, to walk, to stumble, and to stand up. Just like our fathers when we're still babies who let us stumble, fall flat-faced to ground, and let us cry aloud so we could learn how to balance our self and walk. Our Father in heaven will allow trials and challenges to happen, for us to cry hard-brave, to learn, to grow, to be wise, and to be strong in dealing with life.

          One thing is for sure, like an earthly father who is ready to dive and catch his child, so is our Heavenly Father ready to help us, lift us up, and embrace us when we fall.

          Our Heavenly Father is still at work. Endure and trust our Father. If you find yourself imperfect, stumbling, falling, struggling amidst the storm, and hurting, don't lose your focus, collect yourself, and know for certain that God is not yet finished with us, and is still in progress working, molding and perfecting us.

          Allow our Heavenly Father to mold and perfect us.

So I Am At Work

          Have you ever experienced teaching a toddler, like for instance, your younger sibling, where no matter how passionate you teach him, he's just not learning? And this is because he's not interested to learn what you're teaching him. He doesn't care and he won't cooperate. Yet, patiently, you still teach him.

          And sometimes we are like toddlers. We're not interested. We do not want to be taught. And we don't want to learn.
     
          But our Heavenly Father is patiently teaching us as well.
     
          He is untiringly and patiently teaching us things we need to learn no matter how hard it is for Him to deal with us.

          Our Heavenly Father wants us to have interest on things He's teaching us. He wants us to cooperate with Him. If He disciplines us, it's just because He wants us to learn from our mistakes. If He sends trials and challenges, it's just because He wants us to learn some more.

          Don't grow bitter because He disciplines you, but grow better instead.

          Don't give up when you stumble and when trials come your way, but stand up strong and keep in mind that our Father in heaven is always ready to back us up and sustain us whatever we need along the way.

          Everyday God is working in us. Teaching us. Training us. Molding us. Strengthening us. Nurturing us. Making us stronger. Wiser. Braver. And better each day. Like Jesus.

          And He's calling us to cooperate - like what Jesus did.

          Are you not excited that one day, our Heavenly Father will use you - to perform miracles, preaching and healing His people - like Jesus?

          Allow yourself to cooperate with the works of our Heavenly Father in us and in the life of other people.

***

Prayer

          My Father, thank you for calling me as your beloved child through your Son Jesus Christ. May I always acknowledge your works, including the trials, hardships, and challenges in my life and be always grateful for them. Because I know that through them, You're molding me into someone you want me to be, someone who is brave, strong and wise. Someone like your Son Jesus Christ. May I always be responsive to your every call. May I always have the willingness to cooperate with Your works not only in my life but also in the life of others.

          With a trusting heart, and in Jesus name, to You, My Father, I pray. Amen.

Discover. Obey. Preserve.

Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

***

"I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."

          During His time, Jesus was considered by some as blasphemous preacher. This is because of the way He interpreted and preached God's commandments. They formed an accusation against Jesus that according to them He's breaking the laws handed to Moses by God. The leaders of the church that time believed that reaching out your hand, helping others, and healing in Sabbath day are grave sins. But Jesus revoked this by asking, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good, or to do evil, to save a life or to kill?". The pharisees also believed that picking grains in Sabbath day is unlawful. But Jesus just told them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.".

          The pharisees heartlessly followed God's commandments thus making the laws of God a kind of burden to them. But Jesus followed God's command with all His heart, contemplated and discovered the intent of each of them, and realized that the law were created for man, and not the other way around, and that the major intent of the laws is actually to preserve love for God and for His people.

          Like Jesus, find and discover the deepest meaning and full intent of God's laws.

"..until all things have taken place."

          God's laws and commandments are unchangeable. God's laws were created not only for the ancient people of Israel, but for all of His people, including us in the current era. No circumstance or current situation, can change God's laws. Just because we cannot handle our current situation anymore by applying God's precepts doesn't mean that they are already obsolete, and tell God "Hey God! Your commandments are not anymore effective, leave us alone and let us handle things our own way! Permit us to modify your laws, or if it's okay with you, allow us to create our new standards to follow so we can address our current concerns.".

          If God said we shall not have other gods, then we must not follow and worship other gods. Yet, how many christians are mixing the christian and non-christian beliefs? How many of us believe that putting 12 rounded fruits on our table every new year will bring us luck and prosperity in the coming years? How many of us believe in horoscope as their daily guide instead of reading and believing in bible?

          If He said we shall keep and observe the Holy Sabbath, then we must make ourselves available, come and gather together to celebrate the Sabbath day. Yet, how many of us christians are so busy that they don't even bother anymore to hear and participate in the Holy Mass?

          If He said we shall love our father and mother, then with no complaints we shall love them. Yet, how many christian parents today are feeling abandoned by their children?

          If He said we shall not kill, then we don't have the right to take other's life. Yet, how many babies were aborted by their mothers because they're afraid of the responsibilities that goes with having a child?

           If He said we shall not steal, then we shall not resort to stealing especially when we are badly in need. Yet, how many of us christians are blinded with money that they become greedy and believe that corrupting and stealing other's hard-earned wealth will help them escape poverty?

          Circumstances, may it be bad or good, are part of God's plan. Yes, we're fine with the good circumstances. The problem is with the bad circumstances. We immediately panic when faced with challenges. We immediately resort and cling on to something that will help us escape to what we are currently facing. We immediately forget that God is in control. But Jesus Christ is encouraging us not to let our faith in God be shaken and swerved by the trials and struggles we are currently in, but to reflect and remain still, and trust God that whatever is happening into our life right now is part of the plan, has a purpose, and that the purpose doesn't mean to hurt or put a heavy burden on us, but to prepare and mold us for something that's greater.

          When faced with difficulties, we are encouraged not to create an escape or emergency plan and change the laws, but rather still be obedient to them, adhere to them, and wait in God's time until all things have taken place, until all the reasons behind every circumstance are revealed, and until all the plans of God are unfolded before our very own eyes.

"..whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

          God's commandments must be preserved throughout humankind. And this can't be achieved by obeying and living with each law alone. Jesus gave us the strategy. Don't just obey the commandments. Teach them. Preach them. His disciples and apostles followed the same strategy and, lo, until now God's laws still live in us.

          Teach your siblings. Teach your children. Teach your neighbors. Teach your friends. Teach them also to preach the laws. Create a chaining effect, like a domino, that even the people in the farthest part of the earth may hear, and obey, and teach God's laws. This is the strategy and the only way to preserve God's laws in the coming generations.

          Don't just obey. Teach and preach.

          Jesus started it all. And He is encouraging us to do the same, to contemplate more on the precepts and laws of God. Discover the intent of each of them. Use them properly, earnestly obey them. Teach and preach them to others. And by accomplishing all of these, be ready to be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.

The Reward

Gospel MT 20:17-28

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way,

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her,

“What do you wish?”

She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”

Jesus said in reply,

“You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

They said to him, “We can.”

He replied,

“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said,

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

***

Condemned. Mocked. Scourged. Crucified.

         Jesus warned us that following Him is not easy. He said that if we want to follow Him we must carry our own crosses. And in today's gospel, He even made it more intense by telling us that He, the One we're following, will be condemned, mocked, scourged, and crucified. And it's possible that we will experience the same thing because we are His followers.

Raised.

         But Jesus showed us also how we can endure such pains. He want us to focus on the reward. That no matter how painful the words, the thorns, and the nails we're going to experience, we should stand still and firm and not give up, because we know that like Him who was raised from the dead, we will be raised and rewarded not only here on earth, but also in heaven.

Great.

          The reward is at the finish line. And yet, we're still not in the finish line. We're still running while enduring every hurdles and pains. And He doesn't want us to leave our road to that finish line empty. He wants us to fill our every steps. He wants us to leave traces of Him in every distance. He wants us to live for Him. He wants us to serve Him by serving His people. By pulling the lost back to Him. By enlightening the minds of confused. By helping the poor. By introducing Christ to people who doesn't know Him yet. By letting the whole world kneel before Christ.

         Endure. Live. And Serve. The reward is great.