Sunday, October 19, 2014

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY OF THE WEEK (MATHEW 22:15-21)


            MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, IN OUR FIRST READING TODAY IT SPEAKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE AND AWARENESS OF GOD. AS THE READING WOULD TELL US “TOWARD THE RISING AND THE SETTING OF THE SUN MEN MAY KNOW THAT THERE IS NONE BESIDE ME”, IT TELLS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ACKNOWLEDGING AND GIVING TIME TO OUR GOD. IT SHOWS HERE THAT GOD WANTS US TO HAVE TIME WITH HIM AND TO HAVE AWARENESS, THAT THERE IS STILL A GOD WHO LOVE US AND READY TO LISTEN. MOREOVER, IN OUR RESPONSORIAL PSALM IT HAS A STRONG SUPPORT ON THE MESSAGE OF THE FIRST READING. IT GIVES US THE IDEA OF GIVING THE LORD GLORY AND HONOR. BUT, THE QUESTION IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO GIVE GLORY AND HONOR TO OUR LORD? IN OUR DAILY LIFE, WE TRY TO GIVE OUR BEST AND LIFE IN OUR JOB OR WORK ON HOW WE BRING OUR ECONOMIC LIFE STATUS ON A STABLE MANNER OR MAYBE ON A PRESTIGIOUS LIFE. WE COULD NOT DENY THE FACT EVEN ON OUR REST DAYS WE TRY TO USE IT FOR OVERTIME. BUT, SOMETIMES WE CANNOT SEE THIS THINGS AS A HINDRANCE AND AN ACT OF IGNORING THE SPECIAL DAY OF THE LORD. BECAUSE, WE COULD TEND TO GIVE MORE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORLDLY DEMANDS INSTEAD OF WHAT GOD IS ASKING FOR US, EVEN ONLY AN HOUR THAT GOD WANTS FOR US ESPECIALLY ON SUNDAYS. LIKE MARTHA, SHE WAS SO BUSY SERVING THE LORD AND HIS COMPANION WHILE JESUS WAS TALKING AND MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD, WAS LISTENING TO HIS SON. AND THE LORD SAID TO MARTHA “WHY YOU ARE SO BUSY DOING SUCH THINGS, IS IT MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY WORDS?” THUS, WE ARE REMINDED IN ALL OUR ACTIONS THAT WE MUST GIVE THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGE GOD WHO IS ALWAYS ON US AND WHO CONTINUALLY REMEMBERING US IN OUR PRAYERS AND SACRIFICES. AND WE MUST NOT LIVE ON WHAT THE WORLD IS GIVING AND TO GIVE IN TO THE DEMANDS OF THE WORLD.  AS THE SECOND READING WOULD REMINDS US THAT OUR GOSPEL DID NOT COME TO US IN WORD ALONE BUT ALSO IN POWER AND IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND [WITH] MUCH CONVICTION. FURTHERMORE, IN CONNECTION WITH OUR GOSPEL READING TODAY, JESUS WORKS IS THE INTEREST OF GOD ALONE. HE HAS NO INTEREST ON THE WORLDLY DEMANDS. AS JESUS TOLD TO THE PHARISEES “GIVE TO CAESAR WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR AND TO GOD WHAT BELONGS TO GOD”. IT IS A CLEAR MESSAGE OF CHRIST THAT WE MUST OBSERVE WHAT BELONGS TO MAN AND WHAT BELONGS TO GOD.  THUS, IF WE TRY TO CONNECT IT ON OUR LIVES, WE BEGIN TO SEE THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE MIGHT FORGET TO DO ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF GIVING IMPORTANCE OF WHAT MUST BELONG TO GOD. WE MUST GIVE WHAT IS RIGHT TO MAN AND WE MUST GIVE WHAT IS RIGHT FOR GOD.
 MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IT IS GOOD TO PAY GOD FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT HE HAS DONE FOR US. WE HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO PAY OUR TAXES TO GOD THROUGH OUR PRAYERS, SACRIFICES, FAITH, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES ON SUNDAY IN WHICH THE LORD IS ASKING ONLY FOR AN HOUR TO SPEND WITH HIM. WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT MAN IS NOT ONLY COMPOSE OF BODY BUT IT IS COMPOSE OF SPIRIT AS WELL, WHICH WE NEED TO NOURISH AND TO TAKE CARE OF. IN THIS SENSE, CHRIST WHO IS ALWAYS WITH US, WHO ALWAYS HOPE TO PRESENT US TO THE FATHER AS HOLY. GOD WOULD ALWAYS LOVE US; HE WANTS US TO BE NEAR TO HIM. THUS, IN HIS MIGHTY LOVE WE ARE INDEBTED TO HIM FOR IN THIS LIFE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THROUGH THAT LOVE WE ARE BEING MADE THROUGH HIS LIKENESS AND IMAGE. THEREFORE, IT IS ONLY RIGHT AND JUST TO RETURN WHAT MUST BE TO RETURN TO GOD. THUS, AS CHRISTIANS WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO REMIND THEM TO THEIR ACTIONS, DEEDS, AND LET THEM BE AWARE THAT THERE IS GOD WHO ALWAYS THERE READY TO LISTEN AND TO LOVE THEM.

NOW AS WE CONTINUE TO CONTEMPLATE AND TO REFLECT IN GOD’S MESSAGE TODAY. IT IS GOOD TO ASK OURSELVES, DO WE STILL HAVE THIS KIND OF SPIRIT OF BEING PIOUS AND THE AWARENESS OF OUR GOD? DO WE REPAY HIM FOR HIS GOODNESS AND KINDNESS TO US? DO WE RETURN TO HIM WHAT IS RIGHT FOR HIM? DOES IT MANIFEST IN ALL OUR ACTIONS AND DEEDS? 

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