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Daily Reflections

May 2008
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Themes

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Knowing Jesus

by Momong   May 3rd, 2008 [Saturday]

John 14: 6-14
1 Cor 15: 1-8 / Ps 19: 2-5

Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
(John 14:9)

How much time have I sacrificed
To know Him and be satisfied?
Who is this Jesus crucified?
He’s the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.’ (John 14: 6-14)

Reflection

In our brotherhood’s teaching assembly last night, the topic was ‘Finding God in Everyday Situations.’ It seems that in most cases, we are not aware of God’s presence in our day-to-day existence, until something near-catastrophic happens and we acknowledge His presence and saving power. Our chapter head related how in one very recent incident, he fell asleep while driving alone on the highway, and his vehicle would have fallen into a deep ravine had it not hit a concrete signpost. His pick-up was a wreck, but he only suffered a minor cut on his lip. He said, “I thank God for His protection.” Indeed, as God assures us, ‘I will show you my saving power’ (Psa 91:16).

How much do we know our loving Father in heaven? One popular song in our brotherhood goes, “To love You, O Lord, is to know Your love … to love You, and to make You loved.” It is quite sad that many Christians are still in the dark regarding their relationship with God, simply because they have not yet come to know who Jesus Christ is in their life. They have not taken the trouble to read about Him in the Bible, and to relate the lessons He imparts to their own life’s situations.

It is never too late to transform our lives by getting to know Jesus better. By meditating on the Bible, especially the Gospel accounts, Jesus will reveal Himself to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The more we come to know Him, the more we will become like Him, and the easier it will be to bring others to Him when they see Jesus in us. In this way we will be fulfilling the words of Jesus, Who said, “The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do …” And what a joy it will be to do the works that our Savior did!

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whose example we can aspire to be holy, and be worthy of Your eternal kingdom. Grant that we may become closer to Him, by seeing His face in every person in our life. Amen.

Posted in Holiness | Leave a comment»

Cleansing of the Temple

by Momong   November 9th, 2007 [Friday]

John 2: 13-22
Ezk 47:1-2,8-9,12/Ps 46/1Cor.3:9-11,16-17

“Take all this away and stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture: ‘Zeal for your House devours me as a fire.’
(John 2:16-17)

Let our Church be a font of grace,
Where we honor Christ’s sacrifice;
Don’t treat it like a marketplace,
True worship doesn’t have a price.

As the Passover neared, livestock traders began to congregate in the temple courtyard, as this was the time of the year for the Jews to buy sheep or oxen for their Passover meals. Currency dealers also set up shop to take advantage of pilgrim Jews from foreign lands who had come to the temple for this important festival. When Jesus saw how commerce was desecrating that place of worship, He made a whip out of cords and drove the traders and money changers out of the temple grounds. In so doing, our Lord showed the officials and the people His authority to cleanse His Father’s house of the impurities being allowed by the high priests of the temple.

Reflection

“What authority gives you the right to do this?” the Jews questioned Jesus. For one who seemed to be a maverick against the traditional practices of the Jews, Jesus had performed an outrageous act in order to preserve the very traditions of Mosaic law, which emphasized holiness in all aspects of worship. For one Who was noted for His gentle nature, this ‘outburst’ was also meant to expose the hypocrisy of the high priests and pharisees, whose love for money gave license to the traders to ply their trade in holy grounds where only prayers and offerings were traditionally allowed. Thus His ‘outrage’ was justified, as He quoted Jeremiah (7:11): My house shall be a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves. (Mt.21:13)

This Gospel passage clearly demonstrates our Lord’s righteous indignation against those who use the Church or its facilities for commercial profit. Our Lord reminds us that no man can serve two masters. “He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.” (Mt.6:24)

Like the proverbial saw that says, east and west, never the twain shall meet, who indeed can serve both God and mammon? And yet we see it often enough in some enterprising people who regard the Church community as one big marketplace where they can sell their farm produce. Or some brothers or sisters who take advantage of their membership in the brotherhood to build their direct selling network. We often hear it said, “nothing is sacred anymore.” In our need to make money, we can lose sight of the real purpose of our life in the renewal. Trust is one of the pillars of our brotherhood, simply because we regard each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. If our business venture fails, that pillar of trust is eroded and weakened. Remember, nothing must ever compromise our faith. Not even the promise of millions.

Lord, may we honor Your Church as we honor the temple of Your Holy Spirit. Help us to keep the secular out of the sacred so that we may never desecrate what is holy, as You have made us holy. Amen.

Posted in Holiness, Holy Spirit, Righteousness | Leave a comment»

Protection, Joy and Sanctification

by Momong   May 23rd, 2007 [Wednesday]

John 17: 11-19
Acts 20:28-38 / Ps 68:29-30,33-36

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17

On His cross is hope for glory,
Our protection is in His Name;
Let our witness tell the story
About the truth that we all claim.

Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, our Lord teaches us what and for whom we should pray. First of all, Jesus prayed for God’s protection for His beloved apostles, the first pillars of His Church, and for their unity and strength. Aware of the devil’s devious plans to undo what He had set out to accomplish, Jesus prayed to the Father for their protection in the power of His Name. One of the most powerful prayers for protection that we have is Psalm 91. In this prayer, the holy Name of God is invoked three times: “If you live in the shelter of Elyon, and make your home in the shadow of Shaddai, you can say to Yahweh, ‘My Refuge, my Fortress, my God in Whom I trust.” And in this Psalm, God assures us, “I rescue all who cling to me, I protect whoever knows My Name.” (Psa.91:14) Let us pray for our loved ones, but pray for our church as well.

Then Jesus prayed that His followers may have my joy made complete in themselves. In the midst of the world’s hatred for Christians, it is the joy of the Holy Spirit that can counter it and sustain us in times of persecution and hardships. The world hates those who do not conform to its ways. The grafters and corruptors in government hate us when we post our “Be Honest” bills and posters; the vote-buyers scoff at volunteers who try to ensure clean and fair elections. The pragmatic and street-wise regard Christians as foolish and impractical, but we persevere in spreading Christ’s values in the marketplace, believing that in the end we will have the last laugh.

Finally, Jesus prayed for the sanctification of His apostles in His truth. Everything that Jesus taught was meant to keep us holy. Earlier, He said, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn. 8:32). Remaining in His word means meditating on the Holy Scriptures daily, so that we may be fortified and sanctified in His truth. Otherwise, as St. Paul warns in the first reading, “men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them” (Acts 20:30). As Jesus’ followers, let us stand by and for the truth in all our ways, so that we may always be His light in the world.

Father God, by the power of Your Name, protect us always from the evil one; grant us the spirit of joy to serve even those who hate us, and the grace to discern the truth, which will sanctify us and make us Your light to others. Amen.

Posted in Holiness, Holy Spirit, Prayer | Leave a comment»

Greatness in God’s Eyes

by Momong   February 20th, 2007 [Tuesday]

Mark 9: 30-37
Sir 2:1-11 / Ps 37

Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.
(Mark 9:35)

Blessed are the small and the meek,
Unlike the proud, God hears their call.
Those who serve the poor and the weak
Are for Christ the greatest of all!

Passing through Galilee, Jesus did not want anyone to see them for He now had so little time to teach His disciples. They could not understand it when He told them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ And yet they were afraid to ask Him. Instead, they argued with one another who was the greatest. When they reached Capernaum, Jesus asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then, taking a little child in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Reflection

Peter, James and John had much to tell the other apostles about their experience in Mt. Hebron, seeing Elijah and Moses and actually hearing the voice of the Almighty. Greatness was the topic of the day, which the other nine apostles felt they forfeited when they failed to exorcise the dumb spirit earlier in the day. Thus they could not grasp what Jesus was telling them about being betrayed, killed, and rising again on the third day. It was as if their Master was singing a totally different tune.

Jesus was telling His apostles (and us) that in the eyes of God, the greatest is the one who is willing to be the servant of all. And greatness is reserved for those who do not care about their position in the world, but are concerned only about the welfare of others. Greatness is a form of heroism that we have witnessed in times of tragedies and crises. The response from many of our people and neighboring Asian countries to the environmental tragedy in the Bicol region in the wake of typhoon Reming bears witness to the greatness in the hearts of many who were willing to help alleviate the misery of the affected populace by sending food, relief goods and money. Just as great a heart was Fr. Paul, who adopted an abandoned malnourished baby which was literally skin and bones, and gave her to his parents to raise as their own. All of these heroes will be greatly rewarded, for as our Lord said, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it for me” (Mt.25:40).

May we all do our share in serving the poor, the sick, the weak and the hungry children in our midst in order to be great in the eyes of God.

Remind me Lord Jesus, whenever the little ones come to me in times of need, that it is You Who is coming to me to give me the opportunity for true greatness. Amen.

Posted in Charity, Holiness, Service | 2 comments »