HOLINESS: THE MEANING OF LIFE

You “have been consecrated in Christ Jesus and called to be a holy people.” —1 Corinthians 1:2

We are “called to be holy.” God the Father wants His children to be, act, work, think, talk, love, and live as He does. This is the meaning of holiness: to be like God “in every aspect” of our conduct (1 Pt 1:15).

Holiness is a gift from the all-holy God. Only by His grace can we become holy. Holiness comes through the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit Who makes us holy. However, we must choose to accept the Spirit’s gift of holiness.

Without holiness, “no one can see the Lord” (Heb 12:14), that is, go to heaven. Therefore, the Lord orchestrates the events and details of our lives to give us a greater desire for holiness. He even allows us to suffer sorrows and tragedies to help us grow in holiness. In other words, He gives us some purgatory before our deaths. Moreover, holiness is so necessary that the Lord will purify after death those committed to Him and delay their entry into heaven to complete their holiness, if they are not yet “perfect in holiness” (1 Thes 5:23). However, to benefit from the Lord’s organization of our lives to foster our holiness, we must trust the Lord, humbly deny ourselves, and obey Him. Then we will desire more strongly to become holy. Thus will we become holy, be pleasing to the all-holy God, and live with Him and the holy ones forever in heaven.

19th January 2020

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Choice, the Call and the Anointing of a Messenger.

The readings capture salvation history in a nutshell. The first reading points to an unnamed servant who will not just reunite the twelve tribes of Israel but also be a “light to the nations” so that God’s “salvation may reach the ends of the earth”.

The Church presents a unified strong voice in all the Scripture readings: 1st, 2nd, Responsorial Psalm and Gospel. What is the common theme? The Choice, the Call and the Anointing. The principal characters in today’s Scripture: Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jesus and Paul were all chosen, called and anointed to ministry by the Father.

“The Lord said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory….. I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49: 3, 5 – 6).

Jesus is the Light of the world. Isaiah, John the Baptist and Paul and Christians carry the Light of the Gospel to our world.

“Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…” (1 Corinthians 1: 1 – 3).

John the Baptist testifies to Jesus as “the Son of God” using three images:
a) Lamb of God – symbolising the Passover Lamb whose blood saved the Israelites
b) Pre-existent – symbolising Jesus’ divinity
c) The Spirit’s descent – reminiscent of God’s presence descending on the Temple

We Christians are called along with Paul to be holy and missionary.

“I have waited, waited for the Lord,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God.” (Responsorial Psalm 40: 8-9).

Wait for the Lord to commission you. Be patient. In the fullness of time, He will do it. The Holy Spirit will give you all the needed gifts for your ministry.

St Antony, Abbot (251 – 356)

St Antony is the originator of the monastic life. He was born in Egypt: when his parents died, he listened to the words of the Gospel and gave all his belongings to the poor. He went out into the wilderness to begin a life of penitence, living in absolute poverty, praying, meditating, and supporting himself by manual work. He suffered many temptations, both physical and spiritual, but he overcame them. Disciples gathered round him, attracted by his wisdom, moderation, and holiness. He gave support to the victims of the persecutions of Diocletian, and helping St Athanasius in his fight against the Arians. He lived to be over a hundred years old, and died in 356.

The Gospels are full of wise sayings of Jesus that seem to be ignored, and one of the most poignant of these was in his meeting with that young man who asked over and over again, insistently, “What must I do to have eternal life?”. When, in the end, Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect he would have to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor, the young man went away, sorrowing; because he was very rich. What could be more of a waste than that? You tell someone what he has to do, and he is afraid to do it. And yet… 250 years later, St Antony hears the story, and does give away all that he has, and becomes the founder of monasticism. And then again, over 1,000 years later, St Francis of Assisi hears the story, and gives away his possessions (and some of his father’s) and revolutionises Christianity again.

Not all the words that we speak are forgotten, even though we cannot see their effects ourselves. Let us pray that those unknown effects may always be good ones.

17th January 2020

WHAT’S ON THE MIND OF LOVE?

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’ ” —Mark 2:5

The purpose of living is to develop a deep relationship with Jesus so that we will totally give our lives to Him.

To love Jesus, we must know Him. For example, it is good to know what is foremost on Jesus’ mind. When He saw a paralyzed man being lowered on a stretcher through a hole in the roof, Jesus said: “My son, your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5). Jesus is preoccupied with the forgiveness of our sins. He even died on the cross to take away our sins (see 1 Pt 2:24).

Moreover, when Jesus saw the four men lowering the paralytic on a stretcher, Jesus saw their faith (Mk 2:5). He is on the lookout for faith, because, by faith, we can accept the grace to be forgiven from our sins and by the forgiveness of sin we can grow in faith.

Jesus’ name means “Yahweh saves.” Thus, we should expect that He would be preoccupied with the main aspects of our salvation, such as grace, faith, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. To relate to Jesus rightly, we must “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16) and have His priorities. As we try to think and be more like Jesus, we will love Him more deeply and even come to worship Him as we love Him with all our hearts and all our minds (see Lk 10:27). Get to know Jesus. Accept Him on His terms. Love Him and give yourself totally to Him.

16th January 2020

The “impulse of the heart” in the encounter with God

“If you so will, you can make me clean’ (…). ‘I will; be clean’”

Today, the bold request of the leper and the overwhelming reaction of Jesus are the answer to the question: Why God did not create a world in which his presence was more evident and convincingly impressive to everyone?

We live in a world in which God does not show palpable evidence. You cannot look for Him with arrogance, transforming Him like an “experimental object” in “my laboratory”. You can only find Him with the impulse of the heart, through the “exodus” of “Egypt”. In this world we need to go against the illusions of false philosophies and recognize that not only we live with the “bread”, but above all with the obedience to the Word of God.

Today, in the first reading we read: «As the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice ‘do not harden your hearts’» (Heb 3:7-8). And we constantly repeat it in the response to Psalm 94. In this brief quote, two points are raised: a longing and a warning. Both should never be forgotten.

During our daily prayer we long for and hope to hear our Lord’s voice. But, perhaps more often than not, we fill it with our own words without allowing us time to listen to what the Good God may wish to tell us. Let us, therefore, take care of our inner silence which —by avoiding distractions and centering our attention— opens up a space to receive the affections and inspirations Our Lord, most certainly, wants to impregnate our hearts with.

A risk we must never forget is the risk that dwelling on the old sin may harden our spiritual heart. Life’s hazards, at times, may make us —even without our realizing it— more leery, insensible, disheartened, forlorn…! We must beg our Lord to make us more conscientious of this inner downgrading. Our prayer offers us the opportunity to look serenely at our own life and to all circumstances surrounding it. We must meditate over the different events in the Light of the Gospel, to discover where we are in need of an authentic change.

If only we could hope for our change with the same degree of faith and confidence as the leper showed when he asked Jesus!: «He came to Jesus and begged Him, ‘If you so will, you can make me clean’» (Mk 1:40). He is the only one to make possible what for us is simply impossible. Let God act through His Grace upon us so our hearts can be purified and, meek to His influence, may every day become more in the image and semblance of Jesus’ heart. He is telling us, in confidence: «I will; be clean» (Mk 1:41).

The cleansing of this audacious leper by Jesus teaches us some important lessons on faith:

1 The leper was bold and confident with expectant faith.

2 He worshipped Jesus by kneeling down.

3 He sought for Jesus and found Him.

4 His faith knocked at the Heart of Jesus and the Heart was unlocked for the leper.

5 Then the leper asked Jesus for healing and received his cleansing.

“I will heal you,” Jesus said.

I have found from my own experience that whenever I approached Jesus with bold faith, expecting a YES, I have received what I asked for.
Pray with bold confidence and expect to receive an answer because you know you are asking what God has already promised to give.

15th January 2020

LISTEN FOR GOD’S VOICE

“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” —1 Samuel 3:9

Our modern world is filled with noise. Everyone seems to have an opinion and demands to be heard through talk radio, online comments, constant chatter on TV, chat rooms, conversations, etc. Anyone who has sat in a hospital waiting room listening to the non-stop droning of the TV understands the incessant noise of the modern world.

The young Samuel learned to listen for the voice of the Lord. He “stilled and quieted [his] soul” (Ps 131:2) and listened only for God. Samuel heard God speak and became so effective in speaking God’s Word that the entire nation of Israel came to the Lord within twenty years (1 Sm 3:20).

How can we hear the voice of God? Listening prayer is important. We must set a daily time for listening prayer during which we still and quiet our soul, turn off all worldly noise, go into a quiet space, and say “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” It is equally important is to hear what God has already revealed through the centuries. This involves reading the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. God has been speaking constantly, and we are blessed to have much of it written down.

“Anyone committed to the truth hears God’s voice” (Jn 18:37). Jesus is the Truth (Jn 14:6). The Spirit is the Truth (Jn 16:13). Seek what God has revealed and hear His voice. “Whoever is of God hears every word God speaks” (Jn 8:47).

Jesus is in the thick of His mission. After healing Simon’s mother-in-law of her fever, He proceeds to heal “many who were sick” and “drove out many demons”. In the midst of this very successful mission, Jesus “went off to a deserted place where he prayed”. On being found by Simon and the others who point out that “everyone is looking for (him)”, Jesus refuses to be taken in by the glamour of His ministry but remains focussed on His mission – “Let us go to the nearby villages so I can preach there too, for this is why i came”.

Like Eli who initiated Samuel to the Lord, Jesus, too, trains His disciples to maintain their focus on God and His mission.

May we pray with the Psalmist, “Here, Lord, I come to do your will.”

14th January 2020

“O Lord of hosts, if you look with pity on the misery of your ­handmaid, if you remember me and do not forget me, if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the Lord for as long as he lives; neither wine nor liquor shall he drink, and no razor shall ever touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1: 11).

We have for reflection today the great prayer of Hannah, mother of the Prophet Samuel. This is a powerful prayer by a woman of faith who appears to understand the mind of God. The Church uses frequently the hymn of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2: 1 – 8 in her Liturgy. What we learn from the prayer of Hannah:

1 Humility: “Look with pity on the misery of your handmaid.”

2 Target petition: “Give your handmaid a male child.”

3 Quid pro quo: “If you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the Lord for as long as he lives.”

4 Pledges to train the boy in the ways of the Lord: “Neither wine nor liquor shall he drink, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

Not even a human being, sinful and selfish as we are will fail to notice such a prayer. The old priest Eli rocking in his armchair overhead the prayer and added his priestly blessing: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (1 Samuel 1: 7).

“It is the Lord who gives poverty and riches. He brings men low and raises them on high.” (1 Samuel 2: 8).

The Gospel points to Jesus in the synagogue being confronted by an unclean spirit. Merely by the word of His mouth, Jesus exorcises the demon.

Prayer never aims at changing God’s mind or the situation at hand but rather helps us discover the unchanging God who transforms everything by His presence.

SIX LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES TO LEARN FROM AN EAGLE ….

1. Eagles fly Alone and at High Altitudes.
   They don’t fly with sparrows, ravens, and other small birds.

MEANING; Stay away from narrow-minded people, those that bring you down. Eagle flies with Eagles. Keep good company.

2. Eagles have an Accurate Vision. They have the ability to focus on something as far as 5km away. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

MEANING; Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacles and you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not Eat Dead things. They Feed only on Fresh Prey.

MEANING; Do not rely on your past success, keep looking for new frontiers to conquer. Leave your past where it belongs, in the past.

4. Eagles Love the Storm.
   When clouds gather, the eagle gets excited, the eagle uses the storms wind to lift itself higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift itself above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the branches and leaves of the tree.

MEANING; Face your challenges head on knowing that these will make you emerge stronger and better than you were. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers are not afraid to rise to greater heights. Achievers are not afraid of challenges, rather they relish them and use them profitably.

5. Eagles Prepare for Training;
   They remove the feathers and soft grass in the nest so that the young ones get uncomfortable in preparation for flying and eventually flies/ when it becomes unbearable to stay in the nest./

MEANING; Leave your Comfort Zone, there is No Growth there.

6. When the Eagle Grows Old,
   His feathers becomes weak and cannot take him as fast and as high as it should. This makes him weak and could make him die. So he retires to a place far away in the mountains. While there, he plucks out the weak feathers on his body and breaks its beaks and claws against the rocks until he is completely bare; a very bloody and painful process. Then he stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, new beaks and claws and then he comes out flying higher than before.

MEANING; We occasionally need to shed off old habit no matter how difficult, things that burden us or add no value to our lives should be let go of.
*
NEVER GIVE UP,
BE AN EAGLE*

11th January 2020

DECREASING RETURNS

“He must increase, while I must decrease.” —John 3:30

“A controversy about purification arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew” (Jn 3:25), but John the Baptizer did not join in the dispute because he was committed to living so that Jesus would increase.

St. John was losing his popularity to Jesus. When this was brought to his attention, John was completely joyful (Jn 3:29), for he wanted Jesus to increase.

John was thrown into prison for stating the truth about the adultery of Herod and Herodias (Jn 3:24; see also Mk 6:17ff). However, John was not intimidated or manipulated, but willingly laid down his life for truth and purity. Jesus would increase by the decrease of John to the point of death.

As disciples of Jesus, our constant commitment must be that Jesus will increase. We will give up our time, energy, money, and plans so that Jesus’ Church will grow in numbers, holiness, influence, and power. We will gladly have nothing so that Jesus will have everything He wills.

On this second last day of Christmas, let us decide to live no longer for ourselves but for Him Who for our sakes died and was raised (2 Cor 5:15). May the year 2020 be the year of Jesus’ increase and our decrease.