June 30, 2014 - WE ARE ALL INVITED. WHAT IS YOUR CALLING ? Monday 13th Week in Ordinary Time [First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church] Am 2: 6-10, 13-16/ Ps 50: 16bc-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23/ Mt 8: 18-22 Reading: Am 2:6-10, 13-16 (behold an angry Father ! read the whole verses ) Yahweh says this, Because Israel has sinned, not once but three times and even more, I will not relent. They sell the just for money and the needy for a pair of sandals; they tread on the head of the poor and trample them upon the dust of the earth, while they silence the right of the afflicted; ........ Behold, I will crush you to the ground, as a cart does when it is full of sheaves. The swift shall be unable to flee and the strong man shall lose his strength. The warrior shall not save himself nor the bowman stand his ground. The swift of foot shall not escape nor the horseman save himself. Even the most stout-hearted among the warriors shall flee away naked on that day, says Yahweh. Gospel: Matthew 8:18 -22 When he saw the crowd press around him, Jesus gave orders to cross to the other shore. A teacher of the Law approached him and said, Master, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Another disciple said to him, Lord, let me go and bury my father first. But Jesus answered him, Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead. Reflection: WHATS YOUR CALLING ? Jesus calls Come follow me.... in another part of the gospel. Among the Jews to be invited to follow is synonymous with believe... To believe then is to follow, and similarly to follow is to believe, this time with ACTION. YES, every one is called to do something for God, different callings in various ways and forms, different responses. I believe each of us wants to respond. The difference lies in the manner, interest and will to do so. If we refer to a consecrated life, certainly there must be a price. The two men in the gospel want to follow Jesus, but they are not ready to give up attachments. Not ready to sacrifice. The first guy isnt ready to leave his comfort zone. What ? there is no soft bed to lie on at the end of a tiring day of helping others, no sumptuous meal to replace my empty stomach ? Hesitation overwhelms. Huwag na lang or huwag muna ngayon The second guy wishes to follow but then he has an old father and hes got to wait for him when to expire, what about the inheritance ? Hindi po muna ngayon. Mayron ako hihintayin. The conditions are too much for the two types of respondents to bear. And for us in our present situations who have decided to give some part of ourselves for service, like some amount of time, some amount of money, and some knowledge to share. We rationalize Lord, You gave us little only, so we give back little also. How can we give more than what Youve given us ? If only we care to listen to Gods answer, My Son gave His all...why are you holding back? Dont you TRUST ME ? I hear God so loudly say so in my readings, in homilies and in my daily experiences. The extra mile ... total surrender to Him to be able to walk through it. Ive been trying mighty hard. In a fund-raising movie I saw very recently, I remember one line in one scene, ( I cant exactly recall now if it came from a trailer or the movie itself) where there was heated discussion and this came out...expand whatever potential there is.... or something to that effect. I ask myself, at this stage of my existence, do I still have that ? Its like i heard my spirit resonated, with God nothing is impossible. go on with your journey as He called. Hell back you up. Talaga po ? Truly, most of the time, our human limitations impede our move and incapacitate us. Moments like this, we can do nothing except our best defense and sustenance - PRAYERS. Oh dear Jesus, the saints are right, how ridiculous it is to follow Your way... but then Its You who have invited us, so WE MUST BE BRAVE....Youve called all to become holy....and therefore sent holy heroes to help us. Nourish us where we are lacking and nurture us when we become withered. Amen !
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 07:51:33 +0000
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