IN PERFECT SHAPE

    I have always heard how a lot of people get amazed at the stories of conversion of some very despicable people who still turned out to be saints. It was almost like an impossibility if we were to look at the kind of lives they were living back then. It took a while as in very long years that seemed like forever before some of them finally got into perfect shape before the eyes of God. The likes of St. Augustine whose feast day we celebrated a couple of days ago is an example of this long process of conversion through the persistent prayers of his mother St. Monica. Nothing is a lost cause or a hopeless case for the Lord. Now, he is one of the greatest minds the Church has known and the most quoted of all writers in Church documents. The depth and breadth of his writings is truly a testimony of his commitment to seek out the truth. We could really get a lot of inspiration from saints like them. If there’s one thing we could learn from this then it is the truth that God will never give up in reminding us of our call as in today's 1st reading. Amen. Hallelujah!

 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

...For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. 8 Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you...

We don't want to be losers here in this life, do we? All the more should we not want to be losers in the next life for eternity. We have a God who fights our battles and we are assured of His victory already. We should all be well aware of God’s angels that surround us and are sent by God to us to always light, guide, rule and guard. It is just a matter of persevering and committing to the task that we are all called to fulfill. To live a life of faith in words, thoughts and deeds in our Lord Jesus Christ who lived, died and resurrected all for our sake. Erase all doubts and be faithful to the One God who is most high above every other god. We should develop an image of God that is fitting to Him as described in today's psalm. There are significant events in our life that we can associate with certain major decisions we made and can never forget. The place where we are right now is exactly where God wants us to be. If God brings us here then He will bring us through it. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our life at this precise moment. God's purpose for us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place where we are now. That's God, He passes us through a lot of things for us to see His glory. We all long to become a member or even be identified with groups and associations that hold a good name and reputation. It helps us in many ways and keeps us abreast with the latest trends in our profession for example. It could be considered an asset and we would definitely not leave it out from our resume because it speaks well of us. There are even associations that require us to fulfill certain requirements in order to qualify. We even have to go out of our way and make some sacrifices such as go through rigid screening, pass certain examinations and maintain certain units in order to comply with the qualifications. All of these we are willing to do and make ourselves able just to belong. Considering that these are all earthly memberships that could only last a lifetime. What about eternal memberships that continue even after this life is over? To be a part of the Kingdom where our Lord is King is the ultimate goal we should all set our eyes on. Whenever we are faced with problems and difficulties in life we should always find consolation in a God whom nothing is lost for He knows and sees all. We may still not be in perfect shape for the Lord but God is constantly at work in those who are just and upright of heart.  We have all the reasons to rejoice and be glad knowing that we have a God who is just. We should always acknowledge that without God we are nothing and God's power over us can only go as far as we allow Him to. Nothing else matters more than this truth that we have a God who is high over all the earth and exalted far above all gods. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 97:1 and 2b. 5-6. 10. 11-12

R: Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

...Clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. (R) 5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. (R) The LORD loves those that hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful ones; from the hand of the wicked he delivers them. (R) 11 Light dawns for the just; and gladness, for the upright of heart...

It is just very sad that despite the many times God tries to convey His love to us, we still sometimes back away. We've got to stand firm, hold our ground and not give in to the world's pressures. Let us not end up like Herod who came as close to knowing what is righteousness and holiness but never really got to the doing and acting part. In the Philippines we have a habit of calling people names. For someone to be called Herod or Herodes means being really naughty and bad. We may all claim to know what is right but we have to realize that we may never be able to come to a point where we can claim to be a better person than Herod. We may have this impression that we are far better Christians than any of the others we know but we may be wrong. For all we know we are not far from being like Herod or much worse. Let us hope not. For there is really more to being a Christian than what we actually know. As what have been mentioned in the 1st reading about the sanctity of marriage, it is now being emphasized once more in today's gospel. John the Baptist paid a great price for this truth. We sometimes don't realize it, but we may also be guilty just like Herodias. We may not be committing adultery like her but we too succumb to the temptation of eliminating the people and circumstances around us that is a source of inconvenience or simply not conformed to our personal statement and views. We also make use of other people to camouflage or hide our true intentions in order for us to carry out our plans without the guilt of having participated in it. We resort to all kinds of disguise without knowing that in the process of doing so we are headed for the worst kind of situation.  Let us not further aggravate it and know in our heart, mind and soul that all areas of our life needs to be totally surrendered to God not just a part, half but our entire being.  In doing so with the gift of free will we allow ourselves to enjoy life at its fullness because we are not bound or tied and can exercise this gift as much as we want and never run out. We should not be too carried away though and forget that it is also because of this free will that we are also presented with horrible things as in today's gospel that are products of the wrong use of this gift. It is of prime importance that we exercise, use and handle this gift with much care. This is the reflection question and prayer that I read in Didache: What do you do when you are under pressure? Do you stand up for what is right or you just go with the crowd because everyone else is doing it? Lord, grant me the wisdom and the courage to do what is pleasing in Your sight even if the world laughs at me. And in Companion, Fr. Martin Macasaet said the following words. "Yes, we, too, are called and challenged to imitate John the Baptist’s courageous act of witnessing —not necessarily in the form of a bloody beheading, of course. Today’s Christian martyrdoms are certainly more of a subtle and sophisticated kind. But perhaps, they are just as compelling and exigent — as when our moral principles are tested in our workplaces, or when our senses are bombarded by sexually suggestive images, or when we are scandalized by the bad examples of our leaders and celebrities, and so on." We all have our own personal Herod, Salome and worst our Herodias tendencies in life. Only we ourselves know these and what specific aspect it is in our lives. Unless we acknowledge them, firmly reject and stand up against it instead of yielding to it then we are no better than any of them. In today's gospel we are also reminded of our stubbornness when we insist on doing things our way. We could somehow relate this to those who insist on wearing something even if it doesn't fit them just because it is the "in" thing. The same way with our life we end up looking foolish when we insist on keeping up with the latest trend and fashion that this world offers when the only thing that is well fitted to us is to always wear the clothes of Jesus which is fashioned in the passion of the cross in order to be the best dressed Christian. People may not be able to know it by just looking at us and we can easily get away with our wrong doings which we have kept in secret or hidden in our thoughts and feelings which no human person can see but God does. We’ve got to believe that there is really somebody watching us as the song says. Sometimes we forget that God can see through us and knows exactly what's inside our hearts and minds. Let us not wait for the time when we like the scribes and Pharisees will be spoken to by God in this manner. Let us choose to hear words of commendation from the Lord rather than be called a hypocrite. Let us truly be the person that God wants us to be, whether there are people who can see our goodness or not. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 6:17-29

...John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him... “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”26 The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. 27 So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.