Stewards of God's Creation

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-43
33 "Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." 42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it."

Reflection:  God gave us a world that has everything we need. And He gave us the wisdom and talent to harness all the resources of His creation for the betterment of our lives. This shows great trust on the part of God to make us stewards of His vineyard--- caretakers of His creation. But God sees that we abuse the trust and freedom He has given us. This resulted in much destruction, suffering, and injustice. To make things right, God sent Jesus His Son. The Son's mission is not to condemn, but to make us realize the things we have done wrong, and show us the Way to fix our mistakes. In the hardness of our hearts, we rejected the Son and continue in our evil ways.

Thank God, He does not lose His trust in us. He continues to be patient, and calls us to follow Jesus. But there will be a time for God's Justice when on the day of Judgement He will likewise reject those who rejected Him. That time is coming.

Now is still the season for God's mercy. Let us not waste this great opportunity and blessing. While there is still time, let us hear the Son and embrace His ways. Let us be good stewards of life and creation which God has lovingly given to us. When the time of Judgement comes, we hope to hear God say: "Come to me my beloved children, you have become a faithful image of my Son."

The Cost of Being a Disciple

Scripture: Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 60 But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Reflection: It is a great challenge to follow Jesus. Many obstacles and distractions stand along our way to Him. Jesus knows this, but He is calling us anyway. His call comes with a warning though: that we should give up all that may cause us to place God as second priority. If God is not the most important person in our lives, then we are not true disciples. It really is a demanding call, but then God deserves to be number one in our lives. Jesus has given us all He could give, even His life until He has shed the last drop of His blood.Even to this day, Jesus continues to give Himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament, His Real Presence.

When God calls, He does not force us to follow Him. But He gives the grace and strength to us so we could respond positively. Loving God and being His disciples would require much from us, but we are assured that we will be filled with grace and strength to follow through and be true disciples. Love always requires sacrifice. Jesus showed that His Love made Him undergo the ultimate sacrifice... that of laying down His life for us. We may not be required to die for God, but to live for Him. Living for God will require us to give up any person, addictions, bad habits or any situation that is blocking us from God, and this will hurt. But again, we are always assured that it is God Himself who will give us the grace and strength to love Him as we should.

If we decide to say yes to God's call, it would be the best decision we will ever make. It is a decision that has eternal consequences, eternal life with God.

Who is your family?

Scripture:  Luke 8:19-21
19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. 20 And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you." 21 But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

Reflection: We are all called to love our families and relatives, but we should not stop with them. The whole human race is God's children, and He calls us to love everyone outside our own families. All human beings are created by God and belong to Him as His children. Most of the time it is difficult to love and care for those who are not your family. But God desires that all His children, regardless of race or religion be in a loving relationship with one another and with Him. Always remember that Jesus died for each and everyone of us, without thinking if you are a Jew or Gentile, Christian or Muslim, black or white. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are all given the right to belong to God's family.

The right to be Children of God is offered to us, but we need to accept it. God does not force anything on us, he just invites and wait for your acceptance. How do we accept His offer? By being faithful to Jesus His Son and striving to please the Father in all we do just as Jesus did.