"Receive a hundredfold"

Scripture: Mark 10:28-31
28 Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many that are first will be last, and the last first."

Reflection: Following the Lord could require us to give up someone or something important to us. But Jesus promised that whatever we gave up, we will receive a hundredfold. God's generosity cannot be surpassed. But we must also ask ourselves the reason why we give our lives to God. Is it for love or reward? God is generous to those who give for love.

Following Jesus would also mean that we should be ready for persecution. Those who hate the Truth that Jesus revealed would also hate those who proclaim and live it. What strengthens and inspires us is the promise of God's abundant blessings and graces for those who love him. Whatever we give up does not compare to what God could give us.

"You will have treasure in heaven"

Scripture: Mark 10:17-27
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."


Reflection:  In the Gospel reading, the rich man felt that his life was not complete even if he lived according to God's law and with all the material possessions he had. He approached Jesus, asking him how he could live his earthly life and be worthy of the eternal one. Jesus immediately knew the root of his problem: attachment to material possessions. The man was looking for meaning in his life and Jesus knew what was holding him back.

Attachment to riches, possessions, power, and stature can blind us from following the true light that Jesus brings. Greed and selfishness clouds our judgement and we fail to see that what brings true happiness is generosity towards God and others. Building up our bank accounts and amassing material possessions will prove to be worthless if we use it for selfish ends. It cannot and will not make us truly happy.

Jesus does not say that being rich is bad in itself. Riches are God's blessings that are meant to be shared. What's bad is if money and possessions become more important than God that it would lead us farther from him into a life of selfishness.

Jesus invites us to follow him and realize that he is our real treasure. Only in Jesus can we find true and lasting peace and happiness. The truly rich man builds up treasures in heaven by being faithful to Jesus.

God Longs to Help You

Scripture:  Luke 18:35-43

35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; 36 and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." 38 And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41 "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." 42 And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." 43 And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Christ healing the blind man
By El Greco

Reflection: The blind man heard that Jesus was passing by and he knew he had a once in a lifetime opportunity. Though he was blind, his faith helped him to see that he is within reach of the One who could heal him. 

The crowd was angry with the blind man because he was making a noise with his cries for Jesus. The Lord was probably in the middle of teaching the crowd as he walked among them, that's why the blind man was really disrupting Him. He could have asked the man to keep quiet for He was in the middle of something important but He did not. The Lord asked him a question that he asks all of us: "what do you want me to do for you?"

The Lord wants to meet the needs of those who call on Him with faith. The blind man's example teaches us about faith that made him rise up above the discouragement of those around him. He believed that Jesus would stop whatever He's doing and act on his plea because love requires action. And he knew that Jesus loved him.  The Lord admired his faith and perseverance and answered his prayers completely. The blind man began to see physically, but more importantly he began to see spiritually. His mind and heart was opened and he began following Jesus while glorifying God.

Jesus wants us to come to Him with faith because He alone could fill all our desires completely. Jesus asks us now: "What do you want me to do for you?" But more importantly we should ask in return: "What do you want me to do for you Lord?"

Serving Without Thought of Reward

Scripture:  Luke 17:7-10

7 "Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down  at table'?  8 Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

Reflection: Did you ever did something for someone and expected to be thanked? We often give our time and  efforts for others but expect something in return. In our work places, we do overtime only when we will get extra payment by the hour.  There is nothing wrong with expecting something in return for your labors because it is the right of every man. But when it comes to God, we treat Him the same way as we treat others--- If we give Him something, then He owes us something.

Jesus' teaching about the good servant who expects nothing from his master tells us something about our relationship with God. God cannot owe us anything, whatever we give to God is due to Him and we could never match what He has given us. When God sent His Son to die for our sins, He could have thought that He has given too much. But in His generosity, He continues to bless us because of His love. He even continues to give Himself to this day through the Blessed Sacrament.

When we offer up something to God, He is under no obligation to give something back, but He still does anyway because He loves us. He is a Father who wants to bless His children with all the good things, and He never tires of blessing us. And the best thing is, we can never outgive God. When we give Him one, He gives back ten.

When we serve God with our time and talents, we are merely giving back to Him what He has blessed us with. Let us serve Him out of love and gratitude and not for anything we could get back in return. God deserves it.

May God bless us with abundance and generous hearts that we may humbly serve those who have no means to help themselves. May the only goal that matters to us is to please Him.

Be Truly Rich, Invest in Love

Scripture:  Luke 12:13-21
13 One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, `What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18 And he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, `Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

The Rich Fool
paulines.ph

Reflection: When can you say that a person is successful? When he/she has a six figure monthly salary?  Being a top executive in a large corporation? Owning top of the line techie gadgets? Wearing signature clothes and shoes? Driving a fancy car? There is no doubt that achieving all of the above means that you have "arrived".



In view of our consumerist and materialistic outlook, it is nice to recall and reflect on a quote from Blessed Mother Theresa: "At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me food to eat, naked and you clothe me, homeless and you took me in'. God will one day judge us if we have been successful in living our lives and His basis will be: How much have we loved.

The wise man lives a life of love. Love for God and love of neighbor. A fool according to Jesus is someone who stores up treasure for himself and has not enriched his relationship with God and others. True success is not measured based on our net worth but on the amount of love in our relationships especially in our relationship with God.

How can we nurture loving relationships? It is in giving of ourselves---our time, talent, and treasure. God has been consistently generous in sharing His blessings with us because He wants us to have something to share with those who don't have enough. God intends for each and everyone to be a blessing to one another. And being a blessing means being an instrument of God's love. The more we love and share, the more God blesses us, so that we could be a bigger blessing to others.

May God heal us of our selfish nature so that we may allow ourselves to be His instruments of love.

Surrounded by Abundant Blessings

Scripture: Luke 11:5-13
5 And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and he will answer from within, `Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Manna
from susanbailey.org

Reflection: "Ask, and it will be given you." These words from the Lord show how gracious God is. He is under no obligation to give us anything because we have rejected Him through disobedience. But out of infinite goodness, He still continues to bless and provide for us. What's more, He does it gladly.

The universe belongs to God, and all living and non-living things exist because of Him. The richness of God is immeasurable and as His children through Christ, He offers it to us.

God's blessings surround us all the time. God longs to pour it out like a loving father would want to lavish his children with all the good things. But the problem is, most of us are not in the position to receive it. For instance, if you pray for a lifetime partner, God would want to see that you yourself can be a blessing to the person He wishes to give to you. But if He sees that you want a relationship for selfish purposes, he would delay or withhold the blessing, because He does not want you to end up in a hurtful relationship. If you pray for riches, God would want to see if your heart is formed for generosity. But if you're not ready, he would say no for now. God would not want you to destroy your life living in riches but drowning in selfishness and greed. Blessings can be curses if it lands on the wrong hands.

Blessings are around us, and we are swimming in it. Let us confidently approach God with hearts that are ready to receive His blessings. Being ready for blessings means being the blessing yourself. Share your blessings and be a blessing.