Make God Number 1 and Find Your Heart's Desire

Scripture:  Luke 12:49-53
49 "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52 for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against  her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Jesus, the Light of the World
Warner Sallman

Reflection: When Jesus told His disciples that he came not to give peace but rather division on earth they were shocked. It is unusual for Jesus who promoted love and peace to say such a thing. What was his point in saying this?

God wants us to love Him above all, and love of God means that we make Him number one in our lives. It is possible that doing what God wants us to do can make us unpopular in today's society which places more importance in material things and pleasure. We may even have conflicts with friends and family members if putting them first becomes an obstacle with what God wants us to do. Being a Christian means being loyal to Jesus first even at the risk of causing division. If our loyalty belongs to someone or in many cases something, then we are guilty of having other "gods", a violation of God's commandment.

It may seem unreasonable for Jesus to demand this kind of relationship with us. But if we reflect on it deeply, God really deserves nothing less than all the love and loyalty we could give. He has showed us the way by loving us to the point of laying down His life. And He showed loyalty to us by carrying out His mission up to His painful death on the cross.

Putting God first is a winning decision for us. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. God knows exactly what is best for us, and He wants our happiness and welfare more than anything else. Putting God first ensures that we are always on the path to goodness, happiness, peace, love and our ultimate goal of eternal union with 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.

God in Power, Father in Goodness

Scripture: Luke 11:1-41 He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread; 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."

Reflection: A father is an important figure in the life of a child, a source of security. When we were children as long as our fathers are present, we know everything will be alright. No one and nothing can harm us while he is around. And we can be sure that all that we need will be provided for. Even as adults, we still long for the security brought by our fathers. We often seek his strength, advice and wisdom in moments of doubt and fear. Even in schools, work places, organizations, sports teams, we look for father figures; mentors who we could lean on for guidance and inspiration. It is nice to know there is someone we could trust and depend on wherever we are.

When Jesus the Son came to the world, He revealed the full nature of God as Father. The Israelites of Jesus' time knew that God is their Father, but they did not dare call Him by that term. Jesus' revelation is so revolutionary that  He said we could even address God as "Abba", an intimate term for father just like "dad" in today's culture. You could just imagine the shock it created in those times. When Jesus was asked by His disciples about how to pray He taught them the Lord's Prayer. In the original Aramaic prayer He used the term "Abba", but it was later translated as "Father" probably to make it sound more formal. Imagine starting the Lord's Prayer with "Our daddy!"

If there is anyone truly credible to reveal the Father it is Jesus. He came from God and He is God. God from God, begotten not created, as we profess in our Creed.  Jesus certainly knew the Father intimately and anything He says about Him is the Truth. It is through Him that we are reborn and made adopted children of the Father.

God who is our Father, what a wonderful Truth! "God in power, Father in goodness" according to St. Augustine. If our earthly fathers or father figures make us feel secure, this Truth that our God is also our Father should drive away all fears. God who is almighty can absolutely do anything for the good of His children! He is our ultimate provider and protector.

God our Father is loving and merciful. In the many times we have disobeyed and disappointed Him, He still  patiently stands by us and encourages us to stand up from our fall . He is always there ready to forgive and give us a clean slate. He roots for us and runs the race with us pointing towards the finish line.

God is our Father and we are His children through grace. Let us be thankful for His great love and generosity in giving us the right to call Him Father. May we strive to live according to our nature as children of God.