Prayers are God's Weakness

Scripture:  Luke 18:1-8

1 And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.  2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.'  4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Reflection: The parable of the persistent widow shows us what unwavering faith can do. The widow in ancient Israel is considered one of the most defenseless in society and are often taken advantaged of. The corrupt and powerful judge can easily dismiss the widow from disturbing him. But he is no match for the widow's persistence and he finally grants her justice. If the worldly judge can be swayed by the ceaseless petition of the widow, more so our God who is Just. 

When God seems to delay His response to our prayers, it's not because He does not hear us, but He waits for the right time for His perfect response. What the Lord is asking from us is patience and more importantly, faith. We easily lose faith when our prayers are not answered, but we can be inspired by the widow in Jesus' parable. Those who are sinners know how to give in to someone who does not give up. Our God who loves us perfectly will answer when we call Him, He will vindicate us when we call for justice, He will come to our aid when we call for help. All He asks from us is faith. 

Lord open our hearts and minds. Help us to feel your love and see your blessings in our lives that our faith in You may grow. 

The Power to Live our Purpose

Scripture: Luke 10:1-9  
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; 9 heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

Jesus sends His disciples on their mission
paulines.ph

Reflection: Everyone is called by God to fulfill a specific purpose. Nobody in this world exists just to consume natural resources and not contribute anything. We may think that we're not talented enough, or charismatic enough to make a mark on society, but that is not an excuse. God has used misfits in the past who accomplished great deeds remembered to this day. Moses, Joshua, David, Gideon and countless heroes of the bible were all ordinary people and even seen as unremarkable and lacking in talent. But God used whatever they had to offer to accomplish mighty deeds. In the same way, God can take any talent we offer Him and use it for someone's blessing.

God asks us to trust in Him completely when He sends us out on our mission. We should learn to take our focus out of the fears and obstacles that confront us and rely on His power which He makes available to us. When Moses freed the Israelites out of Pharaoh's tyranny, he did not do so by using his talents and abilities. He just made himself an instrument and through him God performed amazing miracles that scared the oppressors of his people and paved the way for their freedom.

All of us have something to share for the good of everyone. It does not matter if your talent benefits the whole world or just a few people around you. The most important thing is that we use it, and God is satisfied with that. He is most satisfied if you use your talent for the purpose of serving others out of love and not out of self promotion.

God asks us to free ourselves of obstacles and distractions that make us lose focus on our mission. Obstacles such as pride, selfishness, fear, doubt, and greed. Pride and selfishness makes us focus on personal reward instead of how we could serve and love others. Fear and doubt makes us distrust ourselves and God's power to help us achieve our potential as instruments of blessing. Greed makes us focus on personal gain instead of helping others.

To be successful in our God given mission, let us ask God to help us trust in His power which He makes available to us and through us. And let us ask Him to fill our hearts with love for others that we may be ready to offer ourselves as instruments of blessing.

The Antidote to Worry

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."

Christ in the House of Mary
and Martha
By: David Lindsay
www.theholyhouse.org

Reflection: Many studies have proven that worry is at the root of many illnesses. Ironically, many of our worries prove to be something not worth worrying about. How many times have we lost sleep worrying over a certain future event, only to find out when that event comes, there is really nothing to worry about? Think about the wasted energy agonizing over something that does not even happen! Think also about the blessings surrounding you but were obstructed by that monster called worry.

At the root of worry is another monster called fear. Jesus knew that fear paralyzes us. He is no stranger to fear, for He is also fully human like us, but unlike us fully Divine. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus experienced total fear and sadness. But how did He rise up from it and accomplished the greatest feat ever in the history of mankind? The answer is Love. Jesus' love for us gave Him the strength to carry His cross all the way to Calvary and win for us our salvation. Every step on the way of the cross when Jesus stumbled, He thought about us pitiful sinners, and His love and compassion made Him rise up to complete His mission for us.

Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus are friends of Jesus, and he loved hanging out with them. Probably Martha was such a good cook and gracious hostess. But she was so stressed out and worried about serving her guests. Mary on the other hand, just relaxed in the presence of Jesus, listening to Jesus' teachings that inspired her and brought her peace. Mary focused on Jesus and as she began to know Jesus more, the more she loved Him and the more she is at peace. Love conquers her worries.

It pays to focus on Jesus and to train our hearts to trust and love Him. Jesus is capable of meeting all our needs, and all fears known to man are no match for His power. He can heal all illnesses, strengthen every weakness, and calm every storm, natural or man made. The winds obey with just one word from Him. St. Peter began to sink in the water when Jesus asked Him to walk out of the boat, because he took away his eyes from Jesus. Peter instead focused on the sounds of the howling winds and he began to sink. Needless to say, Jesus was disappointed with him but still rescued Peter out of love. Jesus not only wants us to love Him, but He also wants us to trust Him. Our trust is something very valuable to Jesus, and He is very pleased when we surrender all our concerns to Him. Surrendering to Jesus means trusting Him completely, He who gave up His Life for us. How could we not trust and love Him?

May we learn to love and trust in Jesus, and may our hearts remain anchored on Him. Like Mary the sister of Lazarus, may we learn to love Jesus and rest in His presence that all fears may have no place in our hearts.