LINEAGE AND GOD

Do you know who your ancestors are? Today most of us could count only the names up to five or six generations. It is a fact that most of the people today do not know the lineage that they came from. Ask them and some may be fortunate to mention the names but if you dig deeper they will not be able to answer. What does it mean to trace back once lineage.

Our Gospel for today speaks of the lineage that our Lord Jesus Christ came from. The Gospel for today narrated the lineage from Abraham until Christ. The names in the Gospel are people who are important personages in the Old Testament. They played an important role during their lifetime. Some of them we are familiar of like Abraham, David, Jacob and Joseph. No matter how big or small the role that they have partaken, what is important is that all of them have said yes to the plan of God.

Some of these personages have once in their lifetime fallen yet they stood and followed the Will of God. What made them unique is that no matter what circumstances they are into, most of them have felt the presence of God in their life. They have recognized that they have God in their journey.

Allow me to quote a story that I heard from the priest who celebrated the mass this morning. There was a young priest going to a chapel he is not familiar with. Since that priest was new to the place, he asked for a direction to a man walking along the street. He said, “Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the Holy Cross Chapel?” The man answered, “Sure. Follow this road, upon meeting an intersection turn left, from there turn right after two more intersection, then count 5 houses and turn right to a narrow road, from there you will see a green house turn to the left, follow that path and you will see a cemetery, after it you will see another intersection and turn right and after turning right you will see a big Acacia turn and beside it is the chapel that you are looking for.” After hearing the man, the young priest was at a lost after some few turns. He then asked again for a direction. He asked an old man. The old man replied, “Okay, let me accompany you!”

Accompany! Like the Old man, God also accompanied the personages mentioned in our Gospel for today. Knowing also the lineage that we came from we also allow our ancestors to accompany us in our journey. Through the great example of how they live their life, through knowing the mistakes that they have done, through hearing the stories that they experienced we learned. We do not only know the people who came before us but we also allowed them to teach us how we should live our life. God is telling us today to allow Him to accompany you by learning from the past.

Our ancestors surely in their love, they have also felt the love of God. We likewise if became wise enough to learn from them, will surely not only learn more so feel the tenderly loving care of God towards us. Feel the love of God in your life. Allow Him to accompany you through the experiences of your ancestors. Know where you came from and life would be a smooth sailing. 

DEVOTION: MISA DE GALLO

Just this early morning was the start of the Misa de Gallo. The feeling was gloomy. The atmosphere was different this year than in the previous years. I asked my self, why is it that my feeling is gloomy? Upon reflection after the mass, it came to me that in the parish that I belong to, few people have came for the celebration of the mass in comparison with the previous years.

Upon seeing that the Church was not anymore that filled, it was disappointing since even in devotion people have already become lukewarm. I am not saying that all have been lukewarm. However, the numbers of people are increasing. It is quite alarming. As Catholic, Christ is the center of our life. Devotions, such as the novena in preparation to Christmas season, are trademark of our faith. Other people have misunderstood us on our devotions just like the Misa de Gallo but we remained firm with our faith throughout the years. Such case is already a sign of a future crisis if we keep on neglecting details.

We need to strive more to educate our young brothers and sisters on the importance and significance of devotions. Through them we could inculcate the future of the journey towards a brighter future. What then can we do to encourage our young brothers and sisters?

As parents, ask them to join you in celebrating the Misa de Gallo. They may feel obligated at first but as time goes by they themselves will clearly see the importance of devotions such as it in their life. We do not instill Catholic Faith but as discipline.

As a minister either as altar server, acolyte, lector, choir member, ask your friends also to take part on such celebration. As mere invitation to them, God is already using you in calling them to partake in His table banquet. Be an instrument of God in welcoming your brothers and sisters in the House of God.

Simple acts in proclaiming the faith, simple acts of being an instrument of God are already a sign of our dedication to God. We do not only bring God to them but we even bring ourselves closer to Him. Invite others to partake in such wonderful celebration. It is a indication that we surrender ourselves to Him. Let us say, "Lord, I surrender myself to you. Use me to call others. Use me as you please."

PRAYER TO ST. JOHN XXIII

Oh, St. John, your simplicity and meekness carried the scent of God and sparked in people’s hearts the desire for goodness. You spoke often of the beauty of the family gathered around the table to share bread and faith: pray for us that once again true families would live in our homes.

With outstretched hands you sowed hope, and you taught us to listen for God’s footsteps as he prepares a new humanity: help us have a healthy optimism of defeating evil with good.

You loved the world with its light and darkness, and you believed that peace is possible: help us be instruments of peace at home and in our communities.

With paternal gentleness you gave all children a caress: you moved the world and reminded us that hands have been given to us not for striking, but for embracing and drying tears.

Pray for us so that we do not limit ourselves to cursing the darkness but that we bring the light, bringing Jesus everywhere and always praying to Mary. Amen.

St. Jon XXIII, pray for us.

PRAYER TO ST. JOHN PAUL II

Oh , St. John Paul, from the window of heaven, grant us your blessing! Bless the church that you loved and served and guided, courageously leading it along the paths of the world in order to bring Jesus to everyone and everyone to Jesus. Bless the young, who were your great passion. Help them dream again, help them look up high again to find the light that illuminates the paths of life here on earth.

May you bless families, bless each family! You warned of Satan’s assault against this precious and indispensable divine spark that God lit on earth. St. John Paul, with your prayer, may you protect the family and every life that blossoms from the family.

Pray for the whole world, which is still marked by tensions, wars and injustice. You tackled war by invoking dialogue and planting the seeds of love: pray for us so that we may be tireless sowers of peace.

Oh St. John Paul, from heaven’s window, where we see you next to Mary, send God’s blessing down upon us all.

St. John Paul II, pray for us.

TRUTHS ABOUT CREATION

“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).  As a child, we were taught at our earliest age in school, in our church and in our home about the seven days of creation. The verse mentioned above is the starting passage of the story of creation we can read in the Sacred Scripture.  As we grow older, we start asking questions about the story. Some of them: did God really created the world in seven days? Which was first to be created man or animals? Did God also created the dinosaurs? Unfortunately, we will reflect not on these questions but on questions that are essential in our lives.

Let us begin our reflection on creation with the truth that creation was not created of necessity or by chance. Creation was made with purpose. We may ask then what is the purpose of the creation of the world? God, maker of all things, made the world with a reason. The Catholic Church holds on to the truth that “The world was made for the glory of God.”[1] This is also the purpose of creation. It is worthy to note here that the world was created not because God needs the world. He created the world for us men to glorify Him. We need to clarify that God does not need us. God does not need praises coming from someone. He is the Almighty, the source of all goodness. What we are trying to explain here as the purpose of creation is that we wanted to draw the line that our purpose, the purpose of creation is to glorify God and not disobeying him or disregarding the presence and power of God.

We can now ask ourselves, do we appreciate the world? We also need to know that the truth behind the creation story in the first book of the Sacred Scripture is not about what came first but to stress the following: God created the world out of nothing; He created it good and in an orderly manner; God sustains what He had created. We then give emphasis with these truths.

First, God created the world out of nothing. As we have discussed with our reflection on God as Father, He is almighty. God is the creator of the world. The creation story in the book of Genesis highlighted it that He created it out of nothing. Is this possible? It is POSSIBLE! The greatness of God is not limited. To create someone out of nothing is something that God can do. It is noteworthy to recall a saying that “WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!” For God is the alpha and omega. He is the almighty creator of the world. Believing in this truth, allow us to recognize that nothing comes from us but rather all that we have, all that we see, and all that we can touch were created by God. If such is the case, there is only one thing we could brag about that is OUR GOD CREATED EVERYTHING.

The world is good. If someone will say it is bad, he or she does not know the truth. God created it good and in an orderly manner. This is the second truth regarding creation. God intends that the world and all it contains remain good. We, humans are more blessed than any of the creations of God, not only because we are created in the image and likeness of God but because God gave us the freedom to desire to be good. Creation deserves also her dignity. Creation is good. The cause of disasters is not God but us. Our hands and faults make disasters happen. It is also up to us then to hold on to this truth not only about us but to the entire creation of God.

After creating, God did not stop. He sustains it. This is the third truth we can find in the book of Genesis regarding the creation story. Our naked eyes may not recognize His amazing hands at work but the truth remains that He sustains what He creates. What we see is not His hands but our hands. As created image and likeness of God, we have the responsibility to become stewards of creation. We have then the responsibility to be his instruments to sustain what He had created.'

God is calling you. WILL YOU IGNORE GOD? Answer and you will find it fulfilling!  

[1] CCC, 293.