READINGS for 2009-09-10
A BIG GoD
… bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. – Colossians 3:13
Last year, a newspaper reported a story about Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Alberto Suansing. Then newly appointed, Suansing was said to have encountered some illegally parked jeepneys waiting for passengers on his way to his office. He approached the drivers and learned that one of them even had an expired traffic violation ticket in lieu of his driver’s license.
The driver explained that he didn’t have the money to redeem his license because he could hardly make ends meet. Moved to pity, Suansing handed the driver P500 to pay his fine and get his license back.
The story touched me and led me to reflect. What a “big” man this LTO chief was to have mercy and extend generosity to a lowly, errant driver. Then it struck me how our majestic God — who made heaven and earth and all that is in it — could be so compassionate and forgiving, wiping away our sins with His own blood.
If our Lord could be so generous to us, couldn’t we extend a little of that mercy to those who’ve wronged us? Rissa Singson- Kawpeng
REFLECTION:
“But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:15)
Jesus, I praise You for Your divine mercy! Thank You for forgiving me again and again.
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1st READING
Love is the mortar that binds the rest of God’s gifts together into our way of life. Without love, everything we do and say loses its meaning and becomes empty. With love at the center of our lives, we can be sure that we are working to establish the Kingdom of God in the midst of a hostile world. Love is all about the choices we make and very little of this has to do with feelings. Let us choose the path of love no matter what the cost for us may be.
Colossians 3:12-17
12 Brothers and sisters: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. 14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
P S A L M
Psalm 150:1b-2. 3-4. 5-6
R: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
1 Praise the LORD in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his strength. 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for his sovereign majesty. (R) 3 Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him with lyre and harp, 4 praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipe. (R) 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Alleluia. (R)
G O S P E L
Feelings are a lousy guide to the Christian way of life. Precisely because Christianity is all about living the truth about God and humanity, the key to a life of holiness is not how we feel about things, but the decisions we make to embrace the truth God reveals to us in the Scriptures and through prayer. Let us realize that we will have to engage all the faculties God has given us in the quest for holiness as it is essential that we use all the gifts God has given us to achieve this end.
Luke 6:27-38
27 Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. 35 But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. 37 “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 38 Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
my reflections
think: The key to a life of holiness is not how we feel about things, but the decisions we make to embrace the truth God reveals to us in the Scriptures and through prayer.
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God’s special verse/thought for me today________________ _________________________________________________________
T O D A Y ’ S BLESSING LIST Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________
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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Proverbs 1-4
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Put on love
We hear a lot of talk about love and what it means. Most of it is empty words that mean very little. We see all sorts of examples of so-called ‘love’ in movies and in racy novels and so on. Most of this is utter trash and a waste of time for anyone seeking to discover the meaning of true love. The best place to discover the meaning of love is in the Scriptures. Of course, a faithful and loving marriage as well as numerous other situations also depict the true nature of love.
When Paul writes to the Colossians, he tells them that the garment of love should cover everything they do in life. It is love that serves as the foundation of all virtues. It is also what keeps all virtues together. Love is a decision to be in relationship with another person and to be committed to that relationship whatever happens. If you are willing to walk away from a relationship because the other person has let you down, then it is doubtful that you have ever truly loved the person. Love will always seek a way to heal wounds and repair divisions.
Sinfulness, especially repeated sinfulness, can leave people with no other choice but to walk away. But this does not have to be the case. Relationships require the cooperation of two people. There is no such thing as a relationship between a person and his or her self. If one person refuses to be committed to his or her love of the other, then the relationship will fail. If both are committed to working through an issue, then God will provide the grace for this to be resolved. The dual commitment must be there and endure to the end.
Love is a decision that may or may not be built on feelings. We choose to love; it does not just happen to us. Unless our love is deeper than an emotional or physical attraction, it will not, nay, cannot, last. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
Reflection Question:
What is the basis of my words when I say I love another person? Can I recognize the truth that I can decide to love a person I have never met, indeed may never meet in person?
Jesus, You love us all in the deepest way possible and You demonstrated Your love by dying for us on the cross. Help me to be committed to love You and all people with the same depth of commitment as You have for us all.
St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor, pray for us.
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