THE POWER OF A SONG

On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock. – Isaiah 26:1,4

It was the birthday of Tess, a sister in community, that day. Her birthday coincided with our community’s monthly assembly. So Tess received a shower of personal greetings and honoring from brothers and sisters. I am sure she also had a lot of greetings via text, email and phone calls that day.

       But one of the more special greetings she received that day was a song. Around 15 kids from our community lined up in front of her to sing for her. Each of them also offered her a flower. I saw the glow on her face as the kids sang.

       What song did the kids render? Nothing extraordinary. They sang the regular version of “happy birthday!” It was a simple and familiar song. A performance by kids with zero rehearsal but offered with sincerity and love. The offeringwas simple but the joy it gave Tess was incredible.

       I think offering a song to God also makes the same impact. It allows the one offering the song the chance to present his sincere love to God in another form. As the saying goes, “One who offers a song to God in worship prays twice.” Alvin Fabella (alvinfabella@yahoo.com)

Justice will ultimately be brought upon us. We may be able to escape justice while we live on earth but no one will be able to escape the final judgment. Therefore, it is much wiser to live just and holy lives now, so that we will have nothing to fear when we come to the end of our earthly pilgrimage. I, for one, want to hear God say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant; come and share in My joy!” rather than, “Please give an account of why you lived such a selfish and sinful life; your judgment is ….”

1 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: “A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. 2 Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. 3 A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust is in you.” 4 Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock. 5 He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; he tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. 6 It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. (R) 19 Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This gate is the Lord’s; the just shall enter it. 21 I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior. (R) 25 O Lord, grant salvation! O Lord, grant prosperity! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. (R)

It makes sense to build on a firm foundation anything we want to last. It is wise to build well once rather than having to keep repairing a badly built structure. This is true of our faith as well. Let us build our lives according to the principles of love and truth. Our lives will be far more fruitful, in comparison to a life built on principles of selfishness and sin.

21 Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 24 Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26 And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

think:  Let us build our lives according to the principles of love and truth.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Proverbs 5-8

LISTENING TO THE RIGHT ADVICE

There are usually many people and voices offering us advice and it is impossible for them all to be right. How do we decide to whom we should listen and respond accordingly? It is critical that we get the right advice for any particular decision, as otherwise it will not be possible to reach our full potential in either the eyes of the world or the eyes of God, or both. The last thing any one of us would want is to reach the end of our lives and then realize there was so much more we could have done if only we had responded differently to some of the challenges we faced in life.

       It worries me a lot to see the amount of time that young people, in particular, are investing in playing computer games and surfing the Internet and various social websites. None of these things is bad in themselves, but they can be a source of enormous distraction for us. I have enough trouble keeping the time I spend on emails under control without having to worry about Facebook and other forms of social media. We need to remember that nothing substitutes for real contact of a face-to face meeting. And when I say nothing, that is precisely what I mean.

       The other aspect of this that worries me is how people prefer texting and answering a cell phone even when they are in the midst of a conversation with someone else or at a meal. The person in front of us ought to have our attention, and unless we are awaiting a very important call, then texting and answering the phone can wait. It is always possible to return a call later.

       It is not those who have 675 friends on Facebook that have the best social lives, but those who truly value the important 20 to 30 or so primary friendships that they have and give them their due attention and respect. There is no value in calling someone a friend if it is not true, and you will never convince me that anyone can have hundreds of meaningful friendships. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Who are your real friends? Do you prioritize face-to-face time with them so that your relationships can truly grow?

Holy Spirit, teach me how to value true friendships so that I will always prioritize the time I have to spend with them, the people I know who will always stand by me.