“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” – Mark 9:43

On our way home from my parents’ house in Quezon City, we passed along Gov. Forbes Street in Manila towards Nagtahan Bridge.

       When we came to a halt due to the stoplight, we saw three teenage boys who stole various items from the pickup truck that was in front of us. We blew our horn to call the truck driver’s attention. But the traffic light turned green so we all just drove ahead.

       At other times, we witnessed the same scene in Araneta Ave. and also on C-5 Road. Those boys seemed to have mastered stealing items from vehicles. They even seemed to enjoy doing it! For whatever reason they may have, what they did was against one of God’s 10 commandments.

       Then it dawned on me. There are sins which we might be enjoying doing over and over again. But for whatever justification we may have, sin is sin. Thus, we must muster the courage to say no to it. Sol M. Saura (sol_saura@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Are there sins which you consider “little” that you enjoy doing over and over again?

Lord, I consecrate my whole self to You. Make me do everything right for love of You and for Your greater honor and glory.

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

Wealth is not inherently bad; it is simply inherently dangerous. It is a source of temptation to self-sufficiency and a possible distraction to our seeing and doing the work that God has for us. We know material pursuits can consume our time and efforts. It is easy to neglect our faith and find our time consumed by the ways and things of the world. The more wealth we have, the greater the danger.

1 Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. 2 Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become  moth-eaten, 3 your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. 4 Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.

R: Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

13 [14] This is the way of those whose trust is folly, the end of those contented with their lot: 14 [15] like sheep they are herded into the nether world; death is their shepherd, and the upright rule over them. (R) Quickly their form is consumed; the nether world is their palace. 15 [16] But God will redeem me from the power of the nether world by receiving me. (R) 16 [17] Fear not when a man grows rich, when the wealth of his house becomes great, 17 [18] for when he dies, he shall take none of it; his wealth shall not follow him down. (R) 18 [19] Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed, “They will praise you for doing well for yourself,” 19 [20] he shall join the circle of his forebears who shall never more see light. (R)

Jesus warns us about the effects of the example we give to others, especially to children. He tells us to be sure that the example we give is one that is truly worthy of the name “Christian.” We will be held responsible for the bad example we give to others. We need to do our best to ensure that we live holy and righteous lives that will not be stumbling blocks for others.

Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.

41 Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his  reward. 42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. [46] 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, 48 where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 “Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

think: Let us be sure that the example we give to others is one that is truly worthy of the name “Christian.”

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Hebrews 1-4

What are the things you can’t live without? I suppose the list is endless. There are many things without which we would feel incomplete. We cannot live without a computer, Internet or cable TV, but these things also have taken so much of our time. We have less time to pray and less quality time with our families; we become less interactive and less receptive to the needs of other people. Something fills our lives but something is also taken away.

       We cannot live without money. We all need it, but to some it has become the very reason for existence. Some people would do everything for money. And then there are influential people who cannot live without power. They want to perpetuate themselves in power while the poor have become used to living as mere subjects to local royalties.

       If any of these things cause us to sin, we have become slaves. They never did complete us. On the other hand, they have rendered us spiritually disabled. Thus, the Lord’s drastic stand: Cut them off. It’s better for us to enter heaven incomplete than throw our souls to hell.

       In our quest for a better life, we are trapped in the devil’s net. In our desire to be complete, we drift away from God. Our life will never be complete apart from and without Him. Longing for Him and eliminating things that hinder our full relationship with Him is the sure way to experience completeness. No matter how difficult it is to give up certain perks and luxuries, we will only get to know God and what it means to be complete when we have nothing, long for nothing, and know nothing but God!

       In the absence of all these, when they are cut off in our lives, we become desperate. Philip Yancey writes in The Jesus I Never Knew, “We are all desperate and that is, in fact, the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute Ideal, we have nowhere to land but in the safety net of absolute Grace.” Only He can complete us! Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS

REFLECTION QUESTION: What’s the biggest attachment which you find most difficult to let go of?

Lord Jesus, own me as I own You and You alone. Complete me.