We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. – 2 Thessalonians 1:3

       Facebook is a great way to connect with friends you have lost touch with. What is more amazing is what you learn about them through their status updates.

       Three friends come to mind. One is a batchmate from high school. The other is a girl I knew from my theater days in elementary. Another is a former colleague.

       How I knew them then is a far cry from who they are now, if their Facebook updates are any indication. What do they have in common? All three openly express their love for Jesus and faith in God, often quoting Scriptures and sharing biblical principles. They have fulfilled and blessed lives, dedicated to their families. In fact, one of them is now a full-time pastor.

       The Lord truly works in marvelous and mysterious ways in transforming lives, especially those you’d hardly expect to have a growing, personal relationship with the Lord.

       So I encourage those of you who are praying and hoping for loved ones and dear friends to turn to the Lord. Keep the faith. You may just be surprised with their next status update on Facebook. Erwin Roceles (erwin_roceles@yahoo.com)

Reflection: Next time you see friends or loved ones who need Jesus in their lives, know that He who began the good work in them, will be faithful to complete it.

Lord, teach me to remain steadfast, never wavering in my faith. Amen.

St. Louis of France, pray for us.

The Early Church was not afraid to embrace suffering. It was seen to be a part of life. Listen to what Paul has to say when he says that the privilege of suffering for the sake of the Gospel is a sign of having been welcomed into its service by God. If only we were able to accept suffering so easily — how much more powerful would our intercession for the work of the Gospel be?

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more, and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater. 4 Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God regarding your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and the afflictions you endure. 5 This is evidence of the just judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are suffering. 11 We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

R: Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all nations.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. 2 Sing to the Lord; bless his name. (R) Announce his salvation, day after day. 3 Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. (R) 4 For great is the Lord and highly to be praised; awesome is he, beyond all gods. 5 For all the gods of the nations are things of nought, but the Lord made the heavens. (R)

We have nothing to fear from all these condemnations if we have lived a good and holy life. This is the challenge we face each day — to make good moral choices and avoid the temptations of sin. Jesus has given us the grace to grow in holiness. All we have to do is to put it to good use. This requires perseverance in doing good works as the virtuous life comes after a long time. It is not a short- term goal at all.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.

13 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. [14] 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. 16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ 17 Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ 19 You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; 21 one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22 one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”

think:  This is the challenge we face each day — to make good moral choices and avoid temptations of sin.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Psalm 1-5

AVOID THESE WOES

Jesus holds nothing back in criticizing those whom He sees as hypocritical in their words and deeds. Let us do everything in our power to avoid becoming the subjects of these “woes.” The path to this end is really simple, namely making sure our actions support what we say. But it is not easy to remain consistent in this regard. It is far easier to say something than to do it. It is often a struggle to do what we know we should be doing and, thus, avoid being accused of hypocrisy.

       It has to do with the desire for integrity in our lives. We all know and admit that this is desirable. However, it is often not the case even among those who are in the higher echelons of power, in whom we would normally expect integrity. Experience and history have taught us that we should never assume that this is the case. For our part, we should always be careful in making commitments, lest we promise more than we can deliver. It is natural to want to give our best and do what we think will be best in a given situation. However, actually doing that is another matter.

       As they say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” This means that it is not enough to intend to do what is right and good, but we actually have to do it. This is the daily challenge for a disciple of Jesus. We want to give our best witness to the truths and blessings of the Gospel. And integrity of life is necessary for that. One of the things you notice when you read the lives of the saints is that it is virtually impossible to criticize their witness. They have internalized the values of the Gospel to such an extent that they almost naturally live them out. This is what a life of virtue means. Let us follow that path and be the best disciples of Jesus that we possibly can. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How true are you to your commitments? Do you practice what you preach?

Holy Spirit, help me to internalize the values and truths of the Gospel to the extent that I begin to live them naturally in my life. Help me to persevere in living a virtuous life each day.