YOU’VE GOT THE

POWER !

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” – Luke 11:28

When people nowadays are asked for something that is beyond them, they’d reason, “Hindi kaya ng powers ko ‘yan!” (My powers can’t handle that.) It’s as if everyone has superhero powers!

         By definition, “Power is the capacity to do action.” But in my personal dictionary and vocabulary, I want to define it as “the capacity to do good and godly deeds.”

         How do we accomplish good and godly deeds? Jesus said in Luke 11:28, “Blessed... are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Every day, God presents to us countless opportunities to do good. We only have to seize the moment! Seize it in godly power! Obey the Word and act on His strength!

       Question: Are you concentrating on your power or dispersing it? Dispersing “powers” come in the form of unproductive deeds, vices, addiction and sin.

         My strong advice: Use your godly power and impact this world through your life. Then you’ll realize that your “powers” can do it because you’re backed up by His grace! Obet Cabrillas (kpreacherobet@gmail.com)

Reflection: “The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something; whereas the strongest, by dispersing his over many, may fail to accomplish anything.” (Thomas Carlyle)

May the power of Your Word concentrate our energies so that we can do godly deeds and fulfill godly purposes.

Blessed Angela Truszkowska, pray for us.

Paul’s image of the law as a custodian of the people of God is helpful in some ways and falls short of the truth in others. Faith is the true custodian of the people of God and the law is merely a guide for the moral life. Paul’s past still influences the way he sees the law such that even though he knows that salvation is by faith and has to be so, he still wants to give the law as prominent a role as possible. He struggles to free himself from his attachment to his historical ability to keep and maintain the tenets of the law in his life.

22 Brothers and sisters: Scripture confined all things under the power of sin, that through faith in Jesus Christ the promise might be given to those who believe. 23 Before faith came, we were held in custody under law, confined for the faith that was to be revealed. 24 Consequently, the law was our disciplinarian for Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian. 26 For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.

R: The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

2 Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds. 3 Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord! (R) 4 Look to the Lord in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. 5 Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. (R) 6 You descendants of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! 7 He, the Lord, is our God; throughout the earth his judgments prevail. (R)

Jesus wants to affirm in the strongest manner possible that salvation does not rest upon one’s heritage but solely upon the individual’s response, in faith, to God’s offer of the gift of salvation. This is a quantum shift in the understanding of the Jews who focused on obedience to the law as a way to salvation.

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.

27 While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” 28 He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

think:  Salvation rests solely on our response, in faith, to God’s offer of the gift of salvation.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Wisdom 13-15

AUTHENTIC BLESSEDNESS

People always look for someone to attribute something significant to, whether praise or blame. When a kid does something wrong, we tend to ask, “Who is the mother of this kid?” When a child, a teenager or a young adult does something praiseworthy, the thought that fills everyone’s heart is: “How lucky his parents are!”

       It is blessedness from the point of view of the admirers — blessedness that is from the outside, blessedness that is a reward from people.

       It is a little like what theologians mean when they speak of God’s extrinsic and intrinsic glory. Intrinsic glory is glory that God has in Himself, and of Himself. The former is the glory heaped on Him by the external world of creatures, which include you and me. When we utter praises to God, we afford Him extrinsic glory. It increases in proportion to the number of people who sing His praises, but in reality, there is nothing we can do to increase God’s intrinsic glory. It is glory that emanates from within His very being. God, of course, does not need us to glorify Him. Whether we do so or not, He remains what He is — an infinite Being who possesses in Himself all the ultimates that mortals cannot fully fathom.

       In our case, we need to earn people’s esteem and respect, for we have no blessedness other than what is given us — gifts of nature and of grace from our Creator. All praises we might “earn” is something accorded us by others, who, on account of our potential good deeds, proceed to acknowledge them and recognize them through certificates and citations. They all come from outside us; thus, extrinsically given to us by others.

       Truth to tell, it actually may not come our way at all. The world is quick to condemn but slow to praise. The best is really to work for authentic blessedness — the kind that comes from within. And the path to it is to hear and observe the Word of God! It is now everyone’s task, not that of others. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How easy is it for you to give praise and glory to God? To others?

I praise You and glorify You, Lord. But more than that, may my life give You all the glory that You deserve because of what You’ve done in my life.