The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? – Psalm 27:1

Here is a chronology of the 10 unforgettable days in my life: We brought my husband, Celso, to the hospital. On the fourth day, doctors told me that there was no more hope for him to get well.

       The next day, I brought my two girls to the chapel of the hospital and gave them the sad news about their daddy. We cried and prayed and cried.

       On the sixth day, we brought him home and did our best to make him comfortable.

       On the 10th day, Celso woke up and asked me to help him walk to the bathroom. It was our routine for the past few days, but we both realized that he couldn’t do it this time. He had to lie down again. He closed his eyes and I asked him if he was going back to sleep again. He nodded his head and slept, and wouldn’t wake up even when we nudged and pinched him.

       We took him back to the hospital. His mother came and cried as she talked to him the whole time, but he was just asleep. Family and friends came and went, but Celso didn’t respond. At 8:30 in the evening, he breathed his last. I whispered to him, “I love you. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

       I stood strong and firm because the Lord is my light and my salvation. Chelle Crisanto (ellehcmaria@yahoo.com)

Reflection: War, famine, hunger and sickness may come, but our faith should remain steadfast, built on solid rock.

You are my strength, Lord. Prop me up that I may stand firm.

Venerable Solanus Casey, pray for us.

Paul is right that it is God at work within us, providing both the desire and doing the work that leads to our salvation. Our cooperation with the grace of God needs to be given freely, or else we will tremble when we stand before God’s judgment seat when we die. This is not meant to instill fear but simply to present the truth as clearly as possible.

12 My beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. 14 Do everything without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, 16 as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. 18 In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

R: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R) 4 One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple. (R)13 I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (R)

What does Jesus mean when He says that we must hate our own parents or we cannot be His disciple? He is trying to make the point that a disciple should know where his focus lies, and when it comes to Christianity that focus must be God and no one else. It is true that the most important relationship for a Christian is the one with Jesus. Thus, Jesus’ words should be no surprise to us.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of God rests upon you.

25 Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, 26 “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? 29 Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him 30 and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ 31 Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 32 But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. 33 In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

think:  It is God at work within us, providing both the desire and doing the work that leads to our salvation.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 53-56

EVERYTHING IN FAITH FOR LIFE ETERNAL

A spiritual person once said that it is a big sin for a Christian to die with so much riches unused or unspent. No doubt, it was a radical statement. Either one lives only with bare necessities or perfect generosity and charity. But it makes sense in the Christian context. In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about discipleship. If one is to follow the Lord, no other relations should take priority over our relationship with the Lord. And whatever happens, the disciple must embrace the Lord’s cross, through good times and bad.

         In today’s Gospel, Jesus said that in constructing a tower, planning is presupposed. If the tower cannot be completed because of certain problems, He said that it is better not to proceed with the construction. Half-done work would receive criticisms, not appreciation.

       The strong warning of Jesus is meant for us to take discipleship seriously. Before one decides to follow Jesus, he must be willing to go all the way. As St. Paul says, we are like runners in a race with our eyes set on the prize eternal life, the Kingdom. We prepare hard for it. We discipline ourselves in order to win it. We do not stop until we finish the race and get the prize.    

        Christianity is 24/7. We are not Christians only on Sundays or whenever we are worshipping in church. Our life is our faith; our faith is our life. This is the life Jesus warned the Apostles of. Thus, if they are not certain about following the Lord, they will encounter a lot of difficulties, which they did when Jesus suffered, died and was buried. How could they have entrusted their lives fully to someone who died? Was it a waste? Then Jesus appeared to them in His resurrected form and suddenly all that Jesus told them revealed their meaning, especially the cost of discipleship.

       When Jesus asks us to leave everything and carry His cross, it is not for nothing or just anything. It is for the ultimate gift of eternal life. It is not easy and it is not cheap. But with Jesus already triumphing over suffering and death, we are assured. Challenges may come, but our faith is always stronger. Fr. Benny Tuazon

REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you a Christian every minute of the day, or only for one hour each week?

Dearest Lord, help me to be mindful of my Christian identity and calling every minute of the day.