Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. – Matthew 7:12

       My nephew survived Typhoon Yolanda because he wanted to save another person’s life. He and his coworker were in Bacolod and they witnessed all the destruction and death at its first hours. They were horrified to the core. The next day, they realized their money was useless — there was no food or water to buy. The best way to survive was for them to leave the city right away. His co-worker was already freaking out and wanted to die. For his sake, my nephew mustered courage and strength. He clung to his favorite verse in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

       I wanted to tell them to walk to the airport to get out of the city. But there was no communication except through heaven. So I prayed and was heard. As they walked to the airport, they met an employee on the road who had a plane pass. He invited them to join him onboard an Air Force plane to Cebu, which carried the injured and the government officials.

       It was my nephew’s faith and willingness to survive for another person that saw them through. The Golden Rule became the key to a critical moment in life. Donna España (donna.espana@yahoo.com)

Pope Francis Says: “Because always, even in the darkest moments, in moments of sin, in moments of weakness, in moments of failure, I have seen Jesus, and I trust Him. He has not left me alone.”

Thank You, Lord, for answering the fervent prayer of Your servant.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, martyr, pray for us.

The kings displeased God because they often placed their trust in alliances with neighboring powers rather than in Him. This was foreseen by Nathan and Samuel and constantly raised as an issue time and time again by later prophets. Today we place our trust in science, economic theory and the power of money. These are false gods, too.

2 Kings 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-35, 36

9 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent envoys to Hezekiah with this message: 10 “Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all other countries: they doomed them! Will you, then, be saved?’” 14 Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then he went up to the temple of the Lord, and spreading it out before him, 15 he prayed in the Lord’s presence: “O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made the heavens and the earth. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and cast their gods into the fire; they destroyed them because they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone. 19 Therefore, O Lord, our God, save us from the power of this man, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.” 20 Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria: I have listened! 21 This is the word the Lord has spoken concerning him: “ ‘She despises you, laughs you to scorn, the virgin daughter Zion! Behind you she wags her head, daughter Jerusalem. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant, and from Mount Zion, survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.’ 32 Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it, nor come before it with a shield, nor cast up siege-works against it. 33 He shall return by the same way he came, without entering the city, says the Lord. 34 I will shield and save this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.’” 35 That night the angel of the Lord went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. 36 So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp,  and went back home to Nineveh.

Psalm 48:2-3, 3-4, 10-11

R: God upholds his city for ever.

1 [2] Great is the Lord and wholly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, 2 [3] fairest of heights, is the joy of all the earth. (R) Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,” is the city of the great King. 3 [4] God is with her castles; renowned is he as a stronghold. (R) 9 [10] O God, we ponder your mercy within your temple. 10 [11] As your name, O God, so also your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Of justice your right hand is full. (R)

GOSPEL

This is an important teaching of Jesus: enter by the narrow gate. This tells us at least two things about the path to salvation. First, the way is not easy and it means eliminating the options that will lead us astray. Second, the idea of passing through a gate tells us that there will be situations in our lives when we will need to persevere. It is not enough to encounter them — you have to pass through them to get to the other side, just as you have to pass through a gate to get beyond the fence.

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

6 Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. 12 “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14 How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

think: There will be situations in our lives when we will need to persevere.

Thank You Lord for: __________________

THE EXAMPLE OF ST. ALOYSIUS

Today’s Gospel passage contains three isolated teachings of Jesus. They are simply tied together. As part of our reflection, we may take an illustration for these teachings from the life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, whose feast we celebrate today.

       He is the one-time patron saint of the youth, a young man who lived and died in the 16th century. Nevertheless he is still relevant nowadays. He need not be overshadowed by the likes of “newer” young saints like Dominic Savio and Pedro Calungsod, for each of them have their own uniqueness.

       We can learn a lot from St. Aloysius. He chose to “enter the narrow gate,” to use the Gospel imagery today. He may have given in to his noble father’s ambition by training in the art of war and by attending military parades and royal banquets. But disappointed as he was by the vices of the nobility then, he developed an intense desire for religious life. He undertook radical penances and practices of prayer. Eventually in 1585, notwithstanding the furious opposition of his father, Aloysius renounced his inheritance and entered the Society of Jesus in Rome. He would often desire to humble himself, particularly by assuming duties in the kitchen.

       Certainly it wasn’t a case of “throwing pearls before swine.” Aloysius radically lived a life of holiness through the narrow road of renunciation and sacrifice. Enduring the hardships implied therein — including an early death preceded by months of suffering from the plague which he contracted while serving the sick — he eventually found eternal life.

      May both Jesus’ teachings and St. Aloysius’ example inspire and strengthen us. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Today, read about the life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga or any of the saints. Pick one trait of that saint that you would like to emulate.

Thank You, Lord, for all the saints who have gone before us. May we learn to imitate their godly virtues. Amen.