Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. – Matthew 10:26

        I hadn’t seen many of them in 50 years. There was so much catching up to do and I could feel the excitement all around. It was the Golden Jubilee celebration of our High School Batch ’65 at St. Theresa’s College, Quezon City.

       Some things remained the same — the warm friendship, the loud chatter and the shrill laughter, just like the good old high school days. But some things have clearly changed — the gray hair on some and added pounds on many. We have evidently moved to another chapter of our life.

       But aging has its perks, apart from the senior citizen discounts. Amidst the noise and the merriment, I saw a sense of stillness and contentment in the eyes of most. Gone was the burning ambition and the stiff rivalry that I saw 50 years ago. I now see the kind of calmness that we get when we choose to surrender all our cares to the one true God, who is in full control of everything. We are to leave nothing that is concealed from Him. That realization was, for me, the true meaning of our Golden Jubilee celebration. Mari Sison-Garcia (mari_sison_garcia@yahoo.com)

Reflection:We find true peace when we open our hearts and minds to the Lord and welcome Him into our lives.

Lord Jesus, bless us today with a heart that loves You and a heart that worships You in spirit and in truth.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, pray for us.

The closer we are to God, the more we see our sinfulness. God’s holiness is a stark contrast to our sinfulness. Let us be brave to approach His throne because we know that He will purify us of our sins. Isaiah can see his wretchedness. But by surrendering to God’s grace, he becomes a great prophet of God’s Word for many years.

Isaiah 6:1-8

1 In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. 2 Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft. 3 They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” 4 At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said, “send me!”

Psalm 93:1, 1-2, 5

R: The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.

1 The Lord is king, in splendor robed; robed is the Lord and girt about with strength. (R) And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. 2 Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O Lord. (R) 5 Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed. Holiness befits your house, O Lord, for length of days. (R)

Jesus promises us that God is always watching. He sees what is done in secret and what is done in the light. There is nothing that we can hide from God. We can never fool Him. We need to be up front with Him about our intentions and plans. If He tries to change your mind, then perhaps you have doubts about your plans.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

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

Matthew 10:24-33

24 Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! 26 Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. 27 What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. 30 Even all the hairs of your head are counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will  acknowledge before my heavenly Father. 33 But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

think: There is nothing that we can hide from God.

Thank You Lord for: __________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Chronicles 23-24 

“DON’T BE AFRAID…”

I have to admit that today’s Gospel passage made me think a lot. When I read it, it was as if Jesus was looking straight at me and speaking directly to me because I worry a lot. Worry and fear have caused me some painful moments in my life. And strangely, what I was worrying about and afraid of most of the time did not happen. My novice master, to whom I had opened up about this problem, was a wise old man. He once told me, “Jesus is so right when He tells you not to worry about tomorrow because each day has its own problems. Just focus on today’s problem. We also do not ask Him to give us something to eat tomorrow but, “give us today our daily bread.” And he added, “If you worry about what might happen tomorrow or next month, it’s a waste of time and energy. You suffer already in anticipation of something that might never happen, or you have to endure the pain twice. Once when you anticipate it worrying and fearing, and then when it actually happens.”

       Since then, one sentence in the Mass has become my favorite, namely when the priest asks God after the Lord’s Prayer to “protect us from all anxiety.”

         As Jesus encouraged His disciples, He also makes us aware that we are in the hands of God who is a loving Father, who knows us better than we know ourselves. And so He repeats, “Don’t be afraid.”

         I have not checked it, but I read somewhere that in the whole Bible we can find the words “Don’t be afraid” 365 times. That  means that the Holy Spirit tells us every day of the year, every day of our lives, not to be afraid but to put all our trust in the love, care and protection of our heavenly Father. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you experience excessive worries and fears in your life? Could it be that you don’t trust God enough?

Lord, thank You for reminding me once more of Your loving care. Forgive me for all the times I lacked this trust and gave in to fear and worry. Amen.