BE GOD’S COMPASS

“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” – John 1:23

       Praise God for priests, preachers, parents and selfless people who pastor and lead us closer to God. They serve as our compass, guiding us whenever we lose our way. But our goal doesn’t end just by perfectly navigating through life. We are also called to become another voice of God, another compass to others.

       Friends, God is not asking you for much. You don’t need to lead an entire community with thousands of attendees to echo His voice and answer His call. You just need to open your heart to Him and share His love to others in your own simple way. Through your day-to-day actions, you can be His voice and His compass to those who’ve lost their way.

       Worried? Don’t be. Just follow Him. He will equip you. He will lead you so you can lead others closer to Him.

      The path that leads to God is narrow and rough. It’s a road less traveled. That’s why we cannot journey alone. We need each other. Be each other’s compass and point people to Jesus! Monching Bueno (ramon_bueno@yahoo.com)

Lord God, lead me as I lead people closer to you. I may not have much  to offer, but I surrender everything to You. Multiply the goodness in me as I share it to others. Amen.

Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church, pray for us.

 John warns us that the “world” deceives us. The deception comes in many ways. It can be disguised as something good. For example, the sexual revolution results from a wrong understanding of what human love really is. Human love is a decision to give one’s self to another, as a parent to his children. Such love is selfless and shares the gift of life.

22 Beloved: Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. 23 Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. 26 I write you these things about those who would deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.

R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 2 The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)

Society offers us many kinds of lifestyles. Some follow the teachings of the Gospel while others do not. Let us become like John the Baptist so that others will see the life God wants us to live. Does our life reflect the will of God?

In times past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets: in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.

19 This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” 21 So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” 23 He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” 24 Some Pharisees were also sent. 25 They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, 27 the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

think: Who “made straight the way of the Lord” for you?

Read the Bible in one year  John 4-6

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

It is the second day of the New Year and my ears are still ringing and reeling from the noise and revelry of yesterday’s celebration.

       Today’s Gospel is a balm for a tired spirit. May I suggest that you read it in solitude and silence? Do not rush. Pause at the part where John the Baptist, in reference to his role as forerunner of the coming Messiah, described himself as “a voice in the desert crying out: Make straight the way of the Lord!” (v. 23).

       Notice the imagery: a voice and the desert. Have you ever tried shouting in the desert? No matter how strong your voice is, or how  long the echo might prolong the sound waves of your voice, it gets enveloped in silence. Silence can be frightening. We tend to fill our silence with words and more words. This is a tragic mistake. Without silence, our words tend to become shallow.

       In his May 2012 World Communications Day message, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth… by remaining silent, we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested.”

       John the Baptist began his preparation for welcoming Jesus in the stillness of the desert, because in silence, one hears better and the heart comes to life. Angry people shout at one another. Mystics tell us that when people are angry, their hearts grow apart. Shouting is an unconsciousness manifestation of hearts separated by the distance of anger.

       Lovers are different. They don’t shout; they whisper. At the deepest level of intimacy, words are no longer necessary. Look at old couples sitting silently in their veranda. They hardly talk but they hold hands (and hearts), and in silence, continue to speak to one another in ways words cannot communicate.

       On this second day of the year, let us retreat into a desert and with John the Baptist, welcome our Messiah! Fr. Joel Jason

---------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

Do you have a “desert” place where you can retreat in silence and solitude?

Still my soul, Jesus, and in the depth of silence, envelop me with Your love. Amen.