To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope... – Sirach 17:19

       Homeless. Not a good way to end the year. But that’s what we were going to be if we couldn’t find accommodation fast on that last day of December. We were on a tour in Queenstown, the most popular place in New Zealand for New Year’s eve, so all the hotels we called were fully booked. The one that still had a room available charged an arm and a leg so that was out of the question.

       Sleeping in the car was our next best option. But in one of the touristy places, I happened to see a Filipina-looking lady. “Pinay?” I asked. And that started our conversation.

     It turned out she worked there. When I mentioned in passing how difficult it was to find accommodation in the city, she asked how many we were. I answered, “Four.” She said, “Why don’t you stay at my place for the night? I live alone.”

      That evening, we didn’t just enjoy the New Year’s eve celebration with all the tourists. We also had a Pinoy salu-salo with a kababayan.

       It turned out to be a wonderful start of the year for us — a miraculous one even. Joy Sosoban-Roa (jsosoban@gmail.com)

Reflection: When my knees are weak and I am near crumbling down in despair, the Lord is there to lift me up. How great is our God! How mighty to save!

Lord, You are our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress (Psalm 46:2).

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us.

God will not leave us trapped in the web of our sins. But we have to do our part. We must humbly ask Him to free us and show us the right way to go.

19 To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope and has chosen for them the lot of truth. 20 Return to him and give up sin, pray to the Lord and make your offenses few. 21 Turn again to the Most High and away from your sin, hate intensely what he loathes, and know the justice and judgments of God, Stand firm in the way set before you, in prayer to the Most High God. 22 Who in the nether world can glorify the Most High in place of the living who offer their praise? Dwell no longer in the error of the ungodly, but offer your praise before death. 23 No more can the dead give praise than those who have never lived; you who are alive and well shall praise and glorify God in his mercies. 24 How great the mercy of the Lord, his forgiveness of those who return to him!

R: Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.

1 Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile. (R) 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. (R) 6 For this shall every faithful man pray to you in time of stress. Though deep waters overflow, they shall not reach him. (R) 7 You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me; with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. (R)

GOSPEL

The Ten Commandments are a good start to living a holy life. Holiness is about loving God and our neighbor. Love captures the essence of holiness. Let us remember that the only true measure is how we love, not what we have or who we are.

Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

17 As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” 20 He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” 26 They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

think: How have you experienced the gift of the Kingdom of God?

Read the Bible in one year Titus & Philemon

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

BEYOND BEING OBSERVANT

The conversation between the unnamed person and Jesus shows that the first level of being godly is to observe the laws and values taught to us from our younger days. The laws are a pedagogue and their value is “formative.” They initiate us into a way of life that admits limitations, a way of life that makes us distinguish between good and bad. In this case, the laws are therefore basic, for they make us imbibe a certain moral compass.

        Maturity in our spirit makes us strive beyond the minimum — beyond that of being a pure observant of the law. With this, we focus on the formation of virtues. Among the virtues are simplification of life that goes with advancing charity to those in need. Simplification and charity should go together. This is in truth the very life of Jesus as Word Incarnate. Though He is God, He did not deem equality with God as something to be grasped at. But He emptied Himself and His poverty enriched us. His incarnation lifted up the whole carnal world.

       The call beyond being observant was the experience of many: Francis of Assisi, beyond clerical ministry, thought of poverty of life and peace with all creation as the heart of his call. Peter Damien at Molokai found fullness of existence when he was able to serve as a leper priest among lepers. Teresa of Calcutta felt being a teacher of faith was good but not enough. She felt the stronger urge to be with the poorest of the poor. A deepening search for faithfulness with Jesus makes us want to be more and more identified with the Gospel Jesus in one of his outstanding way of earthly living and ministry. Hence, the Church speaks about the “evangelical call to perfection.” And the Church teaches about the essence of all religious life as a “perfection in charity.” Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

---------- REFLECTION QUESTIONS ----------

How do you see yourself at this point? Contented with being observant? Aching to go deeper? Searching? What areas of your lifestyle are still in need of “simplification”?

Jesus, we pray to be more than observant of the law. We pray to be mature in spirit and live in simplicity and charity. Amen.