“And they will do all these things to you on account of my name.” – John 15:21

         According to an article of Wilson Lee Flores in The Philippine Star some years back, some of the most powerful businessmen in the Philippines are Lopez, Cojuangco, Zobel de Ayala, Pangilinan and Aboitiz. They are not only wealthy but said to be able to exert influence on political and government leaders as well. Imagine, if your surname was any of the aforementioned, I am sure landing a job will be a breeze unlike if you were the child of Juan de la Cruz. Doors will open wide for you. HR may even waive a lot of their requirements. All these happen just because you are the child of some big shot.

         You are no different from them. Yes, you may not be the COO (child of the owner) but you are a COG (child of God).

          You are the child of the King of kings, the Lord of lords!

          You have a Father who is more powerful than any of these men.

Reflection:“We know what we are but not what we may be.” (William Shakespeare)

Lord, may I always be aware of my identity as Your child so that I may become a person after Your own heart.

St. Bernardine of Siena, priest, pray for us.

Effectiveness was Paul’s priority in preaching the Gospel. This was why he asked Timothy, one of his companions, to be circumcised even if this was unnecessary. Paul knew this will help Timothy to reach out to Jewish Christians. Timothy stayed in Ephesus and became its bishop.

1 Paul reached also Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him, 3 and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem. 5 Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number. 6 They traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, 8 so they crossed through Mysia and came down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

R: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; 2 serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. (R) 3 Know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. (R) 5 The Lord is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. (R)

We will be in conflict with the world when we follow the Gospel. We do not need to be afraid because God provides. The Church has been battered and bruised but still it remains standing as the beacon of truth in the world. As Christians, we need the grace of God to be faithful to our calling as individuals and as members of the Body of Christ, the Church.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

18 Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,  because they do not know the one who sent me.”

think: Have you experienced hostility from people to whom you spoke the truth and showed love? How did you handle it?

Read the Bible in one year Judges 9-12

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

ONE WITH GOD OR ONE WITH THE

WORLD?

It is plain human behavior. In every issue, people take sides. And when they do, they look for others who are on their side, close ranks with them, and find strength and comfort knowing they are not alone.

       For the sake of simplicity, let us call them splinter groups. They are a group, or groups within a group, and they represent our natural tendency to find comfort in the company of like-minded individuals in the midst of a perceived “hostile” environment.

     Christian discipleship was never easy. Nor was it meant to be. The anti- Christian persecution that we see in our times is not new. For the true believer and disciple who takes their calling and mission seriously, the words of the Lord today are as realistic as they are comforting.

       I don’t know about you, but as for me, having been there, done that, I can safely say one thing. It was easier being a Catholic back then. Now, with cafeteria Catholics holding the proverbial microphone and hogging TV screens, it has become fashionable to claim to be “Catholic” while going against prime Catholic tenets in the name of being in tune with the times, and not holding on to “bigotry” and alleged “dogmatism.”

        But hold on to your seat. There is something worse. When one does so much as preach and teach what has always been the time-tested moral teachings of the Church, the bigotry and dogmatism and intolerance they rail against are what they suddenly become, and rabidly so for that matter.

       To say that there is no persecution taking place against the Church and Her loyal children is to be in denial, unless you are one with the rest of the world who think that the Church should change and adapt to the ways of the world.

       It all boils down to this — you are either one with God, or one with the world. “No slave is greater than his master.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

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

How do your choices reflect your loyalty? 

Lord, grant me the grace to be one with You, rather than be one with the world. Amen.