GOOD COMPANY

“Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” – Zechariah 8:23

         There are people who just have all the right connections. They can get you into the exclusive clubs and seem to know the right people to call when you need to expedite something. It’s a treat to be in their company because you benefit from their privileges.

       Then there are people who are like accidents waiting to happen. It’s just a matter of time before misfortune comes their way. Like this friend of mine from my younger days. He was attacked in a public toilet at the mall. Once, he was abducted and beaten. Another time, he was arrested by the police and spent a night in jail.

       People like him are the kind you want to avoid because being in his company could get you embroiled in his troubles. His presence makes me nervous because I never know when a pleasant conversation would turn into a volatile situation.

       But the best kind of company are those people who are like a breath of fresh air after you’ve been trapped in a smoke-filled room. Their presence lifts you up. They bring laughter to your day and their concern for your problems is like a soothing balm to a wound. They pray for you and inspire you to draw closer to Jesus. Rissa Singson Kawpeng (justbreatherissa@gmail.com)

Reflection: “Some friends bring ruin on us, but a true friend is more loyal than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

Jesus, let me be the kind of company that brings people closer to You.

St. Theodora Guérin, pray for us.

If our Christian communities lived out the Gospel to the full, then people who witnessed our lives would be clamoring to join us. They would see that we have found the key to a fulfilling life. This is the challenge in our faith walk — to live the Gospel such that unbelievers would want to believe in our God and receive the same peace and happiness that we have.

20 Thus says the Lord of hosts: There shall yet come peoples, the inhabitants of many cities; 21 and the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another, and say, “Come! Let us go to implore the favor of the Lord”; and, “I too will go to seek the Lord.” 22 Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to implore the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men of every nationality, speaking different tongues, shall take hold, yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

R: God is with us.

1 His foundation upon the holy mountains 2 the Lord loves: The gates of Zion, more than any dwelling of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! (R) 4 I tell of Egypt and Babylon among those that know the Lord; Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia: “This man was born there.” 5 And of Zion they shall say: “One and all were born in her; and he who has established her is the Most High Lord.” (R) 6 They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled: “This man was born there.” 7 And all shall sing, in their festive dance: “My home is within you.” (R)

Jesus decided to go to Jerusalem even if He knew that He would not be welcomed there, especially by the Jewish leaders and authorities. He must have known that this would cause conflict, and so He prepared Himself to suffer in obedience to His Father’s will. Are we willing to make the same depth of commitment to God’s will for us? This is what discipleship is all about — we are willing to do whatever God asks of us.

The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

51 When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, 52 and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, 53 but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” 55 Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they journeyed to another village.

think: Recall the times when you made a commitment to God. How did you surpass the challenges of staying committed?

Read the Bible in one year Ecclesiates 1-4

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

OF PRIVILEGE AND ENTITLEMENT

When I was still a resident formator at San Carlos Seminary, we were blessed to have a sister who was not only very holy but a very good cook as well. Having stayed in Italy for so many years, we were spoiled by regular treats of Italian dishes. Then, she got sick and her knees needed to be operated on. For many months, she was immobile and couldn’t perform her daily tasks, which included cooking our meals.

       I remember complaining that our meals were not as good as before. Our other personnel still prepared good meals; I just got so used to our sister’s treat that I considered it my entitlement and no longer a privilege. When she came back, I once again enjoyed the same treats as before. But now I said to myself, “Thank You, Lord, for this undeserved blessing.”

       When we become so used to good treatment, even for something we do not deserve, we tend to claim it as an entitlement instead of a privilege.

      With the company of Jesus, then gaining popularity with His wisdom and accompanying miracles, the Apostles were surely given rockstar treatment everywhere they went. Then came the Samaritan experience in today’s Gospel. Samaritans were bitter enemies of the Jews. It was understandable that Jesus and the Apostles, who were Jews, were not welcome in that town as they made their way to Jerusalem. Behaving like spoiled divas, they requested Jesus to rain down fire from heaven to consume the entire town. Jesus rebuked and corrected them. The rejection did not bother Jesus. It was the brothers James and John who took it as an insult to their status.

     James and John strutted with an attitude of entitlement. Jesus’ attitude reminds us that one can handle a disappointment better when he realizes that everything is a privilege. Fr. Joel Jason

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

Do you find yourself exploding in anger when things don’t go according to your liking?

Open my eyes, O Lord, to the many undeserved privileges I am blessed with. Grant me serenity when things don’t go my way. Amen.