In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. – Psalm 5:3

I read an article which quoted a person saying that he exercises early in the morning so that before his mind could say no to what he was doing, he had already finished his workout.

I have the same attitude with exercise, but more so with my prayer time. I find that going to Mass in the morning and spending time in private prayer afterwards is the best way to start my day.

Aside from reading Scripture, praying for the intentions of loved ones and friends, and saying novenas, I also read and reply to my email and text messages in the chapel. I plan my day and jot down my to-do list. Occasionally, that’s where I also prepare outlines for upcoming talks and articles.

Some people may say I’m not praying but working. If they see it that way, then I’m guilty as charged. But I subscribe to St. Benedict’s Rule of ora et labora, to pray and work at the same time. Honestly, I can’t separate my job from my faith because it’s but an offshoot of my walk with the Lord.

It is when I’m fruitful in prayer that I bear much fruit in the other areas of my life. Rissa Singson Kawpeng (justbreatherissa@gmail.com)

Reflect: “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” (Martin Luther)

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit apart from the vine, Lord, let me always be connected to You. Amen.

Venerable Matt Talbot, pray for us.

Jezebel is a scheming woman and Ahab is her co-conspirator. Why is it that those who possess more than enough still cheat others to gain more? Greed makes their crime worse. Let us be satisfied with having enough and resist greed and avarice. May we live in contentment and be an example for others.

1 Kings 21:1-16

1 Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden, since it is close by, next to my house. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or, if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.” 3 Naboth answered him, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage.” 4 Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him: “I will not give you my ancestral heritage.” Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat. 5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, “Why are you so angry that you will not eat?” 6 He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’ But he refused to let me have his vineyard.” 7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and, having sealed them with his seal, sent them to the elders and to the nobles who lived in the same city with Naboth. 9 This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 Next, get two scoundrels to face him and accuse him of having cursed God and king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” 11 His fellow citizens — the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city — did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing through the letters she had sent them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people. 13 Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation, “Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent the information to Jezebel that Naboth had been stoned to death. 15 When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Go on, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you, because Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16 On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 

P S A L M 

Psalm 5:2-3, 4-6, 6-7

It was a call to be just, an exhortation to never do more in response to evil. A little blow would demand an equally little blow, just a minor tip for a teeny- weeny tap. Again, “walang labis, walang kulang!” To deal out more than what one received from another would be to tip the scales unfairly.

Sounds right and fair, doesn’t it? But no, the Lord does not give a lesson today on commutative justice. On the contrary, His lesson today has to do with a virtue that goes beyond justice. While He does not abolish the law on just and equivalent retribution, the law that forbids punishing a wrongdoer unfairly, and upping the ante against him, Christ does teach us something more. That more has to do with doing things not out of mere obedience to the minimum required by law, but with what is demanded by love.

As a school administrator for the longest time, I have had fortunate experiences of people who gave more than was ever asked of them. I also had the exact opposite experience from far fewer individuals who only gave their strictest minimum — walang labis, walang kulang. One of them was even referred to by the students as “alis kwatro.” He would stop work half an hour before and would leave on the dot as soon as the 4 o’clock bell sounds.

The former — by far, the majority — gave much more than was required of them. They taught with passion. They served with love. They were more than just teachers. They accompanied the young through the tumultuous years of adolescence, like doting and loving second parents in a school that they considered their second home. They did not observe the law of tit for tat. And when treated disrespectfully by rowdy and rough students, there was no talk of “an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth.”

I have been treated unfairly and dealt with unjustly by a number of people. There, simply put, are evil people — what Scott Peck refers to as “the people of the lie.” No matter how difficult, we are all called today to love, and not return evil for evil. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

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

What’s your knee-jerk reaction whenever someone treats you unfairly?

Dearest God, may I always remember to follow Your command to return love for evil. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ___________________________________