We had been living in our one year-old home in an exclusive, secure village when two men broke into our house. They entered our bedroom in broad daylight, yanked our small safe from the wall, and carried it out our front door. They took a few expensive items, but nothing that couldn’t be replaced. 

The more valuable thing they took from me was my sense of peace and safety of living in a gated community. I felt violated that strangers had raided the most intimate room in our home. Fear crept into my heart where there was none. I only found peace when I heard the Lord’s silent voice in my heart: “You put your trust in your high walls and security guards. But your safety and protection lie with Me.” Suddenly, the fear and vulnerability melted away. I realized that whether I’m in the middle of a crossfire or sitting idly on vacation somewhere, the Lord “will shelter (me) with His pinions” and I can take “refuge under His wings; His faithfulness is a protecting shield” (Psalm 91:4). 

Rissa Singson Kawpeng (rissakawpeng@gmail.com)

reflect

“Do not let your troubles disturb your trust in God.” (St. Mary MacKillop)

Jesus, I put my trust in You. Protect me and my loved ones today from anything that can harm our spirit, soul, and body. Amen.

Saint Gamaliel, pray for us

First Reading | Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23

To think that we can achieve something worthwhile without the help of God is not just vanity; it is tantamount to blasphemy and heresy. God is the author of all that is good. We rely on Him to do good, even if we are unaware of this truth. As we follow the Lord, let us remember that we owe the opportunity for discipleship to His mercy.

² Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! ^2:21 Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property. This also is vanity and a great misfortune. ²² For what profit comes to a man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? ²³ All his days, sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

R: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

³ You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.” ⁴ For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night. (R) ⁵ You make an end of them in their sleep; the next morning they are like the changing grass, ⁶ which at dawn springs up anew, but by evening wilts and fades. (R) ¹² Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. ¹³ Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! (R) ¹⁴ Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. ¹⁷ And may the gracious care of the Lord our God be ours; prosper the work of our hands for us! Prosper the work of our hands! (R)    

Second Reading | Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11

All sin must be put to death in our lives. There is no place for sin in the life of a disciple of Jesus. This truth is simple to understand, but it is difficult to live out. Only by the grace of God are we able to know and live this truth. Let us give thanks to God for His merciful love that puts sin to death in our lives for good.

¹ Brothers and sisters: If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ² Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. ⁵ Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. ⁹ Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

Gospel | Luke 12:13-21 

We cannot bring possessions, earthly goods, and material things with us to heaven. They may give us pleasure now, but if that pleasure is not directed toward eternal life—it is fruitless, useless, and even sinful. Discipleship is a serious mission. Following the will of God is all about making choices. Are you up to it? 

Gospel Acclamation

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” ¹⁵ Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. ¹⁷ He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods ¹⁹ and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ ²¹ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read 1 MACCABEES 7 - 8 today.

‘Balakajan!’ (It’s All Up to You!)

Language evolves. This is true ever since, everywhere. In the contemporary “media ecology,” language takes on a fast-paced, frenetic mode, such that new words become not only commonplace but quickly form part of the mainstream culture.

In today’s media ecology, the mode of communication no longer revolves around big appliances, but in modern-day appendages called gadgets. And it is not just content that is affected, but the very culture of young and old people alike. The medium now has not just become the message, but the digital platform changes the sensibilities, the values, the mores—and a whole lot more—of the person communicating and the recipient (the user!) of the same communication. 

The person himself or herself has become the medium, the messenger, and partly 

the message, all rolled into one. 

One neologism I often see now is “balakajan!” Literally, it means, “it’s all up to you.” It connotes an attitude of nonchalance or an “I-couldn’t-care-less” mindset. That uncaring attitude is behind the “Lie Flat” movement in China or the “Let It Rot” syndrome, where millennials do not care a hoot about anything anymore that goes beyond mere personal survival.

In this culture, transcendent values, which are invisible but higher meanings that go beyond the usefulness of objects, do not occupy first place in people’s minds and hearts. This is what the Book of Ecclesiastes addresses. It talks about vanity in the superlative: “vanity of vanities!” What it says is this: it is always vain to push God out of the picture. It is vain to harden our hearts in relation to Him. It is also vain to always focus on what is below and not on things above. And the height of vanity is to focus, not on divine riches, but on earthly treasures! 

Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

reflection question

What space do you give God in your life today?

Lord, may I always remember to focus on You despite the many things that occupy my life on a daily basis. Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________________________