I used to work as a sales manager for a hotel chain in Manila. I was working hard day and night. I was earning a lot too. One day, Bro. Pio Español asked me to work full-time as a missionary. I laughed and said to myself, Who would trade a work like mine to become a missionary? Who in his right mind would do that? I thought the answer was a plain and simple no, but the Lord troubled my heart. I didn’t know that His radical love had already changed me.

I followed my heart. I resigned from work. I started a small sound system business with my wife and went full-time as a missionary. As I put God first, He took care of me and my family.

Never had I once thought of what could have happened if I hadn’t left my corporate job. I believe this sense of fulfillment in my heart can only come from God. Before, I wanted to win the world because I thought I was great. Now, I want to win the world for His name, so that more people can see and experience His greatness! 

Monching Bueno (ramon_bueno@yahoo.com)

reflect

Are you working hard for the world or for your soul? Your priorities will determine your future.

Lord God, we are humble servants of Yours. Use us for Your glory. Amen.

Saint Dominic, priest, pray for us.

Today, we honor a brilliant philosopher saint who converted from Judaism to Catholicism and then perished in the concentration camps of Hitler for her faith. St. Teresa Benedicta’s commitment to the truth is borne out by the witness of her life in an unequivocal manner; and as a martyr for the faith, we recognize her importance. When we are confronted with the challenges of life, let us draw strength from her commitment to living and proclaiming the truth without compromise.

³² Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? ³³ Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? ³⁴ Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? ³⁵ All this you were allowed to see that you might know the Lord is God and there is no other. ³⁶ Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you; on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard him speaking out of the fire. ³⁷ For love of your fathers he chose their descendants and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power, ³⁸ driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you, so as to bring you in and to make their land your heritage, as it is today. ³⁹ This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. ⁴⁰ You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you forever.”

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 77:12-13, 14-15, 16, 21

R: I remember the deeds of the Lord.

¹² I remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I remember your wonders of old. ¹³ And I meditate on your works; your exploits I ponder. (R) ¹⁴ O God, your way is holy; what great god is there like our God? ¹⁵ You are the God who works wonders; among the peoples you have made known your power. (R) ¹⁶ With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. ²¹ You led your people like a flock under the care of Moses and Aaron. (R) 

Gospel | Matthew 16:24-28

We cannot achieve salvation on our own. It does not matter what humanitarian contributions we may have made to the world; it is only through Christ that we can be saved. But if we have never heard the Gospel, we will not be excluded from salvation. God is a fair-minded God and He will take into account the circumstances of our lives on Judgment Day.

Gospel Acclamation

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

²⁴ Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. ²⁸ Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Reflect:

What do you do to show Jesus how much you appreciate His gift of salvation?

Read the Bible in one year! Read 2 MACCABEES 1 - 2 today.

The Book of Deuteronomy sounds like my grandmother. Don’t ask me when, but ask what this is about. It’s about gentle reminders said repeatedly, consistently, constantly, every step of the way. Her words still ring in my ears, but not in an annoying way. I cannot forget how she prudently asked me in an encouraging tone: “When will I see you do like your cousin who serves at Mass in church?” There was no pressure, but she never failed to make me consider doing more, being more.

Today’s First Reading sounds like her. It counsels knowing God more. For there is no one else besides Him. It reminds us to hear His voice because He loved our forebears. It coaxes us to know Him more, think of Him as God in heaven above and on earth below. For there is no other!

Did you get it? There is no other! And after all the reminders, the motivation is given to us—that all may be well with us and the children after us, and that we may remain a long time in the land.

Now, who can beat that? Let us face it. We do work for rewards too, don’t we all? But truth to tell, we work for so many reasons, even those that conflict with each other. We work at cross purposes with ourselves and with one another. Often we say we want to love God. But we also love horoscopes, feng shui, and boy, don’t we all love to have more hi-tech gadgets? More foreign travels? Bigger and more flashy material possessions?

We want to have our cake and eat it too. We claim God is enough, but we have other lesser gods besides. Let us be reminded: there is no other!

Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

reflection questions

Do you have “other lesser gods” in your life? Who or what are they?

You are my Lord and my God—there is no other! Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________________