Fullness of Life

Believe the works of Jesus.

31 The Jews again picked up rocks to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” 34 [a]Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? 35 If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated[b] and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; 38 but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize [and understand] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 [Then] they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.40 He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. 41 Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign,[c] but everything John said about this man was true.” 42 And many there began to believe in him.-John10:31-42

As I shared in my previous reflection, the people cannot easily accept Jesus because they are not open to Him and their hearts are hardened all along. Today, Jesus is encouraging these people to believe His works. If Jesus' words are difficult to accept, at least believe in His works.

Truly it is difficult to accept some people easily especially if they do not conform to our expectations and standards. Sometimes, both good words and works are dumped simply because it came from an unlikely person. Or, are dumped and trashed simply because it is not in accordance to what we really want all along. Good Reasoning slowly fades as people prefer Practical Reasoning that easily bends according a person's preference. "Why suffer if you can have an easier way out," some people say. Jesus is inviting us to listen to His truth. The truth and the fullness of life can only be found in Him and through Him.

Image courtesy: God's Not Dead

Hear His Voice

Hear the voice of Jesus.

17 [a]But Jesus answered them, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” 18 For this reason the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.19 [b]Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing; for what he does, his son will do also. 20 For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,[c] so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. 22 Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment[d] to his Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. 25 Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself. 27 And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 [e]Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.30 “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.-John5:17-30

One word struck me the most - Hear. Jesus put emphasis on hearing (and listening) to His voice. The voice of Jesus can be found in the Scriptures and in the silence of our hearts. The question is, are we willing to hear and listen to it? Do we listen to our conscience?

Today, Jesus is inviting us to seek also the will of God for us. Yes, God answers when we ask Him about His plan and will for us. But, it is unfortunate that we sometimes cannot hear it or we cannot accept it because we prefer our own will.

Image courtesy: God's Not Dead

Reject or Accept?

Miracles happen everyday.

24 And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 [a]Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. 26 [b]It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went away.-Luke4:24-30

Elijah and Elisha are two prophets of the Old that inspired me. The widow of Zarephath and her son are about to die because of the famine. All that is left is a small amount of oil and a little amount of flour enough to make a last meal. However, Elijah asked for their generosity, and in turn asked God that the "jug of oil never run dry, and the jar of flour never run empty" during the famine years. Elisha cured Naaman, a great soldier inflicted with leprosy, and that disease is known to be incurable for a long time. Two stories of hope and miracle. God will always send people to help us. But what will be our reaction? Are we going to reject help? Or, are we going to accept it even if it meant depriving ourselves?

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Do not Judge

Do we live in a judgmental world?

1 He departed from there and came to his native place,[a] accompanied by his disciples. 2 [b]When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 3 Is he not the carpenter,[c] the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 [d]Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” 5 So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,[e] apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.-Mark6:1-6

Last Christmas, my mother and sister accompanied me to my godmother. The visit is not only to bring her our gift and to greet her, but also to ask her a favor to give me an evaluation. Though I can choose my other friends for this task, I preferred my godmother because of her seniority and involvement with the Church. As we continued with the evaluation, my sister keeps on refuting, denying, disapproving and contradicting every good word given to me. She's always making a face, always grumbling whenever a good comment is uttered. I was fed up and mouthed to her to shut up because the one giving the evaluation is my godmother and not her. I gently told her that every person has a different way of seeing another person, if I am a bad person in the eyes of my sister then so shall it be, but what's wrong if my godmother thought that I am a good person? What's wrong if others think well of me? I asked her, "Do your friends all think the same way when they evaluate you?" I believe Jesus' invitation to us all is to be slow or to not judge hastily other people. There is such a thing as CHANGE and CONVERSION. Life can be better for some. God can bestow the best gift there is to anybody even if that person seems to be unfit to our judgment. Life is much better if we rejoice in our own blessings and to rejoice as well in other people's blessings.

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Rise Again

What will you do with the Word of God?

1 [a]On another occasion he began to teach by the sea.

... 3 [c]“Hear this! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. 7 Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. 8 And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9 He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”

... 13 [e]Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. 17 But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, 19 but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. 20 But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”-Mark4:1-20

When I was young, my teacher would ask us which soil do we belong. Of course, answering logically, we all say, "The rich soil!" Nobody would say that s/he belonged to the path, or to the rocky ground, or to the thorny area. However, I realized that the four areas where the seed feel are our acceptance of the Word in our lives. As I look back on my experiences during meditation, I realized that I have been into the 4 areas at certain points in my life. I have been into the 4 areas in one day even! Like those people who received the Word and quickly forgot it, I am guilty of not listening to the priest's homily sometimes. Like those people who received the Word with joy but when trials came, fall away, I am guilty of being defensive and a little proud when confronted during difficult times before. Like those people who fall and forgot the Word in the face of pleasure, worldly concerns and lures of riches, I am guilty of giving in to these temptations before. But, just like those who bore fruit thirty, sixty and a hundredfold, I am happy to say that, yes, I bore fruit too and still bearing fruit. Jesus' constant invitation for us is to continue bearing fruit. We may fall, we may fail, but what is more important is rising again and continuing to bear fruit through acts of kindness and even little acts of love. What is more important is we listened to the Word of God and His will for us, and planted it in our hearts and in our lives.

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