Luke 6: 6-11 (Monday, September 10, 2007)

One thing very significant in today’s gospel is Jesus’ healing of the man even though it was a Sabbath day. It raises the question of the importance of laws. The laws are not there to enslave us, but to guide us. Since the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church in the United States, some priests have become paranoid in doing ministry. So many laws have been created to protect our children. These laws are not to be taken literally. Would you deny listening to a confession of a child under the age of 18 years just because there isn’t an adult around? Must you insist on a transparent confessional door even if the parish cannot afford one? We must always keep in mind the spirit of the law. At each point in time, it is always important to do what is right even if it is going to generate opposition. Jesus knew the people were going to use the incident to accuse him, but he still went ahead to heal the man because he believed that was the right thing to do. As you strive to live your Christianity in a radical way, you would be confronted with decisions in which if you make the right decision, you would be opposed or persecuted. Jesus invites you today to fear no opposition, just do the right thing.

Prayer:
Lord, sometimes we are timid and afraid of opposition. Give us the courage to always stand firm and do the right thing even if it will bring us persecution.

Matthew 16: 13-23 (Thursday, August 9, 2007)

Who do you say that I am? Who is Jesus Christ to you? This is a very important question every Christian must sincerely answer. Peter’s response to Jesus is not an intellectual response derived from scholarly studies. Peter’s response is that of faith revealed to him by God. That is the reason Jesus says to him, “It is not flesh and blood that has revealed this to you.” Given our knowledge of the Christian faith, it would be easy to give such responses as “the messiah, the savior, the redeemer, the Son of God, etc.” We have learnt all these titles of Jesus in our Catechism or in the Bible. This is important knowledge. However, do you truly believe that Jesus is your savior? That He is your redeemer? When faced with challenges and difficulties, do you call upon him as your savior? When sick, do you truthfully invite him as the greatest healer? Until you truly understand who Jesus is for you, you can never know his plans for your life. It was after Peter’s confession that he started revealing to them his plans for the journey to Jerusalem and the subsequent persecutions.

I want to invite you to spend some time today and sincerely ask yourself who Jesus is to you. Acknowledge his presence and let him reveal his plans for you.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you have revealed yourself to us in the scriptures as the Son of God, the Messiah and the redeemer. It is difficult for us some times to claim you in our lives. We want to invite you to reveal yourself once more to us and help us to know your plan for us. We absolutely believe that your plan for us is of good. We want to live according to your plan.