Here and now

The story is told about a young wife who asked her husband: “Honey, shall I cook for you soup or porridge?” The husband politely replied: “Make it first. Then we will name what it is later, okay?”

In today’s gospel (Mt. 16, 13-20), we hear how the crowd could not “name” who Jesus was. He was many things to many people, a sign of contradiction, a mystery, a controversial person.  Jesus tells us today to go beyond public perception which is misleading and divisive. “But who do you say that I am?” Let us pause and ask ourselves today: “Who is Christ for me?” It is a question that calls for our personal knowledge of, and commitment to Him.

We are called to make our personal stand on issues and personalities that divide us. Traditional media and social media should neither confuse nor control us. Our decisions and views must be borne not just out of emotions or ideologies or affiliations, but out of prayer and reflection. What the Master whispers to us in silence we must shout from the rooftops.

The killing goes on. It is understandable that chickens that are contaminated with the bird flu virus are killed and slaughtered by the hundreds. But people? God’s commandment is clear: Thou shall not kill. Today, let us ask ourselves: Who is my Master? What does my Master, the author of life, say about this matter?

“For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” We take our cue from these words of Jesus as we are confronted with so many issues in our present day and time. We must continue to discern, and listen long and hard to God in prayer. Otherwise, we will end up with shallow, popular, pragmatic, convenient, and safe responses to our present situation.

“…Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” This is our assurance that goodness will triumph over evil in the end. The big picture is that there is a spiritual warfare between good and evil in this world. We have to make our personal decision and commitment as to which side we are in.  If we choose to follow our Master, we should be ready to face oppression, persecution, intimidation, and even death.

We have a name for such people who lived for their faith and who did not die in vain—martyrs, we call them.

Tomorrow, Aug. 28, is the Feast of St. Augustine. He had a brilliant mind, was a man of the world, and with wealth, and he evaded and avoided conversion for the longest time. But in the end, God’s grace caught up with him. We believe in the power of prayer, and that no one is beyond redemption. Let us all pray for our continuous conversion, and for the conversion of the proud and Godless.

St. Monica never stopped praying for the conversion of her son, Augustine. Instead of showing anger or disgust, let us continue to pray for erring and misguided persons. This we can do without being condescending or self-righteous, aware that we all are sinners. Think of a “bad” person right now, and pray: “Lord, have mercy on us!”

Think about this: “There is a God, and you’re not Him.” This is something to ponder on, especially for people who play God, or who think they are not accountable to anyone for anything.

Inviting you to a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Oct. 10-24. It starts in Vienna, Austria, then to Medjugorje, via the beautiful Adriatic Sea, with a recollection on board. The highlight is our stay in Medjugorje—a place of silence, prayer and reconciliation—and visited by many pilgrims from all over the world, in search of peace, and a closer relationship with the Lord and Mama Mary. For inquiries, please call the Pilgrims’ Center: 5238581 to 88 or 09175235456. Or email: support@pilgrimage.ph.

Soon it will be September, and December is not far behind. May Christmas be beautiful for all of us, in all aspects this year. Let us continue to pray and work for peace, and make Christmas real in the here and now.

A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help us to make a stand, and stand up for You, here and now. Amen.