Resistance

The story is told about the police who were called to a day-care center one afternoon. Why? Because there was a three-year-old boy who was resisting a rest.

Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In today’s Gospel (Lk. 2, 22-40), we hear about the obedience of Joseph and Mary who did not offer any resistance in following the Mosaic Law, but instead, offered their first-born son and consecrated Him to the Lord. They did not resist God’s law, and they did not insist on their own will and plans.

Joseph and Mary must have been puzzled and disturbed many times about the turn of events regarding Jesus, but they continued to listen, pray, trust, and obey. We, too encounter many unexplainable and difficult situations as we journey on. At such moments, like Joseph and Mary, we must continue to listen, pray, trust, and obey.

Obedience to God leads to peace and prosperity. Obey God, and you will be happy. On the other hand, disobedience to God leads to emptiness and misery. Sin makes us unhappy.

The Presentation of the Lord reminds us that we have a Master, and that we report and are answerable to someone greater than ourselves, and that there will be a final reckoning and final accounting of how we lived our lives on this earth. Yes, there is a God, and He’s not you or me, nor others who claim to be.

The recent Taal Volcano eruption, the outbreak of the coronavirus, the sudden death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant remind us all not to be defiant or proud, and to stop resisting God’s will and plan. Yes, let us humble ourselves to God, and not be proud. We are dust in the wind, and will just be ashes in the end.

I am doing different things now, and I am doing things differently now.” I was struck by this statement from Tony, a good friend who has leveled up from resistance to compliance to God’s will. Let us pray for the grace of conversion that sets us free from our bondage and prisons, and makes us experience God’s peace and joy—a joy which the world cannot give or take away.

Now Master, You may let Your servant go in peace according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.” These words of Simeon remind us that if we do not resist God in our lives, our journey will be light and peaceful until the very end. Let us obey God every day so that when the time comes for our journey to end, there will be no fear, regrets, panic or misgivings.

Someday we all will come before God’s presence, when our whole lives will be presented unto Him. At that point in time, may we have little or no regrets that we loved Him too little, too late.

Someone once said that at the end of our lives, none of us will regret that we could have worked more. But we will surely regret that we were not more present to God, to our family and to our loved ones, and to the people around us. Let neither work nor functions deprive us of beautiful and meaningful moments and quality time with God, with people, and with ourselves.

Think about this: “Never regret being a good person even to the wrong people; your behavior says everything about you, and their behavior says enough about them. Life does not require that you be the best, but that you just do your best.” —Anonymous

A moment with the Lord:Lord, help me not to resist You, and teach me not to insist on my wishes and selfish dreams. Amen.

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