Month: September 2023

• Isaiah 55: 6-9
• Psalm 145:3, 8-9, 17-18
• Philippians 1:20-24,27
• Matthew 20:1-16

A week from now, the month of September will end. In two months, it’s December again. It is nice to have constant confidence in His Holy Will during these changing moments and movements in our lives. Most probably some of us are still trying to keep our 2023 resolutions, yet being in despair and feeling downhearted because we seemingly have failed to fulfill those promises. Our readings today inspire us to heed the call of God to submit to Him through our loving service.

The first reading from the book of Isaiah urges us to seek the Lord whenever we have found ourselves struggling to keep God in our hearts due to the challenges and trials we encounter. God is in control of everything, and we cannot afford to doubt our faith. The Prophet Isaiah says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near.” because we believe that God’s ways are “as high as the heavens are above the earth.” Hence, God’s ways are far from our thoughts.

The second reading from the book of St. Paul to the Philippians reveals to us how much Paul loved Jesus. His ways of understanding life are completely for Jesus and when he died, it was ultimately a gain for Jesus because Paul worked hard for His kingdom. He influenced the spirituality of those communities where he ministered for Christ, to be with Christ and in Christ forming them “to conduct worthy of the gospel of Christ.” St. Paul labored much so that converts would sustain their lives from the very source of life.

The gospel parable is about the workers in the vineyard. It is a parable narrating to us the aspects of the Kingdom of God. All hired workers at different times agreed to work in the vineyard with a pay of one denarius which was the usual daily wage. However, expectations were for those who came early to receive more than the wage of late comers. This is where the problem started. How do we understand this parable according to its right perspective?

First, the “landowner” in the parable is God. We cannot fathom God’s ways which are oftentimes in conflict with our way of thinking. Humans operate according to logic, which we find in this parable as unfair treatment afforded to the workers. It must be fair. We are critical to express that the wages of the early workers need to be more than that of the workers who worked only for an hour.

We need to accept God’s ways. I believe that God is benevolent and generous in giving gifts and blessings to us. It is His gifts from the heart of God and not from others. Oftentimes, that is where the problem starts, when we are jealous of others because God is more generous. This is the point that we need to realize that Jesus’ parable highlights God’s generosity and goodness. St. Augustine viewed it that, “God is giving us gifts proportionately according to our needs.”

Secondly, the parable tells us that God invites us continuously, regardless of whether you are the first or the last, as usual God is treating us with goodness and generosity. However, God’s way to compensate us is not according to time of service rendered but it is how much we put love in all our works and service. Some believe in just having faith without practicing it, is seriously wrong. We must be truly converted and transformed disciples. Therefore, we must have firmed faith that is a portion of His gifts, we live out faithfully to serve His vineyard with much love.

Thirdly, this parable tells us that when we work in God’s vineyard, His Church, we see to it that our intention is pure in doing good things for the love of Christ. Expecting to earn merits, rewards and to manipulate God because we are doing something for Him, usually turns out a disaster because we are claiming what we think we deserve, but not according to God’s pure revealing love.

Today, we heard that everything is according to God’s love, goodness, and generosity for those who are faithfully living towards the kingdom. Here on earth, Jesus reveals the face of God as He established the new covenant, with a new method of looking at things through His eyes.

I believe that if God gives grace out of His goodness and benevolence, and when all our prayers are answered as compared to others, it is not injustice or unfair because it seems we are favored ones. Maybe others would realize that God’s greatest gift is also an unanswered prayer, and it is only that the recompense of reward has been delayed. There is no reason for us to be jealous when God’s gift is being shared to all.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

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El Dictado del Corazón
Vigésimo Quinto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A

• Isaías 55:6-9
• Salmo 145:3, 8-9, 17-18
• Filipenses 1:20-24,27
• Mateo 20:1-16

Dentro de una semana finalizará el mes de septiembre. En tres meses más, volverá a ser Diciembre. Es bueno tener confianza constante en la Santa Voluntad de Dios durante estos momentos y movimientos de cambio en nuestras vidas. Lo más probable es que algunos de nosotros todavía estemos tratando de cumplir las resoluciones que hicimos para este año 2023, talvez estamos desesperados y desanimados porque no hemos cumplido esas promesas. Nuestras lecturas de hoy nos inspiran a prestar atención al llamado de Dios a someternos a Él.

La primera lectura del libro de Isaías nos insta a buscar al Señor cada vez que nos encontremos luchando por mantener a Dios en nuestros corazones debido a los desafíos y luchas que encontramos. Dios tiene el control de todo y no podemos darnos el lujo de dudar de nuestra fe. El profeta Isaías dice: “Busca al Señor mientras puede ser encontrado, llámalo mientras está cerca”. porque creemos que los caminos de Dios son “tan altos como los cielos sobre la tierra”. Por tanto, los caminos de Dios están lejos de nuestros pensamientos.

La segunda lectura del libro de San Pablo a los Filipenses nos revela cuánto amaba Pablo a Jesús. Sus formas de entender la vida son completamente para Jesús y cuando murió, en última instancia fue una ganancia para Jesús porque Pablo trabajó duro por Su reino. Influyó en la espiritualidad de aquellas comunidades donde ministró para el Señor Jesús, para estar con Cristo y en Cristo formándolos “para una conducta digna del evangelio de Cristo”. San Pablo trabajó mucho para que los conversos sustentaran sus vidas desde la fuente de la vida.

La parábola del evangelio trata sobre los trabajadores de la viña. Es una parábola que nos narra los aspectos del Reino de Dios. Todos los trabajadores contratados en diferentes momentos acordaron trabajar en la viña con una paga de un denario, que era el salario diario habitual. Sin embargo, las expectativas eran que aquellos que llegaban temprano recibirían más que el salario de los que llegaban más tarde. Aquí es donde empezó el problema. ¿Cómo entendemos esta parábola según su perspectiva correcta?

Primero, el “terrateniente” de la parábola es Dios. No podemos comprender los caminos de Dios, que muchas veces están en conflicto con nuestra forma de pensar. Los humanos operan de acuerdo con la lógica, que encontramos en esta parábola como un trato injusto otorgado a los trabajadores. Debe ser justo. Somos críticos para expresar que los salarios de los primeros trabajadores deben ser mayores que los de los trabajadores que trabajaron solo durante una hora.

Necesitamos aceptar los caminos de Dios. Creo que Dios es benevolente y generoso al darnos regalos y bendiciones. Son Sus dones del corazón de Dios y no de otros. Muchas veces es ahí donde empieza el problema, cuando tenemos celos de los demás porque Dios es más generoso. Este es el punto en el que debemos darnos cuenta de que la parábola de Jesús resalta la generosidad y la bondad de Dios. San Agustín lo veía así: “Dios nos está dando dones proporcionalmente a nuestras necesidades”.

En segundo lugar, la parábola nos dice que Dios nos invita continuamente, sin importar si somos los primeros o los últimos, a ser tratados con amor y generosidad. Sin embargo, la forma en que Dios nos compensa no es según el momento en que creemos en simplemente tener fe sin practicarla seriamente, sino según el momento en que verdaderamente nos convertimos y transformamos en discípulos. Por lo tanto, debemos tener fe en que es una porción de Sus dones que vivimos fielmente para servir a Su reino.

En tercer lugar, esta parábola nos dice que cuando trabajamos en la viña de Dios, la Iglesia de Dios, nos aseguramos de que nuestra intención sea pura al hacer cosas buenas por amor a Cristo. Esperar ganar méritos, recompensas y manipular a Dios porque estamos haciendo algo por Él, suele resultar un desastre porque estamos reclamando lo que creemos merecer y no según el amor revelador de Dios.

Hoy escuchamos que todo es según el amor, la bondad y la generosidad de Dios para aquellos que viven fielmente hacia el reino. Aquí en la tierra, Jesús revela el rostro de Dios al establecer el nuevo pacto con un nuevo método de mirar las cosas a través de Sus ojos.

Creo que, si Dios da gracia por su bondad y benevolencia, y cuando todas nuestras oraciones son respondidas en comparación con las de los demás, no es injusticia ni injusto porque parece que somos favorecidos. Quizás otros se darían cuenta de que el regalo más grande de Dios es también una oración sin respuesta, y que la recompensa se ha retrasado. No hay razón para que estemos celosos cuando se comparte el regalo de Dios.

Dios los bendiga.

P. Arlón, osa

• Ephesians 4:1-6
• Matthew 22:34-46

Today is the 17th Sunday after Pentecost. We have inspiring readings which I would love to share with you. I always give justice to the word when I prepare and write my homily.

The epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians reminds us of our calling. Paul says, “Beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called.” It is an urgent message that “walking” in this passage means to conduct ourselves according to our calling as adopted children of God. Hence, all we do in relation to our fellowmen must always be an expression of our unconditional love, bearing with one another in love for God, to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Moreover, St. Paul urges us to be “one,” describing the realities of the visible body of the Church that comes from one God, in three persons. How do we “walk” worthy of our calling?

When we know how to humble and deny ourselves, we begin to live and grow in unity. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is at work sanctifying us to bring new life in Christ to our souls. When this happens in our hearts more, we can reflect on a better picture of oneness and peace with God and others.

The gospel today narrates to us about a doctor of the law who asked Jesus, “Master, which is the great commandment of the law?” Jesus responded citing Deuteronomy 6:5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength,” as the greatest commandment, and He added, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” from Leviticus 19:18. It is a direct answer from the bible, it means that Jesus knew so well the content of the Scriptures.

There are three important reflection points, I need to mention.

First, I believe that Jesus presents logical reason that loving God is connected inseparably to loving other people. It is an undeniable path to manifest our love for God through which we love other people. St. John, the evangelist, says, “If anyone says he loves God but hates his brother is a liar.” (1 Jn 4:20)

It is a continuous challenge that we often encounter diverse people, who are different from ourselves, which is a great test to fulfill this greatest commandment. Jesus does not only command us to love others but to love others as we love our own selves.

Secondly, all our work has the potential to serve and therefore love our neighbors. Thus, we take the risks to make sure that all our actions are geared towards the fulfillment of God’s greatest command, “love your neighbor as yourself,” with the same measure of loving Him.

Thirdly, it is our commitment to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength in all that we do, through a relationship fully lived out in the practice of our Christian faith. Our faith should be evident in the way we live our lives, the way we conduct ourselves, the way we function on the job and the way we deal with family and friends.

Lastly, the intriguing question of Jesus to the Pharisees, “What think you of Christ, whose son is He?” It was amazing for the Jews that they perfectly knew Jesus from the scriptures that He is the Christ and the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel, who was promised to them that He would come and lead Israel to a glorious new time of peace, prosperity and safety. They believed that Jesus was the “Son of David.” They knew the record of the coming Messiah, but they did not recognize Jesus. The Jews were well-versed in the Scripture, but they did not know the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our fidelity to embrace God’s greatest commandment is great wisdom, but accepting Jesus as a Christ or the Anointed One and the Messiah is life-changing; hence, we must live-out our faith by saying, “I Believe.”

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

• Sirach 27:30-28:7
• Psalm 103:1-2,3-4,9-10,11-12
• Romans 14:7-9
• Matthew 18:21-35

We are in the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Last week we heard from the news that Pope Francis made a historic visit to Mongolia with 1,450 Catholics served by three churches. The Catholic Church was there in the 13th century during the Yuan Dynasty but faded away because the communist regime took power. In 1991, due to the opening of the country to religious missionaries, the missionaries returned to rebuild the church from scratch and established diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Mongolia.

A missionary was interviewed by EWTN TV network saying that, “God precedes before the coming of the missionaries to Mongolia.” By culture they are nomadic people, but just like the time of Abraham, Moses and others who led the chosen people, God accompanies them and manifests His presence with them. This is exactly the same experience of the people of Mongolia; they are not far from encountering God, especially with the recent visit of Pope Francis. There will be enormous growth and harvest for the Church, indeed encouraging and strengthening the mission of the Church to announce the gospel to all corners of the world. We pray for our brethren throughout the world. St. Paul says, “to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for the glory.” (Col 1:27)

God has come with us in history and even in our private life. The 1st reading from the Book of Sirach reminds us of a valuable lesson that we must forgive our neighbor’s injustice. Then, when we pray, we feel that we are also forgiven, which is the power of God’s grace given to each one of us.

The 2nd reading today tells us that, “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.” Thus, I cannot imagine that our Christian life is personal, but rather it concerns too our relationship with others, for we all journey together.

Our constant interaction with others can create some friction. It is normal for we have unique personalities. That is where God’s divine command comes in, that is, to remind us to love one another. True loving means being ready to understand and pardon the mistakes of others. We must allow forgiveness to reside in us, and that forgiveness comes from the heart. People find it easy to say, “I forgive you!” but then the person cannot really forgive someone. To overcome our unforgiveness, let us remember that we are all hurt and go through the same path overcoming emotional baggage; however, a relationship that has been broken needs healing by our own humility and love and being willing to take small steps of reconciliation, one step at a time. Let us do it so that we can become a better and compassionate person. It is transforming on our part when we are willing to forgive and forget, not from the mind but from the heart. All our pains and heartaches will be healed, and all other illnesses will soon be amazingly cured.

The gospel today, taken from St. Matthew, is imbued with the genuine face of mercy with the narration about Jesus’ way of responding to Peter’s question, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?” We must imitate God’s way and true identity as written in the responsorial Psalm 103, “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.”

How much do we realize that we are called to be forgiving and to be merciful towards others in relation to the gospel?

First, think about God’s generous attitude towards us, that is providing an avenue for healing and comfort by way of pardoning our sins through healing and redeeming action. When we know that we are forgiven, we must be grateful to God for letting us feel how much we are loved.

Second, we are all second chancers. I know that the forgiven debtor failed to realize and to understand that the king’s attitude to forgive him is his way out to be merciful to the person who owed him as well. However, it did not sink into his heart, so he continued oppressing him with an unforgiving heart. His evil heart never changed him as a person. This should not happen. When we know that the grace of forgiveness is received, we also must be dispensers of that same grace of forgiveness. Never be stingy with the goodness we have received, for it guides us to follow a better path in our life.

Third, Jesus narrates the story considerably harsh, when He tells us the king throws the unforgiving, forgiven debtor into prison until the debt is paid. This is a figurative speech. It means that if we can hardly forgive others’ sins against us, certainly God is going to apply the same measure toward us, or else we would be imprisoned into eternal damnation, the prison of eternal fire where there is no way out for redemption.

In today’s mass, let us open our hearts to the grace of forgiveness and mercy. I believe God is always present to heal our hurts, pains and struggles, especially to accept those who are difficult to be with. The grace of God is so abundant that we cannot set a limit to forgiving.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

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El Dictado del Corazón

Vigesimocuarto Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A

• Eclesiástico 27:30-28:7
• Salmo 103:1-2,3-4,9-10,11-12
• Romanos 14:7-9
• Mateo 18:21-35

Estamos en el vigésimo cuarto domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, Año A. La semana pasada escuchamos la noticia de que el Papa Francisco realizó una visita histórica a Mongolia con 1,450 católicos atendidos por tres iglesias. La Iglesia Católica estuvo allí en el siglo XIII durante la dinastía Yuan, pero se desvaneció cuando el régimen comunista tomó el poder. En 1991, debido a la apertura del país a los misioneros religiosos, los misioneros regresaron para reconstruir la iglesia desde cero y establecieron relaciones diplomáticas entre la Santa Sede y Mongolia.

Uno de los misioneros entrevistados por el canal religioso EWTN dijo: “Dios precede a la llegada de los misioneros a Mongolia”. Aunque por cultura son un pueblo nómada, al igual que en los tiempos de Abraham, Moisés y otros que lideraron el pueblo elegido, Dios los acompaña y manifiesta su presencia con ellos. Fue la misma experiencia del pueblo de Mongolia. No están lejos de encontrar a Dios, especialmente durante la reciente visita del Papa Francisco. Habrá un enorme crecimiento y cosecha para la Iglesia. De hecho, alienta y fortalece la misión de la Iglesia de anunciar el evangelio a todos los rincones del mundo. Oramos por nuestros hermanos en todo el mundo para que continúen con la misión de llevar la palabra de Dios a todos los rincones de la tierra. San Pablo dice: “A quienes Dios escogió para hacer notorias las riquezas de la gloria de este misterio entre los gentiles; es Cristo en nosotros, la esperanza de la gloria. (Col 1:27) Dios ha venido con nosotros en la historia y en nuestra vida privada.

La primera lectura del Libro de Eclesiástico nos recuerda una valiosa lección: debemos perdonar las injusticias de nuestro prójimo. Entonces, cuando oramos y pedimos perdón, nosotros también podemos ser perdonados; que es el poder de la gracia de Dios dada a cada uno de nosotros.

La segunda lectura de hoy nos dice que “Ninguno de nosotros vive para sí mismo y nadie muere para sí mismo”. Por lo tanto, no puedo imaginar que nuestra vida cristiana sea personal, sino que se refiere también a nuestra relación con los demás, porque todos caminamos juntos.

Nuestra interacción constante con los demás crea cierta fricción. Es normal que tengamos personalidades únicas. Entonces, es donde entra en juego el mandato divino de Dios, es decir, recordarnos que nos amemos unos a otros. Amar de verdad significa estar dispuesto a comprender y perdonar los errores de los demás. Debemos permitir que el perdón resida en nosotros, y ese perdón viene del corazón. A la gente le resulta fácil decir: “¡Te perdono!” Sin embargo, la persona no puede perdonar a alguien. Para superar nuestra falta de perdón, recordemos que todos estamos heridos y recorremos el mismo camino, superando el bagaje emocional. Una relación que se ha roto necesita ser curada por nuestra humildad y amor para estar dispuestos a dar pequeños pasos de reconciliación, uno a la vez. Es necesario para que podamos convertirnos en personas mejores y más compasivas. Es transformador de nuestra parte cuando estamos dispuestos a perdonar y olvidar, no desde la mente sino desde el corazón. De esa manera, todos nuestros dolores y angustias serían sanados, así como otras enfermedades sanarían asombrosamente.

El evangelio de hoy, tomado de San Mateo imbuido del rostro genuino de la misericordia con la narración de Jesús respondiendo a la pregunta de Pedro: “Señor, si mi hermano peca contra mí, ¿cuántas veces debo perdonarlo? Debemos imitar el camino y la verdadera identidad de Dios como está escrito en el Salmo responsorial 103: “El Señor es bondadoso y misericordioso, lento para la ira y rico en compasión”.

¿Hasta qué punto nos damos cuenta de nuestro llamado a ser perdonadores y misericordiosos unos con otros en relación con el evangelio?

Primero, piense en la actitud generosa de Dios hacia nosotros. Esto es proporcionar una vía para la curación y el consuelo al perdonar nuestros pecados mediante la acción redentora. Cuando nos damos cuenta de que hemos sido perdonados debemos estar agradecidos a Dios por permitirnos sentir cuánto nos ama.

En segundo lugar, todos somos una segunda oportunidad. Sé que el deudor perdonado no se dio cuenta y no comprendió que la actitud del rey de perdonarlo es su salida para ser misericordioso con la persona que también le debía. Sin embargo, no caló en su corazón, por lo que continuó oprimiéndolo con un corazón implacable. Su malvado corazón nunca le permitió cambiar como persona. No sucederá si sabemos que se recibe la gracia del perdón. También debemos ser dispensadores de esa misma gracia del perdón. Nunca seas tacaño con la bondad que hemos recibido, pues ella nos guía a seguir un mejor camino en nuestras vidas.

En tercer lugar, Jesús narra la historia con mucha dureza. Cuando Jesús nos dice que el rey mete en prisión al deudor que no perdona y que no perdona, hasta que se pague la deuda. Este es un discurso figurado. Significa que si difícilmente podríamos perdonar los pecados de los demás contra nosotros, ciertamente Dios va a aplicar la misma medida a nosotros, o de lo contrario, seríamos aprisionados en la condenación eterna, la prisión del fuego eterno donde no hay salida para la redención.

Misa de hoy, abramos nuestro corazón a la gracia del perdón y la misericordia. Creo que Dios siempre está presente para sanar nuestras heridas, dolores y luchas, especialmente para aceptar a aquellos con quienes es difícil estar. La gracia de Dios es tan abundante que no podemos poner el límite al perdón.

Dios los bendiga.

P. Arlón, osa

• Ephesians 3:13-21
• Luke 14:1-11

Today is the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. I welcome everyone, most especially our visitors today. In the opening prayer, we call upon God’s mercy so that we would continually intend to do good works. Our concern is to spend time together to adore, to worship and to be nourished by His Holy Body and Blood.

In the epistle today, from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians, St. Paul emphasizes the importance of prayer. He says that “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named.” (vv.14-15) He always begins his ministry in prayer. Today we still need to know more about what prayer really does and how it benefits us, which many of us believe is necessary to start a conversation with God on how we want to be helped by Him.

Our gesture of kneeling is our ordinary custom, because we know that something is going on that is so intense and deep, especially during the consecration. It is why we bow our knees before God, our Father. Our sense of a loving relationship with our Father gives us all what we need, guidance and increasing communion. When you are disappointed in life, feel like giving up, lose heart, and are ready to quit, then remember to turn to God, our loving Father. What He desires is to allow Him to be involved with your life for you to grow, and His concern too is about your prosperity and well-being. St. Paul prayed for the Ephesians so that they would be granted that for which they have prayed. It is easy to understand now that prayer is a cry of helplessness: as in the introit today speaks: “Have mercy on me, O Lord for I have cried to Thee all the day.” We truly need God in our lives.

The gospel today from St. Luke 14:1-11 tells us about the teaching of Jesus on Humility. We will learn, from this gospel pericope, lessons which can be applied in our daily life.

First, Jesus healed again during the Sabbath, which we all know that His focus is to liberate mankind from all sickness, evil possessions and attacks, and to restore everyone to wholeness of life. In other scriptural text, Jesus desires to save rather than to destroy us. The Pharisees and Scribes misunderstood and wrongly interpret the Law. They were there closely watching Jesus but did nothing to help those who were in need; instead they overburden others to strictly comply with the law to the letter.

Second, Jesus mentions a man who was invited to a wedding and sat in “a place of honor.” (v.8). Nobody told him to take that seat, but he deemed himself worthy of sitting there. He was just presuming that he was more important than anyone else invited to that wedding. Sometimes we have the tendency to elevate ourselves rather than to humble ourselves in front of the people. We always take advantage of the opportunity to claim our rights over others in many ways. However, the teaching truth of the Lord is this: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,” (v11) When we practice the virtue of humility, others will honor us, while pride gives shame and humiliation.

Third, the gospel today points clearly that we need to cultivate humility in our lives. How do we do that? First, think of Jesus frequently and how he sets a good example. Secondly, we must think of ourselves less often or not think of our own advantage all the time. Thirdly, we need instead to think of others often.

Cleve Staples Lewis, (1898-1963) one of the most influential writers of the 20th century and even now, has this to say, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” Therefore, we must stop thinking of ourselves too much. I heard this from someone who took the advice of Ann Landers seriously saying, “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. If you want true evidence of your worth, get a cat.” It is funny but we tend to believe it.

We must remain humble. If we are always humble then we will not feel embarrassed when we are taken down, but instead we will receive recognition and be exalted by others because of coming from being unknown to being known with dignity, honor and glory. Let us continue to read this beautiful gospel, a story of Jesus which is always a blessing to everyone.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

• Ezekiel 33: 7-9
• Psalm 95:1-2,6-7,8-9
• Romans 13:8-10
• Matthew 18:15-20

Today is the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. It was a busy weekend for me here at St. Teresa, and I am praying that I will be given extra grace to do my job and to stay healthy to accomplish all the tasks given to me. I believe that only God can sustain us in all that we do for His glory.

We are invited again to reflect on the inspiring readings of this Sunday. We must be receptive to all these readings and to listen to God’s voice. The psalm today warns us against hardening our hearts toward God. This is a challenge!!!

The first reading from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel narrates to us God’s calling of Ezekiel to go to His people in order to encourage them to change their behavior by announcing to them that God wants them to transform their hearts and lives. This is his mission that God wants him to fulfill. As a prophet, Ezekiel received God’s warning saying, “I will hold you responsible for his death.” He faces a big responsibility to abide by God’s commands. He was a prophet of Israel who was so attentive fulfilling what God wanted him to do. He had to speak to the people about their wickedness or else they would die.

The second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans is a reminder for us that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. He says, “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.” If we are unable to love others, we need to question how we treat ourselves. Our inability to love causes us misery and resentments. We won’t be happy at all. Our unwillingness to love is the same as unwillingness to forgive.

The gospel today is taken from St. Matthew. Jesus gives practical advice to His disciples and to us about any conflict in the community. This is how Jesus is able to devise strategy for intervention with regards to personal and communal conflicts. This is important so that we would be guided and conduct ourselves as genuine followers of Christ.

First, it should not be confrontational. When we want to correct others in the context of fraternal corrections, our intention of correcting others must be pure and good rather than to demean and to utter humiliation towards them. This process of intervention takes great care to be helpful to the person; however, if that fails, do something more public in order to shed some truth of the matter.

Second, there should be no pressure to another, as if he is guilty of some mistakes or crimes so that he will admit that he is wrong and be punished. It is an exercise of love for the brother who is a sinner, or even weak and lost. Our primary intention is to embrace our brother with love and bring him back from being a sinner to a joyful person, opening up the possibility to change and to repent.

Third, the call of bringing the unrepentant to the community and to the Church is when the person does not heed the call to change despite the presence of a witness. Summoning the person, for one-on-one conversation to an assembly of the Church, is actually pointing out that the sin has broken the individual relationships with the community of believers, the Body. It is God’s desire to give importance to one sinner rather than the unrepentant others. God is manifesting the depth of His love to rescue one sinner. This is how much patience God is giving us sinners, an opportunity to be forgiven and to be loved.

Fourth, there must be no condemnation, and what we need is to pray for the grace to love the sinner and to see in him our brethren who needs to be moved by our care and love. We ask for the grace to do whatever it takes to bring the sinner to repentance and to welcome him back to our faith-community.

Whenever we are hurt or we seriously hurt others, our tendency is to do some form of revenge, but this is an old law, “an eye for an eye.” This gospel which Jesus had preached proposes love as a solution to any conflict according to the new covenant. We are also in a modern age where we express our frustrations and anger thru social media. We hear ranting, constant shouting on social media, and complete exposition of faults and denial of any accountability without asking, “who are we to judge?” There is no making efforts for justification because it remains always “Me” as the correct one and no fault, rather than to be open for reconciliation and to exercise love for the other, seeking joy, humility and peace with an open heart for dialogue and being grateful that we too are redeemed sinners.

Let us not harden our hearts to God.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

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El Dictado del Corazón:  Vigesimotercer Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A

• Ezequiel 33:7-9
• Salmo 95:1-2,6-7,8-9
• Romanos 13:8-10
• Mateo 18:15-20

Hoy es el Vigesimotercer Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A. Fue un fin de semana ocupado para mí aquí en Santa Teresa de Ávila. Le pido a Dios me dé la gracia para hacer mi trabajo y me de salud para cumplir con todas las tareas que se me han encomendado. Creo que sólo Dios puede sostenernos en todo lo que hacemos para cumplir su voluntad y para Su mayor gloria.

Estamos invitados nuevamente a reflexionar en las lecturas de este domingo, para que nos inspiren a vivir una vida más plena. Debemos ser receptivos a estas lecturas y escuchar la voz de Dios. El salmo de hoy nos advierte contra el endurecimiento de nuestro corazón hacia Dios. ¡¡¡Esto es un desafío!!!

La primera lectura del libro del Profeta Ezequiel nos narra el llamado de Dios a Ezequiel para ir a su pueblo a animarlos a cambiar su comportamiento, es decir, anunciarles que Dios quiere que transformen sus corazones y sus vidas. Esta es la misión que Dios quiere que él cumpla. Como profeta, Ezequiel recibió la advertencia de Dios que le dijo: “Te haré responsable de su muerte”. Se enfrenta a la gran responsabilidad de cumplir los mandamientos de Dios. Fue un profeta de Israel que estuvo muy atento cumpliendo lo que Dios quería que hiciera. Tenía que hablarle a la gente acerca de su maldad o de lo contrario morirían.

La segunda lectura de la carta de San Pablo a los Romanos nos recuerda que debemos amar a nuestro prójimo como a nosotros mismos. Él dice: “El amor no hace mal al prójimo; por tanto, el amor es el cumplimiento de la ley”. Si no podemos amar a los demás, debemos cuestionarnos cómo nos tratamos a nosotros mismos. Nuestra incapacidad para amar nos causa miseria y resentimiento. No seremos felices. Nuestra falta de voluntad para amar es la misma que nuestra falta de voluntad para perdonar.

El evangelio de hoy está tomado de San Mateo. Jesús da consejos prácticos a sus discípulos y a nosotros sobre cualquier conflicto en la comunidad. Así Jesús supo idear una estrategia de intervención en los conflictos personales y comunitarios. Esto es importante para que podamos ser guiados y comportarnos como genuinos seguidores de Cristo.

En primer lugar, no debería generar confrontación. Cuando queremos corregir a otros en el contexto de las correcciones fraternales, nuestra intención de corregir a los demás debe ser pura y buena en lugar de degradarlos y humillarlos. Este proceso de intervención tiene mucho cuidado en ser de ayuda a la persona, sin embargo, si eso no coopera, y falla, haz algo más público para arrojar algunas verdades sobre el asunto.

En segundo lugar, no hay presión sobre los demás como si fuera culpable de algún error o delito para poder admitir que se equivocó y ser castigado. Es un ejercicio de amor hacia el hermano pecador, o incluso débil y perdido. Nuestra intención principal es abrazar a nuestro hermano con amor y hacerlo volver de ser un pecador a una persona alegre y abierta a la posibilidad de cambiar y arrepentirse.

En tercer lugar, el llamado a traer a los impenitentes a la comunidad y a la Iglesia es cuando la persona no atiende el llamado al cambio a pesar de la presencia de un testigo. Después de convocar a la persona en una conversación cara a cara a una asamblea de la Iglesia, se le señala que el pecado ha roto las relaciones individuales con la comunidad de creyentes, el Cuerpo. Dios desea darle más importancia a un pecador que a los demás impenitentes. Dios está manifestando la profundidad de Su amor para rescatar a un pecador. ¡Cuánta paciencia nos tiene Dios a nosotros, pecadores, la oportunidad de ser perdonados y amados!

Cuarto, no debe haber condenación, pero lo que necesitamos es orar por la gracia de amar al pecador, de ver en él a nuestros hermanos que necesitan ser conmovidos por nuestro cuidado y amor. Pedimos la gracia de hacer lo que sea necesario para llevar al pecador al arrepentimiento y darle la bienvenida nuevamente a nuestra comunidad de fe.

Siempre que nos lastiman o lastimamos gravemente a otros, tendemos a buscar algún tipo de venganza. Pero se trata de una ley antigua, el “ojo por ojo”, en este evangelio que Jesús había predicado propone el amor como solución a cualquier conflicto según la nueva alianza. También estamos en una era moderna en la que expresamos nuestras frustraciones y enojos a través de las redes sociales. Escuchamos y escuchamos desvaríos, gritos constantes en las redes sociales, exposición completa de las faltas y negación de cualquier responsabilidad sin preguntar: “¿Quiénes somos nosotros para juzgar?” No hay manera de hacer esfuerzos de justificación porque sigue siendo siempre “Yo” como el correcto y sin culpa, en lugar de abrirnos a la reconciliación y ejercer el amor por el otro, buscando la alegría y la paz con el corazón abierto y agradecidos de que También somos redimidos, los pecadores. No endurezcamos nuestro corazón a Dios.

Dios los bendiga.

P. Arlón, osa

• Galatians 5:25, 26; 6:1-10
• Luke 7:11-16

Today is the 15th Sunday after Pentecost. In the introit prayer, we say, “Have mercy on me Oh Lord, for I have cried to Thee all day. Give joy to Thy servant for to thee, Oh Lord, I have lifted up my soul.” Truly, we must offer all our humility, our sadness, frustrations, heartaches and sufferings for the Lord because He will always heed our prayers and supplications to lift us up constantly. The Lord never plays deaf to us for He sees what is best for us.

The epistle is taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians. St. Paul writes, “If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit.” He is teaching us that if we truly embrace the life of Christ, we will certainly manifest the life of the divine because the Holy Spirit has brought us into the life of Jesus by way of our attitude, how we conduct ourselves, in union with God and in whom we are aware of the indwelling of the Spirit that is at work in us. He continues that we must “Bear ye another’s burden, and so you shall fulfill the law of Christ.” I cannot imagine that our Christian life is a personal matter. It has something to do with our relationship with others; we journey with others towards the path to holiness and to Christ. We feel good when others share the load of the burden with us. It becomes easy to carry all our trials, like problems in the family, loss of job, and attacks by the devil. We can overcome them with the help of our brothers. This passage encourages us to practice the spirit of generosity, especially to those who are in need. In our work of ministering to others, we are called to reflect the attitude of Jesus to those who are poor, widowed, possessed by evil and the sick. We are obligated to extend our hands to those people.

The gospel narrates to us how compassionate He is, especially to the widow who lost her only begotten son. He was with His disciples as they went to the City of Naim. Jesus saw a funeral and was deeply moved with compassion. He approached the funeral and spoke to the dead man, “Young man, I say to thee, Arise.” The dead man sat up and began to speak. Jesus then turned him over to his mother. We are invited to learn and reflect on lessons we can derive from this story.

First, God is truly compassionate and merciful. In the scripture, it says that Jesus had shown compassion to the widow. The fact was that becoming a widow during those times had been difficult. Because of the death of her son, that woman became a second class citizen with no voice in society. Jesus knew so well about her future which would be vague and unpredictable. However, Jesus came to her rescue to make her life better by having her only son live again to take care of her.

Second, God has always been on a journey with His people, especially in times of suffering and needs. Shortly after Jesus noticed the funeral procession, He could have continued to do other business and be unmindful of what was going on. He could have been insensitive to the plight of this poor widow; however, Jesus took that big step to cancel His other plans. He could have walked away from the funeral procession, but instead He immediately responded to that grieving widow. Jesus offered comforting words, “Don’t cry.” Then He turned the atmosphere to happiness because Jesus raised her son from the dead.

Third, God certainly gives us a glimpse of what is heaven and earth for us. When Jesus manifested His power to raise the dead, it was a clear signal that Jesus is the true Messiah. He revealed His own power to defeat death. He was not concerned of His own actions with regards to His safety and comfort; He just wanted to tell us that even during His time, the promise of the resurrection had been revealed to many people thru that wonderful story of raising the widow’s son from the dead.

After the performance of this great miracle by Jesus, the widow was touched by what she saw in a positive way, maybe leading her to change and to believe in Jesus. Touching the dead body of that man, Jesus would risk being uncleaned according to the old law; however, His priority was not about being allowed to enter the temple, but it was about that human being, who certainly needed help to be restored again to her community.

In our life, we search for God’s consolation and blessings upon us. Just like this inspiring story about the widow, who we were taught would be left helpless throughout her life. Now we figure out that in our lowest point in our life, Jesus has been inserting himself to be part of our story. How many of us are able to realize that we cannot just be by ourselves to feel lonely and to suffer alone?

Today, we are given the vision that God provides, which is an opportunity to take part in our private life. There is an attitude that must permeate such a significant relationship with God for we cannot handle everything that comes our way. Our greatest source of help is God, who is all-knowing, all-powerful and ever loving. He knows what you need. Let us abandon ourselves to His care today because He truly cares.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

• Jeremiah 20:7-9
• Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
• Romans 12:1-2
• Matthew 16:21-27

Today is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. I can feel the morning breeze as I travel to the Latin Mass early in the morning. This is a blessing after the hot summer, but sometimes the weather is unpredictable these days.

The first reading taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah narrates to us that as if he was duped or tricked God. He said, “The word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all day.” This is an expression of the inner sentiments of Jeremiah, but he knows that his work is not predicting what will happen like a fortune teller. His main task is to be the “spokesperson” of God. Jeremiah is a prophet who is to inform or remind the people when they don’t do what God wants and when they run the world according to their own plans and not God’s. The prophet’s work is difficult, and sometimes nobody listens. Many times, based on my experience when I write something, many just see it but never try to validate through writing some comments of their own realization and witnessing. I am sure God wouldn’t dupe us.

In the second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, Paul presents to us that by God’s mercy, “to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship” (v.1). Since God is giving us mercy, we should submit ourselves to him. Our bodies are to be given to God in worship as a living and continuous response to Him. We are set apart for Him, to serve Him and to be holy and pleasing to God. We must be faithful and sensible people responding to God by “not conforming to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind” (v. 2). Our standard of behavior is no longer the society around us but is according to our conscious effort to God’s way. I believe that God’s instructions are not arbitrary rules just to test us but to avoid causing sin inflicting pain on ourselves and others.

The gospel is somewhat of a difficult challenge for Jesus’ disciples and for us. Three things are required:

First, we are asked to offer ourselves as “living sacrifice.” This resonates the words of St. Paul that our “bodies are living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God,” which basically reminds us that we are created in the image of God and the temple of the Holy Spirit. I guess it isn’t easy to understand this; however, our lives must be different. We need to accept that the world around us offers different challenges, and yet the same demand remains to resist conforming to what is around us, what the secular world calls success, but rather for St. Augustine is seeking the will of God. We often ask what are the great questions in life, and perhaps this gospel offers the definitive question: What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

Second, we heard these words from Jesus, “deny oneself, take up your cross.” This is some advice by the Lord, not in a literal sense, but rather Jesus is asking us to actualize this in a more interior following of Him just as He lived by His showing up as an example to imitate Him interiorly. Jesus interiorly knew Himself to be the one carrying for us our own “Cross,” more than the wood of Calvary, but the flesh and spirit. He is our destiny for our whole life, our Savior, for He is offering us His embrace of the totality of our reality being limited. I may say that some of us are prone to “pain-avoidance,” or we are avoiding the Cross for we are pampered in a culture or society promoting “painless” existence. In many hospitals, they have these classic words, “Comfort Care,” for people who are terminally ill, but I believe it is about silently killing the patient, making the person’s life shorter, by “Euthanasia, or mercy killing!” The Encyclopedia Britannica defines it as “act or practice of painlessly putting to death persons suffering from painful and incurable disease or incapacitating physical disorder or allowing them to die by withholding treatment or withdrawing artificial life-support measures.” Developed countries resort to immoral actions, and many medical workers cannot understand the Christian concept of “redemptive suffering.” Hospitals favor insurance companies to save money rather than to save lives.

Third, Jesus says, “follow me.” Following Jesus means being with him in the pattern of who He is, who is giving a total gift of self for us. Following Him also involves taking up a mission. It is a mission given and carried out with complete surrender. Sometimes what hinders us is our thought of self-preservation and that to follow Jesus is hard. As Catholics, we have the ability to discern well our choices that will preserve our life, thrive to succeed with the happiness and meaning, and avoid unhealthy patterns which put us to defeat and disappointments.

Jesus shows us the way and opens our eyes to see our lives from a transformed viewpoint with eternal life as our central focus and desire. We must be prophets to speak about God to others and to our society. God is waiting for us to conform with Him in all things.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa

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El Dictado del Corazón: Vigésimo Segundo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A

• Jeremías 20:7-9
• Salmo 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
• Romanos 12:1-2
• Mateo 16:21-27

Hoy es el Vigésimo Segundo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario, año A. Puedo sentir la brisa de la mañanamientras manejó a la Misa en latín temprano en la mañana. Esto es una bendición después del caluroso verano, pero a veces el clima es impredecible estos días.

La primera lectura tomada del libro del profeta Jeremías nos narra que le dijo a Dios que el Señor lo engañó. Él dijo: “La palabra del Señor me ha traído escarnio y oprobio todo el día”. Esta es una expresión de los sentimientos internos de Jeremías, pero él sabia que su trabajo no es predecir lo que sucederá como un adivino. Su principal tarea es ser el “portavoz” de Dios. Jeremías es un profeta que debe informar al pueblo cuando no hacen lo que Dios manda y cuando dirigen el mundo según sus planes y no los de Dios. La labor del profeta es difícil y, a veces, nadie escucha. Muchas veces, según mi experiencia cuando escribo algo, muchos simplemente lo ven pero nunca intentan validarlo escribiendo algunos comentarios de su realización y testimonio. Estoy seguro de que Dios no nos engañaría.

En la segunda lectura de la carta de San Pablo a los Romanos, Pablo nos presenta que por la misericordia de Dios, “ofrezcan ustedes mismos como una ofrenda viva, santa y agradable a Dios” (v.1). Dado que Dios nos está dando misericordia, debemos someternos a él. Nuestros cuerpos deben ser entregados a Dios en adoración como una respuesta viva y continua a Él. Estamos apartados para Él, para servirle y para ser santos y agradables a Dios. Debemos ser personas fieles y sensatas que respondan a Dios “no conformándonos a las costumbres de este siglo, sino transformandonos por la renovación de nuestra mente” (v. 2). Nuestro estándar de conducta ya no es la sociedad que nos rodea, sino nuestro esfuerzo consciente por seguir el camino de Dios. Creo que las instrucciones de Dios no son reglas arbitrarias sólo para ponernos a prueba, sino para evitar causar pecado e infligir dolor a nosotros mismos y a los demás.

El evangelio es un desafío algo difícil para los discípulos de Jesús y para nosotros. Se requieren tres cosas:

Primero, se nos pide que nos ofrezcamos como “sacrificio vivo”. Esto resuena con las palabras de San Pablo de que nuestros “cuerpos son sacrificios vivos, santos y agradables a Dios”, lo que nos recuerda que somos creados a imagen de Dios y templo del Espíritu Santo. Supongo que no es fácil entender esto; sin embargo, nuestras vidas deben ser diferentes. Necesitamos aceptar que el mundo que nos rodea ofrece diferentes desafíos y, sin embargo, permanece la misma exigencia de resistirnos a conformarnos con lo que nos rodea, lo que el mundo secular llama éxito, sino de buscar la voluntad de Dios. A menudo nos preguntamos cuáles son las grandes preguntas de la vida, y quizás este evangelio ofrezca la pregunta definitiva: ¿De qué le serviría a uno ganar el mundo entero y perder su vida?

En segundo lugar, escuchamos estas palabras de Jesús: “Niégate a ti mismo, toma tu cruz”. Este es un consejo del Señor, no en un sentido literal, sino que Jesús nos pide que lo actualicemos en un seguimiento más interior de Él, así como Él vivió mostrándose como ejemplo para imitarlo interiormente. Jesús interiormente se sabía quien llevaba por nosotros nuestra propia “Cruz”, más que el madero del Calvario, sino la carne y el espíritu. Él es nuestro destino para toda nuestra vida, nuestro Salvador, porque Él nos está ofreciendo su abrazo de la totalidad de nuestra realidad siendo limitada. Puedo decir que algunos de nosotros somos propensos a “evitar el dolor”, o que evitamos la Cruz porque somos mimados en una cultura o sociedad que promueve una existencia “sin dolor”. En muchos hospitales tienen estas palabras clásicas, “cuidados reconfortantes”, para las personas con enfermedades terminales, pero creo que se trata de matar silenciosamente al paciente, acortar la vida de la persona, mediante la “eutanasia o el asesinato por piedad”. La Enciclopedia Británica lo define como el “acto o práctica de dar muerte sin dolor a personas que padecen una enfermedad dolorosa e incurable o un trastorno físico incapacitante o permitirles morir reteniendo el tratamiento o retirando las medidas artificiales de soporte vital”. Los países desarrollados recurren a acciones inmorales y muchos trabajadores médicos no pueden entender el concepto cristiano de “sufrimiento redentor”. Los hospitales prefieren a las compañías de seguros para ahorrar dinero en lugar de salvar vidas.

En tercer lugar, Jesús dice: “Sígueme”. Seguir a Jesús significa estar con él según el modelo de quien es Él, que se entrega totalmente por nosotros. Seguirlo implica también asumir una misión. Es una misión dada y realizada con total entrega. A veces lo que nos obstaculiza es nuestro pensamiento de autoconservación y que seguir a Jesús es difícil. Como católicos, podemos discernir bien nuestras decisiones que preservarán nuestra vida, prosperar para tener éxito con felicidad y significado, y evitar patrones nocivos que nos lleven a la derrota y a la decepción.

Jesús nos muestra el camino y nos abre los ojos para ver nuestra vida. Desde un punto de vista transformado con la vida eterna como nuestro enfoque y deseo central. Debemos ser profetas para hablar de Dios a los demás y a nuestra sociedad. Dios está esperando que lo pongamos en primer lugar en todas las cosas.

Dios los bendiga.

P. Arlón, osa

• Galatians 5:16-24
• Matthew 6:24-33

Today is the 14th Sunday after Pentecost. I can feel the morning breeze as I travel this morning, not anymore from Reno, but from Carson City. I received a new assignment from Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg, DD, to fill the vacancy at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church as the Parochial Vicar, effective last Friday, September 1, 2023. The appointment letter states that I will continue to be your priest with the given faculty to use the Extraordinary Form. The Bishops says, “I am confident that you will carry out your responsibilities inspired by the example of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who came to serve and not to be served.” This is how we operate as a priest and a missionary; like a marine, we strike anywhere to serve and to fulfill our duty.

The epistle today, from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians, provides us with Paul’s guides to live according to the way of the Spirit. Confusion happened that time amongst the Galatians converts from the Jewish tradition. It was a misunderstanding of the gospel being preached to them. It is in the uniqueness of the Gospel that Paul insisted to them that it is not about attacking and being in conflict with each other, however the remedy is to accept the dual nature of every believer and consider that a conflict started between the flesh and spirit. St. Paul is trying to live out the gospel of Christ by way of its character on how the spirit is the true means of living our freedom in the service of love.

St. Paul says, “Walk in Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; for the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to another.” In short, Paul is trying to make us understand that having a Spirit-filled life of love is only through the power of the Spirit, and the finished work on the cross was the law fulfilled (Rom. 8:3). I believe this is for believers’ understanding on how to conduct themselves according to the Spirit, rather than the letter of the law. The Spirit is the guidance for their day-to-day lives as the struggle with their sinful nature begins to wage war. Since the entrance of sin into the world, the flesh and spirit are constantly in conflict with each other making it difficult for the Galatian Church. It is simple to think that the “flesh” can be described as the “old self” while the “Spirit,” by virtue of Jesus Christ’s redeeming power, is how we experience a new kind of spiritual re-birth.

St. Paul’s message is direct and clear with the emphasis on this function of the work and character of the Spirit. Like, for example, when we desire anger, resentments, lustful desires, or exposing ourselves to evil desires, let us go back to our senses to seek this inner force which we must totally submit ourselves to and be governed by the Spirit. This is precisely the new way of St. Paul’s encouragement to us, that is, living in a way that consists of walking with the Holy Spirit, who has the supernatural power to deny the desires of the flesh. Our victory depends on our relationship with the Spirit and all about how our sinful deeds of the flesh mentioned in the epistle are total contradictions to our calling to live and to be with God in order to inherit the Kingdom.

The gospel today from Matthew 6:24-33 opens our minds and hearts to accept that God is the very center of our existence. Material things, like money and properties, are just gifts and a means to persevere in our willingness to serve God and others. Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters, for he will hate the one and love the other… you cannot serve God and mammon.” It means that we will faithfully serve God so that we will be protected from all challenges we encounter in our daily existence.

Our main focus as faithful servants of God is to sustain and to strengthen our belief in living in the presence of God. In our journey through life, having strong faith in Him means that you are willing and lovingly entrusting everything to Him with your life because, ultimately, we are happy and contented. Of course, it requires a certain amount or quality of a loving relationship. St. Paul says that we walk in faith, not in sight, always believing that God will provide our needs. This is my life as a religious; everything comes from God, and I just need to continue serving Him. Maybe money is an essential thing to live in our daily existence, but it must not be the center of our lives. It is God; just believe in Him and never lose hope, for He will never fail us.

Today, we are reminded that the measure of our freedom has to start with love which is an expression of our faith. “Seek ye therefore first His kingdom of God, and His justice; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Hence, seeking God’s love connects to our fruitful harvest in all things. Let love motivate us in all we do.

God bless you.

Fr. Arlon, osa