God's Blessings

Oh Lord, what are the good things that you have not shown us? What are the blessings that we have not received from you? Do we really have anything that is not from you? Oh Lord, you have not only given us wonderful things but you have given us your Son, your most beloved Son. Thank you for the gift you have given us. And let this gift be with us. Let our joy in receiving Christ remain in our hearts, that we may glorify you more and praise you more as we do today. Amen.

Maria: Ina ng Diyos

Maria: Reyna ng Bagong Israel

OPEN HANDS

A lot of people dream to be rich so that they can buy the things that they need and want. Most of them aspire to be rich because they want to lift their family from poverty. There is noth­ing wrong with this ambition. In fact, it is the driving force which pushes people to be more productive and creative. The problem though lies not on striving to acquire money but on the addiction of collecting and hoarding money.

The Church primarily relies on the donations of the people who are well off so that it can provide for the needs those who are materially poor. During natural calamities and disasters, those who are affected and have lost so much ask help from those who have something to share. Thus, we must remember that people who have something can always share with people who have nothing.

In our gospel for today (Luke 16:19-31), we see two persons who have different social status. One person represents the rich and well-blessed, while the other represents those who are materially poor. In the story, we can see how Lazarus, the poor one, extends his hands as he begs at the doors of the rich man for food. The rich man however is unkind and selfish - he would not spare even a little food for Lazarus. The rich man is so preoccupied with the delights of his status and of this world that he has neglected to attend to the needs of his neighbours and of his soul. Thus, he was punished for his hard-heartedness and selfishness.

In our society, we are always tempt­ed by the world’s promise of wealth and op­portunities. At times, some are so mesmerized by these promises that they only think of their personal struggles and self-gratifications, ig­noring the cries of those who are in need right in front of them. Thus, those whom God has blessed with material things neglect to share these blessings to those who are less fortunate.

God’s gifts are meant to be shared and not hoarded. When we give, we must not think of doing this simply because of the prospect that something is given in return. God rewards the benevolent persons but in the manner which we do not expect. God pro­vides for our needs and entrusts us with more blessings so that we could share them to oth­ers. It is in sharing with others that we can give witness the benevolence of God to others.

An open hand is an image of a poor but greatly blessed hands. It is poor because it admits that it cannot hold onto things apart from those which God bestows. It is greatly blessed because only those who open their hands to­wards the Lord can receive His blessings. The open hands also represent generous and caring persons because we could only give and care for others when we willingly open our hands to share our blessings with them and to embrace them.

ACTING JUSTLY

We were born in this world with noth­ing. We were naked the first time we experi­enced the world. But out of love and sense of re­sponsibility, our parents clothed us and gave us everything that we needed. They gave us nour­ishment, clothing, good education, etc. They did this because they wanted to give what is due to us, being their offspring, and because they loved us. That is why whatever we become is an ex­pression on how we are nurtured by our parents.

It is said that charity begins at home. Charity is an expression of justice, by which the command of Jesus that we should love one an­other is put into practice. Justice is a moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give what is due to God and neighbor. In other words, charity and justice go hand in hand. We are just if we are charitable and we are charitable if we are just. Basically, these virtues are the primary les­sons that we learned from our parents at home.

In the Gospel for this Sunday, these two virtues are seen in Jesus’s denial that we can serve two masters, God and mammon (riches), at the same time. We can only serve one master. Or better yet in the human level, we can serve the people by having the pure intention of serving the people and not be­cause of the budget or money intended for the people. It is good to strive hard for a fam­ily’s honor, but it is not right that for the sake of the family, one will sacrifice justice and charity--which is what the unworthy steward did when he used the property of his master to ensure a comfortable retirement for himself.

In life, sometimes we are attracted to wealth to the point that we do not real­ize that we have become corrupt and already oppress people. Because of the desire for wealth, we forget what we have learned at home. Is this what we want to be? Hence, let us go back to our home. Let us think of our family. Is wealth worth the sacrifice of a good name, or even more, the sacrifice of eternal life with God? Wealth is good. However, it is just temporary. What we have to strive towards is not temporal life but life eternal. What is wealth? We cannot carry it with us to the next world. We attain a comfortable life through wealth. But eternal life is a gift bestowed upon those who live justly and charitably.

Lord God, Loving and Merciful Father, thank you for the gift of family. Help us to appreciate your entire creation with a contented mind and heart. Help us to be just and charitable by giving what is due to you and to our neighbor. May your loving mercy always abound in our hearts. Amen.