Reflections of a beloved son

The Bible has quite a number of strikingly memorable verses (I mean the entire Bible is but there are some that just sticks to your brain), and among them is this one: " No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God " (Lk. 9:62).  Jesus was not playing around - He sounded pretty serious.  This reminds me of another verse from the first book of Kings where the aging and dying David tells his son Solomon, "Be strong and be a man!" (1 Kg. 2:2).  To be a Christian, a follower of Christ, and a beloved child of God means to be present, look forward and not dwell on the past.   Christians are people of the here and now.  When Jesus invited the people to follow Him, they made excuses and pleaded to let them take care of some business first and then they will follow.  But Jesus basically said, "No, it's now or never." Now, don't get confused.  Jesus was not telling the people to abandon their work, fami...

" I am going fishing " said St. Peter, and the other disciples who were there said "We also will come with you."  At this point, Jesus had appeared to the Apostles before already.  They were no longer hiding in the locked room.  The appearances of Jesus had gradually warmed their hearts and strengthened their spirits.  But, Peter returned to fishing instead of spreading the news that Jesus had risen from the dead.  However, even here we can see what Jesus said to Peter in the very beginning coming to fulfillment: " Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men " (Mt. 4:19).  The disciples said to Peter, "We are coming with you!"  Peter was catching men, but perhaps he did not see the significance of this yet.   And so they set out for the sea to catch some fish. They caught nothing.  They were unable to catch anything because they have been called to catch men and be for God, fishers of men.  They were unable to catch anything beca...

Selections from Part III of a talk I gave on the Parable of the Prodigal Son **If you would like the audio of the talks from any of the three parts, please comment below with your email address (if that is possible). Part III: The Invitation – Resistance and Humility While the YS was away from home and while the father was waiting, what could the older son have been doing all along?   Holding onto grudges?   Upset with the father because he gave the younger brother the share of the inheritance?   He is stuck with all the work?   Upon hearing the rejoicing and celebrating, the older son is confused as to what is happening.   He is angry, upset, and jealous.   He does not understand the father.   You must know someone before you can understand them.   Even though the son has been with the father all this time, he does not know him. Do we know the father?   Do I know that I am His beloved? The father comes out.   Again, th...

In the Gospel we are presented with the incident where the woman and man were caught in the very act of adultery, and the Pharisees have seized the woman and is about to carry out the consequence that such an act warranted: stoning.  In an attempt to test Jesus, they asked Him what they should should do for the Law of Moses said to stone her.  Jesus' initial response was silence.   I love this silence.  Oftentimes it is the silence that speaks the loudest.  Think about it.  What could the Pharisees have been thinking: "why isn't He saying anything...?"  Then Jesus bends down and begins to write something with his finger on the ground.  Scripture doesn't tell us what He writes.  The people couldn't deal with the silence so they asked the question again and Jesus said, " Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her ."  What a statement.  The people began to gradually disappear one after another....

Whether matters small or big, they are all important.   In today's Gospel reading we are told: "Amen I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of the letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place." Rules are not always easy to be followed.  Sometimes the more minor a rule or law seems to be, the harder it is to follow.  For example, it is tempting not to come to a complete stop at a STOP sign.  It's very simple but our "go" mentality takes over and say "well, as long as there's no people or car, I'll just tap the brake lightly and coast by."  However, it is important to follow this rule.  It may happen that we get distracted and we accidentally hit a child crossing the street. From a different perspective, tasks whether big or small all contribute to the greater good of the society and of the People of God.  Whether it be sweeping the floor or managing the airport tr...