Pastor's Reflection



Father

Honesto Agustin

Opening Prayer:
      Lord God, increase my faith, hope, and love. I believe in You because You are Truth itself.
      I hope in You because I trust You and have confidence in the promises You have made.
      I love You because You have loved me first, and because You are so good and worthy of my love. Amen.

Dec. 4, Monday of the 1st Week of Advent
Optional Memorial of St. John Damascene
         Gospel for the day, Matt. 8: 5-11
       
     This is Advent – a time of waiting and preparing – a time of sharing the true Good News that GOD has loved us enough to send us the Son Who preached, healed, suffered, died, and rose and Who will come again to take with Him all who are prepared.  
     We must not only prepare ourselves, but also help prepare others. We are called to be messengers of peace. This is the meaning of the season we are in right now.
     In the Gospel, Jesus encounters a heathen (pagan, non-Jew) army officer who asks Him for a special favor – the healing of his servant. Jesus is willing to come into a non-Jewish home in order to bring Salus – healing, wholeness, salvation.  
     It was unheard of for a faithful Jew to enter a gentile’s home, because Jews were considered better than the “faithless pagans.” The centurion professes his unworthiness to have Jesus enter his home and asks that Jesus just speak the words of Salus.  
     Jesus praises the faith of this heathen and informs His disciples that many such “heathens” will find a place of honor in the Reign of GOD because of their faith, something hard to accept by supposedly “faithful” Jews.
     As we continue our Advent journey, awaiting the Final Coming of the Lord Jesus, we should be filled with joyful anticipation of the Lord Jesus’ return and His taking us to the presence of His Abba-Father.  
     As the Jewish pilgrims anxiously journeyed to GOD’s presence in which they experienced peace, we, too, should continue our pilgrimage as we await the Lord Jesus’ coming to take us into the fullness of the Reign of GOD.
     Jesus said that there would be wars and insurrections before His final coming, but are we seeking to bring about His final coming by waging war? Or should we be seeking to establish a place where GOD’s peace has already begun and thus show we are ready for the Lord Jesus’ coming?  
      The question to be asked is: “Are we doing the right and loving things to help establish true peace and justice in the world?” There are scriptural passages which can be used on both sides of the issue of war and conflict. Let’s try to raise our consciousness of what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus as we await His coming again.
      It is true that there will not be the fullness of peace until the Lord Jesus comes again and establishes the Reign of GOD forever. Yet, we are called to be a part of GOD’s Reign right now. We should be doing all we can to prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus.  
     We need to realize that we are on the pilgrimage to the House of our GOD (which is in heaven and in the “new” earth), being led by the Lord Jesus. We must do whatever is necessary to help others also travel along the path to arrive at the dwelling place of GOD. We should do what we can to stop gun violence, whether that be by supporting gun control, or making sure that mentally unstable individuals have a way to be peaceful rather than violent.
     As we read the last verses of today’s Gospel, we are reminded that many of us may be shocked when we enter the fullness of GOD’s Reign and see who else is reclining at the table of the Lord Jesus.  
     Some people whom we thought were our enemies here on earth may be there along with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We’re not referring here to people who are terrorists and who purposely inflict death and injury on innocent people, but people whom we might label “heathen” like the centurion in the Gospel.
     What does this lead us to do? Firstly, We must realize that we are on a pilgrimage. The place through which we are journeying now is not our final destination. I must not become too attached to what is here right now.  
     Secondly, we must be ready for when the Lord Jesus returns, whether that is at the end of our personal life, or at the end of time. We must live a life of joyful anticipation of the Lord Jesus leading us along the final paths to the dwelling place of GOD.  
     Thirdly, we must be active in bringing about the Reign of GOD by working for peace and justice in the world today. We must help raise our personal consciousness and that of others. We personally must see what we can do to turn weapons of war into instruments of peace and justice and rid the world of evil.      
     We must work for the righting of wrongs, but in a just way, not a vindictive way. That is no easy task. Yet, if we really believe that the Lord Jesus is the Coming One, we must be proactive.  
     And finally, we must say with the last verse of today’s Responsorial Psalm: “Because of the house of the LORD, our GOD, I will pray for your Good.”

PRAYER for the day…..
      Blessed are You, O LORD, GOD of love and mercy. Because of Your Goodness, You desire that we be with You in the Reign of Heaven.
     Lord, You ask us to work for the establishment of Your Reign by following the example of Your Son, Jesus.  
    Jesus worked for peace and justice, which at times, challenged those who were leading others astray.
     Lord Jesus, I am not afraid of letting You into my heart. You are the God who likes to be pleasantly surprised by the faith of Your children.
     I believe in You; increase my faith and expectation this Advent! This I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
     Jesus, I love You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Say 1 Glory Be…
     St. John Damascene, pray for us.
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