Believers Are Blessed

𝐎𝐂𝐓. 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓. 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐈 

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐁𝐚𝐫 𝟒:𝟓-𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟕-𝟐𝟗

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟔𝟗:𝟑𝟑-𝟑𝟕 “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟒

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “…𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏.”  (𝒗.20)

Like the disciples pictured in today’s Gospel, there is in us that tendency to express our elation and at times our euphoria over our successes may it be in our studies, careers, sporting events, projects or activities we are involved in and, there is that urge to arrogate unto ourselves the credit for these accomplishments.

         There is actually nothing to worry about because it means that we are alive as being happy at the way our lives are turning out especially with regard to our achievements is part of human nature. But as the disciples returned with joy at the way they were able to cast out demons in persons, Jesus tells them (𝒗.19) “𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒘 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏.”        

This may have befuddled the minds of the disciples and this I’m sure will have moved many of us to also ponder on this but what Jesus was saying was that we are not to rest on our laurels and on our skills and talents.

         Jesus warns that we must give credit where credit is due ` means that we must take great care that we do not become slaves to sinful pride that will not only keep us from the love and knowledge of God, and which will make us ignorant and unmindful of the things of God.

         When Jesus said he saw Satan fall from heaven, he was referring to the reason why Satan was cast out from the presence of God and this is because of sinful pride. Unknown to many that unless we remain clothed with an active awareness of God, we can fall victim to sinful pride arising from inordinate self-centeredness which closes our minds to the truths and wisdom of God.

         What Jesus requires, on the other hand, is for us to be filled with humility which to Jesus is the only true remedy against pride as humility will lead us to a genuine recognition of who we are in the eyes of God and of our confession of our complete dependence on the provisions of Our Lord.

         Just as pride leads us to persist in our self-centeredness, humility is the good soil in which the Grace of God will take root and grow and will bring us to a right attitude in and with God “𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆.” (𝑱𝒂𝒎 4:6)        

Jesus assures us as he has assured his disciples that he has power over the evil that permeates in the world that he has the power to drive out the prince of this world (𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟐:𝟑𝟏) and as his disciples we too have been given this same authority to overcome the works of evil not only in the world but much more in our own selves and that we should not be joyful in our sinful pride but because “𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏.” (𝒗.20)

         The message that Jesus wants to impart to us in this Gospel is for us to bank on the virtue of humility because it alone will lead us clothed us with God’s wisdom and as our names are written in heaven, it presupposes that God has already established a link that will help lead us to yield to our knowledge of God in a personal way.

         And in 𝒗.22 Jesus unlocks the key that will pave the way for us to know God when he said: “𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒎𝒚 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒎.”        

In effect what Jesus was saying here is simply this – if you want to know who God is, look at me – and we are blessed indeed because Our Lord found us and brought us to the renewal where he revealed himself to us. “𝑩𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑰 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒕.” (𝑳𝒌 10:22-24)       

And the key to all these is the virtue of humility that we need to acquire because it is only through humility that we can see the wisdom of God and hear his truths and not his truths that we have perverted to suit our own desires and only humility will lead us to a total dependence on God to give us strength and the boldness to follow him.

         “𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆,” Jesus told Peter, Andrew, James, John Matthew and the rest of the Apostles and the other disciples and they remained with him and proclaimed the Kingdom of God even against tremendous odds. Would we do the same? One of those who followed Christ was St. Faustina Kowalska and St. Francis of Assisi whose memorial we are celebrating today.

          St. Faustina Kowalska, you will recall was canonized in 2000 by Saint John Paul II, the first Saint of the new millennium whom God has chosen to spread the devotion to His Divine Mercy. In one of her visions of Jesus, Our Lord spoke to St. Faustina and told her: “𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲.” 

Today this Devotion to His Divine Mercy that St. Faustina initiated is drawing more and more Catholics throughout the world and towards humble obedience to Jesus. And during this time of turmoil when our faith is being tested amidst all the natural calamities and man-made disasters related to the trillion-peso graft and corruption in the government, the only option for our salvation is to go back to God. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘖𝘤𝘵. 4, 2025)