Four Reasons to be Courageous

this was the homily yesterday. ang ganda ng reflection sa Sambuhay. i just can't keep it to myself.

some words of wisdom from the priest:

On "the inconvenient truth": When you are inconvenient, God is telling you to change.

Love the treasures of heaven, not of the world.

Life is a matter of lessons to be learned.

and now, the reflection by Fr. Domie Guzman. (i got this from Sambuhay, 22 June 2008)

Gospel: Matthew 10:26-33 (Discipleship and its Cost)

Jesus' words identify two sources of fears for the disciples: bodily harm, and false accusations. Such fears can paralyze. Contemporary studies at the University of California show that people can have the same talents and opportunities. Some may succeed; others may fail because of uncontrolled fears and anxieties. Persons can have the same IQ, incomes, intellectual preparations, but the level of healthy self-confidence makes the big difference.

Jesus exhorts the disciples not to be overwhelmed with fears:

Verse 26: "Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed."

The word of God is powerful, and will always fulfill itself. It is only a matter of time. Truth always triumphs.

Verse 28: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul."

Persecutions are truly present in the disciples' life. These persecutions should be a sure sign that the disciples are producing the friction necessary to bring the message to an unwilling world. J.P. Mahaffrey, a scholar from the Trinity College in Dublin says a real Christian should be one who is "offensively a Christian." A Christian lifestyle that makes no waves, and rocks no boats is lukewarm.

Verse 31: "You are worth more than sparrows."

These birds are insignificant, for they were worth half-coin each! Nevertheless, God is concerned with their "falling to the ground." The most common understanding of this passage is that it refers to the death of the sparrow. God is concerned about the death of something worth half-coin. However, it is argued that the expression better means "not a single sparrow lights upon the ground without your Father's consent." The innumerable times that the half-coin worth sparrow lights and takes on wings again attests to the constant love and care of God. Nothing happens by accident; all things - and all events - are present before God.

Verse 30: "Even all the hairs of your head are counted."

God is meticulous. He appreciates even small things; the sparrow... our hair. He counts all our hair! On the average: the blonde is said to have 145,000 strands; the dark haired 120,000, and the red-haired around 90,000 strands. All these grow at an average of 1 inch a month. The ultimate reason why we should not fear then is this: God is faithful, and He looks after each one of us.. to the smallest detail of our lives.

end of reflection.