3 April 2020
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Jeremiah 20:10-13
Jeremiah said:
I hear so many disparaging me,
‘“Terror from every side!”
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
All those who used to be my friends
watched for my downfall,
‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error.
Then we will master him
and take our revenge!’
But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;
my opponents will stumble, mastered,
confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.
But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe with justice,
who scrutinise the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord,
for he has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men.
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John 10:31-42
The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you claim to be God.’ Jesus answered:
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’
They wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded them.
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At least believe in the work I do; then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the Father
Amid our current pandemic situation, if someone does good deeds, others will comment that it is hypocrisy. If someone shows indifference, others will comment that they are worthless. It is true that we cannot please everybody. Our life must not be dependent on the appreciation of others. But we are working like that. We show up to work on time to let the people know we are responsible. We submit efficient works to let others know that we are reliable. Now that we are on quarantine, we try to do as much housework or ‘work from home’ tasks as we can to let others know we are dependable. We do things to please other people. But it is not how it should be. Yes, it is very impressive that we are capable of doing great things. But can we just be alright with just ‘doing great things’ and remove the part ‘to let others know’?
As Catholics and believers of Christ, we wholeheartedly do our best to follow Christ and live His word. Easier said and done, because our modernity is a source of increasing temptation that leads us to stray away from Christ.
Let us ask ourselves, “Should we wait for our deathbed before we want to do good deeds or ask for forgiveness?” Some of us are on quarantine and most of us are living with our families. Let us take this as an opportunity to converse with them. Let us put our phones down and have a decent meal together. Yes, we need our phones to be updated on the latest events. But it can wait. Use the social distancing time to ‘re-learn’ about your family members. We may realize that our family members have changed or there could be the ‘aha’ moment when we realize that it seems it is only now that we get to know them better. Talk to them about anything. It is a simple way of reaching out to them. Some of them might not like the idea of being inside the house for the time being. Let them feel at ease because they are with their family. They are your family, you know them best. In that way, we are being used as tools in sharing the good works of Christ.
(Today’s Oxygen by Beryl Baterina)
Prayer: Father God, please grant us the grace to see the goodness in others and to show goodness as well. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Father God, for the people who heed the call to be of service during this COVID-19 pandemic. Amen.