Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Discipleship is carrying own life’s cross



November 4, 2015
Wednesday of the Thirty-first week in Ordinary Time


Readings    


8Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.[1] 9The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, (namely) "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."10Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.


1Blessed the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commands. 2 His descendants shall be mighty in the land, a generation of the upright will be blessed.

Light shines through the darkness for the upright; gracious, compassionate, and righteous. 5It is good for the man gracious in lending, who conducts his affairs with justice. 9Lavishly he gives to the poor; his righteousness shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in honor.


25Great crowds were traveling with Him, and He turned and addressed them,[2] 26"If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

28Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? 29Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him 30and say, 'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.'

31Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? 32But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.

33In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.




Notes on readings

[1] Romans 13:8-10 - When love directs the Christian's moral decisions, the interest of law in basic concerns, such as familial relationships, sanctity of life, and security of property, is safeguarded (Romans 13:9). Indeed, says Paul, the same applies to any other commandment (Romans 13:9), whether one in the Mosaic code or one drawn up by local magistrates under imperial authority. Love anticipates the purpose of public legislation, namely, to secure the best interests of the citizenry. Since Caesar's obligation is to punish the wrongdoer (Romans 13:4), the Christian who acts in love is free from all legitimate indictment.

[2] Luke 14:25-33 - This collection of sayings, most of which are peculiar to Luke, focuses on the total dedication necessary for the disciple of Jesus. No attachment to family (Luke 14:26)or possessions (Luke 14:33) can stand in the way of the total commitment demanded of the disciple. Also, acceptance of the call to be a disciple demands readiness to accept persecution and suffering (Luke 14:27) and a realistic assessment of the hardships and costs (Luke 14:28-32).

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Dear Humanity,

I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.

And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.

Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.