9th Sunday in Ordinary Time
First reading Deuteronomy 11:18,26-28
Moses said to the people: ‘Let these words of mine remain in your heart and in your soul; fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a circlet.
‘See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: a blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord our God that I enjoin on you today; a curse, if you disobey the commandments of the Lord your God and leave the way I have marked out for you today, by going after other gods you have not known. You must keep and observe all the laws and customs that I set out before you today.’
Psalm: Psalm 30:2-4,17,25
Second reading Romans 3:21-25,28
God’s justice that was made known through the Law and the Prophets has now been revealed outside the Law, since it is the same justice of God that comes through faith to everyone, Jew and pagan alike, who believes in Jesus Christ. Both Jew and pagan sinned and forfeited God’s glory, and both are justified through the free gift of his grace by being redeemed in Christ Jesus who was appointed by God to sacrifice his life so as to win reconciliation through faith. since, as we see it, a man is justified by faith and not by doing something the Law tells him to do.
Gospel Matthew 7:21-27
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!
‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’
Reflection
By Pam Manzano
Many things we do today are often just for the sake of “doing” it. This may not be true for you but for most people, it probably is.
We are always hurried, always in a rush and always want to be at the top of things. These make us do the things we do just fine, never mind exceeding expectations and exploring more of our potentials and capabilities. With all the things going on around us and the anxious feeling that there are things yet to be done, who would want to do extra work, right?
Suppose every task you are to do is finished. You are happy for you have finished what has been assigned to you. You look at the outcome and take pride in doing it. You listened to all the feedbacks and you feel elated. But are you contented? Especially when you know that there is more you can do to beautify what you’ve done but did not go for it? It’s frustrating, I know.
Putting your heart in everything you do makes your work priceless. It makes you go for that extra mile you’ve been wanting since then. And your effort will not only make you proud of what its achieved but it will also give you the opportunity to unleash your untouched potentials. Moreover, it will give you the feeling of contentment – the one that really pays off!
The Gospel today talks about the same thing. Many knew how to pray but only few do it with their hearts. Sincerity is an important aspect in praying. As seen in the Gospel, God hears those who are faithful and sincere in their prayers. He turns His back from those who wear their faith only on their sleeves. And in our stressful lives, we are guilty of praying hurriedly and not sincerely in one way or another.
Praying is an important thing in our lives as Christians. It gives us the opportunity to talk to our God. It helps us in our continuous spiritual growth. Praying also relieves us of our everyday stress and gives us strength to start anew. But then again, we don’t just pray for the sake of praying. We do pray to converse with the One who loves us despite our imperfections.
If we really want to see God and His face, let us all try and be sincere in our prayers. And when we pray, let us put our hearts in it. This may sound like a cliché but the Gospel today is actually a wake up call for all of us. God does not want to turn His back from us. He wants us all to be in His kingdom. And as a believer of Christ, our ultimate goal should be to see His face, be with Him, and worship Him forever!
Father teach us how to pray that we may be able to know Your will and see You through our prayers. Amen.
Anger Management 101
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