HE MAKES ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL...IN HIS TIME

First Reading:  Dt 4:32-34, 39-40

Moses said to the people: "Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22

Second Reading: Rom 8:14-17

Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Gospel:  Mt 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Reflection

By Gharri Tulabut

When my employer for eleven years closed down its operations in the Philippines in 2009, I was one of those who did not exactly know what was in store for our future. Yes, we received a huge lump sum in terms of severance pay, but sooner than later, we would find out that steady income is much better than a one-time-big-time payment of our past services. Some of us immediately found new jobs. But some, including me, were not as fortunate.

 On my part, I deliberately did not try to look for a new job for a whole year. I wanted to spend some time with my family which I wasn’t able to do for the past eleven years and, at the same time, enrich my relationship with God by writing for Didache and God-Speak, and by becoming, first, the creatives ministry head of Light of Jesus Pampanga, and later by becoming its administrative head.

 On top of these, I also pursued graduate school and attended financial literacy and entrepreneurship classes. I also conducted seminars, taught in college, and attended silk-screen printing class. I also started investing in the stock market. I am sure there were other things I did during these times which I might have forgotten to write here. All these I did to keep myself busy while at the same time improve myself in preparation for what God might be cooking for me in His kitchen.

 Then one year went by, and it was time for me to start looking for a job. Despite how faithful I was in following my budget, my money in the bank has now shrunk to half.

 My very first interview was with a popular manufacturer of tablets, computers, MP3 players and smart phones. They did not call me a second time. What do you expect? That was my first interview after eleven years of not entertaining any interviews. Lesson learned.

Then I applied from one company to another. Some, just totally reject me. Others did invite me for interviews even up to final interviews. This lasted for almost two years. Interviews had become a learning sessions for me. It’s like, I am almost sure that I would not be hired so I just learn the most out of the interview experience and do better the next time. And if I decided to boycott the products of all the companies that have rejected my applications, , I would not be buying anything in my entire life.

 But again, while I kept on job hunting, I also made sure that I continue doing the things that would improve me as a person, such as those seminars, classes, and the religious activities. Those that would prepare me when the right opportunity comes. And of course, I left everything else in God’s hands for I know He makes all things beautiful in His time. I also believe in luck. But my definition of luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

 And so after 2 years, 100 companies, 50 interviews and 49 rejections, I was hired by a company whose business and culture are much like that of my old employer. Come to think of it, in 2008 when this company was just having its ground breaking in Clark Pampanga (my home province), I was already targeting to transfer to this company. It just took a little while, and prepared me a little more.

And true enough, God makes all things beautiful in  His time. Now, I am not only wiser in terms of corporate work, I also know I am a much better person in terms leading teams, public speaking, financial literacy, business savvy and many more. All these are the result of working hard improving myself while patiently waiting for His right time, and completely trusting that God will be with me till the end.

 Prayer:

Oh, Blessed Trinity, Thank You for making all things beautiful at the right time, in Your time! And thank You for being with us until the end! Amen!

Worry List

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time27 February 2011






We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: come, let us worship him, alleluia.

First reading Isaiah 49:14-15
Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the Lord has forgotten me.’
Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,
or fail to cherish the son of her womb?
Yet even if these forget,
I will never forget you.

Psalm: Psalm 61:2-3,6-9

Second reading 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust. Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not. I will not even pass judgement on myself. True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge. There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.

Gospel Matthew 6:24-34
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘No one can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.
‘That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. Surely life means more than food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are we not worth much more than they are? Can any of you, for all his worrying, add one single cubit to his span of life? And why worry about clothing? Think of the flowers growing in the fields; they never have to work or spin; yet I assure you that not even Solomon in all his regalia was robed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the grass in the field which is there today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more look after you, you men of little faith? So do not worry; do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?” It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

If I were to list down the number of instances I worry in the past, I might come up with a novel or volumes of books from 1 to 12! Fortunately, God always has a response to each of my worry no matter how long the list is. I would love to discuss each one of them but it may take us weeks or even months to cover everything so let me just discuss only three of them.

The first one was when I graduated from College. I worried that I may not be able to land a good job since I did not come from a ‘preferred’ school like UP, Ateneo or La Salle. But God surprised me. Barely a month after graduation, I was hired by a multinational company with a starting salary higher than most employers in the industry.

The second was when I was on the crossroads of my career. I have decided in my mind to leave my job of 8 years and apply in another department. But I worried that no one will accept me given that my performance rating a few years before was not impressive enough. I also worried that I will not be able to excel in another job since I have been stagnant on the same type of tasks for the past 8 years. Again, God surprised me. One department hired me for a regional position and even waited six months for me to transition. After a year, I was promoted and enjoyed the kind of job satisfaction I was looking for.

The third instance is very recent, happened when our company discontinued its operation in the Philippines due to worldwide recession. Again, I worried that I will not be able to find a job right away, that I will stutter during interviews since I have not been ‘exploring’ for the past few years. I also worried that I may not be able to blend with other company's culture given that I've heard different horror stories from those who have moved out of the company before. But truly, God never runs out of surprises. He granted my desire to shift to an IT career when I got accepted by a multinational insurance company. Today, after 8 fruitful months since I joined the company, I am continuously being blessed, seeing and learning new things from the different role and industry I am now belong.

As humans, worrying is second nature to us. Jesus knows this very well that’s why He assured us in today’s Gospel that we are far more precious in the eyes of our Father in heaven, and that He knows how to provide for His children. Personally, I know that more worries will be added to my list. But the moment worry sets in, I just have to remind myself of Jesus’ words “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” And that is already sufficient for me.

Father, You have always been our Provider and You have come to our aid numerously . Yet we continue to worry about the things of this world. Forgive our little faith and teach us to aim for Your Heavenly Kingdom instead. Amen.





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