Call to Love

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

13 July 2025

 

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:10-14

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37

Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-20

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

 

Reflection

By: Fely Santiago

 

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?

What are we really here for on earth? Why am I where I am right now? Have we ever asked these questions? Whatever stages we are in our lives – finishing a degree, starting a career, starting a family, nearing retirement, retired and already in the last season of our life we need to ask these questions? For after all our purpose in life is really to gain eternal life with the Lord. Our lives here on earth is temporary. And in the gospel today the Lord has given us guidelines on how we can inherit eternal life. It boils down to LOVE. Loving God and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Yes we have to love ourselves because we cannot give what we don’t have. If we don’t love ourselves we can never give love to our neighbor. And yes the world needs love. The world needs a lot of compassion as many people right now don’t feel loved and worthy.

How then can we show our love to others? As simple as listening to them, caring for them and just being there for them. It can start at home with our loved ones, in the office, in the community and even in the department store, in the bank, wherever we are. Just be aware of how we can show love to one another by being kind, patient and understanding. The world needs love.

Prayer

Dear Lord,  As I spend time with You I am aware of how blessed I truly am to be loved by You. I think of Your love and Your mercy and how it has helped us overcome all the challenges in life. Thank You for always being there for me Lord and may I also share this love to others.  Give me the grace to always have a loving and compassionate heart especially to those in need. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Service

    

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

20 October 2024

 

First Reading: Is 53:10-11

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

Second Reading: Heb 4:14-16

Gospel: Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45

 

Reflection

By: Fely C. Santiago

 

"For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve."

Jesus is truly our role model of service and He exemplified selflessness by consistently placing the needs of others before His own. Imagine He is the Son of God but He came to the world to be like us, who understands our humanity. And we see Him serving the poor, going around healing the sick, driving out demons, giving life to the dead, teaching the disciples.

If we want to be great, we really have to serve first. I started serving the Lord in my college days. I was part of the Legion of Mary in our parish and we would go around doing the block rosary from house to house, I would also go to depressed areas as part of our outreach programs. I also became a member of the Ministry of Lectors and Commentators and other ministries in the church. And when I got married, my husband and I continued serving our parish and there was even a time we would serve the 5AM, 6AM, 7AM, and 8AM Sunday Masses! We also became members of the Magis Deo Marriage Encounter Community serving as Shepherds to ME Classes, helping couples as they journey in their spiritual life. And when we had children, we would also bring them to church and eventually my son became an altar boy/sacristan. Thinking about it right now, I couldn't imagine how we were able to do it with our full-time job and raising four children! But truly when you just say YES to the calling of the Lord, He will equip you so you can do your mission.

My other children also started serving at The Feast of the Light of Jesus Community in the Youth and Worship Ministry and led worship singing to the Lord. Today, my youngest daughter and her husband are full time Youth Missionaries. They gave up their careers in the corporate to serve the Lord. My two children who are already married and have migrated to Sydney, Australia continue to serve at The Feast in Sydney.

It's a joy to serve the Lord as an answer to His calling. He loved us so much unconditionally and we want to share that love to others by serving them. And I truly believe that graces and blessings abound when we serve.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for the opportunities to serve You.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15

Mabuting Pastol: Dakila't Huwaran

    

Ikaapat na Linggo ng Pasko ng Pagkabuhay / Linggo ng Mabuting Pastol

21 Abril 2024

 

Unang Pagbasa: Gawa 4:8-12

Salmong Tugunan: Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29

Ikalawang Pagbasa: 1 Jn 3:1-2

Mabuting Balita: Jn 10:11-18

 

Pagninilay

Ni: Bro. Emerson C. Maala

Katarungan, kababaan, payak na pamumuhay. Ito ang mga katangian na nais ituro ng seminaryo ng Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol sa aming nga hinuhubog sa pagpapari. Laging paalala ng tagapagtatag nito na si Bihop Felix Perez sa mga seminarista, “Be like a Mabuting Pastol.” At sa aking patuloy na paglalakbay sa probinsiya ng Palawan, ipinakita sa amin ng aming paring tagapatnubay, na isa ring Ka-tahanan, ang halimbawa ng Mabuting Pastol. Ipinamalas niya kung papaano mamuhay nang may katarungan, kababaan at kapayakan. Ngayon lang din ako halos nakakita ng paring simple lang. Natutulog sa papag ng walang kutson, kasa-kasama namin sa pag-iigib ng tubig, paglilinis at iba pang gawain.

Ngayong ika-apat na Linggo ng Pasko ng Pagkabuhay ay ipinagdiriwang natin ang Linggo ng Mabuting Pastol o ang Good Shepherd Sunday at World Day of Prayer for Vocation. Sa Mabuting Balita, sinabi  ni Hesus na Siya ang Mabuting Pastol, handang mag-alay ng buhay alang-alang sa kapakanan ng kanyang kawan. 

Sa aking pagninilay, ipinapakita sa akin ng Diyos ang tunay na kahulugan kung ano ang isang Pari, ang maging katulad ng Mabuting Pastol: may Katarungan, Kababaan at Payak na pamumuhay. At dito sa probinsiya ng Palawan ay ipinakita sa akin ang tunay na pagiging Pastol sa kawan. Malaki din ang nabago sa aking perspektibo kung papaano maging isang tunay na lingkod ng Diyos. Noon, akala ko, ang pari ay para lamang sa mga sakramento: magmimisa, magpapahid ng langis, magkakasal, atbp. Ngayon, ang tunay na kahulugan nito para sa akin ay pagmimisyon at paglabas ng simbahan patungo sa pinakamahirap na lugar at makipamuhay din sa kanila, katulad ng Mabuting Pastol. Gayundin ang hamon nito sa lahat, ang maging Mabuting Pastol bilang magulang sa mga anak, mga naglilingkod sa gobyerno, sa ating mga kaibigan, at higit sa lahat, bilang mga Kristiyano na sumusunod kay Kristo.

Panalangin

PANALANGIN PARA SA BOKASYON mula kay Papa Francisco

Panginoon ng anihan, pagkalooban Mo ng lakas ng loob ang mga kabataan na tumugon sa Iyong panawagan. Buksan Mo ang kanilang mga puso sa mga dakilang kaisipan at bagay. Kasihan ang lahat ng Iyong mga alagad ng magkaayong pag-ibig at pagbibigay sapagkat ang Bokasyon ay sumisibol sa mabuting lupa ng mga tapat na tao. Isalin Mo sa mga nasa relihiyosong pamumuhay, parokya, ministry at pamilya nang may pagtitiwala at biyaya ng maghihikayat ng iba upang yakapin ang malakas at marangal na landas ng nakatalagang buhay para sa Iyo. Pagbuklurin Mo kami kay Hesus sa pamamagitan ng panalangin at sakramento, upang magawa naming makipagtulungan sa Iyo sa pagtataguyod ng paghahari ng Iyong awa, katotohanan at karunungan.

The King's Call

    

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

26 November 2023

 

First Reading: Ez 34:11-12, 15-17

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

Second Reading: 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28

Gospel: Mt 25:31-46

 

Reflection

By: Carlo Alexis Malaluan

We have come to the “end” of the liturgical year. And what is more fitting but to celebrate it with a feast of a King whose kingdom does have no end. A very striking imagery of this Gospel passage is the act of separation - the distinction made between the “sheeps” and the “goats” - of those who have lived according to God’s commands and to those who have rejected it. This passage makes a distinction not only between those who have compassion and those who do not, but between those who are in a position to help, and those who are in need.

Christ has made a distinction. Not because He is a cruel judge but He will judge us according to the path we have chosen. Each one of us goes to the place we have chosen. Those whose lives were oriented to love and mercy come to the love and mercy of God. Those who excluded people in need from their lives have excluded themselves from God’s kingdom where there is only acceptance and love.

There are two kinds of people mentioned in the parable. First, the people who performed these deeds with no idea that they were actually serving Christ. Jesus says that whenever they gave food to the hungry, welcomed a stranger, clothed the naked, or visited the sick or imprisoned, they acted in kindness toward Jesus himself. Jesus can identify with the least of these because He has walked in their shoes. On the other hand, those who have failed to see the needs of the disadvantaged have acted as though they have never seen Jesus. They have not followed in Christ’s footsteps.  They have not heed to do the work that the Master has called them to do.

Jesus has only one “basic” criteria: our love for others. Can we see the true humanity, the image of God, in the needy people of this world?  The problem is we lump problems and people together: the homeless, the welfare class, welfare queens, the Third World, the mentally ill, the unemployed, illegal immigrants.  There is scarcely a human face to be seen in any of those broad categories. We summarily size up, categorize, characterize, and sometimes dismiss literally millions of people via a blanket label.  We reduce all the homeless or all the unemployed to one basic sub-heading.  We assume every person in a given category is more-or-less the same.  But can we put a name or a face with anyone who actually lives in one of those segments of life?

Once a priest told me: You will never find Christ in the church (he is referring to the building), if you cannot find Christ in His Church (he is referring to the people). “Lord, when did we see you?”  Jesus’ answer will quite probably be, “When not?”.

There was a beautiful anecdote about Mother Teresa. She would spend hours in prayer, her hands covering her face - she was talking to Jesus. But when someone would call her immediate attention, she would smile to that person unbothered and undistracted in her time of prayer and solitude. Her reason was, I was talking from Jesus to Jesus! The same Jesus of her prayers is the same Jesus she finds in other people.

Jesus is not suggesting that we innovate excessively creative programs, that we do the social equivalent of a circus high-wire act or that we perform miracles.  He simply asks us to see Him in the people around us. 

Prayer

Jesus, open not only our eyes but also our hearts to see You in every person we encounter, to lend our hands to those in need, and to do Your greatest command which is to love.

Magnify

 Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

15 August 2021 

 

First Reading: RV 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

Responsorial Psalm: PS 45:10, 11, 12 16

Second Reading: 1 COR 15:20-7

Gospel: LK 1:39-56

 

Reflection

By: Gary Tulabut

 

Last month, our worship team at the Light of Jesus (LOJ) Pampanga was invited to represent the whole LOJ North and Central Luzon for a live worship concert organized by the LOJ Provincial. We were one of only two bands who will be leading worship live at the venue. The rest had their worship songs pre-recorded.

Despite all my issues in singing (timing and memorizing lyrics which I attribute to karaoke singing, hehe), I was selected to be the only male among four vocalists.

Because of those issues, I could easily say no to the one who chose me. But how could I? For just a month earlier, in one business boot camp activity, we were asked to make a dream board. And in the "spiritual" part of my dream board, I pasted a photo of me leading worship.

So, I accepted with the hope and prayer that with ample practice, I would be able to overcome those issues. And yes, after two weeks of practice, I was ready to be the lead vocalist for one of the songs.

But on the night before the band travelled to the venue in Bulacan, I found out that someone I had contact with was experiencing CoVid symptoms. I decided that night that I will not go with the band. Anyway, one very good singer from another province will be there to substitute me. He did not need to practice anyway.

Thank God, the one with symptoms, who I had contact with, and I were not infected, the worship concert went well, and our band was amazing leading in worshipping God.

A few days after the event, while I as telling the story to another group, I used the word "perform" instead of "lead worship".

I paused for a while and thought, "Maybe that is why I wasn't able to join them." I normally watch my motives in service and even ask the Lord to purify them. Maybe this time I failed. That in my subconscious, I was still thinking the whole thing as a performance instead of a service leading people to worship God.

I love the song I was assigned to lead. And I was confident that I could render it very well after that two-week practice. Maybe, subconsciously, I was already imagining how I would be praised in Facebook and Instagram with all those likes, hearts, and shares.

In our Gospel for this Sunday, Elizabeth praised her cousin, Mama Mary, for being blessed by carrying the Lord in her womb. Immediately, Mama Mary sent her praises to God through what we know as the Magnificat.

May every praise we receive for our success, blessings, talents, and good deeds be diverted to God.

May our goal in service be to glorify God rather than ourselves.

And may everything we do bear fruits that magnify the Lord!

 

Prayer

 

Mama Mary, pray for us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Jesus, the King of Truth!

 The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of Universe 22 November 2020

 First Reading                                                            EZ 34:11-12, 15-17

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep. 
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark. 
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. 
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats.

Second Reading                                                   1 COR 15:20-26, 28

 

Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power. 
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When everything is subjected to him,
then the Son himself will also be subjected
to the one who subjected everything to him,
so that God may be all in all.

Gospel                                                                        MT 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.

 

Reflection

By: Art Reyes

 

Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King, the King of universe. This is also the day when we as a Church, conclude our liturgical year. In today's Gospel we proclaim the great mystery of our faith. By his crucifixion, Jesus is shown to be the King and Savior of all. Christ is our King!

Many of our leaders today are very privileged, untouchable, and unjust. It is because they think that their power is endless, that they can manipulate anyone's mind. A true king leads us to truth, serves not himself but the very people who look up to him.

I recently heard a story about somebody asking an archaeologist about when they thought civilization appeared in the human race. We would think that the evidence of early civilization would be wall carvings on an explored cave or finding ancient clay pots. But the archaeologist answered that it was a broken thigh bone.

In the ancient world, a broken leg meant death. A broken leg made you easy prey, you could not hunt to get food, and you could not get to the river to drink. Somebody had to take the time to protect, feed, and tend to the injured person, nursing them back to health until they could do the tasks that they needed to do to survive by themselves. This is the first sign of civilization: someone caring for the life of another.

The social media that we are hooked into now is a platform that are full of lies, deceit, and distractions. There are people whose livelihood is to tell lies in favor of their patrons--usually the politicians who are addicted to power. The civility among us is almost extinct as we exchange hurtful words, insults, and lies to save our pride in the lost argument. We have lost the ability to interact with one another authentically. We have stopped caring for each other.

The social media may end the culture and human civilization. Or has it already? We need our God the most at this time so we can stay focused on the truth. Let us continue to faithfully listen to His voice.

Let us be reminded that there is One who is the truth. All worldly power, influences, and wealth will pass. Let us not be influences by lies by those who are in power. We owe them nothing.

Only Christ is our King! The King of Truth!

 

Prayer 

 

O Lord Jesus Christ, You are the way, the life, and the truth. Help me to live in truth, to speak it, to experience it, and to share it. Lord, You are King! Amen.

 

 

Use It or Lose It

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

15 November 2020
First reading Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

When one finds a worthy wife,

her value is far beyond pearls.

Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,

has an unfailing prize.

She brings him good, and not evil,

all the days of her life.

She obtains wool and flax

and works with loving hands.

She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her fingers ply the spindle.

She reaches out her hands to the poor,

and extends her arms to the needy.

Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;

the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her a reward for her labors,

and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Second reading                          1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Concerning times and seasons, brothers and sisters,

you have no need for anything to be written to you. 

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come

like a thief at night.

When people are saying, "Peace and security,"

then sudden disaster comes upon them,

like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,

and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness,

for that day to overtake you like a thief. 

For all of you are children of the light

and children of the day.

We are not of the night or of darkness. 

Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do,

but let us stay alert and sober.

Gospel                                           Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"A man going on a journey

called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--

to each according to his ability. 

Then he went away.

Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,

and made another five.

Likewise, the one who received two made another two. 

But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground

and buried his master's money.

"After a long time

the master of those servants came back

and settled accounts with them.

The one who had received five talents came forward

bringing the additional five. 

He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. 

See, I have made five more.’

His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. 

Since you were faithful in small matters,

I will give you great responsibilities. 

Come, share your master's joy.’

Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,

'Master, you gave me two talents. 

See, I have made two more.'

His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. 

Since you were faithful in small matters,

I will give you great responsibilities.

Come, share your master's joy.’

Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 

'Master, I knew you were a demanding person,

harvesting where you did not plant

and gathering where you did not scatter;

so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. 

Here it is back.'

His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant!

So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant

and gather where I did not scatter? 

Should you not then have put my money in the bank

so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? 

Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. 

For to everyone who has,

more will be given and he will grow rich;

but from the one who has not,

even what he has will be taken away.

And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'"

 

Reflection

By Art B. Reyes

 

Today’s Gospel talks about the Parable of the Talents.  God has given us talents. These are the skills, the abilities that each of us uniquely possessed. They are just there, waiting to be discovered, utilized, and put into good use. Our talents must not be hidden or put to waste but rather be maximized and shared for common good.

 

The Gospel says that each man was given talents “according to his own ability”.  Sounds unfair in worldly standard, but everything is equal, at the end of our days, when final accounting is done. Each of us will be judged not according to the quantities of talents we’ve been given but how we developed and used those.

 

There are people who are good in making money in their chosen business, and there are those who are big earners in their lucrative employment. They are successful not only because of their talents, but because they take action and work hard. In the parable, the man receiving only 1 talent did not work, and as a result he earned nothing in return.

 

There are people whose talents are limited but they excel in what they do. It is because they give their very best. We can all be successful when we give our finest and leave everything else to God. As in the story, both servants were successful, even though one ended up with a greater return.

 

We fail when we don’t use our talents. We don’t succeed either when we abuse them. It is our duty to use our talents, no matter how much we’ve been given. We need to leverage our opportunities. We need to work, strive, and develop our talents to glorify God in the process.

 

- - - - - - - - - - -

 

To date, there are about 52 million people infected by the deadly Covid 19 virus already. The pandemic has claimed so many lives and livelihoods. Last  Monday, BioNTech and Pfizer announced that a vaccine for the coronavirus developed by Dr. Sahin and his team was more than 90 percent effective in preventing the disease among trial volunteers. The stunning results vaulted the company to the front of the race to find a cure for a disease that has killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide.

 

BioNTech, which Dr. Sahin founded with his wife, Dr. Özlem Türeci, was mostly focused on cancer treatments. They have dedicated their lives to the field of oncology and infectious diseases, and spent years pioneering treatments for cancer. Sahin has been described as a "modest and humble" person. ”Despite his achievements, he never changed from being incredibly humble and personable," his colleague said. 

 

The couple live with their teenage daughter in a modest apartment near their office. They ride bicycles to work. They do not own a car. They are extremely talented but very down to earth people.

 

Our talent is to be discovered, utilized, and shared. It is not only for oneself, but for others. Our talents and blessings should lead us to be humble, and to be grateful to God.

Prayer

Lord, show us the gifts and talents You have given us. Help us share with others these gifts which we enjoy. Let us learn to use them for Your glory. Amen.

The Humble One

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 5 July 2020
First reading Zechariah 9:9-10

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Second reading                                                          Romans 8:9-13

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Gospel                                                                          Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Reflection

By Jose Paulo Gonzales

We have heard how it was said in today’s Gospel: the wisdom of the Lord has been revealed to the little ones, for so seems good in the Lord’s sight.

This Sunday, we delight in one characteristic of Jesus that gives balance especially with the status quo, the normal scenario we have today: whereas the world sides with the learned, the powerful, the rich, and the aesthetically pleasing, the Lord uplifts the downtrodden; the never or little heard; the unnoticeable; the forgotten.

The wisdom of the Lord, aside from His supernatural graces come through Jesus, the One who came humbly Himself, not likening Himself to God the Father, but exalted by God the Father anyway; this Jesus who was born in a (likely) decrepit manger in small-town Bethlehem, who was Son to a carpenter, who graced being a little one Himself, although delivered the will of the Father triumphantly, nonetheless.

Come to think of it, no matter where we look, we are, or we were, little to something; to someone.

We are all little to the world. The vastness of the universe and the whopping circumference of the earth make us minute grains; pieces of dust.

To someone, it is no stranger that we feel small. Perhaps there is a person ready we have in mind as we read this; we have been made to feel little by at least one person in our lives, likely those who have authority or seniority over us. We have been subordinates to bosses, children to parents or those advanced in years, novices to experts, students to teachers, and many such else.

We have all felt how it is to be the new one, the young, the unlearned. We have had our humble beginnings. We all have had experiences of being small. And this is where we take consolation: that in that feeling of being small, we are not alone; we have One who espoused that feeling although He did not need to. He existed with the Father in the very beginning, and with the Father, enjoys supreme reign over all, yet He came down from Heaven to accomplish the Father’s mission—to redeem us all. He may have started small when He was conceived, but God has delivered through His hands something monumental; something eternal.

If there is any inkling in our mind that thinks there is no end to our feeling small, may we take solace in this: as we take the humble position, in our feeling small, God exalts us; just like how God the Father did with Jesus. Jesus was born and lived in the simplest of ways, but God has let something magnificent be delivered through His hands; and who is to say God the Father cannot do great things with us, too?

It may be difficult, or even excruciating to take the humble position: to forgive when the aggressor takes all his or her pride to soar mockingly over us, to fly under the radar when we do good works just not to be noticed, not to harp on our achievements lest we make it about ourselves, and many such else. There are many ways we can take the humble position, but whatever way we choose in good faith, the Lord will exalt us in His own way.

Let this be our consolation: in our struggle to be the little—the humble one, we have Jesus whom we can learn from, He who is meek and humble of heart, He whom we can take our rest in, He whose yoke we can carry, for His yoke is sweet, and His burden, light (Matthew 11:29-30).

Prayer

Abba, first, we would like to praise You for the greatness that You are. 

Thank You for giving us hope that amid our feeling of being small, You are there to be with us and lift us up. You are very faithful in loving and extending mercy to us, and we believe that You would be also faithful in completing the work You began in us.

May Your exaltation of us also bring good to others, lifting them up, as You have lifted us.
May all these bring glory to You, our Father, in Jesus’ most holy Name, Amen.