Dn 6:12-28, Dn 3:68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, Lk 21:20-28
Happy Thanksgiving! May the name of the Lord Jesus be blessed today. All honor, power, might, praise, glory and wisdom be unto the Lord. Blessed be the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
It's been a while since I posted on this blog, I wish I could write down everyday and share my reflection, but today is a holiday, and so shall I write. Anyway, isn't the Bible amazing?, especially the readings from the book of Daniel this week...floating hands...interpretation of dreams...who needs hollywood movies if you have the bible? This is some good stuff.
On the First Reading Daniel was sent down to the Lion's den for worshipping God (the One True God) three times a day. Apparently, some peopple are snooping on him waiting so that they can catch him praying and be punished for it for disobeying the kings law. How many times have you experienced in your life where you have been stabbed in the back? betrayed? It's one of the most awful feeling. Sometimes you just want to retaliate. But that is not what Daniel did, he was sent to the den and had faith in God. Now lion is a very strong creature, especially the alpha male, they can break your bones in an instant. In the bible, lion has also been used to described the devil ("roaring lion"), ready to devour anything on its path. But when you are walking in the Holy Spirit, you can conquer that lion in your life. There have been many times in my life, when I experienced facing that lion. There have been times also when I gave in, and let the lion eat me up, get scared, and just sit in the corner waiting for the lion to devour me. But God, in His mercy allowed me to conquer the many lions in my life, through the power of the Holy Spirit. So do not be afraid, when you are faced with a roaring lion in your life and when people are mocking you or setting a trap on you, know that when you walk in the light of Jesus, you will not be harmed.
Love the Psalm this week...Give glory and eternal praise to Him...Dew and rain, bless the Lord, Frost and Chill, bless the Lord, Ice and Snow, bless the Lord, Night and Days, bless the Lord, Light and Darkness, bless the Lord, Lightning and Clouds, bless the Lord... How many times in our lives we blamed or even hated God for bringing problems into our lives? (this is a pre-cursor to the Gospel). When we are happy or sad, do we remember Him? When we get a new job or lost a job, do we remember Him? Or do we only remember Jesus, when bad things happen to us or problems or sickness or death, then forget about Him in good times? The Psalm reminds us to bless the Lord all the time, in good times and bad, rain or shine, because everything that God's brings to our life teaches us to be more close to Him. If you are rich, bless Him, if you are poor, bless Him even more! if you are happy, bless Him...if you are sad, bless Him even more... As Fr. Bill Halbing said, in the darkness of our lives, there we will find our Saviour alone with us. And this is why I try not to complain anymore when bad things happen, I try to remind myself of the suffering of Christ and unite my sufferings with Him, then I start blessing and praising His Name.
Now onto the gospel! How many of you will be scared when Jesus tells you that your city will be destroyed? What will you do? Jesus tells us that no one will escape..."Woe to the pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth". I was trying to ponder on this line the most. I feel the Holy Spirit telling me, that no one is excluded in the eyes of God, even the nursing ones and the ones in the womb, and this is why abortion is such a horrible thing in the eyes of God, because He sees us even before we are born. If God values those ones that are still in the womb, why then do we treat them as disposable objects? why then do we treat our bodies as if we are gods?
Why then do God allow calamity, problems, death, sorrow and pain in our lives? Only God knows. But one thing I do know, and this is written in the Scriptures as well. Because of the hardness of our hearts does God allow things to happen (Luke 19:8). And this is so that we can see Him in our own brokeness and lowest part of our life, when everything has been swept away by calamity (problems/sufferings/events...etc) and we feel that we are nothing and there is nothing left, then we can see Jesus clearly in our lives.
God loves you!
A Blessed Thanksgiving to each and everyone of you! Don't forget to bless the name of Jesus today and forever!
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