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The Future Glory versus the Present Suffering (Transfiguration of the Lord)

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To imagine or think about the BEAUTY OF WHAT LIES AHEAD is enough to help us endure the PAINS of what currently obtains. The JOY of being successful in exams is enough to motivate a student to apply himself or herself to studies, not minding the rigors and the stress. The BEAUTY of promotion in the workplace and the JOY of laughing all the way to the bank at the end of every month are enough to motivate an employee to work harder, despite the pains and difficulties he/she may be going through. The Transfiguration of Jesus was a very auspicious moment of encounter in which the future leaders of the early Church (Peter, James and John) had a faint idea or a foretaste of the glory that awaits them in the world-to-come. This encounter must have prepared them for the agony in the garden and must have given them strength and courage to go through the grinding and bitter experiences of witnessing to their faith while on earth. The vision of Daniel in the first reading (Daniel 7:9-10.13-14...
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Hireling Mindset (Wednesday, Week 20, Year II)

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Through Ezekiel (34:1-11), God took the shepherds of Israel to task for feeding on the sheep instead of feeding the sheep.  A better word that qualifies a bad shepherd is a hireling. The interest of the hireling shepherd is to feed on the sheep, not to feed the sheep. A true shepherd takes the sheep as his own and must be ready and willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of the sheep, but a hireling shepherd sacrifices the lives of the sheep for his gains.  In simple and clear terms, a hireling is purely intent on the amount of money or the material gains that he will make, not on the quality of service that he ought to render. Many of us work with a hireling mindset: the quality of the work or services that we do or render is purely determined by the material gains we expect to make. Sometimes, we even relate with God, worship or serve Him on the basis of the material benefits that we expect to get. For many of us, we must be rewarded materially for fasting, for paying tit...
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Where have we placed our faith (Sunday, Week 19, Year A)

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In the first reading, Elijah was on the run after slaughtering the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. Jezebel wanted to snuff out his life. When he got to Mount Horeb (some versions of the Bible describe it as Mount Sinai), his strength couldn’t carry him further; and so he sought refuge in a cave. Remember that it was on this same mountain in Exodus 19:16-18 that God revealed himself to the people of Israel in rumbles of thunder, lightning, fire and earthquakes. It was also on the same mountain in Exodus 3:1 that God revealed himself to Moses in fire (the burning bush experience). Again, Israel dwelt among nations that claim that their gods can also reveal themselves in fire, wind, earthquake and other natural elements. What we have in the person of Elijah is a man who has grown with a certain belief, knowledge and conviction that God can only reveal Himself in nature, in natural elements of fire, thunder, lightning, earthquakes, etc. It is even interesting to know that these elements (o...
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