CHOSEN AND LOVED BY GOD - 10/14/22 (Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time)

Luke 12:6-7

“Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101422.cfm

Blessed Friday! God is Infinite in His mercy and love for us. As a proof of His love, He has chosen us to be united with Him. Even before creating the world, God already prepared all the graces that we need in our life. He incorporated us in His Church through Baptism. Our Lord Jesus gives to us His Whole Self in the Holy Eucharist for us to have eternal life. Even amidst our sinfulness, God has been merciful to us by purifying our hearts of all of our sins through the sacrament of confession. Our Lord sees our weaknesses, and He continuously guides us through the Holy Spirit and through the graces He bestows on us to reject temptations. There is no doubt that God loves us, and He chooses us to do His will. And yet, due to our imperfections and sinfulness, we may forget His love for us, and we may fall to sins. There are at least two things we should remember amidst the trials that we experience. 

First, there will be a time that all of our actions will be revealed to everyone. As Jesus teaches us in the gospel reading, all secrets will be known. God knows all of our actions, thoughts, words and intentions. At the same time, in the general judgment and at the end of time, all of the people will know all of our actions in life. Most of the time, we are tempted by the devil to isolate ourselves from other people, or we can be tempted to hide our sins from others. We may feel ashamed, and yet, we can receive the lies from the devil that there's nothing wrong in sinning because no one sees it anyway. As we know, it's just a lie. The truth is that God is always present in our lives, even during the times that we forget Him. This should not cause us to be discouraged. Rather, it's an opportunity for us to be more humble and to always remember, especially during the time of temptations, that God is present in our lives. He is beside us and within us. All we need to do is to come to Him, recognize Him and beg for His help. By being aware of God's presence in our daily life, we have nothing to be ashamed of, even if everyone will see our actions on the last day, because our weaknesses just emphasize the love and patience of God for us. 

Second, we should remember that we cannot escape the notice of God. In the gospel reading for today, Jesus speaks of the sparrows and teaches a point from this example. If God loves these sparrows, how much more does He love us? This should inspire us when we experience trials in life. Like the disciples, we may encounter people who will oppose us and cause sufferings to us. Besides this, we may be so exhausted in our daily life, whether it's the family life or our jobs. We may not hide our pain from other people. Let's remember that God sees our sufferings, and if we persevere during these times, we have the hope of the everlasting reward in heaven. Let's continue to love even those who do not love us. May we ask help from God when we feel we are tired. If we feel that we are experiencing anxiety and discouragement, let's immediately seek God who dwells within us. We will not escape the mercy and love of God. His kindness will be upon the people who place their hope in Him. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/