Compilation of Reflections: Fernando De Larrazabal
August 20, 2009ABORTION IS MURDER!
For today in the city of David a savior has been born
for you who is Messiah and Lord. –Lk 2:11
Abortion has become an international issued and has
polarized people into those who are in favor and those who are against it. One
appropriate question we would ask is: What would have been our fate if Mary
aborted Jesus? This is a hypothetical question, and I must admit that it can be
directed to anyone who wants to abort the unborn child. Begin with this thought
– if Jesus were aborted, what becomes of us who are hoping for an everlasting
life? Thanks to our Blessed Mother who held on to her baby and fulfilled the
promise of salvation.
There are many reasons why a woman may want to abort
her child; some are flimsy and others are outrightly outlandish. Just the same,
they are plain and simple murder of an innocent human being. The pregnancy may
have been a mistake or even caused by rape. But must the baby pay th price? The
unborn child is blameless and should not suffer the consequences of the act of
misguided adults.
Jesus accomplished man’s redemption. Do you know what
your baby can accomplish if given the chance to live? The baby could have grown
into a responsible person. Now, imagine what your baby may have accomplished
with the opportunity of life. He/she could have kissed your forehead as a sign
of respect. He/she could have given you beautiful memories as he/begins to sing
to you, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in
it…” Even if he/she sings it with broken notes we don’t grow tired listening
because it gives us joy. Or that child may grow to become a great leader who
will define for us what it takes to be a true and dedicated leader. Or he/she
may become a doctor whose idea of healing goes beyond the professional fees. Or
he/she might become a businessman with a conscience.
Just remember that our Savior was born on Christmas day
to give us a world replete with enormous possibilities. Merry Christmas to you
and the child within you!
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, there are people who, through ignorance or
premeditation, are trying to limit the population growth by killing the unborn
child. In their wrong notion of zero population growth, they want to limit the
number of little angels who will sing ”Hosanna”. Provide the expectant mother
the grace to recognize the evil that killing the child would cause. May you
provide the expectant mother with a change of mind and safe delivery . Amen.
BURY YOUR PAST
In your justice rescue and deliver me; listen to me and
save me! -Ps 71:2
You are precious in the eyes of God, regardless of your
present human condition. You may be a thief, a murderer, a drug pusher, a
prostitute, or whoever, but God loves you. He is a loving, merciful and
forgiving God who wishes to absolve you from your past guilt. But there is,
however, the need for you to make necessary changes. Once you are forgiven, you
need not look back, for he forgives and forgets.
All you need to be rescued from your present guilt is
to repent, bury your past and begin anew. Sometimes, breaking away from one’s
sinful past is difficult, for we acquire bad habits that are hard to break. You
must trust and believe in God, who can help you change. Many others in worse
situations have been able to overcome their sinful life and change for the
better. What they can do, you can also do with God’s help, if you put your mind
to it.
Jesus provided us with sacrament of Reconciliation,
where you can be absolved of all your past sins. Avail of this gift as often as
you need, but always with the desire and purpose of amending your life,
exerting all efforts to avoid committing the same sins. God, who loves you,
will deliver you from your past, if you just give him the opportunity. Give
yourself a break, start today! Tell God you want to change and ask for his
help.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I am heartily sorry for the many sins I
have committed against you. I trust in your forgiveness and I promise to avoid
persons and circumstances that cause me to sin. I ask you, dear Jesus, for the
strength to overcome all temptations and amend my life. Amen.
Light Or Darkness: Which One?
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light.
Mt. 4:16
We belong to a world where light and darkness co-exist.
We have equal opportunities to live in one or the other, and we do so by
choice. No one is really a fence sitter for long; eventually one has to decide
which way to go. The “either-or” choices of good or evil is something we have
to contend with in life. It is a never-ending dilemma that makes our choices
interesting. God has provided each of us with a free will, which we use to
choose between the good life or the evil way. All throughout our existence we
make decisions between one or the other. The evil one is never at rest, always
pursuing and tempting. This should not be an issue to fear, for we have the
light of Christ on our side, who has already conquered the evil of darkness. In
the end however, the choice is ours to make. Pray that you will always make the
right decision.
The danger lies in not knowing how to make the right
choice- to sin or not to sin is the question. To be in darkness is to be blind
to the light. How does one go about removing the blindfold? By yourself you
cannot, you need God who can help you. Sin can become a habit, and like all
habits, can become second nature. One gets so deep in sin that he cannot see
the light and does not know how to extricate himself, and sometimes does not
wish to do so.
This is a warning – sin is a disease that can worsen
and become terminal. The only way out is to top. It is hard but with God’s help
it can be done. If you have reached this point, I suggest that you consult a
minister of God who will help you make this difficult decision. As you open
yourself and allow God to enter your life, you will see the great light.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, show me how I can make the wisest decisions
in my daily life. Give me the sense to avoid all foolish extremes and
impractical judgments in following you. Help me to prefer your company whenever
I can. Let me never neglect my duties and responsibilities, impede my desire to
do your will, or offend against true charity. Amen.
ONLY ONE ANSWER
Then all the disciples left Him (Jesus), and fled. –Mt.
26:56
The disciples loved Jesus, but when the moment of truth
came and they saw the soldiers arresting him in the garden, they feared for their
lives and fled. They failed to support Him when the situation got rough and
dangerous. Isn’t this reaction similar to our own? It is easy to love and
follow Christ when all is going well, but the moment there is need to prove our
love by abiding by His will, we fail. The moment Christ intervenes and demands
that we change our ways, we rebel and disobey; when His ways conflict with our
own lifestyle, we desert Him. Instead of bending our will to His, we expect
Jesus to be flexible to our wishes and submit to our will.
Every time we break His law, we are in fact telling
Jesus that we do not recognize His kingship over us and that His law is subject
to ours. Every time we sin, we desert and deny Him, like Peter did. But Peter
returned to his senses, repented and was forgiven. On the other hand, Judas hid
his guilt, was remorseful and killed himself. We can choose from these two
alternatives – we can repent and be forgiven, or desert Jesus and hide behind
our guilt.
His disciples fled and left Him to His fate. Why did
the Son of Man allow Himself to be tortured, humiliated, made fun of, and be
killed? There is only one answer –LOVE. It is a love so pure, so intense, so
unselfish that He was willing to die for us. He had no other alternative if we
were to be saved. His father demanded this sacrifice, otherwise, there would be
no forgiveness and no redemption.
PRAYER:
How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me? How long
will you hide your face from me? How long must I carry sorrow in my soul, grief
in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look upon
me, answer me, Lord, my God! (Ps 13:2-4)
SEARCHING, HUNGERING, THIRSTING
They will not hunger or thirst anymore and lead them to
springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes.-Rv 7:16-17
We go through life searching, hungering and reaching
out for something. When we finally get it, something else comes to the scene.
This drive never ends and we are never satisfied with what we have
accomplished. There is always another mountain to climb, another river to be
crossed. This need is always there, irrespective of who we are. It may be
another million to be made for the rich, or another peso to be earned by the
beggar.
There is an interior need that the world cannot provide
and this is what keeps us going, searching for that elusive thing. We sometimes
think we have acquired it; but no, it’s like smoke that we try to hold on to,
only to dissipate through our fingers. Why are we not contented with what we
have? Because nothing in this world can provide that which we were born to
have. We were created only to be united with God, and this craving will never
end until its purpose is accomplished.
While at present we cannot attain that heavenly union
with God, nothing prevents us from preparing ourselves and inching towards that
eventuality. We need to concentrate and work towards that goal. We start by
doing away with any barriers in our life that do not conform with Jesus. It is
not enough to do away with sin, but there is also the need to love. We must
love our families, our neighbors, those in need, and , however difficult, our
enemies. What awaits us are the springs of life-giving water, while God wipes
out all our tears.
PRAYERS
Dear Jesus, I count the days, the minutes when I will
stand before you, no longer desiring for anyone or anything, but just enjoying
your presence. Dear Lord, help me and give me the grace to remain faithful to
you, and to help others hunger and thirst for the springs of life-giving water
you promised. Amen.
SEX AND PASSION
Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions,-
Rom 1:26
Sex and passion has become a by-word in much to today’s
society. The world has given it such prominence in a worldly culture that many
have lost sight of its true purpose, that which our God meant it to be. We see
families separated and lives destroyed by that consuming hunger for illicit
sex.
Our permissive society with its double standard of
morality has accepted this perverted way of life as normal. It has become
faddish and modern to be open-minded about these perversions. The chaste is
considered passe’; virtue is considered provincial; what is right is
old-fashioned. We are living in a society which has written an obituary to the
virtue of purity. Immorality has become fashionable, quaint and up-to-date.
Unless men of goodwill stand up against this permissive system, our children
may fall prey to their lures. Prepare and protect your children against this
perverse culture.
Unless the world bring sex back to its proper place in
the matrimonial bed and recognize it as God’s gift to husband and wife only,
this situation will further erode our country’s morals and virtues. Lie awake
and take heed, my friends, be watchful, lest these norms infiltrate your own
homes.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, we are confronted with a society that is
perverted, and we are influence by what is around us. We are tempted and fall
quite frequently. We cannot control these desires as they draw us farther from
you. Our family is affected as we are afraid of the consequences. We need you,
dear Lord- we need your strength, your grace. Help us overcome these unruly
passions. Amen.
THE SON’S PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN
The present heavens and earth have been reserved by the
same word for fire, kept for the day of judgment and of destruction of the
godless. -2 Pt 3:7
Lately there has been a number of prophecies about the
end times. Several sects have prophesied the imminent end of the world. Is the
final hour fast approaching? In some apparitions of the Blessed Mother, she has
stated that her Son’s patience is wearing thin and unless there is a change in
men’s hearts, something awful will happen. Are men’s hearts about to change?
What are the awful things that can happen if man does
not change? Maybe we can base our answers on what God has done in the past. He
did not spare the evil angels who rebelled against him; he condemned them to
hell (2Pt 2:40. Another instance was when God saw how great was man’s
wickedness on earth; the word was corrupt and full of lawlessness, and God saw
the need to cleanse it by flooding and destroying most of the living (Gn 7:23).
There was also the outcry against the wickedness and perversity of Sodom and
Gomorrah. These cities did not escape the Lord’s ire and were destroyed with
fire (Gn 19:24-25).
The world needs to learn from the past. The only means
of escape from God’s wrath is change. We live in a world which is continuously
blaspheming, mocking and ridiculing God with men’s sins. Sin covers the whole
corrupt and perverted world. Wars, revolutions and crimes of all sorts have
infiltrated every nook and corner of society.
Will God’s mercy and compassion prevent disaster from
befalling mankind? Maybe the answer to this can be found in 2 Peter 2:9, “The
Lord knows how to rescue the devout from trial and to keep the unrighteous
under punishment for the day of judgment”.
PRAYER
In you, Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to
shame. In your justice rescue and deliver me; listen to me and save me! Be my
rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are my rock and fortress (Ps
71:1-3)
TODAY, NOT TOMORROW
This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is
at hand.-Mk 1:15
The time to give yourself to God is not tomorrow but
today. You have left this decision pending, until you feel the time is ripe to
do so. Many like you hold back their commitment for fear of giving up the
temporary pleasures they now enjoy. When do you think it will be ripe to say
YES to God? In effect, you are really asking God to wait until you have
finished with the fun life you are leading. The more time you give yourself to
worldly pleasures, the more difficult it is to give them up. How do you know
God will give you the time? In the meantime you are living without bothering
about keeping God’s law. What if you were to die right now, what then?
What do we really mean by God’s reign? The preface of
the Mass of Christ the King describes it as one of truth and life, of holiness
and grace, of justice, love and peace. The beginning of his reign is within us,
when we allow him to come into our lives. We need to realize its fullness in us
and in the world, and this requires the giving up of debilitating worldly
pleasures so we can give time to God’s work. It’s the first step to heavenly
glory which we all look forward to. Some may not give much importance to this,
but if we fail to acknowledge the kingship of Jesus within us and work for its
coming in the world, what assurance do we have that he will recognize us when
we come before him.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I know I should stop going after these
worldly enjoyments, but giving them up is difficult. I want to make you my
principal interest, but at this stage I do not know how. I realize my spiritual
life is in jeopardy and I want to stop. Help me, Jesus, to control these evil
desires; give me the grace and strength to overcome these temptations. I look
forward to this change. Amen.
BREAK UP OF FAMILIES
By: Fernando De Larrazabal
For there have been some….who pervert the grace of our
God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
–Jude 1:4
Sex is part of God’s creation and as Scripture says,
everything that God made is good. His purpose was for man and woman to
procreate and to strengthen the bond of love between them. But they, in their
perversion, have turned sex into something ugly and sinful. Illicit sex has
become a symbol, a byword, no longer hidden as something shameful, but rather
as an accepted practice, measured by how successful one is in this area. Books,
movies, TV programs and brochures glamorize sex. There are more books about sex
than those written about Jesus. Advertisements use sex as part of their
strategies to increase their market share by luring more customers. The Movies
and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has become inutile in the
face of gross negligence by the government to stop the proliferation of shows
catering to the basic instincts of men and women. These relentless attacks on
our traditional family values have become quite alarming because they eat up at
the foundation of our society. Many marriages have failed because of illicit
sex. God has two commandments that are precisely against perverted sexual
pleasures. One is: “You shall not commit adultery” and the other, “You shall
not covet your neighbor’s wife.” Both of these commandments are totally ignored
by many. Disregard these commandments and you deny Jesus, who in turn will deny
you in the end.
Adultery and the perverted way of life are like
cancerous growth having effects which are not limited to the spouses, but are
extended to the children.
The break up of the home leaves the children growing up
with one parent. There is danger in this situation. The influences and
experiences the children are brought up can be perpetuated when they form their
own families. What they see and experience they will adopt in their lives.
PRAYER
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help
all the members of my family and parish, and those involved in the apostolate
to take up our crosses this day, and to be strengthened and guided by the Most
Holy Family. May we “discover anew the many signs of the Church’s love and
concern for the family” (Pope John Paul II, Letter to Families n 3) and thus
strengthen the domestic Church in our time. May all families be able to feel
the loving and caring embrace of God’s love for us. We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
FOLLOW GOD’S ITINERARY
Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden
our hearts so that we fear you not? – Is 63:17
Why do we blame the Lord when we wander away from him?
This is typical of us when we have no one else to blame. When things go wrong,
we find excuses for we have a tendency to pass the buck to someone else. We
might fool others, but can we really fool ourselves?
I have a good friend who was 65 years old and had been
smoking two to three packs of cigarettes a day since the age of twenty. He
contracted cancer of the lungs and suffered from emphysema. He finally died but
his wife kept blaming his friends for his misfortune, and also God for allowing
his death. It was quite obvious as to what caused his demise. No one forced him
to smoke.
God showed us how to live, but he also gave us the gift
of choice- free will. Whatever happens to us, whether good or bad, is caused by
our will, or at times, somebody else’s. God does not will any evil on anyone.
He loves us.
We need to understand life and be ready to accept
responsibilities, especially whenever we make a wrong choice. Life is an
itinerary prepared by God for the journey that lies ahead. We are urged to
follow the journey God has planned for each one of us. Unfortunately, some of
us are thickheaded and deviate from God’s route. No one is to blame if we are
sidetracked by ourselves. Our safety can only be assured if we follow the path
which God has prepared for us. Certainly it was not God who prodded my friend
to smoke, nor is it God’s fault if any of us end up in hell. The choice is ours
to make. Don’t blame God for our misfortunes or mistakes.
PRAYERS
Dear Jesus, no one can say he is blameless. We know
what is good or bad for us. You certainly have laid out for us the way we
should take. Unfortunately, many of us decide to take side trips that are lethal,
and eventually we have to pay the consequences. Dear Lord, we are deaf by
choice and ignore the warnings you have given us. Grant us, O Lord, the
grace to hear you and abide always by your will. Amen.
SELF-DESTRUCT (All youth please read this: for your
guidance!)
So turn from youthful desires and pursue righteousness,
faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with purity of
heart. -2Tm 2:22
The problem with some grown-ups is the difficulty of
facing and acting their age. They try to hold on to the past and relive their
wild youth. They cannot accept the reality that they no longer are the young
impetuous men of yesteryears. To continue with their youthful passions is an
invitation to a ruinous life. The past is a chapter they wish to relive, but
the hands of time can never be turned back.
Psychologically and emotionally, these are people who
have never grown up, who avoid the responsibilities of their state of life. The
past is history, maybe nice to reminisce, but memories nevertheless. Life
continues on and we need to assume today’s responsibilities. As mature
Christians, we must avoid any enticement and overcome youthful passions which
will only lead to our spiritual downfall. These lustful passions have led many
to self-destruct. Marriages and families have been torn apart, children have
been left to fend for themselves with only one parent.
Most of the problems faced by these immature persons
stem from the way their parents allowed them to grow up. Parents have the
obligation to rear their children properly, preparing them to assume mature
responsibilities, otherwise they will grow up irresponsible, unable to take on
family responsibility in the future.
Parents, if you love your children, make sure they grow
up to assume their Christian responsibilities. Remember the biblical advice,
“You will reap what you have sown.”
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, give me the grace and wisdom to help my
children grown up responsibly. I know their future depends much on how I rear
them. I want to teach them to assume their rightful place in society, serving
God and their fellowmen. Amen.
TEACH ME TO PRAY
In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and
he spent the night in prayer to God. –Lk 6:12
Prayer has been defined in many ways, but to my mind
the word that best defines prayer is communion. To commune is to listen, to
communicate, to converse, to convey, to open to each other. This is what we do
or try when we reach out to God in prayer. Maybe this definition is too
simplistic to some. God, who is our Father, our Savior and our Comforter, does
not need a literary composition to understand us. He reads our minds and
hearts, and knows our needs.
In prayer God reveals himself to us. As we pray, we
begin to recognize what he is revealing of himself. We cannot know him by
ourselves; it is with his help that we start to develop a relationship which
ends into a permanent friendship. As we pray and develop this friendship, we
learn to trust him. Trust is an important element if that friendship is to
succeed and develop.
In the early stages, as we try to listen and converse
with God, we may find it boring and difficult. To pray, the desire to reach out
to him is needed. To develop this desire, we need faith that he indeed speaks
and listens as well. Prayer is where God initiates the encounter and we take
that bold step to meet him. Learn what God, through his Son, Jesus the Christ,
has done for us. Understand the love that he bears for each one of us. Get
yourself a Bible and find out. Strengthen this desire to know him by receiving
the sacraments.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, my Lord and my God, I offer you my life. Do
with me as you please. I want to serve you by leading others to know and accept
you as their Lord, I pray, dear Jesus, for the talents and opportunities to
lead others, to abide by your holy will. Guide me in the pursuit of his
mission. Amen.
THEIR GUILT WILL SURFACE
No creature is concealed from Him, but everything is
naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must render an account. –Heb.
4:13
No one wants to expose his guilt and will go at lengths
to prevent it from being known. He will cover up his crime with lies, perjury,
tampering of records, etc., to escape shame or prosecution. The adulterous
husband very discreetly takes on a mistress, or the wife a boyfriend, taking
the necessary precautions to prevent their life partners from discovering it.
The cashier steals from the company and covers it up with fictitious entries or
receipts. The murderer kills in the darkness of the night to cover up his
crime. The student cheats during examinations, taking care that he is not found
out. Like these examples, there are many more instances where the guilty go to
any extent to protect themselves.
The first known liar in biblical history was Cain who
killed Abel and tried to cover up his crime from God. Like him, everyone else
who commits a crime tries to cover it up. There are many crimes that are kept
hidden from view, but like Cain’s, none of them escapes God’s attention.
On judgment day, every word, thought and deed will
surface for everyone to know and God to judge. Nothing can be concealed from God.
Will the unfaithful spouse, the crooked cashier, the vicious murderer and the
cheater be able to defend themselves before God? Who can say their hands are
completely clean? No one can escape the verdict they have brought upon
themselves by their actions. Only those who repent and amend their lives now
will receive their eternal reward.
PRAYER
Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide.
I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord, “ and you took away the guilt of my
sin. Thus should all your faithful pray in times of distress…Many are the
sorrows of the wicked, but my love surrounds those who trust in the Lord (Ps
32:5-6,10)
WHAT FOOLS MEN ARE!
I am the way and the truth and the life. –Jn 14:6
What a bunch of fools men generally are! We are endowed
with a mind that can solve the many mysteries of creation and many of the
intricate problems we face, yet we find difficulty in finding the simple and
easy solution to everlasting life. Many fail in this quest, when all the time
it was there, staring right at them.
Everlasting life is within the reach of everyone. All
we have to do is reach out to Jesus and follow his ways. What is it that blurs
our vision and prevents us from reaching out to him? Greed for worldly things
blinds us and we fail to focus our sights on God. No one is to blame but
ourselves. We set barriers that prevent us from finding God. He is the only way
to the truth and eternal life.
Generally, men live only for the pleasure of the
moment. What fools they are! They forget that these worldly enjoyments are
simply momentary and will surely end. Here is a foolish saying among foolish
men, “Enjoy today, for tomorrow we die.” Although foolish, there is some truth
in it. There is a tomorrow, and we know not the day or the hour it will end.
There is, of course, old age, sickness, accidents, and many other situations
that can accelerate tomorrow’s coming. What happens after tomorrow? Do you want
to play it safe? Reach out to Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, make me more aware of your saving presence
in my life. I want to see you more clearly, I am willing to forget myself and
follow your holy will. Grant me the grace to be more for you and less for this
blind and foolish self within me. Amen.
By: Fernando De Larrazabal
Posted by Rose Fortich.