Saturday, December 26, 2015 1st Reading: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 Gospel: Mt 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples, “Be on your guard with respect to people, for they will hand you over to their courts and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of me, and so you may witness to them and the pagans.“But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say and how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak; but it will be the Spirit of your Father in you.
“Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
Has Jesus found our hearts merciful and compassionate at the commemoration of his birth yesterday? If we had become merciful and compassionate, the overt acts should be as concrete as the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The spiritual works of mercy are as follows: Admonish sinners; Counsel the doubtful; Comfort the afflicted; Bear with those who do us wrong; Pray for one another and for souls; Instruct the ignorant; forgive sinners.
To admonish sinners is not to antagonize them. Neither does it involve moralizing. Moralizing and antagonizing will make the sinner defensive. The best way to admonish sinners is to prick on their consciences through loving service. Love remains the only effective antidote to sin. To admonish sinners may come out challenging to those who are not willing to love.
On the other hand, instructing the ignorant is made easier by technology placing communication facilities in our hands, literally. Let us not waste this precious opportunity. Instead of posting narcissistic photos in our facebook accounts, let us utilize the precious space and the priceless publicity to the maximum benefit of souls by being catechetical. We can talk about our personal experiences in pictorial language and share the moral lessons derived therefrom to our FB fans and followers.
Of the spiritual works of mercy enumerated above, forgiveness remains the most challenging because it involves the exercise of the Godly acts of mercy and compassion. The timing of today’s feast of Stephen, the first martyr, is Jesus’ way of saying “I mean business!” Christmas smiles will give way to pouted lips upon the realization that this innocent child will ask us to carry the heavy cross of forgiveness of others. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
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