25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B, Year II)

Community Word:Honoring God’s commandments bring peace to our hearts

Theme:There is peace in our hearts when we surrender our selfish ambition as we serve Jesus.

Promise:“God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life.”(Ps 54:4)

Reflection:
The theme for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time tells us:There is peace in our hearts when we surrender our selfish ambition in serving Jesus.When we surrender our whole being to God, we “put to death” all our cares, our desires, our dreams, our ambitions, all that we are and all our situation and place them under God’s full control and power. Rather than following our own inclination and will, we let them go and we choose to follow and serve Christ, our Lord and Savior. This act of total surrender brings us peace that surpasses all understanding, no matter what circumstances we may be in, for we know in our hearts that His plan is always for our own good and best interest. As the Lord declares in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Thus, St. Paul admonishes the Philippians, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others,” (Phil 2:3-4). Selfish ambition means to be gloriously vain and self-seeking, always looking after his own, above the interest of anyone else. People who are selfishly ambitious are those who want to achieve position, gain authority and possess power by making themselves appear they are in control and put their own interest above others by trickery and deceit. But while they may reach their dreams and be applauded by many, they will never attain genuine peace in their hearts.

It is but human to desire personal happiness, comfort, prosperity, and security; to want good health and fulfilling experiences, and to achieve our full potential. In the process of trying to obtain all these, we tend to rely upon our natural and physical strength and often, ignoring to discern what God wants for us. We should be reminded that surrendering to God leads us to a deeper intimacy with and more powerful service to Him. The more areas of our lives we yield to God, the more room we give the Holy Spirit to empower us. And as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the clearer we see God’s will, our life’s purpose, our responsibilities, and the task we ought to accomplish for Him in His plan for our future.

Indeed, it is a choice between “us” – with our superficial power, foolish intelligence and limited strength, – and our God who is almighty, omniscient and infinitely perfect. When we yield to God’s perfect knowledge and wisdom to guide us in our life’s journey, we can be assured of His promise: “God is my helper; the Lord sustains my life,” (Ps 54:4). His divine power will flow through us, making us right in the tasks that He calls us to do for His glory. And the reward that we will receive for serving Him faithfully in this world is our life of eternal peace with Him in heaven. The temporary benefits that we are gaining through our personal efforts are nothing compared to the reward of eternal life where we will be one with the Blessed Trinity in their perfect love. Only by our total surrender to God’s will can we hope to achieve this in God’s heavenly kingdom.

Prayer:
Father God, You know the things that I do to gain control over my life. I resist the things that I don’t understand and I fight to change those that I do not like. Please forgive me for being self-centered, foolish and ambitious. Grant me peace in my heart as I trust You for the things that I cannot change.Good and loving Father, please give me the strength and wisdom I need to surrender completely to You. This I pray in the might name of Jesus and with the intercession of Mama Mary. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1.What are the areas in your life that you hesitate to let go, knowing these are not in accord with God’s will for your life? Do you feel that sometimes you are disobedient to what God is telling you to do?
2.How does it make you feel when you offer your desires and everything else in your life to Jesus to handle and control?
3.Share your experience when your faith was tested and what happened when you place your total trust in the Lord’s will and plan?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
Sept23, 2018 (Sun) -Wis 2:12, 17-20/Ps 84:3, 4, 5, 6, 8/Jas 3:16-4:3/Mk 9:30-37
Sept24, 2018 (Mon)-Prv 3:27-34/Ps 15:2-5/Lk 8:16-18
Sept25, 2018 (Tue) -Prv 21:1-6, 10-13/Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 35, 44/Lk 8:19-21/
Sept26, 2018 (Wed) – Prv 30:5-9/Ps 119:29, 72, 89,101,104,163/Lk 9:1-6
Sept27, 2018 (Thu) – Eccl 1:2-11/Ps 98:3-6, 12-14, 17/Lk 9:7-9
Sept28, 2018 (Fri) – Eccl 3:1-11/Ps 144:1-4/Lk 9:18-22
Sept29, 2018 (Sat) -Dn 7:9-10, 13, 14/Ps 138:1-5/Jn 1:47-51

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”