Vengeance, Sacrifice and God's Love

JEREMIAH 20:10-13

Jeremiah said: "I hear the whisperings of many: 'Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!' All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. 'Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.'

But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion.

O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!"

ROMANS 5:12-15

Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned -- for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law.

But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression.

For if by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.

MATTHEW 10:26-33

Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

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Manila is now flooded due to Typhoon Frank. We walked to church with wet sandals and rolled-up pants as we prepared ourselves to partake of Christ in the Eucharist.

We were only able to attend 2/3 of the mass, the readings being over. The church was not full, in contrast to the overflowing number of people who would go to church every Sunday in very Catholic Philippines. This stormy Sunday, only a few pews were occupied.

It is nice to reflect on the fact that we attempted at reaching the church wading through the floods and taking risks on being exposed to possible disease, just to receive Jesus.

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The readings for this Sunday makes me reflect on three things: 1) the concept of vengeance, 2) Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, as it was compared to Adam's sin, and 3) God's omniscience, His being all-knowing.

VENGEANCE
"Vengeance is not ours, it's God's," so the old saying goes. The reading from Jeremiah makes me wonder how the Jews of the Old Testament view God's might and power: it makes me believe that they put their faith on a God who will exterminate their enemies and crush their persecutors. This is however easy to understand if we are to recall how the Jews were persecuted in their captivity in Egypt and by the Assyrian empire.

How do we view vengeance? As a way of exacting justice just to pacify our selfish yearning for revenge? Or an opportunity to behold the saving power of God that He may be worshipped and glorified?

Jeremiah, as I read the whole passage, had the right concept of revenge, and his heart is in the right place.

ADAM AND JESUS
He blew it! Just when Adam and Eve thought of how God blessed them abundantly: no need to hunt, no pain in childbirth, just don't eat that fruit in that cursed tree, he blew it.

But Jesus changed all that. It causes me to love Jesus more because of what He did for us: He had to die just to restore God's favor to His human creatures. Although God can only answer why, He verily allowed us to see the way how.

Let us thank God for giving us the chance to be truly with Him not only in heaven, but also within our hearts.

TRUST IN GOD'S LOVE
God surely is a booster of self-esteem. When we may have been feeling how the world has left us, God then comes to console us, and tells us how valuable each of us are to Him. He even goes so far as to tell us how much we do not need to worry about anything, as long as we follow Him.

How do I trust God? How do I love God back?

Today is the feast of Saint Thomas More, lawyer and martyr. He reaffirmed his belief that he must not be afraid of those who are out to kill him: he willingly surrendered his rights and privileges during the persecution of Henry VIII of England in the 16th century.

More was one of the people who bitterly protested Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church after the Pope refused to grant annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon. He was sentenced to death, and was canonized in 1935.

Am I willing to offer my life while trusting God?

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Saint Thomas More and Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, martyrs, pray for us.

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photo credits:
http://www.moshereiss.org/messenger/10_jeremiah/rembrandt_jeremiah.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/423168386_4dead2166c.jpg
http://www.pugsplace.com/blog/image2/sermon.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Hans_Holbein_d._J._065.jpg