Thursday June 25, 2009

Thursday June 25, 2009 of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
Scripture Readings: Genesis 16: 1-12, 15-16 Psalm 106: 1-5 Matthew 7: 21-29
Response: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!”

The beginning of God’s establishment of the Arab Nations under His wing is told, in the saga of Hagar, an Egyptian maid to Abram’s wife Sarai.
We tend to exclude people from God’s providence, if they don’t believe as we do. We must realize God’s hand in all creation, even those who we don’t necessarily deal with on a day to day basis.
The Nations from the loins of Ishmael, also had their genesis from Abram. Therefore, although we believe their religion isn’t what God preferred, we none-the-less must recognize, He created them as well.
The Nation of Islam consists of more than a Billion souls. Do we think for a moment God will ignore them.
The story of Hagar and Abram illustrates how sometime God uses extraordinary means to accomplish His objectives. We should get used to others pleadings to God for their cause. It may not be our cup of tea. However, we are not the judge of God’s initiative or final purpose. Therefore, we are to do His will as He has designed through our Church and because we believe His instructions are clearly delineated therein, follow them!

The psalmist makes the same point. Give thanks to God for He is good.
Who are we to deny His mercy to whomever He desires?
All the praises due Him cannot come from us alone. ALL who sincerely seek Him will be heard. ALL who do what is right will be blessed!

To further amplify the theme of dependence of Him, Jesus tells us in His Gospel message, “Those who DO the will of My Father will enter the Kingdom. Not the words only folks, but the doers.
He continues to outline some of those who will not enter! Hypocrite preachers and prophets, saintly lechers, insincere exorcists and others of their ilk are in for a tough time if they don’t repent now!
Do you think of yourself as one of God’s chosen? If you ignore the needs of others, refuse to solace those in suffering, and put on a holier-than-thou face when you pray or petition, don’t be alarmed if your requests fall on deaf ears, It may be an omen of your need to change.