Daily Reflections

September 3, 2011 GOD RULES THE RULES It should not take a genius to know that if you believe in God, then it should be God who must prevail and be obeyed. But actual experience tells us that it is easier said than done. In many instances, we still disobey God and do our will instead of His. That was one of the main reasons why God sent His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Aside from the Father’s intention of letting us believe that He is with us, He wanted us to know the real intent and spirit of His commandments. Salvation should be the ultimate goal of everything that we do. Everything we do must advance our relationship with God. In the same way, everything we do must be a rejection of the attraction of evil. Everything we do must be a defeat of satan. The laws were supposed to fulfill all of the above. One time, I was reviewing for our final examinations in the seminary. A fellow seminarian knocked at my door and asked me to pray with him in the chapel. He wanted company in asking God for an intention. It was a very tempting invitation but I was reviewing for my examinations. I told him that I couldn’t go. If I left and prayed, I’d surely endanger my passing that subject. Part of my responsibility to the vocation of the priesthood was to pass my subjects. Had I gone to pray and failed in my exam, I would have been a good Christian but found wanting in becoming a minister of God. My decision was not because I did not want to pray or that prayer was not a good act. It was my review time and not my prayer time. It wasn’t God’s will for me to pray that particular time. At another time, I would have easily gone with him in prayer. St. Ignatius calls it discernment or the capacity to see through things in terms of their apostolic value and salvific relevance. It helps us to do things according to the intentions of God. Faced with a lot of rules to follow in our lifetime, we have to remind ourselves that those rules are manmade and therefore limited. Only God, who is omnipotent and from whom those rules came from, is perfect. Therefore, only God rules the rules! Fr. Benny Tuazon Reflection Question: Do I take into consideration God’s will for me in every little decision I make? Lord, let me see Your will for me in the big and small decisions I do. St. Natalis, pray for us.