EVERYTHING FOR GOD
The Gospel today continues Jesus’ teachings on the Kingdom of God. This time,
He uses the parable of the fishing net. As mentioned in the Gospel,
after the catch, the good fish are gathered and the worthless ones
discarded. He is describing Judgment Day. Later, He mentions that the
teacher has the responsibility to use all the knowledge he has to guide his followers to the Kingdom.
Saint Alphonsus Mary De Liguori was a very good lawyer. His colleagues feared
him as he had never lost a case until that dispute over an estate whose
ownership was subject to law. Saint Alphonsus missed a passage which
made the point clear and decided against his client. As a result, he had
to hand the case to the other side. Saint Alphonsus was greatly humbled
by that event. From that point onwards, he refused to pursue his
profession. His calling came when he visited the sick and heard the
call, “Leave the world and give yourself to me.” Leave and give he did
by becoming a priest and founding
the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
Even though he became a priest, he did not abandon his legal expertise.
In fact, he saw it as a good discipline to pursue the Kingdom and help
others towards it. He was known for clear and brief homilies. He made
use of his legal talents in presenting a good case for the Gospels. He
said, “I have never preached a sermon which the poorest old woman in the
congregation could not understand.” When he speaks, everybody listens. A
listener once commented, “It is a pleasure to listen to your sermons;
you forget yourself and preach Jesus Christ.”
Saint Alphonsus was an example of one who had found the “Pearl of Great Price” and gathered everything he could find in order to acquire it. The loss of
the legal profession is the gain of the Church. In him, the Church
found a model for every Christian. God has given us gifts and we must
use those gifts to obtain the Kingdom for ourselves and for everyone.
God meant them for His purpose but the choice is ours to make it so! Fr. Benny Tuazon
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS: What gifts has God given you? How are you using them? Are
they blessings (used for God’s greater glory)? Or have they become
curses (used against the will of God)?
Thank You, Lord, for the gifts You have bestowed on me. Help me use them for Your Kingdom.
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