WE began this month of November with two feast days that are close to our hearts as Catholics: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. These subsequent feast days set the mood for the coming holiday season, one that should be reflective and solemn; one that connects with the images of fall season: the falling of leaves, the shortening days, and the melancholic evenings.
These days then urge us to come to moments of solitude and meditation, away from the rush and the goings, to become more conscious of our vulnerability, imperfections, mortality and reliance on God’s wisdom, strength, and protection.
Periods of silence and contemplation allow us to feel the power and presence of God in our lives. When we feel helpless, weak, and fearful, we rest on the tenderness of God who assures us of his might and protection.
Indeed, our lives can be fragile: one day we can be strong, the next day we can be ill; there will be days when we experience excitement and joy, and there will be times when become frantic, stressed out, and overwhelmed with responsibilities. It is prayer that can put our lives in proper perspectives and center them on God.
One common pitfall in life is to allow one single event, matter, or aspect of one’s life to destroy one’s peace and self-esteem. An engine problem, a loss key, a sinful habit or a mistake in a project is not the sum of one’s life. We can’t let an isolated case or a single error dictate our feeling of worthiness before God and others. We need to look at the total picture of our personal lives to realize how good and faithful we are to our commitments to God, our loved ones and community.
Life is a continuous journey of learning and growing. We can’t dwell on our mistakes; we’ll just have to learn from them and move on. We can repent or make up for our mistakes, but always remembering that every shortcoming, challenge, or even tragedy can become an opportunity for greater success, well-being, and brighter future.
The Scripture Readings this Sunday remind us to keep the statutes and commandments of God. Although we try our best, our human tendencies to be impatient, to be angry, to fall into immoral acts prevent us from fulfilling completely God’s Law. What’s important is that we strive. We can make promises to God; we can declare our love for him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, but again, we can only do our best. The Good News is that the Lord Jesus looks tenderly at those of us who strive repeatedly and says, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
Let’s not lose trust in ourselves to be better children of God. Let’s observe these solemn days of November in prayerful awareness not only of our shortcomings and sinfulness, but also of the sum of all our good deeds. Amen!
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Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
