Friday, November 1, 2013
All Saints Day
1st Reading: Rev 7:2-4,9-14
2nd Reading: 1 Jn 3:1-3
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he spoke and began to teach them:
“Fortunate are those who have the spirit of the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.
“Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land.
“Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
“Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
“Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.
“Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God.
“Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers.
Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
Not everyone who wins rejoices. Consider the joke involving a winner of a sack of rice. He was sad when he found out that the raffle organizers had the sack of rice cooked before awarding it to him. Similarly, not all who lose mourn. Consider the joke about a distressed plane. The passengers that had deplaned left only three parachutes for the last four passengers which includes a priest, a boy, a congressman and a lawyer. The lawyer and the congressman insist they should have a parachute each because they are important to society. Down they jump with a parachute each. The priest insists that the boy should take the only remaining parachute. “No big deal, Father,” the boy said, “there are parachutes for you and for me because the lawyer jumped with my knapsack instead”. The priest is willing to lose but comes out a winner.
Life is a paradox. This is what today’s Gospel is all about. Those who rejoice end up in mourning; those who mourn end up rejoicing. The world wrongly declares victorious those who are losers in the spirit. But losers by human standards come out real winners in the eyes of God. Their path to victory though is more arduous, slow and more painful. But sweet is the victory of those who persevere.
Today we honor these real victors as we celebrate All Saints’ Day. May their lives inspire us to brave the storms of earthly trials and so come one day to the victory that awaits those who persevere! – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:[email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
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