Shopaholic
February 16, 2010
|
| |
Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. – James 1:14
My friend Charmaine is a certified shopaholic. She spends so much money on things she doesn’t really
need.
“A wrist watch worth P17,000? How is it different from other watches that cost much less?” I asked her once
when she told me what she wanted to buy.
“But I can’t help it. Every time I see it on display, I feel like it’s calling me, saying I need to buy it,” she
reasoned. “Of course you can avoid buying it,” I reasoned with her, “just stop going to that shop and the
watch will stop talking to you!”
How foolish we can be when we try to justify a wrongdoing, especially one that we love doing over and over
again. There are things in our lives we find difficult to give up, things we know are not pleasing to God yet we
continue to hold on to because it gives us pleasure.
But do not be fooled. What may seem to be a pleasurable thing could just be the enemy’s tool to further
push us down into the pit of sin. Act now and let go of that habitual sin before it’s too late. Jane Gonzales
(mjsg2468@yahoo.com)
REFLECTION:
No bad habit is too strong to break if we really want to break it. Nothing is so enticing that we will not be able
to resist it with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, I know that on my own I easily give in to foolish temptations. Protect me from myself, Lord, and
guide me on the path of what is right and good. Amen.
1st READING
God’s will for our lives is all that really matters. I hope the Scriptures have made this perfectly clear to us
because I cannot make it any clearer. This fact ought to be a consolation to us as there is an objective
means by which to judge how we live and what we do, namely God’s will. “What is God’s will for me?” you
ask. That is a good question and the answer is, “That is up to you to discern and discover!” It is not for
anyone else to tell you what God’s will for your life is.
James 1:12-18
12 Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of
life that he promised to those who love him. 13 No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being
tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 Rather, each
person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire conceives and brings
forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers:
17 all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom
there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. 18 He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we
may be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
P S A L M
Psalm 94:12-13a, 14-15, 18-19
R: Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.
12 Blessed the man whom you instruct, O LORD, whom by your law you teach, 13 giving him rest from evil
days. (R) 14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, nor abandon his inheritance; 15 but judgment shall
again be with justice, and all the upright of heart shall follow it. (R) 18 When I say, “My foot is slipping,” your
kindness, O LORD, sustains me; 19 when cares abound within me, your comfort gladdens my soul. (R)
G O S P E L
Jesus wants His disciples to look beyond the obvious and see what the Spirit is saying to them through the
various events of their lives. This is the key to walking in the Spirit of God rather than in the spirit of the world.
This is what it means to take discipleship to the higher level of the saints rather than merely stay on the
lower level of the “fellow traveler.” Jesus calls us to deepen our faith in Him. This is only possible by living
according to the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis.
Mark 8:14-21
14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 He
enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They
concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. 17 When he became aware of this he
said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or
comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you
not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of
fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven loaves for the four
thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” 21 He said to
them, “Do you still not understand?”
Another Lesson from James
Have you ever blamed God when something bad happens? Have you ever asked angrily, “Why did you let
this happen?” If you haven’t, surely you have heard others ask these and similar questions, in effect,
accusing God of tempting them or sending problems, sufferings and all kinds of bad things in their life.
We have been so trained to excuse ourselves and accuse others that even God is not spared from it. We
become used to blaming others for negative things happening to us; we blame the devil, bad genes, sexual
abuse, abusive parents, mid-life crisis, the society — and in the end, many blame God. Even in Confession I
sometimes hear people accusing others without confessing a single sin they have committed.
While the factors I just enumerated have definitely a negative effect on us and influence our actions, we still
have a free will and must remain responsible for our wrong actions.
Now, please read today’s passage from the Letter of James. He stresses that “God does not tempt
anybody.” Where then originates our wrongdoing? James again has a clear answer: “Everyone who is
tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire. Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin,
and when sin is fully grown, it too has a child, and the child is death.”
Wow! That’s a simple but powerful image. Where does every evil start? It starts in ourselves, in our “own
wrong desire,” in our thoughts. The control of our thoughts, therefore, is the beginning of curbing all
temptations. Entertain evil thoughts just for a short while and you will have difficulties to get rid of them. Evil
thoughts are like weeds that take root immediately, that grow and spread fast and “kill” the beautiful flowers
we would like to enjoy.
What shall we do? Weed out evil thoughts the moment they emerge and — this is very important — replace
them with something positive. And you will see they will not give birth to sin. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD
Reflection Question:
Am I infected by the virus of always blaming others? Do I have difficulties admitting my own wrongdoings?
Lord, I have to admit: I have blamed You for many bad things in my life. But how wrong I was! I have to blame
myself, my carelessness with evil thoughts which I allow to grow. Help me to replace what is negative with
thoughts of You and Mary, our Mother.
St. Daniel, pray for us.
|
| |
| |
|
