-
- THE NEEDED
RULES
- By Carolle
Bautista
- I love you,
Jesus. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus.
Many times in the past, I have said these words with sincerity from
my heart. I have said them in moments of happiness, in moments of
grief, in moments of sadness, in moments of need and
 in moments
of prayer. Yet, somehow, I do not understand how I could say I love
HIM, but many times in the past, I have offended Him by falling into
sin. Though it may be shameful to admit, I still remain a miserable
sinner who does not always obey the commandments of God.
Why is it so hard to abide by God's commandments when it all seems
so easy to follow? Why is it so easy to fall into sin even if we try
our best to be close to God always? Why is it that we often say we
love Him but our actions say otherwise? Why does it seem that there
are so many contradictions in our midst that leave us confused and
shattered with guilt?
Sometimes, we have just finished praying on our own, or with our
family members, or with our prayer group. Then the moment we are
done, we do not realize that we resort to things we thought harmless
but are actually against His commandments. “You shall have no other
gods before Me.” (Deuteronomy 5:7). “Love the Lord, your God, with
all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.”
(Deuteronomy 6:5). How many times in the past have we read our
horoscopes or gone to paranormal people, faith healers and the like,
to know our future or for healing? Have we not one true God in the
name of Jesus Christ who knows what lies ahead of us, and the Holy
Spirit, the source of our healing?
Then, how about the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother,
as the Lord, your God, has commanded you, so that you may live long
and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord, your God, is
giving you” (Deuteronomy 5:16)? Many times in the past, when we have
disagreements with our own parents, we start answering back with
disrespect and anger. I hope this does not happen with our own
children. Otherwise, this whole cycle continues. It should stop
somewhere, somehow.
And how many times in the past, present and future have we been
exposed and will be exposed with our “full consent” to movies that
are full of bad values, contradictory to our faith, depicting
violence in great proportions, or with characters we know are from
forces and powers that are not from God - for the sake of being
entertained? And worst, we also allow our children to watch these
movies.
In the midst of all this, we should teach our children the
commandments of God and review it with them as often as we could. In
fact, the Bible is very specific on this. “Impress them on your
children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as
symbols on your hands and bind them on the doorframes of your houses
and your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:7-9). I am not proud to say it, but
up to now, I have not done so. Maybe I thought they knew it already
from their religion class. How could I assume when I've learned my
lesson from someone once – “You never assume, it could be
otherwise.” As parents therefore, we should make sure this happens!
“Now, it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the
Lord, your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I
command you today, that the Lord, your God, will set you high above
all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon
you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord, your
God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)
-
Let us not think though that because we want to receive many
blessings, then we would follow His commandments. Rather, let us
treat God's commandments with reverence and let us follow the
conditions set forth in His decrees because we love and respect
Him; He will then take care of the blessings. After all, who does
not want to be lifted up, to be healthy, to be productive in every
area of our life, to be prosperous and victorious, and to win
God's favor? He just asks one simple thing: Follow His
commandments. We should claim ourselves blessed that we have
decrees and laws to observe. Because in any society, rules are
needed to keep everything in order. From this day on then, let
our will be strong to live up to His commandments, both in words
and in deeds.
-
TELL US
LIKE IT IS!
- Has
something wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did
God answer your prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like
Isaiah, meet God’s whisper?
- Have
you felt His powerful hand working in your life recently?
-
Everyday, people are experiencing God’s mighty Word in their
lives and it is a pity that very few know about it. Do you have
a story to tell? Some Good News to share?
- E-mail
us (genesis@catholic.org)
or fax us (021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You
don’t have to be a great writer to do this. We can help you
write it – just tell us like it is!
- Don’t
forget to write the subject: “Let Me Tell You A Story”
For comments, suggestions
or ideas:
Write us: Jl. Bacang No. 20
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Call us: (6221) 720-3824
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
Genesis
Catholic Community
- All
Rights Reserved 2003
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part of this website may be copied, reproduced or modified without
the permission from the webmaster.
|
IN THIS ISSUE:
HIS Servant
by Bro. Pete Lapid
The Father Speaks
By Fr. S. Binzler, SJ
Our Faith
By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
Place of Refuge
By Philip Yuson
Surabaya Corner
By Ramon Martillano
Community Life
By Tintin Magbitang
Reflection
By Fr. Agustinus Belo,
PR
Straight from the Heart
By Carolle Bautista
Catholic News Service
On Focus
By Sansu Garin
Saint for the Month
 |
