DAYLIGHT - DAILY MEN OF LIGHT REFLECTION August 22, 2014 / Friday Gospel: Mt. 22: 34 to 40 Sharer: Atty. Bong Roque + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Sharing: Let me be a little “showbizzy” today. I just read a revelation of sorts from a very famous actress, adored by millions, who admitted to hating herself. A part of her confession which saddened me read: “My reaction to midlife crisis was awful; I became rebellious because I hated myself for the way I looked and the time I continued to waste by not focusing and working on bettering my own person… I allowed myself to get fat and stay fat. I became complacent... I ignored the fact that I had lost faith in myself…” What does this juicy showbiz news have to do with the Gospel today? Well, a lot, I guess. In today’s reading from Matthew, the Lord Jesus commands us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Note how we are told to love our neighbor – as we love ourselves. In other words, the way we love ourselves is how we are expected to love our neighbor. The problem arises when we hate ourselves, because if we don’t like what we see in the mirror, how can we genuinely like how others look? I remember the first time I rode an airplane. One of the announcements the flight attendant made was this: “In the event of a decompression, an oxygen mask will automatically appear in front of you... If you are travelling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask on first, and then assist the other person.” The instruction was to put your oxygen mask on first, before helping others. This is an important rule for ensuring survival because if you run out of oxygen, you can’t help anyone else with their oxygen mask. This is also a great metaphor for those of us who run around taking care of everything and everyone else except ourselves. If we don’t take care of ourselves, if we don’t learn to love ourselves, we can experience burnout, fatigue, frustration and – in relation to the Gospel today -- inability to love others. If you are still reading my sharing up to this point, perhaps you are one of those who need to “put your oxygen mask first.” So, how do we “put our oxygen mask first?” Let me share with you a three lessons I learned in my journey towards having a positive self-image or a healthy self-love. First, I had to remind myself that I had been made in the image and likeness of God. He loves me unconditionally as His beloved child. He loves me as I am because He is a God of love. My value does not depend on the neighborhood I live in, the car that I drive, or the opinion of other people. How God sees me is what truly matters. I am not only who I am, but more importantly WHOSE I am. Second, I had to reprogram my mind and believe what the Scripture says about me: I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2: 10). I may have had a not-so-good past, but God is not yet finished with me; I am a work in progress. I may not yet be the person I want to be, but I thank God that I am no longer what I used to be. Third, I quit comparing myself with others and wishing I were someone else. I had to believe deep in my heart that when God made me, He made me His masterpiece so much so that He has not fashioned anyone else like me. I am, after all, an original. I may not be like the others I admire, but God admires all of us. I may have weaknesses and faults, but I started to focus more on the strengths that I have and my unique gifts and abilities. Now, I am sure you can think of other things that you can do to have a positive self-image or a healthy self-love. I encourage you to add your own thoughts to my list. Remember, you have to put your oxygen mask on first, before you can put the oxygen mask of others. Once you are done, then you are ready to go neighbor-loving. God’s love be upon all! + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Take-home verse: “If we say we love God, but hate others, we are liars. For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen.” (1 John 4:20, GNT)
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 15:39:30 +0000