From the holy Gospel according to
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| ARCHANGEL MICHAEL DEFEATING LUCIFER. Image from google.com |
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free?' Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. i tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then do what you have heard from the Father." [31 - 38]
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The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
Personal Reflection on the Reading
Sharing for the Day
When Adam and Eve were still in paradise, they had freedom. They were free to do anything, to eat anything, but there was a limit to this freedom for they were merely creatures, they were not the Creator but God and only God has absolute freedom and this is the Truth.
But they were deceived by the Devil, who was the first to rebel against God and the truth. And when Adam and Eve listened to the lies of the Devil instead of holding on to their friendship with God, they sinned against God and caused the enslavement of the whole humanity under the power of sin. From that time humanity became separated from God's love. But God so loved mankind that He initiated the re-establishment of a friendly relationship between Him and humanity. He chose holy and willing people in all of history in order to carry out His master plan of freeing mankind from the bondage to sin through His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ: the Word made flesh, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who became man. This is what the Devil, while still the Archangel Lucifer, bearer of the Light, could not accept: that he would have to bow down to a human being, he, an archangel who was supreme above the other angels, would never be a servant of a mere man! And he fell from God's grace. The Lord Jesus tells His disciples about this event [see Luke 10:18].
He let pride overpower him and he committed the first sin against God. But he could bear to be the only one to suffer being separated from God, he enticed others to join his cause and rebel against the Lord but they were defeated by the angels loyal to God led by Archangel Michael. And they were thrown from heaven to hell. From hell they roam the earth to deceive others and like them, be separated from God also just like he did with our parents who failed to cherish the love and friendship of God and let themselves be deceived by his empty promises: empty because such promises will never be realized for after all, he really have nothing to give at all!
So everything that the devil promises are mere deceptions in order to lead us away from the truth that only in God do we have freedom. Many people misunderstand freedom as being an absolute capacity to do what one would like to do, or to others, the right to choose between right or wrong. But true freedom is not being coerced to do what is right, choose what is good, perform what is proper and follow the truth. When we do something wrong, choose something bad, perform what is improper and walk on the path of lies and deception, we are making ourselves slaves of sin. For in these things we violate our friendship with God and destroy our relationship with others. It is not so difficult to see, observe and understand, for example, that when we do something that which violates good laws, rules and regulations, we face the prospect of sanctions, penalties and punishments. If human freedom is absolute, then we would never have to be put under the power of laws and ordinances, rules and regulations. But the truths is that human freedom is not absolute so all our actions, even our speech, are regulated [you may say we have freedom of expression but tell others that person A is a witch or a thief and you probably would be sued for libel].
However, if we live in God and obey His command to love one another, we shall never be enslaved by sin. This is the greatest manifestation of freedom: to offer one's life for the sake of others. Many people consider this rather as enslavement to God but compare it with being under the bondage to sin, and surely if you have an honest mind you will see the great difference! For it is clear that even within human laws and ordinances, rules and regulations we can do so much when we do not cross the limits of these laws, ordinances, rules and regulations. How much more when we live within God's allowance?
We should not aspire for absolute freedom at all for we are not God. That aspiration led to the downfall of Lucifer who became Satan, the Devil, the deceiver, and the reason that Adam and Eve were sent out of Eden. The truth is that we are mere creatures but creatures with so much freedom we only have to know how to use it. And to be able to fully maximize such freedom, let us accept the Lord's offer of discipleship and friendship. With these we can be assured that we shall never be led away from the truth and we shall be truly free!
Application of the Message
[1] Prayer
Pray for the grace of knowing and obeying the truth.
[2] Abstinence
Abstain from something which makes you disregard the truth and which lead yourself to be deceived away from the truth.
[3] Almsgiving
What can you share so that you may inspire someone to be on the side of truth?
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