Fearfully And Wonderfully Made

"You have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:13-14)

The Bible tells us that each child is specially made by GOD and He has a plan for each one. Only GOD can create a soul and no one can force Him to do it. No child is ever an accident. Today we celebrate the birthday of Saint John the Baptist who is a prophet and the cousin of Jesus. His special mission was to prepare the world for the arrival of Jesus Christ.

Each of us is a saint in the making, created to be so like Saint John even in our mother's womb, each meant to speak and live lives that pave a way for Jesus Christ into the hearts of others.

Let us form our young ones not to be influenced by materialism, immorality and less value driven beings but to be holy children, not to be wealthy but happy, not to be senators but saints intended to be jewels that adorn GOD's crown of infinite beauty.

Do Not Judge Others

Jesus says, "Do not judge others." Judging others behind their backs stunts our spiritual growth since we see only the faults of others while we become blind to ours. It stops the flow of GOD's blessings into His Kingdom for it makes us proud judges of who are and who are not "worthy" of our help. And we end up judging GOD Himself and which of His commands are valid or not. On the other hand, Jesus is not telling us to ignore those who are living in sin.

Fraternal correction is also a command of Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17). In the First Reading, the Father sends many servants to warn His people of their sins (2Kings 17:13). Admonishing sinners is one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. Backbiting, even if true, seeks to strip away human dignity. Fraternal correction seeks to show a brother or sister the path to heaven.

Let us pray to the Holy Spirit, to give us the wisdom to judge, not others but the things and choices in our life accordingly - not to destroy but to build.