Disclaimer: Content Piracy is an illegal act and is punishable by law. Finally, these are all based on my experiences and I would love to share them with all of you in hopes that these could also help you win in life with me in this accountability journey of a lifetime ;) Let's win together. God bless :)
Hi guys! I wasn't expecting to be given by God another chance because as you probably know by now and from the past few months we had together, this accountability journey we have here in Account Ability is within 62 days as I was anticipating my school break this year will be. But no, there's 2 weeks extension, meaning, we'll get to be together for 76 days!!! So what better way to reflect on the 10th and 11th week, which I thought would just last for 9 weeks, thank you Lord, is to look back on all the days, weeks, and even months we've shared.
First, on our list, we have Day Seven's key takeaway conclusion (from the Holy Bible):
"A loyal friend is like a safe shelter, find one, and you have found a treasure. Nothing else is as valuable; there is no way of putting a price on it. A loyal friend is like a medicine that keeps you in good health. Only those who fear the Lord can make real friendships because he will treat his friends as he does himself." (Sirach 6:14-17) "I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father." (John 15:15) "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)
Secondly, we have Week Six's reflection conclusion (from the Holy Bible as well):
"But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many... where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:15, 20-21)
As stated in CCC,
"God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil. Where does evil come from? "I sought whence evil comes and there was no solution", said St. Augustine, and his own painful quest would only be resolved by his conversion to the living God. For "the mystery of lawlessness" is clarified only in the light of the "mystery of our religion". The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace. We must therefore approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on him who alone is its conqueror." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed., n. 385)
Now, for this final weekly reflection, when you hear the word 'Saint', what comes to your mind? Bad struggles can be a warning of going down where we don't want to go at all, regardless of how promising they may seem in the beginning, quit them before it's "the end". Good struggles aim up high, and they will pay off in time; have courage, my friend. What does it even mean when it will 'pay off in time'? Sainthood comes in. The point of it all is sainthood. To change for the better, to accomplish higher targets, and to break bad habits, all of them in pursuit of becoming a citizen of Heaven with God forever; that is sainthood.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word Saint or 'St.' is impossible! That is when I was younger. But as I get older and research about it, it's not just about the patron saints we probably heard of already. There are a lot of unsung saints in Heaven right now that we haven't known, but they are up there praying for us who are still here battling in this lifetime to attain the afterlife in Heaven. Once a person dies and makes it to Heaven (us too, God-willing), that person becomes a saint (not an angel). An angel is another creature made by God.
As stated in CCC,
"As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed., n. 330)
St. Dominic, as he was dying, said to his brothers, "Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death, and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life."
As stated in CCC,
"The intercession of the saints. "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . . . They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus . . . . So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped." ... I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed., n. 956)
We, human beings, are ALL called to become a saint, known or unknown. When is it? God calls us specifically in a time He only knows of. But HOW to BECOME it, the charisms from Him got you, my friend. If you wish to know more about Sainthood and Charisms, I would like to suggest reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and following CIY's podcast hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz from Ascension. I'm not sponsored by them at all, but as I stumble across the Bible in a Year, the Catechism in a Year was a great help for me too to discern more about the meaning of life. I can't really fathom how long the afterlife's gonna take when I was younger, but just thinking about the thought of 1,000,000,000 years to sort of understand it is not really enough to top it because it's unending.
How sweet it is to know that we have "ates" and "kuyas" (Filipino terms for elder female and male siblings respectively) in Heaven that are willing to guide us in achieving their greatest milestone in life. Just as we look up to the athletes in every match they play and wait for the awarding where they stand on the podium; 2nd & 3rd Placers side-by-side with the champion in the topmost center, and as we honor the top achievers at the school's Recognition Ceremony and Graduation, and even inventors with their inventions, discoveries, and contributions, protected with patency and the like, we Catholics respect and venerate Saints (Dulia), St. Joseph (Protodulia), the foster father of Jesus, and the spouse of Mama Mary, the Blessed Mother Ever-Virgin (Hyperdulia); we do NOT worship them. They inspire us to adore and worship God alone (Latria), and become a better person.
We are a work in progress and will always be one while we're still on Earth. But you know what? When we reach for the skies; correction, when we reach for Heaven, that is where everything will make sense to the fullest. We may have a glimpse of it now, but the glory of God; His Divine Mercy, is an amazing fountain of grace that we will join in eternity hopefully someday. Let's prepare to live twice, now in this lifetime, and the afterlife in Heaven next, and not the opposite, which is to die twice; first in this lifetime, then in the afterlife in hell. Let us be patient my friend, with our life, with our very selves, with our failures, with God's grace, they can be turned inside out; into the success we have ever dreamed of, if we cooperate with God every single time even after failures, because our greatest accountability partner ever is Jesus Christ!
