psalm 67: blessings that yield - new year 2018

Today we read psalm 67 in our responsorial psalm.  Last December 25 we celebrated Christmas, the Son of God became man in order that as man he can save us from our sins.  Christmas is God’s saving activity just as the major feasts we celebrate throughout the year like Lent, Easter, the Ascension and Pentecost – Jesus was born, he suffered, died, was buried and on the third day he rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven and then sent the Holy Spirit.  All these feasts which we celebrate with great fanfare are commemorations of God’s saving activity.

But there is one other divine activity which we probably do not celebrate as much as we celebrate his saving activities.  And what do we call this other divine activity?  We call this God’s blessing activity.  And this is what Psalm 67 would like us to celebrate very appropriately now on New Year’s Day.  Today let us celebrate the blessing activity of God.

What are these blessing activities of God in our lives?  These are the quiet and almost unnoticed actions of God in our day to day life – God blesses us by giving us sunshine and rain, the air we breathe, the homes we live in, many of us are blessed with good health.  This divine blessing activity provides us with a means of living and employment that provides for our daily needs, our wealth too, the bounty of nature, the blessings of our fields, our forest, our seas and rivers – ang sirom-sirom kag managat sa breakthrough, ang litson nga manok kag talaba sa tatoys, and eating these with loved ones, family and friends - the blessing of a loving family and the joy of friends.  These are all blessings from God and these are quietly and consistently given to us.  We seldom make a big fuss about these things, sometimes we even ignore the fact that these are blessings, undeserved in many ways.  And many times too we even ignore the source of these blessings.  And so today our responsorial psalm – Psalm 67 – celebrates this second divine activity – it celebrates as it recognizes God's blessings in our lives.   "May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us.  The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still."

But what are these for?  What for are these blessings?  Why does God bless us?  Psalm 67 suggests that Israel was not blessed for its own sake.  They may have received tremendous blessings from the Lord –the manna and quail that provided for their needs, a fertile land that came to be known as a land flowing with milk and honey.  What are these blessings for?  Were these blessings given so that Israel can reap and enjoy for itself the bounty of God?  Were these blessings given so that Israel can sit content and self-satisfied?  No, because when God blesses someone, he blesses that someone for the sake of the mission.  Psalm 67 says that God had pity on us, God blessed us, God allowed his face to shine upon us, for what "So may your ways be known upon earth; among all nations, your saving help.”

You are blessed because you have a mission, you are blessed because you have a responsibility to fulfill in the world, in your community and to the people around you, so that all may come to know God’s saving help!

God’s blessing is best exemplified by motherhood, and these are best personified by the holy mothers in the bible – Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah.  We have heard their stories a week ago. The blessing is given to a mother, the blessing given to a mother becomes a child who becomes a blessing to so many.  Ang blessing wala naga-untat sa Iloy.  Indi sia blessing for self-satisfaction only. In fact, sometimes ini nga blessing nagapabug-at pa gani, nagapabudlay pa gani sang kabuhi sang isa ka iloy, indi bala?  Kabudlay magsagod bata.  But the blessing of motherhood becomes a child kag bangud sang iya pagpadaku, pagsagod, pag-atipan this child when he grows becomes a blessing to others, the blessing of God is fertile – we have Samuel, John the Baptist, and Jesus who became a tremendous blessing  to everyone.

Kon ang blessing naton sang Krismas ginasto ta lang sa make-up, bag-o nga bayu kag sapatos, bakal salakyan, then the blessing is not fertile, it is a blessing which does not bear fruit in mission, it is a blessing mainly for self-satisfaction.  But use it, this blessing, to help people in need, use it to put children to school, use it to help people build lives and then it becomes a blessing, just like the blessing of motherhood, a blessing that becomes fertile.  The blessing I receive becomes a blessing to others, it is missionary, a blessing that will make known God’s saving help, the same blessing extolled by psalm 67.