"Punko-Punko" or Buffet Restaurant?

I own a Companion. It is a Catholic Scripture Diary published by Shepherd's Voice. It's a wonderful diary because it gives you the opportunity to write down your reflections on the Bible readings daily. I've been writing down my reflections and prayers in my Companion since January this year, and I love it because it enables me to have a more intimate knowledge of the Scriptures.

At the end of each week, the diary has a section called Hidden Treasure. Under this section, you can write down the most important words and/ or verses that you feel God wants you to remember and apply in your life. So starting this week, I'm going to post here my "hidden treasures".

These are my favorite verses for the week:

"Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you." (Luke 6:38)

"So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)

In the first verse, I think that Jesus is telling us that there is a principle at work in the universe. It may sound contradictory, but it nevertheless is true: The more we give, the more we will receive. The more we give of our self -- that is to say, the more we give of our time, talents, and treasures -- the more our self will increase and the more we will receive other blessings. Remember this verse? "Amen, I say to you. Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Jesus is telling us the same thing. We ought to give more, to share more, of our selves to others. That's what it means to love.

I love the second verse. Jesus gives us a glimpse of how God the Father truly loves us. I love the image of the father in the parable running towards his prodigal sin, embracing and kissing him. Imagine God running towards us sinners and hugging and kissing us! He loves us so much, even after we have sinned against Him and squandered all the treasures He has given us. What's more, He throws a feast to celebrate his son's return! That gives us an image of Heaven rejoicing for every soul that returns to God.

I also think that that image of the son living with swines and trying to eat with them is a poignant one. That is what sin does to us! It throws us in the mud and makes us utterly dirty, and instead of dining with God's banquet in His Kingdom, we force ourselves to eat in the pods with swines! In Filipino culture, that is comparable to choosing to eat in a "punko-punko" instead of in a buffet restaurant!