Way to the Kingdom

Scripture:  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven"  Mt 7:21

  

Reflection: You work for your boss and slog for him day and night and yet there is no guarantee that at the end of the day you will share a meal with him.  You may even issue orders, open his treasury and sign document on his behalf, yet all this power doesn’t assure you the company of the boss. What is required is that personal equation and relationship with the Boss. Unless you have met his high standards you cannot please him who is perfect and demand righteous living.

Likewise, you may cast out demons and prophesy and heal, yet it does not guarantee a place with the master. Unless you enter into a relationship with him through faith with his word abiding in you and follow him in his footsteps and commune with him daily there is no way you can enter the kingdom of heaven.

Prayer:  Lord, may I be faithful as you teach me to relate with you daily.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Is it worth the Calling?

                          (Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle)

Scripture:    As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'edee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Matt 4:18-22

Reflection:  This incident is so dramatic and unbelievable: How can these two brothers so foolishly leave everything and follow Jesus by leaving behind all they had?

Or shall we ask the question the other way: Why are people so foolish to hold on to things which are perishable and will not last? 

What appealed to them, the person of Christ or the mission or could it be that the mission of Christ communicated it all; the persona of the man Jesus.

A person who has reflected on the futility of life is capable of leaving behind all that they have and Christian history and life of the saints are primary witness to these possibilities.

If individuals and even small children are willing to leave home and everything for the sake of mental peace how much more then when it is the Prince of peace himself inviting you.  Will you still refuse?

Prayer:  Lord, Here I come before you, make of me what you choose for me.  

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Need God to Know God

Scripture:  In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 22 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Luke 10:21-22

Reflection:  When something is hidden it creates an inquisitive spirit.  Even children will often break a fascinating toy or gadget in order to see what is the mechanism at work.  Perhaps a grown up will be able to discerningly open and study and may even find the rationale behind the working of an instrument or a gadget.

The capability of the grownups to independently seek things is their very folly. A child may learn from a grown up on how and what to do but a grown up often seeks the truth in mysteries independently. 

The worst mistake a grownup makes is in seeking the mystery of God independent of God as if one will be able to find it apart from God.  Even a St. Thomas Aquinas proof is not enough unless God opens up our mind and hearts to understand; for he has hidden these things from the wise and understanding.

Therefore, the humble prayer of faith, which seeks the truth with God’s help, is the key in one’s search for God.

Prayer:  Lord, teach me your ways that I may know you and your saving grace.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Be a Christ Servant

Scripture:  As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." 7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." Matt 8:5-7

Reflection:  Shall we praise the concern of the centurion for his servants or was it the selfish, self centeredness of the centurion who couldn’t do without that faithful and now paralyzed servant.  Now he was compelled be the servant of the paralyzed.

Such Intellectualism is an invitation to interfere with the motives of people and read politics in situations unwarranted and often leads to fight or work for pure social causes. These causes or issues are not meant to be dealt with by the servant of God. He is called to imitate Christ and help and absolve without reading motives.  Jesus did not judge him or nor pointed any motives.

In the ultimate, Christ is more socially involved, not by seeking to be an activist who knows the heart of people and by going about correcting them, but by repairing the damage of the human heart paralyzed by sin.

Prayer:  Humbly, I bow before thy wisdom which is higher than the heavens.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

This Advent Deal with the Leaven in your Life

Scripture:  He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." Matt 13:33

Reflection:  What to do with a leaven? If it is kept by itself then it gets spoilt and the leaven perishes.  Leaven by itself was considered evil and hence one had to be cautious about the yeast of the Pharisee. Just as flour brings good out of leaven, likewise, God alone can bring good out of evil.

How about handling the leaven of our lives? We can do well by beginning with the three, not the measures of flour but with the Holy Trinity and see for yourself how the living God; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit could make you an instrument of leavening your surroundings to worship God and give him alone all glory.

Prayer:  Lord, I come before you with all the evil that is in me with a humble heart and contrite spirit. For a humble contrite heart you will not spurn.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Debauchery

Scripture: "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; 35 for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. 36 But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:34-36 

Reflection: Parents always caution their children. And if the children are weak or vulnerable or have tasks that are difficult then there are additional cautions; “Take heed”

Who will warn a grownup who is free from the charge of his parent? Perhaps his good friend or a kind neighbor may do so. But if they do not know the lurking danger on account of the dangerous activities, one gets involved in such as debauchery, drunkenness and the cares of this life, then who will be knowledgeable enough to correct?

Only Jesus can, the Jesus who died and rose and who lives in our midst and still speaks to us.  Allow him to warn you so as to correct yourself.

Prayer:  Lord, may I seek you so as to allow you to speak to me.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Reveal thy Kingdom

Scripture:  And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Luke 21:29-33

Reflection:  Wow, it is as simple as that! Like common sense which is not so common! Yet when someone asks you a question and you could be struggling for an answer. In such a situation even a simple hint could be of great help. 

In the example of the fig tree we are told that to predict the end is as simple as watching the fig tree and all the tress and predicting summer.  So, are you equipped and ready to predict the end?

If after reading this and having got a hint we still find it difficult then it is a clear situation of not being attuned to what we are supposed to be attuned to.

How will you be attuned to the coming of the end when you know not the kingdom of God? To seek to know the end apart from the knowledge of the Kingdom of God is like searching for a path without a destination.

Prayer:  Lord, reveal to me thy kingdom.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us 

Be equipped to Face!

Scripture: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it; 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written. 23 Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; 24 they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:20-28

Reflection: Are we still living in the time of the prophecy of Jesus beginning with what the Romans did in 72 AD.? They ransacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple and all that was Jerusalem.

Hence they were spoken to a people in order to warn them of the need to turn to God. Hence, more so for our generation, when and for whom and how it is going to be fulfilled is not important.  What is important is that there can be moments of disaster or calamity which could keep coming without warning.  In our generation it could happen all the more on account of the rebelliousness and Godlessness of men.

But blessed is the man who is equipped with a faith that is not afraid of any calamities or tragedies. His trust will be the Lord who is able to deliver his chosen ones, if not from the immediate, then from the eternal evil that one may face.

Every prophecy that is based on truth communicates Jesus as the Savior of mankind.

Prayer:  Eternal Father, Save me from the hour of darkness by helping me prepare my heart to meet you.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Who will Persecute Whom?

Scripture:  But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony. Luke 21:12-13

Reflection: “…..they will lay their hands on you and persecute you.” The word ‘they’ communicates the other.   We have the privilege of the Word given to us and hence they would mean and always means the other. 

But it is good to check prayerfully whether we who have this privilege are instruments of persecution and thus belong to the category of the ‘they’.   If we do belong to ‘they’ then we do not belong to the privileged class but rather to the evil class that seeks to persecute God’s chosen.

In your zeal to persecute you either are convinced that you are doing the right thing or that someone is wrong and that you are doing a service to God.  

The mind cluttered with evil and rebellious towards God is the seat of many of our wrong judgments.  We persecute those whom God favors and approve those whom men favor.

The silence of the many that refuses to speak in favor of God’s chosen ones is in itself a form of persecution.  

Prayer:  Father, grant me wisdom so that I may seek to belong to you and not persecute your chosen ones.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Build for God, with God

Scripture:  And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

Luke 21:5-7

Reflection:   Beauty and truth are fascinating aspects of life.  Though not all beauty is the end of all, but beauty may vary according to the eyes of the beholder.  Similarly, truth too though is objective, yet many may rejoice at uncertain falsities as truth. 

That which we are enamored by, that, which fascinates us, also leaves a lasting impression on our minds. Sometimes it could be the mere sight of suffering, pain and tragedies which can make a deep lasting impact on us.

Yet in the midst of all these impacting sights and thoughts we need to see that every earthly reality is ordered on Christ Jesus. Otherwise nothing is lasting and is of any value, however good or noble it may seem.  What we build with human wisdom is like those stones that Jesus is referring to and which will not be for long one upon the other.

Prayer:  Lord, the realities we see may not last but your word will last forever and if you speak your word to my heart, so as to cause me to obey, then I know I shall reign with you for eternity.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

The giving of God

Scripture: He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. 3 And he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had." Luke 21:1-4

Reflection: Mercy, compassion and love; if we get our priorities wrong then we could be following a socialist or Marxist Gospel. 

We know him as Christ and hence we may never look at this way; he is encouraging the poor to contribute all their living.  Ah! It sounds scandalous and doesn’t seem to go along with what we know of Christ.

But those who know God and what he is capable of and have God as their priority then these things will never scandalize them. But those who go by human priorities then this action of Jesus can stand condemned like his other actions.  Human Priorities over divine priorities is fraught with eternal danger.

To give is to communicate absolute trust in the divine and let no one test the faith of the absolute giver.  Though not every form of giving is on account of faith in God but the giving of faith is the supreme giving and it witnesses to the supreme giving of God in Christ Jesus. (Jn. 3:16)

Prayer:  Lord, let me know you and thus seek to give as you have given us.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

We the least are Special

Scripture:  "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matt 25:31-46

Reflection:  This parable is unique to Matthew and was written for a Christian audience. It suggests that they among them who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick and imprisoned are the least of his brothers and sisters.

The early Christians because of the onslaught of persecution and famine in those days found themselves in such a deprived state.  

Thus the parable is an assurance of hope for those Christians who when following Christ have to go through all sorts of persecution and trial on account of the envy and slander of the enemies of the Gospel.

Prayer:  Lord, I thank and praise you for considering me, unworthy as I am, as your own.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Resurrection

Scripture: There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection. Luke 20:27

Reflection:  What if the Sadducees were right and Jesus was wrong, indeed there must be no resurrection from the dead? Or maybe they meant something else when they said that there is no resurrection from the dead.  After all, who has seen the resurrection?

What does it take to put a seed of such doubts into the human mind; for resurrection is not a visible reality which we can tangibly see in ordinary day to day life or experience it?  The human rationality teaches us; that which we cannot see we are not bound to believe.

Is there an excuse for such rationale? The resurrection of the dead is not a trivial matter to be ignored.  In his resurrection Jesus has opened the door way to the resurrection. 

We don’t have to believe in the resurrection first but instead believe in the Lord of the resurrection and he will give us the experience of the resurrection, the conviction and wisdom to believe. He will prove it to us that the resurrection is real and help us to live by this necessary belief if we have to lead an upright life.

      

Prayer: Lord, help me to believe you so that I may never waver in my belief in the resurrection.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Whom are you sold to?

Scripture:  And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers." Luke 19:45-46

Reflection:  We are so often sold to a particular idea or a thought, a particular philosophy or mindset, a particular sinful bondage or habits of sin.

It is only when we allow God’s Holy Spirit that we become temples of God or temples of the Holy Spirit. When we become God’s temple, then Jesus once again takes the whip of God’s word to drive out that which we are sold into.

Whereas those who reject the Holy Spirit which they have received in Baptism either make adjustments to that which they are sold into, for peace or they will go help themselves with some New Age methodologies in order to attain peace.

Choice:  Either self help or Jesus Help!  

Prayer:  Lord, I need your help to enjoy peace. Help me with your Holy Spirit as I read your word and ponder on it to attain that peace which only you can give. (Jn.14:27)

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Jesus our Peace

Scripture: And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, 42 saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace!" Luke 19:41-42

Reflection:  True, peace in our hearts and peace in our nation are two different things? Yet the source is the same. The fact that we are seeking it, both in our hearts and mind and in our surroundings and nation is proof that it is not in us. Or else some may make us believe that it is already in us and there are many who get carried away by the deceptive New Agers.

Jesus wept over the City. How different is the situation now? Are we wiser still in our days and know how to achieve peace?

The only thing that makes for peace is Jesus and therefore Paul says: He is our peace (Eph. 2:14). For there were no one who came and no peacemakers who offered themselves to reconcile us to God, except Jesus.  Thus Jesus becomes our peace by reconciling us to God and to one another in his body. .The Eucharist is also an offering of reconciliation and peace

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you promised us your unique peace which cannot be received from anywhere but you. Grant us peace!

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Day of Reckoning

Scripture: As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, "A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, 'Trade with these till I come.' 14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.' 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' 17 And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' 18 And the second came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' 19 And he said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities.' 20 Then another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your pound, which I kept laid away in a napkin; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' 22 He said to him, 'I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money into the bank, and at my coming I should have collected it with interest?' 24 And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the pound from him, and give it to him who has the ten pounds.' 25 (And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten pounds!') 26 'I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'" Luke 19:11-28

Reflection: In the ultimate journey of life there is one boss, one could choose to serve him as servants or one could remain as citizens of his kingdom.  Those who choose to be citizens can opt to rebel, even by democratic methods or through representation or they may choose to submit.

Those who are opting to be servants are opting for emoluments, in keeping with their option, it is a choice they make and one can’t act contrary to one’s contract of service.

The ultimate choice at the end of it all belongs to the Boss. He calls to task or accountability both Citizens and servants.

Prayer:  Lord, Let me not know my rights but my duty towards you, for you are just and kind.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us