Know God

Today’s Gospel Text:  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 14 if you ask anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:6-14

  

Reflection: Man’s search for God can throw up volumes of researched materials and that's what religion is all about. 

What is it that makes us search for the divinity or even the the divine presence in creation? Is it the human insecurities or is it because there is a divine spark in all of us that prompts us to seek him.

Or could it be the human reason which refuses to believe the big-bang on account of its inherent flaws or could be reason seeing cause for the great movements in creation, the natural and moral laws that govern creation and the occasional spurt by way of calamities.

For some the divine could be a charm for material gain, which ultimately is of far more importance to supply their many wants for fragile happiness and or for self-gratification.

Or could it be the desire to live for all eternity the reason for seeking the divine and yet the Scripture reminds us of the contradictory pulls in the heart of man:

    

“He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man's mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”  Eccl 3:11

Whatever be the reason, the gospel text teaches us that, in Christ Jesus is the beginning and end of all searches for the divine:  “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.” (vs. 7)

Thus we can also conclude: God fully reveals himself in Christ Jesus and we apart from Jesus, our search for God can only lead us round in circles.

It is Jesus who makes it clear to us that we are under the cloud of deception and that apart from him we can do nothing. It is he who came to destroy the work of the evil one so that we could be under the righteous reign of the God who saves.

Prayer:  "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." (vs. 8)

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

Glorified Death of Jesus

Today’s Gospel Text:  When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; 32 if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going you cannot come.' 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." JN. 13:31-33A, 34-35

Reflection: Is it an incident that is about to take place or an incident that has already taken place: "Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified.” (vs. 31)

How many of us can prophesy about our life and future; an incident that we believe is about to take place.

Rarely so and even if we can, then how many of us can confidently affirm their death as a glorious one.

Christ’s death, by human standards, was no glorious death but yet even to this day we see the glory of this death and rejoice because our salvation was achieved by the death of Jesus on the cross.

It is this death that Jesus is talking about in the farewell discourse in John’s gospel which begins with the thirteenth chapter of John; he identifies his death with the glory of God.

The death of Jesus was a necessary event in the history of humanity, which proves God as truth.  Any claim that Jesus death was caused by a body double or any other theory which contradicts scripture presents God as:

1) A deceiver and selfish creator who only looks to his own interest.

2) Least concerned about humanity and its many sufferings.

3) Wanting to keep people in the dark about the higher realities of life.

What use is God's salvation, if he has to keep people in the dark about his nature and goodness if any? 

In this world we live we could have a situation where people could be deceived by a lie and accordingly may follow it, even after an immediate assertion of truth with proofs.

One of the powerful message about the glory of Jesus is the existence of a dark reality of deception, which we as Christian know is brought about by  the spiritual forces of wickedness in the highest place.

None of us have been directly instrumental in the crucifixion of Jesus but it nevertheless speaks about a reality of us walking in deception and thus as collaborators in the crucifixion of Christ. 

Prayer:  Lord, we rejoice in your cross which is your power and wisdom for all men who choose to believe in you by responding to your merciful grace.

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

Inward Reality

Today’s Gospel Text:  "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matt 6:1-6, 16-18

Reflection: There is the outwardly appearance and there is the inwardly truth in all of life situations.

A fish may appear colorful and appealing outwardly but may be the most poisonous when consumed or a poison may smell alluring but could be lethal.

A man and a woman could upbraid themselves in fantastic jewelries and costumes and yet inwardly could be full of viciousness. 

Jesus similarly warns of such dangers when he admonishes the Scribes and Pharisees:

 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matt 23:27-28

We could know these warnings of Jesus and with all good intention seek to practice the virtues in sincerity and yet fail the Lord:

We could avoid practicing our piety before men, because Jesus says so, and yet be hypocrites in our own ways.

We could be practicing perfect charity by not letting our left hand know what the right hand is doing and yet we could stand condemned before the law of Christ.

You could be praying in public and at street corners and yet not stand condemned as a hypocrite or it could be the other round, praying privately and stand condemned for hypocrisy.

You could be fasting and put on the best face and still can stand guilty of sin. 

Why so? Are we contradicting what Jesus has taught us?

No, if we have not picked up the spirit of the law of Christ and thus if we do not submit our inner spirit to be renewed by the law of Christ (Rom. 12:1-2) then we are bound to fail and our Christianity will continue to remain like that of the Scribes and the Pharisees.

Prayer: Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Ps 51:6

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

Word of Mouth

Today’s Gospel Text: Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idume'a and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon a great multitude, hearing all that he did, came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they should crush him; 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits beheld him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known. Mark 3:7-12

Reflection: In our world of modern media we have lost the significance of the ‘word of mouth’ phenomenon.

Today the media is the most used and abused means of communication and some in the church too think that it is only through the media that the Gospel can be communicated to the world. In the process what they communicate to the world is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ but their own agenda.

If one glances at the media and its work, then we cannot fail to see some of the great abuses of the media; the world of advertisement which keeps bombarding the undiscerning pliable mind towards the many temptations and luxuries of life. The worst is that such things are pushed on to us through high forms of deceptive unethical strategies.

Even the market research and research in consumer behavior are aimed at strategizing towards a particular segment, with unbridled deception and information, all within the ambit of the law

Then we have the daily news which is animated by the commercial interest and hence the great emphasis on promoting what sells.

The Political news always rules the roost along with tragedies and sensationalism.

But there could be a sensational religious experience or a healing or a miracle which may never go reported in the media or if reported then it is only to malign such an event.  Thus showing the prejudice with which they operate.

Does the Church need the media? Yes it does but more than its need it needs to proclaim the good news of Salvation to the proclaimer’s of the bad and corrupted news; a news that is always contaminated with the corruption of society rather than by absolute truth, in order that it is purified with the Gospel of Jesus. 

On the other hand the church need not rely on the media for, in whatever forms, to bring the good news of salvation to people. The gospel passage clearly shows the extent of the power and reach of Jesus beyond the borders of Palestine, that they come to him to listen and be healed and delivered, without media coverage. 

How this was made possible? Only through word of mouth and God’s spirit at work in the situation!  

Prayer: Lord, bless all those who humbly carry on your mission to proclaim the gospel without much fanfare and hype to rely on the Holy Spirit. 

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

Tempt Not

Today’s Gospel Text:  And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamine tree, 'Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. Luke 17:1-6

Reflection: How often we make attempts to be free from the daily temptations of sin. Likewise those who are serious about their eternal salvation pray often that they be free from all temptations and that they be even delivered from it.

They not only pray for themselves but also for others too so that the others too may not enter into the eternal fires of hell as mentioned by Jesus and his disciples concerning deliberate offenders.  

Yet we are never free from the many temptations of sin. They keep assailing us in different ways, exerting all kinds of pressures on us to sin and to be involved in wrongdoing.

Some of the sinful temptations are more subtle and we may not be aware of the deviousness of our sinful actions without the explicit help of the Holy Spirit, who has also been given us to convict us of our sins.

Jesus never assures us a cozy life free from the temptations of sin:

Every moment we could be assailed with temptation to the sin of pride, to run away from God, to dabble in occult, hurt, unforgiveness, to hold on to bitterness, all sorts of lustful desires,  to be stuck in the guilt of our own sins, etc.,  etc.

As long as the evil one exists so too the enticement and the deception to sin will exist.  It is his job to deceive us and rob us of the eternal reward of eternal crown assured to all who follow Christ faithfully.

Hence all who choose to tempt others are either consciously or inadvertently being instruments of the evil one,

The worst form of deception would come from those who will be in positions of authority in the Church and dishing out a teaching that is contrary to the faith:

“Woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.” (vss. 1c – 2)

Prayer: Lord, may I always remain your instrument of grace and life for others and may I always have the help of your Holy Spirit to move away from every deception of sin and wrongdoing.

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