Wash through the Word

Today’s Gospel Text:  Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. 5 Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. 6 He came to Simon Peter; and Peter said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand." 8 Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me." 9 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean, but not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "You are not all clean."

12 When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. John 13:1-15

Reflection: “……… having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (vs. 1)

Having loved them; referring to his disciples whom he loved but how did he love them to the end.

Is it the immediate end or the future end? Yet we know that the moment was the foot washing ceremony of Jesus when he washed the feet of his Disciples.

Since it was still a way away from the end then how can the gospel claim that he loved them to the end?

Unless the gospel of John is suggesting that that moment was the end towards a new beginning: a moment when one meets the cleansing power of the word in order to make a new beginning. 

What was the moment? It was the moment of the foot washing, liturgically practiced by the priest, not just at Maundy Thursday, which is a purely symbolic action but practiced at every Eucharistic celebration.

   

You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. John 15:3

A priest through his faithful preaching of the word of God, and not by his preaching of his secular learning’s or his personal opinions, faithfully carries on the mandate of Christ to wash his people where they need to be washed more and what they need to be washed of.

When one only looks at this symbolic action of Jesus and keeps practicing the symbolic action opportunistically and make demand for an inclusive action then one is being self-conceited and does not understand the truth of the gospel. 

From this primary action flow all other actions of service towards the brotherhood of Christ: "Do you know what I have done to you?  You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. John 13:12-15

   

St. Paul practiced it when he asserts: “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Cor 9:22

    

And to us he exhorts: “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Gal 6:2

Prayer: God our Father, may we humbly learn from the example of Christ and we ask you to bless the priests of your vineyard as they carry on the mission with faithfulness to your word

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

Take my Yoke

Today’s Gospel Text: And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:15-18

Reflection: Something’s in life has no substitute.

You can have fake sugar or artificial sugar or you can adopt other types of sweeteners but you cannot say let’s use salt instead as a substitute for the sweetness of sugar just because it is widely used and it is equally popular.

Even a fake sugar or sweetener would do but not saltiness or a bitter or a souring agent instead.

Likewise, there is no substitute to the mission of PREACHING which Christ has entrusted to his disciple.

But someone may say, the church requires new pedagogical styles and witnesses more than preachers.  They must be fools of the first order, pseudo biblical scholars and theologians, merely holding offices in the church and not knowing its responsibility.

If one truly understands the significance of the preaching ministry and how it is brought about and above all who it is that has commanded us to do so then one would not make such foolish, irresponsible statements.

Let me explain through a parable: A rich man invited his guests for the banquet at an appointed time.  The table was laid with the best spread that men could dream of and everything was ready, yet people were waiting even though the appointed time had passed by.

The food on the table witnessed to one fact; the table was set. And no one dared to touch the food or eat of it. Would the rich man have protested if anyone would have helped himself? No, not at all!

Then after a little delay the rich man with great apology chided the guest for not helping themselves from the table.  The table is set for you” he said; “why are you not helping yourself, whom are you waiting for, please go and help yourself” and the guest rushed forth to the table to help themselves. 

Such is the need and power of preaching: even though the food witnessed to the guest to come and eat but it was only the speech of the rich man that made the difference.  

Preach not because Christ says or some authority says but preach because it is the mandate of Christ Jesus your LORD and you have taken the mandate of Christ on you: “For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” 1 Cor 9:16

Prayer:  Lord help me to obediently take on me the task you have entrusted to us by your mandate.  

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

He Called

Today’s Gospel Text:  And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Luke 9:1-6

Reflection: “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.” (vs. 1&2)

The church asserts that Bishops and priests as carrying that authority and power and are the ones delegated with the authority of the Apostles.

If such is the case then among these, especially the bishops, who the church claims to have the fullness of the Holy Spirit, should be seen to exercise such power and authority, not over those who exercise this ministry, but over these unclean spirits and conduct the ministry of healing and.deliverance.

 

Why do we not see this happening? Is it because they don’t carry that power and authority by virtue of their ordination?

Though they carry this power and authority, it is rather out of convenience and an absence of that faith in God's power, sometimes on account of depraved indulgence, that it is not exercised.

It is like any layman who has experienced God’s healing and yet may not acknowledge God’s power and healing nor testify to it.

This in no way justifies this contribution to social sin by the failure of the hierarchy to exercise their office as delegates of the Apostles, with power and authority.

Similarly, the aberration has reached such a level that the teaching office is given precedence over the preaching office which the Apostles were mandated with. Likewise, local sentiments and interpretations are used as pressure tactic to subvert the message of the Gospel. 

The whole church needs to pray for a correction, as the Synod of Bishops, meet in Rome from the 2-7 of October, 2012 and not be casual enough to attribute every omission to the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, show you mercy to your people and raise in every corner of the world Apostles who will cater to people waiting to hear the saving message of the Gospel and find healing for their soul.

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

Divine Authority

Today’s Gospel Text: And he went down to Caper'na-um, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath; 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 "Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out." 37 And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region. Luke 4:31-37

Reflection:  If you are in the habit of listening to sermons and analyze them, then you will realize that there are varieties of sermons dished out from the pulpit.

Broadly speaking they can be categorized as; impressive sermons and non-impressive sermons.

Leaving the non-impressive aside, we analyze the impressive ones which may be even super-impressive and yet never effective or qualitative.They may leave good and pleasant memories and yet a vacuum in one's heart. 

These super-impressive sermons could in its content be interspersed with worldly wisdom and jokes, good enough to impress the senses. It may contain cogent logical arguments and yet may never be based on solid truth as its premise. It depends much on the personal charisma of the preacher.

In other words, the sermon may be all impressive but never effective and may never achieve the goal and vision Christ Jesus has set forth.

On the other hand a quality effective sermon may not have all the fanfare of a brimstone and fire sermon but it touches somewhere and strikes a deep cord. It has a divine presence in it. 

Jesus’ teaching seemed to have the same divine presence as well as that authority; it carries the authoritative word that created the heavens and the earth and all that it contains.

It’s the authoritative word that created man and placed him as the caretaker of his creation as a responsible steward.

It is that authoritative voice that  now comes to restore what was lost by the irresponsible action of man.

Jesus is that one authoritative voice that has to be believed on in the world, so that mankind doesn’t meet its condemnation.

He has delegated this authority to his Holy Apostles and saints and it belongs to them who know how to act responsibly and guard it from the contamination of the world.

Prayer: Lord, prepare my heart and mind to be your voice of authority to others, so that they may believe that you are our God that reigns.

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

Humble Preaching

Today’s Scripture: 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. Mark 3:7-10

Reflection: How do we compare the Lord’s mandate in Matt 28:19, to make disciples of all nations and his sending of the 70 others in Luke 10:1 ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come with the above Gospel?

In the above gospel we learn that Jesus withdrew with his disciples and again he does it when they get into the boat.  

The Church in all its dynamism needs to go forth to proclaim the living gospel yet at times it has wonder examples of a monastic tradition in which these monks too have proclaimed Christ Jesus as the way, the truth and the life in a mighty way without going forth. Their fame like fragrance has spread forth in every century and age because they carried Christ Jesus as their Lord and master and proclaimed him through the greatest virtue of humility.

Prayer:  Lord, give me an humble spirit as I seek to serve you.

                                               

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