Trust Above All

Today’s Gospel Text: He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; 33 he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit; 35 the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. John 3:31-36

Reflection: Name some of the great personalities and find out where they belong and where they come from: 

Some may have been born in palaces or in rich mansions or in noble castles and they could be the few who may have had a humble beginning.

Yet one of the things that is common among all these is that they all belong here to this earth, because their ultimate origin is here and it is here they perish and are returned to the dust.

Jesus says: He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. (vs. 31)

Hence, when Jesus says that, he makes his position and role clear to all and for all generations. He is teaching us whom to listen and what authority he carries with him and what the measure of his power is. 

In life we have definitely listened and been obedient to some authority or power, in some measure or the other.  Even the rebellious rebel have also done so sometime or the other. 

If they have been obedient to these, who always and at all times are not worthy on account of their sinful human tendencies, how much more then we should at least give obeisance to the one who is from above and above all.

What is more, the one who is from above and above all has proved himself and history is proof, with countless witnesses, in all ages, testifying by their personal sacrifice even to the extent of shedding their blood, that he is to be trusted and worthy of all glory and honor.

To those who believe in the word of Scripture, even the heavenly hosts acknowledges it:      

“Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.”  Rev 5:5-6

So, recognize Jesus as the one from above, who is worthy and trustworthy too, one who is near you and we have only to call on him to feel his nearness and help and he our savior will do so.

Prayer:  My Savior and God, I trust in thee, come and fill me with thy presence.

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

Radiant Face

Today’s Gospel Text:  Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah" - not knowing what he said. 34 As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. Luke 9:28b-36

Reflection: There are ways to alter one’s countenance with modern cosmetic and surgical methods. There is so much of science in this whole alteration of the face, whether it is through face packs, bleach packs, massage, wrinkle removers, internal diet regimens, or surgical interventions.

When one communicates, much of it is through the mouth yet one looks at the various parts of the face, especially the eyes while communicating with people. 

Even otherwise the face communicates a lot, whether it be the eyes, ears or nose or skin, etc.  The nonverbal content of the communication far exceeds the verbal.

Yet in all this we could be less attuned to the overall other parts of the face and instead focus largely on the words that emanate from the mouth.

In the gospel we see an alteration which takes place at mount Tabor, which did not require any external human intervention, neither by self nor by others. 

Jesus’ face is completely altered, reveals the scripture. They were able to recognize Jesus solely on account of their being with Jesus and the incident happening before them, otherwise they would have had difficulty in doing so. 

What is more the brightness and the shine of that moment, the beauty and grace, did make them want for more, even unto eternity.

The message of the transfiguration is a message of hope for those who are seeking; not the beauty of their faces in this life only, but seeking the real beauty which the heavenly grace can bring about. 

In our service to the Lord we could experience the innumerable forces of disfigurement brought about either by nature or by the slander and gossip of the enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

No matter what disfigurement we face our Lord will transfigure our lowly bodies into copies of his heavenly body. (cfr. I Cor. 15: 42-50)

Prayer: “Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.”  (Ps 34:5) I rejoice in your word Lord. 

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

Blameless Heart

Today’s Gospel Text: Philip found Nathan'a-el, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 Nathan'a-el said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathan'a-el coming to him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" 48 Nathan'a-el said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathan'a-el answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." John 1:45-51

Reflection: It’s good to ask questions and enquire about a problem before arriving at decisions.

So often in life people arrive at decision making without asking relevant questions or they may ask the wrong kind of questions in order to arrive at wrong kind of knowledge.

But the one thing to be always kept in mind is the human limitations of arriving at the right answers always, especially when it comes to the truth of God.

In the Gospel we have Philip approaching Nathanael with a proposition:"We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (vs. 45)

Philip had done his homework well, he knew the scriptures and knew the background of Jesus of Nazareth, as the son of Joseph. Perhaps he knew a little more than what he was revealing to Nathanael!

Nathanael had an equally relevant question to ask Philip, it was in every way a scriptural question, which may have flummoxed many an experts in Israel. 

The only difference may have been is this; that Nathanael may have asked this question in all sincerity without any guile: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (vs. 46)

It now seems clear that these were honest seekers, sincere in their approach. God never disappoints a sincere seeker, who is really interested in knowing the truth and following it.

According to the John’s Gospel, Nathanael seems to be the first to recognize Jesus as the ‘Son of God’ 

We too need to ask God for the same disposition of heart as Nathanael, whose feast we celebrate today.

Prayer: May my heart be blameless in thy statutes, that I may not be put to shame! Ps 119:80

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