Truth

Today’s Gospel Text: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." Matt 16:13-23

Reflection: Impossible! How can anyone arrive at such a conclusion as that of the Apostle Peter?

How can Peter stand alone in a crowd and proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

On the other hand how can Jesus approve what is not proclaimed by a majority? Why did Jesus not go by the democratic principles of life?

Should not truth come from the majority?

May be we should go by what the leftist have to say and arrive at truth by asking from the marginalized and those on the fringe of society. 

Once again scripture reveals to us how to be wise and arrive at the truth?

Not by flesh and blood reasoning and hence do not give extra credence to reasoning or decisions based on majority but to decisions that are based on prayer.

It should be a decision which is based on discernment; seeking God’s will and mind in the things that we do and proclaim to others.

Today we have even people in authority and positions who reject the faith of Christ and thus give credence to flesh and blood reasoning’s.

Humanly speaking Peter could have asked for trouble and even a rebuke from the Lord, who would not mince words in order to correct what is false.

Likewise, if any among the crowd would have heard it then they would have bundled him up with his master for stoning.

Did they not judge the Lord for claiming himself to be the Son of God, and crucify him for the same very reason?

Truth stands alone and yet it is never alone because the might of God is on the side of truth and nothing happens unless God allows it. 

Prayer:  Lord, teach me wisdom in the secret of my heart and a Spirit of perseverance to adhere to it.

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

Persist in Faith

Today’s Gospel Text:  And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Matt 15:21-28

Reflection: When we pray it is not always a situation of hope, especially when we are feeling low and out.

Our experiences of prayer often make us feel that God is far away from us; far removed from our fragile situation.

To add to our woes we end up distracted by our many thoughts and weaknesses.

Our greatest folly in prayer is to have a diffident attitude; one which easily gives up.

The faith that Jesus calls us to have is a dynamic one, which believes in the great possibilities that God can accomplish in his time and according to his purpose and we have never to lose hope.

It is sure faith sown in love by God, the permanent sign of the proof of his love is the cross on which he hung, the cross on which he assured us that he is the savior of the world no matter how big a crime we commit in this life.

He assures us that there is forgiveness with him and that he gives us, not because of our holiness, but according to his great mercy and love for us.

If we still doubt this then we need to learn from the Canaanite woman for whom the ordeal was much worse.

Concerning her state; she was sinful to the core, because she did not believe in the one true God, she was a Canaanite. (vs. 22)

Hence she couldn't be a candidate to receive God’s mercy and grace; for she did not even belong to the category of the lost sheep of Israel but instead belonged to the category of a dog. (vs. 24, 26)

To add to her woes Jesus remains silent on her first move and still worse, the disciples observing the attitude of the master, even requests him to send her away.  (vs. 23)

Despite all the negation of life, she triumphs with her faith, which is perseverance in the face of all odds.

May the Lord strengthen each one of our hearts to persevere and not give up in his presence as we sit to pray.

Prayer:  Teach me Lord to persist in the faith that you have blessed me with and never give up.

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

Listen to Jesus

Today’s Gospel Text:  Jesus 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 9:28-36

Reflection: It is a normal trend among most Christians to go by the scripture; Sola Scriptura, i.e. by the written word of God and nothing more and nothing less.

Yet among these are those who may claim to go purely by the word and in many aspects of their interpretation may have their own additional  sources to go by.

Then there are some Christians who are Christians only for name sake, who prefer to listen to themselves and make their own judgments about things and will have their own world view which is contrary to the faith.

Yet these may fulfill their Christian obligations either out of pure habit or a false fear of God or could it be a fear of being ostracized from a Christian community.

Surprisingly they will even teach the adherents of the Christ doctrine what to do and what not to do.

Just as the protestants go by the written word of God, likewise Catholics would go purely by what they have inherited from their parents and would listen to men and women authorized to preach.

Some will diligently study the word of God in the light of sound tradition and magisterium which serves these two pillars of faith.

Are we really doing the right thing in all these things by going by these routine acts, the way we go about?

If the starting point of our action is not sowed in obedience to God then all our actions can be wrong and mislead us?

The key issue is listening to the living Jesus who is with us in the power of the Holy Spirit: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" (vs. 35)

Some of us may be actually practicing this injunction from God without knowing it. Aware of it we need to strengthen this grace in us while studying the things of God or while getting immersed in the sound teachings of the Church.

Prayer: Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God! Let thy good spirit lead me on a level path! Ps 143:10

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

Not Alone

Today’s Gospel Text:  Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matt 14:13-21

Reflection: Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." (vs. 16)

The challenge thrown back at the dedicated disciples to feed the multitude, that too in a lonely place, well acknowledged by these same dedicated disciples,  can be stupefying. 

How can the Lord ask them to feed the multitude when they have, in the first place, just expressed to the Lord that it is a god-forsaken place?

God is more powerfully present where we least expect him; a lonely place.

Likewise in life’s situation; when we are weak that Christ is strong and when we are completely stripped that God is powerfully at work in us.

He opts for the desert, he opts for the weak and downtrodden, he opts for that which is least and rejected by men.

What we give up on is what the Lord accepts to work on.

The scripture reveals the compassionate action of God towards the poor and the rejected of society.

St Paul reveals this to us in a beautiful way when he says:

    

“For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.”  1 Cor 1:26-28

The next time we are lonely or rejected or feel unwanted, humiliated and isolated by men, which could include the so called followers of Christ, then we need not be dejected but can be rest assured that we have a God who, in the sending of his Son Jesus, proves to us that he cares and is with us.   

Prayer:  Lord, you teach us that in our darkness there is no darkness with you with us.

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

Give

Today’s Gospel Text:  One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18 And he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:13-21

Reflection: It is in the very nature of man to produce treasures through the primary use of his faculties and gifts which God has blessed him with.

The scriptures are never against producing treasures and even enjoying the fruits thereof, if done in the right manner and with due respect for the laws of God which is even manifested in nature.

In fact man reaches his full maturity or potential when he is legitimately involved with the created world, with his abilities and talents, in union with God.

But when ambition, greed, envy and lusts take over than this activity turns to competition and accumulation.

Be it the accumulation of fame, power, wealth, knowledge and human resources these can lead humans into to ever deeper pits of a non gratified state.  

It only leads to an increased greed to have and posses; the more one has the more one seeks to possess and the cycle rarely ends.

At the same time the deep desire in the human heart to fill that vacuum which makes him seek and want to can never be satisfied by things which does not promote his own good in keeping with his nature.

Just as one can’t fully do justice to the self by living on junk food nor can you cover yourself completely with fig leaves similarly human nature cannot live up to its full potential by any worldly possessions.

Yet every human being is guilty of this sin of possessing more than what he or she requires, with some the gravity of this sin far exceeds the limits of sanity.

Since the desire exists in every human being it cannot be suppressed because to have is in the very nature of man and this is where Jesus fill the need by his total giving for us on the cross.

We are called to seek this Jesus who not only satisfies us but also helps us to be more generous in our giving and thus prove our faith in his providence.

Prayer:  One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. Ps 27:4

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

Sound Upbringing

Today’s Gospel Text:  At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus; 2 and he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him." 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison, for the sake of Hero'di-as, his brother Philip's wife; 4 because John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Hero'di-as danced before the company, and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter." 9 And the king was sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given; 10 he sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus. Matt 14:1-12

Reflection: The parent-child relationship is a special relationship; a relationship of tender care and guidance.

Yet it may not always be that the parent may train up their children in the way of sound morality and sound doctrine.

How unfortunate is our generation that parents train up their children either in the ways of the world or expect the school, in which they are, to bring them up in the sound principles of life.

How many parents can say with conviction that they have brought up their children well or given them constant guidance in the ways of righteousness?

Many of them do not know the way of righteousness themselves, so what could the children expect from their parents.

Some depend on the poorly formed priests and religious leaders of our time and expect them to teach their children the ways of the faith.

How many of our modern parents do the least expected of them: Pray along or with their children daily and in a dedicated manner. 

Then will they be able to add to their prayer time instructions concerning the faith, which they can freely avail through the catechism of the Church or reading of well discerned articles and explaining  them to their children.

How many of our children are trained in holy disobedience, which is to reject what is contrary to the faith and sound morality even in the face of odds?

If only Herodias had taught her daughter these sound elements of faith rather than to dance to her tune then the daughter would not have been party to her mother’s crime; a crime she may escape in this life but not in the eternal of life.

Alas the future we intend giving our children, only for this life!

Prayer:  God our Father, your care reaches to all who call on you, may we constantly reject all that is not of you and teach our children to do the same.

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

Persecutors

Today’s Gospel Text:  And coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?" 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Matt 13:54-58

Reflection: If you thought that it is only through harming people or doing evil to others that we could be persecuted, rejected or beaten then you are wrong.

Who can describe the evil of envy, jealousy, lustfulness and ambitiousness and what it can do?

Are these sinful passions not Satan’s greatest weapon, by using simple men and women as his instrument, to destroy the work of God?

The mere good deeds and actions by the followers of Christ could bring about envy and jealousy just as the mere expression of talents and gifts could do in a secular world.

What is it that leads people to such dimensions of sinful acts of envy, jealousy and then to be instruments of persecution; seeking to destroy the work of God in their midst?

Deep within the human heart is also a desire at work; to achieve, based on over ambition, sinful passions, lusts and greed.

St. Paul referring to such greed also asserts that it amounts to idolatry or the service of idols (Col. 3:5)

In other words, you need not be a pagan to be an idol worshiper. 

Thus God has very little place in the lives of these individuals; likewise truth gives places to immorality and self centered thinking.

So too the other, as a human being and as creation of God, has no place in the mind set of the person.

Those who practice such things have their own logic on social justice and right: No wonder Jesus said of their sense of justice;

“Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.”  John 16:2

Unless one truly and completely surrenders to God through our Savior Jesus Christ and takes the help of the graces he offers one can never be free:    

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. “ John 8:36

Prayer:  Lord, speak to my heart and convict me of my dishonesty and sinfulness, so that I may constantly repent and turn to you and be saved.

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