Waiting

Today’s Gospel Text: "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! Luke 12:35-38

Reflection: Life is a constant waiting

We have to constantly wait in life, either for our turn to come or for our turn to finish.

We could wait for someone or we could wait for none.

Some waiting is worth the wait and even the process is joyful and the long wait is made easy because of the goodness and beauty of the end goal.

Even those who wish to die have to wait for their turn.

But there are some types of waiting which are crucial to life, sustenance and survival. Among these some are not easy to practice if not made a habit and discipline of daily life. 

It is this difficulty that Jesus is communicating to the general public and the prerequisite for us to have this discipline for our life, sustenance and survival.

The most beautiful part of this waiting is that it is not a mere drudgery or a painful grind, even though it may seem to be. It is a marriage feast in which the master is coming home to and the occasion is abundantly joyful and worth all the trouble.

The wait too is rewarding assures the master, he will spontaneously and humbly serve the ones waiting for him with faithfulness, diligence and perseverance.

Since the relevance of this waiting is very significant, one would only be a fool to procrastinate ones decision making in this waiting.

Get down right now on your knees and implore to him for all the help that you may require to wait. Do not fail to take complete advantage of the help that comes your way  in order to wait on him who is an unavoidable necessity for us; Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord as I take my vow to wait on you daily help me by your grace never to backslide in my commitment to you.

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

Covetousness

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: "Extreme desires about what does not belong to you," that’s what covetousness is all about!

Who could that covetous character be in the gospel story? Was it the man who wanted his brother to divide the inheritance or the man who asked Jesus to be the arbiter to divide the property?

It could be either, yet what is important is that things may not belong to us and yet we may be covetous about life and situations.

We could be covetous about other people’s property or wealth or belongings or we could be covetous about other people’s gifts and talents or we could be covetous about the clothing’s of others.

In the spiritual realm, we could be covetous about other people’s spiritual gifts or we could be covetous about their positions and power or the privileges they enjoy on account of their positions. The later could exist even in the secular world, which often leads to work place politicking.

We could be covetous about the creative actions of others too.

In all these things, the real problem arises when one degrades oneself to such an extent that they would find their identity in having much rather then in being; as for us Christians it is a being that is reconciled with God in Christ Jesus.

Ones life is made up by the abundance of God’s grace offered to us freely through faith by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Further, this life can only progress as we attach ourselves more and more to him by being detached from the worldly attachments of sin and bondages.

Prayer: God our Father, free your children from every bondage of covetousness and possessions, so as to walk freely in your grace.

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

Responsiblity

Today’s Gospel Text:  And James and John, the sons of Zeb'edee, came forward to him, and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 36 And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" 37 And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." 38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39 And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:35-45

Reflection: Many seek power and positions in life but they would not want to take up the total responsibilities that comes with such positions.

Some on gaining power become more corrupt and thus abdicate their responsibility to manage their jobs in all sincerity and with the right spirit.

Some gain power and want positions too but are incapable of handling their responsibilities and yet would not have the humility to step down or delegate that responsibility to someone lower then them, who may be better equipped and more capable.

There may be some in power who are so insecure that they work by envy of their subordinates and subjugate or spend their time and talent in persecuting their juniors and even demanding respect and honor.

Others gain power and positions, fulfill their responsibilities to the bare minimum or go by the code and hence can be less human in their ways of going about their job.

Some see how they can play even with their enemies, as long as they have the power in their hands by virtue of their position and authority.

Some do not know the job and are totally incapable and yet want to be in power and hold on to positions.

When will Christians learn from their faith that they already have a special place and privilege in society as salt of the earth and light of the world.

They wield a certain power by virtue of their faith and they need to live an incorrupt and self-sacrificing life as part of their responsibility to lead others to the light too.

Thus the Dedicated Disciples, who seeks that power and position, are admonished by Jesus and reminded about their responsibilities as true dedicated disciples; “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

Prayer: Lord we too desire that special place in your kingdom; strengthen us to accept the responsibilities associated with our privileges as Christians.

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

ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS

Today’s Gospel Text: "And I tell you, every one who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And every one who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." Luke 12:8-12

Reflection: Christ Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him (Jn. 14: 6)

The above is a revelation of love by Jesus to the world. He loves us and hence he died for us on the cross while revealing to us the necessity of believing in him.

If we do not believe in him then we are believing in the many falsities that exist and are constantly proclaimed in and around us by our education, media and the people we interact with in daily lives. 

Besides these factors we are also inspired by the dark world of the evil one and hence create our philosophies and world view with the assistance of the evil one.

No one who denies Jesus can claim that they are free from the evil influences of the evil one and yet be true to their word; that they are independent and do not believe in him.(cfr. 1 Jn. 2: 22-23)

Such is the nature of the belief system which clearly shows that not to believe in Jesus is to believe in either self or others, which ultimately includes believing in the lies of the evil one.

When we believe in Jesus, we primarily believe in the truth of God as revealed by Jesus and this truth is able to save us.

Hence, he who believes in Jesus or claims to believe in Jesus cannot deny Jesus and his salvific mission of love to mankind.

Not to acknowledge him before men means not to participate in this mission of love of Jesus. At the same time it means to promote the mission of the devil and his lies. It means a failure to tell our human enemy that God still loves them and he can save them only through his Son Jesus.

No saints or angels can be an instrument of this Salvation which Jesus offers if they have not acknowledged Jesus before men. They are saints because of this role they have played in acknowledging him before men.

Prayer: Lord, help me realize that not to acknowledge you before men means to promote and proclaim a lie that leads to eternal damnation.

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