Inherit

Today’s Gospel Text: And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:25-37

Reflection: “A lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  (vs.25)

The lawyer could have asked any other question under the sun or could have asked a question in keeping with his profession?  

He could have asked Jesus as to how the knowledge of the law could help in bringing about a reign of justice, peace and brotherhood?

(The lawyers of Jesus’ time were not in any way the same as the legal lawyers of today but were scribes who were well versed with Mosaic Law and taught them to the people)

Yet, what was asked by the lawyer was a question which could either be looked at with skepticism and negativity or with a sense of respect and approval as being the right question which everyone must either ponder on or ask.

It could also be looked upon as a selfish question with self centered overtones; In other words, one could say that instead of bothering about relevant issues of society or justice issues, this man is concerned about his eternity. 

One could even ask:  Will a struggle done on behalf of the poor and marginalized not assure him a place in heaven, and more so, since he is a lawyer he should be familiar with matters of justice and struggle?

Yet, we could have such experts in our day with such a stance and they may even come across as wiser than Jesus because in their criticism they overrule all that Jesus says, not by explicit rejection of what Jesus says but by their misinterpretation of the teachings of Jesus.

But we are not to be so because in saving ourselves we could be better equipped to save others; for this saving of ourselves is primarily accomplished with Christ Jesus by our willful cooperation and through whom we receive the grace to even reach out in love for our neighbor.

Prayer:  Lord, as I walk in your way, may I never lose sight of your salvific action in our lives which equips us to enter totally into your way of life.

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

Hold on to Jesus

Today’s Gospel Text:  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14 Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." 18 Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:11-18

Reflection: Mary’s post resurrection experience could have been one of the most beautiful experiences ever: Imagine Mary of Magdalene having a peep into the darkest tomb and she having seen two angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus was laid.

That may have been really a peaceful and beautiful sight to behold; for who can see an angel and not experience the peace of the angel and yet she does not recognize them.   

She fails to recognize his voice too; the most soothing voice until Jesus calls her by name even though the Lord stood a little behind her. Maybe she did not recognize him, in all probability, in keeping with her single hearted mission 

If not the term 'Lord', she needed to use the more humble words "Rabboni (teacher)" in keeping with her sorry state; for she needed to learn from the great teacher the truths of life and after life, the truth about God and his nature.  

He was the resurrected Jesus whom she has encountered and she was not to hold him as yet; thus the first lesson on spirituality from the teacher:   The words of Jesus seem to communicate that she could hold him once he has ascended to his Father.

And that is what all believers in Jesus Christ the resurrected Lord, are supposed to do. He who was particular is going to be universally available to everyone who believes and that too in a particular way.

He will be much more available and closer to us than he was before his resurrection and that is how he becomes Emmanuel; God with us.

“(In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)”  Eph 4:9-10,  and that primarily includes the ones who believe beginning with Pentecost. 

Prayer:  Lord, we believe that you are with us now and even comes to dwell in us. Fill us that that we may never feel your absence, especially in our trials and sorrows.

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

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

Teach Me Too

Today’s Gospel Text:  As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." 7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matt 8:5-11

Reflection: A school is a great place to be, a great invention of man. Parents admit their children to school in the hope of building their future on a solid foundation.

In school these children could learn either the good things of life or bad.  But it is always a joy for the parents to hear their children or see them having learnt the good values of life and doing well.

It is as if these things which they learn become a pleasing offering to the parents in return for their investment on their children.

Similarly God has sent us to earth for a purpose and in this body, a perfect creation of God, to learn of the good things of life.

The human body is like the school and the various stimuli of life are the many things one learn's in school.  

In the story of the centurion we have one such example of right learning and offering in the school of life:

He has learnt that authority has a special power to delegate things and to make things work and as he adds this to his faith in Jesus, it produces a wonderful miracle with eternal ramifications.

The servant of the centurion is not only healed but he becomes an example of how we can carry our daily interactions of life to God in prayer and ultimately leave it to God to work a wonderful miracle in our lives and those of the others too; for the centurions testimony of faith has become an example for all ages.

We need to ask ourselves; how have we learnt about the marvels of God either through our education or work situation or as parents or friends or brothers and sisters to one another?

Do we, each day, make our experiences an opportunity to know more about God and then in and through them offer them to God? 

Prayer:  Teach me thy way, O Lord, that I may walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.  I give thanks to thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify thy name for ever. Ps 86:11-12

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

Noble Profession

Today’s Gospel Text: Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42

Reflection: For the world the noblest profession could be to be a doctor or a lawyer or that which earns big money.

In the the kingdom of God the noblest work is to preach and teach and for the many, to hear and listen to God’s word. 

What makes the preacher or teacher, well versed with the things of the kingdom, different from the noblest of professions in the world?

A person who is well versed in the kingdom teaches eternal values, which are lasting and whose glory, power and shine never fades away. They are there to last forever and likewise lead the listener to the eternity of God’s presence, beginning with a sound relationship, here on earth, with the creator of all things.

A teacher in the world may train his or her student the survival techniques of life and educates a person towards self sustenance and sound character, which in turn is often subject to values that the world sees as truth.

In the absence of the grace and wisdom which Christ offers these values become redundant in many cases of formation.

It is also a work which involves the great risk of rejection, persecution and trials, if done diligently with sincerity and faithfulness.

Whereas the job of a servant of the kingdom, is necessitated by the fact that we are surrounded by a darkness which makes it impossible for us to access the truth of God, unless God opens it out to us through these preachers and teachers, assisted by the Holy Spirit. 

Thus they are called to be light of the world and salt of the earth (Mt. 5: 13-160)

Prayer: Lord, help me see your wisdom in the appointing of preachers and teachers, so that I may hold these true servants of the faith in high honor for my own salvation.

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

Teacher

Today’s Gospel Text: He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands upon a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching. Mark 6:1-6

Reflection: Indeed one of the greatest services one can ever render humanity is to teach and Jesus never missed an opportunity to teach in the synagogues. 

Does it mean that all should jump into the fray, of being a teacher? Before taking it as a profession one should first search one’s heart for honesty or sincerity and dedication, always keeping before one’s eye the eternal judgment assured for leading astray God’s creatures. 

The worst judgment would befall those who are teachers in God’s household and over, whom Christ considers, them as his little ones: “..but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matt 18:6,(Mk. 9:42/ Lk. 17:2)

Therefore James in his letter (Chp. 3:1) has this to say, concerning the ministry of teaching: “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness.”

If you think that the plague of false teachers, even officially sanctioned ones, are a new infestation in the church, then you are wrong. There were false teachers even during the time of the apostles: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies.” 2 Pt. 2:1; I Tim. 1: 6-7

The only difference is that in the time of the Apostles and even much latter, those who took the place of the apostles were quick to discern the false doctrine and condemn them immediately. In many instances there were pitched battles of debates which ultimately saw the church triumphant over the forces of evil.

In our dark days they are quite a few who have taken the place of the Apostles and yet promote, teach and practice heresy in their openness to modernistic-pseudo-scientific reasoning’s.

Prayer: Oh, how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.  I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. Ps 119:97-99

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