What Generation

Today’s Gospel Text:  When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nin'eveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Luke 11:29-32

Reflection: Each generation of people are so different, wanting to do things differently and even better than the previous.

What about the arena spirituality, can we think about doing it better than the previous generations?

Yes there are many who think likewise and with God as a screensaver they deceive to do better and ultimately project themselves as if they are a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

If that generation was an evil generation then what will the Lord say of this our generation?

Is our generation a better generation by the standards of God?

Ours is a generation that is hedonistic in its culture and self-centered in its ways and is more concerned in achieving and making a mark out there. 

There are some who may be the poor cousins of such cultures and may either envy the others or prefer to resign themselves to such a fate. 

But they will not seek God because it goes contrary to the prevailing trend.

There are those others who are worse-off, who may work as the instruments of the evil, constantly working to destroy the church of God or work contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. 

At least that generation sought signs in order to believe but we are in an age where we want to perform signs or will ignore the very thought of belief in God and his signs.

No wonder Jesus says: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk. 18:8) 

One of the expressions of faith is service and this service in its noble form is primarily expressed through prayer for one’s neighbor whose poverty of thought leads them astray to replace humanism with gospel truth. 

It is not an intellectual assertion that will save the other but a deliverance which the Lord alone can affect in the lives of people.

Prayer: Lord, may I never be lacking in zeal to seek you and you face in all my actions and thus find my deliverance from all evil. 

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

Law and Judgment

Today’s Gospel Text:  One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" 25 And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, when Abi'athar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27 And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; 28 so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath." Mark 2:23-28

Reflection: “Judge not and you will not be judged.” (Lk. 6: 37)

The pharisees dared to question the righteous judge concerning his disciples: "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" (Vs. 24)

Just because we have an explanation from Jesus we can absolve him of the wrong he has done.

What would happen to the fate of Jesus if he had not given a counter reply which was perfect to the core? Then would the Pharisees  have swallowed him up alive. (cfr.Ps 124:3)

In keeping with this, in most countries which have a Biblical or Christian influence, we find that the human error in arriving at sound judgment is kept in mind even when applying the law or those who are the arbiters of the law keep in mind this norm and follow strict procedures before arriving at any conclusions.

Yet you will find there have been instances when an innocent man has been condemned and judged despite strict codes of procedures, because they have connived in advance to circumvent the law in order to beat the innocent.  

Unfortunately, sometimes the worst offenders are those within the church, who sit on the seat of Jesus, the judge of the universe, who himself has been a victim of unjust judgment at the hands of the chief law enforcers.

    

Can wicked rulers be allied with thee, who frame mischief by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death. Ps 94:20-21

Whenever there is media hype or public pressure then we have laws either created or existing laws interpreted or implemented to suit the occasion rather than go by divine law or natural justice. 

In the bargain the innocents are made scapegoats or targets, whose blood like the blood  of Abel keep crying to the heavens:

“For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.” Ps 94:14-15

Prayer:  If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence. When I thought, "My foot slips,” thy steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. Ps 94:17-18

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

A serious Complaint

Today’s Gospel Text: And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and kneeling before him said, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." 17 And Jesus answered, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." Matt 17:14-20

Reflection:  A complaint is born out of an offense or wrong committed.

I can’t imagine, at least in our times any one coming forward and complaining to anyone's superiors that their priest or juniors couldn’t heal an epileptic.

We have forgotten that such situations exist in our times and we would rather prefer to send them to psychiatrists, or some priests may even push them on to the black magician rather than an exorcist, if the diocese has one..

Years ago, there was similar situation in which a young girl showed a clear sign of manifestation of an epileptic like attack.  She would go for communion and the moment she would get close to receive communion, she would swoon away. 

The priest in charge ruled it out as case of weakness and encouraged her parents to have her taken to a medical practitioner. It was only under a lay expert that she found deliverance, through the grace of the Lord.

If a situation like this, in the Gospel, could make the Lord express in great frustration, how much more in our generation when individuals do not want to believe in the supernatural influences, which are the cause of many of our bondage's and diseases.

There is a serious need for those in authority, those in ministry and all those who call themselves disciples of Jesus, to hear the Lord’s rebuke again and to mend their ways; "O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?”

Prayer: Lord, help me to submit as I realize that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities in the heavenly places and these we are called to vanquish. 

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

Deliverance

Today’s Gospel:  And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" 17 And one of the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; 18 and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." 19 And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." 20 And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us." 23 And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again." 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" 29 And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer." Mark 9:14-29

Reflection:  “And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd about them, and scribes arguing with them.” (vs. 14) Who are the “they” that came to the disciples and that saw a great crowd about them?  They were Peter, James and John who had just about been witnesses to the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor.

If the Lord would have stuck to Peter’s plan of being up there permanently then who would train the disciples and or instruct them on how to handle things. Jesus had a task to train them, the future church and part of the training was to be God’s instrument in the world to heal and set free those who are captive to the devil and his scheming.

In our generation it is much easier to believe in the power of modern medicine and psychiatry to handle such issues. The power of the Gospel was rendered meaningless and presented empty of its power by these disciples of Jesus.  The only way to revive this grace is by allowing that reprimand of Jesus, which was addressed to these disciples, to speak to us: "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?”

If we still lack that motivation and faith to have that confident faith then we need to be humble enough to take him to Christ who not only rebukes them but also invites them: “Bring him to me.”

But woe to that man who boasts and falsifies the Gospel and thinks that it is prudent not to handle it in a spiritual way but rather refers them to a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist or  a counselor or puts obstacles in the working of God’s grace in such deliverance activity.

Prayer:  “Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”  Ps 91:14

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

Dedicated Temple

Scripture:  The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." John 2:13-16

Reflection: The Jews could be blamed for their lack of preparation as they were awaiting the Passover. Those who were selling in the temple were busy trading in the holy temple of God and made it a den of trade. 

A sound preparation would lead to a sound encounter of Jesus deliverance of the temple.

St. Paul reminds that we too are God‘s temple, with his Holy Spirit dwelling in us who believe.  We could make this place a place for trading in all types of wares by holding on to hurts, anxieties, guilt, shame, the attractions and distractions of daily life.

If we believe then there is hope; invite Jesus into the temple of your mind and body and ask him to use the whip of chord and drive away all the traders that create intranquility and insecurities and anxieties of guilt and sin.

Prayer:  Lord, drive away all the demons of money and sinful attachments so that I may be ever secure in your peace and love.

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