Dead Conscience

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: Maybe, somewhere before I have discussed this point, but it is important to discuss this again and again because we as humans being think that mere knowledge is enough to change us or change others.

There are numerous agencies that teach through awareness exercises and found fantastic results in changing groups of people into doing something or bringing about a change.  They have managed to create a great revolution by appealing to the imagination of peoples and transforming society.

Some have done it through manipulations and false promises, hiding certain facts from the gullible, who sometimes have been the majority, carried away by these intrigues.

When it comes to the spiritual truths of life it is the same story when people allow themselves to be carried away by falsity and evil, without realizing that they have been taken for a ride. Membership and coffers are often the animating factors in such motivation. 

 

Can mere awareness exercises change people? Possibly, sometimes it may take years if they appeal to their imagination and there are  strong motivating factors.

What happens if: 
1) a person is in severe bondage of sin and lethargy, lacking the ability to change 
2) or what happens if a person knowing the truth still doesn’t want to change 
3) or is self deceived to relate mere knowledge with change?

There is hope for the above two factors but the third kind, which was manifested by the lawyer who posed the question to Jesus, is the worst form of disease, often steeped in pride  and ambition. The symptom of which is seen in the flaunting of ones knowledge and intellectual prowess but hidden behind a corruption of deadness.

Am I the knowledgable type in Christian doctrine and yet lacking virtue?

Prayer: Lord, by the working of your Holy Spirit, help me see the corruption of sin and deadness in me, so that I may change walk in your life.

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

Ownership

Today’s Gospel Text: And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" 4 They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to put her away." 5 But Jesus said to them, "For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 7 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." 10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." 13 And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them. Mark 10:2-16

Reflection: Garbage generated in his own house is equally a man’s property just as much as precious gold kept in safe custody by him.

One will be disposed off as rubbish while the other could be preserved for posterity. One could be treated with disdain while the other could be treated with great care and concern.

Ever since the advent of the Marxist concept of 'ownership of goods and properties', there has been a certain look of disdain on this concept of ownership and this destructive heresy has been carried on to the sphere of family by certain women rights group and feminist. 

Ownership of one another is not a bad word but can be a beautiful relationship in an hostile world which also preserves the values of right relationships and ideal families; for instance, a man preserving it through sustenance and caring and the woman though her care and filial love.  Jealousy manifested in the right way can be an important ingredient in such a relationship of ownership.

This ownership is carried on with children, from parent and is always a clear message of precaution to society not to tread or envy what belongs to someone else. It is a message to treat with respect the goods and valuables of others; a message embedded deep in the conscience of every human being and not to be censored by them.

It carries the values of society forward and gives society a stable existence that is lasting.

If not then we could have a society where just as commodities and money change hands so too there could be the constant change which depreciates the value of such commodities. 

We could see it happening in relationships that are not based on sound values, including the value of ownership.

Prayer: Lord, you who consider us as your own through baptism, help us to value and respect the relationships which you have ordained for humans in order to preserve them in your love.

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

The All Powerful Name

Today’s Gospel Text:  The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" 18 And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 22 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." Luke 10:17-24

Reflection: The all powerful name of Jesus vanquishes every evil and even brings them to submission to us who have that name and value it:

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8

Yet this truth could hold very little value to the many who do not understand the full significance of such an action of God by sending his Son Jesus into the world.

In the sin of our first parents we were subjected to the power of evil, sin and decay. Death was an inevitable consequence of that first sin and hence we all are under the power of death.

These evil to which are subjected to are further taken advantage of by the devil by either tempting us or oppressing us by various means into various kinds of bondages of life; of lethargy and sin pleasures.

Thus we are made slaves to the evil one in long as we are slaves to these sinful tendencies at work: ‘”… but I am carnal, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Rom 7:14b-15

  

The extreme form such evil takes makes us slaves to him in such a way that we are unable to relate with others in peace and joy and or even if we do relate then it is only in constant conflict.  The worst is when we led on by such oppresses forces to drastic measures of either seeking the destruction of the other or self either through immediate suicide or over indulgence.

We are often bewildered by these destructive tendencies, especially manifested in the prime of youth and wonder where as parents they have faltered.

They have faltered in not keeping the flame of faith alive in their own hearts and subsequently in the hearts of these children entrusted to them as stewards by God.

Prayer: Lord, help me not to depart from thy holy presence and ever to lose hope in your all powerful name to set us free from every evil.

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