Your Eyes Deceive You

Today’s Gospel Text: Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by some that Eli'jah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. 9 Herod said, "John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?" And he sought to see him. Luke 9:7-9

Reflection: “Seeing is believing” they say!

Sorry! Did I say; “they say”, ‘they’ may have said it or it may be one individual who may have said it but it is definitely practiced by almost all, sometime or the other.We prefer to see in order to believe.

Surely, one may say; “we have been given eyes to see and why should we not make use of it to see and then believe.”  

But it is not always effective, we may see and yet not believe or we may see and yet not understand, and what we have not understood and comprehended we may still believe. Reflect on it and it is shockingly true!

In the spiritual realm, here is one such example: We may see a miracle and yet not believe it as one and begin to rationalize about it. We may see what is presented as a miracle, and we may not comprehend it and yet we may still believe that which was not a miracle, as a sure miracle. Why do you think fake god men flourish so easily with the fraudulent magic?

I am sure all will agree with me on the above, but the greater truth is this: Even if we know this truth, we would still want to see things in order to believe; for such is the compulsion in order to believe.

Herod’s attitude to Jesus, in the light of his action of beheading John the Baptist is a similar one: What does he want to see in Jesus? Is he going to compare the head of Jesus and John the Baptist and try and see if there is any similarity in facial structures of the two?

He is supposed to believe in Jesus, which means that he has to stop seeing as he sees and see as Jesus wants us to see him. Which means; stop trusting self and start trusting God!

If we trust God and begin to see as Jesus wants us to see him, then we will never walk in blunder on the eternal path of life; for Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jn. 14: 6   

Prayer:  Lord, I want to respond to your invitation to walk by faith and not by my sight.Help me always to believe in you.

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

He Called

Today’s Gospel Text:  And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Luke 9:1-6

Reflection: “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.” (vs. 1&2)

The church asserts that Bishops and priests as carrying that authority and power and are the ones delegated with the authority of the Apostles.

If such is the case then among these, especially the bishops, who the church claims to have the fullness of the Holy Spirit, should be seen to exercise such power and authority, not over those who exercise this ministry, but over these unclean spirits and conduct the ministry of healing and.deliverance.

 

Why do we not see this happening? Is it because they don’t carry that power and authority by virtue of their ordination?

Though they carry this power and authority, it is rather out of convenience and an absence of that faith in God's power, sometimes on account of depraved indulgence, that it is not exercised.

It is like any layman who has experienced God’s healing and yet may not acknowledge God’s power and healing nor testify to it.

This in no way justifies this contribution to social sin by the failure of the hierarchy to exercise their office as delegates of the Apostles, with power and authority.

Similarly, the aberration has reached such a level that the teaching office is given precedence over the preaching office which the Apostles were mandated with. Likewise, local sentiments and interpretations are used as pressure tactic to subvert the message of the Gospel. 

The whole church needs to pray for a correction, as the Synod of Bishops, meet in Rome from the 2-7 of October, 2012 and not be casual enough to attribute every omission to the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, show you mercy to your people and raise in every corner of the world Apostles who will cater to people waiting to hear the saving message of the Gospel and find healing for their soul.

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

Be my Brother

Today’s Gospel Text: Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. 20 And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you." 21 But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." Luke 8:19-21

Reflection:  Was it an outright denial by Jesus of his mother and brothers? It seems so or it could mean that both is true.

Or else we could term Christ Jesus as a liar? Indeed these were his mother and brothers (according to most Asian tradition, a cousin is always looked upon as a brother and sister, this issue has already been discussed elsewhere, in a previous reflection before on this blog) at least in the physical sense.

Hence, it cannot be that Jesus by asserting the new criteria has denied his mother and brothers, but has only set in place his priority, in which he is proclaiming the new relationship which is born out of the word of God.

This hearing of the word of God is not just the reading of it by any human element and we listen, rather it is the listening to a living God who constantly speaks, and may speak to our hearts more powerfully through his written word, either in our personal reading or when read by others.

God speaking to our hearts generates faith and trust in him, the foundation of all relationship. There can be no relationship without faith and trust in a living person, with constant interactions with him.In other words; no relationship can exist without communication,

Jesus by his sacrificial death has broken the barrier of communication with the one true living God.

It is this interaction with the God, who speaks to us, that we can be assured in our hearts that he the God is our Father. He is not just my Father but also the Father of all those who have received this word.

Mary, we know for sure received this word of the Father, in absolute trust and confidence and hence is the prime model of this relationship which we all are called to imitate.

Her attitude of pondering, which means being open to listening to his voice, is an hall mark of her dedicated discipleship, which I am sure was passed on to Jesus’ cousins too.

Prayer:  Lord, if I have failed to live up to your expectation of not being constantly attuned to your voice, then forgive me and strengthen me to listen.

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

Light of Christ

Today’s Gospel Text: "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. 18 Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away." Luke 8:16-18

Reflection:  What food is good for the mind to function well? Some say have some nuts and you will never remain a nut, some recommend fish, and fresh vegetables and curds, etc

But what use is the mind, if it is not exercised through external knowledge? The mind needs to manifest knowledge to prove its existence, that it functions.

Similarly, we may have fantastic pair of eyes and yet they can be useless if there is no light to assist. The eyes are handicapped without the assistance of external light.

Similarly, if one really reflects on the world and its problems; the different fields of knowledge of life, the many philosophies of life and various religions in existence, the confusion in the church founded by Jesus and the scandal that rocks it, then all that it throws up is a dark reality.

If we still feel hope, then look deep inside and find the many turmoil’s within ourselves, just living life adjusting to situation and stimuli’s and life goes on amidst the inner distress too. 

Many of us adjust and live with it as if everything is normal and there is no need felt to search the true meaning of life. Some do make attempts at finding one and often do so by adopting a spirituality of faith through blind adherence.cutting oneself from reality,

In such a situation the word of Jesus is every fresh, a bright, unfailing and sure light to assist us. It is not just faith in the written word, which can often turn out to be.another form of blind adherence, making us no different from others in many ways.

The written word is like the shadow of the sun, in which we can still see but we need the real Son, Jesus Christ who need to speak to us, even through the written word, so as to dispel every darkness from our lives.It is a living voice of the all powerful almighty God.

Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, still lives to enlighten, so that nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. (vs. 17)

Prayer:  Lord, speak to my heart as I submit to your working, and reveal the dark hidden areas in me so that I may constantly turn away from them into your marvelous light.

                                                                          

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