To hear the Audio Reflections of Thursday, December 13, 2018 click HERE
Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Thursday, December 13, 2018 - What one action will you perform today to make Jesus known to someone who has not encountered him?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa41:13-20; Mt 11:11-15
John the Baptist is clearly a precursor in the Synoptic Gospels. He is
the one who goes before the Lord to prepare his way. In Matthew, John has a
borderline role. John is the last and greatest of all prophets until the time
of Jesus. He is indeed the one who, alone among the prophets of the Old
Testament, was the forerunner of the Messiah and this is what makes him the
greatest human being.
Even so, John does not belong to the new era of God’s rule inaugurated
by Jesus. While on the one hand, the content of his proclamation about the
kingdom is the same as that of Jesus; on the other hand, even the least in the
kingdom is greater than John.
The “least” in the kingdom, who is greater than John, while it may
refer to Jesus (who came after John and was “younger” than him), here seems to
refer to the disciples. These are greater than John because they have the
privilege of seeing the inauguration of the kingdom which John was not
privileged to see. They are also the ones who recognize the Messiah and point
to him more clearly than John could hope to do.
From the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the kingdom has been forcefully
advancing. The Prophets and the Law prophesied until then and, implicitly,
prophesied this new era. And from that time on, the fulfillment of the
prophecy, the kingdom itself has been forcefully advancing. This advancement
cannot be seen by those who have closed themselves to this kind of revelation
and thus, the text ends with the invitation to hear.
The kingdom that Jesus inaugurated continues to advance today despite
many setbacks. It is not a kingdom that advances by force or by any kind of
pressure. It is a kingdom that wins over
opponents by that unconditional love with which Jesus began it. We in the
present generation are the fortunate ones who have been privileged to witness
the kingdom. Now, it is our responsibility to point to him and make him known
to those who have not yet had the privilege of encountering him as we have
done.
Thursday, December 13, 2018 - Isa 41:13-20; Mt 11:11-15
Thursday, December 13, 2018 - Isa 41:13-20; Mt 11:11-15
Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Audio Reflections of Wednesday, December 12, 2018
To hear the Audio Reflections of Wednesday, December 12, 2018 click HERE
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 - Are you carrying the burden of unforgiveness, guilt, resentment, jealousy, or anger in your heart? Will you lay down that burden on Jesus’ shoulders today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 40:25-31; Mt 11:28-30
The verses that make up the
text of today are exclusive to Matthew. They are an invitation from Jesus to
all those who are burdened. The burden referred to here is most likely the
burden of religious obligation. This often became an obstacle in one’s path to
God. While “yoke” generally meant obedience or even servitude, here the yoke is
Jesus’ own yoke. Thus, this is not the yoke of the law; rather, it is the yoke
that will deliver one from the artificial burdens of human religion. The “easy
yoke” of Jesus is not an invitation to a life of ease but to a life of freedom.
This is why it is important to “learn” from Jesus as a disciple learns from
his/her teacher. This learning is not imitation but is learning from the
revelation of God made visible in Jesus. When one recognizes who God really is,
after learning from Jesus, one realizes that God is indeed a God who desires
that all men and women be free and serve him only in freedom rather than from
any external compulsion.
Jesus invites anyone who wishes to come to him
to do so. No one is excluded. What is required is openness and a desire to
see a new revelation of God. It is a revelation that only Jesus is competent to
make because he alone knows the Father, as father, and reveals him as such.
This revelation is of a God who will not burden people with sets of rules and
regulations. It is a revelation of a God who is unconditional love and who can
be recognized only when love abounds.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 - Isa 40:25-31; Mt 11:28-30
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 - Isa 40:25-31; Mt 11:28-30
Monday, 10 December 2018
Audio Reflections of Tuesday, December 11, 2018
To hear the Audio Reflections of Tuesday, December 11, 2018 click HERE
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 - How will you show practical concern for at least one person today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa40:1-11; Mt 18:12-14
The Gospel text of today is
taken from the fourth discourse in the Gospel of Matthew, known as “The
Community Discourse”. It is addressed primarily to members of Matthew’s
community and not to outsiders.
The parable of the lost
sheep is found also in the Gospel of Luke. The context in Luke, however, is
quite different from that in Matthew. While in Luke, it is told as a response
to the murmurings of the Pharisees because Jesus was eating with tax collectors
and sinners, in Matthew, it is part of the Community Discourse.
Thus, the concern in these
verses in Matthew is clearly for members of the community who stray. The point
is pastoral care and sanctification rather than evangelism and justification.
The sheep that is lost is not more valuable than others, but has strayed and
needs to be brought back. The finding and the return of the lost sheep cause
joy. Every individual in the community is important and it is the
responsibility of the community to seek out those who stray and bring them back
into the fold. Mature disciples are to live their lives with the spiritual
welfare of others in view. There is no such thing as an individual Christian.
Every Christian is a Christian within community.
In a world in which
individualism seems to be the order of the day, and when each is concerned only
about him/herself, the parable of the lost sheep comes as a breath of fresh
air. It challenges us to get out of our comfort zones and our selfish ways of
living and live instead, lives that are other centered. It informs us that we
are, each of us, our brother’s and sister’s keepers; each of us must accept
responsibility for them. We are not individuals but one community that must be
a community of concern for the other and a community showing this concern by
reaching out in love.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 - Isa 40:1-11; Mt 18:12-14
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 - Isa 40:1-11; Mt 18:12-14
Sunday, 9 December 2018
Audio Reflections of Monday, December 10, 2018
To hear the Audio Reflections of Monday, December 10, 2018 click HERE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)