Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014 - What is preventing you from following Jesus unconditionally? What will you do about it today?
To read the texts click on the texts:Job 9:1-13,14-16; Lk 9:57-62
While part of this text is found also in Matthew, the latter
part (9:60b-62) is exclusive to Luke. It concerns the would-be followers of
Jesus, and Jesus’ warnings about what discipleship will entail.
To the first would-be follower who promises to follow Jesus
wherever he goes, Jesus responds by stating clearly that unlike even the foxes
that at least have holes, he does not have anywhere he can call his own. If the
would-be follower is ready for this insecurity, he may follow.
The second person is called to follow by Jesus, but responds by
asking for permission to bury his father. This was a duty that was binding on
all devout Jews. Jesus’ response is harsh and demands that the disciple be
primarily concerned about the kingdom.
The third would-be follower puts conditions to his following
namely that he wants to say farewell to his family. However, here too the
response of Jesus is clear. Looking back while ploughing leads to a crooked
furrow.
While it is not necessary to give up the state of life one has
chosen in order to follow Jesus, what is to be understood is that following
will necessarily mean changing one’s style of life. It will mean a move from
selfishness to selflessness, from acquiring material possessions to sharing
them with others and from anything negative to everything that is positive.
Monday, 29 September 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - Don’t try to teach a pig to sing. It is a waste of your time and irritates the pig.
To read the texts click on the texts:Job 3:1-3,11-17,20-23; Lk 9:51-56
The section of the Gospel of Luke beginning from 9,51 and ending
at 19:28 is known as the Travel Narrative or Journey to Jerusalem. Beginning
today and on all weekdays till the feast of Christ the King, (except on feast days) we will
be reading from this section of Luke’s Gospel. It is therefore important to
have an understanding of what this section means.
Luke begins this travel
narrative by telling us that when the days drew near for Jesus’ death,
resurrection and ascension, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus’ arrival
at Jerusalem in 19:28 marks the end of this section. One important reason for
this section where Luke diverts from Mark, is so that Luke can add here
material from his own special source and also material from the source known as
“Q” which he and Matthew have in common. In this section we will also find many
parables, sayings meal scenes, controversies and warnings, through which the
Lucan Jesus explicates his way of life.
In the text of today, we will read of the opposition that Jesus
encounters already at the beginning of his journey. A Samaritan village refuses
to welcome him. This rejection of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry
coincides with the rejection at the beginning of his ministry in Nazareth (4:16-30).
This foreshadows the rejection that Jesus will face in Jerusalem. In response
to the rejection, James and John want to react and destroy the whole village.
Jesus’ rebuke of James and John is an indication that he will not use violence
in his ministry, but will win people only through love. The last verse of this
text where we are told that they went on to another village also makes clear
that Jesus will not force his teaching on anyone who does not want to listen to
it.
Sometimes we are faced with opposition with regard to an idea
that we may put forward or a suggestion that we may offer. When we identify
with that idea or suggestion and feel rejected when it is rejected, then we
might be tempted like James and John to react. The attitude of Jesus invites us
to detach ourselves from all that we propose, so that we can continue to stay
calm and collected.
Sunday, 28 September 2014
September 29, 2014 - STS. MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL
To read the texts click on the texts: Dan 7:9-10,13-14; Rev12:7-12; Jn 1:47-51
The three Archangels Michael (Who is as God? or
Who is like God?), Gabriel (Strength of God) and Raphael (God heals) are the
only angels named in Sacred Scripture. However, ancient apocryphal literature
mentions others beside these three, but the names are spurious.
Archangel Michael is invoked for protection
against evil and regarded as a Champion of God’s people. Gabriel is mentioned
four times in the Bible. Of these the most significant are in the New Testament
when he makes the announcement of the birth of john the Baptist and Jesus to
Zechariah and Mary respectively. Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit and
is the one who heals Tobias’ blindness. Raphael is not mentioned in the New
Testament, but is invoked for healing and acts of mercy.
The choice of the Gospel reading from John is
because of the mention of angels in the last verse of the text. Though having
an opinion about where the Messiah would come from, Nathanael remains open to
another revelation. Though skeptical, he is willing to be convinced. Jesus
addresses Nathanael as an “Israelite” which signifies his faithfulness to the
law and is used here in a positive sense. He is without guile because though he
has questions and even doubts, he is open and receptive and willing to learn.
Jesus’ intimate knowledge of Nathanael and the revelation that he makes to him
leads to a transformation in Nathanael and he comes to faith. He responds to
Jesus with a confession and though he begins with Rabbi, he moves on to
recognizing Jesus as Son of God and King of Israel.
However, Jesus responds by pointing out to
Nathanael that this is only the beginning of the revelation that Jesus makes.
If he continues to remain open he will experience even greater things. By means
of a double “Amen”, Jesus points out to Nathanael and to others there that he
will be the bridge between heaven and earth. Through the phrase “you will see
heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
Man.” (Jn 1:51) which combines images from the descent of the Son of Man as
narrated by Daniel (7:13) and the ladder of Jacob’s dream in Genesis (28:12),
Jesus states that Jacob’s ladder is replaced by the Son of Man. He will be that
place and person in whom the earthly and divine encounter each other. He as Son
of man will make God known. The Son of Man becomes the place where the earthly
and the heavenly, divine and human, temporal and eternal meet.
When looked at from this angle, the feast of the
Archangels seeming to be saying to us that our God is not merely in the
heavens. Our God is not merely a God who has created the world and left it to
its own design. Rather our God is a God who is intimately connected to the
world and present to and in it. Our God is a God who is concerned about our
world and ever willing to lend a hand whenever any one of us requires it.
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014 - Twenty-sixth Sunday of the Year - Not words, but deeds
To read the texts click on the texts: Ezek 18:25-28; Phil 2:1-11; Mt 21:28-32
A priest friend was telling me
how during the time of heavy rains in his town because of which many people
lost a lot of their belongings, he made an appeal during his Sunday homily for
people to come and help him reach out to those who were affected by the rains.
When he asked people to raise their hands to indicate if they would come, about
70% of the 500 people present raised their hands. He fixed the following
Saturday as the day on which they would go out to help. When the day came, five
people turned up. They said, but did not do. They had words but no action.
There is an intimate connection
between all three readings of today. In the reading from Ezekiel, the prophet
calls the people to realize that it is not God’s ways that are unfair but their
own. He asks the people to grow up and accept responsibility for their actions
and not lay the blame on God’s door. It is not God who punishes or condemns, but
punishment is the consequence or result of a person’s wrong doing. The ones who
persist in their evil ways condemn themselves. Ezekiel’s portrayal is of a
generous and forgiving God who wants everyone to come back to him. Anyone who
turns back to God will be accepted and forgiven.
This theme of acceptance and
forgiveness is affirmed by Matthew in the Gospel text. At the end of the
parable of the two sons he says that those who turn to God after renouncing
their former evil ways will indeed be saved. This turning to God has be a
turning that is shown in action and not mere words.
It is important to understand the
immediate context. It is placed in the Gospel almost immediately after Jesus
has entered the temple in Jerusalem and “cleansed” it. This action leads the
chief priests and elders of the people to question Jesus’ authority. It is in
this context that the parable is told and the audience continues to be the
chief priests and the elders. It brings out powerfully the fact that these who
just questioned Jesus’ authority are themselves rejecting the kingdom.
The first son initially refuses
his father’s request. It was culturally unacceptable, so afterwards he does go
and do what his father asks. Thus his initial refusal is followed by eventual
obedience. The second son not only agrees to go but also reinforces this
agreement by addressing his father as “Lord”. However, he does not go and his
initial agreement is followed by eventual disobedience. Though the answer to
Jesus’ question as to which son did the will of the father is obvious and the
Jewish leaders answer correctly. What shocks and offends them is the
application that Jesus makes. They are compared with the son who was ready with
words and even words of respect, but with what remained mere empty words.
Though God spoke to them through the Law and numerous prophets, they had merely
heard and not obeyed. The tax collectors and prostitutes on the other hand, who
are likened to the first son, are the ones who are entering the kingdom and receiving
salvation because they dared to do so, even though they may have initially
refused to listen.
The second reading from
Philippians provides the Christological foundation of such conversion. Jesus
himself is the model of the truly obedient son, who says yes to his Father in
the most radical and action oriented way. His actions match his words. There is
no dichotomy. In this he goes one better than the first son in not only doing
but also saying. The initial verses of the hymn explode with verbs of action.
Jesus did not grasp at equality with God; he emptied himself; he took on the
form of a slave; he came in human likeness; he was obedient to the point of
enduring the ignominy of death in one of the most shameful of ways: on a cross.
This is the attitude that true followers of Jesus are challenged to adopt. In
the second half of the hymn, the verbs then shift. God becomes now the actor or
doer exalting Jesus and giving him a name above every name. Doing the will of
the Father, for Jesus, was more than simply a matter of words; it is always a
matter of deeds. Appropriate and relevant action, accompanying the words, is
the way of a true disciple of Jesus.
The repentance that today’s texts
call for is a radical change of heart, mind and vision that is seen in denying
self and reaching out to everyone in need. It is true that there will be times
when, like the first son, we may say an initial “I will not”, but when we dare
to look at the example of Christ that continues to shine brightly before us, we
are challenged to imitate him and have that same mind and heart. We are called
to realize, like him, that if we dare to open ourselves to obedience, even
though it might not seen at first glance as the best option, we too like him
will conquer death and be that example which the world so badly needs today.
Friday, 26 September 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014 - Does it make sense to proclaim a “Suffering Messiah” today? How will you do it if it does?
To read the texts click on the texts: Ecclesiastes 11:9 – 12:8; Lk 9:43-45
The second Passion prediction in the Gospel, which is our text
for today, follows immediately after Jesus’ mighty work in exorcising the demon
in the previous scene. It is only in Luke that Jesus announces his passion and
death while “all were marvelling at everything he did.” Only Luke adds the
phrase, “Let these words sink into your ears;” in order to bring out the
gravity of the pronouncement. He abbreviates the Passion prediction of Mark, so
that his passion prediction simply has “the Son of Man is to be delivered into
the hands of men.”
Through this shortening, Luke focuses on Jesus’ “being
handed over” or “delivered”, and omits any reference to Jesus’ death and
resurrection. Like in Mark, here too the disciples’ are not able to understand.
However, Luke gives a reason for this, namely “it was concealed from them”,
though he does not say by whom.
It is not easy for us to give up control. Moat of us like to be
in control of every situation so that we do not need to depend on someone else.
These verses are calling us to understand that this is not always possible or
even necessary. There may be times when we need to give up control and
especially to God acting through humans if we are to be faithful to his will.
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014 - Can you identify with a “Suffering Messiah”? Would you have preferred that Jesus not go to the Cross? What kind of death would have preferred Jesus to die?
Though Luke depends on Mark for this scene of Peter’s
confession, he has made some significant changes in order to bring out his
meaning of the text. The first is that unlike Mark, Luke does not give the
geographical location (Caesarea Philippi), but gives instead the context of the
prayer of Jesus. Through this change, Luke makes the confession a spiritual
experience. Luke also changes Marks, “one of the prophets” to “one of the old
prophets has risen.” Though the difference does not appear to be great, it is
for Luke. In the Gospel of Luke, before Jesus everything is old. Jesus makes
all things new. Luke has also eliminated Peter’s refusal to accept Jesus as the
suffering Messiah and the rebuke of Peter by Jesus. Luke avoids narrating
Marcan texts that show Peter and even the disciples in a bad light.
The second question to the disciples, “But who do you say that I
am?” shows on the one hand that the answers given of the crowd’s understanding
of Jesus are inadequate, and on the other that Jesus wants to know their
understanding of him. In all the Synoptic Gospels it is Peter who answers, but
here too Luke adds to Mark’s, “You are the Christ”, the words “of God”. The
Greek word “Christos” means in English “the anointed” and this conveys the meaning
of royalty. However, by his addition, Luke also brings in the prophetical
dimension of Jesus’ person and mission. This prophetical dimension is
explicated in the verses, which follow the confession of Peter, in which Jesus
explains the kind of Christ/Messiah/Anointed One that he will be. The reason
for the rebuke or “stern order” not to tell anyone is because Jesus wanted to
avoid any misunderstanding of the term which could be understood only in the
glorious sense. Jesus as “the Christ of God” will come in glory, but only after
he has gone to the cross, died, been buried and then raised.
Who Jesus is cannot be captured by a title and we must not
attempt to do so or imagine that this is possible. Any title we may use for
Jesus will always be inadequate and this leads us to the realisation that while
we may encounter him in different situations, he will always be bigger than
anything we can ever imagine.
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014 - You know a great deal about Jesus, but do you really know him? When did you last meet him personally?
To read the texts click on the texts: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11; Lk 9:7-9
This text (9,7-9) forms the meat of the sandwich formed by the
sending out of the Twelve (9:1-6) and their return (9: 10-17). In a sandwich
construction, an event is begun, interrupted by another event and the first
event is continued and completed. In this instance, the disciples are sent on
mission (9:1-6), the return is interrupted by the question of Herod (9:7-9) and
the event of the sending out of the disciples is continued and completed by
their return (9:10-17). In such a construction, the first and the third events
throw light on the event in the middle or the meat of the sandwich. The first and
third events narrate the sending and successful return, and it is in this light
that the question of Herod, “Who is this?” which is the second event or in the
centre, must be read.
Herod’s desire to see Jesus foreshadows coming events.
When Herod did meet Jesus, his desire to see Jesus was fulfilled, but he wanted
only to see Jesus perform a sign. He never really grasped the answer to his own
question. Though John the Baptist has been beheaded and Jesus will also be
killed, yet the violence of the wicked will be no match for God’s grace. The
success of the disciples’ in mission is only a shadow of the success that Jesus
will experience in mission.
The intention behind wanting to meet Jesus is extremely
important. If one’s approach is curiosity that will be the level at which one
will see him. If one’s approach is faith, then one will encounter him as he is.
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 - What does mission mean for you today? How and where will you proclaim it?
To read the texts click on the texts: Prov 30:5-9; Lk 9:1-6
This passage may be seen as the culmination of the entire
section Lk. 7:1 – 8:56. In this section, we were shown the nature of Jesus’
Kingdom mission. The Twelve now share in that same mission. These verses
may be termed as the Mission Discourse according to Luke.
Though Luke has taken
much material from the Mission Discourse of Mark (see Mk. 6:6b-13), he has also
made changes, which bring out his meaning of mission more clearly. Before Jesus
instructs his disciples on how they must go about their mission, he gives them
not only authority as in Mark, but power and authority. This power and authority
is given not only over the unclean spirits as in Mark, but over all demons and
to cure diseases. Only in Luke are they also sent to “preach the Kingdom of
God”. This indicates that for Luke, mission is inclusive and includes both
doing as well as saying, both action as well as word.
Besides power and authority, Jesus also gives the disciples a
strategy for mission. This may be summed up as detachment from things (take
nothing for your journey), persons (stay there and from there depart) and from
events (and wherever they do not receive you, when you leave shake off the dust
from your feet). Dependence ought to be only on the Providence of God.
The
rejection shown Jesus is also in store for those sent by Jesus. The last verse
in today’s text, underscores the disciples’ obedience to the commands of Jesus
by reiterating the principal features of mission: preaching the good news and
healing the sick. That mission is universal is made clear in the last word,
“everywhere”.
As missionaries today, we are called to continue to the Mission
inaugurated by Jesus and put into motion by his first disciples. It is a
mission, which includes every aspect of life and involves all persons. This
means that we are called not to be part-time missionaries or disciples, but on
mission always and everywhere.
Monday, 22 September 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - Would Jesus point to you as a member of his family? Why?
To read the texts click on the texts: Prov 21:1-6,10-13; Lk 8:19-21
Though this text, which concerns the mother and brothers of
Jesus, is found also in Mark 3:21-22 and 3:31-35 and Matthew 12,46-50, Luke
narrates it quite differently from both. In Mark 3:33 and Matthew 12:48 Jesus
asks who his mother and brothers are.
In Luke, however, Jesus does not ask this
question, but says simply when told that his mother and brothers desire to see
him, that his mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.
Luke thus gives a positive thrust to the scene unlike Mark and Matthew.
It
might be said that while in Mark and Matthew Jesus seems to reject his physical
family and choose instead the crowd (so Mark) or his disciples (so Matthew), in
Luke he does not do so. This means that though family relations with Jesus are
not based on physical relations but on the word of God, his physical family
does indeed hear the word of God and acts on it.
We might possess the name Christian because of our baptism, but
this does not necessarily mean that we belong to the family of Jesus. In order
to belong what is also necessary is putting into action what Jesus has taught.
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014 - What is the Good News according to you? Will you share it with others today? How?
To read the texts click on the texts: Prov 3:27-34; Lk 8:16-18
These verses in Luke are a commentary on the Parable of the
Sower, which in Luke appears in 8,5-8. Just as a farmer sows the seed so that
all of it may bear fruit, so also a lamp is lit so that it may give light. Like
seed is sown not to be trampled on, eaten by birds, to wither or to be chocked,
so a lamp is lit not to be hid under a jar or under a bed.
Knowledge of the
kingdom is not esoteric or secret, reserved for a particular group alone, but
must be made known to all. It is knowledge, which must be shared openly with
others. It is indeed the Good News, since it is a communication of love, and
therefore it must not only be heard, but also experienced. By adding, “Then pay
attention to how you listen”, the Lucan Jesus reminds listeners that they can
choose and control how they will listen to the word of God. A total openness to
the word of God results in an appropriate response to it.
Hearing is an active process. It calls for a commitment. Those
who are open to that word are like a lamp, which gives light to all. An
attentive hearing of the word of God can result in the transformation of one’s
life and the living out of that word can lead to transformation in the lives of
others.
Saturday, 20 September 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014 - Twenty-fifth Sunday of the year - Writing crooked on straight lines
To read the texts click on the texts: Is. 55:6-9;Phil 1:20-24; 27; Mt 20:1-14
After reading the title above you
would be forgiven if you think I made a mistake and especially if you know the
regular phrase which is: God writes straight on crooked lines, While God can
surely write straight on crooked lines, he also sometimes writes crooked on
straight lines.
Three years ago after the Gospel
of today had been read I invited eight children to come and stand near the
altar in full view of each other and the congregation. I had a bag of chocolates with me and I began
the distribution. To the first child I gave three and to each of the other
seven one each. Each of the seven after looking into the hand of the first
child kept waiting at the altar quite sure that the drama was not quite over.
When I asked them to go back to their pews they looked at me with some
confusion. The only child on whose face there was a broad smile was the one in
whose hand I had put three chocolates. Even as they were returning, one child
looked back at me in something like anger and even some disgust and asked as
only children can: “Why you gave him three?”
The last verse from the first
reading of today explains even if inadequately why the first child was given
three. It was go drive home a point, to communicate a message. God’s ways are
surely not our ways and no matter how hard we may try, they cannot be
understood with our finite minds. “As high as the heaven s are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways” (Is 55:9). The context in Isaiah seems to
be the questioning of the people of the prophetic message of Isaiah. The people
were finding it difficult to understand how God could use a Gentile, Cyrus, the
Persian king to free them from bondage and move them to freedom. They thus
began to question the ways of God since they did not fit in with what they
expected God to do for them. They were not able to comprehend that God
sometimes writes crooked on straight lines. He turns logic on its head and
sometimes even our world upside down.
A classic example of how God does
this is narrated in the Gospel text; the parable found only in the Gospel of
Matthew and sometimes called the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
However, the focus is not so much on the workers but on the owner of the
vineyard and his seemingly unjust and illogical actions. The parable makes
three striking points. The first of these is that while the earlier four groups
are simply told to go to the vineyard, it is only the labourers hired at the
eleventh hour who are asked why they have been standing idle all day. The
reason for this seems to be, to bring out through their response that they have
not been considered worthy of being hired. They are the rejected, the unworthy,
the undesirable. However, despite their unworthiness, these too are given the
same invitation as the earlier groups. The second point is the manner in which
the workers are paid. The ones hired last are paid first. This prepares for the
objection of the ones hired earlier and for the response of the master. The
response of the master to the objection by the labourers that a great injustice
was done to them is the third striking point. The distancing term “friend”
(which Jesus uses in the garden of Gethsemane when addressing Judas the
betrayer in 26:50) used here sets the tone for the response of the master.
Since the master has kept to the terms of the contract agreed upon, no
injustice has been done and it is the master who decides that the last must be
treated in the same way as the first. There is here a distinct note of grace.
Though the last ones did not deserve what they got, they were given it because
of the graciousness of the master. Only in the realm of grace upon which the
kingdom proclaimed by Jesus is based, it is wrong to set one’s mind on the
rewards that will set one on a higher level than others.
The fundamental assertion of the
parable is that God’s grace is granted also to those who come last. Even those
who come in the eleventh hour, the unwanted and the unworthy, will receive the
same reward to be given to those who have come before. When we tend to despise
those whom we consider unworthy either because of their manner of life or their
way of proceeding which may not fit in with ours, we need to keep this in mind.
When we consider ourselves as superior as or holier than others we need to
remember that if not for God’s grace we could never be worthy to receive any of
his blessings and it is only grace that makes us worthy.
The parable summons us to believe
that God’s justice played out in this world is not limited by human conceptions
of strict mathematical judgment, by which reward is in proportion to effort or
merit. As a matter of fact, grace cannot be earned by even the most strenuous
effort. Mercy and goodness are not opposed to justice, but they challenge us,
as they did the workers in the parable, to move beyond justice. God’s ways are
not human ways. God indeed does write crooked on straight lines.
Friday, 19 September 2014
Saturday, September 20, 2014 - Do you sometimes act as the “General Manager of the Universe”? Will you resign from that position today?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1 Cor 15:35-37,42-49; Lk 8:4-15
The text of today combines both the Parable of the Sower (8:5-8) and the allegory (8:11-15) {in an allegory, every element in the story is
given a meaning. So, the seed is regarded as the word of God, those along the
path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word
from their hearts, so that they may not believe an be saved, and so on}.
Though
it is true that the Sower disappears from the scene after he is first
mentioned, and the seed takes centre stage, the parable is really one of
contrast between the beginning and the middle, and the end. Thus, the Sower
(whom the end will affect) is still an important figure in the parable. Since
many have confused the allegory with the Parable, the meaning of the parable
may have been missed. In this reflection we will focus on the Parable.
The farmer would sow along “the path”, because according to
research done on the agricultural practices in Palestine
To human eyes much of the labour seems
futile and fruitless, resulting in repeated failure, but Jesus is full of
joyful confidence; he knows that God has made a beginning, bringing with it a harvest of reward beyond all asking or conceiving. In spite of every failure
and opposition, from hopeless beginnings, God brings forth the triumphant end,
which he has promised.
Do I usually focus more on the reaping than on the sowing? Do I
focus more on the result than on the action? Do I focus more on the future than
on the present?
How do I react when most of my effort seems to be in vain? Do I
throw up my hands in despair? Do I give up? Do I get despondent? Or do I carry
on despite all odds? Do I continue to persevere? Do I keep on keeping on?
How attached am I to the result of my action? Can I plunge into
the din of battle and leave my heart at the feet of the Lord?
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Friday, September 19, 2014 - Does the plight of others affect me at all? What do I do about it?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1Cor 15:12-20; Lk 8:1-3
This is a text that is exclusive to the Gospel of Luke and is
about the women who ministered to Jesus during his ministry. It begins by
presenting Jesus as an itinerant preacher going through the cities and villages
in order to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.
The striking point about this text is the fact that the
disciples were women. At a time when a woman was looked down upon and her place
in society was pre-determined, it is quite amazing to note that these became
followers of Jesus and even provided for him. This is an indication of the
openness that Jesus possessed and of his freedom from all kinds of constraints.
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014 - Does love lead to forgiveness or is the ability to love the result of being forgiven?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1 Cor 15:1-11; Lk 7:36-50
This is a fairly well known story from the Gospel of Luke.
However, it is important to note that though the woman is termed as a “sinner”,
she is not named. The dinner given by the Pharisee would have been much more
public than a dinner in a private home today, so the presence of uninvited
persons would not have been unusual. The guests would have been reclining on
pillows, supported by their left arms and would be eating with their right
hands, with their feet away from the mat on which the food would have been
spread before them. Thus the woman could easily approach Jesus’ feet. The fact
that she brought a jar of ointment shows that she had planned to anoint Jesus –
a sign of her love. Though the woman’s act expresses love and gratitude, it
also violated social conventions. Touching or caressing a man’s feet could have
sexual overtones, as did letting down her hair, so a woman never let down her
hair in public. Moreover the woman was known to be a sinner. Assuming that she
was unclean, she would have made Jesus unclean by touching him. In the
Pharisee’s eyes the woman’s act represents a challenge both to his honour and
to Jesus.
In response, Jesus poses a riddle for Simon to solve, based on
patron-client relationships. If a patron had two debtors, one who owed him much
and the other who owed him little and he cancelled the debts of both, who would
love him more? After Simon answers that it would be the one who had the greater
debt cancelled, Jesus exposes the contrast between Simon’s lack of hospitality
and the woman’s selfless adoration of Jesus. The main point of the story is
Jesus’ pronouncement in 7:47.
Did the woman love because her sins were forgiven
or was she forgiven because she loved much? The woman’s loving act is evidence
that she has been forgiven. She recognised her need for forgiveness and
therefore received it totally, whereas the Pharisee did not recognise his need
and therefore received less.
This story seems to make two points that we can reflect on. The
first is our judgement of others without knowing all the facts. Some of us are
sometimes quick to judge from external appearances, only to realise later that
we misjudged.
The second point is the acceptance of our need for God’s mercy
and love. Like the Pharisee, there may be some of us who do not consider
ourselves as grave sinners and consequently we may not be open to God’s
unconditional love and grace.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - St. Robert Bellarmine SJ - 1542 - 1621 - When was the last time you performed an action without any expectation of reward? Will you perform one today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Wis 7:7-14; Mt 5:17-19
Robert Bellarmine was born on October 4, 1542 and
entered the Society of Jesus on September 20, 1560 when he was 18 years old.
His intellectual ability led him to earn a reputation as professor and
preacher. His spiritual depth was so much that many lay people, Priests,
Bishops and Cardinals flocked to him for solace and advice. He was available to
all.
In 1592 he was made Rector of the Roman College, and
in 1595 Provincial of Naples. In 1597 Clement VIII recalled him to Rome and
made him his own theologian and likewise Examiner of Bishops and Consultor of
the Holy Office. Further, in 1599 he made him Cardinal-Priest of the title of
Santa Maria in viâ, alleging as his reason for this promotion that "the
Church of God had not his equal in learning".
His spirit of prayer, his singular delicacy of
conscience and freedom from sin, his spirit of humility and poverty, together
with the disinterestedness which he displayed as much under the cardinal's
robes as under the Jesuit's gown, his lavish charity to the poor, and his
devotedness to work, had combined to impress those who knew him intimately with
the feeling that he was of the number of the saints.
Among many activities, he became theologian to Pope
Clement VIII, preparing two catechisms which have had great influence in the
Church.
Bellarmine died on September 17, 1621. The process
for his canonization was begun in 1627 but was delayed until 1930 for political
reasons, stemming from his writings. In 1930, Pope Pius XI canonized him and
the next year declared him a doctor of the Church.
The readings for the feast of this great Saint
contain what are commonly known as the “theme” of the Sermon on the Mount. In
these verses, the Matthean Jesus makes explicit that he is a law abiding Jew.
His attitude towards the Jewish law is fundamentally positive. However, Jesus
also makes explicit here, that he has come not merely to confirm or establish
the law, but to fulfil or complete it. This means that he will go beyond a
purely legal interpretation to a broader perspective. He will remove the focus
from the mere external and concentrate on the internal. The focus will be more
on the attitude than merely on the action. This was exactly the attitude that
Robert Bellarmine possessed.
While laws, rules and regulations are necessary and
help towards order, it is also possible that they can become ends in themselves
and not as they are meant to be, means to an end. We might follow in some cases
the letter of the law, but miss out on its spirit. We might even follow the
rule or law only because we are afraid of getting caught and punished and not
because we are convinced of it.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - Will you dance to the tune of the Lord or are you dancing your own dance?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1 Cor 12:31-13:13; Lk 7:31-35
The point of these sayings of Jesus is to bring out the failure
of the crowd to respond to the invitation of John and Jesus. Though John and
Jesus are different from each other and went about their ministries
differently, the people accepted neither. John lived a very austere life and
indulged in no excesses at all, but he was not accepted. Rather he was labelled
as a wild man. Jesus on the hand lived quite openly and freely due to this was
labelled as a glutton and drunkard.
Many of us are so concerned about what people say about us that
we sometimes live our lives based on their opinions. The text of today teaches
us that you cannot please everybody every time. There are some who will neither
join in the dance nor in the mourning, but sit on the fence and criticise. It
is best to leave these alone and do what one believes one ought to do.
Monday, 15 September 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - If God were to call you to himself now, what are the three things you would regret not having done? Will you do them today?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1 Cor 12:12-14,27-31; Lk 7:11-17
The miracle of the raising the widow’s son at Nain is a miracle
that is found only in the Gospel of Luke. If the centurion’s servant healed in
7:1-10 was ill and at the point of death, the son of the widow in this story is
already dead. There are many similarities between this story and that of
Elijah’s raising the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17:10,17-24. Luke emphasises that
the son was the widow’s “only son” (7:12). Luke also states that when Jesus saw
the widow, he had compassion for her.. Jesus raises the boy quite simply with
an authoritative command. The crowd responds by regarding Jesus as a prophet
and by affirming that God has been favourable to his people through the deed
that Jesus had just done.
The scripture offers many instances where men and women of faith
ask for help, and are granted it, even though under normal experiences they
might have gone on for the rest of their lives with sin or weakness or sickness
or oppression.
Does prayer change anything? Again and again the scripture
teaches that it does indeed. God can and does intervene in the normal running
of his universe. We see just such an instance in this passage. The young man is
dead -- his life cut short by sickness perhaps, but death is a
"normal" experience in our fallen world. Then Jesus sees a mother's
tears, realizes that this widow -- there is no husband and other children
mourning beside her -- has lost her only son, and Jesus moved with compassion,
and intervenes. God does not intervene every time we are hurting or have
problems, just as loving parents do not or cannot intervene to soften
everything for their children. Sometimes we are angry with God for not giving
us the answer to prayer that we desire. Sometimes we blame him for not
intervening when our loved ones are sick or die. But it is not because God
lacks compassion, for Jesus shows us the Father, and Jesus is full of
compassion.
We are left with the fact that Jesus indicates that the Father will
do things as a result of our prayers, because of his compassion, that he will not
otherwise do. Prayer can appeal to the heart of God to bring about change.
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014 - Our Lady of Sorrows
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 5:7-9; Jn 19:25-27; Lk 2:33-35
The title, “Our Lady of Sorrows,” given to our
Blessed Mother focuses on her intense suffering and grief during the passion
and death of our Lord. Traditionally, this suffering was not limited to the
passion and death event; rather, it comprised “the seven dolours” or “seven
sorrows” of Mary, which were foretold by the Simeon who proclaimed to Mary,
“This child is destined to be the
downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed and you
yourself shall be pierced with a sword so that the thoughts of many hearts may
be laid bare” (Luke 2:34-35).
These seven sorrows of our Blessed Mother
included the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt; the loss and finding of the
child Jesus in the Temple; Mary's meeting of Jesus on His way to Calvary;
Mary's standing at the foot of the cross when our Lord was crucified; her
holding of Jesus when He was taken down from the cross; and then our Lord's
burial. In all, the prophesy of Simeon that a sword would pierce our Blessed
Mother's heart was fulfilled in these events. For this reason, Mary is
sometimes depicted with her heart exposed and with seven swords piercing it.
More importantly, each new suffering was received with the courage, love, and
trust that echoed her fiat, “let it be done unto me according to Thy word,”
first uttered at the Annunciation.
The readings chosen for the feast are from Hebrews
and a choice of either John or Luke. All three readings speak about how Jesus
and Mary handled suffering in their lives and how we can learn from them.
The Gospel text from Luke is Simeon’s second
oracle and addressed specifically to Mary.
It prefigures the rejection of Jesus. Not all will receive the salvation
that has been prepared, see the light of revelation, or recognize the glory of
God in the coming of Jesus. The sword that will pierce Mary’s heart refers to
the rejection of her son and to the final rejection on the Cross. Mary’s
response is courageous, because she knows like Jesus that God’s will for her
son is infinitely better than anything she could hope for.
The scene in the Gospel of John is where four
women are named standing by the Cross (his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary
the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene). Of these the focus falls on Mary, the
mother of Jesus and the beloved disciple who is given charge of the mother of
Jesus. While the beloved disciple is indeed a historical figure, he/she can
also be anyone who loves Jesus. The command of the Lord to such a disciple, who
loves him, is that he/she must also take his mother into their home because she
is an integral part of the family of Jesus.
The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is relevant for
each of us today. It shows first of all that though Jesus and Mary were
constantly doing God’s will, they were not spared from the Cross and the
challenges and vicissitudes of life. Second it shows that even in the midst of
these challenges we must always remember that God walks ahead of us and will
never abandon us. This is why we never give up or give in. Finally, it reminds
us that sorrow and the Cross is never the end, but only a step towards
resurrection and the fullness of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)