Saturday, 31 January 2015
Sunday, February 1, 2015 - FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Which dog is winning in you?
To read the texts click on the texts: Dt 18:15-20; 1 Cor7:32-35; Mk 1:21-28
An old American Indian tale
recounts the story of a chief who was telling a gathering of young braves about
the struggle within. “It is like two dogs fighting inside of us,” the chief
told them. “There is one good dog who wants to do the right and the other dog
always wants to do the wrong. Sometimes the good dog seems stronger and right
is winning the fight. But sometimes the bad dog is stronger and wrong is winning
the fight.”
“Who is going to win in the end?” a young
brave asks.
“The one you feed,” the chief answered.
Since for both kings and priests,
authority was based on an inherited status, they often became unresponsive to
people’s needs. This is one of the main reasons why prophets were needed.
Prophets would not inherit their status but would be appointed by God to bring
newness and revolution into the lives of people. They would be charismatic and
would preach what God commanded them to preach. To some, it seems that they
were self appointed. This is why they had to have a strong local following in
order to limit or even nullify any attempt to thwart their message. Moses tells
the people that the prophet, whom God will raise, will be like him and from
among them. This will ensure that their teachings will accord with the
teachings of Moses and will be for the benefit of the people even though, at
times, the words they would speak would not be easy to digest.
The Gospel text of today narrates
that Moses’ prophesy was fulfilled in the most perfect in Jesus. It is
significant that, even before Jesus can begin his public ministry, Mark
contrasts his teachings with that of the scribes. Though the content is not
explicated, it is clear that the teaching of Jesus is a teaching based, not on
learning as that of the scribes was but, on experience, and that he believed
that his authority came directly from God, as is evident when he comes into
Galilee proclaiming the “good news of God” (1:14).
This “teaching” is then shown, in
action, in the exorcism that follows, which is the first miracle that Jesus
works in the Gospel of Mark. Through this, the authority of Jesus is
demonstrated. The demon also recognizes the authority of Jesus and regards him
as superior. The demon knows that Jesus has been divinely ordained and set
apart by God. As “prophet” of God, Jesus utters a commanding word and subdues
the demon. The demon obeys the command and leaves the man. The crowd’s response
indicates how authoritative is Jesus’ teaching. With just a word from Jesus,
the demon is subdued. The coming of Jesus, as “prophet” of God, signals the end
of all satanic and demonic forces.
The demonic forces that Jesus
subdued in his time continue to raise their ugly heads, again and again. They
take a variety of forms. The recent financial crisis from which the whole world
is still reeling and because of which, many have lost their hard earned money,
strikes terror in various parts of the world. The hunger of so many people when
the world has enough and more for all and the environmental degradation are
striking examples of these demonic forces today. One response that we might be
tempted to give is to lay the blame for the present situation in our world at
God’s door. Since Jesus could exorcise demons at will, what is preventing him
from doing so now? Is not God concerned about the plight of so many of his
people? Why does he not act? This, however, is not an adult response.
We have to realize that the
demons that are rearing their ugly heads are not willed by God but are a
creation of our own selfishness and self-centeredness. If we keep feeding the
“bad dog: as we seem to want to do, then it will keep winning. To be sure, the
coming of Jesus means that Satan’s rule is at an end, but for this to become a
reality today we have to collaborate with Jesus in wanting to exorcise those
demons. We can do this, no matter in what state of life we are, if we, like
Paul, and have the best interests of others at hear. If we too, like him, want
to promote what is good and pleasing to the Lord, then the demons can once
again be subdued and God’s power can be seen at work in the world again, like
it was in Jesus’ time. Then, the “good dog” will win.
Friday, 30 January 2015
Saturday, January 31, 2015 - Have you stopped rowing the boat of life because you are overwhelmed with the storms? Will you start rowing again today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 11:1-2,8-19; Mk 4:35-41
The Gospel reading of today appears immediately after Jesus has
completed the Parable Discourse. It is commonly referred to as the miracle of
the calming of the storm. While this miracle appears also in the Gospels in
Matthew and Luke, the language of the disciples in Mark is harsh. In Matthew,
the disciples address Jesus as Lord, and their cry is a plea for help, much
like our “Lord have mercy” at the penitential rite. In Luke, like in Mark,
Jesus is addressed as “Master” but no allegation about his uncaring attitude is
made. In Mark, the disciples allege that Jesus is unconcerned about them. Mark
also brings out the contrast between the agitated disciples and the serene
Jesus. Jesus is able with a word to calm the forces of nature, and suddenly,
there is a great calm.
The boat has often been seen as a symbol of Christianity. The
storm then would be the trials and tribulations that attack Christianity from
without. Jesus is present with his people even in the midst of all these
trials, even though sometimes it may appear that he is asleep and unconcerned.
He is able with a word to clam these forces, and so there is no need for
agitation and anxious care. We need to keep rowing and trust that he will see
us safely to the shore.
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Friday, January 30, 2015 - Do you more often than not focus on the present or the future? Do you focus on the now or on the later?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:32-39; Mk 4:26-32
The text of today contains two parables. The first of these
(4,26-29) is known as the Parable of the seed growing secretly, and is found
only in the Gospel of Mark. The second (4,30-32), known as the Parable of the
Mustard seed is also found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.
In the first parable the point that is being made is that the
one who scatters the seed only does so and then goes about his routine, not
worried about the outcome of his effort. The seed continues to grow, simply
because he has first scattered it. He knows that by worrying the seed will not
grow faster, and so he lets it be.
In the Parable of the Mustard seed, the point that is made is
that from little, there will be much. Small beginnings have great endings. The
parable is a call to begin what one has to do without worrying about how small
or big the outcome will be. The growth is sure and definite.
When Mark says in 4,33 that Jesus did not speak to the people
without a parable, he is in effect saying that there was a parabolic character
about all of Jesus’ teaching. This means that all of Jesus’ teaching involved
the listener and it was the listener who supplied the lesson to the teaching
and not Jesus. This indicates a freedom of choice that every listener was given
at the time of Jesus. They were the ones to decide for or against. Jesus would
never force them to accept his point of view.
It is sometimes the case that we spend much of our time worrying
about the outcome of our actions even before we can do them. This attitude does
not allow us to be in the present moment and so the action that we do is not
done to the best of our ability. We do not put ourselves fully into the action
that we do. At other times, we do not act at all but only worry. While the
first of today’s parable is calling us to act and then relax rather than worry,
the second is assuring us that our actions will indeed bear fruit.
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015 - How would you define the WORD OF GOD? Have you assimilated this WORD?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:19-25; Mk 4:21-25
The text of today follows immediately after the interpretation
of the Parable of the Sower and the seed and contains two similes: that of the
lamp and the measure. In Mark they seem to be connected with the response that
a person makes to the Word spoken by Jesus. This Word is not an esoteric or
secret Word. It is a Word that is to be make known, to be revealed, like a lamp
is to be on a lamp stand. If one is open and receptive to this Word (the
Measure of one’s openness) one will receive from God not only the ability to
understand it but also to assimilate it.
Sometimes our closed attitudes and minds and our reluctance to
accept change and newness may result in our missing out on all the revelations
of the glory of God taking place around us. If we only open the eyes of our
heart to see and the ears of our hearts to hear, we will be able to find God in
all things and all things in him.
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - How often have you given into despair and lost hope? Will you continue to hope today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:11-18; Mk 4:1-20
The text of today is taken from what is known as The Parable
Discourse in the Gospel of Mark. The text contains an introduction to the
Discourse (4:1-2), the parable of the Sower (4:3-9), a saying on the kingdom
and its secret (4:10-12) and the interpretation of the parable (4:13-20). It is
important that while it is likely that Jesus uttered the parable, in all
probability the interpretation is the work of the early church. This is why;
the interpretation of these texts must be done separately.
The parable of the Sower seems to point out that of the four
types of soil in which the seed falls, it is LOST in three types and bears
fruit in only one type. This indicates that while three quarters of the effort
are lost, only a quarter is gain. However, the focus of the parable is not on
the loss but on the gain, which even that one-quarter brings. The Parable is
pointing out to the fact that this is how life often is. Three quarters of our
efforts seem to be wasted and it is possible that when this happens we may give
in to despair. However, we are called to focus not on this but on the enormous
gain that the one-quarter of our effort will indeed bring.
We may tend to lose heart when we see that most of our efforts
do not seem to be bearing fruit. At times like these the Parable of the Sower
offers hope that even though much of our effort may seem to be lost, the gain
that will arise from it will be enormous. It invites us not to ever lose heart
but to keep on doing our part and leave the rest to God. It is calling us to
sow and rest confident in the hope that God will make it grow.
Monday, 26 January 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - If Jesus were to point to his family today, would you be counted as a member?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 10:1-10; Mk 3:31-35
The text of today forms the second part of the “sandwich”
construction that Mark has used here. He introduced the family of Jesus in
3:20-21, interrupted this with the text on the Beelzebul controversy (3:22-30)
and returns to the family of Jesus is today’s text 3:31-35. By using such a
structure, Mark indicates that the family of Jesus are also hostile to Jesus.
Also, Mark places them “outside” while Jesus is “inside” the house. This too
indicates that they are not disciples. Jesus then defines family in terms of
those who do the will of God. Some also think that by not mentioning the father
of Jesus, Mark wants to assert that for Jesus and his disciples, only God is
Father.
We may imagine that because we have been baptised are bear the
name Christian we are automatically counted as members of Jesus’ family.
However, baptism alone will not make us members of Jesus’ family, but the
living out of the baptismal promises in our lives. This means that we must each
do what we are called to do, namely our best at every given moment.
Sunday, 25 January 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015 - Timothy and Titus - How would you define mission today? Are you engaged in mission?
To read the texts click on the the texts: 2 Tim 1:1-8; Lk 10:1-9
On
Jan. 26, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the liturgical memorial of Saints
Timothy and Titus, close companions of the Apostle Paul and bishops of the
Catholic Church in its earliest days.
Both
men received letters from Paul, which are included in the New Testament.
Timothy
was supposed to have come from Lystra which is in present day Turkey and was
known to be a student of Sacred Scripture from his youth. He accompanied Paul
on his journeys and was later sent to Thessalonica to help the Church during a
period of persecution. Like Paul, he too was imprisoned and his release from
prison is mentioned in in the letter to the Hebrews (Heb 13:23). Tradition has
it that Timothy died a martyr for the faith like Paul before him.
Titus
was born into a Non-Christian family, yet would read the Hebrew Scriptures to
find ways and means to live a virtuous life. He was both assistant and
interpreter of Paul was sent to the Church in Corinth when Paul could not go.
He was Bishop of Crete. According to tradition Titus was not martyred, but died
of old age.
The
Gospel text chosen for the feast is from Luke and is about the sending of the
seventy-two, which is text that is exclusive to Luke . Matthew and Mark have
the sending of the Twelve, as does Luke. This then is regarded as a doublet of
the sending of the Twelve in Lk. 9:1-6.
The
fact that seventy-two and not just twelve are sent indicates growth and
movement. The kingdom of God is preached not just by Jesus or the Twelve, but
also by many more.
In
some manuscripts, the number is recorded as seventy. This is probably due to
the list of nations in Genesis 10, where while the Hebrew text lists seventy
nations, the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) list
seventy-two. This will mean that the commissioning of the seventy-two
foreshadows the mission of the church to all nations.
In
this sending, they are sent in pairs (not in the earlier sending of the Twelve
in Lk. 9:1-6), and ahead of Jesus, in order to prepare the way before him. In
this sense, they are called to be pre-cursors, forerunners like John the
Baptist. The instructions begin with a prayer to be made to God, because it is
his mission that they will be engaged in. At the outset they are warned that
they will need to be on their guard at all times. The strategy proposed is
detachment from things, persons and events. This detachment will help to
proclaim the kingdom more efficaciously. Three interconnected aspects of the
mission are stressed. The missionaries are to eat what is set before them in
order to show the same table fellowship that Jesus showed, they are to cure the
sick and to proclaim the kingdom in order to show that the kingdom is not only
spiritual but also very practical and touches every aspect of human life. They
are to do and also to say.
It
is sometimes mistakenly thought that only religious men and women are called to
be missionaries. However, as the feast of today indicates though Timothy and
Titus were both Bishops in the early Church they were initially lay men (and
Titus was a Non-Christian). Some also think that only those who work in the
villages are to be termed missionaries. However, the sending of the seventy-two
corrects this misunderstanding. The feast of today asks us to reflect on the
fact that every Christian is sent on a mission and called to engage in mission,
simply because mission is to be done where one is. The threefold mission task
in these verses is a further confirmation of the fact that mission includes
every aspect of life and so is not the responsibility of only a few, but every
disciple of Jesus.
Saturday, 24 January 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015 - A New Mind and a New heart
To read the texts click on the texts: Jon 3:1-5, 10; 1 Cor7:29-31; Mk 1:14-20
The common thread that runs
through the first reading and gospel of today is the invitation, or call that
is made, and the response to it. If, in the first reading, Jonah calls the
people of Nineveh to repentance and they respond, in the Gospel of today, Jesus
calls the first disciples to be fishers of men and women, and they respond. A
positive note is thus struck. There is an adequate response made to both calls.
Jonah is invited by God, in the
first reading of today, with three imperatives. He is called to arise, to go, and to proclaim the
message that God himself will give. He responds perfectly. He arose, went, and
proclaimed. Though the content of his proclamation is not specified by God,
Jonah proclaims a call to repentance, an overturning, a complete reversal of
the world. The response of all people, from the greatest to the least, was to
listen to the proclamation and to act on it immediately.
That this is the case is made
more than amply clear in the preaching of Jesus, when he “came into Galilee”.
However, even before Jesus can utter the first words in his Gospel, Mark gives
us four pointers or indicators. The reason why he does this
is because the message that Jesus will proclaim and the words that he will
speak are revolutionary and novel. The words of Jesus will result in waking the
listener from his/her sleep and in turning the world of the listener upside
down. The first of these four indicators is a time indicator; “After John had been arrested”. The reason for the
mention of the arrest of John the Baptist here is to effectively remove John
from the scene and to prepare the reader for both the departure of John and the
arrival of Jesus. This is because with Jesus, a new time has come, a new
message is brought and a new kingdom is inaugurated. The old time of John is
now over. The second indicator is a place
indicator: “Jesus came into Galilee” which, in Mark, is the place where
Jesus is at home. It is a place of acceptance and proclamation and the place
where miracles are worked. The third indicator is a form indicator: “Proclaiming” which indicates, as in the case of
Jonah, the crying out of an urgent message. The proclamation does not explain
or give details, it simply invites, beckons, and challenges the listener to
hear and respond. The fourth and final indicator is a content indicator: “The
good news of God, and the good news that God has authorized Jesus to proclaim.
This proclamation of Jesus may be summed up as: “The kingdom of God is here.
Repent”.
The placement of the words is
extremely important if one is to understand fully the implications of this
radical proclamation. In this proclamation, the
indicative is before the imperative
or, in other words, because the kingdom has come, people are called to repentance.
It does not state that the kingdom will come only if people repent or, that
people must repent first for the kingdom to come. God has taken the initiative,
the first step, and the humans have only to respond. The kingdom is given
gratis, as a gift to anyone who is open to receive it.
What does this mean in practice?
On the lips of Jesus, the inauguration of the kingdom would mean that, in him
and in his ministry of preaching and healing, God reigns or God rules. God’s
forgiveness and mercy had been made visible. In other words it means that God
loves unconditionally, he forgives unconditionally. The response of those who
are willing to accept this startling revelation is one of acceptance of that
love, forgiveness, and acceptance. This is not as easy as it sounds. Jesus
calls the people to repentance which does not mean that one must be sorry for
one’s sins. It means, rather, that one must get a new mind, a new heart, a new
vision, and a new way of looking, like the man who came home one day and told
his wife, “Honey, I’ve changed my mind”. “Thank God”, his wife replied, “I hope
the new one will function better”.
Since Jesus wanted to reveal this
truth to as many as possible, he calls disciples to share in this mission.
Simon and Andrew, James and John are called, and they respond immediately, and
with generosity. They are willing to join Jesus in his mission of transforming
the world.
Stressing the immediacy of this
message, Paul invites the Corinthian community, in the second reading of today,
to this change of mind, heart, and vision. It is a call to focus on things that
matter, like the fact of God’s love, rather than on things which will take one
away from this revelation.
This call is being issued to us
today. It is a call that we are challenged to issue to others. It is a
realization of the unconditional love, mercy, and forgiveness of God, made
visible and available in Jesus, freely, without charge or condition. It is a
love which must, therefore, be shared with others.
Friday, 23 January 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015 - Would Jesus point to you as member of his family? Why?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 9:2-3,11-14; Mk 3:20-21
This text is part of a larger text, which ends at 3,35. It is
about the family of Jesus. In 3,20-21 (our text for today) the family of Jesus
is introduced in a negative manner. They think that Jesus has gone out of his
mind and want to restrain him. One possible reason why his family would have
thought that he was “out of his mind” was because he was working miracles and
this could have been seen as associated with magic and such persons could
either be banned or even executed. His family thus come to take him away by
force.
This episode is followed by the Beelzebul controversy (3,22-30)
in which Jesus is accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, by
the scribes who come from Jerusalem. Mark then forms a "sandwich
construction" by taking up in 3,31-35 a text concerning the family of
Jesus. Here, however, Jesus makes clear that his true family are not those
related to him by blood only, but by the will of God.
There are times when because we do not understand the actions of
another person, we may tend to condemn them or look down on them or sometimes
label them. We need to realise that because of our lack of understanding we may
need to be open rather than closed and judgemental.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Friday, January 23, 2015 - If Jesus were to choose a nickname for you, what would that be? Why?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 8:6-13; Mk 3:13-19
Mark narrates here the choice of the twelve disciples. The
number twelve makes this group representative of the twelve tribes of Israel and thus Jesus would be seen as the one
who has come to restore Israel
Mark makes three points in his narration of the choice of the
twelve. The first is that the primary reason for the choice of the Twelve
is “to be with him”. This means that their primary responsibility is to
accompany Jesus on his journey to the Father. The second point is that besides
“being with him”, they are also sent out to preach and heal, to say and to do,
word and action. The Kingdom
of God
Each of us also received a new name at our Baptism: the name
“Christian”. The challenge is to hear Jesus call our name and to have the
courage to answer that call.
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015 - If you were to choose one word to describe your relationship with Jesus what word would you choose?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 7:25-8:6; Mk 3:7-12
Mark gives in these verses a summary account of the themes that
have appeared from the beginning of the Gospel. Jesus' popularity increases and
he cannot appear in public without being pressured by great multitudes seeking
to he healed. Jesus' reputation has spread even to those towns where he did not
go personally. The use of the term multitude here and the mention of the names
of places as far as the region around Tyre and Sidon are an indication that
Jesus’ authority is much greater than that of John the Baptist to whom in Mark
people came from only the Judean countryside and Jerusalem (1,5). These
multitudes are not necessarily disciples, and could have come to see Jesus out
of curiosity or even to receive healing.
Mark once again has the command to silence, which is where Jesus
commands the demons not to make him known. While some interpret this command as
belonging to the rite of exorcism, others see it as Mark's desire to reject the
testimony of the demons as evidence for Jesus' identity.
It is possible that we relate to God or Jesus as we would relate
to the local grocer and go to him only when we need something. The text of
today challenges us to review our relationship with Jesus and ask ourselves
what he really means to us.
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 - Is there a synchrony between your words and your actions?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 7:1-3, 15-17; Mk 3:1-6
The
Gospel text of today concerns a Sabbath controversy. Though Mark does not
specify at the beginning of this episode who it was that was watching Jesus for
a reason to accuse him, at the end of the episode they are named as Pharisees
and Herodians. While Pharisees had no political authority at the time of Jesus,
they were influential. Herodians were a group of wealthy people who were
partisans of Herod Antipas.
It is
important to note that Jesus does nothing to break the Sabbath rest, but his
question is the reason for the hostility. The response to Jesus' question is
silence which here may be interpreted as an indication of the hostility of his
opponents and of their intention to destroy him. Anyone who truly cares about
the law will agree with Jesus and rejoice that a man has been made whole again.
Though the man in this case is not in any way near death, Jesus adds to the
second part of his question the words "to save life or to kill?" This
seems to be Mark's way of anticipating the intentions of Jesus' opponents. The
point he seems to be making is that they object to someone being made whole on
the Sabbath because they are concerned about the law, yet on the same Sabbath,
they will not hesitate to plot the destruction of someone else. The contrast
between their words and their deeds is strongly brought out.
Often
in our lives there is a dichotomy between what we say and what we do. Our
actions do not always match our words. There are also times when we say one
thing and do another. The call of the text of today is to be as consistent as
we possibly can. One way of doing this is to avoid judging others too easily.
Another way would be to avoid promising what we know we will not be able to
deliver and to think carefully before we speak and commit.
Monday, 19 January 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015 - How often in your life have rules and regulations become more important than love? What will you do about it today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 6:10-20; Mk 2:23-28
Today’s text is a pronouncement story. In such a story, the
saying of Jesus is of central importance. In this story, it appears at the end
where after Jesus pronounces that it was the Sabbath (rules and regulations)
that was made for the human person and not the other way around, he identifies
The Son of Man as Lord even of the Sabbath.
The Gospel of Mark does not explicate what the Pharisees are
complaining about. They surely could not be complaining that the disciples of
Jesus were stealing because they were plucking ears of corn, since Deut. 23,25
permitted a person to pluck ears of grain when he/she went into a neighbour’s
field. Luke 6,1 seems to indicate that the objection of the Pharisees was that
the disciples of Jesus were rubbing the heads of grain they had plucked in
their hands which could be considered as threshing and therefore work, which was
prohibited on the Sabbath (Exod 34,21). As he often does in his responses,
Jesus takes the objectors beyond the immediate objection to a higher level.
Here, he focuses not just on the question of work on the Sabbath or the
incident that is questioned, but beyond: to the Sabbath itself. The Sabbath is
at the service of the human person and not the human person at the service of
the Sabbath. In other words, human needs take precedence over any rules and
regulations. This must be the primary focus.
There are times in our lives when we treat rules as ends in
themselves. One reason why we do this is because we have an image of God as a
policeman who will catch and punish us if we do not follow the rules, as we
ought to. Another reason could be that we expect that God will be gracious to
us and bless us if we are faithful in flowing the rules. It is possible that
sometimes we are so focussed on following the rules that we believe God has set
for us that we might lose sight of human persons whose needs we must respond to
first.
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015 - How often have your actions been motivated out of fear rather than love? Will you perform at least one action from love today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 5:1-10; Mk 2:18-22
The text of today is a controversy story, and concerns one of
the three important traditions of the Jews: fasting, the other two being alms
giving and prayer.
The question of the people compares the behaviour of Jesus’
disciples with that of John’s disciples and the Pharisees. The latter fast
whereas the disciples of Jesus do not. The law required that people fast
only on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16,1-34; 23,26-32; Num 29,7-11), though there
were other reasons why a person might fast including as a personal expression
of sorrow or repentance (1 Kgs 21,27; 2 Samuel 3,35). The Pharisees were said
to fast twice a week (Luke 18,12). Since the people considered Jesus as a
prophet or religious teacher, they would have expected his disciples to fast as
other sects did.
In his response to the people, Jesus clarifies that with his
coming the new age has dawned, which is an age of freedom. He does this first
by using the analogy of the bridegroom, and states that those who fast at the
wedding are seriously insulting the host or bridegroom. However, even though
there is the element of celebration in the analogy of the bridegroom, there is
also a sombre note, which speaks of the bridegroom being taken away, and seems
to refer to the death of Jesus, which will be an appropriate time to fast. The
unshrunk cloth and the new wine refer to this new age, whereas the old cloak
and the old wine skins refer to the old age. The two are incompatible. An
attempt to patch an old garment using a new or unshrunk cloth will result in a
worse tear; just as to put new wine into old skins will result in a great loss.
The conclusion of the saying of Jesus emphasises that the presence of Jesus
brings newness and to understand him one will need to give up the old
categories that one has.
If we can talk of a rule or regulation that Jesus gave his
disciples, it would only be the rule of love. All the actions of Jesus’
disciples must be motivated by love. This means that one may or may not fast,
but that one will always and every time only love.
Saturday, 17 January 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015 - Called to be witnesses
To read the texts click on the texts:1 Sam 3:3-10, 19; 1Cor 6:13-15, 17-20; Jn 1:35-42
The feast of the Baptism of the
Lord begins what is known as ‘Ordinary Time’ in the Church’s liturgical year.
Ordinary, in this context, does not mean mundane or regular or usual or
average. It comes from ‘Ordinal’ which means ‘counted time’ or time that is not
seasonal. During this time, the Church invites us to reflect on the mystery of
Christ in all its wonder and fullness and to be inspired to live out what we
celebrate in the life of Christ, in our own lives.
In many ways, Ordinary time
is really extra-ordinary time because we realize, through the scripture
readings and reflections, that God in Christ enters our ordinary world and
makes it extra-ordinary with his presence. This entry of God into our lives
also challenges us to find the extra-ordinary in the ordinariness of life.
The first reading and Gospel of
today might seem, at first glance, as ‘Call’ narratives. However, they go much
deeper. In the case of Samuel, it is more an inauguration of his mission rather
than a call. The inauguration of Samuel’s mission as the mediator of God’s word
does not simply happen. A lot of effort is necessary on the part of both God
and Samuel. Though Samuel is sleeping near the ark, which is a source of divine
presence and illumination, he cannot perceive the presence of God. Eli, who is
nearly blind and sleeping away from the divine presence of the ark, perceives
that the Lord is speaking to Samuel. Samuel makes the response suggested to him
by Eli, but he omits the word “Lord”, possibly because he did not yet “know the
Lord”. At this point, the Lord “came and stood” before Samuel, indicating a
visionary as well as auditory experience. The word of the Lord is now reliably
present in the midst of Israel through Samuel. Samuel’s commission is to tell
people that the Lord is going to wake people up from their slumber and do
something that will make their ears ring.
The Gospel text of today begins
by speaking of the witness of God’s word: John the Baptist. Even as Samuel’s
mission is to take people up, the mission of John the Baptist goes even
further, namely, to point Jesus out to people. It is interesting that of the
four titles that John used to identify Jesus earlier, he chooses here the title
“Lamb of God”. While this title may signify the conquering lamb of Yahweh, here
it signifies the lamb that is led to the slaughter, the suffering servant of
God. John points Jesus out to his disciples as the one who will save people by giving his life as a ransom for all.
The disciples realize that, in
Jesus, they will receive more than John could ever hope to give. The disciples
start following Jesus not fully knowing what this will entail. The first words
that Jesus asks them, which are the first words that Jesus speaks in the Gospel
of John, are in the form of a question, “What do you seek?” This question is at
once both courteous and penetrating. It requires the disciples to go into the
deepest recesses of their beings to answer it. They respond with a question of
their own, “Rabbi, where do you stay (remain)?” They do not seem to be asking
for Jesus’ residential address, but want to know where Jesus’ being is. They
want to know what motivates Jesus and makes him the kind of person that he is.
They want to know the source of his power and authority. Jesus does not answer with an address, but with an
invitation. They must “Come and See”.. If they really want to know who Jesus
is, and what he stands for, they must experience him for themselves. They must
stay where he stays and they must remain where he remains. They do that and it
is the turning point in their lives. John signifies this by stating that “It
was the tenth hour”. The tenth period, according to some apocalyptic calculations,
was the decisive hour, the hour when one had to decide for or against. The
disciples decided for Jesus. This, however, is only one part of the story. What
follows is as important or even more important. The disciples, like Samuel and
John the Baptist also become mediators or witnesses of God’s word.
Paul like the first disciples
continued to witness to God’s word and, in the second reading of today, urges
the Christian community to do the same. He does this by reminding them that
they are, indeed, temples of the Holy Spirit, who should witness to Christ
through their actions.
This call to witness to, and be
mediators of, God’s word made flesh in Jesus, is the responsibility of anyone
who professes faith in him. We must be able to say like Samuel: “Here I am. You
called me”.
Friday, 16 January 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015 - When you look at an egg will you see the eagle? Has your stereotypical way of looking prevented you from seeing people as they are?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 4:12-16; Mk 2:13-17
If in 2,1-12 through the incident of the healing of the
paralytic, Mark portrayed jesus as one who had the authority to forgive sin, in
the text of today, he shows Jesus as reaching out to tax collectors and
sinners. There are two episodes, which are connected. The first is the Call of
Levi and the second is the dinner in Levi’s house during which Jesus eats with
tax collectors and sinners.
In Matthew 9,9, the tax collector who is called is named
Matthew, but in Mark (and Luke 5,27) he is called Levi. However, the name Levi
does not appear in any list of twelve whereas Matthew appears in all the
lists. The tax collector at the time of Jesus was a person whose duty it
was to collect tax or duty on goods crossing the border. They were accused of
charging more than the required amount and so were considered as thieves and
seen as dishonest. This is the kind of person called by Jesus to discipleship.
The structure of the call of Levi is similar to that of the first four
disciples in mark (1,16-20). Here too, it has five parts, Jesus passes by, sees
Levi at his work, calls to him, Levi leaves his work and follows Jesus.
Immediately after the call and following, Jesus goes to Levi’s house for a meal
during which many tax collectors and sinners sit at table with him. This leads
to the scribes of the Pharisees complaining probably that Jesus was not observe
that higher standard of holiness that would be expected of him. Jesus responds
to their objection in two parts. In the first part, he states what many regard
is a common proverb of the time (“Those who are well have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick”). In the second part of his response (“I
have come not to call the righteous but sinners”), Jesus states explicitly the
reason for his coming: to call sinners. The force of this mission statement of
Jesus will be understood better when we realise that the righteous referred to
those who were zealous for the law and tried to live it out as completely as
they could, whereas sinners meant those who deliberately flouted/flaunted the
law and paid no heed to it. Jesus has come to seek those who everyone considers
evil.
Many of us tend to look down on those who may not come up to our
expectations or behave the way we want them to. We may also often judge others
by what we see and be too quick to do that. The challenge for each of us is to
realise that our way of looking may be a stereotypical way of looking and that
we may be looking with a prejudiced view.
Thursday, 15 January 2015
Friday, January 16, 2014 - Is there an area in my life in which I suffer from paralysis? Do I believe that Jesus can heal me?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 4:1-5:11; Mk 2:1-12
The text of today is a pronouncement story, which also contains
a miracle.
A pronouncement story is one in which the saying of Jesus is the
central point. Some pronouncement stories contain miracles, whereas others do
not (2,23-27). In the story of today, it seems that Mark has converted an
original miracle story in which a paralytic is healed into a pronouncement
story (by inserting the dialogue between Jesus and the scribes after the words,
“said to the paralytic” found in 2,5a, and repeating them in 2,10b), to bring
out the point that Jesus has the authority like God to forgive sin. In his
challenge to the scribes, Jesus is able to prove that he has this authority to
forgive, because he has been able to heal the man completely. Mark might also
be indicating that Jesus wanted total healing for the man rather than just
physical healing. The response of the crowds is of amazement.
We come across here for the first time a “Son on Man” saying,
which is used for the second time in 2,28 and after that only from the Passion
and resurrection predictions in Mark (8,31; 9,31; 10,33;
14,62). Characters in the Gospels never use this expression to describe
Jesus or refer to him; rather Jesus uses it of himself. While the expression
could be used to mean a human being, it seems that the evangelists intend the
expression to refer to Jesus’ special status. Here, he has special authority
and that to forgive sin.
Our own psychological paralysis is often connected with our lack
of forgiveness and keeping feelings of bitterness, anger and the like in our
hearts and minds. One of the keys to wholeness and good health is forgiveness.
We must forgive because it is good for our health.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015 - Who are those whom you treat as lepers? Will you reach out to them with a kind word or touch today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 3:7-14; Mk 1:40-45
The healing of a leper, which is our text for today, is also
found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, but both Matthew and Luke omit the
emotional reactions of Jesus found in Mark. The term leprosy was used for any
kind of skin disease, and those with such kind of diseases were considered as
unclean and not allowed to be part of society. They had to live on the
outskirts of the city, and had to make their presence known whenever they
entered the city, so that others could avoid any kind of contact with them and
so not get contaminated.
In this miracle, Jesus not only heals the leper, but also
reaches out and touches him. This probably means that Jesus cannot be
contaminated or made unclean by anything from outside. It could also indicate
Jesus’ wanting to reach out to the leper in a personal manner and treat him as
a full human being.
The prayer of the leper is a lesson for each one of us on the
meaning of prayer. In his prayer the leper both acknowledges his dependence on
Jesus through the words, “If you will” and also has faith in the ability of
Jesus to heal through the words, “you can make me clean”. Prayer means to
acknowledge our dependence on God and also to have faith that God can do what
to us may seem impossible.
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2014 - Is the content of your prayer connected with your life or is it removed from it?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 2:14-18; Mk 1:29-39
The text of today is made up of three parts. In the first part
(1:29-31), we are told of the healing of Simon’s Mother-in-law. This miracle
story follows the pattern of the typical healing stories of the Synoptic
Gospels in which three clear parts can be distinguished. These are the
narration of the case, the cure (in the larger majority of the healing miracles
of Jesus it is merely with a word and/or the act of lifting the person up) and
the confirmation that the person has indeed been cured. Here, after her healing
she begins to wait on Jesus and his disciples. While on the one hand this
detail communicates that she was healed completely and can now serve, on the
other hand, Mark may also have intended to communicate to his readers, that
healing is for service.
In the second part of today’s text (1:32-34), numerous sick are
brought to Jesus, who heals them all. There is also at the end of this section
the command to silence, which is connected to the Messianic Secret in the
Gospel of Mark where Jesus does not allow demons to tell other who he is,
because he did not want to be misunderstood simply as a wonder working Messiah.
In the third and final part of today’s reading (1:35-39), we are
given an insight into a very personal aspect of the life of Jesus; his prayer.
In this context, the content of Jesus’ prayer seems to be discernment on
whether he must stay or move. While it would have been easier to stay because
of the approval he receives here, as is evident from the comment of his
disciples that he was being sought after, Jesus opts to move because that is
what he sees as his Father’s will, and Mark makes abundantly clear on numerous
occasions in his Gospel that nothing and no one can come between Jesus and his
Father’s will.
The talents that we have and the gifts that we possess have been
given to us in trust. We have therefore to use them to enhance life and
continue to be co-creators with God in his work of building the new heaven and
new earth.
Monday, 12 January 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - How often is there a dichotomy between your words and your actions? Will you try to synchronise them today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 2:5-12; Mk 1:21-28
The first miracle in the Gospel of Mark is an exorcism and is
the text for today. At the beginning of this pericope we are informed that
Jesus taught in the synagogue with authority and the crowds were astounded at
his teaching. Mark then immediately narrates the exorcism story to give a
practical example of the teaching of Jesus. The demon "knows" who
Jesus is and also that with his coming Satan’s reign is ended. Jesus has indeed
come to cast Satan out.
The exorcism indicates what it means that the kingdom has indeed
drawn near. This is the first time in the Gospel of Mark that we come across
what is commonly known as “the command to silence”, which is a technique that
Mark uses in his Gospel in which Jesus commands sometimes demons (1,25. 34),
sometimes those he has healed (1,44) and sometimes the family members of the
one healed (5,43) not to make known his identity or that he has been the one
who has healed them. While many interpretations have been offered as to why
Mark has used this technique, the one which has found wide acceptance is that
the Marcan Jesus did not want people to mistake him for merely an exorcist or
miracle worker, but wanted them to realise that he was the Christ who would suffer,
die on the cross and be raised.
In this case he is able to exorcise the demon by a mere word,
which the crowd interpret as a "new teaching".
By associating the teaching of Jesus with the first miracle and
having the people regard the exorcism as a “new teaching”., Mark seems to want
to indicate that there is no dichotomy between Jesus’ words and actions. They
synchronise. Jesus does what he says and says what he does.