To hear the Audio Reflections of Friday, February 1, 2019 click HERE
Thursday, 31 January 2019
Friday, February 2, 2019 - 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 4:26-34
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.
Friday, February 1, 2019 - Heb 10:32-39; Mk 4:26-34
Friday, February 1, 2019 - Heb 10:32-39; Mk 4:26-34
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Thursday, January 31, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Thursday, January 31, 2019 click HERE
Thursday, January 31, 2019 - 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.
Thursday, January 31, 2019 - Heb 10:19-25; Mk 4:21-25
Thursday, January 31, 2019 - Heb 10:19-25; Mk 4:21-25
How to read the Gospel of John
If you are interested in my session on How to read the Gospel conducted at Salvation Church, Dadar on January 26, 2019 click on the link below:
Tuesday, 29 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Wednesday, January 30, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Wednesday, January 30, 2019 click HERE
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 -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.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - Heb 10:11-18; Mk 4:1-20
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - Heb 10:11-18; Mk 4:1-20
Monday, 28 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Tuesday, January 29, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Tuesday, January 29, 2019 click HERE
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 - 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.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 - Heb 10:1-10; Mk 3:31-35
Tuesday, January 29, 2019 - Heb 10:1-10; Mk 3:31-35
Sunday, 27 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Monday, January 28, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Monday, January 28, 2019 click HERE
Monday, January 28, 2019 - Is your general attitude to life positive or negative? Will you make an attempt to interpret every incident positively today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 9:15,24-28; Mk 3:22-30
The text of today is known as the Beelzebul controversy. Scribes
who come from Jerusalem accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of
demons. Jesus refutes their claim by showing how absurd it would be for Satan
to cast himself out. The strong man whom Jesus talks about is Satan and the one
who binds up the strong man is Jesus himself. Rather than accuse Jesus, the
scribes must be able to see that with the coming of Jesus the reign of Satan is
at an end.
The sin, which cannot be forgiven, is the sin against the Holy
Spirit. Since there is the danger of looking at this sin as a specific sin,
Mark clarifies that the reason why Jesus says this is because they accused him
of having an unclean spirit. This means that the sin spoken of here is an
attitude rather than a specific sin. It refers to the attitude of being closed
to the revelation that God is making of himself in Jesus. It is an attitude of
closing one’s eyes and refusing to see.
Today the sin against the Holy Spirit is to refuse to believe
that the Spirit can transform me. Practically this means to give up even before
one can begin. It means to give in or throw in the towel. It means not to give
the Spirit a chance to work in our lives. It means a refusal to persevere and
keep on keeping on.
Monday, January 28, 2019 - Heb 9:15,24-28; Mk 3:22-30
Monday, January 28, 2019 - Heb 9:15,24-28; Mk 3:22-30
Saturday, 26 January 2019
Sunday, January 27, 2019 - To proclaim good news to the poor
To read the texts click on the texts: Neh 8:2-4, 5-6,8-10; 1 Cor 12:12-30; Lk 1:1-4, 4:14-21
The beginning of the Gospel of Luke is unique
because Luke is the only one of the four evangelists who states the purpose of
his writing. It seems, from what he states, that his intention is to supply an
orderly account, a doctrinal truth, and an assurance about the meaning of the
whole Christ-event, to Theophilus – for whom he is writing. Thus, his intention
is not merely historical. He will also narrate the things “that have been
fulfilled” so that Theophilus may know the “truth”.
A summary of the Christ-event is given in the
inaugural act of Jesus when he comes to the synagogue at Nazareth and reads
from the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus, in all probability, chose the passage that he
would read. Even as he read from this chosen text, he made subtle changes in his
reading. The chosen passage, and the changes he made, brings out what his
intentions are for all those whose lives he will touch. In his reading, the
Lucan Jesus omits the phrase from Isaiah “to bind up the broken hearted” and
adds instead, from Isa 58:6, “He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free”.
Also, he omits, from Isa 61:2, “and the day of vengeance of our God” and ends,
instead, by proclaiming the “favourable year of the Lord”.
What could be the possible reasons for the choice
of this reading in his inaugural discourse? Why would he make the changes he
made? One important reason for the choice seems to be the mention of the
Spirit. The Spirit plays an important role in the Gospel of Luke and, right at
the beginning, Luke shows that Jesus’ ministry, which he will soon begin, is
empowered by the Spirit by whom Jesus was anointed at his baptism. Second, the
poor are given special prominence in the Gospel of Luke, and so, the Lucan
Jesus begins with an option for the poor. While the rich are not excluded, it
is very clearly the poor who will have preference. “Poor” in Luke primarily
means the economically poor, but also includes here, captives, the blind, and
the oppressed. In a word, Jesus has come primarily for the marginalized, the
scum of society, and those who are on its fringes.
What has Jesus come to proclaim to these? What are
the implications of his proclamation for us today? Jesus has come to proclaim a
year of God’s favour. He has come to show, through his word and deeds, that the
God he will reveal is a God whose intention is to liberate the impoverished and
the oppressed and, in that respect, fulfil the ideal and social concern of the
Jubilee year. Jesus has come to announce God’s promise of liberation for all
the poor and oppressed, regardless of nationality, gender, or race. The radical
inclusiveness of his message was not easy for all to accept. Many preferred to
be exclusive. They wanted a Messiah who would fit in with the categories they
had set. Thus, not only was the message of Jesus scandalous, he was himself a
scandal. Since they closed their minds and hearts to his inclusive message of
God’s unconditional love, they were unable to receive it.
The implications of the proclamation of Jesus for
us today are, first; the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed, and that we must
continue to proclaim, must be a kingdom that has the poor at its very centre.
The rich are not excluded because the kingdom is all inclusive. Yet, there can
be no doubt that the preference must always be for the poor, the marginalized,
the impoverished, and those of no consequence. Even as we work for the kingdom,
we must keep in mind that others, too, are called to the same task and
responsibility. Thus, as Paul reminds the Corinthians, and us, we must remember
always that we are one body made up of many parts. We must be able to accept,
not only unity in diversity but unity, even in diversity. This means that the
work being done by those of other religions, other faiths, and other
orientations, as long as it results in furthering God’s kingdom, is good and to
be commended. We must learn to work, not only for others, but with others, as
well. God’s word is a word that cannot be restricted to any particular group or
community. It is a word that is freely given to all who are willing to
understand and to accept it. In the
first reading of today, Ezra, the priest, exposes the word of God to the people
and tells them to not be sad and to not weep. We, too, need to understand that
the word is not a word that causes sorrow or brings tears. It is not a word
that causes division or strife. Rather, it is a word that builds up because the
Lord is, indeed, our strength and our hope.
Because this is the case, and even though we
realize that, despite our very best efforts, the kingdom will always remain
beyond our grasp, we keep striving, never giving up, never giving in. We keep
as our model and inspiration the mission and person of Jesus who, even on the
Cross, continued to say “Amen, Amen”.
Friday, 25 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Saturday, January 26, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Saturday, January 26, 2019 click HERE
Saturday, January 26, 2019 - 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.
Saturday, January 26, 2019 - Heb 9:2-3,11-14; Mk 3:20-21
Saturday, January 26, 2019 - Heb 9:2-3,11-14; Mk 3:20-21
Thursday, 24 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Thursday, January 25, 2019 the Conversion of St. Paul
To hear the Audio Reflections of Thursday, January 25, 2019 the Conversion of St. Paul click HERE
Friday, January 25, 2019 - Conversion of St. Paul - Saul changed his name to Paul after his conversion. What will you do as a result of having met Jesus Christ?
To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 22:3-16; Mk 16:15-18
Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of
one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In that instant
he saw what he could become through grace and not law. It was a revelation to
him that no matter how low a person may have fallen; God’s grace could always
lift him/her up. It was also a revelation of the heights of mysticism one could
reach if one opened oneself to God’s unlimited and unconditional grace.
The story of Paul’s conversion is narrated twice
in the Acts of the Apostles (Chapters 9 and 22) and Paul himself makes
reference to it in some of his letters (Gal 1:13-14; 1 Cor 9:1-2; 15:3-8).
The conversion of Saul to Paul was the conversion
and transformation of a person who lived out the letter of the law, but forgot
its spirit. However, once he allowed God’s grace to enter his heart, all that
mattered to him was Christ and through Christ divine, gratuitous love. From the
moment of his transformation, the focus of his preaching was that salvation was
FOR ALL and that no amount of merit could save, because salvation was a free
gift of God.
The first reading for the Feast speaks of his
conversion and the Gospel text is from the longer ending of Mark and is an apt
description of Paul’s power and actions after his transformation. He did indeed
proclaim the Gospel to all creation and today invites us to do the same.
His Gospel may be summarised in one sentence, “God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2 Cor 5:19)
Friday, January 25, 2019 - Acts 23:3-16; Mk 16:15-18
Friday, January 25, 2019 - Acts 23:3-16; Mk 16:15-18
Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Thursday, January 24, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Thursday, January 24, 2019 click HERE
Thursday, January 24, 2019 - 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.
Thursday, January 24, 2019 - Heb 7:25-8:6; Mk 3:7-12
Thursday, January 24, 2019 - Heb 7:25-8:6; Mk 3:7-12
Tuesday, 22 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Wednesday, January 23, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Wednesday, January 23, 2019 click HERE
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 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.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - Heb 7:1-3,15-17; Mk 3:1-6
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - Heb 7:1-3,15-17; Mk 3:1-6
Monday, 21 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Tuesday, January 22, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Tuesday, January 22, 2019 click HERE
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - 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 following 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.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - Heb 6:10-20; Mk 2:23-28
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - Heb 6:10-20; Mk 2:23-28
Sunday, 20 January 2019
Audio Reflections of Monday, January 21, 2019
To hear the Audio Reflections of Monday, January 21, 2019 click HERE
Monday, January 21, 2019 - 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 (Lk 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.