The
elder who invited John to identify those robed in white continues to invite us
not only to identify them today, but also to have the confidence that, if we
dare to live as Jesus has lived and shown us and as the Saints who have gone
before us have lived, then we too can be counted in that number.
Thursday, 31 October 2019
Friday, November 1, 2019 - All Saints Day - THE SAINTS COULD, WE TOO CAN.
To read the texts click on the texts:Rev 7:2-4,9-14; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12
“I
want to be in that number when the Saints go marching in”. These words from the
popular spiritual song “When the Saints Go Marching In” can be regarded as one
of the two important reasons why we celebrate the feast of All Saints.
In
the eighth century, Pope Gregory III consecrated a new chapel in the Basilica
of St. Peter to all saints on November 1, and he fixed the anniversary of this
dedication as the date of the feast. In the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV
extended the celebration of All Saints for the entire Church and since then,
the Church celebrates the feast of all Saints on this date.
While
the celebration of this solemnity may be seen on the one hand as a remembrance
or memorial of the numerous courageous men and women who lived lives of
selfless love, it may also be seen as an event which makes each of us aware
that we, too, as those who have gone before, are capable of living such lives.
It is a celebration of possibilities, potential and promise. They could, we
also can.
This
possibility and potential is brought out vividly in the first reading from the
Book of Revelation. While on the one hand there are the chosen one hundred and
forty four thousand made up of twelve thousand each from the twelve tribes of
Israel, there is also the great multitude from every nation and tribe and
language. This great multitude is a demonstration that the possibility of being
included is a very real one and that everyone who desires it can receive it.
While it is true that the choice is made by God, we as humans can desire it by
being willing to be washed in the blood of the lamb. This means the willingness
to undergo persecution, trials and tribulations and resisting the pressure to
conform to values of the “world” which include selfishness and self
centeredness.
This
willingness not to conform is precisely the reason why, in the Gospel text of
today, Jesus can declare as “blessed”, those who in the eyes of the world might
seem as those who are cursed. This declaration is a confident assertion of the
reality that is now and here. The beatitudes are not a “wish list” nor a
projection of the future state of what is to come. They are not conditions for
discipleship or preliminary requirements for an initiate. Rather, they describe
those who belong to the community of the Lord. They describe the Saints.
The
nine pronouncements, or declarations, are thus not statements about general
human virtues. Rather, they pronounce blessing on authentic disciples in the
Christian community. All the beatitudes apply to one group of people. They do
not describe nine different kinds of good people who get to go to heaven, but
are nine declarations about the blessedness, contrary to all appearances, of
the eschatological community living in anticipation of God’s reign.
“Poor
in spirit” definitely includes being economically poor, but goes further than
literal poverty. It refers also to an absence of arrogance and the presence of
dependence. It refers to an absence of ego and a presence of awareness that
one’s true identity is found only in God.
The
“mourning” of disciples is not because of the loss of something personal or
because of the death of a loved one. It is a mourning that is outward in that
the mourning is because things are the way they are. The mourning is because
God’s will is not being done and represents also a desire to do it. It is
mourning because of what is not and also because of what can be.
Meekness in the third beatitude represents not
a passive attitude of endurance or as is sometimes understood: gullibility.
Rather it is an active disposition that will refuse to use violent means. This
refusal does not represent inability, weakness or impotence. It represents
instead a deliberate choice of one’s way of proceeding.
This
is also what is meant by the desire or hunger for righteousness or justice. It
is the courage to do God’s will here and now with the confidence and optimism
that the kingdom is indeed now and here.
The
disciples are pure in heart or have a single minded devotion to God and will
not be swayed by things that are temporary and passing. They will not be
divided or serve two masters. They will serve the Lord and the Lord alone.
This
single minded service of the Lord will also enable them to work for peace and
reconciliation. They will bring together people of different experiences,
races, religions, and languages not through any kind of coercion or force, but
through the example of consecrated and selfless lives. All this they will do
with a deep sense of joy, because they know that this is really the only way to
live fully and completely the life that God in his graciousness has bestowed.
It
is the same God who calls them his children and to whom he is Father. The
disciples know that this is indeed what they are because they live lives that are
in keeping with their call.
The
elder who invited John to identify those robed in white continues to invite us
not only to identify them today, but also to have the confidence that, if we
dare to live as Jesus has lived and shown us and as the Saints who have gone
before us have lived, then we too can be counted in that number.
Friday, November 1, 2019 - Rev 7:2-4,9-14; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12
Friday, November 1, 2019 - Rev 7:2-4,9-14; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Thursday, October 31, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
Thursday, October 31, 2019 - When things get difficult in life, do you like Jesus continue to persevere or do you cave in?
To read the texts click on the texts:Rom 8:31-39; Lk 13:31-35
The text of today begins with the
Pharisees informing Jesus of Herod’s plan to kill him. In his response to this
information Jesus makes clear that he will not die out of season just as
another victim of Herod, but that he will finish the work that has been given
to him by God. In his reference to Herod as “that fox’, Jesus indicates that
Herod is sly and cunning and seeks only destruction. His demonstration of the
fact that the kingdom is present is found in his acts of making people whole.
The reference to three days may refer to the death of Jesus in Jerusalem when
he completes the work given to him.
The second part of this pericope
(13:34-35) has a parallel in Matthew (Mt 23:37-39) and contains Jesus’ lament
over Jerusalem. He wanted to gather Jerusalem as a hen gathers her brood. In
other words he wanted to offer her his love and protection, but she refused and
rejected him. Since this is the case, they are responsible for their own fate,
which for those who reject God is destruction.
To be faithful to what we begin and
see its completion even in the face of adversity requires perseverance and
courage. It also requires openness to the grace of God.
Thursday, October 31, 2019 - Rom 8:31-39; Lk 13:31-35
Thursday, October 31, 2019 - Rom 8:31-39; Lk 13:31-35
Tuesday, 29 October 2019
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - Will you take the road “less travelled”?
To read the texts click on the texts: Rom 8:26-30; Lk 13:22-30
The first verse of today’s text 13:22,
reintroduces the journey motif which began in 9:51, where we were told that
Jesus set out resolutely for Jerusalem.
In response to a question of whether
only a few will be saved, Jesus responds not with a direct answer, but by
placing the onus of entry into the kingdom on each individual’s shoulders. This
is because while the door is open it does not necessarily mean that anyone will
enter it. God will not force a person to enter if he/she does not want to do
so.
While Jesus does not explicate what striving to enter through the narrow
door entails, he states clearly that once the door has been shut, it will not
be opened to those who presume that the Lord knows them. This means that the
believer is challenged to do what he/she has to do and not presume or take for
granted that salvation is assured and especially if one is not willing to
receive it. God’s grace is abundant but can only be received by those who want
to receive it.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
and I …. I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference”
(Robert Frost)
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - Rom 8:26-30; Lk 13:22-30
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - Rom 8:26-30; Lk 13:22-30
Monday, 28 October 2019
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
When
we realise that with the motley crew that Jesus chose he could achieve so much
in the world, then we realise that his words in the parable are indeed true.
The kingdom does have insignificant beginnings, but even this insignificant or
small beginning has resulted and will continue to result in great endings.
Have
you sometimes been tempted to give in to despair when you look at the
injustice, corruption and negatives around you? Will these parables help give
you hope?
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 - Have you sometimes been tempted to give in to despair when you look at the injustice, corruption and negatives around you? Will these parables help give you hope?
To read the texts click on the texts: Rom 8:18-25; Lk 13:18-21
In the two parables that make up the
text of today, we once again find the mention of a man and a woman. While in
the first parable of the mustard seed, it is a “man” who sows, in the second
parable of the yeast; it is a “woman” who mixes it.
The parable of the mustard
seed is found also in Mark and Matthew, whereas the parable of the yeast is in Matthew
but not in Mark.
The Lukan version of the parable of
the mustard seed is the shortest of the three. It lacks the description of the
mustard seed as the smallest of all seeds (Mt 13:31; Mk 4:31) or the mature
plant as “the greatest of all shrubs” (Mt 13:32; Mk 4:32). The point that Luke
seems to be making by omitting these details is that rather than compare the
kingdom to a mighty cedar, be describes it is terms of an insignificant seed.
The emphasis is not on future glory, but on the present sign of its presence,
even though it cannot be seen as clearly as some would like to. In Luke, it is
a parable of the beginnings of the kingdom and not on its final manifestation.
The people expected a spectacular, extra-ordinary cedar, but Jesus preferred to
bring the kingdom as insignificantly as a mustard seed.
The point of the parable of the yeast
in Luke is not the same as the point being made in the parable of the mustard
seed. In this parable it is a clearly a case of small beginnings contrasted
with great endings. While the quantity of yeast is not specified, the use of
the word “hid’ indicates that it is an extremely small quantity. In contrast
the three measures of flour that are leavened are the equivalent of fifty
pounds of flour, enough to make bread for about One hundred fifty people. The
kingdom like the yeast will eventually leaven the whole of humanity.
While the parable of the mustard seed
dramatises the presence of the kingdom in its insignificant beginnings, the
parable of the yeast reminds us that even small beginnings are powerful and
eventually change the character of the whole.
When we realise that with the motley
crew that Jesus chose he could achieve so much in the world, then we realise
that his words in the parable are indeed true. The kingdom does have
insignificant beginnings, but even this insignificant or small beginning has
resulted and will continue to result in great endings.
Sunday, 27 October 2019
Monday, October 28, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
We
can follow Jesus only when we see clearly who is and Jesus is the love of God
made incarnate and visible. This love is not restricted to a few, but available
to all. The call to follow Jesus is a call to imitate him.
How
will you show that you are imitating the Lord?
Monday, October 28, 2019 - Saints Simon and Jude
To read the texts click on the texts: Eph 2:19-22; Lk 6:12-19
Jude
is one of the twelve Apostles in the list of Luke (and also Acts of the
Apostles). Some think that since Jude is not mentioned by Matthew and Mark but
Thaddeus is, that Jude and Thaddeus are the same person. Besides mention in the
list of the Twelve, he is not well known.
Simon
is mentioned in all four lists of the apostles. In two of them he is called
"the Zealot." The title probably indicates that he belonged to a
Jewish sect that represented an extreme of Jewish nationalism. For them, the
messianic promise of the Old Testament meant that the Jews were to be a free
and independent nation. God alone was their king, and any payment of taxes to
the Romans—the very domination of the Romans—was a blasphemy against God.
Nothing in the scriptures speaks of his activities as a Zealot.
The
Gospel text chosen for the feast of these Saints is The naming of the twelve
apostles. By placing the appointment of the Twelve immediately after the
controversies with the Pharisees—and the dramatic distinction between old and
new that these controversies exposed—Luke presents the appointment of the
Twelve as the constitution of a new nucleus for the people of God, perhaps in
deliberate succession to the twelve tribes of Israel. The conflicts between
Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees have already shown that they represent the old
and that, therefore, they are no more fit for leadership in the kingdom than
old wineskins are fit for new wine. The events at this juncture of the Gospel
foreshadow the opposition that will lead to Jesus’ death and the witness of the
apostles in Acts.
Luke
again signals the introduction of a new scene by means of “Now it came to pass”
and a temporal phrase: “Now during those days.” The significance of the coming
scene is indicated both by its setting on a mountain and the report that Jesus
spent the night in prayer. The only other time Jesus goes up on a mountain to
pray in Luke is the occasion of the transfiguration (9:28), just prior to the
start of his journey to Jerusalem. Prayer is a regular feature of Luke’s
account of the ministry of Jesus and the growth of the church, and references
to prayer often occur in connection with significant turning points in this
history (Luke 3:21, the coming of the Spirit upon Jesus; 9:18, Peter’s
confession that Jesus is the Messiah; 9:28, the transfiguration; 11:1, the
Lord’s prayer; and 22:40-46, Gethsemane). It is not surprising, therefore, that
Luke adds a reference to prayer at this point.
In
one verse, Luke refers to “the disciples,” “the Twelve,” and “apostles,” but
the terms are not synonymous and do not refer to the same groups. In Luke’s
account, in contrast to Mark and Matthew, the Twelve are distinct from the
larger group of disciples: “He called his disciples and chose twelve of them.”
In the next scene Jesus is still surrounded by “a great crowd of his disciples”
(6:17). Luke states that Jesus named the twelve “apostles,” thereby
characterizing their role as witnesses. The references to apostles in the early
church in Acts and in the rest of the New Testament make it clear that many who
were not among the Twelve were still called apostles.
The
points being made by this text of the naming of the Twelve in Luke may be
summarized as under:
1. God calls those whom God wants. The
individual’s merit or talent is not a necessary condition for the call. God
graces those who are called and equips them for Mission. The initiative is
always with God, but the response is from the human.
2. Like God called Israel and then Jesus called
the Twelve to continue the Mission that was given to Israel to be that Contrast
Community, so God continues to call even today. Consequently, blessing and
mission are vital aspects of God’s purpose for the community of faith, whether
it be Israel or the church.
3. Particularly in Luke, the call to follow
Jesus is a call to imitate him, and in Acts we see the disciples continuing to
do what Jesus began during his ministry. Jesus blessed the poor and the
outcast; he ate with the excluded and defended them against the religious
authorities. Jesus showed compassion on the weak, the sick, and the small, and
in these matters the disciples had a particularly hard time in following Jesus’
example. Nevertheless, if discipleship and lordship are directly related, then
the Gospel’s portrayal of Jesus is vital for the church. We can follow Jesus in
the Lukan sense only when we see clearly who he is. Ultimately, of course, the
Gospel challenges each reader to respond to the call to discipleship and join
the Twelve as followers of Jesus.
Saturday, 26 October 2019
Sunday, October 28, 2019 - You Tube Reflections
In Christianity and in the
following of Jesus, there is no room for arrogance. We are all limited human
beings with weaknesses that can trip us up if we are not vigilant. We are all
poor and lowly, in need of the protection and strength that come to us from
God. We are all sinners, dependent on divine mercy. It is indeed foolish and
vain to think that we are better than others. It does no good whatsoever to
treat others with disrespect or disdain.
Sunday, October 27, 2019 - How do you pray?
To read the texts click on the texts:Sir 35:15-17,20-22; 2 Tim 4:6-8; Lk 18:9-14
The
Parable in today’s Gospel is popularly known as that of the Pharisee and Tax
Collector. However, it is not so much about these persons as it is about the
disposition for prayer in any person. This parable is exclusive to Luke and is
addressed, not to the Pharisees but to those who “trusted in themselves that
they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” This could be a description
of any self-righteous person. There is a great difference between being
righteous and being self-righteous. The righteous person knows that he / she is
dependent on God and can do nothing without God’s help. The self-righteous
person, on the other hand, is so filled with self importance and pride that he
/ she cannot see beyond his / her own nose. These self-righteous assume that
God is dependent on them.
The
defect of the Pharisee in the Parable is not that he gives thanks for what God
has done for him. This is laudable. The defect is in his prideful disdain for
others. He contrasts himself to a rash of unsavoury people – the greedy, the
dishonest, adulterers – but saves the tax collector for the end. His very
position of prayer betrays his pride. He steps apart from the crowd, as if God
could not notice him wherever he is. The tax collector, however, simply stands
at a distance and will not even raise his eyes to heaven. His bodily posture is
itself a prayer. His plea to God, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner!” confirms
this.
He
goes home, made just in God’s eyes. The justice of God accepts the unjust and
the ungodly. The parable summons us to a prayer of love and trust in God’s
mercy. It frees us from the need to tell God who is a sinner and who is not. It
summons us to realize that, even when we are righteous, it is because of God’s
grace that we can be so. Only those who can acknowledge their own weaknesses
feel the need to turn to God in prayer with sentiments of humility. But those
who stand before God and others with an attitude of “Look what I have made of
myself” will hardly realize the need to ask for God’s help in doing good. They
presume that they can manage it by themselves. These are the ones who do not
realize that their ability to be good and to do good is itself a reward from
God.
The
Pharisee in today’s Gospel very likely did live a life devoid of greed,
dishonesty, and adultery. He probably did fast and tithe. But he did not
realize that it was the goodness of God that lifted him up so that he could act
in this righteous manner. He believed instead, that it was his own goodness
that raised him up above others. On the other hand, in order to gain a
livelihood, the tax collector likely did extort money from taxpayers. He was a
sinner, and knew he was a sinner. But, he also knew that only God could lift
him up. It was the tax collector’s humble demeanour that earned God’s grace.
The
second reading of today shows that, in some ways, Paul resembles both the
Pharisee and the tax collector. Like the Pharisee, he boasts of his
accomplishments. He has competed well; he has finished the race; he has kept
the faith; he has earned a crown of righteousness. Paul never denies the
character of his commitment or the extent of his ministerial success. But, like
the tax collector, he knows the source of his ability to accomplish these
things. He says, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.” For Paul, all the
glory belongs to God. Paul believes that he will receive “a crown of
righteousness.” However, his attitude is radically different from that of the
Pharisees in the Gospel. Paul knows of, and realizes, his nothingness. All the
good that he is able to do to “fight the good fight” and to “run the race to
the finish”, has been made possible by God’s help. Although he seems sure of
being rewarded, he recognizes the reward as coming from God, not from himself.
His affirmation at the end of the reading summarises this attitude. It is the
Lord, and not his own accomplishments, who will give to him the crown of
righteousness.
In
Christianity and in the following of Jesus, there is no room for arrogance. We
are all limited human beings with weaknesses that can trip us up if we are not
vigilant. We are all poor and lowly, in need of the protection and strength
that come to us from God. We are all sinners, dependent on divine mercy. It is
indeed foolish and vain to think that we are better than others. It does no good
whatsoever to treat others with disrespect or disdain.
Those
who exalt themselves will be humbled. Those who humble themselves will be
exalted. Therefore, persons who exalt themselves over others and boast of their
virtue before God will discover that they have cut themselves off from both.
Persons who are aware of their need for grace and forgiveness will be unable to
disrespect or despise other people.
Friday, 25 October 2019
Saturday, October 26, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
Each
new day brings with it new hope and a new opportunity to right the wrongs that
we may have done, to say the kind word that we ought to have said and to do the
good that we ought to have done.
If
you were given only one more day to live, what are the things that you would
do? What is preventing you from doing these today?
Saturday, October 26, 2019 - If you were given only one more day to live, what are the things that you would do? What is preventing you from doing these today?
To read the texts click on the texts:Rom 8:1-11; Lk 13:1-9
The warnings and admonitions regarding
the coming judgement that began in 12:1, reach their conclusion here with a
call to repentance. Jesus uses two sayings to make the same point. The first is
about the calamity that occurred when Pilate slaughtered a group of Galileans
and when the tower of Siloam fell and killed eighteen people. Though no other
historical reports narrate these incidents, there may be some historical
background to the first one, Josephus the Jewish historian does narrate many
incidents, which confirm that Pilate shed much blood. In the incidents that
Jesus narrates, however, he makes clear that what is required on the part of
the human person is not the focus on sin and its consequences but on
repentance, which means the acquisition of a new mind, a new heart and a new
vision.
Near Eastern wisdom literature
contains stories of unfruitful trees and the story of the barren fig tree is
similar to the stories found there. While in the story as told by the Lucan
Jesus there is mercy, it is still a warning of the urgency of repentance.
Each new day brings with it new hope
and a new opportunity to right the wrongs that we may have done, to say the
kind word that we ought to have said and to do the good that we ought to have
done.
Saturday, October 26, 2019 - Rom 8:1-11; Lk 13:1-9
Saturday, October 26, 2019 - Rom 8:1-11; Lk 13:1-9
Thursday, 24 October 2019
Friday, October 25, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
While we must keep in touch with what
is happening around us so that our responses to different situations can be
adequate, it is also important to keep in touch with what is happening in us.
This means that while we need to take good care of our physical and material
well being, we must not do it at the cost of our spiritual well being.
Compromise is often better than
confrontation. When it is not a matter of one’s principles or when one is not
called to do something against one’s conscience then it is better to compromise
when some conflict arises. This approach saves energy, time and money.
Friday, October 25, 2019 - Where in the scale of “attention to detail” does your devotion to the teachings of the Lord rank?
To read the texts click on the texts: Rom 7:18-25; Lk 12:54-59
The warnings about the coming judgement continue in the Gospel
reading of today. The text contains two clusters of sayings addressed to the
crowds. They are charged with hypocrisy in the first of the two clusters for
not being as observant of the signs of the coming judgement as they are of the
weather. If they pay attention to the slightest sign of change in the weather,
then they must also pay attention to the present time, which is the time of
Jesus and his works and words.
In the second they are warned to make every effort to settle
accounts so that they may be blameless when they are brought to court.
While we must keep in touch with what is happening around us so
that our responses to different situations can be adequate, it is also
important to keep in touch with what is happening in us. This means that while
we need to take good care of our physical and material well being, we must not
do it at the cost of our spiritual well being.
Compromise is often better than confrontation. When it is not a
matter of one’s principles or when one is not called to do something against
one’s conscience then it is better to compromise when some conflict arises.
This approach saves energy, time and money.
Friday, October 25, 2019 - Rom 7:18-25; Lk 12:54-59
Friday, October 25, 2019 - Rom 7:18-25; Lk 12:54-59
Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Thursday, October 24, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
The reason why the announcement of the kingdom brings division
is because it calls for a radical change of heart and mind. It overturns our
value system and calls us to a life that is challenging and if lived fully also
challenges others. It calls for decision and commitment at every moment.
Will you do good today even in the face of opposition? How?
Thursday, October 24, 2019 - Will you do good today even in the face of opposition? How?
To read the texts click on the texts: Rom 6:19-23; Lk 12:49-53
The verses of today contain three
pronouncements regarding the nature of Jesus’ mission. The first is that he has
come to cast fire on the earth. Fire is used as an image of God’s judgement,
but ironically when it comes on the disciples at Pentecost (Acts, 2:3), it is
the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the crisis of judgement is
never far away.
The second is about his own baptism,
which may be an allusion to his death or to the conflict and distress in which
he would be immersed. This governs his whole life. Until he completes his
mission, he will not be satisfied.
The third is about the division that
his mission will cause. Although the kingdom of God is characterised by
reconciliation and peace, the announcement of that kingdom is always divisive
because it requires decision and commitment. Though this announcement will
indeed cause stress and division, Jesus will not shy away from it because it is
the Mission given to him by his Father. Anyone who commits him/herself to Jesus
must also then be prepared for the opposition that they will face.
The reason why the announcement of the
kingdom brings division is because it calls for a radical change of heart and
mind. It overturns our value system and calls us to a life that is challenging
and if lived fully also challenges others. It calls for decision and commitment
at every moment.
Thursday, October 24, 2019 - Rom 6:19-23; Lk 12:49-53
Thursday, October 24, 2019 - Rom 6:19-23; Lk 12:49-53
Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - YouTube Reflections
Each
of us has a specific role to play in the world, which is confirmed by the fact
that we are unique and that there is not one else exactly like us anywhere.
Since this is the case, we have to be faithful to that to which we are called.
If we do not do what we have to do, no one else will do it and it will remain
undone. Besides this it will also mean that we have been negligent in our duty
and not appreciated enough the uniqueness of our creation.
Are
you good because of fear of punishment or hope of reward, or are you good
because it is good to be good?
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - Are you good because of fear of punishment or hope of reward, or are you good because it is good to be good?
To read the texts click on the texts: Rom 6:12-18; Lk 12:39-48
The text of today is the one immediately after Jesus has begun
to exhort his disciples’ to watchfulness (12:35-38). Based on instructions
given in earlier contexts, however, readiness here means trust in God as a
heavenly Father, putting away all hypocrisy, handling one’s material
possessions faithfully, obeying the ethic of the kingdom, and making life a
matter of constant prayer. Peter’s question regarding whether this “parable”
was for the disciples alone or for everyone, does not receive a direct answer
from Jesus. However, in his response to the question, Jesus responds with
another “parable”, which is about the faithful and unfaithful servant/slave.
While there will be a reward for the faithful servant, there will be punishment
for the unfaithful servant. God will seek much from those to whom he has given
much, because everything has been given in trust.
Each of us has a specific role to play in the world, which is
confirmed by the fact that we are unique and that there is not one else exactly
like us anywhere. Since this is the case, we have to be faithful to that to
which we are called. If we do not do what we have to do, no one else will do it
and it will remain undone. Besides this it will also mean that we have been
negligent in our duty and not appreciated enough the uniqueness of our
creation.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - Rom 6:12-18; Lk 12:39-48
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - Rom 6:12-18; Lk 12:39-48
Monday, 21 October 2019
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - You Tube Reflections
The
time of the coming of the master is not known and he may come at any time, but
if the servant/disciple is always ready, he/she will be blessed. The master
will become salve of the slaves.
It
is not difficult for us as Christians to relate to this reversal of roles,
simply because our God in Jesus has already become slave. It is now left to us
as servants to be ready at all times.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - Do you live one moment of one day at a time or are you living only in the future?
To read the texts click on the texts: Rom 5:12,17-21; Lk 12:35-38
The sayings in these verses are a call
to watchfulness and readiness. The call to be dressed for action would mean
literally to draw up the longer outer garment and tuck it into the sash around
one’s waist so as to be prepared for strenuous activity. If the
servants/disciples are so ready, they will be able to be prompt in responding
to the master’s knock, and will be blessed. This blessing will take the form of
a reversal of roles. The master will become servant/slave.
The time of the
coming of the master is not known and he may come at any time, but if the
servant/disciple is always ready, he/she will be blessed.
It is not difficult for us as Christians
to relate to this reversal of roles, simply because our God in Jesus has
already become slave. It is now left to us as servants to be ready at all
times.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - Rom 5:12,17-21; Lk 12:35-38
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 - Rom 5:12,17-21; Lk 12:35-38
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