Wednesday, October 6, 2021 - Homily

 

Our forgiveness of others opens our hearts to receive the forgiveness that God constantly gives.

Wednesday, October 6, 2021 - Will you depend on yourself today or will you show your dependence on God? How?

To read the texts click on the texts: Jon 4:1-11; Lk 11:1-4

Luke gives more importance to Jesus’ practice of praying than do any of the other Gospels. 

The only prayer that Jesus’ explicitly taught his disciples was the prayer that Jesus teaches in these verses. This prayer appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. While in Matthew, the prayer appears as part of the Sermon on the Mount; Luke explicitly has Jesus praying himself when he is asked by his disciples to teach them to pray. 

The following elements of the Matthean prayer are not found in Luke: “Our … who art in heaven…Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven… but deliver us from evil. This has the effect of making the prayer simple and direct in Luke. 

Both Matthew and Luke understood the prayer as a prayer of the community and have used the first person plural to stress this. While the prayer in Matthew contains seven petitions, the prayer in Luke contains only five. 

It is agreed by many that the Lukan version is probably closer to the original prayer that Jesus taught. By petitioning God for the most basic of our needs like “bread”, the prayer is basically a prayer of dependence. It is an acknowledgement of the fact that we cannot manage even this simple task on our own, and we need God’s goodness to provide it to us. 

Just as we need bread we also need God’s forgiveness, because if He were to keep a grudge against us for every time we sinned, we would be lost. 

In this context it must be noted that nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus tell us that we must be “sorry” for our sins if we want forgiveness. Rather if we want to be forgiven, we must forgive. Our forgiveness of others opens our hearts to receive the forgiveness that God constantly gives. The prayer is therefore not merely a prayer therefore, but an attitude, a way of life.

Listen with your heart - Tuesday, October 5, 2021

 

Will you like Martha, presume to tell Jesus what he ought to do, or will you like Mary listen to what he would like you to do?

Tuesday, October 5, 2021 - Will you like Martha, presume to tell Jesus what he ought to do, or will you like Mary listen to what he would like you to do?

To read the texts click on the texts: Jon 3:1-10; Lk 10:38-42

This text, which speaks of the encounter of Martha and Mary with Jesus, takes the form of a pronouncement story (a story in which a saying of Jesus stands out and is the focus of the story). While the Gospel of Luke explicitly mentions women disciples of Jesus, here Mary is even sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to his teaching, something unthinkable at the time of Jesus. By sitting at his feet, Mary is acting like a male, and in doing so neglects her duty of helping to prepare the meal. This action of Mary also results in bringing shame upon her house. Though justified Martha’s protest is put negatively by her. It is clear that her focus is not the Lord, but herself. She is concerned not with her service of the Lord, but the trouble that it is causing her because she is left alone to serve. The response of Jesus to Martha is the main point of the story and the pronouncement. The repetition of her name is a mild rebuke. Her “cares” have prevented her from unhindered devotion and attention to the Lord. Mary has chosen the one thing necessary and that is the Lord. Martha presumes to tell Jesus what he should do; Mary lets Jesus tell her what to do.

There are times when we do things not because we are convinced that they have to be done but because we want the approval of others or we want others to know how hard we are working. These are selfish acts and do not bring grace. The act that does bring grace is when we do what has to be done simply because it has to be done and expect nothing in return.

Prejudice prevents us from seeing - Monday, October 4, 2021

 

We often look at people with tainted glasses or a prejudiced vision. We tend to categorise them and place them in neat compartments based on their backgrounds. Prejudice prevents us from seeing as we ought to.

Monday, October 4, 2021 - Is there a person/group that you have a prejudice against or whom you have stereotyped? Will you overcome that prejudice today?

To read the texts click on the texts: Jonah 1:1-2:1,11; Lk 10:25-37

Our text for today contains the Parable of The Good Samaritan. This is a parable that is found only in the Gospel of Luke, and the context in Luke is the question that is asked by a lawyer regarding eternal life. In Matthew and Luke, the lawyer is hostile (not so in Mark), because the question is asked to “test” Jesus. While in Matthew (22,34-40) and Mark (12,28-31) the question is about the greatest commandment, and Jesus answers the question quoting from Deuteronomy and Leviticus, in Luke, Jesus asks the lawyer a counter question and gets him (the lawyer) to answer. Deuteronomy 6,4-9 (Love of God) was part of the “Shema” (the prayer to “Hear”), repeated twice each day, but it had not been linked to Leviticus 19,18 (Love of neighbour) as it is here. Since it is the lawyer who answers, Jesus responds with a commendation (“You have answered right; do this, and you will live.”) Since the lawyer was forced to answer and cede the upper hand, he does not give up, but asks a question over which there was some controversy – “Who is my neighbour?” In his response to this question, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. This parable has often been interpreted as one in which Jesus is telling us that those in need are our neighbours, or that it has an anticlerical edge, in which Jesus is showing up the priestly class by mentioning priest and Levite as not reaching out to the one in need. If these were the meanings, then there would be no need to make the third person that passed by that way, a Samaritan. The third person could have been a lay Jew. The reason why the third person is a Samaritan is because Jesus wanted the lawyer who was a Jew, to go beyond the narrow definition of neighbour, to go beyond his prejudice, his bias, and his stereotyping. When Israel was split into kingdoms after the death of Solomon in around 922 BCE, the North (named Israel which had its capital at Samaria) and the South (Judah which had its capital as Jerusalem), it became the target for its neighbours, because its strength was divide. In 722 BCE, the Assyrians captured Israel and its capital Samaria and took as their wives and concubines Israeli women. The children by that union were known as Samaritans and till the time of Jesus were regarded as inferior and outcasts by their former Jewish brothers (and sisters). Jesus is thus asking the Jew (the lawyer) if he can get rid of his negative way of looking at the Samaritan, and regard him also as neighbour. It is interesting that at the end of the parable, Jesus overturns the lawyer’s question. Jesus asks, “Who was neighbour to the one who fell among robbers?” whereas the lawyers question was “Who is my neighbour?” The Samaritan is indeed, neighbour.

We often look at people with tainted glasses or a prejudiced vision. We tend to categorise them and place them in neat compartments based on their backgrounds. This attitude leads to stereotyping people and not being able to see them as they are. Albert Einstein said this about a prejudice, “It is easier to disintegrate an atom than a prejudice”.

Sunday, October 3, 2021 - Homily

 The challenge is to be true to one's commitment no matter what state of life one chooses.

Sunday, October 10, 2021 - What God has joined no one must ever divide.

To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 2:18-24; Heb 2:9-11; Mk 10:2-16

“Do you think marriage is like a lottery?” one married man asked another. “No,” replied the second, “with a lottery, you have a chance.” He went on to say, “Marriage is not a word. It is a sentence--a life sentence.”

When one hears jokes like this, the first reaction is to laugh. Yet, on further reflection, we realize that, if this is the attitude with which people approach marriage, then the question that the Pharisees ask Jesus in the Gospel text of today will be also the question in the minds of those contemplating marriage. More and more today, we hear of pre-nuptial agreements. On one hand, this kind of an arrangement might be interpreted as an agreement in which one protects oneself from unreasonable demands made by one’s spouse.  However, it is also an indication that those who intend to marry are already admitting that their marriage may not last its course. They are entering into marriage with a negative frame of mind and, much like the Pharisees, focusing on law rather than on love.

This is one reason why divorces and annulments are more frequent today than they were in the past. Despite the many marriage preparation courses that are conducted for couples contemplating marriage, and despite the numerous helps that the Church offers to couples who have problems in their marriage, we have not succeeded very well in keeping couples together. The promise made at the altar, to love one another for the rest of their lives, is soon forgotten. Some, today, are not too concerned if the Church does not grant an annulment as long as they can get a divorce in the courts of law.

Another reason for the increase in divorces and annulments is connected with the allegation that Jesus makes of the Pharisees: hardness of heart. This may be translated as a closed attitude. If there is a basic lack of openness on the part of the couple, and a lack of a desire to adjust and sacrifice, then problems begin. If there is an unwillingness to let go of the ego and realize that, in true love, there is no “I,” then separation and divorce could soon follow. It is true that, in some cases, problems like dependence on alcohol, infidelity on the part of one spouse, and uncontrollable temper, which sometimes leads to wife or husband abuse, are also at the roots of the failed marriage. However, if these problems are diagnosed early in the marriage and competent counselling is sought, these may be resolved, at least in some cases. Here, it is an absolute requirement on the part of the spouse who has the problem to admit it and willingly seek the treatment necessary.

In his response to the Pharisees regarding divorce, Jesus refers back to Genesis and the purpose of the creation of the human being.  In going back to Genesis, Jesus is, in effect, pointing to God’s purpose and design when God created the world. Like the author of Genesis, Jesus points to the two - the man and the woman - becoming one flesh, and thus, is saying that man and woman constitute an indissoluble unit of humankind from every perspective. Leaving one’s parents and being joined to one’s spouse is to be seen, not only in the narrow sense of sexual intimacy, but in the broader sense of being open to each other in every aspect of life. There must be no fear of exposure and no need to cover up before one’s spouse. The trust in each other is so deep that one lays, not only one’s body, but one’s mind, and heart, and will, in the body, mind, heart, and will of the other. This is because, when the man says that the woman is “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”, he is highlighting mutuality, equality, and oneness. Through the creative act of God, there are bodily differences and thus, a difference in name; however, despite these differences, they are still “one flesh”.

This must be the basic understanding for any couple contemplating marriage. It is with this understanding that there is a possibility of a next generation, and a next, and indeed, the future of the world. It is in this connection that Jesus challenges the casual attitude toward marriage in his day. His response to this attitude was to go beyond the law, to love. He challenged the concession of divorce because he wanted humans to continue to be what God intended them to be. He wanted humans to live as God wanted them to live: in harmony, with each other, with nature, and with God.

A failed marriage represents a human tragedy for everyone involved. We are becoming increasingly aware of the emotional cost paid by children of divorced parents. This is possibly why the text that follows Jesus’ injunction on divorce is the one on children. The injunction of Jesus is clear “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Jesus can give such an injunction with full conviction and authority because, as the letter to the Hebrews says in the second reading of today, he followed God’s command and law perfectly. Though it meant suffering, and even being made lower than angels for a time, he was willing to do all this only because he wanted to show us the way. He continues to issue this injunction even today.  If those contemplating marriage will follow his example, the plan of God, as illustrated in Genesis, can become a reality today.

October 2, 2021 - Guardian Angels

 

In a world where challenges constantly come our way, we need the assurance that the decisions we make are the right ones. The Feast of the Guardian Angels is a reminder that God (through the Angels) is willing to be constantly available, whenever we make a decision to turn to God.

Saturday, October 2, 2021 - The Feast of the Guardian Angels - Will you be a messenger of God today? How?

To read the texts click on the texts: Ex 23:20-23; Mt 18:1-5,10

The English word Angel comes from the Hebrew ‘malakh’ or the Greek ‘ángelos’ which means messenger or envoy. The Angel is regarded as a being which bears messages from God and communicates what God wants to communicate. The Feast of the Guardian Angels is a reminder that our God is not a God who created the world and left it to its own designs, but a God who is constantly involved with and in the world. It is a reminder that when we need succour or help, we can always call on God’s angels.

The Gospel of Luke narrates how Angel Gabriel carries God’s message of birth to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist and Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew, when speaking of the ‘little ones’ in Community, Jesus says, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Mt 10:18)

The Feast was placed in the General Roman Calendar in 1607 by Pope Paul V. The papal decree establishing the feast was co-signed by Robert Bellarmine, which has led some scholars to speculate that the feast was created under the influence of the Society of Jesus.

The Gospel text for the memorial is similar to the one for the Feast of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus. However verse 10 is added and speaks of the angels of the ‘little ones’ who are constantly before the Father.

In a world where challenges constantly come our way, we need the assurance that the decisions we make are the right ones. The Feast of the Guardian Angels is a reminder that God (through the Angels) is willing to be constantly available, whenever we make a decision to turn to God.