Are you ready to face the consequences of your actions?
Friday, 3 February 2023
Saturday, February 4, 2023 - St. John de Britto SJ - Are you like John de Britto ready to face the consequences of standing up for the truth?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1 Cor 9:19-27; Jn 12:20-32
John de Britto was a
native of Lisbon, Portugal. He was born on March 1, 1647, and was martyred in
India on February 11, 1693 when he was forty-six years of age.
He was dedicated at birth
to St. Francis Xavier, and was a noble friend of King Pedro. He entered the
Society of Jesus at the age of fifteen. In his effort to promote conversions
among the native Indian people as a missionary to Goa, he wandered through
Malabar and other regions and even adopted the customs and dress of the Brahmin
caste which gave him access to the noble classes. His dress was yellow cotton;
he abstained from every kind of animal food and from wine in an effort to be
one with the people he wished to serve. In 1683, John de Britto had to leave
India but returned in 1691. He advised Teriadeven, a Maravese to dismiss the
many wives he had and keep only one. However, one of Teriadeven’s wives was the
niece of the king. Due to this, John de Britto began to be persecuted. On
February 11, 1693, he was taken to the capital Ramnad and from there led to
Oriyur a small village in Tamil Nadu, where he was tortured and put to death by
beheading.
He had wrought many
conversions during his life, established many stations, and was famous for his
miracles before and after his death. He was beatified by Pius IX, 21, August,
1853.
Pope Pius XII canonized
him in 1947.
The Gospel text for the
feast of John de Britto is from the what may be seen as a turning point in the
Gospel of John. This is because with the coming of the Greeks to Jesus, the
Evangelist indicates that the unbelieving world is coming to Jesus. Since Jesus
has come not for a select few but for the whole world, this indicates that now
the Mission of Jesus will be completed through his glorification on the Cross
and his resurrection.
The disciples must
realize that following and obeying Jesus, as servants obey their masters, will
lead to persecution. What has happened with Jesus will be repeated in the
disciples’ lives. While the authority of the one sent is the same as the
sender, it is also true that the response to the one sent will be the same as
the response to the sender. Those who do not accept the word of truth, spoken
by God in Jesus, will indulge in persecution. Those who accept the word will
respond by living out that word in their lives.
Rejection of the disciples means rejection of Jesus because it is Jesus
who sends them. Rejection of Jesus means
rejection of God who sent him.
In a world in which the
resonating message is to “have more”, it is not always easy to speak and live
Jesus’ message to “be more”. Those who do this are labeled as crazy and out of
touch with reality. John de Britto was not afraid to do this and was ready to
face the consequences. He was ready because he was part of the vine to live and
die as Jesus did. He stood up for the truth right to the very end.
Saturday, February 4, 2023 - How would YOU define “mission”? Are you engaging in mission now?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 13:15-17,20-21; Mk 6:30-34
The text of today is about the successful return of the disciples from the mission to which they were sent by Jesus, and forms a sandwich construction with their sending (6:7-13). The verses that come in between are about the death of John the Baptist. Through this structure, Mark wants to indicate that the fate of John the Baptist will also be the fate of Jesus and of his disciples. Nevertheless, the disciples are to continue to engage in mission, confident in the knowledge that their Lord and Master will see them through.
Success and failure is
often measured in terms of results. However, what is even more important is the
amount of effort that each one of us puts into what we do. If at any given
moment we can say that we have done our best and all that is required of us,
then we do not need to be too bothered about the outcome.
Thursday, 2 February 2023
Friday, February 3, 2023 - Will you fulfill the promises you make?
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 13:1-8; Mk 6:14-29
While Mark has mentioned Herodians
before (3,6), this is the first time in his Gospel that he mentions Herod.
Herod, here is Herod Antipas who was the son of Herod the Great who is the one
referred to in the narrative of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt
2,1-23), and had been appointed by the Roman as the ruler of Galilee and Perea
(Lk 3,1). He was never “king” as Mark mentions in his story, and Matthew
corrects this by referring to Herod as tetrarch (Mt 14,1). The story of the
death of John the Baptist in Mark is sandwiched between the sending of the
Twelve on Mission (6,7-13) and their return from Mission (6,30-34).
Mark mentions three opinions about Jesus
said to be circulating at that time. Some believed that Jesus was John the
Baptist raised from the dead; others believed that Jesus was Elijah, while
still others believed that Jesus was one of the prophets of old. Herod,
however, is quite clear in Mark that Jesus is John the Baptist raised. This
profession of Herod leads Mark to narrate the story of the death of John the
Baptist as a flashback. According to Mark, the reason why John was put in
prison was because he objected to Herod’s violation of the purity code, which
forbade marriage of close relatives and to a brother’s wife while the brother
was still alive (Lev 18,16; 20,21). Mark seems to lay the blame for the death
of John on Herodias who manipulates Herod into executing John. The daughter of
Herodias is not named here or anywhere in the Bible, nor does the Bible give
her age. According to Mark a drunken Herod is trapped into fulfilling a rash
vow and so has John beheaded.
Though in Mark’s narrative it is
Herodias who is directly responsible for the death of John the Baptist, Herod
cannot disown responsibility. He could have decided if he had the courage not
to give in, yet he made the choice to have John beheaded. Each of us is
responsible for our own actions though we may sometimes blame others or even
circumstances. The sooner we accept responsibility for who we are and what we
do, the sooner we will grow up.
Wednesday, 1 February 2023
Thursday, February 2, 2023 - The Presentation of the Lord - How will you show that the presence of Jesus has changed your life for the better? What three actions will you perform to show that the coming of Jesus has made a difference to your life?
To read the texts click on the texts: Mal 3:1-4; Heb 2:14-18; Lk 2:22-40
Until 1969, the ancient
feast of the presentation of Our Lord, which is of Oriental origin, was known
in the West as the feast of the Purification of Our Lady, and closed the
Christmas season, forty days after the Lord's birth. However, today the focus is more on the Lord
than his mother and hence the feast is named The Presentation of The Lord.
The Gospel text chosen
for the feast of today consists of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the
purification of Mary and the Song of Simeon.
According to Jewish law a
woman became ceremonially unclean on the birth of a child. During this time,
she was not permitted to enter the Temple or touch any holy object. On the
eighth day the child was circumcised, after which the mother was unclean an
additional thirty-three days—sixty-six if the child was female. At the
conclusion of this period, the mother offered a sacrifice, either a lamb or, if
she was poor, two doves or two young pigeons. That Luke does not mention a lamb
but refers to two turtledoves or pigeons may indicate that Jesus was born to
the poor of Israel. In addition, the
first son was to be presented to the Lord as a reminder of the Exodus, and then,
bought back with an offering. Luke does not mention that Jesus was redeemed
either because he was not aware of this requirement or because he wanted to
convey that Jesus was constantly devoted or dedicated to the Lord. In this part
Luke emphasizes that the law of the Lord was fulfilled in all respects at the
birth of Jesus.
Simeon is introduced
immediately after the presentation of Jesus and the purification of Mary. He
too like Zechariah and Elizabeth is described as “righteous”. He is also
“devout”. He looked forward to the restoration of the people and the
fulfillment of God’s redemptive work. The Spirit, who had revealed to him that
he would not see death until he saw the anointed one of God, is the same Spirit
who rests on him and gives him utterance to speak.
His hymn of praise of God
is known as the “Nunc Dimittis” (“Now Dismiss”). It is only loosely related to
the occasion of the birth of Jesus. It declares the praise of God for
faithfulness and the redemption of the people. Though some interpret “now you
are dismissing your servant in peace” to mean that Simeon was now prepared to
die, it can also mean that he recognizes that he is being released from his
mission to watch for the coming of the Messiah because he has now seen the
coming of the one who will bring salvation.
His blessing relates the birth of Jesus to the fulfillment of the
promise of salvation and looks ahead to the inclusion of all peoples in the
experience of the blessings of God. Even as the parents of Jesus wonder at what
is being said by Simeon, he blesses them and then addresses Mary, the mother of
Jesus. He speaks about the coming rejection of Jesus. Not everyone will want to
see the light, not everyone will want to receive the salvation by God for all
peoples. Not everyone will recognize God coming in Jesus. Jesus will be
rejected and treated as someone to be opposed. Even his mother will have to
share in his sufferings.
Jesus came not to make us
comfortable but to wake us up from our sleep and this is what Simeon had
prophesied. He came to challenge our way of looking at the world. This
challenge is not easy to accept because it means that many of our preconceived
ideas and notions will have to be given up and we will have to start anew. It
is easier and more comfortable to live the selfish and self-centered lives that
we are used to rather than be concerned about others. It is easier to be caught
up in our own small worlds, rather than get out of our wells and see that life
is much more than simply having more.
Tuesday, 31 January 2023
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - Be careful of saying “I Know”, you may miss the Messiah.
To read the texts click on the texts: Heb 12:4-7,11,15; Mk 6:1-6
Jesus’ visit to his hometown is not a pleasant experience. While in Mark he is designated as a carpenter, in the parallel text in Matthew (Mt 13,53-58), he is designated as “the carpenter’s son”, since Matthew wants to portray Jesus as son of Joseph and so son of David. His status as a carpenter would have been lower than that of a member of the educated class, and the villagers would probably have resented the position that Jesus reached and the status he has acquired. By designating Jesus as “son of Mary” rather than “son of Joseph” they may have intended to insult Jesus, and so cut him down to size. Jesus’ response to his townspeople is in the form of a proverbial saying. Jesus is amazed at the lack of faith among his own people. Mark adds strongly at the end of the episode that Jesus “could do no mighty work there because of their unbelief” which indicates that Jesus was rendered incapable by the lack of faith of his own.
Often
we deal with others in a stereotypical way and label people all too easily.
This does not allow us to encounter them in their uniqueness and freshness and
we may miss a great deal.
Monday, 30 January 2023
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