Sunday, May 3, 2026 - When we reach out to heal the sick, care for the poor, love the unlovable, and pour ourselves out for the oppressed of the world, then indeed we are living out our call and mission.

 

Sunday, May 3, 2026 - To continue his work on earth

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 6:1-7; 1 Pet 2:4-9; Jn 14:1-12

Though we are in the Easter season, the Gospel reading is from the centre of the Farewell Discourse in the Gospel of John which Jesus gives before his departure from this life to the next. This is not as strange as it may appear at first glance. One reason for the choice of this reading seems to be to prepare for the Ascension (the departure of Jesus) and Pentecost (his return again through his Spirit) which the Church will celebrate soon. Another reason seems to be the content and meaning of the verses that make up this part of the discourse

The focus in the opening verses is not so much on the departure but on confidence which the disciples are exhorted to have. The reason for this confidence is that even though it might seem that Jesus is being defeated by death, the reality is that he will overcome death. Not only will he do that, but after having prepared a place for every believer, he will return to take them with him. This will prove (if proof is required) that he is alive and that with him and the Father, all believers will continue to live in a relationship that is governed only by unconditional love and mutual self-giving. Thus as disciples of the Lord who was raised from the dead and who ascended into heaven, we are called to that same confidence.

The Way to this life is Jesus himself. However, Jesus is not merely the access route to God but is also the embodiment of this life in his being the Truth and the Life. He is so because in him as never before the Father is revealed. This revelation is made in the words of love that Jesus speaks and also in the loving actions that he performs. This is why to believe in God means also to believe in Jesus. This kind of faith will lead to the disciples being empowered and their continuing the work begun by Jesus which is to reveal to all the unconditional and magnanimous love of God.

The continuation of this work was not an easy task because of the very high standard set by Jesus. This is evident in the first reading of today in which we read of partiality, animosity and tension between two groups, both of whom were followers of Christ and so Christians. However, because of what they had learned from the Lord, they did not let this brief hiccup get them down, but worked at it with practical wisdom and were able to overcome it and not only restore unity but also continue to draw others to their fold. They were able to do this because they continued to remember that Christ himself was the corner stone and so the very foundation of their life and so the one who would continue to sustain, nourish and nurture them on their journey.

Accepting Christ as their foundation and following in his path by drawing inspiration from him will mean that there will be hardships, trials and tribulations from within and without. Perseverance, however, is the key, and they must continue to persevere because they are a chosen race. They are related by blood, they have a common origin and so a common Father. This makes them brothers and sisters, members of one family. They have been called out of the darkness of their sin to live in the wonderful and marvellous light of God’s magnanimous and generous love and to make that love manifest to others.

Today more than 2000 years later the call is the same and the challenge still remains. It is true that when we look around us at the reality that confronts us, we might be sometimes tempted to throw in the towel. As with the first Christian community, division, partiality and selfishness exist both in the world and in the Church. The lofty description of Church that the reading from 1 Peter states as a fact seems to be only a distant dream. On the contrary we seem to be going the way the Church was going as narrated by the text from Acts in the first reading.

However, as Christians, we have been sanctified by the same Spirit that sanctified Jesus and the first Christian community. Since this is so, we have the same obligation or task that had been assigned to them, namely manifesting to all those who do not yet believe, the forgiving love of God who is Father. We must respond to the harsh realities around us with a practical wisdom and confidence in the promise of Jesus as the first Christian community did even in the midst of trails. This is done not merely by the words that we may speak but more by the loving actions that we perform. We continue that which Jesus began for we are now his body on this earth, making him present throughout the world.

When we reach out to heal the sick, care for the poor, love the unlovable, and pour ourselves out for the oppressed of the world, then indeed we are living out our call and mission.

Saturday, May 2, 2026 - God is unconditional love. Will you reveal this love to one person today?

 

Saturday, May 2, 2026- Jesus revealed the Father as unconditional love. How will you reveal Jesus today?

 To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 13:44-52; Jn 14:7-14

These verses continue the teachings begun in 14:1. The one who knows Jesus also knows the Father for Jesus reveals the Father as Father. In Jesus, one sees the Father as never before because no one has revealed him like Jesus does. Like Thomas before him, now Philip does not understand what Jesus is saying and in his ignorance, asks a question. He does not realize that in seeing Jesus he has seen the Father because of the revelation that Jesus makes of the Father. In offering himself, Jesus has offered all the revelation that the disciples need to identify the Father.

Jesus can only do what the Father has told him and so his works are those of the Father. Philip and the other disciples must be able to see Jesus as the revelation of the Father, if not in his person, at least through the works that Jesus does. The works flow from his person and are not separate from him but an integral part of who Jesus is. The works, too, are works of revelation. They show that the primary aim of God is not to condemn but to save and so are works that enhance and build up.

Since it is Jesus who sends the disciples, the works that anyone who believes in Jesus will do will be the same as those of Jesus. In fact, these will be able to do even greater works than Jesus. These works will make known the whole story of Jesus as Word made flesh and so, will be greater than those which Jesus does. Since these will be done after the whole Christ event – death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father – they will continue the glorification of Jesus.  They will continue to reveal Jesus to the world, sitting at the right hand of God. Jesus will answer every prayer of the disciples made in his name and he will grant their petitions.

As Jesus made God known to the world through unconditional, magnanimous love, so the disciples are called to do the same. The works that Jesus did have to be continued today if Jesus is to be made present and is to be revealed to a world that does not yet know him. It is the present community of disciples that has the responsibility to continue the mission that Jesus began. Whenever an enhancing word is spoken, whenever an action that heals is done, whenever love is shown in a tangible manner, then the work of Jesus continues and Jesus continues to be made present.

To be sure, the revelation of God that Jesus made can also be recognized in the depths of one’s heart, but this is not the whole story. It is a love that must be shared and revealed to the world if it is to be complete and whole. The incarnation was not a private revelation given to a select few, but an earth shattering event made visible to the whole world. So the revelation of Jesus, today, has to be done visibly and tangibly.

Friday, May 1, 2026 - God will always be bigger that anything you can imagine

 

Friday, May 1, 2026 - Has your narrow mindedness, prevented others from encountering Jesus? Will you realize that he is bigger than anything that you can ever imagine?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 13:26-33; Jn 14:1-6

Today’s Gospel reading contains the first of the teachings of Jesus that speak about his departure and what it means for his disciples.  At the beginning of these teachings, Jesus commands his disciples to stand firm. They are not to let the event of his departure overwhelm them. They are not to give in to despair, give up, or lose hope. They must continue to trust and believe. Even though it might seem, on the surface level, that evil is winning, the disciples must realize that God is always in charge and in control of all situations.  They must place their trust in God and in Jesus. Since Jesus shares an intimate relationship with the Father, and since the disciples can do so too, there will be as many rooms as there are believers. God and Jesus will exclude no one who wants to share this relationship with them. Jesus goes, but only to return and so, his going is not permanent. It is a temporary act that must be done and completed. This going and returning will be evidence of his power over everything, including death. Nothing and no one will ever be able to separate the disciples from the love that Jesus has for them. The purpose of Jesus’ returning is to take the disciples to the place where he is: the bosom of the Father. Even as Jesus points to himself as the one who reveals the Father, Thomas misunderstands and asks a question. He interprets the words “where I am going” only as a physical destination and so, protests that, since he does not know the final destination of Jesus, it is not possible to know how to get there. Jesus corrects this misunderstanding with an “I am” saying. “The Way” is not a geographical term or physical road, it is Jesus himself. Thus, to know Jesus is to know the way and, to know the way is to know Jesus. In his being “the Way” Jesus is also “Truth” and “Life”. Jesus is the “Truth’ because he has been sent by God to make God’s word known. He became “flesh” and anyone who recognizes this and listens to his voice, is of the truth. Recognition of the truth in Jesus leads to “life” in abundance. Since the fullness of God’s life was revealed in Jesus, one can only partake of this life through Jesus.

It is important not to be too fundamental in interpreting the last verse of today’s reading. All too often, insistence on the exclusiveness of the Christian way has been responsible for problems in various parts of the world. The Gospels all agree that the approach of Jesus was all inclusive and excluded no one who would want to come to the truth. There is no doubt that Jesus revealed the Father in the most unique of ways, as no one before had ever done. This is because, in the incarnation, God took on “flesh” in all its weaknesses and limitations. Jesus did not simply put on human nature but became like us in every single way and thus, can understand every aspect of our lives. However, by the fact of the incarnation, Jesus also gave us an insight into who God is and who we are called to be. He made us aware of our own limitlessness. Though he limited himself, we must realize that Jesus is much bigger than the narrow image of him we often have. This narrow image is responsible for our restricting him and making him as small as we are.

John was writing about his community’s experience of seeing God in Jesus incarnate and was not concerned with showing the superiority of this revelation over any other or with the fate of believers of other religions. We must keep this in mind when interpreting the last verse of today’s text. We must, however, rejoice because we are privileged to receive such a unique revelation of God in Jesus Christ.

When one brackets out the questions that contemporary Christians falsely import into these verses, there is nothing outrageous or offensive about the claims made here. Rather, at the heart of Christianity is this affirmation of the decisive revelation of God in the incarnation. John 14:6 can thus be read as the core claim of Christian identity; what distinguishes Christians from peoples of other faiths is the conviction given expression in John 14:6. It is, indeed, through Jesus that Christians have access to their God.

Thursday, April 30, 2026 - Community means Unity even in diversity

 

Thursday, April 30, 2026 - How do you as a Christian show that you are part of community?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 13:13-25; Jn 13:16-20

These verses contain the second part of the discourse spoken by Jesus after he washes the feet of his disciples. In the first part (13:12-15), Jesus teaches his disciples about the meaning of his washing their feet, and the implications that this action has for their lives as his disciples

In the second part of this discourse (13:16-20), Jesus teaches about discipleship in general and the relationship that the disciples share with him. The double Amen at 13:16, and at 13:20, forms an inclusion and so brackets and highlights what Jesus says in between. The disciples must remember that their role, in their relationship with Jesus, is that of servants to their master. If they understand this and act on it, then they will be blessed. They must, at every stage, know where their authority ends. The sayings which are highlighted by the inclusion are in 13:18-19 and contain a prediction of betrayal. Jesus is aware of who the betrayer is and also knows that it is not an outsider, but one who has eaten at table with him. Ps 41:9 is quoted here to accentuate the intimacy of the betrayal. The betrayer is someone whose feet he has washed, one with whom he has broken bread and one whom Jesus has loved to the very end. This foreknowledge of the betrayer also means that Jesus is in control of the events that lead to his death and is not taken by surprise. Another reason for informing his disciples about his betrayal, in advance, is so that they may realize who Jesus is: Son of God. Even as he is betrayed, he will reveal himself as God for us.

Since Jesus has been sent by God, he has God’s stamp and authority. The disciples, who are in turn sent by Jesus, have the authority and stamp of Jesus. Thus, if anyone accepts the disciples, they are in effect accepting Jesus. Just as Jesus shares fully in God’s work, so the disciples share fully in Jesus’ work of giving life to all and giving it in abundance.

Jesus’ act toward us, in love, manifested symbolically in the washing of the feet and sharing of bread, presents everyone who sits at his table with a choice: One can embrace Jesus’ gift to us and embody one’s embrace of that gift through one’s own acts of love or, one can turn one’s back on Jesus’ gift of love. This means that merely sitting at Jesus’ table, and even eating the bread that he gives, is not the full story. It has to be continued in the giving of self to others and is only completed when this is done. We then enter into community with Jesus and with one another.

 

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 - Have you decided "FOR" God? How does this show in your life?

 

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 - Have you decided “for” or “against” Jesus? How will you show the choice that you have made?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts 12:24-13:5; Jn 12:44-50

Today’s Gospel reading contains the last public discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of John. It serves as the epilogue to, and summarizes the main themes of Jesus’ public ministry. The words are a proclamation, as indicated by the words “cried out” in 12:44, which begin the discourse. Jesus has been sent as the revelation of God and, though no one has ever seen God, the one who sees Jesus, sees God. Jesus makes God known in a way never known before. He is the unique revelation of the Father as Father since he is Son. His reason for coming into the world was not to hide but to reveal and hence, he came as light. All are invited to come to this light so as not to stay in darkness any longer. Since the invitation that Jesus gives is free, one is not compelled to accept it. Every individual is free to make his/her choice. There is no coercion or force or any kind of pressure to accept. One will not be judged, even if one rejects the invitation, since the prime purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world is not to judge, but to save.  Though this is true, the ones who do not accept the true word spoken in Jesus will have to accept responsibility for the choice that he/she makes.  Jesus keeps revealing all that the Father has asked him to reveal.

These verses are a call to decision and commitment. One has to decide for or against, one has to make a choice. If one does not make a choice “for”, one is, in effect, making a choice “against” because with Jesus, there is no middle way.