Thursday, 4 March 2021
Friday, March 5, 2021 - Homily
All that we possess is
given to us in trust. This means that while we may use what we have, we have
also to be concerned about those who do not have and be generous with them.
Selfishness on our part leads to our thinking that we must use the things we have
exclusively without even the thought of sharing them with others.
Friday, March 5, 20211 - Will you give God his due by sharing with at least one person who does not have today? If God were to visit the vineyard of your life and ask for fruit what would your response be?
To read the texts click on the texts:Gen 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28; Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
This Parable is
known variously as the parable of the wicked tenants or the Parable of the
Vineyard. While the parable in Mark has been allegorised, it is not clear
whether there was a non-allegorical parable going back to Jesus. Those who are
of the opinion that there was a non-allegorical parable interpret it to mean
that just as the tenants took radical action, so radical action is required in
order to gain the kingdom. Others see the parable to mean that the kingdom will
be taken away from Israel’s false leadership and given to gentiles and sinners.
Still others see the parable to mean that God does not abandon and relentlessly
seeks and searches for them and longs for a response from them.
In Matthew, this parable is the center of Jesus’
threefold parabolic response to the chief priests and elders. The first of
these is about the two sons (21:28-32) and the third is about the great supper
(22:1-14). He also links it to the previous parable of the two sons by means of
common words like vineyard, son and the common theme of both which is doing
God’s will rather than paying lip service.
In Matthew, the one who gives the vineyard to tenants
is a “landowner” and not simply a “man “as he is in Mark. This helps Matthew to
use the term “Lord” towards the end of the parable. The vineyard is described
much like the one in Isa 5:1-7 which indicates that Matthew intends the
vineyard to be read as “Israel” which it is in Isaiah. If in Mark the man who
hired out the vineyard wants only his share, here he wants all the fruit. This
indicates that God’s claim on the human person and all possessions it total and
not partial. There are no half measures with God. It is all or nothing. The two
groups of servants which are sent before the Son probably represent in Matthew
the former and latter prophets whom God sent to Israel to bring the nation back
to him. It is only after the two groups of servants are abused and murdered
that the landowner decides to send his Son. In Matthew the son is first taken
out of the vineyard and then killed (unlike in Mark where he is first killed
and then thrown out of the vineyard) to correspond with what actually happens
at the passion and death of Jesus (27:32). In Mark the question about the
response of the owner of the vineyard is asked and answered by Jesus, while in
Matthew, Jesus asks the questions and the Jewish leaders answer and through the
answer pronounce their own condemnation. The tenants had been unfaithful and
will have to pay for this unfaithfulness. The quotation of Ps 118:22-23 here
results in increasing and intensifying the condemnation of the tenants to whom
what was given was given in trust. Since they have been proved untrustworthy
and unfaithful, they will be denied further tenancy and others will be given
the vineyard to tend.
The Jewish leaders realize that the parable is about them and this only hardens their stance against Jesus and strengthens their resolve to destroy him.
All that we possess is given to us in trust. This
means that while we may use what we have, we have also to be concerned about
those who do not have and be generous with them. Selfishness on our part leads
to our thinking that we must use the things we have exclusively without even
the thought of sharing them with others.
Wednesday, 3 March 2021
Thursday, March 4, 2021 - Homily
Is
my attitude towards those less fortunate than I one of condescension? Or do I
regard them as persons like myself? Is my faith mere “lip service”? What
prevents me from “acting” out my faith?
Thursday, March 4, 2021 - Is my faith mere “lip service”? What prevents me from “acting” out my faith?
To read the texts click on the texts: Jer 17:5-10; Lk16:19-31
The parable of today has often
been titled as the parable of “Dives and Lazarus”. It can be seen to be divided
into three parts. If in the first part the focus is on rich man’s (who is not
named. The term “dives” in Latin means “rich”) opulence and wealth, in the
second part it is on his death and burial. In the third part which is the
longest there is for the first time in the story, a dialogue. It is between the
rich man and Abraham and is the climax of the story.
The story begins by describing
the rich man and his dress and food. The “purple and fine linen” may signify
that he was a high ranking official, since the Romans had set standards
regarding who could wear purple and how much purple they could wear. In
contrast to the rich man there is a poor man who is named Lazarus. He is the
only character in Jesus’ parables to be given a name. The name Lazarus means
“God helps”. The fact that he is at the gate of the rich man’s house signifies
that though the rich man could see Lazarus, he was not aware of his existence.
He is so caught up in his world of material things that this results in his
inability to see reality right before him. Lazarus would have been content with
the bread which was used to wipe the grease from the hand of the one eating and
then thrown under the table. However, even this he did not receive. Instead,
dogs fed off his sores.
The death of Lazarus is no surprise. However, the detail that is added is that Lazarus is carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. This detail brings to mind that God indeed comes to Lazarus’ help. The death of the rich man is described in a short sentence which brings out strikingly the transient nature of all his opulence and wealth.
In the third part, there is dialogue between the rich man and Abraham. Lazarus does not speak at all. He is in the bosom of Abraham. Being “in the bosom” of Abraham may imply that Lazarus was the honoured guest at the eschatological banquet, feasting while the rich man was in torment. In the request that the rich man makes of Abraham to let Lazarus dip the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue, he calls Lazarus by name which indicates that he knew who Lazarus was and yet refused to look at him on earth as a person. In his response, Abraham reminds the rich man of his and Lazarus’ past and of the chasm that separated them then, but which had been erected by the rich man, and which still separates them now. It is admirable that even in his torment the rich man can think of others (even if they be members of his own immediate family). He makes a second request of Abraham to send Lazarus as a messenger to warn his brothers. Abraham responds that the brothers have already received enough and more instruction and if they have not heeded that they will not heed another. The rich man tries one final time to convince Abraham to send Lazarus as one who has gone back from the dead. Abraham responds by telling the rich man that for those who believe no proof is necessary and for those who do not no proof is sufficient.
The rich man in the story is so caught with the things of the world and with his own self interests that these prevent him from even becoming aware of the needs of another. A number of questions to which there are no easy answers are raised by this parable and we must keep reflecting on them constantly if we are not to lose touch with reality.
Can I
be accused of sins of lack of concern, inability to assess the reality of
situations, closing my eyes and ears to the injustices around me, being caught
up in my own small world? Does my reflection on sin include “sins of omission”?
Is my
attitude towards those less fortunate than I one of condescension? Or do I
regard them as persons like myself
Did the brothers get the message?
How
would you like to conclude the story? Place yourself in the position of the
rich man’s brothers’ and write down what you would do to ensure that you do not
suffer the same fate as the rich man.
Tuesday, 2 March 2021
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - Homily
We
identify ourselves and others too much by these external titles and do not look
at other more important areas of their lives and ours. The text of today calls
us to review our need for titles and positions of honour and spend ourselves
instead in service.
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - When you are being introduced by a friend to a stranger how would you want your friend to introduce you?
To read the texts click on the texts: Jer18:18-20; Mt 20:17-28
The text begins with what is
known as the third and final Passion and Resurrection prediction in Matthew’s
Gospel. This is the most detailed of the three and Matthew specifies
crucifixion as the manner in which Jesus will be put to death. However, Jesus
is not simply a passive victim, his death is in obedience to the will of God
and he will let nothing and no one come in the way of this obedience. Even as
he speaks of his death, Jesus also predicts his being raised on the third day.
If in Mark, it is the
brothers James and John who make of Jesus the request for places of honour (Mk
10:35-37), in Matthew, it is the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Matthew does
not name the brothers since he wants to spare them this ignominy) who comes
with the request on behalf of her sons. The right hand and left hand symbolize
places of honour and authority. In his response, Jesus does not address the
mother or even James and John, but all the disciples. In contrast to Mark who
mentions both the cup and baptism, Matthew focuses exclusively on the cup of
suffering, testing, rejection, judgement and violent death. The metaphor “cup”
here seems to refer to the death ordained by God which is willingly accepted by
the one who is to go to his death. The disciples’ bravado and willingness to
drink the cup is only verbal and not one which they can show in their deeds.
Though Jesus is aware of this, he looks beyond their failure and invites them
to share his cup. However, even martyrdom does not gain one a special place in
the kingdom because not even Jesus will be able to assign such places. These
are the exclusive prerogative of God.
The request of the mother of
the sons of Zebedee leads to anger on the part of the other ten. This anger
indicates that they too like the mother (and the two brothers) had not really
understood Jesus’ way of proceeding. Jesus thus has to teach them yet again the
meaning of discipleship, authority and service in the kingdom. The king in the
kingdom is not a ruler but one who serves, the Lord does not lord it over
others but is their slave. By adding “Just as” before the final verse here,
Matthew makes Jesus as the model whom the disciples are called to imitate.
The desire to be in charge
and dominate others is a very real desire and most of us possess it. Some in
large measure others in small, but it is there. We like others to follow our
instructions and do what we tell them and feel upset or angry if they do not
obey. Too easily we judge people by the titles they have or the positions they
occupy in society and this leads to a desire in each of us to want to possess
those titles or occupy those positions. We identify ourselves and others too
much by these external titles and do not look at other more important areas of
their lives and ours. The text of today calls us to review our need for titles
and positions of honour and spend ourselves instead in service.
Monday, 1 March 2021
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 - Homily
It
is easy to say, but difficult to do, it is easy to preach but difficult to
practice. There must be a correlation between our words and our actions. The
way to ensure that there is a correlation between the two is to first do and
then say, or better to let people hear not what we say but what we do.
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 - Will you let people hear what you do rather than what you say? How?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 1:10, 16-20; Mt23:1-12
Jesus here
addresses the people and his disciples and speaks of the hypocrisy of the
scribes and Pharisees. Scribes were a professional class with formal training.
They were schooled in the tradition and its application to current issues.
Pharisees were a group within Judaism defined by strictly religious rules,
composed mostly of laypersons without formal theological training. Some scribes
were also Pharisees, but few Pharisees were scribes. Moses’ seat is a metaphorical expression
representing the teaching and administrative authority of the synagogue
leadership, scribes and Pharisees. Jesus condemns only the practice of the
scribes and Pharisees and not their teaching. The Matthean Jesus makes three
points about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. The first is that “they say but do not do”, which means that there
was no consonance between their words and actions. They did not act on their
words. The second is that
“they burden while failing to act
themselves” which means that they lay law upon law upon the people and make
life so much more complicated than it really is, and the third is that “they act for the wrong reasons: to make an
impression on others”. This they did by wearing broader phylacteries.
“Phylacteries” is the term Matthew uses for the “tephillin”, which were small
leather boxes containing portions of the Torah (Exod 13:1-16; Deut 6:4-9;
11:13-32) strapped to the forehead and arm during the recitation of prayers in
literal obedience to Deut 6:8. The “tassels” were attached to the prayer
shawls, and the most important seats in the synagogue refer to the place of
honour at the front facing the congregation, occupied by teachers and respected
leaders. The term “Rabbi” was a title of honour. The Scribes and Pharisees
wanted to be noticed, commended and honoured more than to pray.
In contrast the disciples of Jesus ought not to go for external titles and especially those which heighten distinction since they were brothers and sisters and there was to be no greater and smaller among them. They were to be one in God who alone is father. Authority and leadership were to be expressed in selfless service.
It is easy to say, but difficult to do, it is easy to
preach but difficult to practice. There must be a correlation between our words
and our actions. The way to ensure that there is a correlation between the two
is to first do and then say, or better to let people hear not what we say but
what we do. This doing, if it is to be regarded as a genuine work of love must
be done not to earn titles or the approval or commendation but because one is a
disciple of Jesus who has shown through his life and actions what true
leadership means.
Sunday, 28 February 2021
Monday, March 1, 2021 - Homily
Mercy,
forgiveness and love are in short supply today. Most relationships between
people are built on what one can gain from the other and how the relationship
will help one. It is rare to see (even in relationships between members of one
family) selflessness and generosity. Yet, this is what Jesus calls the disciple
to and expects that the disciple will live such a generous life.
Monday, March 1, 2021 - How often have you done something for someone else without any expectation whatever? Will you do something like this today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Dan 9:4-10; Lk6:36-38
The injunction to “be merciful, just as your Father is
merciful” which begins the text of today adapts the Old Testament command to
“be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (Lev 19:2), which in the Sermon on
the Mount of Matthew has become “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father
is perfect” (Matt 5:48). Whereas this injunction stands at the conclusion of
the six antitheses in Matthew 5, here it concludes the section on love for
one’s enemy by placing the challenge to be merciful in a theological context.
Just as God’s love for all is indiscriminate, so must the love of the true disciple
be. If love is given only in return for love, it is not love at all. To be
called love, it must be unconditional.
The next two verses move to the theme of not judging
and not condemning. The reason for this is that the one who does not judge and
condemn will not be judged or condemned him/herself. Instead, the disciple of
Jesus is called to forgive and let go of hurts and resentments as these block
the receipt of pardon and forgiveness that is freely available from God. The
section ends with a call to a kind of giving which does not count the cost, but
which gives generously and freely. The result of such giving will be God’s
unbounded generosity.
Mercy, forgiveness and love are in short supply today.
Most relationships between people are built on what one can gain from the other
and how the relationship will help one. It is rare to see (even in
relationships between members of one family) selflessness and generosity. Yet,
this is what Jesus calls the disciple to and expects that the disciple will live
such a generous life.
Saturday, 27 February 2021
Sunday, February 28, 2021 - Homily
Every
time we are tempted to ask “Why” or “How could God….” we have only to look at
his Son.
Second Sunday in Lent - February 28, 2021 - Look at the Son
To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 22: 1-2,9,10-13,15-18; Rom 8:31-34; Mk 9:2-10
I still remember that night,
eight years ago, when I received a call at 11.45 p.m. I knew immediately that
it would be from someone with a very great need or someone in great despair. It
was. The father of a young man was calling to tell me that his 23 year old son
had just died. He was his only son. The boy was coming home from work when a
drunk driver knocked him down and fled the scene. He was taken to hospital but
declared dead on arrival. At the funeral Mass the next day, there was not one
person in the church who was not moved by tears by the sight of that young man
in his coffin. The questions on everyone’s lips were: “How could God…” and
“Why”
I do believe that the answer
to our every “How could God…” and “Why” is provided for us in God sending his
only son.
The first reading also speaks
to us about a father and his only son. Abraham was asked to give up his only
son, and this, after being promised that his descendants would be as numerous
as the grains of sand on the seashore. How could God, who had made such a
promise, expect it to be fulfilled, if Isaac was to be sacrificed? This kind of
sacrifice would result in cutting Abraham off from his future. Abraham did not
know that God was actually testing him. He heard the command from God as something
that he was being called to do. However, he did know that God would provide and
find a way. He believed that God could do even what was impossible. This is why
his constant response to God was “Here I am”. This willingness and faith of
Abraham resulted in God being able to work in and through him. It resulted in
the promises of God being fulfilled in the life of Abraham. He did, indeed,
become a great nation and his descendants were as numerous as grains of sand on
the seashore.
The willingness and faith that
Abraham showed was exemplary. However, it pales in comparison with the
willingness and faith that Jesus showed when he took up his cross. This is what
God commanded Jesus to do and this is what he did. While in Abraham’s case, he
was stopped before he could complete the act of offering his son, in the case
of Jesus, he had to go the full way to show his obedience to God’s will and
fulfil God’s plan for the salvation of the whole world.
We are given a foretaste of
this obedience in the scene of the Transfiguration. The figures that appear
with Jesus on the mountain are Elijah and Moses. These were prophets who were
considered (along with Enoch) as alive in the presence of God. The voice from
heaven, after addressing Jesus as beloved son, asks the three disciples who
were with Jesus on the mountain to listen to him. Despite being
God’s beloved son, Jesus would have to go to his suffering and death and, only
then, enter his glory. There was no other way. Jesus did not simply obey God;
he obeyed God because he trusted. He knew that God was in charge and, even in
what seemed like defeat and death, there would be victory and new life.
We sometimes tend to think
that Jesus is most clearly Son of God only in glory, not in suffering. The
transfiguration challenges us to revise our understanding of how God’s presence
comes to the world. Even as he stands transfigured, Jesus is aware that the
cross is a certainty in his life. He is aware that, though he is beloved son,
he will have to suffer and die. The command to silence, given by
Jesus to the disciples, reminds us that glory and suffering cannot be
separated.
Yes, Jesus was able to go to
the cross in the full knowledge that God would always do what was best for him.
He was aware that the God who delivered Elijah and Moses would also deliver
him. He was able to go through the cross because he knew that, in and through
the cross, he would save the world. That Jesus continues to live today is proof
that his faith and confidence in the goodness of God was affirmed and
confirmed. It was a proof that Paul experienced when he told the community in
Rome that “neither death nor life…. nor anything else in all creation will ever
be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
The message then, on this
second Sunday of Lent, to every one of us, is that God continues to be in
charge. He continues to want what is best for each of us at every moment of our
life. Even at those times when we cannot see his hand as clearly as we would
like, or cannot feel his presence as tangibly as we would want, he is still
working for our good. This was confirmed in the life of Abraham, but fulfilled
in the most perfect way in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Every time we are tempted to ask “Why” or “How could God….” we have only to
look at his Son.
Friday, 26 February 2021
Saturday, February 27, 2021 - Homily
The
love we have for others is more often than not a conditional love. We indulge
in barter exchange and term it love.
Saturday, February 27, 2021 - How often has the expectation of some “reward” been your motivation for “doing good”? Will you “do good” without any expectation of reward today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Dt 26:16-19; Mt5:43-48
In the last of
the six antitheses, Matthew focuses on the love command. . While there is no
command to hate the enemy in the Old Testament, yet, there are statements that
God hates all evildoers and statements that imply that others do or should do
the same. Jesus, makes explicit here the command to love enemies. This is the
behaviour expected of a true disciple of Jesus. They cannot merely love those
who love them, since one does not require to be a disciple to do this.
Everyone, even the vilest of people can do this. The conduct of the disciples
of Jesus must reveal who they are really are, namely “sons and daughters of
God”.
The command to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is
perfect” does not mean to be without faults, but means to be undivided in love
as God is undivided in love.
The love we have for others is more often than not a
conditional love. We indulge in barter exchange and term it love. We are
willing to do something for someone and expect that they do the same or
something else in return. It is a matter of “give”, but also a matter of
“take”. When Jesus asks us to be like the heavenly Father, he is calling us to
unconditional love.
Thursday, 25 February 2021
Friday, February 26, 2021 - Homily
God
does not need our adoration, but if want to adore him it must also come from
within.
Friday, February 26, 2021 - How many times did you get angry yesterday? Will you attempt to make it one less time today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Ezek 18, 21-28; Mt 5:20-26
The righteousness of the disciples of Jesus must
exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees whose standard
of religious piety and practice was high. These of course did what they did
only to be seen by people and to show off their piety. The disciples are called
not merely to avoid being hypocritical.
In the six
antitheses (5:21-48) that follow, Matthew shows what it means in practice for
the righteousness of the disciples to exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees.
Each of the six begins with what was said of old and what Jesus is now saying.
In these verses (5:21-26) Matthew narrates first of the six, which is about the
Torah’s prohibition of murder (Exodus 20:13; Deut 5:18). The supplementary
“whoever murders shall be liable to judgement” is not found verbatim anywhere
in the Old Testament, and seems to have been added by Matthew to introduce the
word “judgement” which he uses in the next verse. After stating the law and
adding a supplementary, the Matthean Jesus then radicalises the law and calls
for an interiorization of it (5:22). The call seems to be to submit one’s
thoughts about other people, as well as the words they give rise to, to God’s
penetrating judgement. It is a call to realize that God wills not only that human
beings not kill each other but also that there be no hostility between human
beings. The next verses (5:23-26) are an application of what Jesus says.
Reconciliation is even more important than offering worship and sacrifice. The
disciples are called to work for reconciliation in the light of the
eschatological judgement toward which they are journeying.
If we come to
worship God and there are feelings of anger, revenge or hatred in our hearts,
then our worship remains incomplete. It is only an external worship and not
true worship. God does not need our adoration, but if want to adore him it must
also come from within.
Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Thursday, February 25, 2021 - Homily
The reason why humans must ask, seek and knock is in order to acknowledge their dependence on God.
Thursday, February 25, 2021 - How will you live out the Golden Rule today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Est 4:1, 3-5, 12-14;Mt 7:7-12
The text of today consists of three imperatives: Ask,
Seek and Knock. These imperatives are based on three unconditional promises:
you will receive, you will find and it will be opened. While the point made
here is of perseverance in prayer and not giving up it is not the focal point.
The reason for this perseverance is God’s goodness and gratuitousness. Thus, it
is not human asking, seeking and knocking that is the focal point, but God, who
remains the actor. The reason why humans must ask, seek and knock is in order
to acknowledge their dependence on God. Ultimately it is always God who is in
control. That this is the point that Matthew makes is clear in the explanation
that follows. If human fathers who are weak, frail and selfish themselves would
never give their children anything that would be to their detriment, how much
more will God give what is good to those who acknowledge their dependence on
him by asking?
The last verse of today is what is known as “The
Golden Rule’ and serves as the conclusion not just to this section but to the
whole Sermon. The addition here of the clause “for this is the law and
prophets” results in this verse forming an inclusion with the similar clause in
5:17 which began the theme of the Sermon. Also by adding the words “In
everything” before the rule, Matthew makes it all inclusive. There are numerous
parallels to the Golden rule but most of them are stated in the negative form.
Here it is positive; “do to others as you have them do to you”. This is
initiatory and not retaliatory or reciprocal. It means in other words that the
disciple is the one who takes the initiative in doing always the most loving
thing to others.
Tuesday, 23 February 2021
Wednesday, February 24, 2021 - Homily
The call to repentance is a call to look at everything in a new light. The old is past, the new has come with the coming of Jesus.
Wednesday, February 24, 2021 - What sign are you seeking from the Lord? Will you believe in His love even without this sign?
To read the texts click on the texts: Jon 3:1-10; Lk 11:29-32
Jesus’ debate with the crowd following the exorcism of
the demon that made a man mute (11:14-16) continues. One of the challenges
posed by some in the crowd was to demand from Jesus a sign from heaven. The
response of Jesus is not to give in to their demand for a sign. A similar saying
is also found in Matthew (12:38-42) which indicates that both Matthew and Luke
have taken it from the “Q” source {Mark also has the episode of the demand for
a sign and Jesus’ response (Mk 8:11-12), but it is much shorter and does not
have the details found in both Matthew and Luke}. However, Luke has so
formulated the response of Jesus, that it forms an inclusion. It begins and
ends with Jonah. Through this, Luke has associated Jonah’s preaching with
Solomon’s wisdom. Since Luke makes this association, for him the sign of Jonah
was not Jonah’s being in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights
(Mt 12:40), but the call to repentance that Jonah preached. As the people of
Nineveh repented after the call by Jonah, so Jesus calls the crowd to repentance
after his proclamation. The Queen of Sheba, or the Queen of the South,
journeyed from her kingdom in southwest Arabia to test the reports she had
heard of Solomon’s wisdom (1 Kgs 10:1-13; 2 Chr 9:1-12). When she had tested
Solomon with “hard questions” (1 Kgs 10:1), she was convinced of the wisdom God
had given to him and blessed the Lord who had set Solomon on the throne of
Israel (1 Kgs 10:9). At the judgment, therefore, she also would rise to condemn
that wicked generation because they had one who was greater than Solomon, and
they did not hear him.
Jesus thus refuses to give the crowds any other sign, because any demand for a sign meant that they have not understood what Jesus was about, and what his mission was. Jesus also knew that for those who believe, no sign is necessary, whereas for those who do not, no sign is sufficient.
The call to repentance is a call to look at everything
in a new light. The old is past, the new has come with the coming of Jesus. If
one persists in the old way of looking which is a way of finding God only in
miraculous and spectacular events, one will miss him. Now he can be found in
all things and all things can be found in him.
Monday, 22 February 2021
Tuesday, February 23, 2021 - Homily
The Lord’s Prayer is not
just a prayer; it is also a way of life. The words of the prayer communicate
the attitude that one must have toward God and others.
Tuesday, February 23, 2021 - How will you acknowledge your dependence on God today? Is there someone who you think has hurt you whom you have not yet forgiven? Will you forgive that person today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 55:10-11; Mt6:7-15
The three chapters beginning from 5:1 and ending at 7:29 contain one of the most famous discourses of Matthew known as “The Sermon on the Mount”.
It is important to have a brief background of the
Sermon in order to appreciate fully each separate text within it. The first
point that we note about the Sermon on the Mount is that it is the first of the
five great discourses in the Gospel of Matthew. Each of these five ends with
the phrase, “and when Jesus had finished…” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). It
begins by showing Jesus as a Rabbi teaching ex-cathedra (5:1) and ends by
showing Jesus as the Messianic prophet addressing the crowds (7:28).
The second point that must be kept in mind is that the
Sermon is a composition of Matthew. An analysis of similar texts in the Gospels
of Mark and Luke indicate that many verses found here in Matthew are found in
Mark and Luke in different contexts. This does not mean that Jesus did not say
these words. It means that Matthew has put them together in this manner.
The third point is the theme, which will determine how
one will interpret the Sermon as a whole. Most are agreed that the theme of the
Sermon is found in 5:17-20, in which Jesus speaks about having come not to
abolish but to fulfill the Law and Prophets, and issues a challenge to those
listening to let their “righteousness” be greater than that of the scribes and
Pharisees in order to enter the kingdom.
The mountain is a “theological topos” in the Gospel of
Matthew (Luke’s Sermon is from “a level place” see Lk 6:17) and therefore means
much more than simply a geographical location. Matthew does not name the
mountain, but by choosing it as the place from where Jesus delivers the Sermon,
he probably wants to portray Jesus as the New Moses delivering the New Law from
a New Mountain. While Jesus in the Gospel of Luke “stands” and delivers the Sermon
(Lk 6:17), in Matthew, Jesus sits down. This is the posture that the Jewish
Rabbis adopted when communicating a teaching of importance or connected with
the Law. In Luke the crowd is addressed from the beginning of the Sermon and
addressed directly, “Blessed are you poor…” (Lk 6:20), but in Matthew, it is
the “disciples” who come to Jesus and whom he begins to teach.
The section on
Prayer begins in 6:5 and Jesus contrasts the prayer of his disciples with the
prayer of hypocrites who like to be seen by all and also Gentile prayer which
heaps words upon words and may also mean a prayer made to many “gods” to
placate them. This kind of prayer is only for self gratification or to receive
favours. The prayer of the disciple is to God who is Father and who knows what
they need even before they can ask. Thus, prayer is not simply to place the
petition before God who is all knowing but primarily to acknowledge dependence
on God for everything.
What follows
this contrast is the prayer that Jesus teaches his disciples and which is
commonly known as the "Our Father". However, a better term for this
would be "The Lord's Prayer". The reason for this is because there
are two versions of the same prayer. The other is found in Lk. 11:2-4. There,
the pronoun "Our" is missing and the prayer begins simply with
"Father". In Matthew this prayer is at the very centre of the Sermon
and must be read with that fact in mind. It begins with an address and then
goes on to make two sets of three petitions. The address of God as “Father”
brings out the intimacy of the relationship that disciples and God share. The
pronoun “Our” here indicates that God is not merely the father of individual
believers but of the community as a whole and therefore all in the believing
community are brothers and sisters.
The opening
petitions indicate that prayer does not begin with one’s needs, but with the
glory and honour due to God. God’s name is and will be honoured by all men and
women, since God as revealed by Jesus is primarily a God of mercy, forgiveness
and unconditional love. The kingdom of God has come in Jesus and is also in the
future when God will be all and in all. This is a situation in which God will
show himself to be king as he has done in the life, ministry, death and
resurrection of Jesus. As Jesus constantly did God’s will, so it will continue
to be done both in heaven and on earth. It is only when God’s will is done
rather than one’s own that there can be true and lasting peace and harmony.
Despite
petitioning God for something as stupendous as the kingdom, the disciple also
acknowledges dependence on God for something as regular and ordinary as bread.
God’s forgiveness is unconditional and without any merit on the part of the
disciples. However, in order to receive this forgiveness which God gives
graciously and gratuitously, the disciple will have to remove from his/her
heart any unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness or anger that might be present
there. The prayer ends with a final petition that God, who always leads the
people, will not bring them into a time of testing, when the pressure might be
so great as to overcome faith itself, but that he will save them from the
ultimate power of evil.
The Lord’s Prayer is not just a prayer; it is also a
way of life. The words of the prayer communicate the attitude that one must
have toward God and others. While we must acknowledge our dependence on God for
everything that we need and regard him always as the primary cause, our
attitude to others must be one of acceptance and forgiveness.
Sunday, 21 February 2021
Monday, February 22, 2021 - Chair of St. Peter - Homily
Like
Peter we are called to heal the broken world even though we are broken
ourselves.
Monday, February 22, 2021 - The Chair of St. Peter - If Jesus were to ask you the question he asked the disciples, what would your response be?
To read the texts click on the texts: 1 Peter 5:1-4; Mt 16:13-19
The Chair of St. Peter is a feast which celebrates the Lord’s choice of Peter to be the servant-leader of the Church. The choice of Peter is indicative of what the Church is. On the one hand Peter was over zealous, brash, impulsive, spontaneous and ready to die for the Lord, while on the other he would deny the Lord and run away when trouble arose. The Church as a whole has been like Peter. Yet, this is whom the Lord chooses and continues to choose, broken men and women called to heal a broken world.
The Gospel text chosen for the feast is popularly known as “Peter’s Confession”. The question of Jesus concerning his identity is not because he wanted to be informed about people’s opinion of him, but to draw a contrast between people’s answers and the answer of the disciples. Matthew is the only evangelist who adds Jeremiah to the answers of the people. Some think that Matthew has done so because of Jeremiah’s association with the fall of Jerusalem. Others think that Jeremiah is mentioned because of his prophecy of the new covenant.
After
hearing through the disciples what the people have to say about his identity,
Jesus asks the disciples the same question. The “you” is plural and therefore
addressed to all disciples. It is also emphatic. Simon Peter answers on behalf
of the group. Matthew adds “the Son of the living God” to Mark’s “Christ”. Only
in Matthew does Jesus respond directly to Peter. Peter is not blessed because
of a personal achievement, but because of the gift he received from God. Jesus
names Peter as rock, the one who holds the keys and the one who binds and
looses. Rock here stands for foundation, and though Peter is the foundation,
Jesus is the builder. The holder of keys was one who had authority to teach and
the one who binds and looses is the one who had authority to interpret
authoritatively. The reason for ordering them to tell no one is to reinforce
the idea that the community founded by Jesus is distinct from Israel who
rejected Jesus.
Saturday, 20 February 2021
Sunday, February 21, 2021 - Homily
As humans, we have only to respond to God’s love, forgiveness, and acceptance. This response is done through repentance which means a change of heart, mind, and vision.
Sunday, February 21, 2021 - Love Encourages New Thoughts
To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 9:8-15;1 Pet 3:18-22;Mk 1:12-15
Lent
is a forty-day period of fast and abstinence before Easter. It begins on Ash
Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday when we go into Easter. Sundays are not
counted, since they commemorate the Resurrection of the Lord. While Lent is
actually a translation of the Latin term, quadragesima, which means ‘forty
days’ or literally the ‘fortieth day’, it also refers to the spring season. The
forty-day period is symbolic of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert,
a detail mentioned by all the synoptic gospels. This is why, in all three
years, the Gospel reading on the First Sunday in Lent is about the temptations
of Jesus in the desert.
While
Matthew and Luke narrate the three temptations in the desert and Jesus’
responses, Mark does not do so. His focus is different. Mark’s narrative of the
temptations compares Jesus, who is faithful, with unfaithful Israel. Jesus
overcame the temptations when tested for forty days, but Israel succumbed to
temptations during their forty year period of testing in the desert. The
overcoming of the temptations by Jesus leads to the wilderness being
transformed into paradise, the desert being transformed into an oasis and
humans being no longer subject to Satan or his rule. However, the overcoming of
temptation, with angels ministering to Jesus, is only one part of the story.
The
second part – the positive overcoming of temptation – is integral to the story
and completes it. Soon after overcoming temptation, Jesus comes into Galilee to
proclaim his experience of who God really is. Mark prepares for this
revolutionary and radical proclamation through four pointers or indicators. The
first of these is a time indicator (proclaiming), and a content indicator (the
Good News of God). These serve to clarify the proclamation.
The
arrest of John serves to remove him from the story, so that he can make way for
Jesus, with whom a new time has begun. Galilee is home for Jesus, a place of
acceptance, a place of the proclamation of the kingdom. That Jesus comes
“proclaiming” instead of “teaching” indicates that this is the message to be
heard by all. The good news that Jesus proclaims is not made up by him, but is
the good news of God. It is God who has mandated Jesus to speak these words.
This indicator is crucial because it speaks of who God is and how he regards
humans who are created in his image and likeness.
A
glimpse of this good news of God is given to us in the first reading in the
covenant or promise that makes to Noah. It is a promise that is made after the
destruction of the whole world by the flood. God’s promise here is significant,
because it is the first promise in the Bible that is to be fulfilled, not only
in the lives of the Israelites but, in the lives of all people. The whole of
humanity will never again be threatened with destruction. This covenant marked
the start of a whole new world and a whole new way of looking at, and dealing
with, God. It was completed when God sent his son, not merely to make a new
covenant but also, to be the Covenant or Promise for all times and all ages.
This
then is the good news that Jesus proclaims from God that, in him, as never
before, all people everywhere have been saved. If in the promise made to Noah,
the focus was on non-destruction of the human race, in the proclamation of
Jesus, the focus is on salvation through love. The core of the proclamation of
Jesus is that God has taken the initiative. He has loved first, he has forgiven
first, and he has accepted first. The kingdom has come, not because we are
worthy or have done something commendable. It has come because, in Jesus, God
loves unconditionally. Peter echoes this idea in the second reading of today,
when he explicates that this Covenant or Promise made by God was made even when
men and women were sinners.
As
humans, we have only to respond to that love, forgiveness, and acceptance. This
response is done through repentance which never means being sorry. Rather, it
means a change of heart, mind, and vision. It is a call to realize that God’s
love is given freely, unconditionally and without measure.
Thus,
on the first Sunday of Lent, the call is to leave every negative thing. It
means a refusal to walk in the path of frustration, anxiety, or despair and to
take instead the road of happiness, peace, and joy. It means that, though the road
might get steep and the going difficult, we will continue to carry on walking
the path, confident in the knowledge that, in Jesus, we are saved, and that sin
is overcome by love. The old has gone, the new has indeed come.
Friday, 19 February 2021
Saturday, February 20, 2021 - Homily
No one is excluded from the Mission of Jesus. Everyone has a place, all are called. Like Levi it is important to give up the former way of life and then to get up and follow. This requires God’s grace surely, but also human response.
Saturday, February 20, 2021 - How will you celebrate today your call to be a disciple of Jesus?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 58:9-14; Lk 5:27-32
The call of Levi the toll collector and his response
to that call is the text for today. Toll collectors like Levi was were those
individuals who paid the Roman authorities in advance for the right to collect
tolls. Since they decided the value of the goods being brought in, they could
abuse the system and many did. Due to this also because they were seen as
colluding with the Romans, they were despised by the people and made targets of
scorn and ridicule. The calling of Levi is a revolutionary act on the part of
Jesus. When almost everyone else would have seen Levi as a thief and corrupt
individual, Jesus was able to see him as a potential disciple. This is an
indication not only of the deep insight into
people that Jesus had but also of God’s grace which is given without any
merit on the part of the individual. It is a gift and not earned but gifted.
Levi on his part accepts this call. He leaves
“everything” for the privilege of following Jesus. Luke’s Gospel alone mentions
the word “everything” to stress the total sacrifice that Levi was called to and
made. It is an indication that he left his old way of life behind to take on a
new kind of life that Jesus was calling him to. He then arose and followed
Jesus. The sequence of the actions of Levi is interesting. He gets up and follows,
only after giving up.
Levi then gives a feast in his own house to celebrate
his call. The scribes and Pharisees complain about the scandal of sitting at
table with tax collectors and sinners. By doing so those who sat at table with
them were making themselves unclean, but they were also showing social
acceptance of a group that was considered as outcasts. Jesus’ response is in and
through a proverb and a statement. It is obvious that the services of a
physician are required by those who are sick not be those who are well. The
mission of Jesus is very clearly directly to those who need him: the sinners.
Repentance is not the condition for following Jesus; it is his purpose for
coming into the world. He has come in order that sinners might be transformed.
The call which Jesus made to his disciples and here to
Levi is startling brief: “Follow me”. This is because his call was a call to a
personal commitment to him. It was not a call to a set of values or principles.
It was not a call to any kind of philosophy or theology. It was not a call to a
particular political programme. It was a call that had as its base and origin
Jesus himself. The only reward that one could expect from such a following was
that others would be drawn to Jesus because of one’s own commitment and
perseverance.
The call is made here to Levi, who was considered as
an outcast and one who was beyond the bounds of God’s mercy. This indicates
that no one is excluded from the Mission of Jesus. Everyone has a place, all
are called. Like Levi it is important to give up the former way of life and
then to get up and follow. This requires God’s grace surely, but also human
response.
Thursday, 18 February 2021
Friday, February 19, 2021 - Homily
If
the rule becomes an end in itself, it loses its relevance and meaning. Also, if
following the rule makes one less tolerant of others and leads to pointing out
the faults of others, then it may be better to give it up.
Friday, February 19, 2021 - Do you often do the right thing at the wrong time or the wrong thing at the right time?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 58:1-9;Mt 9:14-15
The question of fasting is raised by the disciples of John the Baptist. They want to know why they and the Pharisees follow the rule of fasting, but the disciples of Jesus do not. Jesus’ first response is that the guests at a wedding do not fast at the wedding. It would be absurd to do so. Since the coming of the kingdom has often been portrayed as a messianic banquet, Matthew seems to want to insist that Jesus is the messianic bridegroom and with his coming the wedding feast has begun. There will be a time when the bridegroom is taken away and that will be the time to fast. The “taking away” of the bridegroom refers to the death of Jesus.
The book of Ecclesiastes points out wisely that “there
is a time for everything”. There is a time for feasting and a time for fasting.
But here is the rub: To know which time is for which. Even as we discern about
the times for suitable actions, we must keep in mind that rules and regulations
can never be ends in themselves. They are only means to an end. All rules are
at the service of humans no matter how good or noble they may be. If the rule
becomes an end in itself, it loses its relevance and meaning. Also, if
following the rule makes one less tolerant of others and leads to pointing out
the faults of others, then it may be better to give it up.
Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Thursday, February 18, 2021 - Homily
We
strive for things that do not last and in the process of our striving, are not
able to see the beauty that life has to offer. We exist without really having
lived. The challenge is to seek for that which brings real fulfillment and not
illusory happiness.
Thursday, February 18, 2021 - At the end of today will you consider your life as having been one that has been worthily lived?
To read the texts click on the text: Deut 30:15-20; Lk 9:22-25
On the day following Ash Wednesday, the church makes
explicit through the choice of the readings what the overarching theme of the
season will be. It has to do with suffering, the cross and death, which here,
is not primarily physical death, but death to self and the ego.
This is seen clearly in the first passion and
resurrection prediction in the Gospel of Luke which is part of the text for
today. Like in the other two synoptic gospels, the prediction in Luke appears
immediately after Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ. Immediately
following Peter’s confession Jesus sternly commands the disciples not to tell
anyone of this. This is because he does not want to be misunderstood as a
glorious and triumphant Messiah or as one who will come conquering, but as a
Messiah who will suffer and die. This is because God has ordained it and Jesus
will always be obedient to God’s commands.
Anyone who wishes to follow Jesus must be of the same
mind. The first saying on discipleship which follows emphasizes not so much the
readiness to die for Jesus as much as the courage to persevere in following
him. This is why Luke adds the word “daily” after the call to take up the
cross. It is in spending oneself for the good of others rather than pursuing one’s
own selfish ambitions that true joy, peace and fulfillment can be found.
Paradoxically, spending one’s life for others results in gaining one’s life.
The final saying of the Gospel of today cuts the ground from under our
preoccupation with material and temporary wealth. What will we have gained,
even if we acquire all the possessions in the world, but lose ourselves in the
process? This saying reminds us that there are dimensions of life vital to
fulfillment and happiness that are not satisfied by financial security or
material wealth.
The impulse to succeed in a given profession, to
acquire material possessions, and to prosper is powerful. In a materialistic
culture we are easily seduced by the assumption that security and fulfillment
are achieved by means of financial prosperity. We strive for things that do not
last and in the process of our striving, are not able to see the beauty that
life has to offer. We exist without really having lived. The challenge is to
seek for that which brings real fulfillment and not illusory happiness.
Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - Homily
For
us as Christians, Jesus has simplified matters. There is absolutely no
obligation in the Christian way of life except the obligation to love.
Wednesday, February 17, 2021 - Ash Wednesday - How often have you made “means” ends in themselves?
To read the texts click on the texts: Jl 2:12-18; 2Cor 5:20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6,16-18
The
season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is derived by counting back 40 days
{not including Sundays} from Easter day. Ash Wednesday is so called because of
the imposition of ashes on the foreheads of the faithful, which serve as a
reminder of the call to repentance and to believe in the good news. The period
of Lent is a reminder of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before
taking up the mission he received from his Father at his baptism.
Immediately
after the six antitheses (5:21-48) in the Sermon on the Mount, there follows
instructions on three practices that were common among the Pharisees as a sign
of closeness to God namely almsgiving, prayer and fasting. All three though
only a means to reach God can be made ends in themselves. Almsgiving can be
ostentatious, prayer can be used to show-off and fasting can be used to point
to one’s self. Jesus cautions the listeners about these dangers and challenges
them to make them all internal activities that will lead the way to God rather
than being made ends in themselves. The focus thus is on the motivation with
which one does what one does. If the motivation for doing good is to win the
admiration of human beings, then that action is selfish and self-motivated and
so does no good at all. If the action is done out of a sense of duty or
obligation, it cannot be called pure and is instead diluted. However if one
does the action and accepts that the reward is in the performing of the action
itself, such an action can be salvific. This is the challenge not only of Ash
Wednesday, but of the whole season of Lent, “to give and not to count the cost,
to labour and to look for no reward.”
For
us as Christians, Jesus has simplified matters. There is absolutely no
obligation in the Christian way of life except the obligation to love. When
there is love then all our actions come from our hearts and spontaneously
without counting the cost. Almsgiving becomes generous and spontaneous, prayer
becomes union with God and leads to action and fasting is done in order to show
our dependence on God and not on earthly things.
Monday, 15 February 2021
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - Homily
Like
the disciples we tend sometimes to focus on things that are not really
necessary and so lose sight of the bigger picture. We can get caught up in
details and so not see the whole. We might have a narrow view of the world and
so lose sight of the fact that we can find God in all things and all things in
him.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - What is the leaven (influence) that is affecting your vision of who Jesus really is? Will you cleanse your heart to see rightly today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 6:5-8;7:1-5,10; Mk 8:14-21
The text of today contains a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples and ends the long sequence, which began with Jesus teaching the crowds from a boat (Mark 4,1-8). This is the third of the three incidents at sea in which the disciples seem to be at sea in their attempt to discover who Jesus really. The first was in Mark 4,35-41 when Jesus calms the storm so that the disciples have to ask, “Who then is this?” the second in Mark 6,45-51 when Jesus comes walking on the water and Mark comments that “the disciples were utterly astounded for they had not understood about the loaves for they did not understand about the loaves but their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6,51-52) and here in the third incident in this section they also fail to understand. (Mark 8,21).
The disciples
think that Jesus is rebuking them because they had forgotten to carry food,
when in fact he is rebuking them for their hardness of heart. When Jesus
questions the disciples about the feeding miracles, the focus of his questions
are not on the number of people who were fed (this would be asked to indicate
the magnanimity and abundance of the miracle) neither are they on the smallness
of their resources (which would indicate the stupendous power of Jesus) but on
the breaking and gathering. The disciples know the answers, but are not able to
perceive that Jesus is able to provide anything his disciples’ need. They are
taken up with his power, but do not really understand.
Sunday, 14 February 2021
Monday, February 15, 2021 - Homily
There
are times in our lives when everything seems to go awry. Nothing seems to be
going right. At times like these we might keep asking God to give us some sign
that he is on our side and cares for us and we might not receive it. It is
possible that this might lead us to lose faith and to stop believing. We need
to have the courage to believe even without any signs. This is what true faith
means.
Monday, February 15, 2021 - What sign are you seeking from the Lord? Will you continue to believe even without this sign?
To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 4:1-15;25; Mk 8:11-13
The text of today appears immediately after the second feeding miracle in the Gospel of Mark, in which Jesus has fed 4000 people with seven loaves and a few fish. The Pharisees demand a sign. The sign they demand is some form of divine authentication. Jesus’ response is to sigh deeply in his spirit, which could be akin to throwing one’s hands up in despair. He refuses to perform a sign. This refusal on the part of Jesus could be interpreted as a sign of Jesus’ rejection of “this generation”. Mark portrays Jesus here as a prophet announcing God’s judgement against this generation.
There are times in our
lives when everything seems to go awry. Nothing seems to be going right. At
times like these we might keep asking God to give us some sign that he is on
our side and cares for us and we might not receive it. It is possible that this
might lead us to lose faith and to stop believing. We need to have the courage
to believe even without any signs. This is what true faith means.
Saturday, 13 February 2021
Sunday, February 14, 2021 - Homily
Even
as Jesus draws those who are discriminated against, he also draws the
discriminators, to make them see the folly of their ways and to realize that,
when they make distinctions, they are losing out on the beauty of life itself
and are living isolated lives.
Sunday, February 14, 2021 - Marginal people
To read the texts click on the texts: Lev 13:1-2, 44-46; 1Cor 10:31-11:1; Mk1:40-45
Satan
stood at the foot of the cross and asked Jesus, "What happens now to the
work you began?"
And
Jesus whispered, "I do not need to worry, I have my disciples to carry it
on!"
"Well,
what happens if they fail you, Son of Man?" Satan sneered.
"I
have no other plan," Jesus sighed, and then he died.
The
first reading of today states, in very clear terms, why leprosy was considered
such a dreadful disease. The term “leprosy” was used loosely for many kinds of
skin ailments. A person with such an ailment was to be brought to the priest,
who alone could declare the person clean. The leper was to wear torn clothes,
have disheveled hair and cover the lower part of the face. These actions were
also signs of mourning for the dead. This state of uncleanness was so serious
that it was considered similar to the state of death. The cry of “Unclean,
unclean” was, on the one hand, to warn others not to come near and, on the
other hand, a lament about one’s condition because it was considered as divine
punishment for serious sin. Living outside the camp was considered to be living
in the place most removed from the presence of God, a place to which the sinner
and the impure were banished.
It
is in this context that the Gospel text of today must be read. The leper
approaches Jesus as a suppliant and knows that Jesus can heal him. Jesus has
only to will it and it will be done. The anger of Jesus means, on the one hand,
that Jesus was angry about the fact that evil forces had taken such a hold of
the man and so, the anger was directed against these forces. It also means
anger against the establishment that ostracized persons and treated them as
outcasts. The reaching out to touch the leper means that Jesus cannot be
defiled or made unclean by touching someone considered unclean. The reaching out also confirms that the anger
of Jesus was primarily against those who would treat humans worse than animals.
After the leper is healed, he is told to show himself to the priest, who would
declare him clean and so, ready to resume his rightful place in society as a
full human being. This indicates that Jesus was concerned with complying with
the law. That the man is to do this, as “evidence against them”, seems to be
polemical and directed against the unbelieving as incriminating evidence of
their unbelief.
The
world today is plagued by different kinds of discriminations. We discriminate
on the basis of caste, religion, colour, language, social or economic status,
and the like. It is to those of us who engage in such discrimination that the
texts of today seem to be addressed. The ones who are discriminated against,
and often, for no fault of their own, are those who, like the leper, are
oppressed and outcasts. They are kept on the margins of society while the rest
of us continue to live as if they do not exist. While sometimes there is an
active shunning of these, at other times, it is done subtly, through
indifference. We pretend as if they do not exist. By his reaching out and
touching the leper, Jesus gives a strong message to all of us that no one is to
be excluded from the love and mercy of God. No one is to be excluded from the
grace of God that flows equally on everyone. No one is to be excluded, or
discriminated against, simply because they speak a different language, or call
God by another name, or are of a different colour, or social and economic
status. Each and every person is a child of God and has the same rights and
privileges as other sons and daughters of God.
This
is exactly what Paul means when he challenges the Corinthian community to
realize that they must do what they do for the glory of God, which, in its
barest essence, means that they must not give offence to anyone. In its profound sense, it means that they
will never seek their own advantage but always the advantage of others. In this,
they are to imitate Christ.
Jesus
has no plan other than the one in which he challenges his disciples to carry on
his mission of reconciliation, and reaching out, by imitating him. He would want all who are willing to come, to
be drawn to his Father, and would want to draw all, without distinction. He would want all, without distinction, to be
made whole. He would want all, without distinction, to share in the riches of
God’s power and glory and unconditional love. Even as he draws those who are
discriminated against, he also draws the discriminators, to make them see the folly
of their ways and to realize that, when they make distinctions, they are losing
out on the beauty of life itself and are living isolated lives, lives without
meaning. These, too, are invited to open themselves to the magnanimity of God’s
abundant grace.
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