Audio Reflections of Thursday, July 6, 2017

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Thursday, July 6, 2017 - Do you believe that God has forgiven you all your sins? Will you now extend the same forgiveness to at least one person whom you find it difficult to forgive?

To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 22:1-9; Mt 9:1-8

The miracle of the healing of the paralytic who was let down from the roof which forms our text for today is found also in Mark (2:1-12) and Luke (5:17-26). Matthew has omitted some details from Mark and thus shortened his narrative. Through these omissions, Matthew allows the reader to focus exclusively on Jesus and his words. 

It is unusual that Jesus does not respond to the paralytic’s immediate need but first forgives him his sins. The healing of the man is done later and only as demonstration of the fact that Jesus has power and authority to forgive sin, because the scribes consider Jesus’ pronouncement of forgiveness of sins as blasphemy. Since Jesus heals by the power of God, he can forgive sins by the same power. In Matthew, the crowd does not praise God for the miracle like they do in Mark and Luke, but for the authority to forgive sins attributed not only to Jesus but to human beings (“such authority to human beings” – Mt 9:8).

Most doctors today are convinced that there is an intimate connection between negative feelings and especially unforgiveness and physical ailments and advice a positive attitude and forgiving and letting go, for quicker healing. If we persist in our unforgiveness, we will continue to have a variety of ailments and sometimes no amount of external medicine will help at all. Forgive it is good for health.

Audio Reflections of Wednesday, July 5, 2017

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Wednesday, July 5, 2017 - Which demons are possessing you and so not allowing you to be free? Do you believe that Jesus can exorcise them from your life today?

To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 21:5,8-20; Mt 8:28-34

The text begins by stating that Jesus arrived on the other side, which because of the presence of pigs mentioned in 8:30 is clearly Gentile territory, since Jews considered pigs as unclean. While in the story in Mark 5:1-20 there is one demoniac, in Matthew’s story there are two (8:28). The version in Matthew is considerably shorter than the one in Mark, since Matthew omits many details that Mark gives. One possible reason for this is that Matthew wants to focus attention in his story solely on Jesus. 

The demons recognise Jesus and also recognise that they belong to two different worlds. In Mark, the demons enter into conversation with Jesus, but in Matthew they do not, but only beg Jesus to send them into the herd of swine., and Jesus exorcises them with just one word, “Go”. Matthew does not tell us what happens to the demoniacs after the demons leave them. However, when the people of that town are told what happened to the demoniacs, they beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood.

More than physical demons that may possess us, we may be possessed by psychological demons. These can be feelings of fear, anger, revenge, jealousy, envy and a pessimistic attitude. If we continue in these feelings we are not living fully the life that God wants us to live. We need to decide that with the help of Jesus we are going to get rid of them today.

Audio Reflections of Tuesday, July 4, 2017

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Tuesday, July 4, 2017 - Have the “storms” of your life sometimes overwhelmed you? Will you believe that with Jesus in the boat of your life these can be controlled?

To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 19:15-19; Mt 8:23-27

The miracle in our text for today known sometimes as the Calming of The Storm is found also in Mark (4:35-41) and Luke (8:22-25). It is only Matthew, however, who emphasises that the disciples “followed Jesus into the boat”. The miracle is not only a nature miracle but also a story told to indicate that Jesus has control over the storms of life itself. In Matthew the “storm” indicates the stormy experience of the community (represented by the disciples in the boat) who follow Jesus. While in Mark the cry is one of distress (“Teacher do you not care if we perish?”), in Matthew, it is a liturgical-sounding cry for help (Save, Lord; we are perishing). In both Mark and Luke the reprimand about “little faith” is after Jesus has calmed the storm, whereas in Matthew, the reprimand precedes the calming. This is an indication that “faith” is primary, and if the disciples had the faith needed, they would not be agitated.

We may sometimes get disturbed and agitated when thigs do not happen the way we expect them to or when we are faced with a difficult situation. At times like the disciples in the Gospel of Mark we may accuse Jesus of not being concerned about our plight and at other times like the disciples in the Gospel of Matthew we may plead with him to come to our aid. No matter which approach we may use, we need to remember that he will let nothing happen to us that is not part of his plan and will. We have to continue to do what is required of as and confidently leave the rest to him.

Audio reflections of Monday, July 3, 2017 the feast of St. Thomas, Apostle of India,

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Monday, July 3, 2017 - St. Thomas, Apostle of India - Do you believe? How does this show in action?

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts10:24-35; Heb 1:2-3; Jn 20:24-29

Thomas the Apostle, also called Didymus (meaning "Twin," as does "Thomas" in Aramaic") was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel. He is also believed to have crossed the largest area, which includes the Parthian Empire and India.

The text chosen for the Feast of St. Thomas from the Gospel is often mistakenly referred to as that of “Doubting Thomas”. However, that is a misnomer. Jesus does not use the word doubt in these verses. Rather, Jesus chides Thomas for being unbelieving. The story focuses on the grounds of faith. Thomas seeks tangible proof which the disciples are unable to provide. Jesus provides this for Thomas and in so doing asks him to move from unbelief to faith.

Thomas does not touch the hands and side of Jesus as Jesus invites him to do, but responds with the highest acclamation or title for Jesus anywhere in the New Testament. Thomas sees God fully revealed in Jesus. This is why Jesus is for Thomas “My Lord and my God!”

The Beatitude or blessing pronounced by Jesus on future generations’ states that having seen Jesus is not a prerequisite for faith. One must first believe in order to see.

Audio Reflections of Sunday, July 3, 2017

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Sunday, July 2, 2017 - Thirteenth Sunday of the year - What is that thing, who is that person, which is that event that is not allowing you to be free? What will you do about it today?

To read the texts click on the texts: 2 Kings 4:8-11,14-16; Rom 6:3-4,8-11; Mt 10:37-42

The Gospel text of today is from the last part of the Mission Discourse in the Gospel of Matthew (10:1-42). In this discourse, Jesus gives his disciples a theology for Mission. In it Jesus explains that Mission is to say and do. It is both spiritual and practical. Jesus also provides a strategy for Mission when he sends hos disciples out. This strategy may be summed up in one word which is Detachment. The disciples are called to be detached from things, places and even persons. This means that when one has to choose between Mission and family, the choice must be for Mission.

The verses of the Gospel text of today make up the conclusion of Matthew’s Mission Discourse. The choice is a difficult one to make and sometimes it may be between even family and one’s conscience. Loyalty to Jesus has priority over loyalty to anyone else or anything, indeed even over life itself.

If one is willing to share the cross of Jesus, one will also be given the privilege of his authority. The discourse ends with the affirmation that the disciple is always a representative or ambassador of Jesus and any good done to the disciple will be considered as good done to Jesus himself.

We must keep in mind that the only Jesus that people today can see and touch is the Jesus that we make known through our words and actions. He has allowed us to share in his mission. This is also an enormous privilege, but entails a tremendous responsibility.

The first reading of today confirms Jesus’ words. The woman who had shown concern for Elisha because he was a prophet is rewarded with a son. What is impossible for humans is possible for God. This possibility extends even to raisng the dead to life. Jesus had shown this in his ministry when he raised Jairus’ daughter, the son of the widow of Nain and Lazarus. However, God had shown this in the most preeminent of ways when he raised Jesus from the dead.

This is why Paul call the community at Rome and each one of us to fidelity to Christ which is shown in our willingness to die to self so that we might live for God in Jesus his son.