Be like fisherman!

Matthew 4:18-22 

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. 19 Jesus said to them, "Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass." 20 They didn't ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed. 21 A short distance down the beach they came upon another pair of brothers, James and John, Zebedee's sons. These two were sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, mending their fishnets. Jesus made the same offer to them, 22 and they were just as quick to follow, abandoning boat and father.

Food for thought!

It is interesting to note what kind of men Jesus called. They were not men of great scholarship, or influence, or wealth, or social background. They were not poor, they were simple working people with no great background, and certainly, anyone would have said, with no great future.

It was the ordinary men whom Jesus chose. What Jesus needs is ordinary folk who will give him themselves. He can do anything with people like that. Further these men were fishermen. Why did Jesus choose fishermen. 

(i) A fisherman has patience. He must learn to wait patiently until the fish will take the bait. If he is restless and quick to move he will never make a fisherman. The good fisher of men will have need of patience. We must learn to wait.

(ii) A fisherman has perseverance. He must learn never to be discouraged, but always to try again; he must not be discouraged when nothing seems to happen. He must always be ready to try again.

(iii) A fisherman has courage. He must be ready to risk and to face the fury of the sea and of the gale. Whatever you do in life, you need courage. Whatever course you decide on, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs.

(iv) A fisherman must have an eye for the right moment. The wise fisherman knows well that there are times when it is hopeless to fish. He knows when to cast and when not to cast. The good fisherman chooses his moment. 

(v) He must fit the bait to the fish. One fish will rise to one bait and another to another. Paul said that he became all things to all men if by any chance he might win some. The wise fisherman knows that the same approach will not win all men. He may even have to know and recognize his own limitations. He may have to discover that there are certain spheres in which he himself can work. and others in which he cannot.

(v) The wise fisherman must keep himself out of sight. If he obtrudes his own presence, even his own shadow, the fish will certainly not bite. His aim is to fix men's eyes, not on himself, but on that figure beyond.

Lift up your hearts!

Luke 21:20-28

20 “And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not return to the city. 22 For those will be days of God’s vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled. 23 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against this people. 24 They will be killed by the sword or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end. 25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!

Food for thought!

Don't be afraid. Jesus is not scaring us; he is caring for us. He loves us so much that he warns us of the coming danger; Jesus does not only prepare us for heaven but for earth as well; he does not only tell us what to expect then, he tells us what will happen now. "And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived."

In all these seemingly terrifying events, there is good news at the end: "So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near! Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory." Jesus is saying that in all chaos, in all crisis, in all difficulty there is something good; there is good news. After the darkest night, the sun always rises. The dark of night prepares us for the rising of the sun. Or as someone once said, commented, “Crises and deadlocks, when they occur, have at least this advantage: that they force us to think.”

The Chinese character for crisis consists of two characters. The top character means danger, and the bottom character means opportunity. When you experience  crisis or problem, remember that it may be only a cloud hiding the face of the sun and opportunity. That is why Jesus is saying, "So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!" Let the power and warmth of the sun within you burn away the cloud that may attempt to dim your inner light. Let the sun of belief in life energize you as you climb to the pinnacle of overcoming. “Every man is two men; one is awake in the darkness, the other asleep in the light.

Many ancient people thought that the earth was flat, and, if one ventured too close to the edge, he would fall off. The phrase “the end of the world” became representative of a place where there was no solid ground for support. It was as if the earth ended at a particular point, and only emptiness lay beyond. Many of us have times when there seems to be no solid support on which we can walk, stand, or even rest. Jesus is training us how to survive and thrive in such end of the world times: "when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!"

The optimist recognizes opportunity in every crisis; the pessimist sees a crisis in every opportunity.

Jesus watches (3)

Luke21:12-21 

"But before any of this happens, they'll arrest you, hunt you down, and drag you to court and jail. It will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. 13 You'll end up on the witness stand, called to testify. 14 Make up your mind right now not to worry about it. 15 I'll give you the words and wisdom that will reduce all your accusers to stammers and stutters. 16 "You'll even be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be killed. 17 There's no telling who will hate you because of me. 18 Even so, every detail of your body and soul--even the hairs of your head!--is in my care; nothing of you will be lost. 19 Staying with it--that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.

Food for thought!

Jesus is completely honest. "This," he said to his disciples, "is what you must expect if you choose to follow me." Jesus is frank with us: following him is not easy! Jesus does not offer us an easy way, but a heroes way. He does not offer us means of living but meaning in living. And as you know, man needs "something" for the sake of which to live, and if need be to die for. This is what Jesus offers us.

This said, Jesus promised that his disciples would never meet their tribulations alone. With Christ, a prison can be like a palace, a scaffold like a throne, the storms of life like summer weather.  Every detail of our body and soul, even the hairs of our head, is in his care; nothing of us will be lost.

It is very reassuring to know that Jesus watches us; protects us; looks after us; is with us. "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1Pt 5:7)

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 This I declare about the Lord:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

    he is my God, and I trust him.

3 For he will rescue you from every trap

    and protect you from deadly disease.

4 He will cover you with his feathers.

    He will shelter you with his wings.

    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,

    nor the arrow that flies in the day.

6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,

    nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

7 Though a thousand fall at your side,

    though ten thousand are dying around you,

    these evils will not touch you.

(Psalm 91)

Jesus watches (2)

Luke 21:5-11 

One day people were standing around talking about the Temple, remarking how beautiful it was, the splendor of its stonework and memorial gifts. Jesus said, 6 "All this you're admiring so much-- the time is coming when every stone in that building will end up in a heap of rubble." 7 They asked him, "Teacher, when is this going to happen? What clue will we get that it's about to take place?" 8 He said, "Watch out for the doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities claiming, 'I'm the One,' or, 'The end is near.' Don't fall for any of that. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history and no sign of the end." 10 He went on, "Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. 11 Huge earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. You'll think at times that the very sky is falling.

Food for Thought!

If yesterday Jesus was watching humans, today he is watching time and temple and history. In the gospel reading, Jesus and the people were all looking at the same temple, but seeing different things. The people were seeing beauty, Jesus was seeing destruction; the people were seeing the present moment, Jesus was seeing the future moment, when the temple would crumble down. 

The Temple was a marvel by all standards, for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendour, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun's own rays. The Temple appeared at a distance like a mountain covered with snow, for, as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. To the Jews it was unthinkable that the glory of the Temple should be shattered to dust.

Jesus could and can see history. Others were blind to the approaching disaster but Jesus saw the avalanche about to descend on that temple. It is only when we see things through the eyes of Jesus that we see them clearly; it is only when we see through the eyes of Jesus that we see life clearly and all in it.

We must, therefore, endeavor to see through the eyes of Jesus, with his consciousness and his understanding, if we are to see in this world and in this life what he saw. Because he sees differently, Jesus called people like Matthew and Paul and Magdalene to be his companions. Jesus does not only see disasters, ge sees our potential too. Seeing like Jesus is not a presumptuous thing; it is a necessary thing if we are to grow into his image and likeness, like Paul did when he wrote these words:

7 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash--along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. 8 Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant--dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ 9 and be embraced by him. (Phil 3:7-9)

Jesus watches!

Luke 21:1-4

21  1 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Food for thought!

Under the powerful watch of Jesus! 

As we begin our work week, providence has given us (again) this gospel reading. I suggest to take for our meditation the part that says that Jesus watched! He watched those men and women as they carried out their Temple duty of donating. I am sure the people did not know that they were being watched by Jesus.

The idea of being watched by God is not really new. In Mark 6:46-48, after telling everyone good-bye, Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray. Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. HE SAW that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves.

Another time, reported in Matthew 9:9, Jesus was walking along, HE SAW a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

As Phillip and Nathanael approached Jesus, he said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel-a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I SAW YOU under the fig tree before Philip found you.” (Jn 2:47-48).

These and others instances, show that Jesus shows up at our places or work; that he sees us as we discharge our daily duties at the place of work. Matthew the evangelist and apostle was even called from his desk, at work!

According to the Book of Genesis, work is a fundamental dimension of human existence on earth. Man, created "in the image of God... male and female" (Gen 1:27) hears the words: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1:28). These words indicate indirectly, beyond any doubt, that work is an activity for man to carry out in the world. With our work, we carry out the mandate received from our Creator to subdue, to dominate, the earth. In carrying out this mandate, God watches us.

Jesus is like truth and truth is like Jesus!

John 18:33-37 

Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?" 34 Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?" 35 Pilate said, "Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?" 36 "My kingdom," said Jesus, "doesn't consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn't be handed over to the Jews. But I'm not that kind of king, not the world's kind of king." 37 Then Pilate said, "So, are you a king or not?" Jesus answered, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice."

Food for thought!

Imagine the following. Jesus is being tied with ropes; his hands are tied together. Some soldiers drag him to the court to be acused. The judge is called Pilate. The trial begins.  "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?" The judge asks Jesus. Jesus answers, "Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?" Pilate responds, "Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?" Jesus does not answer this last question, but answers the first, which was "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?"

This is a very intriguing question. The judge must have wondered; how can a king appear the way Jesus is, tied with ropes, blood all over his body and face! Pilate is saying, is it possibly true that you are someone's king? "Are you the 'King of the Jews'?" "What did you do to your people, for your people to do this to you?" Someone is really wrong here? Is it true that you are king? 

"My kingdom," said Jesus, "doesn't consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn't be handed over to the Jews. But I'm not that kind of king, not the world's kind of king." 

Pilate continues, "So, are you a king or not?" Pilate wants to ascertain. Jesus answers, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice."

Did you notice how Jesus connects king to truth? "I am king; I am a King. [Certainly I am a King!] This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth [who is a friend of the Truth, who belongs to the Truth] hears and listens to My voice. What Jesus says is that he is king, KING OF TRUTH. It means that Jesus is the king of truth; that Jesus is the truth, even as he stands being tied, being tried, being humiliated; yes, Jesus is truth from eternity to eternity.

Jesus is like truth, and truth is like Jesus. 

We can tie it/Jesus, we can try it/Jesus, we can judge it/Jesus, we can beat it/Jesus but we cannot destroy it/Jesus because he was born a king. Jesus/truth is immortal; Jesus/truth is divine. As the first reading of today puts it, "His/its rule is eternal — he/it will never end. His/its reign will never be destroyed." Jesus/Truth does not die; Jesus/it is eternal.

Jesus is like the truth, and truth is like Jesus. 

As today's Second reading said, "everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!" All of us will soon or later know Jesus/truth, even those of us who pierced Jesus/it, who rejected Jesus/it, denied Jesus/it, tied Jesus/it, and tried Jesus/it. WE WILL ALL SEE JESUS/TRUTH!

The problem of ignorance! (Saturday)

Luke 20:27-40 

Jesus was approached by some Sadducees, who are religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. 28 They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. 29 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. 30 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. 31 Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. 32 Finally, the woman also died. 33 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!” 34 Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth. 35 But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. 36 And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection. 37 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised-even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38 So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.” 39 “Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. 40 And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Food for Thought:

The Sadducees, came with this question about who would be the husband in heaven of the woman who was married to seven different men. They regarded such a question as the kind of thing that made belief in the resurrection of the body ridiculous. Jesus gave them an answer which has a permanently valid truth in it. He said that we must not think of heaven in terms of this earth. Life there will be quite different, because we will be quite different. In other words, we do well if we ceased to speculate on what heaven is like and left things to the love of God.

The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body because for them there was no information about it, still less any proof of it, in the Bible. So they thought. Jesus proved them wrong. He pointed out that even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, 'God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!' God isn't the God of dead men, but of the living. These tgree men were dead, humanly speaking, but to God were and are all alive." Therefore there was such a thing as the resurrection of the body. No wonder the scribes declared it to be a good answer, for Jesus had met the Sadducees on their own ground and defeated them.

Sometimes we argue about the Bible out of ignorance. If you can't find proof in the Bible about something, does not mean it is not there; it may be just your ignorance at work. Isn't it sad that it was religious people, the Sadducees, that disbelieved in the ressurrection; one wonders whether they were really religious!

A lesson for us today. Jesus used arguments that the people he was arguing with could understand. He talked to them in their own language; he met them on their own ground; and that is precisely why the common people heard him gladly.

Sometimes one feels that our dear Catholic church has lost touch with society; no wonder many churches go empty on Sundays. Jesus used language and arguments which people could and did understand; he met people with their own vocabulary, on their own ground, and with their own ideas. We will be far better teachers of Christianity and far better witnesses for Christ when we learn to do the same.

Bitter sweet!

Revelation 10:8-11 

Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again: “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” 10 So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

Luke 19:45-48 

Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” 47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

Food for thought

Did you notice how twice John is told to take the roll? It is not handed to him; even when he asks the angel to give it to him, the answer is that he must take it. The meaning is that God's word is never forced on any man; he must take it. It is a personal decision; God does not force himself on us. If we wish, we can take God's message into our very life and being.

In the Gospel Jesus goes into the Temple to pray, but what he finds in there is all but sweet; the Temple had  turned into a den of thieves, full of business dealings. This is the irony in the First Reading: what is supposed to be sweet has turned into something else; what is supposed to be house of prayer is now house of business; what is supposed to be holy place is now profane place. Is this not what we have done with the Day of the Lord, Sunday? We have turned it into a day for selling and buying.

There is something almost incredibly audacious in the action of Jesus in teaching in the Temple courts when there was a price on his head. This was sheer defiance. At the moment the authorities could not arrest him, for the people hung upon his every word. But every time he spoke he took his life in his hands and he knew well that it was only a matter of time until the end should come. The courage of the Christian should match the courage of his Lord. He left us an example that we should never be ashamed to show whose we are and whom we serve.

Jesus' tears!

Luke 19:41-44 

But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”

Food for thought!

Jesus' lament!

As Jesus came to a turn in the road and got sight of Jerusalem with the whole city fully displayed ahead of him, he suddenly stopped and started to weep over Jerusalem. He knew what was going to happen to the city. The Jews had embarked upon a path, which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The tragedy was that if only they had abandoned their ways and taken the way of Christ it need never have happened.

Weeping demonstrates that Christ was indeed a true man, with real bodily functions (such as tears, sweat, blood, eating and drinking. His emotions and reactions were real; Christ was not an illusion or spirit. Christ was and is real. 

The gospels tell us that on two occasions, Jesus did weep. The first time was in Bethany, immediately before he raised Lazarus from death, and the second was his weeping over Jerusalem. What was it about these times that made them different from the others? The gospel tells us that as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he wept over it. Why? God Himself had come to His people in a "visitation". 

Jesus was sent by the Father to seek and save the lost sheep of Israel, to open their eyes to the fullness of God's love and mercy. But they didn't understand. This is what brought Jesus to cry. I wonder what Jesus would do as he looked at our cities, our families, our hearts! Would he smile or weep?

Some facts of life.....

Luke 19:11-28

While Jesus had the people's attention, and because they were getting close to Jerusalem by this time and expectation was building that God's kingdom would appear any minute, he told this story: 12 "There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. 13 But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, 'Operate with this until I return.' 14 "But the citizens there hated him. So they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule: 'We don't want this man to rule us.' 15 "When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done.16 "The first said, 'Master, I doubled your money.' 17 "He said, 'Good servant! Great work! Because you've been trustworthy in this small job, I'm making you governor of ten towns.' 18 "The second said, 'Mast  er, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.' 19 "He said, 'I'm putting you in charge of five towns.' 20 "The next servant said, 'Master, here's your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the cellar. 21 To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness, and don't suffer fools gladly.' 22 "He said, 'You're right that I don't suffer fools gladly--and you've acted the fool! 23 Why didn't you at least invest the money in securities so I would have gotten a little interest on it?'24 "Then he said to those standing there, 'Take the money from him and give it to the servant who doubled my stake.' 25 "They said, 'But Master, he already has double . . .' 26 "He said, 'That's what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag. 27 "'As for these enemies of mine who petitioned against my rule, clear them out of here. I don't want to see their faces around here again.'" 28 After

  saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem.

Food for thought!

The parable of the king and his servants illustrates certain great facts of life.

(i) It tells of God's trust. He gave his servants the money and then went away and left them to use it as they could and as they thought best. He did not in any way interfere with them, or stand over them, like a big brother. He left them entirely to their own devices. That is the way in which God trusts us, all of us. Someone has said, "The nicest thing about God is that he trusts us to do so much by ourselves."

(ii) It tells of God's test. As always, this trust was a test, of whether or not a man was faithful and reliable in little things. Sometimes we under estimate the importance of being faithful in the ordinary things of life. God has not. It is precisely in these routine duties that God is testing us. There is no example of this like Jesus himself. Of his thirty-three years of life Jesus spent thirty in Nazareth. Had he not discharged with absolute fidelity the tasks of the carpenter's shop in Nazareth and the obligation of being the breadwinner of the family, God could never have given him the supreme task of being the Saviour of the world.

The confidence to achieve great things springs from successful achievement of smaller tasks. What this means is that we must begin with small successes before we get big ones. We must learn to swim in bigger ponds by mastering small ones first. You can't succeed at work if at home you are a failure; normally a bad husband or wife is always a bad executive at work. Success begins at home.

(iii) It tells us of God's reward. The reward that the faithful servants received was not one which they could enjoy by sitting down and folding their hands and doing nothing. One was put over ten cities and the other over five. The reward of work well done is more work to do. The greatest compliment we can pay a faithful person is to give him or her ever greater and harder tasks to do.

(iv) The parable concludes with one of the inexorable laws of life. To him who has, more will be given; from him who has not, what he has will be taken away. If a man plays a game and goes on practicing at it, he will play it with ever greater efficiency; if he does not practice, he will lose much of whatever ability he had. If we discipline and train our bodies, they will grow ever fitter and stronger; if we do not, they will grow flabby and lose much of the strength we have. If we really strive after goodness and master this and that temptation, new heights of goodness will open to us; if we give up the battle and take the easy way, much of the resistance power we once possessed will be lost and we will slip from whatever height we had attained.

There is no such thing as standing still in life. We either get more or lose more of what we have. In life, we either go forward or go backwards; we either go up or we go down.

Lost and Found!

Luke 19:1-10

Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. 2 There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. 3 He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way--he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by. 5 When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." 6 Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. 7 Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?" 8 Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor--and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages." 9 Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! 10 For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."

Food for thought!

If yesterday was about a man whom Jesus helped to see again, today is about another man who wanted to see Jesus. The other one could not see Jesus because he was blind; this one could not see Jesus because he was short. The first shouted at the top of his voice in order to attract Jesus' attention; this one climbed a tree to attract the attention of Jesus. The other one was very poor, a beggar; this one was very rich. For both these two men, the major obstacle to get to Jesus were the people. One had to shout louder, the other had to climb a tree. If you too don't do something extraordinary, you won't beat the crowds.

So, have you asked yourself what you really want to do or be in life? And have you determined that you will pursue it against the odds, despite the obstacles, and regardless of the circumstances? Are you ready to pay the price?

Like yesterday's blind man, Zacchaeus determined to see Jesus, and would let nothing stop him. For Zacchaeus to mingle with the crowd at all was a courageous thing to do, for many a man would take the chance to get a nudge, or kick, or push at the little tax-collector. It was an opportunity not to be missed. Zacchaeus would be black and blue with bruises that day. He could not see, the crowd took an ill delight in making sure of that. So he ran on ahead and climbed a fig tree. Things were not easy for Zacchaeus but the little man had the courage of desperation.

Zacchaeus was a man who had reached the top of his profession; and yet he was the most hated man in the district. Zacchaeus was wealthy but he was not happy. Inevitably he was lonely, for he had chosen a way that made him an outcast. He had heard of this Jesus who welcomed tax-collectors and sinners, and he wondered if he would have any word for him. Despised and hated by men, Zacchaeus resolved to reach for Jesus.

The story ends with the great words, the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. We must always be careful how we take the meaning of this word lost. In the New Testament it does not mean damned or doomed. It simply means in the wrong place. A thing is lost when it has got out of its own place into the wrong place; and when we find such a thing, we return it to the place it ought to occupy. We too get lost when we are in a wrong place at a wrong time. Thanks to Jesus, because his job is to restore us to where we belong, as he did yesterday with the blind man, and today with Za

Be focused this week!

Luke 18:35-43

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. 38 So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” 42 And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” 43 Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.

Food for thought!

Let us re imagine the scene. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to the Passover. He is not alone; he has a big crowd close around him, listening to every word he says. Any noise from anybody is an unwanted distraction. A nuissance.

Sitting on the roadside is a blind beggar. This man is many things: he is blind; he is a beggar; he is sitting along the side of the road. Because he is a blind, he is a beggar, and because he is begging he is sitting on the side of the road; he is not part of anything. He is only good in one thing, curiosity. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by.

Immediately he cried out to Jesus for help and healing. Thereupon everyone tried to silence him. The people round Jesus were missing what he was saying because of the clamour of this blind man. "Quite!" They told the man. "You're distracting us; please shut up!" They seemed to say.

This was a crucial moment. What will the man do? Shut up or shout up? Have you ever been like this man? You desire something very important in your life, or you have a dream, or a vision, or a deal or a business idea. As you try to turn it into a reality, you begin to hear counter voices all over suggesting that you forget and abandon the idea. Maybe you wanted to go back to school for a degree, or you wanted to stop smoking, or wanted to start a business, or change jobs, or...!

The man would not be silenced. He shouted again, this time louder; he screamed so much that everybody took notice, including Jesus. The man was determined to come face to face with Jesus. Nothing would stop him. He refused to be silent and he refused to be restrained. His sense of need drove him relentlessly into the presence of Jesus. If anyone wants a miracle that is the spirit one must show. A gentle, sentimental longing never really taps the power of God; but the passionate, intense desire of the very depths of the human heart will never be disappointed.

 “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” 

We live in a society of almost infinite choices and opportunities, and because of that, most people find themselves pulled in dozens of directions. Jesus' question helped this man to prioritize his need; to focus: I want to see! He said. I wonder what you would say! It must be one thing because wanting everything is wanting nothing. We do well to narrow our focus; our mind doesn't realize our dreams until it has clear objectives. 

Have you ever realized that if you consider buying a particular kind of car, dress, shoe, or anything, you begin

Foreigners!

Mark 13:24-32

24 "Following those hard times, Sun will fade out, moon cloud over, 25 Stars fall out of the sky, cosmic powers tremble. 26 "And then they'll see the Son of Man enter in grand style, his Arrival filling the sky--no one will miss it! 27 He'll dispatch the angels; they will pull in the chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole. 28 "Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner. 29 And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know he is at the door. 30 Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too--these things will happen. 31 Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out. 32 "But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father.

Food for thought!

The Gospel of Mark, chapter 13 is one of the most difficult chapters in the New Testament for a modern reader to understand. That is because it is one of the most Jewish chapters in the Bible. From beginning to end it is thinking in terms of Jewish history and Jewish ideas. All through it Jesus is using categories and pictures which were very familiar to the Jews of his day, but which are very strange, and indeed, unknown, to many of us today.

This said, it is not good to disregard this chapter because it is the source of many ideas about the second coming of Jesus. The difficulty about the doctrine of the second coming is that nowadays people are apt either completely to disregard it as irrelevant or to be so completely unbalanced about it that they get to the point of fixing dates for the end of the world.

In this passage the one thing that we must retain is the fact that Jesus did foretell that he would come again. The imagery we can disregard. What is important to note is that, as Jesus told us many times, history is going somewhere; one day we are going to leave this life; life as we know it will one day end; you and I will die some day. And our death is the end of our world; my end of the world will be my death. For that reason, we do well to leave each day in light of death, by being our best and by doing the best we can. How? By carrying out our ordinary duties extraordinarily well.

To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is only a temporary residence. You won’t be here long, so don’t get too attached. Ask God to help you see life on earth as he sees it. David prayed, “Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more.” (Ps. 39:4)

Repeatedly the Bible compares life on earth to temporarily living in a foreign country. This is not your permanent home or final destination. You’re just passing through, just visiting earth. The Bible uses terms like alien, pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveler to describe our brief stay on earth. David said, “I am but a foreigner here on earth,” (Psalm 119:19) and Peter explained, “If you call God your Father, live your time as temporary residents on earth.” (1 Peter 1:17).
The Bible is clear: “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.” (Psalm 119:147;5:3). God warns us to not get too attached to what’s around us because it is temporary. We’re told, “Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away.” (Psalm 34:1)

"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father.

Jesus says that he does not know the day or the hour when he will come again. There were things which even Jesus left without questioning in the hand of God. There can be no greater warning and rebuke to those of us that work out dates and timetables as to when Jesus will come again, or when the world will end. Surely it is nothing less than blasphemy for us to enquire into that of which our Lord consented to be ignorant.

Don't give up on prayer!

Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. 2 He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. 3 A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!' 4 "He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. 5 But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice--otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.'" 6 Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? 7 So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? 8 I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"

Food for thought!

Jesus told them a story to show them that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.

This is very revealing. Jesus tells the story in order to tell his listeners the need for constant and consistent prayer. You, just imagine: Jesus telling his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. Do we still need Jesus to convince us the need for prayer? In other words, are convinced that you need prayer? Do you still struggle to pray? Does prayer come naturally to you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, read on Jesus' story.

This parable is not liking God to an unjust judge; it contrasts him to such a person. Jesus is saying, "If, in the end, an unjust and rapacious judge can be wearied into giving a widow woman justice, how much more will God, who is a loving Father, give his children what they need?"

That is true, but it is no reason why we should expect to get WHATEVER we pray for. Often a father has to refuse the request of a child, because he knows that what the child asks would hurt rather than help. God is like that. We do not know what is to happen in the next hour, let alone the next week, or month, or year. Only God sees time whole, and, therefore, only God knows what is good for us in the long run; he knows when it is good for us to get what we pray for. 

That is why Jesus said we must never be discouraged in prayer. That is why he wondered if men's faith would stand the long delays before we eventually get our prayers answered. We will never grow weary in prayer and our faith will never falter if, after we have offered to God our prayers and requests, we add the perfect prayer, Thy will be done! 

Just be your best in everything!

Luke 17:26 - 37

26 "The time of the Son of Man will be just like the time of Noah-- 27 everyone carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ship. They suspected nothing until the flood hit and swept everything away. 28" It was the same in the time of Lot-- the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual 29 right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. 30 That's how it will be-- sudden, total-- when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 "When the Day arrives and you're out working in the yard, don't run into the house to get anything. And if you're out in the field, don't go back and get your coat. 32 Remember what happened to Lot's wife! 33 If you grasp and cling to life on your terms, you'll lose it, but if you let that life go, you'll get life on God's terms.
34" On that Day, two men will be in the same boat fishing-- one taken, the other left. 35 Two women will be working in the same kitchen-- one taken, the other left. " 37 Trying to take all this in, the disciples said," Master, where? " He told them," Watch for the circling of the vultures. They'll spot the corpse first. The action will begin around my dead body. "

Food for thought

Our reading speak of the Second Coming of Jesus. Out of this difficult passage we can pick only a few things which are certain--and in truth they are enough.

First of all, the coming of Christ is certain, but its time is quite unknown. Speculation is vain. People will come with false prophecies and false predictions; but we must not leave our ordinary work to follow them. The best way that Christ can find us is when we are faithfully and humbly and watchfully doing our duty. The best way to prepare for the Lord is to carry our ordinary duties extraordinarily well. Just be and do your best in everything.

Another lesson to note is that when that day comes the judgments of God will operate on a personal level, and of two people, who all their lives lived side by side, one will be taken and the other left. There is a warning here. Intimacy with a good person does not necessarily guarantee our own salvation. Goodness and holiness is intransmissible because it is personal; we can neither borrow nor lend goodness! Living with a righteous or holy person is no guarantee for salvation. As St. Paul says in Phill. 2:12,

"Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self- distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ)."

The judgment of God is an individual judgment. (2Co 5:10), "For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing]."

It is within you!

Luke 17:20-25

20 Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, "The kingdom of God doesn't come by counting the days on the calendar. 21 Nor when someone says, 'Look here!' or, 'There it is!' And why? Because God's kingdom is already within you." 22 He went on to say to his disciples, "The days are coming when you are going to be desperately homesick for just a glimpse of one of the days of the Son of Man, and you won't see a thing. 23 And they'll say to you, 'Look over there!' or, 'Look here!' Don't fall for any of that nonsense. 24 The arrival of the Son of Man is not something you go out to see. He simply comes. "You know how the whole sky lights up from a single flash of lightning? That's how it will be on the Day of the Son of Man. 25 But first it's necessary that he suffer many things and be turned down by the people of today.

Food for Thought!

God's kingdom is already within you!

What did Jesus mean by this statement? It is difficult to interpret  If we compare it to what is said in Deuteronomy 30, we come closer to understanding it. "For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not [a secret laid up] in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven and bring it to us, that we may hear and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear and do it? 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it."

From this text we come to know that in us there's godliness; there's goodness and holiness in all of us. In other words, we are godly, and because of this, we humans are distinct, honourable and glorious because of what is in us. This godly thing within us, the reign of Go, is due to the image and likeness of God. Or better, the image and likeness of God in human beings is the godly capacity in them. Thanks to this godly capacity that human beings have, they are capable of doing many godly things. Indeed, it is this godly capacity in man that makes the difference between humans and animals. This means further that the more godly we are the more human we are; and the more human we are the more godly we are.

This is what Jesus taught us this week, that doing good, mastering evil, is within us. "For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]." (Eph. 2:10)

Christ also taught us this week that the faith we have is a tremendous force. He is saying the same thing today. The kingdom of God is not out there but in there; it is not to be sought from without but from within us, in our hearts. And if this is so, as it is, it means that no one should ever deceive us to look for it over there or to look over here! Don't fall prey for any of that nonsense. Just as the very Son of God was among us, as one of us, so is the power of God (the kingdom of God) within us. To God be praise and glory and honour, both now and forever.

Be thankful!

Luke 17:11-19

11 It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance 13 but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. 15 One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. 16 He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough--and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? 18 Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."

Food for thought!

Jesus was on the border between Galilee and Samaria and was met by a band of ten lepers. We know that the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans; the two were bitter enemies; yet in this band there was at least one Samaritan. Here is an example of a great law of life. A common misfortune had broken down the racial and national barriers. In the common tragedy of their leprosy they had forgotten they were Jews and Samaritans and remembered only they were men in need. 

If flood surges over a piece of country and the wild animals congregate for safety on some little bit of higher ground, you will find standing peacefully together animals who are natural enemies and who at any other time would do their best to kill each other. Surely one of the things which should draw all of us together is our common need of God.

The lepers stood far off. (compare Lev.13:45-46; Num.5:2.) There was no specified distance at which they should stand, but we know that at least one authority laid it down that, when he was to windward of a healthy person, the leper should stand at least fifty yards away. Nothing could better show the utter isolation in which lepers lived.

No story in all the gospels so poignantly shows man's ingratitude. The lepers came to Jesus with desperate longing; he cured them; and nine never came back to give thanks. So often, once we get what we wanted, we never come back. Shame.

(i) Often we are ungrateful to our parents. There was a time in our lives when a week's neglect would have killed us. Of all living creatures man requires longest to become able to meet the needs essential for life. There were years when we were dependent on our parents for literally everything. Yet the day often comes when an aged parent is a nuisance; and many young people are unwilling to repay the debt they owe. As someone once said: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child!"

(ii) Often we are ungrateful to our fellow-men. Few of us have not at some time owed a great deal to some fellow-man or woman. Few of us at the moment, believed we could ever forget; but few of us in the end satisfy the debt of gratitude we owe. It often happens that a friend, a teacher, a doctor, a surgeon does something for us which it is impossible to repay; but the tragedy is that we often do not even try to repay it.

(iii) Often we are ungrateful to God. In some time of bitter need we pray with desperate intensity; the time passes and we forget God. Many of us never even offer a grace before meal, let alone after meal. God gave us his only Son and often we never give to him even a word of thanks. The best thanks we can give him is to try to deserve his goodness and his mercy a little better. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." (Ps.103:2.)