Be diligent and not complacent!

Matthew 13, 44-46

"God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidently found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic-- what a find!-- and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. 45" Or, God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. 46 Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

Food for thought!

Jesus is again teaching. He has two lessons for us today.  The first, diligence in whatever we do pays. The man in the first parable found the precious thing, not so much by chance, as in his day's work; he did so when he was going about his daily business; he must have been going about his daily business with diligence and efficiency; he must have been digging deep, and not merely scraping the surface, in order to strike against the treasure. This means that in order to find joy and satisfaction, we must love what we do and must do what we love. So, do you love what you do for a living, and do you do it with love?

Diligence is many things. It is assiduousness, constancy, perseverance, endurance, fidelity, industriousness, insistence, laboriousness, persistence, staying power, stick-to-itiveness. Be diligent in your daily routine. Don't let the routine destroy your diligence.

In the second parable, there's another teaching. While the first man was digging the field as a daily routine, when he stumbled unaware on the treasure, the man in the second parable was actively searching for pearls. It means, this man was actively looking for something greater, something more. He was not complacent. Complacency means being self-proclaimed, self-satisfied, self-congratulating, self-content. So, Jesus is saying that we be not complacent with what we have achieved so far. There's much more we can be and do.

Jesus is saying, in other words, that we don't stop with our current achievements. Stopping means dying because when we die we stop living, we stop dreaming, we stop progressing. Don't die before you die. Live until you die, dream until you die, search until you die. Be like the man in the parable, keep walking, keep going for more, keep improving.

Jesus is saying in other words, that whatever we do, let's be and do our best. In order to achieve great things, do the small ordinary things extraordinarily well. Become the big fish by mastering the small pond. Succeed in the ordinary and you will qualify yourself for big ones. Be like the Olympians, before they went to the real games, they must perform very well at home. If you are good at home, you will be good elsewhere; if you fail at home, you'll most likely fail at the Olympics; bad managers or bad employers and employees are always bad spouses; before they fail at work, they fail at home. 

Explain to us!

Matthew 13:36-43

34 All Jesus did that day was tell stories-- a long storytelling afternoon. 35 His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy: I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open things hidden since the world's first day.

36 Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." 37 So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. 40" The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, 42 pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. 43 At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?

Food for thought!

The gospel notes, that when Jesus had dismissed the congregation and went into the house, his disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained. This is extremely important. When everybody was gone, when the disciples were all alone by themselves, they came to Jesus, and asked him to explain something they had not and they could not understand during the day. Explain to us, they said.

This is what we must always do: at the end of the day, sit down for Jesus, and ask him to explain to us the many things we failed, during our day, to understand, to do, to have. Yes, Jesus continues to use parables with us too, and many of our parables are difficult to understand. We have many things that we don't and can't understand in our lives. Who of us understands everything in his or her life? Who does understand his or her story? We too need to sit for Jesus and ask him to do some private explanation.

Some of us meet Jesus only in the public, on Sundays, in the Mass. Many of us never come to Jesus in the private, alone, away from the crowds. We miss a lot because there are things that Jesus do tell us only in the private, in solitude. That is why when Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house, his disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained to them. Wouldn't you like Jesus to explain somethings to you, in private? I do.

Jesus can bring you back to life and living!

Jn. 11:20-27

So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained sitting in the house. So Martha said to Jesus: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even as things are, I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you." Jesus said to her: "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him: "I know that he win rise at the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her: "I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will live even if he has died; and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him; "Yes, Lord. I am convinced that you are God's Anointed One, the Son of God, the One who is to come into the world."

Food for thought

In this story, like we saw a few days ago, Martha is true to character. Martha loves action while Mary loves being still. As soon as it was announced that Jesus was coming near, Martha was up to meet him, for she could not sit still, but Mary lingered behind.

When Martha met Jesus her heart spoke through her lips. Here is one of the most human speeches in all the Bible, for Martha spoke, half with a reproach that she could not keep back, and half with a faith that nothing could shake. "If you had been here." she said, "my brother would not have died."

We can read Martha's mind. She is kind of saying to Jesus: "When you got our message, why didn't you come at once? And now you have left it too late." No sooner are the words out than there follow the words of faith, faith which defied the facts and defied experience: "Even yet," she said with a kind of desperate hope, "even yet, I know that God will give you whatever you ask."

Because of Martha's boldness, Jesus made an eternal revelation: "I am the Resurrection and the Life," he said. "He who believes in me will live even if he has died; and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." What exactly did he mean? Not even a lifetime's thinking will reveal the full meaning of this; but we must try to grasp as much of it as we can.

One thing is clear, Jesus was not thinking in terms of physical life; for, speaking physically, it is not true that the man who believes in him will never die. Lazarus whom Jesus rose from the dead, died again. The same with Christians; they experience physical death as anybody does. We must look for a more than physical meaning. Jesus was thinking of the death of sin. He was saying: "Even if a man is dead in sin, even if, through his sins, he has lost all that makes life worth calling life, I can make him alive again."

Yes, sometimes we become so selfish that we become dead to the needs of others; we become so insensitive that we become dead to the feelings of others; we become so involved in the petty dishonesties and the petty disloyalties of life, that we become dead to honour; we become so hopeless that we get filled with an inertia, which is spiritual death. The is the bad news. The good news is that Jesus Christ can resurrect us. The witness of history is that he has resurrected millions and millions of people; and his touch has not lost its ancient power. Jesus can bring us back to life, as he did with Lazarus; just as he did to Martha. Don't give up on Jesus.

The power of prayer & prayer of power!

Luke 11:1-13

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” So Jesus said, “When you pray, say,

Father,

Reveal who you are.

Set the world right.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”

Then he said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend traveling through just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand.’

“The friend answers from his bed, ‘Don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything.’

“But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need.

“Here’s what I’m saying:

Ask and you’ll get; Seek and you’ll find; Knock and the door will open. Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”

Food for thought!

Today's readings, the First and the Gospel, teach us the power of prayer and the prayer of power (the Our Father). About the power of prayer, Jesus says,

“But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need. Here’s what I’m saying:

Ask and you’ll get; Seek and you’ll find; Knock and the door will open. Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing—you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?”

The best example on the power of prayer is Abraham in the First Reading.

Genesis 18:20-32

God continued, “The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening; the sin of those cities is immense. I’m going down to see for myself, see if what they’re doing is as bad as it sounds. Then I’ll know.” The men set out for Sodom, but Abraham stood in God’s path, blocking his way.

Abraham confronted him, “Are you serious? Are you planning on getting rid of the good people right along with the bad? What if there are fifty decent people left in the city; will you lump the good with the bad and get rid of the lot? Wouldn’t you spare the city for the sake of those fifty innocents? I can’t believe you’d do that, kill off the good and the bad alike as if there were no difference between them. Doesn’t the Judge of all the Earth judge with justice?”

God said, “If I find fifty decent people in the city of Sodom, I’ll spare the place just for them.” Abraham came back, “Do I, a mere mortal made from a handful of dirt, dare open my mouth again to my Master? What if the fifty fall short by five—would you destroy the city because of those missing five?” He said, “I won’t destroy it if there are forty-five.”

Abraham spoke up again, “What if you only find forty?” “Neither will I destroy it if for forty.” He said, “Master, don’t be irritated with me, but what if only thirty are found?” “No, I won’t do it if I find thirty.” He pushed on, “I know I’m trying your patience, Master, but how about for twenty?” “I won’t destroy it for twenty.” He wouldn’t quit, “Don’t get angry, Master—this is the last time. What if you only come up with ten?” “For the sake of only ten, I won’t destroy the city.”

Abraham's prayer shows us the power of prayer; that prayer moves the Lord; that when we pray, God listens; that when we insist, God yields; that in prayer God does what we tell him. This is true with all prayers, and especially with the prayer of power, the Our Father.

In order for our prayer to be powerful, we must note how both Jesus and Abraham prayed. They both approached God as humans. In prayer we are not coming to someone out of whom gifts have to be unwillingly extracted, but to a Father who delights to supply his children's needs. Psalm 9:10 says, "Those who know thy name put their trust in thee." That means that those who really know God as Father, and treat Him as such, will gladly put their trust in him, when they pray.

In your prayers, "Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need."

Let them grow together until harvest time!

Matthew 13:24-30

24 He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. 26 When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too. 27" The farmhands came to the farmer and said, 'Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?' 28 "He answered, 'Some enemy did this.' "The farmhands asked, 'Should we weed out the thistles?' 29 "He said, 'No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. 30 Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'"

Food for thought!

It may well be said that this is one of the most practical parables Jesus ever told. It teaches us that there is always a hostile power in the world, seeking and waiting to destroy the good seed. Our experience is that both kinds of influence act upon our lives, the influence which helps the seed of the word to flourish and to grow, and the influence which seeks to destroy the good seed before it can produce fruit at all. The lesson is that we must be for ever on our guard.

It teaches us how hard it is to distinguish between those who are good and those who are not. A man may appear to be good and may in fact be bad; and a man may appear to be bad and may yet be good. We are much too quick to classify people and label them good or bad without knowing all the facts.

It teaches us not to be so quick with our judgments. If the reapers had had their way, they would have tried to tear out the darnel and they would have torn out the wheat as well. Judgment had to wait until the harvest came. A man in the end will be judged, not by any single act or stage in his life, but by his whole life. Judgment cannot come until the end. A man may make a great mistake today, and then tomorrow redeem himself and, by the grace of God, atone for it by making the rest of life a lovely thing. A man may live an honourable life and then in the end wreck it all by a sudden collapse into sin. No one who sees only part of a thing can judge the whole; and no one who knows only part of a man's life can judge the whole man.

It teaches us that judgment does come in the end. Judgment is not hasty, but judgment comes. It may be that, humanly speaking, in this life the sinner seems to escape the consequences, but there is a life to come. It may be that, humanly speaking, goodness never seems to enter into its reward, but there is a new world to redress the balance of the old.

It teaches us that the only person with the right to judge is God. It is God alone who can discern the good and the bad; it is God alone who sees all of a man and all of his life. It is God alone who can judge. So, then, ultimately this parable is two things: it is a warning not to judge people at all, and it is a warning that in the end there comes the judgment of God. 

Hear & Heed the Word!

Matt. 13:1-9

On that day, when he had gone out from the house, Jesus sat on the seashore; and such great crowds gathered to hear him that he went into a boat, and sat there; and the whole crowd took their stand on the seashore; and he spoke many things in parables to them. "Look!" he said, "the sower went out to sow; and, as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside: and the birds came and devoured it. But some seed fell upon stony ground, where it had not much earth; and, because it had no depth of earth, it sprang up immediately; but when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered away because it had no root. Other seed fell upon thorns, and the thorns came up, and choked the life out of it. But others fell on good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who has ears, let him hear."

Food for thought!

There are different ways of listening to the word of God, and the fruit which it produces depends on the hearer. The fate of any spoken word depends on the hearer. As it has been said, "A joke's prosperity lies not in the tongue of him who tells it, but in the ear of him who hears it." A joke will succeed when it is told to a man who has a sense of humour and is prepared to smile. A joke will fail when it is told to a humourless man grimly determined not to be amused.

Who then are the hearers described and warned in this parable?

(i) There is the hearer with the shut mind. There are people into whose minds the word has no much chance of gaining entry than the seed has of settling into the rocky ground. There are many things which can shut a man's mind. Prejudice can make a man blind to everything he does not wish to see. The unteachable spirit can erect a barrier which cannot easily be broken down.

The unteachable spirit can result from one of two things. It can be the result of pride which does not know that it needs to know; and it can be the result of the fear of new truth and the refusal to adventure into unknown ways. Sometimes an immoral character and a man's way of life can shut his mind. There may be truth which condemns the things he loves and which accuses the things he does; and many a man refuses to listen to or to recognize the truth which condemns him, for there are none so blind as those who deliberately will not see.

(ii) There is the hearer with the mind like the shallow ground. He is the man who fails to think things out and think them through. Some people are at the mercy of everything and everybody. They take a thing up quickly and just as quickly drop it. They must always be in the fashion. They begin some new hobby or begin to acquire some new accomplishment with enthusiasm, but the thing becomes difficult and they abandon it. Many of us have lives littered with things we began and never finished. We can be like that with the word of God. When we hear it or read it we may be swept off our feet with an emotional reaction, only to have the emotion die away soon after.

(iii) There is the hearer who has so many interests in life that often the most important things, get crowded out. It is characteristic of today; life is becoming increasingly crowded and increasingly fast. Many times we are too busy to pray; we become so preoccupied with many things that we forget to study the word of God: our business can take such a grip of us that we are too tired to think of anything else. We must be careful to see that Christ does not get lost in our crowd.

(iv) There is the hearer who is like the good ground. In his reception of the word there are four stages. Like the good ground, his mind is open. He is at all times willing to learn. He is prepared to hear. He is never either too proud or too busy to listen. Many of us would have been saved all kinds of heartbreaks if we had simply stopped to listen to the voice of a wise friend, or to the voice of God. The real hearer is the person who hears and heeds. Who has ears, let him hear.

No Gain Without Pain!

Matthew 20:20-28

20 It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons (James and John) and knelt before Jesus with a request. 21 "What do you want?" Jesus asked. She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand." 22 Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?" They said, "Sure, why not?" 23 Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that." 24 When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. 25 So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. 26 It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. 27 Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. 28 That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served-- and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."

Food for thought!

All of us have dreams. All of us have desires. All of us have wishes. However, many of us don't know that these dreams and desires and wishes have price tags; we don't know what it takes to realize those dreams and desires and wishes; we don't know the cost. This is what the two brothers, James and John, are doing in the gospel reading. All they could see was their dream, their desire, their wish, their crown. They wanted the crown without the cross. They wanted the gain without the pain. They wanted the reward without having to pay the price. The problem with these disciples is the same problem many of us have today. We want good life without a struggle.

Jesus responds by telling James and John that they have no idea what they are asking for. In other words, they want the end without knowing the cost. They do not know what it takes to have what they want. It is like a boy who wants to pass the class but does not know that to do so he has to sacrifice some things, like watching T.V. and playing games and going around.

To all of us who want good life, Jesus is saying: "You have no idea what you're aspiring for. Are you capable of drinking the cup?" We do well to learn that good life comes at a price, that true greatness lies, not in dominance, but in service; and that in every sphere the price of greatness must be paid. So next time you kneel down to pray for something, remember these words of Jesus, "You have no idea what you're asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup that comes with what you are asking?" If you are ready, tell the Lord. Don't be like a woman who prayed for a child, but without birth pains and all the risks that come with child bearing.

This is what happened with James and John. Jesus asked them, "Are you capable of drinking the kind of cup that I'm about to drink?" Without a thought, they said they can. And they did. James was the first of the apostles to die, martyred (Ac.12:2) and his brother John was the last of the apostles to die, in exile, persecuted. The two got what they wanted; the two drank the cup; the two sat one at one end of Jesus (was the first apostle to die) and the other sat at the other end (was the last apostle to die), and in between them, sat and sits Jesus, who paid with his life the cost of our salvation. To him be praise and glory and honour. Amen.

Don't despair; don't give up!

Matthew 13:1-9

That same day Jesus left the house and sat by the Sea of Galilee. Large crowds gathered around him. So he got into a boat. He sat down in it. All the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things by using stories.

He said, “A farmer went out to plant his seed. He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep. When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It produced a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than what was planted. Those who have ears should listen.”

Food for thought!

There are at least two interpretations of this parable.

It means that the fate of the word of God depends on the heart into which it is sown. The hard path represents the shut mind, the mind which refuses to take it in. The shallow ground represents those who accept the word but who never think it out and never realize its consequences and who therefore collapse when the strain comes.

The thorny ground stands for those whose lives are so busy that the things of God get crowded out. We must ever remember that the things which crowd out the highest need not necessarily be bad. The worst enemy of the best is the second best. The good ground stands for the good heart. The good hearer does three things. First, he listens attentively. Second, he keeps what he hears in his mind and heart and thinks over it until he discovers its meaning for himself. Third, he acts upon it. He translates what he has heard into action.

But the parable is also a counsel against despair. Jesus spoke this parable after having been banished from the synagogues. The scribes and the Pharisees and the religious leaders were up against him. Inevitably the disciples had been disheartened to see their Lord rejected. It is to them Jesus speaks this parable and in it he is saying, "Every farmer knows that some of his seed will be lost; it cannot all grow. But that does not discourage him or make him stop sowing because he knows that in spite of all, the harvest is sure. I know we have our setbacks and our discouragements; I know we have our enemies and our opponents; but, never despair, never throw in the towel; in the end the ultimate harvest is sure."

This parable can be both a warning as to how we hear and receive the word of God and an encouragement to banish all despair in the certainty that not all the setbacks can defeat the ultimate will of God. Success is often based on a high level of striving, day after day, in everything we do. It’s important to understand that we never actually “arrive.” Success isn’t a destination, but rather a journey. It’s a journey of seeking and learning in each situation, trying to better ourselves as human beings.

Like the farmer who plants, we must struggle not to despair, even though we may sometimes fail and make mistakes. Ask yourself what areas of your life could stand improvement. Are you being sensitive enough in your friendships? Are you spending enough quality time with your family? Are you putting enough honest effort into your job? Or whatever requires your attention? It is always helpful to remember that, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Christ redefines Christians!

Mar 3:31-35

31 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. 32 He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you." 33 Jesus responded, "Who do you think are my mother and brothers?" 34 Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, "Right here, right in front of you-- my mother and my brothers. 35 Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Food for thought!

I want you to imagine this scene. Jesus is teaching in the city of Capernaum. He is surrounded by a vast multitude of people. As Jesus is teaching His family shows up. Their arrival creates moments of tension for everyone there. Jesus is teaching and His family is on the outside of the crowd. They can’t get to Him because of the multitude, so they send word through the crowd to tell Jesus to come to where they are. What will Jesus do? Will he stop teaching the Word of God and go to attend to his family, or what? This is a classic example of conflict of interests.

Instead of stopping what He was doing and going to His mother and brothers, Jesus simply said, “Who is My mother, or my brethren?” The crowd must have been shocked. His mother must have been devastated. His brothers probably got angry. They had traveled all the way from Nazareth to get Him and He refused to even stop teaching to talk with them.

Instead of trying to ease the tension, Jesus intensifies it. Instead of reaching out to his earthly family, He speaks to all the members of His spiritual family. Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to teach some eternal truth. This is a tense scene and the Lord’s reaction to His family seems cold on the surface. But His response to them was designed to teach some very important truths.

The lessons. Sometimes it is our dear ones like mother, father, husband, wife and friends that stand in between us and God. Of course they don't do it out of evil intentions; Mary and the others weren't acting out evil intentions; they were trying to help Jesus, so they thought. Yes, many times, our greatest distraction in doing God's will, and in embracing new opportunities are our relations. The tendency not to offset our dearest people or our dear past experiences many times make us forsake God-sent opportunities. This is why the burden of what we know already limits us in embracing new opportunities. The old is the enemy of the new. THE TIES THAT BIND US ARE THE TIES THAT BLIND US. (Andrew Hargadon).

There is in this passage a great and practical truth. It may very well be that a man finds himself closer to people who are not related to him than he does to his own kith and kin. The deepest relationship of life is not merely a blood relationship; it is the relationship of mind to mind and heart to heart (like husband and wife). It is when people have common aims, common principles, common interests, a common goal that they become really and truly kin.

You have heard the saying that "Obedience is thicker than blood", meaning by that that we are Christians not because of our Christian parents but because, like Jesus, we do what God wants us to do; it means that it is not enough to be Baptized, to go to Church, to carry a cross on your chest, a rosary in your car, or to have your Bible all underlined; the bottom line is, are you doing God’s will or not? The person who obeys God's will is the true brother and sister and mother of Jesus. Christ has redefined Christians.

Christ redefines Christians!

Mar 3:31-35

31 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. 32 He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you." 33 Jesus responded, "Who do you think are my mother and brothers?" 34 Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, "Right here, right in front of you-- my mother and my brothers. 35 Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Food for thought!

I want you to imagine this scene. Jesus is teaching in the city of Capernaum. He is surrounded by a vast multitude of people. As Jesus is teaching His family shows up. Their arrival creates moments of tension for everyone there. Jesus is teaching and His family is on the outside of the crowd. They can’t get to Him because of the multitude, so they send word through the crowd to tell Jesus to come to where they are. What will Jesus do? Will he stop teaching the Word of God and go to attend to his family, or what? This is a classic example of conflict of interests.

Instead of stopping what He was doing and going to His mother and brothers, Jesus simply said, “Who is My mother, or my brethren?” The crowd must have been shocked. His mother must have been devastated. His brothers probably got angry. They had traveled all the way from Nazareth to get Him and He refused to even stop teaching to talk with them.

Instead of trying to ease the tension, Jesus intensifies it. Instead of reaching out to his earthly family, He speaks to all the members of His spiritual family. Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to teach some eternal truth. This is a tense scene and the Lord’s reaction to His family seems cold on the surface. But His response to them was designed to teach some very important truths.

The lessons. Sometimes it is our dear ones like mother, father, husband, wife and friends that stand in between us and God. Of course they don't do it out of evil intentions; Mary and the others weren't acting out evil intentions; they were trying to help Jesus, so they thought. Yes, many times, our greatest distraction in doing God's will, and in embracing new opportunities are our relations. The tendency not to offset our dearest people or our dear past experiences many times make us forsake God-sent opportunities. This is why the burden of what we know already limits us in embracing new opportunities. The old is the enemy of the new. THE TIES THAT BIND US ARE THE TIES THAT BLIND US. (Andrew Hargadon).

There is in this passage a great and practical truth. It may very well be that a man finds himself closer to people who are not related to him than he does to his own kith and kin. The deepest relationship of life is not merely a blood relationship; it is the relationship of mind to mind and heart to heart (like husband and wife). It is when people have common aims, common principles, common interests, a common goal that they become really and truly kin.

You have heard the saying that "Obedience is thicker than blood", meaning by that that we are Christians not because of our Christian parents but because, like Jesus, we do what God wants us to do; it means that it is not enough to be Baptized, to go to Church, to carry a cross on your chest, a rosary in your car, or to have your Bible all underlined; the bottom line is, are you doing God’s will or not? The person who obeys God's will is the true brother and sister and mother of Jesus. Christ has redefined Christians.

Christ redefines Christians!

Mar 3:31-35

31 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. 32 He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you." 33 Jesus responded, "Who do you think are my mother and brothers?" 34 Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, "Right here, right in front of you-- my mother and my brothers. 35 Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Food for thought!

I want you to imagine this scene. Jesus is teaching in the city of Capernaum. He is surrounded by a vast multitude of people. As Jesus is teaching His family shows up. Their arrival creates moments of tension for everyone there. Jesus is teaching and His family is on the outside of the crowd. They can’t get to Him because of the multitude, so they send word through the crowd to tell Jesus to come to where they are. What will Jesus do? Will he stop teaching the Word of God and go to attend to his family, or what? This is a classic example of conflict of interests.

Instead of stopping what He was doing and going to His mother and brothers, Jesus simply said, “Who is My mother, or my brethren?” The crowd must have been shocked. His mother must have been devastated. His brothers probably got angry. They had traveled all the way from Nazareth to get Him and He refused to even stop teaching to talk with them.

Instead of trying to ease the tension, Jesus intensifies it. Instead of reaching out to his earthly family, He speaks to all the members of His spiritual family. Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to teach some eternal truth. This is a tense scene and the Lord’s reaction to His family seems cold on the surface. But His response to them was designed to teach some very important truths.

The lessons. Sometimes it is our dear ones like mother, father, husband, wife and friends that stand in between us and God. Of course they don't do it out of evil intentions; Mary and the others weren't acting out evil intentions; they were trying to help Jesus, so they thought. Yes, many times, our greatest distraction in doing God's will, and in embracing new opportunities are our relations. The tendency not to offset our dearest people or our dear past experiences many times make us forsake God-sent opportunities. This is why the burden of what we know already limits us in embracing new opportunities. The old is the enemy of the new. THE TIES THAT BIND US ARE THE TIES THAT BLIND US. (Andrew Hargadon).

There is in this passage a great and practical truth. It may very well be that a man finds himself closer to people who are not related to him than he does to his own kith and kin. The deepest relationship of life is not merely a blood relationship; it is the relationship of mind to mind and heart to heart (like husband and wife). It is when people have common aims, common principles, common interests, a common goal that they become really and truly kin.

You have heard the saying that "Obedience is thicker than blood", meaning by that that we are Christians not because of our Christian parents but because, like Jesus, we do what God wants us to do; it means that it is not enough to be Baptized, to go to Church, to carry a cross on your chest, a rosary in your car, or to have your Bible all underlined; the bottom line is, are you doing God’s will or not? The person who obeys God's will is the true brother and sister and mother of Jesus. Christ has redefined Christians.

Christ redefines Christians!

Mar 3:31-35

31 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. 32 He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you." 33 Jesus responded, "Who do you think are my mother and brothers?" 34 Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, "Right here, right in front of you-- my mother and my brothers. 35 Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Food for thought!

I want you to imagine this scene. Jesus is teaching in the city of Capernaum. He is surrounded by a vast multitude of people. As Jesus is teaching His family shows up. Their arrival creates moments of tension for everyone there. Jesus is teaching and His family is on the outside of the crowd. They can’t get to Him because of the multitude, so they send word through the crowd to tell Jesus to come to where they are. What will Jesus do? Will he stop teaching the Word of God and go to attend to his family, or what? This is a classic example of conflict of interests.

Instead of stopping what He was doing and going to His mother and brothers, Jesus simply said, “Who is My mother, or my brethren?” The crowd must have been shocked. His mother must have been devastated. His brothers probably got angry. They had traveled all the way from Nazareth to get Him and He refused to even stop teaching to talk with them.

Instead of trying to ease the tension, Jesus intensifies it. Instead of reaching out to his earthly family, He speaks to all the members of His spiritual family. Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to teach some eternal truth. This is a tense scene and the Lord’s reaction to His family seems cold on the surface. But His response to them was designed to teach some very important truths.

The lessons. Sometimes it is our dear ones like mother, father, husband, wife and friends that stand in between us and God. Of course they don't do it out of evil intentions; Mary and the others weren't acting out evil intentions; they were trying to help Jesus, so they thought. Yes, many times, our greatest distraction in doing God's will, and in embracing new opportunities are our relations. The tendency not to offset our dearest people or our dear past experiences many times make us forsake God-sent opportunities. This is why the burden of what we know already limits us in embracing new opportunities. The old is the enemy of the new. THE TIES THAT BIND US ARE THE TIES THAT BLIND US. (Andrew Hargadon).

There is in this passage a great and practical truth. It may very well be that a man finds himself closer to people who are not related to him than he does to his own kith and kin. The deepest relationship of life is not merely a blood relationship; it is the relationship of mind to mind and heart to heart (like husband and wife). It is when people have common aims, common principles, common interests, a common goal that they become really and truly kin.

You have heard the saying that "Obedience is thicker than blood", meaning by that that we are Christians not because of our Christian parents but because, like Jesus, we do what God wants us to do; it means that it is not enough to be Baptized, to go to Church, to carry a cross on your chest, a rosary in your car, or to have your Bible all underlined; the bottom line is, are you doing God’s will or not? The person who obeys God's will is the true brother and sister and mother of Jesus. Christ has redefined Christians.

Christ redefines Christians!

Mar 3:31-35

31 Just then his mother and brothers showed up. Standing outside, they relayed a message that they wanted a word with him. 32 He was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, "Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you." 33 Jesus responded, "Who do you think are my mother and brothers?" 34 Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, "Right here, right in front of you-- my mother and my brothers. 35 Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Food for thought!

I want you to imagine this scene. Jesus is teaching in the city of Capernaum. He is surrounded by a vast multitude of people. As Jesus is teaching His family shows up. Their arrival creates moments of tension for everyone there. Jesus is teaching and His family is on the outside of the crowd. They can’t get to Him because of the multitude, so they send word through the crowd to tell Jesus to come to where they are. What will Jesus do? Will he stop teaching the Word of God and go to attend to his family, or what? This is a classic example of conflict of interests.

Instead of stopping what He was doing and going to His mother and brothers, Jesus simply said, “Who is My mother, or my brethren?” The crowd must have been shocked. His mother must have been devastated. His brothers probably got angry. They had traveled all the way from Nazareth to get Him and He refused to even stop teaching to talk with them.

Instead of trying to ease the tension, Jesus intensifies it. Instead of reaching out to his earthly family, He speaks to all the members of His spiritual family. Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to teach some eternal truth. This is a tense scene and the Lord’s reaction to His family seems cold on the surface. But His response to them was designed to teach some very important truths.

The lessons. Sometimes it is our dear ones like mother, father, husband, wife and friends that stand in between us and God. Of course they don't do it out of evil intentions; Mary and the others weren't acting out evil intentions; they were trying to help Jesus, so they thought. Yes, many times, our greatest distraction in doing God's will, and in embracing new opportunities are our relations. The tendency not to offset our dearest people or our dear past experiences many times make us forsake God-sent opportunities. This is why the burden of what we know already limits us in embracing new opportunities. The old is the enemy of the new. THE TIES THAT BIND US ARE THE TIES THAT BLIND US. (Andrew Hargadon).

There is in this passage a great and practical truth. It may very well be that a man finds himself closer to people who are not related to him than he does to his own kith and kin. The deepest relationship of life is not merely a blood relationship; it is the relationship of mind to mind and heart to heart (like husband and wife). It is when people have common aims, common principles, common interests, a common goal that they become really and truly kin.

You have heard the saying that "Obedience is thicker than blood", meaning by that that we are Christians not because of our Christian parents but because, like Jesus, we do what God wants us to do; it means that it is not enough to be Baptized, to go to Church, to carry a cross on your chest, a rosary in your car, or to have your Bible all underlined; the bottom line is, are you doing God’s will or not? The person who obeys God's will is the true brother and sister and mother of Jesus. Christ has redefined Christians.

Mary Magdalene!

John 20:1-2,11-18

Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”

“They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.

Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”

She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”

Jesus said, “Mary.”

Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”

Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

Food for Thought!

There is something peculiar in this Gospel Reading. Mary Magdalene was the first to see the face of the Risen Lord; she was the first to hear the voice of the Risen Jesus. Why? Because she was there at the Cross; because she had been there when he was laid in the tomb; because early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, she was there; and now she was there to receive love's reward; she was the first to know the joy of the Resurrection. Yes, Jesus knows how to reward his faithful: Jesus loves those who love him; Jesus rewards those who seek him.

Do you realize that where there's love there's understanding; that where there's care there understanding. The people we love are the people we understand best; the people we care about are the people we understand. If and when we love someone, we understand what they do and are going thru. If and when we hate someone we hate all they do and represent; their deeds look to us as evil, even good deeds.

It is true. Mary, a woman, went and told them, the men. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve [the men] put him.” This is strong food for thought for all of us on the role of women in men's faith and role of women in the Church.

The women that have discovered Christ, are and can tell us, men about Jesus. Thanks to Mary Magdalene that Simon Peter and the other disciple of Jesus came to know of the empty tomb of the risen Jesus. Ladies, don't be afraid to tell us about Jesus; don't be afraid to be our Mary Magdalenes. We need you. 

Marys & Marthas!

Luke 10:38-42

As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. 39 She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word Jesus said. 40 But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." 41 The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. 42 One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it--it's the main course, and won't be taken from her."

Food for thought!

Do you have Marthas in your life? I mean people like the woman of the gospel called Martha? People who are not happy that you wake up everyday and come/go to church or sit down before or after work in some quite place for meditation? People who see your devotion as waste of time? They are normally people  that are too busy for the Lord, too busy for prayer,  too busy for quiet moments or anything spiritual. People who interrupt you whenever you try sit down for Jesus.

Or you are the Martha, always pulled away by all you have to do in your life? Like Martha, do you often interrupt someone or some people in their prayers or their meditation or their devotions? Jesus has a word for both Martha and Mary.

Or you are both Mary and Martha? You have a part of you that is like Mary that wants to sit down for prayer and meditation and reflection? And another part of you that is always busy, always dynamic, always in action, always on the move?

Do you sometimes feel a clash in you or a fight within you, whereby whenever you sit for Jesus you feel guilty, as if you are wasting time? Do you sometimes feel guilty when you don't find time for prayer because of your busy schedule at work? Do you sometimes feel that you are not praying nor playing enough?

Be it as it may, Mary and Martha are sisters. In other words, the two are not supposed to be rivals nor enemies but sisters and friends.

A balanced life is lived with both Mary and Martha together, in the same house, in the same body. We cannot all be Martha all day and all days. We cannot all be Mary all day and all days. We need to pray but also to work. We need prayers but also workers. A good home is a place where Marthas and Marys live in peace and harmony. It is this kind of home that Jesus visits.

Some people are naturally dynamos of activity; others are naturally quiet. It is hard for the active person to understand the person who sits and contemplates. And the person who is devoted to quiet times and meditation is apt to look down on the person who would rather be active. This is not supposed to be so, because God did not make everyone alike.

Both Mary and Martha are serving God. God needs his Marys and his Marthas. That's why He made them as sisters. "A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word Jesus said."

Jesus moved on!

Mat 12:14-21

14 The Pharisees walked out furious, sputtering about how they were going to ruin Jesus.

15 Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all 16. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, 17 following guidelines set down by Isaiah:

18 Look well at my handpicked servant; I love him so much, take such delight in him. I've placed my Spirit on him; he'll decree justice to the nations.19 But he won't yell, won't raise his voice; there'll be no commotion in the streets. 20 He won't walk over anyone's feelings, won't push you into a corner. Before you know it, his justice will triumph; 21 the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even among far-off unbelievers.

Food for soul!

Did you know that by fighting your enemy you make him or her hero? The more you hate someone the more s/he will become famous, because all the time you will be thinking of her or him. This makes him all the time present in your mind and life. In a sense, the highest compliment you can pay a person is to persecute him or her. This is what the religious leaders (the Pharisees and Scribes) of the time of Jesus did. They cannot stop hating Jesus, even as they follow him from place to place. And as they do so, "a lot of people followed him."

All of this reminds us of two things. One, that when it comes to Jesus, even religious leaders can get him wrong. Two, that when it comes to Jesus everyone must make up their mind to follow him or not, regardless of what religious leaders do or say. Today's gospel shows this very well: while "The Pharisees walked out furious, sputtering about how they were going to ruin Jesus... A lot of people followed him." Following Jesus is indeed a personal decision.

Did you notice that when his enemies decided to ruin him, Jesus just moved on? He did not fight them. He did not argue with them. He just moved on with his life. Jesus never confused recklessness with courage. First, for the time being, he withdrew. The time for the head-on clash had not yet come. He had work to do before the Cross took him to its arms. For time being, "Jesus, knowing they were out to ruin him and his mission, moved on."

What does Jesus want to teach us by his retrieval, by moving on? He is saying that weakness is no sin, and can even become strength if you learn how and when to do it. Why lower yourself to the level of your enemies by arguing with them? Why let your enemies ruin your life?

Yes, it is always our first instinct to react, to meet aggression with aggression; to fight back. But the next time someone pushes you and you find yourself starting to react, remember to not lower yourself to the level of your opponent by arguments. In such moments, do as Jesus did, MOVE ON, think of something else, or literally go away before the enemy ruins your day. By so doing, you appear to bend. But you are not, since you only appear to surrender like the animal that plays dead to save its skin. This is the essence of the surrender tactic: inwardly you stay firm, but outwardly you move on.

Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on!