Familiarity breeds contempt!

Matthew 13:54-58

When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “We’ve known him since he was a kid; he’s the carpenter’s son. He is the son of Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?” They got their noses all out of joint. But Jesus said, “A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family.” He didn’t do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.

Food for thought!

Did you know that all our enemies were once our "friends"? Our enemies were once our acquaintances (those who know us best make the worst enemies). That is why every every friend is a potential enemy. This is what happens to Jesus in the gospel reading. Jesus has decided to return to Nazareth. However, his return to hometown does not go the way one might expect it to. Why? Well, because he is known since he was a kid.

Thomas Wolfe wrote a novel entitled “You Can’t Go Home Again”. The book is about a man named George Webber. He is an author who has written a successful book about his hometown. When he returns home, he expects to receive a hero’s welcome. Instead, he is driven out of town by his own friends and family. They feel betrayed by what he has written about them in his book. Webber is shaken by their reaction to his work and leaves his hometown behind to go find himself. George Webber discovered that those who know you best tend to respect you the least.        

The people of Nazareth became hostile to Jesus because they thought they knew everything there was to know about Him. Then, they started to ridicule Jesus: “He is the son of Mary.” They called Him “the son of Mary” not to praise him but to ridicule him because among Jews, a male was always referred to as the son of his father, even if his father was dead. To call a boy the son of his mother was to imply that his mother had played the prostitute. When you don't like or disagree with someone, don't resort to ridicule or character assassination. No one likes it. Not even Jesus did, not even you would.

The last verse tells us that because of their ridicule, Jesus didn’t do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.

Jesus is an invaluable treasure!

Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.

  

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’

Food for thought!

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden; the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking / searching. What is common in these two parables? It is that the kingdom of heaven is a hidden treasure that must be looked for; that must be sought. 

Another key to understanding these two parables is that the kingdom of heaven is so good that whoever finds it willingly sells EVERYTHING else to acquire it. What is this kingdom of heaven that is so good that all the rest is nothing compared to it? 

St. Paul answered this question in the letter to the Philippians 3:7-8

But all these things that I once thought very worthwhile — now I’ve thrown them all away so that I can put my trust and hope in Christ alone. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ.

Jesus himself put it this way just yesterday: "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it--it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." (Luke 10:41-42).

In other words, the kingdom of heaven is Jesus, himself. And Jesus has no price tag; he is invaluable because he exceeds all things and everything. Knowing Jesus is more valuable than anything else in this life! If you have all things and miss Jesus, you have lost everything. We can have everything, but without Jesus, we have absolutely nothing. Having Jesus is having it all there is to have.

(Please, read again today's gospel reading, substituting the words "kingdom of heaven" with "Jesus").

Are you busy with the things of the Lord or with the Lord of the things?

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 he 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!

We all have a Mary heart, but we’re living in a Martha world. We all have ever been in the same situation whereby we ignore the Word of God, not because it unimportant but because, like Martha, there’s things to be done. We all know that although we can submerge ourselves into God's Word, at the end of the day, we can’t understand how that time spent will get the bills paid, the house cleaned, the grocery shopping done, the yard work finished, the family fed, or the kids ready for bed.

The question we have to ask is the same question Martha asked. "Master, Don’t you care?" The answer is not what we expect. In essence, Jesus says, “Stop worrying. Quit being upset. Just come into my presence. Just spend time with me. I’ll give you peace and rest from your burdens.” 

Martha, like so many of us, was pulled away by all she had to do; she had gotten distracted by her job. We can’t fault Martha. After all, she was the one who invited Jesus into her home in the first place. This said, Martha was missing the point by missing Jesus. Jesus helps us keep things in perspective. The things of this life that cause us so much worry and confusion suddenly become irrelevant when we’re in the presence of the Lord. 

You see, what Martha was doing was “essential” and what Mary was doing was “eternal.” That time Mary would spend with Jesus could never be taken from her. Martha’s efforts would be consumed and forgotten within hours. Jesus reminds Martha and us that “Only one thing matters . . . and that’s being here, at My feet, in My presence.” The message is loud and clear. We can’t allow ourselves to be weighed down and distracted by many things.

If you’re finding yourself stressed out; if you’re finding yourself angry with others for not doing their share; when you wake up in the middle of the night to despair about whether “things” will ever get done . . . don’t continue to neglect yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Stop and sit in the presence of God. Take a moment to re-examine why you’re doing what you’re doing. 

Ask yourself if you’re spending your time on the things that will last? The things that “cannot be taken away from you ?” Examine yourself if you are serving the things of the Lord, or the Lord of the things? What matters to Him is that you take the time to simply enjoy His presence. When daily life is frantic and out of control, when worry consumes you and you’re struggling just to make it through, Jesus says, “There’s only one thing that matters . . . and I’m right here in front of you.”

Let's be the little beginning of goodness!

Matthew 13:31-35

Another story by way of comparison Jesus set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. 32 Of all the seeds it is the smallest, but when it has grown it is the largest of the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and find shelter in its branches. 33 He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven ( sour dough) which a woman took and covered over in three measures of meal or flour till all of it was leavened. 34 These things all taken together Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, without a parable He said nothing to them. 35 This was in fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet: I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things that have been hidden since the foundation of the world.

Food for thought!

These parables tell us that, like the Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest things of life must always begin with the smallest beginnings. In these parables Jesus is reminding us that ALL GREAT THINGS BEGIN small. 

These parables came from real life of Jesus. Sometimes his disciples must have despaired. Their little band was so small and the world was so wide. How could they ever win and change the whole world, being so few? Yet with Jesus and from Jesus, an invincible force entered the world. In these parables Jesus is saying to his disciples, and to his followers today, that there must be no discouragement, that they must serve and witness each in his place, that each one of us can and must be the small beginning from which goodness and greatness and justice and love grows. Yes, any of us can and must be the little beginning of goodness, in our work place, our home, our neighbourhood.

The little beginning can be an idea. As you know, nothing comes into existence except as an idea. Behind all things, there is an idea. Every business, every success story has behind it an idea. What is the idea behind you and your life and your business? What idea carries you? 

It is extremely important to know the idea that is behind you and your life because if you continue to operate under the same idea, you will continue to have the same results in your life; you will continue to fail or succeed as you have always done. If behind you there is a good idea, you will continue to succeed. If behind you there is a bad idea you will continue to fail in life. World conflicts and all kind of terrorism are manifestations of bad ideas. Bad ideas are too dangerous. We can be the little beginning of good ideas.

"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." (Phillipians, 4:8)

In everything be and do your best!

Matthew 13:44-52

Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.

  

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. 

‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’

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 parables 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 what you 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 everything be and do your best!

In the second parable, there's another teaching. While the first man was digging the field as a daily routine, when he stumbled on 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 that we stop not 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 and working more, 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 athletes in the Commonwealth Games, before they went to Glasgow, the must have performed 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 elsewehre; bad managers or bad employers and employees are always bad spouses; before they fail at work, they fail at home.

The evil & the good!

Matthew 13:24-30

24 Jesus 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!

We began this week with this passage (last Sunday) and we are ending it with the same passage (today Saturday). It may well be said that this is one of the most practical parables Jesus ever told. It teaches us that there is evil in the world, co-habiting with goodness, seeking and waiting to destroy goodness. The lesson is that we must be for ever on our guard.

It teaches us how hard it is to distinguish between the two, 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.  Only God can tell. 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 torn out the darnel together with the wheat as well. Judgment has to wait until the harvest time. It means that we be judged, not by any single act or stage in our life, but by our whole life. Judgment cannot come until the end. We may make a great mistake today, and then tomorrow redeem ourselves and, by the grace of God, atone for it by making the rest of life a lovely thing. Or we 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 person's life can judge the whole person.

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 man and all of his life. It is therefore 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. Because of this, St. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 13:5

Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.

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, some 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; we want gains without pains!

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. If you want a good family, you must pay the cost of a good family; if you want a good spouse, you will have to pay the cost for that.

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 having a child of her own, but without birth pains and all the risks that come with child bearing.

When Jesus asked James and John, "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 drunk 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.

More to more, less from less!

Matthew 13:10-17

Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables? 11 And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand. 14 In them indeed is the process of fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: You shall indeed hear and hear but never grasp and understand; and you shall indeed look and look but never see and perceive. 15 For this nation’s heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them. 16 But blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men [men who were upright and in right standing with God] yearned to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Food for thought!

"Whoever has to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away". At first sight this seems nothing less than injustice; but it is not, because it simply states a truth which is an inescapable law of life. 

In the school the student who labours more is capable of acquiring more knowledge. On the other hand, the student who is lazy and refuses to work inevitably loses even the little knowledge he has.

If you have some skill for a game or business, develop it, otherwise you will lose it. The diligent and hard-working person is in a position to be given more and more; the lazy person always loses even what he has. Any gift can be developed; and, since nothing in life stands still, if a gift is not developed, it is lost. By the way, this is why the rich tend to get richer and the poor tend to get poorer!

It is so with goodness. Every hardship or challenge we conquer makes us more able to conquer the next hardship or challenge. Every challenge we fail, makes us prone to fail the next one. Every good thing we do, every act of self-discipline and of service and of love, makes us better able for the next; and every time we fail to use such an opportunity we make ourselves less able to seize the next when it comes.

Life is always a process of gaining more or losing more; in life there's no standing still; or we are gaining ground or we are losing ground. Jesus is laying down the truth that the nearer we live to him, the more we develop our potential. And the more we drift away from him, the less we are able to reach our full potential.  More to more, less from less! 

Keep Calm and Carry On!

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!

  

This parable counsels us against despair. Jesus spoke this parable after having been banished from the synagogues. The scribes and the Pharisees and the religious leaders were always up against him from place to place, until they managed to expel him from the worshipping places. This expulsion was inevitably disheartening to the disciples. It is to them that Jesus speaks this parable.

Jesus is saying to them and to us, "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 is 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 goes on planting despite some of his seed failing to grow, we too must keep calm and carry on, even though we may sometimes fail and make mistakes, or meet with opposition and challenges. It is always helpful to remember that, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” 

The best case in point for the pursuit of success through failure is probably the American President Abraham Lincoln, who failed in business ending in bankruptcy in 1831, he was defeated for legislature in 1831, failed again in business 1834 had his fiancee suddenly die in 1835, suffered nervous breakdown in 1836, was defeated in election in 1838, defeated for US Congress in 1843, in 1846, and in 1848, defeated for US Senate in 1855, defeated for US Vice President in 1856, defeated again for US Senate in 1858, and finally elected US President in 1860. The real key to success and achievement is not to avoid failure (which no one can do anyway –for it is human to fail and to make mistakes) but to learn from failure and to keep on trying.

Mary Magdalene!

John 20:1-2,11-18

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’

Meanwhile Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

Food for thought!

The story of the resurrection of Jesus is the story of the triumph of falsity over truth, of injustice over justice, of evil over goodness. It is the story of love. Although Jesus was falsely charged of crimes he did not commit, and unjustly sentenced to a death he did not deserve, and had his good friend betray him, his trusted companions desert him and his number one man deny him, although Jesus suffered all this of this, someone always believed in him. It was Mary of Magdala. 

Although the people Jesus loved demanded his crucifixion and chose to have the bandit Barabbas released in his place, Mary Magdalene always stayed faithful to Jesus. The story of betrayal and lies, dishonesty and meanness, unfaithfulness and wicked violence directed against an innocent and apparently helpless victim, didn't not discourage Mary Magdalene. Even when Good Friday came that had Jesus scourged, mocked, led on the death march, nailed to the cross where he died after a few hours and hastily buried in a tomb, Mary Magdalene did not give up on love of Jesus.

The gospel says, "It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb.’ Notice that she is not referring to Jesus as dead, but as alive. "They have taken the Lord [not the body of Jesus but Jesus himself] out of the tomb." For her Jesus never dies; he alive!

It is good news to know that truth is immortal. We can suppress Truth, accuse it of being a lie, condemn it, torture it, kill it, bury it in the grave but on the third day Truth will rise again. Remember this and do not give up on Truth even when everybody seems to give up on it. Do not give up on Truth; do not give up on Justice. Do not give up on doing what is right. Truth will always be true. Justice will always be just. Right will always be right even when the world around us would have it otherwise. We must learn to believe in the sun even when it is not shining, knowing that it will shine again.

It is the end of the story that counts. Even when we are going through very difficult times: through betrayal, unjust discrimination, lies, misrepresentations; even when the enemy seems to be winning the battle in our lives; yes, even when those we know speak evil against us, and give us in to our enemies. Don't give in to lies. Be truthful. Like Mary Magdalene, let's be good to Jesus up to the end. To him be praise and honour and power and glory. Amen. 

God in the ordinary!

Matthew 12:38-42

38 Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees got on him. "Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?" 39 Jesus said, "You're looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. The only proof you're going to get is what looks like the absence of proof: Jonah- evidence. 40 Like Jonah, three days and nights in the fish's belly, the Son of Man will be gone three days and nights in a deep grave. 41" On Judgment Day, the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about 'proofs.' 42 On Judgment Day, the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that will condemn this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon's is right in front of you, and you quibble over 'evidence.'

Food for thought!

The people in today's gospel were guilty of one fundamental mistake. They linked God with the abnormalities; they wanted to see God in the abnormal, in the extraordinary things of life, like the miracles. They forgot that God never shows himself to us so much and so continually as in the ordinary things of every day. This is what Jesus has showed us in the last days through the parables; that there is a close relationship between earth and heaven; that there is a hand of God in the regular and the normal events of life like the rising of the sun and the falling of the rain and the growth of the plant and birth of a new child, etc. For Jesus, this world’s events and happenings are not meaningless; they are all very meaningful. The things that happen in your personal life, your family, your place of work, your church, your world, are all manifestations of God.

Jesus gives the examples of Jonah the prophet. 

The point is that to the Ninevites Jonah himself was God's sign, and Jonah's words were God's message. Jesus is saying, "You are asking for a sign, well and good, I am God's sign. You have failed to recognize me. The Ninevites recognized God's warning in Jonah; the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon. In me there has come to you a greater wisdom than Solomon ever had, and a greater message than Jonah ever brought, but you are so blind that you cannot see the truth and so deaf that you cannot hear the warning. And for that very reason the day will come when these people of old, who recognized God when they saw him in the prophets, will be witnesses against you, who had so much better a chance, and failed to recognize God because you refused to do so."

Here is a tremendous truth, Jesus is God's sign, just as Jonah was God's message to the Ninevites and Solomon God's wisdom to the Queen of Sheba. Seeing Jesus is seeing the Father. This is why Jesus made such bold statements as these: “I and My Father are one.”, John 10:30. “...he that has see Me has seen the Father...”, John 14:9. “...I am the way, the truth and the life: no one comes to the Father, but by Me”, John 14:6. “…I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes in me shall never thirst,” John 6:35.

Explain to us that story!

Matthew 13:34-43

(The full text of today's gospel reading is - Mt 13:24-43)

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." Why did they do this? In chapter 13, Jesus gives no less than 8 parables. In these "earthly stories with heavenly meanings" Jesus speaks about God's plan of salvation, the work of Satan, the fickle nature of the human heart and the greatness of the kingdom of heaven. After Jesus had finished telling the first four parables, the disciples came to Him to ask Him a question. Notice verse 36. They didn't ask about the sower, the soils or the seed; they didn't ask about the mustard seed or the leaven. When they asked Jesus to explain a parable, they asked Him to explain the parable of the wheat and the tares. 

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 or the week, sit down for Jesus, and ask him to explain to you the many things you failed, during your day or week, to understand, to do, to have. Yes, Jesus continues to use parables with us too, and many of our parables are just 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 church. 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.

So Jesus went away from there!

Matthew 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and met in order to find a way to destroy Jesus. Jesus knew what they intended to do, so he went away from there. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all. But he ordered them not to spread the word about him, so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:

Look, my Servant whom I chose, the one I love, in whom I find great pleasure. I’ll put my Spirit upon him, and he’ll announce judgment to the Gentiles. He won’t argue or shout, and nobody will hear his voice in the streets. He won’t break a bent stalk, and he won’t snuff out a smoldering wick, until he makes justice win. And the Gentiles will put their hope in his name.

Food for thought!

Did you know that by fighting your enemy you make them heroes? The more you hate someone the more s/he will become famous, because all the time you will be thinking of nothing but her or him. 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 him, and they don't stop following him from place to place. The more they hate Jesus, the larger the crowds that follow him. 

All of this reminds us of two things. One, that when it comes to Jesus, even religious leaders can be 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 went out and met in order to find a way to destroy Jesus...Large crowds 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. The gospel says that "went away from there". What does Jesus want to teach us by his going away? 

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. 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. 

Let's do as Jesus did: he went away from there! We too must learn to change places, change topic, move on, think of something else, or literally go away before the enemy ruins your life. 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 knew what they intended to do, so he went away from there.

Didn't you ever read...!

Matthew 12:1-8

One Sabbath, Jesus was strolling with his disciples through a field of ripe grain. Hungry, the disciples were pulling off the heads of grain and munching on them. 2 Some Pharisees reported them to Jesus: "Your disciples are breaking the Sabbath rules!" 3 Jesus said, "Really? Didn't you ever read what David and his companions did when they were hungry, 4 how they entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? 5 And didn't you ever read in God's Law that priests carrying out their Temple duties break Sabbath rules all the time and it's not held against them? 6" There is far more at stake here than religion. 7 If you had any idea what this Scripture meant-- 'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'-- you wouldn't be nitpicking like this. 8 The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he's in charge."

Food for soul!

In Palestine in the time of Jesus the cornfields and the cultivated lands were laid out in long narrow strips; and the ground between the strips was always a right of passage. It was on one of these strips between the cornfields that the disciples and Jesus were walking when this incident happened. The gospel says that they were hungry. So stood before them two things, human need and human law.

The disciples were not stealing. The Law expressly laid it down that the hungry traveler was entitled to do just what the disciples were doing, so long as he only used his hands to pluck the ears of corn, and did not use a sickle: "When you go into your neighbour´s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbour´s standing grain" (Deut.23:25).

In the eyes, not of God but of the Scribes and Pharisees, the disciples  were at fault.  Many times we are like these Scribes and Pharisees: we blame people for their actions due to our ignorance of the Bible. Did you notice that Jesus, twice, said: Didn't you ever read the Bible?  Our ignorance of Scripture has made us commit blunder after blunder, mistake after mistake and wrong accusations of others. To meet the criticism of the Scribes and Pharisees Jesus reminded them of what is written in the Bible.

(i) He quoted the action of David (1Sam.21:1-6) on the occasion when David and his young men were so hungry that they went into the tabernacle, and in their hunger, took and ate those sacred loaves without committing sin.

(ii) He quoted the Sabbath work of the Temple. The Temple ritual always involved work, and the priests worked on Sabbath without committing sin. Even today, Sunday, which is supposed to be the day of rest for everybody, is not to the priest. The busiest day of the week for the priest is Sunday!

(iii) He quoted God's word to Hosea the prophet: "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice" (Hos.6:6). What God desires far more than ritual sacrifice is kindness, the spirit which knows no law other than that it must answer the call of human need.

In this incident Jesus lays it down that the claim of human need must take precedence of all other claims. The claims of worship, the claims of ritual, the claims of liturgy are important but prior to any of them is the claim of human need. Jesus insisted that the greatest ritual service is the service of human need. If in your life, your business, your profession, you are not serving some human need, I am afraid you are missing the point. The claims of human need take precedence over any ritual, custom or law. All our laws in the Church and society are just that, our laws! We are more important than any of them. The son of man is lord over them all. God will reward us not for keeping laws but for serving humans in their need.

Learn from Jesus!

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus said: Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-- watch how I do it. Learn from me. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Food for Thought: LEARN FROM ME!

In today's gospel reading Jesus asks us to learn from him. Jesus is, therefore, the teacher; we're the disciples (= learners). In order to learn from Jesus, we need to have a right attitude about learning; we have to be teachable; we have to want to be taught.

Nothing is interesting if you are not interested. Teachable people are always open to new ideas and are willing to learn from Jesus. Teachability is a matter of attitude. Have you ever heard this, "A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others. A loser wants to be considered an expert by others, before he has learned enough to know how little he knows."

It is most probable that even with Jesus' invitation, "Learn from me", most Christians have never read all the gospels from beginning to end, let alone the whole Bible. Jesus is saying, "Read the Gospels and you'll learn from me. You'll see how I lived, and you too will learn to live; you'll see how I loved and you too will learn to love; you will see how I suffered, how I lived with my enemies, how I took life's challenges; learn from me.''

Whenever you go to Mass or read the gospel, never leave without something learnt from what Jesus has said, has done or has been doing in the reading. And in your prayers remember that you can't learn if you're always talking. Learn to listen and listen to learn. There must be a reason why God gave us one mouth but two ears. 

Value Simplicity!

Matthew 11:25-27

Jesus broke into this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children. Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it this way! “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. Only the Father knows the Son, and the Father is known only by the Son and by those to whom the Son reveals him.

Food for thought!

Yesterday we saw Jesus severely condemning the people of three cities where he had shown many signs of his divine origin for their disrespect of him. Today Jesus speaks with warmth and praise because of those people who, contrary to yesterday's people, have accepted him. While some reject Jesus, others do accept him. Jesus does not only see failure in life; he sees also success in life. If yesterday he was lamenting, today he is praising. C'est la vie! Jesus' experience shows us that, like him, we too shall never be accepted by everybody; we shall never be rejected by everybody.

That is why we rejoice. If yesterday we lamented because of the people that don't like us, today we rejoice because of the many that have accepted us and loved us and appreciated what we are. Today, give thanks for all of the abundance you’re presently enjoying. Count your blessings and become increasingly aware of how truly blessed you are, despite your setbacks. 

Count your blessings and you will have an attitude of gratitude, just as Jesus. Today, make a “gratitude list.” Write down all the things in your life for which you are grateful. You will see that the list is bigger than what you thought. Counting our blessings will transform yesterday's melancholy into today's cheerfulness.

Like Jesus has shown us, don't look for your blessings from just the big moments of your life; look for them from the simple ones. VALUE SIMPLICITY. It is important to rediscover simplicity. Truth is simple. Simple pleasures of life are often counted among the greatest, and the simple truth qualities of love and goodness. 

Jesus is saying that God does not use extraordinary people or events or moments to reveal himself but simple and ordinary people and events and moments. And that is why many of us miss God; we look for him in the wrong people, wrong events and wrong moments.  

PAUSE TO ENJOY LIFE! Serenity is never in a rush, never impatient, or short of time. Take the time to enjoy life to the fullest, to stand and stare at something beautiful. A painting. A tree. A scenery! Praise a glorious sunset, or sunrise. Appreciate your child, your mate. And “Your sorrow will turn into joy.” (John 16:20).

I confess...what I have done and what I have failed to do!

Mat 11:20-24

20 Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way. 21 "Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. 22 At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you. 23 And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. 24 At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."

Food for soul!

When John came to the end of his gospel, he wrote a sentence in which he indicated how impossible it was ever to write a complete account of the life of Jesus: "But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (Jn.21:25). Today's gospel is one of the proofs of that saying.

There is no record in the gospels of the work that Jesus did, and of the wonders he performed in these places, and yet they must have been amongst his greatest. A passage like this shows us how little we know of Jesus; it shows us--and we must always remember it--that in the gospels we have only the barest selection of Jesus' works. The things we do not know about Jesus far outnumber the things we do know.

What then was the sin of Chorazin, of Bethsaida, of Capernaum, the sin which was worse than the sin of Tyre and Sidon, and of Sodom and Gomorrah? It was the sin of indifference. These cities did not attack Jesus Christ; they did not drive him from their gates; they did not seek to crucify him; they simply ignored him; Jesus did not mean a thing to them. Neglect can kill as much as persecution does. Being ignored or unnoticed or disregarded by the people that should, can morally kill even the strongest of us. Just like all of us, Jesus wants to be noticed too!

The sin of Chorazin, of Bethsaida, of Capernaum is also a sin of doing nothing. There are sins of action, sins of deed; but there are also sins of inaction, as we say in Mass when we confess our sins ... sins of omission. Sin is not only doing evil; sin is also not doing good, when we could. Many of us will be condemned, not for doing bad things, but for not doing good things to others. The sin of Chorazin, of Bethsaida, and of Capernaum was the sin of doing nothing. Whenever we stay indifferent, whenever we refrain from doing good to others, we sin.

Hard talk from Jesus!

Matthew 10:34-11:1

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: 

“Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.

“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

“We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

When Jesus finished placing this charge before his twelve disciples, he went on to teach and preach in their villages.

Food for thought!

These words are by all ways a shock. Jesus sometimes shocks and shakes us. In order to drive home an important point, Jesus sometimes uses hard talk. And this is hard talk by all standards.  Jesus is teaching us a lesson. What is the lesson?

First of all,  Jesus talks of FIRE.  In the Bible  fire is almost always the symbol of judgment, of purification. So when  Jesus says, I have come to start a fire on this earth, he means, I have come to judge all. When we stand before Jesus, we stand in judgement. When Jesus came into this world, time was divided into BEFORE CHRIST (B.C.) and AFTER CHRIST (A.D). Our years are counted as before or after Christ came. 

Before Christ comes to our life and living, before he comes to our family, we are living in BC, and after he has come, we live in AD. His coming inevitably means division, not only of time and history, but also sometimes of families and individuals. Over and over again we have to decide whether we love better our ways or Christ's ways; our traditions or Christ's teaching; our thoughts or Christ's thinking.

Following Christ's (hard) way is a choice we have to make. This choice many times implies that things will get worse before they get better.  Following Christ is not easy.  And he knows it: ''If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.''

Mothers do understand better what Jesus is teaching us today. They know that in order to give birth to new life, they have to risk loosing their life. Every child birth is a risk of life and death. If our mothers had not risked their life, if they had not embraced the possibility of death, we would not be born, we would not live.

If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for Jesus' sake, you will save it.

What type of soil for the word of God do I represent?

Matthew 13:1-9 

Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables. He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’

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, not the speaker. The same with the Word of God.

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 more 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. 

The questions each of us must ask ourselves today are: (1) "What type of soil for the word of God do I represent?" And (2) "How can I improve the disposition of my heart so that the word of God can bear fruit in my life or bear fruit more abundantly?" 

Don't outshine your boss!

 Matthew 10:24-33

"A student doesn't get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn't make more money than his boss. 25 Be content-- pleased, even-- when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, 'Beelzebul,' what can the workers expect? 26" Don't be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. 27 So don't hesitate to go public now. 28 "Don't be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life-- body and soul-- in his hands. 29" What's the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. 30 He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail-- even numbering the hairs on your head! 31 So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries. 32 "Stand up for me against world opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. 33 If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you?

Food for the soul!

Jesus is a realist. And he is frank with us. This week he has taught us many things on life and living. Consider this one, for instance: a student doesn't get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn't make more money than his boss. The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. Jesus is saying what we have heard elsewhere that "Never outshine the master".

What this means is that there can only be one sun at a time. So don't ever obscure the sunlight, or rival the sun's brilliance; rather, content yourself to being a star shining in the dark, not in the day because no one will see you. If your ideas are more brilliant than your Master's, ascribe them to him, in as public a manner as possible. Make it clear that your advice is merely an echo of his advice.

But Jesus is also saying that he expects us to be as good as he is, as loved as he is, as hated as he is. We cannot expect anything different. What happened to Jesus will happen to us. We will be misunderstood, we will be misrepresented just as Jesus was. A Christian is Christ living again. This is our honour and our burden. 

Whatever happens to us, we cannot drift beyond the love of God. We should know that our times are for ever in God's hands; that God will not leave us or forsake us because we are surrounded for ever by God's care.

The way life is!

Matthew 10:16-23

16 "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. 17 "Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation-- just because you believe in me. 18 Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you-- and me-- a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! 19 And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; 20 the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. 21" When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. 22 There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. 23 It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.

Food for the soul!

What is it that you get from this Jesus' training? What is it that Jesus is telling his chosen people of yesterday and today, you and me, if not that life is not meant to be easy? That life and living is hard even for those that Jesus has chosen.

Jesus is training is training us for THE WAY LIFE IS. Jesus is saying that life is just as insecure as sheep running through a wolf pack. Imagine that! Despite this, Jesus is also saying that GOD IS IN CHARGE. God being in charge does not mean a suspension of THE WAY LIFE IS. The lion or crocodile will always eat meat, even of humans. God will not change that. Women will always feel pain in child birth. God will not change that. We will always feel sad when our dear ones die. God will not change that because this is THE WAY LIFE IS, the way life is; life is difficult, at best!

God's care is not to be seen as rescue FROM the way life is. It is rather guidance THROUGH the way life is. God does not save us from getting into trouble, He empowers us to go through trouble: "Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you and me a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words."

Yesterday, Jesus taught us that we are bound to fail sometimes. For that reason, continues Jesus, we can't be naive nor take things for granted. We have to stay alert 24/7, like sheep running through a wolf pack. Such sheep can't call attention to themselves, other wise they are eaten; imagine yourself going through a park of lions or crocodiles... you would not call attention to yourself, but would have to be as cunning (discreet) as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. This is how Jesus wants us to live this life, 24/7.