Are you sometimes misunderstood & misrepresented?

Luke 2:22-35

When the time came for Mary’s purification offering at the Temple, as required by the laws of Moses after the birth of a child, his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord; for in these laws God had said, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.” At that time Jesus’ parents also offered their sacrifice for purification—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” was the legal requirement. That day a man named Simeon, a Jerusalem resident, was in the Temple. He was a good man, very devout, filled with the Holy Spirit and constantly expecting the Messiah to come soon. For the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen him—God’s anointed King. The Holy Spirit had impelled him to go to the Temple that day; and so, when Mary and Joseph arrived to present the baby Jesus to the Lord in obedience to the law, Simeon was there and took the child in his arms, praising God. “Lord,” he said, “now I can die content! For I have seen him as you promised me I would. I have seen the Savior you have given to the world. He is the Light that will shine upon the nations, and he will be the glory of your people Israel!” Joseph and Mary just stood there, marveling at what was being said about Jesus. Simeon blessed them but then said to Mary, “A sword shall pierce your soul, for this child shall be rejected by many in Israel, and this to their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy of many others. And the deepest thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed.”

Food for thought!

Full of the Holy Spirit, Simeon mentioned something that we must consider. He said that Jesus shall be rejected by many in Israel. In his life he was misunderstood almost on a daily basis. Right from the beginning Jesus was misunderstood. Although he made the world, the world did not recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him. (John 1:10-12). Jesus is the most misunderstood man that ever lived. Many things he said were misunderstood; also many of his deeds, the miracles, were also misunderstood.

Jesus was misunderstood by his inner family; by his disciples; by his wider family; by the Romans; and by the world. By looking at the misunderstandings of Jesus, we will come to understand the dynamics of our own misunderstanding, its pain, and know how to deal with it. Sometimes, a sword pierces our souls when we are rejected. This is so because it is hard to understand how someone we love or trust could ever misunderstand and reject us. To fully understand why misunderstanding and rejection occur, we must take a look Jesus. Even good people like Jesus can be misunderstood and rejected!

When you are called to have influence, you are constantly in the limelight. Because your life is on display for all to see, there will be times that you will be falsely accused and persecuted for doing what God has called you to do. People who have stepped up to make a difference for God in the world must expect to be stepped on by critics and cynics.

If Jesus, the Son of God, was one of the most misunderstood people on the planet, God will most certainly allow you to walk through the frustration of being misunderstood. You cannot make public impact without public scrutiny and criticism. I have found that the ones who are willing to criticize are usually the ones who aren’t doing anything to help or make a difference in the world. Notice also that critics are usually those with loud voices and little accomplishments. Encourage yourself in the Lord by remembering that even Jesus was misunderstood and truly empathizes with you in your frustration. You are not alone and knowing that God is for you will make all the difference!

Flee to Egypt. Herod wants to kill the child!

Matthew 2:13-18

After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him."14 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. 15 They lived in Egypt until Herod's death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: "I called my son out of Egypt." 16 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.) 17 That's when Jeremiah's sermon was fulfilled: 18 A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried.

Food for thought!

Flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.

This statement is a real shock. The Son of God Almighty is on the run, because some human king wants to kill him. We would expect the new born to have the best protection and security both in heaven and on earth. But he didn’t. Right from his childhood, Jesus is not exempt from problems of and in this life. Jesus has started already to teach us about life and living. He is teaching us that life has to be accepted the way life is.

Being human is not easy for everybody, including Jesus. Sometimes we wonder and ask such questions as, "Why is this happening to me? If God is a God of love, why all this pain to me and/or to my dear ones? Why do innocent people suffer? If He is a God of order, why all the chaos? If he is so powerful, why does he seem so incapable? If he is a God of peace, why so many wars going on?

You pray, but God doesn’t seem to be listening. You trust Him, but He appears to be letting you down. You believe His Word, but His promises are coming up seemingly empty in your life. You seek, but do not find . . . you knock, but no one is answering. If God is doing anything at all in your life . . . you can’t see it.

Jesus told us in John 16: 33, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Again, Jesus told us “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but a human being has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58). In other words, earth is not heaven, and heaven is not earth; life on earth is just plain hard. That is how life is.

God's care is not to be seen as rescue from the difficulties of life. One is not to try to escape the limitations of this life, but to embrace reality and live it with faith in God. Christ did not come to deliver us from the difficulties of life and living but to strengthen us in the midst of our struggles. As we have been saying in the last days, God does not intervene with the way life is; he does not stop us getting into struggles; he carries us through our struggles.

This said, Jesus is teaching us also that wherever we can, and if we can, we have to run, like he did, not towards but away from our Herodes who seek to destroy us. Sometimes we do well to hide, to keep quite, to bold peace until further notice.

"Joseph got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod's death."

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

Luke 2:41-52

41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn't show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they couldn't find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 His parents didn't know what to think. "Son," his mother said to him, "why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere." 49 "But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they didn't understand what he meant. 51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.

Food for thought!

There are few gospel readings showing us the humanity of Jesus as this one. It shows us not only how human Jesus was but also how human his family was; Jesus grew up as a normal boy, in a normal family, just like the rest of us. His life expanded like other human lives. He learned as other boys learn; he obeyed as other children obey. The gospel  says of Jesus he “was obedient to them”; and that he “grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” It means that Jesus waited patiently for growth like the rest of us. Amazing!

And of Jesus’ parents the gospel says some revealing things. For instance, it says “Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival,” meaning by this that they were practicing people; Joseph and Mary practiced their faith; they were regular worshipers.  

As we have said yesterday,  God does not does not intervene in the way life is. That is why  bad things do happen even to good people. After one of the celebrations, they left for home, and the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn't know it. Joseph and Mary were just like the rest of us; they missed out on some of the things like losing their child; they wrongly assumed he was among the other travellers.

Having lost Jesus, these very human parents “started looking for him among their relatives and friends.” Just like the rest of us do, they looked for Jesus in the wrong places, for three full days. Like them, we often look for Jesus in places where he is not: relatives and friends! Did you notice Jesus’ question to Joseph and Mary? "But why did you need to search?" he asked. "Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" It is as if he said: Where were you searching for me, when I was all the time in the Temple? This is what Jesus will ask us when, after our death, he will meet us: "But why did you need to search? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" 

When they couldn't find him among relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there, where they later finally discovered him, after 3 full days, in the Temple, teaching. This is crucially important; it shows the importance of the temple and of the teachings of Jesus. The disciples  of Jesus also having lost him in the grave, found him after 3 days.

To all parents. It is not uncommon for parents to lose their children or even to misunderstand them. The gospel says that when Jesus said, "But why did you need to search? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" they “didn't understand what he meant.” Like the rest of us, Mary and Joseph were slow to understand Jesus. But even as his parents could not understand everything about him, Jesus obeyed them. What a lesson...!

By the way, the words "But why did you need to search? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" are Jesus’ first recorded words on earth. The last ones are "Father, I place my life in your hands!" (Lk 23:46). He began with Father and ended with Father!

Mary’s Food for Thought! “And his mother stored all these things in her heart.” The gospel mentions on different occasions that Mary treasured sayings of angels, shepherds, wise men and prophets (Simeon). She now began to add to these the sayings of Christ himself. Mary is the perfect model for our Food for Thought! 

52 words

Keep calm and carry on!

Matthew 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples, "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 favour, 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.

Food for the soul!

What is it that you get from these words of Jesus, "Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation"? What is it that Jesus is telling us on this boxing day? What is it that Jesus is telling you and me, if not that life is not meant to be easy? That life and living is hard even for those that follow Jesus.
Jesus is revealing to us THE WAY LIFE IS. Jesus is saying that life is difficult to everybody, including his disciples. More to this, Jesus is saying that our GOD IS IN CHARGE. However, God being in charge does not mean a suspension of THE WAY LIFE IS.
These are two realities difficult to grasp: God in charge; the way life is. Let us take an example. The lion or crocodile will always eat fresh, 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 God made life to be.
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 did not save Stephen from trouble because He 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 favour, 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."
As someone said, when you get into some storm, and you will surely get into many of them, remember that "God has not forgotten you...He has not abandoned you in your time of desperation. He often works best in your brokenness...a humble heart is more moldable in His hands. Stop worrying about details...quit trying to figure it out - God knows what He's doing. HE IS IN CONTROL. ..EVEN WHEN LIFE ISN'T. Trust that when your world seems to be falling apart...it's really just falling into place in the hands of your Almighty God."
Today, the day after Jesus was born, we are celebrating St. Stephen, the first martyr. God did not save him from persecution; he carried him through persecution. Jesus rightfully warned us not to be naïve. St. Stephen was the first but not the last to suffer for following Christ's teaching. You and I must never be naïve, either. Some people will impugn our motives, others will smear our reputation…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. Whatever you're going through, God is in it. So, keep calm and carry on!

The Lord was always there in our lives!

John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it. 6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. 9 The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn't recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn't receive him. 12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name: 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about him. He cried out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.'" 16 From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
Food for thought!

Today's gospel reading reminds us that the first time he came to this world Jesus was not recognized by many people.
"He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own, and those who were his own didn't receive him."
The first time Jesus came around, many people just missed him; he was around, living among them, but many people didn't recognize him. I am afraid that the same passage may apply to some of us: The Word was in our world, our home, our place of work, our neighbourhood, our life, and we just did not recognize him. He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him.

The text is saying that “All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.”  In 2013 everything happened through Jesus. Everything we did, was through him because as he told us, "without me you cannot do anything" (John 45:5).
In other words, let us look at our achievements and acknowledge the Lord for them. Be thankful of your achievements and your gains and profits.
What you did was thanks to Jesus. He was there since the beginning; everything was done through him; there was nothing that was done without him. Jesus is always there, whether we recognize him whether we don't. When we do, he gives us the right to become children of God. Once we do recognize him, we become God's favourites, who operate as Jesus himself; we become partners of Jesus, enjoying special protection, privileges and favours.
Once we become like Jesus, everything changes; even our failures. In the Lord we are always conquerors even when we apparently seem to fail. As St. Paul reminds us in 2nd Corinthians 4:8-9, "We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed." This is what it means to be children of God.

We easily see the hand of Jesus for our gains and achievements. We seldom see him in our pains, difficulties and losses we encounter in life. But we should see the Lord in all our life, in all our gains and our pains. The Lord is always with us, in good and not so good moments of our life.

As someone once said, successful people approach losing differently. They don’t try to brush failure under the rug. They don’t run away from their losses. Their attitude is never Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Instead they know that  Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. Why? Because the Lord is present in everything we do and are. In other words, All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.
In other words, a loss isn’t totally a loss if you learn something as a result of it. This said, not everyone learns from losses. A loss doesn’t turn into a lesson unless we work hard to make it so. Losing gives us an opportunity to learn, but many people do not seize it. And when they don’t, losing really hurts.

He set salvation within reach!

Luke 1:67-79

Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do, What he swore to our father Abraham--a clean rescue from the enemy camp, so we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people,
the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.

Food for thought!

He set the power of salvation within reach!
Filled with Holy Spirit, Zechariah spoke very good news to us, news that help us understand why God came and dwelt among us. It was, as Zechariah put it, to set the power of salvation within the center of our lives, that is, within reach.
This is what the gospel on Christmas day will tell us, "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". It means that the GOD came to dwell among us: 1Jo 1:1-2
1 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in-- we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. 2 The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
Since the first Christmas, God is within reach for all of us. Let us also be within reach of God. Let us not run away from God nor from those who need our presence. Let us reach out to one another. This could be the best Xmas gift you ever gave.

It is easy to send flowers, it is easy to send a parcel, but to give the gift of ourselves, to make out the time to be with somebody, that is the gift that many people long for but do not receive at Christmas. We can, in addition to the flowers and parcels, give of ourselves, our presence, our time. We must find the time to visit and be with people. This is the greatest gift because its value cannot be calculated in terms of money. And all of us can afford it

What is in your name?

Luke 1:57-66

The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby. She gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her. They shared her joy. 59 On the eighth day, they came to have the child circumcised. They were going to name him Zechariah, like his father. 60 But his mother spoke up. "No!" she said. "He must be called John." 61 They said to her, "No one among your relatives has that name." 62 Then they motioned to his father. They wanted to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for something to write on. Then he wrote, "His name is John." Everyone was amazed. 64 Right away Zechariah could speak again. His first words gave praise to God. 65 The neighbors were all filled with fear and wonder. All through Judea's hill country, people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it. And because the Lord was with John, they asked, "What is this child going to be?" The child grew up, and his spirit became strong. He lived in the desert until he appeared openly to Israel.

Food for thought!

"Among those born of women no one is greater than John" (Luke 7:28). These words which our Lord said about John the Baptist explain why we remember him on Christmas Eve. And not only is John the man of interest to us, also John the name is.
Today's gospel story focuses on the naming ceremony. Why does the gospel show such an interest in the naming of the child? What’s in a name? In the Bible, just as in many cultures, names function just the same way as business names do, that is, they aim to convey what the bearer of the name stands for.

The name John means “God is gracious.” God himself gave John that name and it was revealed to his father Zachary in a vision (Luke 1:13). That this name was given to the child already before his birth shows that God has a purpose and plan not only to this child but to all of us. Yes, God had and still has a purpose for each one of us.

The words of Isaiah apply equally to John, to you and to me, to all of us: “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he NAMED me. … he formed me in the womb to be his servant (Isaiah 49:1, 5). In John we see that God already has a purpose for His children before they come into this world, and so the challenge of life is for each one of us to discover this purpose and to be faithful to its demands.
The purpose for which God created you may require that you walk to a different drum beat than other people. For John it required that he live in the desert far from normal human contact and civilisation. God’s purpose for his life dictated every details of how he would dress and eat, since he had to dress in rough animal skin and eat the vegetarian food of locusts and wild honey. He adopted a lifestyle that would enhance his calling in life. He did not go for any unnecessary trappings that would weigh him down or contradict his life.
To discern what God is calling us to be we need to cultivate some sort of desert in our lives where we can listen to God. We need to make Samuel’s words to the Lord, “Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3;10) part of our daily prayer.

And, to be faithful to the call of God, we need the courage and discipline to stay on track all the time, all life. John is great today not only because God called him to a special vocation but because he walked faithfully on a special road. In the gospel reading, the neighbours were saying of John, "No one of your relatives has that name." Each one of us has to travel a unique road that God traced for him or her.

The neighbourhood in which John was born did not help him to realise his divine calling. In fact they wanted to prevent John from receiving his God-given name and identity. They wanted to give him his father’s name “Zachary.” They wanted John to be another Zachary. They objected to his being named John because “None of your relatives has this name” (Luke 1:61).

Yes, many times other people don't want us and don't let us live our God given vocation; they force us to embrace and live according to what THEY want. This is especially true of parents, who many times force their children into alien lifestyles, alleging "none of your relatives has this name or job or life." Such parents impose on their children their own past; they want their children to be their extension! Sad. We do well to avoid such toxic assumptions because God’s dream for us far exceeds anything that has been in our family background. Our life’s work is to wake up and make God’s glorious dream for each one of us a reality.

As we get ready to celebrate Christmas, let us ask ourselves: what on earth am I here for? If you do not know your God-given name, the name which represents all that God sent you into the world to be and to accomplish, then it is time to find out by listening in prayer. This is because our greatness as children of God, like the greatness of John, consists in discovering what God has created us to be and living out the demands of that call without compromise.

To all who fear HIM!

Luke 1:46-56

Mary responded, “Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation forever shall call me blest of God. For he, the mighty Holy One, has done great things to me. His mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him. How powerful is his mighty arm! How he scatters the proud and haughty ones! He has torn princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry hearts and sent the rich away with empty hands. And how he has helped his servant Israel! He has not forgotten his promise to be merciful. For he promised our fathers—Abraham and his children—to be merciful to them forever.” Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

Food thought!

As we get ready to celebrate Christmas, Mary reminds us that “God's mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him.” What does this mean? It means that God’s mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him. It means that God’s mercy is not limited to one race, sex, religion, time or space. God’s mercy extends to all and everybody WHO FEAR GOD. The only thing we need to have is the fear of God. The fear of the Lord is also the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).

In Christ and because of Christ, we are all equally dear before God. There is no man or woman, learned or illiterate; we are all loved by God. This is what Paul tells the Galatians that, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28).

The world may classify us according to our accent or according to the colour of our skin or according to the circumstances of our birth; but before God we are not, as long as we fear Him. God deals with all of us and each one of us that fear him, as equally beloved. This is why Jesus told us the parable of the lost sheep: God leaves the 99 sheep to go after one that is lost. Why? Because for God all the sheep are equally dear; loosing one is loosing one too many.

“So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us…offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.” (Romans 12:1)

We all need mercy, because we all stumble and fall and require help getting back on track. We need to offer unconditional mercy to each other and be willing to receive it from each other. God says, “When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won’t give up in despair.” (2Corinthians 2:7)

God’s mercy to us is the motivation for showing mercy to others. Remember, you will never be asked to forgive someone else more than God has already forgiven you. Whenever you are hurt by someone, you have a choice to make: Will I use my energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution? You can’t do both.

The perfect Xmas gift!

Luke 1:39-45

39 Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and travelled to a town in Judah in the hill country, 40 straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! 43 And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? 44 The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. 45 Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!

Food for thought!

One thing that is associated with the celebration of Christmas everywhere is giving. Christmas is the feast of giving. Christmas is the one time in the year when everyone either gives or receives a present, even if it be only a Christmas card. We spend a lot of time and money shopping for the perfect Christmas gift. We put up Christmas trees to surprise family members with our gifts and to be surprised with theirs. Santa Claus is the perfect symbol of Christmas because Santa is the one who gives and gives and never gets tired of giving.

Christmas is a season of giving even from God's point of view. For at Christmas we celebrate the mystery that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16). God gives, and the people of God give, and that is Christmas. No matter how well or how poorly our lives seem to be, we can give; there is nobody that is too poor as not to afford to give anything; no body is too rich the s/he cannot get anything from anyone. We all need to give and get from each other.

In today's Gospel we read the story of Mary visiting with Elizabeth. What gift did Mary bring to Elizabeth? We are not told. We are only told that “She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth.” In other words, Mary’s gift to Elizabeth was not money, a card but HERSELF. She gave Elizabeth the gift of her very presence; THE PRESENT OF PRESENCE. And, I can tell you, this is the best gift of all.

It is easy to send flowers, it is easy to send a parcel, but to give the gift of ourselves, to make out the time to be with somebody, that is the gift that many people long for but do not receive at Christmas. Following Mary's example in today's Gospel story, we can, in addition to the flowers and parcels, give ourselves, our presence, our time. We must find time to visit and/or be visited by the people. This is the greatest gift because its value cannot be calculated in terms of money.

The good thing about the gift of presence is that everybody can afford it. Do you know one thing everybody needs these days? It is encouragement. You need encouragement; I need encouragement. Elizabeth too needed encouragement; she was six months pregnant and would no longer be able to go and draw water from the village well, to look after the crops in her garden and the animals in her farm, she would no longer be able to go to the market to do her shopping. So Mary went with haste and stayed with her for about three months, meaning, until she gave birth. Mary gave to Elizabeth what she needed when she needed it. That is the perfect gift.

Mary's visit was an inspiration to Elizabeth. Mary made her sing exuberantly. When we visit people this Christmas, let us try to bring some inspiration into their lives, let us seek to bring them closer to God, and let us try to share with them the Spirit of God in us, the Spirit of consolation, of courage, of peace and joy, just as Mary did.

Remember this: When we merely try to hold on to what is given or entrusted to us, life may seem to take away even that. But when we choose to give what life has given us, the return of abundance can include friendship, companionship, financial blessings, homes and security in wonderful ways. The universe holds nothing back from the one who lovingly and sincerely gives. “Everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts. (Prov 19:6)

Be a person of impact to others. Be a Mary!

Luke 1:39-44

At that time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in Judea's hill country. There she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she called out, "God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have! But why is God so kind to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me? As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. You are a woman God has blessed. You have believed that what the Lord has said to you will be done!"
Food for thought!

As we deeper into this year’s festive season, we can’t avoid thinking of those people that impacted our life or that impacted us especially this ending year. These are the people we send our Xmas gifts to; they deserve our recognition and our gratitude.
This is what happened in today’s gospel reading, between Mary and Elizabeth. Mary impacted Elizabeth; her visit marked Elizabeth. The gospel says: «When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she called out, 'God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have! But why is God so kind to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me? As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. You are a woman God has blessed. You have believed that what the Lord has said to you will be done!´»
When Mary visited Elizabeth, Elizabeth did not, and could not, stay the same; she was remarkably marked: «As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy.» Mary made such a positive impact on Elizabeth that «the baby inside her jumped», that «Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit», that Elizabeth «called out, God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have.»
Like Mary to Elizabeth, there are people who have marked our life, for the positive; people whose presence was a real present to us. These are people whose presence not only marked us but also made us, not the worst, but the best. Just as there were people whose presence made the worst, not the best, come out of us. The former made and make us be the best of us; the latter made and make us be the worst of us.

There are people in whose company we easily lower our morals, and there are people in whose company we better our morals; there are people in whose company we easily fall, just as there are people in whose company we stay good and do good. I don't know where YOU belong in relation to others. But I know where Mary belongs; she is of the good people who help others be good and do good, for as soon as she showed up, Elizabeth got filled with the HOLY Spirit, and Elizabeth began to say, not BAD, but GOOD things. Mary's presence positively impacted on Elizabeth.
The gospel reading of today is about you and me; it is about impact. You know from experience, don't you, that if three equally well-qualified candidates present themselves for a job, the successful one will, generally, be the one who impacts the interviewers best. You know, don't you, that good CVs matter, experience matters, but good personal impact not only matters but matters most, because it allows us to stand out and to rise above our colleagues.
This personal impact is called many names, such as rapport, authority, likeability, magnetism, attractiveness, radiance, charisma, or personal chemistry. I prefer calling it the «Marian effect». It is the kind of impact that marks and makes the others be their best. Are there people who have marked and made you be and do your best? These people are your Marys. Are there people whom you have marked and made be and do their best? These people are your Elizabeth.
Be a person of impact to others. Be a Mary!
 

Even God fearing people go wanting!

Luke 1:5-25

In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron. Both were worthy in the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years.

  Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s section to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God when it fell to him by lot, as the ritual custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense the whole congregation was outside, praying.

  Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense. The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John. He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink. Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom that the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.’

  Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel who stand in God’s presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Listen! Since you have not believed my words, which will come true at their appointed time, you will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.’ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he stayed in the sanctuary so long. When he came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had received a vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them, and remained dumb.

  When his time of service came to an end he returned home. Some time later his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept to herself. ‘The Lord has done this for me’ she said ‘now that it has pleased him to take away the humiliation I suffered among men.’

Food for thought!

Zachariah, a priest, had married a woman of priestly descent. The gospel says that the Both were worthy in the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years. Two holy people, righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations, and yet, UNABLE TO HAVE A CHILD OF THEIR OWN.

This fact says a lot. It means that even God fearing people like this couple, can have no child. Yes, sometimes bad things can happen to good people. Only God knows why this happens; only God knows when the right time for us to be blessed. It has nothing to do with sins; it is not that Zachariah and Elizabeth were sinners that they could not get a child. Indeed, the couple was God fearing and faithful in their living.

Despite their situation, the couple served the Lord. Zachariah never stopped going to the Temple. Sometimes we give up too soon, too easily. Just because we are not getting what we think we should get, or because we are being what we think we should be. One thing stands out: it was in God’s house that God’s message came to Zacharias. The gospel says that while Zecharias was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.

Yes, the message of the Lord comes to those who know how to listen; who know how to wait on the Lord. We do well to learn to listen in quite places; opportunity sometimes knocks very softly (Mother Theresa). Our prayers are strong when we are silent; when there is peace of mind, there is inner strength which is unfailing. Someone once said that in all of our Christian life we’re prepared to hear God speak to us, but nothing prepares us for His silence. In other words, many of us are ready to listen to the Word of God but not ready to listen to the Silence of the God.

Remember that the less you speak about your problem to others, the more you are listened to by the Lord. Yes, like Zacharias, when quietness is maintained within us, our problems and challenges vanish like mist before the rising sun. It is in silence that we bring ourselves to a realization of the good for which we have long sought in vain.

Did you know that our mind is most efficient only when it is cool, not hot. In a heated state of mind, emotions take over, which may prove costly; power comes from quietness. God’s silence is an opportunity for us to enter into the silence with Him. It is our invitation to shift our relationship from one that demands words to an intimate relationship where no words are necessary.

A wise old bird sat on an oak tree. The more he saw, the less he spoke; the less he spoke, the more he heard. Lord, make us like that wise old bird; make us like Zacharias. Because he was quiet, he was able to hear the message from God. Remember that the less you speak, the more you are heard!

Shattered dreams!

Matthew 1:18-24

These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her fiancé, being a man of stern principle,* decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn’t want to publicly disgrace her. As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “don’t hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning ‘Savior’), for he will save his people from their sins. This will fulfill God’s message through his prophets — ‘Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God is with us”).’” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel commanded and brought Mary home to be his wife.

Food for thought!

Joseph. The man of dreams. (If you love football, you can compare Joseph to Mourinho, today dismissed from managing Chelsea). Sometimes, our dreams fall into a million pieces at our feet. What happened in his life is worthy of note this morning. It may help you and me when our dreams are shattered.

Mary and Joseph were betrothed to one another. This was the ancient Hebrew engagement period. It was as binding as a marriage. Surely they were excited about their future together as husband and wife. Surely they were both counting down the days until they could be together and live together as husband and wife.

During this betrothal period both the bride and the groom were to keep themselves physically pure for the other spouse. Unlike our day, this was a time when both men and women were expected to go into the marriage as pure virgins. But, it was during this time that Joseph discovered that his bride was pregnant. This would have been a source of great embarrassment both to Mary and Joseph, as well as to their respective families. It seemed that all the dreams Joseph had for the future had been shattered by this devastating discovery.

Isn't this just how life is at times? We make all our plans for the future and set things up just the way we want they to be, then some event or the other takes place and we see our hopes, our plans and our dreams fall down all around us! When these things happen, it breaks our hearts because it is unexpected and even unwanted. However, like Joseph, we are often blind to the fact that God is at work behind the scenes. It fact, it was God who shattered our dreams! That may be hard to understand, but it is still how things work.

We may not like it when the Lord shatters our dreams and our hopes, but when everything has been said and done, we will see that God's plan was the perfect plan all along! Do you remember Joseph in the Old Testament? His path lead him from the place of prominence in his father's house, through a pit, into Potipher's house and though a prison. In the end, he would end up in the place of power and honour. It would never have happened had God not first shattered his dreams!

Be what you believe and believe what you are!

Reading: Matthew 21:28-32

But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, Son, go out and work on the farm today. I wont, he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father told the youngest, You go! and he said, Yes, sir, I will. But he didnt. Which of the two was obeying his father? They replied, The first, of course. Then Jesus explained his meaning: Surely evil men and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom before you do. For John the Baptist told you to repent and turn to God, and you wouldnt, while very evil men and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to repent, and so you couldnt believe.

Food for thought!

Jesus told this parable in the temple in Jerusalem just days before they would arrest him and put him to death. For three years he had been preaching to the people, inviting them to repent and believe the Good News. He had discovered that, in fact, it was public sinners like the tax-collectors and prostitutes who responded to his invitation. Yes, it was these most unlikely of people that heeded his sermons. The religious leaders, the High Priests, Scribes and Pharisees, even after they perceived the divine origin of the message of Jesus, not only opposed it but went as far as plotting to kill Jesus himself. And they did kill him! The religious people are sometimes the most irreligious people around.

Based on his own experience, Jesus uses this parable to teach us that there are two very common classes of people in this world. First, there are the people whose profession is much better than their practice. Second, there are those whose practice is far better than their profession. One group has no fine words but they have fine works. The other group has fine words but no corresponding fine works.

There are those of us who have the fine words, fine profession of faith; we go to church everyday or Sunday and say make the profession of the Creed. As if not enough, we wear Christian badges and medals. But when it comes to concrete action in support of our profession, we are found wanting.

Then there are those who have no fine words: who barely profess any faith, barely go to church, or pray. But when there is need and needy around they are the first to offer help. Wherever there is famine or earthquake they will deny themselves food and money to contribute to help the victims. These people have no creeds but when they do things such as these, they are doing what we are supposed to be doing.

It is not that going to church or professing our creeds is bad. These fine words are never a substitute for fine deeds. The son who said he would go, and did not, had all the outward marks of a Christian that goes every Sunday to church, but on Monday his or her actions leave much to be Christian.

Knowing the correct passwordsaying Master, Master, for instanceisnt going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obediencedoing what my Father wills." (Matthew 7:21-23)

Jesus is teaching us still that we can all change our mind either for a YES or for a NO; either for the better or for the worse. If until yesterday we were a NO people, today we can be a YES people. In other words, it is not how one has lived in the past that counts, but how one is living today; it is not what you did in the past that matters, it is what you're doing today that counts. You cannot claim to say, I used to pray, or to go to church, or sing in the choir, or be and do good. The good you were or you did in the past years is canceled out or confirmed by what you are doing this morning. This is what Ezkiel reminds us in 18:26-28

If a good person turns away from his good life and takes up sinning, he'll die for it. He'll die for his own sin. Likewise, if a bad person turns away from his bad life and starts living a good life, a fair life, he will save his life. Because he faces up to all the wrongs he's committed and puts them behind him, he will live, really live. He won't die.

This brings us to the main point. First, Jesus is saying that in life it all depends not on yesterday, not on tomorrow, but on today. We are free to CHANGE OUR MIND. And when we change our mind, we ERASE, DELETE all the past. For that reason, we do well to note that the most important day of our life, is not yesterday, is not tomorrow, is TODAY.

Follow up!

Today, be nice to your spouse, your boss, your colleague; forget about the past, and don't mind about tomorrow; be your best this day; sing your best today; pray today as if you never prayed in your life and as if there is no tomorrow. Maximize the present moment. That is why it is called present because it is a gift from God to you.

No more discrimination among Christians!

Matthew 1:1-17

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

Food for thought!

There is so much food for thought in the gospel reading. We can only mention some of it. By far the most amazing thing is the names of the women who appear in Jesus' family tree.

In the time of Jesus it was not common to find the names of women in Jewish pedigrees at all. The woman had no legal rights; she was regarded, not as a person, but as a thing. She was merely the possession of her father or of her husband, who could dispose of her as he liked. The very existence of these names in any pedigree at all is not only surprising, it is revolutionary.

When we look at who these women were, and look at what they did, the matter becomes even more amazing. (1) Rachab, or as the Old Testament calls her, Rahab, was a prostitute of Jericho (Josh.2:1-7). (2) Ruth was not even a Jewess; she was a Moabitess (Ru.1:4), and does not the law itself lay it down, "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none belonging to them shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever" (Deut.23:3)? Although Ruth belonged to an alien and a hated people, she entered not just the assembly but the family tree of Jesus Christ. (3) Tamar was a deliberate seducer and an adulteress; she seduced her father-in-law and got herself impregnated by him (Gen.38). (4) Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, was the woman whom David seduced from Uriah, her husband, with an unforgivable cruelty (2Sam.11-12).

Be it as it may, there is something very lovely in all this. Here, with these women, the gospel shows us the essence of the good news of Jesus; it means that with Jesus there are no more barriers, between men and women, between Jews and non-Jews. In Jesus there are no more discrimination due to race, sex and religion. We all stand equal before the Lord. Jesus is for all and all for Jesus.

It means that in Jesus the barrier between Jew and non-Jewish is down. Rahab, the woman of Jericho, and Ruth, the woman of Moab, find their place within the pedigree of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our peace.

It means that in Jesus the barriers between male and female are also down. In no ordinary pedigree would the name of any woman be found along men; but such names are found in Jesus' pedigree. The old contempt is gone; and men and women stand equally dear to God, and equally important to his purposes. God can and does use men and women to accomplish his mission. Any political or ecclesiastical policy that discriminates against women has no standing among followers of Jesus.

It means that in Jesus the barrier between saint and sinner is down. Somehow God can use for his purposes those who have sinned greatly. "I came" said Jesus, "not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:13).

Here at the very beginning of the gospel we are given a hint of the all-embracing width of the love of God. God can find his servants amongst Christians and non-Christians, among men and women, among saints and sinners.

In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:18).

Expect the unexpected!

Luke 7:19-23

John, summoning two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’ When the men reached Jesus they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you, to ask, “Are you the one who is to come or have we to wait for someone else?”’ It was just then that he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many who were blind. Then he gave the messengers their answer, ‘Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is proclaimed to the poor and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’
Food for thought
Our greatest weakness in our prayer life is not that we fail to pray, but that when God fails to answer in the way we thought He should and in the time frame we expected, we either doubt His love for us or question that He even exists at all. This is John’s situation. He had served the Lord well; he had told the people that after him there’s one coming that is mightier; and then John got into trouble and was imprisoned. This is the least of places  John expected himself to be in; and yet he is there.
Chances are that some of us are in similar situation like of John; we realize we haven’t prepared for the unexpected circumstances that we find ourselves in. We can find the ground beneath us pulled and the air within us knocked out. We didn’t expect to lose a job. We didn’t expect our home to be foreclosed upon. We didn’t expect our business to go under. We didn’t expect our spouse to leave. We didn’t expect our child to end up in jail. We didn’t expect to be betrayed by a dear friend. We didn’t expect death to take our loved one so early. But, in life, we can expect the unexpected. This is what today’s gospel reading is all about. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
Expect to hear the unexpected reply from the Lord. Did you notice that when John’s emissaries asked Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come or have we to wait for someone else?”’ Jesus gave them an unexpected answer. The gospel says that “It was just then that he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many who were blind. Then he gave the messengers their answer, ‘Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard’” Not exactly the answer we were hoping for. Not exactly the one John was hoping for either. It wasn’t long after Jesus’ reply that John was beheaded. There was no explanation, no rescue, no miracle. Yes, we too, when we pray should expect the unexpected!
We’re not alone. John the Baptist had prepared the way for Christ. Though John had obeyed God fully, He found himself in prison, consumed by fear and bitter over his circumstances. Sometimes we feel the same. And we, just like John, wonder, “Is God who He really says He is? Or is my faith in vain?” We get offended by God.
Our problem is a simple one. We forget. God may not have parted a Red Sea, He may not have healed us, He may not have calmed our raging storm, but He’s performed other miracles that we so easily forget. And we must learn to remember. We must remember that He is God and nothing is impossible for Him (Luke 1: 37).

In the tempest of your storms in life, remember that God is with you. THAT IS the miracle. Remember that He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13: 5). Don’t forget Who He is and who you’re not. God may have chosen to take you through the valley, or through the pain or the problem, but He’s still with you. Remember this. He is your guide and guard.

By whose authority are you doing it?

Matthew 21:23-27

When he had returned to the Temple and was teaching, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to him and demanded to know by whose authority he had thrown out the merchants the day before “I’ll tell you if you answer one question first,” Jesus replied. “Was John the Baptist sent from God or not?” They talked it over among themselves. “If we say, ‘From God,’” they said, “then he will ask why we didn’t believe what John said. And if we deny that God sent him, we’ll be mobbed, for the crowd all think he was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know!” And Jesus said, “Then I won’t answer your question either.

Food for thought!

The chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to Jesus and demanded to know by whose authority he had thrown out the merchants the day before. These people were, in other words, asking Jesus why he was doing what he was doing; who authorized Jesus to act as he did.

If anyone asked you, Who authorized you to do what you are doing or by whose authority are doing what you are doing, what would you reply? We need to know what is behind all we do; what empowers us; what is the reason we are here and not in any other place, other family, other employment, other church, other country, or other world?

We are here on earth, doing what we are doing because we believe that that's what God wills for us. We don't live to make money; this is too little. We live to make a living for ourselves and a living for many other people. We are where we are in order to serve God's people. As we serve God's people, through our services, we also get the money.  Money is a by product. We are where we are in order to serve God's people. As we serve God's people, through our services, we also get the money.

When a client / customer enters the shop, or moves into our office s/he does not begin by pulling out the money; they begin by expressing their need in form of some service or product, which we have or not. When we say we have it or can do it, then we speak of money; money is always a by-product. This means that we get the money thanks to the product we have or service we have rendered, or thanks to the services we provide in terms of our skills and talents.

All this to say, that if someone asked us, by whose authority are we doing what we do, are here on this earth, etc, the answer is that is by the authority of the Lord. It is the Lord, who empowered and empowers us with skills and talents and means necessary to serve others; that is the ultimate reason for what we are and do. This is what 1Peter 4:10-11 exhorts us to do:

"God has given each one some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings. Are you called to preach? Then preach as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies so that God will be glorified through Jesus Christ — to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen."

And we, what must we do...?

Reading: Luke 3:10-18
The crowd asked John the Baptist, What do you want us to do? If you have two coats, he replied, give one to the poor. If you have extra food, give it away to those who are hungry. Even tax collectors notorious for their corruption came to be baptized and asked, How shall we prove to you that we have abandoned our sins? By your honesty, he replied. Make sure you collect no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to. And us, asked some soldiers, what about us? John replied, Don´t extort money by threats and violence; don´t accuse anyone of what you know he didn´t do; and be content with your pay! Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and eager to know whether or not John was he. This was the question of the hour and was being discussed everywhere. John answered the question by saying, I baptize only with water; but someone is coming soon who has far higher authority than mine; in fact, I am not even worthy of being his slave. He will baptize you with fire with the Holy Spirit. He will separate chaff from grain, and burn up the chaff with eternal fire and store away the grain. He used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.

Food for thought!
The crowds asked, What do you want us to do? Tax collectors asked: How shall we prove to you that we have abandoned our sins? Soldiers asked, And us, what about us? These are some of the questions that some people asked John the Baptist. In his preaching, John not only taught but also touched his audience. This is what today´s preachers ought to do: teach and touch the people. Unfortunately, many of today´s sermons are just teachings; they don´t touch the people. A good sermon ought to both teach and touch the people. And John did exactly that.
John taught like Jesus. Jesus taught the people and influenced them forever. This is what it means to say, teach and touch lives for ever! Jesus taught in such a way as to turn the world upside down. Even his enemies accused of him of teaching everywhere: "He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place." (Lk 23:5). Pharisees sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality (Mt 22:16).
Teaching and touching is the tool that Jesus used to transform the world. It is also the tool his followers used to further the transformation began by Jesus. The question that we must make is, if teaching and touching worked yesterday to transform lives, can't it do the same today? Put differently, we must ask the relationship between teaching and touching? Can we have one without the other? Unfortunately, we have separated teaching from touching; we teach but we don´t touch the people. Other times, we touch the people without teaching them. The truth is that we must lean to both teach and touch the people.
If, after listening to or reading our sermons, no one asks themselves the questions asked to John the Baptist (The crowds asked, What do you want us to do? Tax collectors asked: How shall we prove to you that we have abandoned our sins? Soldiers asked, And us, what about us?), then something is terribly wrong, not in the people, in the preacher. Our preachers should teach the mind and touch the heart. The mind is taught to think while the heart is taught to love.
Teaching the mind is good, but it must translate into the heart. For this reason, it is not enough to know; it is equally important to live out the knowledge, that is, to be and to do. A good sermon is not about information alone; it is about formation too. Preaching is about the heart too. Knowing the correct science, possessing the correct information isn't enough; translating the information into life is paramount.
There is only one way in which a man's knowledge can be proved, and that is by his practice. Fine words can never be a substitute for fine deeds. So often we come across knowledgeable people, who contradict what they know by their lives. It is not difficult to know the science; it is very difficult to live out the science. So as we go to churches, as we gather knowledge, we should remember that it is not enough; it is just the beginning. The second part, the heart, is the acting as believing people act. All knowledge only becomes relevant when it is translated into action. Many people perform well at work but not so at home; many people are good executives but not good husbands or wives or neighbours. Many are successful professionals but failed men and women. Knowledge must become action; theory must become practice; science must become life.

Follow up!

Every after food for thought and/or after a sermon, ask yourself: What am I taking from this sermon? How can I put it into practice?

Nothing is interesting if you are not interested!

Matthew 17:10-13
His disciples asked, Why do the Jewish leaders insist Elijah must return before the Messiah comes? Jesus replied, They are right. Elijah must come and set everything in order. And, in fact, he has already come, but he wasn't recognized, and was badly mistreated by many. And I, the Messiah, shall also suffer at their hands. Then the disciples realized he was speaking of John the Baptist.

Food for thought!
Elijah does come and get everything ready, but they didnt recognize him! This statement is both informative and a regret. Its informative because it tells us that Elijah did come; its a regret because it laments that Elijah was missed.
The very people whose duty was to receive Elijah, the religious people of the time, missed him; they didn't know him when they saw him. They treated him like dirt, the same way they are about to treat Jesus! Why and how did this happen? Why do we miss that for which we have been waiting? Why do we lose that which we have worked so hard to get? Why do we miss the point?
This is like asking, why do some students, whose duty is to learn miss the exam? Why do couples, who married in order to live together and love each other miss the point? Why do the religious people, whose duty is to love and serve God miss the point? Why do we miss the point?
You have probably heard the phrase, What you see is what you get. This saying calls to mind a law of life that has nothing to do with what is being seen and everything to do with who is doing the seeing. In other words, we see what we want to see; we learn what we want to learn; we are what we want to be.
So, what you see is what you get and what I see is what I get!
Remember, the more sincere interest you express in life, the more joy and success life can bring into your world. A big difference between happiness and misery, success and failure, effectiveness and uselessness, competence and ineptitude, courage and fear, strength and weakness, cannot be blamed on circumstances or other people. Rather, the condition of your mind is the more causative factor. Nothing is interesting if you are not interested!

As someone once said, Age is not a question of years. The years may wrinkle your skin but it is the lack of interest that wrinkles your soul. This same analogy holds true with how interestingly life unfolds for you. Nothing is interesting in life, in school, in marriage, in work if and when you are not interested. Yes, sometimes we wait for Elijah that's right in front of us; we may be searching for the kingdom of heaven, which is right within us all the time (Luke 17:20-21), yet often we recognize it not. Nothing is interesting if you are not interested!

What shall I say about you?

Matthew 11:16-19

“What shall I say about this nation? These people are like children playing, who say to their little friends, ‘We played wedding and you weren’t happy, so we played funeral but you weren’t sad.’For John the Baptist doesn’t even drink wine and often goes without food, and you say, ‘He’s crazy.’ And I, the Messiah, feast and drink, and you complain that I am ‘a glutton and a drinking man, and hang around with the worst sort of sinners!’ But brilliant men like me you Jesus' can justify your every inconsistency!”

Food for thought!

In today's gospel reading Jesus describes some people that are stuck. They just can't get moved; they are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group shouts to the other, ‘We played wedding music for you, but you wouldn't dance! We sang funeral songs, but you wouldn't cry! These people are just stuck in something; nothing and nobody moves them; nothing and nobody inspires them; joyful songs don't inspire them; and neither do mourning songs. John the Baptist, with all his austerity, preached to them, and they said ‘He’s crazy.’ And Jesus came feasting and drinking, and they complained that he was a glutton and a drinking man, and hang around with the worst sort of sinners.

Yes, sometimes we too get stuck in life, unable to move forward or progress; unable to make a difference, not only in our life but also in the life of those we love. The basic question is do we know what we want, what we need, what we have to do? Do we know what will make us happy and alive and good?

The “little friends” didn't get inspired by the other children in the park; the people in Jesus' time didn't like both John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ. They just could not get inspired. Why? It is because, as Valorie Burton tells us, “What you say about your life and your circumstances is even more powerful than what others say.” It means, others cannot get you moving if you don't want to move; it means that others cannot inspire you if you are not interested in being inspired. What you say to yourself is far more powerful than what others say to you or about you.

How you tell the story of your challenges, the statements you make about yourself, what you say to yourself about yourself can either propel you forward or hold you back. Describe past challenges as events you have overcome, survived, or thrived in spite of. Refuse to make anyone who hurt you the centerpiece of your story. They do not get a starring role in your story. Give God the starring role. Describe the ways in which God grew you, enlightened you, protected you, or helped you through the situation.

Is your name written in heaven?
Jesus said, Let me tell you what's going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into Gods kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and Gods Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the Elijah you've all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah. Are you listening to me? Really listening?
Food for thought!
The words of Jesus in today's gospel reading are difficult to understand. What does he means by saying: "No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John"? Well, we must begin by saying that it is not a matter of what John the Baptist lacked or that made the other disciples great. In fact the point of the passage is exactly the opposite of that: the success or failure, greatness or smallness of our lives in this life has exactly no bearing on our status in the Kingdom. A successful business person is not necessarily a successful Christian.
Because we have been successful in this world, does not automatically translate into success in heaven. The point about John the Baptist was simply that although he played a very special role in history, this did not in itself make him special in the Kingdom; what made him special is Jesus.
A similar thing happened with Mary. The gospel of Luke 11:27-28 says: "As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, 'God bless your mother the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!' Jesus replied, 'But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.'"
The woman that mothered Jesus is indeed blessed. Mary is a blessed woman. However, and this is critically important, Mary is blessed not for having biologically mothered Jesus; she is blessed in the first place, for having heard Gods Word and having said, "let it be done to me according to his word." If Mary had heard but ignored the word of God as spoken by the angel, she would never ever been blessed. It means, as Jesus put it, more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice, as Mary did. So, Jesus is not denying Mary her honour; he is teaching us the correct reason why Mary is and should be honoured.
The same with John the Baptist. Jesus is not denying him his honour. He is rather saying that John is not great through the eyes of history even though historically he was the greatest of all born of a woman for being the immediate herald of the greatest event in all of history. John is great because he believed in the word of God.

Any earthly rankings in honor is utterly irrelevant when it comes to heavenly honor in the kingdom. It means that more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice. It means that heavenly blessing are greater than earthly blessings. This is why Jesus warns us: do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. (Luke 10:20)