The stone rejected by the builders!

Mark 12:1-12

Jesus went on to speak to the chief priests, the scribes and the elders in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug out a trough for the winepress and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce from the vineyard. But they seized the man, thrashed him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another servant to them; him they beat about the head and treated shamefully. And he sent another and him they killed; then a number of others, and they thrashed some and killed the rest. He had still someone left: his beloved son. He sent him to them last of all. “They will respect my son” he said. But those tenants said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they seized him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and make an end of the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this text of scripture:

It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?

And they would have liked to arrest him, because they realised that the parable was aimed at them, but they were afraid of the crowds. So they left him alone and went away.

Food for thought!

Jesus uses stories we know to teach us eternal truths we do not know. Today's Food for thought is enshrined in a story. This story has much to teach us in three directions, that is, about God, about us, and about Jesus.

(i) It has much to tell us about God.

(a) It tells of God's trust in men. The owner of the vineyard is God, the vineyard is all the earth. The farmhands are you and me; we are the cultivators. Jesus is saying, God made the earth, entrusted it to men and women and went away. He did not even stand over them to exercise a police-like supervision. He went away and left them with their task of looking after the earth. God pays us the compliment of entrusting us with his work. Every task we receive is a task given us to do by God. Therefore, “whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17)

(b) It tells of God's patience. The master sent messenger after messenger (the prophets). He did not come with sudden vengeance when one messenger had been abused and ill-treated. He gave the cultivators chance after chance to respond to his appeal. God bears with us in all our sinning; God is patient with us. The Lord “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

(c) It tells of God's judgment. In the end the master of the vineyard took the vineyard from the cultivators and gave it to others. God does not entertain unproductivity. God designed us to create wealth, to produce wealth; he designed us to be productive people. God wants you to be productive, and his plan for your life includes abundancy. He said, “I am come that you may have life, and may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

(ii) The gospel also has much to tell about us.

(a) It tells of human privilege. The vineyard was equipped with everything--the fence, the wine press, the tower--which would make the task of the cultivators easy and enable them to discharge it well. God does not only give us a task to do; he also gives us the means with which to do it; God does not ask us to do the impossible, He equips each one of us with talents, gifts and life. You and me were equipped by God, not to fail, but to succeed in life.

(b) It tells of human freedom. The master left the cultivators to do the task as they liked. God is no tyrannical task-master; he is like a wise commander who allocates a task and then trusts a man to do it.

(c) It tells of human answerability. To all people comes a day of reckoning. We are answerable for the way in which we have carried out the task God gave us to do in this life.

(d) It tells of the deliberateness of human sin. The cultivators carried out a deliberate policy of rebellion and disobedience towards the master. Sin is deliberate opposition to God; it is the taking of our own way when we know quite well what the way of God is.

(iii) The gospel still has much to tell us about Jesus.

(a) It tells of the claim of Jesus. It shows us quite clearly that Jesus is not any prophet. Those who come before him were the messengers of God; no one could deny them that honour; but they were mere servants; Jesus was THE Son. This parable contains one of the clearest claims Jesus ever made to be unique, to be different from even the greatest of those who went before him.

(b) It tells of the sacrifice of Jesus. It makes it clear that Jesus knew what lay ahead. In the parable the hands of wicked men killed the son. Jesus was never in any doubt of what lay ahead. He knew that they would kill him one day. He did not die because he was compelled to die; he went willingly and open-eyed to death.

31 May All authority in heaven and earth has been given to him!

Matthew 28:16-20


Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had said they would find him. There they met him and worshiped him— but some of them weren’t sure it really was Jesus! He told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

Food for thought!

As we mark the Holy Trinity Sunday, Jesus tells us his last revelation. He says to us, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to him." With this revelation, we come to the end of the gospel story, according to Matthew; here we listen to the last words of Jesus to his followers. In this last meeting Jesus not only tells us his authority but also assures that he has authority both in heaven and on earth; he has authority there in heaven as he did have here on earth. Now that he is in heaven, Jesus is still able to do and be for us what he was and what he did here on earth. Surely nothing was and is outside the power of Jesus. We can approach him now with the same confidence as those people we read about in the gospels did. The powerful Jesus stands before our Father in heaven, representing us, introducing us, pleading for us. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace—that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Here's Jesus' last revelation to his disciples: All authority in heaven and earth has been given to him.

This revelation is good news for us because it means that Jesus is still the same, as the letter to the Hebrews 13:8 puts it: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." He is the same here on earth as he is heaven; he is the same both yesterday, today and tomorrow. It means that that Jesus that healed people, that taught people, that stayed with his disciples is the same Jesus that we follow today. This is why in today's gospel he assures us: "be sure of this — that I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

So, whenever you kneel down in prayer, whenever you call upon Jesus, remember this promise. Whenever you fall into sin remember this promise of Jesus. Whenever you find yourself amidst hardships and problems and suffering of any kind, remember this great promise of Jesus.

This promise is great because it is the last one recorded in the gospel of Matthew. After this, Jesus did not say anything more because he immediately left for heaven thereafter. It is as if Jesus said to his disciples: "You heard me say many things. Even if you forgot all of them, don't ever forget this last one: REMEMBER THAT I HAVE ALL AUTHORITY AND THAT I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU!"

29 May Tell Jesus and Jesus will tell You!

Mark 11:27-33

Jesus and his disciples arrived in Jerusalem again, and as he was walking through the Temple area, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders* came up to him demanding, “What’s going on here? Who gave you the authority to drive out the merchants?” Jesus replied, “I’ll tell you if you answer one question! What about John the Baptist? Was he sent by God, or not? Answer me!” They talked it over among themselves. “If we reply that God sent him, then he will say, ‘All right, why didn’t you accept him?’ But if we say God didn’t send him, then the people will start a riot.” (For the people all believed strongly that John was a prophet.) So they said, “We can’t answer. We don’t know.” To which Jesus replied, “Then I won’t answer your question either!”

Food for thought

Did you notice in this, and in all other instances, that whenever people asked Jesus a question, he would answer by asking the questioner a question of his? Like today, some people came up to Jesus and asked him, «Who gave you the authority to drive out the merchants?» they asked. «Who gave you authority to do this?» Jesus answers them by another question: «I’ll tell you if you answer one question!» 

Jesus does this all the time in the gospels; he interrogates the interrogator; he questions the questioner, he tells the teller and as in today's gospel he questions his questioner. What does this mean for you and me? It means, if we ask Jesus, Jesus will ask us; if we answer Jesus, Jesus will answer us. It means that it is by telling Jesus that Jesus tells us, it is by opening up to Jesus that Jesus opens up to us, it is by loving Jesus that Jesus loves us; it is by giving to Jesus or for Jesus' sake that Jesus gives us, it is by forgiving that we are forgiven; it is by loving that we are loved. Etc.

Let me give you an example. In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asks his disciples, «Who do people say the Son of Man is?» The disciples begin to say all they have heard people say about Jesus. Then Jesus asks them, «But what about you?» he asks. «Who do you say I am?» Simon Peter answers, «You are the Christ. You are the Son of the living God.» Jesus replies, «Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! No mere man showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you. Here is what I tell you. You are Peter. On this rock I will build my church. The gates of hell will not be strong enough to destroy it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven. What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven.»

This was a tremendous revelation about Peter. Now notice that as soon as Peter tells Jesus, Jesus tells Peter; as soon as Peter says who Jesus is, Jesus tells Peter who Peter is: «Here is what I tell you. You are Peter...» Until this moment, Peter did not know really who he (Peter) was or what lay ahead for him until Jesus started to reveal Peter to Peter. And Jesus did not start to tell Peter until Peter started to tell Jesus. So, the principle is clear: tell Jesus and Jesus will tell you, answer Jesus and Jesus will answer you, know Jesus and Jesus will make you know yourself, give to Jesus and Jesus will give to you...!

Now, it is your turn, try it. Don't be like the people in today's gospel, «We can’t answer. We don’t know. To which Jesus replied, "Then I won’t answer your question either!"»

28 May Believe what you pray for and pray for what you believe!

Mark 11:11-28


And so Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around carefully at everything and then left—for now it was late in the afternoon— and went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

The next morning as they left Bethany, he felt hungry. A little way off he noticed a fig tree in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But no, there were only leaves, for it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “You shall never bear fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.

When they arrived back in Jerusalem, he went to the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers, and knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves, and stopped everyone from bringing in loads of merchandise. He told them, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple is to be a place of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of robbers.” When the chief priests and other Jewish leaders heard what he had done, they began planning how best to get rid of him. Their problem was their fear of riots because the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus’ teaching. That evening as usual they left the city.

Next morning, as the disciples passed the fig tree he had cursed, they saw that it was withered from the roots! Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” In reply Jesus said to the disciples, “If you only have faith in God—this is the absolute truth—you can say to this Mount of Olives, ‘Rise up and fall into the Mediterranean,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.” By this time they had arrived in Jerusalem again, and as he was walking through the Temple area, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders* came up to him demanding, “What’s going on here? Who gave you the authority to drive out the merchants?”

Food for thought!

Let us look at this text careful and see our Lord's secret of living. First and foremost, Jesus entered Jerusalem where he would die. He willingly went to the place of his death. The gospel says that “He looked around carefully at everything.” Jesus deliberately and thoughtfully summed up his task. Jesus was not recklessly plunging into unknown dangers. He was doing everything with his eyes wide open. He looked CAREFULLY at everything.

Then Jesus “entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple.” Before he joined battle with men he sought the presence of God in the Temple. It was only because each day he faced God that he could face men with such courage.

This brief passage also shows us something about the Twelve. They were still with Jesus in the final hours of his life on earth. By this time it must have been quite plain to them that Jesus was committing suicide, as it seemed to them. Sometimes we criticize them for their lack of loyalty in the last days, but it says something for them, that, little as they understood what was happening, they still stood by him. We have people who stand by us in the difficult times; we have people we stand by, come what may. These are our real friends. A friend in hard times is a hard friend to find.

The condemnation of the fig tree teaches us something. It is the condemnation of promise without fulfillment. The leaves on the tree might be taken as the promise of fruit, but there was no fruit there. It is the condemnation of profession without practice. It might be taken that the tree with its leaves professed to offer something and did not. Unless our religion makes us a better and more useful person, unless it makes our home happier, unless it makes life better and easier for those with whom we live and meet, it is not religion at all. Nobody can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and remain entirely unlike the Master whom he professes to love.

The condemnation of the fig tree teaches us the power of prayer. Jesus says that “You can pray for anything, AND IF YOU BELIEVE, you have it; it’s yours!” In other words, whenever we pray we must pray with expectation. It is the universal fact that anything tried in the spirit of confident expectation has a more than double chance of success. The patient who goes to a doctor and has no confidence in the prescribed remedies has far less chance of recovery than the patient who is confident that the doctor can cure him. Maybe our trouble is that when we pray we don't believe that we shall get what we pray for; we should pray in earnest as Jesus did that day.

All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! In other words, believe what you pray for and pray for what you believe!

27 May I want to see again!

Mark 10:46-52


And so they reached Jericho. Later, as they left town, a great crowd was following. Now it happened that a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was near, he began to shout out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Shut up!” some of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted the louder, again and again, “O Son of David, have mercy on me!” When Jesus heard him, he stopped there in the road and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “You lucky fellow,” they said, “come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus yanked off his old coat and flung it aside, jumped up and came to Jesus.  “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “O Teacher,” the blind man said, “I want to see again!” And Jesus said to him, “All right, it’s done. Your faith has healed you.” And instantly the blind man could see and followed Jesus down the road!

Food for thought!

A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. Says the gospel reading of a man who had lost his identity, his destiny, his place in the society. Due to his situation of blindness, the man was named Bartimaeus, that is, SON OF A FATHER! The man was, in other words, nameless. He was known and knowable in terms of his father; he had no name of his own. Sounds familiar?

Being nameless means being without identity of his own. THIS, was THE problem of this man. He was simply the son of the father. To call someone "son of the father" is to say nothing; is to say the obvious; is to say that the man was a son of a father; we're all born of the father. So why Repetir?  It is because he was a nobody.

No wonder that when Jesus asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?”, the man went straight to the base of his situation, the mother of his problem: “I want to see again!” Did you notice that the man is referred to as Bartimaeus (son of a father) up to and until he came to Jesus? Did you notice that, in Jesus' presence the man threw away the coat that was covering him all along?  Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus." Before this man knew Jesus he "was sitting beside the road", after coming to Jesus he was "back on track". He instantly could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

I don't know on which part of the road you are standing today; I do'nt know the name of your coat that is covering you right now, whether it is guilt, boredom, unemployement and probably unemployable, anger, despair, confusion, addiction, or even grieving the loss of a dear friend. Whatever is covering us this day, we can throw it away, thru him who strengthens us. The man's coat was called Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. This is the coat that the man, empowered by Jesus, threw away for the first time. Because of this coat, the man could not see; he had become blind; he had lost his name; he had lost his God given identity; he had lost his job, his status, his family and friends. It is all this that Jesus restored in this man: his identity, his name, his sight, his status, his dignity, and above all his personality. He is no longer a son of a father, but a son of THE HEAVENLY FATHER, created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27).

Many of us have lost our sight of what God made us; we have lost our "God given identity", and are known by "people given identity". If I asked, What is your identity? Your mission? Your purpose in life? What on earth are you for? What would you reply? Most of us would reply in terms of the people given identity. Please, notice how difficut it was for the man to beat the people given identity? When he called, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” many of the people yelled at him: “Be quiet!”. Why did the people react this way? Because they don't want us to lose the label they have given us; people like seeing us miserable. As long as they enjoy, as long as the people get what they want, they don't mind about your condition. We are egoistic people, and all we want is to have our interests served.

26 May Are you ready to pay the price?

Mark 10:32-45

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,  and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, ‘We can.” Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”



Food for thought!



These words of Jesus are very revealing of him; they show a Jesus that's focused on something, his death. In light of his death, Jesus is going to Jerusalem, knowing that he going to die. The gospel reading says that he took his disciples aside and started to talk to them about his death. Yes, today's food for thought is about death, your death, my death.

When did you last take your dear ones aside and talked about your death? Not yet? Do you even ever think of your death? Do you ever talk about it as Jesus did many times? Do you share with anybody about your death? Have you planned for it? How would you like to be buried? Where?  Do you have a will, a testament? This is the best way to plan for and think of and share your death. Don't be afraid. Like Jesus, take your friends aside and talk to them about your death.

Talking about your death will help you to be focused like Jesus. Jesus was a man whose face was set on some goal. He was a man whose mind was made up. He was a man who was determined to go somewhere and who refused to be distracted from his mission. Jesus was a focused man, whose mind was fixed on some mission and who was determined to carry it out. Jesus was ready to pay the price, in order to get the prize.

This is what Jesus is asking the two disciple: "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" Jesus is telling John and James that what you are aspiring for has a price tag; are you ready to pay the price, or you want the prize but not the price? This is a lesson for all of us: whatever we want to achieve in life, whatever we focus on, like having good life, good family, great business, good job, good spouse, has a price tag. You can't have a prize without a price.

James and John paid the price too. As you know, James was the first apostle to die martyrdom and his brother John was the last apostle to die, in exile. In other words, the two got what they wanted: be one on the left and the other on the right of Jesus; one died first, the other last! Next time you kneel down to ask Jesus for something think twice; think not only of what you ask for, but also think of what you will pay to get it.

25 May What about Us!

Mark 10:28-31

‘What about us?’ Peter asked Jesus. ‘We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – **now in this present time** and, in the world to come, eternal life. ‘Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’

Food for thought!

Today's gospel reading begins where yesterday's stopped (Mark 10:27). Peter and his disciples must have looked at the rich man going away until he disappeared some place in the distance. And as he went, Peter's mind must have been working, and working prety fast. He had just seen a man deliberately refuse Jesus' «Follow me!» He had just heard Jesus say in effect that that man by his action had shut himself out from eternal life. Peter could not help drawing the contrast between that man and himself and his friends. Just as the man had refused Jesus' «Follow me!» he and his friends had accepted it, and Peter with that almost crude honesty of his wanted to know what he and his friends were to get out of it.

"What about us?" Peter's concern is our concern: we sometimes do wonder, if there is any recognition for us for having accepted Jesus as our saviour, for having followed him on a daily basis, for having gone to church every Sunday or everyday for some, for taking time to pray, for trying our best to be and do good, etc. What is our reward? What’s in this for us?”

Jesus says that no man ever gave up anything for the sake of himself (that is, Jesus) and of his cause without getting it back a hundredfold. Jesus is saying that those who follow him have a definite advantage both here and in the hereafter. Jesus reminds us all that God is not indifferent to our efforts; that God sees; that God notices; that God records and rewards every sacrifice that is made for him and because of him. Jesus reminds us that what we have walked away from might seem like a lot, but God has far more in our future than we left behind in our past. Jesus is saying that we cannot beat God with generosity, we cannot out perform God in giving.

When Jesus speaks of «100 times», he simply means that it is more than you can imagine. He is not saying that if you give a dollar, he will give you one hundred in return. He might, but that is not the point! He is simply telling us that He has far more for us than anything we could ever give up to follow Him.

24 May Tough question. Tough answer!

Mark 10:17-27

Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’ And he said to him, ‘Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.’ Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, ‘My children,’ he said to them ‘how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were more astonished than ever. ‘In that case’ they said to one another ‘who can be saved?’ Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’

Food for thought!

Tough question. Tough answer.

The young man that came to Jesus asked a tough question: what must I do to inherit eternal life? This is a question that we all ask, directly or indirectly. As we grow old, as we move away from the womb and come closer to the tomb, we silently make this question. When I am dead, what will happen to me? Where will I go after this life? Is this life all there is? In other words, what must I do today to live tomorrow? How must I conduct myself today in order to survive tomorrow? This is the tough question.

Tough questions require tough answers. I praise this man because he knew where to take his tough questions. He took his question to Jesus. The Gospel says that he came running up, greeted Jesus with great reverence, and asked. Where do we take our questions? To whom do we go when we need answers to our difficult questions? We do well to run to Jesus, the wisdom of God, as the Letter to the Hebrews puts it:

"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are all accountable." (Heb. 4:12-13)

When you decide to take your quest to Jesus, you must prepare yourself for what he will tell you. Sometimes Jesus' answers are just too tough; you must be ready not only to ask but also to listen. Otherwise, you will be like the young man in today's Gospel reading, to whom Jesus said: "Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor." This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he went away sad.

Why did this man go away the way he did? Well, Jesus had quoted to the man the commandments which were the basis of the decent life. Without hesitation the man said he had kept them all. And he was not lying; he was saying the truth. And Jesus liked him for that. However, note one thing, that with one exception, all the commandments that this man kept were negative commandments; Thou shalt not! His morality consisted in not doing. The man had never given away anything, and this is what Jesus told him to do for the first time in his life: Go and sell and give.

In effect the man was saying, “I never in my life did anyone any harm.” That was perfectly true. But the real question is, “What good have you done?” And the question to this man was even more pointed, “With all your possessions, with your wealth, with all that you could give away, what positive good have you done to others? How much have you gone out of your way to help and comfort and strengthen others as you might have done?” Christianity consists in not doing bad things ONLY; Christianity consists ALSO in doing good things. That was precisely where this man, like so many of us, failed and fell down. We think that we are OK, just because we never robbed a bank, never stole a car, never .... We are not OK until we learn to do good to others. Morality is not just not doing evil to others; it is also about doing good to others. So, "what good have you done in this life?" God will ask us one day.

23 May Food for thought on Pentecost!

John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

Food for thought on Pentecost!

Today, we are celebrating Pentecost, which means 50. Today, if you counted, it is 50 days since Easter Sunday. Amazing things took place on this day, as we heard in the first reading. The greatest miracle was not the tongues; it was not what was seen on the outside. The greatest miracle was what happened on the inside, in the hearts of the disciples. (Act 2:4) «And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.»

Ac.2:1-13

So when the day of Pentecost came round, they were all together in one place; and all of a sudden there came from heaven a sound like that of a violent, rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues, like tongues of fire, appeared to them, which distributed themselves among them and settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them the power of utterance.

FIRELIGHTER AND FIREFIGHTERS

Did you notice that the descent of the Holy Spirit was in the form of FIRE? In other words, the Holy Spirit is a fighlighter and not a firefighter. He ignites our souls; He puts us on fire. The first reading described this way the action of the Holy Spirit, that «tongues, like tongues of fire, appeared to them, which distributed themselves among them and settled on each one of them.» The Holy Spirit put these people on fire because He is a firelighter.

Unfortunately, as the Holy Spirit lights our souls with fire, so do other people fight our fire. Yes, we have firefighters all around us; they are all over the place; sometimes people get married to them, other times people have fire fighters as their leaders, as their colleagues at work. How can you identify firefighters? Firefighters are just plain negative. That's all there is to it. But you don't have to allow them to discourage you. Regardless of whom they are or how close they may be to us. Sometimes the people closest to you are the one who will be the least supportive and the most negative. 

Sometimes, you get a brilliant idea, which ignites your soul; you feel yourself on fire; you want to experiment your new plan. Then, you go and share with your significant other, brother, sister, friend. Before you finish telling them your new idea and plan, they cut you short: That won't work; no one has ever done it, forget all about it...! Whenever you hear such comments, how are you supposed to React? What do you Do? Well, I once came across this guide. It may be useful to you as it is to me.

What firefighters say: "You poor thing." Response : I am blessed and I have the grace to overcome anything!
What they say: "How do you plan to acquire that? You don't make enough." Response : I am abundantly supplied. I am not moved by what I see. It's only temporary.
What they say: "That's a terrible sickness; you could die from it." Response : I am healed. I shall live and not die.
What they say: "You don't look well. Are you sick?" Response : I have divine health. I resist sickness in the name of Jesus.
What they say: "Yeah right, do you really believe you're going to pull that off?" Response : I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. What they say: "If I were you, I would be so depressed." Response : God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of a sound mind, power, and love. What they say: "I could never give that much money to the church. I have bills to pay." Response : When I give, God causes men to give to me, press down, shaken together and running over. God supplies all of my needs according to his riches in glory.
What they say: "I don't believe in anything that I can't see." Response : Without faith it is impossible to please God. I receive the promises of God through faith.
What they say: "Don't you get tired of cooking, cleaning and taking care of everyone else?" Response : I have the grace to care for the family that God has blessed me with.

Many of us have quenched fire, quenched dreams, quenched brilliant ideas because of firefighters. My advice to you is stay away from firefighters; spend more time with people who see you not just as you are but as you could be; people who encourage your dreams, ignite your fire and help it burn even more. Increase firelighter friends and diminish firefighters in your life. Befriend the best Firelighter, the Holy Spirit.

22 May Jesus did many other things!

John 21:20-25

Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. This was the one who had leaned against Jesus at the meal and asked him, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” When Peter saw this disciple, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain until I come, what difference does that make to you? You must follow me.” Therefore, the word spread among the brothers and sisters that this disciple wouldn’t die. However, Jesus didn’t say he wouldn’t die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what difference does that make to you?” This is the disciple who testifies concerning these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

Jesus did many other things as well. If all of them were recorded, I imagine the world itself wouldn’t have enough room for the scrolls that would be written.

Food for thought!

As we come to the end of the written gospel, we are reminded that this is not all; there is still more good news that was not written nor was writable down in human words. Indeed, most of what we have of Jesus is what he did in the last three years of his life. What, for instance, did Jesus do during his 30 years of hidden life? As we know, Jesus lived about 33 years of age, of which some 30 years, he spent at Nazareth, his home village. But as to what he did during this time, we know very little. The gospels focus on his last 3 years. This is why John confesses that "Jesus did many other things as well. If all of them were recorded, I imagine the world itself wouldn’t have enough room for the scrolls that would be written."

Are we going to feel sorry for what was not written down? Yes, and No. Yes, because we would like to know, for instance, how Jesus lived as a 7 year old, or 17 year old, or 25 years old. We only know that at 12 years old he went with his parents to Jerusalem for the Jewish festivities, and that after he stayed behind without his parents' knowledge. He was later found among religious elders teaching and learning.

But we are not sorry for what we don't have because what we have is what the heavenly Father intended for us. In other words, although we don't have all the good news of Jesus, we have all the good news of Jesus for us that we need and that God intended for us and for our salvation: John 20:30-31

30 Jesus provided far more God- revealing signs than are written down in this book. 31 These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it. Jesus knows how we come to know about all that was not written: «I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.»

We can only content ourselves with what God deemed enough for us. And we do well to "believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life." The rest, we shall know when the Holy Spirit comes. By the way, tomorrow we celebrate Pentecost. As Jesus said, "when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

May the Holy Spirit come and open our eyes to see not only the evil in the world but also the goodnews around us, both written and unwritable. Amen.

21 May Simon, son of John, do you love me?

John 21:15-19



After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep." Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I'm telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go." He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me."

Food for thought!

As far as the language goes, the question of Jesus, «Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these?» can mean two things equally well. (a) It may be that Jesus swept his hand round the boat and its nets and equipment and the caught fishes, and said to Peter: «Simon, do you love me more than THESE things? Are you prepared to give them all up, to abandon all hope of a successful career, to give up a steady job and a reasonable comfort, in order to give yourself for ever to my people and to my work?» This may have been a challenge to Peter to take the final decision to give all his life to what Jesus was asking him to do. Yes, sometimes Jesus demands a lot from us.

(b) It may be that Jesus looked at the rest of the little group of the disciples, and said to Peter: «Simon, do you love me more than your fellow-disciples do?» It may be that Jesus was looking back to a night when Peter said: «Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away» (Matt.26:33). It may be that he was gently reminding Peter how once he had thought that he alone could be true and how his courage had failed.

It is more likely that the second meaning is right, because in his answer Peter does not make comparisons any more; he is content simply to say: «You know that I love you.» Sometimes, we take ourselves to be different from all humanity, to be strong, to be special, until facts prove us otherwise, that we are not different from the rest of humanity, that we too are flesh and blood.

This is the lesson Peter learnt. That fateful night he had pledged to Jesus: «I will never fall away.» That same night, Peter fell away, not once, but three times. He fell away just like anybody else; he was as weak as anybody else. Over confidence is dangerous. Did you ever notice this? In his first letter, Peter began his letter this way: «I, Peter, I am writing this letter.» (1Pt 1:1). In his second letter the same Peter begins, «I, Simon Peter, am writing this letter.» (2Pt 1:1). Why this change in names? Why in the first letter just Peter and in the second letter Simon Peter? Well, in the first letter, Peter wrote full of spiritual energy. In the second letter, which he wrote years after, Peter acknowledged that he was still "Simon"; he acknowledged that in him there was still a Simon.

The name «Simon» represented Peter the man, the natural man, Son of Jona, whereas the name «Peter» represented Peter the apostle, the supernatural man; Peter is the vocation, Simon is the man in flesh and blood. So, in the first letter, he wrote as Peter. After many years, he still recognized that still his humanity had not left him; that he was still human, still weak, still struggling, still normal, still Simon.

We do well to remember this: that the struggle, the temptations, the flesh and blood do not die away with time; our «Simon nature» will accompany us until the end, until we die; until death does part us from it, we will continue to feel the urges of flesh and blood. That is the bad news.
The good news is that we have Jesus, who knows that we are both Simon and Peter, both natural and supernatural, both human and Christian. That is why whenever our Simon over runs our Peter Jesus gives us chance to reaffirm ourselves, as he did with Peter. He asked him three times if Peter loved him. Why? It was three times that Peter denied his Lord, and it was three times that his Lord gave him the chance to affirm his love.

Jesus, in his gracious forgiveness, gave Peter the chance to wipe out the memory of the threefold denial by a threefold declaration of love. After our fall, Jesus will always give us another chance. For Jesus there is always a second cup. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins always; where sin abounds, God's grace superabounds. (Rom 5:20)

20 May Jesus prayed for You!

John 17:20-26


Jesus prayed to his Father in these words: "I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message. I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as you and I are one: I in them and you in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me.

“Father! You have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, the glory you gave me; for you loved me before the world was made. Righteous Father! The world does not know you, but I know you, and these know that you sent me. I made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that the love you have for me may be in them, and so that I also may be in them."

Food for thought!

The night before the Lord Jesus was taken to be crucified was a night filled with much activity. He spent the evening with His disciples in the upper room, celebrating the Eucharist, teaching them about the Holy Spirit, and encouraging them to carry on His work in the world. After they had finished the Eucharist, Jesus led them outside the city to a garden called Gethsemane. There, busy as he was, Jesus found time to pray to his Father. What a lesson! Jesus was never too busy to pray; he never put off prayer because he was busy. 

Luke tells us that that night he prayed with such intensity that he sweat became like great drops of blood, Luke 22:41-44.

First, he prayed for himself as the Cross faced him: John 17:5 «And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, The very splendor I had in your presence Before there was a world.»

Second, he prayed for his disciples: John 17:9 «I pray for them. I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world But for those you gave me.»

Third, his prayers looked into the distant future and distant lands. Yes, that night Jesus prayed for you and me: «I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message.» Today's Gospel should be specially precious to us, for it is Jesus' prayer for us.

Jesus' confidence!

When Jesus prayed that night, his followers were still few, but even with the Cross facing him, his confidence was unshaken, and he was praying for those who would come to believe in his name. He knew that his death was never going to be the end; he knew that there was light beyond the tunnel; that there was daybreak after night; that there would be a resurrection Sunday after bitter Friday; that there was a crown after the cross.

A Christian is a Christ living once again today, with faith and confidence that there is a tomorrow, despite the toils and pains of today. So as you suffer, remember there is a tomorrow; as you rejoice remember that there is a tomorrow; don't eat or buy or live as if there is no tomorrow.

Jesus knew that the disciples did not fully understand him; he knew that in a very short time they were going to abandon him in his hour of dire need. Yet to these very men he looked with complete confidence to spread his name throughout the world. Jesus never lost his faith in God or his confidence in man. Christ believes in us; he trusts us more than we trust in ourselves.

Yes, Jesus believes in us. Indeed, this is why there is forgiveness; he forgives us our sins again and again because he knows and believes that we can change, that we can be and do better; that we can rise beyond our sins and weaknesses. No one believes in our potential like Jesus does. He made us; he knows us; he knows not only our weaknesses; he knows our strengths as well. In Jesus and with Jesus never lose confidence. Just be calm and carry on!

19 May Jesus' leadership style!

John 17:11-19



Now I am leaving the world, and leaving them behind, and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your own care—all those you have given me—so that they will be united just as we are, with none missing. During my time here I have kept safe within your family all of these you gave me. I guarded them so that not one perished, except the son of hell, as the Scriptures foretold.

“And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so that they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world, and I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness.


Food for thought!

And now I am coming to you.

Jesus said these words to indicate that he was going away; he was leaving his disciples. Leaders must have not only vision and mission but also tremendous personal resolve. While leaders attract followers, at any moment they must be able to walk away from them, lest they become followers themselves. When the time came, Jesus went away. Perhaps the true mark of a leader is that she or he is willing to stand alone.

It must have been difficult for Jesus to say no to people. The whole essence of his being seemed to say yes. But he did say no. He said no to the ambitious young man who wanted to follow him. He said no to his mother when she was trying to interrupt his teaching. He said no to Judas about turning to politics. He said no to temptations in the wilderness. He said no, at times, to himself: “No, I will not run from this. I will drink the cup that is placed before me.” Jesus' leadership style was intended to be put to use by all of us. His leadership is food for thought for all of us.

Jesus prayed for his disciples because he knew that this group would outlive him and would carry out the task he had started. Jesus prayed for his disciples also because he knew that had to depend on them to accomplish his goal. Do you ever pray for your colleagues?  Your Boss?  Your Staff? Do you realize that your success depends on their success?

Each of us must answer to someone. In fact, when a person begins to think there is no one to answer to, problems really begin. Jesus knew who his boss was, and he kept in touch with him daily. Jesus met with his boss daily, usually for hours. Nothing could interrupt the time that was predesignated, set aside, and honored. As a leader, it is vitally important that you keep in touch with your boss on a regular, sacrosanct basis. Chances are your boss can provide an aerial view that will make your path more clear. Jesus kept in constant contact with his boss. Do You?

18 May To have eternal life is to be fully alive!

John 17:1-11



When Jesus had finished saying all these things he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Reveal the glory of your Son so that he can give the glory back to you. For you have given him authority over every man and woman in all the earth. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth! I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to. And now, Father, reveal my glory as I stand in your presence, the glory we shared before the world began.

“I have told these men all about you. They were in the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always yours, and you gave them to me; and they have obeyed you. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the commands you gave me; and they accepted them and know of a certainty that I came down to earth from you, and they believe you sent me.

“My plea is not for the world but for those you have given me because they belong to you. And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you; and you have given them back to me with everything else of yours, and so they are my glory! Now I am leaving the world, and leaving them behind, and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your own care—all those you have given me—so that they will be united just as we are, with none missing.


Food for thought!


Three gates lead into the magnificent cathedral of Milan. Over one gate is an inscription which says: “The things that please are temporary.” Over the second gate is the inscription: “The things that disturb us are temporary.”And over the central gate is a big inscription which says: “Eternal are the important ones.” We tend to understand eternal life as meaning life without end. Eternal life has to do, not so much with duration of life, for life which went on for ever would not necessarily be a boon. Its main meaning is quality of life.

Eternal life differs from everlasting life which is merely quantitative. The devil and his angels have everlasting life because they never die. But they do not enjoy eternal life which is a life of perfect happiness and peace in union with God. What the human soul desires is not just everlasting life, but eternal life, a life of perfect union with God which cannot be diminished neither in duration nor in satisfaction. This is the life that Jesus gives, as he says in today's gospel: "He gives eternal life to each one you have given him." John 10:10: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” To have eternal life is to be fully alive.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus points out that the way to eternal life is through the cross. There is no eternal life without the cross. The Cross was the glory of Jesus because it was the completion of his work. "I have accomplished the work," he said, "which You gave me to do." For him to have stopped short of the Cross would have been to leave his task uncompleted. Why should that be so? Jesus had come into this world to tell men about the love of God and to show it to them. If he had stopped short of the Cross, it would have been to say that God's love said: "Thus far and no farther." By going to the Cross Jesus showed that there was nothing that the love of God was not prepared to do and suffer for men, that there was literally no limit to it.

“And this is the way to have eternal life — by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth!” (John 17:3). Some people may be surprised that Jesus talks about “knowing” rather than “believing in” God. But knowing is used in the Bible to represent the intimacy that exists between two people. To know somebody is to have a personal, intimate relationship with that person. For instance, “Adam knew his wife Eve” (Genesis 4:1). Jesus is saying that what leads to eternal life is not intellectual knowledge but personal knowledge; it is intimacy with God and with Jesus Christ.

Eternal life demands knowledge of two people: to know the Father; to know the Son. Everyone is looking for long life and the good life. Eternal life is unending good life. This is what we all seek. Jesus today tells us how to attain this all-important goal of life. We need to cultivate an intimate, personal relationship with God through Jesus.

17 May In the world you will have trouble!

John 16:29-33

“At last you are speaking plainly,” his disciples said, “and not in riddles. Now we understand that you know everything and don’t need anyone to tell you anything. From this we believe that you came from God.”

“Do you finally believe this?” Jesus asked. “But the time is coming—in fact, it is here—when you will be scattered, each one returning to his own home, leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.”

Food for thought!

Today, just as yesterday, Jesus is cautioning us that in this world we will have trouble! This is a promise we so often forget at our peril. Troubles in life are not accidents; they're incidents allowed by our loving Father. That's why whenever we have sudden, unexpected problems on multiple fronts, they may represent a strategic attack by the Devil. That’s one of the lessons from the early chapters of the book of Job, when Satan arranged for successive waves of tragedy to hit Job, one after another, in an intense, sustained effort to destroy him and his faith. These were Satan’s cluster bombs. Remember that Satan tempted Jesus three times, one attempt after another in rapid succession. For that reason, whenever I see a series of unfortunate events occurring in my life, one after the other, almost in timed precision, I consider that to be a sustained, strategic satanic attack.

It is during these troublesome times that God wants to teach us His richest and deepest lessons: the Lord intends to stabilize, strengthen, and develop us—that’s one of the reasons He allows troubles to come. They are His tools in conforming us to Christ, His Son. This is why Jesus is commending us to be brave.

What we must remember, in our darkest moments of life, is that God has often led us to the very place where we cry out in despair to deliver us, like Joseph in Egypt or Jesus in the wilderness or the Jews at the Red Sea, in the valley where all hope seems gone. And He has done so to teach us a much needed lesson in our walk of faith— we cannot deliver ourselves from a crisis that God himself has orchestrated.

But through it all, in every trouble, we should trust in God’s presence, as Jesus said: I am not alone because the Father is with me. Remember Psalm 23. It says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Did you notice the words "shadow of death"? Don't miss the one crucial word "shadow". It’s just a shadow — it’s not real death. Our problems are just shaddows; they're not the real thing; they're not death. Do you remember the words Jesus said to his disciples about the death of Lazarus? He said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." ( John 11:4)

This is what Jesus says of every problem and trouble and crisis of ours: "This trouble or problem or crisis does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Our troubles are shadows of something else. Our problems are all metaphors. They're THROUGH moments. Remember Joseph, who went looking for his brothers in Genesis 37. He was just seventeen-year-old at the time. When his brothers kidnapped him and sold him into slavery, it was the beginning of a thirteen-year ordeal that included bondage, prison, false charges of sexual assault, and repeated disappointments. Joseph’s first response was terror, anguish, and pleading (Genesis 42: 21). But when he emerged from this shadow of death at age thirty, he was ready to be prime minister of Egypt. That’s the thing about troubles. They may have shadows and sorrows, but they are “through” passages.

Psalm 23: 4 does not speak of a cave or a dead-end trail. It’s a valley, which means it has an opening on both ends. Note that the Psalm doesn't say, "though I walk in the valley." It says "though I walk THROUGH the valley." The emphasis is on through, which indicates a temporary state, a transition, a brighter path ahead, a hopeful future lies ahead. That’s precisely what happened with Hezekiah, as he later testified, "Indeed, it was for my own welfare that I had such great bitterness; but Your love has delivered me. (Isa. 38:17a)


I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.

16 May Father, keep them in your own care!

John 17:11-19



Now I am leaving the world, and leaving them behind, and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your own care—all those you have given me—so that they will be united just as we are, with none missing. During my time here I have kept safe within your family all of these you gave me. I guarded them so that not one perished, except the son of hell, as the Scriptures foretold.

“And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so that they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world, and I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness.



Food for thought!



In his farewell, we note that Jesus did not pray that his disciples be taken out of this world (I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power). He never prayed that we might find escape; he prayed that we might find victory; he prayed not to run away but to face the rough and tumbles of life. This means that our prayer and meditation and quiet times, when we shut the door upon the world to be alone with God, are not intended to be flight from the challenges of the world; they are not meant to withdraw us from life, but to equip us better for it. Prayer does not offer us release from problems, but a way to face and solve them. It does not offer us an easy peace, but a triumphant warfare. It does not offer us a life in which troubles are escaped and evaded, but a life in which troubles are faced and conquered.

In today's first reading, Paul is doing his farewell too (Acts 20:36-38)

"When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them, and they wept aloud as they embraced him in farewell, sorrowing most of all because he said that he would never see them again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship."

Please, note that Paul and the people knelt down in prayer, even as they cried! Then, got up and bravely, walked Paul down to the ship that took him to Rome, where he was persecuted. This is what we must do whenever we have a challenge before us: PAUSE FOR PRAYER TO JESUS AND CALL UPON HIS NAME; THEN BRAVELY STAND UP, COLLECT YOURSELF AND THEN GO FORWARD TO FACE YOUR CHALLENGE, YOUR PROBLEM, YOUR ENEMY, YOUR DAY, YOUR MEETING, etc. Even as you weep, even as you struggle, even as you don't understand why this happens to you, even as you are sorrowful, stand up and match on forward. We’re promised that in this world we will have trouble—we should count on it and be brave (see John 16: 33). But through it all, in every valley, we should trust in God’s sovereignty, supernatural power, love, mercy, and grace.

We are people Jesus prayed and prays for. Do not be afraid, please.

15 May In the name of Jesus!

John 16:23-28


“When that day comes, you will not ask me for anything. I am telling you the truth: the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your happiness may be complete.  I have used figures of speech to tell you these things. But the time will come when I will not use figures of speech, but will speak to you plainly about the Father. When that day comes, you will ask him in my name; and I do not say that I will ask him on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you. He loves you because you love me and have believed that I came from God. I did come from the Father, and I came into the world; and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Food for thought!


Today, Jesus says something that is indeed food for thought. He said, "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name; ask (in my name) and you will receive, so that your happiness may be complete." In order to understand the weight of this statement, let us look at what is in a person's name.

First and foremost, we know that our names re-present us; our names make us present. When someone calls our names, they turn us from absence to presence; our names turn us into a present. When we call someone's name, we call all that that person represents and is. You are your name; your name is you.

The same with Jesus. His name turns him present. When we call on the name of Jesus, we call on the Son of God; when we call on the name of Jesus we call on his power, his personality, his presence. It should be comforting to know that in the most violent storms of our life, Jesus promises to be always present with us; he commends us to call upon his name. Understand today that in your storms of life is Jesus with you. So, don't suffer alone; call upon his name; and be assured that Jesus will not allow you to perish, if you will call upon his name, which as we said, turns Jesus present. Surely, your boat cannot go down with the Jesus in it! Don’t be deceived, Jesus didn’t come to get you out of the storms in your life— He came to take you through them.

By telling us to use his name, Jesus is telling us, in other words, that when we are one with him, we can dare to ask the Father anything; Jesus is saying that "You  are mine; I am yours." That we are so intimately united more than husband and wife are. These two are just an image of his union with each one of us. We are one WITH Christ; we are one IN Christ. 

Our spouse, Jesus, is saying: Use my name to pray to the Father; He will not refuse you anything in my name; don't be afraid; don't fight alone; don't suffer alone; don't die alone. Unit now you have not used my name! You have not yet used my name for your benefit. You are still using your name, your poor and weak name. Use Jesus' powerful name! 

"God raised him to the highest place above and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. And so,** in honor of the name of Jesus** all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees." (Phil 2:9-10).

"Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only by the name of Jesus." (Acts 4:12)

14 May Joy Last!

John 16:20-23 - Joy last!

Jesus told his disciples, "I am telling you the truth: you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness. When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the world. That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness, the kind of gladness that no one can take away from you."

Food for thought!

Yesterday, we marked the Ascension, that is, Jesus' return to heaven. Today's words were said before his return. He is saying to his disciples: "I am leaving you; but I am coming back; the day will come when my reign will begin and my kingdom will come; but before that you will have to go through terrible things, with pain like birthpangs upon you. But, if you faithfully endure, the blessings will be very precious." Then he went on to outline the life of the Christian who endures.

(i) Sorrow will turn to joy. There may be a time when it looks as if to be good brings nothing but sorrow, and to do evil brings nothing but joy; there is a time when being a good person looks like out of fashion; there is a time when not retaliating looks like being silly and fighting back looks heroic. But the day always comes when the roles are reversed. The world's careless joy will turn to sorrow; and the Christian's apparent sorrow will turn to joy; the day comes when being good pays and being evil not. The Christian must always remember, when his faith costs him dear, that this is not the end of things and that sorrow will give way to joy.

(ii) There will be two precious things about this Christian joy.

(a) It will never be taken away. It will be independent of the chances and changes of the circumstances. It is the simple fact that in every generation people who were suffering terribly have spoken of sweet times with Christ. The joy the world gives is at the mercy of the world. The joy which Christ gives is independent of anything the world can do.

(b) It will be complete. In life's greatest joy there is always something lacking; even when we are very happy, we experience some sadness. In every worldly joy they is some sadness; every worldly achievement there is some failure. We all have this funny feeling whenever we are contented, that this contentment will not last long. In Christian joy, the joy of the presence of Christ, there is no tinge of imperfection. It is perfect and complete.

(iii) In Christian joy the pain which went before is forgotten. The mother forgets the pain in the wonder of the child. The martyr forgets the agony in the glory of heaven. We all rejoice when, after much struggle and suffering, we are victorious; we all like to celebrate victory after much pain and agony and struggle. Jesus is just reminding us that true happiness and joy is that which comes after much fight.

12 May When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes!

John 16:12-15


“Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t understand it now. When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes, he shall guide you into all truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, but will be passing on to you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He shall praise me and bring me great honor by showing you my glory. All the Father’s glory is mine; this is what I mean when I say that he will show you my glory.

Food for thought!


When Jesus went back to heaven, the disciples didn't know what to do. They retired to their upper rooms and hid themselves. So the Holy Spirit came to change this.

Ac.2:1-13

“So when the day of Pentecost came round, they were all together in one place; and all of a sudden there came from heaven a sound like that of a violent, rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues, like tongues of fire, appeared to them, which distributed themselves among them and settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them the power of utterance.”

This is the kind of work that the Holy Spirit does in the hearts of believers. When fear of trouble tends to freeze our faith and courage into silent submission to despair, the Holy Spirit warms us up and empowers us to go out there and make a difference. Many times we are like the disciples of Jesus: we have the message, we have the mission, we know what to say and do, we know the answers, we have the plan, sometimes even the money, but just don't make much happen, because we miss something.

This missing something is actually a missing Someone — namely, the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we operate in our own strength and only accomplish human-size results. The world is not moved by love or actions that are of human creation. And the church is not empowered to live differently from any other gathering of people without the Holy Spirit. But when we live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in our lives is supernatural. We cannot but be different, and the world cannot help but notice us.

In other words, it seems that the Holy Spirit is all but missing from most of us; it is not enough to know or to have a message, or to have a theology; it is not enough to have a plan; it is not enough to have funds, it is very important to have the Holy Spirit. What moves us from inaction to action, what makes us take risks, go the extra mile, and do whatever it takes to achieve our goals, is called the Holy Spirit. 

In other words, many of us haven't started to be our dreams, haven't began to realize our plans, not because we don't have the dreams, not because we don't have the plans, but because we don't have the Holy Spirit. Dreams and plans and money are not enough; we need the Holy Spirit. All people have dreams; many people have plans; some people have enough money; what all people need in order to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others is called Holy Spirit.

“When the Holy Spirit, who is truth, comes, he shall guide you into all truth.”

11 May Another!

John 16:5-11


Jesus said to his disciples,  “But now I am going away to the one who sent me; and none of you seems interested in the purpose of my going; none wonders why. Instead you are only filled with sorrow. But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don’t, the Comforter won’t come. If I do, he will—for I will send him to you.

“And when he has come he will convince the world of its sin, and of the availability of God’s goodness, and of deliverance from judgment. The world’s sin is unbelief in me; there is righteousness available because I go to the Father and you shall see me no more; there is deliverance from judgment because the prince of this world has already been judged."

Food for Thought!

We are in the last moments of Jesus with his disciples. Jesus is budding them farewell,  just before he was taken captive by his enemies. He says, "it is best for you that I go away." He is talking of his death. It is as if he said, "it is good that I die." What does he mean by this? It means that as long as he was physically present, Jesus was limited in time and space, because he was still in the body. When and if he dies, Jesus will be free; he will be living in the spirit. The spirit is no longer bound by space and time. So you see why it is good that the physical Jesus goes away.

So Jesus is basically telling His disciples, “Yes, I was with you for three and a half years, but it is better that I leave you and the Holy Spirit comes to you.” When the disciples heard that two thousand years ago, I’m sure it was hard for them to grasp. How could it be better to trade a human Jesus—a man they could talk and eat and laugh with—for a Spirit they couldn’t physically see? Thousands of years later, I think most of us would also choose a physical Jesus over an invisible Spirit. But what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it is better for His followers to have the Holy Spirit?

Think about it. Upon foretelling His death, Jesus comforts the disciples by telling them that “another Counselor”is coming (John 14:16). Jesus gave the disciples the ultimate reassurance: ANOTHER Comforter would come. Jesus said that the Father would give the disciples “ANOTHER Counselor to be with them forever”(14:16). In this case, the word ANOTHER means ANOTHER that is just like the first (as opposed to another that is of a different sort or kind). So Jesus was saying that the One who would come would be just like Him; that would lead us just like Jesus has lead us. This means that the Holy Spirit is a Person, just as Jesus. The Holy Spirit is not a "thing". The Holy Spirit is a Person who has personal relationships with us just as Jesus does.

Take a moment and ask yourself this question: When was the last time I undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around me? If it was recently, consider taking a few minutes to reflect on what the Spirit of God did and how you saw Him at work. Thank God for His active presence in your life, and praise Him for the way He is leading you even now as you lead this meditation. If you are having trouble recounting a time when the Spirit was at work in or around you, perhaps that is because you have been ignoring the Spirit. Perhaps it is because you have a lot of head knowledge about the Spirit, but not much of a relationship with Him. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that that is true.

10 May I have told You!

John 15:26-16:4


*“I will send you the Helper from the Father. The Helper is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me. And you will tell people about me too, because you have been with me from the beginning. **“I have told you all this so that you won’t lose your faith when you face troubles. People will tell you to leave their synagogues and never come back. In fact, the time will come when they will think that killing you would be doing service for God. They will do this because they have not known the Father, and they have not known me. I have told you all this now to prepare you. So when the time comes for these things to happen, you will remember that I warned you. **“I did not tell you these things at the beginning, because I was with you then.*

Food for thought!

Jesus knows life. Jesus knows man. Today, he is warning us of real danger, not of animals, not of catastrophes, of man. It is true, the greatest enemy of man is man, and Jesus knew and knows it. That is why he told us the time will come when people will think that killing you or persecuting you or hating you is doing service for God.

Jesus is talking out of experience. He was hated by men, slandered by men, tortured by men, beaten by men, crucified by men and killed by men. What Jesus is telling us today, is what happened to him. They expelled him from the synagogue, and was later killed by the religious people of the day. Things have not changed much. The people who hate and wish us evil are not atheists but theists, that is, religious people, most whom pray with us to the same Lord.

Jesus warned us. "I have told you all this now to prepare you. So when the time comes for these things to happen, you will remember that I warned you." When the hour comes, many times, if not always, we don't remember Jesus' warning; we don't remember that we have to suffer just as Jesus said.

Next time when the people you are trying to help turn against you, remember Jesus' warning. Or when someone turn against you for doing or being good, remember Jesus' words. Or when someone hates you out of jealousy, remember Jesus' warning. Or when people hate you for being contrary to their expectations, remember Jesus' warning.

Remember that many of the people who give us hard time are not pagans but fellow belivers, and sometimes fellow Christians; those who worship with us and profess the same faith in Jesus. As it was with Jesus so it will be with us. Jesus was killed by fellow Jews, fellow believers. Even though the people who give us hard times do think that by doing so they are offering service to God, the truth is that they have not known the Father, and they have not known Jesus.

Another gift from Jesus: LOVE!

John 15:9-11

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete.’

Food for thought!

In this passage there is much about remaining in the love of Christ. What is meant by that? Let us take a human analogy, knowing that all analogies are imperfect. Suppose a person is weak. He falls easily to temptation; or he has made a mess of things; he is on the way down to degeneracy of mind and heart and mental fibre. Now suppose that he has a friend of a strong and lovely and loving nature, who counsels him, encourages him, strengthens him to resist temptation and helps him stay good. In order to keep the momentum and stay ok, the weak man must stay in company of the good man. If he loses that contact; all the chances are that his weakness will overcome him; the old temptations will rear their heads again; and he will fall. His salvation lies in continual contact with the strength of his friend.

Yes, there are people in whose company it is very difficult to stay good; and there are people in whose company it is easy to stay good and clean.
Jesus is saying, I am your good company; stay with me and you will stay clean and well: «If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.»

Jesus' secret of life was his constant contact with his Father; again and again he withdrew into a solitary place to talk to his Father. He was never too busy to be with his Father. We must do the same; we must keep constant contact with Jesus. We cannot do that unless we deliberately take steps to do it. To take but one example--to pray in the morning, if it be for only a few moments, is to have an antiseptic for the whole day; for we cannot come out of the presence of Christ to touch the evil things. Let's have a constant contact with Jesus. It will mean arranging life, arranging prayer, arranging silence in such a way that there is never a day when we give ourselves a chance to forget him.

By the way, this is the purpose of the daily «food for thought»; it is intended to help you jump start your contact with Jesus. I hope it helps you as it does with me.

"I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete."

Another gift from Jesus: PRAYER!

John 15:1-8

“I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Gardener. He lops off every branch that doesn’t produce. And he prunes those branches that bear fruit for even larger crops. He has already tended you by pruning you back for greater strength and usefulness by means of the commands I gave you. Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For a branch can’t produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you be fruitful apart from me.

“Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing. If anyone separates from me, he is thrown away like a useless branch, withers, and is gathered into a pile with all the others and burned. But if you stay in me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory to my Father.

Food for thought!

We and Jesus are so much united that we are like the branches attached to a tree. And as branches, there's constant and consistent communication between us and Jesus. While Jesus is constantly feeding us, the Father is constantly pruning us to bear more fruit. However,  something we must note is that pruning is a painful process. It is not fun to be pruned. Bearing fruit cannot be achieved in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering. All successful people can attest to the multitude of difficulties that were overcome on the journey to their destination.

Jesus makes a revelation: "apart from me you can’t do a thing." This neans in effect that there is nothing we can do on our own without the assistance of Jesus. But we're not the only one. Even our heavenly Father did nothing without Jesus. The Bible says: "God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him." (John 1:3) St. Paul puts it this way: "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." (Collossians 1:16).

If and when we separate from Jesus, we become useless and powerless;  we're thrown away like a useless branch, wither, and are gathered into a pile with all the others and burned. But if and when we stay in Jesus and obey his commands, we may ask any request we like, and it will be granted! It is by prayer and meditation that we stay in touch with Jesus. In prayer we touch God and let God touch us. We do well to stay in touch, even when we away from the church. Be in touch with God, and let God be in touch with you. As St. Paul recommends us, "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." (Colossians  4:2)

I attribute all my success to the power of prayer in my daily life. In fact, I begin all my activities with prayer, especially mental prayer. Whatever you do in life, whether you get married, bring a case to a court of law, perform surgery on a child, or buy a stock, it is wise to begin with prayer. Remember, without Jesus we're nothing and can do nothing.

Another gift from Jesus: PEACE!

John 14:27-31

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you—I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me. I don’t have much more time to talk to you, for the evil prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will freely do what the Father requires of me so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going."

Food for thought! - Christ's Peace!

After promising us the Holy Spirit, whom he referred to as the «Comforter» that will teach us much, as well as remind us of everything Jesus told us, Jesus gives us another gift, Peace; his Peace! His is a "Peace of mind and heart" that isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. For that reason, there's no need to be troubled or afraid.

The reason we are not supposed to be troubled nor afraid is that we are not left alone; Jesus leaves us with an advocate, a comforter,  that is, a pleader, an attorney, a lawyer who defends our cause. As St. Paul puts it, «We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.» (2 Cor 4:8-9)

In the Bible «peace» never means the absence of trouble. Indeed, peace by nature pressuposes trouble; we cannot talk of peace without implying trouble, just as we cannot talk of day without implying night. Something demonstrative of peace happened during Jesus' passion; he was at peace throughout: «He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.»

Amidst false accusations and cries of «crucify him», Jesus remained peaceful in silence to the amazement of Pilate, who remarked: «Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?»

When he carried the cross, when he lay down on the cross, and when he was nailed through his hands and feet, Jesus maintained his peace. THIS IS THE PEACE OF CHRIST, «which surpasses all understanding» (Phil. 4:7). The peace which Jesus offers us is the peace of conquest after challenges, is the peace that endures all kind of challenge. No experience of life can ever take it from us and no sorrow, no danger, no suffering, no problem can ever make it less. It is independent of outward circumstances.

In today's first reading there is another example of peace despite trouble (Act 14:19-22)

«Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob that stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead. But as the believers stood around him, he got up and went back into the city! The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. After preaching the Good News there and making many disciples, they returned again to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, where they helped the believers to grow in love for God and each other. They encouraged them to continue in the faith in spite of all the persecution, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.»

Paul was talking from experience. He had just been bitten to die, but Paul didn't die; he instead rose up and went on doing what he had to do. He even encouraged others saying through many hardships we must go before we enter the kingdom of God. Like Jesus, Paul is saying in other words, there's no crown without the cross; no victory without a fight; no day without a night; no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Before we succeed, we must struggle.

When the Holy Spirit Comes!

John 14:21-26

The one who obeys me is the one who loves me; and because he loves me, my Father will love him; and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him.”

Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but his other disciple with that name) said to him, “Sir, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us disciples and not to the world at large?”

Jesus replied, “Because I will only reveal myself to those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we will come to them and live with them. Anyone who doesn’t obey me doesn’t love me. And remember, I am not making up this answer to your question! It is the answer given by the Father who sent me.

“I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Comforter instead of me*—and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you."

Fo

od for the thought!

As he begins to end his ministry, Jesus begins to introduce the Holy Spirit; as he begins to go, Jesus begins to speak of the Holy Spirit to succeed him; as one goes, the other comes. “I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Comforter instead of me —and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit— he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you. 

Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will begin from where he will leave off; Jesus has spoken, the Holy Spirit will remind us; one speaks, the other reminds us. Thanks to the Holy Spirit that we don't forget Jesus' teaching. The Holy Spirit reminds us also of all the things Jesus said. When we become discouraged, the Holy Spirit in our soul reminds us of some words of Jesus, of some phrase of the Bible, which encourages us to go on. Do you remember being in some difficulty or going through hard times, some words of Jesus that bring you comfort? Well, it was the Holy Spirit at work.

The Holy Spirit encourages us to keep on running, to keep on going, to keep on living for Jesus. He inspires us to press forward for the glory of the Lord. Indeed, we are neither alone nor lonely because the Holy Spirit is busy within us!

The Holy Spirit will teach us much! 

When all is said and done, a Christian like you and me, must be a learner, so that the Holy Spirit lead him deeper and deeper into the Words of Jesus. The Christian who feels that he has nothing more to learn is the Christian who has not even begun to learn. The Christian with a shut mind is a contradiction. This is why, before you read the Bible, before you listen to a sermon, you do well to pray for the Holy Spirit for yourself, that your mind open up to the Holy Spirit.

Did you realize that as we listen to or read a sermon, we all hear equally the same voice of the person speaking to us, and yet, we each have a  different perception of the meaning; we understand different things according to what the Holy Spirit wants each one of us to know. That is why, we come out of Mass with different inspirations, despite having listened to the same preacher, the same Bible reading. In other words, as we listen to the outside voice of the preacher or as we read the Bible or a sermon like this one, we at the same time do listen as well to the inside voice in us of the Holy Spirit.

Do you remember those two disciples who were going to Emmaus? They said to one another, «Were not our hearts burning within us as he spoke to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us» (Lk 24,32). These disciples heard the voice of Jesus, but inside them the Holy Spirit was busy working in their hearts.

Nearly all of us have this sort of experience in life. We are tempted to do something wrong and are on the very brink of doing it, when all of a sudden back into our mind comes a saying of Jesus, a  verse of a Psalm, a picture of Jesus himself, the words of someone we love and admire, a teaching we received when very young, etc. In the moment of danger these things flash unbidden into our minds. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.