Not your sacrifices and your gifts I want—I want you to be merciful!

Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Now go away and learn the meaning of this verse of Scripture, ‘It isn’t your sacrifices and your gifts I want—I want you to be merciful.’

Food for thought!

In today's gospel reading there is an interesting detail. When Jesus met Matthew, he told him, "Follow me!" and Matthew got up and followed Jesus. The gospel does not tell us where the two went; it doesn't tell us where that Follow Me lead them.
This said, we can guess that they went straight to Matthew's house. This is so because immediately after the phrase "...and Matthew got up and followed him", the next sentence mentions Matthew's house: "While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house...". It means that Jesus must have told Matthew: Follow Me into your house! He literally told him to follow him into his life, into his family, into his circle, into his friends, into his company, into his place of work!

And when Jesus got into Matthew's place and circle, he found all kinds of people. The gospel says that "many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him." These people were for sure Matthew's close friends and company; they were Matthew's circle; they couldn't just not come.

Btw, who are your friends, who are your company, who are your facebook people? What kind of people are they? Are you like them? Are they like you? Remember that when people act the same, they hang out together. People that have the same morals often tend to group together. Birds of the same feather flock together. Your friends are like you, and you must be like your friends. As the saying goes, "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are."

It is consoling to learn that Jesus' friends and company and family and circle is full of 'bad' people; Jesus is not afraid to keep company of the sick, the despised, the lonely, the weird, etc.

Now go away and learn the meaning of this verse of Scripture, ‘It isn’t your sacrifices and your gifts I want—I want you to be merciful.’

All deeds are done and all words are spoken in his presence!

Mark 9:30-37

30 They went on from there and passed along through Galilee. And Jesus did not wish to have anyone know it. 31 For He was [engaged for the time being in] teaching His disciples. He said to them, The Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of men, and they will put Him to death; and when He has been killed, after three days He will rise [ from death]. 32 But they did not comprehend what He was saying, and they were afraid to ask Him [what this statement meant]. 33 And they arrived at Capernaum; and when [they were] in the house, He asked them, What were you discussing and arguing about on the road? 34 But they kept still, for on the road they had discussed and disputed with one another as to who was the greatest. 35 And He sat down and called the Twelve [apostles], and He said to them, If anyone desires to be first, he must be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And He took a little child and put him in the center of their group; and taking him in [His] arms, He said to them, 37 Whoever in My name and for My sake accepts and receives and welcomes one such child also accepts and receives and welcomes Me; and whoever so receives Me receives not only Me but Him Who sent Me.

Food for thought!

When they left there, they made their way through Galilee, and Jesus did not wish anyone to know where he was. This passage marks a mile-stone. Jesus had now left the north country where he was safe and was taking the first step towards Jerusalem and to the Cross which awaited him there; Jesus deliberately left safe haven for danger. FOR ONCE JESUS DID NOT WANT THE CROWDS AROUND HIM. Strange, isn't it? Jesus wanted some time away from the crowds to be by himself! Why?

Well, the reason is stated as being, "For He was teaching His disciples." As you know by now, Jesus had different message for different people. He spoke differing messages to different audiences. He had things to tell Pharisees, things to tell everybody, things to tell the Twelve apostles. This time he was teaching just his apostles. What was he teaching them?

"The Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of men, and they will put Him to death; and when He has been killed, after three days He will rise from death." This was the lesson! Unfortunately, the disciples did not understand, and could not understand. The gospel says, "But they did not comprehend what He was saying, and they were afraid to ask Him what this statement meant." They could not understand because they were AFRAID TO ASK. Sometimes we are amazed that they did not grasp what was so plainly spoken. The human mind has an amazing faculty for rejecting what it does not wish to know. Are we so very different? Many of us do accept the parts of the Christian message which we like and which suit us, and refuse to understand the rest.

We often refuse to face the truth! We prefer not to know! We prefer ignorance because we are afraid of the consequences. We deliberately "switch off" our mind and think of what we want. The disciples switched off from what Jesus was teaching them to what they wanted to hear: who's the greatest among them?

Yet in their heart of hearts they knew they were wrong. When Jesus asked them what they had been arguing about they had nothing to say. It was the silence of shame. They had no defence. It is strange how a thing takes its proper place and acquires its true character when it is set in the eyes of Jesus. So long as they thought that Jesus was not listening and that Jesus had no knowledge of what they were saying, the argument about who should be greatest seemed fair enough, but when that same argument had to be stated in the presence of Jesus it was seen in all its unworthiness.

If we took everything and set it in the sight of Jesus it would make all the difference in the world. If of everything we did, we asked, "Could I go on doing this if Jesus was watching me?"; if of everything we said, we asked, "Could I go on talking like this if Jesus was listening to me?" there would be many things which we would be saved from doing and saying. And the fact of Christian belief is that there is no "if" about it. We do well to remember that all deeds are done and all words are spoken in his presence.

“When the LORD looks down from heaven, he observes every human being.From his dwelling place, he looks down on all the inhabitants of the earth. He formed the hearts of them all; he understands everything they do.” (Psalm 33:13-15)

“And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)

Jesus traveled on!

Luke 8:1-3

After that, Jesus traveled through the country, town by town, and village by village, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, as well as certain women, who had been cured from evil spirits and from illnesses. There was Mary, who is called Mary Magdalene, out of whom there went seven devils, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, who was Herod's agent, and Susanna and many others. It was their habit to minister to their needs out of their resources.

Food for thought!

Jesus is on the road. The synagogues and places of worship are no longer open for him. He had begun, as it were, in the church, where any man with a message from God might expect to find a responsive and receptive audience. Instead of a welcome he had found opposition; instead of eager listeners he had found eager enemies, the scribes and Pharisees. Because Because of these people and their hostile attitude towards him, Jesus had to change methods of delivering God's Word. Jesus is no longer in the synagogue but on the open road and the hillside and the lake shore.
Great lessons we learn from Jesus in today's gospel reading. one of them is to refuse to make anyone who hurt us in the past become the centerpiece of our story. They should not get a starring role in our story. We only give to God the starring role in our lives.

Another lesson is that you can’t move forward when you’re still looking backward. Jesus ignores his enemies and just moved on with his mission. We too must stop staring at the closed door. Let's go of the past. Let's live fully right where we are. If like Jesus we have had scribes and Pharisees in our life, let's do like Jesus: go elsewhere; do something else; change places; change company or friends. Why did Jesus do this?

Well, holding on to the past weighs you down and creates baggage that is too heavy to carry into the future God imagines for you. One of the most common ways we can get stuck is by dwelling too long on what used to be. We stare longingly at what life was and refuse to embrace what life is. When faced with a new normal, whether becoming single after years of marriage, getting laid off, or any circumstance we’d preferred not to have, it is impossible to thrive if you insist life must be what it once was in order for you to be happy and live successfully.

Is there a past situation you need to let go of in order to move into the future God has for you? What are you afraid will happen if you let go of it? What do you hope will happen if you open yourself up to a new but uncertain future? let us pray together:

Lord, although some doors have closed, help me face the future with a vision of better things to come. When I get stuck thinking about what “should have been” or “would have been,” please remind me of what “could be” if I embrace the future with faith. Today, I choose to trust that if the door is closed, it is not one You want me to walk through—at least not right now. I choose to believe that a better door can open eventually, but I will not see it if I’m staring at the closed one behind me. Help me bounce back from my disappointment. Strengthen me for the journey ahead. Amen.

None of us will judge any of us!

**Luke 7:36-50**

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his home for lunch and Jesus accepted the invitation. As they sat down to eat, a woman of the streets—a prostitute—heard he was there and brought an exquisite flask filled with expensive perfume. Going in, she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping, with her tears falling down upon his feet; and she wiped them off with her hair and kissed them and poured the perfume on them. When Jesus’ host, a Pharisee, saw what was happening and who the woman was, he said to himself, “This proves that Jesus is no prophet, for if God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman this one is!” Then Jesus spoke up and answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “All right, Teacher,” Simon replied, “go ahead.” Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—$5,000 to one and $500 to the other. But neither of them could pay him back, so he kindly forgave them both, letting them keep the money! Which do you suppose loved him most after that?” “I suppose the one who had owed him the most,” Simon answered. “Correct,” Jesus agreed. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look! See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn’t bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume. Therefore her sins—and they are many—are forgiven, for she loved me much; but one who is forgiven little, shows little love. And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then the men at the table said to themselves, “Who does this man think he is, going around forgiving sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Food for thought

How much extravagant are you with Jesus? How much are you ready to do for love of Jesus? Look at this woman's extravagancy. She took the most precious thing she possessed and spent it all on Jesus. Love is not love if it calculates the cost. Love gives its all and its only regret is that it has not still more to give. What is most expensive to you? What is dear to you? Is it your time? Are you a busy person, with lots of things to do? If so, how much of your time are you willing to pour at the feet of Jesus? How much time and how often do you sit for Jesus? And when you sit for Jesus do yore get some people criticising you, like Simon of today's gospel ?
Every time we sit for Jesus we are like the woman in the gospel reading: we pour out our dear time at Jesus; we get criticized by some people; we get Jesus defend us as he did in the gospel reading. He said: ““Look! See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn’t bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume. Therefore her sins—and they are many—are forgiven, for she loved me much; but one who is forgiven little, shows little love.”
She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. This is the verdict that Jesus made of the woman! Jesus defends those who are dear to him. Like he told us yesterday Like he told us yesterday, we need to learn to be grateful. While the Pharisee was seeing evil in the woman's act, Jesus was seeing goodness: When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw the woman's act of love, he said to himself, 'If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.' Jesus on the other hand saw not evil but love. He said: See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn’t bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume. Therefore her sins—and they are many—are forgiven, **for she loved me much.**

Some people are like the Pharisee; they only see evil in others' acts. But at the end of the day, who can and does judge all is Jesus, not man. It is only Jesus who will judge all of us. At our death, none of us will judge any of us. Thank God.

Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative!

Luke 7:31-35

“What can I say about such men?” Jesus asked. “With what shall I compare them? They are like a group of children who complain to their friends, ‘You don’t like it if we play “wedding” and you don’t like it if we play “funeral”!’ For John the Baptist used to go without food and never took a drop of liquor all his life, and you said, ‘He must be crazy!’ But I eat my food and drink my wine, and you say, ‘What a glutton Jesus is! And he drinks! And has the lowest sort of friends!’ But I am sure you can always justify your inconsistencies.”

Food for thought!

Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and stop being critical!

“You gotta accentuate the positive; eliminate the negative; latch on to the affirmative; don’t mess with Mr. In-Between!” so sang Johnny Mercer in the mid-1940s. This message is still a good one for us today. And today's gospel reminds us on that. Have you ever gotten up late from bed, only to find the shirt you planned to wear that day is dirty? or there’s no cereal for breakfast? and your brother or house mate beat you to the bathroom? Whether or not the day goes downhill from this point depends on how you feel about what has already happened. Are you angry at yourself for forgetting to set the alarm or for not laundering the shirt the night before? How do you feel toward the person who failed to do the grocery shopping? And what about your brother or roommate who beat you to the bathroom—and seems to be taking his time?

Anger feeds on anger. If your brother is criticized or yelled at for staying too long in the bathroom, he may likely stay even longer, which won’t get you out of the house on time. Refusing to argue with him and using the waiting time to prepare for your day not only keeps peace but maintains your schedule.

Thanksgiving, not complaining, attracts people to you (John M. Templeton). Instead of being critical to others and complaining all the time we can be grateful for the things we have. If not, we will focus on things we don’t have and make ourselves and others miserable. Do you know the story of a little boy who fell off a pier into deep ocean water? Well, an old sailor, heedless of the great danger to himself, dived into the stormy water, struggled with the boy, and finally, exhausted, brought the lad to safety. Two days later, the boy’s mother came with him to the same pier, seeking the sailor who rescued her son. Finding him, she asked, “Are you the one who dived into the water and rescued my son?” “I did,” the sailor replied. The mother then quickly demanded, “Well, where’s his hat?”

One might wonder how a hat could have such importance when a child’s life had been at stake, but the story depicts how many people focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and stop being critical as the people in today is Gospel.

John the Baptist came and did not eat like other people or drink wine. And you say, ‘He has a demon in him.’ The Son of Man came eating like other people and drinking wine. And you say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine! He is a friend of the tax collectors and “sinners”!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by the things it does.”

Four Marys stood near the Cross of Jesus!

John 19:25-27

"But his mother, and his mother's sister, and Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary from Magdala, stood near the Cross of Jesus. So Jesus saw his mother, and he saw the disciple whom he loved standing by, and he said to his mother: `Woman! See! Your son.' Then he said to the disciple: `See! Your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home."

Food for thought!

At the end of his life, Jesus was not alone. At his Cross there were these four strong women who loved him. It was always a dangerous thing to be an associate of a man whom the Roman government believed to be so dangerous that he deserved a Cross. It is always a dangerous thing to demonstrate one's love for someone whom the orthodox regard as a heretic. The presence of these women at the Cross was not due to the fact that they were so unimportant that no one would notice them; their presence was due to the fact that perfect love casts out fear. Is this not the reason that of all men, there remained ONLY the beloved disciple? Only those who love us can both understand us and stand by us to the end!

The women at the cross of Jesus are a strange company. Of one, Mary the wife of Clopas, we know nothing; but we know something of the other three.

(i) There was Mary, Jesus' mother. Maybe she could not understand, but she could love. Her presence there was the most natural thing in the world for a mother. Jesus might be a criminal in the eyes of the law, but he was her beloved son. For our mothers, we are always dear and lovable; our mothers are never too bad to care for us.

(ii) There was Jesus' mother's sister. In John she is not named, but a study of the parallel passages (Mk.15:40; Matt.27:56) makes it quite clear that she was Salome, the mother of James and John. The strange thing about her is that she had received from Jesus a very definite and stern rebuff. Once she had come to Jesus to ask him to give her sons the chief place in his kingdom (Matt.20:20), and Jesus had taught her how wrong such ambitious thoughts were. Salome was the woman he had rebuked--and yet she was there at the Cross. Her presence says much for her and for Jesus. It shows that she had the humility to accept rebuke and to love on with undiminished devotion; it shows that he could rebuke in such a way that his love shone through the rebuke. Salome's presence is a lesson to us on how to give and how to receive a rebuke

(iii) There was Mary from Magdala. All we know about her is that out of her Jesus cast seven devils (Mk.16:9; Lk.8:2). She could never forget what Jesus had done for her. His love had rescued her, and her love was such that it could never die. It was Mary's motto, written on her heart: "I will not forget what he has done for me."

These women saw the end; women will see the beginning as well; they were the last to see the dead Jesus, they will be the first to see the risen Jesus. Jesus loves those who love him. They were there because they loved Jesus, and for them, as for so many, perfect love had cast out fear.

On the resurrection Sunday, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary will be the first to receive the news of the Risen Lord and to encounter him. They had been there at the Cross; they had been there when he was laid in the tomb; and now they will be there to receive the joy of the Resurrection

But in this passage there is something which is surely one of the loveliest things in all the gospel story. When Jesus saw his mother, he could not but think of the days ahead. He could not commit her to the care of his brothers, for they did not believe in him yet (Jn.7:5). Jesus committed Mary to John's care and John to Mary's. John was the most beloved disciple. Yes, Jesus rewards those who love him.

There is something infinitely moving in the fact that Jesus in the agony of the Cross, when the salvation of the world hung in the balance, thought of the loneliness of his mother in the days ahead. He never forgot the duties that lay to his hand. He was Mary's son, and even in the moment of his cosmic battle, he did not forget the simple things that lay near home. To the end of the day, even on the Cross, Jesus was thinking more of the sorrows of others than of his own.

For us, when we are suffering or going thru hard times we want the whole world to stop and attend to us; we need all the attention there is; this was not so for Jesus. In his suffering he still thought of others.

The holy cross of Jesus is a constant reminder of Jesus of the cross!

John 3:13-17

Jesus said: For only I, the Messiah, have come to earth and will return to heaven again. And as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole, so that anyone who believes in me will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.

Food for thought!

On 14th of September, we mark the Feast of the Holy Cross. To understand the significance of this feast, let's go back to the Old Testament. There, in the Book of Numbers, 21:4-9 we read the following:

They set out from Mount Hor along the Red Sea Road, a detour around the land of Edom. The people became irritable and cross as they traveled. 5 They spoke out against God and Moses: "Why did you drag us out of Egypt to die in this godforsaken country? No decent food; no water-- we can't stomach this stuff any longer." 6 So GOD sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit them and many in Israel died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke out against GOD and you. Pray to GOD; ask him to take these snakes from us." Moses prayed for the people. 8 GOD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live." 9 So Moses made a snake of fiery copper and put it on top of a flagpole. Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the copper snake lived.

This incident is rather puzzling in view of the fact that the Bible absolutely forbids, or better “seem to forbid”, any form of making and using graven images. And in this text, the Lord explicitly commands Moses to make one and present it before the people. "Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live." So, what's all this about? How can we explain this and the images / statues in our churches and homes?

First and foremost, serpents don't give life; they take life away; they kill us. The same with the serpent in the reading. It was not the serpent that gave life. But as long as Moses lifted up the serpent, the people believed in HIM who had commanded Moses to act thus. It was God who healed them, not the serpent. The serpent served only as visual aid, as icon, as reminder. God sometimes uses serpents of problems to remind us and to bring us back to HIM. Our storms of life bring us to the point where we realize that we have nowhere to go, but to God. This is what happened: "GOD sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit them [...] Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the copper snake lived."

It means that your problem is not meant to destroy you but to bring you to your Saviour. The story of Joseph in the Bible is a good example. He was thrown into a pit by his brothers. Now, life in the pit stinks. Yet pit has this one good thing: it forces you to look upward, because you cannot look anywhere else. When you are in a pit, you yearn for a saviour; someone from up there must show up and give you a hand. God did this for Joseph. He does it for us; at the right time, in the right way, he shows up to save us.

And Paul the apostle? Didn't he write his best letters from a prison cell? The letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon were all written by the apostle Paul during his imprisonment. Our problems many be many things like a broken relationship, a shattered marriage, depression, despair, job anxiety, unemployment, financial failure, an illness, death, or some unexpected tragedy. As you battle with your problem remember that sometimes GOD sends poisonous snakes among the people and then uses the same problems to bring his people to himself. With that your problem, God may be trying to pull you to himself. Don't resit; Give in; Give God a chance!

The cross of Jesus, the crucifix we carry on our chest, in our cars, homes, etc, is intended not for others to see how religious we are; it is for us to remember Jesus and the divine principle: no cross no crown! No price no prize! We don't use religious images to show off, but to lift our mind and heart to the Lord. The same with wedding rings, they're reminders to the bearers of their spouse. Not carrying any ring on your finger may be a sign that you are still looking for a spouse.

The holy cross of Jesus is a constant reminder of Jesus of the cross!

Are we like Peter?

**Mark 8:27-35**

Jesus and his followers went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah. And others say that you are one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Jesus ordered his followers, “Don’t tell anyone who I am.” Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things. He taught that the Son of Man would not be accepted by the Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law. He taught that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from death after three days. Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to criticize him. But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he criticized Peter and said, “Go away from me, Satan! You don’t care about the things of God. You care only about things men think are important.” Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must say ‘no’ to the things he wants. He must be willing to die on a cross, and he must follow me. Whoever wants to save his life will give up true life. But whoever gives up his life for me and for the Good News will have true life forever.
Food for thought!
Let us begin with the Second Reading of today. It says:
*Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead. This is the way to talk to people of that kind: ‘You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds – now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show.*’ (James 2:14-18)
What James is saying in this reading is the same as what is happening in the Gospel reading. For we are very much like Peter. When Jesus began explaining the practical implications of being the Messiah, Peter grabbed him and took him aside in protest. This can't be. You cannot suffer. Peter knows who Jesus is, the Messiah, but he knows not the practical implications of being Messiah. Peter knows the theory, but not the practical implications of what he knows. He even TAKES JESUS ASIDE! He leads Jesus; he makes Jesus follow him!!!!
No wonder that Jesus confronted Peter. "Go away from me, Satan! You don’t care about the things of God. You care only about things men think are important. '' We are like Peter. We know the right answers, the right theology, right doctrine, the right prayers but we don't know the implications. Indeed, it is easy to profess faith; it is harder to live faith. It is easy to know the doctrine; it is harder to live the doctrine. It is easy to know the theory; it is difficult to practice it. It is easy to be Christian on Sundays; it is harder to remain Christian on Monday through Friday. It is easy to believe in God while sitting in pews; it is harder in the queues of grocery, in the queues of traffic jams and on the streets and in the kitchen and in the homes and offices.
This gospel reminds us that it is not enough to know about Jesus, it is crucially important to profess him, not just on Sundays but also on Monday; not only on the pews but also on the Main street. This is why Jesus reminds us: Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21).
*If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead. *

There is no prize without a price!

Luke 6:43-49

“A good tree does not produce bad fruit. Also, a bad tree does not produce good fruit. Each tree is known by its fruit. People don’t gather figs from thornbushes. And they don’t get grapes from bushes. A good person has good things saved up in his heart. And so he brings good things out of his heart. But an evil person has evil things saved up in his heart. So he brings out bad things. A person speaks the things that are in his heart.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and obeys is like a man building a house. He digs deep and lays his foundation on rock. The floods come, and the water tries to wash the house away. But the flood cannot move the house, because the house was built well. But the one who hears my words and does not obey is like a man who builds his house on the ground without a foundation. When the floods come, the house quickly falls down. And that house is completely destroyed.”

Food for thought!

Once Benjamin Franklin said, *Failing to plan is planning to fail*. What he meant is what Jesus teaches us today: we need to plan ahead! And this is what the foolish builder didn't want to do. He was short-sighted. He never troubled to plan ahead and think what his chosen site would be like six months afterwards. In every decision in life there is a short view and a long view. Happy is the person who sees things, not in the light of the moment, but in the light of eternity.
And when we plan, we do well to remember that always there will be hard times ahead, there will always be problems and challenges down the road and prepare for there. In our planning there must always be contingencies, or as the reading of today put it floods, and storms; we have to plan for floods in our lives, families and businesses. This is what the foolish man didn't do. The foolish man could not be bothered to think and dig deep into the rock. The sand was much more attractive and much less trouble.
Stephen Covey, author of *"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"*, recommends that we “begin (planning) with the end in mind.” In other words, imagine the worst scenario picture; plan for the worst and you will get the best; know what you want to achieve; what you want to be, and then move backwards to what it takes to have what you want. Whether it is a special project or a simple daily routine, begin by setting a goal that takes into account the steps needed to reach it.

And once you have set a (noble) goal, don't give up before you achieve it; be ready to sacrifice anything in order to get it. Don't let people who dislike you to make you dislike your dream; such people are the storms and floods that fall on our house, our dream. If and while we stand by Jesus, we shall stand all of them and each one of them. Remember, we can do all through Jesus who strengthens us.
Be ready to pay the price of what you intend to achieve. In other words, if you're not willing to pay the price, then you won't get the prize. There is no prize without a price. Behind everything we want in life, behind every achievement, there's a cost to pay; there's a struggle, a cross. Without the cross there's no salvation; without pain there is no gain. Remember, “There is no prize without a price.”

Why do you...?

Luke 6:39-42

Jesus told them this story: “Can a blind man lead another blind man? No! Both of them will fall into a ditch. A student is not better than his teacher. But when the student has fully learned all that he has been taught, then he will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the little piece of dust that is in your brother’s eye, but you don’t see the big piece of wood that is in your own eye? You say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye.’ Why do you say this? You cannot see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You are a hypocrite! First, take the piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your brother’s eye.

Food for thought!

Jesus warned that no teacher can lead his scholars beyond the stage which he himself has reached. It means that we cannot beat Christ in goodness, in forgiveness, in love, in holiness. What Christ seeks to make each one of us is to make us as himself, that is, be as good as Christ is; be as loving as Christ; be as forgiving as Christ; be as holy as Christ; be another Christ: “I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20).
And that is what Jesus is doing everyday. He teaches us what he himself does and practices. This is what sets Jesus apart from other preachers. He preaches what he lives, and he lives what he preaches. There is nothing that Jesus tells us to do that he did not do. Nothing!
This said, today Jesus is telling us something else. He is teaching us that we have no right to criticize others unless we ourselves are free of faults. That simply means that we have no right at all to criticize, because as, Edward Wallis Hoch put it, "There's so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly behooves any of us, to talk about the rest of us."
John M. Templeton said, "Any of us may experience stressful times at home, at school, or in our work. When things are not going well, it is often tempting to criticize others, and to blame others for our problems. We tend to think that finding fault with someone else can help us feel better about ourselves or our condition.
"In those 'down' moments that each of us has experienced, it may be best to remain silent if we cannot say things that are helpful and kind. Destructive language tends to produce destructive results. Besides causing unnecessary pain and suffering for those around us, our negative words frequently compound our own problems."

The way you give to others is the way God will give to you!

Luke 6:27-38

“I say to you who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Ask God to bless those who say bad things to you. Pray for those who are cruel to you. If anyone slaps you on one cheek, let him slap the other cheek too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you. When a person takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. Do for other people what you want them to do for you. If you love only those who love you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners love the people who love them! If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners do that! If you lend things to people, always hoping to get something back, should you get some special praise for that? No! Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! So love your enemies. Do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. If you do these things, you will have a great reward. You will be sons of the Most High God. Yes, because God is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Show mercy just as your father shows mercy. “Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive other people, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”

Food for thought?

As he carried out the work his Father gave him to do on earth, Jesus faced challenges after challenges and enemies after enemies. Indeed, he was challenged throughout his entire life; he had enemies from the womb to the tomb. Immediately after birth, the Bible tells us, Jesus' first enemy showed up: "An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.' So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod." (Matthew 2:13-20). Herod was Jesus' first enemy.

After Herod, it was the religious leaders, in their different categories. They always followed him wherever he went and whatever he did. Surprisingly, Jesus did not destroy them; he let the enemy live near him and near his friends. In fact, he even taught us a parable in this regard. It is in Matthew 13:24. 13:24-30.36-43.

Today, Jesus tells us what to do when we have enemies. Yes, Jesus knows that we have enemies, we have people that hate us; people who do all they can to destroy us. All our enemies operate under one principle: spread as much fear and terror as they can. All terrorism is about fear; and all terrorists have one goal, spread fear. Their success is in proportion to the fear they cause. The more fear or terror they cause the happier they become. But as Ronald Reagan said "Evil is powerless if the Good are unafraid."

Our enemies are a distraction. They want to distract us from the good that we are doing and focus on them instead. They want to replace themselves for the good that we are doing. That is why we always keep those we are afraid of in our mind. If you are fearful of something you will all the time think of nothing but that thing. If it is a person, you will keep that person in mind all the time. And when this happen, the enemy sings victory.

In other words, the best way to fight our enemies is to focus on the Lord and not on them. Don't focus on how great your fear or enemy is, but focus on how great your God is. And the best way of doing this is, as today's gospel put it: “Ask God to bless those who say bad things to you. Pray for those who are cruel to you.” In other words, talk to God about your enemies; don't talk to your enemies; talk to God instead. As Robert Morgan puts it, “we always make a mistake when we acknowledge the Lord and keep our eyes on Satan. Far better to acknowledge the devil while keeping our eyes on Christ.” Don’t allow the enemy to take the place of God; reserve your attention for God. As Joyce Meyer puts it, “All of us must learn how not to 'fear the fear.' The devil brings fear, but you can choose not to bow your knee to it.”

1. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4: 7– 8);
2. Resist the devil, be steadfast in the faith. (1 Peter 5: 9)

The ties that bind us are the ties that blind us!

Luke 8:19-21

Jesus' mother and brothers came to him, but were unable to join him because of the crowd. Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.” Jesus said to them all, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Food for thought!

It is not difficult to see that, at least during his lifetime, Jesus' family were not always forthcoming with him. Mk.3:21 tells us how his kinsmen came and tried to restrain him because they believed him to be mad. In Matt.10:36 Jesus warns his followers that a man's foes may well be those of his own household. Well, he was speaking out of hard and bitter experience.

Whether we want to admit it or not, we are dependent on our families for our well-being; our families are very important for our growth; we owe them our childhood and much of our adulthood. However, those we know best and those who know us most, like our families, can be our greatest challenge. This was the case with Jesus. His mother and brethren came and stood outside desiring to speak to him; unlike everybody else what was listening to Jesus that day, Jesus' family was outside when they too should have been standing inside, desiring to listen to him. Yes, a prophet is not one for his own people. Jesus said. He was teaching others, not his own people. They were literally saying to Jesus, "Stop it, and come out; stop talking and come to listen to us".

Obviously this attitude was just too much for Jesus, and he had to confront it head on: "Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?" He asked. And he answered: “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Jesus wanted and wants to teach us a lesson. Obedience to God is more important than obedience to men, even when these men are our relations. (Acts 5:29).

Another lesson is that many times, our greatest distraction in doing God's will, and in embracing new opportunities are our relations and friends. The tendency not to upset our dearest people many times make us forsake God's inspirations. This is why the burden of what we know always limits us in embracing new opportunities. The old is the enemy of the new. THE TIES THAT BIND US ARE THE TIES THAT BLIND US. (Andrew Hargadon).

There is in this passage a great and practical truth. It may very well be that we find ourselves closer to people who are not related to us than we do to our own family and relatives. The deepest relationship of life is not always a blood relationship; it is the relationship of mind to mind and heart to heart (like husband and wife). It is when people have common aims, common principles, common interests, a common goal that they become really and truly kin. That is why Jesus said what he said: “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

If anyone has listening ears, use them now!

Luke 8:4-15

One day he gave this illustration to a large crowd that was gathering to hear him—while many others were still on the way, coming from other towns.

“A farmer went out to his field to sow grain. As he scattered the seed on the ground, some of it fell on a footpath and was trampled on; and the birds came and ate it as it lay exposed. Other seed fell on shallow soil with rock beneath. This seed began to grow, but soon withered and died for lack of moisture. Other seed landed in thistle patches, and the young grain stalks were soon choked out. Still other fell on fertile soil; this seed grew and produced a crop one hundred times as large as he had planted.” (As he was giving this illustration he said, “If anyone has listening ears, use them now!”)

His apostles asked him what the story meant.

He replied, “God has granted you to know the meaning of these parables, for they tell a great deal about the Kingdom of God. But these crowds hear the words and do not understand, just as the ancient prophets predicted.

“This is its meaning: The seed is God’s message to men. The hard path where some seed fell represents the hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing and being saved. The stony ground represents those who enjoy listening to sermons, but somehow the message never really gets through to them and doesn’t take root and grow. They know the message is true, and sort of believe for a while; but when the hot winds of persecution blow, they lose interest. The seed among the thorns represents those who listen and believe God’s words but whose faith afterwards is choked out by worry and riches and the responsibilities and pleasures of life. And so they are never able to help anyone else to believe the Good News.

“But the good soil represents honest, good-hearted people. They listen to God’s words and cling to them and steadily spread them to others who also soon believe.”

Food for thought!

If anyone has listening ears, use them now!

These words of Jesus, If anyone has listening ears, use them now! remind us that the fate of the word of God depends on three things: listening, thinking and acting. The hard path represents the shut head, which refuses to take it in. The shallow ground represents the head that accepts the word but never thinks it out and never realizes its consequences. The thorny ground stands for the head that is so busy to think of the things of God. The good ground stands for the good head. The good head does three things. First, it listens attentively. Second, it thinks over it until it discovers its meaning. Third, it acts upon the findings.

Did you know that PEOPLE WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL in their personal and business lives all share one common trait – they’ve learned to listen. They have developed a refined ability to listen, to think and to act. This is what Jesus means by saying: They listen to God’s words and cling to them.

Any positive life change must begin with an improvement in our ability to cling to the Word of God. As Jesus said, those who score 100% are the people that cling to the Word of God by engaging in thinking. So, everyday, find time to listen, think and act on the Word of God, as it comes to you. You can use the daily "Food for thought" to jump start yourself.

Let’s face it – our brain is our ultimate success tool. Literally everything we are, dream, say and do all starts in the same place – our head. All creativity, personal power, and success starts there. And WE alone make the choice to develop, or overlook, our brain’s staggering potential. We can all use our head to LISTEN. THINK. ACT!

None of us will judge any of us!

Luke 7:36-50

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his home for lunch and Jesus accepted the invitation. As they sat down to eat, a woman of the streets—a prostitute—heard he was there and brought an exquisite flask filled with expensive perfume. Going in, she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping, with her tears falling down upon his feet; and she wiped them off with her hair and kissed them and poured the perfume on them. When Jesus’ host, a Pharisee, saw what was happening and who the woman was, he said to himself, “This proves that Jesus is no prophet, for if God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman this one is!” Then Jesus spoke up and answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “All right, Teacher,” Simon replied, “go ahead.” Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—$5,000 to one and $500 to the other. But neither of them could pay him back, so he kindly forgave them both, letting them keep the money! Which do you suppose loved him most after that?” “I suppose the one who had owed him the most,” Simon answered. “Correct,” Jesus agreed. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look! See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn’t bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume. Therefore her sins—and they are many—are forgiven, for she loved me much; but one who is forgiven little, shows little love. And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then the men at the table said to themselves, “Who does this man think he is, going around forgiving sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Food for thought

How much extravagant are you with Jesus? How much are you ready to do for love of Jesus? Look at this woman's extravagancy. She took the most precious thing she possessed and spent it all on Jesus. Love is not love if it calculates the cost. Love gives its all and its only regret is that it has not still more to give. What is most expensive to you? What is dear to you? Is it your time? Are you a busy person, with lots of things to do? If so, how much of your time are you willing to pour at the feet of Jesus? How much time and how often do you sit for Jesus? And when you sit for Jesus do yore get some people criticizing you, like Simon of today's gospel ?
Every time we sit for Jesus we are like the woman in the gospel reading: we pour out our dear time at Jesus; we get criticized by some people; we get Jesus defend us as he did in the gospel reading. He said: ““Look! See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn’t bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume. Therefore her sins—and they are many—are forgiven, for she loved me much; but one who is forgiven little, shows little love.”

She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. This is the verdict that Jesus made of the woman! Jesus defends those who are dear to him. Like he told us yesterday Like he told us yesterday, we need to learn to be grateful. While the Pharisee was seeing evil in the woman's act, Jesus was seeing goodness: When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw the woman's act of love, he said to himself, 'If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.' Jesus on the other hand saw not evil but love. He said: See this woman kneeling here! When I entered your home, you didn’t bother to offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You refused me the customary kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the usual courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has covered my feet with rare perfume. Therefore her sins—and they are many—are forgiven, for she loved me much.

Some people are like the Pharisee; they only see evil in others' acts. But at the end of the day, who can and does judge all is Jesus, not man. It is only Jesus who will judge all of us. At our death, none of us will judge any of us. Thank God.

The way you give to others is the way God will give to you!

Luke 6:27-38

“I say to you who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Ask God to bless those who say bad things to you. Pray for those who are cruel to you. If anyone slaps you on one cheek, let him slap the other cheek too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you. When a person takes something that is yours, don’t ask for it back. Do for other people what you want them to do for you. If you love only those who love you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners love the people who love them! If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners do that! If you lend things to people, always hoping to get something back, should you get some special praise for that? No! Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! So love your enemies. Do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. If you do these things, you will have a great reward. You will be sons of the Most High God. Yes, because God is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Show mercy just as your father shows mercy. “Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. Don’t accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive other people, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”

Food for thought?

As he carried out the work his Father gave him to do on earth, Jesus faced challenges after challenges and enemies after enemies. Indeed, he was challenged throughout his entire life; he had enemies from the womb to the tomb. Immediately after birth, the Bible tells us, Jesus' first enemy showed up: "An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.' So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod." (Matthew 2:13-20). Herod was Jesus' first enemy.

After Herod, it was the religious leaders, in their different categories. They always followed him wherever he went and whatever he did. Surprisingly, Jesus did not destroy them; he let the enemy live near him and near his friends. In fact, he even taught us a parable in this regard. It is in Matthew 13:24. 13:24-30.36-43.

Today, Jesus tells us what to do when we have enemies. Yes, Jesus knows that we have enemies, we have people that hate us; people who do all they can to destroy us. All our enemies operate under one principle: spread as much fear and terror as they can. All terrorism is about fear; and all terrorists have one goal, spread fear. Their success is in proportion to the fear they cause. The more fear or terror they cause the happier they become. But as Ronald Reagan said "Evil is powerless if the Good are unafraid."

Our enemies are a distraction. They want to distract us from the good that we are doing and focus on them instead. They want to replace themselves for the good that we are doing. That is why we always keep those we are afraid of in our mind. If you are fearful of something you will all the time think of nothing but that thing. If it is a person, you will keep that person in mind all the time. And when this happen, the enemy sings victory.

In other words, the best way to fight our enemies is to focus on the Lord and not on them. Don't focus on how great your fear or enemy is, but focus on how great your God is. And the best way of doing this is, as today's gospel put it: “Ask God to bless those who say bad things to you. Pray for those who are cruel to you.” In other words, talk to God about your enemies; don't talk to your enemies; talk to God instead. As Robert Morgan puts it, “we always make a mistake when we acknowledge the Lord and keep our eyes on Satan. Far better to acknowledge the devil while keeping our eyes on Christ.” Don’t allow the enemy to take the place of God; reserve your attention for God. As Joyce Meyer puts it, “All of us must learn how not to 'fear the fear.' The devil brings fear, but you can choose not to bow your knee to it.”

1. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4: 7– 8);
2. Resist the devil, be steadfast in the faith. (1 Peter 5: 9)

God is with us

**Matthew 1:18-23**

The mother of Jesus Christ was Mary. And this is how the birth of Jesus came about. Mary was engaged to marry Joseph. But before they married, she learned that she was going to have a baby. She was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man. He did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly. While Joseph thought about this, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. You will name the son Jesus. Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins.” All this happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel.” This name means “God is with us.”
Food for thought


Jesus was born by the action of the Holy Spirit, or as the gospel reading says, "through the Holy Spirit." The birth of Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit. This statement is of extreme importance because it spells out the purpose of Jesus' coming; it helps us appreciate what Jesus came to do, and why Jesus came.

Mary was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. This means that the child conceived in Mary was not from some man but was from the Holy Spirit. Let us try to understand the significance of this by going back to the Old Testament (OT).

We know from the OT that it was through his Spirit that God performed his creating work. The Book of Genesis says that God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. And God’s Spirit moved upon the face of the waters, and chaos became a world (Genesis 1:2).

Again the OT says, "When you send forth your spirit, they are created." (Psalm 104:30); "The spirit of God has made me," said Job, "and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" ( Job 33:4). As you can see, the Holy Spirit is the Creator of the World and the Giver of Life. So, if Jesus came through the Holy Spirit, it means that in Jesus there came into the world God’s life-giving and creating power.

Jesus came and comes to bring order to our disordered lives, families, relationships; he came and comes to breathe life into our weaknesses and frustrations. Jesus gives life to the lifeless; he gives hope to the hopeless; he gives meaning to life. It means that we are not really alive until Jesus enters into our lives.

In Jesus the Spirit of God came and comes to us. As the Bible puts it, "I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live" (Ezekiel 37:14). If Jesus came and comes through and by the Holy Spirit, it means that in Jesus there came to this world of ours the power which can re-create life. Jesus can bring to life again the soul which is dead in sin and revive again the ideals which have died; Jesus can rekindle our lost dreams, our lost ideals. He can renew life when and where we have lost all that life means. So, if you claim to be Christian don't ever get despaired; Christians don't lose hope; so be hopeful knowing that "all things go well for those who trust him." (Romans 8:28) because finally God-is-with-us (Emmanuel) in all our ups and downs, our trials and victories, our failures and successes.

Jesus said, “Be sure of this: I am with you ALWAYS, until the end of time.” (Mt 28:20).

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).

"The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (Psalm 46:7).

It is good to do good always!

Luke 6:6-11

6 On another Sabbath Jesus went to the meeting place and taught. There was a man there with a crippled right hand. 7 The religion scholars and Pharisees had their eye on Jesus to see if he would heal the man, hoping to catch him in a Sabbath infraction. 8 He knew what they were up to and spoke to the man with the crippled hand: "Get up and stand here before us." He did. 9 Then Jesus addressed them, "Let me ask you something: What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?" 10 He looked around, looked each one in the eye. He said to the man, "Hold out your hand." He held it out-- it was as good as new! 11 They were beside themselves with anger, and started plotting how they might get even with him.

Food for thought!

Opposition to Jesus is growing quite open. He has been teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath day and the scribes and Pharisees are there with the set purpose of watching Jesus so that, if he healed, they could charge him with breaking the Sabbath. Indeed, in this incident Jesus openly broke the law. To heal was to work and work was prohibited on the Sabbath day. And that's exactly what Jesus deliberately did.

Jesus laid down the great principle that, whatever the rules and regulations may say, it is always good to do a good, regardless of the circumstances. He asked the piercing questions, "What kind of action suits the Sabbath best? Doing good or doing evil? Helping people or leaving them helpless?" That must have struck home, for while he was seeking to help the life of the man, the Pharisees and scribes were doing all they could to destroy him. It was he who was seeking to save and they who were seeking to destroy.

In this story there are are a number of things to learn. There is the man with the withered hand. We can learn from him. His RIGHT hand was crippled! That means that he couldn't work. And if he couldn't work, his family couldn't survive; the bread winner was not able to work. He was jobless. This man makes us remember the many men and women unemployed and unemployable because of their physical condition, because of world recession. Yes, there are many people out there like this man, unable to feign for themselves and their families.

This explains why Jesus could not and did not let this man suffer one more day. The good we can do today, be done today! Don't put off for tomorrow the good you can do today.
There is in this story a glorious atmosphere of defiance. Jesus knew that he was being watched but without hesitation he healed the man. He bade the man stand out in the midst of them all. This thing was not going to be done in a corner. If you're doing good, never fear your critics. Critics are just that, critics!

Critics are like Pharisees who took the quite extraordinary course of hating Jesus who had just cured a sufferer. They are the outstanding example of people who love their rules and regulations more than they love God and neighbor. We see this happen in organizations, in families and in churches over and over again. Disputes are not about the great matters of faith but about matters of church government and church discipline and customs. There is an ever present danger of setting loyalty to a system and to a custom above loyalty to God.

Did you notice that the man, empowered by Jesus, tried the impossible? He stretched his withered had! He was a man who was prepared to attempt the impossible. He did not argue when Jesus told him to stretch out his useless hand; he tried and, in the strength Jesus gave him, he succeeded. Impossible is a word which should be banished from our vocabulary as Christians. As a famous scientist said, "The difference between the difficult and the impossible is only that the impossible takes a little longer to do."

Have you ever read the Bible?

Luke 6:1-5
On a certain Sabbath Jesus was walking through a field of ripe grain. His disciples were pulling off heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands to get rid of the chaff, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing that, breaking a Sabbath rule?” But Jesus stood up for them.“Have you never read what David and those with him did when they were hungry? How he entered the sanctuary and ate fresh bread off the altar, bread that no one but priests were allowed to eat? He also handed it out to his companions.” Then he said, “The Son of Man is no slave to the Sabbath; he’s in charge.”
Food for thought!
In Corinthians 4:6 Paul advises us to “**Follow what the Scriptures say.**” He is telling us to read the Bible. Why? Because one day Jesus will ask us, as he did with the Pharisees in today's gospel, if we ever read the Bible. In fact, Jesus likes to ask men this same question. For instance:
* In Mark 12:10 Jesus asked: "Have you not read this Scripture: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone';"
* In Matthew 19:4 Jesus asked: "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female;"
* In Matthew 12:3 Jesus asked: "Have you not read what David did…"
* In Matthew 12:5 Jesus asked: "Or have you not read in the law…"
* In Matthew 21:16 Jesus asked: "Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes'…"
* In Matthew 21:42 Jesus asked: "Did you never read in the scriptures, 'The stone…"
* In Matthew 22:29 Jesus said: "Your error is caused by your ignorance of the Scriptures and of God’s power!"
* In Matthew 22:31 Jesus asked: "But now, as to whether there is a resurrection of the dead, don’t you ever read the Scriptures?"
* In John 5:39 Jesus said: "You search the Scriptures, for you believe they give you eternal life. And the Scriptures point to me!"
Jesus held and holds people responsible for reading and knowing the Scriptures. Why? Because in John 17:17 He prays to the Father: "Sanctify them through thy truth: **thy word is truth**." So, we are sanctified by God's Word. This is why Peter exhorts us too: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). So, we grow by God's Word.
Peter told Jesus that He had **"the words of eternal life"** (John 6:68). These words are now in the Bible, and they are more precious than any earthly treasure. Don't ignore God's gracious gift of His Word, because as St. Jerome taught "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Jesus himself." Indeed, serious Bible study is a necessity, not an optional luxury.
We’re told in Joshua 1: 8 (NLT): Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
And in Psalm one we read the following:
Happy is the person who doesn’t listen to the wicked.
He doesn’t go where sinners go.
He doesn’t do what bad people do.
He loves the Lord’s teachings.
He thinks about those teachings day and night.
He is strong, like a tree planted by a river.
It produces fruit in season.
Its leaves don’t die.
Everything he does will succeed. (Psalm 1: 1– 2 )

Be innovative and ready for change!

Luke 5:33-39

Some people said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but your disciples eat and drink.” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you think you can make the guests at a wedding party go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not! 35 But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” 36 Jesus also told them this parable: “You don't tear a piece off a new coat to patch up an old coat. If you do, you will have torn the new coat, and the piece of new cloth will not match the old. 37 Nor do you pour new wine into used wineskins, because the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins! 39 And you don't want new wine after drinking old wine. ‘The old is better,’ you say.”
Food for thought!
There is in religious people a kind of passion for the old. Nothing moves more slowly than the religious. The trouble with the Pharisees was that the whole religious outlook of Jesus was so startlingly new they simply could not adjust to it.
Jesus used two illustrations to make his point. ''You don't tear a piece off a new coat to patch up an old coat,'' he said, "If you do, you will have torn the new coat, and the piece of new cloth will not match the old." Bottles in Palestine were made of skin. When new wine was put into them it fermented and gave off gas. If the bottle was new, there was a certain elasticity in the skin and it survived the pressure; but if it was old, the skin was dry and hard and it would burst. "Don't," says Jesus, "let your mind become like an old wine-skin. Be elastic, be open to new ideas, be open to Good News.
Jesus does not tolerate the people that are stuck in the old; people who hate change; people who are allergic to new ideas. In other words, we should never be afraid of adventurous ideas. This said, the road for science of scientific progress has not been a smooth one. Religious intolerance has been common, with George Bernard Shaw famously saying, **“All great truths begin as blasphemies”** (from his play Annajanska, 1919). History is littered with people killed or persecuted for having new ideas. Galileo was branded a heretic when he held that the earth moved round the sun.
As Arthur Schopenhauer noticed, an important idea or truth must ‘endure a hostile reception before it is accepted’ when he said “…First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” Let us have a care that when we resent new ideas we are not simply demonstrating that our minds have grown old and inelastic; that when we avoid change we demonstrate that we tired of living, because life is about change and changing. Only the dead don't change anymore.
We should never be afraid of new methods. That a thing has always been done may very well be the best reason for stopping doing it. That a thing has never been done may very well be the best reason for trying it.

There's a reason we have one mouth but two ears!

Luke 5:1-11
1 NOW IT occurred that while the people pressed upon Jesus to hear the message of God, He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee). 2 And He saw two boats drawn up by the lake, but the fishermen had gone down from them and were washing their nets. 3 And getting into one of the boats, [the one] that belonged to Simon (Peter), He requested him to draw away a little from the shore. Then He sat down and continued to teach the crowd [of people] from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon (Peter), Put out into the deep [water], and lower your nets for a haul. 5 And Simon (Peter) answered, Master, we toiled all night [ exhaustingly] and caught nothing [in our nets]. But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets [again]. 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish; and as their nets were [ at the point of] breaking, 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold with them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was gripped with bewildering amazement [allied to terror], and all who were with him, at the haul of fish which they had made; 10 And so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon (Peter). And Jesus said to Simon, Have no fear; from now on you will be catching men! 11 And after they had run their boats on shore, they left everything and joined Him as His disciples and sided with His party and accompanied Him.

Food for thought!

We are here confronted with a turning point in the career of Jesus. Last time we heard him preach he was in the synagogue; now he is at the lakeside. True, he will be back in the synagogue again; but the time is coming when the door of the synagogue will be shut to him and his church will be the lakeside and the open road, and his pulpit a boat. He would go anywhere where men would listen to him. When the synagogue was shut Jesus took to the open road.
There is in this story what we might call a list of the conditions of a miracle.
**(i) There is the eye that sees.** Jesus's eyes saw what the disciples couldn't. We need the eye that really sees the many opportunities around us. Many people saw steam raise the lid of a kettle; only James Watt went on to think of a steam engine. Many people saw an apple fall; only Isaac Newton went on to think out the law of gravity. The earth is full of opportunities for the eye that sees. We need to see through the eyes of Jesus.
**(ii) There is the spirit that will make an effort.** If Jesus said it, tired as he was Peter was prepared to try again. For most people the disaster of life is that they give up just one effort too soon. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. It is the last step in the race that counts the most. That's where the winner is determined. That's where the rewards come. If you run every step of the race well except the last one and you stop before the finish line, then the end result will be the same as if you never ran a step.
**(iii) There is the spirit which will attempt what seems hopeless.** The night was past and that was the time for fishing. All the circumstances were unfavourable, but Peter said, "Let circumstances be what they may, if you say so, we will try again." Too often we wait because the time is not opportune. If we wait for a perfect set of circumstances, we will never begin at all. If we want a miracle, we must take Jesus at his word when he bids us attempt the impossible.
**(iv) There is the teachability attitude.** This is the willingness to listen, learn, and apply. It is the willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. Many people think they know it all. And this makes it difficult for them to continually expand what they know. Peter was much older than Jesus. He could have despised Jesus and what he was being told to do, but he did not. He was teachable. Learning is a life long pursuit.
One of the paradoxes of life is that the things that initially make you successful are rarely the things that keep you successful. You have to remain open to new ideas and be willing to learn new skills. Remain teachable! There's a reason we have one mouth but two ears.

Seek to be authentic, not popular!

Luke 6:20-26

Then he turned to his disciples and said, “What happiness there is for you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours! What happiness there is for you who are now hungry, for you are going to be satisfied! What happiness there is for you who weep, for the time will come when you shall laugh with joy! What happiness it is when others hate you and exclude you and insult you and smear your name because you are mine! When that happens, rejoice! Yes, leap for joy! For you will have a great reward awaiting you in heaven. And you will be in good company—the ancient prophets were treated that way too! “But, oh, the sorrows that await the rich. For they have their only happiness down here. They are fat and prosperous now, but a time of awful hunger is before them. Their careless laughter now means sorrow then. And what sadness is ahead for those praised by the crowds—for false prophets have always been praised.

Food for thought!

We all like to be liked. We all love to be loved. But Jesus is saying that that is dangerous. Our task, he says, is to be true, not popular. Our task on earth is not to be liked or loved by men but by God. What does this mean? What does it mean to be true but not popular? It means that if our goal is to be popular or be liked or loved, we will sacrifice the truth; we will bend the facts to match others' expectations; we will seek to please people; we will seek the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them.

Jesus had no doubt which way in the end brings happiness; it is the way of the truth. If by saying the truth we suffer, if by leaving the truth we are despised, then that is good. This is what Peter says in his letter: "It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad." (1Pt 3:17). What does this mean?

It means that sometimes we must stand for what is right even if by so doing we might experience a loss of friends. It means not giving in to evil schemes even if by so doing we might experience a loss of ill-gotten gain. Suffering for wrong is punishment, suffering for good is glory. Remember, our task is not to be popular but true and genuine and authentic.

God is with us

Matthew 1:18-23

The mother of Jesus Christ was Mary. And this is how the birth of Jesus came about. Mary was engaged to marry Joseph. But before they married, she learned that she was going to have a baby. She was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man. He did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly. While Joseph thought about this, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. You will name the son Jesus. Give him that name because he will save his people from their sins.” All this happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel.” This name means “God is with us.”

Food for thought

Jesus was born by the action of the Holy Spirit, or as the gospel reading says, "through the Holy Spirit." The birth of Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit. This statement is of extreme importance because it spells out the purpose of Jesus' coming; it helps us appreciate what Jesus came to do, and why Jesus came.

Mary was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. This means that the child conceived in Mary was not from some man but was from the Holy Spirit. Let us try to understand the significance of this by going back to the Old Testament (OT).

We know from the OT that it was through his Spirit that God performed his creating work. The Book of Genesis says that God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. And God’s Spirit moved upon the face of the waters, and chaos became a world (Genesis 1:2).

Again the OT says, "When you send forth your spirit, they are created." (Psalm 104:30); "The spirit of God has made me," said Job, "and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" ( Job 33:4). As you can see, the Holy Spirit is the Creator of the World and the Giver of Life. So, if Jesus came through the Holy Spirit, it means that in Jesus there came into the world God’s life-giving and creating power.

Jesus came and comes to bring order to our disordered lives, families, relationships; he came and comes to breathe life into our weaknesses and frustrations. Jesus gives life to the lifeless; he gives hope to the hopeless; he gives meaning to life. It means that we are not really alive until Jesus enters into our lives.

In Jesus the Spirit of God came and comes to us. As the Bible puts it, "I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live" (Ezekiel 37:14). If Jesus came and comes through and by the Holy Spirit, it means that in Jesus there came to this world of ours the power which can re-create life. Jesus can bring to life again the soul which is dead in sin and revive again the ideals which have died; Jesus can rekindle our lost dreams, our lost ideals. He can renew life when and where people have lost all that life means.

Jesus is the creating power come among us, the re-creating power which can release us from the death to life, from hopelessness to hopefulness, helplessness to helpfulness, from meaningless living to meaningful living. If you claim to be Christian don't ever get despaired; be hopeful knowing that "all things go well for those who trust him." (Romans 8:28) because finally God-is-with-us (Emmanuel) in all our ups and downs, our trials and victories, our failures and successes.

Jesus said, “Be sure of this: I am with you ALWAYS, until the end of time.” (Mt 28:20).

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).

"The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (Psalm 46:7).