Pray to God and Play your part!

Mark 6:34-44

34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat." 37 But Jesus said, "You feed them." "With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" 38 "How much bread do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." 39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. 41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so t  hey could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!

Food for thought !

This is a very special miracle. So special that it is the only miracle of Jesus which is related in all four gospels. It is special also in that it shows the TWO ingredients of every miracle. There’s God, and there’s man; there’s praying to God, and there’s playing our part. The two ALWAYS go together.

When the disciples were asked to give the people something to eat, they insisted that that was practically impossible; they compared it to working for months to earn enough money to buy food for all the people! They really meant "Anything we have got is no use at all," which was correct. What was not correct was the disciples not to think of God.

This is how many of us deal with difficulties; we think of everything and everybody except God. We look at problems through our eyes and our efforts and our wages, etc., just like the disciples did: "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!" With such false start we cannot end with correct solutions; we are like the disciples: "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late.  Send the crowds away.”

After seeing their inadequate solutions, Jesus taught them and us a lifetime lesson. For a miracle to happen, two things must concurrently occur: praying to God, and playing our part. Prayer alone is not enough; playing our part is not enough. We must pray to God, yes, but also, we must play our part. This is what Jesus did:  Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them (he prayed to God). But Jesus demanded that the disciples play their part: "How much bread do you have?" he asked. "Go and find out." They came back and reported, "We have five loaves of bread and two fish." 39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and gave to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.

All this means that whenever we have those humanly speaking impossible situations, whenever we seek a miracle from God, we must do two things: pray to God, and play our part. As you play your part pray, and as you pray, play your part.

When John died, Jesus himself took on!

Mat 4:12-17

12 When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. 13 He moved from his hometown, Nazareth, to the lakeside village Capernaum, nestled at the base of the Zebulun and Naphtali hills. 14 This move completed Isaiah's sermon: 15 "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road to the sea, over Jordan, Galilee, crossroads for the nations. 16 People sitting out their lives in the dark saw a huge light; Sitting in that dark, dark country of death, they watched the sun come up." 17 This Isaiah- prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."

23 From there he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God's kingdom was his theme, that beginning right now they were under God's government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. 24 Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Jesus healed them, one and all. 25 More and more people came, the momentum gathering. Besides those from Galilee, crowds came from the "Ten Towns" across the lake, others up from Jerusalem and Judea, still others from across the Jordan.

Food for thought!

Bad things do happen to good people! Before very long disaster came to John. He was arrested, imprisoned and killed by Herod the king. His crime was that he had publicly denounced Herod for seducing his brother's wife, and making her his own wife, after he had put away the wife he had. John's courage brought him first imprisonment and then death.

Bad as this might be, for Jesus, John's death marked the time he had to go forth to his task. John was cousin of Jesus. And when John died, Jesus did not nurse the wounds for ever; he immediately moved on. Some of us, whenever we get wounded or disappointed in our expectations with someone, or when we lose one of our dear ones,  or our business endeavour has failed, we fail to go beyond the hurt or disappointment; we nurse our wounds for too long, too much. This is not what Jesus did. The gospel says, "When Jesus got word that John had been arrested, he returned to Galilee. ...He picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here."

Let us note what he did first of all. He left Nazareth his birth place, and he took up residence in the town of Capernaum. There was a kind of symbolic finality in that move. In that moment Jesus left his home never again to return to live in it. It is as if he shut the door that lay behind him before he opened the door that stood in front of him. It was the clean cut between the old and the new. One chapter was ended and another had begun. Into life there come these moments of decision. It is always better to meet them with an even surgical cut than to vacillate undecided between two courses of action.

There's another symbolism in this. They killed John, but they did not and could not kill John's message; the messenger died but his message went on. This is why Jesus picked up where John left off: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here." It means what Jesus said, (Mat 24:35) "Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." In other words, Johns come and go, but John's message never goes away. The messengers come and go, the message endures for ever.

Epiphany!

Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

Food for thought!

In the stories of Jesus’ birth, two special groups of people came to visit the new-born babe: the shepherds and the magi. The church has no special feast to commemorate the visit of the shepherds but we have this special feast of Epiphany today to celebrate the visit of the magi. Why is that? It is because the visit of the magi is an eye-opener. The shepherds learnt of the birth of Jesus through a direct revelation from angels appearing in the midnight sky. This is direct and supernatural revelation. Many of us have no problem with that.

The magi, on the other hand, learnt of the birth of Jesus by observing a star. The star did not say anything to them. They had to interpret this natural sign of the star to know what it meant and where it led. If we remember that the magi or the three wise men were nature worshippers, people who divined God’s will by reading the movements of the stars and other heavenly bodies, then we can see how the visit of the magi challenges some of our popular beliefs.

Many religious people, many Christians, many Catholics tend to think that their religious tradition, their church or community is the only way to God. This is what some of us hear when we hear such words of Jesus as: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). We hastily conclude that the way of God equals the way of our religious tradition or church. Yet the word of God cautions us against such a narrow interpretation. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8). That is why we are fascinated with the story of the visit of the magi. It is a unique story that opens our eyes to the fact that God is not limited to any one religious tradition.

Notice how people of different religious traditions came to know that the Son of God was born. The shepherds who were regarded as unclean and could not take part in Temple worship without undergoing purification came to know through a direct vision of angels. The magi knew through a reading of the stars. And King Herod’s scribes came to know through searching the scriptures.

All this means that visions (shepherds), stars (magi), scriptures (Jews and Herod), are just different ways of arriving at the same truth. Of course this does not mean that any religious tradition is just as good as the other; this does not mean that any church is as good as the other. Notice how Matthew indicates that when the guiding star got to Jerusalem its light failed and the magi had to consult the scriptures to direct them to Bethlehem. Over and above the natural light of the star the magi still needed the supernatural light of scripture to finally get to Jesus.

Yet the crucial question in the story remains: Who actually got to find Jesus? Herod and his scribes who had the Bible (scriptures) did not follow through to find Jesus, but the magi who followed the natural light of the stars were able to find him. Why? Because the Jewish authorities, even though they possessed the Bible, did not follow it; just as many baptized Christians do possess the Bible but do not walk in the light of the Bible.

The magi, on the other hand, who enjoyed only a star light followed its guidance. It is not the possession of the Bible that matters, it is not having been once baptized that will save us; it is not belonging to some church that matters; it is how prepared we are to walk the talk and talk the walk that matters. It is better to have the dim light of the stars and follow it than to have the bright light of the holy scriptures and neglect it.

As Christian we believe that our religion possesses the fullness of truth. But what does that benefit us if we do not walk in the biblical truth? Non-Christians or non-Catholics who are sincerely committed to following the little they know may arrive at Jesus before you and me. The feast of Epiphany is a wake up call for us Christians, in general, and Catholics, in particular, not to take things or granted. 

Day Four!

John 1:43-51

43 The next day Jesus desired and decided to go into Galilee; and He found Philip and said to him, Join Me as My attendant and follow Me. 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the same city as Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip sought and found Nathanael and told him, We have found (discovered) the One Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote about—Jesus from Nazareth, the [legal] son of Joseph! 46 Nathanael answered him, [Nazareth!] Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said concerning him, See! Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor falsehood nor duplicity! 48 Nathanael said to Jesus, How do You know me? [How is it that You know these things about me?] Jesus answered him, Before [ever] Philip called you, when you were still under the fig tree, I saw you. 49 Nathanael answered, Teacher, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! 50 Jesus replied, Because I said to you, I saw you beneath the fig tree, do you believe in and rely on and trust in Me? You shall see greater things than this! 51 Then He said to him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you all, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man!

Food for thought!

Today is Day Four of Jesus' first week on the job. On this day, Jesus found and called Philip. Philip could not keep the good news to himself. As Godet said: "One lighted torch serves to light another." So Philip went and found his friend Nathanael. He told him that he believed that he had discovered the long promised Messiah in Jesus, the man from Nazareth. Nathanael was contemptuous. Nazareth was a quite undistinguished place. Nathanael's reaction was to declare that Nazareth was not the kind of place that anything as good as Jesus was likely to come out of. Philip was wise. He did not argue. He said simply: "Come and see!"

Not very many people have ever been argued into Christianity. Often our arguments do more harm than good. The only way to convince a man of the supremacy of Christ is to confront him with Christ. On the whole it is true to say that it is not argumentative and philosophical preaching and teaching which have won people for Christ; it is the presentation of the story of Jesus.

The best argument is to say to people: "Come and see!" Of course, we have to know Christ ourselves before we can invite others to come to him. The true evangelist must himself have met Christ first.

So Nathanael came; and Jesus could see into his heart. "Here," said Jesus, "is a genuine Israelite, a man in whose heart there is no guile." Nathanael was surprised that anyone could give a verdict like that on so short an acquaintance, and he demanded how Jesus could possibly know him. Jesus told him that he had already seen him under the fig-tree under which he had been meditating on the promises of God. And now he felt that Jesus had seen into the very depths of his heart.

It was not so much that Jesus had seen him under the fig-tree that surprised Nathanael; it was the fact that Jesus had read the thoughts of his inmost heart. Nathanael said to himself: "Here is the man who understands my dreams! Here is the man who knows my prayers! Here is the man who has seen into my most intimate and secret longings, longings which I have never even dared put into words! Here is the man who can translate the inarticulate sigh of my soul! This must be God's promised anointed one and no other." Nathanael capitulated for ever to the man who read and understood and satisfied his heart.

Day Three!

John 1:35-42

35The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. 36As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. 38Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.

40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). 42Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

Food for thought!

We are on day three in Jesus’ first work week. You remember we started by verse 19 where John the Baptist started to talk about Jesus. Then, in verse 29, we saw “the next day”, that was day two. Today, the gospel says “the following day,” which is day three. On this day, again we see John the Baptist pointing beyond himself. He must have known very well that to speak to his disciples about Jesus like that was to invite them to leave him and transfer their loyalty to this new and greater teacher; and yet he did it. There was no jealousy in John. He had come to attach men not to himself but to Christ. There is no harder task than to take the second place when once the first place was enjoyed. But as soon as Jesus emerged on the scene John never had any other thought than to send men to him.

So the two disciples of John followed Jesus. It may well be that they were too shy to approach him directly and followed respectfully some distance behind. Then Jesus did something entirely characteristic. He turned and spoke to them. That is to say, he met them half way. He made things easier for them. He opened the door that they might come in.

Here we have the symbol of the divine initiative. It is always God who takes the first step. When the human mind begins to seek and the human heart begins to long, God comes to meet us far more than half way. God does not leave a man to search and search until he comes to him; God goes out to meet the man. When we go to God we do not go to one who hides himself and keeps us at a distance; we go to one who stands waiting for us, and who even takes the initiative by coming to meet us on the road.

Jesus began by asking these two men the most fundamental question in life. "What are you looking for?" he asked them. It would be well if every now and again we were to ask ourselves: "What am I looking for? What's my aim and goal? What am I really trying to get out of life?"

Some people are searching for security. They would like a position which is safe, money enough to meet the needs of life and to put some past for the time when work is done, a material security which will take away the essential worry about material things. This is not a wrong aim, but it is a low aim, and an inadequate thing to which to direct all life; for, in the last analysis, there is no safe security in the chances and the changes of this life.

Some people are searching for what they would call a career, for power, prominence, prestige, for a place to fit the talents and the abilities they believe themselves to have, for an opportunity to do the work they believe themselves capable of doing. If this be directed by motives of personal ambition it can be a bad aim; if it be directed by motives of the service of our fellow men it can be a high aim. But it is not enough, for its horizon is limited by time and by the world.

Some people are searching for some kind of peace, for something to enable them to live at peace with themselves, and at peace with God, and at peace with men. This is the search for God; this aim only Jesus Christ can meet and supply. It is to such people that Jesus says, “Come and see!” When Jesus said: "Come and see!" he was inviting them, not only to come and talk, but to come and find the things that he alone could open out to them.

John (not the Baptist but the writer of today’s gospel reading) finishes the paragraph with the words, "It was about four o'clock in the afternoon." He finishes that way because he was one of the two disciples himself that Jesus met on Day Three. John could tell the very hour of the day and no doubt the very spot of the road he was standing on when he met Jesus. At four o'clock on a spring afternoon in Galilee, life became a new thing for John.

Day Two!

Jn 1:29-34

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of Whom I said, After me comes a Man Who has priority over me [Who takes rank above me] because He was before me and existed before I did. 31 And I did not know Him and did not recognize Him [myself]; but it is in order that He should be made manifest and be revealed to Israel [be brought out where we can see Him] that I came baptizing in (with) water. 32 John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart]. 33 And I did not know Him nor recognize Him, but He Who sent me to baptize in (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 34 And I have seen [that happen—I actually did see it] and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!

Food for thought!

Here we come to the second day of this momentous week in the life of Jesus. By this time his baptism and his temptations were past and he was about to set his hand to the work which he came into the world to do. This work is summed up in the words LAMB OF GOD!

There is sheer wonder in this phrase, the Lamb of God. It is one of the most precious titles of Christ. In one word it sums up the love, the sacrifice, the suffering and the triumph of Christ.

John says that he did not know Jesus. What John is saying is not that he did not know WHO Jesus was, but that he did not know WHAT Jesus was. It had suddenly been revealed to him that Jesus was none other than the Son of God, sent to take away the sin of the world. Each one of us came with a mission to realize in this life; we were created for some what, some function, some mission. Do we know who and what are we? For Jesus we know: he is the Son of God, whose business is to take away our sin.

The same with us. There's a purpose for which we were created. As John said yesterday, he is not the Messiah or any of the prophets. This is the who. He is the voice calling on the people to get ready for Jesus. This is the what of John; this is what John came into this life to accomplish.

As John has shown us, Jesus is the Son of God (who) and the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (what). John's function (what) is clear: to point men to Christ. He was nothing and Christ was everything. He claimed no greatness and no place for himself; he was only the man who, as it were, drew back the curtain and left Jesus occupying the lonely centre of the stage. John is our model of humility.

One among you!

John 1:19-28

19 When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. 20 He didn't evade the question. He told the plain truth: "I am not the Messiah." 21 They pressed him, "Who, then? Elijah?" "I am not." "The Prophet?" "No." 22 Exasperated, they said, "Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something-- anything!-- about yourself." 23 "I'm thunder in the desert: 'Make the road straight for God!' I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached." 24 Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. 25 Now they had a question of their own: "If you're neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?" 26 John answered them, I [only] baptize in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing. 27 It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things occurred in Bethany across the Jordan [ at the Jordan crossing], where John was then baptizing.

Food for thought!

Starting from this passage, and going step by step, day by day, we will follow Jesus’ first week in the public life; in today’s reading we have the preparatory events of the first day. Jesus was preceded by John, who told the people, “I am nobody; I am only a voice telling you to get ready for the coming of Jesus, for he is on the way.” 

John was what every true preacher and teacher ought to be, only a voice, a pointer to Jesus. The last thing that John wanted men to do was to look at him; he wanted them to forget him and see only Jesus. He is the great example of the man prepared to obliterate himself in order that Jesus may be seen. He was only, as he saw it, a finger-post pointing to Jesus. God give us grace to forget ourselves and to remember only Jesus.

John said something extremely important: "Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing." And as we said yesterday, the name Jesus means Saviour. So, John is as if he said, the Saviour is finally among you, but you don't recognize him; you are struggling alone, whereas your redeemer is among you unrecognized. 

The plain truth is that many people don’t know who they are; they have lost self worth, they have lost meaning in life, they have lost themselves. They have lost direction. Few people can say like John who they are; few people can answer these questions put to John: Who are you? "The Messiah?" "Who, then? Elijah?" "The Prophet?" "Who, then? We need an answer. Tell us something, anything, about yourself."  Tell the world who you are; give your best and be your best.

In each one of us stands one we do not recognize, and with whom we are not acquainted and of whom we know nothing; this is the man or woman that God created in his image and likeness; the best you, the best me. Unfortunately, many people are what other people tell them they are; they are using everyone in their experience as a mirror to show them what they have come to believe about themselves. You are not what people say you are. Your worth, my worth is in Jesus; it is only by seeing ourselves through the eyes of Jesus that we see our worth. The same with others; it is only by seeing them through Jesus that we see their worth. 

Happy & Blessed 2013!

Luke 2:16-21

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.

Food for thought!

“All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished!” (Lk 2:18)

The gospel story excites wonder; the more we make the gospel message food for thought the more wonderful it becomes. The best example is Mary; she “kept all these things, reflecting on them in the heart.” Mary had lots of food for thought. She had the angelic message to herself (Lk 1:29), the message to the shepherds (Lk 2:19), the message by Simeon (Lk 2:33), and the message from Jesus himself (Lk 2:51).

“The shepherds went back to their flocks.” (Lk 2:20)

Every good thing ends. The shepherds did not make the glorious moment at the feet of Jesus an excuse for neglecting their humble duties. They went back to business. The same with us, now that the party and partying are over, let’s get ready to return to our duties, praising God for his goodness in giving us the name JESUS. The shepherds went away praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. Jesus came in exactly the same manner in which his coming had been spoken of or described by the angels a few hours ago; and also just as his coming had been spoken of or described by the prophets centuries and centuries before. God’s word holds good for eternity as truly as for one day.

“He was named Jesus!” (Lk 2:21)

When the new born child was eight days old (counting from December 25 to January 1 are eight days), he was named Jesus. On this day, the day we begin our new year, the new baby was named Jesus. This is not a coincidence; it is providence. Divine providence gives us “Jesus” to begin with the new year. Why?

Most people, especially adults, create new goals and set resolutions for the new year. Only to discover that by end of January, we have forgotten them or have broken them already. Why do we fail to stick to our resolutions? Why do we fail, despite good intentions?  The reason is because we set To Do goals instead of To Be goals. We forget that doing comes from being, and not the opposite. What we do is because of what we are; if we change what we are, we change what we do. Before we effect any change in our personal lives, our marriage, our health, our workplace, our finances, we have to change our being. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. If you do what you have always done, you’ll get what you always got.

Instead of creating to do goals, get a single word that can effect and affect change in you. No more goals. No more resolutions. Just one word, powerful enough to motivate and influence all your doing in 2013. This one word is “Jesus”. This is why we are given this name on 1st of January.  I hope you will remember St. Paul’s recommendation: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). What you can’t dare do in Jesus’ name, don’t do it. In other words, whatever you can do in the name of Jesus is good and doable; what you can’t do in His name, is bad and don’t do it. For He is Lord both now and forever, AMEN.

2012 lessons!

John 18:1-18

1 Jesus, having prayed, left with his disciples and crossed over the brook Kidron at a place where there was a garden. He and his disciples entered it. 2 Judas, his betrayer, knew the place because Jesus and his disciples went there often. 3 So Judas led the way to the garden, and the Roman soldiers and police sent by the high priests and Pharisees followed. They arrived there with lanterns and torches and swords. 4 Jesus, knowing by now everything that was coming down on him, went out and met them. He said, "Who are you lookin for?" They answered, "Jesus the Nazarene." 5 6 He said, "I AM." The soldiers recoiled, totally taken aback. Judas, his betrayer, stood out like a sore thumb. 7 Jesus asked again, "Who are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus the Nazarene." "I told you," said Jesus, "I AM. So if it's me you're after, let these others go." 9 (This validated the words in his prayer, "I didn't lose one of those you gave.") 10 Just then Simon Peter, who was carrying a sword, pulled it from its sheath and struck the Chief Priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. Malchus was the servant's name. 11 Jesus ordered Peter, "Put back your sword. Do you think for a minute I'm not going to drink this cup the Father gave me?" 12 Then the Roman soldiers under their commander, joined by the Jewish police, seized Jesus and tied him up. 13 They took him first to Annas, father- in- law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the Chief Priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people. 15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was known to the Chief Priest, and so he went in with Jesus to the Chief Priest's courtyard. 16 Peter had to stay outside. Then the other disciple went out, spoke to the doorkeeper, and got Peter in. 15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was known to the Chief Priest, and so he went in with Jesus to the Chief Priest's courtyard. 16 Peter had to stay outside. Then the other disciple went out, spoke to the doorkeeper, and got Peter in. 17 The young woman who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, "Aren't you one of this man's disciples?" He said, "No, I'm not." 18 The servants and police had made a fire because of the cold and were huddled there warming themselves. Peter stood with them, trying to get warm.

Food for end of year thought!

It is neither Holy Week nor the Passion of Jesus. It is 31st of December.  Although this reading comes from Good Friday’s Liturgy, it is what the Church has given us for the last day of 2012, and for a reason. Indeed, it will help us to wind up 2012 and to prepare for 2013.

I hope, between end of 2012 and beginning of 2013, you will find some time to go to the garden, alone with Jesus. You will not go there like Judas and the Roman soldiers and police that went in that garden to seize Jesus. No, we will go in there not to seize Jesus, but to be seized by Jesus. 

“Who are you looking for?” This is the question Jesus made to his captors; the same question he makes to you and me: Who are you looking for, in your life? In 2012, who did you look for? In 2013, who will you look for? Are you looking for Jesus the Nazarene." He said, "I AM." 

I want you to notice that in good grammar the word would have been, WHOM, not WHO are you looking for, as Jesus put it. The reason for this apparently wrong grammar is in the answer I AM. In life we are looking for I AM; we are always looking for the I AM. Whatever we do in life, we are looking for the I AM. This I AM is not someone out there (that’s why it is not WHOM are you looking for?); it is someone in you.

Did you notice that when the young girl asked Peter, "Aren't you one of this man's disciples?" He said, "No, I'm not."? It is because this is not about Peter or Mary or You or Me; it is about Jesus. Life is about Jesus the Nazarene. He is the ultimate I AM. If you want to know your I AM know about Jesus; if you want to know yourself know Jesus. The road to your I AM goes through  Jesus’ I AM. You will never understand yourself without understanding Jesus.

If you want to understand the year 2012, look at it through Jesus; Jesus will enlighten all your  mysteries of 2012; he will make sense out of the nonsense of 2012. Write down the major life lessons you have learned in 2012 so you can share them with others. We should be grateful Solomon did this, because it gave us the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, which are filled with practical lessons on living. 

Imagine how much needless frustration could be avoided if we learned from each other’s life lessons. Mature people develop the habit of extracting lessons from everyday experiences. I urge you to make a list of your life lessons in 2012. You haven’t really thought about them unless you have written them down. Here are a few questions to jog your memory and get you started:

In 2012,

What has God taught me from failure? 

What has God taught me from a lack of money? 

What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression? 

What has God taught me through waiting? 

What has God taught me through illness? 

What has God taught me from disappointment? 

What have I learned from my family, my church, my relationships, my small group, and my critics?

Mary's Food for thought!

Luke 2:41-52

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

Food for thought!

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

And of Jesus’ parents the gospel says some revealing things. For instance, it says “Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival,” meaning by this that they were practicing faithful; Joseph and Mary practiced their faith; they were regular “church” goers. Regular attendance upon worship is likewise  enjoined upon us (Heb. 10:25). 

As we have said quite often, bad things do happen even to good people. After one of the celebrations, they left for home, and the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn't know it. Joseph and Mary were just like the rest of us; they missed out on some things like losing their child; they assumed he was among the other travelers.

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

Just as Joseph and Mary lost temporarily Christ, a divine gift to them, we too can and many times do lose him, though he be God’s gift to us.

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

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

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

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