Full of Grace!

Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.


Food for thought!


The angel declared to Mary that she was "so highly favoured;” that the Lord is with her. Some Bibles translate "so highly favoured" as "full of grace." To be full of grace means just that, to be not half full but 100% full; it means to be wholly blessed, completely graced. And if Mary is 100% full of grace, then she must be, in other words, 0% sinful. She is immaculate.


This said, the greatness of Mary is not Mary; it is Jesus. Without Jesus Mary would not be the Mary we know; without Jesus Mary is nothing. This is why the angel reminded Mary why she is favoured or blessed the way she was: "You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end."


Like Mary, all of us came into this life for a definite purpose; all of us have a reason. Mary's purpose was to conceive and bear a son called Jesus. God prepared each one of us to be and do something in this life; God made each one of us for a mission to accomplish in life.


As R. Warren puts it, "If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose… You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God — and until you understand that, life will never make sense to you… It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny… You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose."


Just as Mary without Jesus would not be the Mary we know, so do we; without Jesus, we cannot know ourselves, neither the purpose of our living. The Bible says this many times: "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible,…everything got started in him (Jesus) and finds its purpose in him." (Colossians 1:16); "For from him (Jesus) and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36); "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:3); "Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." (1 Corinthians 8:6).

They were like sheep without a shepherd!

Matthew 9:35-10:1,5,6-8

Jesus traveled around through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the Jewish synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went he healed people of every sort of illness. And what pity he felt for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know what to do or where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. “The harvest is so great, and the workers are so few,” he told his disciples. “So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask him to recruit more workers for his harvest fields.” Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of sickness and disease. Jesus sent them out with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lepers, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

Food for thought!

As he saw the crowds, Jesus' heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Worried and helpless were the people Jesus saw. Whenever we are worried and helpless, we resemble a sheep without a shepherd.


Sometimes we worry so much as if we don't have a shepherd; we worry as if tomorrow is the end of world. This is why Jesus, when he sent his disciples he told them to tell the people that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. What does this mean? It means that Jesus is very close to all of us. Jesus is the kingdom of God in person. And he says that he is very near to us, very close at hand.

Why is this so? It is because Jesus cannot stay indifferent when he sees us in our struggles, in our problems, our messes. The gospel says, "traveled around through all the cities and villages of that area, teaching in the Jewish synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And wherever he went he healed people of every sort of illness. And what pity he felt for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know what to do or where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd." Jesus moved around because he had been moved by what he saw.
Jesus is so near to us that we don't have to worry as sheep without a shepherd. Consider what he says in Matthew 6:25-34

“So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things—food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body—and they are far more important than what to eat and wear. Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Will all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothes? Look at the field lilies! They don’t worry about theirs. Yet King Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as beautifully as they. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you, O men of little faith? “So don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing. Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them. But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.

Because of your faith it will happen!

Matthew 9:27-31


As Jesus was leaving the house, two blind men followed along behind, shouting, “O Son of King David, have mercy on us.” They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them,“Do you believe I can make you see?” “Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith it will happen.” And suddenly they could see! Jesus sternly warned them not to tell anyone about it, but instead they spread his fame all over the town.


Food for thought!


We have beard many times that we make our decisions and our decisions make us; that we are where and how we are because of our thoughts, our convictions. We have also heard the saying that, if you continue to believe or think as you always believed or thought, you will continue to get the same results; that if you desire different results, all you have to do is to change your beliefs or thoughts.


This is what Jesus is telling the two blind men: "Become what you believe!" He is saying, "I cannot do anything against the backdrop of your belief. If you believe I can do it, then I will do it. The power is in your hands, not mine.


Jesus is saying that each of us tends to become what we believe we are. That is why he asked the blind men: “Do you believe I can make you see?” If you believe a part of you is wrong, is a failure, or is not all that it should be, then that’s how you’ll live and present yourself to the world, and the world, like Jesus did to the blind men, will give back to you what you expected.


I like these words by someone: "One of the things I've learned is that life often gives you whatever you expect from it. If you expect bad things, those are what you get. If you expect good things, you often receive them. I don't know why it works that way, but it does. If you don't believe me, try it out. Give yourself thirty days in which you expect the best of everything: the best parking place, the best table in the restaurant, the best interaction with clients, the best treatment from service people. You'll be surprised by what you encounter, especially if you give your very best to others in every situation as well."

Not all who sound religious are really godly people!

Matthew 7:21,24-27


Jesus said to his disciples, “Not all who sound religious are really godly people. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.’ 24 “All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents, and the floods rise and the storm winds beat against his house, it won’t collapse, for it is built on rock. 26 “But those who hear my instructions and ignore them are foolish, like a man who builds his house on sand. 27 For when the rains and floods come, and storm winds beat against his house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”


Food for thought


It is not enough to know. It is equally important to do and to be. In Mark 1:24 a devil saw Jesus and said to him: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Yet, it did not trust nor believe in him. In other words, words are not enough.
Another simple example: if your husband or wife, or son or daughter, or friend says all the time (that is, talks to you) that they love you, that you are sweet heart, darling, honey, etc., but keeps doing (that is, works) things that hurt you. Will you believe what they say? Will you take as serious someone who says one thing and does another? The answer of course is NOT; you will not. That is what Jesus means by these words: "Not all who sound religious are really godly people."


There is only one way in which our sincerity can be proved, and that is by works practice. Fine words can never be a substitute for fine works. So often we confess God with our lips and deny him with our lives. It is not difficult to recite a creed, to say prayers, even to go to church or to Bible study meetings.


So as we go to church, kneel down to pray, as we read the Bible, we should remember that all of that we are doing is not enough; it is just the beginning. The second part is to act as the Lord has told us in the prayer, or from the Bible reading. All these things only become relevant when they are translated into action. Many of us would perfectly pass an examination in Christian religion with the highest distinction, and yet fail in Christian living. Knowledge must become action; theory must become practice; theology must become life.


Not only you and me do not want false loves, false friends; Jesus too does not; he does not get impressed by our prayers, songs, praises, if and when we do things that hurt him. It is by doing the will of his Father in heaven that we show and prove that he is our Lord; it is not by Lord, Lord…! It is by doing the will of the Father and not of the people.

How much ... do you have?

Matthew 15:29-37 

Jesus now returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat there. And a vast crowd brought him their lame, blind, maimed, and those who couldn’t speak, and many others, and laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.What a spectacle it was! Those who hadn’t been able to say a word before were talking excitedly, and those with missing arms and legs had new ones; the crippled were walking and jumping around, and those who had been blind were gazing about them! The crowds just marveled and praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I pity these people—they’ve been here with me for three days now and have nothing left to eat; I don’t want to send them away hungry or they will faint along the road.” The disciples replied, “And where would we get enough here in the desert for all this mob to eat?” Jesus asked them, “How much food do you have?” And they replied, “Seven loaves of bread and a few small fish!” Then Jesus told all of the people to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and gave thanks to God for them, and divided them into pieces, and gave them to the disciples who presented them to the crowd. And everyone ate until full—four thousand men besides the women and children! And afterwards, when the scraps were picked up, there were seven basketfuls left over!


Food for thought!

Someone once remarked: There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative. The miracle in today's gospel is all about attitude.

Did you notice what Jesus did? He first noted: "I pity these people—they’ve been here with me for three days now and have nothing left to eat; I don’t want to send them away hungry or they will faint along the road." Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them. Jesus had a positive attitude; he gave thanks for the little there was. He did not do like the disciples: "And where would we get enough here in the desert for all this mob to eat?" This is poor attitude at its worst. Unfortunately, many of us operate like the disciples: we see only the negative side of things.

The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude. We cannot change our past; we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way towards us. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude. Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to what happens to us.

There is always something beautiful to be found, right where you are, if you will look for it with a positive attitude. This is what Jesus did to work the miracle: Jesus asked, "How much food do you have?" Like Jesus, have a positive attitude of things because this this positive, loving attitude of mind will help you perceive the presence of God active in your life regardless of what is happening.

"But how does this positive attitude really work?" you may ask. The only way to prove it to yourself is to give it a good try and see what happens. Practice waking up each day with an inherent expectation of good and with a wonderful feeling of thanksgiving for life itself. Your days will be filled with exciting adventures. Expect the good, and good will come your way; if you expect evil, evil will hasten to meet you. That is why St. Paul advices us: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others.” (Philippians 4:8).

Then turning to His disciples, Jesus said privately!

Luke 10:21-24

In that same hour Jesus rejoiced and gloried in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have concealed these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and understanding and learned, and revealed them to babes (the childish, unskilled, and untaught). Yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will and choice and good pleasure. 22 All things have been given over into My power by My Father; and no one knows Who the Son is except the Father, or Who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son may choose to reveal and make Him known. 23 Then turning to His disciples, He said privately, Blessed (happy, to be envied) are those whose eyes see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings longed to see what you see and they did not see it, and to hear what you hear and they did not hear it.


Food for thought!


Then turning to His disciples, He said privately!


This is an interesting detail about Jesus. Today's gospel reports that "turning to His disciples, Jesus said privately" that they're blessed: "Blessed are those whose eyes see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings longed to see what you see and they did not see it, and to hear what you hear and they did not hear it."


Jesus is making a revelation, that being a Christian is not a given; it is a gift. "No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Our blessing consists in the fact that we were chosen by Jesus to know his Father; what you and I know about God is a revelation.


Every time we come to church, every time we turn to prayer, we're in a private moment with Jesus. And as you know from your experience, there are things Jesus tells us in private that he doesn't want everybody else to know; there are things Jesus tells each one of us in private; he has customized solutions to each one of us; he never gives a one-fits-all solution.
We do well to find time for privacy with Jesus, time for him to reveal to us our own blessings. And whatever Jesus tells you in private is not for public consumption; learn therefore to keep your private revelation private.


There are much we are that we do not know; things about us that only the Lord can tell us; things for our own private consumption. There are problems whose answer only Jesus can tell us. Just as there are things about the Father that only Jesus knows, things that only Jesus can tell us, as he said: "All things have been given over into My power by My Father; and no one knows Who the Son is except the Father, or Who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son may choose to reveal and make Him known."

A roman army captain came and pleaded with Jesus!

Matthew 8:5-11

When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, a Roman army captain came and pled with him to come to his home and heal his servant boy who was in bed paralyzed and racked with pain. “Yes,” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” Then the officer said, “Sir, I am not worthy to have you in my home; and it isn’t necessary for you to come. If you will only stand here and say, ‘Be healed,’ my servant will get well! I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave boy, ‘Do this or that,’ and he does it. And I know you have authority to tell his sickness to go—and it will go!” Jesus stood there amazed! Turning to the crowd he said, “I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles like this Roman officer, shall come from all over the world and sit down in the Kingdom of Heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.


Food for thought!

We have to acknowledge something very special about this centurion at Capernaum, and that was his attitude to his servant. This servant would be the equivalent of our house boy, our driver, our gardener, but the centurion was grieved that his servant was ill and was determined to do everything in his power to save him. He came and pleaded with Jesus "to come to his home and heal his servant boy who was in bed paralyzed and racked with pain."

It is quite clear that this centurion was an extraordinary man, for he loved his servant boy. It is easy to love your spouse, your children, your parents or even your colleagues at work. But to to love your maid, your house girl, your gardener, your house servant, your driver is uncommon. And this is what makes this centurion stand out. When did you last do something similar to your servant or maid?

It may well be that it was his totally unusual and unexpected gentleness and love which so moved Jesus when the centurion first came to him. The Bible says “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love makes up for many of your faults. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay for the night.” (1 Peter 4:8-11).

For the centurion to care that much for his servant, this servant must have been loyal to him. Loyalty begets loyalty; goodness begets goodness. We must be good to those who are good to us, because the person who cares for other persons is always near to Jesus Christ.

The way to get on in this world is to do whatever work you are doing well, then you will be picked to do some other job that is not being done well. God does not want us to do extraordinary things; He wants us to do ordinary things extraordinarily well. God is good to those who are good!

What I say to you I say to all!

Mark 13:33-37

Jesus told his disciples: “Since you don’t know when it will happen, stay alert. Be on the watch for my return. My coming can be compared with that of a man who went on a trip to another country. He laid out his employees’ work for them to do while he was gone and told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. Keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when I will come, at evening, at midnight, early dawn or late daybreak. Don’t let me find you sleeping. Watch for my return! What I say to you, I say to everyone.”

Food for thought!

One day Jesus was reprimanding some Pharisees for their double standards. When he finished one of the other listeners, an expert in religious law who was standing there said, “Sir, you have insulted my profession, too, in what you just said.” Today, Jesus explains what happens when he talks. Today's gospel reading ends with these words:

What I say to you, I say to everyone.

According to these words, when Jesus speaks to you, he speaks to me. When he speaks to me, he speaks to you; when he speaks to women, he speaks to men; when he speaks to men he speaks to women; when he speaks to sinners he speaks to me and you; when he speaks to the people of yesterday and of long ago, he speaks to me and to you and to us all, living today.

In other words, when we read the Bible or the words of Jesus we must read them, not as history, not as what was said long ago; we must read them as words addressed to us; as Word of God addressed to you and me, here and now. So, let us rephrase today's gospel reading to include us:

And since I don’t know when it will happen, I shall stay alert. I will be on the watch for Christ's return [...] I shall keep a sharp lookout! For I do not know when Christ will come, at evening, at midnight, early dawn or late daybreak. I won’t let Christ find me sleeping. I will watch for his return!

Pray all the time!

Luke 21:34-36

Jesus said to the people: “Watch out! Don’t let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don’t let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world. Keep a constant watch. And pray all the time that if possible you may arrive in my presence without having to experience these horrors.”.

Food for thought!

In today's gospel reading, Jesus recommends us to pray all the times. Why is this so? Well, we know that usually in the heat of battle, our mind tends to lose its balance. When too many things confront us at the same time like unexpected setbacks, doubts and criticisms from our own friends, there’s a danger of responding emotionally, with fear, depression, or frustration.

It is vital to keep our faith, maintaining our mental powers whatever the circumstances. We must actively resist the emotional pull of the moment — staying decisive, confident, no matter what hits us. In moments of turmoil and trouble, we must force ourselves to pray because with prayer we see God in our problem; without prayer we see problem in our God.

Jesus' advice is that whenever we get into trouble and turmoil, suffering and problems, we pray. Why prayer? Because prayer takes us beyond the present turmoil, problem, and suffering; without prayer we tend to get pulled down by our present moment of turmoil, whereas prayer takes us to God. Without prayer, we get caught up in the moment. Without prayer we live as if there's no tomorrow; we buy as if there's no tomorrow; we eat as if there's no tomorrow.

Prayer isn’t a last resort— prayer is the first step! “Do not fret or have anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything , by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.” (Philippians 4: 6) “Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]”. (1 Thessalonians 5: 17). Praying without ceasing literally says what it means. That we constantly stay in touch with our God at all times, for prayer is more than a life line; it’s an intimate connection between us and the Father.

Our goal is heaven!

Luke 21:29-33


Jesus gave the people this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see the events taking place that I’ve described you can be just as sure that the Kingdom of God is near.


“I solemnly declare to you that when these things happen, the end of this age has come. And though all heaven and earth shall pass away, yet my words remain forever true.”


Food for Thought:


There are two main considerations in this reading.


(i) There is the conception of the second coming of Jesus Christ. There has always been much useless argument and speculation about the second coming. When it will be and what it will be like, are not ours to know. But the one great truth it enshrines is this: that history is going somewhere; that each one of us is en route; that we are not to stay on this earth forever; that there is an end; and that at the end stands Jesus. The Christian conception of history is that it has a goal and at that that goal is Jesus Christ. That is all we know from the Bible, and it is all we need to know.


(ii) There is the need to be upon the watch; to be ready; to be on standby. The Christian must never come to think that he is living in a settled situation. A Christian must be a person who lives in a permanent state of expectation. We must live forever in the shadow of eternity, in the certainty that we are people who are fitting or unfitting ourselves to appear in the presence of God.


Because we're passing by, we must take each day as it comes. Live each day to the maximum; live each day to the best of your ability. Don't leave for tomorrow what you can do today; don't procrastinate. Live in the present and presence of God. Don't neglect prayer; it is a rehearsal of our appearance before God. At the end of our earthly journey, there is Jesus.


If our end is heaven, let us leave a life befitting heaven. "Our final end is heaven, and from it we await to meet the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20)