“Single-mindedly living for God and reach out in service to His people, without seeking for any appreciation or applauds!”

(Based on Phil 1:18b-26 and Lk 14:1,7-11 – Saturday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

Sir Isaac Newton is considered to be one of the greatest scientists of all time.

It was Newton who had discovered the Laws of Gravity which caused great advancements in the field of astronomical studies.

But there was another person, who had greatly helped Newton to climb this ladder of success…
… and of fame and popularity.

But he mostly remains unknown!

His name is Edmund Halley.

It was Halley…
… who corrected some of the mathematical errors committed by Newton.
… who prepared geometrical figures to support his discoveries.
… who edited and supervised the publication of his great work, “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”

It was also Halley who financed its printing even though Newton was wealthier and easily could have afforded the printing costs

These acts are considered to be among the most selfless ones in the history of science.

But, Halley hardly received any prominence or recognition.

He is, of course, known for the discovering a comet named the “Halley’s Comet”
… which (ironically) appears briefly once every 76 years!

And even that recognition was accorded only after his death!

Halley is stated to have said that he didn’t care who received credit for discoveries…

His single mission in life was to advance the cause of science…
… and he did it!

To do an act of goodness and charity, without…

Wanting appreciation…
Seeking recognition…
Desiring applauds…
… though, a mighty challenge, is at the same time, a Christian demand!

The Gospel of the Day is a call from Jesus to examine our attitude towards others…
… and grow in this tremendous dimension of the Virtue of Humility!

We are in the 14th Chapter of St Luke.

Jesus has been invited for a dinner to the house of a leading Pharisee on a Sabbath Day.

He has just cured a person with dropsy…
… a disease wherein water gets retained in the body
He also tried to cure persons with hypocrisy…
… a disease wherein duplicity gets retained in the mind!

And now He seeks to cure the attitude of the people who have a false understanding of giving.

Jesus says: “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives and wealthy neighbours. For surely they will invite you in return and you will be repaid” (Lk 14:12)

Much of our giving is based purely on the (hidden) aspect of receiving back…

Much of our sharing is based purely on an (unconscious) agenda of getting back…

We share our time with friends…
… often expecting that they too will accompany us in our times of hardships and difficulties!

We work hard for our families…
… often expecting that they too will be with us in our moments of struggle & not leave us lonely!

We render service to many people who are in need…
… often expecting that they too will render us assistance in our difficulties!

We pray to God and make a lot of sacrifices…
… often expecting that He’ll meet all our expectations, in the way & time, we want!

We love many saints…
… often expecting that they’ll make faster intercession on our behalf and get our works done quickly.

We have, perhaps, become very business oriented:
I give, and expect returns…
I share, and expect a bonus…

But the Lord, in today’s Gospel comes down heavily on such an attitude. “When you give, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind… because they cannot repay you” (Lk 14:13)

We are exhorted to give to those…
… who may never be able to repay back.

We are challenged to help those…
… who may never have a chance to return back the favour.

The Lord who said these words, shows us an example in the highest manner possible….
In the Holy Eucharist!

The Holy Eucharist is the best example and model, of such kind of a giving..
A giving without expecting back!
A sharing without seeking back!

The Eucharist is a banquet for us, the poor…
… we who are poor – in our morals and purity, in our commitment and dedication

The Eucharist is a banquet for us, the Crippled…
… crippled – with our many sins and faults, with the guilt of many past failures

The Eucharist is a banquet for us, the Lame…
… lame – in our longing and thirst for the Divine, in our acts of self-giving and self-sacrifice

The Eucharist is a banquet for us, the Blind…
… blind – to the cries of those around us, to see our habits which needs repentance & improvement

Yes, as Christians, we have to grow in humility

Our single mission in life ought to be, the advancement of the Kingdom of God…
… and we ought to pray and work for this virtue!

St Paul gloriously tells to join in his chorus: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!” (Phil 1:21)

The onus is on us…

May we seek the grace and make the efforts…
… to do acts of goodness and charity, without…

Wanting appreciation…
Seeking recognition…
Desiring applauds…
… which, though, a mighty challenge, is at the same time, a Christian demand!

On this last day of October – the month of the Rosary – let us thank the Lord for the gift of our Blessed Mother…

And pray the Rosary, everyday – which is a journey through the Life of Jesus, holding the Hands of our Mamma.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Receiving the touch of the Lord, in order to be safe, from being drowned in the troubled waters of life!”

(Based on Phil 1:1-11 and Lk 14:1-6 – Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

For our reflection today, we shall make a verse by verse analysis of the Gospel Passage…

The passage under consideration is the Healing of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath Day.

Let us carefully reflect on this amazingly dramatic incident…

The passage begins with the statement, “On a Sabbath, Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees…” (Lk 14:1a)

Here was an invitation of a high and elite nature…

A leading Pharisee of the Jewish society had called Jesus to his home.
He was joined by many other scholars of the Law and the Pharisees.

Maybe it was a show of one’s status and pride and dignity as a great Pharisee…

Maybe it was another chance for the critics of Jesus to find something to crib about him…

“…and the people there were observing Him carefully…” (Lk 14:1b)

To be invited for a dinner was something nice and pleasant…

But to be invited to become an object of observation and scanning was bad enough.

“The people were observing Him carefully” suggested a suspicious action…

It was as if, some thieves were waiting eagerly to strike on their target…

It was as if, some fierce lions, were stealthily preparing to pounce upon their prey…

And then comes the bait “In front of him, there was a man suffering from dropsy” (Lk 14:2)

What’s dropsy?

Dropsy was a condition in which there was an unnatural collection of serous (pale yellow and transparent) fluid in any cavity of the body.

Dropsy was water retention in the body.

Dropsy itself was not a disease, but a symptom of a disease.
It could be a number of things – complications of the liver or kidney or the heart or all three!

In the Jewish understanding, someone who had this condition of dropsy, was seen as a great sinner, even related to being a sexual sinner.

This sickness was a pointer to the man’s condition of being highly unclean!

But to bring back our attention to the Gospel…
Was this not a setting of a dinner?
Was not Jesus called for a meal…
… and that too, a dinner with the elite and leading religious people…
… and that too, on a Sabbath day?!

Then what was a man with dropsy, a serious condition of uncleanness, doing there?

The plot of the drama seems to be thickening…

The setup seems to be getting clear…

The Pharisees have invited Jesus for a meal, yes… but probably with a hidden and a mean agenda:

Drop a man with dropsy in front of Jesus… and observe what he does!

They knew Jesus had the power to heal…
… but they also knew that it would lead to violation of the Sabbath!
They wanted Jesus to violate the Sabbath to give proof that He was not from God!

The Rabbinical rule was that one could only be doctored if one was going to die immediately on the Sabbath.

But if death is not imminent, wait till the Sabbath is over.

But Jesus had time and again proved, that he had no regard for that lack of compassion or for the folly of that legalism.

In Lk 6:6-11, Jesus healed a withered man, on the Sabbath…
In Lk 13: 10-17, Jesus healed a woman, crippled for eighteen years, on the Sabbath…

So, He asks the guests gathered around, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?” (Lk 14:3)

Jesus knew their answer.

Jesus knew their perspective of things.
Yet He wanted them to tell.

“… but they kept silent” (Lk 14:4a)…

They knew the answer too.
They knew it was unlawful.
Still they did not tell Him.

Sheer hypocrisy!
Absolute malicious trapping!
Horrifying trick of deception!

And then Jesus does something astonishing…
“… he took the man, and after he had healed him, dismissed him” (Lk 14:4b)

The Greek word used for “took” is a very very strong verb….”Epilambano”

“Epilambano” literally means to lay hold of or to seize upon anything with the hands

(It is the same word used in…
… Lk 23:26, when the soldiers seized Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross
… Acts 16:19 to say that Paul and Silas were seized and dragged by their persecutors..)

The cruel silence of the crowd provokes Jesus, to strongly seize the afflicted man!

He doesn’t work the miracle in hiding or quietly or from a distance!

Rather, with much force, He just grabs the man, seizes him, crushes him in His arms…
… as if to squeeze the fluid out and give him a new heart, a new liver, and a new self and creates in the man a whole new set of internal organs.

And finally Jesus justifies His action with another thundering question, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath?” (Lk 14:6)

A beautiful picture indeed…

Jesus asks them, “None of you would have allowed your son or ox to drown in the waters, isn’t it?

Then why don’t you see, that I have also saved from drowning…
… this man with dropsy, drowning in his own fluid!?

Another total silence by the onlookers!

Am I also silent now?

There is much to learn from this dramatic incident, isn’t it?

May this dramatic Gospel incident, become…
… a wonderful inspiration, for us… who need the touch of the Lord, from being drowned in the troubled waters of life!
… a hard warning, for us… who malign other’s lives by seeking to find ways and means to trap them in the works of goodness!
… a tremendous booster, for us… who often get bogged down by troubles of life & instead to be bold to the hard & gritty challenges of life!

Let the prayer of St Paul become a reality in our lives: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent…
… and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God!” (Phil 1: 9-11)

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Finding rest, shelter and protection under the wings of the Mother Hen!”

(Based on Eph 6:10-20 and Lk 13:31-35 – Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

As children, we have often heard short stories…

One of the famous stories we have heard is about the Fox and the Hen.

The Fox tries his level best to kill the hen and it almost succeeds, until, the hen, by its cleverness, escapes through the clutches of the fox!

The fox is described with dominative and oppressive characters.

The hen is described with a defenseless and subjugated character.
Yet, the hen with its cleverness and adeptness manages to escape through its grasp.

The Gospel of the day presents such similar images of the Hen and the Fox to deliver a powerful message for our spiritual lives.

The passage begins with some Pharisees giving a warning to Jesus to leave that place since Herod wanted to kill Him.

Firstly, we encounter an unusual image of the Pharisees…

Usually, they are a group who present a very opposing and critical attitude.

The thought of a Pharisee, usually, brings an image of people who are knowledgeable, yet judgemental and disapproving in their behaviour.

But here is a welcome distinction…

These Pharisees display a concern towards Jesus and warn Him of the dangers posed by King Herod.

Why did these Pharisees do so ?
… In malice, to further trap Jesus?
… In jealousy, to keep Jesus away from the crowds?
… In concern, to help in His mission?

We can’t say for sure.

We can’t ascertain what really was their motive behind warning Jesus.

But it does allows us space to think that all people cannot be judged as wrong all the time!

An inkling of goodness exists in all, even in the midst of thick evil!

The answer of the Lord to the warning is a strong one…”Go and tell that fox…!” (Lk 13:32)

The image of the fox appears… King Herod.

Why does Jesus call King Herod as a fox?

The fox was an unclean animal for a Jew.

More than the slyness of the animal, Jesus was perhaps referring more to its uncleanness.

Herod always had issues with respect to being a clean and credible Jew…

After the death of his father, King Herod the Great (the one who had killed the many innocent male children at the birth of Jesus), this Herod Antipas had been put in power by Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, in 4 BC.

History tells that in 17 AD, to honour his Roman rulers, he build a grand new capital city named Tiberius, after the current emperor, only to discover that it was built on top of an old Jewish cemetery.

No pious Jew ever entered it, and was occupied exclusively by the pagans.

Herod also had his moral issues…

He divorced his first wife, in order to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother, Philip.

John the Baptist had been a persistent critic of Herod for this dubious marriage.

Herod had John killed because he had promised his daughter anything she wanted if she danced for him, and John’s head on a platter is what she wanted.

True, that King Herod Antipas was a powerful man and a person of great influence.
… But Jesus, the King of Kings and the God of all, fears him not and calls him “a fox!”

When one is filled with the mighty Spirit of God, no earthly forces can cause fright or scare!

When one fully trusts in the strength of God, no worldly might can cause anxiety or dread!

This leads Jesus to give another image…
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how many times, I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…“

The image of a Mother Hen appears… Jesus Christ

It is one of the most overtly feminine references to God in all of scripture.

Jesus will be the mother hen who stands between the chicks and those who mean to harm.

She has no pointed fangs or rippling muscles.
But all she has, is her willingness to shield her babies with her own body.
If the fox wants them, he will have to kill her first.

This is the image that Jesus for Himself… a Hen.

It lays bare God’s vulnerability.

Here is the contrast…

King Herod, presented as a Fox…powerful, rude, forceful.
Jesus, presented as a Mother Hen… protective, sacrificial, shielding.

This mother Hen, Jesus, invites each of us, His chicks, to find shelter under His wings.

Am I willing to take shelter under the wings of Jesus, the Mother Hen?

The Gospel has a sad note: When the mother hen tried to gather her chicks underneath her wings, “they were unwilling” (Lk 13:34b)

The chicks are unwilling to remain under the shade of the hen’s wings…

Maybe they wanted more ‘freedom’…
Maybe they just wanted to have their own way of living life…
Maybe they did not find the mother hen too exciting, whereas the active fox attracted them…

We too are sometimes so…

We fail to come under the shade of God’s wings
We become unwilling

The story of the fox and the hen continues…

Do I get attracted more to the energetic and tempting fox…
… or do I find rest, shelter and protection under the wings of the Mother Hen?

The choice is before us…

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Being impelled, like St Simon and St Jude, to love God and His people!”

(Based on the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles)

A garden of flowers delights most people!

A garden consists of a variety of flowers, with varied colours, sizes, shapes.

Some flowers tend to capture our attention more…
… some escape the gaze of our eyes.

However, this in no way, reduces or increases their relevance and importance.
Each flower has its own specialty.
Each flower has its own attraction.

Jesus in His garden of ministry, chose twelve apostles.

Some apostles tend to capture our attention more…
… some escape the gaze of our eyes.

However, this in no way, reduces or increases their relevance and importance.
Each apostle has his own specialty
Each apostle has his own attraction.

Today Holy Mother the Church celebrates the feast of two apostles: St Jude and St Simon.

These are apostles, who in most probability escape the gaze of our eyes.
These two saints are often known as the “unknown apostles”.
Yet, they have their own greatness before God and their own importance to inspire us in our lives!

The scarcity of their appearance in the New Testament is so vivid that except in the list of the names of the apostles…
… the name of Simon never appears elsewhere
… whereas the name of Jude makes only a single appearance in the discourse of Jesus after the last supper (Jn 14:22).

In the Gospel according to Matthew and Mark, the apostle Simon is given the title of a Canaanaean, while Luke mentions him as “Zealot”

This apostle Simon must have belonged to the Zealot Party.

The Zealot Party was a first-century political movement among Judean Jews who sought to overthrow the occupying Roman government.

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, four main Jewish groups existed at the time of Christ – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots.

The Zealots were known for their aggression and violent behaviour.

They advocated that no one but Yahweh alone should rule over Israel…
… and hence, obedience to the Roman government should be refused.

The selection of Simon, the Zealot as an Apostle, is a great insight into the workings of Jesus, in His Kingdom Ministry…

The Lord accepts us with our hard instincts.

The Lord takes into account our various mentalities and mindsets.

In His Divine Love, He squashes all such factors and patterns us into people fit for His Kingdom.

He doesn’t reject us in our over-zeal.
He doesn’t cast us away because of our impulses.

All that He expects is an openness to follow Him fully and allow ourselves to be moulded!

The Apostle Jude is given another title by St Matthew and St Mark: Thaddeus.
Thaddeus means “the courageous heart”

St Jude is one of the most popular saints in our world today, considering the fact that he is called as “The Miraculous Saint”.

St Jude is the one whose aid is often sought when all hope is lost, especially in grave illness and life-and-death situations.

There is a story that since his name is identical with Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus…
… St Jude would hardly be interceded too, except in the most desperate situations!

And hence, perhaps, he got identified as the Patron in Helpless Causes!

St Bridget of Sweden & St Bernard had visions from God asking each to accept St Jude as ‘Patron Saint of the Impossible’.

The Apostle Jude teaches us a few insights for our spiritual growth.

A) Like the name – Jude Thaddeus – we are invited too, to have a “heart full of courage”.

The Kingdom of God requires brave soldiers and people of immense valour.

The Lord needs followers who are imbued with the might of His Holy Spirit and who boldly proclaim the Gospel and witness its values by their lives.

No situation of discouragement or setbacks will hinder the march of a “courageous heart!”

B) St Jude, as the Patron of Desperate Cases, inspires us to have a deeper faith and trust in the Providence and Mercy of God.

The Lord is all-knowing.
He wills what is best for us.

However, in our human frailty, we often tend to lose our hope and become highly desperate.

But this Saint teaches to grow deeper in our faith & know that “behind every dark cloud is a silver lining of the sun…(Son!)!”

C) St Jude also teaches the powerful role of Intercessory Prayer.

We are all created in the Image and Likeness of God, and each of us have a bounden duty to the other…
… to take care, to love each other and to pray for one another.

When we pray for others and bring others to the presence of God, we help them in their difficulties and join with them in solidarity and compassion.

There are many hidden flowers in a garden.

Yet, each one has its own beauty and fragrance and value.

These two apostles – St Simon and St Jude – are fairly hidden in the Gospels, and yet we can learn and be inspired much by them.

May the life and intercession of these two hidden, yet Great Apostles of the Lord…
… impel us further, to love God and His people…
… and spread the Gospel of God to many more!

Happy Feast of the Apostles St Jude and St Simon.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Allowing God to take charge of our lives and offering all to His Hand, so that small things grow large and small gifts expand!”

(Based on Eph 5:21-33 and Lk 13:18-21 – Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

A young Christian businessman who had established himself well in his area of work, was once interviewed by a journalist…
… and asked for the secret of his quick success.

“Well”, said the young businessman, “I attribute all my success to my Lord!
From my college days, I have sought to give God the first place in my life.

And He has always led me!

There is a simple formula that I always hold on to…
The formula goes thus:
‘Where God’s in charge,
Little things grow large!

And in God’s Hand,
Small gifts expand!”

So true, isn’t it?

If we allow the Hand of God to work even in the small things that we do…
… we will surely experience the bountifulness of His Grace working miraculously!

The Gospel of the Day is a recounting of this Great Truth of our life, when Jesus expounds the “Miracle of God’s Hand in the littleness of our life” with the help of two examples:

1) The Mustard Seed
“… a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden…
… and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches!” (Lk 13: 19)

2) Leaven
“… like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened!” (Lk 13:21)

One of the beautiful lessons that the Lord teaches from these two metaphors of daily life is that: Our little works done for God, should never cause us to feel discouraged in life!

The little mustard seed and the little leaven…
… were not really expected to do great things
… were not quite symbols of greatness or majesty

Yet, the Lord – in His Divine Wisdom – uses these “little aspects of life” to project His Mighty Story of the Kingdom!

St Paul says: “God chose the foolish of the world, to shame the wise…
… and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong..” (1 Cor 1: 27)

This is the truth we come across in the Mighty Story of the Kingdom, as we scan through the pages of the Bible…
… even in the Life of Jesus!

Jesus was born into a small Family from Nazareth in the smallest of villages (Bethlehem).

His Ministry started in one of the smallest places – Galilee.

Galilee was an insignificant portion of an obscure part of the Roman world.

He went no further than Jerusalem with His message

In the time of the Roman Empire, Jerusalem was not considered a cultural centre.
… Rome, Athens and Alexandria featured more prominently on the political and cultural radar.

In fact, for the Romans, Jerusalem was a city of fanatic Jews – to be best controlled by an army of troops and easily-swaying kings like Herod and his family!

Yet, Jesus has become the greatest influencer in Human History!

“Where God’s in charge,
Little things grow large!
And in God’s Hand,
Small gifts expand!”

Life doesn’t always give us great opportunities to perform big acts of charity and kindness.

But our life is filled with immense chances…
… to “sow tiny mustard seeds”
… and to “mix little leaven”…

Do we make the best use of such chances:

To sow the “tiny mustard seeds”…

Of Gentleness… in the rough terrains of pride and haughty lives
Of Love… in the field of broken relationships and strained associations
Of Mercy… in the territories of hateful feelings and unforgiving hearts

To “mix the little leaven”…

Of undiluted Christian convictions… in the dough of easy-going-life and relativistic mentality
Of contagious passion… with the flour of lethargic and lazy attitudes to life
Of credible life witness… in the mixture of scandalous trends and discouraging religiosity

Servant of God, Fr Peter Mermier (the Founder of the MSFS – Missionaries of St Francis de Sales) says:
“We do a lot in doing a little, if we do it for God, when and as He wishes!”

God doesn’t mind much the size of our works…
… but at the amount of love we add to it!

God doesn’t look at the fanfare in our acts of service…
… but at the volume of selflessness we add to it!

St Paul tells us: “… Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, and is Himself its Saviour…” (Eph 5:23)

Of course, the world may not appreciate such “simple and little works!”

But let the “tiny mustard seed” and the “little leaven” remind us: Our little works done for God, should never cause us to feel discouraged in life!

Yes…
“Where God’s in charge,
Little things grow large!
And in God’s Hand,
Small gifts expand!”

(P.S: Psst… Did you add an “extra bit of God’s Love” while reading this reflection…?)

God Bless! Live Jesus!