Great things happen when God mixes with us……” is a popular English hymn
These words express, the great changes and transformations that can take place, when one, accepts the Lord into one’s heart, and lives a life, according to the Gospel!
The Teachings of Jesus is aptly called as Evangelii Gaudium. “ The Gospel of Joy!”

The Gospel of the Day, presents to us a query as to why the Disciples of Jesus do not fast, as was the case with other religious groups like the Disciples of John the Baptist, or even the Pharisees. 

But Jesus presents an Amazing Picture of Himself in His answer: “I am the Bridegroom”! 

>> The Lord presents Himself as a Lover… as the One who is the Beloved! 

The Bible is not alien to the God being presented as the One who Loves: God, the Lover…

>> The Book of Hosea especially presents God as the one who will enter into a deep covenantal relationship with His people. 
>> The Book of the Song of Songs is also a beautiful love-hymn, presenting God as the ultimate Lover!
>> Ezek 16: 8: ” I swore an oath to you, and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine!”
>> Is 54:5: “For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts”

And in today’s Gospel, this fact is re-iterated: Jesus as the Great Lover!

A question for us… 

>> How is my love-relationship with this Beloved of our Hearts?
>> Am I willing to more and more grow in this awareness, that He is the Bridegroom, who chooses me to be with Him, at His side, at all times?

And when this Beloved, this Bridegroom is with us, we have every reason to be Joyful!  

>> It is to this joy and happiness that the Lord invites us today!

 

The Joy of the Bridegroom also comes with responsibility on our part:

>> To do away with the Old ways of Life, and to put on completely, the Way of the Lord!
“No one patches an old coat with a piece of Unshrinking cloth…

 You don’t put new wine in Old Wineskins…!” (Mt 9:16-17)

If we are to have the Lord as our Bridegroom, we need to completely entrust ourselves to Him.

 

When we love someone, we also follow their commands and their wishes

>> We wish to please them at all times – by our thoughts, our actions and our conduct!

“If you love Me, keep My commands” says the Lord! (Jn 14:15)

Some of the favourite words that our Lord likes are…

…  “all”, “completely”, “totally”, “fully”, “absolutely” etc….
These superlatives are found abundantly in the Bible and especially in the Gospels…

>> “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, and with ALL your soul and with ALL your strength and with ALL your mind” (Lk 10: 27)

>> “Offer EVERY part of yourself to God, as an instrument of righteousness” (Rom 6:13)

>> ” Give yourselves COMPLETELY to God” (James 4:7)
Yes, the Lord loves to be loved…”completely”, “totally”, “fully” and “absolutely” 

>> He seeks to be loved with an Undivided Heart! 

>> And He also, in fact, demands, that we totally Give ourselves to Him, and to His Care!

The Lord is in deep love of us…

>> He is our Bridegroom..and today He asserts Himself to be so!
Can I renew my relationship with Him – in faith, in love and in hope?
>> Let us cast away all that is unbecoming of this Love-relationship! 

>> Let us make our heart a new wineskin…our lives a new cloth!
Let this be our prayer: “ Lord, I belong to You,….and to You alone!”

May the acceptance of the Lord into one’s heart…

… cause great changes and transformations

>> And may His presence cause us to sing with conviction: “Great things happen when God mixes with us!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!
– Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS

  Bengaluru, India