Picnics are a time of great fun and enjoyment.

>> They enrich relationships, nurture relaxation and foster a spirit of joy and peace.

Most of us have been part of picnics…

… either from schools/parishes/ as a family / as a community / as a group of friends.

A picnic becomes an occasion to share… to care…

… and to also dare to know each other more.

The Gospel of the Day is a lovely occasion of a Picnic…

… A picnic with Jesus.

A picnic basically has some essential elements…

1. A nice location

2. Joyful interactions

3. Good food

4. A sense of satisfaction and contentment

Our picnic with Jesus in today’s Gospel passage has all these elements.

Come…let’s join Jesus…

… in this wonderful time of a picnic

1. A nice location:

The mood of a picnic is very often regulated by the choice of the place we make.

>> It should be something exciting, something scenic and something to involve ourselves in.

The location that Jesus chooses for this picnic is a Mountain (Mt 15:29)

A mountain is certainly an exciting place…

… a scenic location and moves our hearts to get involved in its beauty.

The mountain was one of the favourite places of the Lord.

>> This high altitude place was where Jesus could strengthen His attitude towards His mission.

>> He would spend hours of the night in communion with His Father on the mountains.

And so, He invites us to join with Him on the mountains…

… To relax in His love and to experience the coolness of His presence.

… To raise our thoughts to higher levels and overcome the worldly concerns.

2. Joyful interactions:

Great crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute and many others. They placed them at His feet and He cured them (Mt 15:30)

The picnic with Jesus, on the mountain, becomes an occasion of cure and restoration.

On the mountain, Jesus becomes a fountain of healing and the source of joy.

3. Good food:

Food is one of the best parts of a picnic.

And the Lord lavishes abundant food to all those who were there with Him on the mountain.

Then, He took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves and gave them to His disciples, who in turn, gave them to the crowds (Mt 15:36)

It seemed to be a situation of starvation and hunger.

>> But the Lord converts this grim situation into an occasion of contentment and blessing.

His compassionate love overflows into a lavish multiplication of the loaves and the fish!

4. A sense of satisfaction and contentment:

Every picnic ideally should end on a note of great fulfilment and bliss.

The picnic with Jesus on the mountain, where He healed a lot of people, spoke His Life-giving words and blessed them with abundant food, becomes moments of happiness.

“They all ate and were satisfied…” (Lk 15:37)

It had been a lovely time for the people in this picnic with the Lord.

>> They had the picnic…

… in a nice scenic location of the mountain

… with many joyful interactions with Jesus, who healed and cured many.

… with good food, in lavishness, provided by the Lord Himself.

… with a great sense of satisfaction and deep fulfilment.

The Lord invites us to join with Him in a picnic with Him…

> To go to the mountain of prayer and intimacy with the Lord.

> To have joyful interactions with Him and receive His spiritual, emotional and physical healings.

> To be blessed with the good food of His Holy Eucharist and His nourishing Word.

> To have a great satisfaction in being filled with immense peace and serenity.

Let us enjoy the picnic with the Lord & make our lives a beautiful one…

… to share… to care

>> And to also dare to know the Lord more and to help each other more.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A lady, who was known to be a devout Christian, was undergoing a long time of suffering.

As she was visited by some of her friends who came to console here, she was heard to be commenting:

“I have a beautiful robin that sings outside my window.

>> This bird strengthens me.”

Then with a bigger smile, she continued:

“I like him, because he sings in the rain!

When the storm has silenced almost, all other birds…

… the robin sings on!

And that’s how my life is!”

The lady – who herself was suffering and going through the storms of life – found great inspiration in the Robin…

… the one which sings, even in any storm or rain!

That’s the life of a Christian!

Anyone can sing, when its sunshine…

… but when the clouds of hardships pour out the rain, can we sing?

The Gospel of the Day, presents Jesus Who is rejoicing in the Spirit…

… “In the same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, ‘I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth..’” (Lk 10: 21)

Jesus always displayed a great sense of joy and enthusiasm

>> He was a picture of calmness and serenity.

This was owing to His intimate relationship with His Father – His Abba!

He, of course, had His Own struggles…

… Rejection by His own people at Nazareth (Lk 4: 28-29)

… Very often facing the criticism of the people (Lk 5:30)

… Constantly being put under the scanner with questions (Lk 5:33)

… Facing the wrath of many religious leaders (Lk 6: 7, 11)

But none of these “storms” or “rains” prevented the Lord from singing the praises of His Father…

… and rejoicing in the Spirit

And He invites His disciples to also understand the great privilege they have received to experience the Love of the Father:

“Blessed are the eyes which see what you see…” (Lk 10: 23)

As followers of Jesus, we are also given the privilege to always be “people, who rejoice in the Spirit”…

… “people who can sing, even when it’s raining or in the midst of a storm!”

Are we often spending our days in sadness and complaint?

>> Or can we also become conscious of the many blessings, God showers on us… and thus rejoice!

Are we constantly looking for the negatives in our relationships?

>> Or can we also seek to treasure people, just for who they are, and begin to love them more!

>> Are we feeling that life is a burden and thus fail to have peace of mind and lightness of heart?

>> Or can we also begin to understand that as a Christian, we have the privilege to understand how God mightily works in our life, and is constantly showering His Love and Mercy on us!

Let us learn to imitate, Jesus, our Master, Who constantly “rejoiced in the Spirit”

… and thus make our Christian Life, a beautiful witness of God’s Love and Compassion.

Let’s listen to the words of St Mother Teresa of Kolkatta:

“Joy is a net of love by which we catch souls!”

Yes…

>> Anyone can sing, when its sunshine…

… but when the clouds of hardships pour out the rain, can we sing?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

A young man – new in town – was visiting a nearby church.

As he looked at the various art works, paintings and statues…

… his eyes chanced upon a stained-glass window.

The glass had a phrase written on it: “Glory to God in the Highest.”

However, the man also noticed…

… the part of the glass window that had the letter “E” in the word HIGHEST was broken and so missing.

Thus the phrase read instead: “Glory to God in the High st!”

When he saw that phrase, something greatly stuck him…

… High St was the name of the place where he was living – High Street!

And he nurtured this feeling within him:

“This is a clear message from the Lord to me, as I come to this new town

>> I need to Give Glory to God in the HIGH ST…

… the place where I am living – HIGH STREET – is where the Name of God needs to be glorified!”

The man realized that the way to Glorify God would be to Glorify Him in the place where he was…

… Glorify God – with Deep Faith and Trust – wherever we live, work and move about!

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful account of a man who “Glorified God – with Deep Faith and Trust – by translation his faith into living and concrete action …

… and Jesus expressing His admiration for the person of Faith!

We have today the incident of the healing of the Centurion’s servant.

Jesus lavishes His appreciations and admirations for a wonderful display of faith.

Here is the story an unusual faith found in an unusual man who displayed his faith in an unusual way.

1. The Centurion was an unusual person…

As the name suggests, a Centurion was a person with a hundred soldiers.

>> They worked for the Roman Empire and were Gentiles.

This Centurion however, was unusual, because of the fact, that he was very much concerned of his slave.

This was rare indeed.

In the Roman Empire, slaves had no rights.

>> They could be mistreated and even put to death.

It was said that “when your animals are old, you throw them out to die. You do the same with your slaves.”

So this is the unusual thing about this unusual Centurion – He cared very much about his slave!

2. The centurion showed an unusual faith…

The Centurion came to Jesus asking and pleading for help.

>> But when Jesus said that He would come to his house and heal him, the centurion was quick to answer him, ” I am not worthy to have you under my roof” ( Mt 8:8)

The spirit of a military man is clearly exhibited by the centurion..

A soldier’s way of thinking is extremely logical and to the point:

>> When an order is given, instant obedience is expected.

>> My commanding power goes beyond the realms of space

>> My presence or absence is no excuse for my soldiers to disobey

The Centurion fully believed that Jesus was a mighty commander with all powers subjected to Him.

>> And so a word was enough for the healing to take place…

>> An expression of approval was good enough for the miracle to happen…

3. The Centurion received an unusual response

This tremendous expression of faith was enough for Jesus to admire and appreciate Him.

>> Jesus was astonished by this wonderful demonstration of confidence and belief: ” Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel, have I found such faith” (Mt 8: 10)

We have seen many instances of people praising and appreciating the works and wonders of Jesus.

But, it’s one of those rare occasions, when Jesus publicly acknowledges and asserts the glorious faith of the one seeking for help.

>> The Lord gives a wonderful ovation and applause for this wonderful presentation of faith.

This Gospel is a wonderful challenge for each of us to examine our life of faith…

In a situation…

… when we are surrounded by sicknesses of negativity and discouragement,

… when life-threatening moments of crushing-failures and despair encircle us,

… when we get depressed by the various day to day problems of life,

>> Can we also boldly say, ” Only say a word, Lord…and I will be healed!”

As a famous saying goes, “It is easy to praise the Lord… But it really is a challenge to receive praises from the Lord!”

>> When we stand firm in our faith in God, we receive appreciations from Him

>> When we have confidence in our love for God, we receive admiration from Him

>> When we remain strong in our Hope in God, we receive approval from Him.

The Saint of the Day – St Francis Xavier – displayed such an immensity of Faith and Zeal for the Lord and the Kingdom

>> His mission endevour and evangelical efforts would make him to be known as the “Patron Saint of Missions!”

Let his life of Faith and Zeal be an inspiration for all of us “to set the world on fire”…

… the fire of Faith, the fire of Love and the Fire of Hope!

May we realize that that the way to Glorify God would be to Glorify Him in the place where we are and in the situation we are in…

… Glorify God – with Deep Faith and Trust – wherever we live, work and move about!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

In a particular place, a bus driver had reached a unique record:

>> In the 23 years of his service, he had driven a bus for over 1,00,000 kilometers…

… without a single accident.

When asked how he had done it, he had just one simple advice: “Watch the road!”

Watching the road had made him to always be focused and concentrated…

… and to have a flawless record.

“Watching the Road” is an important refrain that we all can follow in our Christian life…

… and thus be focused and concentrated always God’s Ways and on His Kingdom.

The Gospel of the Day is a strong warning and a call to always be on the guard and to “always watch the road!”

We are on the first day of the Season of Advent.

In the Church, there are six different liturgical seasons…

1. The Season of Advent is a time to become aware of God’s deep faithfulness and preparing our hearts to receive Him more deeply into our lives.

2. The Season of Christmas invites us to experience, thank and cherish the intervention of God in our lives and to grow deeper in the understanding of the ‘Emmanuel God’ – the God Who is with us!

3. The Season of Lent invites us to focus on the reality of sin and make repentance.

4. The Season of Holy Triduum invites to focus and experience the passion, death and Resurrection of our Blessed Lord

5. The Season of Easter invites us to focus on the mighty power of God through His Resurrection and the New life He promises.

6. The Season of the Ordinary Times invites us to focus on daily life and teachings of Jesus and draw practical conclusions for our life.

>> Advent is a time…

… to become more aware of the presence of the Lord in our lives.

… to wake up from the slumber of sin to a life of grace and blessing.

… to shake off the dust of sluggishness and become more zealous and fervent.

The central theme of reading of the Day is Jesus’ warning to each one of us to be alert, watchful and prepared because Christ’s Second Coming can occur at any time.

We are invited to examine ourselves in asking….

>> Am I casually wasting away my life, without giving enough attention to my spiritual life?

>> Am I spending my time enjoying in vain, without paying attention to the higher things of life?

>> Am I dozing off in lethargy and laziness and failing to carry out my Christian responsibilities?

The Gospel of the Day speaks of the various signs that would signal the coming of the Son of Man. (Lk 21: 25-28)

It also gives a strict warning and a hard reminder to be always on the alert and be on the watch.

>> “But take heed lest that day come upon you suddenly like a snare” (Lk 21: 34-35)

The Greek word used for “snare” is “pagis”.

> ‘Pagis’ comes from the word ‘pegnumi’ which means “a set up or a fix”.

It is a trap (fixed or fastened by a noose or notch) which can fall suddenly so that wild animals and birds are caught by surprise.

>> And when it is set off there is no time to withdraw and avoid getting caught.

As soon as the prey takes the first bite or the first step, the snare is set off and before the prey knows what happened, they are caught.

The Lord describes His Second Coming to the World as this ‘snare, giving no time or chance for escape.

Everyone who is caught up with the cares of this life – the day will come on them like a snare!

This, therefore, calls for alertness and watchfulness at all times.

>> Our whole life, ought to be drenched in preparation and vigilance.

But often times, we tend to allow laxity and sloppiness to dominate our lives.

>> Though we sense the fire of sins and transgressions burning in our lives, we play the fiddle of making many excuses and postpone the need to repent.

>> Though we sense the fire of indifference and unconcern burning in our relationships, we play the fiddle of not taking the lead to improve our contacts and slip into more hatred.

>> Though we sense the fire of abuses and corruption burning in our society, we play the fiddle of passing the responsibility onto others and promote those evils by our apathy and lack of concern.

This Season of Advent is a wonderful time to renew our commitment and consecration to the Lord.

The Lord wishes to come into our hearts….

… God will fulfill His promise of coming into us, when we do our part of being watchful and prepared.

As St. Thomas Aquinas says:

“Without God, I can’t.

Without me, He won’t.”

> Let us become more watchful.

> Let us become more prayerful.

May we remain ever focused and concentrated always on God’s Ways and on His Kingdom…

… and always “Watch the Road!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!