“Like the sunflower, that follows every movement of the sun, turning towards the Lord and walking, with joy, looking to Him, and radiating his Love!”

(Based on Eccles 3:1-11 and Lk 9:18-22 – Friday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time)

Nature teaches and inspires us!

One of the beautiful lessons we learn from nature is from one of the most amazing flowers – The Sunflower!

The Sunflowers literally ‘follows the sun’!
(Technically, it is called “heliotropism” i.e. ‘sun turning’)

They turn to the sun, following it all day…
… from its rising in the east to its setting in the west!

It is even found that on a cloudy day…
… if any glimpse of the sun appears, the sunflower finds and follows it!

The sunflower is a beautiful symbol of our spiritual journey…

Of how, we need to constantly ‘look to the Lord’, the Sun of our Life!
Of how, we need to always ‘follow the Lord’, the Sun of our existence!

This “looking to the Lord” and “following the Lord” finds its practical expression…
… in a life of prayer!

The Gospel of the Day presents before us with St Luke’s version of the familiar passage, of Jesus asking His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?”…
… beginning with “Jesus praying in solitude…” (Lk 9:18)

The Gospel of Luke is also known as the Gospel of Prayer.

He highlights the aspect of Jesus spending time in prayer….

At the time of His Baptism, Jesus prays (Lk 3:21)
At the time after a ministry of healing, Jesus goes to pray (Lk 5:16)
At the choosing of the Twelve, Jesus spends the night in prayer (Lk 6:12)
At the time of the Transfiguration on the mountain, Jesus was praying (Lk 9:28)
At the request of His disciples, Jesus teaches them the ideal and the model prayer (Lk 11:1)
At the garden of Gethsemane, before being led to His passion and sufferings, Jesus prayed (Lk 22:41)
At the final breath, in the agony and pain of His imminent death on the Cross, Jesus makes a prayer (Lk 23:46)

The ‘Praying Master’ through the ‘Gospel of Prayer’ exhorts us to some crucial and practical aspects of our life:

Do I spend special time in prayer…
… before important and critical times and decisions of our life?

Do I enjoy spending time in prayer…
… and seeking to grow in my relationship with God, our Father?

Do I cling to God in intense and deep prayer…
… in our time of suffering and pains?

Do I make prayer a way of life and rhythmic…
… with every moment of my day?

It is only when we build a strong rock-solid foundation of prayer that we can be bold in witnessing our faith!

The world may have varied responses to the question, “Who do people say that I am?”

Many saw only the zeal and fiery exhortations on repentance…
… and identified Him with John the Baptist

Many saw only His mighty acts and deeds…
… and considered Him as Elijah

Many saw only His authoritative power in preaching…
… and considered Him a Prophet

But they failed to see Jesus truly as the One He really was – The SON OF GOD!

It is only when we are in prayer that we can know the Lord more…and deeper!

The understanding of the Real Jesus can be experienced only through our moments of prayer.

How is our life of prayer?
… Personal
… In the Family/Community

Personally, we must make it a point to spend at least sometime, daily, in prayer

As a family/community also, we must make a priority, daily, to come together in the presence of the Lord!

Personally, we will have a lot of activities and feelings to keep us away; but we must still be faithful to our time of prayer

As a family/community also, there would come many things to give us excuses; but we must still be insistent on having our time of prayer together!

The words of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina inspire us:

“Prayer is the best weapon we possess. It is the key that opens the heart of God.”
“Let us glance at the Divine Master who prayed in the Garden and we will discover the true ladder which unites the earth to Heaven…
… We will discover that humility, contrition and prayer make the distance between man and God disappear, and act in such a way that God descends to man, and man ascends to God, so that they end up understanding, loving and possessing one another.”

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes reminds us of the need to be aware that there is a “time for everything in life”…
… and invites all of us to find the beauty of life, by knowing the mind of the Lord deeper: “He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end!” (Eccles 3:11)

This discover of the beauty of life is augmented by a life of prayer!

Yes, the Lord encounters each one of us today personally and puts forward the same question,
“Who do YOU say that I am?”

May we, “like the sunflower, that follows every movement of the sun”, turn towards the Lord and walk, with joy, looking to Him, and radiating his Love!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Our Lord Himself is called the Sun, rising upon the earth…

… and our Lady the Day-star!”

“Listening to our conscience and having the courage to unload every burden of guilt, by walking on the path of goodness!

(Based on Eccle 1:2-11 and Lk 9:7-9 – Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time)

An incident is narrated of a man who brought a package of supplies from a trading shop.

On reaching home, to his surprise, he found a silver coin inside the package.

Something troubled him.

He came back the next morning to the trader and handed him back the silver coin.

The trader was amused and surprised and asked him: “That’s interesting to see that you have returned back the silver coin!”

The customer replied: “Well, I got a good man and a bad man in my heart!

The good man said, It is not yours'; the bad man said, 'Nobody will know'. The good man said, 'Take it back'; the bad man said,Never mind’.”

And so thinking, I went to bed…
… but the good man and the bad man talked the whole night and troubled me.

Next morning, I decided…
… to unload the burden of my guilt, by returning to the path of goodness!”

The conscience of the man caused him disturbance, because of the fault that he was supposedly in…
… and made him to yield to its goodness!

Each of us, at every moment, have our conscience speaking to us…

Do we listen and give heed?
Or do we silence the voice of the conscience and allow our guilt to rotten up our minds, and dirty our actions?

The Gospel of the Day presents the intense ordeal faced by King Herod who failed to give consideration to the voice of conscience…

And instead had his mind corrupted and his actions dirtied…
… by falling into the trap of guilt and shame.

King Herod had exercised his authority and sinfulness by beheading John the Baptist. (Mt 14:1-12; Mk 6:14-27).

The demon of guilt and shame of that inhuman murder kept bothering him.

In this scattered state of mind, King Herod hears about the deeds and wonders of another man, Jesus.

His guilt-filled and confused mind is unable to grasp the identity of this new man who works marvels and so he asks: “I had John beheaded; WHO IS THIS MAN about whom I hear such wonders?”(Lk 9:9)

The king harassed by sin and shame failed to grapple the mystery of the Son of God, the King of kings!

Herod’s question is perhaps, one the most important question ever asked or answered:
“WHO IS THIS MAN?”

Being confused about Who Jesus is, was not new trend, especially in the Gospel of St Luke.

In Lk 5:21, at the healing of the paralytic, the Scribes and Pharisees begin to ask, “WHO IS THIS who speaks blasphemy?”

In Lk 7:19, the disciples of John the Baptist question Him, “ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, or should we look for another?”

In Lk 7:49, after the pardon of the sinful woman who washed His feet, the others, who were invited for the meal commented, “WHO IS THIS who even forgives sins?”

In Lk 8:25, after witnessed the calming of the sea and the storms, the disciples inquire, “WHO then IS THIS, who commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?“

In Lk 9:20, Jesus Himself asks His disciples, “WHO do you say AM I?“

In Lk 20:2, the chief priests and scribes question Jesus, “By what AUTHORITY ARE YOU doing these things? Or who is the one WHO GAVE YOU AUTHORITY?“

In Lk 22:70, the council of elders and the chief priests and the scribes question Jesus, “ARE YOU then THE SON OF GOD?“

The persona of Jesus surpasses great minds and cannot be arrested by hardened hearts!

The character of Jesus baffles proud mentalities and cannot be captured by cynical spirits!

King Herod was greatly disturbed with a guilty conscience and a sinful heart.

He felt greatly challenged and threatened by Jesus, Who was being considered as a King.

The sinful and corrupt Kingdom of Herod was faced with an opposition from…
… the pure and holy Kingdom of God!

We need to examine our lives and conscience and check…

Am I, like King Herod, filled with fear and doubts because of my sinful conscience and guilty mind?

Am I eager, like King Herod to see some miracles of Jesus, just to satisfy my curiosity, but not for repentance?

Am I hesitant to encounter the Lord, because that could mean having a transformation and renewal of my life?

Yes, each of us, at every moment, have our conscience speaking to us…

Do we listen and give heed?
Or do we silence the voice of the conscience and allow our guilt to rotten up our minds and dirty our actions?

Purified by the Sacraments…
… strengthened by God’s Word…
… empowered in prayer…

May we become persons who have our conscience always pure and always give heed to the voice of the Lord, “Be Holy, as I am Holy!”

Let us always listen to our conscience…
… and have the courage to unload every burden of guilt, by walking on the path of goodness!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Those who look well after their own consciences…

… rarely fall into the sin of judging others!”

“Seeking the intercession of St Padre Pio, to follow God’s Will closely in our lives, and finding meaning even in failures, to be able to cast off minor disappointments and setbacks!”

(Based on Prov 30:5-9 and Lk 9:1-6 – Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time – Feast of St Padre Pio)

Thomas Edison, the famous scientist, once worked for months to find a filament that would burn for more than a few seconds, for his incandescent light bulb.

He tried over 700 filaments and each one was a failure.

One reporter interviewed Edison and said, “It must be frustrating to work so hard and see no results.”
Edison replied, “Oh, I have lots of results. I now know 700 things that won’t work!”

The person of true research and genuine interest finds meaning even in failures and is able to cast off minor disappointments and setbacks.

The Gospel of the Day enshrines a similar message in its verses…
“And where ever they don’t welcome you, shake off the dust from your feet..” (Lk 9:5)

Dust was symbolic…

Dust was used to denote the grave (Job 7:21)
To sit in dust denoted extreme affliction (Isaiah 47:1).
To lick the dust was a sign of abject submission (Psalms 72:9)
To sprinkle dust on the head was a sign of mourning (Joshua 7:6)
To throw dust at someone was a sign of abhorrence (2 Samuel 16:13; Acts 22:23)

To shake off the dust indicated that those who had rejected the Gospel were making themselves closer to face the just judgment of God.

The context of this phrase is when Jesus summoned His twelve apostles and sent them on a mission, giving them various instructions,..

Jesus warned the twelve, that in their mission, they would encounter denial and not receive a proper welcome and reception in all the places.

This is a reality with the Kingdom of God and the Message of the Gospel…

Not all take in the teaching of the Kingdom and the Gospel…
Not all understand and accept the Kingdom and the Gospel…
Not all give a good response to the Kingdom and the Gospel…

The action of shaking off the dust also meant much for the messenger or the one who had preached the Gospel.

One of the greatest realities of our life is facing rejections, refusals and failures

This aspect creeps into our spiritual lives, our ministries and in our witnessing of Christ in the society…

We may face rejection when we try extend the peace of Christ to all those, with whom we are not in good terms.

We may face refusal when we take a bold decision to not partake in some unhealthy affairs of the world.

We may face failures when we stick on to the principles of honesty and integrity and truthfulness.
We may face let-downs when we refuse to be a partaker of sinful activities and evil practices and thoughts.

Jesus told the disciples that if they were not accepted, to “shake the dust off their feet…”

The “shaking off the dust” was a symbolic way of saying, “I don’t want anything of the city to remain on me.

“I don’t want their bitterness, their rejection, and their lack of faith to remain part of me.”

Jesus didn’t want their feeling of failure to bog his disciples down.

Instead, He told them to just shake it off and move on to the next village.

This was a mighty invitation by the Master to His disciples to not “get fixated to the fleeting pleasures and satisfactions that this world may offer…
… rather to have the Lord as the Greatest Consolation, Treasure and Joy of Life!”

The whole world may leave or reject you…
… but the Lord promises, “if you totally depend on Me, you have no need to fear or be anxious!”

Some of us, however, continue to carry the dust of our past failures and disappointments…

We fail to shake off the dust of our guilt and shame of the past sins we have committed…
We fail to shake off the dust of our hurts and pains in some of the broken and strained relationships…
We fail to shake off the dust of our collapses and catastrophes in our works or businesses or projects or plans…

Yes, we have been rejected. We have failed. We have been crushed. We have collapsed.

But the Lord, says, “Get up, shake off the dust, and go on.”

The Book of Proverbs reminds us: “Every word of God proves true;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him!” (Prov 30:5)

Every saint has faced a rejected and a failure….The Lord, Himself, on the way of the Cross, fell…

But They never gave up…They never called it quits!

St Paul beautifully says, “This one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal…” (Phil 3:13)

Let us not spend our life sitting in the dust of devastation, crying over what went wrong.

Rather, let us shake off the dust, and walk clean, with our Lord and Master!

We celebrate today the Feast of a modern saint…
… an exemplary and prayerful priest: St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina.

He inspires us today to closely follow to Lord…
through the paths of prayer, penitence and penance.
… even if it means suffering and undergoing pain for Jesus’ sake…
… even when we find ourselves rejected and misunderstood

He would say, “In all the events of life, you must recognize the Divine will.

Adore and bless it, especially in the things which are the hardest for you.
The more you are afflicted, the more you ought to rejoice…
… because in the fire of tribulation the soul will become pure gold, worthy to be placed and to shine in the heavenly palace.”

And also, “Even if the world were to capsize…
… if everything were to become dark, hazy, tumultuous…
…God would still be with us!

Prayer is the best weapon we possess. It is the key that opens the heart of God!”

Let us seek the intercession of St Padre Pio, to follow God’s Will deeply and closely in our lives…
… and thus finds meaning even in failures and be able to cast off minor disappointments and setbacks!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Let the world turn upside down, let everything be in darkness, in smoke, in uproar…

… God is with us!”

“Making a choice, not simply for worldly desires; instead choosing the ‘Good Book’ of God’s Word and live it in our lives!”

(Based on Prov 21:1-6, 10-13 and Lk 8:19-21 – Tuesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time)

There was a wealthy old man, who on one of his birthdays invited his servants to his house, to receive gifts.

“Which will you have” he asked, addressing the security guard, “the Bible or the two thousand-rupee note?”

“I would have taken the Bible, but I cannot read, so I think the money will do me more good” came the reply.

“And you?”, he asked the gardener.

“My poor wife is so ill that I sadly need the money,” responded the gardener.

“You can surely read”, said the old man to the cook, “Will you have the Bible?”

“I can read, Sir” she replied, “but I never get the time. Moreover, the money will fetch me a fine dress”

Finally to the table-boy, the master said, “My boy, will you take this money and replace your old clothes with a new pair of fine dress?”

“Thank you Sir” said the young boy, “but my mother used to read to me the Bible when I was small, at home. I still have good memories of that, and therefore would like to have that Good Book, please.. “

“God bless you, my boy!” said the old man, “and may your wise choice bring you more riches and blessings”

As the boy received the Bible, and unclasped its covers, a bright gold piece rolled to the floor.

Quickly turning its pages, he found them thickly interleaved with bank notes!

The other servants, discovering the mistake of their worldly desires, hastily departed, in sadness!

The one who makes a choice to live by the Word of God, receives blessings galore – spiritual and material.
… Spiritually, with gifts and graces to love the Lord more and live a life in deeper union with Him
.. Materially, with a grace to be satisfied with the needs of life and trusting on the Providence of God

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus exhorting to make a choice for God’s Word in one’s life…
… and to tune one’s conduct in accord with the Will of God, in order to be graced and blessed by Him.

One of the primary focus of Jesus, in His teachings as well in His life, was to shift the focus from the mere peripherals of life…

Often times, we are deeply prejudiced, limited, caught-up, with the external factors of life.

We are unable to transcend just material dimensions…

This applies to any of the aspects in life…

We get stuck with our own customs, cultures, languages, races, castes etc, and fail to move beyond them…
… and see the possibilities of cherishing and nurturing these differences

We remain fixated in our own mentalities, conditioned set-ups and set patterns of lifestyles…
… and fail to recognize that life can be greatly celebrated by valuing others opinions and adopting a lifestyle in tune with God’s Will

This principle Jesus also applies to his own material and physical relationships.

He defines a new understanding of familial relationship and bonding: A relationship based on those who “hear God’s Word and do It” (Lk 8: 21)

What a wonderful invitation this is, isn’t it?

Jesus says, that we can be part of His family.. be His own…

This is a lovely invitation extended to each of us…

Shall we not welcome this invitation with glad hearts and follow the exhortation of the Lord – to Hear His Word and to Live It?”

The book of Proverbs reminds us: “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice!” (Prov 21:2-3)

May we be graced to move beyond the peripherals of life and focus our attention and live our lives towards the higher and important demands of life.

The Lord’s assurance is with us, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things shall be added unto you” (Mt 6: 33)

May we make a choice, not simply for worldly desires…
… instead choose the “Good Book” of God’s Word and live it in our lives.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “While we are busy and anxious to find

out what is the better, we unprofitably let slip the time for doing many good things!”

“Being inspired and seeking the intercession of St Mathew, and imitating his example in surrendering ourselves totally to the Sovereignty of our Blessed Lord – and thus becoming people who tell ‘Turn this Way’ – to many people in our lives!”

(Based on the Feast of St Mathew – Apostle and Evangelist)

An interesting story is said of a Christian Missionary woman who had been doing the work of evangelization among a native group of tribals.

After she had been with them for a while, and after the natives had experienced the Power of the Lord…
… they gave her a new name: “Aim-day-co”

The Chief of the Tribe, in explaining the name, said: “In our tribe, when we see anyone taking a wrong route/road, we call out “Aim-day-co”

It means, “Turn this way!”

Our sister came from a far-away land and found us all on the wrong road.

She sensed that we were in great danger of losing our souls.

So she stood and said “Turn this Way”…
… and pointed to Jesus!

May God bless “Aim-day-co”!

Are we ready to be an “Aim-day-co” in the lives of people?

The Gospel of the Day (Mt 9:9-13) presents Jesus Who became an “AIM DAY CO” in the life of St Mathew…
… and today, on the Feast day of St Mathew, we celebrate, how, in turn, this Great Saint has become an “Aim-day-co” to all of us, by his Gospel!

One of the important and essential dimensions of an encounter with our Blessed Lord is the “transformation effect” on the person.

If one has had a genuine encounter with Him…
… one cannot be passive
… one cannot just remain the same

Either one shakes off the dust of sin and slackness and follows Him in sincerity
… or one tries to cast Him off from life and adamantly remains in one’s own desires!

Either one takes radical decisions in life and orients one’s conduct in accordance with His Will
… or one seeks to do away with all Divine inspirations and obstinately sticks firm to one’s personal interests!

In any case, an “encounter with the Lord” causes an effect in life – either for the good or towards rejecting the impulses of Divine Goodness.

Do I respond positively and emphatically to the call of the Lord…
… or do I sink into an attitude of grumbling, complaining and disinterestedness?

On this feast day of St Matthew, the Apostle, the Gospel of the day presents these two “contrasting reactions” in the encounter with Jesus…

Matthew…. who hears the call of the Lord – “Follow Me” (Mt 9: 9)
The Pharisees… who observe the lavishness of God’s mercy and react with grumbling and complaining (Mt 9: 11)

Jesus very emphatically declares, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mt 9:12)

This verse is the key to understand and gauge the style of reaction, when we encounter the Lord…
The one who needs Him – will relish Him!

The one who feels no need of Him- will reject Him!

The one who acknowledges that one is sick, weak and in need of God’s grace and mercy – will find in Him a Saviour!

The one who vehemently says that one is all fine, self-motivated and strong willed – will fail to find any consolation in Him!

Here then is a wonderful check-meter to test my passion, my longing and my intensity of love for the Lord…

Have I discovered that by myself I cannot achieve everything that life demands of me….?
… and in the Lord alone, I have the answer to my problem and a solution to the puzzles of my life!
Do I realise that as a human person, I often fall into the snares of sin and can get easily caught up in evil traps… ?
… and in the Lord alone, I have the antidote to sin and a remedy to overcome the pitfalls of wickedness!

St Mathew presents a beautiful picture, of embracing the Lord fully into life because He realised and discovered the intimate need of the Lord in his life.

He experienced Jesus as an “Aim-day-co” – the One Who told him “Turn this Way”…
… away from the ways of sin and Turn towards the Way of Salvation!
… away from the ways of corruption and Turn towards the Way of Christ!

May we be inspired by him and seek his intercession and imitate his example in surrendering ourselves totally to the Sovereignty of our Blessed Lord…

And thus be an “Aim-day-co” – the one who tells “Turn this Way”…
… to many people in our lives!

Happy Feast of St Matthew!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Genuine devotion is consistent with every state
of life. Like liquid poured into a container…

… it adapts itself to any shape!”

“Avoiding ‘grumpy’ faces, ‘complaining’ tongues and ‘grumbling’ tones and recognising the immense wonders of God’s Grace at every step of our life, in order to have ‘joyful’ faces, ‘grateful’ tongues and ‘thankful’ tones!”

(Based on Is 55:6-9, Phil 1:20-24,27 and Mt 20:1-16 – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Grumbling and complaining had become a habit for old Mrs. Dolly.

She would find a point to be critical for anything and everything.

Finally, it so happened one day, that the parish priest felt he had found something about which she could make no complaint: the old lady had a very excellent produce in her vegetable garden – of the finest potatoes in that area.

“Oh, finally, I hope you must be well pleased” said the parish priest, with a gleaning smile, to Old Mrs Dolly, “Every one’s excitedly talking about how wonderful are the potatoes in your garden this year!”

However, with a frown, the old lady rumbled back, “Well, they are not so bad.

But where are the bad ones for the pigs??”

Well, the one who puts on the tinted spectacles of grumbling, invariably finds a reason to complain about anything in life, isn’t it?

As it is said, “it is usually not so much the greatness of our troubles, as the littleness of our spirit that makes us complain.”

The Gospel of the Day presents a group of people who find their way into grumbling even about, perhaps the most undeserved subject of complaining: the Free Gift of the Grace of the Generous God!

Jesus presents the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard liking it to the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mt 20: 1)

“It’s not fair” is a common phrase that we raise in our day-to-day activities.

Children, while playing games with each other, invariably raise a “It’s not fair” slogan, especially when they feel some cheating is done by the umpires or the opposite team players

Students quote the “It’s not fair” phrase when sometimes they get lesser marks than expected, and blame the professor or the system

Employees in a company chant “It’s not fair” when they feel that somehow they have been given lesser pay or treated unfairly with respect to promotions etc.

Family members or friends shout “It’s not fair” when there are impartialities or favouritism or ignorance discovered in relationships

A sense of dissatisfaction reigns in many circumstances of our daily life.

Such was the displeasure expressed by those workers, who had toiled the whole day and received just one denarius, in the Parable of Jesus of the Workers in the Vineyard: “It’s not fair!”

These workers felt… “It was not fair”…
… that the landowner had equated the wages of those who came in last to them, who had toiled the whole day!
… that there had been no consideration to the immense toil in the blazing sun that they had put in!
… that the principle of justice and impartiality had been badly violated and trampled upon!

But the Master of the Vineyard was quick to point out to them their fallacy in such a thinking…

He reminded them first of all, that the wages that they received, was something that they had already agreed upon

He also brought to their notice that the wages given to the others were simply out of his generosity and good-will

How often do we also raise the cry of complains and ring in the growls of grumbling when we see others finding pleasure in greater favours and happiness of life…

“I toil so much in life, and I don’t seem to be really growing prosperous or at least being freed from the pangs of daily life struggles…
… But someone else, has a relaxed and cosy life and still find themselves enjoying with the comforts and luxuries of life”

“I try my level best, with much hard-work and labour in order to excel in my talents and I don’t seem to reap its fruits…
… But someone else, maybe blessed by natural talents or sheer out of luck, seems to be doing much better and enjoying greater harvests of success”

The workers who grumbled did not complain because they did not get the “just” wage…
… but their complaint was because “they were made equal to the others”

It was a complaint arising out of…
… “unfair comparison”
… “jealousy in seeing others being rewarded more”
… “we being made small before others”

Perhaps, this is where we need to make a radical shift in our perspectives.

God’s Grace comes to human persons in different levels and measures.

Grace is defined as “favour – the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to His call to become children of God…partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life”.

Therefore to make bargains on Grace… to make it a “countable” entity…
… would be a clear violation of its very essential nature of being a “free gift”!

Hence, what is required is to make a shift in perspectives…
… from “complaining” to being “thankful”
… from “grumbling” to being “grateful”
… from saying “It’s not fair!” to saying “It’s Your Grace”

The Lord reminds us through Prophet Isaiah, “For My Thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways, and My Thoughts than your thoughts!” (Is 55:8-9)

St Paul invites as well as challenges us with his words: “… let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…!” (Phil 1:27)

Life constantly pushes us into corners which make us to have “grumpy” faces, “complaining” tongues and “grumbling” tones.

But, can we recognise and realise the immense wonders of God’s Grace at every step of our life…
… and lead a life with “joyful” faces, “grateful” tongues and “thankful” tones?

Smile please??

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “It is good to mistrust ourselves, but how would that advantage us were we not to throw all our confidence on God and to wait on His mercy?

If you feel no such confidence, cease not on that account from making these acts and from saying to Our Lord:

‘Yet, O Lord, though I have no feeling of confidence in You, nevertheless, I know that You are my God, that I am all Yours, and that I have no hope but in Your goodness, so I abandon myself entirely into Your Hands!’”

“Making sure that we are in the range and network of God and giving heed to His Word!”

(Based on 1 Cor 15:35-37, 42-49 and Lk 8:4-15 – Saturday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time)

“Hello… Hello? Are you there?”

Most of us use mobile phones…

One of the most common troubles that many of us face in the usage of mobiles is the problem of range (network).

There are many a times, especially, when one happens to frequent rural areas, that a message pops up on the mobile screen…
…”Network not found!”
…”Out of Range!”

We feel ourselves so much lost and becoming impatient when such situations arise.

This level of anxiety increases all the more when we have an urgent call to be made or in an emergency!

Sometimes, one person keeps muttering and talking…
… but the other one, having lost range, fails to hear anything!

All that remains perhaps is: “Hello… Hello? Are you there?”

Well… there is so much of tension and stress suffered when we miss our range or our network…

Isn’t it?

But have we ever given a thought to what will happen if God goes out of range, in dealing with us?

Perhaps many of us, might not even become aware that sometimes we are in a “no-network” zone with God!

Through the Gospel of the Day, the Lord invite us to examine the level of life that I am, in my spiritual life.

The Parable of the Sower broadcasting an uncounted number of seeds is very much familiar to us.

A great number of seeds are sown…and they fall on varieties of soil…and the reactions of each one is varied too.

A great number of words are spoken by God…and they fall on varieties of ears…and the response of each one is varied too..

1. Seeds falling on the way – an Attitude of “Paying no mind” to God’s words.
   The seeds that fell on the way were trampled upon….and the birds of the sky ate it up.

God’s words are often not given due consideration…
…we remain unaffected and unmoved by it.

God’s words are often not given due importance…
… we take for granted as being too common and familiar.

God’s words are often not given due respect…
… we fail to esteem the seriousness and gravity of the Word of God!

2. Seeds falling on the rocks – an Attitude of “Passing”
   The seed that fell on the rocks, when it grew, withered for lack of moisture.

The Word of God sometimes makes us very thrilled…
… but we soon become slack and sagging and lethargic.

The Word of God sometimes finds quick response…
… but we soon die out in the commitment and dedication.

The Word of God sometimes makes us take radical decisions…
… but we soon fade in our enthusiasm and passion!

3. Seed falling among the thorns – an Attitude of “Preoccupation”
   The seeds that fell among the thorns got choked by the thorns.

God’s words often gets strangled…
… in the midst of immoral living and corrupt practices.
… in the presence of many diluting and misleading spiritualities.
… with too many materialistic and worldly concerns and affairs.

4. Seed falling on the good soil – an Attitude of “Perception”
   The seed that fell on the good soil gave fruits of various measures.

The Word of God when received properly brings true joy and happiness to life.
The Word of God when received properly helps us to share the love and joy of the Lord.
The Word of God when received properly makes our life a source of blessings for others

God goes on speaking… He goes on sharing His Word…

Am I paying no attention to Him?
Am I taking His words just for passing?
Am I being too much preoccupied with many things and fail to listen to Him? Or…
Am I perceiving and understanding His word clearly and able to produce fruits for the Kingdom of God?

Let us be inspired by the valiant and heroic life of St Januarius – 4th century Martyr – whose feast we celebrate today
In defence of the Faith, Januarius and his companions were sentenced to be cast into the fiery furnace. >> The flames, however, caused him no harm and the following day, he was led into the Colosseum to be mauled by wild animals. The beasts, however, laid themselves down in tame submission at his feet.

Governor Timotheus, enraged and again pronouncing sentence of death, was struck with blindness at his sentencing, but Januarius healed him—a miracle which led to the miraculous conversion of nearly 5000 people.
The ungrateful judge, further inflamed with anger, ordered the saintly bishop beheaded, which occurred immediately.

His gallant life is a reminder for all of us to heroically Live the Word in our daily life!

We are reminded by St Paul to live a life modelled in line with the Lord – the New Adam: “As this earthly man was, so are we on earth; and as the Heavenly Man is, so are we in heaven. And we, who have been modelled on the earthly man, will be modelled on the Heavenly Man!” (1 Cor 15:49)
… This requires us to nurture and nourish the Word in our hearts!

Let us make sure that we are in the range and network of God…

He constantly keeps calling us and sends many SMSs.

Are we listening to Him?
“Hello… Hello? Are you there?”

God bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Accustom yourself to know how to pass…

… from prayer to all sorts of actions which your vocation justly and lawfully requires of you!”

“Reminding ourselves constantly that ‘Jesus Christ is precious and He loves us very much!’ and living this truth with deep piety, profound conviction and committed service to one another!”

(Based on 1 Cor 15:12-20 and Lk 8:1-3 – Friday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time)

A story is said of an elderly priest who was known for his deep piety, committed service and profound conviction in preaching.

His old age had rendered him nearly blind and he even found it quite hard to breathe normally, and in fact, struggled to speak even in whispers!

However, despite his old age, he loved to visit prayer meetings to speak about the love of Christ.

He would take the help of the catechist to get his message delivered to the people

Once, while preaching, he repeated the sentence, “Jesus Christ is precious and He loves you very much!”

The catechist, thinking that the priest had made a mistake… reminded and whispered to him, “Father, you have already said that statement twice!”

The priest, turning to the catechist said in a strong tone, “Yes, I know I have said it twice, and I will say it once again!”

And so saying, with a firm and convinced voice, he told the people, “Jesus Christ is precious and He loves you very much!”

The priest re-iterated to the people of the Love of God, and How Precious He is!

Have we discovered and tasted the deep Love of God in our lives?

Do we treasure our Blessed Lord as Precious and follow Him with conviction and courage?

The Gospel of the Day is a beautiful narrative of a group of people – women, in particular – who experience the Love of the Lord, and considered Him as precious and worthy to be followed!

This passage is a strong narration by St Luke who presents Jesus, the true liberator, breaking some new ground in granting a new status to the discriminated and oppressed class of women.

“Accompanying Him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities…..and many others who provided them out of their resources” (Lk 8:1)

Women who had been healed and had experienced the Goodness of the Lord accompany Him in His mission…
… and supported Him with their resources.

We can take a couple of lessons from these few, yet significant words from the Gospel of St Luke:

1. Broken to Blossom
   Jesus broke some societal traditions to help people to blossom people and experience genuine freedom and liberty.

Women were generally kept out of public life…

They were forbidden from reading the Sacred Scriptures.
They were mainly reduced to mere onlookers, and not participants in the Sabbath worship.
They had a specially designated outer court at the synagogue, which was located beneath the court for men.
They weren’t allowed to divorce, for the most serious faults; men were allowed even for the most trivial ones.

But Jesus loved to break open…to let free…and to allow people to blossom!

Jesus permitted Mary of Bethany to sit at His feet (Lk 10: 39)
Jesus touched a little girl who was dead and restored her to life (Lk 8:54)
Jesus allowed Himself to be touched by a woman in hemorrhage (Lk 8:44)
Jesus engaged in a life-transforming conversation with the woman at the well (Jn 4:7-26)
Jesus let the sinful woman to wash his feet, and shower his feet with kisses of love (Lk 7: 38)
Jesus had strong words for the practice of divorce which had reduced women to mere objects (Mt 19:3-9)

The Lord showed Himself as being Precious and declared that He loved everyone very much – including the rejected and the oppressed!

Do I let unhealthy and inhuman practices or mentalities to govern my life, or do I break free and blossom?

Do I give in to societal pressures in following certain norms or thought-pattern even if they are harmful?
Do I fail to be bold and courageous to initiate a change in attitudes, in order to achieve genuine liberation?

2. Transformed to Tread!
   The women who were touched by the Lord, had found greater meaning in their life and they accompanied the Lord in His ministry and mission.

They were not people who only sought favours; they rather happily extended gratitude and thankfulness.

They were not people who wanted Jesus in order to get something from Him; they rather had much to give to the Lord in return.
They were not people who lived for mere material needs; they, in fact, focussed their attention on the higher values of life and of the Kingdom!

These women were willing to respond to the Precious Love of the Lord and prove with acts of service that even they loved the Lord very much!

What is my response to the Lord who has showered my life with many blessings at crucial moments of my life…

Do I tread in His path after having been transformed with His Grace?
Do I get stuck with seeking only material favours and fail to allow them to lead me to a deeper God-experience?
Do I only remain with the prayer of intercession and prayer of asking, but not grow higher to prayer of thanksgiving and prayer of praise?

We live in times when the cry for deeper respect and genuine esteem for women is on a high.

You and I can make a great change in our society, by our attitude and our determination, with the Grace of God!

Let us cast away barriers which reduce people to mere objects…which yokes people, especially women.

Let us imitate Jesus the liberator to Break open to Blossom…
… and also grow in our commitment to Tread after having been Transformed by Him!

St Joseph Cupertino – the Saint of the Day (The patron saint of air travelers, pilots, astronauts, and those with learning disabilities and often called as the ‘flying saint’ due to his miraculous gift of levitation and visions), inspires us with his words:
“Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own…

When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does this!”

Let us never forget that “Jesus Christ is precious and He loves us very much!”

Let these words be repeated constantly in our life, with deep piety, profound conviction and committed service to one another!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “The Love of God is calm, peaceful, and tranquil, and so the work done for its sake, even in worldly things…

… is gentle, trustful, and quiet!”

“Learning the Grammar of Love and Mercy from the Lord and earning accolades in the University of God!

(Based on 1 Cor 15:1-11 and Lk 7:36-50 – Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time)

All of us have been school kids…

And as students, one of the most dreaded…avoided…boring… (or for the really good students…one of the most exciting…scoring…loved) topics in class was Grammar!

Grammar plays a vital function in every language!

And in grammar, Tenses play a key role…

Does the word, “Tenses” bring some tension on our face??!

Well, we are not going to reflect on any boring (or exciting…either way we consider) lesson on Grammar!

But for our surprise…
… the Gospel of the Day, presents to us Jesus, the teacher!
And He is out to teach us …well, you guessed it right… Grammar!

Welcome to the Class on Grammar…by the renowned Teacher, Jesus…

The class today is in a different setting…

It is taking place in a house, around a dinner table!

The participants in this session are many…

But the attention remains focused on three persons:

1. Simon, the Pharisee
   Unlike other Pharisees, this man is much more open to receive Jesus into his home.

We don’t know whether he was a die-hard fan of Jesus…but he certainly seemed not so opposed to Him!

How do we describe him?

Social Person….Diplomatic…Polished…Willing to be open…?

2. Jesus, the Guest
   The Lord seems to enjoy food…!

But more than food, He very certainly enjoys and values the people, He eats with!

He was happy to be a guest to Simon, the Pharisee…
… He would have been happy to sup with the class of people who were highly critical of His ways of teaching!

How do we describe Jesus?

Friendly… Welcoming… Open-hearted…Compassionate…Gentle…?

3. The Sinner Woman
   She was a prostitute lady, who lived selling her body to men.

She was a victim of the people’s duplicity & discrimination – misused as a source of pleasure yet despised & categorized as the scum of the society!

She however, feels privileged to have been able to come near Jesus, in whom she places her hope of receiving true acceptance and genuine love.

How do we describe her?

Penitent…Sorrowful…Hopeful…Courageous…Loving…?

The story is familiar to us…

Simon hosts the dinner for Jesus…

Meanwhile, the sinner woman approaches the Lord, and showers her love and affection.

The host Simon, gets irked by this gesture…
… and scandalized by his guest allowing her to do so!

What was Simon’s problem?
He thought he was better than the prostitute.

He thought he was more righteous than the lady who sold her body!

He thought he was far more worthy than the woman who had no moral groundings!

And this is where, the Master Teacher…steps in….and teaches The Grammar of Life – changing Tenses!

Simon said, “She IS a sinner.” … in the present tense!

Jesus replied, “No, she WAS a sinner.”…in the past tense!

Jesus changed the tenses in her life.

People considered her to be woman with loose morals…

Jesus considers her to be a woman of deep love!

People thought of her as a dirty and shameless creature…

Jesus thinks of her as a beautiful and precious child of God!

How often do we fall into this grave mistake of mixing up “tenses” in the lives of people…

There is a Simon, perhaps, in all of us!

A person WOULD have been known for some misdeeds…
… but we think he/she WILL always remain to be so!

A person WOULD have committed some grave faults…
… but we think he/she WILL continue to persist in them!

A person WOULD have done some wrongs in the past…
… but we think he/she WILL be always fixated in that!

A person WOULD have displayed some bad habits…
… but we think he/she WILL always have to be condemned!

We need to learn from the Master Teacher, that God can change the “tenses” in the life of people.

We need to be hopeful from the Master Teacher, that God can change the “tenses” in our own lives.

At the end of the incident, the Master Teacher blesses the sinner lady, again, in a grammatical style…

Jesus says to the sinner lady,
“Your SINS are forgiven”… The PAST is purified!
“Your faith has SAVED you”…the PRESENT is strengthened!
“GO in peace”…the FUTURE is blessed!

Simon deserves our empathy…
… perhaps, most of us also, would have reacted in a similar way, if we were to be in his place…

Imagine having the presence of a famous prostitute barging in during some family occasion!

We too would have been very scandalized
… we too would have been ashamed
… we too would have felt offended!

But the Lord invites us to weed off… slowly at least… the little SIMONness in us….
… the tendency to judge people based on their past life.
… the tendency to fail to give any room or chance for improvement.
… the tendency to not able to see the persons, however bad, as ultimately being children of God, our Father!

Let us depend on the Grace of the Lord for transformation in our life, just as St Paul testifies and declares: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His Grace toward me was not in vain!” (1 Cor 15:10)

Jesus, the Master Teacher can change tenses in our lives, in the lives of others!

Let us learn this Grammar of Love and Mercy from the School of Jesus…
… and earn accolades in the University of God!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “”Do not generalize from a particular instance.
Do not say that a certain person is a drunkard, because you have seen him drunk once…

… A single act is not enough to justify such a label!”

“Giving heed to the call of the Lord, and doing away with all hypocritical aspects of our life; instead, having expressions of faith, that are real and genuine!

(Based on 1 Cor 12:31-13:13 and Lk 7:31-35 – Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time)

After his victory over Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium, Augustus Caesar came back to Rome in triumph.

Among the huge crowd who greeted him, was a man (a bird seller) who had a bird that was taught to say, “Hail, Caesar, victorious!”

Augustus Caesar, the victorious king was greatly impressed that the bird was able to utter praises in honour of his victory…
… and bought the bird for a large sum.

Then someone got Caesar aside and whispered to him, that the man had another bird that was just as talented.

The man was summoned and Caesar asked for a demonstration of what the other bird could do.

The man selling the birds objected… and expressed reluctance…
… but Caesar insisted.

Finally the bird uttered: “Hail, Antony, victorious!”

(The second bird ended up uttering praises to the enemy who had been defeated by Augustus Caesar!)

The birds had been only trained to speak by rote!

Their expression was not something “that was really meant”…
Their expression was laden with tones of duplicity and lack of genuineness

The Gospel of the Day is a presentation on how people are also very often similar…
… failing to have expressions that are real and genuine!
… falling into the trap of duplicity and double-standardness!

The Gospel is an exposition on the attitudes of duplicity and being double-standard that can cram our Christian lives.

Jesus gives an illustration of how the attitudes of duplicity and being double-standard can cram our Christian lives.

He speaks of “children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, ‘We piped to you and you did not dance; we wailed and you did not weep'” (Lk 7: 32)

Two persons who had committed themselves totally to the cause of the Kingdom are under the scanner today – John the Baptist and Jesus.

John the Baptist lived in the wilderness and in preparation for the arrival of the Messiah.

John did not drink wine, and he and his followers fasted regularly.
He baptized people in the Jordan River.

But John also preached repentance and gave a clarion call to turn away from one sins!

And this irked the people…

The elders of the Jewish community dreaded him because he recognized the corruption of the priests, and publicly called them to repent and be baptized.
They refused, because they wanted to keep their power, their wealth, their full stomachs and their fine clothing!

Jesus went around the cities and towns healing the sick and curing the lepers and doing many mighty works.

Jesus shared in the table-fellowship of many people regularly.

He preached the Kingdom of God.

But Jesus also challenged people to let go off their sinful and corrupt lives and turn to God in penitence!

And this annoyed the leaders…

The Pharisees hated him because he preached with much authority and his new understanding of the law was highly challenging!
They rejected Him, because they wanted to stick to their traditions, empty hearts and their inhuman practices!

Jesus and John both would have hit high on the popularity charts if they had “played nice” or “would have allowed things to be little more easy”!

But both of Them did not budge…

This is what Jesus says, “We played the flute for you, you did not dance; We mourned to you, you did not weep.” (Lk 7:32)

Both of them refused to compromise on their convictions and principles of life

It was a tragedy of that generation…
… that two of the great leaders – John and Jesus – though came with apparent contrast – found themselves rejected!
… that these two great messengers of the Kingdom, met with a tragic end – one beheaded, the other crucified!

This shows an important philosophy that underlies many lives: an attitude of indifference to the truth and an attitude of rejection of those who challenge our lives!

This tragedy affects our generation too…

We often wrap ourselves often in the garment of hard-heartedness and arrogance…
… and fail to allow the message of the Truth to bring a transformation in our lives

We neatly hide ourselves in the dark shadows of indifference and apathy…
… and remain unconcerned with the workings of God’s Power and Grace in our hearts

But the Lord today renders a wake-up call to shake off the dusts of…
… apathy, hypocrisy and indifference from our lives!

Very often our faith is only a training to speak prayers and express articles of faith merely “by rote”

Very often, our faith expressions are not something “that is really meant from the heart”
Very often, our religious expressions are laden with tones of duplicity and lack of genuineness

Let us give heed to the call of the Lord and do away with all hypocritical aspects of our life, and instead…
… have expressions that are real and genuine!
… and thus become an authentic follower of God and an ardent missionary of the Kingdom!

Let us be encouraged by the lives of St Cornelius, Pope and St Cyprian, Bishop – martyrs – whose feast we celebrate today and “who encouraged each other to lead virtuous, self-sacrificing, and loving lives for God!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

---

Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “If you do not choose to be simple and honest as a little child…

… you will not win the child’s sweetmeats!”