“Rooting out pessimistic mind-sets and focussing instead on self-growth in holiness and humility!”

(Based on Jude 17, 20b-25 and Mk 11:27-33 – Saturday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

Once, a preacher was speaking the Word of God to a great crowd.

As was his practice, he was concentrating more on the content of his message and of its effect upon the hearts of people, for transformation…
… rather than the precise literary form of it.

Among his audience, was seated a certain fussy gentleman.
>> He had been known for making extremely critical remarks and comments.

At the end of the prayer service, this person went up to the preacher and said:
“By the way, I noticed that you made eleven mistakes of grammar in your sermon.”

“Very likely,” replied the preacher, very coolly, “I don’t doubt it for a minute.
>> My early education was faulty. I often wished that I had received more schooling.

But I am using all the grammar I know in the service of Christ.
>> How is it with you?”


Well, we don’t know how did the fussy gentleman react to this bold and true reply of the preacher.

(Hopefully, he went home and read a chapter of the Bible and prayed for a humbler heart rather than just revising his skills of grammar!)


When the heart is closed to God’s spirit, the focus dwells only external and peripheral factors…
>> The heart gets closed to spiritual appreciation…
>> The mind remains curious only for rhetorical arguments!


The Gospel of the Day presents such a critically harsh and uncharitably closed attitude…
… of the chief priests and scribes and elders towards the person and ministry of Jesus.

This is expressed in their volatile question to Jesus:
“By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?” (Mk 11: 28)


The context of today’s Gospel is the presence of Jesus in the city of Jerusalem.


Chapter 11 of St Mark’s Gospel has a progressive sequence…

1. The entry into Jerusalem (Mk 11: 1-10)

2. The entry to Bethany and cursing of the fig tree (Mk 11: 11-14)

3. The re-entry to Jerusalem and cleansing of the Temple (Mk 11: 15-18)

4. The re-entry to Bethany, observation of withered tree and teaching on faith (Mk 11: 19-26)

5. The third entry into Jerusalem and questioning of Jesus’ authority (Mk 11: 27-33)


>> The popularity of Jesus was on the rise…
… He had a rousing welcome to the city of Jerusalem

>> The impact of Jesus was also on the rise…
… He had performed a daring cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple


These factors had greatly disturbed the religious leaders.
>> In Jesus, they perceived a threat.

… a threat to their attitude of subjugating people to their yoke, than to service of God

>> In Jesus, they sensed a danger.
… a danger to their personal wishes and agenda of having a monopoly over religion

>> In Jesus, they identified a menace.
… a menace to their comfort-rendering style of spirituality and way of life.


And so, they – the chief priests and scribes and the elders – sought to put Jesus to the task…
… and questioned His authority on doing such deeds and performing such actions.

Their eyes were closed to see the goodness of the Lord
>> Their hearts become clogged to examine their own maligned conscience
>> Their lives were rendered blocked to be willing to make necessary changes for the good.

Instead…
… they only found fault with the Lord
… they only become critical of the ways of the Lord


When the heart is closed to God’s spirit, the focus dwells only external and peripheral factors…
>> The heart gets closed to spiritual appreciation…
>> The mind remains curious only for rhetorical arguments!


Is such an attitude prevalent among us also…
>> A mentality of harshly criticising…?
>> A tendency to inhumanly condemn…?
… without any consideration to humanness or acceptance or self-examination etc.


May we be able to root out all such pessimistic mind-sets…
… and focus instead on self-growth in holiness and humility.


God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – THE NEW LAW OR THE LAW OF THE GOSPEL
>> The Law of the Gospel fulfills the commandments of the Law.
>> The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, far from abolishing or devaluing the moral prescriptions of the Old Law…
… releases their hidden potential and has new demands arise from them
… it reveals their entire divine and human truth. (CCC # 1968)
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