“Possessing the quality of seeing high, thinking high and flying high!”
(Based on Gal 3:22-29 and Lk 11:27-28 – Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)
The eagles are an amazing variety of birds.
They possess numerous qualities and traits which is praiseworthy and wonderful.
The eagles also have found much acclaim and applaud in the Holy Bible.
One of such quality is its quality of being a HIGH FLYER.
Eagles can fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet, but they are able to swiftly land on the ground.
It’s also said (though it’s not confirmed if it’s a fact)…
… that when it rains, most birds head for shelter; the eagle is the only bird, in order to avoid the rain, starts flying above the clouds…
The eagle has accomplished and achieved for itself a niche for being a bird which goes HIGH!
Sees High… Thinks High… Flies High!
The Gospel of the Day invites us to possess a similar quality:
To see high
To think high
To fly high!
In today’s Gospel, a woman from the crowd calls out to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who bore you and nursed you” (Lk 11:27)
This woman had probably been following Jesus for sometime or had observed some of His works or had heard about Him.
This greatness of the Man was attributed to His Mother.
The woman had probably a driving principle behind this thought, “Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman… constantly supporting and nourishing”.
Mother Mary was recognized and understood as this Woman behind the success of Jesus!
Let’s just visualize how Jesus would have felt when He heard these words…
Every child is proud of one’s parent, especially the mother.
Every child is happy to hear good about one’s parent, especially the mother.
Jesus too, would have been very proud and happy of His Mother.
He would have thought of the moments His Mother would have taught Him various prayers
He would have thought of the moments His Mother would have taught Him the scriptures.
He would have thought of the moments His Mother would have taught Him to love God
Jesus surely had many things to thank and praise His Mother.
But the Lord doesn’t remain fixated on the level of mere human praise and efforts…
The Lord loves things ‘of the High’…
… and His concerns are ‘of the High!’
And so, he invites and challenges the woman to look higher…
“Surely blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it as well” (Lk 11:28)
The Lord was probably telling the woman…
“Yes, surely my Mother is truly great for Her tender care of me.
She is indeed wonderful for Her amazing upbringing of me.
But My Mother is great, not just because of these earthly factors…
There is much more…
There are many more reasons which makes Her truly great.
She is blessed…
… because She listened to God’s Word and accepted it wholeheartedly.
… because She was obedient to God though she did not understand many things
… because She lived and shared the love that she received from God!”
The Lord made the woman to not just be satisfied with transient, material aspect, but to have a higher perspective in life.
The same message is reached out to each one of us today….
Am I a person who is simply satisfied with only the concerns of the material world?
Am I a person who remains stunted on just listening to God’s word, but not practising it?
Am I a person who fails to fly higher, to also be concerned with the aspects of the Divine?
Am I a person who is excited to hear and listen to the Bible, but afraid to live it in my life?
We are all invited, like the eagle, to fly above the clouds of materiality and worldliness:
To see high…
To think high…
To fly high…
God Bless! Live Jesus!
📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions, or as positive precepts such as: “Honor your father and mother”…
… the “ten words” point out the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin. (CCC # 2057)