“Daring to follow the path of humility, as we tread the way of the Cross!”

(Based on Jer 18:18-20 and Mt 20:17-28 – Wednesday of 2nd Week of Lent)

A rich businessman had grown greatly in his endevours.

He became greatly possessed with acquiring more wealth and seeking for greater power.

His sole intention in life was to find ways and means to gain more wealth (by hook or crook; by honest or corrupt ways!) and capture more positions of power.

Though a Christian…
… he cared hardly for his family
… he bothered least about his faith

One day, while sitting in his posh office, pondering on ways to augment his wealth and prestige in the society…
… his eyes went towards the Crucifix that was placed on his table.

Looking from the place where he was sitting, he could see…
… The Crucifix and a chair that was placed opposite him.

And suddenly a thought came across his mind: “What is more important for you in life?
The Cross or the chair?”

This thought stuck him badly.

Being greatly disturbed… he sought to ward off that idea from his mind.

But it kept disturbing him…. “Cross or chair… Cross or chair!”

Well, it’s not known whether that incident changed his life.

But this question is placed before each of us:
“What is more important for you in life?

Cross or chair?”

The Gospel of the Day is the incident of the mother of the sons of Zebedee aspiring to obtain a place of honour for her children…
… through which, Jesus poses this question of supreme importance to us as well:
“What is more important for you in life?

Cross or chair?”

This incident is sandwiched between two important instructions by Jesus..

His “master plan” of establishing the Kingdom: His Passion, Death and Resurrection
His “master technique” to allow access to the Kingdom: The way of Humility

1) His “master plan” of establishing the Kingdom: His Passion, Death and Resurrection

Jesus predicts about His sufferings to His disciples (Mt 20: 17-19)

It was clearly His way of telling His chosen ones, that His Kingdom is not to be one that accords prime importance to power and position…
… instead it was about obedience and self-giving.

2) His ” master technique” to allow access to the Kingdom: The way of Humility

Jesus further teaches His disciples that the key to enter the Kingdom is the way of humility (Mt 20:26-28)

It was clearly a reminder as well as a warning, that His Kingdom is not reserved for the powerful or the mighty…
… instead it is to be given to those of meek heart and lowly self.

It’s in between these two powerful “Kingdom” teachings, that we have the incident of the mother of the sons of Zebedee seeking for a place of honour for her children (Mt 20: 20-24)

The incident showed that they had quite badly misunderstood Jesus…

They mistook His master plan of establishing the Kingdom as being “through force and power and might!”
They mistook His master technique to allow access to the Kingdom as being “the way of Supremacy!”

But Jesus shatters this misconception by posing a master question: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” (Mt 20: 22)

“Drinking the Cup” for Jesus meant the master plan of His Passion, Death and Resurrection
“Drinking the Cup” for Jesus meant the master technique of the way of Humility

This incident is a reminder and warning for each of us as well:

Are we willing to be in accord with the Lord’s master plan of establishing the Kingdom: His Passion, Death and Resurrection?
Are we ready to practise the Lord’s master technique to allow access to the Kingdom: The way of Humility ?

Jesus clearly poses this question of supreme importance: “What is more important for you in life?

Cross or chair?”

Very often we settle down to sit on the “chair”…
… the ‘chair’ of comfort and relaxation
… the ‘chair’ of lethargy and indifference
… the ‘chair’ of materialism and individualism

But the Lord challenges us to carry the “Cross”…
… the ‘Cross’ of responsibility and commitment
… the ‘Cross’ of witnessing to the Lord and trusting in Him
… the ‘Cross’ of serving the deprived and being sensitive to the need of the other

The way of the Christian is none but the Way of the Cross.

The path of the Christian can be none but the Path of Humility.

We read in Jer 18:18-20 that Prophet Jeremiah had to stand alone…
… rejected, plotted against, silenced!

Yet, taking up his Cross, he chose faithfulness over self-preservation.

He tasted bitterness in life…
… of injustice, of unfair accusations!

Yet, in humility, he brought his wounded heart before the Lord, instead of seeking revenge.

Yes, let us dare to follow the path of humility…
… and seek to positively answer to the question that Jesus poses to each of us:
“What is more important for you in life?

Cross or chair?”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Doing away with ‘calculative and hypocritical’ tendencies and adopting the ‘way of humility and truth!””

(Based on Isa 1:10, 16-20 and Mt 23:1-12 – Tuesday of 2nd Week of Lent)

Here is an interesting letter from a boy to a girl:

“Dearest Marie,
No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt…
… since breaking our engagement.

Please say you’ll take me back.

No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me.
I love you, I love you, I love you!

Yours forever, Jimmy

P.S., And yeah… congratulations on winning the state bumper lottery!”

That’s how very often, our attitudes and approaches in life are!

We tend to get very manipulative
And thus, often, we end up being…
… calculative and hypocritical in our relations

The call of the Gospel is to do away with this “hypocritical and tactical” tendency…
… and to adopt the “way of humility and truth!”

Am I a person who is willing to lower myself in humility?

Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Mt 23: 12)

The 23rd Chapter of the Gospel of St Matthew begins with Jesus turning the attention of His disciples and of the crowds…
… towards the Scribes and the Pharisees.

Focusing on the religious leaders and on their practices, Jesus launches a volley of critically true statements about their wicked misdeeds!

The chapter ends with the “Painful Lament” by Jesus over Jerusalem – the city of the Lord!

One of the highlights in this highly volatile and strongly-worded chapter is the number of times Jesus mentions the two groups of people – “Scribes and Pharisees”

There is, in total, 7 occurrences of the phrase, “Scribes and Pharisees” – a biblical number for totality!

This chapter is a therefore, a full-blown critique and condemnation of the ways of the Scribes and Pharisees.

Why is Jesus so outright in His condemnation, so merciless in His usage of words and so blatant in His attacks on the Scribes and Pharisees?

[Meanwhile, when we go through these critical attacks of our Blessed Lord on this group, one must always remember the words of Jesus Himself: “I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:32)

There was deep pain in the heart of the Lord, in seeing the way religion was being manhandled, misused and misinterpreted by the religious leaders of His time

As the Son of His Beloved Father, it was hurting for the Son to see a section of people, trampling upon God’s precious and venerable truths…
… and twisting them for their own self-interests and self-agenda
A strong form of condemnation was reserved only to those who were hardened in heart – as a means for them to repent and turn back their ways to the Lord.

The method of ‘sharp condemnation’ was reserved only to the proud and the arrogant; never to the poor sinners!]

The reason for Jesus making a scathing attack on the religious authorities of His times…
… could be summarized into one crucial point: Glorification of one’s own self at the expense of the Glory of God and the Mercy deserving for His people!

Therefore, Jesus goes on to point out the many occasions and circumstances when the Self-Interest of the Pharisees and Scribes took extreme priority over God Himself!

It is this self-centred and self-glorifying act that makes Jesus to tell, “For they preach, but they do not practise!” (Mt 23: 3b)

How easily can this be our own state of affairs, in our life…!

We may be people…
… who “appear” to be very fine and kind – but perhaps, we are persons who find it too hard to let go of our pride, in reaching out to the needy, in humble service!
… who speak a lot on helping others and being generous – but perhaps, we go through grilling moments in lowering ourselves and adopting a lowly status to extend a helping hand!
… who desire happiness in communities and peace at homes – but perhaps, we discover ourselves to be persons who are unwilling to let go of our ego, and allow a listening ear to the opinions of others!

Prophet Isaiah strongly appeals to each one of us, in this time of Lent:
“Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good…” (ISA 1:16-17)

The call, today, therefore is…
… to “work for a cause – not applause!”
… to “live life to express – and not simply to impress!”

We are called to avoid being calculative and manipulative!

Yes, let’s adopt the way of humility and truth, remembering that…
… Faith is ‘not about looking holy, but living holy!’

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Cultivating a harvest of goodness and generosity!”

(Based on Dan 9:4b-10 and Lk 6:36-38 – Monday of 2nd Week of Lent)

This story is told that one day a beggar by the roadside asked for alms…
… from Alexander the Great, as he passed by.

The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler…
… no right even to lift a solicitous hand.

Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins.

A courtier was astonished at his generosity and commented:
“Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar’s need.

Why give him gold?”

Alexander responded in royal fashion:
“Copper coins would suit the beggar’s need…
… but gold coins suit Alexander’s giving.”

Generosity is not just about fulfilling needs…
… it’s a reflection of our character and our inner goodness!

Our behaviours towards others should not be a mere reaction to their actions…
… instead, they should mirror the essence of our own character.

The Gospel of the Day calls for ‘cultivating a harvest of goodness and generosity.’

The Lord, continuing His teachings on a practical Christian life, exhorts, “…give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give, is the measure you get back” (Lk 6:38)

In illustrating the importance of generosity, Jesus draws upon a vivid scene from the bustling markets of Israel…
… reflecting the common marketplace dynamics prevalent in the Middle East.

Picture the vibrant open-air markets…
… where farmers display their grains—wheat, corn, barley
… on mats laid out on the ground.

In a familiar ritual, potential buyers engage in negotiations…
… bargaining over prices, quality, and quantity of the goods.

Amid this lively exchange, a customer would eventually settle on a price.

The buyer then presents their container…
… whether a sizable bowl, pot, or an open vessel.
The seller, with a measuring scoop, proceeds to fill the container, completing the exchange.

There would be some interesting steps in this process of measuring the grain for a customer and which Jesus quotes in His approach to giving:

First, the seller would fill the container to the top.
Secondly, he would press the grain down and fill some more.

Thirdly, he would shake the container so the grain would settle and then fill in some more.
Finally, he would fill the container until it overflowed!

The contents of this overflowing container would then be transferred to a pouch or a bag so that the buyer could bring home the contents from the market.

Well, this process could sound a bit strange and weird to us in the modern world.

We live in times…
… when contents are sold by the weight, and not the volume
… when manipulations are done to give as less as possible

But this is where, Jesus, bringing in the example of the market, invites generosity in giving
… He encourages us to embrace a spirit of open-handed generosity!

Our giving ought to be measured not by weight, but by volume…
… and that refers to a far-greater amount of giving – generous and lavish!

Our giving ought not to be a calculated effort…
… rather should be a overflow from the heart!

St Paul in 2 Cor 9:6 says, “Whoever sows sparingly, will also reap sparingly; whoever reaps bountifully will also reap bountifully”

When we engage is such a lavish and generous giving, we have a greater experience of God showering His abundance – in fact, in a much better fashion!
“For the measure you give, will be the measure you get back” (Lk 6:38)

Of course, that is not to say that we are limiting God’s power of giving or determining His giving to our actions

But the Lord invites us to be involved in a Divine Barter System…

Give to God, Who deserves all, so that we may be blessed to receive His blessings.

In the Divine barter system, the advantage is that, we get much more than what we give…
… we obtain far greater than what we offer!

God’s giving is not to be seen just from material or physical aspects…

In fact, that would just be a very limited and low level of understanding.

God’s gifts are to be understood more from a spiritual perspective:
… Gift of His mercy to live a life in union with Him.
… Gift of His grace to be faithful and more committed.
… Gift of His love to be better human beings and be more charitable.
… Gift of His salvation to enjoy eternal bliss and happiness with Him .

All these gifts will be surely lavished and given… “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured out into our laps!”

The greatest exchange – the Divine barter system – is seen and experienced in the Holy Eucharist…
… at every Holy Mass.

Let us give ourselves entirely to the Lord – especially at Holy Mass…

And through the Mass
… at all times of the day
… to all people in our life

Then, in the words of Fulton Sheen, we will be graced to hear the words of the Divine Lord telling us…

You give me your humanity, and I will give you My Divinity!
You give me your time, and I will give you My eternity!
You give me your broken heart, and I will give you My Love!
You give me your nothingness, and I will give you My all!

Let’s realize that “generosity is not just about fulfilling needs…
… it’s a reflection of our character and our inner goodness!”

Offer to others “not just the copper coins of unwilling obligations…”
… rather, generously give “the gold coins of joyful service and care!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!