“Obediently living, in accordance with the Plan of God!”

(Based on Gal 3:22-29 and Lk 11:27-28 – Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

A highly skilled engineer had been confined to his bed due to a paralysis of the lower limbs.

So great was his reputation, that even though he was sickly, he was asked to draw the blueprints for a great suspension bridge.

With much determination, the engineer completed the blueprints and handed it over to those who were to carry out the work.

Months passed by…
… and the work of the bridge was completed.

Four men came to the engineer’s room and carried him, on the cot, to the place…
… from where he could see the bridge, suspending over a wide river

Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at the engineering marvel…
… and with the blueprints in his hands, he cried out: “It’s just like the plan! It’s just like the plan!”

God, the Great Engineer, has His blueprints for each one of us, in our lives…
… His Holy Will!

Do we build our lives as per this blueprint?

The Gospel of the Day invites us to have our wills in harmony with this blueprint…
… the Will of God!

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 some time 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 and to hear good of one’s parent…
… especially about the mother.

Jesus, too, would have experienced a deep human joy in His Mother.

He would have remembered how Mamma Mary lovingly cared for Him as a Child…
How He learnt to pray from Her

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.
… She was obedient to God though she did not understand many things
… She chose to put Her faith in God, though the path ahead was dim
… She lived and shared the love that she received from God.”

The Lord made the woman to not just be satisfied with transient, material aspects…
… 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 satisfied with the concerns of the material world alone?
… who remains content merely to listen to God’s Word without putting it into practice?
… who fails to soar higher and deepen my relationship with the Divine?
… who is excited to hear and listen to the Bible, but afraid to live it in my life?

God has His blueprints for each one of us, in our lives…
… His Holy Will!

Do we obediently carry out our works, as per His plan?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully speaks of the origin, foundation and mission of the Church as a “Plan born in the Father’s Heart!”

“This ‘family of God’ is gradually formed and takes shape during the stages of human history, in keeping with the Father’s Plan” (CCC #759)

May this Great Engineer, seeing our lives…
… and with the blueprints in His hands, exclaim: “It’s just like the Plan! It’s just like the Plan!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!