The Gospel of St Mark has many “sandwich” passages.

“Sandwich” stories are a literary technique in which the narration of one story begins, but is interrupted by another story, before finishing the first one.

Some of the examples of these “sandwich stories” are…

In Mk 3: 20-35, we have…
>> Mk 3:20-22: Jesus’ family members set out to seize Him
>Mk 3: 23-30: Jesus speaks to the Pharisees on their accusation of Him
>>  Mk 3: 31-35: Jesus family comes to meet Him

In Mk 5: 21-43, we have…
>> Mk 5: 21-24: Jesus is pleaded by Jairus to heal his daughter
>  Mk 5: 25-34: The woman suffering from haemorrhage is healed
>> Mk 5: 35-43: Jesus heals the daughter of Jairus

In Mk 6: 7-33, we have…
>> Mk 6: 7-13: The disciples sent on a mission
> Mk 6: 14-29: Herod’s opinion on John the Baptist and the narrative of the beheading.
>> Mk 6: 30-33: The disciples return from the mission

In Mk 14: 1-11, we have…
>> Mk 14: 1-2: The Conspiracy against Jesus
>  Mk 14: 3-9: The anointing of Jesus at Bethany
>> Mk 14: 10-11: The conspiracy plan by Judas to betray Jesus

Such kind of “sandwich” layers illustrates points for reflection by showing ..
… similarities and contrasts between the outside and the inside layers.
… the first and the last as “the bread”‘ and the centre one as the “filling” of the sandwich!

Today’s Gospel also follows this “sandwich-story” structure: Mk 11: 12-25
>> Mk 11: 12-14: Jesus cursing the fig tree
>  Mk 11: 15-19: Jesus cleansing the Temple
>> Mk 11: 20-24: Jesus’ teaching on the withered fig tree

There are many similarities and contrasts between the “bread” – the outside layers and the “filling” – the inside layers in this ‘sandwich’ passage…

Symbols:
The fig tree represents the people of Israel
The Temple was the symbol of the worship and faith of the people of Israel

Reaction of Jesus is “at the entry”
The fig tree was cursed when “Jesus was nearing”… on His way to Jerusalem
The Temple was cleansed as Jesus “entered” the temple

“Leaves seen, but no fruit”
The fig tree bore only leaves, but no fruits were found on it
The Temple had many activities (leaves) but no faith or religiosity was seen (fruits)

Jesus performs an action of fury and rage
The fig tree is cursed and it withers
The Temple is cursed and cleansed

Some of the key messages of both these stories invite us to reflect on our own life…

1. God’s demand to be fruit-bearing
The fig tree as well as the Temple failed to bear fruits…

>> As Christians, we are expected and demanded by God to bear fruits and be co-operative to the graces that God has blessed us with

2. Importance of repentance and cleansing
The fig tree is judged for its fruitlessness while the Temple is cleansed due to its uncleanness
>> As Christians, we are to repent and cleanse our hearts of all defilements, lethargy and sluggishness and become relevant and effective people of God

3. Harsh consequences are in store for the unfaithful and unfruitful
The fig tree is cursed while the Temple undergoes the wrath of the Zealous Jesus
>> As Christians, we are to realise that strong consequences are for sure, if we fail in our duties and responsibilities

The Gospel of the Day is a strong exhortation by Jesus…
…  to become aware of our Christian duties
… the need to be faithful and ever watchful
… and become zealous in bearing fruits for the Kingdom of God.

May we give heed to the warnings and exhortations of the Lord, and build our lives co-operating with the Grace of God…
…so that we become persons of “Faith and Fruitfulness!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

– Fr Jijo Manjackal msfs
  Bengaluru,  India

Every spiritual endeavour ought to have its basis in an experience of the Divine.

This experience becomes the launching-pad to nurture a life-long relationship with the Divine.

The contrast is also true…
A lack of experience of the Divine makes the spiritual journey a lethargic one…
…sometimes makes it even non-existent!

The greater the experience that one has of the Divine, the higher will be one’s enthusiasm and interest in spiritual matters.

The Gospel of the Day presents the experience of the Divine by a blind person and his consequent expression of happiness and delight in the Lord.

Blind Bartimaeus experiences the Divine healing power and gives vent to his deep joy in the Lord by ‘following Him on the way’.

Jesus was passing through the land of Jericho.
>> As he was leaving Jericho, with His disciples, the news reached the ears of Bartimaeus.

He was blind.
>> We do not know how long was he so.
>> We do not know what was the reason for being so.

But we know one thing.. that he would have heard about the wonders and fame of Jesus.
And the very mention that “Jesus of Nazareth” was passing that way, made him to spring into pleading for mercy.

>> Just as the steps of the lover sounds sweet to the Beloved…
>> Just as the strains of music sound sweet to the singer…
So, the mention of the name, “Jesus” sounded healing and wholeness for Blind Bartimaeus!

With his might and strength, he cried, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy” (Mk 10:47)

>> The crowd tried to dissuade him.
>> The people surrounding made efforts to silence him.
But nothing of this could prevent this determined person to cry out to his God!

This persevering and passionate pleading of Bartimaeus was amply rewarded.

Jesus called him, and said to him, ” Go your way, your faith has saved you!” (Mk 10: 52a)

This tremendous healing experience, fanned to flame the sparks of Divine Love within blind Bartimaeus!
>> He immediately received his sight and followed Jesus on the way (Mk 10: 52b)

This experience became a launching-pad to nurture a life-long relationship with the Divine!

We too are in need of an deeper experience of the Lord, in order to nurture and strengthen our spiritual life.

We sometimes remain blind to things of the spiritual dimension.
>> We sometimes rejected in our lack of progress in a holy living.

Yet, we are invited to cry out with full intensity, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Surely, this act of faith from our part, would meet with a lot of oppositions…
… we may hear voices telling us that it is useless to cry to God and rely on His power
… we may be told that it is illogical and unreasonable to be banking on Divine assistance

But like Blind Bartimaeus, are we willing to transgress and traverse all such negative voices, and drown them with a wave of mightier faith, crying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me?”

Unless we undergo such a healing experience, our faith will remain shallow and our spiritual following will remain dispirited.
>> This healing is not just of the physical nature; rather it could be healing of the mind, healing of the spirit or a social healing or an emotional healing.

>> The fact of being healed, would make me more passionate about the Divine Healer!
>> The fact of being cleansed, would make me more zealous about the Divine Sanctifier!

May our hearts be opened, in perseverance and passion, to seek the wonderful experience of the Divine.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

– Fr Jijo Manjackal msfs
  Bengaluru, India

(A): THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

Many of us , at some time or the other, would have received love letters – letters from our parents, siblings, relatives, friends etc A love letter carries some unique specialties –  there is much eagerness to read it…there is much joy while reading it…and there is much contentment after having read it…

Hmmm….here is a well-known secret….shhh… the Lord is a great “lover”, though sometimes He is too shy a lover! He loves to talk to us through love-letters. The Word of God is God’s love letter to each one of us.. and the Liturgy of the Word, during the Holy Mass, celebrates this loving conversation.

Lets give a better attention as God speaks to us, In His Word. Often, the time of sitting, while listening to the Readings, is when we gaze around the Church/Chapel, looking at others, being distracted with our thoughts etc. Let’s seek to focus our attention greater, on the Lord, who talks to us…IN HIS WORD!

Let’s be aware of the greatness of this Liturgy of the Word:
1. The 1st and 2nd Readings: God’s mysterious works of Salvation and Love are proclaimed. Let’s seek to strike a chord of these readings with our own lives.

2. The Responsorial: We give an affirmation to the Reading, we heard, and express our gratitude and petition to our Life-Giver. 

3. The Alleluia: Praising the Lord, we welcome Him with joyful shouts and signing ourselves on the forehead, lips and the chest,  we seek His Help to cleanse our minds, lips & hearts, that we may worthily receive Jesus, the Word into our lives!

4. The Sermon: Often considered to be the boring part, the avoidable section, the relaxing phase, the Sermon should, in fact, seek to connect the hearts of the Faithful, with Jesus- the Divine Word, and strengthen our Christian living in this world.

To reflect
 Do I give enough attention while listening to the Readings?
 Do I,  make the sign of the Cross, with awareness, and welcome the Lord, by seeking to cleanse our minds, our lips and our hearts?
 Do I prepare devoutly to preach the sermon/ to listen to the sermon, and seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit, who is the Author of the Word of God?
 Am I able to recall the Readings, during the course of the Day, and make the Word of God, a real and practical dimension of my life?

Prayer

Oh Divine Word, who became flesh and dwelt amidst us, give us the grace and the wisdom to understand You, in the Holy Word. May the Liturgy of the Word, that we celebrate in the Eucharist, become a dynamic inspiration and force in our everyday lives, and may we in turn, become a Gospel- the good news, to the poor, the oppressed and all peoples in our lives, Amen!

(B): THE OFFERTORY

After having been nourished by His Word, we profess our Faith in the Holy Catholic Church, and we offer our petitions and gifts to the Lord.

The Lord has blessed our lives with innumerable gifts and graces. As the Psalmist says, ” If I were to count your blessings, I would have to be eternal like You, O Lord!”

The Eucharist is a thanksgiving meal.. When we come to the Mass, we are not to come empty-handed. Rather, we give ourselves, wholly to the Lord. All what we are and all what we have belongs to the Lord, who is the Source and End of all. And to Him, we offer everything – our blessings, our plans, our feelings, our concerns, our heart and our lives!

Along with ourselves, we also offer all the people in our lives – our family, community, our nation, our world… The Eucharist is a moment of healing and grace for the entire creation..and we bring all to His feet.

Lets bring to consciousness the various dimensions in this part of the Mass:

1. The Creed: With much devotion and deep love, we express and affirm the teachings and faith of our Holy Mother, the Church

2. The Prayer of the Faithful: The Community as a family, offer petitions, and thus, the entire creation becomes part of this Divine Action of the Holy Mass

3. The Offering of Bread and Wine: The Gifts, which soon, will become the Body and Blood of Christ, represent fruits of our labour. As the gifts, we pray, that we too be changed into His Body and Blood
4. The mingling of a drop of water in the wine by the Priest: The water represents, our littleness, which is totally mingled with the wine, signifying, our intention to be one with the Divine Lord

5. The washing of the hands: The Priest – the representative of the People of God, cleanses himself and prepares, for the Most Holy Sacrifice of Calvary.

To Reflect
 Am I fervent and zealous in expressing my love for my mother, the Church, as I recite the Creed?
 Do I offer everything to the Lord, and be ready to accept His will in my life?

Prayer
Most Merciful Lord, I come to you, in humble praise, to offer you myself. All what I have is given by you, and to you, I offer everything. Make the offerings that I make, be for me, a channel to accept your Holy Will in my life, and thus, I may be able to truly experience the power of Your Body and Blood..Amen.

– Fr Jijo Manjackal msfs
  Bengaluru, India

Spending time along little streams can be a fascinating pastime.

When along these stams, one can observe tiny flies that come and bathe in it.

If one notices carefully, it can be seen that while they plunge their bodies, they keep their wings high out of the water and fly away, with their wings unwet!

The wings are kept safe from getting wet, so that there is no hindrance in flying again!
 

How beautiful a lesson is this for us Christians…
…. who live in the world, yet are called to be out of the world.
… who live amidst possibilities of wealth, yet are called to be detached from them.
… who live with the prospect of gaining immense power, yet are exhorted to not be attached

 
The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus highlighting this essential element of Christian living : Being in the world, but living out of the world, with eyes firmly set on heavenly realms.

 
James and John, the sons of Zebedee approach Jesus and ask for a favour: “Grant to us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory” (Mk 10:37)

They sought for a prime place in the future Kingdom of the Lord.

 
They probably had the conception and understanding, that Jesus would rule in glory, and they being His chosen ones, sought for esteemed positions in this Glorious Kingdom.

 
They were certainly right that the Lord would surely one day rule in glory.

But they got it totally wrong in their understanding and perspective of the nature of this rule.

>> His was not to be a kingdom of arrogant display of power…
… rather one of serene majesty and mercy

>> His was not to be a rule of aggression and pomp… 
… rather one of gentle splendour and grace.

The Lord had, as per St Mark’s Gospel, just made His third prediction, regarding His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

>> He was revealing the true nature and character of the victory that He was to gain.

>> He was exposing the manner in which His glory would be stamped upon all ages to come.

However, the disciples fell short in grasping these words of the Lord.
>> St Mark says that “they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid” (Mk 10: 32b)

Our lives are very often no different, from the ignorance that the disciples had and the wrong notion that was expressed by James and John.

>> We fall prey to seeking great honour and fame in being a Christian…
… but are unable to grasp the fact that ‘to be a Christian is to be living a life of simplicity’.

>> We yield to temptations of being obsessed to seek power and positions of futile vanity…
… and fail time and again to live up to the Christian virtues of humility and modesty

>> We often become victims of engaging in dirty politics and authority-grabbing games…
… and become an anti-witness to the Lord who ‘came to serve, rather than be served’

We need to give heed to the words of the Lord who prayed that “we are in the world, but do not belong to this world” (Jn 17: 15)

A Christian life…. ought to be hallmarked by detachment and separation…
… detachment from too much of worldly distractions and vain glory
… separation from sinful ways and evil tendencies

A Christian life… ought to be radiated with total focus and complete dedication…
… total focus on the Lord who ‘walked the talk’ by giving up His life in service
… complete dedication to the Kingdom of God which calls for a humble way of life

God Bless! Live Jesus!

– Fr Jijo Manjackal msfs
  Bengaluru, India

Our Christian Life celebrates God, who is Emmanuel – With us, God!

And this Emmanuel God, fulfils His promise, by dwelling in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

On 29th May, 2016, we celebrate the Feast of the Corpus Christi; and it is apt and meaningful, that we take some time, to prepare ourselves for this Great Feast and to realize the worth and greatness of this Most Beautiful Treasure that God is gifting to Humanity.

We begin today… a 5- day series of Mini Reflections, to  help us to become spiritually more oriented to the Blessed Eucharist and in the understanding of the Holy Mass.
>> This orientation, in turn, will help us, to become a Eucharist to others.

So let us begin…. a tiny attempt to mingle into the heart of the Mystery of all Mysteries – the Most Holy Eucharist.

Let’s delight in this love story….as Bishop Fulton Sheen says, “The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white Host”!

– Fr Jijo Manjackal msfs
  Bengaluru. India

In India, booking tickets and getting a confirmed seat to travel by the Railways (trains) is sometimes a stressful affair.
>> The massive number in the people travelling makes this process a very competitive one, with all jostling to get confirmed seats.

To those who manage to get confirmed seats, there is a sense of relief.

But those who fail to get confirmation, and obtain a waiting-list ticket instead, are made to face a lot of tension and worry.
>> There is tension as to whether the tickets would get confirmed in time, so as to be able to travel hassle-free…
>> There is anxiety as to what is to be done and what are the other alternatives, if the possibility of confirmation is very less…

An assurance of confirmation makes the journey pleasant and tension-free.
>> An anxiety over the confirmation adds immense apprehension to the possibility of journey.

Our lives in the Lord, is a spiritual journey…
>> The greater assurance we have in the promises of the Lord, the more pleasant will be our journey
>> The stronger our assurances in the Word of the Lord, the swifter will be our progress in this journey towards the Lord

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus declaring His assured promises to those who follow Him, sincerely and wholeheartedly.

Jesus tells to Peter and the other disciples:
” Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age….and eternal life in the age to come” (Mk 10: 29)

This incident takes place right after the encounter of the rich young man with Jesus (Mk 10: 17-22)

This man was proposed by Jesus to sell all his possessions and then follow Him.
> The man, however, found it hard, to let go off his attachments, and instead let go of the Lord.
>> He went away sad! (Mk 10:22)

Peter, as the leader of the disciples, however, contrasts this “possessive and worldly” tendency of the rich young man by telling Jesus, ” We have given up everything and followed you” (Mk 10: 28)
>> Perhaps, there was a growing concern among the disciples…
… as to whether their radical decision to commit themselves to the Master would go in vain!

>> Perhaps, there was an apparent fear within the disciples…
… as to whether their decisions to leave their professions, their families and their aspirations to follow the Lord would go fruitless!

And so the Lord, with a candid straight-forwardness replies that their sacrifices would surely assure them of rewards of a much higher quality and  eminence.

How often do our lives also sometimes sink in hopelessness, thinking whether our expressions of faith would end up in meaninglessness!

Sometimes even fearful thoughts and anxious emotions may cross our mind…
… will the various sacrifices and pains that I take up for the Lord, go in vain?
… will my unshed tears, my unspoken prayers and painful sighs, end up in futility?
… will the efforts I make to grow in love and nourish others in faith, lead to fruitlessness?

But the Lord assures us, that none of these efforts – small or great, noticed or unnoticed, seen or unseen – will escape the penetrating eyes of the Lord and go unrewarded.
>> All our actions, done in love has an assured reward!

What is however, most essential, is our total focus on the Lord and unflinched commitment to Him.

The Lord most certainly assures us of rewards and gifts.
>> But, in this pursuit, may we not stray or lose focus of Him!

>> Our lives ought to be impelled by the love for the “God of rewards”, than merely the rewards of God!
>> Our lives must be lived in faithfulness to the “God of gifts”, than being fascinated only to the gifts of God!

May the Lord Himself be our greatest reward… our finest gift!

The journey of our spiritual life comes with a “confirmed ticket” from the part of the Lord.
>> There need be no anxiety… no undue worry!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

Alexander the Great is known to have created one of the largest empires of the ancient world.
He is considered one of history’s most successful military commanders.

However, in the dying moments, as the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last, he called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail.”

“My first desire is that”, said Alexander, “my physicians alone must carry my coffin.

People should realize that no doctor on this earth can really cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death.”

He continued, “Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury.

This is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.”

The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute’s rest and continued. “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin.

I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world”.

With these words, the king closed his eyes.

The King realised the worthlessness and transitoriness  of this world’s wealth and power only at his dying moments.

The faster one realises the momentariness of wealth and pleasures of this world, the greater  will be the time one gets to cherish the true riches and treasures of life.

The Gospel of the Day presents a rich young man who was made to realise the fleeting nature of wealth and possessions by the Lord.

The young man in the Gospel approaches Jesus to ask, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10: 17)

When Jesus gives him list of commandments, that need to be followed to help ensure a passage into eternal life, the man replies, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth” (Mk 10: 20)

We underline a few aspects of this young man…
… he did desire for a life of eternity and followed the commandments
… he did nurture a sense of being pious and devout, to please the Lord

However…
… he probably failed to live up to the intentions of the commandments
… he possibly got lost into only keeping the letters of the commandments; not the spirit!

>> He got attached to doing God’s commandment…
…  but failed to break his attachments with the riches of the world.

>> He possessed the good will to follow God’s teachings…
… but failed to let go of the possessions of his life.

The Lord realised this “pitiable” condition of the young man.
>> He was wealthy in the world, but was unable to be rich before God
>> He was obedient to the laws, but was unable to be obedient to give up his attachments.

Therefore, the Lord, knowing this state of the young man – devout yet not properly focussed – “looked at him, loved him, and said, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then, come, follow me'” (Mk 10: 21)

This young man could represent any one of us…
>> We seek to be pious…
… but find it hard to let go of our possessions

>> We seek for holiness in life…
… but go through a struggle to give up our attachments

>> We seek to follow the Lord wholly…
…  but stumble to give ourselves entirely to the Lord

Yet, the Lord does not give up on us…
> He looks on us…
>> He loves us…
And He invites us, to have the proper focus in life!

>> It is not material possessions that ought to occupy our hearts; rather, our hearts needs to be possessed with the Love for the Lord.
>> It is not worldly treasures that should be our prime motto in life; rather, a life, dedicated to the Kingdom of God and helping the needy with the resources we have.

Our material life is totally in the control of the Lord.
>> Our material possessions will be of no avail, when we leave this world.
>> Our hands will not be able to hold any riches when we depart from this life.

Let us instead be possessed by the Lord, gather the precious stones of His grace and love by works of charity and hold on to Him, so that we may have a wonderful life of eternity with the Lord of all treasures!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

– Fr Jijo Manjackal msfs
  Bengaluru, India