“Realising that it is not just what we preach, but what we practise, that makes us Christians!”

(Based on Ezek 18:21-28 and Mt 5:20-26 – Friday of the 1st Week of Lent)

An eloquent priest was explaining to a group of youngsters, on who is a Christian.

He said:
“It is not what people eat, but what they digest…
… that makes them strong

It is not what we earn, but what we save…
… that makes us rich
It is not what we read, but what we remember…
… that makes us learned
And finally, it is not just what we preach, but what we practise…
… that makes us Christians!”

So true, isn’t it?

Very often, we associate our Christian way of life, only with practices of prayer and devotion

But we need to realise…
…. every prayer needs to be accompanied with works of charity!
… every act of devotion needs to be complemented with deeds of mercy!

Jesus always keeps challenging us!

He loathes laziness and lukewarmness!
He loves to keep raising the standard of our holiness and faith!

This challenge is reflected in today’s Gospel reading.

Jesus says, ” Unless your righteousness exceeds that of Scribes & Pharisees, you can’t enter the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5: 20)

The righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees would consist…
… in a lifestyle which insisted only on the exact following of the ‘letter’ of the Law neglecting its spirit
… in a tendency to neglect the fundamental aspects of the Law and focus only on the peripheries

What could be some of the negative aspects of the Righteousness of Scribes and Pharisees, which Jesus condemns…
… and which perhaps, we need to overcome?

1. They liked to preach, but not practise

We live in a world where there are many people who are good in preaching, writing reflections and advising on spiritual matters.

But very often, a massive chasm appears between their preaching and their way of life.

The Scribes and Pharisees seemed to be in this category of people.

2. They liked to do things to “show-off”

A tragedy of religious practices can be, when things are done not to please God, but to win the approval and endorsement of people.

Religious piety and devotions very often become means to have self-gratification of one’s senses, and sadly, even platforms to boast and brag about one’s capacities and capabilities.

The Scribes and Pharisees seemed to be in this category of people.

3. They liked to make the Word of God, user-friendly, at the cost of God’s Will:

One of the trends in the modern world, is to have all products and gadgets “user-friendly”.

Sadly, this trend is also often applied to the Word of God.

The Word of God, its commandments and laws are twisted and condensed and expanded and interpreted and quoted and explained and elucidated – all to suit one’s own comfortable and pleasurable way of life!

The Scribes and Pharisees seemed to be in this category of people.

Am I in any of these category of peoples?

The Lord challenges us today.. to exceed this sort of a righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.

We need to be people…
… “who walk the talk!”
… “who practice our Faith to Please God and Him alone
… “who live a Gospel-oriented life”

The Gospel ought to mould and shape us – and not we changing the Word of God to suit and justify our secured and comfortable lives!

Gal 1:10, says,” If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.”

As followers of Christ, it is our duty and task to go beyond a “Pharisaic and Scribal Lifestyle”…
… and live as Jesus would want us to!

Let’s realise that it is not just what we preach, but what we practise…
… that makes us Christians!

Let our every prayer, be accompanied with works of charity…
… and our every act of devotion, be complemented with deeds of mercy!

Yes… may our lives truly be a Good News!

As St Francis of Assisi says, “Preach the Gospel always… use words, if necessary!“

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
LIFE IN CHRIST – PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL LIFE

The authority required by the moral order derives from God:
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (CCC # 1899)

“Drawing closer to Jesus, the Great Rock Who will help us to stand firm and become passionate in service of the Church!”

(Based on Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle)

A soldier working in the army – who was known for his bravery and never-give-up attitude – was asked by a journalist:
“What is the motivation for you to be so valiant and strong in your service?”

To that, the soldier replied: “Well, we have a saying in our army…
… and I try to follow that.
The saying is this: ‘If someone says, he is not afraid of death…
… then he is either lying
… or he is in the army!’

I have lived in this way of life… living this truth!”

As Christians, we are all soldiers of Christ!

Are we ready to have the courage to face any situation of difficulty, including death…
… and seek to be ever faithful to the Lord and His Church?

Today, we are invited to renew our love and commitment to the Church as we celebrate the Feast of the “See of St Peter” (Chair of St Peter).

This Feast celebrates Christ choosing St Peter to “sit” in authority as the visible leader of the Church on earth.

The “See of St Peter” or the “Chair of St Peter” in the words of Pope Benedict XVI is “a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors…
… to tend Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity!”

This feast brings to mind the mission conferred by Christ on St Peter, the First Pope…
… and continued in an unbroken line down to the present Pope.

We celebrate the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle…
… and renew our assent to the Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff!

The Gospel of the Day presents to us the Faith Statement of Peter, the leader of the band of the Apostles and Jesus declaring to him that:
“…on this rock, I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it!” (Mt 16:18)

The Great Rock entrusts to Peter, the rock and assures Him that the Church will always stay rock-grounded!

The Lord had and still has.. great Faith and Trust in His Church…..

But, personally, we need to ask: Am I still shaky regarding the Church?

Today, let’s get to some of the basics of the Church.

The word “Church”….in Greek…is Ekklesia.

Ekklesia can be split to two words… “ek” = out of + “kaleo” = to call

This gives us an important meaning of EKKLESIA – THE CHURCH…. TO BE CALLED OUT OF….

The Church is a body, called out of the world…
… into being a Family and Fellowship in God!

The Church is a body, called out of materialistic and worldly gains…
… and be a sign of hope and salvation!

This gives us a clue to many aspects of the Church…and which will help our own understanding…

The Church is not a mere building… the Church is the People of God.

We reduce the Church in our everyday vocabulary to a mere building made of stones and cement..
But, the Church is made of living stones (1 Pet 2:5)

And all of us need to contribute our mite in keeping alive this Church of God.

Do I give my share of talents and gifts to the Church…
… and do my best to promote the Church as being relevant for our modern times?
Do I make sacrifices and offer prayers for the Church so that she may stand strong in the midst of struggles?
Do I promote and encourage the teachings of the Church and find beauty and wisdom in them?

Perhaps one reason we find ourselves in a cribbing position with respect to the Church…
… is because of our failure to understand its nature and also have our own misunderstandings and prejudices…

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who am I” (Mt 16: 13) he got varied answers…
… some surprising
… some unexpected

The Mystery of Jesus was so great…
… people failed to grasp who actually He was…

The Mystery of the Church is also great…
… that people fail to understand her and even form opposing opinions!

We may feel that the Church is too traditional and too conservative and too authoritarian…

But we fail to see that she has preserved much morals…kept safe human values and promoted holiness

We may feel that the Church is all too mistaken in many areas and has committed many blunders…

But we ought to know that the Church has a human dimension and despite it, the Spirit of the Lord leads

We may feel that the Church is just too bad with scandals and hypocrites and has lost all credibility…

But we need to realize that the evil one attacks those who strive for sanctity and tries to disrupt God’s plans

The Church undergoes the pain of many a misunderstandings…
… Christ too underwent the same.
The Church suffers the bad name of being called by many names….
… Christ too underwent the same.

From a negative aspect, what is a hospital?

Diseases, Blood, Pus, Screaming, Pains, Twisted bodies, Suffering..

But from a positive Aspect, what is a hospital?

Care, Healing, Love, Solace, Relief, Aid, Selfless Service….

Our Church can be understood in similar tones…

Weaknesses are plenty…
… yet, when seen from a Divine perspective, she is Holy!

All of us are concerned about the growing rejection of Church and Christian values in our society…

But we who are Baptized…and who seek the good of the Church, ought to join our hands and seek to revive the relevance and importance of the Church.

The Church has its weaknesses…
… but the Church needs committed preachers of the Word… in You and Me!
The Church has its moments of negativity…
… but the Church needs passionate lovers of God… in You and Me!

The Body of Christ while hanging on the Cross was weak ….but “No bone of His was broken” (Jn 19:36)

The Church of Christ while living in the world maybe weak….but No bone shall be broken!
“… on this rock, I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it!”

Let the Great Rock help us to stand firm and become passionate in service of the Church!

And being ready to face any challenge or problem, let it be said of us:
“If someone says, he is not afraid of death or problems in life…
… then he is either lying…
… or he is a Christian!’

Happy Feast Day!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
LIFE IN CHRIST – PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL LIFE

Every human community needs an authority to govern it.
The foundation of such authority lies in human nature.
It is necessary for the unity of the state.

Its role is to ensure as far as possible the common good of the society. (CCC # 1898)

“Having a lively attitude to nurture ourselves with the blossoming blessings that the Lord constantly showers on us!”

(Based on Jon 3:1-10 and Lk 11:29-32 – Wednesday of the 1st Week in Lent)

Attitudes determine to a great extent what one experiences in life.

The hummingbird is a beautiful example from nature to teach us a ‘higher attitude ” for life.

Hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals.

Instead, they look for the colourful blossoms…
… looking for nectar from suitable flowers.

They nourish on the beautiful and the fresh!

They live on “what is!”
They live in the present.
They fill themselves with life and freshness.

The Gospel of the day is a call to have an attitude which seeks to nurture oneself on lively higher aspects…
… similar to the humming bird.

A big crowd had gathered around Jesus and He began to speak and teach them.
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign…” (Lk 11:29)

This verse has its background in a previous verse… Lk 11:16…where it says, “Others to test Him, asked Him for a sign from heaven”

The motive for asking the sign was to “test” Jesus.

There was clear hypocrisy in this demand.

Jesus had already performed a lot of miracles…..
“… the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead raised up” (Mt 11:3-5)

Yet, a sign was demanded!

True, that God gave signs to people in the Old Testament.

For example… to Gideon… to Abraham… to Moses… to the people of Israel etc

But the difference was that…
… those signs were given in request for a confirmation.
… those signs were given to strengthen the faith and belief.

As it is commented, “Signs were granted to those who desired them for the confirmation of their faith, as to Abraham and Gideon…
… but were denied to those who demanded them for the excuse of their unbelief.”

Some in the crowds… some of the Pharisees and the Scribe, demanded a sign from Jesus…
… just to remain obstinate and adamant in their unbelief!

For the Jews, the time of the coming of Messiah was expected to be a time of great warfare upon the Gentiles and great material prosperity.

The pseudographical work – The Apocalypse of Baruch – mentioned that ‘the time of the Messiah would bring in an inexhaustible supply of manna to feed the Jews until the end of time.’

Another pseudographical work – The Psalms of Solomon – says ‘the Messiah will “purge Jerusalem of the heathen . . . break the pride of sinners like so many pots . . . and gather the holy nation and lead it with justice, in peace and equality”‘

Jesus was not showing such “external” signs of being a Messiah

Therefore, the demand for a ‘sign from heaven’’…
… was a result of the hostility for Jesus’ failure to meet their materialistic expectations.

But Jesus exhorts to look at the higher and heavenly signs and symbols that He was providing!

Jesus challenges to adopt a “humming-bird” style attitude…
… of seeking to go beyond in finding the beautiful and higher realities
… of nurturing oneself on symbols that are deeper and much more precious

Is my life reduced to looking only for lowly and materialistic gains and desires?
… or is my life raised up in longing for higher and spiritual treasures and gifts?

The world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.

Let us have a lively and energetic attitude as that of a humming-bird…
… to nurture ourselves with the blossoming graces and blessings that the Lord constantly showers on us!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
LIFE IN CHRIST – PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL LIFE

By “authority” one means the quality by virtue of which persons or institutions make laws…

… and give orders to men and expect obedience from them. (CCC # 1897)

“Asking the Grace from ‘Our Father’ to help us make inroads into forgiving others!”

(Based on Is 55:10-11 and Mt 6:7-15 – Tuesday of the 1st Week in Lent)

There was a king who had suffered much from his rebellious subjects.

But one day they surrendered their arms…
… threw themselves at his feet
… and begged for mercy.

The king pardoned them all.

One of the king’s friends said to him: “We are surprised at your act!

Did you not say that every rebel should die?
Did you not give us a command that every enemy should be killed?”

“Yes,” replied the king, calmly…
… and added, “but I see no rebels here!”

True forgiveness flows from the heart…
… and eliminates every bitterness
… so as to render every enemy as null and void!

We are today called to have a special focus on the aspect of forgiveness…
… as we give heed to the beautiful rendition of the pattern of all prayers – “The Our Father” – as recounted by St Mathew

The Gospel of the Day is part of the Sermons on the Mount in the Gospel of St Matthew.

Jesus presents His teaching on various Christian themes.

In His teaching on prayer, Jesus teaches the beautiful prayer – The Our Father.

The Our Father has seven petitions:

1. Hallowed be Thy Name
2. Thy Kingdom come
3. Thy Will be done
4. Give us today our Daily Bread
5. Forgive us our sins
6. Lead us not into temptation
7. Deliver us from evil.

The fifth petition – for forgiveness – is also accompanied with a clause – “…as we forgive”..
“…and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Mt 6:12)
… forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us!
… forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us!

Well, does this mean God’s forgiveness is conditional?

Certainly NO!

It needs to be understood, that God, in His infinite mercy and goodness, has always the store of forgiveness, unconditionally opened for us!

But to receive this treasure of forgiveness, we need to first forgive others!

God’s Mercy and Forgiveness is unconditional…
… but our reception of the same, is conditional!

It means that…
If we harbour a wrong against other…
If we continue to nurture hatred against other…
If we wilfully fail to extend absolution to the other…
If we adamantly keep having repulsion against the other…
… then we are telling God to not forgive me either!
… then we are telling God to not shower His blessing on me!
… then we are telling God to withhold His unconditional mercy on me!
… then we are telling God to stop extending His unconditional compassion!

We are called therefore, to “forgive from our heart”…
… and thus to reconcile with everyone in our life.

It is when we truly forgive, that we become recipients of the Great Mercy and Forgiveness of God!

The prayer – “Our Father” is indeed one of the most easily learnt and widely used prayers.

But this clause of the prayer, which is often overlooked, also makes this prayer dangerous!
Let us ask the Grace from ‘Our Father’ to help us make inroads into forgiving others!

Let us realize that true forgiveness flows from the heart…
… eliminates every bitterness
… and thus, renders every enemy as null and void!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
LIFE IN CHRIST – PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL LIFE

“Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous…
… unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions

… and to devote themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all.” (CCC # 1897)

“Making right choices, that will help us to preserve and enhance, the greatness of ‘the film of our life!'”

(Based on Lev 19:1-2, 11-18 and Mt 25:31-46 – Monday of the 1st Week in Lent)

Ward Kimball was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios in the 1930’s.
>> He was on the team for the first full-length animated feature by the Disney studio, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” (Year: 1937)

He spent 240 days…
… working on a single four-and-a-half-minute scene.
>> In that scene, the dwarfs were cooking a meal for Snow White, and he covered every detail.

When the time came, to review the film, Walt Disney personally reviewed the scene…
… and commented: “That scene is hilarious. It’s terrific.”
>> Then, he added, “But, I think it interrupts the flow of the movie…
… so we need to cut it out!”

So off went that scene – 240 days of immense work, scrapped…
… in order to preserve and enhance, the greatness of the film!


A hard choice indeed…
… but a choice that would be proved right, later, when the film was released and became a runaway success!


When “the film of our lives” is shown…
… will it be as great as it ought to be?
>> A lot will depend on the multitude of “choices” that we make!

The choices that we make, make or break our life!


The Gospel of the Day presents the Son of Man seated in His majestic and awesome glory…
… and all the nations awaiting His judgement, based on the choices that they have made in life!


The sheep, placed on the right side, are the chosen ones to enjoy the bliss of the Kingdom.
>> The goats, placed on the left side, are the condemned ones to suffer the fire of punishment.


An important aspect to be observed in this passage of the scene of the Last Judgement is the manner in which the Lord looks at human actions…

The Bible says, “Humans look on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7)


One of the common question that was posed to both the groups – the sheep and the goats – was: “When did we know…”

The sheep were taken by surprise, at the occasions which the Lord found them doing good…
>> They remained unaware of those situations, though they did the good in God’s sight.

The goats are taken by surprise, at the occasions, which the Lord found them missing to do good…
>> They remained unaware of those situations, where they failed to do the good in God’s sight.


We may not realise the occasions of doing good…
>> We may not realise the occasions of having missed doing good…

We may externally engage in many good works…
… but it may fail to find approval in the Lord’s sight.

This calls for cultivation of an inner disposition to do good
>> From the abundance of goodness within, good actions flow!


It’s this inner disposition to do good, that will prompt us to make the right choices in life…
… choices that will help us to preserve goodness
… choices that will help us to nurture greatness

Let this season of Lent be a time of forming a character of goodness and kindness.


The “film of our life” is continually being recorded!
>> We are called to make it great, as it ought to be

Let’s therefore make right choices (even if they are tough!)…
… that will help us to preserve and enhance, the greatness of “the film of our life!”


God Bless! Live Jesus!

—————————–
📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
LIFE IN CHRIST – CONVERSION AND SOCIETY
>> Charity is the greatest social commandment.
>> It respects others and their rights.
>> It requires the practice of justice…
….and it alone makes us capable of it.
>> Charity inspires a life of self-giving: “Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.” (CCC # 1889)
———–

“Overcoming our ‘pet sins’ that have perhaps, become ‘beasts’ today, by having recourse to the power of the Holy Spirit!”

(Based on Gen 9:8-15, 1 Pet 3:18-22 and Mk 1:12-15 – 1st Sunday of Lent, Cycle B)

A Christian counsellor, who was also a poet, was visiting the home of a family.

He was there to speak to the couple – who had strained their relationships – primarily because they had misplaced their priorities of family life…
… and both of them, were engaging in “trifles that were outside their spousal life”

The child in the family – all of 3 years – was however, quite excited to show the guest his toys.

In doing so, the child started arranging all his toys…
… placing them one beside the other.

As the poet, was amusingly observing, he noticed that the child had placed…
… a cute white teddy bear and a rather-fierce looking black bear next to each other.

Seeing these two (the white teddy and the dark bear) side-by-side, the counsellor, a poet, looked at the couple and said:
“Stop making sin your pet!
Else the pet will, give it a bet
One day turn to be a beast
A beast that will devour you and have a feast!”

(The couple was being reminded to take their spousal life more seriously…
… being told that the “unholy trifles that they both were engaging in” like a pet teddy bear
… would soon resemble a “fierce looking black bear” devouring their family life!)

Have we been playing with sin as a “pet”…
… but perhaps, today, grappling with it as a “beast?”

On this First Sunday of the Season of Lent, we are made aware of the “beastly power” of sin…
… and the need to, remain in the Holy Spirit, so as to overcome sin
… and become a powerful witness to the Kingdom of God

St Mark states in His Gospel recounting the incident of the temptations of Jesus, as:
“He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan…
… and He was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on Him.” (Mk 1:13)

St Mark beautifully in one line… illustrates the reality of the Person of Jesus Christ: Fully Man and Fully God

Jesus “was with the wild beasts”…
… to tell that He was fully Man!
Jesus had, “the angels [who] waited on him”
… to tell that He was fully God!

(To understand better, as to why Jesus had to undergo a temptation, a simple analogy will help:

A newly formed bridge is tested, by having made to bear a load, that is much more than the average/normal load

This is done, not to see if the bridge will break…
… rather, to prove, that the bridge will not break!

Similarly, the temptations of Jesus were not to see if He would sin…
… but to prove, He couldn’t!

He is indeed the Sinless One…
… Who underwent temptations in order to identify Himself with all sinners!)

Yes… in Jesus, we have God…
… Who understands all our struggles and sufferings, because He Himself went through hardships!
… Who empathizes with us in all our temptations and trials, because He Himself was tempted!

And so we are given this great news…
… that even though I am tempted, and struggle to overcome my sinful habits
… that even though I go through much agony, in order to rectify my faults and bad actions
… that even though, I am sometimes, lukewarm and tepid about my spiritual life

I have a God Who is greatly with me – strengthening me, with His Grace to empower me to overcome every sin, and live a life of enthusiastic holiness!

This verse about the temptations of Jesus, also gives us another hopeful message:

When you are surrounded by the “beasts of temptations…”
… have recourse to the angels of holiness to overcome them

When you are pounced upon by the “beasts of enticements and allurements…”
… seek the intercession and help of the angels to conquer and overpower them!

The Season of Lent is given to all of us as a time to seriously consider in overcoming our sins, our faults, our bad actions, our wrong relationships…
… and cooperate with the Grace of God
… in order to grow in holiness!

The book of Genesis reminds us of the everlasting protection of the Lord for us…
… as symbolised in the covenant established by the Lord, in the form of the bow (Cf. Gen 9:8-15)

By our Baptism, we therefore give this amazing appeal to God – to help us live always, with a “clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…!” (1 Pet 3:21)

The presence of sin in our life, is serious…
… and our Blessed Lord is strongly exhorting all of us to say…
… a “FIRM NO TO SIN”
… and a “FAITHFUL YES TO JESUS!”

For those of us, who are living lukewarm and tepid lives…
… it’s high time that we take our spiritual life seriously

For those of us, who are struggling to overcome some of our habitual sins and wrong actions…
… it’s a good news given to us, that the Lord is encouraging us to take one step at a time, to rectify our faults!

For those of us, who are wanting much to grow in our spiritual life…
… it’s a reminder to choose virtues that are suiting and best needed for our way of life, and to daily cultivate and practise them!

Yes, very often it can be that unholy trifles find amusement in our life with the innocent resemblance of a “cute teddy bear”

But if we continue to play with it as a pet…
… we could be in for a torrid time with the fierce reality of sin!

Let us gravely give heed to the words:
“Stop making sin your pet!
Else the pet will, give it a bet
One day turn to be a beast
A beast that will devour you and have a feast!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
LIFE IN CHRIST – CONVERSION AND SOCIETY

Without the help of grace, men would not know how “to discern the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil…
… and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse.”

This is the path of charity, that is, of the love of God and of neighbor. (CCC # 1889)

“Encountering Jesus so that the sour and tangy areas of our life, will turn to sweetness and pleasantness!”

(Based on Is 58:9b-14 and Lk 5:27-32 – Saturday after Ash Wednesday)

One of the fruits that is growing in popularity is the “miracle fruit!”

Native to Africa’s Gold Coast, this miracle berry (scientific name: Synsepalum dulcificum) has been an integral part of the daily menu of the tribes in Ghana and Nigeria
This fruit is now available in many parts of the world.

What is the speciality of this fruit?

Why is it called as Miracle Fruit?

When this fruit is eaten…
… it causes sour foods that are consumed consequently to taste sweet
(The fruit consists of a taste modifier called miraculin, which binds to the taste buds, causing sour foods to taste sweet)

So…
… a juicy, tangy lime will taste sweet!
… a succulent, sour gooseberry will be felt as sweetened!

Interesting, isn’t it?

Well…

When we encounter Jesus and consume His Presence…
… like the “effect caused by the miracle fruit,” the sour and tangy areas of our life, will turn to sweetness and pleasantness!

The Gospel of the Day presents an encounter…

Of Levi… who was willing to have an experience of Jesus, the “Miracle Fruit” and thus experience sweetness in life
Of Pharisees and Scribes… who refused to partake of Jesus, the “Miracle Fruit and thus remain sour in their attitudes

As Jesus went out, He met a person named Levi, who was sitting at the tax booth.

Levi, a tax collector – collected taxes for customs or tolls on imports, exports, and merchants who came to buy or sell in Israel.

These Jewish tax collectors were disdained by the Jews.
They were considered traitors because they worked for the despised Roman rulers.
It is this “despised” person that Jesus calls: “Follow me.” (Lk 5:27)

The name “Levi” means “joined”

True to his name, Levi “joined” the ministry of Jesus… and became His disciple
True to his name, Levi “joined” Himself to following Christ… leaving his former ways!

Subsequently, in the great banquet hosted at his house, Jesus was joined by a “large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table” (Lk 5:29)

The sight of Jesus – supposedly a Teacher and Prophet – irked the Pharisees and their Scribes, making them to ask: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Lk 5:30)

The Pharisees and their Scribes refused to accept the “welcoming and merciful” embrace of the Lord

They chose to close themselves to the “saving and redeeming” works of the Lord

As a result, they failed to experience the “Sweetness of the Lord!”

Levi, was willing to have a taste of “Jesus, the Miracle Fruit”
… and thus, his life was filled with sweetness and pleasantness!

The Pharisees and their Scribes refused to experience “Jesus, the Miracle Fruit”
… and thus, they continued to remain sour and tangy – as expressed in their words and actions!

There are many times…
… when we remain sour in our words – hurting people by our unjust criticism and judgmental comments

We need to taste “Jesus, the Miracle Fruit” so that our lives give forth the sweetness of acceptance and appreciation!

There are often occasions …
… when we remain tangy in our actions and deeds – refusing to reach out in help and being stagnant in our selfishness

We need to taste “Jesus, the Miracle Fruit” so that our lives give forth the pleasantness of charity and care!

The effect of the miracle fruit – in general – lasts only for an hour

The effect of “Jesus, the Miracle Fruit” however is much lasting
… and in fact, can be everlasting, if we remain faithful and sincere in following the Lord!

Let us encounter Jesus and consume His Presence…
… so that, like the “effect caused by the miracle fruit,” the sour and tangy areas of our life, will turn to sweetness and pleasantness!

Like Levi, let us “join” ourselves to the Will of the Lord, by following Him, faithfully!

Ready to taste the “Miracle Fruit?”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
LIFE IN CHRIST – CONVERSION AND SOCIETY

It is necessary, then, to appeal to the spiritual and moral capacities of the human person and to the permanent need for his inner conversion…
… so as to obtain social changes that will really serve him.
The acknowledged priority of the conversion of heart in no way eliminates…
… but on the contrary, imposes the obligation of bringing the appropriate remedies to institutions and living conditions when they are an inducement to sin

… so that they conform to the norms of justice and advance the good rather than hinder it. (CCC # 1888)