“Making the Lord to fill the slam-book of our lives, with his choicest words of love and affection!”

(Based on Rom 2:1-11 and Lk 11:42-46 – Wednesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

Heard of a slam-book?

A slam book is a notebook which is popular among the school and college students.

This slam-book is also known as a friendship book or a profile book.

It is a book to know the friend better and to also pen some of the thoughts and feelings about a friend.

The book consists of a number of questions which gives various details and information.
Some of the questions include, “What is your favourite food?”, “Which places have you visited”, “Who are your favourite friends?” etc.

Another question, quite common, in most slam-books is, “Which attitude or quality do you hate the most?”

If Jesus were to be handed a slam-book, and posed the question:
“Which attitude or quality do you hate the most (about human beings)?”
… probably, the answer that we would have received would be: Hypocrisy!

Hypocrisy in human beings is perhaps the most hated attitudes of Jesus.

Today’s Gospel has the condemnation of the hated-vice of Hypocrisy of the Pharisees: “Woe to you, Pharisees…” (Lk 11: 42, 43 46)

Religion ought to be a bridge that helps the people to have an easier access to God.

But the Pharisees fractured this bridge with an inconsistent insistence on rules of traditions!

The people had to pay a tithe – a share of one’s produces or earnings, usually one tenth. (Lk 11: 42)

This tithe was extracted on all objects and things including the tiny and the minutest ones like mint, rue (a garden herb used for medicinal and cooking purposes) and every garden herb.
But there was no insistence or any obligation placed on the Love of God!

Fulfilling certain practices and customs with the finest details and the minutest perfection was insisted…
… but they completely overlooked the most basic aspect of Loving God!

The offering was much more important than the One to whom it was offered!

Strange indeed, isn’t it?

The Pharisees loved the good places of seating in the synagogue and being greeted in the marketplaces.

They loved to been seen in places of prominence and to be publicly acknowledged and appreciated. (Lk 11: 43)
But there was no insistence or obligation placed on giving the rightful place to God!

They enjoyed places of honour and relishing the public acclaim of the common people…
… but completely overlooked humbling oneself and giving the glory and honour to God!

The seat and the acclaim was much more important than the One to whom it all was fully due!

Strange indeed, isn’t it?

The Pharisees are compared to an unseen grave over which people walk unknowingly. (Lk 11: 44).

It was a ritual impurity for the Jews to touch the graves, and Jesus compares the lives of the Pharisees as a source of causing impurity and defilement to the people who came in contact with them.
There was an insistence and an obligation on fulfilling their various inhuman customs.

Unjust weightage was given to external fulfilling of the Law, at the cost of the inner dimensions.

The law was much more important than the One gave the Law!

Strange indeed, isn’t it?

The Scholars of the Law imposed many commands on the people and burdened their lives but failed to show any compassion to help them by their lives. (Lk 11: 46)

But there was no insistence or any obligation placed on the Compassion and Mercy of God!
The practise of the commands was much more important than the One who commanded utmost honour!

Strange indeed, isn’t it?

These various dimensions of the Pharisaic attitude is very much possible to creep into our own lives.

We could be people…
… for whom the offering is much more important than the One to whom it is offered!
… for whom the places of honour seat and the acclaim is much more important than the One to whom it all is fully due!
… for whom the law is much more important than the One gives the Law!
… for whom the practise of the commands is much more important than the One who commands utmost respect and honour!

Let us seek to root out any of these Pharisaic tendencies from our lives!

The Lord loves to fill the slam-book of our lives.

May He not be made to write his most-hated virtue of Hypocrisy in this book…
… instead be proud to fill the slam-book of our lives, with his choicest words of love and affection!

May we seek to make the prayer of St Teresa of Avila, whose feast we celebrate today, our own…
“Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours!

Yours are the eyes through which to look out, Christ’s compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which He is to go about, doing goodYours are the hands with which He is to bless men now!”

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 Fifth Commandment – Respect for human life

Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation.”

A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons – to commit such crimes. (CCC # 2314)

“Being ready to wipe away stains of hypocrisy and corruption from the windows of our lives!”

(Based on Rom 1:16-25 and Lk 11:37-41 – Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

A young couple moved into a new neighbourhood.

The next morning while they were having their breakfast, the woman saw her neighbour hanging some clothes to dry.

“That laundry is not very clean,” she said.
“She doesn’t know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbour hung clothes to dry, the young woman repeated her observations about the dirty laundry.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line…
… and said to her husband: “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”

The husband said:
“I got up early this morning…
… and cleaned our windows!”

All the while, the woman had been making critical and disparaging remarks…
… while her own windows had “the stains of hypocrisy and corruption!”

So often, we too are extra vigilant and watchful when it comes to judging others…
… while we allow excuses and justifications to all our misdeeds and wrongdoings

“Are we ready to wipe away the stains of hypocrisy and corruption from the windows of our lives?”

The Gospel of the Day is a powerful lesson to have the courage to challenge the ways of insincerity and corruption…
… and to live in genuineness.

A Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal in his house.

We are unsure of the motives or the reason for this Pharisee to invite Jesus for the table sharing.

Maybe he just wanted to grow in his friendship with Jesus…
Maybe he wanted to check how this great preacher would conduct himself in his house…
Maybe he wanted to show off to his friends of having invited a great Rabbi to his house…
Maybe he wanted to harm the ministry of Jesus and trap Him in doing some aberrations…

In any case, the Pharisee certainly expected Jesus to follow the rules and customs of the traditional Jewish meal.

But he notices that Jesus has failed to wash his hands before dinner.

This washing of the hands was a ritual purification process.

The insistence on this act was not for the sake of hygiene, but for ritual purity!

This omission of the sacred tradition came as a big shocker for the host Pharisee.

He would have thought about Jesus: “This Rabbi is doing it all wrong!

Why can’t He follow our age-old customs?
He is insulting me before my other guests!
How dare He behaves so, in my own house!?”

But this is where Jesus, in His unique style of courage & conviction comes into confrontation with the attitude of the Pharisee…

The Pharisee was surely His host…
… yet Jesus dares ‘to have the courage to challenge the ways of insincerity and corruption…’

Standing up for convictions and principles was a value that Jesus always upheld.

Being bold to always promote and defend goodness was a virtue that Jesus always supported.

Jesus lashes out with a righteous anger, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves, you are full of greed and evil. Fools…!” (Lk 11: 39)

The Pharisee got offended because Jesus failed to wash his hands before meal.

But Jesus got offended because they failed to have a true cleansing of their hearts.

The Pharisee got upset because Jesus failed to uphold the sacred tradition.

But Jesus got upset because they failed to uphold the values of inner purity and holiness.

The Pharisee felt insulted because Jesus failed to honour their customs and practices.

But Jesus felt insulted because the table-meal failed to reflect true love and sharing.

Jesus was not afraid to encounter the Pharisee in his wrong thinking.

And today He encounters us and challenges us to ‘live in genuineness’

Maybe we are bold in being relaxed in some of our comfort and pleasure zones..

But Jesus exhorts us to renew our lives, with a life of holiness and purity.

Maybe we are quite okay with aspiring for many gadgets and objects of passing joys and desires

But Jesus urges us to focus on the real necessities of a good life.

Maybe we are satisfied to beautify our external life, even if it means being greedy and selfish

But Jesus spurs us to repent, by living a self-sacrificing and a self-controlling life.

The ‘fang of Pharisaism’ is deep rooted in many of our personal lives, our family lives and in our community lives…

Having focus only on external factors, but neglecting the inner dimensions
Giving importance to only outer shows, but totally forgetting the internal aspects
Being obsessed with doing many things, but totally ignoring the necessity of being holy

The Lord today reminds us that often we are extra vigilant and watchful when it comes to judging others…
… while we allow excuses and justifications to all our misdeeds and wrongdoings

“Are we ready to wipe away the stains of hypocrisy and corruption from the windows of our lives?”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

— Fr Jijo Jose Manjackal MSFS
Rome, Italy
Email: reflectioncapsules@gmail.com

---

📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Fifth Commandment – Respect for human life

Non-combatants, wounded soldiers, and prisoners must be respected and treated humanely.
Actions deliberately contrary to the law of nations and to its universal principles are crimes, as are the orders that command such actions.
Blind obedience does not suffice to excuse those who carry them out.
Thus the extermination of a people, nation, or ethnic minority must be condemned as a mortal sin.

One is morally bound to resist orders that command genocide. (CCC # 2313)

“Realizing the worth and the value of the many wonders and signs that God has worked in our lives!”

(Based on Rom 1:1-7 and Lk 11:29-32 – Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

Remember the school-going days…
… when there was the (usually considered as) “terrorizing” subject called as Mathematics?

One of the questions that would frequent in a Mathematics question paper, would be questions of the type: “Prove that…”

Some examples of these theorems or statements “to be proven” would be…

“Prove that” the sum of two even integers is even.
“Prove that” the square root of two, is an irrational number.

Such examples of proof require a precision in the logic and methodology, so as to arrive at the proper conclusion of the facts.

The Gospel of the Day presents a similar question of “prove that” nature.

The Examiners posing the question: The people in the crowd
The student facing the question: Jesus
The statement to be proved: Prove that You, Jesus, are the Messiah, the Son of God.
The nature of proof required: Through signs and miracles.

This student, Jesus has faced such similar tests many times before.

He is an experienced student.

On the Mount of the Temptations… (Lk 4: 1-13)

Satan demanded Jesus to “prove that” He was the Son of God…
… by working a miracle
… by bowing to Him
… by jumping down

While at ministry…
… the Pharisees and teachers of the Law asked Jesus to “prove that” He had the authority to forgive sins. (Lk 5:21)
… the disciples of John asked Jesus to “prove that” He was indeed the One who was to come or whether they should look for another (Lk 7:19)
… some in the crowd asked Jesus “to prove that” He worked wonders and even drove out demons by His own power, by asking for a sign from heaven (Lk 11:16)

The Student, Jesus… has already faced many such “to prove that” situations!

Today’s Gospel once again puts the Student, Jesus to the test “to prove that” He is the Messiah by a demand for signs!

Am I also a person who is guilty of making Jesus a student, by putting Him “to the test” by asking Him “to prove” many things in life…?

In times of sicknesses and pains…
… maybe I demand signs from the Lord to “prove that” He is indeed a Healing God.

In times of financial difficulties…
… maybe I demand signs from the Lord to “prove that” He is indeed a Provider God.

In times of mental tensions and worries…
… maybe I demand signs from the Lord to “prove that” He is indeed a Caring God.

In times of spiritual aridity and emptiness…
… maybe I demand signs from the Lord to “prove that” He is indeed a Living God.

Of course, from a human perspective – owing to our limitations and weakness – we do sometimes ask some signs or miracles or some wonders.

But these demands for sign and miracles should not become THE criteria for proving God’s Existence or even His Presence…

These demands for some external manifestations and wonders should not become THE yardstick for proving the might and power of God…

We should not be holding God at ransom, by demanding signs

We rather need to look back into our lives, and see the various moments and the times when…
… He has caressed us with His affection
… He has nurtured us with His love
… He has filled us with His presence

The Lord gives to the people in the crowd, the signs and examples of the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba.

The people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba…
… were gentiles
… were not the chosen people
… were not people who had a first-hand experience of God.

Yet, when they heard the preaching of Jonah and saw the glory of Solomon…they believed!

They did not demand miracles.. they did not demand signs…
… yet, they believed!

The Lord through today’s Gospel makes us to realize the worth and the value of the many wonders and the signs He has already worked in our lives.

We sometimes might tend to take God’s blessings “for granted”
We sometimes might tend to not consider God’s graces as “something big”

Today is a chance for us to have a retrospective into our lives and see the many…
… maybe tiny and small, wonders and miracles the Lord has worked in our lives…

None can say, “I have no miracles in my life!”

From our birth, to our upbringing, our education, our formation, our works, our surroundings, our people…etc…
… at every step, we have many miracles and signs of God!

The hand of the Lord is very much at large in our lives.

We don’t need to become a people which poses God with “prove that” type questions!

Let us see…
Let us realize..
And… let us thank!

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 Fifth Commandment – Respect for human life

The Church and human reason both assert the permanent validity of the moral law during armed conflict.

“The mere fact that war has regrettably broken out does not mean that everything becomes licit between the warring parties.” (CCC # 2312)

“Responding positively and with gratitude to God – acknowledging His Mercy – and raising our hearts to say, ‘Thank you, Lord!’”

(Based on 2 Kgs 5:14-17, 2 Tim 2:8-13 and Lk 17:11-19 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C)

A catechism teacher conducted a small exercise in her 5th standard class on the Gospel Passage found in Lk 17:11-19 – the healing of the ten lepers.

She asked the students to tell what could be some of the reasons as to why the lepers did not return to thank Jesus.

The following were some of the reasons that emerged:

One waited to see if the cure was real
One waited to see if the healing would last
One said that actually, I was already fairly okay and it was just a matter of a few days, to be fine
One said that he would see Jesus later as he wanted to meet his family first
One began to contend that he never really had leprosy and it was only a minor patch
One was so excited that he began to tell to everyone on the way about the miracle, but forgot Jesus!

Well, we really do not know what the actual reasons were…

But the question is placed before all of us: “Are we going to be like the nine who found some excuses and failed to thank the Lord?
… or can we be like the one who came back to thank the Lord?

The Gospel of the Day presents this interesting incident before us…
… reminding us to become persons of gratitude, to our Grateful and Generous God!

The healing of the ten lepers is a unique incident found only in the Gospel of St Luke.

This healing incident once again shows the Power of God’s Word – which goes beyond space and touch

When the lepers cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” the Lord just says to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” (Cf. Lk 17:13-14)

There is no stretching of the hand, no touch, no discussion about faith.

This teaches us an important lesson that God Heals in the way, He Wills!

Therefore, when we come to Him with our prayer of petitions, let us allow His Will to be done!

The Greek word, “Eleison” meaning “Have Mercy” is a cry of anguish beseeching for God’s Help!

It’s a word we use at the start of the Holy Mass – pointing to our cry and longing for God’s Mercy!

The question of the Lord, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?”(Lk 17:17) is not just a question to know the physical presence of those who were healed…
… It is a cry of the Heart of God Who longs for human beings

In the book of Genesis, we read God asking, “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9)

From the Cross, our Blessed Lord cried out, “I thirst!” (Jn 19:28)
In the last book of the Bible, the Lord, tells, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” (Rev 3:20)

Yes…
… the Lord longs to have our presence with Him!
… the Lord misses us much, when we fail to go to Him!

God, in His Benevolence, blesses us with so many good things in our life…
… so many Graces!

We have a duty to respond by offering our heart filled with gratitude and a life of thankful service

As the beautiful hymn goes, “Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise what the Lord has done!”

In the Old Testament, we read about Naaman, the Syrian (Cf. 2 Kings 5:14-17), who marvellously experienced the power of God in his life…
… and who returns back in gratitude to Elisha, through whom God had worked mightily!

Yes… in life, we often face many “leprous situations” of sicknesses, tragedies, tensions etc

Amid all these uncertainties of life, can we still “raise our hearts to God in gratitude”
… and tell Him, “Thank you Lord for everything!”

It is beautifully said, “It is not too difficult to praise the Lord when all goes on well.

But amid hardships and difficulties…
… can we still raise our hands and say, ‘Praise the Lord, Hallelujah!’”

St Francis de Sales, the Doctor of Love, teaches us: “If it is God’s Will that the remedies overcome the sickness…
….return to God with thanks and humility.

If it be God’s Will that the sickness overcome the remedies…
… bless God with patience!”

Let us respond positively and with gratitude to God …
… Acknowledging His Mercy, let us raise our hearts and say:
“Signore… Grazie… Grazie Mille!” (Italian!)
“Lord… Thank you… Thank you, thousand times!”

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 Fifth Commandment – Respect for human life

Public authorities should make equitable provision for those who for reasons of conscience refuse to bear arms…

… these are nonetheless obliged to serve the human community in some other way. (CCC # 2311)

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

(Based on Joel 4:12-21 and Lk 11:27-28 – Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

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 been very proud and happy of His Mother.

He would have thought of the moments that His Mother…
… would have taught Him various prayers
… would have taught Him the scriptures.
… 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.
… 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 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 merely satisfied with only the concerns of the material world?
… who remains stunted on just listening to God’s word, but not practising it?
… who fails to fly higher, to also be concerned with the aspects of 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!

---

📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – GOD’S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE – The Fifth Commandment – Respect for human life

Public authorities, in cases of moral legitimacy, have the right and duty to impose on citizens the obligations necessary for national defense.
Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the security and freedom of nations.

If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace. (CCC # 2310)