A series of spiritual contemplations on the role of the Lord in our daily life
Author: hisservant
I have been in ministry for 43 years. Each day is a day of delight as I discover new meaning (for me) in God's word. I share these with you and hope that they are helpful. I am no more than a servant of His word.
When Jesus had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave. They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built the synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me; And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. (Luke 7:1-10)
Reflection
While a warrior in the service of Rome, this centurion was also a man of peace who had won the people’s esteem for he had contributed significantly to building the local synagogue: the house of prayer and of religious and human formation for the community.
Since he is a pagan, however, he feels unworthy even to present his petition personally to Jesus, and thus sends the elders of the Jews as intermediaries. His compassion, humility and obedience make him ready to receive Christ’s message.
The information he had certainly received is confirmed by Jesus’ action, and so he sends his friends with a message that is at once an act of humility, of faith and of revelation of Jesus’ greatness. His prayer is so beautiful that it deserves repeating again and again “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed”.
By his words he shows he has understood that Jesus’ word is the true word of God, a powerful word, a healing word, a creating word.
Jesus himself acknowledges this insight, this clear vision, which betrays a faith that is much richer and more intense than all the others could even vaguely suspect.
Jesus then turned to the crowd following Him and said, “Never have I found such a faith in all of Israel.”
The centurion’s faith should remind us that our faith is a gift to God, because it is an entrusting of ourselves to him. Faith entails a twofold gift. Above all, it is a gift of God to man, a grace; but it is also our response to God, a giving of ourselves in a trusting openness:
We should ask our Lord for a simple heart that does not demand human certainty, a heart like that of the centurion in Capernaum. A heart that, because it is open to God’s love, is capable of dedicating itself generously to others with the certainty that faith brings and with the security that hope gives.
Open your heart and, with centurion-like faith, allow God inside. You don’t need any messengers to do it for you. Call out directly to Him and believe by faith He can do far more than you can ever think or imagine.
Whatever you’re going through today, this week, this month, trust and believe that God sees you. He knows what you’re going through, and He longs to help you.
The centurion was a great example for the Israelites that day. Imagine the legacy of faith you can leave for someone today. Imagine lives forever changed, especially your own.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord God, we turn to you in faith and in doubt, in joy and in anxiety, in hope and in fear, with boldness and with trepidation. No matter how we turn to you, we trust that you are there with us at every moment of every day. Heal our hearts so that we may always reflect you.”
Daily Note
Jesus praised the centurion for his humility and trust and the recognition that he came from God. In order to believe, humility and simplicity of heart are of great importance, since it is in the heart that “we become open to truth and love, where we let them touch us and deeply transform us.” A pure and faithful heart is always humble because it recognizes that its origin is a gift from God.”
Jesus told his disciples a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.” ( Luke 6:39-42)
Reflection
Christ has a way of asking questions that tap gently (or sometimes knock heavily) upon our heart’s door and open it to deep ponderings. “Can the blind person guide a blind person?” he asked his disciples. Of course, both will fall into a pit. But what does the deeper “knocking” of that question suggest to us? Perhaps it is an invitation to ask ourselves: “Who is leading me?”
Are we being led by our own blindness or that of others? Christ wants to be our eyes. He wants us to learn to see what he sees in others, in circumstances, in our own selves, in God’s action in life, and in the world.
To do that, to be that, we must recognize that our tendency to criticize others is a deflection of not looking in the spiritual mirror of conscience. We see others’ faults much more clearly, sometimes, than we see our own. He wants us to take out the forest of redwoods from our own eyes so that we can see clearly and afterward help our neighbor to address their own problems.
In all of this, he is trying to help us see things as he does, to see things as they really are. That’s why there’s a sentence that seems out of place. After talking about the blind leading the blind and before speaking about planks and specks, he says, “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.”
Jesus wants us to be fully trained so that we might become like him. To do that, we need to see everything as he does. We need to view everything with the eyes of faith. And for that, we need to remove all of the obstacles that impair our vision.
It is only then that we can live a life of kindness. For kindness guided every step of Jesus.
Mark Twain called kindness a language that the deaf can hear, and the blind can read.
What is kindness? It is the ability to understand another person, sensing the burdens which that person must carry, and using our own resources and power to ease those burdens. Kindness is in reality a forceful power that can save and heal.
We are talented responsible people. From day to day we live, doing the things which our lives require of us. How important is it for us not to undervalue the importance of kindness? When was the last time you were kind? You make decisions with your spouse, give advice to your spouse. But when was the last time you tried to understand what was going on inside of your spouse? When did you see what he or she needed from you and tried to meet that need? To do so would be an act of kindness.
You provide for your children and give them guidance. When was the last time you tried to recognize their insecurities and take steps to assure them of their goodness, their value and their ability to succeed? To do so would be an act of kindness.
We should not forget the power that comes from kindness. Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can read. Kindness can cut through hypocrisy and posturing. It can eliminate indifference and selfishness.
This week, then, as we work and play, as we organize and create, as we advise and guide others, let us not forget to follow the example of Jesus. Let us recognize the importance of understanding others, of sensing what they need, of hearing their cries for help. Let us not forget to do the kind thing
Prayer of The Day
“O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for thy name’s sake.” (Prayer of William Barclay, 20th century)
Daily Note
Jesus states a heavenly principle on which we can stake our lives: what you give to others (and how you treat others) will return to you (Mark 4:24). The Lord knows our faults and he sees all, even the imperfections and sins of the heart which we cannot recognize in ourselves. Like a gentle father and a skillful doctor, he patiently draws us to his seat of mercy and removes the cancer of sin which inhabits our hearts. Do you trust in God’s mercy and grace? Ask the Lord to flood your heart with his loving-kindness and mercy that you may only have room for charity, forbearance, and kindness towards your neighbor.
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” ( Luke 6:27-38)
Reflection
Jesus’ words in today’s scripture about loving our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, blessing those who curse us, praying for those who mistreat us, turning the other cheek, is the most difficult of all of his teachings.
When someone hates you, you have two choices: to hate back or to refuse to hate. Jesus clearly asks us to refuse to hate, to love our enemies, to do to others as we would have them do to us. That’s his teaching. But it is clear that many people do not follow his teaching. They may feel that the golden rule is foolish or impractical. Therefore, they decide to return hate with hate, to return hurt with hurt. Their golden rule is: “Do to others as they have done to you.”
The results of this approach are easy to find. Look at the newspapers. Watch the media. Look at the situation in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, in India and Pakistan: “You hurt us, we’ll hurt you.” Look at the retribution that characterizes the gang violence in our cities. Recognize the number of families in our society who are addressing their disputes with handguns. “We’re just getting even,” they say. But of course, it never amounts to getting even. Violence grows into an escalating cycle of destruction and hatred.
Look at politics around the world including the United States. Civil discourse is absent. Neighbor is set against neighbor. Words of rancor, of meanness, of retribution are splattered across the internet, social media and the world of twitter. And very often, they come from people who claim to be followers of Christ!!!
So, I must ask these questions. How is “getting even” affecting your relationships? Are you satisfied with the way hurting and hating back is shaping your life? Do you find that holding on to resentments with your family or friends is working for you? Are you satisfied with waiting for others to suffer as you have suffered? In short, are you satisfied with the kind of world that emerges when we respond with hate and hurt, when we do to others as they have done to us? Most of us would admit that such a world is a disaster.
Hatred is a moral cancer. Just as cancer spreads and ultimately destroys its host, so too does hatred. It slowly affects every thought and every action. Make no mistake about it. It is evil and a blaspheme against God. It destroys a person and a person’s relationship with God.
Now let’s be clear: when we talk about loving our enemy, when we talk about forgiving those who hurt us, we are not denying our right to defend ourselves. We are not advising that we accept abuse and manipulation. We are saying that when we respond to our enemy, we choose to do so in a way that breaks the cycle of violence rather than feeding it. We choose not to hate because we know that hating will only lessen our life and endanger our world.
Jesus’ teaching is not easy. We would all like another option. But there are only two options on the table. Therefore, if you are satisfied with the kind of world that results from returning hate with hate, getting even, treating others as they have treated you, then reject Jesus’ teaching as misguided. But if that kind of world of increasing violence and hatred sickens you, then maybe it is time to follow what the Lord commands. Maybe it is time to love our enemy, to forgive the one who hurts us, to do to others as we would have them do to us.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for you and show me the way that leads to everlasting happiness and peace. May I desire you above all else and find perfect joy in doing your will.”
Daily Note
How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? If we want to be filled with the joy and happiness of heaven, then we must empty ourselves of all that would shut God out of our hearts. Poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God’s word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and oppression.
Sacred Scripture
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” ( Luke 6:27-38)
Reflection
Jesus’ words in today’s scripture about loving our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, blessing those who curse us, praying for those who mistreat us, turning the other cheek, is the most difficult of all of his teachings.
When someone hates you, you have two choices: to hate back or to refuse to hate. Jesus clearly asks us to refuse to hate, to love our enemies, to do to others as we would have them do to us. That’s his teaching. But it is clear that many people do not follow his teaching. They may feel that the golden rule is foolish or impractical. Therefore, they decide to return hate with hate, to return hurt with hurt. Their golden rule is: “Do to others as they have done to you.”
The results of this approach are easy to find. Look at the newspapers. Watch the media. Look at the situation in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, in India and Pakistan: “You hurt us, we’ll hurt you.” Look at the retribution that characterizes the gang violence in our cities. Recognize the number of families in our society who are addressing their disputes with handguns. “We’re just getting even,” they say. But of course, it never amounts to getting even. Violence grows into an escalating cycle of destruction and hatred.
Look at politics around the world including the United States. Civil discourse is absent. Neighbor is set against neighbor. Words of rancor, of meanness, of retribution are splattered across the internet, social media and the world of twitter. And very often, they come from people who claim to be followers of Christ!!!
So, I must ask these questions. How is “getting even” affecting your relationships? Are you satisfied with the way hurting and hating back is shaping your life? Do you find that holding on to resentments with your family or friends is working for you? Are you satisfied with waiting for others to suffer as you have suffered? In short, are you satisfied with the kind of world that emerges when we respond with hate and hurt, when we do to others as they have done to us? Most of us would admit that such a world is a disaster.
Hatred is a moral cancer. Just as cancer spreads and ultimately destroys its host, so too does hatred. It slowly affects every thought and every action. Make no mistake about it. It is evil and a blaspheme against God. It destroys a person and a person’s relationship with God.
Now let’s be clear: when we talk about loving our enemy, when we talk about forgiving those who hurt us, we are not denying our right to defend ourselves. We are not advising that we accept abuse and manipulation. We are saying that when we respond to our enemy, we choose to do so in a way that breaks the cycle of violence rather than feeding it. We choose not to hate because we know that hating will only lessen our life and endanger our world.
Jesus’ teaching is not easy. We would all like another option. But there are only two options on the table. Therefore, if you are satisfied with the kind of world that results from returning hate with hate, getting even, treating others as they have treated you, then reject Jesus’ teaching as misguided. But if that kind of world of increasing violence and hatred sickens you, then maybe it is time to follow what the Lord commands. Maybe it is time to love our enemy, to forgive the one who hurts us, to do to others as we would have them do to us.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for you and show me the way that leads to everlasting happiness and peace. May I desire you above all else and find perfect joy in doing your will.”
Daily Note
How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? If we want to be filled with the joy and happiness of heaven, then we must empty ourselves of all that would shut God out of our hearts. Poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God’s word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and oppression.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. “But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. “Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. (Luke 6:20-26)
Reflection
We know from experience that no one can escape all of the inevitable trials of life – pain, suffering, sickness, and death. When Jesus began to teach his disciples, he gave them a “way of happiness” that transcends every difficulty and trouble that can weigh us down with grief and despair.
Jesus began his sermon on the mount by addressing the issue of where true happiness can be found. The word beatitude literally means happiness or blessedness. Jesus’ way of happiness, however, demands a transformation from within – a conversion of heart and mind which can only come about through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit.
His teaching of the Beatitudes is so fundamental to our beliefs that diverse characters including Francis of Assisi, Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and Dietrich Bonhoeffer have all understood the beatitudes of Jesus as the central core of his teaching and the most important part of his message.
So, what do the Beatitudes tell us. They tell us how God sees the world.
God sees as blessed those who are poor. God sees as valuable those who mourn, those who are lonely, those who are persecuted. The Beatitudes reveal that God is committed to those who are in need and those who suffer. It is because God is present to them, they are blessed. The Beatitudes do not say that it is a blessed or wonderful thing to be poor, or to be grieving, or to be persecuted.
They do assert that whenever any of these distressful things happen to us, God comes to us. God is attracted to us because God knows our needs. Because God is present in those distressful circumstances, those who are distressed are blessed.
So, this is the God that the Beatitudes reveal to us: a God who lifts up the lowly, who cares for the poor, who stands with the oppressed. It is this vision of who God is that stands at the center of Jesus’ ministry and forms the heart of Jesus’ teaching. There are two distinct and immediate consequences that flow from this God of the Beatitudes, two things which those who follow Christ must adopt: hope and solidarity.
To be a disciple of Jesus, we must be a people of hope. Because we know that when we are poor, when we are grieving, when we feel rejected or worthless or in need, God comes to us.
We believe in a God who comes to us in our struggles, a God who is with us and leads us to a place of fullness and joy. Those who follow Jesus must be people of hope because God cares for us in our need.
We must also be people of solidarity, solidarity with the poor and oppressed. If God is close to those who struggle, if God is close to those who are persecuted or in need, we must act towards them in the same way. We cannot worship God and ignore those for whom God cares. We must as followers of Jesus be people who are committed to eliminating poverty and injustice and oppression because those are the very things that our God is also committed to eliminate.
Since our God is committed to them, do we even have to ask the question why should we?
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for you and show me the way that leads to everlasting happiness and peace. May I desire you above all else and find perfect joy in doing your will.”
Daily Note
How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? If we want to be filled with the joy and happiness of heaven, then we must empty ourselves of all that would shut God out of our hearts. Poverty of spirit finds ample room and joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure possible. Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God’s word and Spirit. Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from the burden of guilt and oppression.
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all. (Luke 6:12-19)
Reflection
Today’s scripture asks us to consider the call of the disciples and, in so doing, to consider our role in God’s plan.
We can’t call ourselves followers of Christ if we don’t recognize the call that Jesus gives us. Our faith is a “way” not a classroom. “A way” is to be journeyed and experienced.
Christ summons us to come and go. We’re supposed to be journeying in our pilgrimage of faith, and on that pilgrimage not just following Christ’s footsteps on the outside, but walking with him, doing everything with him, having an interior yoking with him. And that yoking goes on throughout our life whether at 17 or 77. That is why it is proper to say Christianity is not simply a religion; rather it is a way of life.
God makes us. God saves us. God sends us. God has a plan, a plan for the world, and we are part of that plan. That is why as sons and daughters of God we must always be ready to hear the word “Go”. “Go” is the word that God uses when there is something for us to do. The disciples hear the word in today’s gospel. “Go and make disciples of all the nations.” But this command does not only apply to the first disciples. It applies to all disciples. It applies to us. We must be ready to go.
“Wait a minute,” you say, “Go where? Do what? Are you sure that God is sending me?” I am sure. To what God is sending you I cannot say, but the fact that God is sending you is not in doubt. Sending is what God does to God’s daughters and sons. God makes us. God saves us. God sends us.
If you want to know to what God is sending you, all you need to do is listen. We usually do not listen; and because we do not listen, we do not hear; and because we do not hear we imagine that we are not being sent. We wake up each day and we plan our own schedule: first I’ll do this, then I’ll do that, and if there’s time, I’ll fit this in. But how often do any of us take a breath and in all honesty ask the question, “Lord, is there anything you want me to do today?”
I dare you to ask, “Lord, is there anything you want me to do today?” I promise you that if you ask, God will answer. It may be in that moment, or an hour later, or a day later; but if you ask, you will hear God say, “Go. Go to that person at work and tell her. “Go to your friend and ask him. Go to the phone and dial this number. Go to your spouse . . . Go to your daughter . . . Go to your neighbor . . . and do this.”
God might be calling us to do an act of kindness for someone at work who annoys us or to a person who does not share our political beliefs or with someone no one else will associate. You say to God, “You’ve got to be kidding. I don’t want a new friend. I don’t want to hang around with this person. What will people think of me if I reach out?” God says, “I’m not asking you to be their friend. I’m asking you to do a simple act of kindness and to do it for me.”
If you dare to listen, you will hear where God is sending you. What you hear might surprise you. It might even seem not to fit. Or make sense. If this is the case, feel free to object.
As sons and daughters of God, we have the right to question, when it seems that God is sending us on some fool’s errand. Just remember that the fact we can object does not mean that God will change the call. God does not act that way. What God tends to do is listen to our objections and say, “Yes, but go anyway, and I will be with you.”
God has a plan, a plan for the world. We are a part of that plan. As sons and daughters of God we must always be ready to be sent. Christians are always “on call.” I dare you to listen. I dare you to sincerely ask the question, “Lord, is there anything you want me to do today?” If you ask, God will answer, and you will soon find yourself going forth to do your Father’s will.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Inflame my heart with a burning love for you and with an expectant faith in your saving power. Take my life and all that I have as an offering of love for you, who are my All.”
Daily Note
When Jesus embarked on his mission, he chose twelve men to be his friends and apostles. In the choice of the twelve, we see a characteristic feature of God’s work: Jesus chose very ordinary people. They were non-professionals, who had no wealth or position. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things, had no special education, and no social advantages. He chose these men, not for what they were, but for what they would be capable of becoming under his direction and power. Give yourself unreservedly to God – he will use you for greatness in his kingdom When the Lord calls us to serve, we must not shrug back because we think that we have little or nothing to offer. The Lord takes what ordinary people, like us, can offer and uses it for greatness in his kingdom. Is there anything holding you back from giving yourself unreservedly to God?
On a certain Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:6-11)
Reflection
The scribes and Pharisees wanted to catch Jesus in the act of breaking the Sabbath ritual so they might accuse him of breaking God’s law. But Jesus shows the Pharisees that by wrapping themselves up in the letter of the they were blinded as to why the law was written.
He wanted them to see the person. He was saying, “Look, while you come up with your three simple steps to deciding whether you can heal on the Sabbath or not, here is a real, live human being who is hurting and in need of your help, and all you can do is sit there and debate about him like he was a log blocking the road. He’s a person!” He cares about the pregnant teenager. He cares about the prisoner. He cares about the homeless. He cares about the drug addict. He cares about the person.
He cares about you and me, our hurts, our worries, our struggles. And He wants to see each and every one of us healed and delivered from whatever has us in bondage. Whether it is a struggle with pride, with pornography, or materialism and greed, or tirades of anger, or lying, or stealing, or overeating.
When someone else struggles with their marriage, or their job, or their kids, we tend to sit back and say, “Well, if they had just done this or that, they would not have had the issue.” Oh, how we enjoy the blinders of being judgmental.
You know what? Those are the questions and comments of Pharisees. They had all the answers, but none of the love. And sometimes we get caught in that trap. We measure our Christianity by how many times we go to Church, or how many Church projects we accomplish, or how well we can quote scripture. Nothing wrong with any of those but they are not what Jesus meant by doing good.
We are not doing good when we think we are doing good. When we start focusing on the law, we miss the people that the law was supposed to help. Jesus says later that the entire law can be summarized with one word: love. Love God, and love others. If we do that, we are fulfilling the entire law. Look at people through the loving eyes of Christ. Those are the only blinders we need.
We don’t progress through life on a gentle slope that will end with us somehow adding Jesus to our lives. The gentle slope we begin life on is most often tilted in the other direction –we show that our hostility is growing with each wrong thought we entertain, unkind words we speak, or wrap ourselves in a blanket that reads “ It’s all about me.”
We continue the walk down that slippery slope when we seek the easiest way out rather than the right way, or when we knowingly turn our backs to others in need, or when we give into a habit or addiction which moves us into sin, and on and on.
That’s why its called Calvary love. It reminds us of the pain and sacrifice He made for us and how living the love that he commanded for us can be uncomfortable, or difficult, or not happening at the right time. But just as He did for us, we continue on that path just as He did for us.
Are we doing that? Are we like Jesus who always sought to do good?
That is the challenge that confronts us, we who profess to follow the greatest man who ever walked this earth.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord, you can see my heart, as you read the hearts of the Pharisees. I also have a tendency to be critical and not always constructive. Make my heart be more like yours, desiring good, being generous despite the criticisms that might come my way.”
Daily Note
Daily Note
(In preparing this commentary, I came across the following reflection, written by Amy Carmichael and titled “Calvary Love.”)
“IF I belittle those who I am called to serve, talk of their weak points in contrast perhaps with what I think of as my strong points; if I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting [that God made us different and He has given me all that I have], then I know nothing of Calvary love.
IF I take offense easily, if I am content to continue in cool unfriendliness, though friendship be possible, then I know nothing of Calvary love.
IF I feel bitterly towards those who condemn me, as it seems to me, unjustly, forgetting that if they knew me as I know myself, they would condemn me much more, then I know nothing of Calvary love.
And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will spill, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’” (Luke 5:33-39)
Reflection
In today’s scripture, Jesus used an image familiar to his audience – new and old wine skins. In Jesus’ times, wine was stored in wine skins, not bottles. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting. The gases exerted gave pressure. New wine skins were elastic enough to take the pressure, but old wine skins easily burst because they became hard as they aged. What did Jesus mean by this comparison?
Jesus uses this commonly recognized truth to make a statement today about the gospel. He says that his message and God’s daily gifts to us are like new wine. They therefore need to be placed into new wineskins, in skins that are able to expand, skins that are flexible. An old wineskin which is brittle and ready to break is not able to receive the good news of the Kingdom.
Each day, God gives us some wine to carry. Sometimes it is old, mature wine. Old wine is compatible with our usual habits, our old friends, our common expectations. Those days on which we are asked to carry old wine are comfortable, easy days, days that we enjoy.
But not infrequently we are asked to carry new wine, wine that presents unexpected occurrences, new demands, surprising ideas. There is plenty of new wine in our world and in our lives. We have been challenged facing the new realities that came into place after September 11th. We have been challenged as our country seeks to find a common dialogue. We have been challenged because our citizenry is so divided. Truth is that we have been challenged to deal with a world that is in rapid change. There are personal examples: changes that happen in our family, poor decisions that our children make, new realities in our work, in our marriage.
All these things are examples of new wine which we are asked to carry. New wine places new demands upon us.
How do we carry them? Only by being new wineskins.
Only by being people who are both flexible and hopeful. We need to be flexible people, open to new ideas, open to new ways of understanding the world. We need to be hopeful, believing that the wine that God gives us, even if it is still fermenting and difficult to carry, is nevertheless a gift. If we continue to be flexible and hopeful, we will eventually recognize the good things that God is offering us.
Are we to reject the old in place of the new? Just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Matthew 13:52).
The Lord Jesus gives us wisdom so we can make the best use of both the old and the new. He doesn’t want us to hold rigidly to the past and to be resistant to the new action of his Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants our minds and hearts to be like the new wine skins – open and ready to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit. When we do that, there is a spring to our step, a smile on our face and a welcoming love in our presence.
How do we do that?
We do that turning ourselves over to Him. By opening ourselves to the presence of the Holy Spirit within each of us. It’s surrendering our ego to the one who gave us our ego. It’s as simple as uttering and following the words of “Into your hands I commend my spirit.”
When we have entrusted ourselves to Him, and live that, we become like a new wineskin filled with the nectar of new life in Him.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit, that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Help me to seek you earnestly in prayer and fasting that I may turn away from sin and willfulness and conform my life more fully to your will. May I always find joy in knowing, loving, and serving you.”
Daily Note
The only way to accept the good news of the Kingdom and the daily gifts that God gives us is to be a new wineskin. We must be people who are flexible and hopeful. Let us today choose to be people who are open to life. Let us be wineskins that are capable of carrying the good news, the new wine of Christ’s kingdom.
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11)
Reflection
Today’s Gospel details the call of Jesus to Peter and some of the disciples. They were struck by His teaching, and they were struck by the miracle he performed.
But this Gospel is not simply about a famous moment 2000 years ago by the Sea of Galilee. It’s about right now, in the defining moments of our daily lives. God is always touching us and calling us—warts, weakness and all—through Jesus, with his words, “Follow me.”
He comes not only in worship, but in the frustration of hard work where we catch nothing, in the times where it seems we are sinking; God comes not only in washing our nets but in washing our dishes and waiting to pick up the kids from soccer practice; He calls us in the people we love and in people who drive us crazy, even those we call our enemies. He calls us to hear his voice, to bring the compassion and justice of God to a world that needs it desperately.
God’s calling to us continues to this very minute as you read this reflection. It is not an invitation! It is not “hey, y’all wanna come over here?”
God’s call throughout history is one of command; sometimes subtle and gentle and sometimes violent.
Sometimes that call is to radical vocation and sometimes it is a call to feed God’s sheep right where we are, in our families, at our work, in our church and in our communities.
God’s call is not a single event, it is a lifelong process filled with much failure punctuated with occasional bright points of success.
Stop and reflect on this tired, beat-up world. Beset by the pandemic, rattled by recession, its future clouded by the unknown. But always there is hope. Hope that it can and will be made better. But that will not happen if each of us do not recognize that it is time that Christ take priority in our lives. Not a political party. Not one issue about which we are passionate. Rather it is about the issue of humankind and its relation to Christ. That is not something decided by an election. Rather it is defined by our self- election to a group of people whose lives are defined by Jesus Christ and ALL that he teaches. It’s defined by Jesus Christ talking primacy in our life – not a person or a party. Its defined by our obedience to His word and our willingness to recognize that our voice, our touch and our presence can be a drop of love which fills the heart of another to overflow in hope.
Prayer of The Day
Lord Jesus, fill my heart with love and compassion for those who do not know you or follow you. May I be a good witness of your truth and salvation to my family, friends, and co-workers.
Daily Note
God chooses ordinary people, like you and me, as his ambassadors and He uses the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives and work situations to draw others into his kingdom. Jesus speaks the same message to us today: we will “catch people” for the kingdom of God if we allow the light of Jesus Christ to shine through us. God wants others to see the light of Christ in us in the way we live, speak, and witness the joy of the Gospel. Paul the Apostle says, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ Jesus always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
Jesus then went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region. (Luke 4:31-37)
Reflection
This Gospel passage described the dramatic inauguration of the public ministry of Jesus in His hometown, Nazareth. Initially, there was a lot of amazement, wonder and awe that was expressed by the people. But when the Lord began to explain His Mission, especially of being a Savior of all the nations, there was a change in attitude of the people. The shift from a “goody-goody” expectation of the Messiah to a “challenging” presence, caused them discomfort. But the Spirit-filled Jesus had no stopping. He knew His mission and He knew what needed to be done.
Here we are two millennia later. Evil is still around us and probably even more so. Like the townspeople in Nazareth, too many have grown accustomed to its presence. So much so that we have lost focus on our values and His teachings.
We forget that tweets, slogans and even pulpit diatribes are not devoid of consequences. They are not merely reckless words. They eventually become verbal assaults and acts of vandalism and showers of bullets tearing through the flesh of innocent people.
So many are simply tired and beat up for confronting evil, speaking against it and finding there is always another evil. So much so that many of the “champions” are growing old in spirit.
But they remind us that it is up to you and me to pick up the cudgel if we have not done so already. What we cannot do is look for another savior.
That is where our challenge and task arise. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to become “people of authority and holiness”. We are called to let our lives be beacons of hope to others. Just as the United States was “the light on the hill,” we must become that light. How do we do that?
It requires the tremendous infilling and a constant seeking and doing of God’s Will in our lives. It starts with listening in prayer for His direction. No, it will probably not be another voice. But if we are praying every day, reading His word, and asking Him to lead us where we can do the most good. That is the first step. To be submissive enough to listen for Him to speak to us.
The second is to be sure that we have not grown complacent about the presence of evil. We cannot hide in our bubbles and assume that if we ignore it, evil will either not exist or it will go away. We must allow the risen Jesus within us to speak to the demons of our time and help people become free by speaking up, demonstrating through our lives that we are beacons of Him. If we are those beacons through the actions of our lives then we allow others to have the courage to speak up, cry out and find a way to slay the demons of hate, of despair and of selfishness.
For all of us who profess our belief in Jesus Christ, the time is now and the need is great.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord, your word is power and life. May I never doubt your saving love and mercy, and the power of your word to bring healing, restoration, and freedom from sin and affliction.”
Daily Note
When Jesus went about his work preaching the Kingdom of God, he began to chop down the “tree of evil.” He moved confidently among a broken people to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, give sight to the blind, and even raise dead people to live. In proclaiming the gospel, he even attacked the evil of despair and assured people that the Kingdom of God was in their midst. The torch has been passed to us. Are you willing to help carry it?
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:1-13)
Reflection
The point of the parable is obviously not about weddings.
Jesus used that imagery as the background to communicate to us how we should be living our life in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, at the end of our life or at the end of the world, whichever comes first. It is about being ready.
Perhaps a better way to understand the Lord’s point is if we consider playing musical chairs. You remember how to play musical chairs, right? You walk around the chairs, carefully situating your self just waiting for the music to stop, hoping that you can get to a chair before a slower person.
Consider Jesus telling the parable of the kids playing musical chairs, and then turning to you and to me and asking, “Where are you going to be when the music stops?”
Jesus wants to make it clear that a time will come when each person is either welcomed into heaven or finds the door barred before them. He wants to warn us so that no one gets left out.
But what about the virgins’ supply of oil? That’s the oil that determines whether we are ready to meet Jesus. We could call it our faith or the Holy Spirit or the grace of God. Whatever it is, it’s something that we can’t borrow from a friend. We have to be prepared with our own supply. Our preparedness to meet the Lord is something that is ultimately only our responsibility. No one can say “Yes” to Christ on my behalf.
So, while the foolish virgins went off to make up for lost and wasted time, “those who were ready” went into the wedding hall and “the door was closed”. All are invited, but not all get inside. All are called but few are among the chosen ones. This is not due to any partiality on the bridegroom’s part but because of the tardiness of some in responding to the invitation. The closed door means that access to Jesus is not automatic or to be altogether taken for granted.
The best way for us to stay alert for the return of the Bridegroom is for us to be ready, with hearts burning with love, for the presence of the Bridegroom NOW. The more we will long to share eternal communion with him. The more we attentively listen to his Word in Sacred Scripture, the more prepared we will be to hear even the softest footsteps of his advent. The more we seek to recognize him in the persons and events of each day, and love and embrace them as we would love and embrace Christ, the more ready we will be ready to embrace Christ when he appears without disguise.
Prayer of The Day
“Help me, Lord, to seek, to find, and to respond to you in every person and every experience of this day.”
Daily Note
There is absolutely no better way to prepare for the final call than, first, to put it completely out of one’s head, and, second, to learn to spend each and every day in the company of Jesus. “I am with you always.”
