8th Week of Ordinary Time

Meeting Jesus through the Gospel

1. Sit quietly, recollect yourself. Concentrate on Jesus. Call on the Holy Spirit. Take your time. There is no rush and there is no fixed rule to follow. Be free in the Spirit.

2. Be aware that Jesus is with you. Use a mantra if you like, e.g. ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ..’

3. Read the passage with Jesus who was there and in the Holy Spirit who inspired it.

4. Note the words and sentences that strike you.

5. Pray about these and ask the Lord to speak to you through his Spirit.

6. Keep a journal of the inspirations you are given for your life. Jesus is present to you and he is speaking to you.

7. If the passage is a ‘dramatic’ one try and live the passage in your imagination. Remember it is not just imagination because Jesus is present now with you. Put yourself in the scene.  It is the Holy Spirit who makes Jesus real

Monday 24^th May 2010

8^th Week of Ordinary Time

Mk 10:17-27

He was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, 'Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' ¹⁸ Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.' ²⁰ And he said to him, 'Master, I have kept all these since my earliest days.' ²¹ Jesus looked steadily at him and he was filled with love for him, and he said, 'You need to do one thing more. Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.' ²² But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth. ²³ Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!' ²⁴ The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, 'My children,' he said to them, 'how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.' ²⁶ They were more astonished than ever, saying to one another, 'In that case, who can be saved?' ²⁷ Jesus gazed at them and said, 'By human resources it is impossible, but not for God: because for God everything is possible.'

Back in Ordinary Time we follow Jesus along his way. We will see everything and listen to everything just as his disciples did. A man comes and kneels before him. Who is he? Maybe he’s you. He calls Jesus ‘good’. Jesus directs him to the Father. Jesus’ life is doing his Father’s will. It must be ours too. Jesus repeats the Old Testament. The man justifies himself. But has he never defrauded his labourers? Jesus loves him and invites him to be a disciple. There is a condition however. Go and sell everything you have. Don’t give the money to the Temple but to the poor. Relieve their hardship. Then come as you are. He cannot do it. He is a rich man. He cannot give up his wealth. ’Where his treasure is, there is his heart’ and what about you? Jesus demands everything.  What are you clinging to?

Tuesday 25^th May 2010

8^th week of Ordinary Time

Mk 10:28-31

Peter took this up. 'Look,' he said to him, 'we have left everything and followed you.' ²⁹ Jesus said, 'In truth I tell you, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel ³⁰ who will not receive a hundred times as much, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land -- and persecutions too -- now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life. ³¹ Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.'

Peter left his nets and so did the others. But did they leave everything? Did they leave their longing for power, position and the first places in the Kingdom? We will see that they had not. Did they understand that Jesus must suffer and they also? God wants to be generous. When we give up our ‘possessions’ for Jesus’ sake then God can abundantly bless us even if others persecute us. He gives us contentment of mind and the happiness of friends. Life becomes a joy. This is not a ‘reward’. God owes us nothing. It is his love for us. Have we the courage to make Jesus the centre of our life, to surrender our desires to him so that having only what we need, we long only to do his will? Do you daily surrender to him and listen to what he wants you to do?

Wednesday 26^th May 2010

8^th Week of Orinary Time

Mk 10:32-45

³² They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him, ³³ 'Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles, ³⁴ who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.' ³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him. 'Master,' they said to him, 'We want you to do us a favour.' ³⁶ He said to them, 'What is it you want me to do for you?' ³⁷ They said to him, 'Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.' ³⁸ But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I shall drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I shall be baptised?' ³⁹ They replied, 'We can.' Jesus said to them, 'The cup that I shall drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I shall be baptised you shall be baptised, ⁴⁰ but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.' ⁴¹ When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, ⁴² so Jesus called them to him and said to them, 'You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. ⁴³ Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'

How little the disciples understood and how frustrating for Jesus, yet he remains patient with these slow learners.  He has just told them in the clearest of terms that humiliation and death await him in Jerusalem. As if they have heard nothing, James and John ask Jesus if they can be second in command when he achieves glory. The others are angry that they asked first. We humans see and hear everything with our own mindset. Jesus tries again to teach them that he is establishing a new kind of community, one not built on power but a community in which each of us humbly serves the other out of love. Jesus himself is the great model. He came to serve and give his life for others? For whom are you giving your life? Would those who know you, think you their loving servant?

Thursday 27th  May 2010

Mark 10:46-52

They reached Jericho; and as he left Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus -- that is, the son of Timaeus -- a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and cry out, 'Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.' ⁴⁸ And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, 'Son of David, have pity on me.' ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him here.' So they called the blind man over. 'Courage,' they said, 'get up; he is calling you.' ⁵⁰ So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. ⁵¹ Then Jesus spoke, 'What do you want me to do for you?' The blind man said to him, 'Rabbuni, let me see again.' ⁵² Jesus said to him, 'Go; your faith has saved you.' And at once his sight returned and he followed him along the road.

The disciples are blind. Bartimaeus represents them. But Mark writes for the blind in his community and are we not blind? Once we could see – when baptized, when we had a conversion experience or entered on a special state of life such as religious life or priesthood. But then we sank into blindness again. We could no longer follow Jesus but sat helpless by the side of the road. Bartimaeus represents us all. He knows that only Jesus can give him sight. Only Jesus can open our eyes too. He is desperate to get to Jesus and overcomes the opposition of the crowd. Are we as anxious to meet Jesus? Jesus sends others to call him. It is in the community now that we will meet Jesus. Bartimaeus throws off his cloak. He leaves everything to get to Jesus. Do you? Have you met Jesus? Has he cured your blindness?

Friday 28^th May 2010

Mark 11:11-26

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple; and when he had surveyed it all, as it was late by now, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. ¹² Next day as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. ¹³ Seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, but when he came up to it he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ And he addressed the fig tree, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And his disciples heard him say this. ¹⁵ So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out the men selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers. ¹⁶ Nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple. ¹⁷ And he taught them and said, 'Does not scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples? But you have turned it into a bandits' den.' ¹⁸ This came to the ears of the chief priests and the scribes, and they tried to find some way of doing away with him; they were afraid of him because the people were carried away by his teaching. ¹⁹ And when evening came he went out of the city. ²⁰ Next morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered to the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered. 'Look, Rabbi,' he said to Jesus, 'the fig tree that you cursed has withered away.' ²² Jesus answered, 'Have faith in God. ²³ In truth I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, "Be pulled up and thrown into the sea," with no doubt in his heart, but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴ I tell you, therefore, everything you ask and pray for, believe that you have it already, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too.' ^{26 27} They came to Jerusalem again, and as Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him,

Jesus goes to the fig tree. It looks very good, full of foliage but there is no fruit. Jesus is bitterly disappointed. He curses the tree and by evening it will wither away. He then goes to the Temple and what he sees fills him with anger. You have made the house of prayer a den of thieves. This too will wither when the Romans destroy it in 70A.D. Jesus condemns a religion which has plenty of external practices, rules and regulations but little or nothing else. The heart of religion is our love for God in Jesus. Without this personal love for Jesus our religion is just a fig tree full of foliage but without fruit. Sacrifices and prayers were forever being made in the Temple, but Jesus was not impressed. Is he impressed with your way of life? Do you have deep and personal relationship with him?

Saturday 29^th May 2010

Mark 11:27-33

 They came to Jerusalem again, and as Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, ²⁸ and they said to him, 'What authority have you for acting like this? Or who gave you authority to act like this?' ²⁹ Jesus said to them, 'And I will ask you a question, just one; answer me and I will tell you my authority for acting like this. ³⁰ John's baptism, what was its origin, heavenly or human? Answer me that.' ³¹ And they argued this way among themselves, 'If we say heavenly, he will say, "Then why did you refuse to believe him?" ³² But dare we say human?' -- they had the people to fear, for everyone held that John had been a real prophet. ³³ So their reply to Jesus was, 'We do not know.'And Jesus said to them, 'Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.' 

The Jewish Leaders are not interested in the truth. Hence though they claim it, they have no authority. They are politicians through and through. They want to get Jesus off the scene. But Jesus is their match. They ask him a question about his authority. Jesus counters by asking about the authority of John the Baptist. To accept John is to accept Jesus.  And so  they refuse to answer, saying they do not know.  Jesus refuses to answer their question. He will say to Pilate that those only who love the truth listen to his words. The truth will make them free. The Jewish Leaders were blind and bound by their own prejudices. Is there some area of life were you too are blind and refuse to listen to Lord’s voice because you cannot face the truth? In Jesus’ hands the truth will make you free.