Monday 28th June 2010The Son of Man Has Nowhere
to Lay His Head
Jesus said: follow me.
When Jesus saw the crowd all about him he gave orders to leave for the other side. 19 One of the scribes then came up and said to him, 'Master, I will follow you wherever you go.' 20 Jesus said, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.' 21 Another man, one of the disciples, said to him, 'Lord, let me go and bury my father first.' 22 But Jesus said, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.'
Jesus could not be clearer in his conditions. No wonder on another ocasion he will say first sit down and reflect, can I do it. Don’t stop half way through? Let us not limit his call to ‘priesthood’ or ‘religious life’ as we so often do. Jesus calls everyone. He calls you too. It is Jesus, not we who desides. We cannot take on the call ourselves. Have we the courage to listen to his call? Let us not be afraid. We never lose by listening to him. But first we need to fall in love with him. It is love for Jesus that opens our ears to what he is saying. The whole world is his and he needs disciples in every nook and corner – people who love, listen and respect him and who live by his values given in the Gospel. Where do you stand?
Tuesday 29th June 2010
Matthew 16:13-19. Feast of SS Peter and Paul.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of man is?' 14 And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 15 'But you,' he said, 'who do you say I am?' 16 Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' 17 Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. 18 So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven
Who do you say I am? The crowds had not understood. Did the disciples at least know him or was he totally alone? What a relief when Peter spoke. His understanding would need much pruning and growth but he had grasped the essence. Each must answer this question. It is fundamental. Who is Jesus for you? Is he just the Founder of the Church, who died for sin, the Messiah, the Son of God, who walked this earth, a distant figure, though vital and indeed to be honoured. Or rather is Jesus someone you know and someone you seek to know more personally each day? Peter will fail but will always love and so ‘weeping bitterly’ for his sin come back to Jesus. Because of his love Jesus could make him shepherd of his flock. If we love, Jesus can use us. How much do you love him?
Wednesday 30th June 2010
Matthew 8:28-34
Then he reached the territory of the Gadarenes on the other side, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs -- they were so dangerously violent that nobody could use that path. 29 Suddenly they shouted, 'What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?' 30 Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, 31 and the devils pleaded with Jesus, 'If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.' 32 And he said to them, 'Go then,' and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water. 33 The herdsmen ran off and made for the city, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 Suddenly the whole city set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave their neighbourhood
When our world falls to pieces, we can still hang on. But what when we fall to pieces? Matthew shows us two mentally tormented men. They have lost control. They are broken and no one can do anything for them. People saw them as tormented by demons. In the end all evil comes from Satan. Jesus comes as their Liberator. Hidden inside them he sees God’s children. Jesus’ life is a war between Satan and God, come in human weakness. With authority Jesus casts the demons out. The men are restored to God’s image. Even pigs don’t want demons and the sea, the abyss of hell, is their proper domain. The people fear Jesus. He disturbs their way of life and they show no concern for the men. The truth is: Jesus brings peace but also disturbs our life. Are you afraid of his staying with you?
Thursday July 1st 2010
Matthew 9:1-8
1 He got back in the boat, crossed the water and came to his home town. 2 And suddenly some people brought him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, 'Take comfort, my child, your sins are forgiven.' 3 And now some scribes said to themselves, 'This man is being blasphemous.' 4 Knowing what was in their minds Jesus said, 'Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? 5 Now, which of these is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? 6 But to prove to you that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins,' -- then he said to the paralytic-'get up, pick up your bed and go off home.' 7 And the man got up and went home. 8 A feeling of awe came over the crowd when they saw this, and they praised God for having given such authority to human beings.
How wonderful for that man to hear, “my child, your sins are forgiven”. The people thought so too, for ‘they praised God for having given such authority to human beings’. Jesus proved he had authority to forgive sins by telling the paralytic to get up and he did so. This same Jesus on the day of his Resurrection said to the disciples, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven’. He thereby handed on this authority to his Church. How wonderful now for the penitent to kneel before the Church in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and hear, “my child, your sins are forgiven.” We too should praise God for giving such authority to human beings. Freed from the paralysis of sin we are able to run along the path of holiness. Do you experience Jesus speaking to you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
Friday July 2nd 2010
Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus was walking on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him. 10 Now while he was at table in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?' 12 When he heard this he replied, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. 13 Go and learn the meaning of the words: Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners
The Church Jesus formed is primarily a community. Jesus invites everyone without distinction. His one question: will you follow me? Will you accept me, listen to me and do as I say? If you say ‘yes’, then be anyone, have any background, respectable or outcast, saint or sinner, you are welcome in his community, equal with all the others. If you want to win drunkards, prostitutes, those gone far away, those who don’t believe spend time with them and be their friend. May be your love for them will move their hearts. This is what Jesus thought and this is what he did. Respectable religious people were scandalised. What pleases Jesus is our outreach to others with a love that costs us dear, rather than a liturgy which is beautifully prepared. Is your religion comfortable or does it, with love, seek the lost where they are? Are you their friend?.
Saturday 3rd July 2010
Matthew 9:14-17
Then John's disciples came to him and said, 'Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?' 15 Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth onto an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine in fresh skins and both are preserved.'
If Jesus is the Bridegroom, then there is only one ‘law’. It is the law of love. I know how much he loves me. The question is: how much do I love him? It is not: do you go to Mass on Sunday? But, does your love for him take you to Mass to meet him, listen to him and become one with him in love? Not, do you fast, but is your fast an expression of your heart’s longing for him? Do not make our religion a religion of laws. There is only one law: to love Jesus with all your heart. We respect rules but they are only validly kept when they express and increase our love for him. Sometimes my love for him will make me ‘break the rule’. If Jesus is my Love, then I will give everything including my life for him and his friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment