Weekdays of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time Reflections

The Way to Know Jesus
 

We get to know Jesus through the Gospels. We read a part of a Gospel, understand it and then discover through prayer God's message for us.

Jesus is a real Person. We can get to know him but like everything worth doing we have to work at it.

First we have to give time each day. Without giving time each day we shouldn't expect any results.

Second, we need silence and solitude so that we can enter into 'the cave of our hearts'.

Third, we need to pray that God's Holy Spirit come upon us.When his Spirit comes upon us, he will lead us .

Fourth, we must realise that Jesus is present deep within us. We need to make contact with him. We are to sit quietly in his presence. To help you concentrate your mind and heart on him, you can recite a word or phrase (no more than seven syllables) such as "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus". "Jesus, my Saviour", "Jesus, I sit before you", "Jesus, my Lord & my God" .

At first try ten minutes every day, sitting quietly and comfortably all alone. Do this sincerely every day without fail and over the weeks and months you will notice a difference and people will notice a difference in you too. The more generous you are, the more you will be able to receive. Jesus will be at work in you and create a spring of peace within you. The secret is not effort but fidelity to it day by day.

Monday 5^th July

Matthew 9:18-26

¹⁸ While he was speaking to them, suddenly one of the officials came up, who bowed low in front of him and said, 'My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and her life will be saved.' ¹⁹ Jesus rose and, with his disciples, followed him. ²⁰ Then suddenly from behind him came a woman, who had been suffering from a haemorrhage for twelve years, and she touched the fringe of his cloak, ²¹ for she was thinking, 'If only I can touch his cloak I shall be saved.' ²² Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to her, 'Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you.' And from that moment the woman was saved. ²³ When Jesus reached the official's house and saw the flute-players, with the crowd making a commotion, he said, ²⁴ 'Get out of here; the little girl is not dead; she is asleep.' And they ridiculed him. ²⁵ But when the people had been turned out he went inside and took her by the hand; and she stood up. ²⁶ And the news of this spread all round the countryside.

Jesus has authority that not even death can resist. Belief  is necessary but not enough. I must meet him too. Suffering can be the occasion as in the case of the synagogue official to meet Jesus and learn to believe in him. His daughter is dead and Jesus is the only one who can restore her life. He puts aside prejudice and falls at his feet. Jesus welcomes him, gets up and follows him to his house. The woman too is losing her life, for with the Jews blood is life. She approaches with faith in him and is not disappointed. Jesus however makes a point of meeting her face to face. We shouldn’t expect to replicate these miracles in our prayer. But we must have total trust in Jesus. He has real and everlasting life to offer to those who believe in him. When did you meet Jesus last?

Tuesday 6^th July 2010

Matthew 9:32-38

³² They had only just left when suddenly a man was brought to him, a dumb demoniac.³³ And when the devil was driven out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed and said, 'Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.' ³⁴ But the Pharisees said, 'It is through the prince of devils that he drives out devils.' ³⁵ Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. ³⁶ And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest.

The crowds are astonished at Jesus. Well disposed, they are not however disciples. The leaders are now openly opposed to Jesus. Their eyes and ears are closed. It is only the man who meets Jesus who can be his disciple. Before Baptism we were deaf to the Word. Now our ears are opened and we can proclaim the Truth. To retain our hearing we need to constantly meet Jesus. Do you meet him in prayer? Or do you just say prayers? Are you open to Jesus? Is he real for you? Like the woman with the bleeding so our one life is passing away. Has Jesus healed yours? Like the dead girl, unless Jesus takes our hand we will remain dead – lost in the values of this world: power, wealth and pleasure. Like the blind man we need the touch of Jesus to evaluate life as it is.

Wednesday 7^th July 2010

Matthew 10:1-7

¹ He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who was also his betrayer. ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: 'Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; ⁶ go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. ⁷ And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.

To be a disciple we need a close relationship with Jesus. It was true for the Twelve. It is true for us. All believers are to be disciples. This is a universal call. Superficial belief in Jesus is insufficient. We must cultivate through prayer and reflection on his Word a close and intimate relationship with him. Disciples are to be totally committed to listening and learning from Jesus. Are you? A disciple must leave all things and follow Jesus. To leave all things is first to leave our ego, the inordinate love of self. Can you say like your Master, “My food is to do the will of the One who sent me”. We have not left all things nor follow Jesus perfectly until we have dropped our own will and only do what Jesus wants us to do. In your life, do you have your agenda or his?

Thursday 8^th July 2010

Matthew 10:7-15.

⁸ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. ⁹ Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, ¹⁰ with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the labourer deserves his keep. ¹¹ 'Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone worthy and stay with him until you leave. ¹² As you enter his house, salute it, ¹³ and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you. ¹⁴ And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ In truth I tell you, on the Day of Judgement it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

The Twelve Disciples are to continue the very work of Jesus – preach the Kingdom, that God reigns in our lives, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. It is no different today. It is not a matter of money, power or influence. Disciples are ‘to be Jesus’ and bring peace. This peace will take many forms according to the needs of people. Like Jesus they will be ‘people for others’. They are to be the Good News, quietly proclaiming by their lives that God reigns in them. There will be an aura around them which doesn’t come from gold or silver but from the Spirit within them. Their life will be their proclamation. They may even use words when appropriate. They live in God and people find God in them. Is this a description of your life? Why not?

Friday 9^th July 2010

Matthew 10:16-23

Look, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as snakes and yet innocent as doves. ¹⁷ 'Be prepared for people to hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as evidence to them and to the gentiles. ¹⁹ But when you are handed over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes, ²⁰ because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. ²¹ 'Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will come forward against their parents and have them put to death. ²² You will be universally hated on account of my name; but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³ If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. In truth I tell you, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes.

Persecution is of the essence of being a disciple. Why? By becoming a disciple we join Jesus in his war against the powers of evil. Jesus has ‘broken the back’ of Satan but he is not yet ‘dead’. Though he can’t win, he can still strike and he does through internal corruption and external persecution. We must stay close to Jesus, the Victor, through prayer and his Word and wherever we are we must be his witness through deed and word. Our life is to be his witness. If witness is a matter of persecution to physical death we are commanded to flee. To continue witnessing we need to be alive. But we are never alone. The Spirit is with us always. Do you see your life as having only one goal; to follow Jesus and be his witness everywhere and at all times? Where does your strength come from?

Saturday 10^th July 2010

Matthew 10:24-33

'Disciple is not superior to teacher, nor slave to master. ²⁵ It is enough for disciple to grow to be like teacher, and slave like master. If they have called the master of the house "Beelzebul", how much more the members of his household? ²⁶ 'So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. ²⁷ What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸ 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. ²⁹ Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. ³⁰ Why, every hair on your head has been counted. ³¹ So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. ³² 'So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. ³³ But the one who disowns me in the presence of human beings, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.

You might think yourself of no value. You are wrong. Who would care to count the hairs on your head? Your Father has done this. He cares for all his creation, even the sparrows. So do not be afraid. Don’t underestimate yourself. You are precious to him. Can you believe this? You are no greater than Jesus, the Master. The Father allowed suffering to come into his life so that Jesus could grow to the stature of sitting as man at his right hand. What are we are to proclaim ‘from the housetops’? What Jesus reveals during our hidden prayer with him.  We are not to be afraid of those who can only touch our bodies. We must fear God who can see through our hearts and will ratify our choices. Through evil choices we can damn ourselves. Jesus will honour his fearless witnesses. Where do you stand?