Friday after Ash Wednesday

A short commentary on the Gospel of the day accoring to Catholic Lecionary

Gospel

Matthew 9:14-15

When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast

1.      John’s disciples came to Jesus and said,

2.      ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’

3.      Jesus replied,

4.      ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them?

5.      But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them,

6.      and then they will fast.’

 

This Gospel contains a profound life changing truth. Life is a wedding. Jesus is the Bridegroom. His community and each one in it he calls to be the bride. Life is meant to be a loving relationship of intimacy with Jesus. This is his desire and it should be ours. He gives himself to us. We should give ourselves to him. Now in faith, later in bliss.

 

There is an ominous note. The Bridegroom will be  taken away. Jesus will suffer violent persecution and a violent death. He suffers it willingly for the sake of his bride. The bride too suffers the loss.

Now we fast because

1.      we have lost our Bridegroom from sight. We have no interest in earthly pleasures except for survival. We are not at home here, because he is not here with us in sight, though with us in spirit. We long with all our hearts to be with him in every way. That only is the life of bliss.

2.      Our Bridegroom suffered freely and willingly so that his bride may have lasting joy with him. Now until we reach him, the bride fasts to share spiritually in the sufferings of her Bridegroom. How can I not suffer for him? ‘You suffered joyfully for me, I will suffer joyfully for you. I will crucify sin in my life. I will violently crucify everything that pains you, my Beloved.’ And so, we fast out of love for him and to be spiritually one with him. We are not interested in the pleasures of this world. Our desire is only for him.

3.      For the same reason we crucify our own pleasures reaching out to others in love, because this is the desire of the Bridegroom. We treat others as we would treat the Bridegroom if he was visible like they are. Why? This gives joy to our Bridegroom.

My life becomes a loving crucifixion for him, just as his was for me.

____________________

 LORD THAT I MAY SEE: THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON TH GOSPEL FOR TODAY ACCORDING TO THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY

Gospel

Luke 9:22-25

Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it

1.      Jesus said to his disciples:

2.      ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously,

3.      to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes

4.      and to be put to death,

5.      and to be raised up on the third day.’

 

6.      Then to all he said:

 

7.      ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine,

8.      let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.

9.      For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it;

10.  but anyone who loses his life for my sake,

11.  that man will save it.

12.  What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world

13.  and to have lost or ruined his very self?’

 

if you haven’t realised that life is warfare, you haven’t understood life in this world. You will become a victim of the enemy.

The life of Jesus, our guru and leader, shows it from the very beginning to the end. Satan is the ‘prince of this world.’ He has captured it by deceit. Men and women have fallen for his deceptive words promising the happiness they seek. The result is unhappiness and distress. His deceptive word: sin and get what you want and be happy. The truth is: sin and die and get a harvest of misery. No one want to hear this.

Jesus resisted Satan throughout his life. The conscious and unconscious allies of Satan lined up against him and brought about his death on the Cross.

If we want to follow Jesus, then we must join him in his war against Satan.  Satan and his allies will line up against you too. It will be a life-long battle – mainly temptation that comes from all sources. Yield and die, fight them and live. If you trust in the Lord, he will be your shield and you will be safe. Otherwise you will perish in your sins and be the eternal captive of the enemy, Satan.

Jesus conquered Satan on the Cross and lives for ever in glory. We must conquer Satan on the Cross too. It’s hard and uninviting. But it brings the same life of glory when the war is over.

Refuse to fight against his temptations and assaults and we die, and for ever. The choice is ours, now.

Lent is a wake-up call for battle.

 SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

LORD THAT I MAY SEE.

Gospel

Luke 5:27-32

Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance

1.      Jesus noticed a tax collector,

2.      Levi by name, sitting by the customs house,

3.      and said to him, ‘Follow me.’

4.      And leaving everything he got up and followed him.

5.      In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house,

6.      and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others.

7.      The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples

8.      and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’

9.      Jesus said to them in reply,

10. ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick.

11. I have not come to call the virtuous,

12. but sinners to repentance.’

 

Jesus was looking for sinners – sinners in the eyes of God and sinners in the eyes of human beings too. He sees a sinner sitting with his money and he looks into the future at what he can become. And so, he calls him to be his friend and follower. Nobody else would, but Jesus did. He looks at me too with a longing love.  No one should fear that Jesus is not looking at them, that he despises them. He has come for the spiritually last and least and most abandoned.

Jesus calls this outcast. Calls to what? It is not primarily to physically follow him but to come close in love and affection. He wants him first to follow him by making him his beloved guru. He calls him to a new relationship of love and obedience. Just so, he calls me too. He calls you as well.

Blessed are we if, like Levi, we leave everything and follow him in our hearts. Like Levi, it will transform our lives. Jesus calls us to a life of love with him.

Levi responds to the respect, confidence and love shown by Jesus for him, who is despised by all others. He gives a great banquet to Jesus. He calls all his friends and colleagues. None of them are saints, all of them despised by the godly and respectable.

Jesus responds by joyfully going and being one with them. They have become his friends and he eats and drinks with them. We too should give him a great reception in our hearts. Let us open, then, our hearts to Jesus as Levi opened his. Jesus will certainly come in.  Others may think and say what they like, but my relationship with Jesus will transform my life.

Do you know that you are a sinner worthy of hell, then know that Jesus has come, in love and deep respect, for you. Lent is the opportunity to hear the call and respond.

 ASH WEDNESDAY

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL FOR TODAY

Gospel

Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you

1.      Jesus said to his disciples:

2.      ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice;

3.      by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven.

 

4.      So when you give alms,

 

5.      do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration.

6.      I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward.

7.      But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret,

8.      and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

 

9.      ‘And when you pray,

 

10. do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them;

11. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward.

12. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place,

13. and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

 

14. ‘When you fast

 

15. do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting.

16. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward.

17. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,

18. so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret;

 

19. and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’

 

 

LENT has come. The readings of today tell us to take God seriously and give up our negligence, sinfulness and return to him with all our hearts. God is real. He is the one who created us and gave us a mind and spirit by which we can live our own life. we don’t just follow instinct like the animals. We can choose what we think, say and do.

But this gift is one we must use responsibly. Animas cannot recognise their creator. We can. Animals cannot come to know what their creator wants from them. We can.

Lent is the time to discover that God wants of you in the few years that he gives us in this world. He is a kind and merciful Creator and that is why he created us and with infinite patience was us to come to him. He calls us so that he can bless us. He will bless now, but he promises an eternal life to those who return the love he has shown to us. He will give us this eternal life in his visible presence if we return and listen to him.

This is the message of Lent. Return to the Lord Creator with sorrow for past indifference. Show your sorrow by PRAYER, FASTING AND SHARING YOUR GOODS with the needy. We are to do these in such a way that the Father, who created us, is the only one who sees what we do. Then we can be sure we are doing it for him and not just to get a name among other sinners like ourselves.

There is also and ominous note: for those who refuse to return, there is nothing but eternal death.

Let us all take this to heart and approach our God.

Have you understood what Jesus is about?

"LORD, THAT I MAY SEE."

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY ACCORDING TO THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY, 

Gospel

Mark 8:14-21

Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod

1.      The disciples had forgotten to take any food

2.      and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

3.      Then he gave them this warning, ‘Keep your eyes open; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’

4.      And they said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’

5.      And Jesus knew it, and he said to them,

6.      ‘Why are you talking about having no bread?

7.      Do you not yet understand? Have you no perception? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear?

8.      Or do you not remember?

9.      When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?’

10. They answered, ‘Twelve.’

11. ‘And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?’

12. And they answered, ‘Seven.’

13. Then he said to them, ‘Are you still without perception?’

 

Jesus severely reprimands his disciples for their dullness in understanding him and his message. Do we understand any better? The apostles had not yet seen his Death and Resurrection nor experienced Pentecost. We have experienced them all. There is no excuse for us baptised people for being so dull in our response to Jesus. God has blessed us with the light of the Lord Jesus. Still, we may be living in darkness.

The message of the Gospel of Mark is that we are living in enemy-occupied territory. Satan has taken possession of this world and deceives everyone, encouraging them to sin against God and so join him in eternal enmity. Jesus has come to destroy Satan in a war that will last till the end of time. Jesus will be victorious but not without a severe cost to himself. Satan tempts Jesus in every way without success and so unleashes on him the Passion in the hope that he will lose his faith in and love for God. He does everything but here too without success. Jesus dies humbly and lovingly on the Cross. God declares him the victor in the Resurrection and Satan the loser. Creation will eventually be the property and realm of Christ the King.

Though his back is broken Satan continues to roam the world. We must face his attacks and the suffering they cause. He will try everything to destroy us. Life is a warfare. This we must understand and be ready for it. On the battle front we don’t look for comfort. We are ready to attack the enemy. So should we be. The enemy may well wound us. However, if we stay close to the Victor, he will not overcome us.

Harden not your hearts

 "LORD, THAT I MAY SEE."

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY ACCORDING TO THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY.

Gospel

Mark 8:11-13

No sign shall be given to this generation

The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus;

they demanded of him a sign from heaven,

to test him.

And with a sigh that came straight from the heart

he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign?

I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’

And leaving them again and re-embarking,

he went away to the opposite shore.

 

The Pharisees had hardened their hearts. Whatever Jesus said or did, they would oppose him. They were not sincere in their request. Even if he had done such a stupendous miracle, they would not have accepted if it meant surrendering their wills and lives to him. They wanted him and so God on their terms. Jesus leaves them.

The same goes for us. We cannot have God and salvation on our terms. We are to surrender wholeheartedly to him in humble and sincere obedience. Listen to his voice in the Scriptures and his Church. Then he will not leave us but give us every blessing.

“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massa in the desert…For forty years I was wearied of these people…Then I took an oath…Never shall they enter into my rest.” Ps.95.

 

 

With Jesus everyone has enough to eat and more

 'LORD, THAT I MAY SEE.'

A SHORT COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAT ACCORDING TO THE LECTIONARY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Gospel

Mark 8:1-10

The feeding of the four thousand

1.      A great crowd had gathered,

2.      and they had nothing to eat.

3.      So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them,

4.      ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’

5.      His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’

6.      He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’

7.      ‘Seven’ they said.

8.      Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground,

9.      and he took the seven loaves,

10. and after giving thanks

11. he broke them

12. and handed them to his disciples to distribute;

13. and they distributed them among the crowd.

14. They had a few small fish as well,

15. and over these he said a blessing

16. and ordered them to be distributed also.

17. They ate as much as they wanted,

18. and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over.

19. Now there had been about four thousand people.

20. He sent them away

21. and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples,

22. went to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

Jesus is in gentile territory. Although has come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, he does not abandon gentiles. The first time he was in gentile pagan territory, the people asked him to go away. The cost of discipleship seemed too much – the man possessed by the legion of evil spirits was healed but at the cost of the loss of so many pigs. Now they welcome him and stay with him, listening to what he says for three days.

Jesus has deep pity for them because they have nothing to eat and how can he send them away. Many have come from a long distance and without food they will faint.

He then proposes to his disciples that they feed them. They throw up their hands – how can we feed so many people in this desert place. Jesus knows what he is going to do.

He asks for the little they have. He takes it, gave thanks to God for it, and handed them to the disciples to distribute. All had enough and more to eat.

If Jesus is with us, we must have the trust and confidence that he will see us through if we are doing his will. The disciples have forgotten the feeding of the five thousand. It is remarkable but highly possible.  How often we forget previous great blessings of the Lord when in new difficulties.

Jesus has come not only for the Jews but for gentiles too. He will bless them as he blesses the chosen people of Abraham. He gives us real food in the Holy Eucharist. This Food will give us eternal life because it is himself with his Body, Soul, and Divinity. Receiving this food, how can we fear for the future.