First Sunday of Lent

Also Read: Mass Readings for 26 February 2023 Mass Reading Reflection for 26 February 2023

Gospel: Matthew 4: 1-11

With ash on our forehead, we have entered the season of Lent. Jesus is giving example from the front like a brave hero. His forty days of fasting in anticipation of the mission are something any serious Christian shall emulate. He also teaches us to resist temptations, which is very important in the Christian life.

Many movies and paintings have depicted scenes of temptation, and we are familiar with them. Most of them have depicted the tempter as an ugly creature, with long tails, dark-skinned, with horns, and so on. Not all devils are dark and ugly! Not all angels are fair, good-looking, and with a halo!

The tempter was polite in his dealings. He was apparently concerned and sympathetic that Jesus must be hungry after 40 days of fasting and prayer. Like a motivational trainer, he challenged him to prove that He was the Son of God. He did not ask Jesus to break any of the ten commandments. He just suggested a shortcut to overcome the immediate issue, of hunger, and fatigue. Jesus refused the shortcut. A shortcut when it violates the Divine plan is sin. It is part of the Divine decree that man shall work and convert soil to bread.  Not that Jesus had not the authority. He bypassed this rule twice by multiplying bread a thousandfold to feed hungry listeners. But He would not do that to satisfy His hunger. So, beware of shortcuts! Beware of those who offer you shortcuts!

Then the devil is suggesting a jump to fame. An invitation to be an instant celebrity! A temptation to misuse His divinity to pull the crowd to Him. Jesus rejected it because even when the goals are noble, misusing your gifts is sinful. Owing to your office or authority, you have certain privileges. Use them, but never misuse them! Refrain from the temptation to be an instant celebrity.  Take the long route to your success!

The third temptation is to compromise. Compromise on rules, if you want power and glory on earth! An outright suggestion to violate the very first commandment! Why did the devil have the audacity to attempt it against Jesus? Probably his experience! When power and glory are offered, even those very religious happen to compromise. Be watchful when you consider a compromise!

The tempter used the word of God to make his points. If your knowledge of the Bible is partial, then be careful! You could be trapped using parts of the scripture itself! Read your Bible daily. Read it from Genesis to Revelation. If Jesus had to use the scriptures to defend Himself against Satan, how much more do we need the Bible!!? Forgive me for repeating myself, but dedicate at least half an hour daily to reading the Bible. I hope and pray many have started the holy habit. Today is the right day to start it if you haven’t started it.

Defend yourself against temptations, using the word of God, and remind yourself that even when tempted to the core, Jesus is with you!

Amen.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Also Read: Mass Readings for 19 February 2023 Mass Reading Reflection for 19 February 2023

Gospel: Matthew 5: 38-48

The second-mile miracle. *

The first mile is mandatory. You have no choice. You have to accompany the occupier Roman citizen with his luggage. When Jesus told his listeners to accompany him for a second mile, his listeners could understand it better. He was not talking about accompanying a friend for a walk or drive; he was talking about carrying the luggage of the occupying Roman citizen an extra mile. As if the first mile itself is not humiliating enough!

Christ is different. Christians are ought to be different. Christians are supposed to go the extra mile. The second mile is a miracle. A lot can happen over the second mile.

Second miles make heroes out of ordinary people. When we read of the greatest of all time in sports, they all invariably practice the sport more than most of their competitors. They sacrifice a lot to stay at the top. The story is the same with legends like Pele, Messi, Michael Tal, Sachin Tendulkar and so on.

Great leaders are marked by their willingness to go the extra mile. Leaders like George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela could obtain the liberation of their respective people because they were ready to go the extra mile. They never had to. Yet they decided to. And many were inspired to join them and willingly walked the extra mile with them.

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta could feed millions of poor because she willingly started walking extra miles with Jesus, and her life inspired many to walk with her extra miles.

It was the great scientists and inventors who travelled extra miles that made human progress possible.

Think of your beloved mothers and fathers; it wasn’t always easy for them. They had to walk many extra miles to make sure that you get food on the table, you get well educated, you get protected, you have decent clothes, you stay healthy, and so on.

In any parish that goes well, you can find those people, who would go the extra mile so that everything is smooth. The story is the same in any organization.

We need to be grateful to them for walking the extra mile and making our homes, institutions, and nations work.

And, we ought to be inspired by them to walk the extra mile to make this world a better place. Start with your family. Do something extra for your parents, spouse, children, or siblings. It could just be cutting short your time outside and returning home early. You may not get an instant appreciation. But you start setting a new trend and a blessed family tradition. Anyone can volunteer to do the dishes or clean the house before they are asked to. Families shall reflect heaven if they have members ready to go the extra mile for one another. Forgiving before being asked to, is another mode of walking the extra mile.

Jesus is the role model for everyone who would like to walk the extra mile. He left heaven for 33 years to walk with us, sinners. He offered himself on the cross so that our sins are forgiven, and we become worthy of His company here on earth and there in heaven. Nobody has walked the extra mile like Jesus. Start walking the extra mile with Jesus. You shall be walking all the way to heaven.

Amen.

* The second mile. (A short story by an unknown author)

It was almost sunset and Lazarus was on his way home. He was a happy lad 16 years old. He would avoid the highway of the Romans as far as possible. But today he had to cross it to go home. And a Roman soldier appeared from nowhere. Lazarus was ordered to carry his luggage; that was legal. Any Roman soldier or citizen could demand the local subject to carry his luggage for one mile.

He cursed himself for not being careful enough. He wondered, why God is not sending the promised Messiah and liberating them from this ignominy. With the burden on his shoulder, he walked behind the strong soldier. ‘Attempting escape could be suicidal’, he suppressed his inner urge.

He remembered the man he saw earlier that afternoon. He told strange things. He told us to love the enemies and gift the tunic to the one who took away my cloak. Pray for those who persecute you. He was strange!

Ah!, he told me to go two miles with the one who compels me to accompany one mile. He must be crazy! ‘I must get rid of the baggage at the next milestone and run as fast as I can’, he told to himself.  

‘The man was charming and had magic in his eyes. He was so convincing. But he was foolish too.’ He told himself.

Suddenly the man in front turned and gestured for him to put the bag on the ground. Lazarus put it on the floor gently. It was the first time he did so; he would rather drop it from his head. The man and his words flashed once again in his mind; why not give it a try?

“If you want, I shall carry it for one more mile.” The Roman could not believe his ears; neither could Lazarus believe he said it. “Okay then, carry it,” said the Roman while helping him lift the bag.

“What is your name?” asked the Roman after a while. Both introduced themselves to each other. By the time they covered the second mile, they shared a lot about themselves and other things in their lives. They were walking side by side unlike in the first mile, and they overlooked that.

The second mile was shorter! They did not feel the distance in the conversation. The Roman helped him to lower the luggage. He opened his bag and took out some dried figs and nuts and offered them to Lazarus and told, “tell me more about the man you met today.” The Roman eagerly listened to the story Lazarus told.

“I wanted to give a try of what was told, ‘Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles’, that is the reason of me offering to carry your luggage for the second mile,” concluded Lazarus. “The second mile is indeed a miracle,” said the Roman, “and Jesus of Nazareth must be a miracle, I must see him one day.”

“The second mile is a pure miracle,” Lazarus muttered to himself as walked home, “now I have a Roman friend!”

It was a dark night, but Lazarus did not care, because he had a light inside!

1. A request to the reader: I have retold a story heard some time back. If anyone knows the author, please share it in the comment section. The original author has to be acknowledged and appreciated for giving us this beautiful story. 

2. Courtesy: Go the Second Mile, O S Hawkins, an article published in the website: ‘Faith Gateway’.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Also Read: Mass Readings for 12 February 2023 Mass Reading Reflection for 12 February 2023

Gospel: Matthew 5: 17-37

The Exodus is the history of God liberating Israel from the bondage of Egypt. The Lord repeatedly demands that His people be set free to worship Him. (Ex 5:1, 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, 10:3). God the Lord intervened in the history of Israel and Egypt in a decisive way so that the chosen people worship Him free. Thus, the purpose of securing freedom for Israel was to worship God freely.

But today Jesus is asking his audience to withhold from worshipping God; don’t bother to worship if you have a discord with your brother. If you are not free from the bondage of anger and hatred you are not worthy to offer any sacrifice; such offerings are just unacceptable. Slavery to anger, hatred, lust, and greed block us from worshipping God, far more than political slavery. The gospel we heard cautions us about such slaveries. Our prayers and worship do not matter if we are still slaves to anger, hatred, lust, greed, and the like. The God who intervened in a decisive manner to liberate Israel is still active and is calling for our spiritual liberation.  In fact, He has already paid the ransom and liberated us, but if we still choose bondage our prayers and worship are just a waste of time and resources.

Let us focus on the second theme, “Do not kill…” (Mt 5, 21). Jesus is icing the Old Testament command, ‘do not kill’; until then the command ‘do not kill’ was read as a passive command, asking men to refrain from the act of physical killing. Jesus is unveiling the active part of the command and thus fulfilling the laws and prophets of the Old Testament. Refraining from the physical act of killing alone shall not qualify to call oneself obedient to the law. It is an active command.

It is not enough that ‘live and let live’; it has to be ‘live and help live’. To live and help live, one has to restrain anger and kill hatred within. If anger controls you rather than you control anger, insults are bound to be part of your vocabulary. Those insults kill the esteem and confidence of many. Anger has killed so many beautiful relationships.

If anger is instantaneous hatred lasts long. It hurts you more than it hurts anyone else. It kills your health: physical, mental, and spiritual health. It kills your ability to love and forgive.

Hence, Jesus gives the command to reconcile. It is ‘reconcile and help reconcile’! “Therefore, if …you recall that your brother has anything against you… go first and be reconciled with your brother…”. His grudge against you is no more his problem alone, it is your problem too. God is ready to wait for a while. Your worship and offerings are not as important as your reconciliation with your brother. Worship is considered an insult to God if you are not in terms with your brother, sister, or neighbor.

Jesus started his mission by calling out, “repent, the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt 4:17). But today he adds something vital when he declares, “I tell you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” The Kingdom of God is so close, but unless we forgive one another and reconcile with everyone we are not going to make it.

Do you find it hard to forgive and reconcile? Jesus is there to help you. He forgave those who crucified him and went to the extent of praying for them. When we start to pray for those who have hurt us, we have taken an important step in reconciliation.

If you think it is too hard to forgive, seek his help, and try to learn from Jesus. Jesus is here to help you. Start enjoying worshipping God free from all sorts of slavery.

Amen.

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Also Read: Mass Readings for 05 February 2023 Mass Reading Reflection for 05 February 2023

Gospel: Matthew 5: 13-16

“Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket,” said Jesus. No sensible man shall light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket; much less God the Father. As a Christian, you are meant to shine and shine for many. You are meant to shine wherever you are. You may be in a household with a few family members, but you are meant to shine the light of Jesus there. You may be part of a multinational company; you are meant to reflect Jesus there. You are meant to radiate Jesus among your friends, colleagues, family, and even among the strangers you encounter every day.

Today’s gospel is part of the famous sermon on the mount and a continuation of the beatitudes we read last Sunday. The setting of the sermon on the mount is worth reflecting on. We read, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak,” (Mt 5:1-2a). The crowd was the spark to give the sermon, but the sermon was given to a handful of disciples. A handful of disciples, consisting of his apostles and a few others who followed Jesus closely, were the audience. Jesus was telling the small group of people that they were the salt and they were the lamps lit on the lamp stand.

We live in a world where many call themselves Christians and a few cares to live a Christian life. We are concerned about the many who ignore the call to live according to the commandments. We often get upset with our friends and family members who would not accompany us to the church. Express your disappointment in a gentle manner, never costing a valuable relationship. Because we are meant to salt them. 

Salt has three uses as per the Old Testament; to flavor, to preserve the food, and to be part of the incense that burned on the sacred altar (Ex 30:34-35, “the incense… salted, pure, and holy”). The faithful have to be salt having all three properties. We are meant to be the flavor of the world; we are meant to preserve the world and we are meant to be a part of the sacred offering on the altar.

While Jesus was telling the handful of disciples, “You are the salt of the earth”, He was pointing to the crowds below the mount. The very Jesus is telling the handful of us in the church, ‘you have to add flavor to the multitudes outside the church. It is your faith, your perseverance, your love, and your faithfulness that is going to preserve the world.

A handful of just can save a whole city.  In the book of Genesis, we see Abraham interceding for Sodom before God. God promised to preserve Sodom if he could find at least 10 just people there (Gen 18:25-33). Let us be thankful for the handful of just people, on account of whom God has spared our families, our parishes, our towns, our nations, and our world. Although we may not know many of them, we owe them our lives. Today Jesus is asking us to emulate them.

Yes, we can! Our prayers, our fasting and penance, our acts of mercy, and our just lives can flavor and preserve the world. They make the sacrifice we offer on the altar pleasing to God. Jesus is looking forward to us salting the world. He is eager to put us on the lampstand of his choice. Be bold and say amen to his invitation to be the salt and lamp for the world. The world may or may not appreciate you. But Jesus appreciates you.

Amen.