THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR, B

Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-34;

2 Cor 8: 7,9,13-15;

Mark 5:21-43

The gospel this Sunday, begins with the information that Jesus Christ crossed

over to the other side with his disciples. “Crossing over to the other side” is

reflected in several places in the gospels. Wherever we see it occurring there is

always an indication that something very important will be taking place. Our Lord

would always cross over to the other side to save a situation, to heal, to teach a

historic lesson or to show forth the active power of God. We saw him last Sunday

crossing over to the other side with his disciples when they encountered a storm

at the middle of the sea.

Life is generally filled with constant crossing over to the other side. Those who

refuse or fail to cross over to the other side often experience failure. Abraham

had to cross over to the other side before God fulfilled His promises to him

(Genesis 12:1). Joseph had to cross over to the other side to attain the height

God planned for him (Genesis 37:28) Moses and the people of Israel had to

cross over to the other side to get to the Promised Land (Exodus 14:21-22).

There are indeed many instances.

As Jesus our Lord crossed over, he healed a woman who suffered from a chronic

bleeding disease and returned the dead daughter of Jairus to life. These healings

teach us that Jesus willed life, and willed full life for all God’s children. The two

healings also reveal Jesus as a generous, kind and compassionate

God Who wills that men should live their wholesome lives fully. They also give

us further proof of the Divine power and the Infinite mercy of our Savior. These

miracles were worked by Jesus as reward for the trusting Faith of a synagogue

ruler and of a woman with a hemorrhage. Although the Faith of the ruler might

have been defective, and the woman’s Faith might have been a bit superstitious,

Jesus amply rewarded the Faith they had by granting them health and life.

As Christians, we believe that Jesus continues to heal us through his instruments

in the medical profession like doctors, nurses and medical technicians. Hence,

when we go to a doctor, we need to offer a prayer to Christ The Divine Healer,

that we may choose the right doctor, and that he or she will make the correct

diagnosis, prescribe the correct treatment and give us the right medicine. Let us

not forget the truth, that Christ still works wonders of healing. Let us also thank

God for the great gift of health and use it for helping those who are sick. As

members of the Church, we are not excused from our vocation to be healers.

We do our share of Christ’s healing mission by visiting the sick, by praying for

their healing, and by boosting their morale with our loving presence, words of

encouragement and inspiration. Thus, we may enable them to experience the

compassion of Jesus the healer.

When we look critically at the Gospel reading, we see that the stories have

several common features. One, Jairus daughter is 12 years old, and the other

woman is said to have been suffering for 12 years. Both of them are called

“daughter,” and both are in need of physical healing. The girl’s father is

encouraged to have Faith, and the older woman is praised for her Faith. The two

stories illustrate Jesus’ power over both chronic illness and death. In each

healing, Jesus shows his marvelous generosity by giving the recipients life and

salvation in addition to physical healing.

When we look at Jairus, he was the ruler of the synagogue, a well-respected

man in the local Jewish community. He was the administrative head of the

synagogue, the president of the board of elders and the one responsible for the

conduct of the services. He probably shared in the Pharisees’ prejudice that

Jesus was a heretic and a wandering preacher to be avoided. If so, the urgency

of his need and the helplessness of the situation prompted him to forget his

position, to swallow his pride and prejudice and to seek help from Jesus the

wandering wonder-worker. As for the woman, it seems she came to Jesus as a

last resort, after trying every other cure known in her day. The Mosaic Law (Lv

15:25-27) declared her unclean and shut her off from the worship of God and the

fellowship of her friends. That may be why she decided to try to touch the

tassels of Jesus' garment secretly. Jesus, like every other Jew, wore an outer

robe with four tassels on it, one at each corner--the badge of a devout Jew as

prescribed (Nm15:38-40).

The woman had been unclean and “unclean” actually became her name. She

was not supposed to touch or be touched because that would make a clean

person ceremonially unclean for the rest of the day. This woman heard that

Jesus was passing by. She reasoned that this same man who changed water

into wine, who cured the famous demoniac the other side of the sea could as well

make her clean. She marched out with faith to Jesus. But unlike Jairus she had

no easy access. However she was not discouraged. She struggled through the

crowd meaning to touch the helm of the garment of Jesus Christ. She believed

that she will be healed by doing so. We can imagine her plight, she was evidently

weak and frail, she could have been pushed down several times in the bid to

touch our Lord, she could have been insulted, scolded, antagonized, but she did

not relent until she touched the helm of the garment of our Lord. When she finally

did she was instantly healed!

The touch Jesus received was significantly different from the ones he had been

receiving so he stopped and asked who touched me! This might have appeared

to be a senseless question as the disciples established. This was because the

crowd was so much and many people were pressing round him. But Jesus was

right; someone actually touched him in a way that was different from others.

Among all in the crowd only one person purposefully made a touch of faith on

Jesus Christ. The woman who was known as “Mrs Unclean” or “Madam with the

issue of blood” was the only one who made a touch of faith on our Lord Jesus

Christ. Upon this faith motivated touch, the woman in question instantly received

her healing. The pain of twelve years turned into pay, the challenge of twelve

years became a chance, the stumbling block of twelve years became a stepping

stone, and the problem of twelve years became a prospect.

Today, we are presented with so many lessons. Firstly there is need for us to

undertake the crossing over to the other side. Jairus left his house and crossed

over to meet Jesus. The woman with the issue of blood had to cross over the

teeming crowd in order to reach and touch Jesus. You may have been at this

side of hopelessness, you may have been at this side of despair, and you may

have also been at this side of fear, doubt and pride. This is the time for you to

cross over to the other side of faith and trust in God. Secondly you are crossing

over to the other side not like the crowd who went to make familiar and

accidental touch. You are crossing over to the other side so that you can make

the touch of faith. Jairus made a touch of faith and the daughter was healed. The

woman with the issue of blood made the touch of faith and she was healed.

Using the woman with the issue of blood as an instance, she had faith and was

ready to make a touch of faith, but she did not have easy access to Jesus. In our

time we have free and easy access to Jesus Christ especially in the Most

Blessed Sacrament, but how many of us touch (receive) with faith? Today we

have allowed the crowd of sin, the crowd of godlessness, the crowd of

worldliness to stand between us and our Lord Jesus Christ, the author of our

faith. Often we allow the crowd in form of tribulations to render us faithless and

thus unpleasing to God (Heb.11:6). It is always at the most trying times that our

faith can be gauged rightly.

As members of the Church, we are not excused from our vocation to be healers.

When a friend of ours is terminally ill, the skill of the doctors and their advanced

medical tools often become powerless. What the patient needs in such a

situation is our care, concern and prayerful presence, enabling them to

experience through us the love, compassion and mercy of Jesus. We do our

share of Christ’s healing mission by visiting the sick, by praying for their healing

and by boosting their morale through our loving presence, encouragement and

inspiration.

It’s true, Jesus does not expect us to raise someone from a physical death but

does He expect that we follow His example? He went out of his way and made a

trip to the official’s home to make sure this little girl was saved. Will we do that?

As we consider a situation where we have been separated from someone, will

we take the first step, as Jesus did? Do we say, “Well, that’s a different story. I

might have to swallow my pride because I wasn’t at fault. The other party was

unreasonable or made a hasty judgement and that caused the

misunderstanding?” Even if that is true, those are the situations in which Jesus

asks us to “follow His lead”. His example today is meant to guide us in our “real

life situations”. Everyone here is not in that situation but most of us occasionally

do make hasty decisions that adversely effect others around us…. a daughter or

a son, a parent, a spouse or a friend.

Yes, as He went out of His way to help the young girl, He is asking us to take the

first step! He is asking us to pick up the phone or to write a letter and try to “bring

to life a relationship that has died”. These are times when we can follow His

example but our pride often prevents us from TAKING that first step. We fear

rejection but fail to remember that Jesus experienced, for our sake, the most

ignominious rejection in the history of the world. His dying for us should give us

strength to analyze personal situations and realize Jesus will give us the strength

to find the courage we need to forget our pride and follow in His footsteps.

We must also analyze our relations with our God. We can become complacent

regarding our life as it relates to our real goal … eternity in Heaven. It is wise to

review that situation also. Does our faith life need to be “resurrected”?

Jesus’ miracle restored human life to a dead young girl. Should we go through

periodic checkups to determine if our spiritual life is dying? Our faith relation to

God should not be taken for granted. Our presence here this morning indicates

we believe what the Bible teaches us but is this relation as strong as it could be?

It’s not difficult to find out. There are not that many benchmarks. We heard, this

morning, from the book of Wisdom where it is written, “By the envy of the devil,

death entered the world, and they who belong to his world experience it.” We

don’t hear much talk about the devil any more but we certainly see the result of

his presence in our modern society. As an example, being involved in excessive

use of drugs and alcohol or involved in sex outside of marriage can place us in

jeopardy of being a “walking spiritual time bomb”. Jesus was a compassionate

man but He was also told us, “If you love Me you will keep My commandments.”

Also, our prayer life must be important to us to be sure our faith is a “living

reality”. How many minutes each day do we spend in prayer? There are 1440

minutes in a day. Can we spend 30 of those minutes saying a rosary, reading the

bible, attending a Mass? Those 30 minutes only represent 2% of each day.

Others in our society might scoff at such an idea but remember that in today’s

gospel Jesus extended Himself on a mission of mercy. He asked for no reward.

And what was the response He received? The crowd ridiculed Him when He

said, “The child is not dead but asleep.” That did not deter Him from His mission.

As He was concerned about the young girl’s life so, too, is He concerned about

our spiritual “life”. As we come to receive His body and blood, today, ask Him to

guide us and to give us the strength to improve our “spiritual life”. When the little

girl rose and walked, the crowd was utterly astounded. We, too, may be utterly

astounded at how much we can accomplish when we call upon Him for

assistance.

Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, B

 



Ezekiel 2:2-5; 
2 Cor 12:7-10 

Mission and Challenges of a Prophet
Mark 6:1-6



 The Bible readings of today speak of the challenges that face a true prophet. First of  all a true prophet does not send himself. He is sent by God. He does not speak on his behalf but on behalf of the one who sent.  He or she is brave, courageous, truthful, and remains the conscience of his or her society, people and next door neighbor. Secondly, a prophet is human, and could even be weak in eloquence and stature.  Besides human weaknesses, he could be rejected by those he, or she is sent to evangelize. Thirdly, there may be many other forms of hardships and sufferings, a prophet must have to endure in the course of fulfilling his or her ministry.
In the case Ezekiel’s ministry captured in today’s first reading, he was sent as a human prophet to preach to the rebellious Israelites.  His prophetic humanity is made clear repeatedly in the entire book of Ezekiel where he is constantly addressed by God, as ‘the son of man” or “mortal,” about 93 times. That Ezekiel knew that he was human, mortal, son of man, imperfect helped him relied totally on the grace of God in his prophecy of hope and change of heart to the exiled community of Israel in Babylon.


In the Gospel reading (Mark 6:1-6) , Jesus also called himself a prophet. Having been insulted and rejected in his home town of Nazareth, Jesus said to himself, “a prophet is not without honor except in his native place among his own kin and his own house.” By calling himself a prophet Jesus recognizes his father who sent him to do his will: baptize the unbaptized, forgive sinners, teach courageously in the synagogue and healed the sick without charge. By calling himself a prophet,  in the likes of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and other Israel’s prophet, Jesus recognizes that human honor was immaterial to the mission that his father had sent him. In spite of his  hardships that span through the garden of Gethsameni and via delorosa and even to the cross(which we relived this afternoon in the Holy Land),  the spirit of the Lord was upon him (Luke 4:18), as he walked his way heroically to the calvary!
Saint Paul  in his mission to the Church in Corinth understood these challenges. In the 2nd reading Paul says, “a thorn in the flesh was given to me, to keep me from been too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Throughout his missionary journeys, Paul, like Ezekiel, and Christ endured insults, hardships, rejections, persecutions, constraints and dishonor, for the sake of Christ.

How many of us today in our various places of ministries first of all would be humble to recognize that we are human,  weak and vunerable? How many realize that they are mere messengers, mortals, sons and daughters of men, like the prophet Ezekiel, or instruments in God’s hands?  Do dishonors, insults, persecutions and hardships, challenges stop us from doing  the good that must be done (love our neighbors,  be charitable and forgiving), or from  preaching the gospel that needs be preached?

Taking Ezekiel, Saint Paul and Christ our prophets, as our prophetic models of depature, may we recognize that there is that hidden divine strength in every seeming human weakness and dishonor we may face in the course of doing good,  evangelizing, or in the course of being faithfully and truly prophetic to our neighbors.


Furthermore, some questions need to be answered: “Do we go to Church as a faith practice or as a mere familiar practice?” “Do we approach the sacraments as a faith practice of as a conventionally familiar practice?” Do we connect to the word of God in faith or as a familiar routine?”  We need to understand and underline the fact that our Lord was unable to do more works in Nazareth because of their lack of faith. The same experience is valid in our day and age. Jesus is ready to do more for you but the quality of your faith can make him do less or none at all. There is need for us to move away from Nazareth.
Jesus came to Nazareth no longer as a mere citizen of the town, but as the messiah with power and authority. He came to the familiar ground with quite unfamiliar arsenals. He came not as a wood carpenter, but as a spiritual carpenter; he did not come to repair broken tables, chairs and farm implements, he rather came to repair the lives of the people. He came as a fulfilment of the prophecy of Ezekiel in the First Reading (2:2-5) which promises the sending of a prophet among the rebels who turned against God. He came not only as Jesus (a common name at the time), but also as the Christ (the anointed one, a name that is peculiar). Our Lord Jesus Christ visited not as a member of the community but as its master, teacher and Lord. The rejection of Jesus today at his home town shows us the tension between familiarity and our faith practice. The rejection of Jesus has continued in our day and age though occurring in different ways and through various “Nazareths”.

Some have grown too familiar with the House of God that we often fail to remember the value and sacredness the House of God. Some of us have grown so familiar with our churches that we don’t mind making noise and engaging in gossips while the liturgy is going on. We have become so conversant with our churches that we don’t mind making and receiving calls, sending and receiving text messages while worship is going on.



Nazareth here stands for doubt and faithlessness in God which gives rise to rejection of Jesus Christ. Nazareth here also stands for our inattention to God’s unlimited power in any circumstance in our lives. In Nazareth we will fail to see beyond the physical familiar grounds, in Nazareth we can only see Jesus as the mere carpenter of woods and not the spiritual carpenter of our souls.  The Nazareth in your life may be as mind boggling and as weakening as the cross St. Paul spoke about in the Second Reading of today (2 Cor.12:7-10). Often God may allows us like St. Paul to go through some crucibles (some thorns in the flesh) to make us not to get too familiar with and lose sight of God’s graces. Like unto St. Paul God is also telling us that His grace will be sufficient to lead us out of that Nazareth.

SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Isa 49:1-6;

Acts 13;22-26

Luke 1:57-66,80

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist, the last but not the least of the prophets in the OT. As a rule, the church celebrates the feast of a saint once a year, on the anniversary of the saint’s death. In the case of John the Baptist, we celebrate his death as well as his birth. John is therefore, the only saint after Christ and the Virgin Mother  whose birth we celebrate with a solemn feast. The feast is celebrated on a Sunday only once every seven years. This is no doubt a special celebration and that is why the Church could still celebrate it on a Sunday and why today’s readings replace the regular Sunday readings- the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time. John the Baptist occupies a very expedient position in the history of salvation being the forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord himself made it clear that John the Baptist occupies a very important position in the entire framework of his salvific mission. A solemnity is therefore, the Church’s way of saying with Jesus that "among those born of women no one is greater than John." 

The gospel story focuses and shows interest in the naming of the child and should help us meditate on the function of names. It is quite in order here to recall that in biblical times, and still today in many African cultures, personal names function the way business names do, that is, they aim to convey what the bearer of the names stand for. When Simon showed that he could be relied on as a leader of the apostles, he got the name "Rock." When the sons of Zebedee, James and John, petitioned Jesus to call down lightning from heaven to burn up the inhabitants of a Samarian village who did not welcome Jesus, they get a new name "Sons of Thunder." Names therefore, reveal an essential character or destiny of the bearer.

“The name, “John,” in Hebrew is “Yehohanan.” It means “The Lord is gracious,” or maybe better, “The Lord shows favor.” His birth signals the beginning of a new era in God-human relationship, an era to be characterized by grace and not by law. God himself gave John that name and it was revealed to his father Zachary in a vision (Luke 1:13). That this name was given the child already before his birth shows that God had a purpose and plan for the child. The words of Isaiah in the first reading apply equally to John: "The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me...he formed me in the womb to be his servant" (Isaiah 49: 1, 5). In the birth of John we see that the philosophy that holds that people come into the world without a purpose, and that it is by exercising their freedom that they create a purpose for their lives is wrong. In John we see that God already has a purpose for His children before they come into this world, and so the challenge of life is for them to discover this purpose and to be faithful to its demands.

The purpose for which God created you and me may require that we walk to a different drumbeat than other people. For John it required that he lived in the desert far from normal human contact and civilization. God’s purpose for his life dictated even the minutest details of how he would dress and eat, since he had to dress in rough animal skin and eat the vegetarian food of locusts and wild honey. He adopted a lifestyle that would enhance his calling in life.

To discern what God is calling us to be we need to cultivate some sort of desert in our lives where we can listen to God. We need to make Samuel’s words to the Lord, "Speak, your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10) part of our daily prayer. And, to be faithful to the call of God, we need the courage and discipline to keep away from any choice of association or lifestyle that does not help us along the path to which God has called us. John is great today not just because God called him to a special vocation but because he walked faithfully in the path that leads to the goal that God had set for him.

The neighborhood in which John was born did not help him to realize his divine calling. In fact they wanted to prevent John from receiving his God-given name and identity. They wanted to give him his father’s name "Zachary." They objected to his being named John because "None of your relatives has this name" (Luke 1:61). For them what a child can be is determined by what his family and lineage has been. Their dream of a wonderful future for the child is limited by his family background. But God’s dream for us far exceeds anything that has been in our family background.

We are also part of God's plan. We have a function, a responsibility to the Kingdom. What exactly is your role? What is my role? We know in general, but the specifics become more evident as life progresses. In general, I am a priest, and therefore I have a role as an intermediary for God's people. You may be married. Therefore, in general, your role is to find God in your spouse and allow him or her to find God in you. You may be a parent. Therefore, in general, your role is to lead your children to God. You may be single. Therefore, in general, your role is to give witness to the world as a dedicated Christian and moral single. You may be a Teen. Therefore you have a role to prepare for your future so you can assume your responsibilities as a leader in the faith. These are our general roles in God's plan, but how about our specific roles?

As we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist and read the marvelous story of how he got his God-given name, let us ask ourselves: If I am now to receive a new name, a name that represents my God-given identity and calling in life, what would that name be? If you do not know your God-given name, the name which represents all that God sent you into the world to be and to accomplish, then it is time to find out by listening in prayer. This is because our greatness as children of God, like the greatness of John the Baptist, consists in discovering what God had created us to be and living out the demands of that call without compromise.

We have a lot to learn today from the birth John the Baptist.  In the first place his life and ministry was totally under divine will and direction. He cued into this divine plan and direction till he died in active service. We have been called individually for specific missions. God has a plan for each and every one of us (Jer. 29:11). We are blessed and greatly too if we discover and work in accordance with God’s plan. Do not work in another person’s plan. Work with the plan God has set for you. Most people have abandoned the life they should live and are living the lives of others. You are special the way you are and God loves you that way.

We see in the life of John the Baptist humility at its best. He never arrogated to himself anything that did not pertain to him. For those who were confusing him with the messiah he said: “I am not the messiah!” (John 1:20). He went further to state that the messiah is greater than him. On the day of Christ’s baptism he also displayed a heart touching humility by asking Christ to rather baptize him. (Matt. 3:14). We are called upon to reflect humility always in our lives. One of the best ways to achieve this is to know our positions and maintain them.

Truth was the hallmark of John’s ministry. We all know that he came to bear witness to the truth. Of course our Lord is the Truth itself (Jn. 14:6). His martyrdom was entirely on account of the truth (Matt. 14:1-12). Our advertence to the truth must be in season and out of season. Truth must always be told because it exalts God.

We can with confidence say that John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament Prophets. In his manner and speech he clearly has something of Jeremiah or Elijah about him. But you could certainly also say that John the Baptist was the first of the New Testament Prophets, the very first of the witnesses to Christ. There is always a need for prophets in the Church and God has not been neglectful in providing them. There are people in our own day who speak up for Christ. In recent times we can think of Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul, Oscar Romero, Josephine Bakhita and so on. We may not consider ourselves saints but each of us can make a spiritual impression on the world in our own way.

Mother Teresa relates this incident from her life. Once a man came to the home for the dying in Kalighat, and just walked straight into the ward. Mother Teresa was sitting there. A while later the man came to Mother and said to her, “I came here with so much hate in my heart; hate for God and hate for man. I came here empty and embittered, and I saw a Sister giving her wholehearted attention to that patient there and realized that God still lives. Now I go out a different man. I believe there is a God and he loves us still.” That sister paved the way for God in that embittered man’s life. John the Baptist, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah was the voice that was making the way straight for the Lord. He facilitated the coming of Jesus. He paved the way for Christ’s coming by his austere life, preaching and death.

Each of us is capable of being a Prophet of the New Testament. Each of us can make an impact for Christ on our neighbours. As we have seen the name John means God will show him favour. But as we recognise this favour is shown not only to John, it is shown to all of us. Paul was invited to say a few words in the synagogue of Antioch he stood up and gave the beautiful account of the history of salvation that we heard in the second reading today. And he concluded it by saying to his Jewish brothers: this message of salvation is meant for you. He speaks to the Jews of Antioch but he also speaks to us. This message of salvation is meant for us too. We receive the salvation Christ won for us but we are also, like John, its heralds. We too proclaim a Baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. We too reject sin and proclaim our belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Eleventh Sunday of the Year, B

ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR B

Ez 17.22-24; 2 Cor 5.6-10; Mk 4.26-34

We walk by Faith Not by Sight

When we turn to the readings proposed for our meditation this Sunday for some instructions for life, our Lord puts before us in the Gospel passage two “growing” parables.  The first reading and the Gospel passage speak about seeds, the root of all great things, which germinate and grow into great trees with accommodative branches for birds of the air. All that a seed requires is a fertile soil to germinate and to produce abundantly.  A good seed would thus need a good soil; if either is deficient the outcome will be a depreciated harvest. In the parable it is as if man simply sleeps and wakes, day after day and the seeds we sow just sprout and grow of course with God being in control.  

In the first reading, Ezekiel tells us how the Lord God of Israel will send a descendant of King David as His Messiah and the Savior of the world. The Messiah is originating in a royal family (lofty Cedar, David). In the second reading, St. Paul teaches the Corinthian Christians that they are to advance the growth of God’s Kingdom and His rule in their lives by doing His will so that they may be amply rewarded in the final judgment. In the Gospel passage, Jesus compares the growth of the Kingdom of God to the germination of a wheat seed and that of a tiny mustard seed. Both have very small beginnings. The wheat seeds, by gradual but steady growth, give the farmer a bumper crop. In the same way, the life principle in a tiny mustard seed enables it to grow into a large bush. The reign of God in human hearts and the growth of the Church in the world also have small beginnings. But the Source of all life, God the Holy Spirit, gives to both a steady, persistent and gigantic growth, provided we cooperate with His grace.

The first parable on the seed growing secretly and invisibly is about many of us who have not been able to rise to the average level of livelihood because they do not appreciate the fact that great things begin small. Many have the intention of becoming successful men and women but wish to start big.  Often such people experience great setbacks before the first anniversary of their enterprise.  This is not the experience even from the Bible:

Abraham to whom God made the promise of being the father of a great nation came from the then small insignificant city of Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen. 11:28, 15).

Joseph who became a prime minister in the palace of Pharaoh was a prime suspect awaiting death sentence. (Gen. 39.20; 40.41-45).

Moses who later became the instrument of liberation for the people of Israel from Egypt was salvaged from the riverside by the daughter of pharaoh. (Ex. 2.5).

David the youngest of the sons of Jesse was finally chosen and anointed the king of Israel ( I King 16.11-13).  The smallest became the greatest.

Most of the judges and Prophets were men and women of little worth, but the little in them became great and helpful for the entire nation.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came from the small and insignificant town of Nazareth to become the Saviour of the world.  Of course we are familiar with the saying: Can anything good come from Nazareth?”. (Jn 1.46). 

These are not the only biblical examples of individuals  who made it in life starting small.  All these challenge those of us who, because of the setbacks, problems and obstacles in life, think that God is doing nothing in the world to look more closely.   God is still very much active in our world and He is still in control, leading the world to its appointed purpose, the time of harvest.

The Lord likened the Kingdom to a mustard seed which, though small, grows to become a great tree with comfort rooms for the birds of the air.  From the first reading and the Gospel passage we discover that the seed and the twig are at first small, tender and vulnerable. They could at most be neglected.  The power is not actually physical, hence it lies within them and they begin to manifest their potentials when they are planted on a receptive soil. In the prophecy of Ezekiel in the first reading, God promised that He will take a twig from the cedar tree and plant it on the mountain and it shall grow, bear fruits and be a place of comfort for the birds of the air.

The parable also challenges those of us who expect God to intervene in our lives with immediate flashes of lightning and thunder to realize that God does not often act in such sensational ways.  People who want God to act with visible immediacy are like Elijah on Mount Horeb, who expected to experience God in a hurricane, in an earthquake and in fire (I Kg 19.11-12), only to be disappointed.  He was finally able to experience God in the still small voice – God is not sensational.

The passage is a call to us all to be patient, even in an apparent lack of progress. Very often we wonder how, despite all efforts we are putting into life, we are not yet saints; we wonder how in spite of all the effort we still are far from being “as perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5.48). The passage assures us that so long as we abide in God, the seed of faith sown in us will continue to grow and bear abundant fruits for the Harvest. 

In the second parable of the Mustard seed, Jesus compares the reign of God in this world to “a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its branches.” (Mk 26.31-36).

In a sense we are connected with this parabolic seed.  Left alone we are nothing; we are small, fragile, vulnerable and even powerless.  But through Baptism we are united with Christ and it is through this union, as is being planted on a good soil that we grow, mature and become big solid trees.  It is not surprising then for St Paul to say that he can do all things through Christ who gives him strength (Phil 4.13).

This should be a challenge to us who are reluctant to believe and discount the little things we do for God and are negligent in doing the little everyday things we do for the Kingdom of God to grow in the world and through us. As Christians we are expected to bear fruits, we are expected to be charitable and accommodating.  If God has given us increase, we are expected to give others increase.  Some of us are however, unfortunately so sure of failure more than we trust in the power of God to lead us to the next level in life.

It is true that we cannot stop wars, but we can sow seeds of compassion, justice and forgiveness in order to make this world a better place to live in.  We cannot abolish prejudice, but we can be courteous and kind and have genuine respect toward those around us who are “different” from us.  We cannot end crime and political corruption, but we can be honest in all our dealings with fellow human beings. We cannot wipe out poverty, but we can help those in need. If we have patience and hope, eventually the harvest of what we have planted will take its appearance:  Nations will be reconciled; human rights restored; the vulnerable innocent will be protected, the unwanted cared for and the hungry given food. We may not necessarily even see these results in our life time, but the next generation will.

All of these are mustard seeds, little things that God turns into very significant things, small things that in the divine economy become big things. We should stop selling ourselves short, selling ourselves cheaply, and considering ourselves to be of little worth in the big scheme of things.

As we continue with the liturgy of this Sunday, let us continue to model our lives after the mustard seed or more appropriately adopt the mustard seed mentality by our humility, patience, obedience, and love. May we remember and sustain the fact that great things start small.

7th Sunday of Easter Year

Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26; 1 John 4: 11-16 and John 17:11b-19

 “Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying, “ Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one”(John 17:11b).

Today we march into the last but one Sunday of Easter and the last Sunday before Pentecost. There is no better day to read the Gospel passage where, our Lord Jesus Christ was seen praying to God the Father in a very exceptional way. This is traditionally known as the priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. The highlight of his prayer was the need for his disciples (which includes all of us) to be one as he is one with the Father. “

But why was that supplication very important to our Lord Jesus Christ? Why was he wishing that they all be one? We need to note that Jesus was preparing his disciples for the Post Ascension or Pre- Pentecost periods of evangelization and demands of discipleship so it is relevant that he considers what will become of the Disciples and the Church after Jesus’ Ascension to the Father? Today’s readings are in this sense very relevant to us today who presently live in a broken world, plague with wars, and all kinds of divisions,

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

                                                 Acts 10: 25-26.34, 44-48; I jn 4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17

As we launch into the Sixth Sunday of Easter, our Lord began his exhortation in the Gospel passage, with the commandment to love and ended with that. We must not therefore take it lightly. Hence we are called upon to attend and be attentive to the Lord’s command that we must love one another as he loved us. Love is actually the fundamental phenomenon that drives the Christian life. Hence without love there will definitely be no Christianity. The message today is clear, we must love and not hate just as God continuously and continually love us.

It must be very flattering to hear that we are ‘chosen’, especially when we have Jesus tell us that He, personally, chose us and it was not us choosing Him.  Well, maybe after that first blush, a certain concern enters our mind.  We begin to realize that, along with the joy of being chosen, there also comes with it a certain degree of responsibility.  For some of us, following Christ becomes too difficult a choice to make.  We’re just too caught up in the world, the flesh and the devil and a tension develops between what we know is right and what we are doing with our lives.  Instead of becoming

Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

The Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Acts 9:26-31

I John :18-24;

John 15:1-8

A four engine was halfway to its destination when the pilot's voice comes across the loudspeaker (which are never all that loud), "Those of you on the left side of the plane have probably noticed that one of our engines has failed. Please, don’t be alarmed. We can still fly on three engines, but we will probably arrive about 30 minutes late." A few minutes later the pilot's calm voice was heard again: "Those of you on the right side of the plane are probably aware that a second engine has failed. Please don’t be alarmed. We can make it on two engines, though we will probably be at least an hour late now."  A few minutes later the pilot spoke to the passengers: "It has just come to my attention that a third engine has failed. Please don’t be alarmed. We can make it to the airport on one engine. However, we will arrive approximately 1 ½ hours late."  One passenger turned to another and said, "Boy, I hope that fourth engine doesn't fail, or we could be up here all night!"

When traveling on a plane, we are completely dependent on the mechanics who service the plane’s engines and on the expertise of the pilot. I have to rely totally on a machine that is way too heavy to be flying through the air and will come down if there is a mechanical or electronic failure. When we go out to eat we trust that the chef is providing good fresh food.  When we switch on an electrical appliance, we depend on the manufacturer’s skill to make something that won’t blow up in our faces.  When you think about it, we are dependent on so many people. We trust them to do their job so that we can live safe and happy lives.

Mike, a helicopter pilot was home on leave from the navy and over dinner was telling his father all about the choppers he flew often in very dangerous conditions far out at sea. He concluded by saying that his life and that of the crew depended on one bolt – the bolt that held the huge whirling rotor in place. The mechanics had named this the ‘jesus’ bolt. You can see why. Without the ‘jesus’ bolt they would be doomed. Their safe return home depended entirely on this one bolt.

That is a modern parable of what Jesus is telling us in the reading from John’s Gospel today when he says, "I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me" (John 15:5). You don’t have to know too much about gardening and plants to realize that a tree, shrub or any plant as far as that goes, depends on the trunk and the root system for it to be happy and healthy. To use the imagery of the ‘jesus’ bolt, you might say the trunk of the vine is the ‘jesus’ trunk because without it the vine is dead.

A man once planted cucumbers in his backyard. He had made sure that the ground was well prepared. He bought the best cucumber seedlings and set to work with the skill of a man who had planted cucumbers for many seasons. To his delight, soon he had cucumber vines all across his back yard. The plants were green and healthy. One day, he noticed that some of the leaves didn’t look as green as the others.

Not many days later, some of the leaves were as good as dead. He followed the vines with the dead leaves until he got back to the main plant. There, at the base of the main stem, he noticed that some kind had almost eaten through the stem. The cucumber plant was dependent on the main stem for water and nourishment. Life giving juices flow from the main stem to the branches and enables high-quality delicious fruit to appear. It's not possible to produce fruit without being connected to it stem. Even though the man had cultivated the ground carefully and watered daily, the cucumber vines were unable to receive that goodness and so withered and died.

The opening sentence of the second reading today states the theme that  unites today's readings: 'Little children, let us love in deed and truth and not merely talk about it' (1 Jn 3:18). The first reading from Acts shows how difficult it is to practise love in human communities, the Gospel shows how clear-cut the choice for love must be. These are no nonsense readings which do not minimize the difficulties or the demands involved in living in love.

In the first reading from Acts, Saul is in tension with believers and non-believers. First Saul tries to join the company of the disciples in Jerusalem. He has experienced conversion, but the apostles are suspicious of this former persecutor of the church. Barnabas intercedes on his behalf, and Saul is recognised by the believers in Jerusalem. Next, Saul reaches out to the Greek-speaking Jews in Jerusalem. They utterly reject his message and even try to kill him. Saul escapes to Tarsus and there takes up his work with the Gentile church. Things turn out well for him in the end, but this episode makes it clear that conversion does not insure an end to all difficulties. The decision to live and love in truth and deed has its price. The note that the church 'was being built up and was making steady progress in the fear of the Lord; at the same time it enjoyed the increased consolation of the Holy Spirit' makes this same point. The decision to work at faith and not merely talk about it requires effort and practice. Love is not static, it grows.

Today's second reading is a consoling message that makes simple the requirements of faith: we must believe in the name of God's Son, Jesus Christ, and we must love one another as God commanded. In a sense, this reading bridges the passages from Acts and John. Acts shows the cost of loving one another. The Gospel shows what it means to believe in the name of God's Son, Jesus Christ. The first letter of John explains how we can remain in Christ, 'from the Spirit that he gave us'. As God is greater than our hearts, so too might we hope that God is greater than our fears that we will have neither the courage to practice love nor the sense to know what it means to remain in Christ. The letter of John assures us that the Spirit is a gift already given.

The Gospel is at first glance a beautiful image of unity with Christ:  'I am the vine, and you are the branches'. The point of the passage is Jesus' open invitation, 'Abide in me as I abide in you'. Whereas the closed suspicion and rejection of the Jerusalem community were troublesome to Saul after his conversion, the openness of Jesus presents its own problems to those who stand on the edge of wholehearted conversion. Jesus says quite simply, make a choice to bear abundant fruit or make a choice to do nothing. We either live as part of the true vine or we do not. The message of this passage puts before us the sombre choice that we are either fruitful branches, by which John means we live in love, or we are branches cut off from the living vine. Little is concealed by the choice required by the Gospel. The truth is that our deeds are love or they are not.

The readings of the fifth Sunday of Easter also call for conversion. We are called to be doers of the word. Gifts given are to be shared, and we are cautioned about the cost of rejection by other believers and non-believers and about the necessity of letting God prune away those growths that sap our energies to grow in love and to bear abundant fruit in the Risen Christ. Such is God's invitation, 'Live in me and let me live in you'.

In a similar way, as Christians, we need our true vine, Jesus Christ. When Jesus says, "I am the vine, and you are the branches" he is talking about the very special relationship that exists between him and us. We are dependent on him for everything we need in our daily life - from food, health, family and good friends to love, forgiveness, hope, comfort and eternal life.

Apart from him we would be like the cucumber vine with its wilting leaves. Without being joined to the main stem and roots we would die. As Jesus said, "If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you can’t do anything without me" (John 15:5 CEV).

We were joined to Jesus at our baptism. You might say that when the water of baptism was poured over us we were grafted into the vine, Jesus. We were intimately connected to him, his death and resurrection, and received from him all that we need to sustain our lives. We are connected to him when we come here to worship, and when we hear his Word. It doesn’t matter how much we think we know about the Bible or how many times we have read it, we need the life-giving nourishment that God’s Word offers. As we read and study it, God’s Word offers us strength in the face of new situations.

We are joined to Jesus when we receive his body and blood in Holy Communion. We are refreshed and freed from the guilt of our sin. Our faith is strengthened as we are nourished through God’s Word and Sacrament. The Holy Spirit works through these and enables our life in Christ to grow, to be made stronger, and to keep us close to God when the chips are down.  If we don’t eat and drink every day we become sick and maybe even die. Likewise as branches of the true vine, Jesus, we are kept healthy and alive because we are connected to the source of life. The translators of the New Testament have used various words to describe this connection. Whether we talk of ‘abiding’, ‘remaining’, or ‘being joined’, one thing is clear being connected to Christ is crucial. It is the only way to a complete life. When we plant a cucumber patch we expect to have a crop of cucumbers. From the grape vine we expect a crop of juicy grapes. And so it is with us. Jesus is the vine, we are branches and from the branches Jesus says he expects to find a lot of fruit. To be joined to Christ, to be a branch that is grafted into the vine Jesus means to "bear fruit". The kind of fruit that should be evident in our lives is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). The fruit we bear shows itself in very practical ways.

If you are joined to Christ you cannot look the other way when someone is in need.  If you are joined to Christ you don’t cross the street to avoid the person with whom you have had a disagreement. As a branch attached to Christ we don’t hold back our forgiveness, we try to be understanding and helpful, we want to be encouraging instead of being negative and critical.

Being connected to Jesus means that you will seek reconciliation instead of adding fuel to disharmony. It means showing love and patience to those whom you think don’t deserve it. In other words, being joined to Jesus has practical implications for the way we live our every day lives. This nice picture of the vine, branches and fruit is not some theoretical thing. It isn’t a matter of having a nice warm feeling about being closely connected to Jesus. It isn’t something we nod our heads in agreement here in this church and then forget about it until next time. Bearing fruit isn’t an optional extra.

To have a good crop of grapes it is necessary for the vines to be pruned. Pruning is essential for a good harvest. It isn’t too long before the vine looks lovely and leafy with bunches of grapes hanging from the new growth.  Jesus is saying that all the useless foliage in our lives need to be cut away. We may think this foliage makes us look attractive especially to the world, but it may not in anyway help us to bear fruit that will bring glory to God.

In business greed, selfishness and disregard for the feelings of people or for their needs might be the way to get ahead, but must be pruned away to allow the fruit of generosity, kindness and humility to grow. It might be acceptable to others to indulge in sex outside of marriage, run down people behind their backs, or participate in some harmful act that endangers our health and lead others astray but these must be pruned away if we are to show the fruit of care, understanding, and self-control. You might think that it’s okay to be unkind, grumpy and intolerant of your spouse or children, but these must be pruned away if you are to grow the fruit of love, peace, and patience.

To bear the kind of fruit that Jesus is looking for means to prune away all this foliage so that the Holy Spirit can cause real fruit to grow – the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience and self control. Jesus, we receive the nourishment we need to live as his disciples. We receive the forgiveness we need for our failures; we grow in our understanding of what it means to be a baptised person in everyday living.

We are still in the Easter season. Because the vine lives, so do the branches. The life of Christ flows to us though the Word and Sacraments. As Jesus said,"I am the vine you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit…," - the fruit of faith and good deeds. May the life-giving sap of Christ’s love make us all fruit bearing branches.