“Receiving the touch of the Lord, in order to be safe, from being drowned in the troubled waters of life!”

(Based on Phil 1:1-11 and Lk 14:1-6 – Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

For our reflection today, we shall make a verse by verse analysis of the Gospel Passage…

The passage under consideration is the Healing of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath Day.

Let us carefully reflect on this amazingly dramatic incident…

The passage begins with the statement, “On a Sabbath, Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees…” (Lk 14:1a)

Here was an invitation of a high and elite nature…

A leading Pharisee of the Jewish society had called Jesus to his home.
He was joined by many other scholars of the Law and the Pharisees.

Maybe it was a show of one’s status and pride and dignity as a great Pharisee…

Maybe it was another chance for the critics of Jesus to find something to crib about him…

“…and the people there were observing Him carefully…” (Lk 14:1b)

To be invited for a dinner was something nice and pleasant…

But to be invited to become an object of observation and scanning was bad enough.

“The people were observing Him carefully” suggested a suspicious action…

It was as if, some thieves were waiting eagerly to strike on their target…

It was as if, some fierce lions, were stealthily preparing to pounce upon their prey…

And then comes the bait “In front of him, there was a man suffering from dropsy” (Lk 14:2)

What’s dropsy?

Dropsy was a condition in which there was an unnatural collection of serous (pale yellow and transparent) fluid in any cavity of the body.

Dropsy was water retention in the body.

Dropsy itself was not a disease, but a symptom of a disease.
It could be a number of things – complications of the liver or kidney or the heart or all three!

In the Jewish understanding, someone who had this condition of dropsy, was seen as a great sinner, even related to being a sexual sinner.

This sickness was a pointer to the man’s condition of being highly unclean!

But to bring back our attention to the Gospel…
Was this not a setting of a dinner?
Was not Jesus called for a meal…
… and that too, a dinner with the elite and leading religious people…
… and that too, on a Sabbath day?!

Then what was a man with dropsy, a serious condition of uncleanness, doing there?

The plot of the drama seems to be thickening…

The setup seems to be getting clear…

The Pharisees have invited Jesus for a meal, yes… but probably with a hidden and a mean agenda:

Drop a man with dropsy in front of Jesus… and observe what he does!

They knew Jesus had the power to heal…
… but they also knew that it would lead to violation of the Sabbath!
They wanted Jesus to violate the Sabbath to give proof that He was not from God!

The Rabbinical rule was that one could only be doctored if one was going to die immediately on the Sabbath.

But if death is not imminent, wait till the Sabbath is over.

But Jesus had time and again proved, that he had no regard for that lack of compassion or for the folly of that legalism.

In Lk 6:6-11, Jesus healed a withered man, on the Sabbath…
In Lk 13: 10-17, Jesus healed a woman, crippled for eighteen years, on the Sabbath…

So, He asks the guests gathered around, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?” (Lk 14:3)

Jesus knew their answer.

Jesus knew their perspective of things.
Yet He wanted them to tell.

“… but they kept silent” (Lk 14:4a)…

They knew the answer too.
They knew it was unlawful.
Still they did not tell Him.

Sheer hypocrisy!
Absolute malicious trapping!
Horrifying trick of deception!

And then Jesus does something astonishing…
“… he took the man, and after he had healed him, dismissed him” (Lk 14:4b)

The Greek word used for “took” is a very very strong verb….”Epilambano”

“Epilambano” literally means to lay hold of or to seize upon anything with the hands

(It is the same word used in…
… Lk 23:26, when the soldiers seized Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross
… Acts 16:19 to say that Paul and Silas were seized and dragged by their persecutors..)

The cruel silence of the crowd provokes Jesus, to strongly seize the afflicted man!

He doesn’t work the miracle in hiding or quietly or from a distance!

Rather, with much force, He just grabs the man, seizes him, crushes him in His arms…
… as if to squeeze the fluid out and give him a new heart, a new liver, and a new self and creates in the man a whole new set of internal organs.

And finally Jesus justifies His action with another thundering question, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath?” (Lk 14:6)

A beautiful picture indeed…

Jesus asks them, “None of you would have allowed your son or ox to drown in the waters, isn’t it?

Then why don’t you see, that I have also saved from drowning…
… this man with dropsy, drowning in his own fluid!?

Another total silence by the onlookers!

Am I also silent now?

There is much to learn from this dramatic incident, isn’t it?

May this dramatic Gospel incident, become…
… a wonderful inspiration, for us… who need the touch of the Lord, from being drowned in the troubled waters of life!
… a hard warning, for us… who malign other’s lives by seeking to find ways and means to trap them in the works of goodness!
… a tremendous booster, for us… who often get bogged down by troubles of life & instead to be bold to the hard & gritty challenges of life!

Let the prayer of St Paul become a reality in our lives: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent…
… and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God!” (Phil 1: 9-11)

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Finding rest, shelter and protection under the wings of the Mother Hen!”

(Based on Eph 6:10-20 and Lk 13:31-35 – Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

As children, we have often heard short stories…

One of the famous stories we have heard is about the Fox and the Hen.

The Fox tries his level best to kill the hen and it almost succeeds, until, the hen, by its cleverness, escapes through the clutches of the fox!

The fox is described with dominative and oppressive characters.

The hen is described with a defenseless and subjugated character.
Yet, the hen with its cleverness and adeptness manages to escape through its grasp.

The Gospel of the day presents such similar images of the Hen and the Fox to deliver a powerful message for our spiritual lives.

The passage begins with some Pharisees giving a warning to Jesus to leave that place since Herod wanted to kill Him.

Firstly, we encounter an unusual image of the Pharisees…

Usually, they are a group who present a very opposing and critical attitude.

The thought of a Pharisee, usually, brings an image of people who are knowledgeable, yet judgemental and disapproving in their behaviour.

But here is a welcome distinction…

These Pharisees display a concern towards Jesus and warn Him of the dangers posed by King Herod.

Why did these Pharisees do so ?
… In malice, to further trap Jesus?
… In jealousy, to keep Jesus away from the crowds?
… In concern, to help in His mission?

We can’t say for sure.

We can’t ascertain what really was their motive behind warning Jesus.

But it does allows us space to think that all people cannot be judged as wrong all the time!

An inkling of goodness exists in all, even in the midst of thick evil!

The answer of the Lord to the warning is a strong one…”Go and tell that fox…!” (Lk 13:32)

The image of the fox appears… King Herod.

Why does Jesus call King Herod as a fox?

The fox was an unclean animal for a Jew.

More than the slyness of the animal, Jesus was perhaps referring more to its uncleanness.

Herod always had issues with respect to being a clean and credible Jew…

After the death of his father, King Herod the Great (the one who had killed the many innocent male children at the birth of Jesus), this Herod Antipas had been put in power by Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, in 4 BC.

History tells that in 17 AD, to honour his Roman rulers, he build a grand new capital city named Tiberius, after the current emperor, only to discover that it was built on top of an old Jewish cemetery.

No pious Jew ever entered it, and was occupied exclusively by the pagans.

Herod also had his moral issues…

He divorced his first wife, in order to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother, Philip.

John the Baptist had been a persistent critic of Herod for this dubious marriage.

Herod had John killed because he had promised his daughter anything she wanted if she danced for him, and John’s head on a platter is what she wanted.

True, that King Herod Antipas was a powerful man and a person of great influence.
… But Jesus, the King of Kings and the God of all, fears him not and calls him “a fox!”

When one is filled with the mighty Spirit of God, no earthly forces can cause fright or scare!

When one fully trusts in the strength of God, no worldly might can cause anxiety or dread!

This leads Jesus to give another image…
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how many times, I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…“

The image of a Mother Hen appears… Jesus Christ

It is one of the most overtly feminine references to God in all of scripture.

Jesus will be the mother hen who stands between the chicks and those who mean to harm.

She has no pointed fangs or rippling muscles.
But all she has, is her willingness to shield her babies with her own body.
If the fox wants them, he will have to kill her first.

This is the image that Jesus for Himself… a Hen.

It lays bare God’s vulnerability.

Here is the contrast…

King Herod, presented as a Fox…powerful, rude, forceful.
Jesus, presented as a Mother Hen… protective, sacrificial, shielding.

This mother Hen, Jesus, invites each of us, His chicks, to find shelter under His wings.

Am I willing to take shelter under the wings of Jesus, the Mother Hen?

The Gospel has a sad note: When the mother hen tried to gather her chicks underneath her wings, “they were unwilling” (Lk 13:34b)

The chicks are unwilling to remain under the shade of the hen’s wings…

Maybe they wanted more ‘freedom’…
Maybe they just wanted to have their own way of living life…
Maybe they did not find the mother hen too exciting, whereas the active fox attracted them…

We too are sometimes so…

We fail to come under the shade of God’s wings
We become unwilling

The story of the fox and the hen continues…

Do I get attracted more to the energetic and tempting fox…
… or do I find rest, shelter and protection under the wings of the Mother Hen?

The choice is before us…

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Being impelled, like St Simon and St Jude, to love God and His people!”

(Based on the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles)

A garden of flowers delights most people!

A garden consists of a variety of flowers, with varied colours, sizes, shapes.

Some flowers tend to capture our attention more…
… some escape the gaze of our eyes.

However, this in no way, reduces or increases their relevance and importance.
Each flower has its own specialty.
Each flower has its own attraction.

Jesus in His garden of ministry, chose twelve apostles.

Some apostles tend to capture our attention more…
… some escape the gaze of our eyes.

However, this in no way, reduces or increases their relevance and importance.
Each apostle has his own specialty
Each apostle has his own attraction.

Today Holy Mother the Church celebrates the feast of two apostles: St Jude and St Simon.

These are apostles, who in most probability escape the gaze of our eyes.
These two saints are often known as the “unknown apostles”.
Yet, they have their own greatness before God and their own importance to inspire us in our lives!

The scarcity of their appearance in the New Testament is so vivid that except in the list of the names of the apostles…
… the name of Simon never appears elsewhere
… whereas the name of Jude makes only a single appearance in the discourse of Jesus after the last supper (Jn 14:22).

In the Gospel according to Matthew and Mark, the apostle Simon is given the title of a Canaanaean, while Luke mentions him as “Zealot”

This apostle Simon must have belonged to the Zealot Party.

The Zealot Party was a first-century political movement among Judean Jews who sought to overthrow the occupying Roman government.

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, four main Jewish groups existed at the time of Christ – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots.

The Zealots were known for their aggression and violent behaviour.

They advocated that no one but Yahweh alone should rule over Israel…
… and hence, obedience to the Roman government should be refused.

The selection of Simon, the Zealot as an Apostle, is a great insight into the workings of Jesus, in His Kingdom Ministry…

The Lord accepts us with our hard instincts.

The Lord takes into account our various mentalities and mindsets.

In His Divine Love, He squashes all such factors and patterns us into people fit for His Kingdom.

He doesn’t reject us in our over-zeal.
He doesn’t cast us away because of our impulses.

All that He expects is an openness to follow Him fully and allow ourselves to be moulded!

The Apostle Jude is given another title by St Matthew and St Mark: Thaddeus.
Thaddeus means “the courageous heart”

St Jude is one of the most popular saints in our world today, considering the fact that he is called as “The Miraculous Saint”.

St Jude is the one whose aid is often sought when all hope is lost, especially in grave illness and life-and-death situations.

There is a story that since his name is identical with Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus…
… St Jude would hardly be interceded too, except in the most desperate situations!

And hence, perhaps, he got identified as the Patron in Helpless Causes!

St Bridget of Sweden & St Bernard had visions from God asking each to accept St Jude as ‘Patron Saint of the Impossible’.

The Apostle Jude teaches us a few insights for our spiritual growth.

A) Like the name – Jude Thaddeus – we are invited too, to have a “heart full of courage”.

The Kingdom of God requires brave soldiers and people of immense valour.

The Lord needs followers who are imbued with the might of His Holy Spirit and who boldly proclaim the Gospel and witness its values by their lives.

No situation of discouragement or setbacks will hinder the march of a “courageous heart!”

B) St Jude, as the Patron of Desperate Cases, inspires us to have a deeper faith and trust in the Providence and Mercy of God.

The Lord is all-knowing.
He wills what is best for us.

However, in our human frailty, we often tend to lose our hope and become highly desperate.

But this Saint teaches to grow deeper in our faith & know that “behind every dark cloud is a silver lining of the sun…(Son!)!”

C) St Jude also teaches the powerful role of Intercessory Prayer.

We are all created in the Image and Likeness of God, and each of us have a bounden duty to the other…
… to take care, to love each other and to pray for one another.

When we pray for others and bring others to the presence of God, we help them in their difficulties and join with them in solidarity and compassion.

There are many hidden flowers in a garden.

Yet, each one has its own beauty and fragrance and value.

These two apostles – St Simon and St Jude – are fairly hidden in the Gospels, and yet we can learn and be inspired much by them.

May the life and intercession of these two hidden, yet Great Apostles of the Lord…
… impel us further, to love God and His people…
… and spread the Gospel of God to many more!

Happy Feast of the Apostles St Jude and St Simon.

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Allowing God to take charge of our lives and offering all to His Hand, so that small things grow large and small gifts expand!”

(Based on Eph 5:21-33 and Lk 13:18-21 – Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

A young Christian businessman who had established himself well in his area of work, was once interviewed by a journalist…
… and asked for the secret of his quick success.

“Well”, said the young businessman, “I attribute all my success to my Lord!
From my college days, I have sought to give God the first place in my life.

And He has always led me!

There is a simple formula that I always hold on to…
The formula goes thus:
‘Where God’s in charge,
Little things grow large!

And in God’s Hand,
Small gifts expand!”

So true, isn’t it?

If we allow the Hand of God to work even in the small things that we do…
… we will surely experience the bountifulness of His Grace working miraculously!

The Gospel of the Day is a recounting of this Great Truth of our life, when Jesus expounds the “Miracle of God’s Hand in the littleness of our life” with the help of two examples:

1) The Mustard Seed
“… a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden…
… and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches!” (Lk 13: 19)

2) Leaven
“… like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened!” (Lk 13:21)

One of the beautiful lessons that the Lord teaches from these two metaphors of daily life is that: Our little works done for God, should never cause us to feel discouraged in life!

The little mustard seed and the little leaven…
… were not really expected to do great things
… were not quite symbols of greatness or majesty

Yet, the Lord – in His Divine Wisdom – uses these “little aspects of life” to project His Mighty Story of the Kingdom!

St Paul says: “God chose the foolish of the world, to shame the wise…
… and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong..” (1 Cor 1: 27)

This is the truth we come across in the Mighty Story of the Kingdom, as we scan through the pages of the Bible…
… even in the Life of Jesus!

Jesus was born into a small Family from Nazareth in the smallest of villages (Bethlehem).

His Ministry started in one of the smallest places – Galilee.

Galilee was an insignificant portion of an obscure part of the Roman world.

He went no further than Jerusalem with His message

In the time of the Roman Empire, Jerusalem was not considered a cultural centre.
… Rome, Athens and Alexandria featured more prominently on the political and cultural radar.

In fact, for the Romans, Jerusalem was a city of fanatic Jews – to be best controlled by an army of troops and easily-swaying kings like Herod and his family!

Yet, Jesus has become the greatest influencer in Human History!

“Where God’s in charge,
Little things grow large!
And in God’s Hand,
Small gifts expand!”

Life doesn’t always give us great opportunities to perform big acts of charity and kindness.

But our life is filled with immense chances…
… to “sow tiny mustard seeds”
… and to “mix little leaven”…

Do we make the best use of such chances:

To sow the “tiny mustard seeds”…

Of Gentleness… in the rough terrains of pride and haughty lives
Of Love… in the field of broken relationships and strained associations
Of Mercy… in the territories of hateful feelings and unforgiving hearts

To “mix the little leaven”…

Of undiluted Christian convictions… in the dough of easy-going-life and relativistic mentality
Of contagious passion… with the flour of lethargic and lazy attitudes to life
Of credible life witness… in the mixture of scandalous trends and discouraging religiosity

Servant of God, Fr Peter Mermier (the Founder of the MSFS – Missionaries of St Francis de Sales) says:
“We do a lot in doing a little, if we do it for God, when and as He wishes!”

God doesn’t mind much the size of our works…
… but at the amount of love we add to it!

God doesn’t look at the fanfare in our acts of service…
… but at the volume of selflessness we add to it!

St Paul tells us: “… Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, and is Himself its Saviour…” (Eph 5:23)

Of course, the world may not appreciate such “simple and little works!”

But let the “tiny mustard seed” and the “little leaven” remind us: Our little works done for God, should never cause us to feel discouraged in life!

Yes…
“Where God’s in charge,
Little things grow large!
And in God’s Hand,
Small gifts expand!”

(P.S: Psst… Did you add an “extra bit of God’s Love” while reading this reflection…?)

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Experiencing the Healing Touch from the Lord of all Liberation and Wholeness!”

(Based on Eph 4:32–5:8 and Lk 13:10-17 – Monday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2)

There is a simple little poem, which goes thus:
“A horse can’t pull, while kicking,
This fact we merely mention.

And he can’t kick, while pulling,
Which is our chief contention!

Let’s therefore, imitate the good horse
And lead a life that’s fitting;

Just pull an honest load, and then
There’ll be no time for kicking!”

These few lines of the poem explain in interesting terms…
… on how the aspect of criticism and bad-mouthing is a result of a lack of focus and proper attitude!

Are we sometimes people who fail to have such “horse-sense?”

This lack of a “horse-sense” can lead to the…
… habit of spitting out unpleasant words at others, without the least concern.
… practise of spitting out harsh and judgmental words, with minimal mercy.
… tendency to spitting out critical words to put down people in humiliation.

The Gospel of the Day brings a classical example of a person who failed to have this “horse-sense”.

The context of the Gospel passage is that of Jesus healing a woman who had been crippled for eighteen on a Sabbath Day.

However, after the healing, the leader of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had cured on a Sabbath.

He told, “There are six days when work should be done.

Come on those days to be cured, not on the Sabbath day” (Lk 13:14)

This leader of the synagogue, was displaying the lack of a “horse-sense”.

Here was something noble and good being done…

But he fails to see the goodness and instead shouts at the people for not keeping the laws.

Here was something miraculous and godly being performed…

But he closes himself to the Kingdom of God and focuses on the need to obey human rules.

His lack of “horse-sense” seemed badly exposed!

Jesus, the Lord of healing and restoration, encountered the woman who had been crippled for many years…
She was bent.
She was in pain probably.
She was also very much dispirited too.

Jesus saw her need…
… but the leader of the synagogue saw her as a nuisance.

Jesus understood her pain…
… but the leader of the synagogue chose to inflict shame on the people.

This is the trouble very often: One concentrates only on the negative aspects of persons and situations!

Jesus lashes out at such an attitude!

He calls the leader of the synagogue a hypocrite, and draws his attention to the greater and important dimensions of life!

“This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years, ought she not have been set free on this Sabbath day from this bondage?” (Lk 13:16)

The man focused on the rule of Sabbath…
… Jesus focused on the Law of Love and Liberation.

The man saw the commandment violated…
… Jesus saw a life that had been violated and was in need of renewal.

The man burst out in anger and pride…
… Jesus blossomed out in Compassion and Humanness.

Do I display any such characteristics?

Failing to see the goodness in people…
… and instead speak only of their faults and mistakes?

Failing to trust in God in hard situations…
… and instead only criticize and blame God?

Getting wild with people for tiny faults…
… without considering their context and circumstances?

Spreading calumny and rumours…
…. about the unpleasant aspects of others?

The Lord of all Liberation and Wholeness today invites us to experience His Healing Touch.

Many of us are crippled and infirmed…
We need a healing.
We need a touch of the Lord.

A negative attitude in life can cause much damage to the people around us.

It can make our life unclean and miserable and cause people to avoid us.
It can make our families, our communities and our societies to be unlivable and unpleasant.

A strong decision needs to be made: to stop the usage of…
… bad words
… defamatory news
… harmful statements
… uncharitable remarks
… and to stop spitting cruel and heartless comments!

Let us be aware:
“A horse can’t pull, while kicking,
And he can’t kick, while pulling,
Let’s therefore, imitate the good horse
And lead a life that’s fitting;

Just pull an honest load, and then
There’ll be no time for kicking!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!