Sunday 11 February 2018

ASH WEDNESDAY- WEEK 4- YEAR-B

I Reading: Joel 2:12-18: Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn.
II Reading: 2Cor 5:20-6:2: Be reconciled to God...now is the favourable time.
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18: Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you


The Right Motive for Giving, Mt 6:1-4


God expects a people to be kind and to do good in the world: to help others both through personal involvement and through giving generously and sacrificially. Above all God expects a person to have the right motive. Because a person’s eternal fate is determined by his/her motive. Because of this, Christ warns us about right and wrong motives.
1.    Acts of righteousness-doing good and giving (v.1)

a.    Warning: Do not seek recognition
b.    The reason: God will not reward
2.    The wrong motive (v.2)
a.    Giving for recognition
b.    Characteristic of hypocrites
c.     Reward: Recognition by men only
3.    The right motive (v.3-4)
a.    Giving unconsciously
b.    Giving quietly-privately-secretly
4.    The reasons (v. 4)
a.    Father sees in secret
b.    Father rewards openly
The Right Motive for Prayer, Mt 6:5-6
This passage is speaking to those who pray-people who take prayer seriously. Prayer is one of the greatest acts of the Christian believer. God desires is fellowship with man (Is 43:10). Jesus’ concern is how we pray. Christ sets out to teach us the right and wrong motives for praying.
1.    The wrong motive: Praying to be seen by people (v.5)
a.    Place: Loving to pray
i.                Only in the Synagogue
ii.              Only in the streets
b.    Reason: For recognition
c.     Reward: people’s esteem
2.    The right motive: Praying to be heard by God (v. 6)
a.    Place: in one’s private place
b.    Reason: God is in one’s secret or private place
c.     Reward: will receive open blessings from the Lord
Thought: Many pray on the run; few pray in secret.


The Right Motive for Fasting, Mt 6: 16-18

Biblical fasting means more than just abstaining from food; it means concentrate upon God and his answer to a particular matter. Biblical fasting involves prayers intense supplication before God. The benefits of fasting are enormous, but there are also dangers. We can fast for the wrong reasons. This is the point of the present passage. Christ counsels us on the wrong and the right motives for fasting. Jesus reveals what God means by fasting in today’s Gospel.


1.    The wrong way to fast (v.16)
a.    Fasting as a hypocrite
b.    Fasting for recognition
c.     Reward: to receive only human recognition and esteem
2.    The right way to fast (v.17-18)
a.    Fasting as a duty
b.    Fasting without notice
c.     Fasting to God alone
d.    Reward: God shall reward openly
Thought: A religionist fasts before people. A genuine believer fasts before God.




Tuesday 30 January 2018

Monday: 4th Week in Ordinary Time-B:

I Reading: 2Samuel 15:13-14.30; 16:5-13: Let us fly or we shall never escape Absalom.
Gospel: Mark 5:1-20: Come out of that man, unclean spirit.
The Authority of Jesus to Banish Demon
The Spirit of God controls people to varying degrees; evil also controls people to varying degrees. Some persons are extremely controlled by evil; others are just slightly controlled. The man in this passage is said to have been possessed by a legion that is hordes of demons. The man experienced a great deliverance by Jesus Christ.
Who is the agent or the author of evil spirit or who created the evil spirit? The misuse of the freedom and disobedience to the command of God and the will of God. The first parents disobeyed God’s command and misused the human freedom as a result sin and death came into the world where as Mother Mary and Jesus obeyed God’s will and brought eternal life and salvation to the humankind. The disobedient angels were also thrown down from the heaven.
Jesus rebuked the evil spirit: because of Satan’s influence, leading, cheating, tempting, and deceiving the man to take away from God and to influence him to disobey the commandments of God or will of God like Adam and Eve in the Genesis deceived by the serpent. Now the seed (Jesus) is crushing the head of evil spirit and its power over man. Moses talked about this real Prophet Jesus the Messiah who would lead the people of God in the first reading of 4thSunday-B. That is what John the Baptist said, “I am not a prophet, Elijah and Christ..But one who comes after me He is the Christ the Messiah.” Thus we need to listen to the voice of Jesus and obey his teaching and commands of loving God and loving neighbours. Paul is urging to live a holy life for God rather than living according to own will or plan or wish but to live according to God’s will and plan which can bring victory over evil spirit.


How can we love Jesus and obey or listen to his command?

 By four things:
i.                Prayer
ii.              Reading the Word of God and practice them in life
iii.            Sacrament of Reconciliation
iv.            The Eucharist and doing good works in life for others and for God.
1.    An eerie event: at night, on the lakeshore-among the tombs (cp.4:35) (v.1)
2.    Scene 1: A man hopelessly possessed-without Jesus (v.2-5)
a.    He had an evil spirit
b.    He lived among the tombs
c.     He was cut off from society
d.    He was uncontrollable, unrestrained, untamed, wild, mad, violent tempered
e.     He was naked, v.15
f.      He was always inflicting wounds upon himself
3.    Scene 2: A man desperately aroused by the Son of God (v.6-7)
a.    He worshipped Jesus
b.    He acknowledged the deity of Jesus
c.     He begged not to be tortured
4.    Scene 3: A man miraculously cleansed by the authority of Jesus (v.8-13)
a.    Jesus spoke the word of power
b.    Jesus showed the man’s great need
c.     Jesus showed the nature of evil spirits
i.                Were subject to Christ
ii.              Desired a body to indwell and influence
iii.            Were malicious and violent-destroyers
5.    Scene 4: A people callously rejected Jesus- by begging Him to leave their presence (v.14-17)
a.    A logical action: Ran to tell
b.    A logical investigation: came to Jesus
c.     A logical account: told of the healing and also of the pigs
d.    An illogical request: asked Jesus to leave
e.     A tragic end: he left
6.    Scene 5: A man deliberately commissioned by Jesus (v.18-20)
a.    He requested discipleship
b.    He was sent to be disciple at home
c.     He was faithful
d.    He was successful
Thought: Jesus Christ has the authority to cleanse man, no matter how mean and evil. Note the demons had just what they wanted. They had caused the people to reject Jesus, choosing the riches of the world rather than him (contrast the spirit of Moses, Heb 11:25-26).
knowing that Jesus is the Holy One of God is not enough. A person has to believe in the power of Jesus Christ and love him and live a clean and pure heart.
One of the major purposes of Jesus in confronting evil spirits was to prove his Messiahship (Mt 8:28-34). He is the Messiah.


Sunday 21 January 2018

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time-B
I Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20: I will raise up a prophet and I will put my words into his mouth.
II Reading: 1Corinthians 7:32-35: An unmarried woman can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs: all she needs worry about is being holy.
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28: He taught them with authority.

Jesus’ Teaching and Its Impact: Launching a New Ministry (1:21-22)
Jesus is launching a new ministry in the very beginning with his authority which is very important for the believer as he goes forth serving his Lord.
1.    Jesus began with worship: Immediately-in the Synagogue (v.21)
2.    Jesus seized the opportunity to teach (v.21)
3.    Jesus amazed the crowd (v.22)
a.    His teaching (v.14-15)
b.    His authority

Jesus’ Power over Evil Spirits and Its Impact:
Delivering the Most Enslaved (1:23-28)
People can be delivered from all the forces of evil by the power of Jesus. Jesus has the power to deliver man (Rom 8:31; 1Jn 4:4; Mt 8:28-34; 17:14-21; Lk 8:26-39)
1.    Picture 1: The need of the possessed man (v.23-24)
a.    He was in the synagogue: nobody helped him or cured him
b.    He raged and cried out, sensed and recoiled from purity
c.     He identified Jesus: The Son of God, the Holy One of God
2.    Picture 2: The Power of Jesus (v.25-26)
Who is the agent or the author of evil spirit or who created the evil spirit? The misuse of the freedom and disobedience to the command of God and the will of God. The first parents disobeyed God’s command and misused the human freedom as a result sin and death came into the world where as Mother Mary and Jesus obeyed God’s will and brought eternal life and salvation to the humankind. The disobedient angels were also thrown down from the heaven.
Jesus rebuked the evil spirit: because of Satan’s influence, leading, cheating, tempting, and deceiving the man to take away from God and to influence him to disobey the commandments of God or will of God like Adam and Eve in the Genesis deceived by the serpent. Now the seed (Jesus) is crushing the head of evil spirit and its power over man.
Moses talked about this real Prophet Jesus the Messiah who would lead the people of God in the first reading of today. That is what John the Baptist said, “I am not a prophet, Elijah and Christ..But one who comes after me He is the Christ the Messiah.” Thus we need to listen to the voice of Jesus and obey his teaching and commands of loving God and loving neighbours.
Paul is urging to live a holy life for God rather than living according to own will or plan or wish but to live according to God’s will and plan which can bring victory over evil spirit.
How can we love Jesus and obey or listen to his command? By four things:
i.                Prayer
ii.              Reading the Word of God and practice them in life
iii.            Sacrament of Reconciliation
iv.            The Eucharist and doing good works in life for others and for God.
a.    The evil spirit obeyed
3.    Picture 3: The impact upon people (v.27-28)
a.    The people were amazed
b.    The people questioned: What power, what new revelation (teaching) is this?
c.     The people spread his fame
Thought: knowing that Jesus is the Holy One of God is not enough. A person has to believe in the power of Jesus Christ and love him and live a clean and pure heart.
One of the major purposes of Jesus in confronting evil spirits was to prove his Messiahship (Mt 8:28-34). He is the Messiah.