XXVII SUNDAY HAB.1:2-3; 2:2-4; II TIM 1:6-8, 13-14;: LUKE 17: 5-10
The story is told of a man who fell off a mountain cliff. Half-way down the cliff he succeeds in grabbing a branch of a tree. There he is, dangling on the branch, unable to pull himself up yet knowing that by letting go of the branch he would definitely fall to his death. Suddenly the man gets an idea. He looks up to heaven and shouts, “Is anyone up there?” A voice comes from heaven, “Yes, I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe in me?” The man shouts back, “Yes, Lord, I believe in you. I really believe. Please help me.” The Lord says, “All right! If you really believe in me you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Now let go of the branch.” The man thinks about it for a moment and then shouts back, “Is anyone else up there?”
Is the man in the story a believer? O course he believes that God exists. He believes in the power of prayer. He believes that God is able to help him and save him from his predicament. But he does not take God on His word. Many of us laugh at the story because we can recognize ourselves in this man. We believe in God, but when the going gets tough and things do not work out as we expect we take matters into our own hands or look for help elsewhere. We believe, yes; but we are people of little faith
The apostles too were men of little faith. They believe in Jesus and follow him, but when they see the soldiers approaching in the garden of Gethsemane they abandon Jesus and flee. They are men of little faith. The big difference between us and the apostles is that whereas we often see ourselves as keeping the faith all right, the apostles see themselves as men of deficient faith. They know their faith lacks something.
In response to the request of the apostles to increase their faith, Jesus tells them the parable about the unprofitable servant who comes back from plowing the field and proceeds straight away to prepare supper for his master and to wait on him while he eats. Only after the master’s needs are fully satisfied does the master then give the servant leave to attend to his own need for food and rest. How does this parable answer the request of the apostles for an increase of faith. Jesus is saying that if we have mature faith we would put the will and pleasure of God first in our lives at all times. If we have faith we will not grumble and complain that we have been working for God all day long, now we are tired and it is God’s turn to attend to our needs. Rather we will forget ourselves and work ourselves to death in God’s service, knowing that God will come to our aid when and how He deems right.
Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am delivered now or not, I will stick to my belief that God loves and cares for me. This is the mistake of the young man caught in the mountain cliff. He has faith in his own deliverance, not in God’s infinite power to save and His unfailing love for him. God’s unconditional love for us demands only one proper response from us, our unconditional love and service of God. So many of us Christians today believe that true and mature faith consists in our ability to obtain miracles from God. The truth that today’s gospel shows us is that mature faith consists not in how much God attends to our immediate needs but in how willing we are to serve God unconditionally, without counting the cost.
Faith is believing and trusting in God. Faith is like a muscle, you have to exercise it every day to make it strong. My faith will grow stronger if I exercise it by trusting in God each and every day. Faith is not faith if kept in reserve for emergencies. Faith is lived daily and shapes the way we think and behave. It is about receptivity to God's presence in our daily lives and it is seen in our faithful behaviour.
The size of faith doesn’t matter because God is the one doing the moving. If it is my faith that moved the mountain, then the bigger the mountain the more faith I would need to move it. The bigger the obstacle the more strength I’d need to climb it. The more serious the illness, a faith even greater would be required to overcome it. The more serious the sin the more faith I would need in order to have it forgiven. That kind of thinking, kind of makes sense, but that’s not how faith works. In fact, faith doesn’t do the work at all. God is the one doing the work through faith. Think of faith as the key that opens the door to God acting in our lives. If I have a bigger key ring than you do, does it matter? The size of a key ring doesn’t matter – key rings don’t open doors but it’s that little key on the ring that opens doors. Even a little faith opens the door for God to move the mountains and trees and even our hearts. That little faith is the little opening for God to enter our life to do the work in our life.
Here Jesus cautions us that it is the quality of faith rather than the quantity of faith that needs to be increased. That is why Jesus compares faith to a tiny mustard seed – a living thing whose power does not depend on its size, but on its life principle that is hidden deep within itself. Unless we understand this distinction, we run the risk of deceiving ourselves. We can easily end up thinking that the more prayers we say, the more faith we have. Or that the more good works we do, the stronger our faith becomes.
Faith is more like life itself. It is something that can grow in a qualitative sense and become deeper, richer and more fruitful. Faith is more than praying with bowed heads and clasped hands.
St. Paul tells us: "Bear your share of hardships which the gospel entails with the strength that comes from God." This is because it is in the fire of affliction that our faith is best tested. The book of Job bear testimony to this. It is this faith that can draw out the poison that is in every sorrow and quench the fire in every pain. Only with such faith can we trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to his love and the future to his providence.
It does not follow that faith will give us the power to literally move trees. But faith will give us power to cope with difficulties and attempt great things for the Lord. It is the power to persevere through difficulties, the power that comes from knowing that our Father is in charge.
The Responsorial Psalm we heard today gives us one sure way to activate the power of faith: "If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart."
Faith is practical. If we believe in God's wisdom, love, and power, we will obey him. We will follow where he leads. And he is always leading us somewhere - always making his voice heard. The most common way he does so is through our conscience. Our conscience is like an inner radio station that is always tuned to God's voice. But it's not the only station out there, and, unfortunately, it's not always the loudest. Sometimes we turn up the station of peer pressure and fashion really loud, or the station dedicated to self-indulgence, irresponsible pleasure, and other soothing but deadening sounds. The sounds that we usually hear loud and clear these days is the sound of death. Pronouncing death for defenseless for one’s easy comfort. Today is respect for life Sunday. Our faith demands respecting life in all its forms. At least 25,000 innocent lives are taken everyday the world over. We feel terribly over the loss of 4000 lives on 9/11; Six million lives by Nazis during world War II. We condemn them. But the most contemptible atrocity ever done on human lives is committed or being committed in these decades by promoting abortion. Does that pain me at all ? Do I condemn that ? If not, I don’t live my faith. Even though I may call myself a Catholic, I don’t believe what the Lord teaches me- to protect the life of the defenseless. President Reagan said: I have noticed that all who are for abortion are already been born. The un-borns can not speak for themselves. So it is the duty of those already born and living, to stand for the right to life of the unborn. Jesus said: I have come that you may have life, life in abundance. And he also said that the thief/Satan comes to steal and kill. So those who are up for abortion are Satan’s agents. Jesus is truly a liberating force. He liberates us from all that endangers our life.
This seventh is the feast of the our Lady of Holy Rosary whose intercession led to the defeat of the advancing Muslims on the Medittaranean Christian countries in the 1500s. Let’s pray to her that blinding scales from the eyes of all the spiritually blind may fall off, so that they may see the value of human life as God’s precious gift. That they may see that procured abortion, Euthanasia, Suicide, Doctor- assisted suicide, embryo destruction for scientific experiments are all evil in themselves which are to be avoided as children of God.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
XXIVth Sunday in Ordinary time.
XXIV-Sunday EXOD 32: 7-14; I TIM 1: 12-17;Gosple: LK 15: 1-32
The parable of the prodigal son, has been called the greatest short story in the world. But, is it in fact a parable about a prodigal son? To put the younger son at the centre of the parable is already to start to misunderstand it. What is at the centre- is the father's great attachment and concern, his willingness to welcome the sinners back. This story reveals 3 amazing things about God's love for us. First, God's love is personal. God doesn't love us globally, but each of us individually in a special, personal way. Second, God's love is unconditional. God does not love us on the condition that we stay good and do not stray into sin. God loves us even when we stray--and to the point of going in search of us. Finally, God's love is a rejoicing love. God's response upon finding us is total joy--with no admixture of rebuke.
The parable of the Good shepherd shows how God is a good shepherd to us. There's an old story, about a little boy who cried out in the night. "Daddy, I'm scared!" Half awake Daddy said, "Don't be afraid, Daddy's right across the hall." There was a brief pause and the little boy called out, "I'm still scared." So Daddy pulled out the big guns, "You don't have to be afraid, God is with you. God loves you." The pause was longer but the little boy called out again, "I don't care about God, Daddy; I want someone with skin on!"
God knew we needed that assurance of someone with skin on. So God wrapped all the glory of heaven into the flesh and blood of Jesus and stepped into this world as the Good Shepherd just to show us how much we are loved. The Good Shepherd isn't satisfied until all of the sheep are safely gathered into the flock. Not even a one percent margin of loss was acceptable. He will not rest if only one sheep is missing, or one coin is lost. They show us that he cares deeply enough to go out of his way to save us when we are lost.
These parables teach us more about the heart of God than a whole library full of theological treatises. All three parables of Luke 15 end with a party or a celebration of the finding. The self-righteous Pharisees, who accused Jesus of befriending publicans and sinners, could not believe that God would be delighted at the conversion of sinners.
The elder son’s distrust, pointed out at the end of the parable, coincides with the initial malicious gossip of the Pharisees which prompted Jesus to tell them this parable. The self-righteous Pharisees who would rather see a sinner destroyed than saved. The elder son reflects the Pharisees' attitude that obedience to Mosaic Law is a duty, not a loving service. Like the Pharisees, the elder brother lacks sympathy for his sibling and levels accusations at him. As a self-righteous person, he refuses to forgive. Thus, his grudge becomes a sin in itself, resulting in his exclusion from the banquet of his father’s love. That is what we all do when we sin. We exclude ourselves from the banquet of God’s love.
The Pharisees could not understand this forgiving image of God, because they have painted their image of God in their own likeness.
Our view of God affects every decision and relationship in our life. Kathleen Chesto wrote to Catholic Digest to tell them about an incident that occurred in her family. Her five-year-old child approached her one day in the kitchen and asked, "Mom, is God a grown-up or a parent?"
Mom was a little puzzled by the question. "I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "Is there a difference between a grown-up and a parent?" "Oh yes," her five-year-old answered quickly. "Grown-ups love you when you are good and parents love you anyway." If we have never received unconditional love, we have never given it. Some of us are still trying to earn our way to heaven. And we are expecting others to earn their way as well, like the pharisees. Jesus is trying to tell us in this parable that God's love doesn't depend on our goodness; it depends on God's character. Here is this truth expressed in I John 4: 10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
God’s love is a persistent, tenacious kind of love. By looking at just how lavish in the parable is the father's welcome for his lost son, we might well say that it is the father who is 'the prodigal', that he is prodigal of his mercy. The father heaps presents on the younger son. Throughout the Bible we are shown just how much care God lavishes on us, despite a catalogue of infidelities and betrayals and failings on our part.
The younger son didn't really know his father. He didn't know how much his father loved him and how eagerly his father wanted to bequeath him prosperity and joy. As a result, he paid his father a colossal insult by demanding his share of the inheritance while his father was still alive.
It was a way of saying that his father would be of more use to him dead than alive. The older son was no better. On the surface he seemed to do everything right, but he had no idea about how much his father cared for him, and so he resented the celebration at this brother's return. Although they had lived their entire lives under the same roof, the two brothers had never opened their hearts to their father; they had closed themselves into the petty little world of their egoism.
We can easily do the same: spend our whole lives as "practicing" Catholics, going through all the right motions and looking great on the outside, but not opening our hearts to God, not getting to know him on a personal, intimate level. That's a risky way to live our faith: we could easily end up separated from the Father for good, eating corn husks and missing out on the joyful celebration of the Father's love.
As the sheep that strayed out far from the herd, the younger son is lost from home, and this is reflected in the geographical distance he travels away from home; he ends up in a distant country. Like the coin that was lost in the house, the older brother stays put, but he risks getting lost by cutting himself off from his brother and his father. There are separations that need no great physical gap. The Pharisees “lived” in the house of God, but could not experience the forgiving love of God, the publicans and sinners were away from the so called people of God, but experienced the forgiving love of God through Jesus. This parable teaches us that it is possible to live "in the Father's house" without really getting to know the Father.
This can be for us a Sunday of self-reflection and assessment. As forgiven prodigals, we must be forgiving people. God’s forgiving attitude was shown by Jesus when he prayed for his killers saying that they did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). If those who killed the Son of God could be forgiven because they acted in ignorance, then every human sin could be forgiven because there is an element of ignorance that clouds our spiritual and moral insight at the moment of sin.
Nine years ago today, the United States suffered the greatest terrorist attack ever on American soil, with almost 4,000 dead. To mark that event this Sunday is observed as peace and justice Sunday. It brings us face to face with the ugly face of world terrorism on the one hand, while on the other it makes us to look up to God for the ever growing problems we find ourselves surrounded with. God created a just and peaceful society for us to live. But our sins disrupted that peace in the world. The so called terrorists act out of ignorance, blinded by wrong teachings of fanaticism. They need God’s grace to see the wrong they do and seek God’s forgiveness for their wrong. In the perspective of the terrorists, others are at wrong, not they. If there is something wrong on our side as a nation, we need self examination and see the wrong on our side to rectify and seek God’s grace to remove the speck or log, out of our eyes. As we pray for peace in the world let’s ask God to give eternal light and peace to all who died on 9/11/2001 at World Trade Centre. Christianity will be known by the fruits of love, kindness, compassion and mercy. As Christians, being led by the Holy Spirit, let’s show our identity by the forgiveness we offer who hurt us.
The parable of the prodigal son, has been called the greatest short story in the world. But, is it in fact a parable about a prodigal son? To put the younger son at the centre of the parable is already to start to misunderstand it. What is at the centre- is the father's great attachment and concern, his willingness to welcome the sinners back. This story reveals 3 amazing things about God's love for us. First, God's love is personal. God doesn't love us globally, but each of us individually in a special, personal way. Second, God's love is unconditional. God does not love us on the condition that we stay good and do not stray into sin. God loves us even when we stray--and to the point of going in search of us. Finally, God's love is a rejoicing love. God's response upon finding us is total joy--with no admixture of rebuke.
The parable of the Good shepherd shows how God is a good shepherd to us. There's an old story, about a little boy who cried out in the night. "Daddy, I'm scared!" Half awake Daddy said, "Don't be afraid, Daddy's right across the hall." There was a brief pause and the little boy called out, "I'm still scared." So Daddy pulled out the big guns, "You don't have to be afraid, God is with you. God loves you." The pause was longer but the little boy called out again, "I don't care about God, Daddy; I want someone with skin on!"
God knew we needed that assurance of someone with skin on. So God wrapped all the glory of heaven into the flesh and blood of Jesus and stepped into this world as the Good Shepherd just to show us how much we are loved. The Good Shepherd isn't satisfied until all of the sheep are safely gathered into the flock. Not even a one percent margin of loss was acceptable. He will not rest if only one sheep is missing, or one coin is lost. They show us that he cares deeply enough to go out of his way to save us when we are lost.
These parables teach us more about the heart of God than a whole library full of theological treatises. All three parables of Luke 15 end with a party or a celebration of the finding. The self-righteous Pharisees, who accused Jesus of befriending publicans and sinners, could not believe that God would be delighted at the conversion of sinners.
The elder son’s distrust, pointed out at the end of the parable, coincides with the initial malicious gossip of the Pharisees which prompted Jesus to tell them this parable. The self-righteous Pharisees who would rather see a sinner destroyed than saved. The elder son reflects the Pharisees' attitude that obedience to Mosaic Law is a duty, not a loving service. Like the Pharisees, the elder brother lacks sympathy for his sibling and levels accusations at him. As a self-righteous person, he refuses to forgive. Thus, his grudge becomes a sin in itself, resulting in his exclusion from the banquet of his father’s love. That is what we all do when we sin. We exclude ourselves from the banquet of God’s love.
The Pharisees could not understand this forgiving image of God, because they have painted their image of God in their own likeness.
Our view of God affects every decision and relationship in our life. Kathleen Chesto wrote to Catholic Digest to tell them about an incident that occurred in her family. Her five-year-old child approached her one day in the kitchen and asked, "Mom, is God a grown-up or a parent?"
Mom was a little puzzled by the question. "I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "Is there a difference between a grown-up and a parent?" "Oh yes," her five-year-old answered quickly. "Grown-ups love you when you are good and parents love you anyway." If we have never received unconditional love, we have never given it. Some of us are still trying to earn our way to heaven. And we are expecting others to earn their way as well, like the pharisees. Jesus is trying to tell us in this parable that God's love doesn't depend on our goodness; it depends on God's character. Here is this truth expressed in I John 4: 10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
God’s love is a persistent, tenacious kind of love. By looking at just how lavish in the parable is the father's welcome for his lost son, we might well say that it is the father who is 'the prodigal', that he is prodigal of his mercy. The father heaps presents on the younger son. Throughout the Bible we are shown just how much care God lavishes on us, despite a catalogue of infidelities and betrayals and failings on our part.
The younger son didn't really know his father. He didn't know how much his father loved him and how eagerly his father wanted to bequeath him prosperity and joy. As a result, he paid his father a colossal insult by demanding his share of the inheritance while his father was still alive.
It was a way of saying that his father would be of more use to him dead than alive. The older son was no better. On the surface he seemed to do everything right, but he had no idea about how much his father cared for him, and so he resented the celebration at this brother's return. Although they had lived their entire lives under the same roof, the two brothers had never opened their hearts to their father; they had closed themselves into the petty little world of their egoism.
We can easily do the same: spend our whole lives as "practicing" Catholics, going through all the right motions and looking great on the outside, but not opening our hearts to God, not getting to know him on a personal, intimate level. That's a risky way to live our faith: we could easily end up separated from the Father for good, eating corn husks and missing out on the joyful celebration of the Father's love.
As the sheep that strayed out far from the herd, the younger son is lost from home, and this is reflected in the geographical distance he travels away from home; he ends up in a distant country. Like the coin that was lost in the house, the older brother stays put, but he risks getting lost by cutting himself off from his brother and his father. There are separations that need no great physical gap. The Pharisees “lived” in the house of God, but could not experience the forgiving love of God, the publicans and sinners were away from the so called people of God, but experienced the forgiving love of God through Jesus. This parable teaches us that it is possible to live "in the Father's house" without really getting to know the Father.
This can be for us a Sunday of self-reflection and assessment. As forgiven prodigals, we must be forgiving people. God’s forgiving attitude was shown by Jesus when he prayed for his killers saying that they did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). If those who killed the Son of God could be forgiven because they acted in ignorance, then every human sin could be forgiven because there is an element of ignorance that clouds our spiritual and moral insight at the moment of sin.
Nine years ago today, the United States suffered the greatest terrorist attack ever on American soil, with almost 4,000 dead. To mark that event this Sunday is observed as peace and justice Sunday. It brings us face to face with the ugly face of world terrorism on the one hand, while on the other it makes us to look up to God for the ever growing problems we find ourselves surrounded with. God created a just and peaceful society for us to live. But our sins disrupted that peace in the world. The so called terrorists act out of ignorance, blinded by wrong teachings of fanaticism. They need God’s grace to see the wrong they do and seek God’s forgiveness for their wrong. In the perspective of the terrorists, others are at wrong, not they. If there is something wrong on our side as a nation, we need self examination and see the wrong on our side to rectify and seek God’s grace to remove the speck or log, out of our eyes. As we pray for peace in the world let’s ask God to give eternal light and peace to all who died on 9/11/2001 at World Trade Centre. Christianity will be known by the fruits of love, kindness, compassion and mercy. As Christians, being led by the Holy Spirit, let’s show our identity by the forgiveness we offer who hurt us.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
XXIII-Sunday in Ordinary time
XXIII-Sunday: WIS. 9:13-18;: PHILE 9-10, 12-17;Gosple: LK 14: 25 – 33
We know the old commandment, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). We know the new commandment of Jesus, “Love one another; even as I have loved you” (John 13:34); also Love your enemies. And we come hear today these words of Jesus: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). How can we reconcile these seemingly contradictory demands? How can we “hate” those we are supposed to love? And, more importantly, why?
Jesus’ words of “hating” one’s family is a Semitic hyperbole or exaggeration, spoken for effect. Matthew’s gospel makes it clear. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10:37-38). When Jesus said "hate your family,” he was talking about spiritual detachment, the ability to put God first, before other relationships and before self-interest. Without such detachment, one does not have the ability to truly follow Jesus.
The paradox of hating those we love was dramatized in a most fascinating way on Saturday, September 8, 2001 in the women’s finals of the US Open tennis tournament in Flushing, New York. For the first time in the history of the tournament, the world watched a sportive and emotional roller-coaster as two sisters who love each other so much that they live in the same house and share the same hotel room fought each other. Could you imagine what was going on in the minds of Venus and Serena Williams as they battled and slugged it out against each other, suspending their love for each other and at least temporarily “hating” each other? They had to “hate” each other because the one was standing in the way of the other becoming the world champion. The one was an obstacle to the realization of the other’s dream to wear the world crown. And so they had to hate and fight each other.
Venus won. But she did not do her usual victory leap and celebratory display. Instead she ran to the net, put an arm around her defeated junior sister’s shoulder and said, “I love you.” Why did she say that? Because the game is over now and her sister is no longer an obstacle in the way of her victory. She said, in other words, “I am sorry, but I had to do it: I had to fight you so hard, I had to “hate” you because you were standing in my way. But I still love you.” That was a rare example of hating those we love, and from it we can learn much about Jesus’ injunction to “hate” our loved ones.
we are to love our parents and siblings and spouses, and indeed everyone else, except when they become obstacles in our bid to win the crown of eternal life. We should be prepared to wage an uncompromising war to see that no person or thing stands in our way to make us lose the crown. Possessions constitute a formidable obstacle in many people’s bid for the crown of salvation. That is why Jesus concludes today’s gospel with these words: “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions” (v. 33).
Discipleship implies a lie deeper than family ties. Jesus is not just saying, “Love me more.” He is saying that it is not just a matter of degree; it is sometimes either/or. To translate every choice into a matter of degree is to avoid choice.
Today’s gospel, therefore, shows us how absolute and how radical are the demands of discipleship. Jesus' call to complete renunciation of everything that gets in the way of discipleship seems too extreme. He isn't looking for us to limit our commitment to celebrating Mass on Sunday and avoiding evil. He expects us to live the Gospel and to announce the Good News to others, and to do this, knowing there will be a great cost. Being Jesus' disciple has never been convenient. It is costly -- costly in terms of money, time, relationships, and priorities.
The radical demands of Jesus call us to center our lives on the suffering and risen Christ.
We must bear our crosses: For the early Christians, however, cross-bearing had a far more literal meaning. Just as Jesus went to the cross, some of his followers would also taste death for their devotion to the Master. Only if the disciple is firmly committed to Christ will he be able to spend his life in sacrificial service for others. Jesus only calls people to follow him along the way of the cross because he knows that our deepest yearnings can only be satisfied by friendship with him.
Andrew died on a cross
Simon was crucified
Bartholomew was flayed alive
James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded
The other James (son of Alphaeus) was beaten to death
Thomas was run through with a lance
Matthias was stoned and then beheaded
Matthew was slain by the sword
Peter was crucified upside down
Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows
Philip was hanged. And John died a living martyrs death in exile.
No human life is without suffering. No human life is without a cross.
But for those of us who know Christ, our friendship with him enables us to suffer with meaning, and even with joy.
The demands that Jesus makes upon those who would follow him are extreme. Christianity is not a Sunday morning religion. It is a hungering after God to the point of death if need be. It shakes our foundations, topples our priorities, pits us against friend and family, and makes us strangers in this world.
Soren Kierkegaard said that there are a lot of parade-ground Christians who wear the uniforms of Christianity, but few who are willing to do battle for Christ and his kingdom.
As Christians, we must walk in Christ's steps unconditionally, not just for a day or two or a couple of months, but for a whole lifetime. Now, if we are afraid of the high demands of Christ, remember that we are not left to fulfill them all alone. Jesus who called us to the steep road will walk with us every step of the way. And he promises a fruitful journey to whoever keeps going with him and giving up everything to stay with him.
Today Christ will come in Holy Communion to strengthen us once again, so that we can continue bearing our crosses with faith and hope. This week, let's share that strength with someone who needs it. Let's take a share of a neighbor's cross, just as Christ has taken a share of ours.
We know the old commandment, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). We know the new commandment of Jesus, “Love one another; even as I have loved you” (John 13:34); also Love your enemies. And we come hear today these words of Jesus: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). How can we reconcile these seemingly contradictory demands? How can we “hate” those we are supposed to love? And, more importantly, why?
Jesus’ words of “hating” one’s family is a Semitic hyperbole or exaggeration, spoken for effect. Matthew’s gospel makes it clear. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10:37-38). When Jesus said "hate your family,” he was talking about spiritual detachment, the ability to put God first, before other relationships and before self-interest. Without such detachment, one does not have the ability to truly follow Jesus.
The paradox of hating those we love was dramatized in a most fascinating way on Saturday, September 8, 2001 in the women’s finals of the US Open tennis tournament in Flushing, New York. For the first time in the history of the tournament, the world watched a sportive and emotional roller-coaster as two sisters who love each other so much that they live in the same house and share the same hotel room fought each other. Could you imagine what was going on in the minds of Venus and Serena Williams as they battled and slugged it out against each other, suspending their love for each other and at least temporarily “hating” each other? They had to “hate” each other because the one was standing in the way of the other becoming the world champion. The one was an obstacle to the realization of the other’s dream to wear the world crown. And so they had to hate and fight each other.
Venus won. But she did not do her usual victory leap and celebratory display. Instead she ran to the net, put an arm around her defeated junior sister’s shoulder and said, “I love you.” Why did she say that? Because the game is over now and her sister is no longer an obstacle in the way of her victory. She said, in other words, “I am sorry, but I had to do it: I had to fight you so hard, I had to “hate” you because you were standing in my way. But I still love you.” That was a rare example of hating those we love, and from it we can learn much about Jesus’ injunction to “hate” our loved ones.
we are to love our parents and siblings and spouses, and indeed everyone else, except when they become obstacles in our bid to win the crown of eternal life. We should be prepared to wage an uncompromising war to see that no person or thing stands in our way to make us lose the crown. Possessions constitute a formidable obstacle in many people’s bid for the crown of salvation. That is why Jesus concludes today’s gospel with these words: “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions” (v. 33).
Discipleship implies a lie deeper than family ties. Jesus is not just saying, “Love me more.” He is saying that it is not just a matter of degree; it is sometimes either/or. To translate every choice into a matter of degree is to avoid choice.
Today’s gospel, therefore, shows us how absolute and how radical are the demands of discipleship. Jesus' call to complete renunciation of everything that gets in the way of discipleship seems too extreme. He isn't looking for us to limit our commitment to celebrating Mass on Sunday and avoiding evil. He expects us to live the Gospel and to announce the Good News to others, and to do this, knowing there will be a great cost. Being Jesus' disciple has never been convenient. It is costly -- costly in terms of money, time, relationships, and priorities.
The radical demands of Jesus call us to center our lives on the suffering and risen Christ.
We must bear our crosses: For the early Christians, however, cross-bearing had a far more literal meaning. Just as Jesus went to the cross, some of his followers would also taste death for their devotion to the Master. Only if the disciple is firmly committed to Christ will he be able to spend his life in sacrificial service for others. Jesus only calls people to follow him along the way of the cross because he knows that our deepest yearnings can only be satisfied by friendship with him.
Andrew died on a cross
Simon was crucified
Bartholomew was flayed alive
James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded
The other James (son of Alphaeus) was beaten to death
Thomas was run through with a lance
Matthias was stoned and then beheaded
Matthew was slain by the sword
Peter was crucified upside down
Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows
Philip was hanged. And John died a living martyrs death in exile.
No human life is without suffering. No human life is without a cross.
But for those of us who know Christ, our friendship with him enables us to suffer with meaning, and even with joy.
The demands that Jesus makes upon those who would follow him are extreme. Christianity is not a Sunday morning religion. It is a hungering after God to the point of death if need be. It shakes our foundations, topples our priorities, pits us against friend and family, and makes us strangers in this world.
Soren Kierkegaard said that there are a lot of parade-ground Christians who wear the uniforms of Christianity, but few who are willing to do battle for Christ and his kingdom.
As Christians, we must walk in Christ's steps unconditionally, not just for a day or two or a couple of months, but for a whole lifetime. Now, if we are afraid of the high demands of Christ, remember that we are not left to fulfill them all alone. Jesus who called us to the steep road will walk with us every step of the way. And he promises a fruitful journey to whoever keeps going with him and giving up everything to stay with him.
Today Christ will come in Holy Communion to strengthen us once again, so that we can continue bearing our crosses with faith and hope. This week, let's share that strength with someone who needs it. Let's take a share of a neighbor's cross, just as Christ has taken a share of ours.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
XXIth Sunday in Ordinary time.
XXI Ordinary Sunday. Hb.12:5-7,11-13,Luke 13:22-30
The credit card is a great invention. With just a plastic card one can go into a shop and buy whatever one wants - a dress, a pair of shoes, grocery, a television set, and even a car - take it home and begin to enjoy it, all with just a promise to pay later, as money becomes available. It is a wonderful system that could be a lifesaver to someone in temporary financial crisis. But the credit card system can create in people the mentality of “have it now and pay later,” which does not work in life generally. In the real life, most of the goods that come to us are prepaid. To pass our exams, we have to study beforehand. We cannot pass our exams now with a promise to complete the required courses later. To win a football match, the team must practice hard before the match, not after. Most goods and blessings that come to us in life are prepaid.
Discipline is the name we give to the necessary hard work and self-denial that people endure in order to prepay for a future reward. Discipline, as everyone knows, can be a very painful experience, but those who succeed after going through the rigor of discipline usually look back and agree that it was worth it. As today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews says, “discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
Wise parents raise their children with discipline. With discipline children are helped to cultivate good habits, such as, early to bed and early to rise, brushing their teeth and taking a shower, cleaning their rooms and helping out in the kitchen. With discipline children learn how to join in the family meal rather than watch television all the time, how to make time to do their homework rather than browsing the internet all night long. At the time, they may object and think that their parents are harsh, but later in life, when they begin to reap the rewards of a disciplined life, they will thank their parents for inculcating some discipline into them.
Our second reading today compares God to good parents who discipline their children out of the love they have for them. God punishes us because he loves us, he wants us to be good children. Paul asks: What child is there whom a parent does not discipline? Punishment becomes part of disciple some times. Parents are to punish their children only if they love them to death; just as God loved us in Jesus. If parents don’t love the children their punishment will bring reverse effects. Punishment becomes a duty for the parents who love their children deeply. If you think you don’t love your children enough, you lose your right to punish them. So if we want our children to be good and if we really love them, remember the dictum in the proverb: Spare the rode and spoil the child. It means that if we refrain from punishments where required, we are bound to spoil our children. Of course we may say, law of the land prohibits it, we are not supposed to punish our children or else we end up in jail. When punished in love we won’t cross over to the limit of what law prohibits. Our society will certainly punish if a man or even a teenager does something criminal. Our society will not spare them. We don’t hear any judge ever saying “I forgive you”. The violator will be put behind bars and their freedom which they regard most in life is choked. But how come the parents are not allowed to punish their our own kids whom they really love, that is absurd. Of course the promulgation of this law was caused because some where some people over did things, were cruel to their own children. To curb one extreme we went to the other extreme. But we know the virtue always lies in the middle. All through the bible we find God submitting his people to punishment for their waywardness.
Several years ago, one young man was condemned to death for robbery and murder. He was in the jail waiting his execution . When he was asked about his last wish he said he wanted to see his mom. His mom was brought to the jail and he asked his mom to come closer because he wanted to share something secret in her ear. When she got near him, he bit her ear off. She was bleeding profusely and when asked why he did that to his mom he said- When I was a kid and stole a pencil from the school, my mother did not punish me, she did not even scold me, on the contrary she encouraged me. And later on I stole several things from the school, but my mother did not punish me even for once. If she had punished me then and made me realize what I did was wrong, I would never have ended up here.
Prov.1:8 says: Hear my child, your father’s instruction, and do not reject your mother’s teaching; for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.
Prov.13:1 says: A wise child loves discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
So always remember to correct our children when they do wrong. Overlooking their mistakes when they are young would encourage them to develop bad habits. They should not be prompted to think that we are approving of their faults. A bent plant can be straightened when it is young, not when it has become a grown tree. It is wise not to punish children for any kind of mistakes at the first or second instance. Correcting a few times would probably bring good result. Being lenient too many times will inspire them to commit the same mistakes often. Remember, never to punish them before others, especially before their friends or peers. It will hurt them severely and cut down their self image. Also never speak of the negatives of your child before him/her to others. That will not produce the intended results. In spite of repeated punishments if the child does not improve, then you need to find out the reason behind it. This may be a trick to getting your attention, because he or she needs your attention more than what he gets now.
After the vacation a school teacher asked her class how they enjoyed the vacation and told them to write down what they wanted to become in life. After the class the teacher took the papers home and was reading them at night and as she read one paper she started crying. Her husband asked what happened and she gave him the paper to read. A boy wrote he wanted to become a TV. The reason he wrote were,.. TV is placed in a respectable position and everyone pays attention to the TV and listens carefully to the TV. At home no one listens to me. My parents have no time to talk to me or spend their time with me. My brother is busy with his cell phone and computer, and there is no one to talk to me. If I become a TV and if I get the attention the TV gets in my home I will be very happy. When he read through the paper and came to read the name of the boy he found out that it was written by none other than their own son.
Once the children reach teenage, corporal punishment is not advisable. Prov.19:18 says: Discipline your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction. A violent tempered person will pay the penalty”. So when you are angry don’t think of punishing your children, you can go to extremes. When one of the parents punish, let the other parent console them and fondle them in love, so that they would know that the parents do not hate them, but punished out of love and concern. The children who had been punished and had opportunities to take “no”s in their childhood are less likely to have mental breakdown when they grow older.
The intensity of punishment should always be in proportion to the mistake done. Never punish twice for the same mistake. The way a child is reared affects how genetic predispositions are expressed. Being a parent is an awesome vocation. The relationship parents have with their children leaves its influence on them for many years afterwards.
Discipline entails tr
ials and hardships. It takes going through the “narrow gate”. But only those who go through the narrow gate will make it to heaven. Wide and smooth are the road that leads to destruction.
Many years ago, an editorial in the magazine, War Cry put it like this: “A loose wire gives out no musical note; but fasten the ends, and the piano, the harp or the violin is born. Free steam drives no machine. But hamper and confine it with piston and turbine and you have the great world of machinery made possible. The unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up and we get power sufficient to light a great city. So our lives must be disciplined if we are to be of any real service in this world.”
Let me conclude by reading to you a famous quote: Watch your words, they become your actions, watch your actions they become your habit, watch your habit they become your character, and your character will determine your destiny.
The credit card is a great invention. With just a plastic card one can go into a shop and buy whatever one wants - a dress, a pair of shoes, grocery, a television set, and even a car - take it home and begin to enjoy it, all with just a promise to pay later, as money becomes available. It is a wonderful system that could be a lifesaver to someone in temporary financial crisis. But the credit card system can create in people the mentality of “have it now and pay later,” which does not work in life generally. In the real life, most of the goods that come to us are prepaid. To pass our exams, we have to study beforehand. We cannot pass our exams now with a promise to complete the required courses later. To win a football match, the team must practice hard before the match, not after. Most goods and blessings that come to us in life are prepaid.
Discipline is the name we give to the necessary hard work and self-denial that people endure in order to prepay for a future reward. Discipline, as everyone knows, can be a very painful experience, but those who succeed after going through the rigor of discipline usually look back and agree that it was worth it. As today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews says, “discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
Wise parents raise their children with discipline. With discipline children are helped to cultivate good habits, such as, early to bed and early to rise, brushing their teeth and taking a shower, cleaning their rooms and helping out in the kitchen. With discipline children learn how to join in the family meal rather than watch television all the time, how to make time to do their homework rather than browsing the internet all night long. At the time, they may object and think that their parents are harsh, but later in life, when they begin to reap the rewards of a disciplined life, they will thank their parents for inculcating some discipline into them.
Our second reading today compares God to good parents who discipline their children out of the love they have for them. God punishes us because he loves us, he wants us to be good children. Paul asks: What child is there whom a parent does not discipline? Punishment becomes part of disciple some times. Parents are to punish their children only if they love them to death; just as God loved us in Jesus. If parents don’t love the children their punishment will bring reverse effects. Punishment becomes a duty for the parents who love their children deeply. If you think you don’t love your children enough, you lose your right to punish them. So if we want our children to be good and if we really love them, remember the dictum in the proverb: Spare the rode and spoil the child. It means that if we refrain from punishments where required, we are bound to spoil our children. Of course we may say, law of the land prohibits it, we are not supposed to punish our children or else we end up in jail. When punished in love we won’t cross over to the limit of what law prohibits. Our society will certainly punish if a man or even a teenager does something criminal. Our society will not spare them. We don’t hear any judge ever saying “I forgive you”. The violator will be put behind bars and their freedom which they regard most in life is choked. But how come the parents are not allowed to punish their our own kids whom they really love, that is absurd. Of course the promulgation of this law was caused because some where some people over did things, were cruel to their own children. To curb one extreme we went to the other extreme. But we know the virtue always lies in the middle. All through the bible we find God submitting his people to punishment for their waywardness.
Several years ago, one young man was condemned to death for robbery and murder. He was in the jail waiting his execution . When he was asked about his last wish he said he wanted to see his mom. His mom was brought to the jail and he asked his mom to come closer because he wanted to share something secret in her ear. When she got near him, he bit her ear off. She was bleeding profusely and when asked why he did that to his mom he said- When I was a kid and stole a pencil from the school, my mother did not punish me, she did not even scold me, on the contrary she encouraged me. And later on I stole several things from the school, but my mother did not punish me even for once. If she had punished me then and made me realize what I did was wrong, I would never have ended up here.
Prov.1:8 says: Hear my child, your father’s instruction, and do not reject your mother’s teaching; for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.
Prov.13:1 says: A wise child loves discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
So always remember to correct our children when they do wrong. Overlooking their mistakes when they are young would encourage them to develop bad habits. They should not be prompted to think that we are approving of their faults. A bent plant can be straightened when it is young, not when it has become a grown tree. It is wise not to punish children for any kind of mistakes at the first or second instance. Correcting a few times would probably bring good result. Being lenient too many times will inspire them to commit the same mistakes often. Remember, never to punish them before others, especially before their friends or peers. It will hurt them severely and cut down their self image. Also never speak of the negatives of your child before him/her to others. That will not produce the intended results. In spite of repeated punishments if the child does not improve, then you need to find out the reason behind it. This may be a trick to getting your attention, because he or she needs your attention more than what he gets now.
After the vacation a school teacher asked her class how they enjoyed the vacation and told them to write down what they wanted to become in life. After the class the teacher took the papers home and was reading them at night and as she read one paper she started crying. Her husband asked what happened and she gave him the paper to read. A boy wrote he wanted to become a TV. The reason he wrote were,.. TV is placed in a respectable position and everyone pays attention to the TV and listens carefully to the TV. At home no one listens to me. My parents have no time to talk to me or spend their time with me. My brother is busy with his cell phone and computer, and there is no one to talk to me. If I become a TV and if I get the attention the TV gets in my home I will be very happy. When he read through the paper and came to read the name of the boy he found out that it was written by none other than their own son.
Once the children reach teenage, corporal punishment is not advisable. Prov.19:18 says: Discipline your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction. A violent tempered person will pay the penalty”. So when you are angry don’t think of punishing your children, you can go to extremes. When one of the parents punish, let the other parent console them and fondle them in love, so that they would know that the parents do not hate them, but punished out of love and concern. The children who had been punished and had opportunities to take “no”s in their childhood are less likely to have mental breakdown when they grow older.
The intensity of punishment should always be in proportion to the mistake done. Never punish twice for the same mistake. The way a child is reared affects how genetic predispositions are expressed. Being a parent is an awesome vocation. The relationship parents have with their children leaves its influence on them for many years afterwards.
Discipline entails tr
ials and hardships. It takes going through the “narrow gate”. But only those who go through the narrow gate will make it to heaven. Wide and smooth are the road that leads to destruction.
Many years ago, an editorial in the magazine, War Cry put it like this: “A loose wire gives out no musical note; but fasten the ends, and the piano, the harp or the violin is born. Free steam drives no machine. But hamper and confine it with piston and turbine and you have the great world of machinery made possible. The unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up and we get power sufficient to light a great city. So our lives must be disciplined if we are to be of any real service in this world.”
Let me conclude by reading to you a famous quote: Watch your words, they become your actions, watch your actions they become your habit, watch your habit they become your character, and your character will determine your destiny.
XXI Ordinary Sunday, Discipline your children
XXI Ordinary Sunday. Hb.12:5-7,11-13,Luke 13:22-30
The credit card is a great invention. With just a plastic card one can go into a shop and buy whatever one wants - a dress, a pair of shoes, grocery, a television set, and even a car - take it home and begin to enjoy it, all with just a promise to pay later, as money becomes available. It is a wonderful system that could be a lifesaver to someone in temporary financial crisis. But the credit card system can create in people the mentality of “have it now and pay later,” which does not work in life generally. In the real life, most of the goods that come to us are prepaid. To pass our exams, we have to study beforehand. We cannot pass our exams now with a promise to complete the required courses later. To win a football match, the team must practice hard before the match, not after. Most goods and blessings that come to us in life are prepaid.
Discipline is the name we give to the necessary hard work and self-denial that people endure in order to prepay for a future reward. Discipline, as everyone knows, can be a very painful experience, but those who succeed after going through the rigor of discipline usually look back and agree that it was worth it. As today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews says, “discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
Wise parents raise their children with discipline. With discipline children are helped to cultivate good habits, such as, early to bed and early to rise, brushing their teeth and taking a shower, cleaning their rooms and helping out in the kitchen. With discipline children learn how to join in the family meal rather than watch television all the time, how to make time to do their homework rather than browsing the internet all night long. At the time, they may object and think that their parents are harsh, but later in life, when they begin to reap the rewards of a disciplined life, they will thank their parents for inculcating some discipline into them.
Our second reading today compares God to good parents who discipline their children out of the love they have for them. God punishes us because he loves us, he wants us to be good children. Paul asks: What child is there whom a parent does not discipline? Punishment becomes part of disciple some times. Parents are to punish their children only if they love them to death; just as God loved in Jesus. If parents don’t love the children their punishment will bring reverse effects. Punishment becomes a duty for the parents who love their children. If you think you don’t love your children enough, you lose your right to punish them. So if we want our children to be good and if we really love them, remember the dictum in the proverb: Spare the rode and spoil the child. It means that if we refrain from punishments where required, we are bound to spoil our children. Of course we may say, law of the land prohibits it, we are not supposed to punish our children or else we end up in jail. When punished in love we won’t cross over to the limit of what law prohibits. Our society will certainly punish if a man or even a teenager does something criminal. Our society will not spare them. The violator will be put behind bars and their freedom which they regard most in life is choked. But the parents are not allowed to punish their our own kids whom they really love, that is absurd. Of course the promulgation of this law was caused because some where some people over did things, were cruel to their own children. To curb one excess we went to the other excess. But we know the virtue always lies in the middle. All through the bible we find God submitting his people to punishment for their waywardness.
Several years ago, one young man was condemned to death for robbery and murder. He was in the jail waiting his execution . When he was asked about his last wish he said he wanted to see his mom. His mom was brought to the jail and he asked his mom to come closer because he wanted to share something secret in her ear. When she got near him bit her ear off. She was bleeding profusely and when asked why he did that to his mom he said- When I was a kid and stole a pencil from the school, my mother did not punish me, she did not even scold me, on the contrary she encouraged me. And later on I stole many things from the school, but my mother did not punish me for once. If she had punished me then and made me realize what I did was wrong, I would never have ended up here.
Prov.1:8 says: Hear my child, your father’s instruction, and do not reject your mother’s teaching; for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.
Prov.13:1 says: A wise child loves discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
So always remember to correct our children when they do wrong. Overlooking their mistakes when they are young would encourage them to develop bad habits. They should not be helped to think that we are approving of their faults. A bent plant can be straightened when it is young, not when it has become a grown tree. It is wise not to punish children for any kind of mistakes at the first or second instance. Correcting a few times would probably bring the result. Being lenient too many times will inspire them to commit the same mistakes often. Remember, never to punish them before others, especially before their friends. It will hurt them severely and cut down their self image. Also never speak the negatives of your child before him/her to others. That will not produce the intended results. In spite of repeated punishments the child does not improve, then you need to find out the reason behind it. This may be a way of getting your attention, because he or she loves your attention more than what he gets now. After the vacation a school teacher asked her class how they enjoyed the vacation and told them to write down what they want to become in life. After the class the teacher took the papers home and was reading them at night and as she read she started crying. Her husband asked what happened and she gave the paper to him. A boy wrote he wanted to become a TV. The reason he wrote were,.. TV is placed in a respectable position and everyone pays attention to the TV and listens carefully to the TV. At home no one listens to me. My parents have no time. My brother is busy with his work, and there is no one to talk to me. If I become a TV and if I get the attention the TV gets in my home I will be very happy. When he read through the paper he found out that it was written by his own son.
Once the children reach teenage, corporal punishment won’t help much. Prov.19:18 says: Discipline your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction. A violent tempered person will pay the penalty; So when you are angry don’t think of punishing your children, you can go to extremes. When one of the parents punish, let the other parent console them and fondle them in love, so that they would know that the parents do not want their destruction, but they punish out of love. The children who had been punished and had opportunities to take “no”s in their childhood are less likely to have mental breakdown when they grow older.
The intensity of punishment should always be in proportion to the mistake done. Never punish twice for the same mistake. The way a child is reared affects how genetic predispositions are expressed. Being a parent is an awesome vocation. The relationship parents have with their children leaves its influence on them for many years afterwards.
Discipline entails trials and hardships. It takes going through the “narrow gate”. But only those who go through the narrow gate will make it to heaven. Wide and smooth are the road that leads to destruction.
Many years ago, an editorial in the magazine, War Cry put it like this: “A loose wire gives out no musical note; but fasten the ends, and the piano, the harp or the violin is born. Free steam drives no machine. But hamper and confine it with piston and turbine and you have the great world of machinery made possible. The unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up and we get power sufficient to light a great city. So our lives must be disciplined if we are to be of any real service in this world.” Watch your words, they become your actions, watch your actions they become your habit, watch your habit they become your character, and your character will determine your destiny.
The credit card is a great invention. With just a plastic card one can go into a shop and buy whatever one wants - a dress, a pair of shoes, grocery, a television set, and even a car - take it home and begin to enjoy it, all with just a promise to pay later, as money becomes available. It is a wonderful system that could be a lifesaver to someone in temporary financial crisis. But the credit card system can create in people the mentality of “have it now and pay later,” which does not work in life generally. In the real life, most of the goods that come to us are prepaid. To pass our exams, we have to study beforehand. We cannot pass our exams now with a promise to complete the required courses later. To win a football match, the team must practice hard before the match, not after. Most goods and blessings that come to us in life are prepaid.
Discipline is the name we give to the necessary hard work and self-denial that people endure in order to prepay for a future reward. Discipline, as everyone knows, can be a very painful experience, but those who succeed after going through the rigor of discipline usually look back and agree that it was worth it. As today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews says, “discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).
Wise parents raise their children with discipline. With discipline children are helped to cultivate good habits, such as, early to bed and early to rise, brushing their teeth and taking a shower, cleaning their rooms and helping out in the kitchen. With discipline children learn how to join in the family meal rather than watch television all the time, how to make time to do their homework rather than browsing the internet all night long. At the time, they may object and think that their parents are harsh, but later in life, when they begin to reap the rewards of a disciplined life, they will thank their parents for inculcating some discipline into them.
Our second reading today compares God to good parents who discipline their children out of the love they have for them. God punishes us because he loves us, he wants us to be good children. Paul asks: What child is there whom a parent does not discipline? Punishment becomes part of disciple some times. Parents are to punish their children only if they love them to death; just as God loved in Jesus. If parents don’t love the children their punishment will bring reverse effects. Punishment becomes a duty for the parents who love their children. If you think you don’t love your children enough, you lose your right to punish them. So if we want our children to be good and if we really love them, remember the dictum in the proverb: Spare the rode and spoil the child. It means that if we refrain from punishments where required, we are bound to spoil our children. Of course we may say, law of the land prohibits it, we are not supposed to punish our children or else we end up in jail. When punished in love we won’t cross over to the limit of what law prohibits. Our society will certainly punish if a man or even a teenager does something criminal. Our society will not spare them. The violator will be put behind bars and their freedom which they regard most in life is choked. But the parents are not allowed to punish their our own kids whom they really love, that is absurd. Of course the promulgation of this law was caused because some where some people over did things, were cruel to their own children. To curb one excess we went to the other excess. But we know the virtue always lies in the middle. All through the bible we find God submitting his people to punishment for their waywardness.
Several years ago, one young man was condemned to death for robbery and murder. He was in the jail waiting his execution . When he was asked about his last wish he said he wanted to see his mom. His mom was brought to the jail and he asked his mom to come closer because he wanted to share something secret in her ear. When she got near him bit her ear off. She was bleeding profusely and when asked why he did that to his mom he said- When I was a kid and stole a pencil from the school, my mother did not punish me, she did not even scold me, on the contrary she encouraged me. And later on I stole many things from the school, but my mother did not punish me for once. If she had punished me then and made me realize what I did was wrong, I would never have ended up here.
Prov.1:8 says: Hear my child, your father’s instruction, and do not reject your mother’s teaching; for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.
Prov.13:1 says: A wise child loves discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
So always remember to correct our children when they do wrong. Overlooking their mistakes when they are young would encourage them to develop bad habits. They should not be helped to think that we are approving of their faults. A bent plant can be straightened when it is young, not when it has become a grown tree. It is wise not to punish children for any kind of mistakes at the first or second instance. Correcting a few times would probably bring the result. Being lenient too many times will inspire them to commit the same mistakes often. Remember, never to punish them before others, especially before their friends. It will hurt them severely and cut down their self image. Also never speak the negatives of your child before him/her to others. That will not produce the intended results. In spite of repeated punishments the child does not improve, then you need to find out the reason behind it. This may be a way of getting your attention, because he or she loves your attention more than what he gets now. After the vacation a school teacher asked her class how they enjoyed the vacation and told them to write down what they want to become in life. After the class the teacher took the papers home and was reading them at night and as she read she started crying. Her husband asked what happened and she gave the paper to him. A boy wrote he wanted to become a TV. The reason he wrote were,.. TV is placed in a respectable position and everyone pays attention to the TV and listens carefully to the TV. At home no one listens to me. My parents have no time. My brother is busy with his work, and there is no one to talk to me. If I become a TV and if I get the attention the TV gets in my home I will be very happy. When he read through the paper he found out that it was written by his own son.
Once the children reach teenage, corporal punishment won’t help much. Prov.19:18 says: Discipline your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction. A violent tempered person will pay the penalty; So when you are angry don’t think of punishing your children, you can go to extremes. When one of the parents punish, let the other parent console them and fondle them in love, so that they would know that the parents do not want their destruction, but they punish out of love. The children who had been punished and had opportunities to take “no”s in their childhood are less likely to have mental breakdown when they grow older.
The intensity of punishment should always be in proportion to the mistake done. Never punish twice for the same mistake. The way a child is reared affects how genetic predispositions are expressed. Being a parent is an awesome vocation. The relationship parents have with their children leaves its influence on them for many years afterwards.
Discipline entails trials and hardships. It takes going through the “narrow gate”. But only those who go through the narrow gate will make it to heaven. Wide and smooth are the road that leads to destruction.
Many years ago, an editorial in the magazine, War Cry put it like this: “A loose wire gives out no musical note; but fasten the ends, and the piano, the harp or the violin is born. Free steam drives no machine. But hamper and confine it with piston and turbine and you have the great world of machinery made possible. The unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up and we get power sufficient to light a great city. So our lives must be disciplined if we are to be of any real service in this world.” Watch your words, they become your actions, watch your actions they become your habit, watch your habit they become your character, and your character will determine your destiny.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
ASSUMPTION OF BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
Rev. 11: 19, 12: 1-6, 10,: I Cor. 15: 20-27,Gosple: Luke 1: 39-56
There is an old story about a workman on a scaffolding high above the nave of a cathedral who looked down and saw a woman praying before a statue of Mary. As a joke, the workman whispered, "Woman, this is Jesus." The woman ignored him. The workman whispered again, more loudly: "Woman, this is Jesus." Again, the woman ignored him. Finally, he said aloud, "Woman, don't you hear me? This is Jesus." At this point the woman looked up at the crucifix and said, "Be still now, Jesus, I'm talking to your mother."
The Feast of the Assumption is one of the most important feasts of our Lady. Catholics believe that when her earthly life was finished, Mary was taken up, body and soul, into heavenly glory, where the Lord exalted her as Queen of Heaven. (ccc, # 966). The Assumption is the feast of Mary’s total liberation from death and decay, the consequences of original sin. It is also the remembrance of the day when the Church gave official recognition to the centuries-old belief of Christians about the Assumption of their heavenly mother.
Assumption- was a reward for Mary’s sacrificial cooperation in the divine plan of salvation. Her death was a transformation from this life to the next. She is the model Christian who heard the Word of God and lived it. She carried the life of God within her, celebrated the life of her Son on earth and is united to His life for all eternity.
The fact of Mary’s death is generally accepted by the Church Fathers and theologians and is expressly affirmed in the liturgy of the Church. Origen (died AD 253), St. Jerome (died AD 419) and St. Augustine (died AD 430), among others, argue that Mary’s death was not a punishment for sin, but only the result of her being a descendant of Adam and Eve. When Pope Pius XII made the proclamation of the assumption on November 1, 1950, he put into words a belief held by the faithful since the first century. Way back in AD 325 the Council of Nicea spoke of the Assumption of Mary. Writing in AD 457, the Bishop of Jerusalem said that when Mary’s tomb was opened, it was "found empty. The apostles judged her body had been taken into heaven.
According to one legend, Blessed Virgin Mary was living at Ephesus with the beloved disciple John and while there she died. St.Thomas was not there around at that time and when he was informed of Mary’s death on his arrival, he refused to believe it and demanded the grave to be opened and found it to be empty.
The second reading from the I Corinthians is Paul’s defense of the resurrection of the dead, is an apt selection on the feast of our heavenly Mother’s Assumption into heaven. In the Magnificat, or song of Mary, given in today’s gospel, Mary acknowledges that “the Almighty has done great things” for her. God, who has "lifted up" his "lowly servant" Mary, lifts up all the lowly, not only because they are faithful, but also because God is faithful to the promise of divine mercy. Thus the feast of the Assumption celebrates the mercy of God or the victory of God’s mercy as expressed in Mary’s Magnificat.
Marian doctrine and devotion, properly understood and practised, does not lead believers away from, but rather leads more deeply into the mystery of Christ. The woman in prayer who thinks that Jesus should keep still because she is talking with his mother has lost sight of the perfect harmony of wills and hearts between Mary and Jesus which we see most clearly in the Wedding Feast at Cana where Mary commands us: "Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you" (John 2:5).
Mary’s Assumption gives us the assurance and hope of our own resurrection and assumption into heaven on the day of our Last Judgment. It is a sign to us that someday, through God’s grace and our good life, we, too, will join the Blessed Mother in giving glory to God. It points the way for all followers of Christ who imitate Mary’s fidelity and obedience to God’s will.
One Sunday school teacher, had just finished explaining the feast of the Assumption to her class. "Now," she said, "let all those children who want to go to heaven to see their heavenly mother raise their hands." All the children raised their hands except little Marie in the front row. "Don't you want to go to heaven, Marie?" asked the teacher. "I can't," said Marie tearfully. "My mother told me to come straight home after Sunday school.
Since Mary’s Assumption was a reward for her saintly life, this feast reminds us that we, too, must be pure and holy in body and soul, since our bodies will be glorified on the day of our resurrection. St. Paul tells us that our bodies are the temples of God because the Holy Spirit dwells within us. He also reminds us that our bodies are also members of the Body of Christ.
This feast also gives us the message of total liberation. Jesus tells us in John 8: 34 that every one who sins is a slave of sin, and St. Paul reminds us (Gal. 5: 1) that, since Christ has set us free, we should be slaves of sin no more. Thus, the Assumption encourages us to work with God to be liberated from the bondage of evil: from impure, unjust and uncharitable thoughts and habits, and from the bonds of jealousy, envy and hatred.
It is always an inspiring thought in our moments of temptation and despair to remember that we have a powerful heavenly Mother, constantly interceding for us before her son, Jesus, in heaven. The feast of Mary’s assumption challenges us to imitate her self-sacrificing love, her indestructible faith and her perfect obedience.
Our prayers to Mary are the prayers of children asking their mother for help. We pray to Mary because she is our mother. When we were little and we fell down and scraped out knees, we called out to our mommies. When we got older we stopped calling out to our moms in time of minor difficulties, but when major traumas hit, when a girl loses a baby, when a young man learns that he has cancer, it is usually Mom who is still the first person called upon for help. Jesus gave Mary to us to be our Mother. He wants us to call upon our Mom in times of need. We recognize that it is Jesus’ life and power that saves us, but we also recognize that Mary was given to us at the foot of the cross as our mother.
One young boy was praying for months to get a particular kind of toy. He was desperate for not getting that toy. One day when he came to church he saw a small statue of Mother Mary. He slowly took the statue home and came back to church again to pray. He told Jesus, I have hijacked your mother. If you want her back give me the toy.
If we have Mary with us, our prayers have a better chance of being answered soon. Let’s approach Jesus through Mary, because she gave Jesus to the world. To Quote Pope Benedict XVI, “On this feast day, let us thank the Lord for the gift of the Mother, and let us pray to Mary to help us find the right path every day”.
On this feast day of our heavenly Mother, let us offer ourselves on the altar and pray for her special care and loving protection in helping us lead a purer and holier life.
O Mary, Assumed into heaven, pray for us, your children, who are fighting the attacks of sin. Amen.
Rev. 11: 19, 12: 1-6, 10,: I Cor. 15: 20-27,Gosple: Luke 1: 39-56
There is an old story about a workman on a scaffolding high above the nave of a cathedral who looked down and saw a woman praying before a statue of Mary. As a joke, the workman whispered, "Woman, this is Jesus." The woman ignored him. The workman whispered again, more loudly: "Woman, this is Jesus." Again, the woman ignored him. Finally, he said aloud, "Woman, don't you hear me? This is Jesus." At this point the woman looked up at the crucifix and said, "Be still now, Jesus, I'm talking to your mother."
The Feast of the Assumption is one of the most important feasts of our Lady. Catholics believe that when her earthly life was finished, Mary was taken up, body and soul, into heavenly glory, where the Lord exalted her as Queen of Heaven. (ccc, # 966). The Assumption is the feast of Mary’s total liberation from death and decay, the consequences of original sin. It is also the remembrance of the day when the Church gave official recognition to the centuries-old belief of Christians about the Assumption of their heavenly mother.
Assumption- was a reward for Mary’s sacrificial cooperation in the divine plan of salvation. Her death was a transformation from this life to the next. She is the model Christian who heard the Word of God and lived it. She carried the life of God within her, celebrated the life of her Son on earth and is united to His life for all eternity.
The fact of Mary’s death is generally accepted by the Church Fathers and theologians and is expressly affirmed in the liturgy of the Church. Origen (died AD 253), St. Jerome (died AD 419) and St. Augustine (died AD 430), among others, argue that Mary’s death was not a punishment for sin, but only the result of her being a descendant of Adam and Eve. When Pope Pius XII made the proclamation of the assumption on November 1, 1950, he put into words a belief held by the faithful since the first century. Way back in AD 325 the Council of Nicea spoke of the Assumption of Mary. Writing in AD 457, the Bishop of Jerusalem said that when Mary’s tomb was opened, it was "found empty. The apostles judged her body had been taken into heaven.
According to one legend, Blessed Virgin Mary was living at Ephesus with the beloved disciple John and while there she died. St.Thomas was not there around at that time and when he was informed of Mary’s death on his arrival, he refused to believe it and demanded the grave to be opened and found it to be empty.
The second reading from the I Corinthians is Paul’s defense of the resurrection of the dead, is an apt selection on the feast of our heavenly Mother’s Assumption into heaven. In the Magnificat, or song of Mary, given in today’s gospel, Mary acknowledges that “the Almighty has done great things” for her. God, who has "lifted up" his "lowly servant" Mary, lifts up all the lowly, not only because they are faithful, but also because God is faithful to the promise of divine mercy. Thus the feast of the Assumption celebrates the mercy of God or the victory of God’s mercy as expressed in Mary’s Magnificat.
Marian doctrine and devotion, properly understood and practised, does not lead believers away from, but rather leads more deeply into the mystery of Christ. The woman in prayer who thinks that Jesus should keep still because she is talking with his mother has lost sight of the perfect harmony of wills and hearts between Mary and Jesus which we see most clearly in the Wedding Feast at Cana where Mary commands us: "Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you" (John 2:5).
Mary’s Assumption gives us the assurance and hope of our own resurrection and assumption into heaven on the day of our Last Judgment. It is a sign to us that someday, through God’s grace and our good life, we, too, will join the Blessed Mother in giving glory to God. It points the way for all followers of Christ who imitate Mary’s fidelity and obedience to God’s will.
One Sunday school teacher, had just finished explaining the feast of the Assumption to her class. "Now," she said, "let all those children who want to go to heaven to see their heavenly mother raise their hands." All the children raised their hands except little Marie in the front row. "Don't you want to go to heaven, Marie?" asked the teacher. "I can't," said Marie tearfully. "My mother told me to come straight home after Sunday school.
Since Mary’s Assumption was a reward for her saintly life, this feast reminds us that we, too, must be pure and holy in body and soul, since our bodies will be glorified on the day of our resurrection. St. Paul tells us that our bodies are the temples of God because the Holy Spirit dwells within us. He also reminds us that our bodies are also members of the Body of Christ.
This feast also gives us the message of total liberation. Jesus tells us in John 8: 34 that every one who sins is a slave of sin, and St. Paul reminds us (Gal. 5: 1) that, since Christ has set us free, we should be slaves of sin no more. Thus, the Assumption encourages us to work with God to be liberated from the bondage of evil: from impure, unjust and uncharitable thoughts and habits, and from the bonds of jealousy, envy and hatred.
It is always an inspiring thought in our moments of temptation and despair to remember that we have a powerful heavenly Mother, constantly interceding for us before her son, Jesus, in heaven. The feast of Mary’s assumption challenges us to imitate her self-sacrificing love, her indestructible faith and her perfect obedience.
Our prayers to Mary are the prayers of children asking their mother for help. We pray to Mary because she is our mother. When we were little and we fell down and scraped out knees, we called out to our mommies. When we got older we stopped calling out to our moms in time of minor difficulties, but when major traumas hit, when a girl loses a baby, when a young man learns that he has cancer, it is usually Mom who is still the first person called upon for help. Jesus gave Mary to us to be our Mother. He wants us to call upon our Mom in times of need. We recognize that it is Jesus’ life and power that saves us, but we also recognize that Mary was given to us at the foot of the cross as our mother.
One young boy was praying for months to get a particular kind of toy. He was desperate for not getting that toy. One day when he came to church he saw a small statue of Mother Mary. He slowly took the statue home and came back to church again to pray. He told Jesus, I have hijacked your mother. If you want her back give me the toy.
If we have Mary with us, our prayers have a better chance of being answered soon. Let’s approach Jesus through Mary, because she gave Jesus to the world. To Quote Pope Benedict XVI, “On this feast day, let us thank the Lord for the gift of the Mother, and let us pray to Mary to help us find the right path every day”.
On this feast day of our heavenly Mother, let us offer ourselves on the altar and pray for her special care and loving protection in helping us lead a purer and holier life.
O Mary, Assumed into heaven, pray for us, your children, who are fighting the attacks of sin. Amen.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
XIXth Sunday in ORdinary TIme
XIXth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Wisdom 18:6-9; Heb. 11: 1-2, 8-19 ;Gosple: Luke12: 32-48
According to an old fable, a man made an unusual agreement with Death. He told the Grim Reaper that he would willingly accompany him when the time came to die, but only on one condition – that Death would send a messenger well in advance to warn him. Weeks turned into months, and months into years. Then one bitter winter evening, as the man sat thinking about all his possessions, Death suddenly entered the room and tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, the man cried out, "You're here so soon and without warning! I thought we had an agreement." Death replied, "I've more than kept my part. I've sent you many messengers. Look in the mirror and you'll see some of them." As the man complied, Death whispered, "Notice your hair! Once it was full and golden, now it is thin and white. Look at the way you tilt your head to listen to me because you can't hear very well. Observe how close to the mirror you must stand to see yourself clearly. Yes, I've sent many messengers through the years. I'm sorry you're not ready, but the time has come for you to leave."
The central theme of today’s readings is the necessity of vigilant preparedness in the followers of Christ. Jesus uses two comparisons to explain the nature of the vigilance required of us. We must be ready for action like an oriental servant or like an oil lamp trimmed for service. The long flowing robes worn by people of the day were a hindrance to work. When a man prepared himself to work, he gathered up his robes under his girdle (belt) in order to leave himself free for activity. The reference to fastened belts and lamps burning ready also recalled the preparedness for action which was legislated for Israel in the Passover ritual (Exodus 12:1).
Since the time of our death is quite uncertain, we, too, must be ever ready to meet our Lord at any moment. He should find us carrying out our task of love, mercy and service, rather than leaving things undone or half-done. He should also find us at peace with God, ourselves and with our fellowmen (Eph.4:26)
The Lord comes unexpectedly into our lives everyday through events and people we meet. But the ultimate, unexpected coming of the Lord in our lives is the moment of death. We should be watchful to recognize the Lord and prepared to meet him in the little unexpected opportunities of everyday life. This is the best way to prepare for the ultimate encounter with the Lord at the hour of death.
During his sermon, an evangelist asked all who wanted to go to heaven to raise their hands. Everyone in the audience did so--except for one elderly man sitting near the front of the auditorium. The preacher pointed his finger at him and said, "Sir, do you mean to tell us that you don't want to go to heaven?" "Sure I do," the old man answered, "but the way you put the question, I figured you were getting up a busload for tonight!'
Linda Taylor was putting her three tiny tots to bed. Suddenly Peggy, who had just begun kindergarten, said thoughtfully, Mommy, if the world came to an end, right now Would I have to take my library book back, or would it be okay to leave it at home?"
Peggy's innocent question and Jesus' sobering words invite us to ask, "How ready am I to meet my Maker, at this very moment?"
Seneca says: That day which you fear as being the end of all things is the birthday of your eternity.
The first sentences of today’s gospel speaks about how to prepare ourselves to meet the Lord.
Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This takes us to the last Sunday’s reading too. Money doesn’t bring happiness, everyone agrees. But then we go straight back to pursuing it as if it did. A full purse, like a full stomach, makes you want to go to sleep. We become oblivious of everything except the stock market or our business – and that is a kind of sleep. All great religious figures kept shouting, ‘Wake up!’ It is not that everyone was dozing in the sun; no they were not: they were making money.
Our preciousness in God’s eyes is contrasted with the preciousness of material treasures. We get our value from the Creator and not the accumulation of other creatures. Our heart’s desires will announce to which kingdom we belong.
Money is seductive because it appears to be the key to everything and everywhere. There was once a wealthy man who decided to donate a large amount of money to a monastery. To his great surprise, the abbot said, “No thanks, we have enough at present.” The rich man pressed him to take it anyway, but he refused politely. Suddenly the rich man began to weep. “You have made me realise how poor I am,” he said, “I have nothing to offer you except money.”
Jesus gave many warnings about the seductions of wealth. There is nothing wrong with the material things of the world in themselves. If my purse is always full, I will think only about getting a bigger purse. And it will fade gradually from my awareness that half the world is hungry. And I may also fail to notice that I am hungry myself, because my heart is empty. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If money is my treasure, there will be nothing in my heart except money. Let’s take to heart seriously the warning of Jesus and be alert and watchful for we don’t know when the Lord comes.
Wisdom 18:6-9; Heb. 11: 1-2, 8-19 ;Gosple: Luke12: 32-48
According to an old fable, a man made an unusual agreement with Death. He told the Grim Reaper that he would willingly accompany him when the time came to die, but only on one condition – that Death would send a messenger well in advance to warn him. Weeks turned into months, and months into years. Then one bitter winter evening, as the man sat thinking about all his possessions, Death suddenly entered the room and tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, the man cried out, "You're here so soon and without warning! I thought we had an agreement." Death replied, "I've more than kept my part. I've sent you many messengers. Look in the mirror and you'll see some of them." As the man complied, Death whispered, "Notice your hair! Once it was full and golden, now it is thin and white. Look at the way you tilt your head to listen to me because you can't hear very well. Observe how close to the mirror you must stand to see yourself clearly. Yes, I've sent many messengers through the years. I'm sorry you're not ready, but the time has come for you to leave."
The central theme of today’s readings is the necessity of vigilant preparedness in the followers of Christ. Jesus uses two comparisons to explain the nature of the vigilance required of us. We must be ready for action like an oriental servant or like an oil lamp trimmed for service. The long flowing robes worn by people of the day were a hindrance to work. When a man prepared himself to work, he gathered up his robes under his girdle (belt) in order to leave himself free for activity. The reference to fastened belts and lamps burning ready also recalled the preparedness for action which was legislated for Israel in the Passover ritual (Exodus 12:1).
Since the time of our death is quite uncertain, we, too, must be ever ready to meet our Lord at any moment. He should find us carrying out our task of love, mercy and service, rather than leaving things undone or half-done. He should also find us at peace with God, ourselves and with our fellowmen (Eph.4:26)
The Lord comes unexpectedly into our lives everyday through events and people we meet. But the ultimate, unexpected coming of the Lord in our lives is the moment of death. We should be watchful to recognize the Lord and prepared to meet him in the little unexpected opportunities of everyday life. This is the best way to prepare for the ultimate encounter with the Lord at the hour of death.
During his sermon, an evangelist asked all who wanted to go to heaven to raise their hands. Everyone in the audience did so--except for one elderly man sitting near the front of the auditorium. The preacher pointed his finger at him and said, "Sir, do you mean to tell us that you don't want to go to heaven?" "Sure I do," the old man answered, "but the way you put the question, I figured you were getting up a busload for tonight!'
Linda Taylor was putting her three tiny tots to bed. Suddenly Peggy, who had just begun kindergarten, said thoughtfully, Mommy, if the world came to an end, right now Would I have to take my library book back, or would it be okay to leave it at home?"
Peggy's innocent question and Jesus' sobering words invite us to ask, "How ready am I to meet my Maker, at this very moment?"
Seneca says: That day which you fear as being the end of all things is the birthday of your eternity.
The first sentences of today’s gospel speaks about how to prepare ourselves to meet the Lord.
Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This takes us to the last Sunday’s reading too. Money doesn’t bring happiness, everyone agrees. But then we go straight back to pursuing it as if it did. A full purse, like a full stomach, makes you want to go to sleep. We become oblivious of everything except the stock market or our business – and that is a kind of sleep. All great religious figures kept shouting, ‘Wake up!’ It is not that everyone was dozing in the sun; no they were not: they were making money.
Our preciousness in God’s eyes is contrasted with the preciousness of material treasures. We get our value from the Creator and not the accumulation of other creatures. Our heart’s desires will announce to which kingdom we belong.
Money is seductive because it appears to be the key to everything and everywhere. There was once a wealthy man who decided to donate a large amount of money to a monastery. To his great surprise, the abbot said, “No thanks, we have enough at present.” The rich man pressed him to take it anyway, but he refused politely. Suddenly the rich man began to weep. “You have made me realise how poor I am,” he said, “I have nothing to offer you except money.”
Jesus gave many warnings about the seductions of wealth. There is nothing wrong with the material things of the world in themselves. If my purse is always full, I will think only about getting a bigger purse. And it will fade gradually from my awareness that half the world is hungry. And I may also fail to notice that I am hungry myself, because my heart is empty. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If money is my treasure, there will be nothing in my heart except money. Let’s take to heart seriously the warning of Jesus and be alert and watchful for we don’t know when the Lord comes.
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