31. Mt. 18: 6-9

1    Mt. 18: 6-9 Sometimes, it is an individual who leads others to sin at other times it is society itself with its corruption, violence and unjust social structures. Jesus invites us to be aware of sin personal and social. There will be evil in this world, but we must make sure that we do not contribute to it or let it flourish through our inactivity. 

30. Jn. 6: 30-36

Jn. 6: 30-36: It was God who gave manna to the people; of Israel in the wilderness. It was only symbolic of bread of life. The real bread from heaven is to be found in the one who came from heaven, i.e. Christ himself. In him we find not only satisfaction from physical hunger, but life also. Jesus was claiming that the only real satisfaction was in him.  

29. Lk. 10: 25-37

Lk. 10: 25-37: The Jewish conception of a neighbor originates from ‘flesh’ and ‘blood’.  Jesus corrects this by establishing that the neighbor is the one who is close to any brother or sister in need. Loving the neighbor must not be only in the thought but also in deed as we see in this parable of Good Samaritan.

28. Jn. 6: 1-15

1    Jn. 6: 1-15: Jesus needs what we can bring to him. It may not be much but he needs it. If we would lay ourselves on the altar of service, there is no saying what we could do with us and through us. We may be sorry and embarrassed that we have not more to bring, it is no reason to fail to bring. Little is always more in the hands of Jesus. 

27. Jn. 6: 45-50

1    Jn. 6: 45-50: Jesus is the bread of life. Bread is very essential for life. Those who refuse to Jesus are those who miss life in this world and in the world to come. Those who accept Jesus will find this life worth and glorify God in the world to come. 

26. Jn. 6: 51-59

1    Jn. 6: 51-59:  In a general sense Jesus speaks of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. The flesh of Jesus means his complete humanity. In Jewish concept blood means ‘Life’. So it means that we should have the humanity and life of Jesus. John meant more that this general sense. He was saying if you want life, you must come and sit at that table where you eat that broken bread and drink that poured-out wine which somehow, in the grace of God brings you into contact with the Lord and life of Jesus Christ. 

25. Jn. 6: 37-44

1    Jn. 6: 37-44: Life in Jesus is life in time and life in eternity. In him we find new satisfaction. The hunger and thirst are gone in him. The human heart finds what is was searching for and life ceases to be mere existence and becomes a thrill and peace and even beyond life we are safe in him.

24. Jn. 6: 64-71

1    Jn. 6: 64-71: Peter has a personal relationship with Jesus though he did not understand many things he spoke. So Christianity is not a philosophy we accept, nor a theory to which we give allegiance but a personal response to Jesus. It is this personal allegiance and love one is motivated to surrender his heart, mind and soul to Christ. 

23. Jn. 11: 17-27

1    Jn. 11: 17-27: When one believes in Jesus, he or she is freed from the fear of godless life; from the frustration of sin-ridden life; from the futility of Christless life. Life is raised from sin’s death and becomes so rich that it cannot die but must find in death only the transition to a higher life. 

22. Lk. 7: 36-50

1    Lk. 7: 36-50 Simeon’s reception of Jesus was without any love in his heart. But the sinful woman’s was a service of love by washing his feet with pure nard oil while Simeon did not even wash his feet. Jesus loves sinners, outcastes which Simeon criticizes. It is love that forgives sin and when sins are forgiven that love grows. Jesus teaches all those assembled there this great lesson. He also teaches us that the real knowledge is to recognize that we are sinners. God’s love follow us to redeem us. 

21. Jn. 6: 25-29

1    Jn. 6: 25-29: Jesus is sealed by God, he is God’s truth incarnate and God alone can truly satisfy the eternal hunger of the soul which he created. For this Jesus offers us a relationship of service, purity and trust in God. When we do that, Jesus satisfies us from our eternal thirst and hunger. 

20. Lk. 7: 11-23

1    Lk. 7: 11-23: We, the ministers of the church are called to summon all who are spiritually, ecclesiastically, canonically, intellectually dying people to new life. The church should be a place not where people come to die but where they can come to receive new vigor and life. 

19. Jn. 2: 13-25

1    Jn. 2: 13-25: With the trade and the entire ritualism in the temple what happens in the temple was a mere ritualistic worship while the hearts of the people are far from God. So Jesus reacts and cleanses the temple like that of the Old Testament prophets. Unless there is a connection between our piety and our everyday living, our devotions and liturgical services are pure hypocrisy which God rejects. 

18. Mt. 13: 31-35

1    Mt. 13: 31-35:  Small beginnings lead to mighty end. The parable of the ‘Yeast’ also brings out the same message. With the added insight or faith, Christianity spreads as it were by infection from persons caught up by the new experience of God and who communicate it spontaneously to others. So the end result is big enough to be seen.  

17. Mt. 20: 29-34

1    Mt. 20: 29-34: Many people get material and spiritual benefits from God through Jesus, but forget to say thanks to him. Ingratitude is the ugliest sin of all. Here we find these two blind men after receiving sight give due loyalty to him. We can never repay God for what he has done for us but we can be grateful to him. 

16. Mt. 11: 25-30

1    Mt. 11: 25-30 It is the Christian conviction that in Jesus Christ alone we see what God is like and Jesus can give that knowledge to anyone who is humble enough and trustful enough to receive it. Jesus is compassionate to those people trying to find God to be good and doing so, driven to weariness and despair. 

15. Jn. 16: 5-15

1    Jn. 16: 5-15 Holy Spirit gives freedom and sanctifies our souls. Moses received the message of freedom in the presence of fire that doesn’t consume the plant on mount Horeb (Ex. 3:2; 9-10). The pillar of fire travelled at night in front of the Israelites (Ex. 13:21). It is the tongues of fire (Holy Spirit) that guided and inspired the disciples. Fire has always been symbolical to the Holy Spirit both in OT and NT. The Holy Spirit is seen empowering the disciples in the Gospels. Holy Spirit teaches about sin, justice and last judgment as found in the Gospel of today. 

14. Mt. 18: 23-35

  Mt. 18: 23-35: Readiness to forgive those who injured us is demanded for a Christian living. Jesus not only urges us to forgive without limit (v.21-22) but shows us how our forgiveness is always related to God’s forgiveness (v.23-34).

13. Mt. 24: 7-14

1    Mt. 24: 7-14 A true missionary and disciple of Jesus will be hated by the people, will be handed over for suffering by the people and Jesus says that the one who endures till the end will be saved. It is not about the time of suffering that Jesus speaks about but the fullness of suffering.

12. Lk. 14: 25-35

1    Lk. 14: 25-35 The man who follows him should not be on the way to worldly power and glory, but must be ready for loyalty which would sacrifice the dearest things in life and for a suffering which would be like the agony of a man upon a cross. It is the Christian way to salvation. But he won’t be alone. He who called him to the steep road will walk with him every step of the way and be there at the end to meet him.

11. Jn. 17: 1-5

1    Jn. 17: 1-5 For Jesus life had a climax and that was the cross. To him the cross was the glory of life and the way to the glory of eternity. Facts from the history shows that how they died showed people what and who they really were. Fro Jesus, the cross was the glory as it was the completion of his work. “I have accomplished the work” he says.

10. Lk. 12: 13-21

1    Lk. 12: 13-21: Professional success is what one gets rich to oneself while spiritual success as one grows rich in the sight of God. Wealth is not a thing that we can rely upon. As it disappears we become more relying upon God – that is what we mean ‘growing spiritually rich’. Trust in God orients one’s attitude toward the world. It determines whether we see the world as an essentially hostile place to live in for our spiritual life.   

9. Jn. 4: 3-15

1 Jn. 4: 3-15: Jesus, overcoming racial and social prejudices, begins to talk with a Samaritan woman with the intention of bringing her to salvation. Her immediate concern was to quench the thirst with water from the well of stagnant water. But Jesus promises her of the living water which is the word of God as wisdom and the Holy Spirit who give eternal life. Once one possesses it as a reality within one’s heart, all thirst for happiness will be satisfied. 

8. Mk. 16: 14-20

1    Mk. 16: 14-20: The church has a healing task and a source of power. The church is never left alone to work. Always Christ works with it, in it and through it. The Lord of the church is still in the church and is still the lord of power. The Gospel of Mark ends here with this message of presence of this power of Christ. 

7. Mt. 3: 7-12

1    Mt. 3: 7-12: The coming of Jesus Christ necessarily involves separation for Christ or against him according to the response one makes and this choice cannot be avoided. The one who is for Christ will be illuminated warmly, protected and purified as fire does to anyone – the one who is baptized with the holy spirit and fire.

6. Jn 3: 31-36

1   Jn 3: 31-36: If anyone wants to be saved from divine rejection and be able to see God’s face of merciful love, he or she must believe in Jesus and live according to his teachings. The one who lives likewise will find inner peace and tranquility in his or her heart. 

5. Lk. 24: 44-53

1    Lk. 24: 44-53: The disciples are instructed to continue his message and his presence. They are to proclaim his name everywhere and be witnesses of the Christ-event to others. Having said this in his last instruction, Jesus ascends to his Father. Luke’s gospel ends where it began in the house of God, where the disciples spend their times in prayer in order to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. 

4. Jn. 15: 11-17

1    Jn. 15: 11-17: Jesus says “You have not chosen me but I have chosen you” it was not we who chose God, but God who in his grace, approached us with a call and an offer made out of his love. We are chosen for joy, for love to his friends, to be his ambassadors (to send you out) to be his advertisements (to bear fruit) with a privileged member status of the family of God.

3. Jn. 14: 1-6

1    Jn. 14: 1-6: If we have true faith in God the Father and in Jesus Christ we will be liberated from all our sufferings. The ‘rooms’ show the intimate communion, sharing the very life of God, reaches it’s culmination in the life with God after our death. It starts with the present life in which Jesus is the Way, the truth and the life.

2. Mt. 23: 23-28

1    Mt. 23: 23-28: Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for their lack of authenticity. There is no compassion and love in their hearts. From outside they seem to b e ‘honorable’ or show themselves to be so but inside of them are full of extortion and rapacity. So they are compared to a cup or plate that is washed from outside and white washed tombs.

1. Jn. 17: 20-26

1    Jn. 17: 20-26: Jesus prays for all his followers. He prays for unity among them as he experiences the unity with the Father. This unity that he has with the Father and reflected among his followers will always remain a ‘challenge’ to this divided world. This unity which is established on love and understanding will be the conscience of the world. This must be the thrust and endeavor of the church always.