30. Lk 11: 5-13

Lk 11: 5-13: Jesus deals with the subject of prayer as to how to ‘ask’ God. Our prayers are usually framed in terms of material needs. Whatever else it might entail, God’s answer is always in terms of our spiritual well-being which may not always be obvious to us.

28. Mt. 8: 1-4

Mt. 8: 1-4: Lepers (in those times all who had skin diseases were considered lepers) are outcaste in Jesus’ times.  By curing such a one is a conspicuous and significant feature of the ministry of Jesus. Jesus brings back the lost dignity of man into the warmth of human communion.

27. Mt. 21: 18-22

Mt. 21: 18-22: The fig tree symbolizes the people of Israel and grew with plenty of leaves. They were nurtured and cared by God. The fig tree in the passage was there tempting the passerby…. God’s care could be seen but no fruit found. The Israelites were proud of their origin like that of the fig tree but they were not doing acts of fruition as wanted by God. So Jesus by cursing the tree was using a prophetic method to the give the message to the disciples that likewise this fig tree…. Be cursed if not fruit were seen.

26. Mt. 10: 26-33

Mt. 10: 26-33:  If we lose God, we lose that which alone can give meaning and joy to our lives.  Jesus exhorts his disciples in his missionary preaching that what they hear from him must be preached without fear. Material loss is to be preferred to spiritual loss. Our relationship with God the Father is mediated through him. God’s attitude towards us will correspond to our attitude toward Jesus. Our acknowledgement or rejection of Jesus will be the norm for our own acknowledgment or rejection by God.

25. Jn 8: 39-47

Jn 8: 39-47: Jews are boasting of their descent from Abraham who proved himself to be a true believer of God, even though they are not imitating him in this belief.  Jesus, whose origin is from beyond human history, will enable us to enter into the world beyond, if only we believe in him by living according to his teaching.

24. Mt. 17: 14-21

Mt. 17: 14-21: Powerful and deep trust in God is never without public effect. The complete trust the epileptic’s father to cry out ‘Kyrie Eleison’ made Jesus to call for deep hearted faith. The faith that can move mountains is not an intellectual ascent but deep, secure and abiding Trust in God.

23. Lk 8: 16-21

Lk 8: 16-21: The tendency of some people is to hide things from themselves and people and however difficult may be from God. But they are an unhappy lot. The truth is that the happiest people are those who have nothing to hide. There must not be any hidden agenda or secret in the relationship with God. So when his mother and brothers wanted to see Jesus privately, Jesus says that those who hear the word of God and do it are those who make themselves their brother and mother! 

22. Mt. 15: 1-9

Mt. 15: 1-9: The tradition of the elders is not the law. Jesus respected and followed the law ie the ‘Thora’ but Jesus often spoke against some of its interpretation of the law by the Rubies. The disciples disobeyed an unimportant interpreted law but Jesus accused the Jews that they disobey the very important Law of Moses.

21. Mt. 9: 9-13

Mt. 9: 9-13: From Abraham to Pharisees we find the Jews making themselves righteous on their terms to approach God. Jesus in the New Testament corrects them by going directly to outcastes – tax collectors and prostitutes. Jesus is the new Israel who now reaches out all people to join them into a family linked not by genes but by faith in God. Thus they approach God to become righteous. So Jesus wants us to call God our Father so that we live a life in His terms.

20. Mt. 24: 29-36

Mt. 24: 29-36: These two possibilities of the second coming of Jesus contradict each other. The first speaks that we can know the signs of the second coming of Jesus just like we know the coming of summer by looking at the figs and its sprouting of new leaves. The second possibility is that no one knows – not even the angels, the son of God but it is known only by God the Father. A total submission by us is needed before the son of God comes.

19. Mt. 23: 29-36

Mt. 23: 29-36: The history of Jews was history of murder from Abel to Zacharias. It is a history of rejection and often the slaughter of the men of God. It makes us think when the history judges us, will its verdict be that we were the hinderers or the helpers of God! It is a question that every individual, nation must ask themselves.

18. Mt. 5: 43-48

Mt. 5: 43-48: The antitheses of the Sermon on the Mount reach their climax in the last one dealing with the scope of our love. “You must be perfect”(v.48) which means  that God loves his people with a mind of universality and single-mindedness. God loves all of us and each one of us totally.

17. Mt 4: 12-17

Mt 4: 12-17: Nothing happens to Jesus that is not provisioned by God. If Bethlehem is the place of his birth (2:6), Nazareth is the place of his upbringing (2:23) and Capernaum is his place of Mission (4:15f). The definitive salvation is announced by Jesus comes to us by a change of heart - a conversion to a new life-style based on God’s love and working of Spirit within us.

16. Lk. 15: 1-7

Lk. 15: 1-7: Jews regarded the tax collectors as sinners and thereby ‘untouchables’. Jesus does not write off them as outcasts but wants them to be saved. The God proclaimed by Jesus is not the ‘just judge’ of the pharasees who rewards and punishes strictly according to our action, but the loving father (Lk 15: 11-31) who forgives us even before we have sinned. We do not need to earn God’s forgiveness but need to turn to god and accept it.

15. Lk 4: 31-37

Lk 4: 31-37: The narrative brings out the power of Jesus’ word which is supported by the effectiveness of his actions. Through his preaching, exorcisms and healing, Jesus makes God’s kingdom real among the people. In this gospel passage a man possessed by an evil spirit shouts and acknowledge the power of Jesus.

14. Lk. 24: 13-27

Lk. 24: 13-27: Every ‘breaking of the word’ leads one finally to the Eucharist ie. ‘Breaking of the bread’ where one finds and acknowledges Jesus, as we see in the journey of two disciples to Emmaus. This is the way every Christian to discover Jesus, who is the way to life. They go away from Jerusalem. Jesus meets them on their way and puts them back on track.

13. Lk 12: 41-48

Lk 12: 41-48: One must be alert towards the time of meeting of our Lord Jesus. To explain this point Jesus gives the example of faithful and unfaithful or wise and unwise steward. The unwise one makes two mistakes in his attitude. He says to himself “I will do what I like while my master is away”. Thus he forgets the day of reckoning. Then he says “I have plenty of time to put things right before the master comes”. Thus he digs his own pit by postponing everything for tomorrow. Sin is doubly sinful to the man who knew better and failure is doubly blame worthy in the man who had every chance to do well.

12. Lk 9: 23-27

Lk 9: 23-27: If Peter’s profession of Jesus is the truth but not the whole truth. To grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ definition of his identity, it is to have vast consequences for the lives of his disciples. We cannot take Christ without the cross; it will lead one to delusion. Nor can we take the cross without Christ, this leads to despair.

11. Lk 12: 35-40

Lk 12: 35-40: The message of preparedness is presented in a parabolic language here. The disciples are asked to wide awake to God’s gift and to the demands of God’s kingdom. One should be open to truth. It is not enough just not to avoid evil but to promote goodness.

10. Lk. 18: 35-43

Lk. 18: 35-43: The cure of the blind man speaks not only of restoration of the physical sight but the gradual emergence of spiritual sight among the disciples. While the disciples saw what is happening in the outside world and so told the blind man to keep quiet, the blind man has an inner focused need to be rectified i.e. to regain sight. So he shouts for Jesus!

9. Mk. 2: 13-17

Mk. 2: 13-17: Jesus dines with tax collectors. The association with public sinners of which Levi the tax collector included could make one ritually unclean in these time. Jesus cracks open the status quo as he draws people into the kingdom by cleaning, healing them. Now the power to forgive which moves among us is the power of Jesus. He is the Messiah-our abiding agent of reconciliation and the source of liturgical power.

8. Mt. 1: 1-16

Mt. 1: 1-16: While giving the genealogy of Joseph, the last verse shifts to focus on Mother Mary and the birth of Jesus. The shift to focus on Mary is with a purpose to show that she is chosen by God Himself to be the mother of God. Thus royalty of kingship gained, the tragedy of freedom lost, the glory of liberty restored. It is the mercy of God that is the story of mankind and of each individual man.

7. Mt 13: 10-17

Mt 13: 10-17: Jesus makes every parable a challenge. Every parable makes one to decide after understanding his or her situation in life in the context of the parable told. Confronted by God’s love erupting into our life, we are forced to decide. We either accept God’s love or reject it. Many Jews chose the latter.

6. Mk 5: 1-13

Mk 5: 1-13: A man, who was possessed with evil spirits, was cured by Jesus. The demon enjoyed a routine way of life in the man who was living among the tombs of the dead. Jesus comes there to disturb that routine. Life went peacefully on till there arrived ‘this disturbing’ Jesus. They complained to Jesus; they hated him. More people hate Jesus because he disturbs them of their wrong doings. They don’t accept Jesus by saying “Go away and let us be in peace.” Those who come out from their routine life serve the church but Jesus says they must start from their home.

5. Lk. 14: 1-6

 Lk. 14: 1-6: The Jews were corrupted by the interpretation and practice of the Sabbath laws. To them comes Jesus active. He revives them by giving new meaning for the Sabbath laws. He proves that ‘Sabbath is for the good of man and not man for the Sabbath’(Mk 2: 27).  

3. Lk 18: 1-8

Lk 18: 1-8: If the persistent plea of a helpless widow gets through to an unjust, how much more effective will it be with God? Jesus the son of God will surely come however long – delayed his coming may seem towards the groaning under persecution of Christians living in difficult times. So the Christian should never cease praying and pleading for redemptive justice inspired by faith in Jesus.

1. Jn 15: 18-25

Jn 15: 18-25: If love is the essential nature of the disciple of Christ, hatred is of the world and it’s ruler the Satan. When a person begins to live a more responsible and committed life he or she meets with opposition and hatred from the other. This is the beginning of persecution of the Christians or Christ’s followers who is committed to Christ and his word. Jesus makes his disciples of this incoming persecution and must be prepared to suffer like that he suffered in this Gospel passage.