31. Mk. 13: 24-31

Mk. 13: 24-31: Prophesying the end of the Jewish world Jesus comes to the end of the world, which would be sudden with confusion and a surprise for the people. But the end of the world would bring its transformation too. 

30. Lk 18: 25-30

Lk 18: 25-30: The whole tendency of possession is to shackle a man’s thoughts to this world. He has so big a stake in it that he never wants to leave it, and never things of anything else. It is not a sin to have much wealth-but it is a danger to the soul and a great responsibility. So one must struggle as ‘a camel going through the eye of a needle’. This struggle of one to enter the kingdom is an important message in this season of Kaitha.

29. Mk. 7: 1-13

Mk. 7: 1-13: Religion to Pharisees became an instrument of self-deception and neurosis. Jesus restores the commanding vision of Genesis where life is a gift from God to be reverenced and celebrated. Religious traditions must make life coherent and insert us into a wide community of faith and meaning.

28. Jn 12: 20-26

Jn 12: 20-26: Jesus will die and the universal church will be born. Jesus allows his lifeless body to be laid in the earth; on rising from the tomb, his same body, now glorified, will also embrace the believers united to him. The life that is now his will be communicated to all the children of God. St. Alphonsa understood and lived according to what Jesus preached and practiced.

27. Mk. 8: 22-26

Mk. 8: 22-26: Unlike all other miracles of Jesus which happened suddenly and completely, this miracle happens in stages. It is gloriously true that sudden conversion is a gracious possibility, but it is equally true that everyday a man should be re-converted. With all God’s grace and glory before him he can go on learning for a life time and still need eternity to know as he is known.

26. Mt. 10: 5-15

Mt. 10: 5-15: Love and fidelity are the norm of matrimony for husband and wife. There is no other way as indicated here. Husband and wife are not two but “they shall be one body” (Genesis 2:24) Jesus says the same in 10:8. Thus their conjugal union binds them in an indestructible bond.

25. Mt. 20: 20-28

Mt. 20: 20-28: Jesus tries to convince his followers that success in his kingdom does not consist in prestige and power, but in following the way of Jesus, their leader. Jesus came to serve and his service to humanity will be his voluntary death. He made himself obedient, took the condition of a slave and died on the cross (Phil 2:8). ‘To drink the cup’ and ‘to be baptized’ are figurative ways of describing the suffering and death of Jesus.

24. Lk. 4: 25-30

     Lk. 4: 25-30: Jesus opposes the idea and belief of the jews that all misery and suffering is that of the sinners. Jesus shows mercy to the oppressed and people of suffering. So the reference of Elijah and Elisha coming to help the poor, needy and oppressed, angered the Jews.

23. Mt. 23: 34-39

1      Mt. 23: 34-39: God wanted to protect, love and care the people of Jerusalem. But they refused the prophets, Christ and first Christians who came in the name of God and spoke His Word. But they were killed and rejected. Destruction of Jerusalem was a punishment of its crimes. God’s plan and way cannot be objected, blocked by any one.

22. Jn. 9: 1-12, 35-38

Jn. 9: 1-12, 35-38:  The incident speaks about Jesus as the light for the blind eyes. Now is the time for the work to be done, decisions to be taken and appropriate steps to be initiated. Jesus is still doing things which seem to the unbelievers far too good and far too wonderful to be true.

21. Lk 14: 15-24

Lk 14: 15-24: The parable speaks about an eschatological final gathering into God’s community of salvation. For this heavenly banquet which will take place at the end of time, Jesus sends out the invitations. The time to respond is now! Those who are invited (in the parable the cream layer of the Jewish people) seem to have rejected the invitation on the false pretexts their own concerns. The second invitation to the Jewish people who are poor, crippled, outcasts and the marginalized and the third invitation to the gentiles indicate the togetherness of a wider community of God.

20. Jn. 20: 19-29

Jn. 20: 19-29: The disciples are seen bundling in a secret place for fear of Jews. The ‘Jews’ here means the hostile powers that work against Jesus. To these fearful disciples Jesus brings transformation, leading the disciples from the darkness of fear, unbelief and distress into the lights of peace, joy of the risen Lord and the Spirit. He breathes on them as if he is making them of a new creation, new humanity from the fearful apostles. Jesus does so again and again even today. 

19. Mk. 11: 12-14, 20-26

Mk. 11: 12-14, 20-26: The fig tree is full of leaves but no fruits seen. The superficial and deceptive aspects of life are seen but when the fruits of prayer and piety are absent in one, Jesus condemns one such a person and withers like this fig tree. Jesus draws the attention of this kind of dangerous life of a person.

18. Jn. 12: 23-28

Jn. 12: 23-28: Unless the grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies (v.24) speaks about the universal law for all life that will be fruitful. The seed that is stored in barns doesn’t produce life and fruitful. It is by scattering into the earth that the seed produces its fruits. The first believers were already saying: “the blood of the martyrs is a seed”.

17. Lk 6: 20-26

Lk 6: 20-26: ‘If you set your heart and bend your whole energies to obtain the things which the world values, you will get them –but that is all you will ever get’. But on the other hand if you set your heart and bend all your energies to be utterly loyal to God and true to Christ, you will run into all kinds of trouble; you may be according to the worldly standards look unhappy, but much of your payment is still to come; and it will be joy eternal.

16. Mt 7: 21-28

Mt 7: 21-28: whenever we teach or work miracles, these abilities and ministries given us for the good of the community do not assure us that we are in the grace of God. It is not enough that we know Jesus but it is important that Jesus knows us-which makes us eligible and worthy of his grace. For4 that we must do true faith works through love (Gal 5:6) and moves us to fulfill all love (James 2: 8)

15. Lk. 15: 11-32

Lk. 15: 11-32:  The parable of the ‘Lost Son’ gives us the message that in the outgoing and forgiving love of his ‘father’, the wayward son recaptures his true position as ‘son’. The parable requests us to recognize the open-hearted, forgiving love of God to all people, even the least; to recognize the ‘lost’ as God’s children just as we are.

14. Mk. 2: 1-12:

Mk. 2: 1-12:  Jesus’ word of forgiveness is as effective as his word of healing. He shows that he can with authority act for God. In Jesus the grace filled nearness of God’s kingdom makes itself felt. The church continues this ministry of forgiveness (CCC 1421) in the sacrament of reconciliation.

13. Lk. 12: 4-12

Lk. 12: 4-12: The attitude to life is fearlessness. Man’s power over man is strictly limited to this life only. The soul cannot be destroyed by any man. God’s power can blot out a man’s very soul. So God only is to be feared. At the same time to God we are never lost in the crowed. We are taken care of by the Holy Spirit, who leads one to repentance.  If we have lost the seed of repentance over sin then we are far away from Him

12. Jn. 8: 48-59

Jn. 8: 48-59: In time Jesus saw nothing but pain, dishonor and rejection. In eternity he saw only the glory which he who is obedient to God will someday receive. Jesus had the supreme optimism born of supreme faith, the optimism which is rooted in God. In Jesus alone we see what God wants us to know and what God wants us to be. In Jesus the eternal God shared himself to men.

11. Jn. 10: 22-28

Jn. 10: 22-28: Jesus promised to those who accepted him of eternal life, a life that would know no end and a life that was secure even in a world crashing to disaster. They would know the serenity of God. It is both an invitation and a promise.

6. Mt. 10: 37-42

Mt. 10: 37-42:  The dependency to the family members hampers the spiritual and human growth. It is not that we must not love our families and be concerned about them. This is a duty which Jesus insists upon in 15: 4-7. But we are to avoid excessive attachments or inordinate affections which restrict our freedom to do God’s work. His belonging to the Family of God is primary. 

5. Mt. 23: 13-22

Mt. 23: 13-22: The word ‘hypocrite’ not only means to appear to be what one is not but also it refers to the one who makes light of the things of God and who causes loss of respect for them. These teachers close the path to true knowledge of God the Father, and bar the way to freedom and confidence which is proper to the children of God.  

4. Lk. 16: 9-17

Lk. 16: 9-17: We should use our things to enhance our friendships and not to use our friendship to enhance the number of things we have. Each of us has a god we serve. The question centers upon, which will attract our devotion. Spiritual bonds endure over time. Things can be lost or rotten.

3. Jn. 20: 24-29

Jn. 20: 24-29: This exclamation of Thomas is the supreme affirmation of faith in which the sum total of the Johannine faith is expressed. Thomas exclamation is indeed the new covenant declaration of our relationship with the word incarnate, a confession which each one of us is called to make and thereby enter into the blessed v. 29 life of Jesus’ community.

2. Mt. 12: 38-42

Mt. 12: 38-42: The Pharisees want a miracle that will undoubtedly prove that Jesus do the work of God. Jesus refuses. People who love truth and seek what is right will recognize the seal of God in the deeds of Jesus. But Jesus will have to give a sign – his resurrection. So people, who demand a miracle before they believe, receive no answer.

1. Lk. 13: 22-30

Lk. 13: 22-30: Jesus foresees that people from all nations will convert and come into the church. The Jews alone cannot claim the kingdom of God by merely having a superficial acquaintance with Jesus. It demands serious effort like entering through a narrow door. The v. 25b “I do not know where you come from” is very frightening.  It exhorts us to have a serious examination of conscience.