Saturday, September 17, 2011

25th Sunday of Ordinary Times – Our Expectation on God (Mt 20:1-16)

"God Must Be ........." – Our Expectation on God

Introduction

- Our reality is shaped by our expectations. We have expectations about all most everything. For example we have expectation about our president, our parents, our brothers and sisters……

- Once in the pre marriage course the animator told the participants to write down their expectation about their partners. Each one took time and wrote their expectation about their future partner. After the reading each one’s expectations the animator told sarcastically, “I think no one in this group will get married, because they will never find a person of their expectation”.

- Today Jesus invites us to think of our expectations about “God”.

Content

- Different expectations about God

o The workers expected from their master a person who is ‘just’ – God who is just, paying each one according to his merit. Therefore, if I have done more I should receive more in comparison with others

o Some may expect God to be ‘destroyer’, as one man prayer – God destroy all my enemies and safeguard me always.

o Some may expect God to be an intermediate. (Lk 12: 13) – “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me”.

o Some may expect God to a miracle worker or healer as the king Herod (Lk 23:5-12). Also in the temptation of Jesus.

o What is our expectation on God? It is personal to each one of us.

- But God reminds in the first reading (Isaiah 55:6-9) – ‘for my thoughts are not your thoughts, not are your ways my ways’.

- We are incapable of comprehending God since we are earthlings (belong to earth), timelings (belong to time) and spacelings (belong to space).

Conclusion

- Correct our expectation of God who is beyond all our expectations, who is beyond time, space and earth.

- It calls us to experience God more than defining God. Experience him like the air, like breeze, and like the day light.

- This experience would lead us to a complete surrender like Mary – to say “let thy will be done unto me”, because He arranges everything for our good.

- Also let us not forget our duty to be faithful to God in our lives.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

24th Sunday of Ordinary Times – Forgiveness (Mt 18:21-35)

Resembling God’s Forgiveness

Introduction

- Do we need forgiveness from God?

o I have heard people saying in their conversation – I have not confessed for years because I do not commit any big sin in my life.

o The answer for those people is 1Jn 1:8 – “No one is without sin. If anyone believes that he is without sin, he is deceiving himself and the truth is not in him”.

o The proverb says (24:16) that even the righteous person falls seven times.

- Therefore we all need forgiveness from God. We are weak and sinful human being with lot of limitations and finiteness.

Content

- Today’s readings speaks of three things that all should keep in our mind when we think of receiving God’s forgiveness.

1. God’s forgiveness in a free blessings

o It not something that we can buy as if from a shop - giving something in return.

o It depends purely on the mercy of God. God is full of love and mercy.

o It is given abundantly for those who ask for it.

2. God’s forgiveness is a blessings for which we have to show our gratefulness

o The prayer “Our Father” – ‘forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us’. Are we taking this prayer seriously?

o Share God’s blessing of forgiveness with our brothers and sisters and thus show gratitude to God.

3. Forgiveness is a blessing that does not have any limit.

o Peter, in today’s Gospel, broadened his mind to forgive 7 times. But for Jesus it is not enough. Jesus looks for 7x77 times. It is unlimited.

Conclusion

- Whom should we forgive?

o “Charity begins at home”, is a proverb that is applicable also to forgiveness. Forgiveness should be practiced with in our families, between partners, parents and children, in the office, among the neighbors etc.

- Also make it a point to receive the forgiveness of God through the sacrament of reconciliation.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt 18:15-20)

Theology of Mirror

Introduction

- A puzzle - what is that thing, which we use often in our daily life, that can be seen in the public places and in our bags, and we do not pay for it’s use? – the mirror.

- Mirror is a part of majority of us, especially of young people.

- The story of small child – after play in the field returning to her home – everybody were laughing at her – even the mother – looked at the mirror – she had mud on her face in the shape of mustache and beard.

- Today’s gospel tells us to be a mirror to our brethren.

Content

- There are different mirrors that we use in our life – eg; Word of God, Commandments, rules and regulations, biography of saints etc. All these materials help us to see who we are and our limitations.

- We are call to be mirrors to others.

- Our eyes are fixed in our face in such a way that we see other’s face more than we see ours. Therefore others know our weaknesses better than us. Eg; husband knows the weakness of the wife more than the wife and vice versa.

- When we correct listen to these things – do it in private and with respect, do it with gentleness and patience, and do it with love.

- Sometimes we become small broadcasting channels instead of mirrors with regards to others weaknesses. We tell all others except that person.

Conclusion

- Jesus has called our community to a perfect community

- Our model is of the triune god

- Let us grow towards that model by helping each other.