Thursday 17 November
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious on Thursday of week 33 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 19:41-44 “As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it…and all because you did not recognize your opportunity when God offered it!’” Jesus is crying and shedding tears over because Jerusalem did not recognize the opportunity given to her by God. Every encounter - with situations, with persons, with events - in our life is an opportunity for us to open ourselves towards God to receive His message of peace. We should not close our eyes towards this possibility. If we do, we are giving opportunities to attitudes and ideals against God to raise fortifications all round us, to encircle us and to close us inside our small world. And in this small world, we will be suffocated and deprived of love and joy. Let’s reflect: Am I recognizing the opportunity which God is giving to me to open up to Him?
Wednesday 16 November
Wednesday of week 33 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 19:11-28 “Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds.” What we have is given for a mission. Our talents and abilities are given to us to be united to what the master has. We must use what is given to us to the intentions of the one who gave us the talents. When we feel separated from Jesus, we want to keep our talents for ourselves. Even we want to act against Him. We don’t want to accept Jesus as our Lord. We want to elect our own king. When this happens, we will lose what is given to us. We are loved by God. When we don’t recognize that love and when we don’t share that love with others, we are not acting according to the intentions of God who loved us first. We are keeping it in a piece of linen. God is loving us so that we faithfully share that love even in a very small thing. The more you love others, more God’s love will be showered on you, so that you can love even more others. Let’s reflect: Am I using the love of God which I receive to love others or am I hiding it for myself?
Tuesday 15 November
Tuesday of week 33 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 19:1-10 “They all complained when they saw what was happening”. Did Jesus do something unjust? Something bad? No. Why then they all were complaining? Only because they were all jealous about the joy of Zacchaeus. They think that he does not deserve this attention of Jesus. Because they didn’t know the anxious Zacchaeus who wanted to see who Jesus is. Because they didn’t know the running Zacchaeus ahead of Jesus. Because they didn’t know the climbing Zacchaeus on the sycamore tree where Jesus was to pass by. But Jesus knew this Zacchaeus. This is the speciality of the love of Jesus. He sees our desires; He sees our attempts, and He acknowledges it. When good things happen to others, let’s not complain and let’s not judge because God sees what we don’t see. He has His plans. We must see all things in this perspective. Let’s reflect: Am I complaining in my heart when good things are happening to others?
Monday 14 November
Monday of week 33 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 18:35-43 Jesus hearing the cry of that blind man amidst all the noises of the street. The man shouting all the louder amidst the people asking him to keep quiet. Here we see a beautiful exchange in the relationship between God and man. God always hears our cry irrespective of the circumstances. And we in our heart crave for God irrespective of the challenges. This is the reality in the heart of very human person. There is nothing outside of us or inside us that can hinder this movement of our heart towards God. God always listens to our heartbeats. When He finds that we are calling louder amidst the people asking us to keep quiet, He stops. “Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him”. Jesus stops for me and asks the same persons who asked me to shut up to bring me to Him. How beautiful! Jesus stops at my cry and I am taken to Him. So, what is that hinders you to call him louder?