Tuesday 6 September
Tuesday of week 23 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 6:12-19 “He then came down with them and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts …. who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases”. Jesus came down with his chosen and stopped at a level ground where people were waiting to hear him and to be cured. We are chosen by our baptism and our vocation to come down with Jesus and to be with people who needs to hear the words of Jesus and be cured by Him. Are you coming down with Jesus to the level where the needy are? Or are you staying up there? Anyway, Jesus is down there on the level of the poor and the needy. Where are you?
Monday 5 September
Monday of week 23 in Ordinary Time St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910 - 1997) “Then Jesus said to them, ‘I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’” With these words Jesus abolished all excuses against doing good. Often, we hesitate to do the good what we must do because we find some so-called valid and even religious excuses. That cannot be anymore. When you see someone before you, who is in need, there is no more excuse not to help or do something good. Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who understood this teaching of Christ. To whoever is in need, we must do what we can. We cannot just pass by, holding our excuses, if we want to follow Jesus Christ who healed the man with the withered hand on a Sabbath.
Sunday 4 September
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 14:25-33 “Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple”. The love of Jesus Christ on the cross made a model for us to love. Cross became the central point of love. With out cross, we cannot love. There comes the intrinsic relationship between cross and discipleship. There are two moments in this: carrying one’s own cross and following Jesus. We cannot carry our cross and go where we want. This will not make us disciples of Christ. Often, we carry crosses but to attain what we want. But Jesus is very clear. Carry cross and follow Him. Let’s think, where am I going carrying my cross? Following my selfishness or my Jesus Christ?
Saturday 3 September
Saint Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor First Saturday : Let us entrust ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Gospel - Luke 6:1-5 ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’ This affirmation of Jesus changed everything. The entire way to dealing with all our norms, traditions and system. Rules and regulations become instruments to love. Jesus becomes the point of reference and not any rule. We are not anymore tied down but freed to follow Jesus. Each rule gets its meaning when it serves this purpose of leading us to Jesus. When it helps me to follow Jesus in His way of love. Let’s think today: are the rules which I am following help me to love others in order to follow Jesus? The same applies for our convictions, ideas, positions etc about which we are stubborn sometimes and then those become not at all instruments of love.