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?
Sunday 13 November
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time World Day of the Poor 2022 “May this 2022 World Day of the Poor be for us a moment of grace. May it enable us to make a personal and communal examination of conscience and to ask ourselves whether the poverty of Jesus Christ is our faithful companion in life” (Pope Francis, Message for the World Day of the Poor 2022). In the Gospel, Jesus says, ‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said, ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” These words of Jesus are good to meditate on this World Day of the Poor. We forget the poor when we embrace the wrong person as Jesus. We forget the poor when we take the wrong idea as gospel. We fall in deception when we don’t see the poor person right next to me. We fall in deception when we talk so much and do nothing to help the needy. Again, Jesus says, “Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you...” We forget the poor when we prepare our defence forgetting the role of God. We forget the poor when we prepare our plans and projects forgetting the plan of God. We forget the word of Jesus and we are busy preparing. He said that he will provide. When we forget the providence of God, we forget the poor. Let’s reflect: am I living in deception forgetting the poor near to me?
Saturday 12 November
Saint Josaphat, Bishop, Martyr Saturday of week 32 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 18:1-8 “I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’” Do we really believe in these words of Jesus? With all the things happening around us, we don’t believe this. That is exactly why Jesus is saying it. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth? Because God is keeping his promise always, but we don’t see it or acknowledge it. With a simple discomfort we forget all the good things happened in our life. Here we see the perseverance of this widow. Before her, there were only discomforts. First the injustice she suffered. Then the judge who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. Then the continuous denial of justice. With all these challenges she continued to believe that justice will be done. This strength of mind is what we should have in prayer. This confidence in the promise of God is the faith we should have. Let’s ask this question: Do I really believe in the promise of God, that He will see justice done and done speedily, amidst the counterexamples of daily life?