Monday 10 July
Monday of week 14 in Ordinary Time First reading - Genesis 28:10-22 “a ladder was there, standing on the ground with its top reaching to heaven; and there were angels of God going up it and coming down”. This is the perfect picture of our relationship with God. God-man relationship is a ladder. A ladder where love is experienced and exchanged. A ladder where the grace comes down and our offerings go up. A ladder where God our Lord is always available. The ladder is the presence of God in our life. It happens as a dream for Jacob. Actually if we think it’s a dream. It’s a dream to have the presence of God in our life as a ladder of reciprocal communication. God is accessible. How beautiful out life becomes! Jacob’s reaction is important. ‘How awe-inspiring this place is! This is nothing less than a house of God; this is the gate of heaven!’ He identifies that place at the gate of heaven. This is our task. To identify our hearts as the gates of heaven and not the gates of hatred and anger. God is present in your life and your heart can be the gate of heaven. Let’s reflect: Am I recognizing my heart as the gate of heaven due to the presence of God in my life?
Sunday 9 July
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time First reading - Zechariah 9:9-10 “See now, your king comes to you; he is victorious, he is triumphant, humble and riding on a donkey…” This paradox is the key of our spirituality. Victorious and triumphant but humble and riding on a donkey. The reality of incarnation of the second person of God is depicted here. God became man. Triumphant God but humbled himself to become a man. He finishes all wars and proclaims peace for the nations. His empire shall stretch from sea to sea. Our following of Jesus Christ is to learn how to be humble when we are victorious and triumphant. How to be unpretentious when we are successful and powerful. How to be modest when we are rich and glorious. How to be down to earth? This is the process we must go through. The process of becoming humble when we are triumphant. Let’s reflect: How much am I humble in my successful moments?
Saturday 8 July
Saturday of week 13 in Ordinary Time Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary First reading - Genesis 27:1-5,15-29 This episode in the book of Genesis is very curious. We see something strange. Esau is called to be blessed. Jacob comes and grab the blessing. And the mother Rebekah is assisting the younger son to have this blessing. And Isaac blessed the younger one thinking that he is the elder one. There is no moral justification for what had happened but the message in this episode is that God and his plan are above all kinds of human interventions. God works through our plans but it’s not our plan that guides the history but His plan. It’s God who gives the dew from heaven and the richness of the earth, abundance of grain and wine. Let’s reflect: Am I aware that God guides my history and not my calculations?