Saturday 22 October
Saint John Paul II, Pope Gospel - Luke 13:1-9 “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year” This is what God does. He gives us grace. He gives us freedom. He gives us opportunities. But the choice is ours. The tree has the choice to absorb the manure and produce fruits or just absorb it and not produce fruits. When He sees that His love is not producing fruits in us, He tries to love us more. Grace and opportunities are given without taking out our freedom. The choice is ours. How are we choosing? Are we using the grace and opportunities to produces fruits which will be good for others or are we using it for ourselves? Along with this in the Church we are so much privileged. All these privileges are manures given to us to produce fruits. Again, the choice is ours. Are we using these privileges for our interests or using them for producing fruits of love, and justice. So, let us think: Are we using the grace and opportunities given by Gods love and privileges given by the Church for producing fruits for others or for ourselves?
Friday 21 October
Friday of week 29 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 12:54-59 “How is it you do not know how to interpret these times?” How is that we don’t know how to interpret our times? Because we read our times without Jesus Christ! We want to read our times as our product, as our achievement, as our success. This is where we miss. The time and every single event in time belongs to the Lord of the times. And there is the plan of God which runs in time and in every single event. If you want to be part of that plan, we must be part of the Lord of history, Jesus Christ. To be part of Jesus Christ, we must love and forgive. So, every moment you love, and you forgive, you become part of the history of humanity redeemed by Jesus Christ. From this perspective you can interpret the history in the right way. Are you ready to become part of the time of Jesus Christ by loving and forgiving?
Thursday 20 October
Thursday of week 29 in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 12:49-53 “I have come to bring fire to the earth”. What is that fire which Jesus brought to earth. Jesus assumed the human suffering and transformed it by his incarnation into a measurement of love, a fire which brings out the truth in love. In Jesus the suffering is transformed into a totally different reality. It became the measurement of love. It became a fire. A fire which makes the division between the real love and fake love, between superficial love and profound love. Love which stands this fire becomes the true love. Love which withstands the suffering or welcomes the suffering to love becomes the true love. Jesus speaks about his distress in the same text, “There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over”. It is the reality of this fire - solitude, betrayal, misunderstanding, indifference, and other forms of suffering. A love which endures this fire is the true love.
Wednesday 19 October
Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and their Companions, Martyrs Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest Gospel - Luke 12:39-48 This gospel passage speaks about our responsibility towards the gifts and graces we received from God. Each talent we have and each grace we have received is a responsibility for which we have to give account to the Lord. “What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?”. With the gifts and graces, we have received, we have been placed over his household. For what? To give those around us what they need at the right time. Two important points to be noted. ‘What they need’ and ‘at the right time’. Are we aware of this? Then again, the Lord is specifying how to do it. We must do this faithfully and wisely. Again, two important points to be noted. So, the talents and graces which we have received, give us the responsibility to take care of those around us, faithfully and wisely, providing them with what they need and on the right time. What a responsibility! Are you aware about this?