Wednesday 28 September
Wednesday of week 26 in Ordinary Time Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr Saints Laurence Ruiz and his Companions, Martyrs Gospel - Luke 9:57-62 We want to follow Jesus. That is for sure, but we have our conditions. Our vocation is to follow a person, Jesus Christ. Not an idea, not some ideals. The difference between following a person and an idea is this. When you are following a idea, you can put your own ideas and principles into it. But when you are following a person, you must follow fully that person without conditions. Our conditions cannot be part of our following because in following Jesus Christ, we give up all our conditions. Conditions make compromised discipleship. Whereas unconditional following make radical discipleship. Today the gospel asks us to meditate: my following of Jesus Christ, is it a compromised discipleship or a radical discipleship?
Tuesday 27 September
Tuesday of week 26 in Ordinary Time Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest Gospel - Luke 9:51-56 Jesus is the one who rebukes us whenever we resort to violence. It’s our natural tendency to react with violence to teach justice, to bring justice. Our sense of justice always empowers us to enforce justice with all means. But it is where the rebuke of Jesus who is going to Jerusalem comes. Rebuke of Jesus who is going to accept the cross for all the sins of others comes. Rebuke of Jesus who is going to bring justice with his love. Love and sharing in truth contain justice in itself. There this gospel passage is asking us: is our sense of justice is provoking us to resort to any means or is provoking us to love and share more in truth? You want to do justice to someone who is poor, just share what you have.
Monday 26 September
Monday of week 26 in Ordinary Time Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs Gospel - Luke 9:46-50 “For the least among you all, that is the one who is great”. What is the logic behind this thought? It seems like a contradiction. Being least and being great at the same time. This is the logic of God. When you have nothing or when you are nothing, then you are the least. How does this happen? This happens through the process of emptying oneself. The principle of incarnation. God emptying himself to become man. In our case, we must empty ourselves of our selfishness, of our ego. This is when the process of becoming the least materialises. When this is happened, he or she becomes great because this person can love the most. So, today mediating on the Gospel, let’s try to empty ourselves so that we can love the most.
Sunday 25 September
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel - Luke 16:19-31 The rich man in this parable has no name. Whereas the poor man has a name, “Lazarus”. The poor person has an identity. What is his or her identity? The identity of the poor person is that his or her name is known to God. It is personal. So, the distance you make from the pain of the poor person is the distance you make from God. The rich man in the parable has no name. That means each one of us can be this rich man whenever we try to live in our world of selfishness without seeing the pain of the suffering and the needy. Thus, creating the great gulf between ourselves, and God. Another point of reflection is the silence suffering of Lazarus and the crying out of the rich man in Hades. Lazarus accepted his situation in silence and just “longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table”. Sometimes we also find ourselves in the place of Lazarus. This attitude of Lazarus always challenges us to avoid our continuous complaining of our difficulties. The attitude of Lazarus always challenges us to be satisfied with what is possible. The last point of reflection is, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead”. Acknowledge the voice of the Word of God already in you and embrace conversion.