22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time-B

I Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2.6-8: Moses urges the people to observe God’s commandments if they wish to have life and be recognised by the world as wise and prudent.

II Reading: James 1:17-18: We are the children of God, blessed with God’s word and called to submit to it, in particular by caring for those who are poor.

Gospel: Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23: it is a tragedy to follow human traditions rather than the laws of God and to be unaware that evil comes from the heart, not from the failures to observe ritual washings.

The Emptiness of (Man-Made) Tradition, Ritual, Ceremony, Works:

Mk 7:1-3

Who is a true and good Christian or human?

One who listens attentively to God’s Word and acts accordingly, keep his/her heart clean and helps his/her brothers and sisters in need.

This passage is based and focused upon institutionalized religion, tradition, ritual, ceremony and works.

A true religion is to give one’s own heart to God; external rules may help, but they do not make a person truly religious just by themselves.

People may survive only when they accept each other and reconciled to God in Christ and live-in peace and love and experience the joy and hope of Christ and walk humbly and live a life of service.

1. The religionists found fault with Jesus’ disciples (v.1-5)

          a. A fact finding commission from Jerusalem

          b. The fault: Eating with unwashed and unclean hands

                    i. The tradition of cleanliness explained

                    ii. The tradition illustrated

          c. The charge against the disciples was brought to Jesus

2. Tradition can be hypocritical honor (v.6)

3. Tradition can be empty, worthless worship (v.7)

4. Tradition can be man-made commandments (v.8)

5. Tradition can be kept before the commandments of God (v.9-12)

          a. They twisted God’s commands

          b. They insisted on obedience to tradition

6. Tradition can nullify the Word of God or make the Word of God ineffective (v.13)

The Things That Defile, That Make a Person Unclean: Mk 7:14-23

Jesus shook the world and revolutionized people’s idea of evil and wrong doing. Jesus is making people totally depend upon God for salvation and life.

1. Jesus called the crowd to him (v.14-17)

          a. The importance stressed: Listen and understand

          b. The point stated

          c. The disciples’ dullness

2. Explanation 1: The thing that enters the body does not defile nor make unclean (v.18-19)

          a. It does not enter the heart

          b. it enters the digestive tract

3. Explanation 2: The thing that comes out from the heart does defile (v.20-22)

          a. The sins

4. Explanation 3: The source of evil is the heart (v.23)

Thought: Love must be at the centre of all religion. The Pharisees added hundreds of rules to the ten commandments; Jesus instead, reduced the ten commandments to a single rule: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34)

James repeats Jesus’ commandment in another form: Do not boast of just believing in Christ; your faith is of no use unless you are concerned about the poor. (James 3:14-16)

Love for our neighbour will show what our religion really is, whether fake or genuine.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (James 4:10). Humility is a problem to most people. Why? Because the world looks upon humility as a sign of weakness and cowardice.

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta/Kolkata Said, “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”

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21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time-B

I Reading: Joshua 24:1-2,15-18: Joshua gives the people of Israel the opportunity to choose between Yahweh and idols (the pagan gods).

II Reading: Ephesians 5:21-32: The relationship between Christ and the Church is symbolised by that between a loving husband and wife.

Gospel: John 6:60-69: Jesus is rejected by many of his early followers who are unable to accept the challenge of his words on his body and blood as the eternal life.

 

In today’s three readings we find God’s covenantal love and faithfulness. Joshua summoned the leaders of all tribes and whole people of Israel at Shechem and raised a stone as a witness to God and made a covenant with God. Joshua gave them a choice where to follow God or idols. Joshua said, “whatever your choice be, I and my family will serve no other god, but our God.” The whole assembly shouted after hearing Joshua; we will also serve Yahweh, is our God.  

In the second reading, Paul talks about the relationship between Jesus and the Church and the husbands and wives as a covenantal love, faithfulness and unity.

John’s gospel chapter 6 deals with the Bread of Life. Jesus said, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood will not have eternal life. The leaders, scribes and Pharisees and many of his followers did not understand his doctrine and teachings of Jesus and finally they left him.

In today’s gospel Jesus challenged his twelve disciples and today he is challenging us and asking these questions “What about you? Do you want to go away too?” (Jn 6:67). “Have I not chosen you, twelve you? Yet one of you is a devil.” (Jn 6:70). Judas Iscariot was chosen and near very close with Jesus but he was too far and miles away from Jesus because he did not accept and love Jesus or true living God.

Our response should be in the words of Simon Peter during the time of temptation: “Master to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68?).

Jesus established the Eucharist as a covenant which nourishes us and become our spiritual food. Jesus wants us to renew our covenant with God during Baptism and in the Eucharist where Jesus loves us continuously and gives his life for us in the form of bread and wine.

Jesus becomes our real spiritual food and nourishment through our faith in Christ, the Word of God which is creative, active and alive. The words of Jesus are the Spirit which gives the new life.

It is our duty and responsibility to be faithful to Him always by choosing a right decision to love and serve the true living God and His people.

Let us be united and come back to the Lord as a repentant believer and experience God’s love, joy, peace, happiness and forgiveness…in our lives.

The Reason Some People are Offended by Christ,

The Bread of Life, Jn 6:59-71

People are often offended by Jesus Christ. Four things in particular offend them:

1. Jesus’ message was to the synagogue crowd in Capernaum (v.59-60)

          a. Many disciples were present

          b. They had difficulty accepting his message

2. There is the idea of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood (v.51-56, 61)

3. There is the ascension and exaltation of Christ (v.62)

4. There is the teaching that the Spirit quickens, gives life and the flesh commits for nothing (v.63-64)

5. There is the fact that God saves human, human does not save him/herself (v.65)

6. The conclusion: There were three responses (v.66-71)

          a. The disciples who turned back

          b. The disciples who believed Jesus was the Christ

          c. The disciples who betrayed Christ

To be “saved” means “to be with God in our present and future life” to see Him, to share His life and joy and peace. To be “lost” means not to be admitted into God’s presence and to be deprived of God’s life, joy and peace for ever.

When we speak of “heaven” and “hell”, we are not speaking about places but of “states” (ways) of being: “heaven” means “to be with God”, while “hell” means to be deprived of Him. God wants and longs that everyone may be saved in heaven with Him and forever. It is up to each one of us to decide or choose whether to be saved or to be lost. We need to try to enter by the narrow door with humility and obedience to God’s teachings and commandments. We cannot enter into heaven with pride, Selfishness, self-righteousness, disobedience to God’s will and teachings, jealousy, envy, hatred and all evil actions.

Thought: It is our own free will to choose the true living God to receive the eternal life from Jesus Christ than the devils or idols who perish our lives and lead into hell. 

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19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-B

I Reading: 1Kings 19:4-8: “Lord,” Elijah said, “I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

II Reading: Ephesians 4:30-5:2: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper or raise your voice to anybody…Be friends with one another and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ. Imitate God that He loves you and follow Christ by loving as He loved you, place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.

Gospel: John 6: 41-51: Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

God has been kind to speak to human beings: He spoke first to the Patriarchs, through prophets, through many and various ways and finally through Jesus Christ revealed to us his Father’s love and his plans to save us (Heb 1:1).

God continues to speak to us whenever we read the Scriptures or listen to God’s Word being explained to us.

We should listen to God’s Word with a humble and grateful heart; Jesus is the Word of God(John 1:1f) becomes our spiritual nourishment. God’s Word is creative, alive and active always as our spiritual food. There is nothing more pleasing to God than a family gathering daily prayer and listening to the Word of God or reading the Scriptures where God speaks to us. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s Word(Jn 14:26). We must be fed with God’s Word daily to know Him, love Him, serve Him, glorify Him and understand His plan in our lives with humility and obedience.

The Way a Person Partakes in the Bread of Life, Jn 6:41-51

How can a person partake in the Bread of Life? 

How does a person come to know Jesus personally? 

Let us focus on this passage.

1. The religionists rebelled against the claims of Jesus (v. 41-43)

          a) They questioned Jesus’ origin

          b) They misunderstood the incarnation

          c) Jesus appealed: stop grumbling

2. A person must be drawn by God (v. 44-46)

          a) The result: He/she will be raised up at the last day

          b) He/she must be taught by God

          c) He/she must hear and learn from Christ

                    1) Because no one has seen God

                    2) Because Christ is from God and has seen God

3. A person must believe in Christ (v. 47-51)

          a) Believe He is the Bread of Life

          b) Believe He has come down from heaven to deliver humankind from sin and death

          c) Believe He is the living bread-the One who gives life to all forever

          d) Believe He gives His flesh for the life of the world

Thought: A person must open his or her heart and mind to listen to God’s Word to understand His plan or will.

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SUNDAY- 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –B
I Reading: Exodus 16:2-4: I will reign down bread for you from the heavens.
II Reading: Ephesians 4:17.20-24: Put on the new self that has been created in God’s way.
Gospel: John 6:24-35: He who comes to me will never be hungry: he who believes in me will never thirst.

The Answer to Man’s Great Hunger, Jn 6:22-29
Human has a gnawing hunger within for both the physical and the spiritual. He/she hungers for both food and material things and for God and spiritual things, things such as love and joy and peace. Therefore most of human’s time and energy is spent in seeking to satisfy his/her hunger. This passage deals with the answer to human’s great hunger.
1. Answer 1: know that human has a great hunger, a great need (v.22-25)
a. The people were miraculously feed
b. The people acknowledged their need
c. The people noted Jesus’ absence
d. The people sought Jesus
e. The people questioned Jesus’ absence
2. Answer 2: acknowledge that human’s motive is corrupt (v.26-27)
a. Sought the Messiah for what they could get out of Him
b. Sought food that spoiled-misplaced labour
3. Answer 3: work for food that endures-that gives eternal life (v.27)
a. Source: Son of Man
b. God guaranteed
4. Answer 4: do the work of God-believe

The Bread of Life: The Source of Spiritual Satisfaction, Jn 6:30-36

Jesus Christ is the source of spiritual satisfaction, of human’s spiritual nourishment. He is the only bread that can feed human’s great hunger, the hunger that gnaws and gnaws within his inner being. There is no other source upon which human can feed and be nourished. 
1. The people demanded proof (v.30-31)
a. Jesus’ great claim
b. The specific proof demanded
2. Jesus Christ the True Bread (v.32)
a. Human cannot provide true bread: satisfaction
b. God alone provides true bread: true satisfaction
3. Jesus Christ is the Bread of God (v.33)
a. He came from heaven
b. He gives life
4. Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life (v.34-35)
a. The request for the Bread of God
b. The phenomenal claim
c. If human comes to Jesus, he/she will never hunger
d. If human believes, he/she will never thirst
5. Jesus Christ was seen, but rejected (v.36)
Thought: Human never has enough, he/she craves and craves, never being fully satisfied. Jesus Christ is the Bread of God gives eternal life and satisfaction. Let us believe in Christ and in the Word of God.

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