Catholic Reflections On the Gospels

Jesus makes a truly noble statement in the Gospel where He tells His apostles to respect the offices held by the scribes and the Pharisees. Although they were his avowed enemies, Jesus separates the people from their positions. Even if He doesn't approve of the people, He can still support their position and ask His disciples to do likewise. They are to be treated with respect because their office, which was passed down from Moses, deserves it. How many of us can make that fine distinction between the office and the person who occupies it? We would do well to examine our own degree of reverence for the various offices in today’s society. Jesus as a person, who was both meek and humble of heart, was not always that way with everyone. To the hurting and helpless, yes; but He reserved some of his most severe condemnations for the scribes and the Pharisees. There existed a certain natural animosity between them. In the height of that observation, I find the opening sentence of this...

Picture yourself watching a carousel in motion. You look to the right and see the horses going past, their tails disappearing around the circle. Then look to the left and see their heads coming into view again. That’s an illustration of the saying we often hear, namely, “What goes round, comes round.” The same image is being taught in today’s Gospel passage. Jesus says that what we send into the lives of others will eventually come back into our own lives. When we cast our bread on the water, it eventually comes back to us. If we send out to others kindness, friendless and forgiveness, then we have God’s promise that it will come back to us in kind. If we send hatred, pain and evil, we should expect to receive the same in return. It’s all so clear and stated so simply. “Judge and you will be judged. Condemn and you will be condemned. Pardon and you will be pardoned.” This doesn't mean that God will necessarily repay us with our own conduct but other people very well may. We might...

Imagine the radiant scene of Jesus in the state of transfiguration on picturesque Mount Tabor. It can easily excite the imagination. One can see the delicate golden beauty of grace and goodness shining through His eyes, face and entire body. The unique event attracts both the newly recruited apostles and the leaders from the past – Moses and Elijah. Jesus is the sacred centerpiece of all the surroundings. His transfiguration, however, was not actually a miracle, for Jesus by nature was radiant within. Here the inner beauty was simply allowed to shine forth. The real miracle was that Jesus was not in a state of transfiguration continuously. He daily hid His real glory and appeared as just another ordinary person. This exposed inner glow could have drawn thousands of followers, but Jesus did not want disciples who were only fascinated with Him. The Lord wanted people who would follow Him because they believed in His words. He was not about to play the role of celebrity or miracle worke...

Jesus is a very demanding person and we know it. Here He restates the old law with the implication that it wasn't very difficult to observe. After all, to “love your countryman but hate your enemy” is something we would naturally do. Those who originally heard Him preaching this message would probably have been very happy had he stopped with that quotation. They could have all gone home peacefully, feeling very self-righteous. But the Lord didn't stop. He gave a new commandment – one which was much more demanding. In fact, it is so demanding that it seems almost contradictory, “Love your enemies, pray for your persecutors!” How can we love our enemies, those who hate us? Or why should we love them? If we love our enemies, wouldn't that mean that they would cease being our enemies? Hating them, we can understand. But loving them? It’s the Lord’s way of saying, “Don’t have enemies, at least from your point of view.” Love them right out of existence by making them your frien...

One evening a TV executive was eating dinner with his family. During the course of the meal, their topic of conversation centered on a certain disagreement had arisen between him and a fellow worker. His small son listened for a while and then interjected, “Why don’t you kill him, daddy?” the family members told him that was a terrible thing to say. The little boy replied, “That’s what they do on television.” Had this youngster been schooled as much in today’s Gospel as he had been in television, he would have suggested, “Why don’t you forgive him, daddy?”We are not as blunt as this little boy in our speech but our thoughts sometimes may be similar. Some people are doing a lot of thinking about real killing. The daily paper keeps us aware of that. Why aren’t we more forgiving? In this sacred passage, Jesus begs us to forgive our brothers and sisters. More than beg, He threatens us with dire consequences if we fail to be forgiving, maybe we can’t always forgive in word or action but a...

Jesus possessed a unique talent for simplifying religious subjects his response on prayers being answered in good example. Our ancestors, like ourselves, must have found it very confusing. Today’s Gospel could have easily been inspired by the question, “How do I get my prayers answered?” the Lord states simply, “Ask and you will receive.” Do we believe that it’s that simple? If Jesus said it, we should believe it. You might remember the many things you have asked for and never received. Notice, though, that Jesus does not tell us that we will receive what we ask for. Also, if we do receive it, He does not promise that it will come immediately. Whenever we ask, we do receive something. The asking itself is an expression of faith. The answer given brings us joy. The answer not given brings us humility. All three are precious gifts. One or more of them is always there in the asking, just as Jesus said. Seeking to find and knocking to open are bit other ways to express the same idea. We ...

Normally, the Pharisees were the ones confronting Jesus and finding fault with His teaching and ministry. However, here, Luke says the crowd was trying to challenge Him. Shortly before this Jesus had cast out a devil and some of the people said He cast out devils by Beelzebul – the prince of devils. Others requested a sign from heaven to verify His authority. Again, the crowd confronts Him by demanding a sign of His authority from God. We would suspect that the Pharisees were encouraging the people to challenge Him. Jesus is caustic in His reply – calling this “an evil age” and saying that the people of this age would be condemned by the queen of the south and the citizens of Nineveh. They wanted to see the powerful and spectacular. His only sign from them would be neither. It would be a sign of defeat. He would be killed and buried in the earth for three days. He would show no sign to them except the sign of Jonah. His three days in the tomb, like Jonah’s legendary three days in the...

When someone opens a meeting with the Our Father these days, others may think that person isn't very innovative and that traditional prayer isn’t as fitting as a spontaneous one. That, of course, is foolish thinking, for how can you improve on the prayer taught by Jesus himself in response to the appeal of the Apostles: “Lord teach us to pray?” if we do use the Our Father, I think it should be said slowly and in a very meditative manner. Jesus himself places into this prayer our common needs. “Our Father” – Imagine God wants to be known and called Our Father. The phrase “in heaven” is such a lofty concept that we can linger over it for a very long time. Where is heaven? And what is it? Then there’s the request for necessary food for body and spirit and the plea to be spared from harm. There are so many deep and wonderful ideas which this prayer addresses within us. We should allow ourselves at least two minutes to say this prayer privately and publicly we should never r...

In the reading, we get two messages for today. Jesus’ forty days of wilderness and a call to repentance.  Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness paralleled Israel’s forty years in the wilderness. In both the instances, there is the apparent ‘absence of God.’ The presence of God emerges as a result of struggle and testing. Satan tests Jesus in the wilderness, whereas Israel tested God there. Our Lord’s suffering, hunger, loneliness and humiliation at the hands of His enemies were all for us. This very thought should make us feel gladly welcome the little bit of suffering and humiliation we are to take for ourselves in our routines. One may not be in strict fasting from food and drink, yet there are subtle ways of observing penance in our daily lives – a controlled temper, less uncharitable talks, a little help, etc. which will help to keep our unruly minds and bodies in cheek, while at the same time it will show that we are grateful to our loving Savior for all that He suffered for u...

In the Old Testament we are presented with a restatement of the commandments given by God. They explain the minimum expected of us as believers. Telling us what we should and should not do as we act and interact with God and others. Notice that the emphasis in the Ten Commandments is on the external and the tune is basically negative. By contrast, the Gospel of Mathew presents the works of mercy. These have become the new commandments for the followers of Jesus. The setting of this Gospel is the judgment scene at the end of time. Salvation is being determined here, not according to the way we have lived the Ten Commandments, but on how well we have observed the works of mercy. We may think of the sins we have committed and worry about how they’ve separated us from God. Yet it is very likely that the ones with which we are most concerned are not listened as the most serious on the Lord’s “worry list.” Salvation here is equated not to the Traditional Ten Commandments but to how well we...

Is again a mad choice by any standard man?  An outcast of the Jewish society, a tax collector is recruited to be the apostle? Can anyone believe? Great indeed are the works of the Lord, for there is no any reservations to call any sinner and feast with him. Amazing! Why not you are next? Luke informs us that Levi was sitting at the tax collectors’ post when Jesus called him to discipleship. He followed and eventually became out of the twelve apostles. But who in the world is Levi? Have we ever met him before? In relating this same incident, Mark tells us that Levi is the son of Alpheus. Still not much help in identifying him. Mathew too, tells this story. And it is he solves the mystery, for he is the one known as Levi. It is possible that Levi was his family name and thus both Mark and Luke address him formally and correctly. The name Levi, often associated with money and business, is the name of the head of one of the twelve patriarchal tribes of Israel from whom the Levites ...

Jesus endorses the spiritual value of fasting. A clear warning though is given in today’s liturgical readings that fasting is not to be done just for the sake of saying that you’ve done it. The purpose of fasting is for achieving a certain goal – an improvement in our interior life. We have to fulfill our basic duties to God before fasting will do any good. To fast and yet neglect these more fundamental responsibilities would be to fast in vain. First of all we must have faith in our hearts. Then we must perform works of mercy and practice justice in our dealings with our neighbors. And all of these are to be done in an overall spirit of Christian love. This mode of spiritual thinking and decent living must be present first. Otherwise, everything else we do of a religious nature will be of little account. Are we needlessly oppressing others by our words, habits or suspicions? If we want God to smile upon us, we must first release our captives. Then we will be ready to move on to othe...

All three synoptic evangelists’ record in their Gospels the passage read at today’s liturgy. The three accounts are very similar, but Luke adds an additional thought about carrying one’s cross. Where Mathew and Mark say we should carry our crosses, Luke adds the words, “each day”. We could take up our crosses periodically and still say we are following Jesus’ command. Luke, however, makes sure we understand that this is something which is to be done on a daily basis. Perhaps the Church chose Luke’s Gospel today, rather than one of the others, to emphasize this extended thought of daily commitment. The exhortation is especially meaningful on this second day of Lent. We can easily be inspired about this penitential season on Ash Wednesday, but the real test begins now. On the day after, our resolutions and programs for spiritual improvement must be followed on a regular, daily basis if we hope to achieve any success those who are faithful daily, and dependable in their prayers and go...

The section of Mathew’s Gospel is recognized as being the Gospel for Ash Wednesday. We might think it is applicable only to Lent – like an actor who always plays the role of hero or villain and thereby becomes role-typed. The advice was meant for all people and foe their daily living situations. It’s not just seasonal. Therefore, everyday is a good time to give alms to the poor, not just during a penitential time. Every day we are expected to offer prayers and devotions to God. Perhaps we could make the Stations of the Cross at various times of the year. Likewise, fasting should not be limited only to the Lenten season. Fasting, along with prayer, was recommended by Jesus in order to have the power on the evil spirits in this world. Make for yourself a spiritual program that you will follow throughout the year. Give high priority to works and charity, sincere prayers, devotions and fasting. This is the recommendation of Jesus which he preached in the Sermon on the Mount, at the begin...

Leaven is a symbol of corruption among the Jews. Here, Jesus warns the disciples against the corruption of Herod and the Pharisees. How is this corruption manifested? Recall that the Pharisees who have already closed their hearts to Jesus ask Him for a sign from heaven, refusing to attribute His power to God. Herod shows a hostile attitude towards Jesus, suspecting that He is the John the Baptist came back to life again and when Jesus is brought before him, Herod asks Him for a sign. Just as fermentation takes place only when leaven is mixed with dough, so Herod and Pharisees will believe only if they witness miracles what Jesus asks of the disciples is to trust in Him even without seeing signs. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” In the Old Testament, the story of the flood says that God felt sorry because the creation which was originally good, fell into the hands of evil men. Only Noah is found righteous, the one chosen to be saved. Jesus, when he came, felt s...

There is a proverb which states, “There are none so blind as those who won’t see.”  It means if your mind is set on one direction, it will be almost impossible to convince you of something different. Such is the frame of mind of the Pharisees concerning Jesus. When they approach Him and ask for a sign from heaven, their mind is already made up that Jesus is fake. Their intention is to expose Him as such and thus to undermine his authority and even hopefully, to completely discredit Him and have Him lose popular support. The Pharisees were the perennial negative critics of Jesus. They were the many little crosses He had to accept and carry every day prior to His big cross. Notice how they boldly stepped forward here and immediately started to argue with Jesus. They refused to take the Lord’s words at face value. They claimed a sign from the heavens would enable them to place their faith in the Lord, but Jesus knew that even the most spectacular signs would not convince them to a...

It is simply fascinating that so large a crowd of people would follow Jesus for three days without anything to eat. This attests to the fact that they were completely caught up in the person and the preaching of our Lord. Perhaps, more properly, we should say that they were being fed such a rich and abundant spiritual diet that they forgot their physical hunger. Jesus, though fully aware of their human as well as their spiritual needs, took care of both. He always ministered to the whole person. Had they been spiritually satisfied and still remained physically hungry for food, then the total person would not have been at peace. It’s good to know that the Lord is interested in the whole person. Regardless of how large the crowd and how sparse the food the Gospel states there were always leftovers. It’s a sign that God’s grace is never depleted. Seven loaves in the hands of the Lord is more than enough to feed any size crowd. Now we part of the multitude and Jesus continues to multiply...

The Gospel passage ends with the words, “He has done all things well.” So what had gone wrong in between? That is found in the account about the fall of man in Genesis. Man made a mistake and brought blemish to the creation that was originally good. Jesus came to remove that sin and he has entrusted us with the task of “doing all things well.” See how considerately Jesus takes the deaf and dumb man aside and heals him. We can also heal many a wound of the universe through our acts of compassion and love. That will be a remedy to the sins of the world. People brought to Jesus a man who couldn’t hear and asked that the hand of God be laid upon him. Jesus extended his healing hand and the man heard his blessing. The man also suffered from a profound speech impediment. That same extended hand of God blessed him and he was cured. The man’s speech was now as clear as was the fact that it was Jesus who had brought about the change. The others who had witnessed this dual miracle – those who ...

After declaring that all foods are clean now Jesus proves that all people are clean too, by curing a gentile child; not only the Jews are worthy of God’s grace, but all are. When Jesus is rejected in Nazareth and opposed by the Pharisees and the scribes, he goes to a gentile territory. A painful incident turns out to be for greater good. Similarly, when the Syro-Phoenecian woman is tested, she gets the opportunity to express her faith strongly and get her daughter healed. Actually, the term ‘dog’ is a contemptuous term of dishonor. But she takes it as a chance to attract Jesus’ appreciation. She approaches Jesus, requesting a cure for her daughter, comes to Him in a humble manner both in mind and body. She did not just genuflect or bow, but she literally crouched at his feet. Someone is crouching when the head is bowed and both knees are bent, once could easily observe how very sincere she was about her request. Jesus, somewhat reluctant at first to grant her petition, was over whe...

Again, Jesus makes reference to clean and unclean foods, the sprinkling of different kinds of foods and the manner in which they are prepared.  It was an extremely revolutionary statement by Jesus to say that no food was unclean. It sent a shock wave to any Jew.  In the Old Testament there are references on clean and unclean things. In reference to II Maccabaeus we have the story of seven brothers choosing torture and painful death, where they were asked to eat pork in defilement of the law. So sacred a law, which they had preserved by the blood of the martyrs, Jesus breaks abruptly, once again throwing light upon the difference between external and internal religion, external and internal purity. What is in the heart is much more important than what appears externally. For a every act of man is guided from the attitude of heart. External observances don’t do any good as long as the heart remains full of vices. A Muslim was chasing someone with a dagger to kill. Suddenly, th...

The washing of hands, which the disciples omitted, had nothing to do with the cleaning for hygienic reasons, but with ritual washing and ceremonial cleanness, which every Jew was supposed to make sure before eating. For Jews, apart from the Moses’ law and the Pentateuch, the legal experts or scribes of 4 th and 5 th centuries B.C had issued thousands of little rules and regulations, governing every possible action and every possible situation in life. It was called to Oral law, for they were codified and written down only in the 3 rd century A.D. according to it, eating bread without washing hands was no better than eating excrement. A writer tells of a Rabbi, who was imprisoned by the Romans. All the water was given to him was used for washing hands and he nearly perished of thirst, for no water was ever left for drinking, After all the ritual washing. Most of those laws would appear very funny today. For the scribes and Pharisees these rules and regulations formed the essence of...

Mark the evangelist notes here that the many healing done by Jesus have produced widespread excitement and expectation among the people who now hasten from one place to another as they get news of his whereabouts. They treat Him as a miracle worker, one whose power is released through a mere touch on Him or on His clothing. Jesus clarifies that cures as such are nothing compared to faith in Him, which He expects from them. Faith alone enables one to recognize a cure as a miracle from God who calls us to come closer to Him and share His life and blessings. A mere cure may allow people to live a few years more, but they will still die in the end. The faith relationship is superior, for it leads to salvation, life everlasting. But despite the people’s limited insight about His ways and thinking, Jesus heals all those who are afflicted with sickness, pain and suffering. Their approach to Him for a cure implies their faith in His healing power which He so generously shares w...

The evangelist, Mark, frequently pictures Jesus as being extremely busy. Some of his accounts of Our Lord’s labors exhaust us, just to read them. In the passage, Jesus spent the day curing fevers, driving out demons, preaching, making comments and attending to many other activities, which were swirling about Him. Following a night’s sleep, numerous tasks were awaiting His attention the next day. Jesus rose early but avoided all contact with people and problems. Instead, He retreated to the desert and there was “absorbed in prayer.” The word, absorb means literally to suck up or take in, as a sponge collects water.  it were necessary for Jesus to give prime time to intense prayer, how much more compulsory for us? Have we ever been absorbed in prayer? Imagine being caught up in God’s presence so completely that no noise would disturb our ears and gnawing tensions would not invade our hearts. The Gospel takes us into deep relationship: first, one’s readiness to reach out to the ma...

The story of Herod and John the Baptist highlights the need for personal discernment and decisions. John’s tragedy results from Herod’s reluctance to take a personal stand. Herod depends too much on what the court officials say or think about him. He is a slave of the wicked whim of Herodias. The melancholic end of upright and fearless Prophet on the hands of reckless ruler filled with lust, vain glory and false images of status and prestige! Before and after this, several rulers have played with innocent lives for their selfish interests. Herod made three big mistakes which a responsible ruler should not have committed. First, he set a bad example by marrying his brother’s wife. Second, he made a thoughtless promise to a dancer. Third, for fear of what people would say and to save his false prestige, he ordered the murder of a just and innocent man. No one has the right to play with life whether in prison or in the streets or in the womb. And those in authority, who have the duty ...

Jesus asks the disciples to go on their mission without any material preparation. As the disciples are sent out on their mission they are instructed to remain in the same house that receives them as guests when they first enter a town. This means that the disciples must not move to another house which may offer them a more comfortable living arrangement. They must eat what is placed before them and never demand any special treatment from their host. Jesus gives these instructions to keep the disciples from seeking comfort for themselves or insulting their host by asking for things that he cannot afford to give. Disciples went, worked and returned successfully. They were not deprived of any material thing, everything was taken care of. The wealth of a missionary is not his or her bank balance, but an utter surrender to God and an unfailing trust I him who sends. John Bosco, was once very badly in need of money when a stranger came to talk to him. The stranger asked the saint, “Are y...

To attain something in life one must lose something – Do you agree? A simple question though it consists reality and thought provoking equation to life whether to lose or gain? Let me give an example of a man: A group of explorers was trapped on frozen waters near South Pole. A heavy snow had fallen and their progress was slow. It was doubtful that they would make it back to their base. Their food supply had dwindled and each man had only a few biscuits in his knapsack. That night as they were sleeping, the leader stirred uneasily and awoke, for he had heard a movement and was afraid someone was ill. He lay his eyes almost close but watching. Then he saw his companion stretched out his arm very carefully towards the knapsack of the youngest member of the party. The leader was shocked. He knew they were all desperately hungry, but had they sunk so low that one of them had become a thief? That too an explorer was as bad as murderer. However, his fears quickly vanished as he saw the m...

What kinds of sickness, worry, depression or fear have been bothering you for a dozen years or more? Have you tried to find healing by consulting doctors, counselors or psychologists but the problems just won’t leave? If so, you can relate to this woman with her twelve years hemorrhage. Jesus is in our midst. We can come close to Him and reach out to be blessed by His incarnate power. We can always draw near to the Lord as this hurting woman did in the Gospel. What an amazing; peaceful healing she got! “My daughter your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your trouble. The presence of Jesus in the sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist, continually attracts believers to come and receive a healing grace. There are so many ways to touch the Lord. We do it not only in Church or in prayer but when we reach out in loving service to others. Isn’t it encouraging knowing that even if Jesus is on the way to raise someone from the dead. It is not too much trouble for th...

The ancient Semitic people believed that a child is not given but only lent by God to its parents. In the Gospel we come across the persecution of Jesus in the temple. On the contrary Simeon was watching. God promised him that he would not die before seeing the Messiah and the Spirit had told him to be in the temple. That day with his eyes open, would he recognize Him? Would he witness an uprising that would overthrow the Romans? Would he meet a Holy man destined to bring consolation to Israel? Or would it be something altogether different? Imagine his surprise when the Spirit nudged Simeon toward a poor couple with their infant Son Him? Is this child the promised one, for those who long in uprightness and devotion to see God. God grants the joy of his vision. Simeon and Anna not only had a n earnest desire to see God but also lived a life worthy of it. Many miss this great joy of meeting God because they fail to complement their desire to see God with a life worthy of Him. God doe...