Lenten Reflections - Day 9

Soul Purpose

Matthew 5:20-26 (Gospel on 14-3-2014)

²⁰ 'For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven. ²¹ 'You have heard how it was said to our ancestors, You shall not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. ²² But I say this to you, anyone who is angry with a brother will answer for it before the court; anyone who calls a brother "Fool" will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and anyone who calls him "Traitor" will answer for it in hell fire. ²³ So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. ²⁵ Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶ In truth I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.

Saint Cristobal Magallenes Jara was most interested in bringing the Catholic faith to those who had not heard the good news of Jesus. He did so to the Huicho people in a rural region of his home country Mexico. It was during this time in Mexico’s history, the government feared the power of the Catholic Church, and it tried to eliminate the practice of the faith. A constitution even banned the training of priests, and the seminary where the young Cristobal had studied was closed and turned into a museum. So in 1915 Father Cristobal opened his own small seminary in Totatiche and soon had more than a dozen students. The government looked unkindly at these works and accused the priest of inciting rebellion against them. One day he was on his way to celebrate Mass when he was arrested. Without a trial he was convicted. He gave away his possessions to his jailers, and on May 21, 1927, he along with 21 other priests and three lay Catholics were executed. “I am innocent and I die innocent. I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask God that the shedding of my blood serves toward the peace of our divided Mexico.” These are the words of St. Cristobal, just before he was executed. This is just one of the billion narratives of acts of sincere forgives; from throughout the history of mankind. Blessed John Paul II forgave the one who tried to assassinate him. He even asked the whole world for forgiveness; for the sins committed by the Catholic Church. Maria Goretti forgave the one who brought her life to a fatal end. Before he died; the husband of St. Jane Frances De Chantal forgave the man who shot him. There are so many such examples of great souls who lived lives with shades of the lives we live.

In today’s gospel, Jesus again brings the nature of Pharisees to the forefront, as an example of what is not to be practiced in the service of God. It is essential to observe that among all the sects within the Jewish community, the Pharisees are featured very prominently in the earthly ministry of Jesus. Josephus, the 1^st century Jewish historian says there were three schools of thought among the Jews. The first being the Pharisees, second that of the Sadducees and third that of the Essenes. The Pharisees devoted immense credibility to the Oral Law – which they considered equal to the written Law; The Torah, given to them by Moses. Therefore they believed to be living every aspect of their lives according to “God’s Law”. Right from 2^nd century BCE through 1^st century CE, they advocated and adhered to strict observance of Sabbath rest, purity, rituals, tithing based on Hebrew Scriptures and traditions. But then why is it that Jesus always resisted their way of life. Why is it that He never spoke of them in good light, inspite of their self endorsement of living under the ‘light of Yahweh’s wisdom’? You see my friends; The Law was intended to enable the Israelites to live righteous lives. But the Pharisees had corrupted The Law. Disregarding any ethical considerations and being devoid of mercy, they imposed an intolerable burden of legal observance upon the common people. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being careful to appear righteous from the outside, while inside they were full of greed and wickedness. In the ‘Dictionary of the Bible’, D. Eaton says, “That which defiles a man is the evil condition of his own heart (Matthew 15:11, Mark 7:14). No action is of any moral worth unless it is the expression of the inward disposition.” Jesus called them blind guides who had shut the gates of heaven for themselves and were not letting the others to get in as well. He constantly attacked them for hypocrisy and by calling them fools.

I say, "Forgiveness beams as a ray of humility, from every heart that burns in righteousness for Christ." Jesus draws a comparison between what was taught in Hebrew / Jewish Law about evil deeds & punishment, and with that of His Law of forgiveness and mercy. Right from the days of Adam and his household, we see how much did Jesus care about accepting sacrifices of a contrite heart. Cane's sacrifice was rejected because his heart was hardened with hatred for his brother Abel. King Saul’s prayers were rejected for his mind was constantly plotting against his servant and God’s anointed; David. The brothers of Joseph bore the rejection of Yahweh as they seeded within themselves hatred against their own brother. Even the rest of the disciples of Jesus once grew jealous and momentary resistance towards two other of their - the son’s of Zebedee, when these two asked for a seat to sit, one on the left and the other on the right of Jesus, in heaven. 

There are countless examples of times where one is against another and rejects to forgive and have mercy. God tells us; through today’s gospel, to first forgive and then bring an offering to His Altar and it will be accepted. It is so much better to come to terms with each other even before another person; a judge has to judge us. In which case we wouldn’t know in whose favor would be the judgment. And if we are thrown into prison, then our release is possible only when we have paid up to the last penny (borne the punishment of our sin). This last verse of today’s gospel is a mild shadow of an understanding of Purgatory. We cannot enter into heaven until we our purified completely through the cleansing in purgatory. So while we are still on the way to the court (pilgrimage on earth) for our hearing (Day of Judgment), let us reconcile with each other, so that we may stand upright and blameless before the most Righteous Judge – Jesus Christ, upon His second and final coming into the world. Let us always remember the words of St. Augustine; who said, “Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again.” Amen.

God bless,

John Roger Anthony

Lenten Reflections - Day 8

Soul Pupose

Matthew 7:7-12 (Gospel on 13-Mar-2014)

⁷ 'Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

⁸ Everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened.

⁹ Is there anyone among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread?

¹⁰ Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish?

¹¹ If you, then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

¹² 'So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the Law and the Prophets.

  

There are many circumstances in life where we cannot escape answering certain questions posed to us. And then among such questions there are few which shake our belief in fundamental aspect of life; such as love, trust, faith, God, even our own existence. Each one has their own way of ‘tackling’ these circumstances and questions. Some choose to face it with courage, some with cowardice, and some by being pacifists. And there are many who find wisdom by not obliging for with an instant answer to such though provoking questions. Through today’s gospel, Jesus thrusts upon us a question that pierces our hearts and minds. “Is there anyone among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish?”

Let’s spare a moment and look at some worldly statistics. One in three girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. In the U.S. alone, 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker, 34.2% of attackers are family members and 58.7% are acquaintances and only 7% of the perpetrators are strangers to the victim. The human rights watch of India testifies that more than 7,200 children, including infants, are raped every year and experts believe that many more cases go unreported. Rape and defilement are common crimes in Uganda. Some of the most secretive and guarded incidents happen between a parent and a child. Similar to this information, I can present a litany of abuses which children go through; either by the hand of their own parents or by strangers under the influence of parents, from around the world. Now you might wonder what is the relevance between all the above and today’s Gospel. Well my friends, there is much relevance. Instead of handing over love, security, faith, respect, honor, comfort and everything good (read it as feeding bread) to their children, there are numerous parents who leave no stone unturned to destroy the very spirit of their children by offering them as prey to molesters, and predators, for sexual gratification, child labor and in some cases; victims of human sacrifice (read it as feeding stone). They are handed snakes instead of fish. And in many cases there is no guilt attached. 

Yet, our good Lord Jesus; who is God himself, does not discredit the love of humans – as parents towards their children. With confidence in such paternal love for children He asks if there is anyone who would do the unexpected, the unthinkable, to their children. His confidence in the human race is because every person originates from His Father in heaven. And His Father in heaven is nothing but love. He knows and we too should always remind ourselves that there millions of parents who offer unconditional love and everything that is good (or in other words righteous virtues; because God alone is good). The most famous of all narratives of great love by a parent for his child; is the story of “The Prodigal Son”. How the father embraced his son and fed him with the best of all that he had, even though the son had smeared disobedience, disrespect and callousness towards his father and his own life. St. Therese of Lisieux was fed so much love and fear of The Lord, that she joined her other sisters in becoming a Carmelite. St. Maria Goretti was fed so much love, respect and righteous values, that even at the age of 9 she was fully aware of her body and soul’s sanctity, and guarded it until her last breath, which in fact faced the terror of mortal danger at that juvenile age. There are numerous such examples of unconditionally loving parents, through out history (scientist & archaeologists have references of even uncivilized races of human kind who have shown immense love and care for their children.  

My beloved friends, this is why God; Jesus; assures us, that if we humans; mortals filled with concupiscence and sin, can still be capable of being admirable parents to our children, then how much more can God – who is without any blemish of sin; source of all creation; who is Himself love, will be generous in feeding all of creation with His goodness, if we just ask in faith and holiness. He loves us so much that "that He gave His only begotten Son..." (John 3:16). Therefore His commandement to us, “So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the Law and the Prophets.” Amen.

God bless,

John Roger Anthony

Lenten Reflections - Day 7

Soul Purpose

Luke 11:29-32 (Gospel on 12-Mar-2014)

^"29 The crowds got even bigger and he addressed them, 'This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.

³⁰ For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation.

³¹ On Judgement Day the Queen of the South will stand up against the people of this generation and be their condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, look, there is something greater than Solomon here.

³² On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here."

In today’s gospel, Jesus declares that the only sign it (the evil generation) will be given; is the sign of Jonah (Luke 11:29). However, we need to call to mind and understand how Jonah let himself be of use to God, to be His sign. God sent Jonah to Nineveh and warn its people that He was going to destroy it. But on the contrary Jonah tried to escape from this singular responsibility, for which he called upon himself the anger of God in the form of a severe storm which threw his boat overboard and he was swallowed by a great fish; where he remained for three days. After which; The Lord caused the fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land. These 3 days & nights were Jesus’ comparison to His ingress into the world of the dead and glorious resurrection from there on the 3^rd day. The sign of Jonah was a sign for his generation, but the sign of Jesus’ resurrection after three days is a sign for the past, present and every generation to come; until the end of the world as we know it.

The messiah was among them but their eyes of faith were blind. Their savior ate and stayed with them, but they were ignorant. Even the Pharisees, who were soaked in the knowledge of The Torah, could not identify with scriptures being fulfilled before their very own eyes. Also, because since the Israelites of those days were so consumed with the oppression of their conquerors (the Romans being the worst from the lot), were expecting The King of Jews (who was to come from the lineage of The Great King David) to be a fierce and strong warrior King. A man who would lead the siege over the enemies of Israel just as how King David led the slaughter of hundreds of hundreds and thousands of thousands – in obedience to God’s command against those enemies of his chosen people Israel and the house of David.

Jesus proclaimed the Word of God, in the very person of The Word. He was the living Word that was born of a Virgin. He healed the sick, raised the dead to life, and restored what was lost, all by His Word, just as He with His Father and the Spirit created everything from the beginning of everything, just by The Word. Yet, His people did not believe in Him. The people walked away from the fount of all wisdom – Jesus; true God and true Man. As an analogy scripture presents The Queen of Sheba’s quest for King Solomon after she learnt of his undisputed prowess of wisdom. She traveled miles and miles through the scorching desert, to find this bearer of wisdom; upon who rested the favor of Yahweh. It was not for the 40,000 stalls of horses King Solomon had for his chariots, or 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, nor was it for his 700 wives of royal birth or 300 concubines. It was for his wisdom that the Queen of Sheba let herself drawn to King Solomon, then eventually fall madly in love with him and be his queen wife.

My friends, the evil generation later repented at the preaching of Jonah and the descendant from the house of David; Jesus is incomparably superior to Solomon – who was known as the wisest man who ever lived. Scripture beckons that “now something greater than Jonah is here. Are we listening? Do we actually believe? Will our body and soul traverse any distance to seek Wisdom; who is Jesus Himself? Will we pay head to the signs of God in the person of man – Jesus? I pray we do. Amen. 

God bless,

John Roger Anthony

Lenten Reflections - Day 6

Soul Purpose

Matthew 6:7-15 (Gospel on 11-Mar-2014)

What is prayer for you? Is it a flight from reality or does it continue to be a unique & sincere communion with God? Saint Therese of Lisieux says, "For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." In Romans 11:36 St. Paul urges the Thessalonians to “Pray without ceasing,” and echoes his zeal for prayer; by his words in this first letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 15, verses 17 & 18, “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

In today’s Gospel, Christ Jesus presents Himself as the loving son of His Almighty Father and at the same time manifests His unity within the Holy Trinity. 'In your prayers do not babble as the gentiles do” “…Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” says Jesus. St. Cyprian reaffirms this by his words, “When we pray to God with entire assurance, it is Himself who has given us the spirit of prayer.” The beginning of The Lord's prayer; “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as in heaven”, reverently encapsulates the essence of the first and foremost  commandment which Moses received from Yahweh, which is, “I am The Lord Thy God, Thou shall have no other God before Me.” Then He continues with intercession; praying, “Gives us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” This intercession is an embodiment of the prayer of deliverance from the evil one (Satan) and submission to humility with love; towards neighbor.

My friends, it is essential to observe and understand that this prayer taught to us by our Lord, in the presence of His disciples; at their request, is in essence a pray in the plural form. Jesus does not say My Father in heaven, instead claims & ratifies the identity of His Father as Our Father, the Father of all Creation. He continues the assurance of The Father’s fraternity with us and our kinship with Him through the affirmation in ‘give us; forgive us our; lead us and deliver us.’ This serene prayer is a righteous conversation with Our Father, and a reminder to us that we His children can always go up to Him and converse with Him. It is an assurance that we have been created to worship Him freely, allowed to freely ask from Him for our temporal & spiritual needs, recommend without fear the goodness of our brethren to Him and confidently seek for protection from Him. All of this came about at the request of His friends. This exemplary desire of requesting God (Jesus) to teach how to pray, is a beautiful display of how a child of God should constantly approach God alone; to be taught how to, why should, when can and what to, in life.  I pray that when we approach God through the communion of prayer – a gift He Himself bestowed on us, let us have a holy disposition of our body, mind and soul, in-order to confidently believe in the promise of “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.” Amen. 

God bless,

John Roger Anthony

Lenten Reflections - Day 5

Soul Purpose

Matthew 25:31-46 (Gospel on 10-Mar-2014)

There have been different and unique classifications about the kind of people there are in the world. According to today’s Gospel, I would consider the classification of mankind which identifies one group as those who serve God in their neighbor, and the others as those who serve their own selfish desires at the cost of their neighbor. These two groups of people could clearly represent the sheep and the goat. But what is interesting to see is that until the second coming of The Shepherd, the peoples co-exist in the same pen, in other words; living in the same world. The righteous judge; Christ Jesus, gathers the good flock (read as sheep) into His eternal kingdom of joy & holiness, whereas banishes the shallow flock (read as goats) into eternal damnation.

Let’s pay attention to the defense of His judgment. Those who have inherited heaven have done so by loving their neighbor as themselves. For in loving themselves they recognize the call to respect, care and preserve the sanctity of body, mind and soul; which in other words is the abode of living God. Now if one comprehends this truth, then one is rightly charitable and loving towards the neighbor. Let’s rewind back to a few centuries...actually over 20 centuries, to the time when Saul of Tarsus lived, in Cilicia, in what is now known as modern day Turkey. On his infamous crusade in the early 1^st century Anno Domini, against the newly formed Jewish sect called Christians, this zealous Pharisee had a life changing encounter with The Messiah – Jesus of Nazareth. As he fell to the earth from upon his horse on road to Damascus, the voice of the resurrected Christ, through a blinding light called out to him with great sorrow saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” This confrontation from the page of a glorious Christian history; should be etched in every man’s heart, if it burns with the desire of loving the neighbor as one's own self. Christ Jesus categorically tells Saul that he is; in reality; persecuting Jesus when he persecutes His flock. And to all mankind Jesus makes it crystal clear that He and His flock are ‘one bread, one body’. At this moment I am so inspired to remind us all of this verse of Holy Scripture, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 20:40)

Summing up her saintly life in characteristically self-effacing fashion, Mother Teresa said, "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus." These are the words of a tiny nun from Kolkata, India, who; draped in a white & blue bordered sari, spent every moment of her life recognizing Jesus in the poor and less privileged, irrespective of caste or creed (her first shelter for the poor was a dark and ignored portion of a temple dedicated to the Hindu Deity – Kali). The Leper Priest, the Hero of Molokai – Father Damian, whose untiring labor of love for the lepers in the island of Molokai was so close to the heart of Our Good Lord Jesus, that The Holy Mother Church canonized him a saint in Rome on October 21, 2009. This glorious honor was witnessed by thousands along with King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium. “With them (lepers of Molokai) he felt at home” said the then Pope Benedict XVI about Saint Damian. He continued, "To follow Christ, Father Damian not only left his homeland, but has also staked his health so he, as the word of Jesus announced in today's Gospel tells us, received eternal life. The servant of the Word became a suffering servant, leper with the lepers, during the last four years of his life."

Let's take a moment now, my dear friends, and contemplate whether our lives make us worthy enough to be that sheep which the Good Shepherd will lift up to be carried on His shoulders, or does it make us worth only to be burnt as straw in the abyss of eternal fire.

God bless,

John Roger Anthony

Lenten Reflections - Day 4

Soul Purpose

Matthew 4:1-11 (Gospel on 9-Mar-2014)

Ever imagined a life without temptations? That would be the same as imagining a life in heaven. But here on earth, life is surrounded by temptations and concupiscence. St. Philip Neri beautifully explains how a mortal soul should subject one’s self to temptations. “Do not grieve’, the beloved saint says, ‘over the temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast.” Just as The Spirit of The Lord lead Jesus into the desert to be put to test by the devil, He leads our soul as well into sparse mortal and spiritual realms where we engage in a fierce battle with a vicious and powerful enemy – The Prince of Darkness. The tempter came after Jesus had prayed and fasted for 40 days, not during those days of purification. If you contemplate and examine your conscience, you will remind yourself of the numerous occasions of temptations and falling into sin, after having being felt equipped with spiritual and physical potency. Moreover, a test is usually after the preparation is done and not before, unless you have heard it otherwise, which I doubt. Now, where there is Jesus, there are the other two persons of The Holy Trinity also. And through Jesus’ words and actions, we see The Father and The Spirit in action too. The Father through the working of The Spirit drives away the evil one, and in the process magnifies Their great and all powerful Divine nature.

In the first temptation we can see The Holy Spirit as the ‘Comforter’ who brings great comfort to Jesus whose dry lips and hunger stricken weak body are in need of physical nourishment. But The Comforter brings to His mind The Word of God which indeed is food for the soul. In the Eucharist, that same Word now becomes flesh and nourishes the faithful, in body, mind and soul. You and I face hunger for food every day. We can’t live for long without food unless God grants us grace such as He granted to St. Catherine of Siena who lived on the Eucharist alone for the last few years of her lifetime, or St. Catherine of Genoa who lived through the fasting times of Lent and Advent on only the Eucharist, or St. Joseph Cupertino who lived for 5 years without food apart from the Eucharist. Therefore, it is a matter of fact, that The Most Holy Spirit – our Comforter, comforts us in our hunger for the body and soul, by helping us draw strength from the nourishment of The Word.

Failing the first time, the tempter provokes The Lord a second time, placing Him on a great height and testing His faith in His Father’s protection for Him, if He threw Himself down. This time The Lord Holy Spirit magnifies through Jesus as The Paraclete – The Advocate. My friends, we should know and trust the fact that our God is The Almighty, The Omnipotent and The Omniscient. He has the knowing of everything and is with us even in our darkest hour. Jesus has immense knowledge of this truth, which to us is incomprehensible. In such times when we are tempted to test the power of our God (by mocking Him with questions such as  if you love me then why can’t you do this or that for me? Or like, I always pray and do good so why can’t you grant me this desire or why did you take this away from me?), we should call upon The Great Advocate – The Holy Spirit and He will equip us with the righteous Word, as defense against Satan’s deceit.

Ultimately, the third time the evil one tempts The Good Lord with great power and splendor. But The Lord our savior marvelously illuminates to us The Holy Spirit as The Supreme Counselor. This temptation towards power, luxury, vanity, admiration and all that is of the world is very much a part of our everyday life. But if our lives echo the words of St. Paul who said,“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20), then that is because we have taken aid of The Divine Counselor – The Holy Spirit, during such temptations for power and grandeur. We too, as Jesus with authority proclaimed, shall also proclaim that we worship God alone, and shall never replace Him with any vanity or power whatsoever. Then my friends behold, the Devil shall flee, and The Father Almighty shall send His angels to our aid and look after us as He did look after His Holy & Only-begotten Son Jesus. Amen.

God bless,

John Roger Anthony

Lenten Reflections - Day 3

Soul Purpose 

Luke 5:27-32 (Gospel on 8-Mar-2014)

How do we comprehend the people we meet? Do we create an image of people based on the work they do, the company they keep, the choices they make, the Deity they worship, or by ‘getting to know them’? It is very common and easy to build a picture of a person’s nature and attitude, and that eventually becomes our opinion about them. This way we make of ourselves as self-proclaimed judges. We do not give a chance to know the actual person but rather focus only on his / her reputation. Nobody in the world is perfect. Jesus of Nazareth, The Lord and Savior of the world shows us how one should see ‘the good’ which is in every person. That good is seeded in us at the time of our conception, by God Almighty himself. We are all tuned to God from our beginning because we are all from God.

Jesus looked at Levi and said “follow me”. Most times we only ‘see’ people and in their situations. We rarely ‘look’ into their situations. What good it is to only use our eyes to see the world; everything and everyone in it, and not use our heart and mind to look into the essence of that person? Whether it was the leper, the adulterous, the blind, the gentile, the oppressor or His very own, Jesus looked into the very soul of the person and identified the chord that bound Him with them, through the make of His Father.

Rome was the greatest persecutor of Israel and Caesar was every Jew’s worst nightmare. Levi therefore, was hated and despised by his fellow Jewish brethren, for being a tax collector, a loyalist of the Roman authority and a servant of Caesar. But unlike everyone else who was evading this Jew; labeled as a ‘traitor’ of Israel, Jesus invited Him into His life and ministry. To understand this let us understand how Jesus chose to mingle with such people and make them feel one with Him.  Meals establish Jewish identity; they function to differentiate competing Jewish groups from one another and between Jews and Gentiles. Meals play a central role in Jews and Judaism, and to understand them is perhaps the most direct route to understanding the core values of Jewish tradition and its practitioners. In the heart of such culture, Jesus ate and drank with people such as Levi, who on the other hand were not welcomed among the households of their very own.

My friends, the healer always seeks those who need healing, if otherwise, he is not sincere to his vocation. Which is why Jesus said to them in reply, 'It is not those that are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have come to call not the upright but sinners to repentance.' The Pharisees only saw the sin of fornication and adultery in the adulterous, but Jesus saw her immense faith and burning desire for a sincere conversion. They saw her wretchedness but He saw her love as she washed His feet with tears and dried them with her hair. Let us all therefore choose to be like Christ in our outlook towards people. Let us not be quick to make an opinion about someone and then later regret having pushed them far away from our lives. Even if we are acquainted with a sinner, may we never forget that ‘every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.’ 

Lenten Reflections - Day 2

Matthew 9:14-15 
(Gospel on 07-Mar-2014)

After Prophet Malachi, God is silent for about four hundred years, and in His perfect timing, God sent the last prophet of the old covenant, John the Baptist, to pave the way for the coming of the Messiah. The disciples of such a great prophet; who also is the cousin of Jesus of Nazareth (in other words, God’s cousin, if we may say so), asked a very significant question to Jesus. 'Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?' This question would have come naturally to a 1^st century Jew.

Fasting is attested in the oldest strata of biblical literature. In the ritual practiced in the First Temple, fasting was clearly a permanent feature. The purpose of fasting was widely attested to avert or terminate a calamity by seeking God’s compassion (1 Kings 21:27-29), a means of winning God’s forgiveness (Ps 35: 13; 69:11). These disciples of John and especially the Pharisees were ‘well versed’ with the importance of fasting, as demanded and traditionally practiced according to Mosaic Law. This is why Paul says in Phil 3:5: “as to the law, a Pharisee.”  According to Josephus, a 1st Century AD Jewish chronicler, he Pharisees are the most influential sect of the Jews and their first characteristic is that they are devoted to the Torah (Law), to its interpretation, and to living life as closely as possible according to the Torah. They believe in cooperation between Fate (his Greek-sounding category for God’s sovereignty) and human will, but clearly lay emphasis on human will. The Pharisees, as strictly ‘practicing’ Jews, fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12). And by seeing that the disciples of Yeshua (Jesus) weren’t fasting, hence they rightly questioned.

Now, my friends,  it is time to pay attention and understand the meaning of the answer Jesus; a devout Jew, gives to these self acclaimed rightful interpreters of The Law – Torah. In ancient Israel the marriage ceremony (Chuppah) was all about bringing the bride to the bridegroom’s house. This ceremony itself would last for 7 days, sometimes longer. There would be great rejoicing and celebration until evening, and also when they arrived in the bridegroom’s house. Once they entered, the doors were shut and the wedding ceremony began.

You see, the 7 days of celebration with the bridegroom can be interpreted as celebration with Jesus on each of the 7 days in the week. God in the form of Jesus; the bridegroom, was living amidst his people, here on the earth. He was the cause of celebration that will last everyday of one’s life. This is why Jesus replied, 'surely the bridegroom's attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them?’ His disciples understood this through their witness of scriptures unfolding before their very own eyes, in Jesus’ words and deeds. In the same manner, Jesus is with us in body, soul and divinity, today and every single day of our lives, by the reality of the Holy Eucharist. Then why will there be a cause for mourning.

But then, there will come a time; Jesus says, ‘when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’ This taking away signifies the death of our Christ, and does call for us His household, to fast and pray. We are His bride and He our Bridegroom, and it is right and just to mourn our fleeting separation from Him. But this bridegroom is the most special of all. Death has no power over our covenant with Him. Upon His resurrection and coming again, we will all one day be invited, but only those chosen (Mattw 22:14) will enter into His house. That is when the doors will be shut for all eternity, and those inside at the table with him shall partake in a celebration which will last for all eternity. Amen.

God bless,

John Roger Anthony