Wonders or super natural happenings: they attract every human being.
Almost all of us will ask some questions like
“how it happens?”, “how can it happen?”…
We name many such happenings in our lives as “wonders” or “miracles” too.
For Example if some one who was seriously sick gets healed and starts a normal life or if some one changes his/her attitudes and behaviour all on a sudden or if some unexpected things happen, then we categorize them all as “wonder/ miracle”.
Last week I read two such news from India.
From Delhi it was reported that,
Tears of blood rolled down the statue of Mother Mary.
Also there was news from Mumbai that “a crucifix was sweating”.
In both cases, people were coming to these places without any control at all.
We hear much news on such unnatural incidents.
And we see people gather there to watch them:
some come under faith and some other just to dispute.
I was trying to say that, where there some unnatural things happen, people gather automatically and speak and spread them as “miracle”.
It is a truth that many of such “miracles” have very small span of existence.
The Gospel too describes some miracles- which are more genuine and have authority. Because, the performer of these wonders is the Son of God himself. We notice that Jesus gets more audience, because of his wonders.
These happenings attract them as they are unnatural – these are wonders for those who have faith in Jesus.
Some of the actions of Jesus are reminding them of their old prophets.
In that manner Jesus is considered as a prophet or even as a reincarnated prophet. There were some others, who were expecting a ‘messiah’ who will free them politically; they felt in Jesus their political idol who could free them from their long slavery and also provide them a joyous and effortless life. And these people are trying to make him King of Israel…such are the people gathered around Jesus…
But Jesus is doing the miracles with some special intention.
He wanted to get people around him, not for his fame or position or power, but to proclaim the goodness of God, greatness and authority of God.
His aim was to raise their hunger and thirst for justice and peace;
faith and goodness and such human and divine values.
And the ultimate goal Jesus had was the change of their lives and life styles.
Yes, the healings, the feeding of the hungry, the rising of the dead…
all such wonders of Jesus in the Gospel had only one aim.
To draw these people – also me and you- to the faith and power of God.
The next step of this faith is some thing great: any one who lives according to this faith will be the living sign and wonder of God.
That means Jesus wants us to return to our original nature.
Then we are all created in the image of God.
This is the life filled with the Divine Grace and authority.
This is the life in the Kingdom of God.
Wonders and signs are not for miracles sake;
they are to change us and keep as the children of God.
We can work wonders from our human level.
As the children of God we have the authority and mission to do small wonders in our life.
We can perform them by helping the needy; by feeding the hungry;
by being merciful to others…Yes there are so many ways to work wonders and proclaim the divine love towards the world.
Yes, we can be the wonders of God by realizing and acting according to the will and glory of God.
My friends,
Jesus’ wonders have such greater inner meanings and applications in our daily life. Let us make use of our time and opportunities of our lives to be the Wonders and Signs of God.
God Bless us all to be his living wonders. Amen!--Fr Thomas Kalathil
“Mens sana in corpore sano”(a sound mind in a healthy body). This centuries old wisdom says one need a balanced life of both healthy body and Soul; balance of both physical and spiritual health.
Jesus is following this method. We see at least the attempt for a balanced life in the Gospel. Jesus is proposing his disciples to take rest.
Then the apostles were just back from their first big mission. Jesus knew that they were weak after this mission. So he tells them to move to the other side in order to take rest.
We see in the Gospel that this attempt is not fully accomplished, as people gathered around them. Jesus has compassion for them and is remaining with the people, teaching them.
Still the thought to take rest is worth discussing, especially in a world where people are so busy with many things in their live and find less time for rest and relax. What is the role of rest and relaxation in the spiritual life?
Do we need to work 24 Hours a day; 7 days a week and 365 days in a year?
Jesus’ Gospel asserts that each one needs rest according to his work.
It is not to keep people lazy but to acquire enough power for their next mission.
We see this thought in the creation narrations in the first chapters of the Scripture. God worked 6 days and took a day rest. 6 days represents not only the week days, but the engaged working days of each one. The concept of Sabbath as the day of rest has not only its religious meaning and means but also a natural and physical character too.
This concept of rest should be a healthy and balanced one.
That is the message we get in the readings of this Sunday.
Then we hear not only about the working and weak apostles.
The first reading (Jeremiah 23, 1-6) gives another picture of lazy shepherds of Israel. They were not caring and faithful pastors. They were easygoing and looking for their own happiness alone. God is promising a right shepherd – the lord of Justice - who will save the Israel.
Through these two contrast pictures of the lazy shepherds and hardworking, weak but compassionate Jesus, the Church tells us to have a balanced life.
One should work for his life, for his family, for his children, for his community, for his country and for the good of others.
But one should not be workaholic.
There are so many people who are so engaged in their lives;
they work 7 days a week. They don’t have time to visit church.
They have no time to spend with their family, partner, children, parents or friends.
This will slowly ruin their health – both physically and mentally.
This will not give them satisfaction in their life.
Because money and business are their aim. Who can put a limit in these matters? The truth is, in the search of such things, they miss many other great values such as to be with God, to be with the family and so on. Yes, many lack the balance in their lives.
Jesus gives us a very balanced example to follow.
Even though he was some times forced to do some works in the cost of his rest, he advices us to have time for ourselves.
Time to rest means time to regenerate us,
time to find our energy for the further works.
It is the time of “Recreation”; being a “new creation”.
We are having various ways to regenerate. Some do it by travelling distant areas, some by reading books, some by visiting friends and family, some by doing nothing…
The methods can vary, but the ultimate aim is to be fit and fresh for the next work.
Gospel questions us, how we make use of our free time, our time to rest and to regenerate. Do we find a balanced use of time in our lives? May this vacation time gives us a balanced experience and a fresh mind and Body. God Bless us all to make use of the time given by Him. Amen!--Fr Thomas Kalathil
Jesus is very caring and loving in nature. But is it fully right?
‘The Mission is very hard and the call to it is rigid.’ This is the impression that we get from today’s Gospel Passage. And Jesus is very strict in this mission.
Our first reaction towards the Apostles will be, “Poor Fellows”…then they were simply sent for their mission. There is nothing to assist them, except their walking stick. Is that all? No, there are two more great gifts from Jesus: First of all the companionship, then they were sent not alone but two by two.
More over Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits.
Jesus knew these are enough for them in their mission: the Communion among them and one another and the Blessing of God can work wonders.
This rigidity in the mission has some more meanings:
1. The apostles were strictly prohibited to take some thing for their life. He is teaching them some great lesson through this action: to trust in the people, to whom they are sent. To trust them positively, that their preaching will be accepted first. And their labour will be paid according to their necessity in terms of Food, shelter, money, clothing and more…
2. The second lesson they are to learn in this mission is the Rejection and refusal. This is some thing future oriented. They must learn that the Gospel is not always and everywhere well accepted and welcomed. It is a reality. Even Jesus himself experienced this rejection in his home town (remind Last Week’s Gospel) and from his own people. Cross and death is the culmination of this rejection. But nothing reduced his spirit in the preaching.
Jesus is training them, through experience. They will learn that, all preaching may not bring repentance and followers. But they can expect the rejection at any time and anywhere.
3. They are having a fruitful preaching, even without the so called “necessary materials of life”, such as food, shelter, money and clothing. The commonsense of the apostles will tell them, there is something great that they have. It is the Blessing of God. It is the authority and power given by Jesus. It is greater than anything. They will surely give glory to God and will trust in the Divine Power than any human power.
Yes, Jesus is teaching them through their own experience. He is providing them chance to realize what is necessary and what is not.
We have so many examples before us, who lived this Gospel and proved it true.
The great St Francis of Assisi, who accepted his mission of “Rebuilding the Church”, had a life of poverty and simplicity.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the promoter of Love and Peace started her great mission in India with no great capital.
Our then - Bishop Late Dr Joseph Kureethara used to tell us seminarians, that he started many of his ventures as adventures and he had only one capital – it was the Divine Providence.
Yes, we can meet so many faithful in our daily life, who trust in the Divine Providence.
Jesus is asserting this same faith in his followers.
He tells us preaching, being God’s Witness is not some easy. It is some thing risky. It wants from us the trust in Men, trust in oneself, and great trust in the providence of God.
Let us try to be the Witness of God by trusting and loving each other, by being open to the rejections and risks in our life, and more over trusting and dedicating everything in the Divine Providence.
May the caring and loving God Bless us all in this Mission. Amen!--
Fr Thomas Kalathil
It is a truth that we enjoy the unique beauty of our nature.
When the weather is fine, we go for a walk. Such walks give us very good impressions of the nature.
Some times we see beautiful flowers, growing among other weeds and plants and wonder on their beauty. We appreciate and consider its growth in such an atmosphere positive and seldom criticize the weeds and other plants nearby.
Yes, we are often generous in such matters, because we have a good and generous heart.
But many a times this tolerance and generosity towards our nature and other living beings are not shown to a human being, to our neighbour. We criticize them in their weakness early and faster; we come to some conclusions without realizing the real background of these people…
The Gospel of this Sunday gives us such a narration, mixed with both positive and negative remarks.
It happens in the home town of Jesus.
The first part is ok. We hear that Jesus teaches in the Synagogue and people wonders on his wisdom.
But then comes the real issue.
The people in the home town of Jesus were seeing only the son of a carpenter in Jesus. Yes, they fail here. The openness with which they astonished on his teachings is missing in this part. They are rigid in their prejudice that, the son of a carpenter must remain a carpenter only. He is not supposed to be a prophet…
Here they are producing the contra effect of the proclamation.
They take offence in the teaching, rather than believing in him.
(Jesus’ proclamation was also not that fruitful. Even he couldn’t convince his own people.)
But they are deliberately forgetting their history: many of the great figures in their history were born and lived a normal. Moses had an unsafe and bad childhood; David the great king was a simple shepherd.
Take the case of any other personalities in the Old testament such as Jeremiah, Gideon…they were not having some glorious childhood or youth. Their lives after their call made them great.
Jesus was a carpenter. He cannot change that. He also was proud to be a worker.
But his works were not only of a carpenter.
The people around him had enough testimonials to believe in the extra ordinary power of Jesus.
But sadly, these are not leading them to faith, but to a painful rejection.
But it is a loss for them alone. Then they miss the wonders of Jesus.
And the Gospel narrates nothing more positive about them. Nazareth gets glory and fame, not because they believed in Jesus, but only by the presence of Jesus.
The experience of Jesus narrated in the Gospel is a message for our life in the present time:
It teaches, accepting the goodness of others is a great gift.
We must be able to see the good qualities and sides of others.
We have to promote the goodness more than their demerits.
This will increase our human relations positively.
This will help us to trust one another.
Yes, this is one of the many great Keys to the future world in peace.
Rejection of these may cause a big loss in our life.
The great feeling of God, goodness, friendship and healing will be strange to us.
Let us cultivate the new culture of trusting others. Let us promote and encourage the goodness in others. Let the world be filled with peace and friendship and all the more be blessed with the presence of the Goodness of our God. God bless us all. Amen!--
Fr Thomas Kalathil
