XIII Sunday of the Year

MAKING ROOM…

2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a; Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10:37-42

Readings for the XIII Sunday of the Year

The lady of the house instructed her butler before a banquet: “Bentley, I want you to stand at the front door and call the guests’ names as they arrive.” “Very well, madam,” he replied, “I’ve been wanting to do that for years.”

I guess we have all felt like Bentley and wanted to call our guests names – at least occasionally when we have had to welcome people who aren’t particularly welcomeable. But think of the times people welcomed us warmly, perhaps, with a broad smile, open arms, comforting words. It felt good! 

The Shunamite woman did just that for the prophet Elisha (first reading). The woman was childless but didn’t focus on her condition! She welcomed Elisha and was hospitable to this “holy man of God.” Her hospitality was extravagant: she gave him a furnished room “so that when he comes to us he can go in there.” How thoughtful, how sensitive, how generous! Though her hospitality was without strings attached, God acted powerfully for her because she was kind to one of his own.

The message about hospitality finds an echo in the Gospel. Jesus reminds his disciples about the cost of discipleship but urges them not to worry. As they travel with his message, they will meet people, like the Shunamite woman, who will recognize them as prophets, righteous men, and disciples. They will find welcome and hospitality. 

For the Israelites, a traveller was a reminder of their struggle as enslaved strangers in Egypt and as wanderers in the desert. 

We need to return to biblical hospitality! Like the Shunamite woman, we need to build room for others – in our lives and hearts. 

Let me pick one person whom I will welcome in my life. How will I welcome and be hospitable to this person in the week ahead? 

I may have to give my time, my talents, my resources, my life. My life may be interrupted. My privacy invaded. My patience tried. Let me ask the Lord to help me. Let me understand God’s hospitality!

XII Sunday of the Year

FEARLESS IN PERSECUTION

Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33

Readings for the XII Sunday of the Year

On 06 June, Bishop Osório Afonso, Bishop of Quelimane in Mozambique, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. According to the World Watch List, last year 4,849 Christians were killed and 388 million Christians face high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Today, as always, those who proclaim the Gospel and its values, those who stand for justice and truth, are ill-treated and persecuted. Some give up; most fight on. What sustains them? Today’s liturgy gives us an indication!

The first reading describes Jeremiah’s difficult mission: to denounce the abomination of the people and to warn them of God’s wrath. His friends denounced him; the army council threw him into prison and threatened him with death. Human that he was, Jeremiah was afraid, but he did not allow fear to write his script; he refused to be intimidated. What sustained Jeremiah was the profound belief that God was on his side: “The Lord is with me as a dread warrior.”

The gospel is a continuation of Jesus’ commissioning of the apostles. In the verses preceding today’s text, he warned them about imminent persecution. Now he tells them to preach without fear. He keeps repeating “do not be afraid.” How can the apostles not be afraid in the face of persecution? 

The antidote to fear is God’s care. Jesus illustrates the Father’s deep care through the example of the sale of sparrows. Sparrows were sold two for a penny; five for two pennies (with one free). Jesus says: “Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” God cares even for that one “worthless” sparrow! How much more does he care for us! This knowledge of God’s love and protection overcomes all fear. 

Jeremiah and the apostles could face their persecutors with courage because they were deeply aware of God’s love for them.

We are called to be prophets – people who fearlessly denounce the wrong and stand up for the right – at home, in our workplaces, in society… everywhere. 

Am I willing to acknowledge Jesus despite intimidation? What are the fears which keep me from witnessing to Jesus and his values? Do I believe that God cares for me?

XI Sunday of the Year

CALLED TO SHARE GOD’S COMPASSION

Exodus 19:2-6a; Romans 5:6-11; Matthew 9:36—10:8

Readings for the XI Sunday of the Year

Every evening at the Oratory at Don Bosco Matunga (Mumbai), the kids play for a while before they study. I watch them as the captains choose their teams for basketball or cricket. The younger ones have their heads down and shuffle their feet as they hear the captains call the names of the older kids or the better players. Sometimes, a captain does not see an older or stronger player and calls the name of a younger kid. The joy on his/her face is a sight to behold.

Human elections everywhere – whether in politics or business or sports – is the same. We choose the best.

The attitude and behaviour in human election are in sharp contrast to divine election: God’s choice of Israel (first reading) and Jesus’ choice of the apostles (Gospel).  From the human perspective, God’s choice is strange! 

He chose a weak, landless, wandering nation as his own. He called them to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Israel has the privilege of communicating God’s message to the rest of humankind and of reflecting his holiness.

Jesus chose those of limited education and means – fishermen, a tax collector, a teacher of the Law, a zealot – to be partners in his ministry. He called the apostles to be shepherds to care for the people and to be signs of God’s compassionate love. Further, he sent them to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” to announce that the kingdom of God was near.

God chose whom he wished and gave them the gifts they needed to accomplish their mission.

God continues to call people. He has something for you and me to do in building his kingdom, in spreading his compassionate love.

Question neither his wisdom in choosing you nor his ability to equip you with all you need for the task. Say “yes” and be his ambassador to the world to bring his compassion to all.

 

The Body and Blood of Christ

WE BECOME WHAT WE EAT

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58

Readings for the Body and Blood of Christ

We give a lot of thought to the food we eat. And that’s good, because our diets significantly affect our lives and the planet. In many ways, we become what we eat.

We need to pay greater attention to our spiritual diets because these affect us even more. Our minds gnaw at the stressors in our lives and soon we find we’re consumed by them. Media bombard us with quick-fix ads, hateful speech, violent entertainment, and negativity. It’s so easy for us to become angry, bitter, and materialistic. In the spiritual sense, it’s even more true – we become what we eat.

The readings on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ highlight the importance of spiritual nourishment. 

Jesus’ teaching in the Gospel takes place at the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread, which recalled how God nourished the people with manna and with his word in the desert (cf. first reading). While reiterating that memory, Jesus emphasizes that the bread he gives is different from the manna in the desert!

- The manna that was not eaten within the day had to be thrown away. After Jesus fed the five thousand, twelve baskets of fragments were gathered and saved; this indicates that this bread lasts.

- The manna was limited and only for the Jews. The bread which Jesus gives is for always and for all people. 

- The manna nourished the people only during the journey to the Promised Land. The bread of life nourishes us with eternal life. 

Jesus emphasizes that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood has eternal life. We become what we eat!

St Paul (second reading) reminds the Corinthians about the significance of the Eucharist. By participating in the Eucharist, we become the body of Christ; we become one. We become—or we ought to become—what we eat.

Jesus nourishes us for always by giving us his word, and his body and blood.

Am I satisfied with the junk food the world offers or do I feast on Jesus the Word and the Living Bread? Do I live in communion with those around me or is the Eucharist only a ritual act I perform?

May our celebration make us what we eat: one with Christ and one with one another.