Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The mystery of Trinity calls for Unity while respecting our uniqueness
Trinity
Sunday 2011
Sunday 2011
Readings: Exodus 34:4b-6,8-9; 2 Cor.13:11-13; Jn. 3:16-18
Today’s Sunday, the Solemnity of the Most Holy
Trinity while focusing on the great mystery of the Trinity and while inviting
us to appreciate it, yet at the same time invites us to unity. God is trinity
(three) or call it many, and at the same time and most important God is unity.
In this way, God has created us though many, with
a plan for unity. In one of the instances Jesus has been heard praying that we
may be one as 'they' too are one.
A Christian, therefore, while reflecting on the mystery
of the Trinity and indeed the Trinitarian unity, is charged with a
responsibility of extending this unity; for we have been created in the
likeness of God who is that unity.
St. Paul well aware that this unity can be torn
apart sometimes, it is the reason why he invites the Christians of Corinth to mend
their ways; to encourage one another; to agree with one another and to live in
peace in the firm hope and encouragement that in this way the God of love and
peace will be with them.
We too are called upon on this feast to work for
unity. Some of us you find that we fail to look for elements that could unite
us while stressing our differences. In our homes for example there are such
good things that draw us closer to forge unity. We are equally called as we reflect and meditate on this my mystery to appreciate the uniqueness of each one of us. The distinction of Father, Son and Holy Spirit teach us this lesson; to respect our differences as we work for unity.
Our differences are very important for they
point out to the richness of God’s created order. The differences bring out the
beauty of creation. We should refrain from suffocating the interests and beauty
of those who are different from us.
The gospel reading stresses another important
aspect of God’s plan to save all. Different though we may be, it is not a
problem for God. God has sent his son to save us all. God intends eternal life
for all of us.
While celebrating the unity of the trinity, we pray that we may appreciate our differences, while at the same time striving to work for unity; and above all the unity of God’s created order, that will come all in all when all of us have been saved. For God intends that all that has been created may be saved.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
We are mere servants and stewards of God’s treasures
8th Sunday of Ordinary time year A
Readings: 1st Isaiah 49:14-15; Ps. 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; 2nd 1Cor. 4:1-5; Gospel Mat. 6:24-34
The text we have read today from Isaiah speak to a time when many of the people of Judah were in exile in Babylon, crushed and without hope. The prophet proclaimed that God would set his people free and take them home to Jerusalem to begin a new life. Therefore the Lord has not forsaken his people, and stands assuring them that he will never forget them. In the next verse God tells his people on the lips of Isaiah that he has their name written in the palms of his hands.
The Psalmist would therefore continue this theme and tells his soul to rest in God alone.
In the Gospel from Matthew we hear of the character, duties, privileges and destiny of the citizens of the Kingdom of heaven. Matthew a teacher to the Jews who had converted to Christianity and while maintaining the theme that God has not abandoned his people as we heard from Isaiah, tells them not to worry; instead he calls them to seek first the kingdom of God and the righteousness of God. Their primary concern should be God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness.
Is what Matthew teaching us today out of touch with our life today? It sounds like Jesus is not aware that it is freezing and people need to be concerned of how to warm their houses and how they can find warm clothes. What about the electricity bills? What about my rent? My daughter this year is joining college and I must find tuition for her. What does it mean not worry? What does it mean when it is said we cannot serve both God and mammon?
In Genesis 1:27-28 after the creation of human beings, God makes them responsible for all the other created order. They are to be masters and therefore co-creators with God. Man’s involvement in the world therefore is to continue the work of God in the world. We are responsible to see to the continuity of the good world that God has created. We cannot afford to remain mere spectators. We have been privileged to bring about God’s kingdom present in the world we live in. Our primary and major concern is to see to the continuity of God’s kingdom. In fact we are not for ourselves but we are for God. In the second reading it is the reason why Paul says that we are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Paul adds to this saying: “It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy”. How are you dealing with your stewardship? Do I understand that what brings me worry and restlessness in my heart is to think that I am for my own in this world, seeking myself and forgetting that it is God’s work entrusted to me?
Sometimes we have failed to make a difference between the Master and the goods he has given to us in trust. We have ended making these the little gods that worry us and ending up in a confusion of who to serve and not to.
What we have and what we take as ours in fact is not. What keeps us worried and many times spend sleepless night, at times we have chosen to destroy others in whatever way possible in order to cling to what we call our booty. Haven’t we heard the killings now in the Mideast by leaders who perhaps think that they are indispensable and even more important than the people they have been given to serve as leaders?
It is good to work and to provide for ourselves and for those we love but well aware that all belongs to God, and he gives it to us as facilitation to continue his work in the world.
Is what you are doing God’s work, or is it that you have turned it to be your own work that keeps you worried? What are you seeking? Is it God or you are now seeking yourself? When we seek God we are at peace and God provides for us, for he knows our needs and will provide us with them to continue his work as we continue to extend his kingdom on earth.
May God bless each one of us and let us never forget that we are mere servants and stewards who at any time must be found ready to account for what has been entrusted to us.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Unity in Mission brings Christ closer to the waiting world
by David Ssentamu on Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 10:44pm
Readings: Isaiah 8:23-9:3-1; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23
The world we live in today continues in hope to wait for Christ to deliver it from the many ills that surround it. Christ has already come, but it is your responsibility and mine to bring him closer to the waiting world. Sicknesses, poverty, wars, child abuse, sexual abuse of women in homes and war ravaged areas, exploitation of workers in some parts of the world, evils of unemployment, bad laws that have continued to degrade minority groups, poor countries having no say in the issues of international trade and thus deliberately keeping them poor by the rich, leaders who abuse their offices etc. are such evils that the world daily hopes to be delivered from. Have you ever paused to think how we deprive others a chance to know Christ because of our disunity?
The first reading from Isaiah and the Gospel from Matthew keep alive the memory of Christmas for us. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness– on them a light has shined." Christ is here already to set all of us free.
The second reading from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians urges the Corinthians to be united. He calls them to agree in what they say, and that there may be no divisions among them. He calls them to be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
Paul is calling on the Christians of Corinth to understand their call and their mission. A call and mission that can only be attained in unity.
Matthew in the Gospel attests to the call to unity by presenting us with two actors, namely John and Jesus. After John had been arrested, Jesus begins from where John had stopped. John’s mission was seen in the desert where he was baptizing and calling people to conversion, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew while inviting his community to unity, presents Jesus beginning to preach and inviting people to repentance, just like John had been doing.
Later on in the same gospel we have heard Jesus calling the first disciples. It is around the unity of these with him that his mission and purpose would first be encountered by the waiting world.
It is by Christ forming a community around himself that he would reach out to the waiting world, and in this way he would also invite us to share in his mission. While united with him and with our brothers and sisters, we transform the darkness of the people we reach out to into light and their sorrows into laughter.
Even though the call to follow Jesus was a privilege beyond imagination, there is no attempt to pretend the disciples were ideal people. They were very real people -- contentious, weak at times, often baffled by Jesus. Even when they understood Jesus and his teaching, the disciples were capable of rejecting and failing him.
In choosing to be a Christian there are moments perhaps when we find ourselves in total disagreement with one another. There are times when my point of view seems to be suffocated, and yet I believe myself to be right. At moments like these, a Christian who has been enriched in the knowledge of Christ remembers that Christ invites us around himself with our weaknesses and little strengths to build a community. A true Christian would then pray for unity and also work hard to resolve points from which disunity arises.
Christian unity is a call to communion. It is so desired by Jesus, and he prays for it: “That they may be one just as you and I are one” (Jn. 17:11b). It is in unity and communion with the brothers and sisters that the image of God in which we were created is manifested into the world. In unity we give hope and life to the waiting world. In unity, we bring God closer to our brothers and sisters; as married husbands or wives we bring love to our spouses. In unity we are able to be good parents and good examples to our children. As law makers we are able to make good laws for our countries; and in our different communities we co-exist with our differences. We are able to understand the pains of those who suffer, and needless to mention when there is joy we share it.
This appreciation of unity further allows us to be aware that as humans we are limited, and so many times we are prone to make mistakes. In this way Christian call is also an invitation to humble ourselves before God and our fellow humans, while working hard to promote conditions that bring about unity other than working for disunity.
Let us pray for the unity of the Church. We pray for our separated brethren. We pray also that the Church as a mother may continue to promote unity of all her children; while listening to the cries of all who have hope in her. We pray that in unity we bring Christ to the waiting world.
The world we live in today continues in hope to wait for Christ to deliver it from the many ills that surround it. Christ has already come, but it is your responsibility and mine to bring him closer to the waiting world. Sicknesses, poverty, wars, child abuse, sexual abuse of women in homes and war ravaged areas, exploitation of workers in some parts of the world, evils of unemployment, bad laws that have continued to degrade minority groups, poor countries having no say in the issues of international trade and thus deliberately keeping them poor by the rich, leaders who abuse their offices etc. are such evils that the world daily hopes to be delivered from. Have you ever paused to think how we deprive others a chance to know Christ because of our disunity?
The first reading from Isaiah and the Gospel from Matthew keep alive the memory of Christmas for us. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness– on them a light has shined." Christ is here already to set all of us free.
The second reading from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians urges the Corinthians to be united. He calls them to agree in what they say, and that there may be no divisions among them. He calls them to be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
Paul is calling on the Christians of Corinth to understand their call and their mission. A call and mission that can only be attained in unity.
Matthew in the Gospel attests to the call to unity by presenting us with two actors, namely John and Jesus. After John had been arrested, Jesus begins from where John had stopped. John’s mission was seen in the desert where he was baptizing and calling people to conversion, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew while inviting his community to unity, presents Jesus beginning to preach and inviting people to repentance, just like John had been doing.
Later on in the same gospel we have heard Jesus calling the first disciples. It is around the unity of these with him that his mission and purpose would first be encountered by the waiting world.
It is by Christ forming a community around himself that he would reach out to the waiting world, and in this way he would also invite us to share in his mission. While united with him and with our brothers and sisters, we transform the darkness of the people we reach out to into light and their sorrows into laughter.
Even though the call to follow Jesus was a privilege beyond imagination, there is no attempt to pretend the disciples were ideal people. They were very real people -- contentious, weak at times, often baffled by Jesus. Even when they understood Jesus and his teaching, the disciples were capable of rejecting and failing him.
In choosing to be a Christian there are moments perhaps when we find ourselves in total disagreement with one another. There are times when my point of view seems to be suffocated, and yet I believe myself to be right. At moments like these, a Christian who has been enriched in the knowledge of Christ remembers that Christ invites us around himself with our weaknesses and little strengths to build a community. A true Christian would then pray for unity and also work hard to resolve points from which disunity arises.
Christian unity is a call to communion. It is so desired by Jesus, and he prays for it: “That they may be one just as you and I are one” (Jn. 17:11b). It is in unity and communion with the brothers and sisters that the image of God in which we were created is manifested into the world. In unity we give hope and life to the waiting world. In unity, we bring God closer to our brothers and sisters; as married husbands or wives we bring love to our spouses. In unity we are able to be good parents and good examples to our children. As law makers we are able to make good laws for our countries; and in our different communities we co-exist with our differences. We are able to understand the pains of those who suffer, and needless to mention when there is joy we share it.
This appreciation of unity further allows us to be aware that as humans we are limited, and so many times we are prone to make mistakes. In this way Christian call is also an invitation to humble ourselves before God and our fellow humans, while working hard to promote conditions that bring about unity other than working for disunity.
Let us pray for the unity of the Church. We pray for our separated brethren. We pray also that the Church as a mother may continue to promote unity of all her children; while listening to the cries of all who have hope in her. We pray that in unity we bring Christ to the waiting world.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Christian call is an invitation to Holiness
This Sunday, we hear John pointing to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and thus leads those who follow him to God; - the holiness and abode/dwelling of all holiness. We recognize a certain kind of holiness in the life of John. Even before he points a finger, or even when he begins speaking about Jesus to be the Lamb of God, his way of life is already itself a testimony of what he is talking about. Already many had been drawn to him in the desert to listen to him, and many had been drawn to conversion and were being baptized. His life of holiness was the first testimony.
The second reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians points it out clearly how those who are called in Christ Jesus are called to be holy.
The first reading provides the practical part of today’s liturgy of the word. Isaiah proudly exclaims the call of God to Israel through him: “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory”. By the faithful service of Israel, Jacob would be brought back to God and Israel gathered close to God. What it would take to achieve this would have to weigh less on Israel’s side, for God himself would provide the strength. And yet by that little faithful service God would make Israel a light to the nations and his salvation would reach out to the ends of the earth.
By the virtue of Christian vocation we have found a privilege to be called God’s servants. This servitude Jesus testifies to Peter that those who have chosen to follow him are no longer called slaves like in the ordinary understanding of a servant, but instead they are friends. We are friends with God. God has invited us and continues to invite us to a relationship. God invites daily to this relationship of holiness like him: That our lives may emit God’s holiness: That those we encounter daily may be able to see in us what they would see in Godself.
Oftentimes our lives as Christians have been seen to be a total contradiction of what we daily profess. Time and again because we live in this kind of duality we have failed to point a finger to the one from whom we have taken our name as Christians. We forget that the world needs more witnesses than teachers as Pope Paul VI remarks in Evangelli Nuntiandi.
It is important to understand that Holiness does not mean we are sinless. But it is a constant rise whenever we find ourselves wanting in grace. It is constantly looking at God like in a mirror so that we can truly deserve the name we have taken up on ourselves – Christians. In this way, we can say that we are on our journey to holiness, which holiness is God Himself.
May God bless us as we continue to draw people to Him! May our holy actions be a finger that point to the one whom we claim as Christians to be the Lamb of God!
The second reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians points it out clearly how those who are called in Christ Jesus are called to be holy.
The first reading provides the practical part of today’s liturgy of the word. Isaiah proudly exclaims the call of God to Israel through him: “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory”. By the faithful service of Israel, Jacob would be brought back to God and Israel gathered close to God. What it would take to achieve this would have to weigh less on Israel’s side, for God himself would provide the strength. And yet by that little faithful service God would make Israel a light to the nations and his salvation would reach out to the ends of the earth.
By the virtue of Christian vocation we have found a privilege to be called God’s servants. This servitude Jesus testifies to Peter that those who have chosen to follow him are no longer called slaves like in the ordinary understanding of a servant, but instead they are friends. We are friends with God. God has invited us and continues to invite us to a relationship. God invites daily to this relationship of holiness like him: That our lives may emit God’s holiness: That those we encounter daily may be able to see in us what they would see in Godself.
Oftentimes our lives as Christians have been seen to be a total contradiction of what we daily profess. Time and again because we live in this kind of duality we have failed to point a finger to the one from whom we have taken our name as Christians. We forget that the world needs more witnesses than teachers as Pope Paul VI remarks in Evangelli Nuntiandi.
It is important to understand that Holiness does not mean we are sinless. But it is a constant rise whenever we find ourselves wanting in grace. It is constantly looking at God like in a mirror so that we can truly deserve the name we have taken up on ourselves – Christians. In this way, we can say that we are on our journey to holiness, which holiness is God Himself.
May God bless us as we continue to draw people to Him! May our holy actions be a finger that point to the one whom we claim as Christians to be the Lamb of God!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)