DATE: 11TH JULY 2017 MEMORIAL OF SAINT BENEDICT, ABBOT FIRST READING: Genesis 32:23-33 PSALM: Psalm 17:1-3, 6-8, 15 GOSPEL: Matthew 9:32-38 THEME: FACING OUR FEARS

A quote about fear reads, “F.E.A.R. has two meanings: Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise”. We all have fears – named and unnamed. A moment comes in life when one would either have to stand up and face his/her greatest fear or forever remain the slave of that fear.

By going into a self-imposed exile for many years (about twenty years), Jacob had sought to avoid his brother Esau, the one from whom he had “stolen” a blessing. Now, the time had come for the two to meet. Will Esau kill him or spare his life? (cf. Gen 27:42). In his fear and anxiety concerning this encounter, Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac…Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him…(Gen 32:9-12).

The First Reading for today may well be considered as an answer to his prayer. In a religious experience, Jacob wrestled with an unnamed person. This person was unable to prevail over Jacob, and Jacob insisted that he blesses him before he lets go of him. Finally, he said to Jacob: "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed" (Gen 32:28). Jacob overcame his fear and when the moment finally came to meet Esau, the unimaginable thing happened: “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept” (Gen 33:4).

The secret of Jacob’s success in life was that he knew how to wrestle spiritually and act astutely. He was a man of prayer and action. He carried with him a certain divine presence that could disarm a warrior. The presence of God in his life brought him immense blessings wherever he went. In fact his uncle Laban acknowledged this when Jacob came to stay with him in Haran: “I have learnt by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you” (Gen. 30:27).

We all have our particular fears. We all come to a point in life when the thought of a particular imminent event or encounter may scare us. It may be characterized by sleeplessness and restlessness. However, if God is with you, there is no need to be afraid. When God is with you, even your apparent attacker will turn out to be an instrument of blessing.

PRAYER: Eternal Father, with you on my side, who can be against me? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from your love in Christ Jesus my Lord.

DATE: 10TH JULY 2017 MONDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: Genesis 28:10-22 PSALM: Psalm 91:1-4, 14-15 GOSPEL: Matthew 9:18-26 THEME: JACOB’S DREAM

Unlike post-freudian understanding of dreams as expressions of one’s psychological state or subconscious sentiments, dreams in several texts in the Book of Genesis serve as means of divine revelation. Through dreams, actual divine encounters took place and individuals received directions from the Lord.

Our First Reading gives an account of a divine encounter that Jacob had via a dream. It is situated within the context of his flight to Haran – his “home country” – to escape the wrath of his brother Esau after shrewdly ‘robbing’ the latter of the blessing of their father. It was on this journey that the Lord spoke to him one night in a dream. When Jacob woke up from sleep, he said: “Truly, the Lord is in this place and I did not know it!” (Gen. 28:16). He did not take the dream as mere psychological processes of the mind. The dream meant a lot to him and he marked this important moment in his life by erecting a sacred pillar with the stone he had previously used as a pillow. Spurred on by this dream, he made a vow: “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou givest me I will give the tenth to thee" (Gen. 28:20-22).

There is a saying that “the poorest person on earth is not the one without money, but the one without a dream.” It is true that not all dreams are worth pursuing but there are some dreams – ‘divine dreams’ – that give focus to one’s life’s journey. Such dreams inspire, liberate and make a person want to move on in life. They may come either in sleep or while a person is fully awake.

Jacob had a dream. What about you? What is the dream that propels your life’s journey? We may not be able to change the direction of the wind but we can adjust our sails to reach our destination when inspired by divine dreams, we perceive where grace is leading us to.

PRAYER OF BLESSING: May the Lord give you a DREAM beyond your wildest imagination. May the Lord multiply and increase you. May the Lord protect you and prosper you all the days of your life. Amen

DATE: 7TH JULY 2017 FRIDAY OF THE THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: Genesis 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67 PSALM: Psalm 106:1-5 GOSPEL: Matthew 9:9-13 THEME: THE LORD WILL SEND AN ANGEL BEFORE YOU

God always sends angels to guide us on life’s journey but often we regard divine interventions as coincidences. However, as someone rightly put it: “A coincidence is when God performs a miracle but chooses to remain anonymous.” The beautiful things that happen in our lives are no mere luck; they are signs that we do not walk alone. God is with us.

In our First Reading, Abraham sent one of his servants to his home country to find a wife for Isaac, his son. The servant immediately saw the hurdle in that mission and asked a practical question: "Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land; must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?" (Gen. 24:5). Abraham, however looked beyond the hurdle and focussed on God’s ability: “See to it that you do not take my son back there. The LORD, the God of heaven…will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there”(Gen. 24:6-7). True to the words of Abraham, the Lord guided the servant to find a wife, Rebekah, for Isaac.

Often we limit our faith in God’s ability by dillydallying with a lot of ‘what ifs’. The fear of failure saps strength and makes one to mark time at the same spot – no progress. Consequently, some refuse to take the needed first step to get to where they ought to be in life. The statement of Abraham is a powerful guiding principle – “The LORD will send an angel before you”.

Do you have a major decision to take or a choice to make? Pray to God and trust him to guide you. No one ever trusted God and was disappointed. If things do not work out the way you expect, God will make them work out in ways you least expect.

PRAYER: Eternal Father, you are the loving shepherd who never leaves his flock untended. You guide your own and lead them besides still waters. May you send forth an angel to show me the steps I should take that I may arrive at the place you have always desired for me. For the sake of Christ I pray. Amen

DATE: 5TH JULY 2017 WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: Genesis 21:5, 8-20 PSALM: Psalm 34:7-8, 10-13 GOSPEL: Matthew 8:28-34 THEME: THE LORD HEARS THE CRY OF THE POOR

A normal routine of a catholic priest is to listen compassionately to the lamentations of God’s people. As a father (perhaps that is why they are called fathers), a priest would attend daily to God’s children. Some come crying because they cannot pay their school fees; others come because they need financial help to get to the hospital; those with broken hearts in relationships also come with their plights. Others come seeking for ‘shelter’ away from boiling family issues. Sometimes, he becomes the object of transference of harboured anger against God. The challenges/problems of God’s children often render many priests speechless and humanly-speaking powerless with a gentle cry in their hearts: God where are you?

Where is God when trials come? Where is God when things go wrong? Where is God when all is not well with his children?

The scene of Hagar roaming aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba and subsequently leaving her crying child under a shrub to die evokes feelings of rejection, helplessness and hopelessness in the reader of the text. These feelings suddenly change when God enters the scene of the narrative. We are told that God heard the cry of the baby and a messenger from heaven brought Hagar this message: "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the cry of the boy where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation."  (Gen. 21:17-18). By this statement, the Lord revealed that he had a plan for Ishmael.

There is a plan concerning each one of us. Plans, however, unfold with time and God is the master of time. The period (i.e. meantime) between where we are now and where God has destined us to be is often a moment when our faith is tested. It is akin to sojourning in the “wilderness of Beersheba”. However, the God who heard the cry of Ishmael still hears the cry of every helpless child of his. Yes there is a plan. Even if it takes time, prayerfully wait upon the Lord. The big problem you see in the meantime would turn out to be your testimony at the right time.  Something good is coming your way.

PRAYER: Eternal Father, my heart will not be troubled even though trouble besets my heart for in you I have placed my hope and you have placed me on a solid rock called Jesus Christ. Amen
   

DATE: 4TH JULY 2017 TUESDAY OF THE THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: Genesis 19:15-29 PSALM: Psalm 26:2-3, 9-12 GOSPEL: Matthew 8:23-27 THEME: THE LORD OUR RESCUER

On February 2, 2017, a good number of media houses in the US carried the story of a woman by name Shelby Carter, who in the face of a raging fire that was consuming her house in Illinois, chose to save her 12-day old daughter by strapping her with a car seat and tossing her out of a second story window. The baby was rescued but the woman died in the process through carbon monoxide intoxication from smoke inhalation. The heroic act of this woman gives us a taste of compassion. Compassion moves you to save. Therefore, to say that God is compassionate means he would do everything within his means to save us.

In our First Reading, we have an account of a compassionate God who sets out to save Lot and his family from an impending sulphurous inferno upon Sodom and Gomorrah. At a point in time during the rescue mission, Lot, according to the text, was hesitant. However, the men sent by the Lord, “seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city” (Gen. 19:16). In sum, the Lord virtually 'snatched' Lot and his family from disaster.
 
The Gospel text also gives an account of a compassionate Lord who rescued his disciples from a violent storm that broke over the lake. In fact, their boat was swamped by the waves. Upon hearing their cry, “save us Lord, we are perishing”, we are told that Jesus “rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm” (Matt. 8:26).

From the two Scripture texts above, we can confidently say that the Lord is able to deliver. Are you faced with a big problem? Is a raging fire heading towards your direction? Are you being submerged by the storms of life? Courage, the God who rescues from fire and water is with you. Call upon him and he would rescue you.

The Lord of compassion says to each one of us: “When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isa. 43:2).

PRAYER: God of mercy and compassion, save my feet from the miry clay, lest I sink. Rescue me from the countless troubles that surround me. You are my strength and salvation. You are my only hope in this situation. For the sake of Christ, I pray. Amen

DATE: FRIDAY, 3RD JULY 2017 FEAST OF ST. THOMAS, APOSTLE FIRST READING: Ephesians 2:19-22 PSALM: Psalm 117:1-2 GOSPEL: John 20:24-29 THEME: DOUBT NO LONGER BUT BELIEVE

A priest lifts up what appears to be a “white bread” during Mass and with audacity declares, “Behold the Lamb of God; behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” At that instant, the “Thomases” in the congregation begin to shrug with discomfort and murmur within their hearts, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe" (Jn 20:25).

When it comes to matters of faith, we are all “Thomases” in one area or the other.  There are certain articles of the Christian faith that are mind-boggling and our “scientific minds” cry out for evidence. Thomas, in our Gospel text, sought for tangible evidence to ascertain the veracity of the claim that Jesus had truly risen from the dead. From that perspective, we can say that Thomas was a seeker. After eight days of waiting, he got the evidence he had been longing for when the Lord revealed himself again to the community of faith gathered. Thomas, with a renewed faith, affirmed the resurrection and divinity of Christ in these words: “My Lord and my God.”

What can we learn from the experience of Thomas in moments when we are plagued with doubts?

1. Wait upon the Lord. A time of waiting upon the Lord purifies our hearts and minds and prepares us for the “Kairos” – i.e. the Lord’s appointed time of revelation. In the case of Thomas, he had to wait for eight days. It is not stated, in our Gospel text, what he did during those eight days. However, it is highly plausible that he spent those days of waiting in prayer.

2. Wait within the community of faith. Thomas had a doubt about the resurrection of Christ but did not abandon the community of faith. The fact that you have doubts about one or the other article of faith does not mean you should walk out of the Church. In fact, it was right within the community of faith that the Lord revealed himself to him and his faith was renewed.

3. Express your renewed faith. Thomas’ expression of faith, “My Lord and my God”, was a declaration of complete trust in Jesus. According to tradition and the history of the Church, the faith of Thomas took him as far as India proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ there. Later on in life, he would die as a martyr. In the same way, when the Lord renews our faith, we ought to express it in words and actions.

As we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, the apostle, let us pray that our faith in Jesus may bring light to a world that is steeped in doubt and faithlessness.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may my faith in you never flicker and die. As I wait on you daily, deepen it and let its light dispel the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief. Amen 

DATE: 1ST JULY 2017 SATURDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME FIRST READING: Genesis 18:1-15 PSALM: Luke 1:46-50, 53-55 GOSPEL: Matthew 8:5-17 THEME: IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?

For many of us, the unfolding events of our earthly lives are akin to complex quadratic equations. Some of us feel dizzy when we see a combination of numbers and alphabets and we easily get depressed when we are asked to find the x factor in an equation. Similarly, the challenges of life may weigh our spirits down. However, the fact that I am unable to solve a particular equation does not mean that the equation is not solvable. Every problem in life has a solution. If you cannot handle a problem of life all by yourself, get help from the Lord.

In our First Reading, Abraham and Sarah got help during a divine visitation to solve an ancient problem that had plagued their marriage -- an issue of the fruit of the womb. In that encounter, the Lord said to Abraham, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son" (Gen 18:10). Sarah upon hearing this news laughed. The laughter of Sarah has an important function in the narrative. It helps the reader to see the apparent hopelessness of the case. Humanly speaking, there was no way Sarah could give birth. She had long passed the age of menopause (Gen 18:11). However, the laughter of Sarah evoked a response from the ‘divine visitors’:  "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen 18:13-14).

Life is full of challenges and often we find ourselves powerless and vulnerable in the face of some difficult situations. God, however, is faithful. There is no problem too hard for God to solve. Not even the barrenness of an old woman was a problem for God to handle. Indeed, “God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal, that he should change his mind. Has he promised, and will he not do it? Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Nb 23:19).

What we need in the face of any challenge is the kind of faith that the centurion in our Gospel text had. In seeking healing for his servant who was not well, he said to Jesus: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Mt. 8:8). He had complete trust in the power of the Word of God to bring wholeness into what, humanly speaking, appeared to be hopeless.

Are you faced with a very difficult situation?  Is there something that is bothering you? Be reminded that “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it”  (1Co 10:13).

PRAYER OF BLESSING: Like Abraham and Sarah, may you too receive a divine visitation very soon – a visitation that will put laughter on your face. When that happens, may you join the psalmist to sing: “When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations: ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced” (Psalm 126:1-3