THE EUCHARIST: CHRIST’S “HARDEST” TEACHING The first hard saying is Jesus’ insistence that the Eucharist is His Body and Blood. That, we must eat His true Flesh and drink His true Blood as our true food. As our necessary daily…
EUCHARISTIC CHRIST: FOUNTAIN OF LIFE Eucharistic Christ invites us to partake of his body and blood as living food that sustains us in life and eternal life. Life is a tedious journey that needs to be sustained through nourishment of…
It is not always easy to understand the unjust generosity of God because the ways of God in not yours. Why, He is so merciful and generous with his grace. A lavish giver without measure and skilful calculation.
For many of us, life seems unfair or unjust. Covertly, we can even blame God for being unjust to us. I used to think the same way. Until recently when I see things differently. Life is not unfair or unjust. Neither, is God unjust or unfair with me or with you. I am uniquely blessed by God in a single and particular way from every human being on earth. The same way you are too.
Our Sunday reflection of this week invites us to meditate on God`s patience, mercy, and grace upon us amidst our evil tendencies and inclinations. The problem of evil in the “best” world created by a powerful, loving, knowing, and omnipotent God is very unfathomable to the human mind and an enigma to human existence. Is God responsible for evil in the world? Shouldn´t He have prevented it, if He is all-powerful, all-presence, and all-knowing?
The main theme of this Sunday´s readings is the warning of the sin of omission against charity. It is a warning that the selfish blindness to the needy and extravagant use of God’s blessings. A reminder that our wealth, time, energy, talents and personal qualities like words, smiles, and sense of humour are to help the poor, the depressed, the troubled, and the needy. The act of omission is a serious sin that deserves eternal punishment. Today’s readings stress the truth that wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness.
Action or contemplation? Service or worship? Hospitality or prayer? For as long as Christianity has existed, we’ve debated these dichotomies. Which is more important – kneeling at the altar, or mopping the church floors? What should we prioritize? How should we find a good balance between the mystical and the practical?
Being a disciple of Christ is a call to detachment, perseverance and faithfulness. It is a challenge, we cannot be committed to Christ and his gospel if we are attached to someone or something. The call of Christ to discipleship entails endurance through hard times. Above all, it is a call of faithfulness from the beginning to the end without lukewarmness, complacency or giving up when challenges come to us as a result of following Christ.
The Christian life and spirituality could be summarized in the dying wish of Jesus Christ for us to love one another as he (Christ) has loved us. Hence, the most fundamental guiding principle, philosophy, theology or spirituality of the Christian life is the call to love God and others not like ourselves but like Jesus did and commanded us to do.
The Christian life faces an imminent threat from within that is responsible for Christian suffering in modern times. The mentality of trivializing the Christian testimony concerning suffering. This is so prevalent among the clergy, religious as well as the laity of our time. This mediocrity is a bandwagon mentality of many who seem to settle for the less authentic Christian life.