Reflection for Monday 28th Week in Ordinary Time

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Memoria of St. John XXIII Pope

Today's WORD of GOD

 Luke 11:29-32

 At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. 

Today's Reflection 

Each of Us, Says Paul, is Governed by Not One but 2 Life-Principles. The 1st Follows the Natural Law of Generation: Conception, Birth, Life in the Flesh. Paul Compares This to Judaism with Its Multiple Laws to Regulate Each Moment of Human Existence. Our Rebirth through the SPIRIT Surpasses Our Natural Potency, & Leads to Eternal Life. Human Flesh is Doomed to Die, but the SPIRIT is Promised Eternal Life. The SPIRIT Co-Exists with Our Corruptible Human Nature & Liberates Us from Its Slavery to Death.

This Dual Life-Principle Comes from JESUS, It Says in the Opening Words of the Epistle to the Romans. JESUS was Descended from David According to the Flesh but was Made Son of GOD in Power, by HIS Resurrection from the Dead. Salvation Comes through the SPIRIT, not only in JESUS' Case but for All of Humanity. The SPIRIT is somehow Present in Every Person in the World. 

Like the 1st Christians in Rome, We have the Benefit of the Scriptures, the Sacred Liturgy & a long Tradition of Saints. In Our Lives too, the HOLY SPIRIT Brings the Fruits of Love, Joy & Peace. Already Here on Earth We Anticipate Eternal Life, for JESUS, far Greater than Solomon or Jonah, Dwells Among Us.


Appreciated or Not

If the People of Nineveh Responded with Faith to Jonah & if the Queen of the South Showed such Trust in Solomon, how much More should JESUS' Contemporaries have Responded to HIM. The Same JESUS who Preached & Healed in the Villages of Galilee is Present to Us as Risen LORD. But We can Fail to Appreciate HIS Presence Among Us.

Like HIS Contemporaries, We can Engage in a Futile Search for Miracles without Recognizing the Quiet Signs of HIS Presence All Around Us. The Greatest Sign of the LORD'S Presence is during Our Eucharistic Gatherings. There, Our LORD is Present to Us with HIS Assurance, “This is My Body; This is My Blood.” Receiving the Holy Eucharist We are Coming to Someone Greater than Jonah or Solomon. JESUS is Present to Us in Other Ways also. We Respond to HIM by Following in HIS Way, as the People of Nineveh Responded to Jonah’s Call. Gifted & Graced by HIS Presence, We are to Live Under HIS Inspiration & Example.


Saint of the day

St. John XXIII, POPE

Today we seek the intercession of Pope St John XXIII – one of the most popular Popes of the 20th century – on this feast day.

He was the one who convoked the historical ‘Vatican Council II’, which paved the way for “throwing open the windows of the church, to let the fresh air of the Spirit blow through.”

Let us give heed to his words: “Prayer is the raising of the mind to God.

We must always remember this. The actual words matter less.”

Good morning. 

Wishing you a peaceful, safe and happy day and a great week ahead