Reflection for Friday, 29th week in Ordinary Time

By


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

Memoria of Pope St. John Paul II

Today's WORD of GOD

Luke 12: 56 - 59

Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”


Today's Reflection

In Today’s Text from Romans Paul Offers an Existential View of Hope.

He Views Life’s Challenges Not in Calm Detachment but how He Feels Inside His Own Complicated Self. Although a Gifted & Creative Apostle, He Proved to be a Thorny Character for many, Especially for Peter & the Jewish Christians. Sometimes He Feels Frustrated & Despondent at Others’ Rejection of Him. At Other Times He Acts so Impulsively that His Actions almost Seemed Against His Own Will. Paul Agonizes at Length over His Inner Tensions: “My Inner Self Agrees with the Law of GOD, but I See in Myself Another Law at War with the Law of My Mind.” This Leads Him to the Impassioned Cry, “What a Wretch I am. Who can Free Me from This Body under the Power of Death?” This Bout of Self-Criticism Does Not End Up in Futile Moaning. Instead It Blossoms into an Act of Thanksgiving, “All Praise to GOD through JESUS CHRIST Our LORD!” He is Candidly Aware of Being Conflicted, Confused, Caught between His Ideals & the Danger of Selfish Pride, but is still Full of Hope.

Today’s Gospel Shows how Impulsiveness can be Turned into a Necessary Virtue. Some Chances Do Not Come a 2nd Time, & Our Failure to Rise to an Occasion could mean Losing a Golden Opportunity. Some Graces Belong to the Day & the Hour, the Kairos, a Favourite Biblical Term. Kairos is not just an Ordinary Moment like Any Other in the Long Sequence of Time (chronos) but a very Special Moment with Vital Implications. The Moment must be Seized, for the Sake of Love & Fidelity. The Stakes are High, & Not to Decide is Itself a Negative Decision.

The Galileans Knew what Weather to Expect from the Direction of the Wind & Could Read the Face of the Earth & the Sky. Still They were Not Able to Read Signs of the Times They were Living In. They Failed to Recognize from what JESUS was Saying & Doing that GOD was Moving among Them in a Special Way. We too can be Good at Weather Forecasting but Not so Aware of the LORD'S Presence in Our Lives. JESUS Promised to be with Us Always Until the End of Time. The Signs of HIS Presence can be Subtle & Non-Dramatic, but It is Very Real.

We Pray for a Better Understanding of Grace in Our Lives, in the Course of Every Day.


Saint of the day St. John Paul II

We seek today the intercession of Pope St John Paul II, arguably the most-popular and loved Pope of our times.

His convincing life, uncompromising teaching and courageous words are a challenge and inspiration to all of us…

“What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless.”

Good Morning

GOD Bless Us All

Happy feast of St. John Paul II.