THIRTEENTH ORDINARY SUNDAY
GOD’S (DIVINE) PRESENCE BRINGS BLESSINGS
2 kings 4;8-11,14-16, Rom 6:3-4, 8-11, Mathew 10:
37-42
Bro. Subhash O. C. D
First reading
In the first reading we have the account of prophet
Elisha [the man of god] doing a wonder or blessing the Shunammite woman, because
she welcomed the prophet of God, and payed attention to him, invited him with
cheerful heart for she found in him the divine presence for she even say’s to
her husband that ‘he is a holy man of God “let us make a small roof and put a
bed, table, a chair and lamp”. They considered the prophet as a family member. because
he used eat in that house whenever he passed the way. She fulfilled all the
needs of the prophet at the end of the passage we see prophet blessing the
woman that she will bear son in due time for even she did not ask for it.
In this passage
there are two important things that we need to understand.
Firstly, generous and intense hospitality towards
god’s people or servant of god.
Because; -we notice from that woman
-
Invitation
-
Generous sharing
-Hospitality
–
A quest for divine presence.
Secondly Prophet becomes a blessing or God blessed the
woman for child through the prophet. Here the prophet became a grace.
Example
·
Abraham
and Sarah welcomed the angels sent by god and gave hospitality and they were
blessed with a child.
·
lot
welcomed the angel and their family was rescued.
·
Zarephath
widow well treated prophet Elijah and she also received blessings from the
prophet.
Second reading
St. Paul tells us that Christ is grace for us. Through
Christ we are welcomed as children of God.
St. Paul says Christ is Grace because we are dead in
sinfulness. But through baptism we are reborn for eternity. We hear about
baptism in the second reading. What happens through baptism. Through baptism we
welcome the Holy Spirit, God’s presence to wash us from our sinfulness. There
by God also welcomes us or embraces us to be his children. Through baptism we
leave the state of sinfulness, and it is a welcome for the new life in Christ.
Christ is grace for us because through his death we are dead to sin and through
his resurrection we are alive to God, and a life in eternity.
We also see in Romans 8: 2 that for the Law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Gospel
When Jesus says these words that “who ever welcomes
you, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me”.
“whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of
these little ones in the name of a disciple- truly I tell you, none of these
will lose their reward.”
It means whoever welcomes God, they are rewarded.
Why Jesus uses these words?
Because the some of the Jews who are proud thinking
that they are God’s chosen people, theirs is the kingdom of God. They do not
accept Christ as the Son of God. They reject Christ and his teachings. They are
neglect and indifferent to Christ.
They only read the law but they do not practice the
law. They only love God but they hate and reject and failed to the poor
neighbors.
That is why Jesus is telling to the disciples that if
they welcome you, they welcome me, and my father. If they treat you well, they
are treating me and my father. And they are rewarded.
Example:
·
Zacchaeus
welcomed Christ, gave hospitality. And Christ blessed him and said he is saved.
·
Even
the centurion welcomed Christ, just a word of Christ healed the servant of
centurion.
·
Peter
also welcomed Jesus for a meal. And Jesus cured peter’s mother-in-law from her
sickness and she began to serve the Lord.
So, in all these cases the encounter with divine
presence made difference in the lives of the people.
So also happens to us when we welcome Christ into our
lives and families, he makes difference.
Another important thing we need to notice that in
three readings, God’s servant becomes the mediator of Grace of God or the
blessings of the Lord.
In the first reading prophet Elisha was the channel
for the Grace of God, in the second reading Paul says Christ is the Grace of
God in whom we have the eternal life or a new life. In the Gospel the disciples
are the means of Gods grace to the people of God.
Therefore, the servants of God also must live like
prophet holy and should have divinity. So that the people who witness they may
also proclaim like that of Shunammite woman that she found God in prophet.
Servants of God should become the channels of Grace to the people.
We in today’s Gospel in the beginning words that 37.
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;
anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38.
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me”.
Priests and consecrated men and women they sacrifice
their lives for the glory of God, to spread the good news to the people. They
leave their parents and family, friends, relatives, and they get trained for 14
and 15 years for a special purpose, and they are anointed by God. Just to be a
Grace for the entire people of God, and to be a blessing for the nations.
Finally, the three readings tell us that “whoever
receives or welcomes the servants of God with whole heart, and generous in
dealing with them. God blesses them abundantly before they ask.
Therefore, my dear friends let us not neglect and be
indifferent towards the consecrated men and women, who come to serve as
mediators of God.
కామెంట్లు లేవు:
కామెంట్ను పోస్ట్ చేయండి