The Actors and Actresses

Jesus and the Twelve.

1 [a]Then he summoned his twelve disciples[b] and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. 2 The names of the twelve apostles[c] are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4 Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
5 Jesus sent out these twelve[d] after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’-Matthew10:1-7

Nowadays, when people demand for freedom of speech and expression, it is easy to judge, accept or reject a person based on what we know about him/her. But Jesus is different. Though God-made-Man, Jesus does not and will never judge people based on looking at certain circumstances only. Perhaps He already knew the past, present and future of His disciples, yet, He did not impede or went against the Father's will. Perhaps He has His own separate preferences, yet, He called those predestined from the beginning by the Father. What is predestined is destined to happen. The 'actors,' 'actresses,' and the 'stage' are all in and must play their role. Some have good roles, others do not like Judas Iscariot. But the play continues and actually evolves, and God - the Director - gives all of us many many chances to be better, to embrace our Resurrection and to exercise our free will according to His plan and will. No one is too old or too young. We are all called to a holy life. We are all called to reach out to the lost sheep. We are all called to help one another. We are all called to be charitable to one another. We are all called to be like Jesus Christ Himself to others - Ipse Christus. We are all called to praise and worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Image courtesy: artist

The pigs, the demons and mankind today

They what??

28 When he came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes,[a] two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. 29 They cried out, “What have you to do with us,[b] Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” 30 Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.[c] 31 The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. 33 The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.-Matthew8:28-34

Strange isn't it? If the world needs God more than ever, the townsfolk in the Gospel actually begged Jesus to leave. What propelled them to ask His Majesty to leave? Were they afraid of His power? Were they unhappy that the two persons were finally freed of the demons? Were they unhappy for the loss of the pigs? Could be yes, could be no. Grace is poured upon us to accept Jesus as our Savior. It is up to us to recognize and acknowledge Him. There is something much more than profit or possessions. When somebody is freed from his/her evils or illness, we should rejoice because mercy has been given to that person, freedom has been given to that person, another chance has been given to that person.

It is saddening that we have forgotten or lost the knowledge of who we truly are, or what we are supposed to be. We look to the stars and aliens (sic) for answers to our existence. The truth is, it is here; it is obvious. Unfortunately, we look the other way. Some would rather dance their way to hell and sacrifice eternity in Heaven, in exchange for a little bliss on earth. Are we heading to ruin? Is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah not enough for us to learn? Is the Babylon exile not enough for us to learn?

Image courtesy: artist

 

The families today

Families today need help.

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord...

39 And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.-Luke2:22,39-40

The Sunday after Christmas, the Roman Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family. As such, it is a reminder to us all to look and see our family, and the families around us. I am truly blessed to be in a family that is quiet and in good terms with one another. We may have our shortcomings, but generally my family is a happy one and truly blessed by God with peace and unity.

Last Saturday, we heard the sad news that before Christmas, the High School grandson of our laundrywoman was caught "stealing" $100 from their relative and benefactor. As such, he was accosted by the police officer about his actions. On that same day, he was sent to a far, far away village to be temporarily "exiled." The boy held much promise because he was intelligent, a scholar, a loving kid. Then this event happened. Perhaps the guardians were asking where did they go wrong considering that the kid was sent to a very good school, and all that he asked for is granted. [The guardians happened to be lax in teaching what is good and bad (morally) to the kid. For them, anything and everything goes, even tolerating the kids hobby of gambling at such a young age.]

The Holy Family is inviting us all to not only care, feed, protect the children, but to teach them the moral goods (like honesty, generosity, respect, etc.) to help them be better people later on - one that upholds good, abhors evil, fears and loves God. For how can the children be the future if their past is already wrong?

Image courtesy: WikiHow and artist

If Only

If only we knew of disasters to come and the many things that could bring peace, we would have listened today.

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”-Luke19:41-44

Jesus wept because He saw what will come ahead. The destruction of Jerusalem, the many men, women and children who will suffer and die, the loss of everything. Many will wish to have died earlier than see all the sufferings left and right. Jesus saw it all and wept for the people of Jerusalem on the day of its destruction.

We have experiences that we regretted. We have many sighs and tears of regret. We wished to go back to the past and change things, but it's just impossible. We have many "If only I have..." moments, but all is gone and lost. We cannot bring back the past. Then the blame game begins. But we can change forever our future by doing the will of God today. Why wait for the future to come if we can shape it as early as now?

Are there things that I need to change today? Are there things or people that I need to let go and sacrifice to avert disaster in the future?

Image courtesy: artist, Francesco Hayez (Destruction of Jerusalem)