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.

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Why trouble?

United.

32 As they were going out,[a] a demoniac who could not speak was brought to him, 33 and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 [b]But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”
35 [c]Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. 36 At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned,[d] like sheep without a shepherd. 37 [e]Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; 38 so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”-Matthew9:32-38

Troubled and abandoned. If the crowds during Jesus' time felt troubled and abandoned, these feelings are still here with us at present. Some think that science and God cannot be united. Some think that philosophy and God cannot be united. Some think that governance and God cannot be united. But the truth is, it can! Where did science come from? From God's creation. Without God's creation, there won't be science anyway. Where did philosophy come from? From a single curiosity and the need for an answer. And this curiosity still came from God who blessed us with a brain packed with knowledge and wisdom far superior than the animals. Where did governance come from? Order! And this came from God who can make crooked lines straight. Can't we see it? Everything and everyone lives, revolves and is rooted in God. Why are we making things complicated? Why do we trouble ourselves when all along the answer is before us?

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Seek Him

Stories of miracle.

18 [a]While he was saying these things to them, an official[b] came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel[c] on his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” 22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured.
23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.”[d] And they ridiculed him. 25 When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. 26 And news of this spread throughout all that land.-Matthew9:18-26

A daughter just died. When one dies, it is impossible to bring him/her back to life. A woman has a bleeding problem for 12 years. Could this year be any different with the past years? Hopeless cases, right? But it is very true that if we are in a rock bottom or hopeless situation, it is there that we seek God's help and all the more hopeful. The miracle stories are testimonies that Jesus does not leave us when we need Him the most. However, it is not enough that we only seek God just because we need Him to solve our problems. Our experiences should make us seek Him all the more whether it is in joy or in pain. Our experiences should be turning points in our life making us closer to God, making us aware of God.

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50-50? 60-40?

50-50?

14 Then the disciples of John approached him and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.[a] 16 No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,[b] for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. 17 People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”-Matthew9:14-17

I tried to sew a piece of cotton cloth with a different type of cloth. No matter how good I sew it with a machine, it just won't work. There is reason and logic in the ordinariness of life and in the simple things we do everyday like putting water in a glass. Today, Jesus is teaching us - not only the reason and logic behind patching cloths and putting new wine into new wineskins - but its deeper meaning that can be applied to life as a whole. Jesus is not disregarding the Old - prophets and the Law - just because He teaches differently and with authority. Rather, He fulfills it. We can say a fusion of two worlds - each complementing the other.

The 'New' is not always the answer; the 'Old' does not always have the answer. Sometimes the brand new 'me,' may work out and at other times, it may not. We need the past to help our present, and we need the present to mold the future. We bring to present the lessons of the past to help shape our future.

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Which is better - Success or Failure?

In one's own country...

1 He departed from there and came to his native place,[a] accompanied by his disciples. 2 [b]When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 3 Is he not the carpenter,[c] the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 [d]Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” 5 So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,[e] apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.-Mark6:1-6

Is it indeed possible that perhaps Jesus' townsfolk wondered where He got His power? "Is it from this place or that place?" "Where did He go and where did He get His powers?" As if it can be bought next door!

We all know that in Jewish tradition, a person can call his cousins, half-siblings, nephews, nieces and kinsman/woman as his/her own brothers and sisters (e.g. Tobias and Sarah). In fact, I call my older cousins and other relatives as brothers and sisters because culture and respect require it.

The Gospel reading is all about the people's lack of faith in Jesus simply because they know Him - "Oh! He's the boy around the corner who happens to be a carpenter." Yes, in there eyes, Jesus is and will always be a carpenter, no more, no less. How sad, isn't it? But it is true that some people would rather see you fail, than be better. Some people would rather see you miserable and sad, than be happy. Some people would rather see you unsuccessful, than be successful. Jesus is inviting us to rejoice in other people's success and betterment. What is better - success or failure? If we want others to rejoice in our success and betterment, we should learn too to rejoice in theirs.

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What to do?

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

24 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” 28 [a]Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 [b]Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”-John20:24-29

Some say religion is outdated. Some say religion, with its old teachings and traditions, has no place in the 21st century with all its technology and progress. Some even say that God does not exist at all since He cannot be sensibly perceived - no more parting of the Red Sea, no more triumph over our enemies, no more walking in the water, no more calming of the storm, and so forth. Poor, poor souls. Faith is freely given to all. It is given to you and me. God connected and reached out to us, but what about us? What are we going to do with the gift of faith? Are we going to ignore it or embrace it? Do we really have to sensibly perceive and understand God first before believing? “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

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The Key

...know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

1 [a]He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. 2 And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” 3 At that, some of the scribes[b] said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 [c]But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 7 He rose and went home. 8 [d]When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.-Matthew9:1-8

The Gospel clearly demonstrates Jesus' power to heal and forgive sins. During His time, it is very rare for somebody to show such kind of authority - healing, driving demons away, teaching with authority, mastery over forces of nature, and so on. Today, it is all the more rare to see somebody in his/her full potential. "When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings." We may not have the same kind of gifts that were once blessed to all followers, believers, apostles and disciples of Jesus in the past, but we do have 'gifts' from God for sure. These gifts await to be unlocked. Perhaps it is not much, but the little that we have is worth putting to use for the greater glory of God. How do we unlock something that we do not know? The key is God, the key is with God. We need only to ask and believe.

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