17-22 AUGUST 2020 HOLY MASS REFLECTIONS
17 AUGUST 2020: EZEKIEL 24. 15-23; MATTHEW 19. 16-22
Focus: To belong to God, to be the people of God, to be a disciple of the Lord is not a one-time business, nor a matter of a long tradition. There can be no half-ways, but it is to be radical in perfection
The question of the young man at the outset looks very appreciable: “What good I must do to gain eternal life?” But a little deep attention reveals its lack of depth. He seems to think that it is something that he can gain and acquire by his own efforts. He thinks that it is a matter of doing and his own doing. In sum, he thinks of eternal life as something which he can take hold of due to his doing some good actions, particularly the observance of the commandments. In fact, he is already doing enough and more, especially in a world where following the commandments is itself a very big thing. But Jesus’ ideal is more than mere enough. He tries to raise the attention of the young man to the level of the most, the best, the maximum, the perfection. That is why Jesus throws the challenge to the young man, “If you wish to be perfect, go and sell everything, and then come and follow me”. Thereby, the mind of Jesus is very clear: a true disciple of Christ should soar for the highest, for the radical, for a total detachment and dispossession and a stable, unceasing following of him. Let one not argue unnecessarily that it is not fair and reasonable to give up everything, that Jesus’ demand is very unrealistic. We should rather understand the spirit behind.
Real perfection has no room for minimums, but full and total. It is not enough to observe some rules, not enough to do some good once a while, not enough to listen to God and follow him once a while as a “guest-disciple”. But it needs a total surrender and commitment, always and everywhere. Many today are like the young rich man in the gospel who want to be perfect and are not ready to let go of themselves and let Jesus in and follow him constantly. Many are like the people described in the first reading: they shall rot away because of their sins and groan one to another.
Direction: Let us not cling to temporary riches and shallow pleasures, and thus lose touch with Jesus and fail to follow him. It would be an irreplaceable loss!
18 AUGUST 2020: EZEKIEL 28. 1-10; MATTHEW 19. 23-30
Focus: Riches and material abundance are very precarious because they can easily lead one to self-sufficiency, self-exaltation and arrogance.
“How difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven!” The words of Jesus sound hard. But it is no prejudice against the rich, nor it is an exclusion of the rich from heaven. It shows the practical reality. It is very difficult because of the all-too-real dangers of riches. Riches can be easy traps and broad doors for undue self-complacency, arrogance, false greatness, neglect of God and incline to vices and shallow pleasures. Therefore, one has to be cautious and judicious in regard to material riches, lest they become pathways for downfall. This is exactly the situation of the prince of Tyre in the first reading: In his riches, escorted by power and authority, he becomes so arrogant as to presume himself godly. Hence, he stands subject to destruction.
Some effective remedies will be: Give priority to God, loving and following Him. Cultivate a deep spirit of detachment from the material, not contaminated by greed and not falling to comfort-seeking. Foster a spirit of generous giving. Every act of self-emptying and self-giving for God and good, will be abundantly blessed and rewarded by God with spiritual joy and eternity. The paradox of riches is: the more we crave to gain them, the more we are lost.
Direction: Sharing is an investment with profit while accumulating is like the loss of capital with no interest. Self-emptying is the royal road to get the divine filling
19 AUGUST 2020: EZEKIEL 34. 1-11; MATTHEW 20. 1-16
Focus: God may be tolerant toward incompetence but not indifference, toward fragility but not malignity, toward imperfection but not defection, toward inability but not infidelity
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God condemns the shepherds of His people. Their greatest sin is a total failure in their responsibility of pasturing. This is due to their steep selfishness, which makes them pasture themselves instead of the people. In other words, they deprive the people of what is their due, namely that care, that protection, that nourishment, that leading. This is the heightened sense of egoism and self-serving that leads to many other evil effects. Jealousy is one such ugly offshoot and effect, which is condemned by Jesus in the gospel. Beneath every act of jealousy, there is a deep-seated self-interest that thinks only of its benefit and does not tolerate any good to the other. This is the typical attitude of the early workers in the gospel. In life, like these, many grumble and complain about the master’s so-called “injustice” to treat all equally. They suffer from jealousy and a false sense of justice. They are not happy that they luckily got work and got well paid. They feel sad that injustice is done to them because others too benefit. They cannot rejoice over others’ good and goodness. They equate justice and self-interest. It is a fake justice that bothers only about one’s gain and harms charity. True justice is always charitable because it respects the other, recognizes their dignity, need and right, and does justice to them. The owner went beyond the normal mentality of justice and pays generously the last workers as well. It is not because they merit it, but because they need it. True justice thinks not about what is one’s right, but what is other’s need.
Direction: Justice without charity is as harmful as injustice; especially those who are given the charge of caring and shepherding others should double-check about their gross neglect of justice and charity, lest they be condemned without mercy
20 AUGUST 2020: EZEKIEL 36. 23-28; MATTHEW 22. 1-14, Memory of St Bernard
Focus: God never ceases to invite us to be cleansed and be made holy and thus put on a new spirit. Refusal to God’s invitation will lead to condemnation
In His benevolent mercy, God understands our human fragility and the resultant lapses in holiness. That is why, He tolerates and forgives our impurities and uncleanness. He desires so much to take away our hearts of stone and put in a heart of flesh that is tender and sensitive, docile and loyal toward God. He wants to cleanse us and put His own spirit within us. But the biggest obstacle is our indifference and refusal to change and clean. God is always inviting us, to go to Him, to listen to His voice, to receive His message, to know His will, to spend intimate moments with Him, to enjoy the precious Eucharistic banquet, and to be nourished and strengthened. But many times we reject His invitation because of silly or secondary or unworthy interests. We do not realize what an incomparable grace we forfeit. We do not realize that God’s invitation is unlike the other invitations. In regard to the other invitations, there is the possibility to reason out and discern whether to accept or not, whether it is good or not, whether necessary or not. But in regard to God’s invitation, there is no such need to think because it is always good and for our good. But we cannot take His benevolence for granted. From our part, we should put on the “wedding garment” of a worthy disposition and sincere repentance. Bernard was one such soul, so charged with an acute spiritual and fraternal sensitivity and responsiveness.
Direction: Let us not be driven by useless preoccupations and deviated priorities, and miss the essential. Let us nurture a little more inner sensitivity that can vibrate readily toward God’s spirit and action
21 AUGUST 2020: EZEKIEL 37. 1-14; MATTHEW 22. 34-40, Memory of St Pius X
Focus: In a life that is often dried up and drained, Love alone is the fresh breath that infuses a new life and energy. Love is the thesis and synthesis of all life
“Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off”. These are the words of the Israelites in the first reading, and they are very true with regard to many people today as well. Often, the life of many is dry and arid. There is no joy and beauty of living. They are lifeless like the dead bones. But, there is no need to lose hope, because God breathes new life into these rattling bones. He will raise us from the graves of our sadness and misery. But all that is needed is to activate and live this new breath, the new spirit of Love into our every bone and flesh. This is what Jesus teaches us in the gospel. Love God and love your neighbour, and everything will fall back to its right place.
Often many mess up their lives with unnecessary concerns and pursuits. But, there is only one thing that is most important in life, and that is, love. True and perfect love is twofold: love for God and love for the other; a love for God that is total, with one’s whole person, and love for others which is selfless. We should move beyond half-hearted and shallow practices of love for God and our calculative and heartless love for the other. Wholehearted passion and surrender to God’s will and genuine fraternal sensitivity are the true signs of love. And this is what Saint Pius X, he was on a relentless saga of passion for God and His people as pope.
Direction: Love for God is shown in loyal devotion, and love for others is shown in benevolent charity.
22 AUGUST 2020: EZEKIEL 43. 1-7 AB; MATTHEW 23. 1-12, QUEENSHIP OF MARY
Focus: Glory of God is not so much a matter of praise and worship of God; rather it is a life that gives glory to God by living a glorious, that is, a virtuous life. To glorify God is really to magnify the quality of our life
How fittingly and rightly today’s both the readings allude to our most beautiful Mother Mary whose queenship we venerate today! The glory of the Lord entered the temple and the temple was filled with the glory of the Lord. This is where God’s throne is, this is where He sets the soles of His feet, and where He dwells among His children for ever. Mary is that temple where the Son of God entered through his incarnation, and from where he dwelt among his people. She became the living temple and the sacred abode of the Lord in his earthly mission. And so, quite legitimately, she is conferred with the same glory. God invests her with the heavenly glory, in crowning her as the Queen of heaven. Unlike the Pharisees and scribes whom Jesus rebukes for their hypocrisy, Mary lived a life of authenticity and integrity. She did not preach but she practised what she learned from God. She collaborated with her Son in carrying the heavy burdens of the sinful humanity. She did everything out of love for God in surrender, and not for a display. She always remained on a low note in utter humility. In her are truly fulfilled the words of Jesus as he says in the gospel: The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Mary lived like a servant, and so she is made the greatest. She humbled herself, and so she is exalted as queen of heaven.
Direction: Mary’s queenship is not a thing of status or power or prestige and glory, but it is an assurance that she reigns over us, not only as a mother who loves us, but also as a queen who takes care of us, guides us and leads us to her Son, and to the same heavenly glory
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