32 WEEK DAYS MASS REFLECTION 23

13 - 18 NOVEMBER 2023, HOLY MASS REFLECTIONS 13 NOVEMBER 2023: WIS 1. 1-7; LUKE 17. 1-6 Focus: Bad examples are plenty! Indicative: Bad example is detestable in the sight of God and is liable to God’s judgment 1.      One major defect of today’s society is the increase of bad examples and scandals. More and more people get accustomed and tuned to wrong and evil. The pity all the more is, they are least bothered. Many give more importance to their self-gain and pleasure rather than setting a good example. Many do not feel any social and moral obligation to walk a good life and help others to walk the same. 2.       This bad example is mainly failing - to trust in the Lord, to seek Him with sincerity of heart, and to love and live uprightness. It is the perversity of thinking. It is cultivating a deceitful soul. It is a body enslaved to sin. 3.        The attitude of many who set a bad example is: ‘This is my life and I want it to be happy and undisturbed’. Why should I bother to give a good example to others? It is their freedom and choice. Let them not be easily influenced by bad example.’ 4.       There is certainly some truth in their argument. But they cannot simply evade their culpability. In fact, the gravity of their wrong is so great that it invites severe punishment. The Lord pronounces ‘woe’ on them and attests: it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea. 5.       As the first reading from the book of Wisdom notes, “Wisdom is a kindly spirit and it will not free the scandalous from the guilt of their words or the approach of their unrighteousness”. Their bad example and misleading influence convict them. 6.       The cause of such a bad example is clearly the lack of wisdom. The response to those misled and who fall into sin is not to condemn them but to rebuke them, and forgive them generously if they repent. The strong power that works as resistant is deep faith. This will foster “a holy and disciplined spirit which will flee from deceit, from foolish thoughts and unrighteousness”.   Imperative: In a world that is increasingly steeped in unrighteous and deceitful living, there is so much scandal and negative influence. We need rock-like faith to stand firm and not fall into temptation. (Reflection 2) Thrust: Bad example is abominable! Indicative: No one has a right to give a bad example to others and it is punishable 1.      We can highlight three main points for our reflection. One is the duty to avoid bad example.  The second is the duty to give a good example. The third is the duty to do fraternal correction. First of all, the Lord is very serious and stern about setting a bad example and scandal. It is not a silly thing and cannot be taken lightly. It is grave and so incurs a grave punishment, even to the extent of throwing the culpable person with a millstone into the sea. 2.      It is so sad that day by day we are assaulted by scandals and bad examples. No sphere, no sector is an exception to this. What is all the more saddening is that those who cause them don't have even a bit of a prick of conscience.  They even feel great and happy about it and justify it as a way of the world. Such a situation is deplorable. 3.      In such a context, what should be the course of action? From the part of those who cause scandal, realisation, repentance, and change of life are required. They should be conscious of the gravity of their sin. They should realise that it cannot be justified as a mere individual weakness and fault. They should know that it has a pervasive effect and a wider negative influence. They should realise that it is against our very faith in God and our vocation as God’s children. It is also a failure in our fraternal duty not to mislead others but to set a good example. 4.      Then from the part of all, it is a threefold duty: to avoid any scandal, to give a good example, and to do fraternal correction. We must guard against any situation or instance of scandal. 5.      Then, our approach toward those who are scandalous should not be judgmental or condemnatory. Rather we should be compassionate and forgiving. We should not disgrace them or put them to public shame by slander. Our purpose is not to show others in the wrong and feel great above them. It is to arrest the scandal, transform them and win back our brethren. 6.      Such fraternity and a good example are possible only by faith. It is so powerful that even a little faith like the mustard seed can move even trees. That's why the apostles plead to increase faith.   Direction: True faith is a matter of faithfulness and a good example   14 NOVEMBER 2023: WIS 2.23 – 3.9; LUKE 17. 7-10 Thrust: No individual merit! Indicative: Our faith is God’s grace. All the blessings that we enjoy are God’s gratuitous benevolence. No one can claim rights! 1.      Seeking recognition and applause, desire to create impressions and making a show of one's goodness and greatness, boasting and blowing one's trumpet before others - all these are clearly the trademarks of today's society. This malaise has so much infected our world that a person's quality is rated on the basis of publicity. 2.      More importance is given to the tactics for marketing the product rather than the sincere efforts to ensure its quality and use of it. In such a context, doing good has become a rare commodity, and doing it without any ulterior motive has become a rare happening. 3.      But Jesus makes it crystal clear that doing good and serving is essential to our human nature and our Christian vocation. Service is not a favour but a binding duty. Good is to be done not at one's choice and convenience but as devoted dutifulness. 4.      Dutifulness is a master check for our faith and faithfulness. That is why Jesus declares, “When you have done all, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”This dutifulness is essentially a matter of bearing witness to our call as the children of God and the followers of Christ. 5.      Such a duty-bound, faithful, and witnessing life trains us to renounce ungodliness, lawlessness, and worldly passions. We are summoned to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. We should be zealous models of good works. That is the most fitting way to put evil opponents to shame and defeat them.   Direction: Only the spirit of a humble servant and dutiful service can heal the widespread sickness of domination and manipulation    15 NOVEMBER 2023: WIS 6. 1-11; LUKE 17. 11-19   Focus: Gratitude is a sign of the rectitude of the heart! Indicative: All that we are, all that we have, and all that we do, everything is given either by God directly or through many others. This obligates us to be profoundly grateful.   1.      We live in a world where goodness is often taken for granted. Many receive so much good but they hardly bother to be grateful. They do not realize and appreciate the value of the good done to them. They fail to see the enormous amount of sacrifice those good acts involve. 2.       And some others are so indifferent and demanding and think that it is their right to receive. This is what we see in all fields, in religion, in families, in work circles, in educational centres, in religious communities, in administration circles, et cetera. 3.       In the gospel, Jesus too faces a similar experience of ingratitude. He heals ten lepers. But only one of them, that too a Samaritan returns to Jesus to thank him. The other nine are overjoyed at the fact of healing. In the meantime, they forget the healer. 4.       The same thing happens in our lives as well. Day in and day out, we receive numberless blessings and favours from God. But conveniently we lose sight of them. We take them for granted. At times, we are so indifferent that we just do not value and appreciate the goodness of the people and the good done to us. 5.       We are so engrossed in the good that we receive and enjoy and we ignore the givers and doers of those good things. We do not realize the simple fact that others are not bound to help us. But, still many help us not out of obligation but out of concern. 6.       It is not because we have a right for good but only because they are upright. It is not because we deserve those favours but mainly because we need and the givers know that we are in need. 7.       True gratitude does not finish with mere thanks but leads to a sincere responsibility. All those who receive so much are bound to give as well, just as they have received abundantly. Therefore, a sense and act of gratitude that does not lead to a sense of responsibility, is defective and deficient gratitude. Those who receive must also learn to give, and giving thanks is the first minimum and doing good in return is the flowering of receiving.   Imperative: Let us foster a culture of gratitude because it can rekindle within us a true depth of humility which leads us to be people of giving. As we receive, so too we give!   (Reflection 2)    Focus: Gratitude is not a mere matter of receiving and giving a profuse vote of thanks but fosters a culture of deep humility, prompt recognition of the goodness of others, and responsibility toward what is received   1.      We are living in a world where the spirit of gratitude is either on the decrease or is very shallow. Often it is just momentary. Today once again Jesus reminds us that gratitude is a fundamental attitude of life. One should not take for granted the good done. 2.      This is what the nine lepers did. Jesus heals ten lepers but only one, that too a Samaritan returns to thank Jesus. How easily people can forget the immense good done! In healing the lepers, Jesus not only gives them physical health but much more than that: he restores their lost human dignity. He restores them to their lost family bonding. 3.      Therefore, gratitude is a responsibility and obligation. It is not mere words but a culture of heart. In fact, true gratitude is a matter of depth, humility, and sensitivity. It means that one deeply acknowledges his essential condition of givenness, inadequacy and dependence. 4.      It demands that one recognize the value of goodness and help. It calls to nurture genuine respect and appreciation for the act of kindness. Only thus, one can be authentic and deep in his gratitude. Therefore, an attitude of arrogance and undue autonomy, insensitivity, and indifference is contrary to real gratitude. 5.      Real gratitude should increase our loyalty towards the people who do that good and also responsibility and commitment towards the good done. This implies a responsible use of it and a commitment to do the same kind of good to the person concerned or to anyone. Because one who receives the giving from someone should also learn to give. 6.      Thus, true gratitude can never be dissociated from genuine responsibility. To be grateful is to be responsible. We have received an immense grace of salvation. We who were once slaves to sin are made free. We who were foolish, disobedient and misled, are now made wise, obedient, and well-guided. We who lived in malice and hate, are now made benevolent and loving. 7.      Should we not be infinitely grateful for it? And we show this gratitude, not by mere holy desires and great words, but much more, by a changed life. We receive grace gratefully, but we live that grace responsibly.   Direction: Let gratitude be a beautiful ornament that adds splendour to our spirit of humility and sensitivity. The more we receive, the more we grow humble and kind toward others   16 NOVEMBER 2023: WIS 7.22 – 8.1; LUKE 17. 20-25   Focus: Kingdom is not a show or glow! Indicative: Often people are easily carried away by external displays and shows. Appearances arrest and block their vision and they fail to see the real and the interior   1.      People of Jesus’ time were expecting God’s kingdom to come in all pomp and glory. They expected an irresistible intervention of God that would overthrow the Roman empire and re-establish the Judaic reign as in the OT. That is why they would ask Jesus when would it come. But Jesus quite candidly dispels their wrong notions. 2.       The kingdom of God is not a place with fixed boundaries and demarcations. It is a situation, an ambience where God reigns. It is not material or social or political. It is essentially spiritual. It is profoundly interior. That is why, Jesus declares, “The Kingdom of God is within you, amidst you”. 3.       In the light of the first reading from Wisdom, the kingdom of God is exactly where wisdom reigns in its full splendour. All the features of wisdom perfectly match with God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is when and where the power of God pervades, when and where the glory of the Almighty purely emanates. 4.       It is when and where there is a reflection of eternal light, when and where there is a spotless mirror of the working of God and an image of his goodness. The Kingdom of God is there when evil does not prevail against God and good. 5.       We will belong to God’s kingdom to the extent we put on wisdom, clothing ourselves with her lofty qualities like holy, clear, unpolluted, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, free from anxiety, et cetera. We will experience God’s reign within and amidst us when we allow wisdom to penetrate us and make us friends of God.   Imperative: It is foolish to hear eagerly false prophets and adhere to their false teachings about God’s kingdom. They are for sure false because they tie God’s kingdom to mere places and times. Little do they realize that God’s kingdom is reigning within and amidst us!   (Reflection 2) Thrust: Kingdom is within! Indicative: God’s kingdom is not to be equated with a religious domain or domination. God’s kingdom is not the suppression and intimidation of others in the name of religiosity and pure religion 1.      The Pharisees ask Jesus ‘when’ the kingdom of God will come. But interestingly Jesus’ answer concerns ‘where’ the kingdom of God is. But this is not unreasonable because, in the case of the kingdom of God, the ‘when’ (time factor) and the ‘where’ (space factor) merge. The kingdom of God comes when and where God reigns. 2.      Accordingly, God’s kingdom is there in the midst of us when God’s Spirit reigns within us, in our hearts. It is said that God is so clever that He hides Himself inside the human heart. For, He is very sure that often many seek Him everywhere else and in everything else except in their own hearts, in the caves of their being. 3.      The kingdom of God in the first place is inside reality, a matter of the heart. Unless the heart changes, the kingdom does not come and reign. This is evident in the often-repeated caution of Jesus: ‘Unless you repent and change, you shall not enter the kingdom of God.’ It is actually not so much we entering into a territory of the kingdom. Rather, it is the kingdom that enters into our hearts. 4.      It is foolish that people search and fight to establish God’s kingdom by imposing particular religions or traditions. Little do they realise that God’s kingdom is not to be equated with a religion or a place or a culture. It is a way of life. It is a culture of heart. It is the reign of godliness. 5.      This is the spirit of the kingdom that reigns in the heart and life of Paul. He not only worked for the spread of the kingdom through his preaching and animation. But also he allowed God’s kingdom to reign within him. That is why he could regard even Onesimus, a mere slave, and one who was unfaithful as his own brother and son in faith. He would humble himself and plead with Philemon on his behalf. Imperative: The kingdom of God is really there when “our goodness is not by compulsion but of our own accord when we refresh each other’s heart in Christ” 17 NOVEMBER 2023: WIS 13. 1-9; LUKE 17. 26-37   Focus: Life that transcends! Indicative: Quality of life depends on the propriety of our focus and orientation. If we are rightly focused and oriented, life also becomes qualitative   1.      As our perspectives are, so will be our direction of life, our interests, pursuits and accomplishments. When our perspectives are short-sighted and earth-bound, what we strive for and accomplish will also be short-sighted and earth-bound. This is the problem with many today. 2.       They are so much caught up with the things of this world. Their interests and pursuits revolve around mundane matters like money, possessions, power, position, name, popularity, temporary pleasures, instant gratifications, et cetera. 3.       In simple terms, the meaning and direction of life are reduced to be earth-bound. They do not rise beyond and above the world and the earthly life. This is the same problem that happened in the OT in the time of Noah and Lot. People were immersed in worldly preoccupations and peripheral affairs. 4.       They lost sight of the spiritual and higher concerns. They busied themselves with eating, drinking, making merry, pursuing mundane interests and seeking worldly gains. They were totally unprepared for the flood or the fire respectively. 5.       This is what the author of Wisdom observes and implicates in the first reading as the grave fault of the worldly people. They are intelligent but are deliberately ignorant, arrogant and deviant. Because they ignore the presence and the power of God that is so evident in His created nature. 6.       They are arrogant depending on their own human capacities or worldly resources. They are totally deviated because they go astray “As they live among his works they keep searching, and they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful”. 7.       This is what Jesus cautions about in the gospel. He reminds us about the suddenness and unexpectedness of the coming of the Lord. Therefore, let us not be engrossed in merely worldly matters, temporary and temporal interests. Let us raise ourselves to the higher realm, what is more lasting and more noble.   Imperative: Let these words of Jesus constantly ring within us: “Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life (for my sake) will preserve it   (Reflection 2) Thrust: Be ready! Indicative: Procrastination and unpreparedness are very prevalent. Many take for granted even the essentials. And for sure they will be caught unawares and shocked with unfavourable judgment   1.      As we are running toward the closure of the ordinary time in the liturgical year, and soon will step into the holy Advent, the Liturgy of the Word draws our attention to the end times. The Word impresses upon us the sudden, unexpected nature of such end times. The choice is ours: whether to be alert, attentive, prompt and prepared or to be confronted and surprised unprepared. 2.      The people in the time of Noah and Lot were totally immersed in worldly affairs and pleasures. They were not mindful and prepared for the impending flood and fire respectively. So all of them perished. Similarly, many people of our times are so much entangled with many needless and worthless pursuits. 3.      They do not mind the reminders and cautions given by God in different ways. They wrongly think that they are ‘preserving’ and ‘saving’ their life. This is seen in their mad craving, and accumulation concerning money, possessions, power, position, fame, and sensual gratifications and pleasures. The guiding principles are deception and manipulation. The goal is self-gain and self-glory. 4.      The only remedy is a complete change of perspective and direction. It is to “walk in the truth” and not falsity and conceit. It is to live a life of authenticity and integrity. It is to “walk in love.” To walk in love is to “walk according to God’s commandments,” and to “abide in the teaching of Christ.” Imperative: All those who do not walk in the truth, in love, and in the way of commandments are deceivers and antichrists. Their end is clear and severe, and that is destruction. 18 NOVEMBER 2023: WIS 18. 14-16; 19. 6-9; LUKE 18. 1-8   Focus: Faith is not a speed gain! Indicative: Patience and perseverance are the keys to success and the hallmarks of any successful person. Wavering and impatience will never do any good in any pursuit   1.      We are living in a fast-track world. It seeks instant results and quick gains. Speed has become one main determinant of the mentality of today’s world. That is why, it is said that those who do not run the race fast, will not stand in the race. 2.       Delay often causes annoyance and impatience. The same thing happens in our prayer life as well. Many pray and do many spiritual activities. But they expect immediate answers and favours from God. 3.       There is nothing wrong with making supplications to God. There is also nothing wrong with expecting God to receive our requests and grant favours. But the real problem is what happens when we are not granted what we ask for. What happens when things do not happen when we expect them to happen? 4.       What happens when I ask for good health, a good job, a good education, a good match, good business, good prospects, success, good understanding, and good changes in others in families or communities, but they do not happen? 5.       What happens when I continue to struggle with my sickness, with my failures, or with negative pressures? How long to wait? Why does God not respond and grant favours as and when I request him so trustingly? 6.       In such times, the usual and immediate tendency is to be discouraged, to be shaken in our faith, and to give up our praying. It is then that the poor widow in the gospel stands before us as a great ignition to persevere till the end. 7.       She approaches an obstinate and unjust judge for justice. He is in no mood to render justice to her. He continued to refuse her. But as she persisted, he had to yield to her request. At least to get rid of her botheration, he renders her justice. Perseverance pays!   Imperative: Perseverance in prayer does not mean that we go on pestering God and make him weary. It means that we should not expect quick favours from God. Rather we must learn to wait!   (Reflection 2) Thrust: Pray lest you become prey! Indicative: We can never emphasise enough the value and need of prayer in our life. It is only prayer that makes us stand erect and withstand all possible assaults   1.      Lack of patience and perseverance is one great defect and drawback of the present society. Many start well and big with great enthusiasm. But as time passes and when difficulties and adversities come on their way, they easily get discouraged and give up. The fact is not the closure of the road but the closure of their heart to see the road or seek a new one. 2.      People seek quick results and are easily drawn to them. Not many have the patience to wait for the fruits. That is why we see people tampering with the natural process of growth and maturing, by injecting medicines and chemicals into chicks, animals, vegetables, fruits, and even humans. This becomes hazardous. 3.      The same mentality is reflected in many youngsters who want to get to the top, who want to achieve many things within no time. Having no patience to wait and work hard, they resort to shortcuts and easy means. This leads to a lack of ethics. What is important is not how a person gets something but that he gets it in whichever way possible. 4.      The same mentality of impatience and lack of perseverance has crept into the religious sphere as well. People pray and they want immediate results. They make petitions and intercessions and they want God’s favours immediately at their doorsteps. 5.      Many mistake this kind of expectation as a deep trust in things to happen. They may claim, “I prayed with deep faith and God immediately heard my prayer.” Subsequently, they feel that their faith is great and efficacious. On the other hand, when things do not happen as prayed for or do not happen when expected, there is disappointment and the possibility of giving up. 6.      It is in this context, Jesus teaches us perseverance in our prayer. He sets before us a simple practical example of a widow who persists in pleading with an unjust judge for justice till she gets justice. She does not lose her heart and give up her effort. She goes on approaching the judge to the extent of pestering him. 7.      Jesus’ assurance that God will not delay long and will give justice speedily does not mean that things happen as soon as we pray. It also will not mean that all things will happen according to our prayer. It only means that God listens to our prayers, understands our needs, and grants them when and how needed.   Imperative: True prayer is not pressuring God to do things as and when we want but surrendering to God to do things as and when He wants. Why we leave everything to Him is because He knows and can do the best