The Daily Word of God

 

Daily Word On 20th Dec 2023

Jesus said: ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing is wasted.’ 

   John 6:10–13 (NJB): Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were sitting there; he then did the same with the fish, distributing as much as they wanted. 12 When they had eaten enough he said to the disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing is wasted.’ 13 So they picked them up and filled twelve large baskets with scraps left over from the meal of five barley loaves. 

  Jesus performing the miracle of bread and fish for a big throng of people who had come to hear his gracious Word of God. When Jesus noticed the enormous gathering, he felt sorry for them because they might not have eaten since the morning, so he decided to feed everyone. Another thing Jesus mentioned here is the prophesy of feeding the impoverished and destitute! He instructed the apostles not to squander any of the remaining bread and fish, but to save it for the poor and needy. He multiplied the loaves to show the apostles his generosity and care for his lambs.  This is precisely what Jesus instructed the Apostles. 

  While we were on a pilgrimage to Holy Land, while we entered inside the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes, after reading the passage from John 6: 1-14, Fr. Eugene(One of longest served priest served in our Vicariate for more than 50 years-Gulf Region)gave a brief talk and said: ‘People are so greedy doing their own things for themselves. So, half of humanity is starving. If we had learnt the lesson, which happened to the little boy who said, I have five loaves and two fishes with me Jesus; this is for you. This would teach others to do the same and put together what they have. But it is a personal interpretation, yes its’ a beautiful interpretation. But Jesus changes our hearts and makes others believe. We have brothers and sisters around us who need our love and help. If we accept this way God will continue to multiply the loaves and the miracle will take place for us too. Because he multiplies loaves everyday but we are too greedy and we are not ready to share what we have.’ Inside the church that rock where Jesus performed this miracle is still kept as it is. This rock is called Mensa Christi – the Table of Christ

The Light and Darkness

 

PART XXXI

The light and Darkness(About Tongue Part II)

The Eucharist is our eternal nourishment to be in the presence of God!

   I recall doing some loose conversation with my colleagues during one lent season, and the evil persuaded me to eat something. The hour for evening mass was approaching, and the moment I ate the food, evil entered my spirit, blinding my inner sight to send me into the darkness, and I forgot to attend Holy Mass. We lose our heavenly blessing because of our neglect of Jesus and his kingdom. This is exactly what happened to Judas. Satan invaded Judas as he ate the Holy Communion without reverence from Jesus. ‘And when he had dipped the bread he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. At the instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him.’ (Jon.13: 26-27) Always we should examine ourselves about our sins before approach our living God in the Eucharist. John 6:27 (NJB): Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal. Jesus is telling us to work for eternal nourishment rather than physical food. So, before approaching the Lord in the Eucharist, we should respect his presence there, and once we understand the worth of His Body, we will be ready to embrace him unreservedly.This will happen in our lives as well; if we receive Holy Communion without repentance and confession, Satan (the evil spirit) will enter our soul and cast us into darkness. That’s what St. Paul says: ‘Therefore anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup, because a person who eats and drinks without recognising the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation. That is why many of you are weak and ill and a good number have died.’(1Cor.  11: 27-30) 

   Psalm 52:2–3 (NJB): Your tongue is razor-sharp, you artist in perfidy. 3 You prefer evil to good, lying to uprightness. Psalm 64:2–4 (NJB): hide me from the league of the wicked, from the gang of evil-doers. 3 They sharpen their tongues like a sword, aim their arrows of poisonous abuse, 4 shoot at the innocent from cover, shoot suddenly, with nothing to fear. Do not curse or use harsh words on others, this is like killing others with the sharpened tongue. Our tongue can act like a sword to kill others. Let us have the tongue which the Psalmist has to praise our lord. Psalm 71:23–24 (NJB): My lips sing for joy as I play to you, because you have redeemed me, 24 and all day long my tongue muses on your saving justice. Shame and disgrace on those intent to harm me! 

The Daily Word

Daily Word On 15th Dec 2023

Jesus came into this world in the name of his Father 

John 5:43–44 (NJB): 43 I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else should come in his own name you would accept him. 44 How can you believe, since you look to each other for glory and are not concerned with the glory that comes from the one God? 

Jesus and Father is One. Still we refuse to believe in him. If some one else coming in their name we will accpet him because we do not have the discernment to know who Jesus is. We are looking to others how we are glorified and look for the praise from them. We should honour our Lord Jesus Christ, and in him we found the salvation. Jesus came into this world by His Father’s Word, Jesus is the Word took flesh from Mother Mary. We should read and meditate the Word of God day and night to get the closeness to God. Lest Jesus will pass away swiftly from us before we recognise him unless we are not attentive to his Word, as St Ambrose explains: “This is the person Christ has loved in loving you, the person he has chosen in choosing you. He enters by the open door; he has promised to come in, and he cannot deceive. Embrace him, the one you have sought; turn to him, and be enlightened; hold him fast, ask him not to go in haste, beg him not to leave you. The Word of God moves swiftly; he is not won by the lukewarm, nor held fast by the negligent. Let your soul be attentive to his word; follow carefully the path God tells you to take, for he is swift in his passing.” St Ambrose on Virginity

The Light and Darkness

 

Jesus is the Light in Darkness

PART XXX

The light and Darkness(About Tongue Part I)

    The tongue was most disobedient organ in our body, which we cannot control. ‘Some one does not trip up in speech has reached perfection and is able to keep the whole body on a tight rein.’ (Jms. 3: 2) If we do not speak anything wrong we can control our body. ‘So the tongue is only a tiny part of the body, but its boasts are great. Think how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest; tongue is aflame too.’ (Jms. 3: 5) The tongue is a small part of the body and we should learn how to control the tongue. We can purify our tongue by repeating the Word of God like; ‘Lord Jesus; Son of God, I am a sinner, have mercy on me’ Matt. 16: 16, Matt. 20: 31, Luke 5:8 (NJB): Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’So many saints of ancient times from the East in the deserts were used this particular phrase(verses) for meditation and as a mental prayer by repeating constantly. 

  Jesus came into this world to lead us to the light, Jesus himself is the light. This is his mercy to prevent us from darkness. Whenever we we believe in Jesus not only believe in him but believe in the Father in Heaven, who have been sent him to world for our salvation. John 12:44–46 (NJB): Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, 45 and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, to prevent anyone who believes in me from staying in the dark any more.

   God was always waiting for you and me. He had given me enough time to know Him and He forgave my sins so many times, but I was always like that pig or that dog which St. Peter is explained: ‘It would have been better for them never to have learnt the way of uprightness, than to learn it and then desert the holy commandment that was entrusted to them. What they have done is exactly as the proverb rightly says: The dog goes back to its vomit and: As soon as the sow has been washed, it wallows in the mud.’ (2Peter. 2: 21-22) Br. Victor says: ‘If you do one wrong, everything will be wrong and it continues until the death of our soul, but we should repent and come back to God.’ So we should not do anything wrong in our spiritual life. Even we do any sin we should repent and come back immediately to God wholeheartedly. We should not say anything wrong with our tongue. 

Daily Word of God

 

Daily Word on 5th Dec 2023

Lord our Master is coming, He Said: “Stay awake”

Mark 13:33–37 (NJB): Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from his home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn; 36 if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. 37 And what I am saying to you I say to all: Stay awake!’ The time is near for our Master to come as we are approaching for Christmas. He will select the best sheep for him to be with Him, he is our Good Sheperd. We never know the time when He is coming to meet us. Let us prepare ourselves to be worthy to enter into His court. We have to guard all our virtues which is pleasing to God. He has given us so many talents to bear fruit for His Kingdom. Let us examine ourselves, whether we produced the fruits according to the measures of the talents which He endeavoured to us. Are we able to welcome Him?

The Light and Darkness

 

PART XXIX

Lord Jesus, let your Holy Spirit guide us to the truth which is hidden in the Scriptures

  The media mainly the internet is very much popular in our daily life and we should be very careful while browsing it. So many kind of false teaching is approaching us through many inter sites, apps, even many other kind of Christian web sites as well. Which might’ve guide us to evil ways, the darkness. The media’s main purpose is to keep us away from the real light of Jesus. They publish their own ideas and doctrines other than true Catholic Doctrines which has no spiritual values and it may destroy our Catholic faith.

   Each one of us has a specific plan from God to build His kingdom. The Charisms varies from one to another. God has entrusted us His Gospel to preach to the whole world. That’s what our duty in Christ and that is our Charism. ‘God has approved us to be entrusted with the gospel, and this is how we preach, seeking to please not human beings but God who test our hearts’ (1Thes. 2:4) We are to be called the heralds of the Gospel and we should be faithful to God’s call. We have to fulfil the will of God at any matter of fact. Br Victor once said in a talk: ‘You are the Ambassadors for Christ our Lord.’If we are in Word of God, we cannot please the ordinary people but we can please those who are having the zeal for Jesus and his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is guiding us to the complete the truth and will reveal the things to come. ‘However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will say only what he has been told; and he will reveal to you things to come.’ (Jon. 16:  13) Jesus will reveal all the mysteries of his kingdom through his Spirit. But one thing we have to do is, become nothing to receive Jesus in a full manner. If our Lord has given us the authority to preach, we should be faithful to that call. 

  The obedience is the best virtue to know the truth. Only the humble can obey wholeheartedly other wise it will be a matter of arguments or an internal conflict of doubts. Truth is always hidden from the wicked and proud. Humility can open the veil of our soul to seek the Truth. Jesus is the One who humbled himself to become nothing as an oblation to God. 

The Daily Of God

 

Daily Word on 27th Nov 2023

Eternal life is hidden in the Scriptures 

John 5:39–40 (NJB):  39 You pore over the scriptures, believing that in them you can find eternal life; it is these scriptures that testify to me, 40 and yet you refuse to come to me to receive life! 

Jesus is telling us we have studied Holy Scriptures, because we found there is eternal life. These Scriptures are not simply words but the Word of God, that is Jesus and in him we found salvation for each one of us. The Scriptures of Old Testament is witnessing that God is coming into this world through flesh of an human being that is our Lady, Mother Mary. How can we neglect the reality and the truth of Jesus’s Divinity and humanity. We are invited to believe in the Word of God and the presence of Jesus in it while reading and reflecting, hear his voice, what he is speaking to each one of us. 

Lord, you are telling us to believe in you and receive life in its fullness. Amen!