we serve God only

8th Ordinary Sunday in A

We serve God only

There is a saying, “When the disciple is ready, the master will appear”. Our Master Jesus Christ today appears among us calling to serve only God. In today’s gospel Jesus says that we can not serve two masters. We may love one and hate the other and we may please one and despise the other. Yes, we can not serve both God and money. After meditating on this gospel passage, St. Augustine says that we can not serve both God and evil or demon. We should denounce evil and surrender ourselves to God alone.

Once a woman said to her husband, “O I went to the store and I could not resist and I bought this beautiful dress of $ 700 dollars. When I put it on, the devil whispered into my ear, “This looks so fabulous on you”. The husband looked at her and said, “Why did you not tell the devil, “get behind me Satan”?
The woman said, “Yes, I did say and he said, “The dressed looked so beautiful from the back too”.

Our Lord said to devil, “ No” and served only God and invites His followers and all to serve God. Yes, God means life, love and happiness. We are called to serve life not death, we are called to serve God and enter into the kingdom of god.

When we serve god, then we will never be worried about anything in life because we know that God is with us. And that is why Jesus says “do not worry what to eat, how to dress because your life is more than food and your body is more than clothing.
Once we know the importance of life, everything else will become less important.

Once a prisoner who lived in a solitary confinement for many years, who never saw or spoke to anyone because his meals were given through an opening in the wall, saw a tiny ant in his cell, then he began to contemplate how it walked around his cell. He held it in the palm of his hand and fed the ant with one or two grain and kept it under his tin cup at night.
One day he suddenly realized that it had taken him ten years of solitary confinement to open his eyes to the loveliness of an ant.

Yes, for some it may take ten, others twenty years and for some others even longer to realize that life is more than food, body is more than clothing but those who serve God only, will know the important of life and living right away because they will be given enough knowledge and wisdom.

People who do not trust and believe in God is always worried about today and tomorrow. Some people always worry about something. When I was a child, my mom was so worried about my health, when I went to school, I was worried about my look, when I got my job, I was worried about my boss and when I got married, I was worried about pleasing my spouse and now I am a grandma, I am worried about my grand children.

Once a man met with death and he asked what you are doing in town. Death said I am going to take 100 people. It is horrible and death said, that is what I do. And he ran to the town to spread the news and that evening he saw the news paper saying 1000 people died. Then again when he met with death, he asked, you said only 100 people and how come 1000 people died. Death responded I took only 100 people and worry took others.

People who believe and serve God will never be worried of anything because they know that they are much more important than all other living creatures and God created them in His own image and likeness. Yes, God created us in a special way not to be worried but put our whole trust in god and live our life every day. Amen.

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

One day a priest looked at his congregation and asked, “Those who do not have any enemy, please raise your hand”. No body did for a while and then at last an old woman raised her hand. The whole congregation including the priest were surprised to see that and then the priest invited her to the front and asked, “you know, even Jesus had enemies and how come you do not have any enemy?’ she said, “I outlived all my enemies” then every body clapped for her and in order to honor her, the priest said, since you do not have any enemy, I invite you to pick three hymns for the celebration today. And the old lady was so happy and looked at every one and then looked at the men and said, “him… him and him”.

Dear friends in Jesus Christ, today’s gospel is a very challenging and difficult one. It is not an easy one to practice; even His chosen apostles struggled to keep this commandment of love. We often hear of loving neighbor but today’s gospel invites us to love our enemies.

In the first part of the gospel, we hear how we have to tolerate others and thus they may come to know that we do not live our life according to the rules and regulations of this world but we lead our ever day life according to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Once a missionary who was getting ready to go to the tribes in Australia prayed to God for strength and then he opened the gospel to read some inspiring words of Christ and he read, “do not resist an evildoer. If anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also and if anyone wants to sue you and takes your coat, give your cloak as well. If they ask you to walk a mile, walk with them two…”

He then landed among the tribes in Australia and he learned that they were very horrible people. They were cannibals, eating people. When they saw him, they came to him and they began to mock him, laughed at him. They treated him very cruelly but he on the other hand did not do anything. He silently accepted every thing. Then he managed to preach the good news to them. Once they were all converted to Christianity, he built a beautiful church in the village. One day the missionary met with the head of the tribe and asked, “I know you are cannibals and you eat people and how come you did not eat me?” the head of the tribe said, “you see, none of us wanted to eat you because we eat people to acquire their skills and bravery but nobody wanted to be like you taking all insults and suffering and pain”.

Once Gandhi said, “ If we practice eye for an eye rule, then the whole world will be blind”. Yes, forgiveness and acceptance bring peace and happiness. If we apply Jesus’ rule of love, we will taste heaven every day here. The secret of life, happiness and joy lies in the teachings of Christ alone.

In the second part of the gospel, Jesus asks us to love our enemies and do good to them and pray for them. Sometimes we think that we are so good and every body likes us but the truth is there will always be a person who will not like us. We will be rejected for the way we speak, smile, laugh, eat, dress or have more friends. Anything we do, there will always be a person who will not like us. And how are we going to accept the person and love him or her. How are we going to do good things for them and pray for their health and improvements?

Once a man was ended up in the hospital after bitten by a mad dog. It looked as though he were going to die because the treatment for rabies was not working. So doctor came up to him and said, “by the way, the treatment is not working, this is the time to make your will and testament”. The man began to write his will. He was going on and on writing and one point the doctor said to him, “You are writing a long will…” the man said, “ no doctor, I am not writing my will… I am making a list of people, I am going to bite”.

How often do we pray for those who dislike and hate us? Jesus our Lord while he was hanging on the Cross prayed to his father saying, “father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing”. We all have enemies not because we did something bad to them, because they do not know us. They are not given the blessing to know and understand us. They are blessed to enjoy our company. They are away from us because they are not given the opportunity to experience our love and happiness.

So we should not hate or consider them as our enemies instead we should pray for them more and more and thus they will come to know our goodness especially they will come to know that we belong to Jesus who is full of love and kindness. They will come to know that we are forgiving people sent by God. Amen.

Let your righeousness exceeds

Let your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and the scribes

Dear friends in Jesus Christ, in today’s gospel Jesus tell us that our righteousness should exceed that of the Pharisees and the scribes. Yes, our faith, hope and charity should tell the world that we belong to Christ our Lord. Our generosity and helping others should proclaim to the world that we are followers of the Lord.

One day a man was telling his story of how he was lost in a desert. His friend asked, “what did you do then?’

The man said, “I knelt before God and cried saying, “God come and save me?”

His friend asked, “Did God come and save me?”

The man answered, “No. Before God, there came an explorer and saved me”.

There are so many people do not even realize the presence of God among them. God still continues His miracles and wonders and is constantly letting us know that He is with us. When we call on Him, there He answers us with love and kindness. The coming of Christ our Lord shows how much God loved and still loves us.

In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees and the scribes were considered godly people because they were priests, religious lawmakers and interpreters of the Holy Bible. They taught people how to pray and worship God and they were pious and good. Though many were not keeping what they were teaching, they appeared to be good and Jesus our Lord asked His followers to do better than those Pharisees and the scribes namely keeping God in their lives.

1. Jesus says when you offer your gift at the altar and if you remember your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go, first be reconciled to them and then come and offers your gift.

One day Abraham our Father of faith invited a stranger to his tent for a meal. While they were eating, the stranger began to curse God; he never stopped blaming God for everything that was happening in the world. And Abraham who was so faithful and obeyed the will of God got so mad and chased the stranger away in the cold weather. Then that night God appeared to Abraham and said, “That man cursed and accused me of everything but I still I fed him and looked after him. Could you not put up with him for a single meal?’”

When we accept our brothers and sisters as they are and do good for them, Jesus says that our offering in the church will be accepted and there will be a celebration over that in heaven. God loves those who love and accept others.

2. Jesus says, “Do not commit adultery”. It is an invitation to love and understanding. When love and mutual understanding lack in a family, there happens separation and divorce and all other relationship challenges. Man and woman are created to continue God’s divine love in the world. The husband and wife have a big responsibility of keeping this world as divine abode.

Once some friends met with their friends who was forty and was single. They asked him, “Look at us. We all got married and have children and you are forty and how come you did not get married yet?’ He said, “I was looking for a perfect woman. And I did find a woman who was so smart and good but not a beautiful one and then I did find a woman who was so beautiful and gorgeous but not smart and then I finally found a smart and beautiful good and gorgeous woman. Yes, I at last found a perfect woman. His friends asked, “Then how come you did not marry her. He said because she was looking for a perfect man.

Man and woman have to celebrate life and know how much God almighty blesses them. God chose them in a special way to represent His love and kindness in the world.

3. And then our Lord says that we have to reflect Him in each and everything that we do. By seeing us, people have to come to know Christ. St. Iraneus says Glory of God is the living man. A man who lives according to the law of the Lord brings glory and honor to God almighty.

Once a public sinner was excommunicated and was forbidden to enter into the Church. He then prayed to God saying, ‘God they do not let me in because I am a sinner” then God answered saying, “what are you complaining my son, said God, “they do not let me in either”.

Conclusion: let us find God in everything we do and say and thus exceed the righteousness of those Pharisees and the scribes. Amen.

Salt and Light

YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

Once people asked a spiritual master and asked, “Master, what is the greatest hindrance to Christianity in our country?”

The Master looked at them and said, “Christians”. Yes, Christians who do not deepen their faith in the teachings of Christ become the hindrance to Christianity.

And in today’s gospel, Jesus asks his disciples to be salt and light to make this world a better place to live.

The important functions of salt are preserving food from going bad and adding taste to food.

1. The important function of a Christian in the world is protecting the world from bad, keeping the world a holy and divine place where others may find and experience God and His unconditional love. Once an old carpenter decided to quite his job so he went to his contractor and said, “ as you know, I am getting old and I need time to be with my family and friends so I have decided to terminate my work”. The contractor knew that he was a very good and faithful worker, so he said, “ Since you are going to terminate from your work, why don’t you build one more house. This will be your last house”. So the carpenter accepted but he was not that interested to build it so he used all cheap materials to build it. When the carpenter finished the job, the employer came to inspect the house and then he handed the key to the carpenter and said, “This is your house… my gift to you”. The carpenter was shocked. He said to himself, “ If I had only known that I was building it for me… I would have done it well” The world is our house and we are the carpenters what we make and build will directive affect our living. As followers of Christians we have to preserve the world and make it a better place to live.


2. As salt we are called to add taste and flavor to the world. By our life and example, we are called to add flavor to our society and community. Once day a son and his father were waking on the mountains. And the son fell and hurt himself and he began to cry. Then his cry reflected. He then asked, “who are you?” the he heard a voice saying, “who are you?” he looked at his dad and asked, dad what is going on here. The dad said, “son, people call this echo but really this is life” what we give, we get back and that is why we are asked to add more flavor to other’s life and then our life would be meaningful and tasteful. Then the son understood the meaning of life. Yes, we are called to be the salt of the earth and thus preserve the goodness in others and add flavors to others’ life.


3. The Jesus asks his disciples to be the light of the world. Jesus himself is the light and He says anyone who follows me will have light of life. We who follow the light will become one. Light cannot be hidden. It will shine in the dark. There is a beautiful story of St. Anthony of Padova. He was a very pious and active monk and He used to help in the kitchen such as making meals, cleaning the floor for other monks. He found god in his every day work and one day his superior who supposed to preach the gospel got sick and there were no monks around, so he called st. Anthony and said, though you do not know much about preaching, I appoint you to preach the gospel to the people only today. St. Anthony who was a very humble monk preached the good news and the way he preached and the way he talked about Christ inspired every one there. From that day onwards St. Anthony went the whole Europe preaching the good news. Yes, light cannot be hidden. We are called to shine before the world.


4. Conclusion: As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, let us commit ourselves to the love and kindness of Christ our lord and shine before others and the world. Amen.