WORD 2day: 10th June, 2014

That your jars may never run dry!

I Kgs 17: 7-16; Mt 5: 13-16

Be salt; be light; says the Lord, that your jar may never run dry! As salt is never for itself, but adds taste to where it is present; as light is never for itself but burns, so that all those who are around may see where they are; so is a disciple of Christ, called to live for others without counting the cost. 

Being salt, you are required to lose yourself and dissolve your identity in the whole lot. Being light, you are required to burn yourself for the others to see. It is nothing but an imitation of the Son of God who gave up his divinity (Phil 2) and shone to be the light of the world (Jn 8:12). A life that is lived for others, will never run itself out.

The widow of Zarephath is challenged to think of the other before herself. Because she did not hesistate to do it, she witnessed an astounding miracle; and she herself becomes a miraculous witness referred to even by Christ himself (cf. Lk 4:26). If we accept the same challenge in our day to day life, to place others before us, others' need before our's, others' concerns before our's, then we will witness the same miracle. Let us accept the challenge to be salt and light, that is to be Christlike, that our jars may never run dry!

WORD 2day: 9th June, 2014

God is incharge!

I Kings 17:1-6; Mt 5: 1-12

Back to the Ordinary Season from today! Ordinary days do not mean that we take whatever pertains to the Lord for granted. We have today the all famous 'Beatitudes' from the Gospel according to Mathew. Jesus explains to us a set of blessedness, a definition that goes contrary to the definitions of the so called 'ordinary world'. It seems as if St. Paul took the cue from here to write those beautiful wisdom: "Do not be conformed to the world, but... discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom 12:2).

The Blessedness that Jesus presents is not something that demands that I do a lot of things and that I prove myself to be a great success in unbelievable feats! It just consists in surrendering to the Lord and realising that in everything, 'God is incharge!' Situations that try our patience, persons who get on to our nerves, moments that challenge our will to belong to God and temptations that vow to take us far from God...they are bound to be there this day: what is going to be my attitude? 

Let us have a look at the attitude of Elijah in the first reading: he surrenders, and surrenders totally! That is the model, that is the example, that is the attitude of the beatitude, that is the mentality that realises, accepts and believes that in everything, 'God is incharge!'