Open, Observe and Obey!
24th December, 2017
2 Sam 7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Rom 16: 25-27; Lk 1: 26-38
We have come to the end of the Journey we began 22 days back... the journey to integrity! Of course, we do not deceive ourselves, it is a life long journey! We just made a journey of understanding it in different dimensions that the Word presented to us. Today as we come to the culmination of the Journey, we are given the ultimate lesson that this journey gives, in keeping with the event that led us through this journey, the event of incarnation.
The first challenge is to Open, to open our eyes, to open our ears, to open our hands, to open our hearts and to open our doors! These days while there are are so many problems in the world and all around us, there is a big danger that we can forget the presence of the Lord, we may even unconsciously question God's presence - the Lord says, no! I am here, right here. Open your eyes and see! As you think about a lot of things, possibly give your contribution to the betterment of things, do your mite in getting things in order, you might think you are doing a great favour to God. Just like David thought, he was the one to after all build a house for the Lord. The Lord reminds him and says: open your eyes and see...all that I have done for you! Become aware of the truth...in and through all these things, I am building a house for you. The Lord God of history is active and alive even amidst the worse situations of today. All that we need to see is OPEN our eyes and see, open our ears and hear, open our hands and stretch out to each other, open our hearts and breathe in the presence of God.
For that we need to Observe things around, persons around, events around. Not just see, not just hear, not just blabber with words that mean nothing, but take time and observe. Observe how things are shaping up, how things are changing colours, how things are evolving. When we take that time and patience to observe, we shall be enlightened by a revelation from God. When Nathan spoke to David, when the Angel spoke to Mary, they did not just hear, they observed, meditated and received the revelation that was there!
Then comes the third and the most important challenge - Obey! To obey the Lord even if God's will does not match with mine, specially when it does not match. When they match we find it a pleasure to follow the will of God. When they do not, then we complain, groan and moan. It is specially when our wish and God's will does not match and we do it willingly, there emerges a revolution, a great thing for which the entire generations will keep praising the Lord. But it begins from Obedience!
Mary and Joseph lived their lives as ultimate examples of this challenge - and the result: we have the Son of God who came to save us! Let us open ourselves, observe with our hearts and obey with all our being, we shall see the House of the Lord built on earth.
The first challenge is to Open, to open our eyes, to open our ears, to open our hands, to open our hearts and to open our doors! These days while there are are so many problems in the world and all around us, there is a big danger that we can forget the presence of the Lord, we may even unconsciously question God's presence - the Lord says, no! I am here, right here. Open your eyes and see! As you think about a lot of things, possibly give your contribution to the betterment of things, do your mite in getting things in order, you might think you are doing a great favour to God. Just like David thought, he was the one to after all build a house for the Lord. The Lord reminds him and says: open your eyes and see...all that I have done for you! Become aware of the truth...in and through all these things, I am building a house for you. The Lord God of history is active and alive even amidst the worse situations of today. All that we need to see is OPEN our eyes and see, open our ears and hear, open our hands and stretch out to each other, open our hearts and breathe in the presence of God.
For that we need to Observe things around, persons around, events around. Not just see, not just hear, not just blabber with words that mean nothing, but take time and observe. Observe how things are shaping up, how things are changing colours, how things are evolving. When we take that time and patience to observe, we shall be enlightened by a revelation from God. When Nathan spoke to David, when the Angel spoke to Mary, they did not just hear, they observed, meditated and received the revelation that was there!
Then comes the third and the most important challenge - Obey! To obey the Lord even if God's will does not match with mine, specially when it does not match. When they match we find it a pleasure to follow the will of God. When they do not, then we complain, groan and moan. It is specially when our wish and God's will does not match and we do it willingly, there emerges a revolution, a great thing for which the entire generations will keep praising the Lord. But it begins from Obedience!
Mary and Joseph lived their lives as ultimate examples of this challenge - and the result: we have the Son of God who came to save us! Let us open ourselves, observe with our hearts and obey with all our being, we shall see the House of the Lord built on earth.
