Being in Christ is all that matters

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 30th week in Ordinary time

October 25, 2022: Ephesians 5:21-33; Luke 13: 18-21

Once I was addressing a group of young couples regarding the attitudes that they should have towards each other... when some tough statements came around, one of them jokingly remarked. 'these things coming from Paul, it's difficult to accept, given the fact that he was an unmarried man!' And immediately another one added looking straight at me, 'Paul writing it and you quoting it... both are difficult to accept'. There was a big roar of laughter. That aside, there can be heated debates on issues that Paul speaks of today- who has to be subordinate to whom! That need not be our focus! Whether husband or wife, whether leaders or followers, whether I am subordinate or head, I am called to be IN Christ - that's the focus.

Whether I am a subordinate or a head, an apostle or a servant, a renowned person or a so-called nobody... I am called to be in Christ. Being in Christ, even if I am just a mustard seed I can grow into a mighty tree. Being in Christ, even if I am just pinch of yeast I can make a difference for entire dough. Being in Christ, even if I am just a spark of glow, I will light up the world to its extremeties. 

At times it is a hard fact to digest... but it really does not matter what we do, what we gather, what we achieve and what titles we earn... but the whole world is after these, is it not? Even among spouses, there is a conflict as to who commands and who obeys; even within a family there are feuds as to who gains more and who has the benefits; even among so-called friends at times there are misgivings that feed the individual egos. Can I really say a definitive no? 

We will be able to say that no, if only we are convinced that being in Christ is all that matters!

Be compassionate because...

WORD 2day: Monday, 30th week in Ordinary time

October 24, 2022: Ephesians 4: 32- 5: 8; Luke 13: 10-17

'Children of Light', that is how St.Paul addresses us in the first reading today. The reading also paints a clear picture of what it means to be children of Light, or the children of God...it means to be kind, compassionate, forgiving, filled with love... in short, being like God, simply because we are children of God. 

Love and compassion have to be the defining characteristics of our personalities - be it individual personality or a collective identity, as disciples or followers of Christ. Nothing can stop us from being compassionate... no difficulty should hinder us from being compassionate, no rule or regulation, no tradition or custom, no practice or policy can stop us from being compassionate; because it needs to become our very nature,  as children of the Compassionate Father and Mother, God who has loved each of us into existence, who continues to loves us inspite of our unworthiness, and who promises us never to deny us of this love come what may. 

Is our love modelled on this love? Is our mode of life matching this way of being of God? Is our list of criteria and our set of priorities, in keeping with this perspective of life? Are we convinced that we need to be compassionate, because, and simply because, we are the children of that Compassion without limit?