Tuesday of the 16th Week of Ordinary Time
July 21, 2020
Micah 7:14-15,18-20
Ps 85:2-8
Matthew 12:46-50
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072120.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/2020/2020-07-21
Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
The word Community or Church is a workshop of love and Charity. Families are the smaller version of the Community. God pours out his love in to our hearts and the person who receives this love of God and cultivates it by witnessing in his own family , the love multiplies in to various fruits of the love of God . The ministries start emerging from the love of God and eventually many ministries of love form a Community of love. God’s basic plan forHumans was to live in Gods love by sharing and caring with each other in Communities.
We can not hold or store Gods love like how we store Worldly wealth in our families. Gods love is like Water , once it is full in ourselves and families,it must overflow in to others who need this love. This is also called Evangelisation or Charity. Both the Words are one and the same , the word of Evangelisation is used theoretically to spread Gods love in Words and Charity is used to spread Gods love in action. We must keep one eye on Gods Word and other eye by following it through our actions.
In today’s Gospel Jesus is telling us how important it is to go beyond ourselves and our family and reach out to others in love. The Charity or evangelisation is a sign of spiritual growth in us , a person of love always teaches others the Gospel truth and lives that truth by loving them in Charity. When Jesus pointed out to disciples , he was pointing out to the people who have grown beyond themselves and families in love and were listening and following Jesus to establish the Kingdom of love,joy and peace. These kind of people join in the family of Jesus and become the mother,Father, brother, Sisters of Jesus in love and care. Jesus says Whatsoever you do to to the least of the brother or sister, you do to me.
Covenant Community living is the need of the hour to encounter every evil which has spread and infected like Virus in our families, Societies, Church , Enterprises and Nations. The early Christians lived in small Christian Communities and there was not a single person was in need because everyone shared whatever they had and no one called their possession as their own. When other Worldly Communities saw Christians living in selfless love,they got attracted and called the Christians or followers of Christ because Jesus himself went beyond his family and lived a Community life by offering everything he had , even to the point of death for his brothers,sisters and Mothers of Jerusalem.
Israel was a Community God called apart to live in love but Israel never understood the concept of Community or selfless living but always lived in selfishness by collecting idols of wealth and following rituals. Christians are people of love and people of Community and we must come out of our narrow minded approach of self content and making our own families as an idol. We can not hold Gods love in ourselves and families but it must flow abundantly to others. If we force it , one day it will burst out like flood Water breaking all the pots and Containers of our family.
We must make our Children the instruments of Gods love and teach them to live a life of Community of loving and sharing in the early age. This life is a real Christian life and not a Sunday christian who attends Sacraments as an obligation and in escapism. This Pandemic is the test of love , if we are confined to ourselves and our families , it is a sign that we are not a adult Christian or grown up Christians and still drink milk like a one year old infant though we are grown in stature of wealth, Body, Education, Success and Knowledge.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus transform me in to a person of love and Charity. Amen