January 27, 2015
Tuesday of the 3rd Week in the Ordinary Time B
Hebr 10: 1-10
Mk 3: 31-35
Daily Readings l audio l text
MAXIMIZING THE DIVINE IN ONESELF AND IN OTHERS TO BECOME JESUS’ BROTHER OR SISTER
In our life situation we observe different kinds of relationships among the people: blood relations, family relations, professional relations, relationship among friends, ideological relations etc. All these relationships have their own place in a person’s life. In many cases we notice that relationship among two friends is stronger than any other relations, including blood relations. The depth of the relationship depends on commitment and the concern for each other. Very often friendship compels a person to undergo any suffering for the sake of his/her friend. Ideologies or commitment to a cause can motivate a person to transcend all other relationships. Terrorists and Maoists are examples for this kind of behaviour. A disciple of Jesus can have different kinds of relationships, but he or she must be able to transcend all kinds of relationships in order to follow the call from God.
When Jesus was told by the crowd that his mother, brothers and sisters were waiting outside to see him, he responded with a question, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he made the statement, “Whoever does what God wants him to do is my brother, my sister and my mother.” The implication is that those who do the will of God are the brothers and sisters of Jesus. Now the curial question is how we know the will of God or what God wants us to do. The Gospel of Mt. Chapter 25: 31 to 46 where Jesus speaks about the last judgement, the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus give sufficient insight to understand what the will of God is. Seeing the Divine in oneself and in others and maximizing the Divine is doing the will of God.
Jesus maximized the Divine within himself by going to the mountain to pray and as a result he could see God in others. He was busy with serving that God in different ways. He empowered all who came in contact with him by making them conscious of the Divine within them and guiding them to maximize that Divine. He told them, ‘You are not less than anyone because you are a son or daughter of God and God’s power is within you; make use of that power and overcome your weakness and solve your problems’. Thus miracles happened.
If a disciple of Christ becomes aware of the presence of God in himself/herself and being conscious always of that God, life changes for him/her. His/her perspective and attitude towards others also changes. By being baptized and receiving the sacraments alone no one becomes a brother or sister of Jesus. These practices may or may not help a person to see the Divine within oneself and in others. But Contemplation, an appointment with oneself and God daily will lead to the consciousness of the Divine power within and the person will be energized by that power. That is how many saintly persons like Francis of Assisi, Fr. Damian and Mother Theresa got the power to reach out to the needy even at the risk of their lives. Jesus wants us to be his brother or sister not merely by symbols and rituals but mainly by our actions. The identity of a disciple of Christ is action, action that empowers others, especially the needy.
Jacob Peenikaparambil CMI
