Highlights:
(1)How,the cross at Golgotha, shows us 3 types of people in the world?
(2) What are these 3 types?
(3)Why soldiers offered 'thirsty jesus'(which is difficult to find) With Vinegar? What it resembles in your life?
(4) If you are present, at that time, instead of vinegar, can you offer him water?. To find water in your life, why you should practice, 7 ethics in Catholicism?(10 commds, 7 corporl+7 spiritual mercy's, 7 sacraments, avoid 7 vices,practice pardoning & love)
(5)Why Holy mary's slogan 'LET IT BE DONE to ME' is so important to your life? To identify God as the king?
Please spare little time(8 mnutes) to listen this!
http://www.sinhalagospel.lk/su
Reflection for 20th november 2016 we are in Cycle 3: celebrating 34th Ordinary Sunday mass,(the last of this cycle), celebrating the feast of Christ the king. Church invite us to analyze the symbolic meaning of the Jesus hanging on cross. Imagine that scenario! You will see jesus hanging on cross with 3 nails, on top of cross, you get name plate, King of Jews, by the side of cross, you get 2 crosses hanging with 2 thieves, on the floor you get soldiers and Holy mary and John.
What does this scenario reveals?: that there are 3 major types of people.
(1) Some people fail to understand,that God has decided your parent for you to come to this world? Or that only God knows 100% outcome for your all actions
(2) Other kind of people, trust God, and failed or lazy to follow his revealed truths,they will not correct themselves to follow 10 commandments and offer God vinegar similar to soldiers
(3)Last kind of people convert their trust to faith, by converting knowledge to learning, by practicing 7 ethics, they offer to God instead of vinegar, water: similar to Holy mary, who told that' let it be done to me as you wish' unlike soldiers.
Let's analyze further of God fearing people and their Morality: extension to, what we discussed, in above category 3.
People are moral either for one of 2 reasons:
(1)Either like slaves, they are afraid of God's judgment, if they sin or
(2)Like children, they love their father God, and want to please HIM, and they avoid sins
Sin is a stench to God. Stench is very bad odor. Yet those Who live in sin,don't notice. They will become immune to evil. These sinner as Isaiah(24:5-6) says,"have transfigured the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant, there fore shall a curse devour the earth, and the inhabitants thereof shall sin and therefore they that dwell therein shall grow mad.
Like prophet Isaiah identify the insanity(doing the same thing over and over again)of those who break God's law. Their sinner are cursed not only for those sinners, but also for those whom they inspire to sin.
They alter the natural golden rule: What ever you do not want done to you, do not do to others.
Now let us analyze, why soldiers at the cross, opt to offer, Vinegar, instead of water, for the thirsty Jesus?
Vinegar Is sour liquid consisting of dilute & impure acetic acid,obtained by acetous fermentation from wine or the like: used as a condiment, preservative,etc.
When Jesus shouted I am thirsty,HE was offered vinegar,instead of water. How soldiers find vinegar at Golgotha?Why HE rejected vinegar?
In life U can develop faith&learn about God(similar to water)or give in to earth bound cravings(money,power&desires)-
Water, you can drink more &enjoy your life. That is why Jesus asked to fill jars with water to convert new wine in Cana. When you sin,you go against God's wishes& resembles the soldiers by Jesus at Cross.
Like right thief,when you confess your sins with a priest,you are offering water, not vinegar to thirsty Jesus at cross.
Today's reading:
2 sam 5:1-3 the people ask david to be their king. He agrees and is anointed king of Israel.
Col 1:12-20 paul says" Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the first born of All creation. HE is the head of body,the church.
Lk 23:35-43 says" This is the King of jews is the inscription over the head of Jesus hanging on the cross.
Reading one and two shows who is God. Gospel reading shows, how human will see the practical God.
(1) For some God doe not exist, and they ridicule God
(2) For another, they believe in God, due to earth bound cravings they offer Jesus at Cross vinegar, instead of water
(3) For the last, their belief will convert to trust and then convert to faith: they follow 7 ethics, and they try to offer water for the Jesus at Cross.
On top of the cross, they have written KING OF JEWS means God is the king. Cross shows the difference of opinions that you might come across,in your daily life or experience of suffering in your life. There are variety of Suffering to the people, when they lead their lives. Starving,home less, persecution,diseases are some to mention. Jesus shows hanging on the cross, how to manage your sufferings: It is men, women and children who suffer and agonize every where, who cry out to Jesus on the cross," Jesus remember me when you enter upon your reign.
What did the good thief mean when he asked Jesus to remember him?. He surely meant much more than don't forget that you saw me at you side up there on that hill. Remember that I am someone a human person who, despite every thing I have done, despite my criminal past, I am still someone who wants to count as human being created in the image and likeness of God. And Jesus answer, "I assure you this day you will be with me in paradise"
Without doubt the relation between Jesus and good thief has deep meaning for us. The thief sees Jesus as a fellow sufferer, but he also sees his personal salvation in this dying Jesus. When he begs Jesus to remember him. He is not asking for a miraculous cure deliverance from the cross. What he want is some meaning for his wretched life. Some kind of self identity for a man. We are like good thief. Life cannot make much sense until we find out who we are and accept ourself for who we are.
The good news about the image of Jesus on the cross and Paul' description of him as lord and king of all is that, whoever we are, what ever our failures, how much we are hurting, God comes to us, in this Jesus tells us that we are his beloved children and that HE loves us totally and irrevocably. And God not only gave us the crucified Jesus as sign of HIS love but also a sign that he is Working in and through out daily suffering to bring us to fulfillment as mature Christians.
Jesus on the cross with that sign over his head has to give us a new or renewed sense of our being worthwhile. To be Christian means to recognize who we are in the sight of God, to realize God'S love for us, that divine love made flesh in God's son Jesus hanging on the Cross. The Jesus Who continues to live with and in us. Who guides us along the way, nourish us daily with His body and blood and with His word.
In conclusion, the last sunday of this liturgical cycle 3, church invite us to analyze,
the relevance of Catholicism to your life!. Why God has introduce Hanging Jesus on the cross?. Practical Catholicism start with Sinai desert!.When we think about Mount Sinai
Sinai & Horeb is used for same mountain in Bible.This is a small mountain chain,with3(holy mountain)peaks-mount Serbal/catherine/Jebel- musa.you can climb this mountain by foot or by stair case 3750 steps)in3 hrs. One of the most dramatic appearances of God to the people of Israel occurred on mount Sinai. HE appeared to moses in the form of burning bush(fire which is not consumed) to(1)liberate God's people from slavery+to lead them to promised land.(2)to reveal God's name-YAHWEH. HE gave 10 commandments-revealing what HE expect from people to please HIM & to lead a happy life. HE appeared to Elijah,in the form of whispering Breeze,showing that you have to be attentive to the almost invisible ways in which God is changing the world & your heart. Moses,people of Isreal,Elijah, all met God on this mountain,reminding that you have to seek holy ground in your own lives in every event of your life. Simlarly we are being told today, the releavance of Golgotha, to manage our life. For that Holy mary will guide and intercede on behalf of us to lead a happy life.
Thank you!
God Bless you!
For more pl visit:
http://weeklycatholicreflectio
http://www.sundayreading.net/
Or
http://holymaryreflection.blog
