All Easter readings are from new testament, inviting us to contemplate the basic Christianity. 40 days Lent we reflected how to resolve our life problems and during next 40 days in Easter, church invite us to reflect, how you discipline yourself in understanding Christianity and set an example for others. Last 5 sundays we contemplated
(1) Basic of Catholicism, ie Jesus resurrection- how you can fly in this life
(2) Basic of our life: always different views, and difficult to find out what is truth indicating the Cross and always we like to satisfy our 5 senses ear,eye,nose,taste and touch. What are the limits to enjoy of this 5 senses. Depends upon individual!. Indicating the 5 wounds of jesus at the cross-(Thomas doubting)
(3) Abilities of these individual 5 senses varies from person to person, unless you use these 5 senses for the glory of your creator, without laziness and anger, you will not be satisfied.(Thomas convince after seeing)
(4)As a good catholic, you have to lead your society,as a Good Shepard!. To do that you should know what are the commandments to follow and what are the other principles existing in the society,and how to guard your flock!
(5) Last sunday, you were informed that you are wine. How to bear a good wine plant with plenty of fruits. Value of manure (rosary,10 commandments,avoid 7 vices), then avoid sinning(pruning bad branches), then following God's Will(sunlight). You have option to live in dark, like night, then you will observe your wine does not bear fruit neither it will grow. Following God's will, take your life may be entirely different direction, than you think!
(6) Today we are invited to reflect, how to make many wine plants- how to love others for them to know the glory of God!
B. Preamble for todays readings:
B.1 omnipotent and omnipresence
Paul says:"ALL THAT EXIST COMES FROM GOD"reminds that God has created everything in this universe. Only God is
Eternal and Powerful.(Normally we understand Powerful means that you can do what ever you want,at any time/ but the correct word is OMNIPOTENT and OMNIPRESENT-able to do every thing and able to present every where at all times).
when we think about ourself, I cannot replace my aching knee by myself or I cannot kill the worm, in my own stomach!. So I need support of medicine or a doctor etc. So I am powerless. If I can get the support of another human, for my convenience, I become powerful. Here powerful means, THE ABILITY TO CONTROL AND INFLUENCE EVENTS OF OTHER PEOPLES ACTIONS!. Human powerfulness is temporarily. No man in this world was powerful all the time. Even when he die, he cannot carry his power fullness.
God POWERFULNESS(OMNIPOTENT and OMNIPRESENT) should be clearly understood!.
General failure!
Most of developing countries, assume the PARENTS are GOD at home and they start WORSHIPPING them. This is due to lack of knowledge about words WORSHIPPING TO RESPECT and POWERFULNESS TO OMNIPOTENT with OMNIPRESENCE
B.2 Universality of a religion
Judaism or old testament, God selected Israelis to show the forth coming of Jesus and Jesus showed how the full freedom is given to all human, irrespective of Israelis ts, universally to all human in the world, irrespective where you live in this world. The principles and actions proposed in Catholicism is easy to practice any part of the world where it is cold climate or hot. There are no direct restriction to food or drinks(unless otherwise you take overdose). Hence the major 2 points in summary is easy to practice, if you accept and understand that God created you to lead a happy life, then you love Him. Next cardinal rule is love thy neighbor. This is also easy to practice, when you a healthy person without conditioning.
B.3 Love
Some people use Love for their own convenience or conditioning. They use 'Love' word as a excusetic (you use the word to achieve your personal goal,as a excuse). Most of the politician use this word to achieve their own personal goals!.
Love means
(1) you should help other with your talents, not only by words!(When you have not develop your talents, how to do this)
(2)you should respect other persons freedom
They also like you with body and soul!. They also like the 5 worldly comforts coming from eyes, ears,nose, taste and touch. You cannot over do for your own comfort, at the cost of others!. Most of time we like master/slave operation!, undermining other persons freedom
(3) you should assume other person also happy to do, what you like to do in that situations.(Mat7:12)
This is named as Golden Rule by itself. Here one should be careful, not to go against 10 commandments!
Due to highly selfish motives, conditioning to most of human, they tend to forget, the results of their actions,whether other person is physically + mentally affected or not!
B.3 How to Confront others - in Love!
'...Speaking the truth in love...' Ephesians 4:15 NKJV
Sometimes love requires confronting people. But it must be done in the right way, and only over the right issues. If you spend your life correcting people you'll finish up with no credibility, and no friends.
At what point should you confront somebody?
Only when you've answered these questions:
(a) Is it important? If it involves a destructive habit, an abusive behavior, a major doctrinal error, or a situation that could hurt them, it's important - get involved.
(b) Is it chronic? If you observe the same thing happening over and over, it doesn't have to be big to get your love in gear. (c) Have you earned the right to speak? If a casual acquaintance does something unwise, it's probably none of your business. But if someone close to you does it, it's both appropriate and loving to say, 'That will hurt you.
'Paul points out four things about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NIV:
(1) 'It is not rude.' It doesn't use the aggressive, heavy-handed approach.
(2) 'It is not self-seeking.' It forgets about the need to be accepted, and makes sure that what the other person hears is filtered only by kindness. It refuses to walk away having spoken half the truth.
(3) 'It is not easily angered.' When you confront someone in love, don't be upset if you get an angry response such as, 'Who are you to tell me?' The right medicine doesn't taste good, but it heals.
(4) 'It keeps no record of wrongs.' When you have been hurt, it's critical that you deal with it and put it behind you. Only then can you confront someone for their own good
B.4 How love came as a mission statement thru' Jesus
Jesus does not pluck His mission statement from air- he quotes from the Shema Yisrael, the great prayer in Judaism found in Deuteronomy 6. The second part about the love of neighbor is taken from Leviticus 18. This mission statement stands as resounding appeal to us today. We are asked not just to believe that there is a God, but to Love God. We are asked not just to respect our neighbor, but to love our neighbor. Love is not only the truth about human beings but also truth about God, who is Love Himself.
B.5 Essential difference between old testament to new!
Old testament mentality looked at HUMANITY as being indebted to GOD,trying to find countless ways to please HIM.Then Jesus,who claim SON OF GOD,came asking people"WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DO FOR YOU" JESUS, who was imbued by powers of GOD,walked upto people&asked"HOW CAN I HELP YOU"If they wanted to see HE opened their eyes!If they wanted to walk HE let them walk!If they wanted daughter brought back to life,HE brought their daughter back to life!If they wanted wine,HE gave them wine!If they wanted bread,HE gave them bread!,Even when they wanted HIM dead,HE died!HE did all these things without a fight!,ALL BECAUSE HE WAS COMING WITH ONE POWER"LOVE".To LOVE is to serve!.GOD IS LOVE & HE WHO LIVES WITH LOVE,LIVES IN GOD& GOD IN HIM.This may lead us to a direction where we don't want to go!.SPIRITUAL DARKNESS & EMPTINESS is the result of GOD'S CLOSENESS!
C. Today's reading:
Acts of apostle says(acts 10:25-26,34-35,44-48):"..
St John says(1 Jn4:7-10):"..love one another..love is God..God..sent..Son..have life through Him..takes our sins away."
Jn(19:9-17) says:"Jesus said..Father..loved me..I loved you..keep my commandments.. remain in my love..your joy..Complete..Love one another..you..my friends..not..servants..I chose you...bear fruit..Father..give..anything you ask.."
Reminds: main point is how to lead the present life happy, forgetting the previous negative or bad experience you have, against your own character or bitter experience from your friends in the society. Then it talks about the importance of knowing Catholicism principles, practice it, then when you become happy, you can be like a good shepard, and then you can be like good wine, then only you start loving the other.
Just word sake love, increase your sins without your knowledge. Hence we have to develop awareness, in our life, how to be a practical catholic, knowledge wise and how to disseminate your life in your living society, as wanted by your Creator, God. There is no uniformity of individual outputs of human. God has planned outputs individual to you, you don't have to worry about other's output!. You are an element of a non uniform society!
D. Conclusions
D.1 Catholicism, in a nut shell allow you to lead a happy present and future life, with following God's Will. Now the God is not direct, you have to develop your intelligence, how to train your Free Will(ability to chose) to follow God's Will. Church will facilitate to achieve your goals, provided, that your actions are according to Jesus teachings: follow 10 commandments, pardoning,avoid 7 vices. You are, one of the non uniform element of the God's network, where the link between 2 elements is Church. Hence it is important to know how church too propose to develop this link
(1) Our belief(Creed)
(2) How we establish connection with God(lords prayer, intercession praters thru' holy mary/saints
(3) Our worship( 7 sacraments)
(4) Our behavior or morality(10 commandments)
D.2 Cycle 1/(25/5/2014)/ Complete Catholic readings
Jn14:15-21says"IF U LOVE ME U WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS...I SHALL LOVE HIM SHOW MYSELF TO HIM"
This reminds that all powerful God, if you trust & obey His commands,will look after your Happiness in this world,as well as outside this world!. HE will not make you orphan!
D.3 overall summary for this sunday:
Cycle 1: God will look after a person, who loves Him. He will not allow you to be an orphan.
Cycle 2: After follow His commandments and when you love your neighbor, you become God's friend, Not His servent
Cycle 3:? (Next year)
GBU
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