Second Sunday of Easter (A)LET US ENCOURAGE OUR RELATIONSHIPSActs 2:42 – 47
1 Peter 1: 3-9
John 20:19-31
Dear friends in Christ Jesus How are you all?
Jesus is Risen Alleluia Alleluia!
Today Our Mother Church celebrates the feast of Divine Mercy Jesus. Happy feast to you all. Let us deeply desire and pray to imbibe the qualities of Divine Mercy in to our lives.
Can you list out the things that are beautiful on this earth?
What are the things beautiful in the sight of God?
In the book of Sirach 25: 1 we read that “Agreement among brothers and sisters, friendship among neighbours, and a wife and a husband who live in harmony”; these are the things beautiful in the sight of God. God wishes all of us to live in unity and harmony with love and friendship. The great philosopher Aristotle says that “man is social being”. since he is a social being he/she must be interdependent in all walks of lives. When God created the universe He created male and female. God created Adam and He thought; it is not good for a man to be alone; thus He created Eve. For human beings it is necessary to live together with others. Jesus said, “Love your neighbour as yourself.’ So, it’s our only duty to love, to support, to encourage each other in all though our lives. The first Christian community was a model community for all of us therefore; let us learn to encourage our relations in order to form a model community on this earth.
The growth of science and technology blinds man in social living. Because of the new inventions and technologies human relations are shattered and the relation with machines is increasing rather than human beings.
Those days when people were searching for the houses for their living they first enquire about whether there is a good water facilities, good air condition, nearby any schools and hospitals etc but today people ask is there telephone tower, Wi-Fi connection etc; thus human relationships are in dangerous conditions today. For example today we see in our society that the children leave their parents on the streets for begging, some children send their parents to Old age homes, people are addicted to alcoholism, children and wife are not cared, the children from same womb file a case against each other etc. Earlier joint family system, family life was the important; people loved one another and spend most of the time with family. Children and relatives are shattered into individual family. Even the individual families are broken in to single room relationships like I don’t care you; you don’t care me. If I need I call you. In this situation our Divine Mercy Jesus invites all Christians to be like the first Christian community who was a model to all. And in the gospel Jesus meets his disciples in order to strengthen their relationships.
01. Jesus Meets his Apostles
How do you define the apostles of Jesus? Are they good people or bad people?
When Jesus was on this earth the apostles were with Jesus, they accompanied wherever Jesus went, they wondered at the miracles of Jesus, they marvelled at his speech, people appreciated the apostles. But the moment Jesus was arrested all the apostles were scattered. One of them betrayed him, Peter denied him for three times. After the death of Jesus, the apostles went back to their old life, even they were afraid to come out of their rooms.
Dear friends, just imagine if your parents, friends betray you? or leave you alone during the time of your sufferings? How will you react?
Jesus immediately after the Resurrection meets His apostles. He taught the Apostles the value of forgiveness and accepts them as they are especially Peter. In the gospel of Mt 18: 21-22 Peter came up and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often shall I forgive my brother who sin against me? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” Jesus forgave his enemies and accepted his own apostles. Will it be possible for us to forgive our own enemies and accept them as they are? Let us reflect today.
On 25th February 1995, in Madhya Pradesh, we heard the news that Sr. Rani Maria was stabbed with the knife by Mr. Sumnder Singh. He was arrested and given a life imprisonment for killing Sr. Rani Maria. In the year 2003 Sr. Selmi Paul the sister of Rani Maria visited Mr. Sumnder Singh in jail and forgave him and accepted him as her own brother. Her whole family accepted him. Along with the bishops she visited the Governor of Madhya Pradesh and requested to release Sumender Singh. In the year 2006 he was released from the prison. The Governor of Madhya Pradesh said that only the Christians have the courage and have a heart to forgive even the murderers. Jesus, Apostles, St. John Paul, Family of Sr. Rani Maria forgave their enemies; today will it be possible for you and me to forgive our own enemies?
02. Jesus Greets the Apostles.
Firstly Jesus meets the apostles and He greets them “Peace be with you”. In the same way Jesus taught His Apostles to greet whenever they visit the families. Mt10:11-12 we read that Jesus instructs His apostles by saying “as you enter the houses greet it. If the house is worthy let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy let your peace returns to you” . So dear friends the prime duty of a Christian is whenever we visit people or the houses, we must greet the people. Here Jesus greets even the betrayers.
Will it be possible for you and me to greet our own enemies?
At present I am working as a missionary in West Africa the country called Burkina Faso. The thing which I like the most here is that the people used to greet the neighbours, strangers, friends, children etc without any discrimination. From children to old people greet with 5 phrases like; Good morning, how are you? How about your family? How about your children and have a blessed day. Because of their greetings there is no hatred, jealousy, envy etc… people live a simple life, happily and they are united. They do not retaliate. Today will it be possible for us to greet other people with this thought?
In the beginning of the mass I have greeted you but have you responded? It’s very beautiful to greet other whenever we encounter them in our lives.
03. Strengthening the Faith of the Apostles
Jesus strengthened the faith of the disciples when He was with them. For example: while Jesus was walking on the water Peter said “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” Mt 14:28-32. Also when Jesus was dead and buried their faith is totally shattered so they were all afraid to come out and meet people. During this situation Jesus appears to them and empowers their faith. Also St. Thomas was strengthened in his faith. The moment he was empowered he proclaims “my Lord and my God”. Today as followers of Jesus we are called to strengthen the faith of the people.
Once there was a little boy with his mother standing near the river thinking to cross it. The water was very forcefully flowing and they were afraid to cross the river. Then the mother said to her child “son hold my hand tightly” but the boy replied no mom “you hold my hand”. Thinking for a while the mother asked the son, why did you tell me to hold you? The son replied to his mom saying “dear mom you see the river is too long and the water flows forcefully if I hold your hand if something happens in the middle of the river there is a possibility that I may leave your hand but on the contrary if you hold my hand whatever happens you will never leave my hand” in the same way the moment St. Thomas understood the Risen Jesus he held Him tightly thus he remains as strong believer in Christ Jesus. Today when we encounter the problems in our life how do we handle? Do we hold on to Jesus?
04. The Apostles become a Living witness to Jesus
Why did Jesus call the apostles? To be with Him, and to send out to proclaim the message and to have authority to cost out the demons Mk 3:14. It means He called the Apostles to continue the ministry of Jesus till the end of the world. Jesus trained them and empowered them with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to become the living Jesus for the world.
The first reading gives the beautiful example of true witness to Jesus Christ.
“And all who believed in Jesus were living together and they had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking the bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” Acts 2:44-47.
Today people are becoming more selfish in their lives I, me, myself, mine etc are the important phrases for everyone rather than we, ourselves, etc. So, dear friends will it be possible to live like first Christians in today’s world? Can we be the living Jesus to the world?
05. Authority to Forgive Sins
Jesus showed the unconditional love of the Father and His Mercy. He forgave the sins of the people and drawn the people towards the Father. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained Jn 20:21-23.” thus Jesus himself institutes the sacrament of penance. And Jesus Himself gives the authority to His apostles to forgive the sins of the people. Today by following the examples of Jesus and the apostles, the Pope, Bishops and Priests hold the authority of forgiving the sins. This authority is not to overpower among the human rather bringing back the sinners to new life.
Today how many of us have faith in the sacrament of confession and how do we receive the Lord in the Eucharist? Dear friends Jesus appeared to the apostles and strengthened them in so many ways; also he wished all of us to live in harmony and in unity.
But due to modern inventions the human relationships becoming diminishing.
Brokenness of our Relationships through Machines
Today the modern technologies have brought the whole world into our hands with the medium of computer, phones, mails etc. thus we are closer to the machines but we are far from our human relations. Those days’ the parents fed their children by showing the moon but today children eat their food by watching TV, music, etc.
Those days the relations like grand parents, friends used to teach moral stories to children but today the children learn the stories by themselves in laptop, TV without knowing the value behind.
Those days’ children used to play in the streets along with other children but today the children play in their room itself with computers and cell phone.
Those days the parents used to spend their times with their children after returning from the office but today the father and mother continue their work even in the house by using their laptops and phones.
People chat with people through Face Book whose face are not known to people by forgetting the real human person who are present in their families, and friends.
How does our relationship break?
Money is the main cause for Brokenness of Our relationships
Today money becomes prior important for our lives. Money speaks…
If I am with you; you are rich
If I am not with you; you are poor
If you give me to others you are called generous
If you are getting me from others you are debtor
If you spend me you are luxurious person
If you save me you are stingy
If you love me more than others you are greedy
If you do not have love towards me you are Sage
Thus you created me for your need today I am the only need for you. Without me you can do nothing. More than your behaviours your life is determined by me.
Yes dear friends most of us feel that money is very important for our lives, without money there is no happiness but in reality money alone is not the criteria to have a happy living. In order to earn money people leave their parents, wife, children, thus all the relations kept far away from the sight of the person.
Brokenness of Our Relationships through Relations
Today people seek status in in their lives. This status brings separations from the relations. For example people get married to according to the status of the person thus the relations are neglected; the relations from father and mother are becoming strangers to the children today. Those days there was a joint family system where in we had so many relations but today due to individual family system many people do not know their relations. Hence we can give so many examples like this for the brokenness of the relationships.
Dear friends our God does not like the individuality rather he likes people living together. In the gospel of Mathew 18:20 we read that where two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them. Today let us reflect and see do we have relations more than the material goods that we possess? Do we encourage our own relationships?
May the Divine Mercy Jesus bless all our relations? May we constantly make effort to live in love and unity. A blessed day to all.
|
