Reflections

Priests: Called for the Divine Ministry Mathew 7:24-29 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock”. (V: 24)  “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” Said St. John of  Vianney. Priesthood is a challenge as well as a possibility. Contemporary techno-media savvy world demands a greater challenge to the vocation of the role and responsibility of the priest. The concluding remarks of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount explain the reality of trials and storms in a Christian life. To withstand against the storms of life both the priest and his folks have to follow the divine principles. Based on the parable about “building a house on a solid foundation”, let me reflect the three aspects of the ministerial challenges of a priest. The Practitioners of Truth Hearing the words of Jesus is an essential beginning to live a Christian life, but it is not enough. Jesus wants His wor...

Justice and Peace for all Creation (World Population Day) Numbers 1:1-19 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel.”(V.2) At the age of 75, God called Abram to embark on the greatest journey of his life.  He told him to leave behind everything he had ever known, forsake his inheritance and everything he valued on earth and receive from God an inheritance of infinitely greater value.  God graciously promised to do for Abram the impossible!  God said “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:2-3)  Considering that Abram had no heir at the time, his wife was beyond the age of childbearing, and she had been barren all her life, for God’s word to remain true God would have to accomplish the impossible.   Four hundred an...

Responsible Resource Management (Tithe offering) Psalms 47: 1-11 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love – (V 10& 11) While we have experts on Resource Management today across the globe, how many of them can really can handle resource in a responsible fashion. The world today is focused on “profitable” resource management rather than being responsible. Very little emphasis is given on how the resources are being utilized and distributed in a balanced fashion globally. While one part of the world is struggling under poverty, other part is wasting food resources irresponsibly. Let’s look at some statistics - Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy. Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day - that's roughly 200 billion more than needed - enough to feed 80 million people. Amer...

Responsible Resource Management (Tithe offering) Exodus.18:13-27 “Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave” (v: 20) What is tithe: Tithe means a tenth or 10 percent. The Old Testament law required that a tenth of all produce, flocks, and cattle be given to support the Levites. There is no clear explanation why 10%. Some scholars believe ancient cultures picked the arbitrary figure of one-tenth because they often did calculations on their fingers. Why should we Tithe: According to one survey in 2012, 5% of Americans qualify as having tithed—giving 10% or more of their annual income to a church or non-profit organizations. Tithing has been on a decline in the past few years. We are becoming stingy these days in tithing. Recently I heard that ‘not having enough’ is one of the excuses in not tithing. We have become so materialistic and the reference bar for luxury and necessity is going up every day, we will n...

Responsible Resource Management 1Timothy 6: 17-21 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (V.18) Christian resource management, or stewardship, is a transfer of ownership. Just as we have seen a business or restaurant come under “new management”, we too, must bring our lives under new management, the management of doing things God’s way. New management means a transformation takes place in our lives. It means a new attitude, God’s attitude. What is required of a Christian is to be faithful steward of ALL that God has provided including our talents, time, and resources . We must recognize that our life and everything we have belong to God.  Talents : Each one of us has been blessed with natural talents/abilities. These abilities can be physical, social or intellectual. We have also been endowed with spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit. It is your responsibility to use your talents for the glory of God. Time:  Our...

Responsible Resource Management (Tithe offering)  Malachi 3: 6-18 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.".(V.10) Imagine a tomorrow where all your worldly pleasures are taken away from you. We live in a society today where material pleasures become idols in our lives. The nice house we live in, the nice car we drive; these are all examples of idols that can sometime drive us to not tithe and turn away from the Lord God Almighty. In the beginning of this passage, we see the men of the generation had turned away from God and continue to ignore his commandments. Yet, God calls on them to return to him as he has not forgotten them. Unfortunately, the people make excuses for their sins when God is calling them to serve him first and put their needs secon...

RESPONSIBLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 2 Cor.8:1-15 “Now brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia...”(V.1) In his letters to the Corinthians the apostle Paul was encouraging them to give to help with the needs of the Jerusalem believers. The believers in Jerusalem were persecuted by the Jews for their faith and had been socially ostracized and excommunicated from the synagogues. Their businesses failed because of the national disinheritance. Paul encouraged the Corinth church to help with this great need in Jerusalem by putting aside a generous gift for the Jerusalem fund. Paul said he will collect those funds when he visited the church in Corinth during his next visit. As an example to the Corinthians, Paul notes that even though the Macedonian churches were not exactly wealthy people, they had heeded his request and they had shown great generosity in their commitment. The Corinthian believers were faithful, eager to l...