Monday, July 13, 2020

A WORTHY OFFERING IN HIS LOVE


 Reflection for Monday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A
(Is 1:10-17; Mt 10:34-11:1)
Our prophet for this Week is Isaiah. We shall be meditating on his messages, and where possible, relate them to the Gospel of the day. Isaiah prophesied during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. His mission was marked by a series of crisis caused by the military encroachment of Assyria. It is a lengthy prophetic oracle, spanning through 66 chapters. Sit back, relax, as we journey with Isaiah this week.

In today’s reading, Isaiah condemns the sacrificial offerings presented before God. This is because the rulers of Judah behaved like “the rulers of Sodom”, and the people behaved like “the people of Gomorrah.” These were two cities known for their abominable acts. So, the religious observances and sacrifices from such abominable hands cannot be accepted. Instead, the prophet showed them the way to get their prayers answered: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

In the Gospel, Jesus upsets the minds of His audience by saying what no one expected to hear from Him: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” By using the first person pronoun, ‘I’, Jesus indicates the authority that is contained within Him. And He continued to point to this authority as we read along. What is this fire that Jesus is going to cast that will bring division? It is love!

Ordinarily, love has an inherent power to unite. But the lovers of Jesus must place Him above every other thing they might love, including father, mother, brother, sister, etc. Thus, there will be a friction between those who have not climbed the height of this love in Jesus and those who are already there. To the extent that we choose and love Jesus, there will be a sword of opposition.

We must take note that the love of Jesus is at the centre of it all. He is the authority on which we stand. What is worth giving up our lives for? Only Jesus qualifies for it! And He points to Himself as the reason for our giving and receiving charity. “And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Pause a while, imagine the importance of Jesus in the life of the believer! In Him our sacrifice is acceptable; our worship is true. So, when Isaiah says, ‘wash yourselves; make yourselves clean’, it is in the precious Blood of Jesus that we are cleansed, and made worthy before God. Let the fire of His love burn in our hearts; let the love of Jesus consume our hearts, and lead us forward in all we do this week. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday July 13th, 2020.
 www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com 




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