Reflections

  JESUS CHRIST WHO GRANTS FULLNESS OF HUMANITY Bible Reading:  1 Peter 1:18-25 Vs 18:knowing that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that you are redeemed from your vain  manner of life handed down from your fathers, but with precious blood as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, the blood of Christ: DEVOTION  This passage encourages believers  to recognize the  significance of Christ's sacrifIce and the importance of living  their faith through love and adherence to God's word. Integrating the topic of Jesus Christ as the one who grants the fullness of humanity , can be approached by understanding the themes of redemption, identity, and transformative power of Christ's  sacrifice.  We can try to study under four themes. 1 .REDEMPTIVE SACRIFICE :    In the passage we study,  about being redeemed not with perishable things, but with the precious blood of Christ. This idea can be linked to the fa...

  FULLNESS OF HUMANITY IN CHRIST Bible Reading:  Luke  13:10-17 Vs12 :And Jesus,seeing her,called her to Him and said to her, woman, you are released from your infirmity DEVOTION   This passage narrates the story of Jesus healing a woman who was crippled for eighteen years. This portion gives us a deep insight into the concept of compassion and mercy – the nature of true rest -  a rest  that is more restorative and deeper. It also depicts the conflict between religious law and the human need, and the divine character of Jesus the son of God. Let us consider an overview of  salient points: 1 .COMPASSION AND HEALING:    Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on a sabbath day. During the sermon, he noticed  a woman bent over and unable to stand straight. Jesus called her forward, demonstrated his compassion and willingness to address her bondage.  This is in contrary to the normal picture where a sufferer comes to Jesus asking for a deliver...

  Source of Joy and salvation for humanity  Bible Reading:  Isaiah 66:12-15 Vs14:And when ye see this your hearts shall rejoice.... DEVOTION In Isaiah 66 we see a God who is kind, compassionate and generous to those who are faithful to Him; while those who defy Him encounter a God who is furious and punishes without mercy. We also see God drawing comparison of His love for his servants to the love of a mother. The mother provides nourishment, love and care  and the baby enjoys love, joy and peace when he is with his mother. Our father in Heaven is just like a mother to us and when we live with Him, He provides for our every need and His word nourishes us.  God’s love for us is so great that He sacrificed His only Son for us and that is a love that is limitless. He is our source of joy and our salvation. Isaiah 66:12-14 specifically talks of God’s love, generosity and peace that his servants experience in their walk with the Lord and the resultant joy and prosper...

  New Birth Through Christ Bible Reading:  Galatians  6:11-17 "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." - Galatians 6:14 DEVOTION   In the final verses of Galatians Paul exposes the true motives of false Christians(Judaizers). Paul begins by telling the Christians in Galatia that the reason these Jewish Christian agitators are telling them to be circumcised was to avoid persecution themselves from the Jews and maintain a good reputation by making converts adhere to the law. Their focus was on outward appearances and Paul emphasizes that true faith is not about outward religious acts but about inner transformation through Christ. This brings Paul to his declaration : “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”. The cross in those days was a symbol of shame, suffering, and death. Yet for Paul, it became his only source of identity and glory because throug...

    The Gaze at the crucified one Bible Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived DEVOTION  In the scripture above we read where a bronze serpent becomes the instrument of healing, offers a profound reflection on sin, divine mercy, and the essence of faith. The Israelites, burdened by their own discontent and rebellion, faced the dire consequences of their grumbling: venomous snakes and widespread death. Yet, even in their self-inflicted suffering, God extended a path to redemption. He instructed Moses to craft a bronze serpent and elevate it on a pole, a seemingly simple act that held immense symbolic weight. This act was a test of faith. The healing was contingent on the people’s willingness to look upon the serpent, an act of acknowledging t...

  The Embodiment of the Word Bible Reading:   Galatians 4: 1-7  Galatians 4:7  “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” DEVOTION    “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”(John 1:1). The Book of Genesis describes God’s Creation.  It is by the Word of God that Creation occurs.  So St. John’s introduction of Jesus as Word is apt.  God’s son equaling the Father inherits the Kingdom of God.  He is the true heir.  St. Paul wants Galatians to understand the importance and honor they derived by relinquishing their worldly condition of being slaves and by accepting Jesus Christ, the embodiment of the Word, as their master and the lord.  They got the privilege of becoming the children of God, by which they became heirs of God’s Kingdom.  Paul asks them to trust in Jesus implicitly.  They should not go back to their...