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Showing posts from August, 2011

Yoked to Jesus

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“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” †  Mathew 11: 28-30  What is the labour and burden that Jesus is asking me to deal with? Perhaps I have to let go of the compulsive burden (or is it a sort of entitlement?) that my spouse and children should choose a spiritual path that I know to be right. Jesus accompanied Judas Iscariot to the very end but never deprived him of his freedom to choose his own destiny. Jesus on the other hand, uninterrupted by Judas's choice to reject him, continues to accomplish his mission. He does become a victim of Judas's betrayal but he seldom takes on the victim's identity. In divine wisdom, Jesus chooses to die in our place (and that of Judas) in a redeeming act of love. Rather than being compelled to fix those whom God has entrusted to my headship by m

Kingdom of heaven

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus draws an interesting parallel between the Kingdom of Heaven and workers in the vineyard [20:1-16] At the end of the day, when Master settles the wages, he gives all servants, those who came in first hour and to those who joined in last hour, the same wage. People who came in the first hour feel cheated and thus complaint to the master asking for an explanation for the evident bias. Master does not explain but replies “Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?" [15] The truth is, much more than the wage at the end of the day, what should have fulfilled them is the honor of serving the master [Jesus himself].  The experience of any labour depends on the nature of the master. We have a master who ties a loin cloth around his waist, bends down to wash our feet. He rises up to be dragged on the streets and be nailed to the wood in order to take upon himself the punishment that should have been o

I refuse, I embrace

Our bodies are the defiled temples, destroyed yet restored in Jesus - to be the sacred dwelling of the Spirit of God. This process of restoration begins it's course in our own bodies when we believe in Jesus Christ who is the resurrection and life. Resurrection begets new life. God detests sin yet has tremendous compassion on the sinner. He clearly distinguishes sinner [Child of God] from his sinful nature. The same way, our bodies are to be perceived as a gift and it's corrupt nature, a show stopper [detestable]. The body is not to be discarded as less worthy but to be respected and restored to its original status though the renewal of our minds [according to the spirit]. St. Paul in Romans says Do not model your behaviour on the contemporary world, but let the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and mature. [12:02] The corruption of the temple [body] continues to retract us