✝️ REFLECTION CAPSULE FOR THE DAY – Oct 09, 2021: Saturday
“Obediently living our life, in accordance with the Plan of God!”
(Based on Joel 4:12-21 and Lk 11:27-28 – Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time)
A highly skilled engineer had been confined to his bed due to a paralysis of the lower limbs.
So great was his reputation, that even though he was sickly, he was asked to draw the blueprints for a great suspension bridge.
With much determination, the engineer completed the blueprints and handed it over to those who were to carry out the work.
>> Months passed by…
… and the work of the bridge was completed.
Four men came to the engineer’s room and carried him, on the cot, to the place…
… from where he could see the bridge, suspending over a wide river
Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at the engineering marvel…
… and with the blueprints in his hands, he cried out:
“It’s just like the plan! It’s just like the plan!”
God, the Great Engineer, has His blueprints for each one of us, in our lives…
… His Holy Will!
>> Do we build our lives as per this blueprint?
The Gospel of the Day invites us to have our wills in harmony with this blueprint…
… the Will of God!
In today’s Gospel, a woman from the crowd calls out to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who bore you and nursed you” (Lk 11:27)
This woman had probably been following Jesus for some time or had observed some of His works or had heard about Him.
This greatness of the Man was attributed to His Mother.
The woman had probably a driving principle behind this thought:
“Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman…constantly supporting and nourishing”.
Mother Mary was recognized and understood as this Woman behind the success of Jesus!
Let’s just visualize how Jesus would have felt when He heard these words…
Every child is proud and to hear good of one’s parent…
… especially about the mother.
Jesus too, would have been very proud and happy of His Mother.
He would have thought of the moments that His Mother…
… would have taught Him various prayers
… would have taught Him the scriptures.
… would have taught Him to love God
Jesus surely had many things to thank and praise His Mother.
>> But the Lord doesn’t remain fixated on the level of mere human praise and efforts…
The Lord loves things of the High….and His concerns are of the High!
>> And so, he invites and challenges the woman to look higher…
“Surely blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it as well” (Lk 11:28)
The Lord was probably telling the woman…
“Yes, surely my Mother is truly great for Her tender care of me.
She is indeed wonderful for Her amazing upbringing of me.
But My Mother is great, not just because of these earthly factors…
>> There is much more…
>> There are many more reasons which makes Her truly great.
She is blessed because…
… She listened to God’s Word and accepted it wholeheartedly.
… She was obedient to God though she did not understand many things
… She chose to put Her faith in God, though the path ahead was dim
… She lived and shared the love that she received from God.”
The Lord made the woman to not just be satisfied with transient, material aspect…
… but to have a higher perspective in life.
The same message is reached out to each one of us today….
Am I a person…
… who is merely satisfied with only the concerns of the material world?
… who remains stunted on just listening to God’s word, but not practising it?
… who fails to fly higher, to also be concerned with the aspects of the Divine?
… who is excited to hear and listen to the Bible, but afraid to live it in my life?
God has His blueprints for each one of us, in our lives…
… His Holy Will!
Do we obediently carry out our works, as per His plan?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully speaks of the origin, foundation and mission of the Church as a “Plan born in the Father’s Heart!”
>> “This ‘family of God’ is gradually formed and takes shape during the stages of human history, in keeping with the Father’s Plan” (CCC #759)
May this Great Engineer, seeing our lives…
… and with the blueprints in His hands, exclaim:
“It’s just like the Plan! It’s just like the Plan!”
Today we also seek the intercession of Abraham, the Patriarch – on the Feast Day (Oct 09 – as mentioned in the Roman Martyrology)
(Even though customarily, we don’t call the Old Testament figures as Saints, nevertheless, the Church teaches that they are considered as Saints:
“The patriarchs, prophets and certain other Old Testament figures have been and always will be honoured as saints in all the Church’s liturgical traditions [CCC #61])
May Abraham – the Father of Faith – inspire us to do everything with deep fidelity…
… and to live in accordance with the Will of God!
God bless! Live Jesus!
– Fr Jijo Jose Manjackal MSFS
(Email ID: _reflectioncapsules@gmail.com)
Bengaluru, India
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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE CHURCH’S ORIGIN, FOUNDATION AND MISSION – A PLAN BORN IN THE FATHER’S HEART
>> “The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness, created the whole universe and chose to raise up men to share in His own Divine life, “to which he calls all men in His Son.
>> “The Father . . . determined to call together in a holy Church those who should believe in Christ.”
>> This “family of God” is gradually formed and takes shape during the stages of human history, in keeping with the Father’s Plan!
>> In fact, “already present in figure at the beginning of the world, this Church was prepared in marvellous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and the old advance.”
>> “Established in this last age of the world and made manifest in the outpouring of the Spirit, it will be brought to glorious completion at the end of time. (CCC #759)
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Nelson MCBS 