Life is like a net, which is thrown into this World

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : 17th Week : Thursday*

*Gospel : Mt 13:47-53*

*First Reading : Ex 40:16-21, 34-38*

*Life is like a net, which is thrown into this World*

*1) The net which collects everything*

In the Gospel of the day, the Kingdom of God is compared to a net, which is thrown into the sea, that collects Evey kind of Fish 

It is the nature of the net to collect everything that comes into its contacts 

*2) Life is Like a Net*

Our life can be compared to a net which is thrown into this world 

Like the net which collects every type of fish, our life, which is thrown into this world collects everything

This everything includes the good things as well as bad things 

There is no life only with good things. Likewise there is no life only with bad things 

Life is tossed between the good and bad things, just like a net 

*3) Life collects everything*

Like net Our life collects everything. In other words, everything becomes the part of our life 

As we grow older the luggage of life becomes more. This luggage includes both good and bad 

It is also true that, it is the nature of our life which collects everything. In this race of collecting it becomes very difficult to choose few things and discard the others 

*4) The importance of the segregation*

We also see in today's Gospel the aspect of segregation

The Gospel says *When the net is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away.*

This is the important activity in fishing 

Like wise in our life, it is very important to segregate the good from the evil one 

We need to preserve the good and need to throw the wicked things from our life

*5) Its Challenging work*

The work of segregation and throwing out the bad things is a challenging one 

First of all one needs a divine vision to segregate the good from the evil one 

Secondly it is also a challenging task to throw away the evil things from our life and preserve the good things 

*6) The Mission of Segregation and throwing out bad things*

The whole mission of a follower of a Christ consists in these two words, namely segregation and throwing out 

This mission starts from our life and continues in our family, neighbourhood, and in the Society

It is a life long challenge, which does not have a end point in our earthly life 

The strong spiritual life, the Gospel values and our commitment to the Lord will help us in segregation of the good from evil and to throw away the bad from our life 

So, Am I ready for this mission?

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*

The Mission of Searching the pearls

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : 17th Week : Wednesday*

*Gospel : Mt 13:44-46*

*First Reading : Ex 34:29-35*

*The Mission of Searching the pearls*

*1) The Mission of Searching*

This search begins from God Himself. He came in search of Adam, where he committed Sin 

God came in search  of Adam, not to punish, but to save him from the slavery of Sin 

We also see, God  comes in search of Mosses, and finally meets him in the burning Bush 

So the search primarily is found in the life and mission of God 

*2) Jesus came in search of the Lost ones*

We also see the same logic in the life of Jesus 

He came in search of the lost and the least ones to show them the Kingdom of God, and to make them the members of the Kingdom 

The who mission of Jesus can be summarized in one word, that is the search for the lost ones 

*3) Christian Spirituality consists in Searching*

The aim of Human life consists in the Search 

The search for peace,

The search for happiness, 

The search for Truth 

The search for God

The search for good 

The search for beautiful

The search for meaning in life

The search for achievement

The search for greater things 

In this search, Human being is ready to  face any types of challenges in order to achieve the goals 

*4) The Search for the Kingdom*

Jesus says the Kingdom of God is within You

So we need to search for this kingdom. The search for the Kingdom of God, is the greatest search in our life 

So the question is, *in what kingdom of God consists?*

*5) The Kingdom of God consists in the following*

It consist in the service

It consists in the generosity

It consists in Love 

It consists in the forgiveness

It consists in the sacrifice

It consists in the Truth 

It consists in the Justice

It consists in the sharing 

It consists in the smile 

It consists in the faithfulness

In fact all these things, are found in the human life and not out side human life. The above things have value only in Human life. So the Kingdom of God is hidden in our life  

*6) Am I ready to search for the Kingdom of God*

Zacchaeus searched for it, and he found it, which changed His life 

Mary Magdalene searched for it, and she found it, which changed her life 

Nathanael search for it, and he found it, which brought a divine light in his life

If so, am I ready to serach for it, in my life?

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*

The Powerful weeds in today's Context

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : 17th Week : Tuesday*

*Gospel : Mt 13:36-43*

*First Reading : Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28*

*The Powerful weeds in today's Context*

*1) Wrong use of Media*

Today it appears that, the media has become the field of the Devil, where it has sown lots of weeds among the wheat 

Today media is used more for evil things than for good things. Today it has become a threat for human life in every area. 

So the Devil is using the media as its field for sowing the weeds, which is doing lots of harm to the society and also to the human life 

*2) The excessive greed of the Human being*

The greed for power 

The greed for money 

The greed for position

The greed for name 

The greed for the chair 

The greed for pleasure

The greed for luxury

All these are the weeds sown by the devil in the human mind and life. Which destroy the life of the Human being 

*3) Technology*

The growth in the Artificial intelligence has taken a huge leap, which is being missed by the human beings 

Today, original voice can be edited 

Photography can be morphed

Artificial intelligence can imitate any one 

Technology can be used for mass killing and destruction

So once again as we see the world today, the technology has become the weeds, sown by the devil 

*4) Mobile* 

In negative sense, mobile I'd the king of the weeds. 

It has taken the control of everyone and everything

Even the small children are addicted to the mobiles 

The various dangerous games, the bad things which come in the Mobile, the gossip which is shared and forwarded, the spread of the lies are becoming very powerful through the mobile

So once again Mobile is the field, for the devil to sow the weeds in the human life, which is destroying everyone today 

*5) The grave need of protecting the wheat/good Seed*

In the present day context, the protecting of the wheat has become a great challenge amidst the weed 

This should awake each one of us, in our responsibility of protecting the wheat 

The mission of protecting the wheat is not a impossible one, but its a challenging one. Therefore we need to become more attentive and careful in our life, not to give any chances for the devil to sow the weeds 

*6) How can I protect the wheat from the weeds?*

This is a important question, which needs to be reflected everyday

By following a disciplined way of life we can protect the wheat from the weeds 

By giving first place to Jesus in our life, by reading the Bible, by praying, by doing good works, and by following the Gospel values we can protect the wheat from the weeds 

So am I ready or am i capable to protect the wheat or the good seeds in my life?

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*

The Logic of Mustard Seed in my Life

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : 17th Week : Monday*

*Gospel : Mt 13:31-35*

*First Reading : Ex 32:15-24, 30-34*

*The Logic of Mustard Seed in my Life*

*1) The Power of the Mustard Seed*

From the Gospel it is clear that Mustard seed has tremendous power

First of all it is the small seed. But this smallness can be compared with silliness

Even though it is small, it is able to withstand with all the plants around it, and it can challenge other seeds as well

*2) The Smallness of the Mustard seed*

At times people also wrongly judge the capacity of the person or the thing depending on the size. 

But this logic can't be applied to the size of the mustard seed

The smallness of the seed was not a hurdle for its growth 

The smallness of the seed was not a hurdle to challenge the every situation around 

The smallness of the seed was not a hurdle to achieve its purpose 

So the mustard seed was really powerful and it was able to show its power 

*3) The seed, the branches and the Birds of the Air*

This particular aspect also shows the power of the mustard seed 

It grows into a tall tree with many branches, which are able to attract the birds of the air 

In other words the mustard seed had the power to give shelter to other beings as well 

This also shows the power of the mustard seed 

*4) Mustard seed and My life*

My life is a place for mustard seed to grow. The following could be considered as the mustard seeds in our life 

The seed of forgiveness

The seed of humility

The seed of joy 

The seed of generosity

The seed of sacrifice

The seed of Love 

The seed of appreciation

The seed of patience

The seed of service

The seed of tolerance

The seed of truthfulness

The seed of sincerity

These seeds have tremendous effects in our life 

*5) Small beginning, Big end*

This is the powerful message we get from the mustard seed 

Small beginning, but glorious end. This is what we seen in the life of the church and in the lives of the saints 

*6) St Ignatius of Loyola, Jesuit order and the Mustard Seed*

The logic of the mustard seed goes very well with the life and mission of St Ignatius of Loyola

It all started from the mustard seed in the life of St Ignatius Loyola and today it has become a tall tree, giving shelter to many people in the form of education

This is the beauty of the logic of mustard seed 

The same logic is also applied to my life. 

Am I ready to adopt the logic of mustard seed in my life?

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*

Wisdom is the greatest treasure

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : 17th Week : Sunday*

*Gospel : Mt 13:44-52 or 13:44-46*

*First Reading : 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12*

*SECOND READING - Rom 8:28-30*

*Wisdom is the greatest treasure*

*1) Solomon asks for Wisdom*

The first reading of the day, calls us to reflect about the importance of the Wisdom 

When God appeared to Solomon and asked Him to seek any favours from the Lord, He humbly asked for the Wisdom 

He says, I am your servant and still a child, unable to take this great responsibility to guide this people 

So give me the Wisdom to differentiate good from evil 

So God gave Him wisdom 

*2) With Wisdom Solomon Got everything*

The scriptures tell us that *He didn't ask  for a long life for yourself, He didn't ask for riches, He didnt for the life of your enemies, But he asked for wisdom 

The scriptures tell us that with God given wisdom he got everything, he was wise and all riches he had, because of God given Wisdom 

With God given one can attain anything in life, without which one can do nothing 

*3) Wisdom is a valuable treasure*

The Gospel of the day speaks about the precious treasure, which is hidden in the field and the precious pearl, which one finds 

In both instances  this precious treasure and precious pearl is nothing but the Wisdom itself 

Wisdom is a valuable treasure because with wisdom one can achieve anything in life 

*4) Jesus is the Precious treasure/Wisdom*

Jesus is the greatest treasure, which we need to find in our life 

Only one who realizes the value of Jesus is able to find this treasure 

One who searches this treasure and finds in life, becomes a blessed person

*5) Things needed to find the treasure*

*Humility* : The first reading show the Humility of Solomon and how he got the gift of wisdom from the Lord for his humility

*HardWork* This is also necessary to attain the valuable treasure.

 Just think of the Hard Work of prearl merchant and the other one in attaining the Wisdom 

*Sacrifice* To find out the Wisdom one has to make lots of sacrifices in attaining the same 

*Alertness* Those who postpone the things will not be qualified for the wisdom 

*Perseverance* Fast food culture does not hold good in attaining the Wisdom 

All these will help us to find the real treasure 

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*

The celebration of the Friendship

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : 16th Week : Saturday*

*Gospel : Luke 10:38-42*

*First Reading : 1 Jn 4:7-16*

*The celebration of the Friendship*

*1) The Feast of Martha is the feast of Friendship*

In 2021, on the occasion of the Feast of St Martha, Pope Francis also asked us to celebrate the feast of Lazarus and Mary on the same Day 

So it could be considered as the feast of the family of friendship. Its a celebration of the friendship 

So the feast of St Martha can also be called as the celebration of the Friendship

*2) The need of Friendship to Jesus*

Jesus was the Son of God. Yet he felt the need of the friendship with His beloved people 

When He was criticised, attacked and humiliated by the Pharisees and the other religious leaders Jesus needed to some company to face all thses challenges 

So the family at Bethany was dear to Him, because Mary, Martha and Lazarus understood the need and value of friendship with Jesus 

*3) The superficiality of the Friendship in todays context*

Internet, WhatsApp, twitter, Instagram and face book are some of the powerful means of communication and friendship

By using these means of social communication each of us have thousands of friends and we glory in it 

But what is the real value of this friendship. Are they really mean what is to have genuine Friendship

Once some one said, I have 5000 friends in social media. But the same person, when he was admitted in the hospital, only his family members were there to take care of him. So where are the friends of Social media? 

*4) Jesus is our True Friend*

What a friend we have in Jesus  

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, 

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

 

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share

These words from the famous adoration hymn tell us the depth of Jesus' Friendship with us 

*5) Who are my friends?*

The family members at Bethany were the friends of Jesus 

That speaks about, what type of person Jesus is and what is the value of Jesus' friendship 

The Russian proverb *tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are* makes it very clear about the logic of friendship

All those who are friends of Jesus and those people whose friend, Jesus is, will be able to develop a genuine friendship and grow in it 

*6) The danger of these Friends*

Apart from the genuine friends, the excessive friendship with these things will be very dangerous to our life 

The frineship with money 

The friendship with pleasure

The friendship with bad relationships 

The friendship with social media 

The friendship with wealth 

The friendship with bad company

The friendship with power and authority 

The friendship with alcohol

The friendship with drugs 

*7) Who is my Friend?*

Jesus? 

Bible? 

Good values? 

Gospel values? 

Parents? 

Relatives?

Family members? 

Neighbors? 

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*

The Need of Working on the Rocky Ground

GOSPEL THOUGHTS

*Ordinary Season : 16th Week : Friday*

*Gospel : Mt 13:18-23*

*First Reading : Ex 20:1-17*

*The Need of Working on the Rocky Ground*

*1) The seed fell on the Rocky Ground*

While sowing the seeds, some of them fell on the Rocky Ground 

The Gospel says, it Sprouted immediately because of the little mud and moisture

The problem was, there were lots of rocks, which didn't allow the roots to get into the ground, thus it dried and died. Could not produce any fruit 

*2) Is it impossible for the seeds to bear fruit?*

The simple answer would be, *No*. It means, it is possible for the seeds to produce the fruit which fell on the rocky ground 

But one has to rework on the ground. One has to remove those rocks, which obstructs, the roots of the seeds to get into the mud 

Once the rocks are removed, the roots can get into the mud, and the seed can produce some fruit  

*3) The Rocky ground in our Life*

Many a times our heart and mind is like a rocky ground, which obstructs the roots of the Word of God, to set in and to grow the seeds of the word of God 

In this context one has to make some special efforts to remove these various stones from our heart, which may help the seed to grow and bear fruit 

*4) Various possible stones which make our heart as rocky ground*

The stone of revenge

The stone of pride

The stone of greed 

The stone of arrogance

The stone of selfishness

The stone of hatred 

The stone of gossip 

The stone of jealousy

The stone of indifference

The stone of power 

The stone of authority

The stone of wealth 

The stone of self-righteousness 

The stone of anger 

The stone of laziness

The stone of pleasures

*5) Various instruments to remove these Stones from our heart*

Simplicity

Humility

Sacrifice

Love

Discipline

Sincerity

Truthfulness

Service

Generosity

Forgiveness

Sharing 

Prayer 

Celebration of the sacraments

Courage 

*6) Am I ready to work on the Rocky ground*

First of all I need to find out, what type of heart I have 

If my heart resembles the rocky ground, then I have the responsibility to rework on this ground

I need to work in such a way that I must be able to segregate the stones from my life and throw them out 

So, am I ready to work on this rocky ground?

This rocky ground may be within my life, or within my family or within my community or within the surroundings where I live

What is my role then?

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim DSouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*