Bible
Study: Galatians 3, 22 to 29 and Luke 11, 27 to 28.
I often
hear people say that “blood is thicker than water.” However, today’s readings
reveal that this is not always the case. There is a particular type of water
that is actually thicker than blood. This is the water of baptism; it is a
water than binds Christians together; a water than removes barriers imposed by
culture, language and tribal affiliation. According to St. Paul in today’s
first reading, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.”
When a
woman was carried away with admiration for Jesus, she exclaimed: “Blessed is
the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” In other words,
she was saying to Jesus, “Hmmmmm I wish I was the one who gave birth to you….
Or …. Your mother must be so proud of you oh, how happy she must be to have had
you.”
In her
song of thanksgiving for God’s choice of her, Mary, the mother of Jesus herself
said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for
he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth ALL
GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSED.” Luke 1, 48.
It is
important to note that the Greek word for “blessed” (i.e. makarios), also
translates as “happy.” That is to say, each time we see the word ‘Blessed’ in
the New Testament, we can as well read it as ‘happiness’ and not just happiness
as in sense pleasure but a happiness that is far more deeper than what we can
feel at the level of the flesh; a joy that only the heart can experience, a joy
that we shall fully enjoy permanently in heaven.
In
response to this woman’s admiration of Mary, Jesus simply said, “Rather,
blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Luke 11, 27. That
is to say, as much as Mary was so lucky to have had Jesus as a son, we who hear
God’s words daily and observe it are just as lucky and happy as Mary herself. As
Mary considered is blessed to have carried Jesus in her womb so are we blessed
and privileged to hear God’s word and pattern our life in obedience to it.
Dear
friends, obeying God’s commandment should never be seen as a burden or a cross.
It is actually a privilege. We are not doing God a favour by keeping his
commandments. We are even lucky that God has revealed to us in his word how we
ought to live and find happiness in life.
Morestill,
as St. Paul points out in today’s first reading, it is not the law itself that
brings us salvation, rather it is our Faith in God that justifies us. The law
(the commandments) is not to be seen as a custodian anymore. We do not keep the
law to win God’s friendship or favour. Rather we keep the law because we know
that we God’s friends already and that Christ won that friendship for us on the
cross. The law does not justify us, it is rather something that we do as
children in God’s household just as there are certain rules in every family.
Let us
pray:
Lord
Jesus, help me to find happiness daily by putting your words to practice. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. Happy
Weekend.
Fr. Abu
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