Fifth Sunday of Easter (A)YOU WILL BE WITH ME WHERE I AMActs 6:1-7
1 Peter 2:4-9
John 14: 1- 12
Dear friends in Risen Christ Jesus, how are you all? I am happy to meet you all through this Eucharistic celebration. Today’s liturgy invites each one of us to reflect upon the call of God. In the first reading the people choose seven men of with good reputation, full of spirit and of wisdom and they present to apostles and the apostles prayed and laid their hands upon them thus they were chosen to accompany with the disciples to preach, to serve and to help the growing Christian community. In the second reading St. Peter clearly tells us that the chosen people of God are found precious before God but they are mostly rejected by the society. And God chooses what the world considers weak and fragile. And in the Gospel Jesus desires that all his chosen ones must live with him till the end of the world.
The Importance of God’s Call
Today I asked the boy what is the meaning of call? He said which call you want me to explain? Because in the world there are so many calls like phone calls, missed calls, call of parents, call of companies, call of friends etc. I said there is also another call, it is call of God. Dear friends as for the believers the call of God becomes very important because it is called by God himself. When God calls how many people respond to it positively.
God calls different people, in different times, for his purpose. For example in the Old Testament He called Abraham. Through him God made a covenant with his people also raised Abraham as a blessing to the people. God called Moses. Through him he brought the people of Israel to a promised land. God called the Prophets to advise the kings and to bring back the people from their sinful ways. In the New Testament Jesus calls the 12 apostles and made them as His successors to continue the plan of God. God called St. Paul and through him the goodness was preached to the Gentiles. Today He calls different people to continue the plan of God on this earth.
The purpose of God’s Call
In the Gospel of Mark we read that “Jesus went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons.”
Mk 3: 12-15. Thus Jesus enumerates three important purpose of his calling.
01. To be with Him
02. To send out to proclaim the message
03. Authority to cast out demons
01. To be with Him
Jesus, though he was in the form of God yet he prayed daily and always with the Father. In the same way He wants us to be with God and for this purpose he called his disciples.
Why do we need to be with Jesus?
In the Gospel of John chapter 15 Jesus clearly says that “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Jn15:4-5. Our call becomes meaningful when we stay with Jesus. St. Pio used to pray to Jesus to stay with him always.
This was his daily Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Holy Communion
Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You. You know how easily I abandon You.
Stay with me Lord, because I am weak, and I need Your strength, so that I may not fall so often.
Stay with me Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.
Stay with me Lord, for You are my light, and without you, I am in darkness.
Stay with me Lord, to show me Your will.
Stay with me Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.
Stay with me Lord, for I desire to love you very much, and always be in Your Company.
Stay with me Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.
Stay with me Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of Love.
Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late, and the day is coming to a close, and life passes, death, judgment, eternity approach.
It is necessary to renew my strength, so that I will not stop along the way and for that, I need You.
It is getting late and death approaches. I fear the darkness, the temptations, the dryness, the cross, the sorrows. O how I need You, my Jesus, in this night of exile.
Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all its dangers, I need You.
Let me recognize You as Your disciples did at the breaking of bread, so that the Eucharistic Communion be the light which disperses the darkness, the force which sustains me, the unique joy of my heart.
Stay with me Lord, because at the hour of my death, I want to remain united to you, if not by Communion, at least by grace and love.
Stay with me Jesus, I do not ask for divine consolation because I do not merit it, but the gift of Your presence, oh yes, I ask this of You.
Stay with me Lord, for it is You alone I look for, Your Love, Your Grace, Your Will, Your Heart, Your Spirit, because I love You and ask no other reward but to love You more and more.
With a firm love, I will love You with all my heart while on earth and continue to love You perfectly during all eternity. Amen
02. To send out to proclaim the Good News
The primary ministry of Jesus on this earth is preaching the goodness to all people. Jesus began his ministry with proclaiming the good news Mk 1:14 we read that Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news. Again he insisted his disciples saying “Let us go on to the neighboring towns too, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do” Mk 1:38. Before the ascension Jesus again reminded his disciples saying “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation Mk 16: 15. Thus the apostles went to different parts of the world to preach the good news. Following the teachings of the apostles the preaching ministry continues even today.
Once a group of RSS members went to meet the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and reported to him saying we need to save our country and its culture. So to save the Indian culture, we need to send Mother Teresa out of India. Because in the name of charity she works for the conversion to Christianity. Because of the Muslims now we have lost half of Bengal and if she continues to be here we will lose West Bengal to Christians. So it is better to send her to Europe.
The Missionaries of Charity is nothing but the Christianization of Bengal. This state is the state of Kalimatha, and Vivekananda Bhoomi, and in this place there is no place for conversion to Christianity. They also reported to Nehru saying the sisters forcefully baptize the people into Christianity, they insist people to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, they will proclaim the words of the Bible loudly, they compel to eat communion forcefully etc, so we need to punish Mother Theresa and her sisters also send them out of our country.
Nehru listened quietly all of their accusations and told them that tomorrow some of you come with me, we can go to that ashram, and if she does that entire thing which you have said then immediately we send her out of our country. The RSS members were very happy that mother Theresa soon will be out of our state and if she is no more here then it will become Hindu state completely.
Next day they went to the Ashram with Nehru. The scene which they saw in the Ashram revolved all their negative sayings about Mother. She wiped out the ulcers of the cataracts, and they were giving medicines for the sick people esp. for the lepers. They did not give them the Eucharist as food, rather they fed the sick people with love and affection and there is no Bible in the hands of any of the patients there. They did not baptize anyone, but they bathed lame and lepers.
Now the Prime Minister asked the RSS members
"Who are all these patients and differently abled people?"
- "they replied they are Our National people, the sons of the land, the Bharat citizens"
"Who are these people serving?"
"They are Foreign Women and Her Disciples"
"These are our people, the people who have been neglected by us and our country men. It is our duty to serve them but we neglect to serve them; if your household members do this great service and what work these sisters have here? If such a situation comes in our country immediately she will be expelled from our country said Nehru.
Yes dear friends Jesus preached the good news the apostles followed him. The Apostles preached the good news our elders followed them; today Jesus invites you and me to preach the good news are we ready for it?
03. Authority to cast out demons
God gives the authority to do miracles to all the people who respond to him. for example in the Old Testament through Moses God worked different kinds of wonder and miracles in the lives of Israelites. In the New Testaments Jesus worked wonders and miracles. Through the authority of Jesus the apostles performed great wonders. By following the foot prints of the apostles the saints have worked wonders. For example St. Antony during his life time and even after his death till today he works wonders and miracles in the lives of the people. in the Gospel of Mark 15:16-18 we read that “by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover”.
Chosen people are channel of God’s blessings
God chooses the people from the mother’s womb itself. The LORD called me from the womb; from the body of my mother he named my name says Isaiah 49:1. All those people chosen by God are becoming the channel of God’s blessings. For example Abraham became a channel of God’s blessings. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.” Gen 12: 1-3
In the New Testament Jesus assures the apostles the heavenly blessings. Peter said to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. Mt 19: 27-19
God’s Call today
Dear friends we are in the world of smart phones. Everywhere people seek smartness everywhere for example house must be smart, the life partner must be smart, office must be smart, children must be smart etc; the whole world is comprised in the screen of little smart phones. The use of smart phones plays very important role from birth to death. In this situation do we need vocation Sunday or do we need God’s call today?
If you say we need God’s call then how many people are ready to send their children to religious life? For example Friday the +2 result was released as soon of the result was released the parents and children began to search for different colleges. Is there any parents here who searched for the vocation camp?
Dear friends when a person becomes a priest he becomes a channel of God’s blessings to the people. Because of his priesthood his mother’s womb was blessed, he is a blessing to his parents, to his village, to the order, and where ever he is sent. Finally if he dies he is a blessing to heaven. At last God rewards him the place where God rests. And Jesus too prays for his disciples in the Gospel of John 17. Also Jesus reveals his desires to his father “Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world”. in the book of Revelation 3:20 we read that Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Today Jesus knocks the each one of your doors. How many are ready to open the doors for Jesus? If you open the door you will receive God’s blessings and you will be with Jesus where he lives.
You will be with me where I am.
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