Do We Prepare the Leaders!

 

11th Week: Ordinary Time, Thursday

Year One

2 Cor 11:1-11

Meditation

11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure[a] devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. 5 I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you(2 Cor 11:1-6).

In the world, we note duplicate things, duplicate people, duplicate teachers and preachers in the name of Christ had appeared; even now, there is no doubt of the presence of duplicity of people. Let us be aware that if we are not committed to Jesus Christ, we will be misled and deviate from the teachings of Christ. St Paul accepts that he is not the best of preachers; even though he was schooled in Greek philosophy, law and Jewish theology. We are well aware of his radical conversion to Christ. St Paul even then feels unworthiness and incapacity to preach the word of God. We know well that the major part of the New Testament is made up of his writings. He manifests his inability as a human person.

Do we seek to preach the True Christ message to people?

Year Two

Thursday

Sir 48:1-14

Do We Prepare the Leaders!

Elijah had lived great and was taken up to heaven in the chariot of fire. He was a great leader, and guide to Elisha. Even Elisha has done great things in his life. One great leader leaves behind many leaders. It is not name, fame and wealth that one has to leave behind to show his/her worth but a good legacy of leadership.

Today the world requires many spiritual leaders who could guide us on the right path. Each one has to by our word and deed, prepare leaders for coming generations. If there are no men/women prepared to face the challenges of the world, it will be hard for human life. Let us take this as a challenge to be generous and committed to preparing good spiritual leaders and guides.

Do I give a chance to young leaders to take up responsibility?

Gospel

Mt 6:7-15

Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Mt 6:8)

The Lord teaches us to pray. The best prayer for Christians is the Our Father, taught by Jesus to his disciples. Some of us have few words to pray, while others have many words and need to pray about. We receive what we ask in prayer. We ask what we need. Each one gets what he/she wishes and prays for.

It is deeply humbling that the Father knows us all and listens to our prayers. It is not the words and wishes that matter. The Heavenly Father knows our deep-rooted needs and in all his goodness, grants what he knows to be good for us. The Father in heaven, akin to our earthly father, is the Provider of all that we need. Let us have trust in the Father in heaven as we trust our earthly father.

Do I place my trust in the heavenly Father as the ,giver of my needs?

Fr. Putti Anthaiah sdb