By Fr. Antony Christy, SDB –
‘Hear me’, ‘Listen’ calls the first reading today. This day, Jesus spent with his disciples and all those who were following him into Jerusalem from far and near… He taught them not because they were going to transform themselves ultimately, not because they were deserving of all his kindness and concern for them. No, definitely not! He did know how weak their flesh was in spite of the spirit that yearned to be strong.
It is simply because, this was the task that Jesus took upon himself at the beginning of this public ministry: Repent, believe in the Good news, the Reign of God is near. He was convinced that he was an apostle of God the Father – Just as the Father sent me, so I send you to go and proclaim… we are the apostles of Christ that are sent into the world of today. But before we proclaim, we need to listen, believe and repent, ourselves.
Today the challenge to us is to weigh our spirit and our flesh, our daily life and its priorities, against the love of God. Jesus knows well the persons who will be soon turning against him, but that does not stop him all the same from loving them, speaking to them and being compassionate about them.
How strong is your idea of yourself as “sent” by the Lord, an APOSTLE? How much do you really care for the people of God who are misled? How much quality time do you spend with people who genuinely care for you?
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He has completed his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him on.