It is 29th October 2018. The readings are from Ephesians 4:32-5:8; and the Gospel from Luke 13:10-17. Every invitation from God must lead us to an inspirational imitation of God that is imbibed in intimacy with God through the acts of charity. This imitation of God brings out the fragrance and aroma of our souls in the form of love and forgiveness. This aroma is so peculiar to the one who loves, believes and imitates God and Christ. But for a selfish love we have not got enough resources, for the selfless love all that we have is more than enough. Selfish love drains us to the core yet desires to be greedy all the more. Selfless love leads us to fill the others with good things even when there is so much of personal needs in shortage. Gratefulness to all that what we have is the key for happy living. Only by loving and sharing what we have already in our lives, we can imitate God. Ungrateful people find it hard to share what they have. Hence, our love needs to be seen in concrete acts of mercy that is born out of being grateful to God and people around. How can we imitate God when we wish to remain selfish, sinful, ungrateful and worshiping gods of our own making? Moving away from darkness consciously and daily is indeed honouring the initial invitation of God to participate in God’s goodness and love. God wants us to set us free through Jesus from all kinds of sickness, selfishness and sinfulness. In the first reading, St. Paul invited the Ephesians to live as the children of light. We need to make efforts to leave the ways of sin on a daily basis. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we all have received a new nature and participate in new birth in Christ. We can all emulate God through loving and merciful acts that is due for the other. Selfish and unforgiving people have already disconnected from the love of Christ by their very acts. Imitating Christ is the prerequisite for every believer in Christ. Christian love is not based on affection and affiliation rather it is all to do with the self-sacrificing service to the humanity and a selfless participating in the struggles of humanity to set them free. Yet it needs to be nurtured as new people in Christ with love, forgiveness, and fruitful talk. We have to be careful not to condone the sinfulness of the world and our friends instead we need to shine among them as the torch-bearers of the light of Christ. Let us live as children of light. Befriending others does not mean to leave and to sacrifice the fragrance of sacrifice and love in us. “Therefore, do not associate with them, for once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” (Eph.5:7,8). The responsorial Verse acclaims, “Try to imitate God, as children his own children.” (Eph.5:1). The Gospel assures the love and healing of Christ to everyone who accepts His unconditional love and forgiveness. Jesus values us and wants us to free us from all the infirmities. Jesus healed a woman who had crippled for eighteen years on the Sabbath day. Time and day do not matter for Jesus in healing us. Jesus would ignore all that people who would slap Him with the evil words even though He heals us. Jesus would go to any extend in freeing us and healing us. No matter what is our sins or sickness, however old the sickness, and the addiction and slavery to sin is Jesus heals all our wounds of sin and sickness. Jesus wants to straighten our wayward life. Jesus wants to offer us the healing we require for our wellbeing. Let us be the imitators of God in loving and forgiving so as to enjoy such blessings from Christ. May you have a good day. God bless you.