It is 22nd June 2017. We celebrate the memorial of the saints Paulinus of Nola, a Bishop; John Fisher, a bishop and Thomas More, a martyr. The readings are from 2 Cor. 11:1-11; and the Gospel from Matthew 6:7-15. In responding to the call of Jesus ‘to be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect,’ (Mt.5:48), we notice how vulnerable, fragile, weak and foolish we are at times. St. Paul shares his own inadequacy in the way he passed on the truth. Whenever we accept our ‘little foolishness’ (2 Cor.11:1) in our relationship, we begin to grow. On the contrary, when we begin hiding it and not willing to speak about it, and refuse to seek the necessary help needed, we end up blaming, criticizing, and condemning the others for our own inefficiencies. We can surely learn a lot from the first reading some of the good qualities St. Paul had. In addressing the challenges, he faced, he never mentioned anyone’s name but his expressions of disapproval were strong and focused. It is necessary to take stand for the Gospel and to be firmly rooted in the same even when one is tossed and toasted by the adversaries. Keep reminding the good things about the Gospel we preach without fearing anyone. Our love for the Good News needs to be demonstrated in loving and safeguarding the faith of the people we serve. False teachers and preachers are always there around us. We cannot stop them yet we can always lead the others towards a sincere and pure devotion to Christ and the Church. We all must try minimizing the distractions and threats from the false teachings around. Our vantage points of correction belong to the Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition and the Teaching Authority of our church. We all need to be extremely careful in following and directed by the ‘the super-apostles’ who mislead us and distort the truth about Jesus and His teachings. Let us not lose hope in any given situation when we feel that things are not going the way we want. After all, said and done, we must believe that God is running the show not anyone else. The responsorial Psalm praises, “Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.” (Ps.110:7). Jesus instructs us in the Gospel that our prayer will be futile without reconciling with God and one another. Our lives must not be engrossed in settling scores and holding key positions of influences and power rather we need to focus stabilizing and strengthening the connections that has weakened by arrogance, pride and unforgiving attitudes. It is our black spot, a little foolishness and an emotional and spiritual struggle to forgive others. Praying turns fruitless when there is no adequate and appropriate forgiveness. We cannot expect God to forgive us, when we have chosen not to forgive the others. Let us deal with our little foolishness before we call our Father. Let us begin today to treat others as our siblings before we call God. May God bless you. Have a good day.

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