To have the mind of Christ, we need to have a kind of heart like Jesus

It is 2nd September 2020.  We celebrate the memorial of Blessed Apollinaris of Posat.  The readings are from 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; and the Gospel from Luke 4:38-44.

What divides people at times?    We think and believe that the sickness comes from outside but at times it emerges from within. Saint Paul in the first reading tells us that our churches are divided due to jealousy and petty divisions. Instead of belonging to Christ, we belong to somebody as a petty group navigating our comfortable conversation centres with our secret agenda that hurts the church, our relationship with Christ and with one another.  But we tend to forget that we are God’s fellow workers and God’s field and God’s building.

The Responsorial Psalm praises, “Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”  (Ps. 33:12).

In the gospel, Jesus heals Simon Peter’s mother-in-law and continues with the mission of healing people and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God many more people. When we are stuck with a group of people or an ideology we do not want to go far and wide. When we are sick brooding over petty things dominated by jealousy and wrangling, we do not trust Jesus profoundly.  We are most satisfied with the outwardly and fancy love, charity, and genuine caring for others.

Another thought that comes is where do we turn to when we have issues, challenges, and problems in our personal, ecclesial, and corporate life?  We all love the community, relationship, and integral development of a person.   A sense of community and family are built in the warmth of human hearts, not in the heat of the wordy environment. Many things we differ and fight just like little children due to jealousy and convenient forgetfulness that we are the garden of God and the field place of Christ’s mission work.  The sickness we need to heal is jealousy within ourselves and petty selfish divisions in the community that making our humanity not to be generous in reaching out to the needy members of the family and community.   Our spirituality depends on the way we relate with one another and for the motive in believing in Jesus. To have the mind of Christ, we need to have a kind of heart like Jesus.  “By this will all know that you are my disciples, that you have love one for another” (John 14:35). May you have a lovely day.  God bless you.