Thursday of the 6th week in the ordinary time year 2
Theme: The church: As a mother
The two readings we have in our liturgy today points out some basic facts about our faith as Christians. St. James in the 1st reading reminds us that the church is a refuge for all the children of God, both the rich and the poor. Generally, everyone is supposed to have the feeling of a sense of belonging when we come to the church, irrespective of our state in life. The church is like a mother hen that protects all her chicks without making any distinction. The church is not a place where we show our class or status in life. It is rather a place of communion for the children of God, without class or status. However, is that the situation in our places of worship today? The admonition of St. James in today’s 1st reading is for all of us as children of God. This is an opportunity for us to right this mistake that is made in some of our places of worship. Remember that the church is all inclusive. It is a home for both the poor and the rich, and also a place for both the saints and sinners. It is a sign of humility to mix freely with the less privileged in our place of worship, not minding our status or class in the society. When you humble yourself, God will exalt you.
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus asked a very fundamental question, who do people say I am, and who do you say I am? To a great extent, the answer we give to both questions will inform our understanding and relationship with God. Jesus means different things to different people, and he got different answers from the people because everyone was speaking from his own point of view. But who Jesus is to you as an individual, comes from your personal encounter and understanding of him. All those who encountered Christ in the scriptures never remained the same; there was a positive change in their lives. This brings me to a very important question, what are you doing with your encounter with Christ, how has it influenced your life and human relationship? Let us go and spread the good news of our encounter with Christ in our relationship with other people. May our knowledge of Christ bear good fruits, through Christ our Lord.