23rd THURSDAY IN WEEK 16

1.Exodus 19:1-2,9-11,16-20b

2.Mt13:10-17

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

The mysteries of the Kingdom

When I was doing my philosophical and theological studies, I came to meet people of diverse culture, and nationalities. The most difficult thing did I experience, was the communication in their local languages apart from international languages like English and Swahili. This gave me a headache as I could not understand their local languages, what came into my mind was that my colleagues were discussing something hidden, and they did not want to disclose what they discussed, at the same time I thought that they were discussing something negative about me and the rest who did not understand the language in conversation. As the time went on, I came to realize that for them to speak in their own language it was to make the conversation easy and thus understood each other easily than they could have conversed in English.

In our today’s gospel we hear the similar pattern experience whereby the disciples of Jesus ask Jesus why does he speak to the crowd in parables?  Jesus replies that the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom has been granted to the disciples and yet has not been granted to others (Pharisees and other teachers of the law). Our question for meditation and reflection is that what did Jesus mean when he said “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them has not been granted.”

In this context we have first and foremost to understand that the word mystery, in the Bible, properly means a thing that is concealed, or that has been concealed. It does not mean that the thing was incomprehensible, or even difficult to be understood. The thing might be plain enough if revealed, but it means simply that it had not been made known. Thus the mysteries of the kingdom do not mean any doctrines incomprehensible in themselves considered, but simply doctrines about the preaching of the gospel, and the establishment of the new kingdom of the Messiah which had not been understood, and which were as yet concealed from the great body of the Jews. See Ro 16:26; 11:25; Eph 3:3,4,9. Of this nature was the truth that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles, that the Jewish polity was to cease, that the Messiah was to die, etc. To the disciples it was given to know these truths. It was important for them, as they were to carry the gospel around the globe. To the others it was not then given. They were too gross, too earthly; they had too grovelling conceptions of the Messiah's kingdom to understand these truths, even if presented. They were not to preach it, and hence our Saviour was at particular pains to instruct his apostles. The Pharisees and Jews generally, were not prepared for it, and would not have believed it, and therefore he purposely employed a kind of teaching that they did not understand.

In the gospel reading Jesus points out that “to anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” In this verse we are all called to be grateful on the graces we have received from God and work on them.  Whatever we receive from God should be appreciated as the gift; it should not be taken for granted as being little, for it is from this little that we can build bridges in life. Look at those people in the world who have become popular, from their histories as you can see, they begun from simple beginning to where they are today. We cannot claim to make a spectacular move in life if we cannot appreciate and develop whatever we have from the scratch. 

Thus we have to Learn, that where there are beginnings of true grace, and a right and wise improvement of it, God will make rich additions or more grace to the present stock which we have received.

We are invited all to open our hearts and accept the message of God. Let us ask ourselves one question that are we spiritually blind to an extent that we can’t open our hearts to receive and accept the message of God? This happens because some time we find ourselves in a situation whereby we are blocked from receiving the message of God by our own pride and prejudice. Let us ask the spirit of God to guide us into the ways of God so that we may get rid of pride and prejudices.