The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 27

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

27

1. When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. 2. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 1 to 2)

Oh Jesus son of God my Father, only You can tell what it must have felt like to be punched bruised spat on and battered by the forces of evil and left bound by heavy chains for a whole night while the elders spent the night and following, day planning Your death. How lonely it must have been, although while the evil ones were, gathered together You were  surely in contact with Your Father and my Father who for a second would not have left You rejected, forsaken and alone.  Oh God I also pray for those moments of loneliness in our lives, especially for those of us who have been sentenced to prison and may also experience this horrid feeling of loneliness. I also pray for the parents and relatives of such people, whom we call prisoners or criminals so that You will give them all consolation, love and care Amen.



3. When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus' was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4. He said, " I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5. Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 3 to 5)



Oh Jesus, this is the trap of the evil one, first he leads us to sin, and then he does not give us a way out to repent and go back to our good ways and patterns. One our reward system in the brain is stimulated in order to possess that thing or that drug which gives us pleasure there is a high chance that we are overcome by this reward system. However as in the case of Judas who, may have thought that at the last minute You could have made a miracle and escaped the priests and the elders, felt deeply guilty and tried to seek repentance. However, the forces of evil leave no space for repentance but pave the way for desperation and death! However if the world quits on us, we have a merciful kind and loving Father who really loves and forgives us and bears with our misgivings Amen.



6. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury since they are blood money." 7. After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. 8. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 6 to 8)



Oh God my Father this is a typical case of money laundering, that has become commonly practised even during our times. The income of Your sale which was the fruit of sin and wickedness were cleansed by being used in a legitimate transaction in the purchase of the field of the potter.



9. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10. and they gave them for the potter's field as the Lord commanded me."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 9 to 10)



Oh God my Father, Judas and the High Priest agreed on the price of thirteen silver pieces as a price for the transaction to take place thus leading to Your betrayal. As Christians and Roman Catholics, it would be interesting to know how much we would value You my God and Father on a scale of 1 to 10. Amen.



11. Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him,"Are you the King of the Jews" Jesus said, "You say so"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 11)



Oh Jesus, battered and bruised, tired eyes from having a rough and sleepless night You stood before the governor. Likewise oh Jesus we also stand before You as sinners, however in our situations, You are the one who is going to ask the questions. The question that was addressed to You by the governor of the world may be easily addressed to us. You may ask us "Am I Your God?. When confronted by this question all of us may have a different response to the given question. Amen. Oh Jesus I pray that You will stand before us before Your Father in heaven and advocate for me and others that even though my ways were not always according to Your will I truly love You. Amen.




12. But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you? 14. But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 12 to 14)



Oh Jesus son of God my Father when confronted by Your enemies for my sake and that of the world You remained silent. If You wanted one argument would have been enough to clear You of all the arguments brought against You but Your primary interest was my salvation and not Your own salvation from the passion that awaited You. Although at times we are placed on the receiving end and others gather false evidence against us we are to stick to the truth and let God's will be done, even if this holding our silence, because if we hold our silence You oh God can intervene if we try to defend ourselves it might be the case that we mess up by letting our emotions get the better of us.   


15. Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16. At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. 17. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"18. For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they handed him over.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 15 to 18)



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father, during moments of crisis we try and compromise with reality, by trying to fool ourselves that we are going to make a good decision by comparing like with like, according to our human criteria instead of according to Your teaching and will. Both outcomes may appear good, as both prisoners were called Jesus, however only one Jesus could save us, and this was surely not Jesus Barabbas the Jesus of the World.




19. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream  about him." 20. Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said "Barabbas." 22. Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified! 23. Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 19 to 23)



Oh, Jesus Son of God My Father. Pilate was facing one of the biggest dilemmas of his life. He was trapped in satisfying the wishes of his wife, over the demands of his work represented by the demands of the people and above all by the reality that before him stood an innocent man who was brought before him as a consequence of the elders and high priest's jealousy.



At times oh Jesus we also face the same dilemmas. It is not easy to strike a balance between the demands of work and the demand of family, moreover, it is also not easy for the businessman to strike a balance between making an honest living by sticking to laws and standards that at times may place him at a disadvantage over ones' competitors to becoming corrupt in order to survive the stress of the competition and remain competitive.  Even though oh Jesus was on stress ,management without Your help and support I would not be able to cope with the daily work, and home stressors.



With reference to God and how we are to cope with stress please click on the following link:-



God the stress remover



24. So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25. Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood on us and on our children! 26. So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. 


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 24 to 26)


Instead of solving the dilemma by being assertive even though his job as governor was at stake Pilate claimed to be not responsible for Your death. Oh Jesus Son of God my Father may we be responsible for our sins and never shirk the blame or responsibility on others. When claiming that Your blood was on them and on their children the people were not aware, that by the shedding of Your blood You would bring their salvation, even though they were not aware of what they were doing . Amen.



27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29. and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30. They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 27 to 31)



Oh God indeed we do not know what we do, had the Roman Soldiers been aware of whom they were spitting on and scourging with whips they would surely have refused carrying out such a cruel task. The scourging was so harsh and cruel that it could have made a man go crazy in pain. However for my sake my God and Father You did not turn Your back away from the whip that tore apart pieces of flesh from Your back and caused You great agony. With reference to the whip used by the Romans please click on the following link it was unimaginable:-



The Roman Whip or flagrum


The whipping process of 40 lashes




32. As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 32)


Oh God my Father as much as You never abandon us during times of trouble and stress and provide us the much-needed love care and support, Your loving Father did not deny You of the needed support in such a situation. We are never alone oh God my Father for You are our supporter from Cyrene who stays with us to the very end until we have drunk the last drop of our chalice of wine that You give us to be tried by and disciplined in Your school of love Amen.

33. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34. they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 33 to 34)



Oh God my Father the world offers us many quick fix solutions such as alcohol and drugs as a means to help us cope with our situations, however, these offers create more problems than ever and are of no help at all, for You are the only one who can give us comfort. I thank You oh Jesus for wanting to make the offering of Your self, complete by enduring without any means of relief every second of Your passion. Amen. 


35. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; 36. then they sat down there and kept watch over him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 35 to 36)



Oh Jesus Son of God and my Father, You love us so much that You deny us of nothing that is good for us. Yo u gave us even the c;lothes that You were wearing and later on You even gave us Your mother in order to be our mother. Instead of giving adoration the soldiers kept watch over You as if You were going to go against the will of the Father and get down from the cross. I pray that we follow You with certainty and not with doubt in order to test if You are truly, as genuine as You say You are, by making one request after each other.


37. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 37)



Oh God my Father the charge that they put upon Your head was in truth a declaration of truth and not one of condemnation, for in truth You are the god of all and not only the Jews. I can only imagine oh God the charge that would be placed upon my head if I were to be crucified. I pray for forgiveness, for even though I do my best not to commit my gravest of sins, I still end up doing the same sins. I still feel weak in front of the sinful situation. I pray for help on this issue my God and Father. I know that one day I will be completely healed of my desires and feelings. I believe in You my God and Father, I pray that You continue helping me to carry my cross up to Golgotha, for during sacred moments of prayer I am greatly tempted to sin by the evil one. I become harassed by negative thoughts. Amen.


38. Then two bandits were crucified with him. one on his right and one on his left.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 38)


Oh God my Father in life we are also crucified between our two selves, one is our natural self, which is our human nature, and the other is our spiritual self, which is the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Both realities have voices which direct us to behave in different ways, of which one is totally good according to Your will and the other which is broken and limited by sin and the conditions of time and space and also to the limited abilities of our brains. At times we end up ' harassed ' by the two realities and at times end up siding with our natural reality with all its negative traits and inclinations, however on the other hand at other times we crucify our natural self and let ourselves be directed by the presence of Your holy Spirit who dwells within us. Amen.



39. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads 40. and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41. In the same way the chief priests also along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42. "He saved others;  he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe him. 43. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'" 44. The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 39 to 44)



Oh God, my Father I can just imagine how sad You must have felt when experiencing such taunting. I know how much You love Your Father, and how cruel it is to experience such emotional abuse. I think this was worse than the Roman Flagrum that ripped Your body to pieces making damage that could not be repaired. I have also experienced such abuse therefore in a way I can understand my experiences but not as much as You can understand mine. As a human, I can empathise with You meaning experience understanding of how You may have felt in that particular situation for every situation is unique in itself. I thank You for understanding me and my situations and feeling compassion for me Amen.


45. From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46. And about three o'cklock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 45 to 46)


At three o'clock the harshest of battles was at its peak, that is that between the forces of evil represented by the darkness that came over the whole land as if to conquer it and make of it a reign of darkness and the reign of light which found its origin in You oh God my Father. Your human nature reacted to the seemingly feeling of loneliness, however even though the heavens where, blotted out by the darkness You still placed Your trust in Your Father and raised a prayer to Him knowing well that He would never forsake or abandon You. Up to the last second of agony on the cross, Your eyes never left the heavens which show, how convinced You were that You were not alone and that soon You would be again reunited with Your Father in heaven. Amen.


Oh God, You teach us a wonderful lesson in faith and perseverance. Even though a situation may be difficult, even though storms may be raging, causing one tragic moment that is followed by another and another, accident claiming the death of a loved one, followed by a terminal illness, that claims the life of another, our eyes are to remain fixed on You from where our love and support is always flowing to our aid. Amen.


47. When some of the bystanders  heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah. " 48. At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 47 to 48)



Oh GOD my Father during trials You send us people or friends or provide us with professionals in order to help us however it is only You who can give us comfort and healing Amen. For anyone who feels afflicted in some way or other I invite you to join me in the following prayer by clicking on the following link



I am the GOD that heals you



49. But the others said, "Wait let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50. Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.53. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many,


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 49 to 53)



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father, up to the very end of Your physical life on earth You remained in contact with Your heavenly Father in a spirit of love and Faith. You let out a cry coming from a heart that knows the true meaning of love so much that in response to this great love You were given a reply instantly for the curtain of the temple was ripped apart, the earth shook as in an earthquake and rocks were split. Oh God my Father it was indeed heartbreaking to see Your only Son in such a state. As in the film the 'Passion of the Christ' Your heart, was so stimulated with compassion that a tear fell on the earth. I thank You for loving us so much oh God my Father, You who experienced such love for Your Son can never deny us Your children of that same love that was so powerful that it shook the earth from its foundations.



In order to view such a moving experience of the immense love of God during such painful moments of anguish and sorrow please click on the following link:-



Passion of the Christ Tear drop of God



54. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake  and what took place they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 54)



Oh, Jesus Son of God my Father, on reflecting on this verse I feel really mad at the centurion and myself in general. Had You not been preaching and showing enough signs to convince us of Your true self? Did it have to be the signs that were mentioned to convince us that You are the Son of God?




Oh God, my Father I pray for all those who have witnessed such confessions at the point of death of their loved ones, that either was of empowerment or of terror. I pray for all those who at such delicate moments discovered that they were the son's and daughters of the person that they held to be a foreigner, or maybe even the disclosure that one may be the sister or brother of one's girlfriend or boyfriend or that one had been adopted into that family.




I pray for forgiveness for we are all weak and subject to sin. We all sin, therefore we are to let the person making one's last confession rest in peace and forgive amen.




55. Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. 56. Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 55 to 56)



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father many of us are claiming to be Your followers, however in different stages. There are those whom You have called to advance very closely to You such as saints and many holy people who have sacrificed their life for You and there are those like myself who are those who are claimed to be sinners who are still tagging behind the crowds of good people begging for Your love and mercy with the hope that one day we will make part of Your inner circle and join the rest of the crowds of good people Amen.




57. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 57 to 58)



Oh God my Father usually tasks that are performed in the evening are dark and evil, the darkness is the cloak of all those who commit such negative acts, however in this case it served to protect Joseph of Arimathea from the Pharisees and elders so that he could perform this noble task.




Oh Jesus Son of God my Father, I pray that we bury the past, forgive and forget. I am aware that certain situations such as the death of a loved one may not easy to experience, for the consequences of grief may take time to heal, however with Your help anything is possible Amen.




59. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60. and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 59 to 61)



Oh, Jesus Son of God my Father as humans we may also be wrapped up in bandages without or being aware of them or maybe even as according to our free choice. Our bandages may be our bad habits and compulsions and maybe even our deadliest sins that keep us bound up tightly giving us no opportunity to be free of them. However as in the case of Joseph You love us so much as to help us remove one bandage after another and even heal the wounds and signs of infection by changing our linen cloth. I ask of You to keep on taking care of both body and soul, for they are both in need of  Your supervision and treatment for I am still weak in the face of temptation. Indeed, the victory is Yours, for every time I think that I am strong and coping well I end up putting my foot in it and ending up in square one again. I pray that You have mercy on my deficiency Amen.




62. The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63. and said "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64. Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." 65. Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." 66. So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 62 to 65)



Up to the point of Your, death oh Jesus Son of God my Father the hearts of the Pharisees and the elders was hardened. Although this seems to be a negative act, in itself this was also an important part of Your plan for our salvation being unfolded. If You had not made them so obstinate and determined they would not have thought of making the tomb guarded so securely. On the other hand at the point of Your resurrection, these soldiers would serve as witnesses of Your resurrection and also a means of eliminating the fact, that Your body could ever have been stolen as a means of treachery.




Therefore oh Son of God my Father out of what seems to be a negative situation, You can turn into a positive one, even if all the possibilities or expectations appear to be almost impossible. You can change the course of nature. Even if a person is medically diagnosed with terminal cancer, You can reverse both the cause and the symptoms and restore health back to that person.




Oh Jesus Son of God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:




I pray oh Jesus that You give us an overflowing abundance of Your Holy Spirit so that our Faith in You will be as firm as the rocks, like the lampstand in the tent of the meeting that was to remain always burning in order to reflect Your presence that is with us at all times. Amen

The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 25

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

25

1. "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verse 1)

Oh God my Father many of us come to meet You especially during mass on Saturdays. With us, we all bring our lamps of faith. However, we may all come to meet You for different reasons. Some may come to give You praise and worship, others may come because they have been used to come since childhood, and maybe others come because they do not wish people to judge them for not coming. Among these groups there may also be those who may use You as a good luck charm, as in coming to mass before a World Cup final So that Malta will win the World Cup, or maybe before going on to a long trip to the other side of the world, so that I will arrive there safely, or maybe before embarking on an important business deal or transaction so that it will be a success.  On reflecting, we all come to meet You for different reasons. Now is the time oh God for us to stop think and consider in which group or category we may happen to fit in and plead forgiveness if our intentions for meeting You are not always for praise and worship in heart and spirit. Amen.


2. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4. but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 2 and 3)


Oh God the foolish can be compared to such people who have a lamp as in the case of all baptised people in the Roman Catholic Church and other churches, however such people have no oil in their lamps because the oil that they had was the tuition that they had received from catechism classes if they ever attended. They have no relationship or 'oil' in their lamps and this takes some time to develop as in the allegory of the oil that is pumped out of the ground by oil wells.


5. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept,


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verse 5)


In our Christian life, we may also fall into the temptation of falling asleep. A situation that seems pathetic may drain us out of our stores of spiritual energy, we may feel so drowsy and tired that even praying for change may appear to be useless in our tired vision. However at the time, when all seems to be lost You always intervene and apply the finishing touches and brighten up the situation for some or for all, or You may even choose to leave the situation as it is but, give us the skills, faith and strength to cope with the situation or crisis. Thank You, Jesus, for always being available to offer us Your love care and support. Amen.



6. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7. Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 6 to 7)


Oh God at the time of Your second and final visit, as in the case of the bridesmaids we will all rise up with our lamps, however, do we have any oil in them. Who do we really believe in You, or ourselves. According to which spirit do we behave, our spirit that is human nature or according to the power of the Holy Spirit, which we can go against due to our disobedience?


8. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9. But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 8 to 9)



When in a crisis, those of us who do not believe in You, or place their trust in You place a lot of stress on those who believe and trust in You, thus making pressure on believers, to offer prayers on their behalf because as 'good people' their prayers will surely be answered. However although interceding on others behalf is an act of love and charity, it is better for such individuals to seek spiritual guidance in order to turn away from their ways and seek a better way of living. The old saying says that it is better to teach a person how to catch a fish than to give him one, for once the person has acquired the skill he can use it for life.



10. And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet and the door was shut. 11. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' 12. But he replied, Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' 13. Keep awake therefore. for you know neither the day nor the hour. 


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 10 to 13)


Oh God, it is very important that we are well prepared and take our spiritual life seriously, and not just to be familiar with Your teachings just for the sake of knowing Your message by heart as in catechism. I pray for all to be prepared so that we shall be ready t to face both our tribulations and ultimately our personal day of judgement when we will give an account to You for all the good and not so good actions that we did during our life on earth.



14. "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verse 14)


Oh God my Father when You entrusted us with the gift of life You gave us a big responsibility and a long journey to embark on. Every day of our life we are walking on the pathway of life. I thank You for giving me this responsibility to embark on this journey that ends on the mount of Calvary at the point of the end of my life, where my soul returns back to You my God and Father.



15. to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verse 15)


Oh God, I thank You for all the different talents that You give us, not only for ourselves but to share in service with others. You never waste Your talents, therefore, if we have a talent it is because God considered it to be to the best of our ability and not simply for us to have a hobby or pass time.



16. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17. In the same way, the one who had two talents made two more talents. 18. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.



(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 16 to 18)




Oh God my Father, I thank You for the many talents that You give us, there are some of us, who are great speakers, preachers, craftspeople, green fingers, computer wizards, people who understand and interpret the Word of God, prophets, doctors and even more. However, there are others who although have received the talent according to their ability do not have the confidence to use that talent, both for themselves and even in their everyday life with others. My daughter happens to be such a person. I pray to You my Father for such people, for they suffer greatly in this world of super achievers, but are greatly loved by You which is the most important thing of all. Amen.



19. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verse 19)


Oh God on a day that we know not when it arrives, we will also need to render accounts with You. I pray that our accounts will be in credit full of wonderful acts of love and charity instead of in debt overloaded with our shortcomings. I invite all my brothers and sisters  in Jesus Christ to stop, reflect and make an audit of our lives and settle the outstanding balance Amen.



I, therefore, invite you all to click on this link which helps us make a spiritual audit of our lives please click on the following link:-



Spiritual Audit



19. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see I have made five more talents.' 21. His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 19 to 21)


I can only imagine oh God my Father if those talents were human souls, the joy in heaven would be greater. You also gave us a number of talents which could be the souls of our family members, friends and even co-workers, or even people whom You would like to save by using us as an instrument. Amen.  I can only imagine Your face when You see us in heaven with a chain of people tied to us, ranging from those of our closest circles to many more!



22. And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see I have made two more talents.' 23. His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 22 to 23)


Oh, Jesus even though we may not be as talented, or skilled as much as others we still can serve, You and proclaim Your message with our way of life and with those precious gifts that You gave us which among many are the gifts of love, faith and forgiveness and relationship in the Holy Spirit. Amen.


24. Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25. so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 24 to 25)



Oh God when You give Your talents You give them according to our abilities. When giving the single talent to the servant, You were aware that he could only cope with that single task, however for some reason at times we do not believe in ourselves and choose not to make



26. But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 26 to 27)


Oh God, my Father it is as if You are telling us why do you waste the time I lent You on earth in doing trivial things that go against my will instead of investing in those areas where we can grow and benefit spiritually instead of only on a material level.



28. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with ten talents. 29. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,'


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 28 to 30)


Oh God if there is one thing that You do not like is a waste of talents or gifts that You give us. I thank You God for all the gifts that You have given me, this blog, computer skills and many others, but that which I thank You for is our relationship of love Amen.



31. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33. and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35. for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36. I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37. Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38. And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39. And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40. And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 31 to 40) 





Oh, my God and Father in Your eyes none of our acts are a waste of time. Even the tiniest good deed will not go unnoticed by You. Even though we may consider our day to day acts as being insignificant especially when compared to that of holy people, or missionaries or martyrs and saints, we are to rest assured that even our simple acts are of great value in God's eyes. On reflecting the tasks that You mentioned my God need not a high or extraordinary, level of intelligence to be achieved. They are so simple that even a child can do them. Our God is aware of our skills and shortcomings and does not expect us to perform superhuman efforts. Amen.



41. Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42. for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44. Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45. Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 verses 41 to 45)




Oh, Jesus, You love us so much that You gave us a checklist of good deeds to follow. On reflecting oh God we can add to this long list which becomes never ending. I pray that we never miss out in being a helping hand towards others, because when doing so we are being of help to You my God. Amen



Oh Jesus Son of God and also God, I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-



I would like to thank You for all the talents gifts and skills that You give us each according to our ability. I also thank You for our brains a perfect machine that can be used in order to perform all that You will it to do and be in Your name. I pray oh Jesus that we use these gifts to help others and not keep them for ourselves. I also pray that we become more like You and make no discrimination when being of help to other. Give us a strong sense of generosity and a strong will of being humble and of service to others especially during moments of need. Amen .



                                                                 Thank You, Jesus

The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 24

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

24

1. As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point to him the buildings of the temple. 2. Then he asked them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 1 to 2)

Oh Jesus what a big difference in how we view the world and all its glory. What we perceive as being beautiful is not so when compared to the beauty of heaven. As humans we can only compare a human sight or object with another of the world, but not with a heavenly scene or object. The closest that we can get is by using nature as a means of comparison which is the  slight reflection of Your beauty.  Moreover, the biggest difference between the beauty of the world to that of heaven is that all world beauty will one day come to an end, but Your beauty and that of heaven is never ending.


3. When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verse 3)


For some reason oh Jesus this has been a major issue for everyone on earth. Everybody is so concerned about when the end will come especially those who do not believe in You. For those who believe in You this day is to be one of joy and happiness that we long for and not one of fear.


4. Jesus answered them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. 5. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah!' and they will lead many astray.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 4 to 5)


Oh Jesus although You did not give us, a particular date or hour, You have given indications of signs that we can be on alert for. It seems that there will be a time when many will try to convince us that they are You but in truth they will not be genuine. The aim of such people is simply that of hindering us in our spiritual life.


6. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places; 8. all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 6 to 8)


According to You oh Jesus another sign marking the end of times as we know them is a world war along with episodes of famine and earthquakes. However as You warned us, we are not to be worried about these events because they are the unfolding of Your big "Master Plan" marking our "Universal Salvation" at the end of Times. Therefore God is in control of every detail and happening of our lives and we need not worry at all for all is in control. Amen


9. "Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. 


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verse 9)


Oh God during our times many have been burnt in cages, beheaded and tortured because of Your name. Even though we may have not yet reached this level of testimony, we are to always be prepared to give witness to Your Holy Name.


10. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 10 to 12)


Oh, Jesus my God and Father I feel, that we are already in this state of lawlessness. Everyday crime seems to be on the increase. There have been many crimes of murder reported. Driving on our roads has become so callous, that the six to seven minutes drive from my home to where I work has become a daily trauma. Traffic signs, speed cameras and lights are constantly being abused at the risk of life. It is as if we no longer have respect, to the law, to You, to ourselves and moreover for each other. If this is what we call a Christian, Roman Catholic or at large a human environment there is something wrong, for we have become totally self-centered. Our life has become so tense and on the edge, that even if one looks a person in the eyes for more than a few seconds one is at risk of making the other person angry or aggressive.


13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 13 to 14)


Oh God I pray that I persevere throughout the challenges of my life. I pray that You give me patience to endure the trials of life without feelings of anger and rebellion Amen.


Another of the signs that You mentioned oh Jesus is that Your message would have been spread throughout the whole world. There would be nobody who has the excuse of saying that they have had not heard of You or Your message. Therefore, the choice is purely of the world, in order to choose whether to believe or not.


In order to have an overview of the statistics of those countries and nations who actually believe in God according to statistics please click on the following link: - Statistics of people believing in God


15. "So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16. then those in Judea must flee to the mountains;  17. the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; 18. the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 19. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 20. Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. 21. For that time, there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 15 to 22)


Oh God it seems that another indicator of the end of times, is that of a pagan image standing in the place of Your presence. However still the end is not yet imminent for You also speak of people being taken away by Your Holy Spirit.It seems that only the earth and its negativity will be destroyed, and that the final battle will be Yours against the forces of evil.


Oh God if only that day was today. I would be overjoyed at the news that finally I will be reunited with You forever!


23. Then if anyone say to you, 'Look! Here is the Messiah!' or 'There he is!-do not believe it. 24. For false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible even the elect. 25. Take note, I have told you beforehand. 26. So, if they say to you, '/look! He is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look! He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 23 to 27)


Oh God when I see the way we treat politicians I feel disgusted. In the eyes of their followers they become like Gods. You can see it in their eyes and faces, how much they adore these human beings. It is revolting. I pray that we be constantly aware of such people, for although they do not claim to be Gods the image that they project is very similar.


28. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verse 28)


Oh Jesus although I lack the understanding of what You mean by this verse, however, what I feel You are telling me is that when a person dies, the relatives all come for their share. However when You dies You left us freely the greatest inheritance of all. The evil spirits who know that they cannot benefit from this inheritance do their utmost to hinder us from inheriting our share, that is our place in heaven in Your presence forever.


29. "Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verse 29)


How horrifying it would be oh God to witness such a situation, however if this is Your will for the world so shall it be. I pray that will already be dead before such event will take place.


30. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. 31.And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 30 to 31)


Oh Jesus, I pray that when your angels come to gather your elect or chosen ones, we will be all worthy of being counted among the chosen ones which means the universal salvation of our souls and the final destruction of evil.



32. "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34. Truly I tell you that this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 35. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 32 to 35)


Oh Jesus, as much as we observe, the laws of nature we are also to be aware of these signs that lead to the end of time as we know it. Moreover, as much as we are accustomed to social norms and even the penalties for their infringements or violations, we are also to remain aware of the messages found in the Bible, which are the messages of honest "Good News".



36. But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37.For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39. and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 36 to 39)


In relation to the time of Your second and final visit, You did not give us the date and time. You only gave us the signs leading to the end. However until then we have our work laid out before us. The job You entrusted us with is the proclaiming and witness of Your  Message. Therefore, we are not to be passive listeners of Your message, but active participants in the listening and living off that message so that many will view our way of life-based on Your message and imitate it.



40. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day our Lord is coming. 43. But understand this if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 40 to 44)


Oh God, may it be that we all be prepared for Your second coming. May we all be eligible in Your selection process and be found worthy to be added in Your selection process. Amen.


45. "Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verse 45)


Oh God my Father, even though it is not right to address the God, as the slave, however in this contest You are like the wise slave in the sense that You cater for all our needs at the right time, neither before or after. Even though we may not always agree with Your timing, however coming from You who views the whole picture, and who is aware of all situations, the timing of our deliverance or change in  circumstances can be nothing but perfect. I thank You Jesus for intervening in our lives just at the right time chosen by Yourself. Amen.


46. Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 47. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 48. But if that wicked slave says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. 51. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24 verses 46 to 51)


Oh Jesus we will really and truly be blessed if we are found worthy to be counted among those who are found doing Your will, for it is easy for us to be found alienated in the ways of the world instead of in doing the things that You want us to do.



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-


I pray oh God, that when You come again, we are found ready and worthy to be welcomed into Your Holy Presence. I pray that You have mercy on us, for we truly do not know why we behave the way we do. Even though we wish to live according to Your ways, all the time we are harassed by our sinful self, and by the evil spirit who stops at nothing in order to turn us against You. Anoint and renew our world, consecrate it again with the power of the Holy Spirit for we are greatly in need of renewal in both mind, body and spirit. Amen. 


Thank You Jesus.

The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 23

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

23

1. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2. "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 3. therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 1 to 4)


Oh God this is a warning for all of us, whether we are laity, priests, lawmakers, or politicians or even parents or people such as myself who are praying on the Word of God. We are to pray to You my God not to mislead others by our way of life, by what we do think and even say, for without knowing our actions can both help and hinder other people's lives, especially those who without our being aware of it are looking up on us as being good people. I pray oh God that people reading these chapters will follow Your example, for I am only a human who is prone to sin. Anything that You reveal to me in a spirit of prayer I include in this blog, however the lesson and message is always primarily intended to teach and instruct me in my ways, and then for others who, may happen to be sinners like me.



5. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7. and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 5 to 7)


If we were to stop and think and make an inner observation of ourselves, we might find a reference to a particular sin or sins as found in verses 5 to 7. We can ask our selves regarding the intention of our action, if they are done for their own sake or to obtain social approval. Do we feel proud when we are noticed by people by our good points or achievements and feel better than others because we have a University degree or diploma?


8. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verse 8)


Oh Jesus You teach us that we are to adopt a humble attitude and never become proud, haughty, for we do not know it all, but are in a constant state of learning.


9. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-the one in heaven. 10. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 9 to 10)


Oh God my Father its been a long time since I acknowledged You as my one and only true Father. Apart from You I have no other Father, who is truly a loving kind and caring Father. My human father loved me so much that as a consequence of my having had a row on the telephone during which in a fit of anger I called him "Trash" he reported me to the police and wanted to take me to Court. This is the love and care given to me by a human father.



11. The greatest among you will be your servant. 12. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 11 to 12)


Oh God my Father it is better for us to be raised by others than to raise ourselves over others, or better to be raised by You than by the world that, many times promotes the unjust over those who rightfully merit to be promoted.


13. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verse 13 to 14 not given )


As Christians we are also to be careful not to be a stumbling block to others. We might be misguided about what  we believe in and might lead others in error and thus blocking their way to heaven instead of helping them. This verse makes me aware that as much as we strive to be proficient and excel re issues of the world, we cannot afford to be anything less than professionals.



15. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verse 15)



Oh Jesus it is the same with many people of power who influence the middle person so much that their subjects not only believe all they say but influence to speak and think likewise. This could be the case in many scenarios in many areas of life such as politics and even religion or belief. A case in point is the group ISIS which by means of its use and abuse of religious principles it has recruited many followers making them worse than themselves.



16. "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' 17. You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18. And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' 19. How blind you are! For which is greater the gift or the altar that makes the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20. So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21. and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22. and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 16 to 22)




Oh Jesus this is a fantastic argument which can be applied on many levels. There are among us many who reason that they believe in You but not in the Church. When applying the teachings found in verses 16 to 22 one can refute this argument by asking the following question. As Christians we believe that the head of Your body on earth is the Holy Spirit, the rest of the body of which we are a part of is the Church. A body without a head is worthless because it has no direction only an existence like a person who is bed ridden and unconscious. Therefore not to believe in either of the parts is not believing in the body as a whole. One simply cannot believe in the head and not in the body when both parts are needed to make the body whole. Therefore it stands that faith is an all or nothing issue that cannot be split into pieces in order to suit our needs.



23. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 23 to 24)



As parents or ministers or priests in the Church or other religion we are to evaluate our practices in order to see if we are being sticklers to the rules to an extreme and are missing out on the rule of love, which is the cornerstone of Your message that is found throughout the whole Bible. If we act out of the flesh alone, we may not act out of love. If we do not act out of love, our actions may be useless and without value for they may be simply a logical response to another act, without any feeling or emotion or any indication of doing so in order to obey and love God. Therefore we need to question the reasons behind our actions and analyze if what we are doing, the service we are giving is for Your glory or our reputation and social standing!



25. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26. You blind Pharisee! First clean inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 25 to 26)



Oh Jesus what we have in our hearts and mind, our innermost being also reflects our behviour during our interactions with others and also within ourselves. If we are not at peace internally this is shown by means of our verbal and non verbal behaviour which show our real self. It does not make sense to appear holy by means of our external actions in public and be sinful and corrupt when in private, for at some time or other the truth will be  revealed and all will be aware of our real self. Even though we may try to portray a false impression of ourselves our non verbals get the better of us for they are beyond our control. 



27. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. 28. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 27 to 28)



Oh Jesus this is also a warning for all of us, for the image that we project while in the presence of others does not always reflect our private self. During this time of relationship with You oh Jesus while meditating on Your Word, I realize or You help me to realize that when compared to Your teachings I am still far away from being called a 'good person', for my heart and mind at times are still worldly and not based on the teachings that You give me. AsI have discussed with You many times I am still works in progress, the clay in the hands of the potter that is You. I am on the potter's wheel and at times you shape my form to make it look worthy before You, However at times I hurt and rebel and fail to understand why You are shaping me and my life, in ways contrary to my will. However may Your will be done and not mine.



29. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30. and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' 31. Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 29 to 31)



Oh God as humans we have a tendency to use the if but reasoning, however according to the laws of probability if we lived in the same time of our ancestors we would have been a bi product of that society and we would have behaved likewise, therefore such reasoning is totally false and irrelevant.



32. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. 33. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 32 to 33)


Oh Jesus if only we could measure up to the holy people who existed such as Mother Theresa, Saint Frances of Assisi and many others of our times. If only we could consider them as sign posts to follow and imitate instead of a dart board on which to throw our destructive arrows of negative criticism.


34. Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 35. so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 23 verses 34 to 36)


Oh Jesus You go totally out of Your way to ensure our salvation both on a personal level and both as an earth. However if we persist on shedding blood of innocent people, or shaming people who do not deserve it by verbal and emotional abuse we are responsible for such actions. As much as You are warning the Pharisees and Scribes You are warning all of us, each in our own sphere and walk of life be it at work, home and or during our moments of leisure or pleasure.



37. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38. See your house is left to you desolate. 39. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

(Gospel of Matthew chapter 23 verses 37 to 39)



Oh Jerusalem oh Jesus can be each one of us. With our tongues we can easily kill each other as with a sharp dagger if we are not careful and loving in how we communicate with each other. I understand oh Jesus that You show love, care and pity for humanity and its condition. Many times You try to intervene in our lives but we are not always receptive, because many times we are alienated by the ways of the world.



Oh Jesus God and Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-



I pray oh Jesus that You free us from the seeds of hypocrisy, so that we will be able to live and behave as genuine Roman Catholics instead of a form of life that is only similar or tailored according to our needs and personal agendas. I pray for a new baptism of our hearts and minds so that both will be consecrated to do Your will Amen.


















































  

The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 22

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

  22

1. Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying; "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 1 to 3)

Oh Jesus You are still calling on us every day of our lives, to turn away from our ways of life and base our lives according to Your will. You love us so much, that You are always giving, so kind and generous and inviting. When we accept You in our lives, You never send us away or refuse us, even if we make mistakes and go against Your will. You are always ready to accept us back in a spirit of repentance.

4. Again he sent other slaves, saying, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.'

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verse 4)


Oh Jesus everything is ready the offering has been sacrificed, for our benefit You took on Yourself a very cruel passion in order to save our skins. Every day You call on us to repent from our sinful ways and come and have fellowship with You in whom we find rest for our soul and happiness for our entire life.


5. But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6. while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 5 to 7)


Oh God at times we tend to take You for granted and delay our salvation for another day, hoping that our death will never come. This is an illusory attitude but that is how we deal with each other as humans. We take risks hoping that that the situations will always be in our favour and never stop to consider the consequences of our actions. I agree oh God that this attitude is not a responsible one and that it hurts You to the heart, for You are more than aware of the consequences if we reject You from our lives. The evil one will move in to destroy our souls because we closed the door on You and opened the other to evil thus leading to our destruction of both body and soul.


8. Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.'

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 8 to 9)



Oh Jesus although you invite us every day to have fellowship with You we do not always accept Your invitation. One day oh Jesus You will turn on others such as protestants and make them Your chosen people and it will be all our fault, for by means of our behaviour we have rejected You in our lives.


10. Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verse 10)


Oh God how faithful You are. You do not reserve the opportunity of salvation for an elite group but offers salvation for all both good people and sinners.


11. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12. and he said to him, 'Friend how did you get in here without a wedding robe? And he was speechless. 13. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14. For many are called. but few are chosen."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 11 to 14)


Among the group of believers even the evil ones tend to try and enter by illicit means. Sorry to say even in the Church oh God there are both laity and priests who although are Roman Catholics still are not genuinely wearing the wedding robe. I ask for Your forgiveness oh God for at times I am also a hypocrite and do not always were the robe. Amen


15. Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verse 15)


Oh God how crooked and sinful are the ways of the world. You taught us to stick to the truth at all costs and this is my motto, even I am condemned by the world. When I was involved in a collision in the presence I said the whole truth, even though it is being used against me with the insurance firm. You taught us that our Yes is to be truly a Yes and likewise our No. This means that there is no occasion for ''but's and if or maybe, even if this means that we are to suffer the consequences of our actions. In Your Gospel You told us oh God to be as wise as the Serpent and and pure as the Dove.


16. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verse 16)


Oh God in order to try and trap You in Your words flattery was used as a means of impressing you and then they would ask You the fatal question that would be the means by which to find something on which to accuse You. I thank You oh God for raising this awareness of the use of flattery for negative intentions. We are always to be aware of people who might be flattering us in order to trap us.

17. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verse 17)


Indeed oh God such people make use of social issues  that are open in content and may have both a positive and even negative reply. Therefore when posing such question when answering in either way one could easily be thwarted by having a positive answer manipulated into a negative one. On reflecting it is lawful to pay taxes as in the times of the Roman Emperor, but now as in our cases that the pension age in Malta has increased to the age of 63, will we ever get our pension after such a long time of labour. As in other countries the pension age is already up to the age of 70. When considering that Malta has already an ageing population people will end up dying at the place of work and never reaping the fruit of their taxes.


On the other hand the pension is only one fraction of where the money that we pump into the system goes. Other portions of our taxes are invested in other sectors such as health, finance and even education. Therefore when paying taxes we are investing also in the future of our children and even their children. Therefore it is beneficial to pay our taxes. If the people of the time of Jesus did not pay their taxes to the Emperor, the whole nation would have been wiped out by the Romans.  On the other hand the Romans in turn were protecting the people from the invasion of other nations of their time as found in the archives of history. Therefore the issue of taxes was a two pronged question or even a double barrelled question in order to accuse You by what You would reply.


18. But Jesus aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19. Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. 20. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" 21. They answered, "The emperors's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's" 22. When they heard this they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses  18 to 22)


Oh Jesus how wise You are so much that with one example You refuted the argument of the evil ones who tried to entrap You with their arguments. They are no match for You. I pray that when confronted by similar circumstances I also stop and think and give a reply that is according to Your will, instead of venting out my emotions and becoming angry.

As a means of helping us to refute such arguments and defend the truth please click on the following link which gives us simple but important guidelines that are used in philosophy

How to refute arguments


23. The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, sayimg, 24. "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.' 23. Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. 26. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. 27. Last of all, the woman herself died. 28. In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them married her."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 23 to 28)


Oh Satan father of sin and evil doings, how base can you become. You send your spirits to harass us time and time again as in the case of Jesus. I pray oh Jesus that You bless us with Your wisdom by consecrating us again and again with the wisdom of Your Holy Spirit and give us the needed attitude and responses in the right circumstance of our life, especially when we face persecution and tribulation for who and what we believe in. That is our faith in You.


29. Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 30. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 29 to 30)


Oh God human reasoning is totally different from Your reasoning. We can only use human logic to arrive at certain conclusions but Your vision is wider than ours. You can perceive eternity, while we can only create an imaginary form by means of our imagination. Therefore our logic is not reliable and is subject to being refuted.


31. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is God not of the dead, but of the living." 33. And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 31 to 33)


Thank You oh God for being the God of the living because as a human I cannot live without You. I also proclaim that You are my God. When I am spiritually alive I am in Your presence, however when I am stained by my sin I feel as if I am dead and Your presence may not bet hat alive in me.


34. When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35. and one of them, a lawyer,  asked him a question to test him. 

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 34 to 35)


Oh God when the forces of evil sense Your presence they become  more aggressive and they increase the strength of their oppression.


36."Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 37. He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38. This is the greatest and first commandment.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 36 to 38)


Oh God loving You is the fulfilment of my life. I would really like to follow You with all my heart and all my mind but at times I tend to loose focus because my emotions get the better side of me and I end up being stressed and angry about situations that come about. Oh GOD I pray for the gift of self control so that I can be a better Christian and human and be worthy of being called as one of Your son. Amen.


39. And a second is like it; 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 39 to 40)


Oh Jesus this is perfectly true, if we do not love others we cannot have love for You, however it is also true that if we do not love ourselves in a healthy way that is not self-centred we still cannot manifest love for others.


41. Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question; 42. "What do you think of the Messiah?" Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." 43. He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him LORD, saying, 44. 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet"? 45. If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" 46. No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 22 verses 41 to 46)


Oh God my Father the knowledge and reasoning of the world cannot be compared to the infinite knowledge and wisdom given by Your Holy Spirit. Moreover as in the case of the Pharisees at times You ask us questions by means of situations, that rock the bottom of our foundations. One such question that You may ask us is "Who am I for You?". This may be followed by a second question: "Do you really love me more, than others and even more than yourself?. If we are not giving You oh God the first place in our lives, although we may seem to be doing well we may be in trouble both spiritual and even on a social level. We might be living in a state of chaos without our being aware of it, because our values might be displaced or not there at all any more. This is a great time to stop and think about our greatest issues in life. Amen.


I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:


Oh God I thank You for making me aware that every day I need to deal with my personal issues on many levels. The two most important questions that I truly and sincerely need to ask myself every day of my life are if I truly love You before any other person and with all my mind and all my heart. The second question is what role have You in my life a loving Father or a magician who makes my wishes come true. The third question is in whom do I really believe? The image of God that was given to me when I was a child, or has my faith in you matured to that of a grown up?

















  

The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 21

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

 21

1. When they  ha come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2. saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 1 to 3)

It could oh reader of this chapter from the gospel of Matthew that today God is calling you and me for a particular mission. In this world of sin and darkness at times oh God You choose some of us for a particular mission. When choosing the person You also give the person the necessary skills such as leading and riding donkeys, and also the needed resources as in the donkey and the colt in order to fulfil the goals of the task. On the other hand You also choose the appropriate timing to undertake the task. If God is calling you to fulfil a common or special task which does not need to mean a vocation for the priesthood say "Yes" to God and He will do the rest. In the case of the virgin Mary her 'Yes" was strong enough to persuade the angel Gabriel to rush back to heaven with the good news and then the ball started rolling.

4. This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 5. "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 4 to 5)


Oh Jesus as the Pharaoh of Egypt said "So it shall be written and so shall it be done!, even in Your case, all that is written had to take place, even that found in the book of revelations that is future oriented this also needs to be fulfilled before Your last visit. Even though the message in this book is not crystal clear still what is written has been written because in time it will be fulfilled. Therefore we are not to take one letter of the bible lightly because it is a drop from Your infinite fountain of knowledge.


6. The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7. they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them and he sat on them.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 6 to 7)


Oh what a sight for sore eyes, the Son of God sitting on a donkey on his way to Jerusalem. Oh how humble can You be my Jesus. You could have chosen the best of carriages driven by angels, but no in all humility and simplicity You chose the donkey and a colt. If this had to happen during our times, You would have chosen a mini minor instead of a Lamborghini, Ferrari or maybe a Limousine. Oh Jesus I pray that You help us to imitate You in Your humility.


8. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 8 to 9)


Oh Jesus what a bunch of hypocrites, You have as Your followers. I am sorry to say that with the same tongue that we bless and worship, we also ridicule Your name and Your Church.  I beg You to forgive us oh Son of God the most High for we really truly do not know what we mean or say. We are alienated and blinded by the ways of the world, so much that our will and brains have become corrupted by sin and the sinful ways of the world.


10.When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "who is this?" 11. The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verse 10 to 11)


Oh Jesus although the people of Jerusalem had been familiar with Your name, they were still in a state of panic. On seeing You in a state of humility they could not picture You as the Son of David riding on a mule, because in their minds nobility were mounted on horses and chariots as in the case of the Roman Emperor. The proud are muddled by the humble. They live in a world where only the best is accepted and nothing that is second or third best. In our world even potatoes are passed through a grading process and the inferior are thrown away and discarded. In practise we do the same among each other, we praise those who are high and mighty and discriminate against others whom we consider as being inferior to us.


12. Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13. He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer': but you are making it a den of robbers."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 12 to 13)


In a matter of seconds oh Jesus You created chaos in the temple. You could not stand the lack of respect shown to Your temple which was to be a place of worship and not a means to earn money. When we go to Church we are to show respect to You and Your presence and not to use Your house as a meeting place or an opportunity to have a chat with whoever is sitting next to me.

In order to picture how hurt You were during such a situation I invite the reader of this chapter to click on the following link:-

Jesus In the temple


14. The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. 15. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became angry. 16 and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself?" 17. He left them, went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 14 to 17)



Although the people saw You in such a state of anger, they were not afraid of You because they new the other side of You meaning love, mercy and healing. Even though the chief priests and scribes became angry they could not stop children from giving You worship, for even if we Roman Catholics stop giving You worship, You can enable nature as in walls and creatures to give You praise and worship.

18. In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. 19. And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again! And the fig tree withered at one.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 18 to 19)


If you oh fig tree could not serve your master what is the use of your existence? If as humans we are not willing to bear good fruit or service to God and others we are wasting precious time and that is a great sin.

20. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" 31. Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. 22. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith you will receive."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 20 to 22)


Oh Jesus today You have taught me a very important lesson. This is the reason why certain things or prayers have not been answered in my life. This is because when I prayed I did not do so in a spirit of faith, but in one of doubt or lack of complete faith and trust in You. While on this subject of true faith I invite you to click on the following link:-

Faith and not fear


23. When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" 24. Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?"

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 23 to 25)


Oh Jesus we have arrived at a point in our lives when we remove our diapers as Roman Catholics and Christians and even people of other religions and question our basic roots not to doubt them, but to test if we really are aware of what and whom we believe, or if we have twisted the truth of Your Word and the teachings that You gave to Your Church in order to fit and justify or needs and decisions. At times we may act rationally and even give colours such as white and black to lies in order to justify them, however our twisted logic still does not justify a lie or a corrupted version of Your teachings. We are choosing parts of Your teachings in which to believe and are discarding the most challenging issues as did the chief priests and elders of Your time.


26. But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verse 26)


Oh Jesus at time  I reflect over my reasons for being a Roman Catholic and then You remind me by means of Your word by giving me such a verse, that puts me back on track. I am a Roman Catholic because although I am a sinner You care and have personal interest in me. You love me like never before. Nobody loves me like You do and as much as You do. Some are in the Roman Catholic Church because they are afraid that people will consider them as being outcasts and removed them from their circles. There are some of us who choose to invest in brandish items such as cars or cell phones in order to be accepted by others. However oh Jesus You were not afraid of the crowd. You stood up for what and whom You believed in even this was to lead to Your crucifixion.


I pray oh Jesus that You make me worthy of accepting the cross of persecution for Your name even if this requires requires physical harm or even death for Your name.


27. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verse 27)


In order to avoid answering Your question the chief priests and the elders chose to take the stand of ignorance. At times we choose to opt out of facing the reality and consequences of sins that we had done on the premise that we had no knowledge of such a thing or situation. However according to human standards we might get away with it, but I believe that there will come the time when we will all appear before You and then there will be no buts and excuses. My prayer oh God is that You give me and others the opportunity of not leaving this world empty handed without having ever been of help to others in assisting  in one's daily needs. I pray that we never waste the time that You have lent us as humans on this earth.


28. "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29. He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 28 to 29)


Oh Jesus at times I also do like one of the two sons. You tell me many things by means of the messages that You give me each day, however at first I stop and think and then when considering that Your will and not mine is to be done I humbly obey. Although You are showing me that I am not fit to go back to the world of social work for which I have a strong craving and wish to go to, I still keep on hoping that one day You change Your mind and I still visited a site to ask if they were in need of vacancies.


30. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go sir; but he did not go. 31. Which of the two did the will of of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.  32. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 30 to 32)


The two sons in the parable oh Jesus seem to portray two kinds of people. The first category are the rebellious type who do not accept Your will willingly however after reflecting they realize that You are the only true way to follow in life. A typical example is St. Augustine of Hippo and St Paul who both spent a long time saying no before they in the end said their big yes.


The second category are those of us who are born and bred as Roman Catholics. From the first day of our lives we may be made sick with Your teachings! We may be bombarded by culture and spirituality to believe in You, however if we are not touched by You our Yes may only be lip service and no fruit will ever come from us.


Oh Jesus I humbly confess that I was one of those constipated people, until the day that You touched my heart and relieved me of my symptoms and only then did I become a convinced Roman Catholic. All the things, doctrines and Catechism classes that you had fed me started making sense, because now I had with your help made the great leap of being informed about You to having experienced You in my life on a personal and intimate level. Even though I am still a sinner and those of my inner circles can testify to that our relationship in time has greatly improved, however I am still works in progress and not yet a finished product. Therefore I pray for forgiveness of all whom I interact with for I still have my shortcomings, however You oh God are helping me every day of my life and one day we will reach the goal of holiness as You commanded us to be. Amen.


33. "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' 39. So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 33 to 39)


On reflecting oh Jesus it all happened as mentioned in this parable and the history is still repeating itself. When You chose Adam and Eve the human race and especially Your chosen people that through descent we make a part of, You planted the vineyard. During the course of time as according to Your will, the chosen people were led by Your servants Abraham Moses and their descendants. However throughout the course of time, as humans we rebelled and became corrupted by our sins thus leading to a state of personal, and national exile. In order to bring us out of our Egypt, You sent significant people who were to be as prophets to us. These could be teachers, friends and even members of our families or even extended families. However we did not always respond to Your plea, by means of such people to change our ways. On the contrary, we may have ridiculed or broke up our relations with such people, as in the case of the prophets and Your chosen people. Some of the prophets were beaten, and others even killed. Finally You decided to send us Your only son, who was to take the burden of the sins of the world. However even though years have passed, we are still rejecting You in favour of the corrupt ways of the world, without considering that one day we will have to face the music and be accountable for all of our sins and Your rejection from our lives.

I pray oh Jesus that on Your second visit You will find the world in a better state not in a state of alienation and avaricious mentality as we are now experiencing while many others are dying of poverty and suffering the consequences of wars that they had no part of.



40. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41. They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 40 to 41)


Oh God I feel that verses 40 to 41 is a warning to all Roman Catholics that we should take very seriously. Throughout the course of history the chosen people who did not accept You as the Son of God and God lost their claim as the chosen people. Therefore the New Body of Christ or chosen people are the Roman Catholics of the New Testament. However if we do not obey Your will, this title can easily be transferred by You to the Protestants and their offshoots who proclaim Your name more strongly and have a stronger faith than us Roman Catholics. These groups or offshoots of the Roman Catholic Church are not afraid to proclaim Your name. They have street preachers, ministries which are very active as in the case of Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer among others, who are bearing many fruit and have many followers!


42. Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures; "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing to our eyes'?

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verse 42)


Oh Jesus at times we choose what to cite from Your Gospel that fits according to our argument in order to sustain it and negate the rest which makes us aware of our sins and weakness. However the truth will always be the truth and nobody can ever deny it. Amen.


43. Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verse 43)


Oh God this would be the most tragic of all events if the kingdom of God was to be ever taken away from us, not that we deserve it, for as sinners we only deserve the eternal fires of hell, however even though we do not deserve it we cannot live without You Amen.


44. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." 45. When the chief and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 21 verses 44 to 45)


Oh Jesus indeed You are the rock of my salvation. Moreover those who seek You find refuge, love and care, however, those who are against You will experience much tribulation for they are waging war against their own source of life which may result negatively on them. I pray that we all find a loving supportive Father in You and not a means of opposition or oppression.


Oh God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-

I pray oh God, that we always find our love, care and refuge in You and in Your Holy Word as found in the Bible and not according to the sinful ways of the world. I pray that when the last trumpet of our lives blows that marks the end of our lives we will be on Your side and not on the side that leads to our destruction. I would like to share with you this song which I invite you to sing to:-


Song When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound


 Amen I wish a Happy and Blessed Christmas to all the people of the world especially those who seek to live according to the will of God Amen.