A thought:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man". That is a strange statement. But if we think a moment about it a Kingdom without King -or Queen- is not a Kingdom at all. Everything in a realm like this is based on the one person that constitutes a Kingdo: the King.

Isaiah tells us about the qualities of this King: He has to be righteous and just. His presence is shelter and strength in a world that of confusing situations. The ones that orientate themselves to His example will not be fooled by appearances and be able to call things by their proper names. In company of this King "foolishness" will become apparent. He himself is patient, He knows the season of harvest He knows that "from the fruits" one shall know the thorns from his wheat. It will be obvious what is his seed and what that of the enemy. What is by nature His and what is born of of evil.

Like in Isaia the Gospel tells us that the believers who are orientating toward the Lord will receive the gift of discernment. I say "believers", because it is a gift that is given certainly to many individuals but it blossoms specially to the community of believers, the Church. Because of this special gift to the community it is good for our healthy judgement to seek company of believers. Psychologists say that smalltalk is a very important tool for judgement. So even in smalltalk we should seek partners that strive to live a just life. Because these relaxing hours are also hours of reflection about what happened during the day or the week. Having around oneself solid partners in this reflection adjusts the proper view to the essential. It helps us to focus. It might even help us to focus on the King.

St. Paul is clear who this King is: Jesus Christ. And, as I said to chose the partner here on earth St. Paul asks you through his example to seek closeness to the Lord, not in a jealous way, but in a joyful trustful way.

Today we are somehow afraid of this close relationship with the divine. Because it implies to become martyr. But martyrs today blow themselves up in marked places full of innocent people. These martyrs however are only testimony to their proper hopelessness and their unbelief in God's power and God's design.

The martyrs of the kind of St. Paul, but also of men like al-Hallaj in Islam, are an other case they die alone often despised from all if not from a few disciples. And they die knowing that their lonely death will be way-mark for believers for the centuries to come. How do they know? Because they are bidden by the Lord to follow him. And He is not wasting lifes. This kind of martyrs does not judge in the contrary they die with a intercession for their murders on their lips. And they all receive the gift of discernment. In fact it is their capacity to call things by their proper names trough their relationship with God that makes them martyrs or confessors.

Asking for this charisma and seeking it, transforms a member of the Church into one of the disciples of Christ who followes Him through Palestine.

Mass:

First Reading

Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice.

² A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, And a cover from the tempest, As rivers of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

³ The eyes of those who see will not be dim, And the ears of those who hear will listen.

⁴ Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

⁵ The foolish person will no longer be called generous, Nor the miser said to be bountiful;

⁶ For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the LORD, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

⁷ Also the schemes of the schemer are evil; He devises wicked plans To destroy the poor with lying words, Even when the needy speaks justice.

⁸ But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand.

(Isa 32:1-8 NKJ)

Second Reading

¹² But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

¹³ so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

¹⁴ and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will:

¹⁶ The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;

¹⁷ but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

¹⁹ For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

(Phi 1:12-21 NKJ)

The Gospel

²⁴ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

²⁵ "but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

²⁶ "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

²⁷ "So the servants of the owner came and said to him,`Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'

²⁸ "He said to them,`An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him,`Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'

²⁹ "But he said,`No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

³⁰ `Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

(Mat 13:24-30 NKJ)

Program of the week

Holy Mass

St. Josephs Church:

Monday at 16:00

From Tuesday to Thursday at 17:00

Friday: Heart Jesus Prayer and Mass 8:00

Mass for the Foreign community in English 10:00

Sunday 17:30

Virgin Mary Church (Mariyam al-Aadhra), Sabunkaran:

Sunday 8:00

Allways verify for the actual times with Father Eiman (0770 1301034)
or Brother Jens (0771 4618020)