Breaking the Word

5^th Week in Ord. Time, Monday – 6^th February 2023 — Gospel: Genesis 1,1-19

A Call to Relate with Author of Life

The first reading takes us back to the beginning, where God creates order from chaos and begins the process of preparing for the climax of creation. God has created life, not because God needed anything, but because God wanted to share the divine awesomeness with creation, particularly with creatures who could appreciate the wondrous deeds of God. Scientists constantly look to find order in nature, but some fail to realize that if there is order, that order had to be designed by a great Designer. The law of entropy states that nature on its own will degenerate and get worse, not develop and enhance itself.  Yet the fact is, that there is so much order in nature cries out for a planner, who thought out the whole process. It is marvelous to see how nature is so orderly that it led science to discover rules and designs of nature. Creation and all the laws of nature are signs of God’s love for mortals. God is as much in love with  human beings as when God created the world. It is God’s desire that the mortals must establish a relationship with the divine author of life. We need to keep our eyes open for the power flowing from that love, a sign of God’s hand reaching out and touching each one’s lives.

4^th Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 04^th February 2023 — Gospel: Mark 6,30-34

Invitation to the Desert

Jesus invited his disciples to a deserted place and rest a while. In the desert, we can have a sense of ourselves again. No noise besides our noise and the wind, no presence besides our presence, no company besides the plants and animals. In the desert, there is no peace if our heart has no peace. There is only fear in the desert if our hearts live in fear. In the desert, we need to free ourselves from the grips of anxiety, fear, and endless movement. The desert is not an isolated place in itself, rather it functions as a way in and out of ourselves. The desert is a place of awareness, where we come to know ourselves and what we do in the world. Pascal wrote, “The sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.” Jesus allowed the crowds to surround him and draw comfort from him; but to refresh his own strength he deserted the crowds and retreated to be alone in communion with his heavenly Father.