The Vineyard Laborer

His Clothes Became Dazzling White Second Sunday of Lent February 25, 2018 Today is the second Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel reading is about the transfiguration. This is about Jesus who, together with three of his disciples, went up on a mountain, and there was transfigured in such an incredible way right before his disciples’ eyes. The gospel narrates:"his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.” Then as Jesus was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared to be speaking with him. This imagery of a radiant being on top of a mountain is similar to Israel’s description of how God appeared to them at Sinai. In the book of Exodus, the people described how they saw God this way : “the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on top of the mountain” (Exodus 24: 17). Since the people could not see the face of God but could only see the devouring fire that emanated from his face, they used the term “the glo...

                                               The Kingdom is at Hand First Sunday of Lent (Mk 1: 12 -15) Feb. 18, 2018 Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel reading tells us something about the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. But before he began his public ministry, Jesus spent some forty days in the desert.   Our understanding of the desert brings to mind the image of a dry, arid and vast wasteland that is desolate, lonely and isolated. But surprisingly, Jesus was not alone in the desert. He was driven there by the Spirit. He was tempted there by the devil. He was there in the midst of wild beasts and was ministered to by angels also there in the desert.   Quite a crowd in such an isolated place! ...

The Approaching Leper February 11, 2018 Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy ( Mk 1: 40 – 45) Today’s Gospel is about this leper who begs Jesus: “ If you wish, you can make me clean.” I have always been touched by this passage in quite an extraordinary way.   The leper was begging and not demanding Jesus to cure him. His request to be made clean was framed conditionally: “If you wish…” This somehow tells us that this leper was hoping to be cured but at the same time, was also open to the possibility of remaining a leper.   This meant that he was somehow resigned to remain a leper and be left as one. This resignation to live a life of complete seclusion due to leprosy somehow tells us that this man has become long used to this miserable life. Imagine a life where everyone practically avoids you. Or imagine a life where you are constantly being chased away whenever you come close to people!   It is this getting used to such a life of miser...