Sunday, June 25, 2017

12th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 26-06-17

Genesis 12:1-9 / Matthew 7:1-5

Psalm 90:10 tells us that the days of our lives are 70 years, and 80 for those who are strong.

Practically speaking, when we reach 70 years, it would be a time to retire from a hectic lifestyle and spend our days in peace and enjoying a golden sunset.

At 75 years, we probably would not be thinking a moving out of our country and start a life somewhere else and probably have to start all over again. We just don't have that kind of energy.

In the 1st reading, we are told that Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran to a land that God was going to show him. 

We are also told that God made him a promise, he took his family and all his possessions, and stage by stage, the Lord appeared to him and told him what to do and where to go.

We would wonder if we had missed out something. We wonder why would Abram have done such a thing although we acknowledge that he is the father of our faith and he did the right thing.

But there are also many details that we do not know of and we can keep pondering what made Abram listen to God and trust in him.

In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching on judging others. The point of His teaching is that we do not know the details and hence to judge is to come to a conclusion without knowing the full details of the situation of a person.

Our life span may be 70 years or 80 years or more. Let us live out our lives with clarity and let us not make judgements about others when we do not know all the details. 

After all, we want to live our lives joyfully and peacefully with others.