We are the keepers of our brothers and sisters

We are the keepers of our brothers and sisters

By REV. FR. SAMUEL FREDERICK

Gen. 4:1-15.25, Mk 8:11-13. Today's first reading recounts the story of two brothers, in which one killed the other. Along with this primordial sin comes the impulse to evade responsibi­lity. God asks Cain, “Where is your brother, Abel?” Cain, conscious of his guilt replies, “I don’t know; am I my brother’s keeper?” Perhaps the seeds of his crime lay in that innocent-sounding question. The blood of so many victims cries to God from the ground, victims not necessarily by our conscious intent, but by our indifference, our failure even to recognise that they are our brothers and sisters. 

In contrast, Jesus shows His exasperation with those who want to trick Him with sign. The sign that Jesus brought is for us to see His presence in our world. The Pharisees did not just want any sign, but one showing Jesus as the Messiah, was all they wanted. They were not waiting for the Messiah coming to save them, but for the Messiah who was to give them the certainty that they were doing things the right way. When we ask for a sign, what we are actually asking for, is for God to act according to our own way, that which we think is better and which also stands by our way of thinking. However, God, who is omniscient and omnipotent, has His own ways, which more often than not, we find it difficult to understand.

May the Lord inspire us to yearn for Him always, like the deer yearns for running streams, until our longing for eternal life is satisfied! Amen!! Good morning, have a productive week!!!

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