Sunday, June 15, 2014

11th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 14-06-14

1 Kings 21:1-16 / Matthew 5:38-42

It is certainly good to have a focus in life and to be focused on whatever vision or mission we have embarked upon.

It will certainly keep us on track and and we won't get easily distracted from what we are supposed to be doing and from where we are supposed to be going.

So to be focused will certainly bring about results that we can be proud of.

But to be over-focused to the extent of being fixated will certainly cause problems for oneself and as well as for others.

That was what came over king Ahad. He was fixated on Naboth's vineyard and when Naboth refused to sell it to him, he was so affected by it that he was on the brink of depression.

And his scheming wife, Jezebel, manipulated his fixation and using his name, did something vicious and tragic.

So one man's fixation resulted in the tragic death of an innocent man.

And hence when we are fixated over taking revenge and settling scores and grinding axes, when we are fixated over an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, then we may be heading towards tragic consequences.

Rather, we should be focused on what Jesus taught in today's gospel - the spirituality of non-violence.

To be fixated on violence and revenge will only leave us blind and toothless.