A sure ground to stand on

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 10th week in Ordinary time

June 9, 2021: 2 Corinthians 3: 4-11; Matthew 5: 17-19

What was celebrated good one day, is not considered good any more another day. What seems true today is soon proved a lie another day. A court finds one gravely guilty, a higher court acquits the same person as totally innocent! What is criticised one day, is identified as a norm another day. We are living in times of change! Can we base our life on facts as flimsy as these?

Even the covenant made with the people of the Old Testament is something that has become outdated with time, claims St. Paul in the first reading! Oh, what an alarming situation it is then! But he himself clarifies, that outdated covenant has been replaced with another covenant, that will never change or never expire - a covenant that is sealed forever by the blood of Christ! And Jesus give us another similar assurance.

Jesus refers to the only sure foundation we have: the foundation of rock, the foundation of the Word and the Holy Will of God. Nothing, not a dot, not a line shall go unfinished says Jesus. A sure foundation, an unfailing ground, a never expiring assurance, that comes in the person of Jesus, who reveals to us the true, One and Only God who is all love and goodness. In following the Lord, the Absolute love, the unconditional Good, we have a surity of peace, joy and love. When we go against what God is and what God expects from us, we have all the miseries we face in these days!

At times people place so much of confidence in persons who are around, that when they feel let down they feel as if the whole earth under their feet is giving way - just think of the famous 'break-ups', 'depressions', and other phenomenon people experience these days. We have nothing to assail us because we have a great wall of defence, a sure foundation in the Lord. 

Let us realise, we are standing on the promises of God, and that is a sure ground to stand on!

Differences, disputations and dialogues

WORD 2day: Saturday, 23rd week in Ordinary time

September 12, 2020: 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; Lk 6: 43-49

We live in a world of absolute pluralism today. Gone are those days when societies in Asia like India or many such were singled out for their pluralistic nature. Not just those, but almost every society, all over the world experiences a context and culture of pluralism. Everyone finds one's neighbour different - different in his or her creed or convictions or value systems. In this regard, there are those who appreciate this fact, and there are those who find it too difficult to manage - either due to its complexities or due to their own self centered motives. 

In such a situation, what should be a true Christian disposition? Can it be one of disputation, debate or delirious defense? The result would range from a kind of disrespectful cynicism to a hateful dissent. Are those fruits proper to a tree that is Christian? It if has to be called 'Christian', how can anything be its fruit other than love:  for by this they will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other.

If so, what would be the right disposition? Compromise? Relativism? An anything-is-ok mentality? No, Never, says St.Paul in today's first reading. Between Controversies and Compromise, there is something called Comprehension. That, that alone is the need of the hour today. An attitude of mature Dialogue.

What would be the use of talking so much about God as love and about Christ's teachings of a forgiving and forbearing love, if we do not begin to live it, wherever we are? Will we not be foolish builders, building our beach side castles? Let us form ourselves into solid buildings of enduring love and never failing faith, that we may teach the whole world the lifestyle of true love - that would consist of celebrating difference, handling disputations and growing towards genuine dialogue!

CELEBRATING THE GOD OF COMMUNION

An accompanying, relating and a self-giving God

June 7, 2020: Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

Exodus 34: 4b -6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13; John 3: 16-18

The feast of the Holy Trinity is an invitation to a life of communion, communion between persons, communion within the family, within the local church, in the universal Church and above all, an invitation to the ultimate and perfect communion with God! Communion defines what it means to be a Christian: and that is because we believe in a God of Communion!

Entering into the theology of the Holy Trinity will take us too far; but the verse from St. Paul in the second reading today (1 Cor 13:13), summarises it all. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Already in the early Church the understanding of God whom they believed in, the idea of the God whom Jesus introduced them to, the concept of the God who has been with them all this while, was clear and concrete. 

What we believe in, affects what we live. If not, we either do not really believe or we do not live our own life. If we really believe in the Holy Trinity as we should, we should be promoters of communion in our interpersonal relationships, in our family, in our faith communities and in the locality wherever we live, ultimately challenging the whole world to this communion of humanity. The divisive forces cannot really take the upper hand if each and every individual loves, longs for and promotes passionately this communion that the God we believe in stands for. 

The God of Communion is an Accompanying God. God accompanies not because we deserve that accompaniment, but because God takes responsibility over us, as God's people. Accompaniment is the crux of the covenant that God has made with God's people: you shall be my people and I shall be your God. In the first reading today, when Moses asks God to be with the people, it is exactly this covenant that is invoked. The Old Testament is filled with instances where the people concretely felt the accompaniment of a powerful and all providing God. They also realised what it means to go without being accompanied by God, not because God chose not to accompany but because they chose to move away from God. 

An accompanying God is the basis of the communion between God and humanity, and it is our belief that God has kept this possibility open right from the beginning. Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ - is the highest form of accompaniment that we have witnessed in history. As a continuity of the Old Testament experience, and as a fulfillment of it, the Lord deigned to come among us and walk amidst us, just like us in everything but sin. This is the greatest expression of accompaniment that we have witnessed and have benefited from.

The God of Communion is a Relating God. Communion is unreal, unless it is expressed and experienced through relationship. Relationship is constant communication, mutual dependence and forgiving acceptance. And God relates to us continuously, God communicates constantly, respects our liberty and waits for our response, forgives us unceasingly and accepts us unconditionally, wishing to remain in constant touch with us. Nothing matters more to God, than that the love that God has for us, however unworthy we prove ourselves to be.

A relating God, is the fundamental characteristic that we see in the Christian revelation. A relationship that is founded on God's love, a love that created us, a love that cares for us and a love that caresses us in spite of our imperfections. If we realise, respect and recognise the role of this relationship that God offers, it will necessarily be reflected in our day to day relationships with others: encourage each other; agree with each other; live in peace, exhorts St.Paul. This is in short the Love of God - and anyone who says he loves God and does not love his brother or sister, is a liar, warns St. James (1 Jn 4:20). 

The God of Communion is a Self-giving God. God is not merely almighty, God is all-loving and all-giving too! God gives and forgives, it is said; and we get and forget! For God so loved the world that God gave the only Son, Jesus Christ, that we may have life! For Christ so loved his brothers and sisters that he gave his own life, his body and blood, that we may have life! For the Spirit so loves us that the Spirit dwells in our hearts, in our bodies, in our selves! The God of communion seeks communion with us, and seeks communion among us. 

A Self-giving God gives because in giving God unites, brings together, binds and builds. The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit has to be seen in the gifts received and lived together. Last Sunday, we celebrated the feast of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that unites, the Spirit that gives us charisms to build up the community made up of the sons and daughters of God. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to think and act together, work and achieve together, forgive and accept each other. It is the indwelling Spirit that enables us to love, to manifest and share that love that God has filled us with.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity is the right corrective the world so divided and so threatened by hatred today. Killings, exploitations, discriminations, violence, malice, vengeance, corruption and manipulation are brass tacks manifestations of a lack of communion. Personal Integrity, Christian Fellowship and Universal Brotherhood are the three fundamental forms of communion that we need to work towards these days. Let us begin with our personal selves and reach wherever we reach, so that we can rightfully say that we believe in the God of Communion and that we stand for the Accompanying, Relating and  Self-giving God, the God of Communion, the Loving Father and Mother, the Life-giving Son and the Indwelling Spirit.

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen. 

SPIRIT UNITES

Principles of Unity: Communication, Conciliation and Christ

Solemnity of Pentecost: May 31, 2020

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23

We are people of the Spirit - that is the reminder we are given with today, the day when the Church was born! We are people of the Spirit - in contrast to the people of the world (if at all we can make that distinction). But being people of the Spirit is not merely a namesake understanding. Our life has to show that we are people of the Spirit. 

What does it mean to be people of the Spirit? The fruits and the gifts of the Spirit that we are well aware of, inspires in us a lifestyle that is ideal and an inspiration to everyone around. If we are truly the people of the Spirit, it has to be seen; seen in our daily life, our daily choices, in our very way of life. Infights, ego clashes, misunderstandings, jealousies, misgivings, hidden agenda, exploitation of persons, manipulation of vulnerabilities - these are signs of the lack of Spirit, or even a spirit that is against the Holy Spirit of God. The sad fact is that even some so-called spiritual people give into these deficiencies and that is a clear sign that they are 'spiritual people' only in their name and title. 

First and foremost, we need to understand that the Spirit inspires love; love inspires unity; unity is the fundamental mark of the people of God, the people of the Spirit. Let us have a look at the event of Pentecost that we celebrate today and that which is narrated in the first reading. The coming of the Spirit cause three movements: first the movement of the Spirit from within the apostles and disciples - they who were all absorbed in themselves go out of themselves and reach out to others; the second movement is beyond all limits - the limits of fear, the limits of ignorance, the limits of weakness, the limits of timidity; the third movement is the stirring all around - not just the apostles, every one who heard them speak were moved by the Spirit to understand the  message that was spoken! These are the very same movements that the Church and the world needs even today and the Spirit alone can  cause them, for the good of everyone, for the good of humanity, for the good of the universe! Today we need to feel moved from within from egocentricity towards benevolence. We need to move beyond limits that we set for ourselves, the limits of creed, colour, language and other communal polarisations, towards the feeling of One humanity. We badly need to feel the stirring from within to understand the obvious message that is written all around us in the events and experiences like poverty, disease, climate crisis, eco-imbalance, criminalities and violent terrorism, towards humanity, compassion and true love for each other. 

Apart from the traditional fruits and the gifts of the Spirit, there is a nature that the Spirit instills in those persons within whom the Spirit resides. This nature is the very essense of the Spirit: Oneness. The unity and love between God the Father and Mother and the Son of God, is the Spirit. Spirit is the communion! Spirit is Union of hearts! Spirit is the principle of Unity! And there are certain principles of unity that the Spirit ensures in a Spirit-filled person. 

The first of those principles of unity is Communication. Simple blocks in communication among persons are the primary cause of big unresolved issues. Husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters, kith and kin, friends and neighbours - when communication stops, understanding disappears. Communication stops due to blocks like prejudice, taking the other for granted and ego trips. Even when one talks, the other doesn't really understand because the other is listening from his or her own prejudice or pre-understanding. When each one hears only what one wants to hear, there is either lack of communication or gross miscommunication!

Spirit enables communication - which is fundamentally and literally, 'making something common' or 'rendering something common to'. Communication means that some thing that has been known to me, I make it common between you and me, which means you and I share a common space from where we are able to understand each other, speak to the other and listen from the other, without creating any blocks or transformers in between us. The Spirit makes us communicate - I and the Father are One said Jesus, and said, the Advocate that the Father sends will receive everything from me and make it known to you! The Spirit makes us communicate, that we are able to find that common space between us where we are able to see what the other sees, hear what the other says, and feel what the other feels.

Conciliation is an important principle of unity. We are human persons, each with our own limitations and weaknesses. We cannot avoid misunderstandings and misgivings, little or grave, but what is detrimental here is, not being ready to find a way out of these misunderstandings and misgivings. A truly Spirit-filled will take the initiative of reconciling with the other. He or she will not look for reasons to blame the other or excuses to prolong the stand off. The Spirit-filled persons will find ready reasons to reconcile, to rebuild relationships and build up the Body of Christ. 

Look at the recent events in the world scenario - the whole world is reeling under the pandemic and there are those who are waiting, striving and fighting hard to pin the blame on someone and call for a 'retaliation'! Blaming the other, calling names, fiery talks, unfounded accusations, underground instigations: these will take us nowhere! When shall we understand this? Are they truly Spirit-filled persons who spit fire and cry vengeance? Pope Francis, unfortunately right from the beginning of his Papacy, has had to confront already so many moments of crisis and standoffs among world leaders and international powers. Every time, he has insisted with the leaders 'to be responsible, to be promoters of peace and not war'! That is the sign of a truly Spirit filled person.

Christ is the invincible principle of unity. The Spirit unites us in the Lord. We become One, one in the Lord, one body of Christ and this is possible only through the Spirit. This oneness has to be felt at all levels and it is a sheer gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us begin with the personal oneness - the oneness that is seen within a person; where words and actions are one; where hidden thoughts and outward speech are one; where inner convictions and external expressions are one! Another level is interpersonal oneness - the oneness of hearts and minds among persons in relationship; families, spouses, friends, communities etc. The next level is the communitarian oneness - the oneness of the people of God; feeling compassion for the other, respecting and being open to the other even though he or she is different from me, and has convictions and beliefs different from mine. 

Believing in Christ, has to unite us not divide us. As St. Paul would complain, do not say, I belong to Paul, I belong to Apollos or I belong to Cephas...saying thus you are dividing the Lord. Today the factions that we have among the believers and the way one group vies with the other to increase their numbers or prove their strength is an outright counter witness to the One Lord and that is why, a divided church is the greatest scandal in the world. If we truly believe in  One Lord and pledge our allegiance to that One Lord, where does the division and fight come from? 

A true sign of a Spirit filled persons is the person's longing for unity and his or her concrete initiatives towards unity. Are we truly persons of the Spirit? Then let it be seen in our oneness of heart and mind, in our love and compassion for the other, in our respect and loving coexistence with the others, who are different from ourselves! May the Spirit unite us among us and unite us with God, the Father and Christ, the Son and Saviour. 

WORD 2day: 11th July, 2014

God with us!

Hos 14: 2-10; Mt 10: 16-23

"Straight are the paths of the Lord"(Hos 14:10), declares prophet Hosea today. Straight, and therefore tough. Straight and therefore no compromises. Straight and therefore no confusions! Everyone knows the ways of the Lord; everyone knows what is acceptable to the Lord and what is not; it is made known by the Lord to every human person in their innermost self.

The words of Jesus in the Gospel are quite frightening as we find Jesus trying to warn us against being good, against choosing the ways of the Lord and being God's disciples or apostles of the Word. He does not promise any prospects, instead persecution. He does not announce any offers, instead oppression. He says it very clearly that we will have to suffer for his sake, for the sake of the Word and for the sake of the Reign of God.

But there is one things that he assures: the consolation of the Lord, the consoling and affirming presence of the Lord with us. Because what we have chosen is the way of the Lord, we are sure to find the Lord present with us all the way. The way might be filled with pitfalls and climbs and hurdles and thorns and thistles... but we are sure amidst all these, the Lord walks with us, speaks on our behalf and acts in and through us. What a mighty consolation we have: God with us!

THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL

The first Apostolic Exhortation from Pope Francis: EVANGELII GAUDIUM

Pope Francis presents to the Church the reflections on the basis of the Synod held last year on the theme of New Evangelisation. At an immediate glance this exhortation is the key note address of his papacy... as we know by now in his first 258 days (until today)... the oft repeated sentiments are - never losing Hope, total trust in the Mercy of God, never ending Forgiveness of God, going to the Peripheries in search of the last, least and the lost... these are all joyful presentation of the Gospel... the Holy Father emanates the same joy in the exhortation, inspite of taking stock of all the problems and crises that do exist!

The letter beckons our reading, as it comes from the heart of some one who has already won the hearts of such a vast number of persons in the world..specially his children in faith. Let us pay heed to the words of this shepherd and unravel in our lives the secret treasures that are in store for us, in living and proclaiming the Gospel in our daily lives!

Will soon post summaries of the chapters..one by one...

and for now, 

READ THE DOCUMENT HERE: click on the link below.

THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL - Apostolic Exhortation from Pope Francis: EVANGELII GAUDIUM

The Scourge of the #hashtags and the Urge to be counted

In these days of ‘netmospheric supremacy’…where everything seems to be dominated by social network, with posts and comments, likes and shares, tweets and retweets, updates and whatsapps, there is a new phenomenon that is catching up! Communication, faster communication, instant communication…and now it is notable communication that matters! What am I rumbling about?

It is about #using #hashtags #everywhere in the #updates one wants to #add to his or her own #post or #wall or on #socialnetworking sites!

What are we looking at… a communication that is becoming more an end in itself! Communication is to communicate and not for its own sake! More than communicating what one wants to, the fact that one has communicated becomes more to be recognised, and something that cannot be left unnoticed. Going on a Facebook page or a twitter or other popular social networking sites, one notices today the invasion of the hash tags, right into the subject matter, which were once just used as merely tag keys at the end of a subject or the content. The scourge of this sign does not leave you even when what is being reported is a sensitive or a heart churning issue! Media reporting proves sans ethics when it seeks to increase its readership or TRP rating or likes or hits…even on an issue like a natural disaster or inhumanity against someone! And individuals follow suit, justifying and reifying the craze into a legitimate need to get noticed or get counted!

In a short time now, this will be already an accepted phenomenon…and I just want to record my annoyance before anyone finds it “too late”. Am I acting under an urge to be counted too?