GET BACK TO GALILEE

Monday within the Easter Octave: 6th April, 2015

Acts 2: 14,22-33; Mt 28: 8-15

The conspiracy to malign the name of Jesus and his apostles had not stopped even after having had Jesus killed. Now after the resurrection, it gets more urgent and more intense, because the opponents were already feeling the mounting pressure. Jesus in his ever cool fashion tells his disciples to get back to Galilee- Galilee, where Jesus went about doing good, where Jesus was living and moving with them day in and day out, where Jesus was sharing their daily concerns and making them feel so cared for, loved and attended to.

The lesson for us is: at times of conspiracy, at times of troubles and uncertainties, what do we need to do? Let us get back to Galilee: let us get back to the wonderful experiences we have had with Jesus. Let us get back to the basic lessons we have learnt from Jesus. Let us get back to the fundamental values that Jesus has always been offering us.Thus we will never be disoriented and we will see a light that will pierce through the present cloud.

EASTER JOY FILLS OUR LIFE

Easter Sunday, 5th April, 2015

"If Christ were not raised from the dead, our faith would be in vain" declares St. Paul (1 Cor 15:14). The Risen Lord gives us three important messages to celebrate today. And we will do well to keep these in our minds this day and all through our life. It is an expression of our faith, a faith that is alive and active, a faith that is vibrant and vivifying.

Easter is all about LIFE. Life belongs to God. God has given us life and has a specific plan for us in our life. We live our life, keeping in mind the purpose that the Lord has specified for it. When Jesus lived his life in perfect sync with the One who sent him, God raised him up from the dead! It is thus that the Lord directs our life and its purposes and brings them all to a glorious end.

Easter is all about NEW LIFE. It is said that the greatest of all proofs for the Resurrection of Christ, is the radical transformation that was  found in the lives of the apostles. They were so transformed that they were looking like new persons, they had within them, a NEW LIFE.It is this new life that we are offered in this day as Christ rises to new life as the Saviour of Humankind.

Easter is all about LIFE TO THE FULL. I came that you may have life and have it in abundance! Life that Jesus brought us is a life to the full. In his rising he offers that life to each and everyone who claims it for oneself from the hands of the Risen Lord who stands blowing on us and greeting us: Shalom! Peace be with you! Easter challenges us towards this fullness of life, because everyday that we have is a gratuitous gift from God and our only responsiblity is to live it to the full, identifying and doing away with all that can take this life away from us. 

Behold Christ the Light; Thanks be to God!

THE SILENT SATURDAY

Saturday of the Holy Week: 4th April, 2015

The only day of the year when the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist. And the Holy Communion is not distributed this day, except in case of viaticum (or communion for the sick). It signifies the fact that Jesus is laid to rest in the tomb; we believe that he went down to the dead. 

The Silence of the tomb will soon be pierced by the bright light of resurrection, but the silence in itself has great Christian lessons to offer us.

The first of all lessons is Entreating the Lord with the capacity to wait on the Lord. To be patient and allow the Lord to take control of the situation, to commend our spirits into the hands of God and allow the Lord to take charge of our life.

The second lesson is Endurance. It is to remain with the confusions, problems and trials of our life without losing heart, until that day the seed sprouts to life, until that day when everything comes together to reveal God's presence and plan.

The third lesson is the call to Equanimity. In the Indian philosophy we know that samadhi is not a state of achieving something but a state of losing everything; it is a state of nothingness, a state where needs and expectations, likes and dislikes, affections and hatred...everything seems of no great importance. There is stillness that may initially make us restless, but will slowly lead us to serenity and the serenity will lead to an transformative encounter with the Risen Lord.

Let us venture into this silence! Today, why don't you check your capacity to be in silence and solitude?

NO GREATER LOVE

GOOD FRIDAY: 3rd April, 2015

At no one's death we will rejoice; but Christ's death gives us a reason to rejoice forever and limitlessly because it brings to the fore the abundance of love that God has for us. 

For God so loved the world that God gave God's only Son... a love that lays no conditions, has no expectations, never gets discouraged, never loses hope and never closes the wide open arms. 

God's love calls me, chooses me and challenges me... to love as he loved (Jn 13:34)! We hear the words of love from the cross. 

A love that  forgives (Lk 23:34)
A love that embraces everyone despite unworthiness (Lk 23:43)
A love that cares for the beloved (Jn 19:26)
A love that endures extreme anguish for our sake (Mk 15:34)
A love that thirsts for my love (Jn 19:28)
A love that accomplishes every bit of what God wills (Jn 19:30)
A love that invites us to surrender ourselves into the Father's hands (Lk 23:46)

LET US DARE TO LOVE, AS HE LOVED!

MEAL, MEMORY AND MANDATE

MAUNDY THURSDAY: 2nd April, 2015

We have some 3s to remember today...

     - Supper, Sacrifice and Service

     - Priesthood, Eucharist and Identity

     - Meal, Memory and Mandate

Supper that Jesus shared with the disciples as a sign of his love for them; the Sacrifice that was prefigured in the bread and the wine shared at table; and the Service for which Jesus gave his lived example!

Priesthood that Jesus personified and shared with his apostles; Eucharist that Jesus himself was, the symbol of self giving love; and the mark of Identity that Jesus offered - the love with which the world will identify us as Christ's disciples!

Meal, that shows the relationship that the disciples shared with Jesus; Memory, that Jesus wants to leave behind in his own body and blood; and the Mandate to love each other as Jesus loves us, with a love that is so unconditional, so unlimited and so selfless!

The last three that we can go home with today:

- thanksgiving in our hearts for all the bountiful gifts that the Lord keeps giving, specially through our priests; 

- determination in our will to remember the Lord in our daily struggles that call for sacrifices; and finally 

- a resolve in our minds to love everyone and keep no stock of the hurts and negative experiences we have received from others for no fault of ours. 

THE SPY WEDNESDAY

Wednesday of the Holy Week: 1st April, 2015

'One of the Twelve'...not necessarily just one of the twelve as the Gospel begins today, but almost all of them were proving traitors in there own turn. They were anywhere between mere onlookers and involved game players, when it came to the climax of Jesus' ministry: the passion and death! It begins of course, with Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve!

At times people say Judas just played a role that he had to! Let us not be carried away by that type of an interpretation, because Judas had the time and the freedom to choose otherwise. Jesus had given him ample chance to fall in line and think as Jesus would have it: in terms of God's will and not our own schemes!

Just today, I read a quote from the famous writer Paulo Coelho: a mistake repeated more than once is a decision. Out of our deliberate choice, out of our habit or out of a psuedo inability to decide otherwise, we make wrong choices sometimes and those choices are actually moments when we turn traitors!

As the letter to the Hebrews challenges us: are we ready to fight sin to the point of shedding our blood? (cf. Heb 12:4).

THE PREACHING TUESDAY

Tuesday of the Holy Week: 31st March, 2015

'Hear me', 'Listen' calls the first reading today. This day, Jesus spent with his disciples and all those who were following him into Jerusalem from far and near... He taught them not because they were going to transform themselves ultimately, not because they were deserving of all his kindness and concern for them. No, definitely not! He did know how weak their flesh was in spite of the spirit that yearned to be strong. 

Today the challenge to us is to weigh our spirit and our flesh, our daily life and its priorities, against the love of God. Jesus not only knows the persons who will be soon turning against him, but that does not stop him all the same from loving them, speaking to them and being compassionate about them.

How much quality time do you spend with people who genuinely care for you?

THE CLEANSING MONDAY

Monday of the Holy Week: 30th March, 2015

'Six days before the passover', begins the Gospel today. And today was the day when Jesus entered the Temple of Jerusalem, and chased out the merchants and the money changers, expressing his burning zeal for the house of the Lord! That was the climax of the clash between him and his enemies, they thought he has reached the blasting point and they wanted to contain him as soon as possible! But Jesus knew where it is all leading.

The Cleansing Monday, invites us to look at things that we need to cleanse our soul of. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and does it need a cleaning at present? Right note to begin this journey of the week... by cleansing and preparing ourselves for all the events!

FIND YOURSELF IN THE CROWD

PALM SUNDAY 2015: 29th March, 2015

Beginning a journey with the Lord

The day marks the beginning of a journey with the Lord: as a crowd of people, a crowd of people with so many mindsets...

There were those who were there to find fault with him and arrest him...

There were those who were there curious to see some spectacle of signs...

There were those who were there to see if what they heard about this man called Jesus was really true...

There were those who were there who did not have a clue as to what was happening, they were carried away by the crowd...

There were those who were there enjoying the fun of the crowd, and having a great time of festivity...

There were those who were there who had made it from far places, merely to see if they can catch a glimpse of Jesus whom they heard of...

There were those who were there who had followed him right from Galilee, who were unable to leave his side because of the personality that he was...

There were those who were there who were so involved in his teachings, who found his words too precious to be missed...

There were those who were there who were part of his life, they shared his everyday and shared his every dream...

There were those who were there who were concerned about him, aware of the impending danger, but still wanted to be there for him...

Now...take a look within..where do you find yourself in this crowd?

What is your mindset today... as we begin this week long journey with the Lord? It is going to be a trying journey, a journey of sorts, a journey which is going to be a real challenge! Where do you find yourself? 

THE WORD IN LENT -39

To gather into one

Fifth week in Lent: Saturday, 28th Mar, 2015

Ezek 37: 21-28; Jn 11: 45-56

Going around places these days with a team of people, putting up an hour long lenten programme, I consider it a moment of pride and never miss out on the opportunity of introducing the volunteer team, and of it a very special person in the team! The person is a brother in Christ from a Pentecostal Church! We have another person, in fact a pastor, from a mainline non catholic church. And our team is a Catholic organisation!

The readings today seem to give us a clue to understand the mission of the Son of God. As he himself announces, it is to gather into one all the dispersed children of God, dispersed geographically, spiritually, economically, politically and in every other way. Jesus seems to be the son of David, promised in all eternity to gather not merely the two nations (Judah and Israel), but all dispersed children of God into one. We are called to be agents of unity and harmony, uniting people in love and building a humanity that is joyful. If we are against such unity, even though merely in thought or merely in single instances, we are not in line with the mission of the Saviour. He would say, 'if you don't gather with me, you scatter!' (cf. Lk 11:23; Mt 12:30). How much am I ready to do, by way of bringing true peace, harmony and love, wherever I am?