WORD 2day: 12th June, 2017

Blessedness: Suffering or Consolation

Monday, 10th week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 1:1-7; Mt 5:1-12

Christian life is a call to living a life of love and communion. In a life of true love and communion - such as a loving couple, or a well bonded family, or a truly spiritual Religious community, or a well animated parish community - it is hard to find which is more blessed: suffering or consolation. That is what Paul expresses today. He says there are sufferings but they are not so abhorrent, because it comes from the Lord and is experienced for the sake of the Lord. There is a consolation that comes after that suffering which again comes from the Lord. Which is more blessed now - the consolation? or the suffering which was the cause of the consolation? It is altogether a different perspective. 

The perspective comes from the Beatitudes that Jesus taught those with him when he lived. It was a totally different perspective but a very true perspective. Beatitudes serve as a lasting guideline for us, to live our lives as true Christians. It is a call and a challenge - can we make it true in our personal, family and communitarian living?

CELEBRATING THE GOD OF COMMUNION

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity : 11th June, 2017

An Accompanying, Relating and Self-giving God
Exo 34: 4b -6, 8-9; 2 Cor 13: 11-13; Jn 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 the God 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 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. That is the covenant that God has made: 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. 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.

The God of Communion is a Relating God. Communion is unreal, unless through relationship. And God relates to us continuously, God communicates constantly and wishes to remain in constant touch with us. If we realise, respect and recognise the role of this relationship, it will be reflected in our day to day relatioships: encourage each other; agree with each other; live in peace, exhorts St.Paul. 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; 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. 

The Trinity is the right corrective the world so divided and so threatened by hatred today. Killings, exploitations, corruption and manipulation are painful manifestations of the lack of communion. Personal Intergrity, 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. 

WORD 2day: 10th June, 2017

Giving - not just giving - but a Spiritual Giving

Saturday, 9th week in Ordinary time

Tob 12: 1,5-15,20; Mk 12:38-44

To give is a virtue, but not all giving is a virtue! Only a Spiritual Giving can transform itself into a virtuous act. One can give with various disposition - it is that disposition that makes that giving a virtue or not. 

Giving for getting: this is business, where one is intent on the returns. One gives, little or a lot, that does not matter, but to get something. To get the profits or to get the glory or to take all the credit of having given. That giving, however good, cannot be a virtue.

Giving the given: this is gratitude, where one is thinking of paying back. One gives, because he or she has received a lot. Having received a lot, one feels obliged to give, atleast a bit of it, as a sign of having received. That giviing, seems more blessed, but not yet as pure as a virtue. Today Tobit and Tobias plan to give Raphael because they have received a lot - wealth, health and happiness. But God has other plans and reveals to them, in such a way that they understand their true blessedness is not that wealth but the Lord having been with them, through God's Angel.

Giving in the Spirit: this is virtue, where one is inspired to offer oneself totally to the Lord. One gives, but only as a sign of the decision to give himself or herself totally to the One who has given everything. This is what Jesus saw in the poor widow - this is what Raphael instructs Tobit and Tobias: Prayer, Fasting, Giving (Alms) and Good Conduct should go together says Angel Raphael to the father and the son (Tob 12:8). This is Spiritual Giving and it is the virtue that God expects from us! 

Let us begin the practice today, shall we?

WORD 2day: 9th June, 2017

The Son and the blessedness

Friday, 9th week in Ordinary Time

Tob 11:5-17; Mk 12:35-37

Anna was excited to see her son and felt she could even die in peace, since she had seen her son. Tobit was delighted in his son, as his son comes back from the journey. Tobias becomes the happiness of his parents. Both Anna and Tobit were almost reborn because of Tobias. Is this what the poet meant when he said, 'the child is the father of the man'! Tobias almost gave new birth to Tobit who actually wanted to die. 

Jesus wants to give that same new life to the people but they are still trying to make out for themselves who Jesus was, whose son he was and to whom they could link him to. Jesus invites us to become aware of our sonship and daughterhood. He says the earthly fathers and mothers, the earthly generations we treasure are but passing, and we need to have that eternal abode that sustains our journey.  You are the children of God, when we hear Jesus telling us this, we would inherit the blessedness that he himself had.

WORD 2day: 8th June, 2017

True love saves

Thursday, 9th week in Ordinary Time

Tob 6: 10-11, 7:1,9-14, 8:4-9; Mk 12: 28-34

Tobias, whose story we have been travelling with these days, gives us an excellent challenge - true love truly saves us! True love is that which has no trace of selfishness or no trace of expectation or no trace of judgement over the other. Does my love fall within this definition? Then it is true, if not, it is no love in the first place!

Love is the crux of being Christians - not to love is ceasing to be Christians. Because only by the love that we have for each other the world can distinguish that we are Christians (cf. Jn 13:35). At times, we are taken for granted or persecuted or trampled upon because we give an impression that we are weak, due to love. But let us be certain, we are stronger, when we act in love. We are stronger, we are closer to salvation than anyone can get. You are not far from the Kingdom of God - what a compliment that was from Jesus...

Love. Love everyone. Love with singleness of heart. Love with respect for the other. Love with a determination to give. Love with a detachment from returns. Love with all your heart and with true spirit. Love and be saved!

WORD 2day: 6th June 2017

FAITHFUL-  to God and to Humanity

Tuesday,  9th week in Ordinary Time

Tob 2:9-15; Mk 12:13-17

To God and to humanity... it's a splendid guideline that Jesus gives us today! A religious or pious practice that does not have this dual framework, will  be either too removed from reality or too simplistic to be considered spiritual.

In the first reading today we hear of Tobit who lost his sight but never complained against God. The same person who was so faithful to his God, did not have an open mind towards his wife! His judgemental attitude towards his wife, to a great extent, negates the goodness he practiced towards God. His  wife does not stop from pointing it out to him. He needed that reminder to be truly a person of God.

Jesus communicates the same in the gospel as he reminds us to give to God what belongs to God and to the world what belongs to the world. We need our spiritual eyes open to find out truly what to give the Lord and what to give the world. The right balance is the faithfulness we are speaking of- faithfulness to God and to humanity!

THAT DAY AND THE CALL!

June 6th, 2017 

That day:

Looking back at the 41 years...that day stands out as a day to be marked, to be marked for life...yes a day that defined the entire life style to be adapted.

The call:

The call that I have received is to live my everyday with God. The picture that I have chosen reminds me of the day and the call... first of all the water reminding of the baptismal font; the waves and the stillness reminding of the situations in life and the two boats..one firm and strong and the other a bit battered reminding me of the experiences that have been around in life. 

The reminder:

May the day remind me of the call that I have received, the privilege that I have, being related to the Lord and the challenge I have, to remain connected to the Lord on a daily basis.

A prayer on the day of Baptism:

O Lord, may I realise your grace that I have received in my baptism. May I always be mindful of your presence with me and within me, that I may become to all that very presence, adding glory to your name! You live and reign forever and ever.

WORD 2day: 5th June, 2017

Fruits cannot be forced

Monday, 9th week in Ordinary Time 

Tob 1:3 - 2: 1-8; Jn 12: 1-12

Tobit dares all consequences to be righteous in the eyes of the Lord. No king, no  threat,  no punishment could stop him from being faithful to the call that he believed he had from the Lord. Tobias learns from him. Just as fruits cannot be forced from a tree, faithfulness cannot be forced from a person. He or She will be faithful in as much as the  person is convinced about the call that he or she had received from the Lord.

Our life is a call and we are called to bear fruit, when we don't we are missing the point. Let's not wait to be forced to bear fruit, neither should we be pressurised not to. No fruit can be forced and no force can block authentic fruits. 

SPIRIT UNITES

Principles of Unity: Communication, Conciliation and Christ

Solemnity of Pentecost: 4th June, 2017

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3-7,12-13; Jn 20:19-23

We are people of the Spirit - that is the reminder we are given with today! We are people of the Spirit - in contrast to the people of the world (if 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. 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 were 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 - these are signs of the lack of Spirit. 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. 

There are certain principles of unity that the Spirit ensures in a Spirit-filled person. The first of those principles is Communication. Simple blocks in communication among persons are the primary cause of the 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!

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. 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? 

Conciliation is an important principle of unity. We are human persons, each with our own limitations and weaknesses. We cannot avoid little misunderstandings and misgivings, but what is detrimental is, not finding 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. In a recent meeting with the President of the US, Pope Francis gave him an icon of peace, and insisted that he be promoter of peace and not war! That is the sign of a Spirit filled person.

A true sign of Spirit filled persons is the person's longing for unity and his or her concrete initiatives towards unity! 

WORD 2day: 3rd June, 2017

What does it matter - You Follow!

Saturday after Ascension Sunday

Acts 28:16-20,30-31; Jn 21: 20-25

What does it matter when we are called to proclaim the good news of the Lord - nothing should really matter: whether we are free or bound, whether we are threatened or encouraged, whether we are rewarded or taken to task, whether we are in good health or in sickness, whether we are supported or not - nothing should really matter! Paul and Peter today give us a beautiful message: proclaim the good news in season and out of season. 

What do we really need to announce the good news but our loving words, caring attitudes, sensitive heart and meaningful relations! We have persons around us and we have an opportunity to deal with them. That is all we need to proclaim the good news - the news that God loves us. This is what Jesus did and today he calls you and me to follow. What does it matter to us - let us follow the Lord!