To Freedom - with trust in the Lord!

THE WORD IN LENT - Thursday, Second Week

February 29, 2024 - Jeremiah 17: 15-10; Luke 16: 19-31

Through the desert God leads us to Freedom but the question is, are we ready to be led? In the days gone by in this week, we have reflected on the need for self-examination and verification, the importance of discernment and yesterday we reflected on the external hurdles and inner hardships. All these reflections, when we undertake them earnestly will lead to a very important self discovery: where lies the centre of our life? And that will make a huge difference, how we go about in everything, everyday. 

Just yesterday we encountered in the Gospel, James and John being schooled by Jesus, and not just them, but all the apostles - to set their priorities right. Not to seek power or dominance over the other but to serve the other. But why? Why should we serve the other? What is that which inspires us to serve the other?

It could be to gain something out of it or obtain some benefits. But we know very well, that is so unChristian a motive. It is so materialistic that it cannot be considered godly! 

It could be our wish to express ourselves as good and holy. It does appear godly, but let us beware that is still autocentric, or self-centered. It instrumentalises the other and makes our goodness a means to obtain some end. 

The only motive that can lead me to salvation, or true freedom, is that I serve the other because that is what the Lord wants of me! I do not know how being good to the other and doing good to the other, is going to help me or what it is going to cost me, but I decide to be so and do so. Because I trust in the Lord, who has called me and commissioned me to be God's image here and now. What God wants to do to the other, I am called to do! And I trust that God will lead me through that, to freedom. 

This trust has to be the centre, the crux, the foundation of my life of faith and only in that can I march towards freedom. The rich man in the parable today is in no way an evil man, but a man without self-examination or verification! He did not realise how materialistic and selfcentered he was; we cannot do that! We are given all the possibilities to reflect and discern - let us answer this question to ourselves today: where is the centre of my life? In whom do I trust?

To Freedom - overcoming hurdles and hardships

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, Second Week

February 28, 2024 - Jeremiah 18: 18-20; Matthew 20: 17-28

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and that way to freedom can never be without problems and difficulties. The way to freedom, the Word today instructs us, can have two varied kinds of difficulties: the first of its kind is external hurdles.

Just as a journey through the desert can face with hurdles on the way - boulders, sand dunes and so on - so too, our journey to freedom can have hurdles that are from around. Today we see Jeremiah complaining to God about it and Jesus mentioning it as a matter of fact. It is particularly intriguing how Jesus just mentions it and passes by, that he will be handed over to the elders and the leaders and they would kill him. He just passes by it saying, I will be killed and I will rise! It is a powerful message in its simplicity - you will have hurdles, but you can and you will overcome them - do not fear. 

What Jesus warns more against, than these external hurdles, is the second kind of problems: the internal hardships. He says these are much more dangerous, that can take away your freedom, and take you away from the Truth. This is something that is characteristic of Jesus, we know that. He always concentrates and draws our attention to "the within", the internal forum, what comes from within, more than what can affect one from the outside. Overcoming this type of hardships requires a lot of what we have been reflecting on in the past two days - the need for self-examination and the importance of discernment.

One who humbles shall be exalted and one who exalts oneself will be humbled; what makes one impure is that which comes from within and not what enters from outside; true Reign mindset is seeking to serve and not seeking to be served - these are clearly of the internal forum! Who can guarantee the sincerity and integrity about such dispositions, except the person himself or herself? That is why the indispensable place of self-examination or self-verification, without which even the person proper would not know really what one is going through. 

In self-examination leading to the realization of what cannot co-exist with a life in Christ, and in the discernment of ways and steps in which one can act on these areas which need change, the Lord walks with us and enlightens us with the singular light of love, a love that does not hesistate to lay down even one's life, because it is a love that seeks not to be served, but to serve the other in every way possible!

To Freedom - through sincere discernment

THE WORD IN LENT - Tuesday, Second Week

February 27, 2024 - Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Matthew 23: 1-12

Through the desert God leads us to Freedom... and this true freedom does not come easy! It takes a serious and sincere discernment to arrive at it. Yesterday we reflected on how the desert helps us towards self realisation, in order that we may progress towards true freedom that God wishes to offer us.  The truth is, not that God merely wishes to offer us that freedom, but is ready to collaborate with us in our progress towards it. 

'Come let us talk it over', the Lord invites us - an offer to accompany us, to help us and to educate us in our discernment of the right choices in our life. Jesus clarifies the same, but with a note further. He says, it is not enough to know what is right and what is desirable, one has to make a sincere effort to convert that knowledge into conviction and that conviction into life. That takes a serious and sincere discernment, as we said earlier. 

There are those of us who know what is right and what is wrong, in fact, by God's grace all of us do! All of us are given innumerable means to know and understand what is right and what is desirable. The law that is taught, the right and wrong that we are cultured into, and above all, the conscience that dialogues with us from within: come let us talk it over, says the Lord and the Lord continues to do that from within us. Don't we hear that voice every time we are about to make a choice - that something is right or that something is wrong! How attentive are we?

There are those of us who know, but are not convinced; we hear the voice within but do not feel like, or do not want to commit ourselves to, obeying it. We find excuses, justifications, complaints, and reservations to avoid the hard choices we are expected to make at times in life! How we miss or how much we neglect the accompaniment and assistance that God wishes to offer us in those moments - for anyone who humbles oneself, shall be exalted. If we cry out to God for help, the Lord is there just beside us to hold our hands firm! 

There are those of us who know, who struggle, who fail and falter, but we are determined to continue our journey towards that ideal set before us! We are assured of God's nearness - if you are willing to obey, you shall experience the good things of  life - the Word promises us today. All that we need to do is decide to hear the Word, listen to the Lord and engage with the Lord in a sincere discernment, and we shall be on our way to true freedom!

To Freedom - in profound self-realisation

THE WORD IN LENT - Monday, Second Week

February 26, 2024 - Daniel 9: 4-10; Luke 6: 36-38

Through the desert God leads us to freedom... by now our focus has shifted from the first part "through the desert" to the latter part "to freedom". However, what the journey through the desert does to our effective progress towards freedom, is an important consideration, never to lose sight of. The journey through the desert, as we have time and again insisted, is an exceptional opportunity to realise who we are and where we are. 

One of the most radical way of progressing towards true freedom is, profound self-realisation. At times we live our life without a sense of reflection and that is why what Socrates said becomes so much a reality - an unreflected life is a wasted life. There are so many things in life that we need to unlearn and our sojourn in the desert would help us to become aware of them. One of those important elements to unlearn is the fact underlined in the Word today: there is much in our life that we experience which we do not deserve!

Let us begin with the compassion of God - do we deserve it at all? What a great realisation it is, that the psalmist today teaches us: do not treat us according to our sins O Lord! In fact, the Lord does not, and we cannot thank God enough for that. In another place the psalmist would say: Oh would that you treat us according to our sins, who would stand your judgements O Lord! (cf. Ps 103). Should we not be careful before we pass judgements such as, you suffer because of your sins. Just like those friends of Job, will we not be failing to understand the entire truth - that none of us ever can be deserving of God's love. It is God's unlimited mercy and compassion that drenches us in God's merciful love! How important it is to realise that!

In our daily concrete experiences, when we take the goodness of others towards us for granted, it is a clear sign that we are living an unreflected life, we think we deserve all the goodness we experience. In stead, the more we become aware of the gratuitousness of the goodness that is meted out to us, by God, through others, the more righteous we grow. We begin the feel the need to become compassionate ourselves, humble, forgiving and generous - that is the surest way to true freedom of the children of God. 

FROM THE WATERS TO THE MOUNTAIN

To grow up to glory!

THE WORD IN LENT - SECOND SUNDAY

Genesis 22:1-2,9-13,15-18; Romans 8:31-34; Mark 9:2-10

The journey that was given as a task for us last week was from the desert to the waters, from the waters of the flood to the waters of baptism, the waters of the covenant. In this second week of lent we are challenged to journey from the waters to the mountain. What does it mean? What does this journey comprise, the journey from the waters to the mountain? 

The waters of baptism is a gift; it is a grace given to us. But living faithful to it, remaining with the enthusiasm and spirit of the initial fervour is not an automatic outcome... it is an uphill task. That is what the Word literally presents today: Abraham uphill, Jesus up the hill, and both of them returning more strengthened than before, both of them coming down affirmed of their union in the Lord, to face the rest of the turmoil of life - that is our next piece of Lenten journey. From the waters to the mountains, from what we have received to what we are ready to make of it; from what has been given to what wish to grow out of it. 

Mountain - a call to climb

First of all the symbol of the mountain today stands for the call we have, to climb, to rise, to grow, to become stronger, to go to the next level. Faith is a given; we need to grow in it. Abraham was already called and he had accepted to walk in the light of the Lord. But that was not enough, he had to graduate, and move on to the next level. 

Francis de Sales speaking of our call to love God and our experience of the loving God, explains at a moment about how we need to progress in it - from the love of a weak and fragile child to the love of someone ready to give up anything for the love of God. St Paul offers us the image of a child who is fed liquid food and grown ups who need solid food. Our faith cannot remain the same as when we received it; it has to constantly grow. When it stops its progress, it begins to deteriorate. That is where the image of the mountain is so accurate, if you stop climbing, you begin to slide down. Our spiritual life is a up hill journey, and we need to readily take it up.

Mountain - a call to sacrifice

Going up the mountain, as a task in itself, is tough. Its implications make it tougher yet. Decision to go up the mountain reminds us of the sacrifice involved - let us think of Abraham today who was going up to sacrifice his son; let us think of Jesus who had his imminent suffering very clear in his mind. Be it Abraham or Jesus or any person of God for that matter, when there is a call that sets them on a specific journey, they were mindful of the sacrifice that was expected of them.

At times we think that God's blessings consist in the fact that there are no sufferings, no hardships, no troubles or no trials. That is never a fact, from a Christian point of view. God's blessing in fact consists in finding meaning in that suffering, finding purpose in the sacrifice, finding a profound element of growth in our temptations and trials. The call to come to the mountain, involves in scaling this height of looking at and accepting the trials of our lives from the perspective of God. It was not possible for the Apostles. and Jesus had to tell them to wait till they understood everything from the perspective of God, until Jesus would die and rise from the dead. Experiencing resurrecftion would mean readiness to go through death; becoming the father of the entire generations of faith would mean being ready to give up his only son. Mountain, therefore is not something we fear or resent, but something that I am willing and ready to confront, not because I am capable and strong, but because God is for me, and I dont mind who is against me!

Mountain - a call to glory

Mountains signify the glory of God. The heights, the splendour, the light, the nature, the life giving freshness... all these are symbolic of God's presence. When we go up the mountain, we feel closer to the Almighty. Mountain experience is always explained as the experience of an intimate closeness to God, in contrast to the desert experience. It is wonderful to be there! But what matters is not being there where we find wonderful, but believing that where God is, it is wonderful to be there. Glory is where God is. When we are with God, we are in glory. We cannot fix our glory elsewhere and ask God to be there! That is why it becomes important to listen to the Lord, to know what the Lord wants of us, to know where God wants us to be! There we shall find the glory. 

We are called to glory. It comes from an arduous journey up hill. It is born of a readiness to give up anything for God's sake. We are called to grow in that mind set, the mind set of true faith, mature faith that can confidently say, when God is for us, no one can be against us. Hence this lenten journey we have undertaken is a journey towards that glory, that comes from fixing our eyes on the Lord and going up to the Lord; let us heed to the call to grow up to glory!

Through the desert - towards true freedom!

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday, First Week

February 24, 2024 - Deuteronomy 26: 16-19; Matthew 5: 43-48

Through the desert God leads us to freedom... we see that the focus is shifting gradually from the reflection on the desert and our journey through it, to freedom - the sweet and salvific destiny to which we are called. Towards freedom... towards true freedom. That requires that we begin with understanding first what freedom is all about. 

Frequently, persons are given into believing that freedom is the capacity to do what one wishes to, without any control or check.  It is important to realize as early as possible in life, that true freedom is the capacity to choose to do the right, to do what I have to, without fear, or pressures whether internal or external. There are two Christ-ian teachings that come to our aid to understand this reality: when Jesus says 'truth sets you free' and when John interprets Christ saying, 'where there is fear, love is not perfect'!  

If we are to really have freedom, grow towards true freedom, what matters is truth! Knowing the truth, knowing what is expected of me, knowing what I need to do, knowing what is right to be done... I need not endlessly wonder or frenetically search... For God has made it known to me. That is the privilege that we have as people of God, a great gift that God has made the precepts known to us. Thus we have the possibility to move determinedly towards freedom.

We have clearly set out for us one basic thing expected of us: to love. To love the other, not just those who will love us in return, but love all and specially those whom we know will not be able to love us back. That is one clear way to freedom indicated to us. No one should stop is from loving, only that would define us as truly children of God, free children children of the loving God. 

God is love, God is truth; hence love is truth, the truth that can lead us to true freedom.

Through the desert - with renewed spirits!

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday, First Week

February 23, 2024 - Ezekiel 18: 21-28; Matthew 5: 20-26

Through the desert, God leads us to freedom... the desert is never the end; God's people, God's children cannot lose hope. It is only hope that defines me as the child of God. I cannot lose heart, my spirit cannot grow faint. I cannot give up; the moment I give up, I cease to be a child of God. This explains why, for example, a decision like suicide is so unacceptable to the Christian faith. Even the milder forms of giving up, like depression, pessimism, nihilism, negativity, discouragement, rash judgements... are all unchristian equally, let us beware!

The Word today invites us to a great hope that, God never ever gives up on us! Never does God take pleasure in the death of a wicked person - God reminds us of this through Ezekiel. But what God wants is that persons realise their fault, their limitedness, their failures, their wrongdoings, their imperfections, and take the right decision promptly to return to the right ways, the ways of the Lord. What God wants of us this Lent is the same - that we renew our spirits and get back to the Lord. 

While getting back to the Lord, we have to be sincere and clear in conscience. Our way back to the Lord through the desert, we already said in the days just past, is always a way that we need to traverse together! It is in communion with my brothers and sisters that I can get back to the Lord. If I think I am journeying well towards the Lord, but I realise that I have my relationship strained with some of my brothers and sisters, either I am deceiving myself or I am being a hypocrite. Because with those strained relationships, I am not at all on my way to God. Jesus is crystal clear on this point. 

Whichever point we find ourselves in, if we realise there is something that is not right between me and my brother or sister, I cannot proceed! I cannot say, 'let me go ahead and ignore these issues; there are more important issues'! There is no issue more important than a right relationship; there is nothing more important than love in our Christian calling! First, let us set that right, for that is the fundamental point of renewal that God wants from us. Then we shall truly return to the Lord, with renewed spirits!

Celebrating the Petrine Ministry

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

February 22, 2024: The Chair of St.Peter

1 Peter 5: 1-4; Matthew 16: 13-19

We celebrate today the pastoral responsibility that the Lord places on the successors of St. Peter. You are Peter; on this rock I shall build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. The Church has stood the test of time - 2 millennia and still counting, despite all the forces which wanted it to buckle under pressure!

The First reading has a few remarkable elements that seem to explain perfectly the role of Papacy: 'presbyter among presbyters', 'not lording over the people', 'being example to the flock'! This is exactly what Pope Francis is trying to insist in the identity of the Church and specially in its identity. He does this stressing the Collegiality of the Bishops, as Bishop of Rome, not lording over but challenging everyone with his very life. Far from making a hero-idol of him, it is important as a Church that we begin to hearken to his passionate call to live as light of the world and salt of the earth, spreading love and hope to those around us.

We have a duty today, to pray for the Holy Father, as there are so many forces in the World that wants by all means to destroy the Church and its moral authority on the planet! The Lord promised that the gates of hell will never prevail over the Church, but we need to remain worthy of the promise, by being communities of genuine faith and integral living.  

Thank you Lord for Pope Francis; guide him, protect him and fill him with the joy of the Spirit! God bless our Pope!

Through the desert - beyond Self-pity

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, First Week

February 21, 2024: Jonah 3: 1-10; Luke 11: 29-32

We are not bound to live in the desert... we have a promise that awaits us; we are just passing through this desert. At times we get too comfortable with the desert - that is clearly a sin, an unacceptable choice in life. But there is another mindset that is more dangerous because of its ambiguity. It is self-pity and the Word today warns against it, challenging us to do away with it and to take our choices seriously.

At times, we may find refuge under a victim-syndrome; thinking of ourselves, picturing ourselves and presenting ourselves as a victim, to ourselves and to others. My situation, my problems, my health issues, my colleagues, my family, my upbringing, my past experiences... how many justifications we can think of, to remain in an unacceptable state of life - it could be sin, or slavery, or dependence, or exploitation or anything that does not allow us to live our life to the full. 

God's primary call to every human person is to live our life in all its fullness. When something prevents us from doing it, we are obliged to do away with it, and not try to find refuge in reasons and causes. That would be a sign of self-pity. Certainly, the contrite heart that the psalmist speaks of today is not the sense of self-pity! It is not saying, "Oh I am a poor sinner" as an excuse to remain in that state! Instead, I am challenged to rise beyond that self-pity and make radical and determined choices in life, as the people of Nineveh did!

When the people of Nineveh heard the Word proclaimed to them, they found the way to cross over their desert! They immediately got hold of it and got across their sinful situation, their desert life. Like someone being washed away by a flood would grab on to anything, to find a way to safety, so we are called to grab on to every help that the Lord sends our way to go towards liberty. Jesus indicates how the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba recognised the opportunity they had and grabbed it with both hands - so should our choices be, says the Lord. 

We cannot lie down and take refuge under the sense of self-pity! We are called to rise beyond it and be led by the Lord to liberty!

 

Through the desert - with the Word

THE WORD IN LENT - Tuesday, First Week

February 20, 2024: Isaiah 55: 10-11: Matthew 6:7-15

We reflected upon the aspect of going or passing "through the desert" and that the way of doing it is, 'with the other'. Today the Word offers us another reflection on the same lines... what is the source of strength that can offer us the necessary endurace to withstand that journey 'through the desert'. Because the desert can be not only tiresome, but also treacherous and we need a real strong weapon to equip ourselves with. The weapon or the equipment is, the Word; the Word itself is the strongest of the scaffoldings that uphold our total well-being. 

Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, we pray in the Psalms (119:105), and if that were true, Jesus demands us today, that it should be reflected in every aspect of our lives - specially in every word that we utilise, making them living and life giving. Do not blabber, he admonishes us. Whether it is with God, with others, or any other context... let's be conscious of our words. 

The Word in itself is dynamic and active, alive and transforming. But when it comes to human persons and their lives, there is a great factor that makes a difference: our personal disposition. A disposition of free submission to the Word and a readiness to allow the Word to work. 

Hence we are reminded of three important "Word attitudes" -

Firstly, to receive in all earnestness, the Word that comes to us in varied ways everyday. Secondly, to make the Word the guidepost for our lives and making it come alive in our experiences and relationships. Thirdly, to respect and be mindful of our own words. As Jesus teaches us, to make our words mean what they say. When we pray (say) the words, "your will be done and your kingdom come"... How different will the world be, how transformed our lives will be, if we meant them fully when we say those words! 

We are invited today to go through the deserts of our lives, with the Word.