THE WORD IN ADVENT - DAY 3

Kingdom Task: See beyond what you see

Is 11:1-10; Lk 10:21-24

If the Lion has to eat hay with the ox, it has to see beyond the ox as its prey; if the cow has to be neighbours with the bear, it has to see beyond the bear as a threatening beast; If we have to see the Lord amidst us today, we have to see beyond what we apparently see: Look at our brothers and sisters and see people who seek our love; look at the poor around us and see the hearts that yearn for warmth; look at those who may be in disagreement with us and see people who may be right or who may need to be affirmed.

The task is to see beyond and that is a challenge! Waiting for the Lord does not mean we wait doing nothing, we wait with our eyes wide open to see things which we have not seen thus far, to see those aspects of our brothers and sisters that will allow us to perceive the Lord.

THE WORD IN ADVENT - DAY 2

Kingdom Task: See God's Glory

Is 4: 2-6; Mt 8:5-11

Waiting for the Lord is not merely a passive waiting; it is seeing God's glory manifest in everything that surrounds us, seeing God's glory in the persons and events around manifested with such radiance. 

Seeing God's glory is a spiritual task, a task that is preceded by a disposition that is favourable. The Coming of the Lord is not merely a job of the Lord; we need to be awake to experience, express and share this wonderful fact of the Lord's nearness.

RETURN to the REIGN of God

First Sunday of Advent 2016

Is 2: 1-5; Rom 13:11-14a; Mt 24:37-44

Let us begin with wishing each other a blessed New liturgical year! And right at the outset the Lord invites us today, to RETURN to the REIGN of God. The Church is the sign and the sacrament of the Reign of God. We are the Church, the people of God! Therefore we are expected to be the signs, the bearers, the heralds of the Reign of God today to the world. And how can this happen if we are not people of the Reign, if we are not mindful of ushering in the Reign of God here on earth, or making the Reign felt concretely, if we do not really believe in what Christ said: 'The Reign of God is amidst you!' (Lk 17:21) Hence, the invitation today, to return to the Reign is basically a wake up call, to wake up to the reality, to wake up to our real identity, to wake up to our dignity as the People of the Reign and to live up to that identity on a daily basis.

It is an invitation to CLIMB the mountain of the Lord... yes, to walk in the way of the Lord, to walk in the light of the Lord...as the first reading repeats in different words. It is fundamentally an invitiation to climb, to go up, infact to grow up. We are invited to go up, grow up, above our tendencies of conflict and our feelings of rivalry and jealousy, above our petty considerations of ourselves and self centered striving for pleasure. It is a call to transcend what is popularly considered to be 'desirable' and reach the thinking worthy of the Reign - where swords can turn into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks; where all manipulation and exploitation will give into genuine love and sincere goodwill for the other.

It is an invitation to CONDUCT ourselves worthy of the Reign. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, invites us St. Paul. And in doing it, let's not wait for an opportune moment... for "now is the acceptable time, now is the time of salvation!" (2 Cor 6:2). Waiting for another moment will be a mistake, a blunder, a foolishness on our part. Let us make the choice, a choice for God, a choice for the light, a choice for the good, a choice to be awake, a choice to be the people of the Reign. Let us not blame the world, the society, the times... the choice is ours, and let us make it now - To accept the invitation of the Lord and "walk in the light of the Lord"(Is 2:5). We will find the joy that the Lord can give, the joy that the Light can shed, the joy that cannot be taken away from us, and in that joy we will find the Reign of God amidst us!

It is an invitation to CELEBRATE the Reign of God amidst us, not waiting to reach the end but celebrating it all the way. Advent is not a preparation towards a celebration, it is a celebration in itself, a celebration of the peace, the prosperity, the security and the salvation that the Lord brings us. The Reign of God becomes a reality when we celebrate our love and joy together as brothers and sisters in the Lord. This is the meaning of the phrase, All the way to heaven is heaven! As we pray in the responsorial psalm, we are walking, walking towards the Reign, but all through the way we are called to celebrate the Reign of God..celebrate the love we share, celebrate the equality we have, celebrate the justice we stand for, celebrate the brotherhood and sisterhood that we work to establish forever - that celebration is returning to the Reign!

As we begin the year, and the wonderful season of Advent, let us pay heed to the invitation from the Lord - to Climb the mountain of the Lord, to Conduct ourselves worthy of the Reign and in that joy, to Celebrate the Reign of God, every day in our relationships in our family, in our communities, in our parish, in our localities and wherever we are. May the joy of the Gospel, the joy of the Reign, fill our hearts all through this new year. 

WORD 2day: 26th November, 2016

Alarming but Life-giving!

Saturday, 34th week in Ordinary Time

Rev 22: 1-7;  Lk 21: 34-36

We are on the last day of the liturgical year, from tomorrow we begin a whole new cycle. Last day, last days, last chance and last moments...these are words with a bit of alarm inbuilt. Jesus does shake us up a little, warning of things that will happen in the last days. Alarming yes, but at the same time life giving says the Word today. 

If we are prepared, holding on to the Lord and living in perfect communion with the Lord, then we need not be alarmed, we can remain firm with our heads high, we can rest assured whatever time it be, our experience will only be life giving. When there are, or there have been, compromises in our way of life and our choices, then the alarm is natural and eventual. With a filial love in the Lord, let us continue to live our daily life worthy of our Lord and we shall encounter Him with love not fear. 

Remembering Ven. Mamma Margaret

25th November, 2016 -
160th Anniversary of the death of Mamma Margaret, the Mother of Don Bosco.

This day is traditionally set apart to pray for the deceased parents of salesians. 

This year this practice makes an all new difference to me...

For all the deceased parents of Salesians and those in the Salesian Family...

Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord; 

May the Perpetual Light shine upon them. 

May they rest in peace - Amen

WORD 2day: 25th November, 2016

Heaven, Earth and the Word

Friday,34th week in Ordinary Time

Rev. 20: 1-4,11- 21:2

We have heard the usage in english, 'he moved earth and heaven to achieve something'. Moving heaven and earth is symbolically used as doing even what is impossible. Heaven and earth become a kind of immovable reference points naturally. Physics, Kinetics, Geography, History ...all of these subjects and others take heaven and earth as reference points to make possible an explanation for their theories and principles. Today the Lord says, these are not truly the unchanging reference points, they cannot be. 

The true reference point for our life, for our actions, for our choices has to be the Word. For those who hear the Word, keep it in their heart and live by it will find a place in that New Heaven and New Earth... the heaven and the earth may keep becoming new and newer, it does not matter, as long as what matters to us is the Word and being faithful to it. That is our constant, unchanging and never ending  reference point!

WORD 2day: 24th November, 2016

Victory and Power to Our Lord!

Thursday, 34th week in Ordinary Time

Rev 18:1-2,21-23,19:1-3,9; Lk 21:20-28

Reacting to the first reading of today, many take off with imaginations and guesses as to who is the whore and who is the condemned. There are so many of the non-catholic denominations today who point an accusing finger with a heartless judgement : the Catholic Church is the Babylon of the Apocalypse! That is definitely not the purpose of the descriptions in the book...not solving some mystery puzzle!

The simple message is a challenge to make a choice, a choice for God. Amidst all the dreadful things that happen around, we are called to remain firm in the Lord. Amidst all the inexplicable evil around, we are called to side with the truth and fearlessly face the consequences. Amidst all the dark powers that seemingly dominate the scene, we are called to firmly believe that the victory and power belong to Our Lord!  

WORD 2day: 23rd November, 2016

Perseverance...Ready!?!

Wednesday, 34th week in Ordinary Time
Rev 15:1-4; Lk 21: 12-19

Perseverance in terms of targets and achievements in the world is holding on endlessly. The same, when it comes to our relationship with God is giving up limitlessly. It is to give up totally into the hands of God, regardless of the successes or failures, gains or losses, happiness or sadness, prosperity or misery! 

Faith is all about giving up everything and walking with our hands in the hands of God. Indeed it's a challenging feat. Specially considering the fact that today there is a great pressure laid on people to hoard up things, keep striving to prove oneself, ensure one's career or well being in competition with each other...the times are difficult. It takes true faith and strong hope, to remain calm and unperturbed even amidst such tribulations. That is true perseverance! Ready?

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

The Harvest of Faith

Celebrating St Cecilia- 22nd November, 2016
Rev 14:14-19; Lk 21:5-11

Harvest is joyful but it involves sickles and winnowing chaff. Harvest is a welcome end but anyway it's an end.  Harvest is the end of a process of growth but it is a moment when one shall be judged to be gathered or to be thrown away!

It is the same with faith... that too is an harvest.  We keep growing.  All absurdities and adversities notwithstanding, we grow but it is upto that moment of reckoning when we shall be judged worthy or not,  for  the king who has chosen is to belong to him.

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

Chosen, Marked and...Given?

Presentation of Our Blessed Mother -21st November, 2016

Rev. 14: 1-3,4b-5; Lk 21:1-4

We are chosen and marked with the names of Our Lord and His Father, the mark that we received at Baptism and renew at every sacrament we receive! We are chosen, in the name of the Lord to bear the name of the Father. We are marked to represent the Lord here amidst other people and bring to fulfillment the plan that the Father has for the entire universe! We are chosen by the Father and marked by the Lord...What should our response be?

Our Blessed Mother answers that question perfectly: Total Self Giving, that should our response be! Whatever little we have, whoever little I am, I am called to give that totally into the hands of the God and miracles will happen. As long as I keep something of me in reserve, I prevent the free flow of grace. When I give myself without reserve and when I offer myself totally...wonders begin to happen, God's plan begins to unfurl, love begins to flow and mercy finds no bounds!

There is no doubt, I am chosen, I am marked...but the question is, have I given myself? And how much of myself have I given?