WORD 2day: 14th June, 2017

The Reign - that which lasts

Wednesday, 10th week in Ordinary Time

2 Cor 3: 4-11; Mt 5: 17-19

Moses allows divorce; Jesus forbids. Moses insists on the sabbath; Jesus relativises it. Moses gives cleanliness rules; Jesus despises the insistence on the external cleanliness. We can go on listing certain elements that people, not only during Jesus' time but even today, consider contrasting each other, between the law given by Moses and the lifestyle proposed by Jesus. They are not constrasting one another - the latter is outgrowing the former; the latter is letting the former evolve! Evolving is always towards a destined finality - and here the destiny is 'that which lasts' - not to lose ourselves in passing and transient concerns but to focus on that which lasts. According to Jesus that which lasts forever is the Reign of God. 

Reign of the God is that absolute criterion against which all these rules, regulations, legislations and customs shall be understood, interpreted and made sense of. Reign of God is the righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Concentrating on the interior peacefulness and happiness, leads to integrity - which is the only possibility of each of us becoming agents of the Reign of God, bringing all God's will to fulfillment. 

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Celebrating St, Antony - the Preacher par excellence

13th June, 2017

Is 61: 1-3; Lk 10: 1-9

St. Antony is considered a preacher par excellence - his tongue that remains as a relic even today bears testimony to this fact. It is not only his eloquence that sets him apart as a preacher, but the quality of his preaching came from the corresponding life that he lived! It is so interesting to note that he lived along side another giant of a saint - St. Francis of Assisi, who was born 13 years before him. Though the two initially did not know each other, there were moments when they entered each other's life and left mutually edifying indelible marks. 

The Learned Preacher - the Augustinian Fernando

Born in 1195, Fernando Martins was his baptism name and he joined the Augustinian Monks when he was just 15, at a monastery close to his place in Lisbon. After two years there, he asked to be transferred as his friends and relatives were often visiting him there whereas he wanted to live a life of rigorous solitude, though the Diviine Providence was planning something greater. He was transferred to Coimbra and there he studied theology and was ordained a priest. He was a learned preacher when saw five Franciscan friars' dead body arriving at a neighbouring Franciscan friary, martyred at Morocco. 

The Ardent Preacher - the Franciscan Anthony

His zeal to be a missionary flagged in him and he asked to change his habit into that of a Franciscan, because his longing to be a preacher by life was reflected in their way of living. The Franciscans there, were taking care of the Church of St. Anthony of Egypt, whose name Fernando took for himself as he became one among them.  Anthony would often say, the best way of preaching is preaching by your virtues! And that is what he was aiming at when he asked to become a Franciscan and he wanted to go to Morocco. It happened exactly so, but it did not last long. Within a few months he got too ill and had to be sent back to Portugal, where he never reached. On the way due to a shipwreck he landed in Sicily. 

The Humble Preacher - the Provincial Anthony

In Sicily, the Franciscan friars nursed him back to health but they did not know him much. From what they saw, he was a simply friar and they placed him in a small responsibility of assisting the Provincial on his journeys. In one such journeys, when the Provincial had gone for an Ordination of some Franciscans and Dominicans, there was a mishap - that no one was prepared with a sermon. When asked on the spot to preach, everyone declined and the Provincial ordered Anthony to say just a few words - that was the beginning of the change! Every one there was amazed at the knowledge, the power and the sanctity that emanated from every word that Anthony uttered. Francis of Assisi, the founder heard of this incident and was impressed at the fact that such a learned man remained hidden all this while. Francis was looking for such a humble model to be convinced that learning and humility could go together. In 1224, he placed him responsible for teaching theology to his young friars in formation. And soon Anthony was asked to go to Northern Italy for the ministry of Preaching. And by 1226 he became the Provincial of Northern Italy. 

He lived just 35 years, as he died in 1231, but had accomplished great feats for the Lord within the short while. That is why it took less than a year for the Church to make him a saint - he was canonised already by May 1232. The sanctity was so visible, already when he lived and after his death through numerous miracles. A Preacher par excellence, because of his humility and holiness, St. Anthony challenges us to preach by our virtues wherever we are. St. Anthony, Pray for us! 

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.