Scriptures, Spirit and Salvation

WORD 2day: Friday, 9th week in Ordinary time

June 5, 2020: 2 Timothy 3: 10-17; Mark 12: 35-37

Scriptures - from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:15). The Scriptures are for inspiration, the scriptures are for wisdom, the scriptures are for life - they are not merely for memorising, nor are they merely for making a living! 

That is where the Spirit comes - to give us the true wisdom that will make us understand the Scriptures in the light of our concrete life. If this is not done, one will not be led to salvation, because salvation does not come from some frozen truth, hidden away in secret somewhere. It comes from a living person, the living Word, the life giving Word, the person of Jesus, the Christ. 

Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ, said St. Jerome. Hence, knowing the Scriptures has to be knowing Christ; knowing the Scriptures does not mean knowing them by memory, or reciting them by-wrote. Knowing the scriptures should put us in touch with the person of Christ. That is true wisdom: knowing the right knowledge, and knowing the effects of knowing it. The Spirit alone can lead us to this knowing: as St. Paul affirms, 'no one, unless in the Spirit, can confess that Jesus is Lord!' 

It is the Spirit who brings us in relationship with the person of Christ and it is in this relationship that one experiences salvation! Salvation is not a destination, it is a journey; salvation is not a triumph, it is a travel; salvation is not an achievement, it is an experience, an experience of a person, the person of Jesus the Christ.

Faithfulness to the Faithfulness

WORD 2day: Thursday, 9th week in Ordinary time

June 4, 2020: 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Mark 12:28b-34

Even if we are unfaithful, the Lord is faithful, because God cannot deny Godself - says St. Paul to Timothy in the letter today! Two things to be noted here: one, the faithfulness of God and the other is the reason for that faithfulness. God is faithfulness personified and there could be no doubt about it. The beauty is the reason that Paul reflects on: that we are God's own selves, we are images and likenesses of God, God's beloveds, so much part of God's very being... that God loves us and has loved us into existence. 

God is faithfulness personified. And our faithfulness to the Lord is a response that we give to the faithfulness of the Lord. No one obliges us to be faithful to God, in fact, no one should. Not even our parents or our elders who have experienced, God and their relationship with God. Their role ends with introducing us to God... then it is our experience with God that has to take us forward. Our faithfulness to God has to be a response to the relationship that we build with God as a person who is close to us, lives with us and shares our being with us. Is our faith, such an experience?

Loving God... we love because, God loved us first. We are faithful because the Lord is faithful to us! Indeed, our love of God and our faithfulness to God, is our readiness and put commitment to relate to God and be faithful to the faithfulness of the Lord! The Lord is always open, eager, and longing for our relationship, though it is we who solely "gain" out of that relationship and love! But depends on our choices and our priorities, how far are we from God and God's Reign. 

Spirit of power, love and self control

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 9th week in Ordinary time

June 3, 2020: 2 Timothy 1:1-3,6-12; Mark 12:18-27

We are given the Spirit of power and love and self control, not a spirit of timidity! We have just celebrated the coming of the Spirit...but the Word always warns us - we need to discern the Spirit. It is an obvious fact, seeing in the world today (or any day) the so-called 'spirit'ual people who act in a way that is so ungodly, so inhuman, so unbecoming of the title they pride in. 

In fact, a spirit of negativity reigns in the world today, a spirit of death and darkness, a spirit of discouragement and hopelessness, a spirit of nothingness and pessimism, a spirit of vendetta and a spirit of exploitation is seen prevalent everywhere. 

The question is: what is the Spirit that we have within us? The spirit that we see around and imbibe? Or the Spirit of the Lord that liberates and sets us apart? The Word invites us today to take a look at the Spirit with which we are filled as true sons and daughters of God. Are we going to be lost in the spirit of  negativity and squander our lives finding fault with others all the time? Are we going to be pessimistic about everything that is happening around and start lamenting our times? 

If we are truly sons and daughters of the Almighty, truly disciples and followers of Christ the Master, truly filled with the Spirit of the Lord, we would dare to stick our heads out, gird our shoulders and get ourselves ready to live our life to the full without wasting our time in criticism and judgments of others. I cannot be bogged down by the negativity of the other; I cannot be influenced and affected by the callousness of the other; I cannot become that which I criticise in the other; because I am filled with the Spirit of power, love and self control, not that of timidity and fear!

The God perspective and godly priorities

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 9th week in Ordinary time

June 2, 2020: 2 Peter 3: 11-15,17-18; Mark 12: 13-17

The sky dissolving in flames and elements melting in heat... looking at the imagery that Peter gives us today, it looks like the Word is speaking to us as from a live channel: the pandemic still spreading its effect, the locusts on the rave, the international political polemics, the suffering migrants, the rioting crowds, the exploiting politicians... what are these signs of? They are signs of new heaven and new earth in the making. 

New heaven and new earth! Where is it being made: in our very lives. Who is actually making it: those of us who wish to live our life in righteousness and integrity. When will it be manifested: in God's own time. What is our responsibilty: go on living our lives in grace and union with our Lord Jesus Christ. What is this living in grace: it is living as we should, living as we are called to, living as the Lord wants us to. That is the very foundation of our human call and christian vocation. 

Jesus explains today the formula of living a righteous life: give to God what belongs to God and give to the world what belongs to the world. In simple words, have a balanced, clear and holistic perspective and priorities in life. 

The God-perspective of life: what does God want of me? Living holy and saintly lives, waiting on the Lord, clarifies Peter in his letter (v.11). The godly priorities in life: what would God consider important? God's relationship with me- that is what God would consider most important in the whole of universe. Should that not be my priority too? How important is it for me, my relationship with God? How real, personal and authentic is my relationship with my God? Am I giving God what belongs to God...my spiritual self?

Mary, the Mother of the Church

THE WORD AND THE FEAST 

Monday after the Pentecost - June 1, 2020

Genesis 3: 9-15, 20; John 19: 25-34

This is the third year that we celebrate this memorial, newly instituted in the Church's liturgical calendar, to be celebrated on the day following the Pentecost Sunday - the memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church! The positioning of the feast is very crucial: the day after the Pentecost, to prolong the celebration of the Pentecost and to remain with the extraordinary event that took place, resulting in the genesis of the Church! 

Mary is indisputably the Mother of the Church for the following three reasons:

1. Mary bore Jesus, the head of the Church: As the mother of the head of the Church, she naturally becomes the mother of the body of Christ - the Church. As she gave birth to Jesus and nourished him, so does she nourish each of us in our faith in Christ her son. As she brought up Jesus in wisdom and grace, so does she watch us mature in our faith and hope. As she cared for Jesus and protected him from all worldly perils (be it fleeing to Egypt or going in search of Jesus at Jerusalem), so does she care for us and protect us. THE PATRONESS AND PROTECTRESS OF THE CHURCH.

2. Jesus nominated her as the mother of his followers: While Jesus was about to culminate his divine moment of sacrifice to the Father, on the Cross, he deliberately nominated Mary as the mother of his followers! He looked at John, the beloved disciple who represented every beloved of Christ who would form his Church, and said, Behold your Mother! That was a parting gift, a final gesture of love and care towards his loved ones on earth. As Mary went home with John that day, so does she come home with everyone who accepts this gift from Jesus, she is there to guide us and accompany us. THE GUIDE AND MODEL OF THE CHURCH.

3. Mary was there holding the Apostles together, at the descent of the Spirit: Mary was one of the first members of the Church, right at its origin. Just yesterday we celebrated the birthday of the Church - I wonder how some conveniently forget one important person who was at the centre of it all. How can there be the Church without Mary! She was united, in fact she united the disciples in prayer until the Spirit came! The Holy Spirit was no stranger to Mary. Her faith journey began with the rendezvous with the Spirit. Mary unites us as one of us and as a person filled with the Spirit! A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH AND A SPIRIT-FILLED PERSON. 

Note that the three reasons that we just saw, are all from the Word of God, so faithfully cherished by the Tradition of the Church. The Feast that has been instituted recently is not merely an invention of fantasy - but a profound reflection on the Word and its impact on our faith. Let us cherish out Blessed Mother, the Mother of God, Our Mother and the Mother of the Church!

SPIRIT UNITES

Principles of Unity: Communication, Conciliation and Christ

Solemnity of Pentecost: May 31, 2020

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23

We are people of the Spirit - that is the reminder we are given with today, the day when the Church was born! We are people of the Spirit - in contrast to the people of the world (if at all 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. 

What does it mean to be 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 are 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, hidden agenda, exploitation of persons, manipulation of vulnerabilities - these are signs of the lack of Spirit, or even a spirit that is against the Holy Spirit of God. The sad fact is that 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. 

First and foremost, we need to understand that the Spirit inspires love; love inspires unity; unity is the fundamental mark of the people of God, the people of the Spirit. Let us have a look at the event of Pentecost that we celebrate today and that which is narrated in the first reading. The coming of the Spirit cause three movements: first the movement of the Spirit from within the apostles and disciples - they who were all absorbed in themselves go out of themselves and reach out to others; the second movement is beyond all limits - the limits of fear, the limits of ignorance, the limits of weakness, the limits of timidity; the third movement is the stirring all around - not just the apostles, every one who heard them speak were moved by the Spirit to understand the  message that was spoken! These are the very same movements that the Church and the world needs even today and the Spirit alone can  cause them, for the good of everyone, for the good of humanity, for the good of the universe! Today we need to feel moved from within from egocentricity towards benevolence. We need to move beyond limits that we set for ourselves, the limits of creed, colour, language and other communal polarisations, towards the feeling of One humanity. We badly need to feel the stirring from within to understand the obvious message that is written all around us in the events and experiences like poverty, disease, climate crisis, eco-imbalance, criminalities and violent terrorism, towards humanity, compassion and true love for each other. 

Apart from the traditional fruits and the gifts of the Spirit, there is a nature that the Spirit instills in those persons within whom the Spirit resides. This nature is the very essense of the Spirit: Oneness. The unity and love between God the Father and Mother and the Son of God, is the Spirit. Spirit is the communion! Spirit is Union of hearts! Spirit is the principle of Unity! And there are certain principles of unity that the Spirit ensures in a Spirit-filled person. 

The first of those principles of unity is Communication. Simple blocks in communication among persons are the primary cause of 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!

Spirit enables communication - which is fundamentally and literally, 'making something common' or 'rendering something common to'. Communication means that some thing that has been known to me, I make it common between you and me, which means you and I share a common space from where we are able to understand each other, speak to the other and listen from the other, without creating any blocks or transformers in between us. The Spirit makes us communicate - I and the Father are One said Jesus, and said, the Advocate that the Father sends will receive everything from me and make it known to you! The Spirit makes us communicate, that we are able to find that common space between us where we are able to see what the other sees, hear what the other says, and feel what the other feels.

Conciliation is an important principle of unity. We are human persons, each with our own limitations and weaknesses. We cannot avoid misunderstandings and misgivings, little or grave, but what is detrimental here is, not being ready to find 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. 

Look at the recent events in the world scenario - the whole world is reeling under the pandemic and there are those who are waiting, striving and fighting hard to pin the blame on someone and call for a 'retaliation'! Blaming the other, calling names, fiery talks, unfounded accusations, underground instigations: these will take us nowhere! When shall we understand this? Are they truly Spirit-filled persons who spit fire and cry vengeance? Pope Francis, unfortunately right from the beginning of his Papacy, has had to confront already so many moments of crisis and standoffs among world leaders and international powers. Every time, he has insisted with the leaders 'to be responsible, to be promoters of peace and not war'! That is the sign of a truly Spirit filled person.

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. This oneness has to be felt at all levels and it is a sheer gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us begin with the personal oneness - the oneness that is seen within a person; where words and actions are one; where hidden thoughts and outward speech are one; where inner convictions and external expressions are one! Another level is interpersonal oneness - the oneness of hearts and minds among persons in relationship; families, spouses, friends, communities etc. The next level is the communitarian oneness - the oneness of the people of God; feeling compassion for the other, respecting and being open to the other even though he or she is different from me, and has convictions and beliefs different from mine. 

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? 

A true sign of a Spirit filled persons is the person's longing for unity and his or her concrete initiatives towards unity. Are we truly persons of the Spirit? Then let it be seen in our oneness of heart and mind, in our love and compassion for the other, in our respect and loving coexistence with the others, who are different from ourselves! May the Spirit unite us among us and unite us with God, the Father and Christ, the Son and Saviour. 

Peter and Paul... You and Me!

WORD 2day: Saturday before Pentecost

May 30, 2020: Acts 28: 16-20, 30-31; John 21: 10-25

These days we continuously hear of Paul and Peter, the two great leaders who led the band of apostles in their proclamation of the Gospel and the initial formation of the Church. They announced the Gospel in season and out of season, in the prison or out of it, in political custody or in the public squares, in health and in sickness, among the faithful or among skeptics, among simple peasants or to learned philosophers. Nothing held them back from preaching the Word.

Looking for ideal situations to evangelise, bemoaning the political atmosphere or the social apprehensions,  finding excuses for remaining unnoticed Christians and justifying our lack of initiatives towards evangelisation: these are very common these days. 

At the same time, speaking of the Word in an insensitive manner, caring nothing for the well being of persons around but all the time proclaiming with a self-promotional mentality, faking godliness, putting up appearances, hypocritical judgement of the other, hidden rush for self centered goals and economic gains, making the Word and God a commodity for self preservation or identity creation: these are widespread too!

Tomorrow we will be celebrating the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit causing the rise of the Church, the People of God, the people of the Spirit. Let us pray for the Spirit, the Spirit of power, love and self-discipline, the Spirit of courage and wisdom, the Spirit who strengthens apostles and empowers martyrs, that we may be persons filled with the Spirit and witnessing to the Gospel without ceasing and with integrity.

Following the Lord

WORD 2day: Friday after Ascension

May 29, 2020: Acts 25: 13b-21; John 21: 15-19

The total import of following the Lord may not be known to us right at the beginning when we intend to. But the Lord does not spare the moment. He instructs right from the beginning what can, or what is sure to, befall someone who intends to follow Him. Whoever is not ready to take up his daily cross and follow me is not worthy of me, said Jesus categorically (cf. Mt 10:38). 

St. Paul was more than certain of everything that awaited him, the sufferings and even death for the sake of the Lord. "I kept back nothing," he could declare because that was the fact - he did not deem anything worth keeping back from God and from God's purposes; he did not find anything more important that doing what the Lord commanded him to do: go and proclaim.

Jesus himself prepares Peter in his post-resurrection encounter. Invariably all Jesus's apostles, except James it is said, died the death of martyrs. They were prepared for it and they even considered it their privilege. It was in fact the finest way of expressing their love for their Master and Lord. Paul was not exception on this count as well.

Today, with the increasing number of anti-Christian skeptics in the world and anti-Reign elements even within our faith, our challenge to be disciples becomes is more and more demanding. However, it remains categorical as ever. There can be no other choice or no compromise absolutely. Following the Lord means following Him in everything, right till the end.

The Mystical Union with God

WORD 2day: Thursday after Ascension 

May 28, 2020: Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; John 17: 20-26

Just as the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father, we are invited to be one in the Father and the Son, through the Holy Spirit. Jesus' prayer for his disciples, that is, for us to the Father has a beautiful challenge to pose to us. The challenge does not consist in doing anything or accomplishing anything great... but it consists of being, simply being with the Lord, just being one with the Lord!

However, it is not that simple. As both the readings point to, the world at large does not "know" the Lord, or does not identify with the Lord; in a way it stands aloof from or sometimes even against the Lord. The culture of death that prevails, the insensitive economy that rules, the inhuman politics that dominates, the treacherous power equations that manipulate... are signs of opposition to God and the Gospel. It is in this context that the Lord invites us to bear witness, 'just as in Jerusalem, also in Rome'.

From Jerusalem to Rome, from the religious circles to the political arena, from the academic domain to grass root social praxis, we are called to bear witness to the Lord and to the Lord's good news of love - the love that the Father has for the Son, which is the same love that God has for us! 

We are called to be One in love, we are united in the love of God. We are in the Lord and the Lord is in us and we are made one in the Lord - let us celebrate this mystical union in God, that is  the quintessence of Christian faith.

The Preoccupation for the Flock

WORD 2day: Wednesday after Ascension

May 27, 2020: Acts 20: 28-38; John 17: 11b-19

The readings today present to us the preoccupation that Jesus and St.Paul have for the flock that they leave behind - as St. Paul sets off to Jerusalem and Jesus contemplates returning to his Father! The total dedication that each of them had towards those entrusted to them is known to us and it is best expressed in the phrase that St. Paul uses quoting his Master: it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Keeping the faith, being true to the message of the Lord, persevering in the tradition in which one is brought up, not letting oneself be swayed by newer teachings  and fancier presentations, not becoming stumbling blocks to others, not looking for greener pastures, not seeking excitements of the moment or extraordinary show down... these are the preoccupations that are expressed here and proposed to us. 

These concerns prompt to us two important qualities that are necessary: Spiritual Sincerity and Constant Discernment. Spiritual Sincerity that goes beyond all external shows and calculated benefits and refers to a person's innermost relationship with his or her Lord, and Discernment that refers to the openness to the Spirit of the Lord and obedience to the Will of God even amidst problems and struggles.

The times today are marked by certain fickle minded hopping from tradition to tradition, seeking consolation or so-called "search" for the truth, or reckless trial-and-error attempts, with the proliferation of innumerable sects and factions. If these movements are spiritually sincere and discerned with rigour, well and good. But if they come from an unfounded mind and a lack of persevering dedication, they are the dangers that Paul and Jesus warn us against.