PEOPLE OF RESURRECTION - GIVING

Wednesday of the Easter Week

April 3, 2024 - Acts 3: 1-10; Luke 24: 13-25

A sign of the people of Resurrection, pointed out by the Word today: Giving. They shall be "giving" people! They give because they have been given; they give because they believe in a God who gives, gives without measure or conditions. Giving is an essential quality of God. God, we know, has always been giving - the whole creation, the gift of our life and everything is a gift from God, right up the only Son of God given up for our salvation. That is why the people of God are identified by their capacity to give! Here we can reflect on this "giving" at three levels:

Firstly, the readiness to give. The act of giving has to be necessarily preceded by the readiness to give. If not, it is obviously a forced giving and it shall bear none of its merits. The people of God are distinguished more by their readiness to give, than by what they give. 

Secondly, the choice of what to give. One significant question that emerges when we think about the readiness to give is, whether the person who is ready to give would have anything to give. Not all who are ready to give, have something to give and on the contrary, not everyone who has something to give, has the readiness to give. Therefore the question is, if the people of the Resurrection are those who give, what do they give - not so much from what they have as from what they are. Self-giving is the characteristic giving of the people of Resurrection - if we have died with him, we shall rise with him too. They are people who are ready to give as the Lord gave, that is, of oneself. And that way, they rise, they are born to new life, in giving of oneself. They recognised the Lord, the Gospel says today, in the breaking of the bread, which was an essential symbol of Christ's self-giving. They immediately recognised it. 

Thirdly, the highest form of giving that the people of Resurrection can practice, is giving the Risen Lord to the other, to the others, to the world. Gold and silver, is not what they are actually called to give, but Christ and the power of Christ. What we have we give, said the apostles at the Beautiful Gate: this is a key to undersand. We can give only what we have - it is an obvious lesson. So, if we are called to give Christ, then we would require to possess Christ; that is, we need to be constantly in touch with the Risen Lord, in order to have the Lord within us and only if we have the Lord, we can give the Lord. People of Resurrection, give, they give of themselves, they give the Risen Lord to the world around. 

PEOPLE OF RESURRECTION - RECOGNISING AND REALISING

The Tuesday of the Easter Week

April 2, 2024: Acts 2: 36-41; John 20: 11-18

Among the indications of the People of Resurrection, today we have the characteristic trait of recognising the Lord and realising His presence! "I have seen the Lord and he has spoken to me," affirms Mary of Magdala today, in terms so clear and sound. But it took time and effort for her to arrive at that statement, because it was not a statement from history books or from memorised formulae; it was an experience of recognition of the Risen Lord and a realisation of the Lord's presence. 

We see those phases of her recognition of the Lord - when her preoccupation of what "she wanted to do" was so high she was not even clear as to whom she was speaking to: she was all lost in searching for the Lord who was not there according to her; when her accusation, complaint and anger of the other about what they had done to them was so high, she was taking every one around her for someone who had wronged her: even the Lord looked like a stranger and a threat; finally when she listened to the Lord, her eyes were opened to recognise finally the Lord whom she had been seeing all this while - Rabbuni, she exclaimed! She recognised and realised that the Lord has all the time been with her.

The same is expressed by the people in the first reading. They were all the time given the grace of beholding what the Lord was and what the Lord wanted to reveal to them. But their eyes, their hearts and their lives were so filled with what they were occupied with, that they never managed to listen to what they were hearing. Finally, after all that took place with Jesus and then with the disciples, they open their ears and their minds, they listen and they Recognise the Word coming over to them. 

This Recognition is not just a matter of fact or a passing event... it leads to a realisation, a realisation that leads in turn to transformation. People of Resurrection, just as the women, the disciples and the apostles were, are people who recognise and realise, recognise the presence of the Lord and realise what the Lord is doing for them!   

PEOPLE OF RESURRECTION - WITNESSES

The Monday of the Easter Week

April 1, 2024: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Matthew 28: 8-15

The Word in this week of Easter celebration - yes, it is a week-long celebration - shall speak to us of some of the characteristic traits of the Easter people, or the people of Resurrection. Today we are invited to reflect on the quality or the call to be witnesses!

Go and tell my brothers - that is the commission given. First of all, the commission itself is crucial. That we need to Go and we need to Tell. Go and Tell - this is the crux of the Christian mission. It is clear that we are called to go to the ends of the earth, which begins with where we are! Secondly, there is a detail to be noted here. Those who were given this commission to go and tell, were not the so-called "apostles" but the women! They were not even known as 'disciples', though they were actually that. But the message is - you don't need a special title as a disciple or an apostle to feel the mandate of "go and tell". That commission is given to every one who encounters Christ, the Risen Christ. 

Therefore, the two fold point of reflection that is given to us is - whether we are open to an encounter with the Risen Christ; and whether we are ready to accept the commission that encounter would give to go and tell, to be witnesses of this experiences. 

The apostles become an example of this after the pentecost experience. We see the words of Peter today from the Acts, who declares with clarity: "all of us are witnesses to that", to the Christ-event, to the difference that Jesus Christ has made to the whole of humanity. 

The people of Resurrection are primarily witnesses, those who stand and speak, who share their experiences with courage and conviction. Let us fine tune our capacity to witness!

ALLELUIA! HE IS RISEN!

THE GOOD FRIDAY

 

THE MAUNDY THURSDAY

 

THE BETRAYAL WEDNESDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 27, 2024: Isaiah 50: 4-9; Matthew 26:14-25

The disciple's tongue to speak and the disciple's ear to listen - that is what the Lord has given us; but whether we use the faculty or not, depends so much on our choice! Jesus had given all the needed warning – a long time warning about having right priorities and a proximate warning about cruciality of personal choices to make. But nothing deterred Judas from following the way of ruin. This Wednesday reminds us of the unfortunate choice that Judas had made – that is why it could be termed the Betrayal Wednesday… when that definitive negotiation and choice was made for the evil! He has begun looking for the opportunity to hand Jesus over to Jews!

Betrayal is not failure – it would not have been a betrayal, if Judas had tried and failed. Trying and failing is a disciple’s way – he or she will however realise and restart, because the priorities have not been lost, but only forgotten for a little unfortunate while. The disciple’s ear is attentive, at least at a second moment he or she will pick the right: the disciple would soon feel: did we not feel our hearts burning when we listened to Him?

Betrayal is not weakness – it would not have been judged his fate, if what Judas did was his weakness. Peter’s act was a weakness; the apostles’ desertion was a weakness; but it did not come against their identity as disciples – they came back with vigour to announce the Lord they loved – the disciple’s tongue is the expression of one’s love for the Master. It is making it clear – making a choice, an absolute choice for the Lord.

Betrayal is a choice – a choice, a deliberate choice to go into the dark night, to let the evil rule, to go with something that you think will lead you to your goals while you are actually losing your original call and the love with which you responded to that call. The strong reminder given to us today is that discipleship is all about our priorities and our personal choices! 

THE WARNING TUESDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 26, 2024: Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33,36-38

‘Listen’, ‘pay attention’… that seem to be the passionate call of the Word today – be it first reading or the Gospel. Reflecting on the life of Christ the exegetes say, today - this tuesday, might have been the last normal day that Jesus had with his disciples and followers, for soon frenetic happenings will begin, we know! Jesus knew the Jews were looking for him, waiting to trap him and wanting to destroy him. Yesterday we found them so desperate about the popularity of this man from Galilee! But what mattered to Jesus was not the opposition that was rising, but that his loved ones should not fall prey to the evil one! You are my beloved, yes, but be careful, be attentive, he warns them – on this day which could be called the Warning Tuesday!

It is not enough that you are servants of the Lord, ‘I make you light of the nations,’ promises the Word. That is what Jesus tells them too – you are not just followers, you are my friends, my witnesses, my substitutes – that is your call. But there are so many situations and crises waiting to pounce on you and devour you! Be warned, he says, listen and be attentive! No one seems to be listening – they are still in the hangover of the festive entry they witnessed and that concerns Jesus. He calls their attention passionately, just as the first reading calls our attention!

The Warning comes to us today – let us not be too taken up with our capacity, our achievements, and their celebrations… the enemy is prowling round like a roaring lion. If we are not attentive, we can easily fall prey. We are reminded to constantly raise a question within us: how committed are we to our relationship with God our Father and Mother?

Jesus warned Judas; he warned Peter, and all his apostles; but they were all too naive to take it seriously. Jesus was troubled in spirit, says the Gospel today. Let him not be troubled by our distractedness and our insensitivity to the Word. Let us sit at the feet of the Lord and examine our lives in the light of the Word.

THE VOCATION MONDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 25, 2024: Isaiah 42: 1-7; John 12: 1-11

On the Monday of the Holy Week, the Gospel specifies it, 'six days before the Passover,' Jesus is found in Bethany, just on the outskirts of Jerusalem... in the house of Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus’ entry this time into Jerusalem, points to the beginning of a definitive clash between Jesus and the authorities, leading to the tragic crucifixion that we would soon reflect on. One of the most crucial points of contention between Jesus and the Authorities, besides the temple, was the popularity of Jesus! They wanted to kill Jesus, and also Lazarus, because they did not like the popularity that Jesus was hoarding. But for Jesus it was not so much about popularity, as about his fidelity to his vocation! This day could be called the Vocation Monday – the first reading reminding us of the call to which Jesus wanted to be faithful right till the end!

Jesus is in fact faced with extreme counter testimonies. To begin with, those who outrightly belittled their call to be people of God and plotted the end of Jesus – the leaders and authorities who considered Jesus a threat. Then there were those who seemed to be with him, but were already beginning to compromise regarding the right thing to do, forgetting their call – Judas who was losing his focus thinking more about the money involved than the love involved in what he saw. There were also those who were unwittingly ignorantly confident about their faithfulness to the call, not knowing they would be soon tested badly! 

The message to us is, that we remind ourselves of our vocation, the call that we have received and examine how faithful we are, hoping that we do not fall into any of those three categories – neither ignorantly giving into a failure, nor falling into a compromise and certainly not blatantly going against the call we have received. It is a reminder at the beginning of this journey of Christ towards the highest price that he paid for our tendency towards infidelity. We are challenged to grow more conscious of our vocation, to be dedication disciples of Christ, and true people of God.

BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES

Palms, Psalms and the Passion

March 24, 2024: Palm Sunday

Mark 11: 1-10; Isaiah 50: 4-7; Philippians 2: 6-11; Mark 14:1 - 15:47

The first phase of the Lenten journey this year is over, and we enter into the Holy Week, the concluding week that reminds us of so many intense happenings within the Christ-event that have defined our faith, our experience with God and our very identity as disciples of the Crucified and Risen Lord. The entry point is the Palm Sunday - literally the entry point, as we commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. There are three things that mark this day and that would mark the developments during the week too: the palms, the psalms and the passion!

The Palms: the celebration mode!

It was celebration time when Jesus entered Jerusalem. They celebrated, they sang and danced around him, they raised slogans and cheered for him! They were so enthusiastic about his coming. Blessed is he who comes they shouted! They saw in Jesus, a messiah, a liberator, a leader, a king, someone who is going to change their lives! 

Yes, Jesus was all that! He was the messiah promised; he was the liberator, the redeemer; he was the leader, the shepherd come to gather the flock together; he was the king, the king of all kings, who comes to set up the Reign of God; someone who was destined to change their lives, not just their's, but the whole humanity's. Their enthusiasm was real, it was true but the question is, was it the right type of enthusiasm needed. The litmus test of an enthusiasm is, how long it endures! 

They would soon scatter and go their way; they would soon get tired of Jesus because he was not living up to their expectations... he was not the messiah of the type that they expected; he was not the liberator of the warring type that they wanted; he was not the king that they wanted to take on the Romans; yes, he was challenging to change their lives, but they were not ready for the type of changes that he was proposing! They wanted it all, their way! 

In our lives too… when Jesus enters, we are all enthusiastic. The question is, how long? Soon we lose the initial enthusiasm, the fervour of the new-found experience dies within a while to give rise to boredom and seeking of other experiences. The palms that we hold today tell us: I will dry very soon...will your enthusiasm too wither so?

The Psalms: the cry of praise!

Blessed is the one who comes, they shouted - that was not any slogan; that was Scripture! They were singing psalms. This will repeat itself this week very many times - in the pasch festival that they were gathered for, they would be singing and reciting psalms; the disciples and Jesus would sing psalms; Jesus would repeat verses and the high priests will quote phrases... this week there will be so much of the psalms and the sacred scriptures quoted and cited. 

They sang songs, they chanted the psalms and recited the prayers... so regularly and so diligently. But was it making any change in their lives? Were they attentive to the Word who was so alive amidst them and calling them to change and new life? Were they really mindful of what God was working out right in front of their eyes: their own salvation, in the blood of the Lamb! They were too busy with their fixed ideas and ritual performances. They cared nothing for what Jesus was calling attention to. 

Praying is an attitude that we are called to - not merely parading our theology or memory skills or the capacity to make a show of our piety. We are called to an attitude of prayer, an attitude of living our daily lives attentive to the voice of the Lord, the Word of the Lord. It sets the tone for the whole holy week - telling us, this week try to remain with the Word, meditate the Word, ruminate on all that the Word made flesh went through for your sake. 

The invitation is about an attitude required of us, to spend more time with the Word this week - reading, reflecting, listening, encountering, dialoguing, sharing and opening our hearts to the Word and allowing the Word to touch our very beings. All that we did, or at least tried to do during the Lent, they can be brought into the presence of the Word and made sense of, asking the Word of God to throw light on the meaning and call that we have for our lives.

The Passion: preparing for the Sacrifice!

This Sunday is also called, the Passion Sunday! Not only because the Passion narrative of the Lord that is read during the Mass, but because the passion, death and resurrection, the culminating episode of the Christ-event, was beginning this day. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, there was a new episode beginning... it looked all celebration and fun, but it was ultimately going to be a sacrifice, a covenantal sacrifice, that would change everything that ever was and everything that would ever be! 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the crowd said. Hosanna, they acclaimed. But would soon denounce him and crucify him. Jesus knew it... he knew what is there in store! It was not difficult for him to know it... for all the convictions that he had, for all the teaching about the Reign that he imparted, for all the values that he lived for, for all the critique of the self-righteousness and senseless pride that he made... he knew what would be the result! But he did not hesitate.

When he realised that his death was near, he said to those who were around him - I know the hour has come, so what do I do? Should I ask the Father to remove this cup from me? No, it is for this I came. Look at that clarity! That was the commitment and dedication that Jesus had for the will of God, towards making present the Reign of God here and now. He was ready for anything. He was prepared for the passion. He was looking square at the face of suffering and death, at the Sacrifice that he has to offer! 

The call is clear, and it is going to repeat itself all through this week. Are we ready to suffer? How much suffering are we ready to take up? How prepared are we for sacrifices, for the sake of the will of God and the Reign of God? We have this whole week to answer those questions.

Blessed is he who comes... yes! But are we ready to accept the challenge that he brings?