FIND YOURSELF IN THE CROWD

Beginning a journey with the Lord

March 29, 2026 - Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of a journey with the Lord, that is why the procession at the beginning of this celebration takes on an added meaning…to symbolise the journey we take on: along with a crowd of people, a crowd of people with so many varied mindsets...

Let us just have a look…

    - there were those, who were wondering whether he would come or not, for the festival;

    - there were those, who were there to find some fault with him, in order that they may arrest him;

    - there were those, who were there just curious to see some spectacle or signs;

    - there were those, who were there to see if what they heard about this man called Jesus was really true;

    - there were those, who did not have even a clue as to what was happening, they were carried away by the crowd;

    - there were those, who were there enjoying the fun of the crowd, in the spirit of a carnival, and having a great time of festivity;

    - there were those, who had made it from far places, merely to see if they can catch a glimpse of Jesus whom they heard so much of;

    - there were those, who had followed him right from Galilee, who were unable to leave his side because of the personality that he was;

    - there were those, who were so involved in his teachings, who found his words too precious to be missed;

    - there were those, who were an integral part of his life, they shared his everyday and shared his every dream;

    - there were those, who were there who were concerned about him, aware of the impending danger, but still wanted to be there for him...

How many different mindsets!

Now... just pause a while… and let us take a look within us… where do I find myself in this crowd today?

What is my mindset today... curiosity, boredom? monotony? Blind excitement? Let us remember that the week-long journey with the Lord is going to be a trying journey, a journey of sorts, a journey which is going to be a real challenge!

Among the crowd that we find around Jesus today, where do I find myself?

Life-giving death: new life, life to the full, eternal life!

Conversion – from death to life

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – SATURDAY FIFTH WEEK

March 28 – Ezekiel 37:21-28; John 11: 45-56

Our Lenten journey of Listening and Fasting, as a time of Conversion, has practically reached its end… because from tomorrow we begin the Holy Week with the Passion Sunday. In fact, it is towards this week we have been preparing ourselves these past five weeks… the immediate objective of which is to contemplate the passion and death of the Lord. We would begin that with the solemn celebration of tomorrow…the palm Sunday, which is rightly also called the Passion Sunday.

What was the purpose of the passion…what did it achieve? Let us begin with that question: the first reading today answers that without hesitation – to bring everyone home and make them One People, the people of God. The discourse of the Shepherd returns, with Christ who offers himself to be that Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, that no one of them shall be lost.

God never forgets the covenant made – I shall be your God and you shall be my people! And hence, even when we the people distanced ourselves from God and turned our backs, God’s response was to send God’s only Son, who comes as the Shepherd who gathers the flock into one. How does he do it – through his death. That is why that was a life-giving death.

A death that gives new life, new life as people of God, the redeemed of God, the flock gathered unto God; a death that brings life to the full, a life in abundance, in spite of the shortcomings and fragilities that we face; a death that takes us to eternal life, a life in communion with the Lord of life who is eternal, thus making us eternal too!

We see this prophesied today in the Word – not by Ezekiel whom we listen to in the first reading, but the high priest who despised Jesus. It is he who declares that Jesus would be the “one man to die for the people”; that Jesus was to die to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. It is this death that has given us life – new life, fullness of life and eternal life… life-giving death.

We enter into a holy season tomorrow… as we walk towards that death, the death on the Cross, that life-giving death, that leads to eternal life; the death that makes us people of God, people of life!

Life... the Word, Spirit and Truth

Conversion – from death to life

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – FRIDAY FIFTH WEEK

March 27 – Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10: 31-42

Our journey from death to life, is obviously as the term itself says, a life long journey, a life-journey in fact. And this is what Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman – the Lord worshipped in spirit and truth! Our reflection on Listening and Fasting… has to remind us of this life-journey as journey of conversion!

“Terror from every side!” – that is how Jeremiah explains his situation… just as it was for Jesus too, as the elders and the scribes were out to catch him for a word or a gesture that they can accuse him of. It would be so for anyone who belongs to God – the generations that we spoke of yesterday, the sons and daughters of Abraham, that is persons of faith. The reason is, the persons of faith, persons with God, are persons who stand by truth!

Be it Jeremiah or any other prophet, or be it Jesus, the problem was that they were speaking the truth, they were saying what God wanted them too. Yesterday we came across in the Gospel the controversy that they accused Jesus of speaking about himself as someone equal to Abraham – and the discussion continues today. Jesus does not evade the question, he deepens the controversy – the Father is in me and I am in the Father. For those who were scandalised that Jesus was equating himself to Abraham, to hear him speak in these terms about the Father and himself, was indeed a breaking point!  But Jesus does not mind – because he was speaking the truth.

In Jesus’ vision, this truth is the light – it makes one understand oneself and see oneself in the right light; this truth is liberty – it makes one fearlessly genuine and authentic; this truth is life – life in the Father, life in the Spirit, life eternal. It does not matter that there is terror all around, there are persons plotting against me, there are those who consider me a threat and look forward to my death – because the Spirit, the truth makes me shift my gaze from that death that surrounds to the life that is promised me! 

This has to be seen in our concrete choices, in our works, as Jesus teaches us today in the Gospel. Our works need to testify to the fact that we are from the Father, that we are daughters and sons of that merciful Father, that loving generation of God’s own. Our Life, the Word today wishes to point to us, as a watershed has to orient our entire existence, and not just ours but of every single person who encounters Christ – taking us towards life, towards Spirit and truth

Life... living to be a generation!

Conversion – from death to life

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – THURSDAY FIFTH WEEK

March 26 – Genesis 17: 3-9; John 8: 21-30

Our reflection on Listening and Fasting… as a way to Conversion had lead us to this consideration of our journey from death to life, and we are nearing the close of this reflection! The Word today takes us back to the origins posing a fundamental question: why should we undertake this journey? Because we are called to, by the very identity that we are given with, as people of God, as people of life!

Abraham is presented to us as a reminder of our origins, when we were made the people of God, the multitude of nations who were promised to Abraham – his generations! Generations... that is indeed the crux of the message that the Word has for us. And it is nothing new to us, as an argument. We are all much attuned to this discussion of the generations… be it the custom of the surnames that we hold close to our hearts (as if it is something benign, vis-à-vis), or the idea of the clan and tribe that we identify ourselves with (which of course appears to be a bit pejorative at times with its variations like caste and other considerations!)

What is the Christ-ian sense of Generation – the roots or the identity that we would like to refer ourselves to? Jesus today speaks of this when he refers to Abraham, to a people who pride in being sons and daughters of Abraham. But in his discourse Jesus deconstructs this concept of “generation” in terms of both time and space, with his statement: your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad. Isn’t that drastically deconstructive?

Jesus is establishing a paradigm where time or space does not define generations – neither the chronological link in the chain of birth and ancestors, not the spatio-geographical link of socio-genetics. Jesus seems to say that the real sense of “generation” comes in those who know the Father and listen to the Word (Jesus himself) of the Father and live their lives in accordance. That is generation and that is true “life” that Jesus gives- that life which will never end, the eternal life.

Listening is a way we receive that Word and be regenerated; Fasting is the way we discipline ourselves in reflecting on that Word and making it our life… and it is in converting to this we become the sons and daughters of Abraha, the people of the Covenant, the children of God, the generations in God

The Maiden and the Salvation Plan

Instrument, Ideal and Icon!

March 25, 2026: Solemnity of Annunciation of the Lord
Isaiah 7: 10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10: 4-10; Luke 1: 26-36 

Annunciation is the second exception given us in this lenten journey to celebrate, because this is a key commemoration in relation to the eternal plan of Salvation. To the question whether this is a Solemnity of the Lord or of Mary - we should say "both"! Though it is in fact a solemnity of the Lord (the annunciation of the birth of the Lord), it can well be an invitation to look at our Blessed Mother in the light of the Salvation Plan that the Lord had made for us from all eternity.

Mary as an Instrument of Salvation - In her wholehearted and trusting 'yes', Mary entered into the special category of collaborators with the Lord in the plan of salvation for the entire humanity. To the extent that some theologians for ages have been claiming the title 'co-mediatrix', the role of Mary in the climax of the Salvific Plan of God, is unforgetable. She is chosen by the Father, as the Mother of God, a singular privilege that none can deny or negate! The invitation is that we give her the due recognition and love her with an immense gratitude for her obedient surrender to the Salvific plan of God.

Mary as the Ideal of Salvation - In her distinctive and characteristic relationship with her Son, Mary has become a model, an ideal of those who are saved by the Son of God. Mary is certainly the first fruit of the Salvation that Jesus the Christ brought to us human beings. In her assumption we see a great model that she sets, the ideal that she presents, as to what salvation does to us - the rising to incorruptibility! She has been our forerunner in obtaining the fruits of the salvation, in and through Jesus Christ, and passing it on to us, his brothers and sisters. The invitation therefore is to imitate her, in following her Son, as she herself became the most ardent disciple and apostle of her Son.

Mary as the Icon of the Saved humankind - In her total submission to the Holy Spirit, our Blessed Mother has played to precision her role, not only as the biological mother of the Saviour, but also as someone who heard the Word, beheld the Word within her and lived the Word in her daily life. She not only brought forth the Word into the world, but also lived by the Word all the time that she was in the world. She is given to us in the Holy Spirit, as our intercessor, who can teach us to pray and take our prayers to the presence of the Lord! She is the handmaiden of the Spirit and remains an icon for the entire humankind, assuring every one the salvation that was brought to the world by her Son.

Let our prayer today be: Mary our Mother, in your humble submission to the Will of God, you brought us Salvation; grant that we may dare to submit to God's will that we be enjoy our salvation, and be instruments of that salvation to all those around us, and to the entire world. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Look up and live!

Conversion – from death to life

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – TUESDAY FIFTH WEEK

March 24 – Number 21:4-9; John 8: 21-30

Our journey from death to life is possible only with the One who gives us life… we are surrounded by the experiences of death, the culture of death. Just as the people of Israel for whom God did so much, but still forgot readily all the good and gave into lamentations and murmur, so do we tend to choose what is death-inducing instead of life-giving – as we reflected yesterday.

If we wish to ensure that we live, and live to the full, we need to concretely make a choice for the One who fills us with life – the Word says today: look up to Him and live. We need to look up to the Lord if we wish to really live.

Jesus describes and interprets in the Gospel of today, the experience we read about in the first reading, where the people are asked to look up at the bronze serpent and receive life. It is a symbolic prefiguring of the Saviour who would be raised too on the salvific wood, as the bronze serpent was raised on a staff.

Looking up… is the reference here that weaves the Word into one theme today, and this looking up can gives us at least three messages to reflect on:

Firstly, looking up is to surrender to the Lord above, knowing well that God alone is in control of everything. When the people were dying of the brunt of the serpents and they did not know what to day, the only recourse that could redefine their experiences was the Lord above…looking up was giving themselves into the hands of God and living our lives in mercy and grace.

A second significance of that looking up is to receive the light that can offer sense to our lives. Looking so much at our treacherous circumstances, the wars and violence, the arrogance and animosity, the avarice and egocentric tendencies, the unforgiveness and inhumanity around, we could be lost in a sense of meaninglessness in life. It is the Cross that can give us the true sense, giving us the message, that God’s love and mercies never cease. We have a reminder of that love, of that forgiveness, of that never-failing mercy in the Cross.

The third is a reminder that when we look up, we not only surrender and ask for the light of the Lord, but we behold a lesson – the only way to live, is to empty oneself. Jesus on the Cross, every time we look up, gives us a powerful message – the message of self-emptying: he emptied himself, becoming a slave and accepting death on the cross, the greatest of all life-giving acts. In a world which teaches us to seek our own well being and survival, the Lord from the Cross teaches us to empty ourselves and find life, life that is whole, life that is eternal. The Word invites us to look up and live, live to the full

Our choices: death-inducing? or life-giving?

Conversion – from death to life

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – MONDAY FIFTH WEEK

March 23 – Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62; John 8: 1-11

Conversion, as the journey from death to life – that is the last phase of our Lenten journey that we have begun from yesterday, before we enter into the Holy week very soon! Death and life are not merely two states of the body…it is actually, spiritually speaking, state of our being or our spirits. Said in simple words, they are two ways of life.

How can death be a way of life? We are very often reminded these days of our late Pope Benedict XVI, who spoken often about the “culture of death” that is trying to prevail these days. This is where death becomes a way of life… that is, a choice in life. When I choose to wish the ruin of the other, when I choose to avenge the other, when I choose not to forgive, when I choose to judge, when I choose to condemn the other, when I choose not to give the other a possibility… I choose death.

We have two persons or two cases presented to us – and a third one that is symbolically referred to – in the Word today. The cases of Susanna condemned by the sinful elders and the so-called sinful woman brought to be condemned by the elders… the Word taken together seems to suggest, it is not whether someone is innocent or someone is a sinner that matters to God: what matters to God is that persons live, they find the right meaning of their life and live, live on through the mercy of God!

We said a third one symbolically referred to: Jesus who was condemned by the elders and chief priests, to death! It is this symbolic reference that raises the real question from the Word today: what do I choose? A style of life that is death-inducing? or that which is life-giving?

A life-giving mode of living is first and foremost, choosing life – there can be no neutrality in life; either I am with life or I am against! Those who are not with me are against me; those who do not gather, they scatter! Secondly that mode ensures that I promote life in all sense – that I give myself, and the other, the possibility of new life, renewed life, a life of fullness.

The Lord we believe in is the Lord of life, not an inducer of death. That is why he said, the one who believes in me, even those he or she dies, shall live

CONVERSION... FROM DEATH TO LIFE

Revisiting the Past; Refilling of the Spirit; Rediscovering Compassion!

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

March 22 -  Ezekiel 37: 12-14; Romans 8: 8-11; John 11: 1-45

Listening and Fasting - Lent as a time for conversion... we have reached the closing phase of this project, we began four weeks ago…today the invitation is to behold our call to journey from death to life, as a concrete form of conversion.

We are given with a powerful imagery today, the event of the raising of Lazarus to life, after three days in the tomb – firstly, it is an obvious prefigurement of the resurrection of Christ, just as that of Jonah; secondly, it is a promise to humanity that death is not the final victor in our existence; and thirdly, it is a spiritual call to journey from situations of death in our daily life, to where the Lord tells us to “come out” – to come out to life! This journey consists of three phases, indicated through some prominent phrases in the Word today.

Opening the graves – the first phase is revisiting our past. The first reading and the Gospel speak of opening the graves… the graves symbolise something that is over with, but still resting there as a reminder of what has been. If there has been anything in the past that has not been resolved, we cannot pass by. The Lord says, open the graves! Revisit your past and heal it; revisit the past and resolve the knots that exist still. The Lord is ready to be there, as we decide to revisit and the Lord understands us well, because the Lord was there even when it happened then, in the past.  

We may not be comfortable with it – saying it may smell, it may be unbearable, it may be painful or it may be festering! But the Lord does not mind, He insists. The Lord wants us to revisit our past with a lot of courage, self-respect and sense of hope. Come closer to the end of this wonderful season of conversion, we are reminded of the need to revisit our past and behold the Lord in the sacrament of Reconciliation…that Lord calls us: open the graves!

Pouring the Spirit – The second phase is the refilling of the Spirit. The revisiting of the past is not merely a psychological step, which it is of course. With the Lord beside us, it is deeply spiritual. The Spirit of the Lord has made his home in you, says St. Paul, reminding us that when we need a renewal it is not some fresh encounter with the Spirit as if we have not known the Spirit of the Lord. It is a refilling, probably because we have run out of the Spirit… the Lord pours once again the Spirit into us – a refilling that renews us.

Spirit is life, and when we are refilled with the Spirit we are refilled with life – a new life, a fullness of life, the foretaste of the eternal life that we have been promised. As Jesus said when he raised the daughter of Jairus, that she was just asleep; here too he says – our friend Lazarus is resting. So does the Lord tell our spirits - that they are just asleep and they need to be woken up with the refilling of the Spirit. It is a reawakening… the resurrection that we long for.

Mercy and fullness of Redemption – When Jesus raises Lazarus and says, unbind him and let him go…he is telling each of us how the love and mercy of God wants to unbind us and set us free, how the compassion of the Lord wants to liberate us to eternal life. The responsibility however, is on our part, to rediscover that compassion, which is always there, ever-present for our taking. We may have ifs and buts – if you were here, if the Lord were aware, if the Lord hears, if the Lord sees and so on, but the fact is the Lord is; the Lord knows; and the Lord is Compassion. There can be no change in that.

It takes our sincere effort to recognise, receive and rediscover that compassion. Just as so many around that tomb with such diverse mentalities looked on until the glory of the Lord was revealed, so shall the world and humanity stand around and look… but are we going to be in that crowd? Or are we going to confess and profess as Martha… Yes Lord, I believe, and see the glory shine in front of our eyes?

This week the Word will accompany us to rediscover what it means to journey from death to life, in the compassion of the Lord. Let us open our hearts, allow the Lord to enter and manifest his glory – that is the conversion asked of us every single day of our life.

Judgement: the darkness suppressing the light!

Conversion – from darkness to light

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – SATURDAY FOURTH WEEK

March 21 – Jeremiah 11: 18-20; John 7: 40-52

Conversion, as the journey from darkness to light, requires that we choose light, and not the prevalent tendency of judgementalism. Yesterday, the Word warned us on judging, judging wrongly and judging maliciously. Today it goes further to talk to us about judging unjustly and a worser attitude.

Judging unjustly is not just a wrong judgement, it is a malicious judgement, and done with a specific agenda. It is not just a mistake or a circumstantial happening. It is a strategized, well planned and executed. This happens today at many levels – socio political, economic, national, international and global.

Jeremiah, in the first reading today, is treated like a national enemy…and they judge him unworthy of living and they decide to eliminate him. The reason being, he spoke things that they did not want to hear. He criticised them for the growing callousness towards good and virtue.

Jesus is rejected, in the Gospel today, just because he does not come from where they want, rather he comes from where they did not expect him to come from. How many injustices are carried out today because of where one comes from, from his origin and his native particulars… race, region, colour, caste and what not…

The question today is: are these judgements merely wrong or malicious? Aren’t they unjust, strategic and well-orchestrated? Are we not plotting against God, pitching against the humanity that God wanted? At this level, is not this judgement, apart from missing the truth, trying to suffocate it, suppress it?

There is a worser attitude to these unjust judgements – it is justifying these unjust judgements. We find reasons and logic to all kinds of injustice that we promote or sustain… this is indeed a suppression of light. Light comes through any darkness to make things seen… bringing to the fore our mistakes and our lacks. If we are humble and sincere, we will immediately see it and admit that light to take us towards conversion.

However, when darkness takes the upper hand, there is no possibility for conversion, because darkness suppresses the light that struggles to come through. Judgement of the other is one such darkness to beware.

Judging the other: direct expression of Godlessness!

Conversion – from darkness to light

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – FRIDAY FOURTH WEEK

March 20 – Wisdom 2: 1,12-22; John 7: 1-2,10,25-30

Conversion as the journey from darkness to light, is a definitive choice for God, but today the world seems to be tending much towards Godlessness, in every way: personal lives and morals, societal values and norms, cultural priorities and choices… in everything there seems to be a tendency towards Godlessness. However, we need not be surprised because right the from the beginning this has been a scourge of humanity.

In fact, the ancient enemy the tempter, has always found all possible means to unleash this sensation on the human race – to render it as Godless as possible. One efficient means, of the many that the Evil one has in stock, is the proneness to judge! Jesus knew this easy bait and has warned us time and again – judge not and you will not be judged. But it takes a great effort to listen to that admonition really.

We are prone to judge and that is an expression of godlessness, because in judging we are tending to play God. Our pride and self-centredness occupy such a large space that there is no much place for the other, and indeed note for God!

As if judging were not enough, as a natural and consequential deterioration of this habit or attitude we soon begin to judge people wrongly! This is the further step of godlessness, because we begin assassinating people in varied forms. We cease to see them as they are and force them into the straightjackets that we have prepared.

Worse it is to go still further and judge, not only wrongly, but maliciously – wantonly making wrong judgements and maliciously spreading them to achieve the hidden ends that we have devised for ourselves. This is an acute expression of godlessness…and we see that decried in the first reading and the Gospel today – the killing of the innocents. Does it not continue even today?

Let us not immediately point to socio-political and economic forces that are flagrantly carrying this out in our times at all levels, be it global or local; because we need to be mindful also in our own interpersonal level – at the micro contexts of our own communities and families. How many persons we judge, we judge wrongly and at time we judge even maliciously?

Can we leave that darkness and journey towards the light of innocence?