Defining Spiritual Persons

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 22nd week in Ordinary time

September 2, 2026: 1 Corinthians 3: 1-9; Luke 4: 38-44

Paul feels bad about the fact that he is not able to speak to the Corinthians as to Spiritual people, because of jealousy, rivalry and division among them. He presents those predicaments as directly opposed to being spiritual people. Jesus in the Gospel shines as a role model in being a Spiritual person or a person of the Spirit. He heals, casts out demons and refuses to gain any popularity mileage out of it. He rebukes the demons even, not to announce his Christ image, as he wants himself to be experienced in the depths of their hearts, by each one hearing him or following him.

Are jealousy, rivalry and other divisive mentalities totally absent today in faith communities? Interdenominational differences, intra-community differences withing even the Catholic faith communities are not rare things we hear about. Leave alone the communities, what about my heart, is it totally free of it? If not, I still am an immature believer, yet to become truly a Spiritual person.

St. Paul, in a way, defines who a spiritually mature person is: one who is integral in his or her outlook, unifying in his or her relationships, loving in his or her consideration of the other and God-centered in his or her understanding of one's own identity and of the identity of the faith community. 

If I am still living two lives - one formal and external and the other personal and hidden, if I am divisive and discriminatory in my thinking, words and choices, if I tend to look at the other with suspicion as a threat or a burden, if I am filled with my ego and closed to the others, the Spirit has not yet taken possession of me fully.

Spiritual Persons are persons of the Spirit, and what matters to them is the action of the Spirit within themselves and within their communities.

To have the mind of Christ

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 22nd week in Ordinary time

September 1, 2026: 1 Corinthians 2: 10b-16 ; Luke 4: 31-37.

They believed firmly that no human being can ever deserve the love of God. All that one can do is live in fear of the wrath of God and live a righteous life in order to avoid punishment. Jesus turns those tables upside down and makes it clear that one need not deserve to be loved... God loves us not because we deserve; but because God loves! God loves us and that is all that matters.

In his own self Jesus demonstrated how God is close to every human person and how compassionately in love God is, with God's own children. It is not about begging God for love, but it is about claiming that love with authority that comes from the very fact that we are sons and daughters of that loving God. God does not want us to beg for God's love, but to live a life that would enable us to feel that love which is always and gratuitously given in abundance.

At times it can happen that we may take this concept for an advantage. "Claiming with the right of the children"... we have to remember obviously that it first requires that we live as true sons or daughters, knowing our duties and our obligations, our priorities and pertaining choices! We have all the time during the lockdown to sleep, socialise and do our work from home, but when it come to participating in a prayer moment, be it Eucharistic Celebration or a Rosary service or something similar, we find it difficult, inconvenient and highly impossible! Being children is not merely a right, it has an intrinsic duty attached - to give priority to God and matters pertaining to God.

In short, it is being in touch with the Spirit of the Lord, who lives with us and within us and makes us realize that we are the sons and daughters of the Lord almighty. The Spirit instructs us that to know and enjoy our privileges as children of God, to understand the value of being God's sons and daughters: in straight terms, to have the mind of Christ!

The Dry bone syndrome and Hope therapy

WORD 2day: Friday, 20th week in Ordinary time

August 21, 2026: Ezekiel 37: 1-14; Matthew 22: 34-40

The world is experiencing a time that is strange in all its sense and meaningless in its totality - wars, instabilities, melt downs and loss of certainties - an experience that can easily be called the Dry bone Syndrome. Many things these days and many contexts these days, appear to be suspicious, mechanical, lifeless, insensitive, dry, boring, meaningless, devoid of joy... coping with life seems a herculean task! There is a nostalgia spread all over, whether the so-called 'glory' of the past would ever return! In all these there is the section of people who are worst affected - the poor, the migrants, the daily wagers and all those who are left without hope, exploited and targetted, denied their rights, robbed of their dignity and incessantly dehumanised. There is the entire lot of the people who are wondering what would happen next and what turn would events take tomorrow... the result is frustration, despair...the dry bone syndrome!

The only possible therapy to this is Hope Therapy... the few who still hold on to the right sense of values and priorities, appreciating life and the goodness of the other, with respect and dignity dealing with each other and caring for each other, refusing to be bogged down by conspiracy theories but at the same time not ignoring the genuine dangers that surround, they are the prophets that the Lord appoints today to prophesy to the dry bones... instill hope in the drooping humanity. They can do this because they are filled with genuine love - not with ego and the urge to prove oneself - but with genuine care for the other and sincere wish for the good of the other and of the humanity. That which we call love... that is the hope for the times!

Hope will never deceive us, says St. Paul. Beyond holding on to the hope given by these good-hearted, love-filled few, we are called to join that band - as hope givers!

The Conviction of our Real Image

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 14, 2026: Remembering St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Ezekiel 16: 1-15, 60, 63; John 15: 12-16

The Word today brings out the Merciful face of God at its best. The Lord resents that the people of Israel have abandoned the covenant that they had entered into with the Lord. When the Lord contemplates even a penalty, he contemplates it in terms of goodness! Being good to them and being good to all those who will respect the commandment, this is what the Lord contemplates.

We may see that the people of Israel lose that privilege as 'chosen race' but every race becomes special provided they choose the Lord. It is, therefore the most important element that there is - it is again back to that key element of any spiritual maturity: Choice! The Lord is always good...and we can taste that goodness if we choose to! We can become chosen race, if we choose God to be our priority!

The saint we remember today, Maximilian Kolbe, made a drastic choice, a radical and absolute choice, a choice of life and death, the choice for both the white crown of sanctity and the red crown of martyrdom - for the sake of what he was convinced; that there is no greater love than this, that one gives his or her life for another. He did not mind laying his life down for an unknown friend in the concentration camp. Even God's love has been manifested to us, in this same scheme of events. The love out of which God gave God's only Son and the love out of which the Son of God gave himself totally to the children of God, that we may share His heirship.

We are called to image that same love, for we are made of exactly the same substance. Those who are totally convinced of it, turn into saints. Those who are moderately convinced of it, keep struggling, keeping that fight on, day in and day out. Those who are not convinced of it, make not only their life miserable, even the existence of entire humanity miserable and painful. How convinced are we of our real image: God, who is Love!

Obstinacy of Human Selfishness

WORD 2day: Thursday, 19th week in Ordinary time

August 13, 2026: Ezekiel 12: 1-12; Matthew 18:21 - 19:1

The Rebellious people have eyes to see but do not see; they have ears to hear but do not hear. How good, loving, forgiving, merciful and bountiful God is to me - I am so aware of it right until the time that I myself have to be good, loving, forgiving and generous with those around me! I begin to count, calculate, justify, judge, grudge and grumble when I have to give or forgive or show mercy or be loving. I have the eyes to see God's goodness but I lack the vision to see that I need to be good too. I have the ears to hear the merciful whisperings of the Divine but I don't have the ears to hear the pleading for mercy in the eyes of my brother and sister! What is this but an awful obstinacy of human selfishness?

The Obstinacy of Human Selfishness does not allow me to share with the others whatever God has given me; it blocks even the natural consciousness and awareness of the extent to which I have received. In comparison to the amount of love that God has showered on us, where does the level of love that I show to others stand? In comparison to the sins and the wickedness that God has forgiven in me, where do the simple faults committed by my brother or my sister stand? 

The Obstinacy of Human Selfishness fills me so much with my own self, my ego, that I am not able to see anything beyond me and mine; I am not able to hear anything beyond my own wants and whinings; I am not able to occupy myself with anything beyond my own greed and desire; I am not able to even consider anyone other than myself important or worthy of consideration. Just give it a serious thought - is it not from here all the problems of today arise... be it in the family, or in the society or in the world at large? 

What mark do I bear?

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 19th week in Ordinary time

August 12, 2026: Ezekiel 9: 1-7, 10, 18-22; Matthew 18: 15-20

Do you remember to have seen this symbol? This is the Arabic character 'nun' as the starting letter of nazarani a derogatory term used by the ISIS and other anti Christian forces, to refer to the Christians, as follower of Christ (who was called the Nazarene)

Some years back this was so familiar all over the media... during the time when the Christians in Iraq were targeted and persecuted. They were being butchered for the mere reason that they were Christians... and how were they identified and indicated to each other by those who were targeting them? This symbol or sign was drawn or spray painted on the doors of the houses of Christians, to tell the plunderers and soldiers that those houses are accessible at will. The Christians were made to live in constant fear and anxiety. Similar things happened even during the Nazi targeting of the Jews and other historical contexts.

In the first reading today we see in the vision of Ezekiel, the angels were given a symbol on the forehead of people, by which they are spared! That is a manifestation of mercy by God! Jesus too gives a mark by which we will be known as people of God... the mark of loving forgiveness. "By this they will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:35). 

In the Gospel today, Jesus explains what this 'having love for one another' is. It is to forgive, to care for each other and above all to pray together, with one heart and mind. This is the mark that Jesus expects of us, as our identity, as a sign that saves us! It is not those who call him 'Lord Lord' who would be saved but those who do the will of the Father (Mt 7:21), Jesus would say. The sign that can save us is our life of daily forgiveness and undying love.

"If they arrested you today for being a Christian, will they find enough evidence for that when they prosecute you?" - that is a very strong question indeed for us to reflect today! What are the marks that I bear in my daily life to tell myself and the world, that I am a disciple of Christ?

Obedience or Rebellion?

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 19th week in Ordinary time

August 11, 2026: Ezekiel 2:8-3:4; Matthew 18:1-5, 10,12-14.

When a child places its trust in someone, be it father or mother, or a loved one, or a teacher or a friend, the child obeys without questions. That is what makes a child so vulnerable in front of those. That vulnerability makes the child so special and so valuable in the eyes of the Lord. Obedience, docility, humility, surrender - these are the dispositions that are expected of a child of God, in the presence of God. 

The first reading so figuratively presents through the experience of Ezekiel, the message that Lord gives to each of the Lord's sons and daughters: to be children, to obey and not to be rebellious, but to receive the Word of the Lord, take it in, savour it, understand it, live by it, and announce it to the world. It is not about taking in what you like and leaving out what you don't like - that is childishness! Instead, childlike-ness would be to take in what the Lord says, the Words of the Lord, without any question or rebellion! 

"Obey and you will not have sinned" says the famous monastic rule. And that is the strength of obedience. The first sin recorded in the Word of God is of rebellion, and the atonement for it was offered in Obedience, on the Cross! Should we hold on to the sentiment of rebellion, we shall be weak in our obedience. The sign of growth in obedience to the Lord is accepting what comes from the Lord without any question or second thought.

The Lord says love; the Word says forgive; the Saviour says believe; the Son of God says do not be afraid; the Spirit says abide in truth; the Triune God says make peace and live in harmony... are we ready to obey...or are we rebelling in our own way? The Word instructs us today, if you are to be called children of God: Obey and be not rebellious!

Sowing and Growing

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 10, 2026: Celebrating St. Lawrence, the Deacon-Martyr

2 Corinthians 9: 6-10; John 12: 24-26

Martyr St. Lawrence gives us the occasion to hear yet another time this classical lesson that the Lord wishes to give us: what you sow you reap; what you are, you grow to be! It is important here to notice that the crucial element is not what we do or what we become, but what we are! This is what St. Paul teaches: becoming a new person in Christ is to be so transformed in Christ and into Christ, that we come to be seen as Christ, as another Christ, as alter christus!

That is what the early Christians were - in their minds, in their hearts, in their thinking and in their acts... in every way they were like Christ, other christs, Christ-ians! Hearing that they put all their gold and silver in common as a Church, the Emperor Valerian wanted to get hold of that wealth in the treasury. He, who was killing every bishop, priest and elder in the Christian community, when it came to a humble deacon Lawrence's turn offered to let him live, if he showed where the treasury lay, where all the gold and silver was. When Lawrence asked for three days to gather all the gold and silver in one place, the greedy emperor was thrilled and excited. But three days later when he arrived at that placed indicated - he found all the poor, the sick, the crippled and the miserable gathered together. And Lawrence stood there and said: here is all the gold and silver that the Church possesses, the real treasure of the Church! The emperor was so infuriated that Lawrence was burnt alive to death that same day!

Listening to the Word, every Martyr gives us this same lesson: to die for Christ's sake. It does not mean only dying in the sense of losing one's life, but dying to oneself, dying to one's ego, dying to one's undue attachments, dying to one's fixed ideas, dying to one's weaknesses and fixations. That is martyrdom too... a martyrdom of a totally different nature, a martyrdom that is required of everyone. A martyrdom that has to be undertaken with a sense of gratitude and cheerfulness, in spite of the inconveniences it can cause.

What have we sown around us? What are we growing into? Let us become aware of our sensibilities and check if we are cheerful givers, who are ready to give up, in order to grow up!

Just a bit of faith

WORD 2day: Saturday, 18th week in Ordinary time

August 8, 2026: Habakkuk 1:12 - 2:4; Matthew 17:14-20

Righteous shall live by their faith! It is a famous verse, oft repeated, clearly a bumper sticker material. But what is the meaning of it... does it mean, that all those who say they have faith are righteous? or that those who live are all righteous, those who escape tragedies are all righteous, while others are not? What do we really mean when we repeat that verse over and over again? It will be clear only when we understand what we mean by those two words: faith and righteousness!

Righteousness...in simple words it is living the right life...doing the right thing! But, is that all? What is the right thing in the eyes of the Lord? How do we know it? It is simply whatever is the most loving thing to do at a point of time, that is right in the eyes of the Lord (love understood in the proper sense of the term, not some emotional feeling). So doing the right thing in the eyes of the Lord...not for the returns, not for the privileges but for its own sake. Being right for the sake of being right, that is being right in the eyes of the Lord.

Faith... if we have it we have everything; if we have everything but faith, there is  a lack that nothing else can complete. Because faith is our link, our network, our umbilical chord with God, our father and mother. If we lose it, we are lost! This is why Jesus expresses his displeasure in such plain terms to his disciples, when he found them lacking in this 'touch' with the Lord.

Now lets come back to those words...the righteous shall live by their faith! Prophet Habakkuk speaks of the great promises of the Lord and recommends the anxious awaiting hearts to faith and says, in faith the righteous ones shall see every word of the Lord come true! The delay that is involved in the designs of the Lord coming to pass, is a painful crisis to every expectant heart. We would be listed among the ranks of the righteous if we hold on in faith and have the patience of seeing the power of God shine through and until then, go about doing good, living a life that is right in the eyes of the Lord.

A bit of faith will make us strong, enduring, persevering, resilient, patient, persistent, serene, unassailable... yes, just a bit of faith, that is all it takes.

True blessedness in God

WORD 2day: Friday, 18th week in Ordinary time

August 7, 2026: Nahum 2:1-3, 3:1-3, 6,7; Matthew 16: 24-28

Today we hear the hope giving words of Nahum. But just a few days earlier we heard from Jeremiah a sharp criticism of the self proclaimed prophet Hananiah, saying the prophecies of prosperity can be accepted as such only after the things prophesied come to pass. However the words of Hananiah were soon  proved to be  mere search for popularity and general acceptance!

Nahum's promise of the restoration of God's people comes combined with a call to be prepared, alert and girded. Jesus takes that a step ahead to say: it takes a ready acceptance of the daily cross and a loving preparedness to walk in the ways of the Lord, to experience the true "blessedness" from God. Blessings from the Lord or in a more formal theological term, Grace from God - is not something that we can ever deserve. It is not as if, we become good and God gives us graces, or that we behave ourselves and God rewards us with grace! No...that is a very childish way of looking at things and a very naive concept of God and grace. Unfortunately, majority of us hold on to that. 

Grace is basically God's divine presence with us! That defines all... will that ever be revoked from us. Never. God loves us and God is present all the time with us. Therefore, the Grace of God is there, is there always, is there just for our taking. But the problem begins when we realise, we are not there to take it. We have made choices, we have used our powers, we have held on to things that are so opposed to God, that we have moved ourselves far far away from God, from God's presence, from God's grace! Now speaking of the blessings that we clamour for... prosperity, fame, popularity, joy, sense of fulfilment, peace and a sense of being loved... these are of course signs of God's blessings...but they cannot be our focus in our daily life, instructs Jesus. What we need to do is strive to stay with God, strive to live acceptable in the eyes of God, strive to remain in the presence of God, in the grace of God, and all the rest will follow. What matters thus is... the true "blessedness"  in the sight of God!