The Extra Mile...

WORD 2day: Monday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June 15, 2026 - 1 Kings 21: 1-16, Matthew 5: 38-42

Jesus presents us today the most impractical of all his teachings... showing the other cheek, giving more of what you are deprived of, and walking that extra mile with the one who tries to take advantage of me. This was in fact the teaching, they say, that inspired the "satyagraha" movement of Mahatma Gandhi.

The first reading presents us with the exploitative element that is always present giving us the opportunity to practice our virtues and attain our salvation. At times the evil around us threatens to take the better of us, but the Word today reminds us of a fundamental attitude we are called to: "do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21).

Jesus did not only say this, he lived it to show by example. When God decided to show the world how much God loved God's children. God decided to send God's only Son...and the Son went an extra mile and not just put up with the atrocities of human kind but went on to give his life for the same humanity that rejected him and brought salvation!

That we can identify ourselves as disciples of Christ, we are expected to be spiritually prepared to allow ourselves be taken for granted without letting the goodness within us go down the drain; we are called to be who we are regardless of what others are! It is of course difficult and demanding...but that alone can make a difference in the world - that extra mile.

Chosen...

Chosen: Recognizance? Gratitude? Reminder?

11th Sunday in Ordinary time - June 14, 2026

Exodus 19: 2-6; Romans 5: 6-11; Matthew 9:36 -  10:8

The Readings today, taken together remind us of the call that we have received from the Lord, as we get back to the Ordinary Sundays after a long time... with the lent, pasch and then the following solemnities of the Lord that had occupied our minds all this while. 

Now my question while reflecting on these readings was this: where do we begin? 

If we begin from the second reading, the message is one of Recognizance! We are weak and feeble, the Lord has chosen us to be God's own people and has called us and set us apart for the sake of his people. We are recognizant of the gratuitousness of our call and election. 

If we begin from the first reading, the message would be one of Thanksgiving! We are called to be God's people and God has made this choice right from time immemorial. We have been weak and feeble and have failed Him in this call. But the Lord continues to call us and accompanies us with his powerful presence. It is a thanksgiving that emanates from our hearts and we wish to walk with the Lord more faithful and committed.

If we begin with the Gospel, it would be a powerful Reminder! We are called to be God's people and some of us are set apart to serve the people in the name of the Lord. This call comes from the very beginning and it is part of our very essence. Therefore, our weaknesses and our frailties cannot become an excuse, because the Lord called us well aware that we are weak... hence the responsibility that we have to rise up and measure up to the call and grow, deepening our commitment and our promise to remain faithful to the Lord, who has called us. 

Whether, Recognizance, or Thanksgiving or the Reminder of our Responsibility... we are called today to become aware of who are are and what we are called to and keep forging ahead. May God be our help and our sustenance. 

Baptism - the most fundamental gift of all

Peter and Paul... You and Me!!!

WORD 2day: Saturday before Pentecost

May 23, 2026: Acts 28: 16-20, 30-31; John 21: 10-25

These days we have been continuously hearing 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. Tomorrow we will be celebrating the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit causing giving birth to the new form of the People of God - the Church.

Imagine if the Church would have really been born, if the Christians of those times were as calculative as some of us are these days. An experience that I had just yesterday, provoked me a bit. A person from South America was enquiring me, how many percentage of Indians are Christians. I said, official statistics says, we are 2.7 percent. And immediately he remarked, ofcourse with a smile and for a joke, (but it provoked me to think): "you guys have to work more"! Apart from the fact of needing to work on the front of proclamation, it reflects the state also of our witnessing life, the daily testimony that is the first proclamation that we have to make to our context!

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 become powerful witnesses of the Gospel, in our daily life, wherever we are!

Following the Lord

WORD 2day: Friday after Ascension

May 22, 2026: 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 John 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 21, 2026: 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, nor does it 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 20, 2026: 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.

The real glory of a true disciple

WORD 2day: Tuesday after Ascension

May 19, 2026: Acts 20: 17-27; John 17: 1-11a

"Father the hour has come, give glory to your Son, that your Son may glorify you!" prays Jesus. The glory that he talks of is the baptism of blood, the cup of suffering that Jesus was preparing to take up! Not just himself, but all those who believed him were destined to that cup and to that baptism, says Jesus (Mk 10:39; Mt 20:23).

St. Paul understood this perfectly. Though he knew well, instructed by the Holy Spirit, that suffering and imprisonment awaited wherever he went, he does not hesitate. He was more than prepared for the cup of suffering, for the baptism of blood! Today we hear him say that in terms so clear: I consider life of no importance to me! For him all that mattered was to carry the Good news to the farthest that he could!

For us it sounds good, means great and appears lofty, but does it really become our way of life? Every time a suffering comes my way, the first thought that crosses my mind is, why me! And as if it were alright some other time, why now? The fact is that whatever be the moment we would ask that same question. As soon as a grief or a burden befalls someone, we have to take a giant effort to justify it and negate it and decry that God would prevent, and protect, and deliver and so on and so forth! Why all these fretting? Why are we so slow to submit ourselves to the eternal design of God? Why is it so difficult to surrender to the plan of God, instead of suggesting all types of adjustments to the Lord?

How many times I would have languished that I don't get any consolation from God for belonging to God, for being on God's side and for speaking on behalf of God! Do I really understand in Jesus' terms, the real glory of a true disciple?

As His disciples who conquered the world...

WORD 2day: Monday after Ascension

May 18, 2026: Acts 19:1-8; John 16: 29-33

Take courage, I have conquered the world, declares Jesus! With Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father (cf Eph 1:20), the apostles and the early Church, found a great power in their witness and in their proclamation. The gift of the Holy Spirit was an absolute boost to the faith community and their faith, and its expressions reach a totally different level with the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (cf. 2 Tim 1:7) and that is what the Lord fills us with. We are the temple of this Spirit and the Spirit dwells in us. At times we live like sleeping giants, with the Spirit stifled to be dormant within us. The days to follow are days in preparation towards the feast of Pentecost: a reminder of the Spirit that we are all gifted with; a challenge to surrender to the Spirit and become active agents of the Spirit.

Let us thank God that we are not in a position to say, "we have never even heard that there is a holy spirit" ( Acts 19:2). However, let us become aware of the power that the Spirit brings to our life and our faith. With the Spirit, and only with the Spirit, can we be true disciples of the Lord who has conquered the world!

Gone... to be with us

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

May 17, 2026 - Acts 1: 1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28: 16-20

It was just after the vigil mass of Ascension, a youngster was overheard speaking to her friends, almost arguing, 'but, why did the disciples just let Jesus go? They should have created a ruckus and made sure Jesus couldn't go. I would have done it, if it were me!' The young assistant parish priest thought it was a good point for him to offer an explanation as to what Ascension of Christ truly means. For many of us too, who think Jesus need not have gone, the explanation could be a crucial fact to remember.

Jesus has gone; but he has not abandoned us, as he himself had promised. Jesus' ascension does not mean Jesus has gone away but Jesus has gone up to be with us more than before. If Jesus had continued to stay on in that incarnate form forever (think of it just an hypothesis), he would have remained in Jerusalem, Judea and the surroundings. But Jesus went up to the Father and thus he has begun to stay with every one worldwide. As Jesus promises in the gospel today: I shall be with you till the end of times. To be with us, Jesus had to go; he went, and that is what we celebrate today - the Ascension.

Going to the Father did not mean for Jesus, distancing himself from us! It was a way of involving himself more into our lives. To be close to all, and not just to a few! Jesus goes, so that he can be everywhere and with everyone and always!

Going to the Father did not mean for Jesus, forgetting his self emptying! Jesus gave up the status of being God and emptied himself. Going back to the father is not merely taking up once again the Godhood but becoming the mediator. We have a mediator par excellence!

Going to the Father did not mean for Jesus, that he is done with the humanity! Jesus continues to challenge humanity to grow up, and follow him to the Father's house. Jesus gives us a roadmap, a precedence, a clear plan of life. Keep growing until you ascend to the Father.

Jesus would not have kept his promise, "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age," if he were not to ascend to his Father. In fact, in ascension we remember the fact that he is gone to his father, he is gone so that he can be with us always and everywhere. The second reading explains to us that Jesus has ascended to his Father and sits on His right, thus being present to us universally and incessantly.

The event that we celebrate today, has three biddings for us to hearken to, the three things that the readings speak to us:

The first message is: GO! Why are you standing and staring at the sky... he is gone, now it is time for you to go! Jesus ascends to the Father to remind us that we are not permanent here, and our permanent abode is elsewhere. "We are longing for a better country; the heavenly one!" says the letter to the Hebrews (Cf. 11:16). Ascension, is a reminder to go, to keep going, not to get fixed, not to grow complacent, not to get stuck! Again the movement upwards is very significant in this regard.

The second message is: GO and PROCLAIM! The Lord commissions the disciples as they surround Him for the final farewell. It is a parting commission, the last wish - that the believers go and make disciples. Making disciples is first of all through inspiration, through the contagious fire within, through the life style that challenges even the onlooker to get closer in order that he or she may understand what makes all the difference that there is. To proclaim is the parting task entrusted to us!

The third message is: GO, PROCLAIM and FEAR NOT! As we heard the Lord saying a few days ago to St. Paul: 'Go on speaking, and do not be silent... for I am with you (Acts 18:9,10). The Ascension of the Lord fills us with hope, a hope that the Lord is ever with us. This hope rules out any fear of future and judgement. It is only in the absence of fear that love gets deepened. Fear not, hope in me, for I am with you, I will be with you until the end of the ages.

To go is a challenge; to go and proclaim is the command; and to go, proclaim and not to fear is the promise of the companionship of the Lord. The Lord ascends today but we are not abandoned, because the presence of the Lord continues to be. The Lord has gone, but he has gone so that he could be with us, evermore effectively and universally. It is upto you and me, to realise that presence, believe in that presence and draw strength from that presence, to live our daily life worthy of the One who loves to remain with us!