The Reign Perspective

WORD 2day: Saturday, 13th week in Ordinary time

July 4, 2026: Amos 9: 11-15; Matthew 9: 14-17

The times are dull and dreary, the situation is grim and gloomy, the future seems uncertain and bleak, people beginning to lose any hope about a more just and peaceful world... there are theories and conspiracies, all of them disturbing... these are the kind of feelings that fill our days today... these same are presented in the readings too! But a truly Christian hope is that, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. The last word is always the Lord's.

Amos, who has been pronouncing such vehement warnings all this while, at a point comes out with a hopeful projection of the future. In fact, some scholars say, that this part of the text could be actually an interpellation into Amos' text. However, the readings today point to the fact that things can and will change for the better. There will be plenty, there will be justice flowing like river and righteousness like an overflowing stream, in short, there will be the Reign of God established for sure!

The call on our part is that, we should be prepared for it. We should be prepared to have a new mindset, a totally new perspective, an absolutely different value system! Cosmetic changes will not work...patchworks will not be sufficient...little additions here and there, simple deletions at places will not suffice... these adjustments will only make the situation worse, more confused and totally disoriented. What will help is only a radical transformation in Christ. It is what St. Paul would say, 'do not be conformed to this world, instead be transformed in Christ Jesus' (cf.;Rom 12:2); 'those who are in Christ are a new creation' (2 Cor 5:17). And for this we have put on the mind of the Christ (cf. Phil 2:5) and that is a radically new mindset, a totally new perspective, new thinking for the new times, new wine in new wine skins, an absolutely different value system: namely, the Reign perspective!

Communion - the core of being Church

An unfortunate development despite warning

Certainly we are aware of what is happening in the Universal Church these days with the Excommunication of 2 Ordaining bishops and 4 candidates involved in the attempted episcopal consecration of the society of St. Pius X (SSPX) 

See Vatican News

Reacting to this news, I read a comment which remarked - "another Reformation is needed in the Church." Unfortunately, the connotation of the term used "Reformation" sounds exact as the efforts understaken by the group involved amounts more to a "schism" than to an enhancement of the faith community. 

When the Faith community, with all the struggles and strifes, tries to make itself as close as possible to the "joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the persons of this age," some forces deny all these inspiration and signs of the times, for what they call "orthodoxy" which infact is more rigidity and fixation. It is the Holy Spirit alone that can help us discern the right sense of bringing the Good News to the world of today!

Doubts or difficulties... till death, with the Lord!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

July 3, 2026: Celebrating St. Thomas the Apostle to India
Ephesians 2: 19-22; John 20: 24-29

The Feast of St. Thomas could leave us with three lessons to ponder...

1. We are One Church built on the Apostles.

The feasts of every apostle is a reminder of the essential unity that has to exist within the Church. As Paul so vehemently opposes (cf. I Cor 1:10-13), right from the earliest times division has always been a dreaded scandal within the Church. This reality notwithstanding, the divided body of Christ today drains the Church of its witnessing power and evangelical authority. A divided Church is the worst scandal that we can give the world, the Magisterium has repeatedly declared. Instead, a Church with persons of single heart and mind, brothers and sisters who live in harmony, is the highest form of testimony we can offer for the Reign of God.

2. The Church in India has a special responsibility.

The Church in India, boasting a direct handing over of faith by an apostle, has a special responsibility towards establishing the Reign of God on earth. It is unfair to claim privileges but refrain from the duties that come with it. Every person who has received the gift of faith in this country of ancient heritage and culture, has to stand firm in witness to the Gospel thus received challenging the society towards a holistic transformation, ushering in the Reign of God here and now - through justice, peace, equality and sincere compassion for every other.

3. Doubts don't matter as long as the Lord remains close to us.

Thomas is easily identified with the doubt that he raised about the Risen Lord. He was not only the one who wanted to touch the wounds that nails made and put his hand into the hole on Jesus' side, but he was also the one who said, "let us also go, that we may die with him" (Read Jn 11:16). His personal attachment to Jesus covered up for his obstinacy in not believing readily when the rest of the apostles reported Jesus' resurrection. In our lives too, when doubts assail, when clouds gather over our heads and we tend to be overwhelmed by them, the only thing that can sustain us is our personal relationship with Jesus! Doubts or difficulties, we decide to stay all our life, right till our death, with the Lord.

May St. Thomas show us, and especially the Christians in India, the most fitting way of living out the Gospel in the given context, so that we may be authentic ambassadors of the Reign of God, here and now.

Inspiring awe for God

WORD 2day: Thursday, 13th week in Ordinary time

July 2, 2026: Amos 7: 10-17; Matthew 9: 1-8

Persons of God inspire awe about God, despite the unfavourable circumstances that surround them. Look at the two personalities presented to us today: Amos and Jesus. Amos, opposed by Amaziah, the local priest and threatened by Jeroboam, the king in Israel, is warned not to prophesy! What does he do... he speaks, what the Lord wanted him to! Jesus, surrounded by the self-righteous indignant religious fanatics, is scrutinised for every word that he spoke and every move he took! What does he do... he speaks, what his Father wanted him to! And the result: the people were in awe!

First of all, they inspire awe - they leave people wondering and lost in admiration: not that the circumstances around them is all conducive for that, not merely by their competence of speech or performance of a show, but by their lives and their courage to stand for truth. That fills the people with a feeling of awe!

Secondly, the feeling of awe is not all about them! They do not claim it for themselves. Amos clarifies that he is no prophet and belongs to no prophetic band, but he is a simple shepherd and a tree-dresser, but picked up by God and sent on duty by God. Jesus clarifies too that he has the authority because he was the Son of Man, the One sent by God, that his authority came from the Father who sent him! They inspired awe, but not about themselves!

Thirdly and most importantly, they inspired awe about God! Be it Amos or any other prophet or Jesus, all that they did, inspired awe about God. It was not a self-proclamation, a self-coronation, a self-nomination as the messiah of the masses. It was all about God, the glory and mercy of God... that is why seeing their acts and listening to their words, "people praised God" for giving such power to men!

If we need to be truly sons and daughters of our Eternal Father and Mothers, brothers, sisters and disciples of Jesus our Master, men and women filled with the Spirit, in short, if we have to be truly 'persons of God', every word we speak, every move we take and every choice we make has to inspire awe in the people, about God and God's glory! Do they?

Choosing good and Shunning evil - Seeking God!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 13th week in Ordinary time

July 1, 2026: Amos 5: 14-15, 21-24; Matthew 8: 28-34

Seek Good and Shun Evil... it is such a simple and straight forward directive from Amos today! It is a universal dictum, but is it as simple as it is said? Do we really and absolutely seek good and good alone; God and God above all? More importantly, do we shun evil, and shun it absolutely?

The world today holds out a culture that seems to be a subtle mixture of both... some good are seen to be 'too impractical' and we are advised not to seek them. Some evil are so subtly deemed 'acceptable' and made so hard to be shunned right away. The majority advocates evil, but in a clandestine form, in a very sweet-coated form. It is a meager and meek minority that stands for an absolute good - unfortunately they are despised and even eliminated by the rest of the world!

Sometimes it appears a better prospect to live with certain forms of evil and remain acceptable and comfortable in our living zones, than to choose good or 'the right' and be isolated. When we seek good, when we seek the Lord, we have to by all means do away with certain things in our lives. But we conveniently keep the Lord away at those points, so that our comfort zones are not affected, like the people in the Gospel today - who come to beg Jesus to leave their locality! They did not mind living with the evil spirits, but they were upset that they lost a herd of swine, maybe! They wondered how much more they will have to lose if Jesus stayed on with them!

If we really want Jesus to stay on with us, we will have to do away with a lot of things! Are we really prepared? Or would we choose to tell the Lord to leave us in peace? Choosing good and Shunning evil...is in short actually Seeking God - but is it a natural quality to me?

To be just, is living by faith!

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 13th week in Ordinary time

June 30, 2026: Amos 3: 1-8, 4: 11-12; Matthew 8: 23-27

There is a close link between justice and faith, far more closer and incredibly more intimate than the world of popular religiosity can ever imagine! In fact, a faith without justice or justice without the dimension of faith, would be equally inhuman and oppressive.

Amos points out to the people that they were living an unjust life because they do not really behold the presence of the Lord who had done so many wonders on their behalf. We become evil, unjust, selfish, blood thirsty and inhuman when we do not realise who we are, from whom we come, what our roots are, where our real treasures are and who is that who sustains us! Realising these, in short, is faith and a real one at that, will certainly challenge us to live just.

Beholding the presence of the Lord is the first sign of faith. At times of trials, when there is a suffering because of our just way of life and at times of temptations, when our mind sights short cuts and the world suggests that as the way of the smart, we need to behold the presence of the Lord beside us and stay calm! Even if we have to face an ordeal because of it, real faith would encourage and empower us to stand for justice and stand with those who are denied justice.

The wind and the storm, the demons and the diseases, they recognised the Lord and bowed down at the sight. The human will and freedom refused to do it and it still happens so, when we do not behold the mighty presence of the Lord from the depth of our hearts. A presence that makes itself felt in such a simple manner around us. When we recognise it, our life changes, our perspectives widen and we grow more and more holy and just. 

Indeed, to live by faith is to live just!

THE TWO GREATEST TESTIMONIES OF FAITH

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

June 29, 2026: The Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul
Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4: 6-8,17-18; Matthew 16: 13-19

Feast of Apostles Peter and Paul. Being an apostle is no privilege, it is a challenge; living my life as an apostle is no accomplishment, it is a duty! That is why Paul said, "Woe to me if do not proclaim the Gospel"(1 Cor 9:16) and Peter said , "we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

They are apostles because they were "sent" in God's will to be the stones on which the communities of believers will be built. Everyone baptised is called to be an apostle, and the way to be an apostle is outlined so vividly by Peter and Paul today... to proclaim the Gospel even at the point of death; and to be stones on which the community will be built and not be the crack from which the community will be divided!

Killing the apostles pleased the Jews - those were the times when the first apostles braced themselves to stand for the goodnews of Christ. They found themselves at the point of being sacrificed, but nothing discouraged them from bearing witness to Christ and his message! It is a fight, a race - not just a glamorous show to be an apostle today.

"I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!" The first reading highlights the fact for the apostles the true treasure, the true strength, the true source of well being was Christ! They depended on no one else, they feared no one and they cared about nothing else other having Christ with them.

"It is no longer I who lives, but it is Christ who lives in me!" The second reading underlines the intimate relationship that the apostles had with Christ, their Master and presents the same challenge to us: to have a love for Christ that would consume us totally in our body and soul, making us aglow with the love for Christ and Christ's mission of the Reign of God.

These two pillars - one a rock and the other a foundation, stand testimonies to how a life in Christ has to be lived! One shows in action and the other in his commitment; one in his total dependence on the Lord and the other in a total consumation for the Lord. Let us pray for the faith of the Church - that it may grow forever in its integriy!

Some Traditional Trivia... interesting to know

Peter to the right of the Square

Paul on the left corner of the square

- Originally this feast was called the Martyrdom of Apostles Peter and Paul
- There are just three Basilicas built on the tomb of the Apostles...
     1. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican
     2. St. James's Basilica, Campostella, Spain
     3. St. Thomas' Basilica, Mylapore, Chennai, India
- Peter was Crucified (crucified upside down on his request!!!)
- Paul was beheaded (there is a church built on the spot where Paul was believed to be beheaded...in the immediate outskirts of Rome)
- The Vatican St. Peter's Square leading to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, has the statues of Peter and Paul adorning the square as we overlook the Basilica... as traditionally, Peter holds the keys, and Paul holds a sword!

LET US THANK GOD FOR, ADMIRE AND IMITATE...

ST. PETER,
IN HIS INTUITIVE FAITH AND INTIMATE FRIENDSHIP WITH CHRIST;

ST. PAUL,
IN HIS TOTAL DEDICATION TO THE GOSPEL AND SELF-CONSUMING LOVE FOR CHRIST!

Let us beware of obstinacy!

WORD 2day: Saturday, 12th week in Ordinary time

June 27, 2026: Lamentations 2: 2, 10-14, 18-19; Matthew 8: 5-17

Destruction, devastation, desecration, disease and death bed... these are the situations elaborated in the Word today... so akin to the situation we are experiencing in the world, all due to inhuman discriminations and intolerant retaliations, due to exploitation of the poor and the manipulation of the weak, due to evil minded greed of the powerful and the insensitive approach of the rest!

But that is not all. Alongside these unfortunately oppressive forces, there is an insistence on mercy, healing, forgiveness, faith and trust... be it in the first reading or in the Gospel! And that is what we need to focus on and reflect with our mind and heart - all the possible devastation notwithstanding, the Lord is with us and for us - the Lord loves us!

The words of the centurion, which we repeat every time we approach the Eucharistic table, is a splendid prayer that we can make anytime, "Just say a word Lord and the world shall be healed!" But let us just pause a while there, and see the explanation that the centurion gives for that - That he is in authority and when he says something, it is done. Just so he says, the Lord who is in authority, just says a word and things shall happen. That is the key!

Humanity has for long now taken the authority into its own hands. With the liberty and the faculty that God has given us, we have taken everything under our control and kept the Lord out of as many things as possible: from the public life, from the governance systems, from the ethical categories, from the schools... from everything we have kept the Lord out - at times even from our own families and daily life! And then we begin to wonder, if the Lord says a word, will it not happen? How hypocritical and opportunistic of us!!!

But all these notwithstanding, the Lord wants to heal us and the Lord wants to make us whole! What can separate us from the love of God, St Paul would question in his letter to the Romans (8:38,39). Absolutely nothing can separate us from the Love of God that is poured into our hearts through Jesus Christ, yes, nothing... except our own obstinacy! Let's beware!

Of course, the Lord wishes to...

WORD 2day: Friday, 12th week in Ordinary time

June 26, 2026: 2 Kings 25: 1-12; Matthew 8: 1-4

The first reading today is an anticlimax... everything seems finished, everything seems done and dusted, all that has been seems useless at a point in life. This is what we call the breaking point. Each one reaches that in life, at some moment or the other. How one deals with it, depends much on what one has done all the time till then in life - that is, how one has prepared onself for varied experiences of this kind, in life.

Talk of depression, stress and anxiety disorders are reported more in numbers these days - not only because the situation all around has gotten worse than what it has always been. It is because people have become less prepared for all that life could offer us in time. We are prepared for good times and for jubilations, but for trying moments and tribulations? Don't we not see that from the way people panic when smallest of crises hits them all of a sudden? 

When the man asks Jesus to cure him if he wishes to, Jesus says, "of course, I wish to!" That is what the Lord tells us today: of course, I wish to be with you, strengthen you and help you out at times of trials and difficulties - but what can I do, you have accustomed yourself to doing things by yourself, to taking things under your own control, deciding things on your own and working on things on merely your own terms! I don't seem to have a place in your life! What do I do?

Of course, the Lord wants to, but are we willing to go into the presence of the Lord and surrender ourselves, and say, "Lord, if you wish to... do what you wish with me!"

My choice: Exile or the Reign?

WORD 2day: Thursday, 12th week in Ordinary time

June 25, 2026: 2 Kings 24: 8-17; Matthew 7: 21-29

The Word today has the classical challenge: what do we choose? Our life of faith and our daily life meet each other on that hot seat called, Choice! Rise or ruin, happiness or doom, fullness or nothingness - the choice is mine! I cannot escape from it. We have seen in the book of Deuteronomy this basic philosophy of life that the people of God were taught: behold I place before you today, life and death! (see Deuteronomy 30:15) Today we have an illustration of the same lifestyle in the readings taken together.

The first reading says, Jehoiachin did what was not desirable in the eyes of God and his house crumbled - his mother, his servants and all, his people were destroyed, the entire salvation plan that God was taking forward in and through the so called chosen people of God, went to ruin! Chosenness is not guaranteed by anything other than reponding to that choseness by our daily personal choices.

The Gospel affirms that the one who hears the Word of the Lord, and does the will of God the Father and Mother, has already found favour in the eyes of the Lord, and his house is built on a rock; no rain, no thunder, no floods, no disease, no fear of death, no suffering or sickness can ruin it! In all these the chosen one will live strong, clear, hopeful and blessed.

Taking the readings together we can understand what the Word tells us today: the choice is yours - the exile or the Reign. If you choose your own will, your own ego, your own ways and your own logic of profit, exploitation and manipulation... you are already walking towards your exile. You may think you are rising up, your are rushing towards prosperity or proving yourself to the world; you will all of a sudden realise, you have entered into an exile!

Instead, if your receive the Word of God, respect the will of God and follow the promptings of the Spirit, it would seem you are walking through fire, drowning in suffering, slipping into misery and trapped in troubles - but you are actually and already treading into the Reign, growing into the Reign, entering into the Reign of God, the fulfillment of the entire life and of the world.

Let us pay attention today: what is our choice - the exile or the Reign?