NO TURNING BACK...

30th June 2013: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

To follow or not to follow: that is the question!

Today, following is a term which is found all over. You can decide to follow someone on Facebook, on Twitter, on Google Plus, on WhatsApp... here, to follow is to get to know all that the person is doing and have your own comment to pass, or your like button to press or not! Following, in Jesus' terms is not that simple! When Jesus tells you, Follow me - that is a serious affair. The Readings today lay bare to us the elements of a real following, in Jesus's terms. 

First of all to follow Jesus, is to leave your past behind!

There can be no compromise, no mere walking the line, when it comes to following Jesus. I am challenged to go all the way. Today, Elisha is given as the model for us - he kills the bulls and burns the yoke, and follows Elijah - a call for us to leave our past behind and follow Jesus. It is a symbolic act and St. Paul develops that same symbol for us in the second reading - never to return to the yoke that Jesus has freed us from! The yoke of slavery to sin, to worldliness, to love of comfort. We are called to leave behind these yokes and walk in the liberty that Christ gives us. It is Faith that helps us to make this leap. Whole of last week, we have been reading about Abraham, who took that step in faith, he left everything and walked in the way that God showed him.

The second element of the following is to look to the future!

To leave behind something that we have always held on to, is not that easy. One needs an impetus to really take that decision. Jesus offers us the impetus in the Reign of God. Jesus calls us to be sons and daughters of the Reign, to look forward with Hope the coming of the Reign, and not just that, but to proclaim, promote and make present that Reign wherever we are. That is the meaning of being a follower of Christ, who lived and died and rose again to make us the liberated Children of the Reign. To go and Proclaim the Reign is the mandate that Jesus gives each of us and He expects that we do it everyday, through our words, our gestures, our attitudes, our priorities, in short, through our testimony. Amidst the crisis and the gloom that we find ourselves in, we are called to remain people of Hope and announce a future that is found only in the Lord!

Thirdly, to follow Jesus is to live the present in His way!

Leaving the past and looking to the future, is to ensure that we live our present fully and in the way that God wants us. St. Paul underlines the mode of living when one chooses to follow Christ. It is to walk by the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit! It is love of God, through love for one another, loving one another, reaching out to the needy - all done in Love.

It is not an easy journey on the road map laid out here! It calls for challenges. Jesus does not hide anything. He says everything in clear terms - if you wish to follow Christ you may not have anywhere to lay your head; you will have to lose things that you consider dear, you will have to walk towards your own suffering! Inspite of all these, there should be NO TURNING BACK... If you turn back, you are not worthy of the call that you have received. The trophy is only at the end, the finish line is the last part of the race, the end finishes the journey... our job is to keep on walking, to keep on running, to keep on journeying with the Lord... that is truly following the Lord.

As I thought of this no turning back I was reminded of the famous story told of Hernán Cortés, the Spanish Conquistador, about burning the boats. That is the true sense of following the Lord. May be to end the reflection you can hear the story narrated by Andy Andrews. 

Burn your Boats

God bless Pope Francis!!!

WORD 2day

29th June, 2013

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. The lion's mouth, the evil that surrounds and the powers of death are certainly to be found, when I begin to understand, accept and live fully my call to be an apostle... but at no point will the Lord's deliverance be lacking! When I decide to run the race, to fight the good fight, 'the Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.' 

WORD 2day

28th June, 2013

"Lord, if you will..." the Will of God is mighty, complex and all-encompassing. All that I need to do is submit to that holy will. Because it is mighty and complex, at times I don't understand it. When a little is revealed to me it already looks too big and marvelous, sometimes even difficult to believe in. At times the plans look too fantastic to be real and we begin to suggest to God something that is simpler and more feasible. Or as it happened to Abraham today, it may even seem ridiculous to believe in that will. But precisely in believing that will, we become chosen to behold the magnificence of God's doings! Sarai becomes Sarah, Abram becomes Ahraham - it is because they believed in the will of God and God's will transforms them into new persons who walk before the Lord and are blameless. What makes us covenantal people is our capacity to believe in God's will or God's plan that is eternal; the plan which is always towards our welfare. What it takes to believe in this Will on a daily basis, is the humility to submit to God, the patience to wait on the Lord and the perseverance to keep walking in way of the Lord.

WORD 2day

27th June, 2013

Not everyone who says Lord! Lord!, really belong to the Lord! There is an invitation today to check... between authenticity and duplicity. Let's talk of three categories of persons - Pretenders, Performers and Professionals! Pretenders are those who try to be something that they really are not, but everyone can see it so obviously that they actually are pretending. These are amateur actors, but they can perfect themselves in the act. The Performers are those who perform to the occasion, to the audience, to the moment. Though they are not actually what they act to be, their performance comes very close to reality. The Professionals are those who live the character they want to be for the short moment to such a perfection that people begin to equate the character and the person! We could be any of these three in our Spirituality - trying to pretend to be someone that people see so clearly that we are not; or performing at certain moments with perfection that comes with practice and repetition; or being professionals who can be taken so easily to be what they appear to be, though it may be solely for certain punctuated moments. None of the three is SUFFICIENT to be an authentic disciple of Christ... What he want is an integrity where there is no pretension or performance or professional role playing. The integrity that Christ demands, requires a ready acceptance of the crosses that come my way once I have chosen a definite way of walking with the Lord. Abraham is given as a model today, as one who struggled his way all through with contradictions, conflicts and difficult choices to make, but he remained faithful. The key is Integrity in the choice for God!

WORD 2day

26th June, 2013

The Tree and the Fruits! Abraham, was a man of God, he was the father of the covenantal people! Abraham listened, obeyed, believed and remained loyal to the Lord who called him. The Covenant the Lord made was the tree and Abraham's life choices were the fruits. The eternal covenant that is made in the blood of Jesus Christ, is the guarantee of the grace and the gift of faith within us. While it is God's action that God has transformed us into God's children in our baptism, our daily life and regular choices have to bear fruits that will make it visible to the world and to ourselves. An anonymous author reminds us, 'you may be the only gospel that some one reads! So be careful with the way you live your life!' I am a Christian not merely in my activities and responsibilities; but in every choice of mine, every thought and expression of it, every word and deed at every moment of my life. I remember a question once a preacher posed during a retreat, 'if today they detain you for being a Christian, will they find enough evidence in you to implicate you?' A powerful question, extremely simple in its categorical demand that before you call yourself a Christian, prove it!

WORD 2day

25th June, 2013

It is a theme that repeats itself over and over again; a theme that is fundamental to understanding what faith is. Abraham, often figured as the father of faith, offers us today a beautiful role model in two of his choices. The first choice is to give up his claim as the elder brother, and allow Lot to make his wish. Lot takes the greener, wealthier and the promising part! The second choice was to walk in the way that the Lord showed... and in these two choices we see the first steps of Abram, towards becoming Abraham!!! Faith is all about the choices we make on a daily basis! To fret or not to, to despair or not to, to forgive or not to, to love or not to, to give or not to, to proceed or not to, to let go or not to, to remain serene or not to - these are choices that we have to make everyday, at various moments of our waking hours. And at the end of the day, we can surely evaluate whether we have walked through the narrow gate or the broad gate during the day. And the next day is yet another opportunity to begin anew, with all the choices once again in front of us! Our Faith is a habit of choosing to do what God wants, choosing to walk the way that God shows, choosing the narrow gate that is tough and less trodden, in simple terms, choosing to walk with God... it is in walking with God that Abram grew up to be Abraham!

WORD 2day

24th June, 2013: Feast of St. John the Baptist

The Gospels narrate a long list of similarities between the stories of John and Jesus... the apparently 'impossible' conditions in which the mothers conceived, the direct intervention of God in the conception, the apparitions of the angels to the fathers, the prior choice of the name of the child to be born - one simple message is the image of John the Baptist as the precursor of Jesus. But the birth narratives of John and Jesus, together have another important message to reveal to us and that is, we are not here by chance! We are part of a complex plan, an eternal design of God. We are willed into existence by God; we are loved into existence, by the Creator! We have a purpose, because God knew us right when we were being formed in the womb of our mothers! We have a special mission because, it is the Lord who has called us by name, even before we were born! We are chosen in the eyes of God, because as St. Paul says, God has chosen us before the foundations of the world in Christ Jesus, to be holy and blameless! We are created, called, commissioned and destined to usher in the Reign of God, as John announced the coming of  Christ. Let us become aware of our call, our purpose and our destiny, which is much larger than the petty preoccupations of our daily worries!

IN CHRIST...

23rd June 2013: 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Apparently the liturgy of this Sunday looks like it answers the question, 'Who is Jesus?' That is not what Jesus intends to prove today - that he is Christ... but Jesus looks to treat a question much deeper and more crucial - it is about who we are, in Christ. 

Yes, the Word teaches me today, who I am, IN CHRIST... 

IN CHRIST, I BELONG TO GOD...

The readings depict the longing of the people of Israel to identify themselves as, 'the house of David', 'inhabitants of Jerusalem', 'Abraham's offsprings' and 'heirs according to promise'. David, Abraham, the prophets...and the covenant that was made through them by God with the people was their proof of heredity. In Christ, there is a New and Everlasting Covenant and in our Baptism, St. Paul reminds us, 'In Christ Jesus you are all sons (and daughters) of God.' Our heredity is determined by the blood shed for us, on the Cross; and our identity comes from the Baptismal fountain that was opened to us in Christ.

IN CHRIST, I AM CLEANSED...

The Lord promised the people of the Old Testament, to pour on them the spirit of compassion and supplication, the fountain to cleanse themselves from sin and uncleannesses... In Christ the fountain of forgiveness is opened forth for us, through faith. The blood of Christ washes us clean, as clean as the falling snow! It is this forgiveness and faith, that is offered to me freely in abundance, that invites me to 'put on Christ.' 

IN CHRIST, I JOURNEY TOWARDS GOD...

No one can come to the father, unless through me! For I am the way, the truth and the life, declared Christ. In Christ we have the way to the Father, but Christ's path is Calvary, and his company is the Cross! Unless through Calvary and the Cross, one cannot reach the Glory of the Everliving God! Death and Resurrection form one reality in Christ! One should die to be risen! One should die to oneself to be risen to God! One should die to selfishness to be risen to genuine love! One should die to avarice to be risen to compassion! One should die to egoism to be risen to life, a LIFE IN CHRIST.

WORD 2day

22nd June, 2013

The Thorn and the Grace! Both are within me, what do I choose to see? The question follows from yesterday's reflection, the reflection that the Lord is walking us through. Paul spotted the thorn that intended to hold him down and at the same time the grace at work within him. And he chose to base himself on the grace that is at work and turn the thorn into an experience of feeling the closeness of the presence of God with him. Each of us has a thorn, that we need to first identify - may be a habit, or a tendency, or a touchy ego, an over anxiety, an urge to prove oneself, an undue attachment, a passion or longing for something that does not really satisfy! Once we are able to name it, we have the reins in our hands. At times we might falter, but there is always the grace that lifts us up... the loving Lord who brings us up by our hands, the Lord who stays forever close to us, knowing every one of our need and every one of our problems! The Lord knows our weakness and the Lord knows our strengths. As St. Paul affirms, the Lord does not allow us to be tempted more than our strength (1 Cor 10:13). Let us focus on the grace that accompanies us every day and every moment on the journey of life, and lets turn to it for guidance and light, without any hesitation or fright!

WORD 2day

21st June, 2013

Look to Him and be radiant, inspires the Psalmist today. Eyes... Looking... Seeing... are part of the glossary on one hand today. It is about the perspective we have of life, that is, the point of view from where we wish to understand our life and everyday events. On the other hand we have two more terms that orient us to the theme - treasure and boast! To treasure or to boast of something, means to value something dear! To value something dear, defines your perspective on life. What I value, what I treasure, what I boast about, will determine what I want to define my life as! Depending on that which I boast about, my life and its significance assumes depth. That is why Jesus invites me to guard my eyes, to be careful with my perspective on life, my way of looking at my priorities and things that I give importance to. There could be a great model in St. Paul who enumerates the possible things on which he can boast about, but chooses from them to boast on things that showed his weakness, because he would say in the very next chapter, 'when I am weak then I am strong' (2 Cor 12:10). The humble and saintly parish priest, St. John Maria Vianney would say, "if people would do for God what they do for the world, my dear people, what a number of Christians would go to heaven!" It all depends on what one's perspective is, what one sees to be important, what one sees to be one's treasure and worthy to be boasted about! 

WORD 2day

20th June, 2013

One cannot but admire the pastoral heart of St. Paul, in today's first reading. A heart that bleeds to see his own people, his 'children' as they were, being assailed by other preachers, other gospels and other attractions, so easily and so readily! What about today, when I see my brothers and sisters so readily falling for eloquence in preaching, vivacity in worship, emotional satisfaction, logicality in reasoning, the capacity for quoting from memory, the free flow of words and phrases that are so beautiful and soothing to hear... it bleeds even today! I, personally, have often been remarked by persons as being too conservative or fanatic about the Catholic Church... this is certainly not about that! It is about calling God, OUR Father and Mother...being ONE REIGN OF GOD, doing as brothers and sisters TOGETHER the will of God on earth as in heaven; it is about forgiving the shortcomings of others in the community, the shortcomings of the community itself and staying on, as one community, facing the struggles and temptations as ONE community, overcoming all evil! Let us not today get lost in the beauty and the splendour of the Lord's Prayer - that is not the message of the Word... it is all about being a community that is worthy of praying that prayer!  Evangelii Nuntiandi, the Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI (art.no.77) says, "the division among Christians is a serious reality which impedes the very work of Christ." Being of one heart and one mind, believing in the One Gospel that is handed down to us, is the highest witness we can give the world today, in every sphere of life! 

WORD 2day

19th June 2013

Interiority - that is the key word today, while the world keeps shouting out to us, "Get Noticed!" Much of the Spiritual journey is made in the portals of interiority. The capacity to live on the basis of one's personal convictions formed out of concrete experiences and wise judgements, guided and illumined by the inner light of the Spirit of God, is what we understand to be Interiority. Cheerful  giving, silent piety, hidden alms, secret sacrifices, tranquil spirituality... these are a few signs of interiority that readings point out today. Few more we could think of are hopeful spirit, realistic optimism, humble gratitude, genuine fellowship, unconditional forgiveness, simple behaviour, reflective thinking, compassionate listening, and so on. A person of interiority is like a still spring and a silent stream, they appear still and silent, but there is life within them. They look quite and ordinary, but within them resides the powerful Spirit of the all powerful God. I know, i have become a bit too philosophical in today's sharing, but interiority takes you by force, it drags you in and tethers your mind around something that you cannot speak enough about. That is why great sages of our tradition have spoken very little and mostly in aphorisms; that is why Jesus spoke always in parables and metaphors. Let this call guide our day today - the call to a sacred interiority!

WORD 2day

18th June, 2013

St. Paul presents an example of the community of Macedonia to his beloved community of Corinth. He calls them to excel in their faith, to reach the heights of authenticity in their faith. And the way he proposes is, as the people of Macedonia, to be compassionate towards the others, those in want, those in need! Paul is but reiterating the invitation of Christ to all his followers - be you perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect! And the way to perfection that Jesus proposes is in Love - a love that does not expect any appreciation in return, a love that does not expect anything in return, a love that does not expect even love in return. A tough call even for the saintliest among us - to love and expect nothing in return! Infact, when something is expected in return it is no love! That is why God's love is unconditional and every love that is genuine, is with absolutely no tags attached. Love is merely a giving, an offering, a self-offering. And obviously, it involves a great risk of rejection or depreciation, but that risk cannot stop me from loving. That is the point. How well said by Mother Teresa, 'Love until it hurts'. Truly Christ-ian!!!  

WORD 2day

17th June, 2013

The Beatitudes continue to inspire the Liturgy! As we reflected last week, the crux of the beatitudes, that is found in Mathew's fifth chapter, is the invitation to the followers of Christ to be a Contrast Community! We see that sense of 'contrast' flooding the readings today. Be it the first or the Gospel, the readings point to us the two choices we have in life always - inspiring the monumental words of Robert Frost - "two roads diverged in a yellow wood - and I took the less travelled by, and that has made all the difference". Mahatma Gandhi speaking of the Sermon on the Mount to Lord Irwin said, "when your country and mine shall get together on the teachings laid down by Christ in this Sermon on the Mount, we shall have solved the problems not only of our countries but those of the whole world." Let our life show if we are Christ-ians or not. Let my choices define who I am and what relationship I have with Christ. If I believe Christ is my personal saviour, the way I look at the world and all that happens around, will totally be in contrast to the way the mainstream of today thinks and calculates. St. Paul speaks of this in such powerful terms, a conviction that cost him everything - his career, his freedom and even his life! It takes courage for me today to accept, that even I have received the same saving faith, as St. Paul's, in the same Spirit!   

My God loves me!!!

The joyful cry today is, "I am forgiven". Forgiveness is a beautiful experience! An experience that can give a person a boundless joy, a total renewal and a new lease of life. That is what the readings insist on today! The Lord is merciful, the Lord forgives, and the Lord forgives without any conditions! When a person experiences that forgiveness in all its fullness, with sincerity of heart and earnestness of spirit, the person changes, the person changes radically, the person changes into a new person altogether, to the extent of saying, 'it is not I who live, but Christ lives in me!' 

Yes, I am Forgiven...
Not because, I deserve to be...

David deserved to die, and he knew it very well. When Prophet Nathan pointed it to him, he knew the Lord was well aware of the criminality of his heart, the lustful desire that killed Uriah, the selfishness that nullified every gift of the Spirit within his being. But when he came to his sense and surrendered himself to the Lord in all his weakness, emptiness and nothingness - instantaneously he was forgiven! 'your sin is forgiven, you shall not die!" David knew he did not deserve it, all the same the Lord forgave him. The Lord forgives me, without measure, instantly when I express my genuine remorse... the Lord forgives me, not because I deserve to be forgiven.

I am forgiven...

Not because of the good I do...

St. Paul explains with such force today, nothing of my obligations fulfilled really merit all that the Lord gives me! It needs to be said in the commercialized world today, which makes religious practice too a divine commerce with God. I give, and I expect; I do, and I want a return; I do good and wish always to be treated well. Sometimes my spirituality and practices of piety become subtle credentials to indulge in an unconscious or subconscious bartering or bargaining, with God. It's surely not the good I do that merits me the forgiveness of God for the proportion will never be realistic. The Psalmist so well expresses it, 'Blessed is the one to whom the Lord imputes no guilt and in whose spirit there is no deceit. If I were to be forgiven, to the measure of the good I do, least can I imagine that I will stand anywhere before the Lord; I am forgiven, so immeasurably, not because of the good I do. 

I am forgiven...

because I love my God... 

Grace that justifies me as St. Paul says, the Faith that saves me as Jesus says... they are in concrete terms the love I have for my God who has given me life and called be God's. It is the relationship I treasure with my God, the love that I nurture every day and every moment within my heart that assumes various names at various instances, such as 'grace',  'faith' and so on. The foundation is the love that I have for my God... 'her sins, which are many are forgiven, for she loved much!' Yes the Lord forgives me, because I love my God...and more because, 

My God loves me!!!

This is the crux! God loves me and there is no other reason needed for me to be forgiven! The love of God is a prodigal love, a boundless love. The mercy of God is limitless grace, a gratuitous gift. My God loves me...and My God forgives me! I have nothing to fear and nothing to hide! My God knows me and My God has accepted me totally! My God loves me and all I have to do is what the Psalmist tells me - "Be glad in the Lord and Rejoice, O righteous and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"

I will rejoice in the Lord, for I am forgiven! not because I deserve to be, not because of the good that I do, but because I love my God...and most of all because, My God loves me!!!

WORD 2day

15 June, 2013

Yes and No... it is easy to differentiate them! White and Black it is simple to contrast them! But what about the shades that lie between them; that is where the whole play takes place. And that is exactly against which Jesus speaks today. For sure, no one would say an 'yes' and a 'no' together. But it is quite convenient to say an 'yes' and add a few shades to it; its easier to say a 'no' and add a few other shades to it. Compromise... that is what we are warned against today. Any compromise is a fall already. A fall, known by the name 'fall', is more acceptable than a fall that is justified, or explained away or rationalised... at this stage it becomes a hypocrisy. The quality of not compromising, the decision to stay clear of all hypocrisy is known as INTEGRITY. I am an integral person, when my yes means an yes, and my no means a no! The easiest way to remain integral, is to be moved by the love of Christ - the love of Christ urges us, declares St. Paul! It is that love, out of which the Lord who was innocent and pure, died for me a creature so sullied and small. May that love, the sacrificing love, the unconditional love, urge me to be sincere, truthful, righteous, virtuous, in short, an Integral person!

WORD 2day

14th June, 2013

The discourse of the beatitudes continues! Our identity gets more and more established as 'Contrast Communities'! We are invited to choose the hard way, the unbeaten path, the lonesome road and not to follow the easy-going crowd. It is easy to make an exception now and then and stay comfortable for the moment. It is easy to give up on a person or a value or a conviction, because there are troubles and unnecessary struggles involved. But it takes courage to stick to a conviction, stand by a value and stay clear of a scandal. It calls for struggle, affliction and perplexity to remain faithful to the grace we have received in our baptismal mandate. I may argue that I am too weak...but it is in that 'earthen vessel' the treasure is placed. My strength and my value lies in the treasure that is within. When my gaze is fixed on the treasure, I should be able to handle the earthen vessel better. The secret lies in respecting this earthen vessel, atleast for the sake of the treasures that lie within. When we are filled with Christ, we are able to see the proposals of the easy-going world less luring. Yes, we live with constant temptations and afflictions, but we fight all this "so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh." That tough choice, that unswerving priority is the challenge - the call to be People of God, people of the Beatitudes, that is, Contrast Communities. 

St. Antony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua: 

Some interesting facts

• Born: 15, August, 1195
• Died: 13, June, 1231. He was just 36 when he died. And was not even 37 when he was canonised - on 30, May, 1232 by Pope Gregory IX.
• His Baptismal name was Ferdinand Martins de Bulhŏes.
• He was elected Provincial of his region of Franciscan friars, but he resigned very shortly  just to be able to carryout his preaching mission.
• Patron of missing things and missing persons!
• In Padua, where the Basilica stands today, he is also prayed to, by those who are looking for the right spouse to marry, or by those married couples who have problems in their marriage. The Basilica treasures the incorrupt tongue of the saint, as a relic venerated even today, as a testimony to his gift of breaking the Word.
• He was a contemporary to St. Francis of Assisi and one of the best ones at that.
• A survey reports that after the Blessed Mother and St.Joseph, St. Anthony may be the most loved saint in the Catholic World today.
• St. Anthony ...Pray for Us.

WORD 2day

13th June 2013

Righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the pharisees... today, we better look out for what Pope Francis would say in his homily... the readings of today would be very handy for the orientation that the Holy Father is repeatedly offering the Church these days... it is a call to holiness, in concrete terms of personal integrity and community witness! It is not the external showmanship, nor the imposed grandeur of a mysterious element that makes something or someone valuable; it is the simplicity of the truth that is seen plainly in one's life and ways. Keeping our faith "unveiled" is the key to understand the challenge of the readings today and the call of the Holy Father these days. Let us live our faith... should we to fall in the process now or later, it does not really matter! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! The sons and daughters of a liberating God cannot live in fear, not even the fear of making mistakes! Let us go out and live, and live our life to the full. Unveiled and Shining, Unfettered and Liberated, let us live a life of righteousness which does not consist of mere abiding by laws but consists in warm and mature relationships. A Christianity that is not translated in terms of loving, liberating and respectful interpersonal relationships, is nothing more than the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees. 

WORD 2day

12th June 2013

Commandments - Condemnation - Righteousness - Splendour : the glossary from the WORD today! The earliest Christian communities were seen as contrast communities. They believed in commandments as did the Jews of their times, but their commandments were spelt differently. They knew there is condemnation, but their conditions of condemnation were formulated differently. They strove towards Righteousness but their righteousness was constituted differently. They had a splendour towards which they were drawn, but that  was arrived at completely differently. The key was LIFE... the LIFE that was given by the Spirit... the Life that Christ brought... the Life to the full! I have come that you may have life...sounds well in continuity with today's phrase in Mt 5:17. Every little thing that is done, believed, taught or learnt, has to be LIFE-GIVING...LIFE-ENHANCING...taking us towards Life in all its fullness, the promise that Jesus the Good Shepherd brought into this world. Anything that enslaves, dehumanises, cripples life or tramples fullness, cannot be from the Spirit, for "the Spirit gives life"!

WORD 2day

11 June 2013: St. Barnabas, the Apostle

We are invited to remember St.Barnabas today. St. Barnabas, the Apostle - though not among the 12, he is referred to as 'the apostle'. The reason, the book of Acts says it all. He was a discrete and generous man! Being among the earliest of the followers of the Way, he sold a field that he had and laid the proceeds at the feet of the apostles. It was Barnabas who brought Paul, the newly converted Jew to the apostles! It was Barnabas, and Barnabas alone who could give a leaning shoulder to Paul, true to his name which meant, 'Son of Consolation'. Not just that, when he had to disagree with the same Paul, he dared do so and parted ways! Strong personalities, with personal freedom and mutual respect - but with one single FIRE within - the fire to proclaim the Good News about Christ - to heal the sick, to raise the dead, cast the demons out, to give and give without any expectation. To go about with nothing in their hand or in their purse for the sake of the Reign of God! With nothing to gain for themselves, they were ready to give everything to others! Barnabas presents once again before us the model of the Apostles and the First Christians - that breed of Christians who were 'CHRISTIANS' proper to the name! They were making Christ present, and they were called 'Christians'...May St. Barnabas inspire us to really deserve that name 'Christians'.

WORD 2day

10th June, 2013

Comfort in affliction, blessedness in poverty, peace in persecution... there is a strange logic propounded by Jesus and seconded by Paul. But there is another simple, clear, direct and demanding logic too, that is spoken of in the liturgy of the Word today. It is the logic of 'Give-because-you-received.' This logic is a bit intricate, and leaves a lot of room for subjectivity! Subjective because it demands first of all that I realise that I have received, so that I am inspired to give. If I am really open to every little happening in my life and fundamentally grateful in my heart, I cannot but notice the amount of good that I keep receiving from the Lord! That is the intricate detail that I have to be aware of and acknowledge, to understand and practice the logic that Jesus presents to us. It is so simple - I have been loved by God first, hence I have to love my brothers and sisters! I have been forgiven immeasurably, hence I have to forgive! I have received comfort and been shown mercy, hence I am called to comfort others and to be merciful in all my ways!

GOD OF LIFE

9.6.2013: 10th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

LIFE...

Life is a GIFT...
..... God loved me into existence, into life!
..... my basic disposition has to be Gratitude...

Life is a CALL...
..... God calls me to New Life, a constant Renewal!
..... my task is to live my life to the full...

Life is my DESTINY...
..... God offers me Eternal Life, for all who believe shall have eternal life!
..... the challenge is to Remain in Him...

WORD 2day

8th June, 2013: Feast of Immaculate Heart of Mary

To Remember is a Spirituality in itself! 

Mary's heart is exalted today...

because she remembered...

she kept everything in her HEART...

Tobit, Tobias, Sarah...all of them are blessed because they remembered, they remembered the good that the Lord had done to them... And God remembered them and blessed them more!

Just after the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 

the Church proposes that we remember the Immaculate Heart of Mary... 

because a heart that resembled 

the heart of Jesus. 

Learn from me, 

for I am meek and humble of heart... 

Mary observed that heart from close, 

infact she had her part in forming that heart...

and she herself treasured a heart that resembled that meek and humble heart of the Lord! 

She kept everything in her heart! To remember the goodness of the Lord, to remember the great things done to us by the Lord, to remember the mighty presence of the Lord ever in my heart - that is the spirituality that Our Blessed Mother teaches me today!

When I remember all the good that the Lord has done to me, the hurdles and heart aches that come to me sometimes will look much smaller. 

All I need to do, as Angel Raphael instructs today, 

is to remember the goodness of the Lord, because, 

to remember is a Spirituality in itself!

GOD LOVES YOU AND ME

Thank you Lord for drenching me in your Love!

Thank you for seeking me, when I am lost and rescuing me from the worst!
Thank you for feeding me with yourself and refreshing with your Spirit!
Thank you for lavishing me with your love, though I deserve it not even a bit!
Thank you dear Lord for drenching me with your, protecting, providing and prodigal Love!

6.6.2013

37th Anniversary of my Baptism!

BAPTISM: 
The First Gift God gave me after God willed me into existence! Everything after that has only been an affirmation of that gift and the love with which that first gift was given me! God, my Father and Mother, thank you for the gift of life, a life in YOU.

WORD 2day

6th June 2013

The Oriental mind is synthetic, while the Western mind is analytic. That is why the Oriental Scriptures have their condensed forms called the 'Sutras'. No doubt Jesus of Nazereth was an Oriental. He looks to synthesize every thing that he wants his listeners to understand. Today he synthesizes the whole of the Hebrews' Scripture to just two admonitions - Love God; Love your Neighbour! In the Mathean parallel of today's Gospel, Jesus would clearly conclude saying, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Mt 22:40) (law refering to the Torah and prophets refering the rest of the books, Neviim and Ketuvim - in short the entire Scripture as believed by the Jews). And a while later, Paul would understand Christ's mind so well to go further to declare, "for the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'you shall love your neighbour as yourself'."(Gal 5:14). Our entire Christian life is summed up in one word - LOVE. If I live a life of love, love in its truest sense, love in its divine nature, love in its Christ-ian essence, everything else falls in line. What a beautiful exemplification of this 'love' in Tobias and Sara! Again today, I am inspired to quote Augustine who said, "Love, and do what you will!" Such is the surety we have in Christ-ian Love.

WORD 2day

5th June 2013

A few days ago, our loving Holy Father said in his homily, 'a sad Christian cannot proclaim the Good news!' Every one has one's own share of the baggage to be carried! For some it seems more, for some others less. But more or less actually does not make much difference. What makes the difference is how one looks at it. Today, Jesus is almost laughing at the Sadducees for their ignorance - you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God, he says. They behave like the mendicant who was asked, what if you won a ticket to France tomorrow, and he said instantly, I will go to France and beg! Jesus challenges us to think big! He warns us not to limit God to someone like us, out of our ignorance! Our God is God of the living, not of the dead...God is much greater than whatever I can think of, or imagine! All that I need to do is believe in that God, trust in the presence of that God and when I am aware of that overwhelming presence with me, all the troubles that I face today, becomes so negligible. Be it Tobit or Sara...their share of trouble was so heavy...little did they realise the mighty presence with them, which was there to deliver them and launch them into Salvation History never to be forgotten!  When St.Augustine says " when I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete", this is what he means... the Mighty Presence of my Living God, can make the worst of my troubles look so silly! 

WORD 2day

4th June 2013

No one asked Jesus, what is the opposite of love. If they had asked he would not have said, 'hatred' but 'insensitivity'. Being insensitive to the other is the end of love! Judgments arise when I don't have the patience to listen to the other. Calumnies are born when I don't know to place myself in the other's shoes. Manipulations are a result of objectifying the other person, robbing him or her of the very personhood. Even apparently harmless traits like craving to win an argument, or desperately trying to prove someone wrong are subtle, some times terribly gross, insensitivities of our daily experience. Love, explained in gentlest of terms would be, sensitivity to the other... whoever it be! The more we consider the person important the more sensitive we would be. And what a world it would be if we remain sensitive - a person to the other and nations to nations! Lord, that I may forget more of me and reach out more to those around me!

WORD 2day

3rd June 2013

Prophecy, is part of our Christian calling. One of the meanings of prophecy is to speak for God, before the people, to speak for the truth in front of the people, to stand alone for the 'right' before a multitude that may stand around and pressurise me against it. Tobias in the first reading and Jesus in the Gospel are doing just that... It is not a matter of belonging to a category called 'prophets' or to consider self righteously oneself better than all the rest - but it is knowing what is right, being convinced of what is right and being that. Yes, 'being' that, not just doing that. Compromises and Justifications can be found for any issue, Excuses and good reasons can be found for any lack... Prophecy is that dimension of one's personality that remains itself at all times, looks at itself and judges oneself, with the parameters that makes sense only to a person who shares that state of life. May I grow more and more aware of myself, my convictions and my priorities that i may constantly check whether I am really living my call to prophecy in the ordinary circumstances of my daily living. 

THE FEAST OF SELF-GIVING

2ND JUNE 2013 - BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

I am the bread come down from heaven, one who eats of this bread will have eternal life!

It is the feast of Self-Giving...total self giving of the Lord who came down from heaven!
The Word has prepared us during the week towards this great celebration...

Giving...
I can give to receive...not just a mundane reception of a return for my giving; but I can give to receive something spiritual, to receive, may be, a blessing from God , to receive an affirmation from the Divine Giver... Melchizedek brought out bread and wine and Abraham gave him the one tenth... all in view of receiving the divine protection...

There was only one who gave, only to be received... notice, it is in passive! He gives, it is upto me to receive or not!!! He gives, to be Received.

The Lord gave the body and the blood and said...do this in remembrance of me... not just to remember him but remember to do what he did, in remembrance of him... to give of myself as he gave, in remembrance of him... He gives, to be Remembered, that he has invited me to give as he gave!

Yes, the Lord invites me to give, as he invited the disciples to give the people to eat...'give them some food yourselves'. It's only when we give the people in need, we remain the Lord's disciples. To make us learn that we need to give always of ourselves to the others in need, He gives, to Remain within us... He comes to us to transform us into Himself, to be givers, to be givers who give of ourselves to others, without passing the buck to someone else.

Yes, the Lord, everyday gives himself to me and so...
HE LIVES IN ME...

I wonder at myself !!!

It looks like, I cannot keep from wondering at myself today!
Has it really been me... 
for the first time, I have managed to post on my blog a reflection daily without fail 
for one full month - May, 2013.
If i have done it, 
it has been because of a few, 
who have continuously admired and encouraged me...
a big "THANKS" to these Angels sent by God into my life!
THANK YOU LORD...Let Your Spirit continue to inspire consistency in me!

31st...MAY...At the Sacred Heart Basilica

Friday, 31st May... I found myself in the Basilica of Sacred Heart, Rome... Sitting there with the Lord, in the silence that brought the Presence close to me! At a point of intuitive dawn, it occurred to me yet again, how blessed I was! And the specificity of the day held out a triple significance to me!

It was 31st...day of monthly commemoration of Don Bosco, in the Basilica built by Don Bosco.

It was Feast of Visitation, and I found myself infront of the beautiful Altar of the Mary Help of Christians, that special altar at which Don Bosco is said to have celebrated that unforgettable Eucharist on MAy 16, 1887, when he shed tears of overwhelming gratitude 18 times during the Eucharist, getting stuck unable to proceed with the celebration.

And, it was a Friday and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, right above the central altar, pointed out to me the heart burning with love for me!

The convergence of these...brought a special meaning to that moment...and all that I could say at that time was, "Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus for your love!"

WORD 2day

1st June 2013

Authority...that is the point of contention today! Authority is not given; authority is created, its from within. Power could be given, but authority is assumed. One who can create oneself, one who can author oneself, one who can define oneself in a particular context is considered an authority. When the scribes and pharisees approached Jesus with that question, they were clear as to whom they were addressing it. They knew that the person of Jesus had an authority about him that they have never seen in anyone before. That authority came from within, from the fact that Jesus wished, never his own will but his Father's, he said he never spoke what he wanted but what his Father wanted and that he did only what the Father wanted. There was an internal consistency, an integrity, that was so obvious in the person of Jesus, that he was growing rapidly unacceptable in the eyes of all who were caught in the day to day hypocrisy. Integrity comes from balanced priorities, for where our treasure is, there our hearts will be. When I look for integral values, as the first reading suggests, I look up to integral persons and set for myself integral goals. In a world which adores popularity and craves for power, Authority is what we need to look for and culture from within.