WORD 2day

20th August, 2013

The Lord's choices are curious, infact, strange! There is a series of them we can cite from both Old Testament and the New. Today's first reading presents to us one such personality - Gideon, a fear-stricken young man who defines himself as the least of all in Israel - is chosen by God and called, "Mighty Warrior". The numerous others like Jacob the less-stronger, David the puniest of the sons, Solomon the son of the coveted wife and over to the New Testament the uneducated  fishermen and  despised sinners as disciples and apostles -  the list is endless. But the whole of Salvation History is accomplished in and through these so-called odd choices - it is very clear: "it is impossible for humans; but for God everything is possible." While the world and we ourselves look for something, God looks at something totally different and expects something totally different from us! Infact, that which God sees and expects is the most appropriate and when that coincides with what I see and expect from myself - the miracle happens: the first becomes the last and the last becomes the first!

WORD 2day

19th August, 2013

While we were in the period of initial formation as aspirants to priesthood, there used to be periodic assessment of behaviour and it used to be communicated to us in person by a one in charge of our formation. I remember a phrase that was often used - 'you have a lot of good will; but good will alone is not good enough!' It seems funny to look back and take note of that remark, but looking at our life and the way we live, very often that statement applies well to most of us. Like the young man in the Gospel today, who had so much of good will to inherit the Reign of God, found out from Jesus that, that alone was not going to be good enough! The Lord has great hopes on us, but we fail repeatedly to live up to that. The first reading presents to us a pattern of failures of Israel, not just an act of sin but a habit of sin, a regular falling short of their call. But the Lord never gave up on them, God offers them opportunities after opportunities to return to their glorious calling - to be God's chosen people! God never gives up on us, God has great hopes on us and invites us to "Go... give up all that tends to replace God... and return and follow the Lord!"