WORD 2day: 31st May, 2014

The Feast of Visitation: Redefining 'Chosen-ness'

Zep 3: 14-18 (or) Rom 12: 9-16; Lk 1: 39-56

Mary visits Elizabeth... a Biblical event that may apparently look simple, but remains a redefining moment in the history of Christian faith. The fact that they were the 'chosen people' was very dear to the Jews, and it continues to be! The Old Testament bears examples to this, as could be cited in one of today's alternative first readings from Zepahniah. They were filled with a blessed joy, a holy pride and a splendid self-image, because of their chosen-ness. 

Mary, the chosen Mother of God, topples this order and redefines 'chosen-ness'; she rushes to be of service to Elizabeth and sings of the Glory of God and her unworthiness! To be chosen is to be of service; to be of service to others is a sign of being chosen! The blessed joy is complemented with a compassionate sensitivity to the other; the holy pride is replaced with a humble gratitude to God; the resplendent self-image is challenged by a realisation of the wonders that the Lord has done for one's self and through oneself.

The mind of Christ is already seen initiated in the mind of Mary at the scene of visitation: a mind of servant leadership, sensitive companionship and selfless stewardship.

WORD 2day: 30th May, 2014

The Divine Assurances

Acts 18: 9-18; Jn 16: 20-23

Today's readings have two of the most repeated and most affirmed promises of the Lord: Do not be afraid, for I am with you (Acts 18:9,10) and Your sorrow will turn into joy (Jn 16:20). For both these, the provision given is: go on speaking and endure the griefs. Though what is expected of us: that is to go on speaking and to endure suffering, might seem a bit too demanding, the consequence of it justifies everything! The promised presence of the Lord and the promised joy in the Lord are incomparably filled with assurances that can brighten up our todays and our tomorrows.

We are called to claim these promises in our daily life and more importantly, we are called be the fulfilment of these promises for those around us who are needy, the real poor, the suffering and the troubled in spirit. The ascension of the Lord which we intend to celebrate this weekend carries precisely this message for us: the continued and unceasing presence of the Risen Lord, more often than not, in the form of our presence with the others. 

Let the Spirit help us today to feel the presence of the Lord with each of us and lead us to be the presence of the Lord for everyone we encounter today.

WORD 2day: 29th May, 2014

To leave... it is a missionary challenge!

Acts 18: 1-8; Jn 16: 16-20

Paul leaves; he leaves Athens for Corinth, he leaves the Jews for the Gentiles. Jesus leaves; he leaves his earthly life and his friend disciples and prepares to go to his Father and our Father! They were able to leave because their eyes were fixed on the mission that was entrusted to them: nothing that came in between, neither success nor failure, neither helps nor hindrances, neither pains nor pleasures - nothing could keep them back.

Another point the readings today point to: whenever they left something, something greater awaited. Christ left his worldly stint, to remain with the Father and thus with us for ever, to the end of ages. And Paul leaves place after place, and everywhere there are more and more people being touched by the Lord and won over for the Lord.

Leaving behind is not an easy task. The most challenging of all 'leaving behind' is to leave behind one's own desires and dreams, personal plans and projects, one's loves and longings! At times, if we have to witness to the Lord and the Gospel that the Lord wants us to announce, there is no other choice but to leave... it is indeed a missionary challenge!

WORD 2day: 28th May, 2014

In Him...

Acts 17: 15, 22 - 18:1; Jn 16: 12-15

In Him we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28), is one of the most expressive faith statements of St. Paul. Paul has a very special insight into understanding Jesus' mind. Jesus  in the Gospel today says, the Counselor, the Holy Spirit will get everything from him and make it known to the believer! "Get from him" would mean 'get from the Father', since Father and the Son are one (cf. Jn 10:30). Jesus invites us to a state where, "On that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you" (Jn 14:20). And the way to it, is simple: keeping His commandments.

When we live in union with the Lord, a union in heart and soul, keeping the Lord's commandments will not be a demanding task but a natural way of life. It is the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of truth who will inspire us to such way of life. Let us prepare ourselves these days to receive the Spirit, the Spirit of the Risen Lord, the Spirit of Truth and Wisdom. The crux of Christian perfection is not in anything that we do, it is in living, moving and having our being, IN HIM.

WORD 2day: 27th May, 2014

The Advocate to come...

Acts 16:22-34; Jn 16: 5-11

Beaten, bruised and bound, they sang the praises of the Lord! Will not the glory of the Lord be revealed there? The act of Paul and Silas in the prison was such a powerful witness that the prison guards expected anything anytime. They were capable of it, because of the Spirit that filled them, fueled them and fired them.

It is the Advocate that Jesus promised to his disciples who makes the entire difference and the difference is enormous. We see this in the very first moment when the apostles come out to speak in public. The frightened band of messengers had been turned into fiercely blazing firebrands. 

Added to this, Jesus says, when He comes He will convict the world. Every heart is given the possibility to know what is true, good and just; every human heart has a longing for someone beyond oneself; every person called by the waters of baptism realises at the core of one's being, the need to be a righteous witness. Sin, righteousness and judgement - they decide the quality of one's witnessing life. Are we prepared to receive the Advocate who is to come?

WORD 2day: 26th May, 2014

On our way to the Reign

Acts 16: 11-15; Jn 15: 26 - 16: 4

"The Spirit of truth" that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel is witnessed to be at work in the first reading event from the Acts of the Apostles - that of the lady and her household, who accept the Lord and get baptised! While on the one hand there are people who are waiting to take the apostles to task and persecute them in all known ways, there are at the same time a multitude who are ready to protect, help and fend for them.

This discrepancy comes to the fore in our day to day experience too, when we find the Spirit at work within us. We will feel an urge to spread the Word, but will be faced with obstacles and hurdles: it is the Spirit of the Lord who leads us to discern the rightway that a believing community should take at a particular point of time. Though the persecutions may abound, the final result will be a 'revival'...and that is what we hope for.

Let our hearts, homes and our households be filled with the Spirit of truth, that we may set in motion real journey towards the Reign of God. 

WORD 2day: 23rd May, 2014

Friends of Christ

Acts 15: 22-31; Jn 15: 12-17

While the readings on the one hand insist on making the burden easy for the new converts to faith, on the other hand we find lofty demands such as even giving one's life for one's neighbours! The point is clear... Our faith is not a matter of do's and don'ts; it is a matter of relationship. Our faith redefines our relationship with God: from mere creatures we are given the identity of God's beloved; friends of Christ! 

Being friends of Christ, it is natural that the demands are high. After all, did not Jesus insist that, "from the one to whom much is given, much will be demanded" (Lk 12:48)? But the demands are not merely to do something and to avoid something else, but the demand is about an entire lifestyle. It is to model our life after that of Christ. 

The relationship with Christ, or the friendship with Jesus affects all other relationships of our's. The friends of our friend, should be our friends too! The love we have for the Lord compels us to be loving persons with every person around us: not just our friends, but even with strangers, people whom we just casually bump into, or even with those who might have offended us. Even if we do not lay down our life, are we not expected to lay down at least our ego when it comes to our relationships?

WORD 2day: 22nd May, 2014

Get your basics right!

Acts 15: 7-21; Jn 15: 9-11

The apostles, in the first reading, so clearly mirror the mind of Jesus who said, "my yoke is easy, my burden is light" (Mt 11:30). They decide that anything more than what is really necessary is an unwanted burden. Jesus dared to summarise the whole of the law into just one dense, profound and challenging word: LOVE. 

The commandments served but one purpose: Remaining in the love of the Lord.  That was the only concern that Jesus had. Jews or Gentiles, circumscised or uncircumsised, it did not matter to Jesus and the apostles learnt it clearly. St. Paul would say categorically in 1 Cor 7:19 - "circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing; Keeping God's command is what counts." 

This is the mindset with which Jesus says: "the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" (Mat 22:40) - the Love of God and the love of the neighbour. What other summary can we give for a Christian life, other than this? Let us beware of complicating issues: our faith is simple, easy and light, if we get our basics right: L O V E.

WORD 2day: 21st May, 2014

The First Ecumenical Council of the Church

Acts 15: 1-6; Jn 15: 1-8

Just last year we celebrated the 50th year of the opening of the Vatican Council II, an ecumenical council that has revolutionised the Church of late. Today we have the account of the first ever ecumenical council held: the Council of Jerusalem! It stands as a wonderful Christian model of handling crisis and confusion: getting together in brotherly dialogue and faithful communion. 

The Community of faith gives us a splendid possibility of remaining united as branches to the one Vine, Jesus. Today, when crisis and confusion arise, how many human methodologies we follow to handle them: writing anonymous letters, spreading calumny about others, raising unchristian slogans and following uncharitable actions. Is it truly a 'Christ'ian way of approaching  problem? What are we aiming at? Establishing our ego? Gaining our political mileage? Division among us is the worst scandal we can give to the World. 

Let us be united with the one Vine, nourish ourselves from that vine, be filled with the sap from that vine and give fruits worthy of that vine. Or else, we will have to be pruned and charred!

WORD 2day: 20th May, 2014

Troubles?...but let not our hearts be troubled!

Acts 14: 19-28; Jn 14: 27-31a

"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God," say Sts. Paul and Barnaba (Acts 14:22). Elsewhere in the Acts (see 5:41) we read, "they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name" of Jesus, after having received severe flogging. 

In the Gospel today, after giving his peace, the Lord instructs: 'do not let your hearts be troubled!', for the peace that he gives us is not the peace that the world gives: a peace of compromises and conveniences, a peace of inaction and suspicious silence! But the Peace that Christ gives us is the peace of the Reign, the peace that comes from Justice and Equality, peace that comes from true love and compassion. It is no contract of just war or war against terrorism; but a total cessation of war or corruption or injustice or any inhumanity! Jesus has given it to us as he promised! It is enshrined in the Word. True love for entire humanity and compassion for the least and the last.

Our call is to spread it, take it to every heart that longs, to every corner of the earth. In doing it, we will face troubles, floggings, stonings, criticisms, threats and presecutions. The times are coming for that and let not our hearts be troubled!

WORD 2day: 19th May, 2014

To be signs of God's power!

Acts 14: 5-18; Jn 14: 21-26

Jesus seems to be winding up his earthly phase with his disciples and he bids them farewell as if to say they have to take his place there after. This whole week we will listen to this series of sayings from Jesus. He had assured them, that their faith in God and their faith in him, will stand them in good stead...they will do all that he did and even more! (cf. Jn 14:12) Today he promises an added facilitator: the Holy Spirit. All these promises were not mere words... they worked.

The People saw in the apostles great prowess... they healed the paralytics and gave life to the dead. The people found it so overwhelming that they thought that the gods had descended on them. If we really believed in the Lord and beheld his risen presence with us truly, people would see great things in and through us. The world needs people of God today; the world longs to see the real majesty of God revealed in ordinary things and we ought to be the instruments in the hands of God.

Can we dispose ourselves into the hands of God? Can we allow the Spirit of the Lord to take hold of us and reveal through us the merciful, loving and powerful presence of the Lord today? 

குருத்துவத் திருக்கூட்டமாய்...

பாஸ்கா காலத்து 5ம் ஞாயிறு
18.05.2014

Chosen to be A PRIESTLY PEOPLE

V Sunday of the Easter Season: 18th May, 2014

Acts 6: 1-7; 1 Pet 2: 4-9; Jn 14: 1-12

God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before God in love” (Eph 1:4). That is our identity; we are a chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, God’s own people in order that we may proclaim the mighty acts of God, the God who has called us from darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pet 2:9). What is out identity of ourselves?

Are we merely people who are looking upto God for some favours? People who wait on God to come and solve our everyday problems? People complaining to God about those around us who are not living upto our expectations, disappointing us, troubling us, not understanding us or causing us grief? Can we take a breath and imagine what identity God has invested in us and to what level we have diluted in our daily living of our faith.

We are Chosen…

It is not by chance that I am a Christian, I am chosen. Recently, Anandhi (name changed) a girl of another faith, came to me asking to be prepared for baptism. She was in love with Alfred (name changed), a Catholic and wanted to marry him in the Church. After all the preparation, finally I asked, “Who brought you to this intention of receiving Baptism?” Without hesitation, Anandhi said, “Alfred.” I smiled at her and took the opportunity to tell her, ‘It is truly Christ who has brought you to Baptism’. It is the Lord who has chosen us dear friends and it is not the other way around: “You did not choose me, but I chose you”, says the Lord (Jn 15:16). It is the Lord who has chosen you and me, and all that we need to do is happily walk holding his hand.

We are Chosen to belong…

Last week we celebrated the Good Shepherd Sunday and we prayed for Vocations to Priesthood and Religious Life. That is a special call, a call for a ministry, just like Stephen and the 6 others are chosen today in the first reading for a special task – that is what we call Ministerial Priesthood. But there is another call that is universal… that is the call to Royal Priesthood… each and every one who is chosen in Christ, who is washed in the waters of baptism, is called to this priesthood. Yes! We are all priests unto the Lord! We are Chosen Race, Royal Priesthood… We have a special call to belong to the Lord. That is the crux of this priesthood. The ordained priests are ordained for a special ministry, while all of us share in the priesthood of Christ. The Priesthood of Christ consists in belonging to the Father. “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” says the Lord (Jn 14:11). The priesthood that we share with Christ is to be in God, the Father and Mother; to belong to God, to be grafted on to God, to remain in God as the branches remain in the wine and give fruit.

We are Chosen to belong forever…

In belonging to the Lord, in remaining with Christ, in sharing the priesthood of Christ we inherit the greatest of all patrimonies: a dwelling place in the courts of the Lord. That is what is prepared for us, that if we belong in our life to God, we would belong to God forever even in death. Christ has gone before us to prepare this place for us, and when he comes we should still belong to God, we should still be his Priestly People, that we may receive that dwelling place prepared for us!

Every day is an opportunity, through our ordinary tasks and daily duties, by our conscious choices and deliberate decisions, to deepen our belonging to the Lord, to realize we are chosen, that we are chosen to belong to God, as a chosen race, as a Priestly People!

WORD 2day: 17th May, 2014

The Word, joy and the Holy Spirit

Acts 13: 44-52; Jn 14: 7-14

Jealousy, opposition, contradiction, calumny, derision, persecution... all these abounded against the believers as they embraced their new found faith in the Lord. But amidst all these, the first reading says, the disciples were filled with joy and Holy Spirit. That was the reason the Word spread all through the region. The Word spreads with true inner joy. Jesus already spoke of this connection between the Word and joy: I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (Jn 15:11).

We would be missing the whole point if we do not get more and more in touch with God everyday of our life. Jesus would ask us too the same question: 'Have I been so long with you and you still have not got really in touch with me, my father, my life style, my passions, my values and so on?' Once we get in touch with Jesus, and thus with God our Father and Mother, with the Spirit who enlightens us each day, we will emanate a joy that is irresistible. Let us remain united to Christ, who is united to the Father and thus give the world the joy that it longs for.

WORD 2day: 16th May, 2014

To be God's begotten

Acts 13: 26-33; Jn 14: 1-6

Let not your hearts be disturbed! That, according to Jesus, was the sign of Faith, faith in God and faith in God's only Son. Though we know that Jesus is the Incarnate Son of God, the real glory of his existence is seen in the fact of Jesus' obedience to the Father. As St.Paul would point out in his letter to the Philippians (chapter 2), it was because of his total obedience that Jesus was given the name above every name, that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess his Lordship. Even God almighty declares, "You are my beloved Son, today I have begotten you!"

Faith, Obedience of Faith... could be considered high sounding words, but for us on a daily basis, it is but doing the will of God. Taking our duties to heart despite the discouragements, putting our heart and soul in the well being of those around us in spite of the possible ingratitude, putting the Lord first and at the center of all that we are involved in ... these are some concrete ways of doing the will of the Father. When we are upto it, surely we will hear it said of us, "You are my beloved child, today I have begotten you!"

WORD 2day: 15th May, 2014

Called to be Messengers

Acts 13:13-25; Jn 13:16-20

St. Paul makes a long list of messengers running right upto John the Baptist, and Jesus in the Gospel, speaks of sending his own apostles as messengers. The Message, is the core of our faith. It has been so, it is so and it will always be so! The message was announced through ages through prophets and persons of God (cf. Heb 1:1). At a point in history, the Message became the Messenger...that was the crucial phase of history when the Message, the Sender, the Messenger (or the Medium) all came together in one sacred and mysterious union - in the person of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word. 

What was once done by a select few among the people, with the coming of Christ, has been handed over to the entire people of God and every child of God. We are His messengers and we are called primarily to live the message and in and through that, announce the Message to the World.

Am I aware of the Message; Do I really know the Message? Do I love the Message in order that I may live that message!

WORD 2day: 14th May, 2014

Feast of St. Mathias

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Jn 15: 9-17

Feast of any apostle is a reminder to each of us that we are called to be an apostle, sent in the name of the Lord. As my Father sent me, so I send you...said the Lord after his resurrection. Though the event of the election of Mathias is overshadowed by the sorrowful and unfortunate end of Judas, the feast has its usual charm of inviting us to an absolute commitment to the Lord.

Today's readings add a wonderful note to the reflection, as they seem to suggest the one objective in being an apostle, or for that matter a disciple. In Jesus' own words...As my Father loves me, so I love you! The primary aim is to receive in all its fullness the abundant love of the Father, through Jesus our friend! And it is in receiving that love, our joy is made complete! Let us rejoice in being loved, and love each other in return!

WORD 2day: 13th May, 2014

To be called Christians...

Acts 11:19-26; Jn 10:22-30

It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians, evidences the first reading today. They needed a name, a different name to refer to the people of the new way of life! And looking for one, they narrowed down on that with a reference to the One who inspired this way of life: Christ himself. 

It takes time to be called a Christian, to be identified with the name of the Nazarene who made a crucial difference in and through his life. Even today, it is the same: it takes time to be identified a Christian: our lifestyle, our attitudes, our priorities, our relationships and our loving ways should merit the name. 

As Jesus says in the Gospel today, 'the Father and I are one', so should we be able to say:Christ and I are one. What a model we have in St.Paul who declared, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me!" (Gal 2:20).

WORD 2day: 12th May, 2014

The real birth of the Church

Acts 11: 1-18; Jn 10: 11-18

We have been seeing throughout last week, that people listened to the Word, they were touched by it and they joined the disciples and they became a church. However, the real birth of the Church was only when the Gentiles listened and accepted the Word. 

St. Paul declares in his letter to the Galatians, "there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). It is when the whole people are made heirs to the promise made to Abraham, it is only when every one was made into one fold, under one Shepherd, Christ Jesus - the real Church was born.

The challenge is alive until today, to remain one flock, one fold, one people. To stay clear of all discrimination within the Church, to choose not to conform to the standards of the world but to be renewed in the Spirit of the Lord and to put on the mind of Christ - constantly, on a daily basis we are invited to renew our faithfulness to the One shepherd and be transformed more and more into worthy members of His flock.

IV SUNDAY OF EASTER - TAMIL POSTER

BEING THE SHEPHERD'S FLOCK

4th Sunday of Easter: 11th May, 2014

Acts 2: 14a, 36-41; 1 Pet 2: 20b-25; Jn 10:1-10

The Post Resurrection scene is particularly important for us to reflect upon, because it provides us with an incomparable clarity of our identity as a believing community! Today the Lord invites us to realise and understand our vocation to be the flock of the Divine Shepherd. The second reading reminds us, "you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls."

The Shepherd Leads...we follow: Be patient in doing good and especially when you suffer for doing good, and that is the way to follow your shepherd, says St. Peter. As St. Paul would say writing to the Thessalonians, "do not be weary of doing what is right" (2 Thes 3:13). The Lord leads us by example. Doing good was his nature, no one could stop him from doing it. His own did not accept him, they did not understand him, they labelled him 'out of his mind', the disciples deserted him, many hated him and the authorities sought to kill him! But he held on to his mission of doing good! He knew doing the will of the One who sent him was an absolute mission and he went about it without fear, discouragement or doubt, inspite of the threats and trials. The Shepherd leads and we as his followers, are called to follow the same path. 

The Shepherd Directs...we obey: There are moments and circumstances when we go astray. It could be due to deliberate choices or deviant desires...but the fact is we go astray, linger off bounds, leave the flock for a while, check out other pastures, be deceived by mirages and feel a bit lost. The Shepherd's voice bellows behind us... as St. Peter speaks up in the first reading today. To be the Shepherd's flock means to heed to that voice of direction. As the Lord promises through Isaiah: and when you turn to the right or when you turn to your left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "this is the way; walk in it" (Isa 30:21). The Word comes to us; directions come to us constantly; it is the capacity of the Shepherd's flock to hear, to listen, to understand and to put it into practice. Those who listened to the apostle were "cut to their heart", the reading says. They took it to the heart and obeyed it to the full. They were more than ready to change their course, redirect their lives and walk behind the shepherd.

The Shepherd Calls...we respond: I came that you may have life and have it more abundantly, declares the Lord to us today in the Gospel! We are called to live our lives to the full, and that is the sign of the Shepherd's flock. The Lord offers us life and life in all its fullness, we are called to respond to this offer by accepting it  and living it. Living to the full means living in faith and not in fear; living in love and not in selfishness; living in hope and not in darkness. As people of the Shepherd's flock, our lives have to be a witness to life in abundance. The world has to learn from us, and not laugh at us. We cannot conform to the world but the world has to be challenged by our lives!

Let us pay heed to the Word today and follow, obey and respond to our Shepherd. Let us also pray for shepherds to be raised among us, shepherds after the heart of the Divine Shepherd. 

WORD 2day: 10th May, 2014

To Remain in the Lord

Acts 9: 31-42; Jn 6: 60-69.

Two contrasting scenes are presented in the readings today - one, that of the numbers increasing; the other, that of followers leaving Jesus! To heed to pleasant teachings and detest challenging calls, is a normal human tendency. But Jesus does not compromise. It is a fact that we need to understand: that the Lord who loves us, is absolutely loving and at the very same time, absolutely demanding!

It is easy to run after miracles and live by wonders. But the real challenge is to be touched internally by the Lord, be transformed and accept the hard teachings from the Lord. To eat of Him, to become part of Him, as we reflected yesterday! 

The words of Jesus, "Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these..." (Jn 14:12), comes alive as Peter and other disciples do wonders in the name of Jesus! What matters is that they remained in the Lord and that continues to be the challenge for us too: to remain in the Lord!

WORD 2day: 9th May, 2014

To become part of HIM

Acts 9: 1-20; Jn 6: 52-59.

'The one who feeds on me will have life because of me', declares the Lord today! Saul turns Paul, the persecutor turns the proclaimer...an absolute transformation that changed history for ever - because he experienced Christ! The Lord invites us to a personal experience of Him... eat my flesh, drink my blood, become part of me; remain in me and I shall remain in you!

Everyday is an opportunity to grow closer personally with Christ and every Eucharist we celebrate is a moment to become part of him, to remain in him and to allow the Lord to remain in us. St. Paul remains the greatest challenge ever posed to a Christian...he himself was aware of it. That is why he dared say, "be imitators of me as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1). 

Being imitators of Christ is not merely a matter of doing things, rather an essential change of our very nature. It becomes natural, when we become more and more a part of Him!

WORD 2day: 8th May, 2014

Drawn by our Daddy!!!

Acts 8: 26-40; Jn 6: 44-51

The readings taken together have a wonderful message for us... if we are christians, it is not by chance! It is by choice... not ours, but the Lord's. You did not choose me, I chose you, says the Lord. 

We have come to know the Lord, drawn by our Father and Mother in heaven! It is the Lord who has willed to draw us to Godself. Our 'yes' at Baptism and a reassertion of it at Confirmation are our response to this initiative of God. The point of discussion is, whether we are faithful to the yes all our life, at every moment of our daily life.

The Bread of life and the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant, are the nourishment in this journey. All through the journey the Lord accompanies us and instructs us... if we really listen, we will soon realise how special we are; and how we are drawn by our daddy!

WORD 2day: 7th May, 2014

Testimonies of true joy!

Acts 8:1b-8; Jn 6: 35-40

There was great joy in the city. Inspite of having to desert their hometowns and go into diaspora, the community of believers bring joy wherever they go. It was because, they carried the Risen Lord in their hearts. 

The resurrection experience filled them with a joy that could not be replaced by anything else under the sun. The words "Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ" (Rom 8:35) was a concrete life experience of the early Christians. The source of this experience is the total and loving self giving of the Lord. 

Imitating their Lord and Saviour, they were filled with hope and were emanating a divine joy. How joyful is our testimony as Christians? 

WORD 2day: 6th May, 2014

The height of discipleship

Acts 7:51-8:1a; Jn 6:30-35

We are given the picture of the martyrdom of Stephen... the height of discipleship, giving one's life up for the sake of truth. The real courage that is exhibited today by Stephen consists in daring to say what he saw and heard, or what he was given to see and hear. The Gospel presents the same courage manifested by Jesus, challenging the Scribes and the Pharisees and offering himself as the bread of life; infact, Stephen is presented to us as an ideal disciple who did what Jesus did, who lived the way Jesus lived and who died the exact way Jesus died. The cue is the prayer: "Into your hands I commend my spirit". While Jesus makes that prayer to the Father, Stephen makes it to Jesus: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit". This is the first prayer we see, that was addressed to Jesus. The height of discipleship consists in the courage to imitate the master in every little detail...in our life, our prayer, our convictions and our priorities. How close are we in our lifestyle to Jesus, our Lord and Master?

WORD 2day: 5th May, 2014

The Face of an Angel...

Acts 6:8-15; Jn 6:22-29

The readings today remind us of our vocation and gift. 'What are we called to?', that was the question that the people meant when they ask Jesus in the Gospel today, "what can we do to accomplish God's works?" "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent": that is our vocation, that is our gift! Vocation because it is our life task, to know the Lord, love and accept Him as our personal saviour and testify to him unto death. It is a gift, because in doing it, we become children of God (cf.Jn 1:12), we turn into co-heirs to the Reign (cf Rom 8:17), and we acquire the face of angel - as it is said of St.Stephen in the first reading today. Our faith and our commitment to faith adorn our face with a light and beauty that makes it look 'angelic'... let us realise our hidden face of an angel; let us preserve and persevere in growing to the full stature of the angels - close to God and ever at God's service!