YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE #2

WORD 2day: 1st December, 2014

Monday, First week of Advent 

Is 2: 1-5; Mt 8: 5-11

Compare these two sayings from the first reading and the Gospel respectively: "Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord"(Is 2:3) versus "I will come and cure you"(Mt 8:7)... it is in fact an integral part of the new paradigm of revelation that begins with Jesus' coming. We are today reminded of the incarnational paradigm of our faith! From a state where we were expected to go in search of God, we arrive at a state where the Lord comes in search of us. 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us' (Jn 1: 14). 

What should our disposition be: the centurion teaches us! It should be one of humility, readiness to change and a eagerness to experience the transforming grace of God. That exactly is what Advent is all about!

To look at ourselves in humility, to be willing to alter our perspectives and priorities and to long and yearn for a closer encounter with the Lord are the directions that should take us forward this Advent.

YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE #1

W.A.T.C.H.

1st Sunday of Advent: 30th November, 2014

Is 63: 16B-17, 19, 64:2-7; 1 Cor 1: 3-9; Mk 13: 33-37

Happy New Year! This Sunday marks the first day of the New Liturgical Year that we begin. This Sunday also marks, by the wish of our Holy Father Pope Francis, the beginning of the Year of Consecrated Life (30 Nov, 2014 - 02 Feb, 2016). On this beautiful and happy day, we begin a fresh journey and the first phase is going to be a preparation to receive the King! And what does the Word say, right at the outset? It says: WATCH.

W: Wake Up

It is a moment to wake up! The call to wake up rings all over the readings today. Let us get in touch with an ordinary experience of our's. Which is difficult: to wake up from sleep or to decide to get up from bed. We wake up, but not really; the sleep lingers on! That is a risky terrain, we miss a lot in that zone! Hence the call is to wake up; to decide to get up, shake oneself up, open one's eyes fully and see that it is time to begin, time to journey on, time to start again.

A: Awaken Others

Your life is not lived alone! Your faith has to be lived in communion, in relationships of love and unity. Awakening each other is a special call that is given to us, but it requires that we are awake. I remember some times when we used share rooms as seminarians, there will be one of us who has the responsibility to wake up the one who has to use the toilets and the bathing rooms first. The person will wake up the concerned person half asleep and go back to sleep till his own turn comes to use the toilets and the bathing rooms! Funny, but that is sometimes how we awaken others; we ourselves half asleep! That does not work. That is why the Holy Father has called the persons living their Consecrated Life, TO WAKE UP THE WORLD. It would first of all mean they (we) wake themselves up, reach out to the others and share the experience of being awake and thus make the whole humanity awakened! Advent is also the time to call out to each other, remind each other and journey together.

T: Thirst for the Lord

The first reading presents us a model of thirsting for the coming of the Lord. The prophet yearns for God's coming and wishes that it happens right away. In various ways he expresses the longing for the Lord, the Father, the Potter to come and shepherd us, protect us and mould us. The thirst for God has to be expressed in our concrete seeking for the Lord. We need to seek the Lord, on a daily basis: in those who are around us, in the situations that surround us, in anxious faces and hungry stomachs, in hearts longing for love those darkened with hatred...we are to dig deep and look for the face of the Lord! He is coming; indeed He has come! It is upto us to unveil the Lord's presence amidst us.

C: Cleanse yourself

To seek the Lord, it goes without saying, is a moment of cleansing, a moment of self purification. It is only through this purification that we can really get to see the Lord. The Lord is near and we need to feel the urgency of purifying ourselves. What a gift we have in these four weeks, if only we use them to the full! Pick up one element a week and begin working on them; report the progress to the Lord  at the end of the week and start on another element in the new week! That would be a great journey and that is the journey of self purification that the Lord invites us to.

H: Hold firm to the Lord

In the second reading, St. Paul hits the nail on its head: 'God is faithful', he declares! Yes, in our yearning to behold the revelation of Lord Jesus Christ in our own life and in our times, God is faithful. The point is we need to hold firm to the Lord. Perseverance is a rare virtue. We are good willed, and spirit filled...but for only a while. That would surely not suffice. We need to persevere in our good will, we need to hold on to the choice for the Lord, we cannot give up even when we face  all the possible odds. Let us stay firm and hold on to the Lord and the Lord will see us through all moments of crisis and confusion.

We begin a journey today, to WATCH.to Wake up, to Awaken, to Thirst, to Cleanse and to Hold on to the Lord who is to come. Let us embark upon this journey, together as a community of loving people, and feel close to each other and feel the Lord close to us. The Lord's words resound today in the Gospel: What shall I say to you, I say to all: WATCH.

WORD 2day: 29th November, 2014

Neither inaction nor hyper action!

Rev 22:1-7; Lk 21: 34-36

Behold I am coming soon! At times it annoys when I hear people go hysteric about this statement. It is not a statement to make every one panic, but a gentle reminder as to how one should live one's daily life. St.Paul understood this well and instructed the thessalonians: "For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ...But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness" (1 Thess 5:2,4).

It means that neither inaction nor hyper action is expected of us; neither carousing nor drowsiness! It is not a call to live your life on pins and needles, anxious about the next moment; nor is it a call to live our life in mourning and bewailing for the lost moments. The call is to make the best of this moment and live the 'here and now' to the full, conscious and loving. That is the sense that the Gospel presents us: be vigilant at all times! Neither inaction, which is the product of lamentation of the past, nor hyper action which is a frenetic preparation for an unknown future at the cost of the present, would help us says the Word today. The secret is to live our lives as children of the light, calm and composed, but awake and vigilant!

WORD 2day: 28th November, 2014

Signs of the times...

Rev 20: 1-4, 11- 21:2; Lk 21: 29-33

One of the key terms introduced by the second Vatican Council is "signs of the times" and the Council itself tried its best to be true to the spirit of that term. The Council challenged the faithful and the church as a whole to learn to read the signs of the times and respond to it.

We think today that signs from the Lord are few and far between. The truth instead is, the signs abound: in our daily lives, through things that happen around us, through persons who live with us, those who live worthy lives, those who suffer for no cause of theirs, those who are oppressed, those who have scores and scores of woes to meet on a daily basis, through the  crisis we see in the nature around us, through the humanity that is pushed into a hue and cry that is so artificial and human made... there are signs aplenty. 

Our responsibility is two fold: first to learn to gather these signs, as coming from the Lord! Secondly to act upon it, respond to it, regardless of the risks and the sacrifices that are involved. We are so negligent in this second part that we habituate ourselves to become blind to the signs that are around.

Whether we gather them or not, respond to them or not, they are there! We would do well as true sons and daughters of the Reign, if we are present to them and through them strive to build the Reign here on earth. 

WORD 2day: 27th November, 2014

Judgment: our choice!

Rev 18: 1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3, 9A; Lk 21:20-28

Happy are those who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb...the final banquet, the moment of redemption...the end of days, the judgment seat... these are the pictures that the Word paints before our eyes today. These are not some horror stories or shake-up narrations. They are logical ends towards which we are all journeying. 

In fact, it need not be always an end time phenomenon, instead it has to be an everyday experience...the judgment is a continuous happening and it is not entirely an act of the Lord; the choices that we make at any given point of time, at any moment of a given day, the choice of words, thoughts, actions, decisions...that is the judgment we bring upon ourselves (cf. Jn 3:18).

We are all called to the wedding feast, that is to unite with the Lord and enjoy the eternal bliss. But the choices we make on a daily basis, at a particular point of time, is our response and that decides whether we enter the banquet or not. Hence, instead of yarning tales of suspense and horror, let us realise our responsibility in making right choices: Judgement is our choice, indeed!

WORD 2day: 26th November, 2014

Perseverance...!?!

Rev 15:1-4; Lk 21: 12-19

Perseverance in terms of targets and achievements in the world is holding on endlessly. The same, when it comes to our relationship with God is giving up limitlessly. It is to give up totally into the hands of God, regardless of the successes or failures, gains or losses, happiness or sadness, prosperity or misery! Faith is all about giving up everything and walking with our hands in the hands of God. Indeed it's a challenging feat.

WORD 2day: 25th November, 2014

Curiosity or care to change?
Rev 14: 14-19 ; Lk 21: 5-11

When will these things happen?  We are more interested in knowing when certain things will happen and curious about predictions and premonitions,  than understanding what is the right thing to be done and make the right moves in life at the right time.

Mistakenly we postpone the necessary and crucial transformations in life for an opportune time which sometimes does not come at all or it gets too late by the time they come by.  The month of November insists on the urgency that is involved in personal conversion and community dedication to growth and maturity in faith. And specially this season leading us to the season of advent gives us a better understanding of the end time spirituality that we are called to live in these times.

Mindful of the short time that we have, we have a calling to live: live our lives to the full, here and now.

WORD 2day: 24th November, 2014

Good people or God's people?
Rev 12:1-3, 4b-5; Lk 24: 42-45

The posters with politicians doling out their "generous" gifts to the unfortunate lot,  the numerous NGOs scripting out projects for the eradication of social evils for decades and decades together, the so called social activists voicing the woes of the downtrodden. .. These are today common scenes in any society. People who do good and claim to do good, do it with various intentions and it is that which makes all the difference.

One thing is to be known as people who do good and the other is to be people of God. Doing good has no end to it and is evaluated in its quantity, in the volume of the good we do. Being God's people is in a way simpler and in another way a bit more demanding. Simpler because it does not matter what you do and how much you do but with how much of love you do whatever you do!  More demanding because even a slight intention of selfishness or vain glory can negate the true effect of the good that is done. 

To be marked as people of God is to belong to God and to put our whole self and all we have at the disposal of the One who gave it all to us. It is important to be people who do good,  but more important it is to be people of God.

A King with a difference!

Solemnity of Christ the King: 23rd November, 2014

Ez 34: 11-12, 15-17; 1 Cor 15: 20-26, 28; Mt 25: 31-46

Christ the King Sunday marks the beginning of the last week of the Liturgical year and thus it serves as a fitting culmination of the year, a climax to end the year with. The one whose birth, life, death and resurrection that we remembered and celebrated all through this liturgical year, is our King.

We celebrate our King today, our King who is madly in love with us, our King who had given up everything for the sake of the love that he had for us, our King who even today is ready to give up on anything, all just for the love that he has for us. Our King, definitely, is different from the rest of the kings we can think or see around. To be served, to have authority over all, to rule over all and to hoard as much as possible for oneself: these are what being a king would mean today. We are a privileged lot because we have a King who is a contrast to all these !

The King we have is a Shepherd King: he comes in search of us, strains himself for our good, provides for our needs, binds our wounds, leads us, directs us, feeds us, nourishes us, defends us and does everything necessary for our peaceful and happy life. None of us can ever deny the fact that we have the protecting and providing hand of God hovering over us, because without that we would find our life tough and sometimes even terrible. 

The King we have is a Servant King: it is strange that our king, kind of depends on us. All that he is concerned about is so much to rule us as to serve us. He wishes that we feed him, clothe him, console him... he says he depends on us! What sort of a king is he who depends on his subjects, a king who wants his subjects to give him to eat, who identifies himself with his subjects who are in want and in dire need. What sort of a king is he who feels sad when his subjects are sad, feels abandoned when his subjects are left to suffer alone, feels neglected when his subjects are left without no one to care for. Truly he is a servant king, who desires that we play his role, take his side and be his ambassadors when there are our brothers and sisters who are in hunger, in need, in dire want, in loneliness, in suffering!

The King we have is a Sovereign King: every knee shall bow and every tongue confess the he is King and he is Lord! The dependence that we see is not a sign of weakness, it is the very nature of our King and Lord who is a relational Being; God who is a community, God who is three persons, in relationship with each other, and defines what right relationships should be like. He orders the movements of the planets and the heavenly bodies but gives each of his sons and daughters, a divine freedom that fills them with respect and dignity. We are given a royal identity, that we belong to the Sovereign king.

We have a King who is all powerful, governs every aspect of this universe, but when it comes to his love for us, he loves us so tenderly that he look so weak like a servant, so humble like a shepherd and yet none can deny that Sovereign that he is!

WORD 2day: 22nd November, 2014

The God of the Living

Rev 11: 4-12; Lk 20: 27-40

The God of the living: that is how Jesus presents his God and Father, and our God and Father. Resurrection is the foundation of our conviction that our life is not merely made of the few years that we spend on this earth. Our life is part of the Eternal Stream, that is God and we have but a few years here on earth. We come from and we are meant for a union that is eternal and all our efforts during this life has to be towards ensuring that union for ever. 

What would be the fall out if we had this truth right in front of our minds while we live? We would not unnecessarily fret to make ourselves comfortable at the cost of the other. We would not long to possess something or someone, leading to undue striving to control the other and manipulate situations. We would not harm others or harm the nature just because at present we would like to make more money or make life more easy. We would not calculate everything in terms of gain and profit and dividends and surplus.

Should we wait for a terrifying moment to repent and reset our values? Jesus offers us a wonderful criterion: the criterion of Resurrection. Live as Resurrection-people; live as people of the Eternity; live as people who really believe that your life does not end here and now; live as people of the God of the living!

WORD 2day: 21st November, 2014

Sweet in the mouth; bitter in the stomach

Rev 10: 8-11; Lk 19: 45-48

Jesus was attractive; people rallied after him so willingly and readily. He was interesting to listen to; so many pharisees and scribes hung on to his lips. He was famous; the mere name drew not just crowds but even prominent persons like Zachaeus. He had charming ways; even Herod wanted to see him atleast once! All these were true only in as much as they all looked at Jesus from a distance. When Jesus got near...he turned demanding.

The people came to him and he challenged them to live a life of destitution, with no place to even lay their heads. The people listened to him and he called them whitewashed sepulchers, inviting them to true personal conversion. Individuals approached him and he challenged them to total reformation of their personal and public lives. The people led him with such celebration into the city of Jerusalem and he enters the Temple and drives out the vendors and money lenders.  

The Lord's promises are sweet, but when we take it to heart they are demanding. If we truly listen to the Word of God, we cannot remain the same forever, we would be challenged to change, to transform, to become more and more like the Lord himself. The Word may be sweet in the mouth; but for sure it will be bitter in the stomach, churning the unwanted elements out and paving way towards the Reign 

WORD 2day: 20th November, 2014

Smile upon or Weep over!

Rev 5:1-10; Lk 19: 41-44

The Gospels picture Jesus as weeping, in two places: once in John (11:35); and the other is the passage we have today from Luke (19:41). In the first instance he wept for his friend; and today he is weeping for Jerusalem, that is the chosen people of God, the people called to come under the wings of the Lord who wanted to protect them all as a hen does to her chicks. But the people weren't prepared. Jesus wept thinking of their obstinacy, their choice against God's plan of salvation! 

In the first reading we have another instance of weeping: John who weeps for the fact that there was no one worthy to open the scrolls. Opening the scrolls means being the mediator between God's ever present love and our absolute need for that merciful love. There is one who is worthy: Jesus, the Son of God...the One mediator who revealed to us who God really is to us and what we are called to be. In our obstinacy we can remain in our shells and do what pleases us, instead of opening our hearts and letting Jesus in. We can be so hardhearted that we can miss out the greatest treasures presented to us, in simple and ordinary ways, everyday.

Let us not be people over whom Jesus would have to weep. Being sensitive to the messages that Lord gives us on a daily basis, through the Word, through the daily events, through persons we encounter, through the insights that dawn on us... we will be prepared to receive the Lord and the love of God that he mediates. Let the Lord smile upon us, not weep over us!

WORD 2day: 19th November, 2014

Called to Praise the Lord

Rev 4: 1-11; Lk 19: 11-28

John impresses upon us how important and essential it is for us, as creatures of the Creator Almighty, to give praise to our Lord and King. Praising God - can never be done enough and it is always in want, in contrast to the boundless glory that the Lord possesses! The Word today distinguishes among three types of people who give praise to the Lord:

The first are the Psuedo Praisers: who praise the Lord with their tongues but are far away in spirit from the Lord. They are those who deceive themselves putting up a mere show of their allegiance to God, while in fact are all the while doing their own will. Wantonly, they make of themselves people unfit for the Reign.

The second are the Pointless Praisers: who think praising the Lord alone is enough to inherit the Reign. Their praising is pointless, in fact the Lord himself had declared: 'not all those who call me Lord Lord, will enter the Reign of God' (cf. Mt 7:21). Ultimately, they fall short of entering the Reign. 

The third are the Profound Praisers: who do not consider praising the Lord as a duty in itself. Their very words, actions and life gives praise to the Lord. Their witness leads, not only themselves, but even those around them to praise the Lord to the heights. They live their life to the full, and seeing their lives, people are inspired to give praises to their King and Lord. These are the People of the Reign, true and profound in their praise.

WORD 2day: 18th November, 2014

Letting Jesus enter our homes
Rev 3: 1-6, 14-22; Lk 19: 1-10

To welcome Jesus into our homes: that is the task given to us by the Word today. Obviously when Jesus comes its a blessing - 'today salvation has come into this house' (Lk 19:9).   But it is more than that, a Challenge: 'because you are neither cold nor hot, i will spit you' (cf. Rev 3:16). Once he comes, things cannot remain the same! You cannot remain both dead and alive at the same time; hot and cold at the same time; or belonging and not belonging to the Lord at the same time!

You have to make a choice and choices are all! Like Zachaeus who not only changed from his old ways but made up even for the mistakes, for his wrong doings and every thing that made others' lives less happy, we would be called to make some drastic choices. The choice is ours - to keep to our old ways or to let Jesus enter our homes. The home that he enters, the hearts where he resides...will be marked by the choices, or the Choice 'to be blameless and holy before him' (Eph 1:4).

WORD 2day: 17th November, 2014

WORD 2day: 17th November, 2014

Lord, that I may see again!
Rev 1:1-4, 2:1-5; Lk 18: 35-43

Repent and get back to your original ways, invites the first reading today. With a plenty of good will and an abundance of spirit we begin something new and good... just imagìne the day of our first communion, for some confirmation, for some others the day of  religious consecration and for others the day of your wedding! But in a short while the energy drains, the spirit goes faint and a mere good will becomes drastically insufficient. The reason: we are not attentive enough to note the initial changes that happen...we remain so insensitive to what is happening within us that we are caught unawares at much crucial time. That is why the prayer today: "Lord grant that we may see again!" (Cf. Lk 18:41).

Staying in touch with the Lord keeps us in touch with ourselves, to constantly check our pride, insensitivities, arrogance, unforgiving attitude, judgmental tendencies, loose talks and compromises against true love: these are the blindnesses that set in! We become so blind that we do not even realise what sad levels we have reached. And it is the Lord alone who can restore the original spirit by enabling us to see... empowering us to realise and restart... "make us see again!" We are reaching the end of this liturgical year...and it is time now that each of us make it our prayer: Lord, that I may see again!

WORD 2day: 15th November, 2014

True Christian Love
3 Jn 5-8; Lk 18: 1-8

Taking care of strangers, widows and the orphans was a special commission given to the people by God. And that was an experiential learning on the part of the people who were themselves strangers, orphans and sojourners.

The term stranger or foreigner was indicative of every one in need, people in insecure circumstances. Today we have every category you can ever think of within this definition of the people in need. The exploited, the immigrants, the refugees, the unemployed and the homeless: today we have a responsibility towards this part of humanity. Pope Francis leads us in this true Christian love!

WORD 2day: 14th November, 2014

Being progressive or keeping the law?
2 Jn 4-9; Lk 17: 26-37

Commandments make it easy for us to choose the right things in life. Jesus makes it further simple by simplifying that commandments themselves to: LOVE.

The readings these days portray a sense of urgency running the fag ènd of the the Liturgical year. We are invited to think about our choices and the single mindedness of our life. At times we feel bad to obey a commandment or keep a law as  part of our spirituality, because we think it undermines our "progressive" thinking and capacity for mature commitments. But maturity infact lies in Informed Convictions and Single minded Perseverance. And the way to it: listening to the Lord and living our daily in  God's light.

WORD 2day: 13th November, 2014

To be or not to be... a Reign-person.
Phlm 7-20; Lk 17: 20-25

Paul does not request or exhort Philemon to forgive and accept Onesimus. He almost commands and takes for granted that it is done. This is because forgiveness, love and union of hearts are no more options to choose from. They are to be the very way of life, because: the Reign of God is amidst us.

Misunderstandings between husband and wife, misgivings between the families, the bitter experience of past, nothing of these can give me an excuse to remain stubborn in my shell and refuse to build communion. That would be considered an anomaly.  There is no more a sense magnanimity in forgiving... it is after all what I am expected to do, the normal way of being... because the Reign of God is within me!

In short, there is no choice between living a Christian or not on a daily basis... I am either a Reign-person or an anti Reign person... the choice is mine!

WORD 2day: 12th November, 2014

Taking God for granted!?!

Ti 3:1-7; Lk 17:11-19

Speaking on the eve of his 97th  birthday, one of our elderly Salesian priests here said the other day, "you will not understand the difficulty of living this old...everything, every little thing is difficult. Even putting on a shirt or a pant is such an herculean task. With the missing balance, even using a toilet or washing the face is such a problematic affair!" As he went on, I really felt so guilty for the number of things I have been taking for granted on a daily basis! 

We have today a typical event in the Gospel where there are the majority who take things for granted, but that one spiritually sensitive person who returns to the Lord to tell him, that it really made a difference what the Lord had done to him. This quality of not taking God for granted has to come from, not taking people around me for granted. That is what the first reading tells me. If the latter does not happen, the former will only be an external show, an hypocrisy. Let us recognise persons, accept persons, appreciate them and affirm their presence, thank God for them, and take care of them. We need to be not only sheep of the Divine Shepherd, but also His hands and legs in reaching out to the needy. However, it is easy and pleasant to proclaim that the Lord is my shepherd, but to recognise it truly in concrete terms and submit to the shepherding of the Lord, it is not an easy task.

WORD 2day: 11th November, 2014

My real worth: where do I get it from?

Ti:2:1-8, 11-14; Lk 17: 7-10

Where does one's real worth come from? From merely your age or the social status that is offered to you or from the great successes that you parade to the world? As a person your true worth comes from within you, say the readings. 

It comes from within, meaning, each of us understands what one is called to, what our commission is and live it on a daily life, without making a fuss out of it. At times we do a little that we do, and go about trumpeting it all around. Worse still some times we do not do anything much but go around building it up as if we have moved mountains. 

And the worst of all is doing everything that we do, merely to be noticed and praised and given the social recognition that I am an important person in the vicinity. Christian life is all about living the essential goodness that we have within from the very fact that we are children of God and never expecting to be lauded for what we do, because what we do is what we have to do! Jesus puts it so plainly in today's Gospel (Lk 17:10). 

WORD 2day: 10th November, 2014

Towards Living Faith

Titus 1: 1-9; Lk 17: 1-6

Jesus throws challenge after challenge at his followers: to correct one's brother or sister who is erring, to readily forgive brothers and sisters, not to cause a brother or sister to sin or to falter... the challenges seem so demanding but just one prayer that the disciples make sums up all that it takes to face these challenges and live up to them. The prayer: "Lord, Increase our faith" (Lk 17:5). 

Faith is the answer to all these, because faith is not merely something that we possess, but a relationship to which we commit. It is a personal relationship with God, a total personal response to a God who reveals Godself in unconditional love and absolute concern. It is something in which we continuously grow, being mindful of the danger anytime retract into ways that are not worthy of the one who has created us, called us and commissioned us! Faith, if really living, will find a solution to many a problem in today's life, because it is fundamentally a God-inspired way of life.

                                                                            

The Temple that You are!

The Solemnity of the Dedication of Lateran Basilica: 9th November, 2014

Ezek 47: 1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Cor 3: 9c-11, 16-17; Jn 2: 13-22

Temple. Temple of the Lord. Temple of the living God. Temple where lives God. That temple you are! And it is from here the Lord wants his glory to be spread far and wide, from the temple of our selves, from the altars of our daily struggles and sacrifices. The Lord's zeal for the temple flairs up today and that temple is not the structure that stands in places, but the persons that we are. 

The dedication of the Basilica of St John at the Lateran gives us a great opportunity to reflect on the decadence of the divinity that resides within humanity. But before go to discuss that, let us say a word on the Basilica itself.

The Basilica and the feast: 
The feast that we celebrate today is the remembrance of the dedication (on 9th, Nov, 324 AD) of the Basilica that stands on the property which was called 'Lateran' because it belonged to that family but acquired and given by Emperor Constantine to the Church earlier. The Church which was built was dedicated to the two great John's of the Gospel: John the Baptist and John the Evangelist! This Basilica is one of the so-called Four Major Basilicas of Rome (the other three being those of St. Peter, Mary Major and St. Paul outside the walls). There is yet another importance attached to this Basilica because this is the Cathedral, that is the Official seat of the Bishop of Rome, that is none other than the Holy Father himself. Hence this is called the Papal Cathedral, and not the all-famous Basilica of St. Peter! 

The Message: 

Humanity is the sanctuary where Divinity resides: I need to realise that I am not merely what I see! I am more than me. There is the indwelling spirit that resides in me. The Divinity that is within me is the true dignity that defines me. First of all to think of it that the Lord chose to dwell within me; secondly to think of the mystery that I am made of! Both these should make me awestruck but what happens today is so loathsome. 

The Robbers' den and the Market place: Such a sanctuary, filled with such extraordinary truths is made into a robbers den: a place where all evil resides; and a market place: where everything goes on except what is sacred! Exploitation of persons, decadence of moral dignity, human trafficking, sexual aberrations, killing in the name of god, violating the rights of the other, scheming to wipe out the races of people, keeping quiet at the face of blatant inhumanity that is perpetrated at large, buying and selling human labour without an iota of human respect, the swelling of the moneyed and the suffering of the exploited, the arrogance of the affluent and the insensitivity towards the downtrodden, the thousands and thousands of lives of the poor over whose graves walks the so called development today... these are the crimes against which the Lord would make a whip!

Realise that Blessing that you are: Cleansing the temple, the invitation that Lord has is fundamentally to realise the divinity that resides within us and the dignity that arises from the fact. To understand that the Spirit of the Lord dwells within us and that is the true stuff we are made of. To understand that we are a blessing to many, as Ezekiel points out about the waters that flow from beneath the Temple which makes fertile every land that it flows into. To understand the ways in which this sanctuary of humanity, is profaned by values that are demoralising to the core. 

In simple words, we are called to be persons worthy of the Lord, communities worthy of our faith and societies worthy of the sacredness of the humanity. 

WORD 2day: 8th November, 2014

Wealth - the right attitude to it.
Phil 4: 10-19; Lk 16: 9-15

Wealth: is it good or bad?
Money and God...won't they go together?
Then how do we ask God for wealth and consider prosperity as a blessing from God? The readings today speak to us about the right attitude to take towards wealth.

1. Wealth is given.
It is a gift and should be treated as such. We are given and it should fill us with gratitude and not arrogance.

2. Wealth is given to be given.
It is never given for yourself...you are a custodian of what is with you. You possessing the wealth is a blessing; the wealth possessing you is a curse!

3. Wealth is given to be given to those who cannot give.
The only purpose today wealth is used, apart from fulfilment of needs, is to make more wealth. It is a sickening tendency that is the cause of the growing selfishness, cruel exploitation and demeaning inhumanities.

Wealth and power are good as long as they are instruments. When they begin to use the persons dehumanisation begins! God sees the heart, says the Gospel; and everyone will see a heart that is filled with God.

Adieu dear Fr. Cappel...

Life is such a mystery! Adieu Fr.Cappel...
We will miss you.

We will miss that hearty laughter you had...and the naughty ideas you shared!

We will miss the friendly pats you were famous for... and the affectionate queries which showed us that you cared for!

At times which were tough you stood your ground... and showed us how important  it is to just be around!

Somewhere something brings a tear to my eyes... because to me you were always, always  nice!

In the recent past I have not thot about you much dear fr... may be i   expected this moment way much farther!

Life proves itself a mystery over and over again... adieu dear fr. till we meet again.

- with love, Christy

WORD 2day: 7th November, 2014

The Unchanging Criterion
Phil 3:17 - 4:1; Lk 16: 1-8

Prudence is a practical virtue, the capacity to discern the most effective option from a set of available options. When we have Christ as our choice, there need be no confusion  regarding what to choose and what not to. When Christ becomes our absolute, our standard, our criterion, then there would be no confusions nor any more options. We would have an absolute to live by,  a standard to judge by, a criterion to choose by.

St. Paul lived by this choice and presented the same to the others. Be imitators of me as I am of Christ ( 1 Cor 11:1) said Paul as we read in today's first reading too. We would be judged truly and absolutely prudent if we choose the never failing criterion: Christ; because it is the Lord and the Lord alone who does not change. Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Heb 13:8).

WORD 2day: 6th November, 2014

In mutual seeking
Phil 3: 3-8a; Lk 14: 15-25

The initial lines of the Gospel today say it all: the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to Jesus and the pharisees were complaining. What really matters is not circumcision or not...but the relationship one has with the person of Christ.

Past glories, handed down traditions, legalistic requirements, ritual uprightness...these will not take you that far, however good and right and just they are. All that is expected of us is to get nearer and nearer, closer and closer,  more and more in personal relationship with God. God keeps looking out for us as presented in the parables in the Gospel- the shepherd and the woman! And when God knows our efforts God doubles it up with grace,  grace which comes in terms of our relationship with the person of Christ, before which everything else is trash.

WORD 2day: 5th November, 2014

Called Christian? Better be one!

Phil 2: 12-18; Lk 14:25-33

If you call yourself a Christian you better be one, says the Word today. You want to construct a tower but you don't want to procure the material; you want to fight the battle but you don't care to gather the soldiers; you want to be called a Christian but you don't want to take in all those things that makes up that name! What a shame! 

What does it take then, to be a Christian? 
To be a light when every one around is getting used to the darkness; to carry the cross with love when every one around you is waiting to shake off even an extra speck of dust on them; to be holy and blameless while everyone around is losing the very sense of those terms. That is what it takes to be a Christian!

O Lord Jesus Christ, give us the strength, the courage and the light to walk in your footsteps, carrying our crosses and and making a difference in every life we encounter. You are our light and our salvation. 

WORD 2day: 4th November, 2014

Enter the dinner or not!

Phil 2: 5-11; Lk14: 15-24

We can find any number of reasons or excuses to keep ourselves from doing what is the right thing to do as long as we keep doing it as if we are doing it for the sake of some one else. It would already be too late when we realise that we have not really lived our life. Our minds will be filled with too many ifs and buts to make real sense of it. Instead, when we know ourselves, accept this life as a gift from God and live our life understanding its sacrality, and true to the vocation given to each of us: we would be in paradise dining with the Lord already now. But it does involve, suffering and sacrifice endured in a joyful spirit of fulfilling one's vocation.

St. Paul gives the picture of Christ, who lived his mission, the personal vocation that he was given and through that he redeemed the whole world. When we live our personal lives true to our vocation and at the depth of its meaning, we too will turn out to be instruments of God's salvation, to ourselves and to others. We are given the gift of life and given the invitation to live it to the full... the choice is ours: to enter the dinner of the Lord or not!

WORD 2day: 3rd November, 2014

The logic of the Reign!

Phil 2: 1-4; Lk 14: 12-14

There is a principle that I am fond of repeating often: it is important what we do, but it is more important why we do what we do! A person who was coming to me for a little spiritual help was once dejected saying, "no matter how much efforts I make, so and so is not happy, the other one has only criticism...no one is satisfied with me! I know my behaviour is not right; but I am not able to change!" All that I said was, "why do you want to change; why do you want to alter your behaviour? To please so and so? To receive an affirmation from someone? To impress some one? If it is so, you are bound to fail" Do nothing to prove yourself! We have nothing to prove to anyone! Anything we do, without a personal conviction and a purposeful decision, loses its value however well it is done.

Listened to from this point of view, the readings today offer us a clear picture of why we are unhappy at times or why it makes so little sense after having moved a mountain. If our ego, our selfish motivations and our childish calculations dominate, however big an action, it would matter nothing. Instead, even if what I do is something absolutely ordinary, when it is done out of genuine love, selfless concern and mercy, it becomes so remarkable in the eyes of the Lord. Jesus makes his point doubtlessly clear today: the logic of the Reign is completely different and it takes a different mindset to understand it.

IT'S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIP

All Souls Day: 2nd November, 2014

Wis 3: 1-9; Rom 6: 3-9; Jn 6: 37-40

Yesterday we celebrated the memory of the saints...those among us who have gone before us all the way! They shine as they have reached the destiny prepared for them. They are the Triumphant Church, radiating the HOPE that Christ brought to humanity.

Today we keep the memory of those among us who have gone before us, but not yet all the way! They await the mercy of God, to join the band of those who share the glory of the Eternal Light. They are the Penitent Church, united with us in FAITH, the one faith in which we were all baptised, the one faith in which we have a duty to offer our prayers and suffrages. 

Tomorrow onwards we are back to our daily living, as we make our way, amidst the struggles and temptations of the daily life. We are the Militant Church, fighting our way ahead on a daily basis, with LOVE - love for God who constantly accompanies us and love for brothers and sisters with which we accompany those who are around us.

It's all about relationship... we are One Church with the One Lord, with one baptism, one call and one destiny... all of us related to each other. Even the thought of death or of the dead, does not fill us with fear or anxiety, for we are all on the same journey at different stages of the course. The three tier Church is such a holistic view of our life on earth, that it renders every bit of our life and all its struggles so meaningful. It is within this framework of relationship that we think of those brothers and sisters of ours who have gone before us, signed with the same Holy Spirit, that they may receive the eternal reward they have always longed for. But that would be an incomplete exercise, if it does not challenge us to live our life with more hope and more love, here and now that our faith may throw its light on our concrete everyday. 

We are all related! Let that be the message that the day offers us. Let us march on with love, with hope and with faith towards the eternal joy prepared for us.

SAINTS...they SHINE...

Thinking of Saints...

Rev 7: 2-4, 9-14; 1Jn 3: 1-3; Mt 5: 1-12a

Thinking of Saints...we know they Shine!

But we often stop with that. 

It is important to note and recognise that 

they Shine, because 

they are Attached to the Lord (it is from the Lord they reflect the light),

they are Immersed in the Lord (they know of nothing that is more important than the Lord),

they are Named after the Lord (they take their name from the Lord),

they Take God to everyone they meet (that is precisely why they shine); and

they are Sent by the Lord, for a specific time and for a specific purpose!

If you carefully notice...

WE ARE ALL CALLED TO

SHINE, ATTACHED to the Lord, IMMERSED in the Lord, NAMED after the Lord, TAKING God to everyone, because we are SENT by God for a specific purpose, with a specific mission that we alone are called to accomplish in God's name!