THE WORD AND THE SAINT

The feet of those who bring Good News

30th November, 2015: Remembering St. Andrew
Rom 10: 9-18; Mt 4: 18-22

St. Andrew has played a special role during the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Andrew as a disciple of Christ always had the role of bringing good news to persons... he brought the good news of having found Christ to Peter (Jn 1:41); along with Philip, he brought the Greeks to meet Jesus (Jn 12:22); and he brought that boy who gave the five loaves to feed the five thousand (Jn 6:9). Amidst all the opposition and threat, the apostles bore witness to his name: they were the beautiful feet which brought the good news to the world. 

Today Andrew is proposed as the patron of social network...because he used every opportunity to make Christ known to people and to bring people to Christ. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI described social network as the modern day pulpit and invited us to proclaim Christ not merely from the housetops but also from the laptops...and here we have a great role model for it. May we dedicate today every effort of ours to proclaim the Kingdom through the social network. May we dedicate the social network which offers us such a great promise, that it may forever be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring God's will to fulfillment. 

THE WORD IN ADVENT - 1ST SUNDAY

STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF THE LORD

29th November, 2015
Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thess 3:12 - 4:2; Lk 21: 25-28, 34-36

A fresh new liturgical year at hand! Let us begin to celebrate it. The first day of this liturgical year reminder from the Word is: we are standing on the promises of the Lord. Advent is a season of waiting, waiting on the Lord for the fulfillment of promises. Just as the people of God waited for the centuries, we are called to wait for the Lord. The world however is growing increasingly impatient. 

I am reminded of a documentary I viewed sometime back... of an 8 year old boy in Armenia, who was at school when a treacherous earth quake occurred. To the absolute dismay of the father of this boy who rushed to the school premises immediately,the school was nothing but rubbles, piles and piles of stones in a heap. But the father chose a spot and started removing the stones bit by bit...in spite of all the discouragements offered and despair thrown at him, he went on constantly doing it for the next 38 hours! After 38 hours of rummaging, suddenly he heard this voice from the rubble: 'see,didnt I tell you my father will surely not abandon us' and he was stunned to see his son with 12 others trapped under the debris.

The challenge is to remain with HOPE...that we are standing on the promises of the Lord, the Lord our integrity.

1. PROMISES

Promises give meaning to life, they add an element that is not yet but already. A promise to a child will get that child do anything. A promise to a youngster will motivate that youngster into action. A promise to an employee will draw the utmost from the situation. A promise to the polity will gain parties votes. Promise is something that inspires action. We begin with a promise, a promise of a whole year of the Lord's accompaniment. The first reading invites us  to a hope that the Lord is serious about fulfilling the Lord's promises.

2. STANDING

Stand with confidence before the Son of Man, says the Gospel today. We are standing - that takes three dispositions: One, that we are alert. We do not allow people to deceive us, or we do not permit the situation around us to have the better of us. We remain awake and perceive everything that is going on, picking up every sign that the Lord gives towards action. The second disposition, that we are ready and on the move because our liberation is at hand reminds the Gospel again. It is time that we see not only the history but the Lord of history in action, that we perceive the hand of God in things that are happening around us. Thirdly, that we are firm, strong and standing erect! That we are not overcome by fear or trepidation. We are standing, sure of our steps because we have a promise from the Lord and we need not be shaken.

3. THE LORD

The Lord our Integrity...it is the Lord who gives us these promises and we are sure that they will be fulfilled because we are referring to the Lord our integrity: Yehova Tsidkenu, the Righteous one. We have a sure foundation because it is the Lord who promises, the Lord who is Integrity, the Lord who is Righteousness. The Lord is faithful forever.

We are standing on the promises of the Lord; we have nothing to fear however dark and dreary the situation may seem. The Lord our integrity is constantly watching over us and waiting to fulfill all God's promises! 

WORD 2day : 28th November, 2015

Stay awake; Stay strong

Saturday, ,last week in Ordinary Time
Dan 7: 5-27; Lk 21: 34-36

The last day is here...it gives the feeling of an end of a journey, but ofcourse it is not just the end! It is a new beginning too, with tomorrow. The beginning came and the end has  come.... if we do not stay awake we will not gather the fruits of what is going by. Staying awake is crucial.

What follows is again not all that flowery.  It is a waiting,  a waiting that is tedious,  a waiting that can be trying,  a waiting that is a bit painful. St Paul compared it to the pangs of child birth. Yes,  only those who stay strong will endure till the end. Staying strong is crucial too.

The liturgical year ends today with an all new phase of challenge to begin: stay awake;  stay strong!

WORD 2day: 27th November, 2015

Never to pass away!

Friday, last week in Ordinary Time
Dan 7: 2-14; Lk 21: 29-33

A pain reliever statement suggested by many in today's world is, 'this too will pass'. But the recurring theme of today is a reference to something that is here, never to pass away... the Lord's Word,  the Lord's Reign,  the Lord's sovereignty.

Things may appear to be going totally out of sway, or nothing may seem to be under anything that is spiritual. ..but never lose heart,  God is incharge; God is in control. However bad the readings of the times is, your saviour knows you and to his Reign there is no end. Be firm in faith...let your faith too never pass away.

WORD 2day : 26th November, 2015

With heads held high

Thursday, last week in Ordinary Time
Dan 6: 12-28; Lk 21: 20-28

Within the circle of our friends, if some one said the words'look upon high', it would draw a roaring laughter instantaneously! It is because of a veteran trainer whom we know who would give a famous thought-for-the-day. He would have his ages old notes in his hands and look into it and read the thought for us. There was a funny moment always when he would say 'look upon high' and immediately look down into his notes for the next part. The readings today reminded me of those days from our student life.

Living with heads held high,  is a deep imagery offered to us today. Some names like Oscar Romero, Mother Teresa, Sr. Rani Maria or Mrs Gladys Staines...are well known to us not for the great power they wielded or prominent posts they held, but for the endurance they had! The threats and violence and opposition that surrounded them never managed to swallow them in. Because they lived with their heads held high. Daniel in the first reading today and Jesus himself are offered as Biblical models for living with heads held high...never losing sight of that source, from where our help comes. Amidst all the struggles of our daily life, let's live with our heads held high!

WORD 2day : 25th November, 2015

The Writing on the Wall

Wednesday, last week in Ordinary Time
Dan 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28; Lk 21: 12-19

The conversation at table last night turned slowly towards what is happening in the crisis stricken areas of terrorism and the so called anti terroristic terrorism. It has come to pass that there is no other way to counter violence except by violence. The writing on the wall is very clear: we are heading towards an event of mass destruction! Everything seems to indicate the fact that we have already reached a point of no return. That feeds the imagination of many quacks and gullibles who give vent to their talents these days. We see predictions and warnings and to-do prescriptions galore!

Jesus makes a silent point: Keep Calm and Go on being Children of God. Terror Around?  Violence at your doorstep? Fire above your head? Endure it,  can you? Pray for that strength, that strength to endure and you will have your reward.

WORD 2day : 24th November, 2015

Destroyed by their choice

Tuesday, last week in Ordinary Time
Dan 2: 31-45; Lk 21: 5-11

Both in the book of Daniel and from the Gospel we see a prediction of destruction. The destruction and its prediction need not be seen as something totally unexpected. Already from the very constitution of the so called kingdoms that Daniel speaks of and from the types of people spoken of by Jesus, we see that destruction is inevitable and imminent - because of the choices they had made.

Jesus makes it clear in the Gospel today that there is no point in running after predictions and signs, or after fortune tellers and soothsayers... at times even the so called evangelists and preachers behave like these cheap sensation creators. What we are called to is to examine if there are choices that we make that lead us to destruction and ruin, instead of uniting us with the Lord who alone is the author of life.

WORD 2day : 23rd November, 2015

Chosen for the choice

Monday, Last week in Ordinary Time
Dan 1:1-6,8-20; Lk 21: 1-4

So many were lining up dropping a bit of their possessions into the temple treasury, but Jesus picked on a poor despicable widow to compliment. Inspite of the state of slavery and meekness,  Daniel was picked up for the glory of God to be revealed. Why were they chosen?  What makes these special?  Their choice!

The widow chose to give away even the little placing her trust that God will fend for her. Daniel gave up the sumptuous food and drink to remain faithful to the Lord, for he was convinced every blessing came from the Lord.

The choice they make sets them apart. Entering the last week of the liturgical year, we would see this thread running through the coming days to remind us of our own priorities and choices.

THE KING - ONE, TRUE & GOOD

22nd November, 2015: Solemnity of Christ the King

Dan 7: 13-14; Rev 1: 5-8; Jn 18: 33-37

Though monarchy in its ancient form is almost obsolete in today's world and even the remnant societies that uphold monarchy have a newer interpretation of monarchy, the tendencies of the age old monarchy has not disappeared by any means. What do I mean?

Consider people who are in warfare with each other for power and authority! Consider leaders who have ruled all their lives but even at their ripe old age dissent from ceding their power to anyone else. Consider political leaders and parties who make their kith and kin their political heir, and thus the whole state or the polity. Consider people who wield so much power wherever they are, that they do not tolerate even the slightest criticism, much less opposition! Are these not tendencies of monarchy? A post modern era such as today, looks with despise on any form of monarchy! And today we celebrate Christ as King! Are we outdated? Are we obsolete? Are we archaic? Are we irrelevant? 

Celebrating Christ as King is to show how different a king Jesus our Lord is. 

Our King is One... with none as second or with no need to succession! The first reading presents a king who is eternal, without end to his reign! Christ needs to contend with no one, he is the indisputable king and we will do well to acknowledge that.

Our King is True... it is to bear witness to the Truth that he came on earth and gave his life, in his own testimony to Pilate in the Gospel today. He is king, but not of the kind which we find in this world...those which are selfish, power mongering and pleasure seeking, but selfless, servant minded and self giving.

Our King is Good... for he loves us and gives himself totally up for our sake. Unlike the monarchs who demand everything at the cost of anything, Jesus our Lord, demands nothing costing him everything, his life, his body, blood and even his divinity! 

One, True, Good are the metaphysical qualities of a being; in the Indian tradition they are the transcendent qualities of the Atman...yes, Jesus, is Lord! the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the One, the True, the Good who gives me the very sense of my being! Christ is my King not because he rules, but because he loves, He loves me King Size. He is my King, the only king, the true king, the good king, the king of my heart!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

Presentation of Mary: 21st Nov,  2015
Zech  2: 14-17; Lk 12: 46-50

Life in God's hands

Just this early morning a youngster calls me up at an odd hour just to say he is feeling bad about the things that are happening in his life. He narrates the things that have happened in the recent past and repeats like refrain the words, "I don't know what's happening to me!" At a point of time I had to stop him and ask a question, "where is God in all this? "

At times we live our life as if everything depended on us! The feast of today reminds us of a life that was lived in God's hands. We see in our Blessed Mother, a person who listened to God's words, heeded God's call and lived a life that was in God's very hands. The challenge is to understand and acknowledge that my life is from God's hands and that it is best lived in God's hands!

WORD 2day : 20th November, 2015

Taking possession of His temple

Friday,  33rd week in Ordinary Time
1 Mac 4:36-37,52-59; Lk 19: 45-48

In our living rooms or in the office,  we could have a normal experience of piling up unwanted things little by little and at a point of time we would decide to do away with all of them and get the room or office cleansed. The Word today speaks of such an experience reminding us of the need to belong to God.

God wishes to take possession of God's temple cleansed and put in order. Let's open up our lives and allow God to enter God's abode.

WORD 2day : 19th November, 2015

Among the few?

Thursday, 33rd week in Ordinary Time
1 Mac 2:15-29; Lk 19: 41-44

The very fact a few are mentioned among the Israelites who stood firm in their faith is an indication that a great number of them strayed away from it. It continued in Jesus' time too. Only a handful were ready and open enough to behold the unfolding of the promises of the Lord in and through the life of Jesus. And Jesus cries over the rest of the city.

The situation is no different today! There aren't too many who are totally convinced of what they believe and it is becoming more and more difficult to remain absolutely faithful to the truth not giving into any compromises. The question is, do I  belong to the majority who seem to be namesake followers or am I among the few?

WORD 2day : 18th November, 2015

Faithfulness - the mark of God's people

Wednesday,  33rd week in Ordinary Time
2 Mac 7: 1, 20-31; Lk 19: 11-28

These days in India we are going through a silly repression over eating beef,  in certain parts of the country. Though the first reading today reminds us of a similar event,  for the Maccabean brothers it was not about eating or not eating. It was about their faithfulness to God. They wanted to belong to God and not even at the threat of their life they wished to depart from their ways.

Regardless of our successes and titles we will be judged on the basis of our faithfulness to God and its lack. It does not matter whether we have worked on a little or accomplished great things, but it does matter what our level of faithfulness was! That is why Mother Teresa expressed her conviction in these words: we are called, not to be successful but to be faithful!

WORD 2day : 17th November, 2015

The Witness of Choice

Tuesday,  33rd week in Ordinary Time
2 Mac 6:18-31; Lk 19: 1-10

We are called to witness to the Lord,  the Lord's Gospel and the Lord's Reign. The most powerful of witnesses is the witness of choice, the witness of making a choice for God over many others that claim a reckoning!

Eleazar makes a choice for God by not scandalising the little ones of God against a life for God. Zachaeus makes a choice to hold on to Christ and let everything else go,  a witness of inspiration that he gives as an elder!

Even if don't give a great witness per se,  I need to atleast refrain from causing scandals for the little ones. Both are equally demanding and not exclusive of each other. The crux is making a choice for God,  for a life worthy of God and a life that is uplifting for the people of God!

WORD 2day : 16th November, 2015

Becoming one. ..but which one?

Monday,  33rd week in Ordinary Time
1 Maccabees 1:10-15,41-43,54-57,62-64; Lk 18: 35-43

Personally I stand much for interreligious dialogue and inculturation of faith. Some persons have found fault with me at times saying, 'you stand for interreligious dialogue and inculturation, but you do not allow such and such a thing. Is it not a discrepancy? '

It is important to realise what is an integral process of dialogue and inculturation. If only 'all becoming one' is the objective, then today we should be comfortable with what is happening around... all, in every field, everyone is becoming one in their selfishness and self seeking tendencies! It is our call to become one, but which one? Becoming one as a humanity, bound by true and wholesome values, standing for real freedom, dignity and solidarity, that is our task. That is what the Reign is all about.

Today, I am attending a funeral of a salesian priest who was born a Hindu but due to a wholesome dialogue found his meaning in the Catholic tradition, inculturated it and lived a life that was beautiful and integral. He never judged anyone but found his personal meaning and went all the way in living that meaning. That requires an eye of faith; let us cry out for it and the Lord will grant us! 

WORD 2day : 14th November, 2015

Will there be faith?

Saturday, 32nd week in Ordinary Time
Wis 18: 14-16, 19:6-9; Lk 18: 1-8

There is a real anxiety in Jesus' question... will there be faith on earth,  when the Son of man comes again! He asks that question looking at the type of people he saw and the mind set they had towards things of spiritual nature. Just as then, even today the question remains pertinent as people are more calculative than committed, more religious minded than faith oriented,  more interested in extrenal legalities than integral spirituality!

Will there be faith and will faith be real... the way things seem to be developing,  this anxiety has to fill our minds. The Holy Father makes this issue come alive calling us to be today, a Church more and more authentic, true and faithful to the Gospel and its values. Resisting all temptation towards division and sectarianism, fighting all forces that dehumanise the society and establishing a Reign counter to that of injustice and exploitation, we are called to keep the true faith alive. Are we game for that challenge?

WORD 2day : 13th November, 2015

Gather the signs!

Friday, 32nd week in Ordinary Time
Wis 13:1-9; Lk 17: 26-37

There is a story going around in our city in the past week that coming Sunday the end of the world is bound to begin... with three  days of darkness and other demonic signs. Though there is a curiosity that these horror stories evoke, they are merely manifestations of a spirituality that seeks some excitement all the time. Jesus is calling us to gather the signs from the experiences of ordinary day to day life...the lessons arising  from the clashes caused by evil tendencies, cravings incited by selfishness, inhumanities provoked by senseless egoism, insensitivities and indifferences that make this world a worthless place to live in! 

The call is to gather signs and understand the invitation from God. It would be unwise to remain deaf or blind to the messages that the Lord sends... let's remain awake and read those signs and channel our courses towards one united goal: the Reign of God here on earth.

WORD 2day : 12th November, 2015

The Spirit and the Reign

Thursday,  32nd week in Ordinary Time
Rom 7:22 - 8:1: Mk 17: 20-25

The Reign of God is among you says Jesus in the Gospel,  while the first reading finds the cue where to initiate it: the Spirit who dwells within us.

It is the Spirit's doing that initiates the Reign in this world. Hence the call that we have received to establish the Reign of God,  begins with realising the Spirit within us. The second need is to keep the Spirit alive and nourish it with our choice for God on a day to day manner. Thirdly we are challenged to live that Spirit out with courage and commitment, inspite of the threats and troubles around us. Once we choose to live our life in the Spirit to the full, the Reign of God begins to dawn on this world.

WORD 2day : 11th November, 2015

A humble heart is a grateful heart

Wednesday,  32nd week in Ordinary Time
Wis 6: 1-11; Lk 17: 11-19

Recently I listened to an insightful sharing of one of my friend-priests on this Gospel episode,  explaining 'nine reasons why a person turns ungrateful'... if I may, I would sum them all up to just one basic reason: lack of humility,  humility understood here as accepting the truth as it is. It is humility with a hook to exaggeratedly lower myself than what I actually am. It is ofcourse madness to imagine myself to be a super being, mindless of the numerous limitations I do possess. The Word invites me today to look squarely at myself and acknowledge the good that God has done to me. It is at one and the same time,  both humility and gratitude because,  a humble heart is a grateful heart!

While the first reading draws attention to the haughty at heart who think they are creators unto themselves, the Gospel pictures the ingratitude of the many and the lowliness of the truly righteous. When I know and accept the limitations within me, I would be surprised at every good and admirable thing that I accomplish. I would instantly realise the wonders that God works in and through me, without much ado. That is a humble heart,  a grateful heart,  a truly holy heart.

WORD 2day: 10th November, 2015

The Credit Issue

Tuesday, 32nd week in Ordinary Time
Wis 2:23 - 3:9; Lk 17: 7-10

Though it has been there always, today in particular the consciousness of giving credits to the person who claims ownership has come to be more and more important. Recently in a discussion with a youngster he shared with me the contributions that he had made to the making of some recent movies. When I asked him why his name has not appeared on the official credits, he said "Oh that will take time. Until I establish myself firmly in the field they won't give me those credits. We are still nobody in the field! " That set me thinking!

In our work for the Reign of God,  how crazy we go to take the credit for every simple thing that we do... from the donors slabs in the Churches to the monuments we wish to leave behind in our memories, from the insistence on the names to be read at mass intentions to the rustle that takes place when someone forgets to mention a name in the vote of thanks... everywhere it is a craze for credits, in varied proportions  ofcourse. Blessed Mother Teresa understood well  what Jesus says today,  when she declared, "I am merely a pencil in the hands of God. He is the artist."

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

Be,  Build and Beware

9th November, 2015: Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Ezek 47:1-2,8-9,12; 1 Cor 3:9-11,16-17; Jn 2:13-22

The feast of today gives us great insights into living an authentic Christian life!

The first insight is to be the Temple of the Lord, in our personal dedication to the Lord,  in our unselfish and pure relationships and in our capacity to hold God out to people who come in touch with us.

The second insight is to build the Temple of the Lord,  that is the people of God. Today we see a tendency to invest crores on constructing and renovating churches,  while the whole world is helplessly looking at misery that swallows scores of have-nots so easily pushed to peripheries because the majority are bothered only upto themselves.

The third insight is to beware of breaking or dividing or scattering this Church,  the living body of Christ. The sealed churches, the schismatics, the churches that divide people with lies for ulterior motives - these are anti Gospel elements which not only delay the coming of the Reign of God but actively block it.

May we be, may we build and may we take optimum care of the House of God here on earth.

GIVING

What type is your Giving?

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: 8th November, 2015

1 Kgs 17: 10-16; Heb 9: 24-28; Mk 12: 38-44

The widow at the gates of Sidon, the widow in the Temple of Jerusalem and God who gave God's only son as a sacrifice are given to us as models of giving, in today's Word. Giving is one act that can be done out of many a kind of motivation. Not all giving are of the same kind or type or degree! Analysing the models present to us, we are called to reflect on our type of giving... reflect along and say, what type is your giving!

Giving to Gain: there is a lot of giving that is going on today. There are people or agencies or corporates who give even tons of money, but they are particular about what they stand to gain. They calculate the gain and then proceed to give: it could be a tax exemption, or a favour in return, or a end to achieve, or a popularity stunt! However big and enormous this giving is, it would not be truly giving, it is in the final analysis, a getting, a begging, a receiving, a business, a gain! At times when we give, however small it is,  from our time or energy or effort,  if we are particular about our calculations of gain, then our giving has no value in itself, it value is merely what we have gained.

Giving to Get: this is the safest form of giving, where one is sure what one gives is not merely thrown in the air but it will return. I do a favour to someone expecting a favour in return; I be nice to someone expecting the person to be nice to me in return; I claim to love someone with the expectation that i will be loved in return! These are giving to get. Though it is not about gain or profit or expecting a glorious image of oneself, this is a plain give and take, a barter mentality.

Giving to Give: this is truly divine, truly Christ-ian! I give, because I find fulfillment in giving. I stand any chance of getting it back or I dont think anyone else will ever know, but I give, I give whole heartedly, of my time, my effort, my energy, my concern, my resources, because it is in giving that I find the true meaning of my life. God gave God's only Son because God loved the world to that extent; it was an expression of God's love, not an expectation of the same in return! Jesus gave his life, his body and his blood, and what did he expect in return? 

I am doing all this for him or for her or for them, what am I going to get in return? 

Oh, I did all these to you, and is this how you respond?

Is it safe to give this, or do this, for this particular person, will it come back?

I gave this, I did this, with so much of effort and money, and they dont even thank me in public!

These kinds of statements are candid indicatives of a giving that is not after the heart of our beloved Lord and Saviour. Because with the Lord we are called to give without measure. Freely freely you have received, freely freely give! Here the giving is to give, and nothing more!

WORD 2day : 7th November, 2015

The Strength to live by the Gospel

Saturday,  31st week in Ordinary Time
Rom 16:3-9,16,22-27; Lk 16: 9-15

To live a life that is pleasing to God, a life that holds the place of God over and above anything else,  a life that considers nothing other than God an absolute...it is not a simple task. It requires a concentration on only things that belong to God,  a commitment to causes that reflect the mind of God and choice for God against every thing else. St Paul says today in the first reading that such a choice or such a life cannot be lived all on my own strength. It is the Lord who gives me the strength to live by the Gospel. It is only with that strength can we say those words of Paul, for me to live is Christ and to die is a gain (Phil 1:21).

WORD 2day : 6th November, 2015

The Urgency of the Reign

Friday: 31st week in Ordinary Time
Rom 15: 14-21; Lk 16: 1-8

Jesus may be slightly intriguing in today's Gospel,  if he is justifying the shrewdness of the steward or approving of his lies. The point that Jesus is bringing forth is completely different. He wants us to realise how efficiently and time consciously the evil doers proceed with their affairs, while those who are committed to the cause of the Reign, find themselves taking their own sweet time, hesitating,  calculating, planning endlessly, creating support systems that can help on a difficult day, building defence faculties, devising and revising strategies and so on and so forth!

St. Paul is given as our model today: a man with an urgency to make Christ known and with a compelling clarity as to what was his task: to take Christ to those who didnt know Christ. The Urgency of the Reign comes from these three factors: Clarity of our task; Conviction that I have but a short time;  and a Commitment unto death.

WORD 2day : 5th November, 2015

Seeking company or busy complaining?
Thursday,  31st week in Ordinary Time
Rom 14: 7-12 ; Lk 15: 1-10

Two attitudes in contrast today bring out the quality of a person who belongs to the Reign of God. The so called sinners and publicans were seeking to be in the company of Jesus while the pharisees were busy complaining that Jesus was eating with sinners and meeting with the outcasts. Jesus says he cared two hoots about what the pharisees thought,  because Jesus' task was so clear cut and absolute for him: the Reign of God.

Eating and drinking and feasts and gatherings are ofcourse important for the spirit of the Reign. But they were not all for Jesus. Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17)... that's the Reign of God. Whose company we seek? What do we decry? What is that which disturbs us when we look at the society today or our own life today. ...these are the pertinent questions that will make me truly a person of the Reign.

WORD 2day: 4th November, 2015

Love is a battle... Ready for it?

Wednesday,  31st Week in Ordinary Time
Rom 13: 8-10; Lk  14: 25-33

Love... it's a term that is by far the most spoken of,  not merely from a Christian perspective but that of the whole reality today. But that is no statement that guarantees the right usage of the term,  because more often than not it is misused and abused. A great percentage use it to mean a kind of feeling, a sentiment,  an emotion that warms up one's heart.

Love is not all those.. love is a decision,  a choice,  a commitment that would demand so much from me that,  I would find myself in a battle. Yes,  responding to the call to love is like undertaking a whole expedition,  against evil and hatred, for goodness and genuine fellowship. To accept to genuinely love, means being ready for any cost I would have to pay. After having launched myself into this battle, if I turn back and find myself wanting,  I will be considered unfit for the Reign. On a daily basis let us hearken to this call to love...which insists that we take a commitment every day which could be dangerously demanding. Am I truly ready for it?

WORD 2day : 3rd November, 2015

Belonging to each other

Tuesday, 31st week in Ordinary Time
Rom 12: 5-12; Lk 14: 15-24

The Church is a reality in continuous evolution,  it needs to grow into the Reign of God. And in this evolution every one of its members should grow and evolve... from being children to children of God. From being individuals who are worried only about himself or herself to persons who strive for communion with others, persons who readily wish to identify oneself with the Reign that Lord invites them to.

We may have oxens to tend to, land to till or the new found family to cater to... they are not wrong! But the Reign has to come before them all. My private concerns cannot overrule the concerns of the Reign. My life, my choices,  my priorities have to be those of the Reign... this will happen only when I manage to grow up to set myself aside and give the needy other a prominent place in my list of concerns because within the Reign,  we belong to each other (Rom 12: 5).

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

Celebrating Hope!
2nd November,  2015: The Day for the deceased

Just recently I came across a funny conversation as part of a script I was reviewing. One asks the other- what happens when you bury a mango or a coconut in the ground.  The other says a mango or a coconut tree grows. Then he retorts, 'if that is so,  why doesn't a human tree grow when we bury a human being?' The conversation ends there on a comic note but isn't that what we believe?

Today we celebrate the hope that Jesus brought to us: that we have overgrown the traditional understanding that the wages of sin is death. Because in Christ Jesus we have been given the guarantee of life eternal. For us death is not the end but just a bend beyond which awaits something that we can imagine : the glorious life in the Lord.