PRESENCE, PEACE AND BLESSING - 2018

The Solemnity of the Mother of  God

1st January, 2018
Num 6:22-27; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2: 16-21

It is a fresh start, a new year, a treasure of 365 days! It is a gift, a gift in all ways: precious, beautiful, wrapped and presented. First of all, it would be too rude not to receive it as a gift. Secondly, it is wrapped...and it is important that we receive it with a sense of wonder, surprise and gratitude. Trying to know everything, in the name of predictions and presumptions, would strip it of its wonder! To approach it with a wry and dry mentality will make it devoid of its surprise. Let us approach it with gratitude and a sense of childlike curiosity, prepared to receive the gift on daily basis, one day at a time!

The greatest gift we can have, that with which we begin every new year, is the loving presence of God! The babe in the manger is the highest gift that we can have. The Emmanuel, God with us, is the most precious gift that we can behold. That the Lord is with us fills us with hope: that whatever it be as the year unfolds day by day, we would never be alone facing it. We have the Lord with us. 

We celebrate the gift of our Lord: given through the Mother of God! The Mother of God is a gift, a reminder and a challenge to us. 

The Mother of God, is a gift: God gives her to us as a protector, a guide, a refuge as we begin this new year, with all its surprises. 

The Mother of God, is a reminder of the Word made flesh, the Lord who has cast away all distance and difference and become one like us, just to show us how much God loves us. 

The Mother of God is a challenge, a challenge to give, to give endlessly. She gave herself, when the Angel approached her! She gave the world the Son of God, born of a woman, when the fullness of time came. She gave that child to the Lord, offered him in the temple and offered him to the Father's work! She gave her young son, for the sake of the salvation of the world. She gave up everything and gave everything! She stands as a challenge for us today, to give, to give and never to count!

This year, which is given into our hands today, as a gift pack, will be filled with peace if we live it in the way that the Lord wants us to; after the example of our Blessed Mother. She said that yes, and she said that for her whole life, not knowing what it meant and where it will lead her. All that she was assured was, the Lord was with her. We are assured too that the Lord's presence will go with us, that the Lord's countenance will shine on us. Let us begin with hope and that will give us peace.

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

May your New year 2018 be filled with God's presence, peace and every blessing!

FAMILY: A TASK FROM GOD

The Solemnity of the Holy Family

31st December, 2017

Gen 15:1-6, 21:1-3; Col 3: 12-21; Lk 2:22-40

Celebrating the feast of Holy Family... we are given a challenging model, a task we have to fulfill as families in today's context. First of all, let us make it clear to ourselves, that the Holy family is not a normal family akin to all our families. So, if you are going to think, 'Oh, my family! how far it is from the one in Bethlehem!'...the Church is not responsible! The Church invites us to look at the family and observe one important fact that we need to: that God deigned to dwell there; that the Word made flesh began the climax of self emptying here in this family!

They too had there own share of difficulties - think of Joseph who wanted to keep Mary away, think of Mary who was wondering how to communicate things to Joseph, think of the neighbourhood who were gossiping about what was going on between Mary and Joseph... everything finds its place there. But apart from these, the holy family was given a specific task to fulfill and the same task is given to us as Christian Families! That is the point of our reflection.

Task 1: Offering the Lord to the World 
She bore the Child and placed it on the manger (Lk 2:7)

The Holy family offered the Lord to the world: Do we do as families? Do we offer the Lord where we live? Do our way of life offer the values of the Lord to our surroundings? Do the families and individuals around have the Lord to take away from us, when they visit us?  Our mode of relating to each other in the family, our way of relating to those around us regardless of what they think or speak of us, the way we share our love to them - these are the ways we can offer the Lord where we live.

Task 2: Bringing the Lord to the Church 
They brought him up to the Jerusalem, to present him (Lk 2:22)

The Holy family brought the Lord to the Temple at Jerusalem. The Lord said he lives where two or three are gathered in the Lord's name! What about our families...aren't we gathered in the name of the Lord and by the holy will of God? If so, aren't our families responsible of bringing the Lord to the community, the gathering of the families? Are our Church gatherings, our communities real union of families or some mass of people congregated? Are we bringing the presence of the Lord to the assemblies of the people of God? Or are we bringing only our own selves, our plans and our programmes?

Task 3: Making space for the Lord at home  
He went down with them to Nazareth (Lk 2:51)

The Holy family created a space for the Lord to live with them. Mary knew this Child was the Son of God and Joseph knew that this was not his boy, the parents knew that child of the family had a specific mission to carry out. They were mindful of the task entrusted to them, to foster that child in their families, to host the Lord in their home. Have we created a concrete space for the Lord in our homes? It is not about the altars we have at home, neat and decorated. It is not about the pictures we hang or the calendars we stare at. It is about the living space, it is about a membership in the family! Is God part of our families, a living member, a participating member in all events and decision making?

The Holy family does more than just standing around and blessing us today! They challenge us to be bearers of the Lord to the world, in spite of our weaknesses. Can we accept that challenge?

My disposition: Surrender or Manipulation?

WORD 2day: 30th December, 2017

Saturday within Christmas Octave
1 Jn 2: 12-17; Lk 2: 36-40

World or things of the world as opposed to the love of the Father: by now it is considered an outdated way of thinking. Indeed the dichotomy that is involved and implied is a bit old fashioned but the difference between the two choices, is real and concrete. Even our prayer for example could have within itself hidden a tendency of giving more importance to the world and the things of the world instead of our love for God our Father and Mother. 

Once I was involved with a group, in a last minute preparation going on for a mega event, while unfortunately there was a forecast of a likely cyclone showers! Immediately a group got down to pray and say, 'please stop the rain'! Praying here is something wonderful, but a subtle point to be noted here is: how prepared are we to accept the will of God in things that we have planned; instead of asking the Lord to adjust to our designs?

Whoever does the will of God remains for ever, reminds St. John in his epistle today (v.17). Prophetess Anna, or even Prophet Simeon for that matter, waited for years together, in relentless patience towards the will of God. There is always this challenge before us - whether to pray for the light to know what exactly to do and do it or to do whatever we can and then start praying that things adjust to favour us! What is worthy of a child of God: surrender or manipulation?

Can we really abandon ourselves to the will of God: a surrender so beautifully symbolised by the Divine Kid in the manger these days!

LOVE: THE ONLY LIGHT THAT GUIDES

WORD 2day: 29th December, 2017

Fifth day within Christmas Octave

1 Jn 2: 3-11; Lk 2: 22-35

Hatred, violence, vengeance, religious polarisation, political aggression and terrorism abound today in forms varied and vicious. The talks of nationalism and supremacy even in so called Christian countries rob true faith of its fundamental essence.  The readings today give us a clear cut criterion to judge who is right and who is not. The one who loves one's brothers and sisters is in light. And whoever says he or she is in light,  yet hates one's brother or sister,  is still in darkness (Cf. 1 Jn 2: 8,9).

For those within the Church who are causing divisions: Jesus the light can never cause hatred or division. There can be people who claim to be interpreting the Light but causing divisions and hatred and rivalry. Let them be certain,  says the Word, that they are still in darkness.

For those who spread religious hatred: A true religion can never spread hatred and anything that spreads hatred in the name of religion is pure politics and an instrument of the darkness! 

For those who divide people for their own selfish motives: When the Light is around nothing can be hidden. Even your most hidden motives are laid bare before God the light of love. Anything within you that is not inspired out of love, is still an act of darkness!

Let love, the light of life, guide us on as we come closer to the end of this year!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

LET US CELEBRATE CHILDREN

28th December 2017 - The Feast of the Holy Innocents

1 Jn 1:5 - 2:2; Mt 2:13-18

The Feast of the Holy Innocents is a reminder to celebrate the children with us and within us - the Gospel speaks of the latter and the first reading of the former! The call is threefold :

1. Let us celebrate every child: The very same world that is raising a hue and cry of the rights of children and related issues is also fighting for the right to abortion, in the name of right to choice! What an irony! The attitude of celebrating children should come from the fact that children are a wonderful gift from God, they are a sign that God is forever in love with the world and the humanity! Every child is a gift to be celebrated. 

2. Let us nurture our children: Nurturing our children does not mean pampering them; it is a great task and responsibility given to us parents and elders to nurture them to the fullness of their life - it means we give them everything they need to grow up with - not everything that the world says is important! The right values, the right orientations, the right priorities...how can we give these if we lack them ourselves? When we fail to give them a balanced growing ambient, we are actually ruining their life, in a sense, killing them! How important the role of a parent is! How much do we take care to learn that art, the art of parenting?

3. Let us learn from children: The children are not only at the receiving end, they have much to teach us too! We need to learn from their innocence, from their openness, from their capacity to trust and their innate sense of perceiving the divine! We, in the name of our rationality and our craving to prove ourselves right and superior, at times refuse to perceive the obvious signs of the divine around us and and fail to give a place of priority to God. May our children today teach us to remain children, children of the Most High. 

Let us celebrate children this day...it is actually a Church proposed CHILDREN'S DAY!!!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Christmas Joy and a Joyful Proclamation

27th December, 2017: Remembering St. John

1 John 1: 1-4; Jn 20:2-8

The Christmas joy continues, even as we commemorate St.John the Evangelist today. John is literally a great gift of God to us, as the name itself suggests. John refers to himself in the Gospel as the Other Disciple and that specificity gives us a guarantee of the great tradition that is behind that name and that experience.

"The Joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus," says the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (n.1). Though the Gospel reading draws our attention to the scene of resurrection, the message is all about an encounter with Christ that redefines one's life. 

When a person encounters Christ in all one's earnestness, there is a choice, a categorical choice for Christ and Christ's mission! As St. Paul affirms that it is no merit that an apostle proclaims the Word, but woe to him if he does not (1 Cor 9:16), today we see John explaining in the first reading: I am called to announce Christ, not merely because others will benefit from it; but primarily that my joy may be complete (1 Jn 1:4). 

For a Christian, a joy-filled proclamation of Christ is the only way to live his or her life - joyfully proclaiming Christ in every word, every action and every choice that is made, at every moment of one's daily life. John stands for a loving personal relationship with the Lord. It is this personal relationship that gets translated into a proclamation, by the very life that we live. It is a call that is given to each of us who has heard the Word, felt its presence and experienced it in our life. Can we say a wholehearted yes to that call?

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Feast of St. Stephen,  the first Martyr

26th December, 2017: Acts 6: 8-10,7:54-59; Mt 10:17-22

I was amused when I looked at this picture of St. Stephen when I was looking for something to post... amused because the picture spoke what came to me as a reflection of the readings today.

If anyone read the Gospel of today and complained that they did not understand what exactly it meant, they could be directed to the first reading and that would make an elaborate and concrete explanation with example, of what Jesus says in the Gospel. 

Holding the Book (the Word) and the Stones together, with such serenity in the face and an olive branch in the other hand... portrays Stephen to the detail. Accepting to be a disciple, to belong to the apostolic community and to proclaim Jesus through service (Stephen was a deacon), was a bold acceptance of the consequences that Jesus spoke of already. Stephen seems to have accepted that demand, along with a firm faith in the promise of the Lord : do not search for what to say or what to do...the Spirit will enlighten you as to that! Stephen, enlightened by the Spirit, does exactly what Jesus did on the Cross: prays for those who persecuted him! 

To celebrate the feast of St Stephen immediately after the Christmas day also brings out a sharp message: yesterday was the birth of Christ, today is the birth of Christians...first time some one died to belong to Christ forever.

SEVEN LESSONS FROM THE CHRISTMAS CRIB

CHRISTMAS 2017

Christmas is a time of joy! One of the joys of Christmas, apart from the Santaclaus, the Christmas tree, the stars and the sweets is the Crib. We enjoy looking at the cribs made in the Church or in homes and many of us enjoy making it ourselves at home! The Crib is a phenomenon from the thirteenth century, to be precise from the year 1223 when Francis of Assisi made the first crib in a place called Greccio. 

St. Francis infact thought of this idea, to bring back our attention on the event of the birth of Christ, from all the mere material distractions like the food and decorations. What a novel way of reminding of the First Christmas, we need to thank God for that intuitive saint who has initiated this beautiful tradition. Why am I speaking of the Crib... it is from there I wish to offer the reflection for this wonderful feast. 

Seven lessons from the Christmas Crib:

It has always been a moment of surprise and wonder to look at cribs made with interest, each depicting an scene so different and novel. But there are certain characters of the Crib that do not change at all - the traditional characters of the Crib. Have you realised, that each of them have something important and specific to communicate to us? Let us listen to the lesson that each of them give, I wish to present seven of those lessons. I leave it to your choice, to pick up whichever appeals to you more than the others, and see how you can make it part of your life, to be part of the Crib too!

Lesson 1 : From the Shepherds - Simplicity

The Shepherds have an essential place in the Crib. We cannot have a traditional crib without them. They were the first ones to be informed of the birth of the Child and they were the first ones to arrive on the scene, not the great Herod or the great high priests and the chief priests, not the learned and the rich - but the simple shepherds, smelling of their sheep and tired due to the night watch. Our simplicity takes us closer to God, the God of the Simplicity.

Lesson 2: From the Beasts of the Stable - Selfless Giving

Without being very conscious about it, we give an important place to the beasts, the cattle, the donkeys and the cows in the stable. They were playing very important role at the stable during the original Christmas, they were keeping the mother and the child warm, at the delivery and later. The warmth of the cattle was such an important element for the child - just imagine the beasts were not even aware of the good that they were doing. Look at the challenge that they throw at us: to give, and never to be conscious that you are giving. That selfless giving will take us to the Crib, to God's presence easily. 

Lesson 3: From the Angels - Service

All the traditional cribs have angels around, infact they were there all the time. The angels took messages to Mary, to Joseph before the nativity; they took messages to Joseph about the need to move and to protect; the angels were around to do what the Lord wanted, they are forever at the service of the Lord. When we are at the service of our neighbours, we to becomes Angels, Angels of the Lord taking what the Lord wants us to deliver to others. The more service minded we become, the more closer we get to the Lord, who came to serve and not to be served.

Lesson 4: From the Magi - Seeking Truth

The Wisemen who come to close the intense period of Christmas with their visit on the day of Epiphany, are another important part of the Crib.  They come seeking for the Lord, they come seeking for the Truth, they come seeking for the One whom everything points to. They were seeking the Lord. This is what has drastically disappeared in the world today. The world is in no way excited about the coming of Christ, they are only excited about the holidays and the discounts. When we seek the Lord, we reach the crib! When we truly seek the Lord, everything around will bring us to God!

Lesson 5: From dear St. Joseph - Silence

Joseph listened and carried out orders; he spoke nothing. The Silent protector of the Son of God and the Mother of God. What a beautiful role he plays in the Crib, even there quiet and peaceful, standing by with that manly gait, not seeking the limelight or trying to steal the show, controlling crowds or creating furore. He was not dictating terms to Mary, much less to God placing his demands for the role that he has to play. He was silent, a silent collaborator with the divine will. When we are silent, we begin to sense the divine presence within and all around us.

Lesson 6: From loving Mother Mary - Surrender

Look at Mary now in the Crib - a mother's sense of fulfillment in her eyes and the loving gaze that spreads on her new born son. That sense of fulfillment comes after a long process of surrender - the young maiden surrendering her life and all her dreams, the spouse in promise surrendering her marriage and family, a loving mother surrendering all her expectations. When we surrender, we see the Lord acting in and through us with mighty power and grace.

Lesson 7: From the little New Born - Self Emptying.

This little new born is so helpless. Can you imagine is the Word in and through which the entire universe was created - yes that Word is made flesh and is seen here as a simple, helpless infant at the mercy of the people and the beasts around. The Self Emptying of the Son of God begins here. St. Paul would speak of it later in the letter to the Philippians - from the sky to the Crib and from the Crib to the Cross...it is a great self emptying and it was because of that, God gave him a name above every other name. It is only self emptying that will give us an identity as sons and daughters of God, not our achievements and our pride, not our riches and our titles.  

Of these seven characters here, which one would you like to be...what lesson would you like to take to heart? Begin from today and grow in that virtue, the Lord will be soon born in your heart too! Then it will be Christmas all your life!

Let us finish with a small incident I have always loved to narrate, about that christmas play the nursery children practiced for weeks to put up for the parents. The day came and the play began. Mary with her stomach so big and Joseph with the bundles on his shoulders, knock at the first inn and the inn keeper shouts "No place in the inn". The second inn and the same response: "sorry, the inn is full". And the third house, the little chap peeps out and says, "no room in the inn please" and when Mary and Joseph turn away with a sad face, the little chap steps out. Everyone was surprised because that was not what they practiced. The little fellow looking at the sad face of Mary, said, "true there is no room in the inn, but there is little space in my room! you can come!"

This is Christmas - to tell the Lord, 'the world says there is no place for God here, but I tell you Lord there is space in my heart. Come!' And the Lord will come and will be born in our hearts!

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT SUNDAY 4

Open, Observe and Obey!

24th December, 2017

2 Sam 7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Rom 16: 25-27; Lk 1: 26-38

We have come to the end of the Journey we began 22 days back... the journey to integrity! Of course, we do not deceive ourselves, it is a life long journey! We just made a journey of understanding it in different dimensions that the Word presented to us. Today as we come to the culmination of the Journey, we are given the ultimate lesson that this journey gives, in keeping with the event that led us through this journey, the event of incarnation.  

The first challenge is to Open, to open our eyes, to open our ears, to open our hands, to open our hearts and to open our doors! These days while there are are so many problems in the world and all around us, there is a big danger that we can forget the presence of the Lord, we may even unconsciously question God's presence - the Lord says, no! I am here, right here. Open your eyes and see! As you think about a lot of things, possibly give your contribution to the betterment of things, do your mite in getting things in order, you might think you are doing a great favour to God. Just like David thought, he was the one to after all build a house for the Lord. The Lord reminds him and says: open your eyes and see...all that I have done for you! Become aware of the truth...in and through all these things, I am building a house for you. The Lord God of history is active and alive even amidst the worse situations of today. All that we need to see is OPEN our eyes and see, open our ears and hear, open our hands and stretch out to each other, open our hearts and breathe in the presence of God. 

For that we need to Observe things around, persons around, events around. Not just see, not just hear, not just blabber with words that mean nothing, but take time and observe. Observe how things are shaping up, how things are changing colours, how things are evolving. When we take that time and patience to observe, we shall be enlightened by a revelation from God. When Nathan spoke to David, when the Angel spoke to Mary, they did not just hear, they observed, meditated and received the revelation that was there!

Then comes the third and the most important challenge - Obey! To obey the Lord even if God's will does not match with mine, specially when it does not match. When they match we find it a pleasure to follow the will of God. When they do not, then we complain, groan and moan. It is specially when our wish and God's will does not match and we do it willingly, there emerges a revolution, a great thing for which the entire generations will keep praising the Lord. But it begins from Obedience!

Mary and Joseph lived their lives as ultimate examples of this challenge - and the result: we have the Son of God who came to save us! Let us open ourselves, observe with our hearts and obey with all our being, we shall see the House of the Lord built on earth. 

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 9 - 24th December

O Morning Star...

The 7 O-Antiphons are over with yesterday...
but the Novena ends today...with the rising of the Morning Star!

The Lord is not just near...but the Lord is here!!!
We celebrate the Rising Star, the Morning Star that announces the break of day!
The Lord comes to rule in our hearts, not just in the world...
Let us prepare ourselves..for the Lord is here.

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT 2017 - DAY 21

Integrity... to see the hand of God

23rd December

Mal 3: 1-4, 23-24 ; Lk 1:57-66

It is a special gift, to see the hand of God accompanying us, only then can we join ours with God's. That is integrity, to walk hand in hand with God. 

Look at the events in the Word today: What would this child be, every one wondered! What would I grow up to be? What would be my destiny? Aren't these many of our thoughts too, atleast as we grow up! When a child is born a bundle of mystery is born. We would do well to receive it with that reverence and wait on it to unfold itself in its own time! But at times that seems very puzzling, or even frightening as if we are at the mercies of something or someone else - Christian hope is not exactly that!

Our sense of mystery does not come from the mere fact that the prospects are hidden, but from the truth that it lies in the hands of God, who has willed us into existence, with a specific plan for each of us. John the Baptist was foretold as the Elijah to come and prepare the way; the son born of a young maiden was foretold to come and rule the world forever; each of our birth too has been forethought by God from all eternity. 

The hand of the Lord accompanies us, as it did with John and with all other persons of God we come across. It would be our task to recognise this Hand in everything, accept its pointings and walk with love in justice and truth! Can we behold that hand of the Lord in our personal lives, make it the guiding star that would lead us to that manger of fulfillment, fulfillment of all promises. Let us walk with out hands in the hand of the Lord, that's integrity in sum.

In self help theories they say, 21 days is the time needed to create a habit! Ending this 21st day of reflection on the life of the integrity, let us pray and hope INTEGRITY becomes a habit in our lives! 

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 8 - 23rd December

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Based on the famous prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, the title Emmanuel is the key to the mystery of incarnation. 

The symbol is the virgin with the child in the manger. It is not just any child, but the promised salvation of the God of the universe, the king who has come to meet his subjects to make them co-heirs to his throne.

The prayer is to save us, as the Lord our God... in simple words it is to STAY WITH US, to live with us. to sanctify us, to make us worthy of God and of God's great big family.

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT 2017 - DAY 20

Integrity... to grow in gratitude

22nd December
1 Sam 1: 24-28: Lk 1: 46-56

We are presented with two grateful hearts and that one saintly song! It is indeed a saintly song to sing in exultation for the great things that God does to us. Today we have Hannah and Mary singing to their hearts' content. Only a grateful heart will have reasons to exult and only a heart that finds reasons to exult is truly saintly. There can be no sorry saints; even the worst affected of all exults in the great things that the Lord has done for her or for him. Mary is an epitome of such a saintliness and Hannah is her foreshadow!

Mary and Hannah have a lot in common: they bore their child in strange circumstances, both ran the risk of being misjudged, both realised that the Lord had seen with pity on their lowliness and both offered their child to God without reserve. Hannah sang the song of exultation and Mary adapted it! The most important of all similarities is their grateful breaking forth into a song of exultation.

As we near the Christmas day, and the culmination of this journey to integrity that we began, the Word today invites us to count our blessings and name them one by one. We will be surprised to see, how long and how many of them escaped our attention! Let us sing from the depths of our hearts a song that is new and glorious: My soul magnifies the Lord! That is a sure way to integrity, growing in gratitude!

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 7 - 22nd December

O King of Nations - O Rex Gentium

O King of the nations, and their desire,

the cornerstone making both one:

Come and save the human race,

which you fashioned from clay.

Based on Isaiah 9:6, 2:4 and 28:16, the King of the nations is a yearning of the people of Israel. They wanted Yahweh to be their king always, even when they had a human king ruling them. That is why they did not give in to the Emperor worship that was so widespread in the dominant cultures of their times. God is the king, forever and over all!

The Symbol is the crown, and some times even the sceptre, that signifies the central place that God has in our personal and universal history; and the authority that rests solely with God.

The prayer is for SALVATION, to save the human kind, from slaveries of sin and death to the freedom of the children of God, for that is what we are, children created in the image and likeness of God. It is to grow in this identity and dignity that the coming of the Lord invites us.

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT 2017 - DAY 19

Integrity... to rejoice in the Lord

21st December, 2017

Song 2: 8-14 (or) Zeph 3:14-18; Lk 1: 39-45

To rejoice in the Lord - not all can do that! Only those who have yearned for the Lord's will, those who have been seeking the presence of the Lord and those who have allowed the Lord to work on them, in short, as we were called to yesterday, only those who have surrendered themselves to the Lord can truly rejoice in the Lord! 

Rejoicing in the Lord is not a mere external show or temporary state of life, it is an interior disposition and a permanent mind set. Those who truly rejoice in the Lord, do so even at the times of the difficulty and struggle. My mind goes out to two unforgettable people whom I have encountered in life: a young person, bedridden for years, but always with a holy smile on the face never willing to be pitied at; and another elderly person, who was paralysed one side, who never liked to be even asked 'how are you', for according to him he was fine and blessed! I would wonder from where they drew their strength? Were they faking that smile or that positive attitude? No, they were people who had surrendered their life totally into the hands of the Lord. 

When we do so, when God matters much more than anything else in life, when God's will supersedes any other priority in my life, I will sense that interior joy and that permanent mind set, that makes me rejoice in the Lord, and rejoice always! That is integrity - remaining in the Lord always and rejoicing forever! 

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 6 - 21st December

21st December: O Rising dawn

O Morning Star,
Splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Based on Isaiah 9:2 and Isaiah 60:1-2, the title in Latin O Oriens, actually means literally O Rising Sun or Dawn, but for poetic sense translated as Morning Star, refers to the power of God's light to lead us from ignorance to knowledge and from mere knowledge to enlightenment. 

The Symbol is the Rising Sun, which dispels the darkness of the night and wakes the light of the morning, inviting all to life and activity. The coming of the Lord for us is a wake up call, an invitation to live as people of the light and not of darkness!

The prayer is for ENLIGHTENMENT, that in this world of confusion and crisis, confounding choices and staggering philosophies, we might remain always in the light of faith, that not only helps us see the Lord, but see with the eyes of the Lord (as Lumen Fidei instructs us).

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT 2017 - DAY 18

Integrity... to truly surrender to God

Third Wednesday in Advent

Is 7: 10-14; Lk 1: 26-38

The Word presents a contrast and a continuity between Ahaz and Mary. Within this contrast and continuity we can see three different dispositions to the action of the Lord in and through us. 

The first disposition is that of Rejection of the Lord - this is Ignorance, either malicious ignorance or simplistic ignorance, where the person is unaware or keeps himself or herself in a state of ignorance, failing to see the greatness of God at work all around. Here the person misses a state of grace the person can be blessed with.

The second disposition is that of trying to Appease the Lord - this is Indifference, always malicious! The previous disposition atleast we know that the person has rejected God and the person might or might not come to know the Lord some day. But this disposition is very deceptive and pretends even to take the Lord for a ride. That is why Isaiah gets furious with Ahaz and the people of his nature - he says they try the Lord's patience! That is, they try to have their way trying to now and then act as if, as if they are obedient to the Lord! This is radically against the third disposition!

The third disposition we can think of is that of true Surrender to the Lord - this is Integrity. Just as Mary does in the Gospel today, though she did not perfectly understand the situation around her, she trusted in the promise given by the Lord and totally surrenders herself to the Lord: behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word. 

This is our call to stay far from Ignorance and Indifference and grow in Integrity, that is a true surrender into the hands of God. When we learn to do that we become people highly favoured, full of grace, mother, brothers and sisters of Jesus, the Immanuel, God with us. 

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 5 - 20th December

20th December: O Key of David

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;

you open and no one can shut;

you shut and no one can open:

Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,

those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Based on  Isaiah 22:22, Isaiah 9:7 and Isaiah 42:7, the reference is to the sovereignty of God's Reign. That the throne shall have no end is a Messianic prophecy that, God will be established the Lord of history! Liberation of the oppressed, the fullness of life of all, is the sign of the Reign.

The symbol is the key to signify the authority that the Lord has, in creating, changing and structuring the whole history.

The prayer is for LIBERATION... to be led towards fullness of life that is the experience of the Reign on earth. It is also a commitment to work towards, to contribute one's might and mite, towards establishing the Reign here and now!

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT 2017 - DAY 17

Integrity... to remain, to receive and to rejoice!

Third Tuesday in Advent

Judg 13: 2-7, 24-25; Lk 1: 5-25

Call it endurance, call it perseverance, call it faithfulness, it is just remaining firm in the Lord, believing strong in the core of our beings that the Lord is with us, for us and in us! Look at the two women in the Word today, called barren by the world of their times... they remained with the Lord. It is said, they lived their life totally acceptable to the Lord, but they were barren! The world despised them, but they never gave up on God.

Today, anything, any small thing can take a person far from God - be it good or bad! Yes, a problem, a struggle, a disappointment, a disagreement, a difficulty, a mental or emotional stress...anything can take a person away from God. We have thousands and thousands who react that way and what are they actually doing: closing the door of hope! The Psalm says, It is you O Lord who are my hope, my trust since my youth!

Worse still, even something good can take one away from God - a bit of success, an affluence that comes one's way, a social status that appears promising, a public image that seems a little lucrative, can easily drift me away from God and real recognition of God. 

The couples in the Word today - had their difficulties, their despicable status in the society calling them "unfortunate" ...but never drifted away from God, never gave up on God. They remained! 

They remained faithful and they received that blessing that was in store for them, the hope that was in the Divine plan, the entire story that still had to unfold! At times, even after receiving we miss the entire presence of God - either lamenting that it was late or taking the entire credit on ourselves, our hardwork and our own dexterity. 

They received and they rejoiced in the Lord! Integrity is to remain, to receive and to rejoice in the Lord! My dear son, my daughter, the Lord says today, there are things that are in store in God's own time, remain in me, receive the blessings I have in store for you and rejoice in me, for it is I who have loved you into existence and I have you in the apple of my eye!

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT 2017 - DAY 16

Integrity... to realise the God-with-us

Third Monday in Advent

Jer 23: 5-8; Mt 1: 18-24

There are those who make religion a fairy tale or a horror story. The recent times have seen bands and bands of such people, writing, preaching, proclaiming, shouting at the top of their voice about signs and events, mysteries and milestones...all exciting but so shallow and Un-Christ-ian! It is not for us to know the time and the hour...but the call is to be prepared and to be alert, watching and praying constantly, that we may never miss when the Lord visits us.

That visit is not something about which we would shudder and shiver, if we live our every moment according to the will of the One who has commissioned us: that is Integrity. Not putting up a show or a performance for the moment of truth but to evolve a lifestyle that realises the permanent presence of God with us!  

If we are true and honest about our experience with God, we would find God and Godly signs and God's call to act, every moment of our lives! It is all around us... in faces that surround us, in events that envelope us, in experiences that beckon our choice and in persons who challenge our priorities. 

The Lord of Integrity does not seek to show signs for the sake of begging praise from us, for the Lord needs no one to recognise or affirm! But it is we who need the Lord and the Lord is ever present at our side. Let us be convinced of the fact that the Lord is present in our days, living with us, walking beside us all the way! And let this be our prayer that we may never miss the Lord of integrity, the God-with-us. 

Let us learn to receive that presence, realise it everyday and rejoice in it!

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 4 - 19th December

19th December: O Root of Jesse

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; 

before you kings will shut their mouths,

to you the nations will make their prayer:

Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

Based on  Isaiah 11:1, Isaiah 11:10, the title Root of Jesse, refers to the promise of the Lord to raise the Messiah from the line of David (the son of Jesse). It is a promise of deliverance that the Lord gives the people of Israel, and to everyone who believes in the Lord.

The Symbol is that of the shoot flowering... signalling the hope that the Lord offers in times when everything seems dark and dead. 

The prayer too is to reinforce that HOPE...that we may always look forward to the deliverance that the Lord can offer! Note that the readings of the liturgy too relate to the same sense of hope in the Lord who accomplishes marvels for us!

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 3 - 18th December

18th December: O Adonai...

O Adonai, and leader of the house of Israel

who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush

and gave him the law on Sinai:

Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Based on Isaiah 11:45 and Isaiah 33:22, the title Adonai, refers to the Lordship of Yahweh, that the people of Israel always stressed on. From a generic universal history that yesterday's "Wisdom" reminded us of, today's "Adonai" comes down to the experience of Exodus, the watershed of the Spirituality of the people of Israel.

The Symbols are burning bush, to remind the experience when Moses surrendered to Yahweh and the stones of the commandments, the symbol of Israel's surrender to Yahweh.

The prayer is that of a SURRENDER into the redeeming power of God, to be led by the Lord's hands always - from darkness to light, from folly to wisdom, from death to life! 

CHRISTMAS NOVENA - Day 2 - 17th December

17th December: O Sapientia...

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High

reaching from one end to the other,

mightily and sweetly ordering all things:

Come and teach us the way of prudence.

Based on Isaiah 11:2-3 and Isaiah 28:29... the antiphon recalls the most popular attribute given to the Spirit of the Lord and the Word of God which is seen active in creation and order of the universe. It is this Word, who becomes flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). 

The Symbol used is often...the eye within the triangle, which symbolises the Omniscient God...the Wisdom of God. The Jewish or the Davidic lampstand (with 7 sticks) is used to refer to the Wisdom of God which has accompanied the people of God right from the origins of history!

The Prayer today is for PRUDENCE...to be guided always by the Lord, the Lord who dwells among us.

A JOURNEY TO INTEGRITY - ADVENT SUNDAY 3

Receive, Realise and Rejoice!

17th December, 2017: Third Sunday in Advent

Is 61: 1-2,10-11; 1 Thes 5: 16-24; Jn 1: 6-8; 19-28

We have begun the next phase in our journey to integrity, because the Lord is near! We have already initiated the novena in preparation for the great coming of the Lord and the Word today invites us to feel the shift of gears, as the call is already to rejoice! It is like, having journeyed long distance to meet a person and you are just a few yards away and you have already sighted the person coming towards you! You feel that joy, as if you have already embraced the person, but actually you have not yet! The feeling of 'already-and-not-yet'. That is the next phase of the journey that the Spirit of the Lord invites us to - to receive, to realise and to rejoice in the Lord!

Receiving the Spirit of the Lord is the first step towards an integrity in the Lord. Without the Spirit we cannot live in integrity. All the prophets, as Isaiah speaks of today, are people filled with the Spirit, John was a man of Spirit and Jesus himself was filled with the Spirit and proclaimed the very same words we hear from Isaiah today: the Spirit of the Lord is upon me! Each of us is filled with the Spirit - in every sacrament we receive, where the Lord encounters us in person, we receive the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit cannot be merely a passive event - that it happens to me! I have to positively receive the Spirit and be filled with. It is an active yearning for the Spirit and a ready acceptance from the hands of the Lord.

Realising the Spirit's promptings is the next crucial step in the journey. When Isaiah, or any other prophets, or John, or Jesus, was filled with the Spirit, they immediate felt the call. I am called to give sight to the blind, to release the captives and announce the good news to the poor and tell them that the day of the Lord is here, to assured the Lord is near. I have to realise the call that I have, a call always for the other - I am not filled with the Spirit to perform magic shows on grand stages and massive gatherings, I am not filled with the Spirit to make a living for myself and get people be astounded about me... I need to realise that I have received the Spirit and  I have received the Spirit for others, for those who are in need, those who are suffering, those who are downtrodden, those who are oppressed, those who find themselves helpless! I have to realise that I have a mission and that is a crucial step towards integrity - realising my purpose!

Responding to the call that I have received in the Spirit, is the fulfillment of my journey to integrity. When I begin to respond there will be people who appreciate me and be grateful to me. But there will be more who will question me, oppose me, criticise me, find fault with me, put me down and try to tear me into nothing. Look at the prophets, look at John in the Gospel, look at Jesus himself... they responded and they were taken to task. But because they were persons of integrity, neither did they desert the Spirit who called nor did they slacken before the world which opposed them! They responded with their entire life, that is the sign of Integrity - to respond with your entire life!  Nothing else mattered to them, not even their life, when it came to responding to the call that they received and realised! 

Let us gear up, push ahead, stay focused in this journey to integrity. Let us receive the Spirit of the Lord, Realise the call that the Spirit brings and Respond with our entire life. The Lord's Spirit is here and the Lord is near!