UNDERSTANDING GOODNESS

WORD 2day: 26th August, 2017

Saturday, 20th week in Ordinary Time

Ruth 2: 1-3,8-11, 4:13-17; Mt 23: 1-12

Goodness is Godliness. Last week had been marked by various acts of terrorism in places like Spain, Ireland and so on. And today I am looking at news coming in from India, the riot that is claiming lives and properties, riots against the verdict convicting a rapist, just because he claims to be a god-man. The Word reflected from this background raised a fundamental question within me - how do we understand goodness?

Is goodness the external appearance of a person sporting conventionally respected images - as a god-man, or a social worker, or a poor-lover, or a cause-believer...these externals do not suffice. And not all are deceived by it, ofcourse some are!

Is goodness all about the deeds and functions? People who wish to create a public image that they are good, try to buy up people by their good deeds and heroism. But is that enough sign of true goodness? Hidden behind the good deeds and acts of people there are agendas and schemes that no one even guesses. 

Goodness is all about the basic nature in a person, that is not even seen by the others. Then of what use is it, one could ask. It is nothing to prove to anyone, it is just being good at the core of one's being. That will never change, even if the situation around and the persons around change, for the worse or for the better.

Keeping these in mind, can I really judge who is good and who is not? No one can. I can only say whether I am good or not. But it is so important to ask myself: Am I really Good?

LOVE AND BELONG TO GOD!

WORD 2day: 25th August, 2017

Friday, 20th week in Ordinary Time
Ruth 1:1,3-6,14-16,22; Mt 22: 34-40

Approaching today's readings with the question, 'how does one become a son or a daughter of God' - today, there is an example and a theory! The example is that of Ruth and the theory is presented to us by Jesus himself in the Gospel. 

Ruth, a moabite, who lost her hebrew husband but still becomes a part of God's salvation plan and becomes one of the few women referred to in the long history of the Israelites. How does it happen? The answer is, true and selfless LOVE. Love is the only way one can become a child of God, as John puts it so simply in his letter - 'Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God' (1 Jn 4:7). John learnt it from his master and beloved friend, Jesus who dared to synthesise the whole of the law and the prophets (that is, the whole of Hebrew Scripture) into two directives, which actually amounted to just one command: LOVE. 

Let us love one another and be God's children.