The Name: Jesus, the Christ

WORD 2day: Saturday before Ascension

June 1, 2019: Acts 18: 23-28; Jn 16:23-28

Jesus was the name and Christ was a faith experience! Jesus, the Christ is no syntax error! Today we encounter Apollos, another contemporary preacher with Paul. It looks like there were some little misgivings in the Acts of the Apostles between the followers of Paul and followers of Apollos. But Paul makes no notice of such bickerings. Another great lesson we have is Priscilla and Aquila instructing Apollos in the right doctrines! The role of the laity in the formation of the apostolic ministers comes out strongly...all of this to make people understand, Jesus was the Christ!

Jesus in the Gospel seems to harp on the same point too: anything you ask the Father in my name, my Father shall give you. He seems to say, because I am the Christ. As Acts so clearly says in another place (4:12) that there is no other name given in all the earth by which one could be saved! It is Jesus, because Jesus is the Christ, Jesus is the one anointed and set apart for our salvation! That should not make us haughty as if we have the monopoly over that name, but it should make us humble in questioning our daily lives and priorities. Are we living worthy of that name? It is not an opportunity to judge the "others" but it is gratitude that should fill our hearts for the privilege given. 

Ask a question, Is Jesus my Christ? 

If you very easily said 'yes', ask that question again looking closely at your values and attitudes of daily life: Is Jesus really my Christ?

God in the midst of us

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

May 31, 2019: The Feast of Visitation

Zephaniah 3: 14-18a; Luke 1: 39-56

We celebrate the feast of the Visitation of our Blessed Mother to Elizabeth. When Mary entered Elizabeth's household, there was a sense of God that was felt, for two reasons. The first, Mary was carrying Jesus within her and the effect was felt! The second, Mary herself was transformed into the presence of God for Elizabeth! 

The first reading today turns our attention to the words of Zephaniah explaining what the Lord in our midst is doing: God exults, God renews and God dances! 

God exults in the wonderful gifts that we are to Godself. 
God renews those parts of us that are not as good as they can be! 
God dances with joy over everything that we are able to do in God's eternal plan. 
Anyone who expresses this exultation of the Lord, this call for renewal and the rejoicing of the Lord in God's children, is a reminder of the presence of God.

In fact when Elizabeth says, 'what have I done to deserve that the Mother of my Lord should visit me!', she becomes the reminder of the presence of God to Mary! When Mary turns to Elizabeth and says, 'My heart exults in the Lord and my soul rejoices in the Lord my saviour', she becomes the reminder of the Lord's presence to Elizabeth and to the entire household!

We are called to be reminders of the presence of God, to be the presences of God to those around us. When we exult in the Lord, when we do our part to renew those around us, correcting them with care and love, when we rejoice in the goodness of others and the good things that happen to them, we become God's presence amidst God's people!

Can we be today, God's presences wherever we are!

Your Sorrow will turn into joy

WORD 2day: 6th Thursday of Easter

May 30, 2019: Acts 18: 1-18; John 16: 16-20

Your Sorrow will turn into joy, the Lord promises! At times it seems a lofty promise and many look at it suspiciously. That is not because the Lord is wrong today, but our understanding of true joy is not right at times!

Ever heard of the anecdote about this monk who went into contemplation and came out "enlightened"? Since everyone considered him "enlightened", a man approached him with a question...what difference do you find between the world as it was when you went into contemplation a decade ago and that of today? He said, "when I went in the land was down and the sky was up there, there was summer and winter, and there was day and night." "And Now?", the questioner asked with curiosity rising! "Now the land is down and the sky is up there, there is summer and there is winter and there is night and there is day!"

Are you wondering that the story is incomplete if I end it there? No! The fact is, even if things remain the same, the way enlightened persons see them is completely different from the way others see it! Your sorrow will turn to joy, not only because everything around you will turn upside down, but because you will find yourself different, your priorities different, your concerns different. That will make all the difference! 

When those people rejected Paul outright, he couldn't care less! He was just the same and walked off cool, because for him that rejection mattered nothing! For him sorrows had turned into joy, everything was joyful for in everything he sought the Lord!

The Spiritual Capacity to accept Truth

WORD 2day: 6th Wednesday of Easter

May 29, 2019: Acts 17:15, 22 - 18:1; John 16: 12-15

"When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked...", we read in the first reading today. Some experiences are beyond our grasp at an initial instant, some experiences may be totally confusing while others may leave us with nothing to say. There are ways in which a person responds to a data that is beyond one's perception or beyond ordinary explanations. The first way is to outrightly reject it and the second is to ridicule it just because one cannot understand it. These two  display an arrogance that is not even humane, leave alone spiritual. 

The second type of response would be a bit more humane or simply human. That is, the person could begin to enquire about it and make some scientific efforts to understand it. 

The Greeks in Areopagus laugh at Paul and some consider him 'confused'... hardly a few tried genuinely understanding him! It was so difficult because they were not gripped by the Spirit... a Spiritual disposition alone can lead to some truths to be comprehended.

A Spiritual disposition in approaching new experiences would enable a person to perceive the truth in what is said, understand its true meaning and find relevance for one's life. This sort of a mind will not reject something merely because it seems new or it has not been so till then. The one who empowers a person towards such a disposition is the Spirit of truth, introduces Jesus in the Gospel today. 

The beautiful expression of St. Anselm, 'faith seeking understanding', is a grace! "When the Spirit of truth comes, the Spirit will guide you into all the truth"... the truth of what i am upto, the truth of who i really am and what i am called towards. Openness, respect and a sense of wonder are prerequisites for one to have real Spiritual Experiences!

Once again today, let our prayer be: Let your Spirit guide us O Lord!

What do I do to be saved?!

WORD 2day: 6th Tuesday of Easter

May 28, 2019: Acts 16:22-34; John 16: 5-11

"What must I do to be saved?"... that must have been a very familiar question those days! We hear that addressed to Jesus by the rich young man and in a little different words by the disciples. Later, to the disciples it is addressed quite a few times as recorded in the Acts: the crowds on the day of the Pentecost, Cornelius to Peter, and today the jail guard to Paul and many such events... 

After Christ has been raised, the question in fact is redundant! For Jesus says, I shall send you the Holy Spirit and the Spirit shall enlighten you on everything. Today, we live as people of the light, for whom everything should be clear as things in a daylight. But we find still so much of darkness, despair and delusion. What could be the reasons?

The most probable reasons are these: lack of sense of sin, compromised vision of righteousness and a careless attitude of judgement. These are what we witness today in the world, and sometimes sadly, within each of us! Might be, that our values, priorities and choices blur the light that the Spirit wishes to shed on our minds. 

Let us submit ourselves to the Spirit and pray, 'you stretch your right hand and save me O Lord'. Let the enlightening Spirit of the Lord guide us on!

The Mutual Delight: the Lord and His People

WORD 2day: 6th Monday of Easter

May 27, 2019: Acts 16: 11-15; John 15:26 - 16:4

The Christian faith had already taken root in that short time and it is beginning to take wings as we see! Spreading far and wide, the faith in Christ was not merely an intellectual assent to some truths the apostles were sharing, but it was a dedication of their concrete lives. We have two different examples of that in the Word today.

The first is that of Lydia, who finds her new found faith impelling her to sustain the proclaimers of the Word. She would take no refusal, about she hosting the apostles in her home, says the first reading. She was delighted in the Lord! The second is about the Apostles, who were moving from one place to another without any lag or slackening because they were so delighted in the new apostolate entrusted to them. Looking at these sorts of His children, the Lord was taking delight in his people says the responsorial psalm!

This is what Christian faith is all about: the delight that the Lord has in each of us and the delight we manifest in having the Lord as our God! That Mutual Delight, of the Lord and the Lord's people turns into a tremendous testimony to the World. Some in the world are disturbed, there are others who are questioning. There will surely be a great number who be delighted to join the band. Let us be delighted in the Lord and let us delight the Lord with our daily lives!

A 3D APPROACH TO TRUE PEACE

Faith, Familiarity and Discernment

May 26, 2019: 6th Sunday of Easter 

Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29; Revelations 21: 10-14,22-23; John 14: 23-29 

Peace I give you; My peace I give to you! The Community of the Risen Lord is called to be a Community of Peace and Peacemakers. The Word today outlines to us the approaches to establish true peace among the people of God. It is a 3D approach, a three dimensional approach. 

D1- The First Dimension: SELF - DEEP SEATED FAITH

Faith is the spiritual tranquiliser at any moment of crisis or trouble. Faith is the assurance of the presence of God with me, which makes me courageous enough to accept the situation I find myself in. Right now in India we have a situation - the new political powers at work! It has been one long process of polarisation, resulting in suspicion, bitterness and mutual frustrations! There are so many issues at stake in the near future. What are we going to do: give in to the frustration and give up peace?

The Community of believers were going through a time of crisis, as two factions among themselves began to take exceptions to each other. However, the situation was brought under control, but the way the decision was made is remarkable as we read it even today. "It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves..." That is the key to their peace, their deep seated faith that God was right amidst them all through the crisis. When crises come our way, one of the first things we negate is the presence and empathy of God. But peace comes with a deep seated faith that never ever doubts the empathetic presence of God with me!

D2- The Second Dimension: GOD - DIVINE FAMILIARITY

The Christ-ian understanding of God is not a God who is up above the sky looking down on God's children and judging them. But it is a God who dwells with them, within them and among them. This is what Jesus promises today: If you love me, you will keep my word and my Father will love you and we shall come to him and make our home with him. Imagine a child who is walking home in the dark of night - alone and hence so frightened and freezing. Just right then the child's father comes by and places his hands on the shoulders of the child - how would that child feel? Has the darkness disappeared? Has the sun risen yet? No! But the very presence of the Father gives the child an assurance. 

When God makes home with us, we would have no lack of peace. True peace comes from the fact that the Lord lives with us. The first readings speaks of the Holy Spirit living with us, the Second reading speaks of the Father and Son making their resplendent presence amidst us and in the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit coming to make a family with us! That is peace, a sense of total assurance that I am surrounded by the Lord!

D3- Third Dimension: OTHERS - DIALOGUE AND DISCERNMENT 

The First reading once again brings to the fore the need and the importance of Dialogue and Discernment. Peace and Understanding reigned in the Early Christian Community because of the presence of Dialogue and Discernment. Dialogue and Discernment are two phases of a single process. Dialogue is the phase where the two parties involved have their views and opinions presented to each other. Discernment is the phase where they both come to a common ground, look over and beyond their point of view and come to a consensus towards a common decision. The One who inspires this common view is the Holy Spirit who is the source of all discernment, the third party who mediates the dialogue. When this third party is not involved in our dialogues they end up without proper discernment and lead only to two stubborn sides. 

Dialogue and Discernment presupposes three dispositions: One, that I am convinced of my stand. I have made all efforts to understand the issue, go deep into its various possible dimensions and I have sufficiently thought about its pros and cons. Second, that I respect the other. I am ready and willing to listen, listen to the other and not just get fixated with my prejudices. And finally, the third disposition is that I believe that the Spirit is at work. After the Elections results were announced for the Indian pa'rliament, someone asked: "after all the prayers and implorations why has God allowed this?" What is important here is not the question 'why has God allowed' but 'what is God communicating to us' here! We need to believe that the Spirit is at work! Be still and know that God is! (Ps 46:10)

When a community has these three dimensions clear - the self strengthened by deep seated faith, God with whom we enjoy a genuine familiarity and the other with whom we are ready to dialogue and discern, the Peace of the Lord reigns. Such a community glows to be truly Christian!

Are you GPS Enabled?

WORD 2day: 5th Saturday of Easter

May 25, 2019: Acts 16: 1-10; John 15: 18-21

Almost gone are those days when people bound for a place that they have never been to,  attempt to find their destinations with the help of people on the road,  bystanders, fellow passengers etc. Now a days with the smart phones everyone is GPS Enabled: Global Positioning System!

Today in the first reading we find the apostles also GPS enabled. They are instructed where to go and where not to go; and not only that what to say and what not to say, seems like an advanced tracking system. Yes, the GPS here is... God's Powerful Spirit.

In Gospel we see Jesus warning them, wherever they went there would be people against them,  because they were his disciples. But he assures that it was no reason to worry because they were GPS enabled: God's Protecting Spirit. 

To us too the message is the same: come what may,  with all the troubles and persecutions true disciples will go on and on; no political power or no manipulating system should stop us from living our life to the full, because we are are GPS Enabled: God's Propelling Spirit.

Let us pay heed to the invitation - to be disciples of Christ in our daily life with all its struggles and temptations, alarms and altercations. Let us ask ourselves: Are we GPS Enabled?

Mary our Mother and Help

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

May 24, 2019: Celebrating the Feast of Mary Help of Christians

Genesis 3: 1-6, 13-15; John 2: 1-11

Mary, the mother of God, mother of Jesus and our Mother, is manifested to us by God, in history and in events of today, as the Help of those who follow her Son, that is, the help of Christians! It is right today to have a look at the role of this Mother within the framework of our faith. 

IN HISTORY... In history we have seen persons, groups, the people of God, saints and saintly leaders of the people of God, founders of religious congregations and martyr witnesses to faith, relating in a very special and personal manner to the Blessed Mother of God. Apart from the fact that Jesus himself presented her to us as our Mother, Mary has stood by every follower and friend of her Son and proved a great protection to them in their lives. Don Bosco is one such, who experienced the constant guidance, benevolence and protection of our Blessed Mother and invoked her in this title: Mary Help of Christians.

IN THE CHURCH... As people of God and specially as Catholic Church we have a special gratitude and filial love for our Blessed Mother because we have been and we are privileged followers of her Son; yes, privileged, special and blessed! How much we have experienced this! We need to feel sorry for those of our own fellow pilgrims in faith, who miss this lovely, loving and lovable mother. The children might disregard their mother and hardly care for her, but the mother would always consider them her children, and consider so with compassion and concern.

IN FAITH... Mary, the Mother of Christ and our Blessed Mother, has an enormous role to play within the salvific plan of God. As the first reading suggests, God had in God's holy will a 'woman' who would usher in the salvation of humanity as a chosen instrument of God. St. Paul refers to this plan in his letter to the Galatians: (4:4) when the fullness of time came God sent God's son through a 'woman'... that is the 'woman' that Jesus is interacting with in the Gospel! What a lovely message from the Word, proposing to us a great model in cooperating with the eternal plan of God. The Message from our Blessed mother is a further explication of this model: 'Do whatever he tells you'.

Mary proves to be a mother and a help to those who are with Christ! The key is to be with Christ: being with, and being with Christ. Let us note the focus here. Our Blessed Mother will never be happy with us coming to her and stopping with her - she wants to and she vows to take us to the Son and that is where our salvation lies. Whether the faithful or those who shepherd the faithful - it would do well for us never to lose sight of this loving desire of our Blessed Mother, that we hold her hand and walk to Jesus. And on this journey she is certainly our mother and our help!

Here is a link to access the proper for this feast... the Mass Prayers, Readings and others (copy and paste it in the URL to find it):

http://opcalendarium.blogspot.com/2012/05/proper-mass-of-mary-help-of-christians.html 

To Remain in Love!

WORD 2day: 5th Thursday of Easter

May 23, 2019: Acts 15: 7-21; John 15: 9-11

Peter, Paul, Barnabas, James... what great names in today's first reading. All heavy weights in faith, the greatest apostles coming together to determine the future course of the Way. The Congregation that was gathered was divided. They had differences of opinions. There was a traditional group, infact James was part of it. There was a progressive group and Paul and Barnabas were championing it. Peter was the bridge, the "pontiff" - right enough! And we see James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem steering the entire discussion in such a godly fashion.

The whole argument was resolved on one fact: what is important is not circumcision nor uncircumcision (cf. Gal 5:6; 6:15) but faith working through love; what is important is REMAINING IN HIS LOVE. That is the crux of Christianity. It is not rules or rubrics, it is not law or legal fulfillments, but the love of Christ that gives meaning to our lives.

True joy that the Lord gives comes from what we are;  it comes from the fact that we are loved,  that we are accepted unconditionally and that we are united to the One who never changes! It is not the various rules and regulations that we uphold that matter but love! Love is all that matters! And in that love that God has for us,  we find our true joy,  complete joy!

 Anything inspired by true and genuine love for God and for the people of God, leads us to true life in God. Anything that divides the people of God and brings hatred among them, is not from God and is against the Spirit of the Lord. 

Keep Reflecting!   

Conflict Resolution - the Christian Mode!

WORD 2day: 5th Wednesday of Easter

May 22, 2019: Acts 15: 1-6; John 15: 1-8

We see a conflict arising in the Early Christian Community - two factions: the Conservatives and the Progressives. When the conflict arose, they immediately fall back to the roots, they come together and resolve it. The moment conflict arose they thought of getting together and not splitting into groups - that is a Christian Attitude.

A truly Christian attitude of conflict resolution is an attitude of unifying, a promotion of solidarity, a strengthening of bond and an assurance of fellowship. The growing number of denominations and divisions within the so-called Christian Community, is a counter witness, says the erstwhile encyclical Evangelii Nuntiandi. The greatest scandal to the world is a divided Church.

It is not so difficult for us to get back to our communion even amidst all conflicts because we are all branches grafted on to a single vine: Jesus Christ! I am the vine says Jesus today, inviting us all to resolve our differences in him. A beautiful tamil hymn on love has an admirable phrase which expresses the following sentiment: let us respect the differences and live in harmony! (வேற்றுமை நிலைகளை மதித்திங்கு ஒற்றுமையுடனே வாழுவோம்) 

The more we are ready to get back to Christ and remain united in the One Lord, the more Christian we remain. Moments when I begin to contemplate division, I am disregarding the vine I am grafted on to. Remaining in Christ is a challenging task indeed - it may at times prove boring and monotonous and not immediate in bearing the results that are expected - but it is the key to being disciples of Christ. It can prove effective in any sort of conflict resolution. 

Fear versus Peace

WORD 2day: 5th Tuesday of Easter

May 21, 2019: Acts 14: 19-28; John 14: 27-31

The other day there was a forward that someone sent, a lady speaking about an alleged intellectual subversion that is happening in India. And her entire argument was that the intellectual cream of the nation is getting together under the patronage of Non-Hindu forces and subverting the entire Hindu Rashtra, and that the dream of Hindu Rashtra is being squashed to nothing. All we could see there was FEAR... clearly a fear that she intended to drive home into the minds of the listeners, giving the example of South Korea which was just 4% Christian in 1900, 18% in 1970s and over 40% in 1990 and she likened that fact to Kerala in India! Very evident, she was working on fear: one, an unfounded fear that she was attempting to establish; and the other, a fear she wanted the simplistic population to be affected by. We see the same in the first reading today - the Jews feared the rising acceptability of the new Way that they witnessed.

On the other hand we have the apostles in the same scenario: Paul and Barnabas and even others. They were calm and composed, fearless and daring, unmoved even in the face of death. What we see here is all PEACE. 

The Word teaches us today, the opposite of Peace is Fear! Where there is fear there is no peace! When fear disappears, Peace reigns. Jesus was about to go, not on a pleasant journey but on a trial and a real suffering unto death, but there is absolutely no trace of fear in him. The reason: he loved his Father and he was convinced his Father loved him! And he wishes that his disciples loved him much, and believed in his love for them. 

When we love God, and when we are convinced of the love that God has for us, we will have a Peace that no fear can take away! Peace be with you!

Phase 2: the plot, power and perseverance

WORD 2day: 5th Monday of Easter

May 20, 2019: Acts 14: 5-18 ; John 14: 21-26

Jesus initiates the next phase... he promises his Spirit who will reside in our hearts and instruct us of the right thing to be done at the right time. The Spirit of truth and counsel, the Spirit of strength and determination. It is the Spirit that makes them so strong and powerful even in the face of the plotters and persecutors! 

The Jews and the non Jews together plot to get rid of the apostles but what triumphed was not the plot but the power of God. The Power of God was getting more and more manifest in the life and works of the apostles and they were bearing an unimaginable witness to the Christ-experience.   

What did the apostles do to acquire such power as to stand before the authorities and systems which seemed so frightening earlier - it was their perseverance. They were threatened, they were beaten up, they were arrested and they were flogged, but nothing could stop them for living their life for the Lord and for the Lord's message.

The plots will abound even in our life, but if we are strong in our mind and heart, these plots will be overcome by the power of the Lord, invested within me by the Lord. Make us strong O Lord.

AGENTS OF NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH

Behold, I make all things new!

Fifth Sunday of Easter: May 19, 2019

Acts 14: 21-27; Revelations 21:1-5; John 13: 31-33,34-35

- The times are bad; there is evil every where. Why is there so much of killings and violence; war and terrorism; where is humanity going today?

- Bomb blasts, terrorist attacks, political unrest and threats of nuclear war – what is brewing in today’s world?

- Poverty, misery, hunger and starvation – is it true that the world does not have enough for all? These have become common starters for a discussion today!

‘He will dwell with them and they shall be his people’, reminds the Second reading today… As people of God, what is our responsibility? It is to listen and believe in the words the Lord says today – Behold I make all things new! We cannot give into desperation! No, we cannot! “Never lose hope, Do not let yourself be robbed of hope!” cries our beloved holy father, Pope Francis. Yes, our call is to assist the Creator to make all things new – to behold a new heaven and a new earth! 

The Liturgy today presents to us the invitation, the challenge to assist at the creation of this new heaven and new earth amidst the cries of agony and apathy. Not only does it beckon us to the task, but outlines the way to accomplish the task – a line of action with three key elements: Primacy of God, Care of the least and the Commandment of Love. 

The First reading offers a compelling example   - the first community of disciples, existed for the gospel and lived in faith, in a spirit of prayer and fasting! Their life was a testimony to the marvels that God accomplished every day in and through their lives, because they live constantly in the presence of God. The primacy of God is in crisis today – and that explains the whole lot of tribulations that humanity faces today. Hence the first line of action is to reinstate the primacy of God. 

The Care of the least, the concern for those who are suffering, the commitment to the marginalized, the prophecy that challenges the neglected justice and denied rights – is an inalienable part of this process of creating new heaven and new earth. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more. And the Lord will do it through you and me! Every hand of a disciple of Christ should wipe the tears in the eyes of those in agony. Every word of a Christian should give new life to those who have lost hope. Every community of faith should sustain those who mourn and cry in society around itself. 

Commandment of Love, comes as the essence and the summary of the whole Christian presence. Christ speaks of the time that he will not be with his disciples and immediately presents them with the Commandment of love, as if to say – where there is love there is Christ. The corollary is more significant and consequential – where there is no love there is no Christ. “By this all will know that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another!” One cannot build the new heaven and the new earth, without a genuine Christ-like love in one’s heart.

Today there are many who propose projects and make manifestos  those who gather masses and garner public opinion, those who initiate movements and influence the society - all in the name of creating a new social order or creating a new world, in the name of progress and development. The Word today gives us the touchstone of Christian outlook - the commandment of love. St. Augustine said it in beautiful words, "Love, and do what you will. If you keep silence, do it out of love. If you cry out, do it our of love. If you refrain from punishing, do it out of love." 

Give God the primacy in daily life, Care for the least, the suffering and those in need around you, Love one another as Christ loves you - and you will be able to see the new heaven and the new earth, that is the Reign of God on earth. This is what the Lord tells you and me today!

May your Reign come O Lord!

Traces of Eternal Life

WORD 2day: 4th Saturday of Easter

May 18, 2019: Acts 13: 44-52; John 14: 7-14

These days we are listening to the Word from St. John. For St. John, Eternal Life is the concrete difference that Christ makes in our lives. John uses the term "eternal life" 18 times in his Gospel. 

What is eternal  life... is it a life at the end of this life? That's how our human mind calculates. But eternal life is life that is timeless. That is a gift that God has already placed within us. We need to grow more and more aware of it.

There are traces of the eternal within us and there are steps to become aware of it: recognising the gift that life is, is the first step, where the Giver has a big role to play!

The second step is to live life the way the Lord wants me: as we reflected just recently that the Father's commandments is eternal life. This consists of living my life to the full.

The third step is to be ready to give that life up for the sake of the One who gave that life to me. That is the highest union with life itself: the fullness of eternal life where we realise the Life within us,  the Lord within us and say like Jesus, the Father and I are one! 

The "Way" of life

WORD 2day: 4th Friday of Easter

May 17, 2019: Acts 13: 26-33; John 14: 1-6

Troubled hearts and confused minds are not so rare to find these days. The degrees may vary but every person of the times seems to be troubled with something or the other. Why are your hearts troubled and why do you go confused, asks the Lord!

I remember once in our Scripture class the professor said "the Word has the answer for everything". And a student retorted, "why then are there confusions and misunderstandings? " The Professor without hesitating replied, "that's because we don't have the right questions!"

When things seem to be going wrong, when apparently there are issues that confuse, let's ask the right questions! Who am I? What am I upto?  Where is my ultimate destiny? What is the grand perspective within which my life is unfolding?

There is answer to all these in the Word today: our Way,  the Way, is ready with an answer for everything in our life, let not our hearts be troubled.

Memories that are Salvific

WORD 2day: 4th Thursday of Easter

May 16, 2019: Acts 13: 13-25; John 13: 16-20

The Word today insists upon our memories! This was one great problem with the people of Israel - they never remembered enough all that the Lord did to them. The walk through the red sea was soon forgotten, they complained about no food; the fall of manna was soon forgotten, they detested the monotony of food; the quails were soon taken for granted, they complained about no water; the water from the rock was soon forgotten they wanted a god amidst them...that is why the Lord brings in the right corrective for them: the Covenant! The codified memory of the way the Lord loved them! 

Jesus wants to leave a memory too...he gives a way to keep his memory alive: in serving each other! 

The antonym to this memory we refer to here, is not forgetfulness but taking for granted! We get so used to things that happen around us, that we do not see anything "extraordinary" in them. Beginning with basic things like waking up to the day, and being able to breathe in and breathe out, and upto the greatest wonder of seeing the simple bread change into the body of Christ, how many things we take for granted on a daily basis! 

A holy mind is a child's mind: everything should seem new and wonderful. This is one reason I thought of wishing a person last week (on his birthday), 'have a wonder-filled year ahead'! 

Let us have a wonder-filled day ahead!

The Word and the Spread

WORD 2day: 4th Wednesday of Easter

May 15, 2019: Acts 12:24 - 13:5 ; John 12: 44-50

The Word spread far and wide present the readings today. While the Acts speaks of a type of spread, the Gospel seems to insist on another.

As apostles we cannot keep the Word to ourselves; we would not be 'apostles' if we do so. We are obliged to take it far and wide. We have an impelling call to carry the Word and spread it across to those who are ready,  willing and longing to hear it!

The second type which Jesus insists upon is the spread within. The Word that I have received, the Word that I am carrying to others cannot be something alien to me. First and foremost, I have to ensure the spread of that word within me. That I hear, understand, love and live this word within me even before I intend to take it to others.

Allowing the Word to spread all over my being, transforming me into that word itself,  is the easiest way to spread the Word. All that I would need to do is,  just go and be!

He remained and he was rewarded!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

May 14, 2019: Remembering St. Mathias the Apostle

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

The place of apostle Judas was empty and they consulted the Lord as to who should fill that place! They were inspired to have the criterion that Jesus himself proposed: it had to be one who had 'remained'! Remain in me, said Jesus. And they looked for someone who had remained with them from the beginning to the end. 

Mathias (for that matter even Justus and so many others) had never aspired for anything. They could have had no clue about it. But they remained with Jesus; and after Jesus had gone, with the rest of the band of followers.

Mathias looked forward to nothing except that of being with Christ and he was rewarded for it with a responsibility. He never chose or claimed or aspired to be an apostle, he was chosen to be, because he remained in His love.

This is what the Lord invites us to: to remain in his love and to love each other with the same love as a sign of our discipleship. Surely the Lord will choose to use us as His apostles. 

To Remain, in our daily life, would mean - to love the Lord, to love the Lord amidst all odds, to love the Lord constantly, to love the Lord without making it a bargain to be blessed, to love the Lord because we have been first loved by the Lord, to love the Lord never to desert the Lord come what may! How prepared am I to Remain?

Standing in God's way?

WORD 2day: 4th Monday of Easter

May 13, 2019: Acts 11: 1-18; John 10:1-10

I have come that you may have life, life in all its fullness. The Lord has come, the Lord has encountered us, and the Lord has done everything best. Have we received the fullness of life that the Lord brought us? Aren't we still given into frustrations and discouragements, meaninglessness and immaturities?

In the first reading today we have a clue to understand this. While the Lord was ready and willing and all set to shower the Holy Spirit on everyone, there were some who were standing on the way! Peter challenges it among them,  who are we to stand in God's way?

We allow a lot of things to stand between us and God... it could be our pride, our ego, our laziness,  our malice or could be anything that resists receiving the grace of fullness of life! If we become aware of what it is that stands on the way,  we can grow to be true sheep of the Divine Shepherd.

COME AND BELONG

Call, Choice & Condition

May 12, 2019 - Fourth Sunday in Easter

Acts 13: 14, 43-52; Rev 7: 9, 14-17; Jn 10: 27-30

When I am lifted up, I shall draw everyone to myself said Jesus when he was around. And after his resurrection that is what he did. He drew everyone to him. It was not merely incidental, it was always part of God's magnificent plan. Yes, it is a plan for the whole humanity, 'beginning with the Jews' as St. Paul would often point out! But what happens depends on three considerations: the call, the choice and the condition!

THE CALL is given to every one, there is no Jew or Greek, Christian or not! The first reading today speaks of that shift that took place from the Jews to the entire world, within the salvific plan of God. Paul and Barnabas pay heed to that call... the call to go to the entire world, the call to be the light to the nations, the call to reach out to the ends of the earth. 

The call to belong is universal, every one is called to come and belong! Recently speaking to a group of youngsters, I found them struggling to understand how everyone will be saved, if only those who believe in Christ could be saved. I almost had to shove it down their throat to believe that the Father wills the salvation of ALL. And yes, salvation is through Jesus Christ alone! And the Father will see to it, that the whole creation is reconciled in Christ Jesus our Lord. The call to belong is for every one!

THE CHOICE is mine to make! I have to make a choice and when I don't  make a choice to belong to the Lord, of course the Lord misses me, but loses nothing; whereas I lose everything! The apostles tried their best to impress this upon their fellow Jews, but nothing would change them. They would make a choice for their own supremacy and their own comfort and their own life style! 

This is where the hitch lies; though it is God's will that everyone heed the call to belong, God will never force it on anyone - that is not God's style! The possibility is offered to me: behold, I place before you life and death, salvation and ruin, eternity and end, says the Lord. What is going to be my choice today? To belong to the Lord or continue in the way I think best?

THE CONDITION that the Lord places is just one: that I listen! I should know my Master and listen to my Master's voice. Isaiah has a very pointed way of saying it, when he says even the donkeys know their stable and the asses their master! At times we are very enthusiastic and we COME...the sad fact is that we fail to BELONG. My own know me, and they follow my voice, says the Lord. 

We too, begin with so much enthusiasm only to soon find some excuses to fall by and give up. If only we can work out of the emotional overtures and truly commit our ways to the Lord, we shall not only come, but continue to be and belong to the Lord forever. When we come,  stay on and belong to the Lord there is so much joy and we are filled with the Spirit. 

These are specifically the two signs of our total belonging to the Master: being Joyful and being Spirit-filled: a joy that no one can take away and the Spirit that enlightens every bit of my daily life... what more do we need? 

The Word, the Spirit and the Eternal Life

WORD 2day: 3rd Saturday of Easter

May 11, 2019: Acts 9:31-42; John 6: 60-69

The Disciples were graduating! From listening to proclaiming, from believing to witnessing,  from doing what the Lord said to doing what the Lord did!

It first began with their acknowledgement of the Word. Peter's statement today: where would we go Lord,  you have the words of eternal life is the starting point of their graduation. It brings out their willingness to stick their neck out for Christ. 

The second level of graduation comes from the Spirit promised by the Lord. With the Spirit they felt the power of Jesus present within them. They cured the sick, raised the dead and stood before anyone without fear or trembling. They were different from what they used to be!

Finally there was something that made them completely unbeatable : the perspective of Eternal life. This is what Jesus their master wanted them to have! They learnt that no one could take their eternal life away from them. They were convinced that the joy that the Spirit gives and the peace that the Risen Lord gives, no one could snatch away from them. That was a life changing perspective!

With the Word, in the Spirit and with the perspective of eternal life,  we too can overcome the world as our Lord and saviour has done for us.

Drawing life from Life

WORD 2day: 3rd Friday of Easter

May 10, 2019: Acts 9: 1-20; John 6 : 52-59

As I draw life from the Father, you draw life from me offers the Lord today! The life giving Lord takes the initiative to encounter us and offer us the precious gift of life and the wondrous gift of eternal life. The question that remains is: are we ready to behold that encounter? Saul was!

Saul, though he was in a totally contrary mindset, was ready to encounter the Risen Lord and respond promptly and absolutely. He listened to the Lord and gathered the Lord's call and went ahead to love it in his life. He was fundamentally a person who lived his life to the full and that is why when the Lord offered him the true life, he grabbed it with all his heart.

Paul is such a great model of Christian living. If Jesus were able to say, 'the Father and I are one' and invite us to draw life from him as he draws from his Father, Saul who became Paul was able to challenge his fellow Christians: be imitators of me as I am of Christ (1 Cor 11:1). That is drawing life from Christ, and that is exactly what Jesus expects from us - that we draw life from him as he does from his Father!

The Lord is the source of life and the Life itself and let us surrender ourselves in total earnestness to draw life from Life itself!

How hungry are you?

WORD 2day: 3rd Thursday of Easter

May 9, 2019: Acts 8:26-40; John 6:44-51

Christ proclaims himself to be the food,  the nourishment of our being. I am the bread. ..the flesh that I give is for eternal life. The Word is made flesh and it is there for our taking. But how intent are we on taking in the nourishment?

Today we see the Eunuch who encounters the Word through Philip. Though it was the Spirit who led Philip there and initiated the process,  it was the person's interest that propels the entire process of conversion and transformation. He invited Philip onto the carriage and he asked for the explanation and he demanded to be baptised. He was hungry for the Lord. He yearned for the nourishment. It was there and he claimed it for himself.

Anyone who eats of the bread that I give will never hunger and he who drinks of my blood will never thirst, says the Lord. The world is, and teaches us too to be, hungry for so many things in our lives - money, name, fame, power, possessions, prominence, ego, success, domination and manipulation! There is but just one thing we need to hunger for - the Lord, and only that will remove every other needless hunger! 

The question is,  how hungry am I for the Lord,  for the life giving bread, for the ever living  Word?