In Integrity... He shall walk with you!

THE WORD IN LENT - 5th week, Wednesday

April 1, 2020: Daniel 3: 14-20,91-92,95; John 8: 31-42
Point for Dialogue #28: Private priorities and Public manifestations

'Truth will set you free', declares Jesus today. And if Jesus were to have been asked to define what he meant by Truth, he would have said, 'Truth is what is'... It's no mere philosophy, it is a Spirituality! Remain with that statement a little longer and reflect on it...

Truth is what is, and it never changes. No situation, no circumstance, no crisis will ever change it; if they manage to change it, it had never been the Truth. Compromises, justifications, manipulations, adjustments, conveniences and inconveniences... these considerations at times, drive us away from truth and we experience a sort of split life, split between what we profess and what we practice, between what we believe and how we behave, between what we say and what we are! 

Hence the Word today underlines an essential dialogue that has to take place between the image of myself that I wish to give others and the real me that I nurture within me; a dialogue between my unseen private priorities and my public functional manifestations.

The absence of that split is called Integrity. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were persons of Integrity and no one doubted them on that. Neither were they ready to give up their identity. And they found God walking beside; it was cool in the furnace. In the midst of the crisis we are living through these days, if only we wish to sense the Lord walking beside us, we need to grow in our personal integrity - giving up on the gap between what we say and what we do, what we believe and how we behave. 

Let us heed the call of the Liturgy today...to heal ourselves of all splits that we may learn to live in integrity of life, an integrity that would set us free. In integrity, the Lord shall walk beside us, all our life. 

To be people "from above"

THE WORD IN LENT - 5th week, Tuesday

March 31, 2020: Numbers 21:4-9; John 8:21-30
Point for Dialogue #27: Standards of the world and Standards of Christ

To look to what is lifted up or the one who is lifted up, or in short, to be people 'from above', is the crux of the Word today. 

The first reading speaks of the bronze serpent that was made and lifted up and that anyone bitten by the serpent who looked to it, lived. In the Gospel Jesus speaks of himself, that when he is lifted up, the world will really know him. The readings invite us to take seriously a dialogue between the standards of the world and the standards of Christ, between what is from around and what is from above, in our daily life. 

Jesus invites us too to be lifted up, in our thinking, in our attitudes, in our priorities and in our perspectives. He challenges us to be 'people from above'...that is, to have the mind of Christ, as St.Paul puts it in his letters (Phil 2:5). Do not conform to this world, but in Spirit become an acceptable living sacrifice, St. Paul would instruct elsewhere (Rom 12:2). This is what it means to be people from above!

To look at God and the relationship I have with God, in the same way as Christ looked at; to look at my brothers and sisters, with compassion, empathy and commitment, as Jesus did; to look at everything that happens to us and around us, from the perspective of the Reign of God as Jesus did: this is what Jesus means when he says, "I belong to what is above" (Jn 8:23). And we need to belong to it too, to what is from above.

Let us not give into small talks, gossips, prejudices, judgments, selfishness, rancour, greed or anything of that sort. Let us turn to look to what is above, thus enabling ourselves to be people from above. Thus we will be worthy to repeat Jesus' words: 'I always do what is pleasing to Him."

The meaning of Christian Empathy

THE WORD IN LENT - 5th week, Monday

March 30, 2020: Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62; Jn 8: 1-11
Point for Dialogue #26: Our self-pity and insensitivity!

"Slow to anger and abounding in love", those are the attributes oft repeated about God. If we have to speak of our tendencies today, we should put it this way: 'Quick to judge and totally merciless!' Regardless of who the person involved is, it has become a culture to pass unjust judgments, circulate untrue gossips and entertain unwanted evaluations. Nowadays with the thought of the pandemic around, 'the other' is more and more defined and seen as a threat, a threat that could infect you, a threat that could cause you sickness and even death.. Is it truly a Christ-ian attitude? 

The first reading tells us - even if the whole world around you joins together to tear a person into pieces, you stand aloof and act by the Spirit. The Gospel reminds us - even if it were true that a person has made a mistake, give the person another chance, for God has been endlessly patient with you! Aren't these truly Christ-ian attitudes?

The Word today invites us to deepen a dialogue within us between our tendency to expect everyone to stand by us when we are in trouble and our eagerness to stay clear of any trouble when it comes to  standing for someone in their times of trouble, a dialogue between our self-pity and insensitivity! 

And these are possible only when we empathise with the affected person. Christ empathised with the woman brought to be stoned, he empathised with Zacchaeus, with Matthew the tax collector, with the Samaritan woman at the well, with Peter who denied his master... Christian Empathy, does not approve of the wrong doing or the limitation, but loves and respects the person who is involved. That love and respect, inspires the person to 'Go and sin no more.' 

PREPARE FOR A TRANSFORMATION - THE DIALOGUE OF THE PEOPLE OF LIFE

THE WORD IN LENT - 5th Sunday

The Call to be People of Life
March 29, 2020: Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45

The signs of life are newness, change, growth, freshness, development, and all of them put together, Transformation. We are called to be People of Life, people who are prepared for a transformation, through sufferings and struggles. This message comes out very strongly in the current context - with the world wide lock down and the so called Social Quarantine! Even apart from this, being people of life is not that easy today, because we live surrounded by a culture of Death. 

Death is signified by a state of stand still, a state of no change, a state of decay, a state of giving up, a state of discouragement - if we are going to look at this situation as an isolation, as a punishment, as a terrifying threat to self preservation, we are giving right into that culture of death. The world today is filled with these signs - there seems to be a panic, a self-centered survival instinct unleashed everywhere, a objectifying look that makes everyone other than me a virus out to attack me! Are these signs of a people of life? Can a Christ-ian take this stand towards life?

The Word today invite us to enter into a dialogue proper to the People of Life... because we are children of the God of Life. There is constantly the conflict between the forces of Life and those of death, right before our eyes, in our very own lives, in daily situations and the choices we have to make concretely. If we are people of life, we shall enter into a dialogue of life, being prepared for a transformation. When the Lord promises new life, it does not come out of nothing, not without the process that we have to put ourselves through, not without the struggle, the effort, the self-giving that we need to be prepared for. It is a kind of Spiritual Alchemy that gives rise to a real transformation within. The Lent, and this time of pandemic crisis, is a moment to prepare ourselves for a Transformation.

IN FAITH: God gives us life and constantly renews us. Life is not our making, it is a gift! The more we realise that the more grateful we shall become and the more responsible we would grow in handling it. The first reading, invites us to reflect through Prophet Ezekiel, the gift of Life that is given to us by the very author of life, that is God. I shall give you my Spirit and you shall live, says the Lord. 

In faith we have a relationship built between God and us: You shall be my people and I shall be your God...that is the alliance that God has made with us, and is faithful to. You shall be my children and I shall be your father and mother; You shall be my flock and I shall be your shepherd; You shall be my beloved and I shall fill you with my love..says the Lord. Today the Lord promises us amidst all the darkness of the world and the shadow of death, to fill us with God's Spirit and make us live. As those dry bones, gathered together and stood up to life, so can we rise up in this world as people of life, IN FAITH.

IN HOPE: We are constantly challenged and threatened by the darkness that surrounds us, as the darkness that surrounded Lazarus in the tomb. Just as we are crying out to the Lord, "Lord its been four months the world is grinding through this epidemic crisis," we see the people there telling Jesus, "Lord it's been four days since he has been laid there." Four days...the Jews believed that from the fourth day after death, the process of decay began. The decayed body comes to life, the situation of total hopelessness is brought to life by the Hope of Resurrection.

In hope we need to behold what Jesus declares: I am the Life and Resurrection. In Baptism we are all united to the death of Christ on the Cross, and that gives us the hope of sharing the Resurrection of the Lord. We are called to live as People of life, people who look to the light, people who look up to resurrection, people who are filled with joy and optimism, people who are prepared to be Transformed IN HOPE.

IN LOVE: If we are people of life, it has to be seen in our daily life, in our constant transformation... we cannot live a life that is like anybody else and call ourselves people of life. We cannot grumble and mourn like everyone and call ourselves people of life. We cannot give up and groan like the rest of the world and call ourselves people of life. We cannot panic and get frustrated looking at the suffering, and call ourselves people of life. We cannot look at people as viruses and call ourselves people of life. We cannot become insensitive to the most affected, just because we are also affected, and still call ourselves people of life. We cannot just succumb to sinfulness and evil and still call ourselves people of life. 

In love, when we decide to live our lives, as St. Paul makes it clear in the second reading today...we are to live our life in the Spirit, not the life of flesh. Life in the Spirit is filled with light, radiance, joy and above all, Love. The Spirit of the Risen Lord has to fill our life and thus we will be light to the nations, witness of God's love to the people around, testimonies of the Resurrection that is promised to us and signs of the eternal life that we are called to. The foundation is love...to live a life that is filled with love, love for God who loves us abundantly and love for our brothers and sisters, with respect, dignity, sensitivity and solidarity with every child of God. We will stand for, radiate and uphold life as people of life, IN LOVE.

Let us heed the call that the Word gives us today: to be prepared to be transformed into people of life, in faith, in hope and in love. Turning to the God of life in Faith, returning to the Life and Resurrection that is Jesus Christ in Hope and transforming ourselves to live these moments of trial in the Spirit, in true Love. Let these moments, not be moments of mere isolation or alienation; let these be moments of true internal and communitarian transformation.  

To look for Truth in love

THE WORD IN LENT - 4th week, Saturday

March 28, 2020: Jeremiah 11:18-20; John 7: 40-53
Point for Dialogue #25: Our Goodness and the Goodness in the Other

"Then each went to his own house" - that is how the Gospel passage of today ends (v.53)! In spite of the witnesses who saw that there was something extraordinary in Jesus, in spite of the good that Jesus accomplished, in spite of the wonderful things that they saw, the pharisees took pride that they did not give into believing Jesus. This is the danger that we have to fight every day! We prefer to be in our safe homes, than get out and get to know what the Lord wants to reveal to us. This why Pope Francis keeps crying out for a Church that is in movement, a people of God who are constantly open to the revelations of the Lord in every day events and encounters.

The meaning of pride is not merely lack of humility, but it is lack of openness to truth! When one is open to Truth, one is ready to face struggles, persecutions and threats to stand by that truth, as Jeremiah tells us in the first reading. When one is stubbornly closed up against anything other than what he or she knows, one is locked up in "one's own house." We are called by the Word today to enter into a dialogue between our eagerness to be right and our earnest search of truth; between our belief that we are good and our capacity to see the good in the other. 

The experience of Massah and Meribah where the people tested the Lord because of their stubbornness of heart, is what continued in Jesus' life as they refused to understand who Jesus was. In fact, it continues even today, when we are selective in our perceptions and choosy in our reflections. We take what is convenient for us and neglect what is not.

Truth does not matter to us as much as living without trouble. Truth does not matter to us as much as having everyone nod to our thinking and choice. When they don't agree, we tend to neglect them, sideline them, persecute them, hate them, or at least ignore them! Is this a Christian attitude? What do we prefer, to return to our own house, our own thinking, our own fixed judgements as soon as possible, or to truly look for the Truth in love?

Transformation - True Knowledge of God

THE WORD IN LENT - 4th week, Friday

March 27, 2020: Wisdom 2: 1A,12-22; John 7: 1-2,10,25-30.
Point for Dialogue #24: Mind for Information and the Spirit of Transformation

The prime question today in the liturgy is "knowing God"... what kind of knowing is truly knowing, when it comes to the knowledge of God? What matters most is not knowing about God, but knowing God. Are we aware of the difference between knowing about God and knowing God? Are we even mindful of the fact that there is a difference! 

Knowing about, is information and Knowing, is transformation. These days going through the crisis of the present pandemic, we see every day (also because people are all shut down into their houses) a flood of information - right, wrong and worthless alike. People look for it and keep spreading it... simply because the human mind is curious for information. Will those information alone save the situation? Coming back to the theme of the Word today...

Knowing philosophical concepts and theological finer points is merely information, but allowing those to affect our lives, forming our values based on those and living a life that is coherent to our beliefs is more than mere knowledge; it is more than just knowing about God; it is knowing God! The Word invites us today for a dialogue between that curiosity of our mind for information and the readiness of our spirit for transformation.

The people in the Gospel today, knew so much about God, but they did not know God when God really lived and moved amidst them. Knowing the biblical verses by heart and quoting them in season and out of season, reflecting on the depths of theological ruminations and reaching the heights of mystical formulations will not guarantee true knowledge of God. 

Jesus says of God: "I know the Father because I am from the Father" and that is the true knowledge of God. Knowing God is to belong to God, to be open to God's promptings, to listen to the Word and to see God's will in it, ever ready to accept, live and stand for God's plan, will and design. To carry out God's will is the direct route to true happiness; it arises from right rapport with God translated into right, respectful, just, genuine and loving relationships, in our daily living. 

Remaining with the Truth - compromise versus commitment!

THE WORD IN LENT - 4th week, Thursday

March 26, 2020: Exodus 32: 7-14; John 5: 31-47
Point for Dialogue #23: Impatience of mind and Endurance of the will

Testifying to oneself, others testifying, God testifying, the Word testifying... testifying to the Truth is an important element of Christ-ian Spirituality. Jesus speaks of all these today in the Gospel. The point he makes is: a hard-hearted person will never see the truth, however clearly it might be presented. 

Human mind gets too easily tired of seeking the truth! It prefers to ask the question 'what is truth' (as Pilate asked) and much worse the question, 'is there a truth', without really making all the efforts to ask the question, 'how best can I get to it?' The call here is to set a dialogue up between my impatience to hold on to something immediate and my endurance to remain in the draught until I get the closest possible to the truth, that is, between an easy compromise and an enduring commitment.

The people of Israel in the first reading are an ample illustration of the lot that easily gives into compromise, so impatient in mind. In spite of the wonders that they witnessed in Egypt, at the red sea and in the desert, they had the hardness of heart to settle with the gods made of their own hands - just because they could not wait, they could not endure the time that Moses was taking, they could not wait on the Lord anymore! 

Confusions of our daily life, troubles of our regular days, temptations amidst our ordinary experiences, struggles to carry out one's duties, and intense experiences like the one we are through these day with the health crisis  - these can some times make us forget the Truth that we have always experienced. 

Deserting one's faith, abandoning one's traditions, going in search of easy substitutes for the cherished experiences of life... things of these sorts are nothing strange to the world today. It is simply because, the human mind is so impatient and prefers compromise to commitment! How well founded is our faith expreience? In whom have we placed our hope? Let us recommit ourselves to endure any situation to remain always close to the Truth!

Plan, Project and Proclamation

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

March 25, 2020: Solemnity of Annunciation

Isaiah 7: 10-14,8:10; Hebrew 10:4-10; Luke 1: 26-38

God's salvific plan is an eternal design in God's endless love for us, the children of God. The feast of Annunciation is beautiful reminder of how every little thing that happens fits into the wonderful design of God. 

Inspite of the undeserving nature of persons as depicted by Ahaz episode in the first reading, inspite of the impossibility of conditions as expressed by Mary in the Gospel scene, inspite of the improbability of human calculations as evinced by the example of the aged Elizabeth, God's plan of salvation works, and works for the good of those who love God (cf. Phil 8:28). Looking at the situation that the world is facing right now - the crisis of the pandemic... we look at how helpless we are, how weak and vulnerable we are, how suspicious and dangerous we could grow to each other. Everything looks grim and gloomy but it is only a faithful heart that can behold the streak of light that comes through that gloom!

That which makes it possible is the willingness to carry out God's will. St. Paul affirms in his letter to the Romans, as one man's disobedience brought death into this world, so does one man's submission to God's will bring salvation to the entire human race! (Cf. Rom 5:19) Mary, is presented today as the type, the model, for human cooperation! We see in Mary's 'yes', the human version of the obedience of the Word Incarnate: "Behold, I come to do your will". She brings it much more closer and makes it more compelling on us, to listen to God's word, treasure it in our hearts and carry it out to the details, to be persons totally dedicated to live the will of God on a daily basis. 

In God's eternal plan, there is a project made for each of us and every time we cooperate with the plan of God, we proclaim in our own way the majesty of God's love for humanity, as does Mary today in her fiat. 

By the streams of living water

THE WORD IN LENT - 4th week, Tuesday

March 24, 2020: Ezekiel 47:1-9,12; John 5: 1-3,5-16

Point for Dialogue #22: Life threatening situations and the Life giving waters!

The Springs of living waters, that fill us with life, health and joy are pictured today in the readings. With terms all around us such as affected, infected, quarantined, critical care, epidemic, pandemic and so on, which announce death and the fear of death, the Word speaks to us about new life, healing and the life giving streams! 

The life giving waters keep flowing on, it depends on us to approach it and drink from it. Jesus invites us, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me; and let the one who believes in me, drink!" (Jn 7:37-38). It becomes crucial that we engage ourselves in the dialogue between the waters that the world offers - that of fear, anxiety and selfish concerns, and the waters that the Lord offers - that of new life, happiness and true joy.

We are planted by the stream that flows, that is, we are enlivened by the presence of the Lord who surrounds us each and every moment. True spirituality has to arise from there - based on the personal presence of God with us every moment of our life. Special places like the Church or the Sanctuaries and special moments like those of Eucharist and others, should be the springs from where the waters flow on into daily life, affecting our daily life, our every day thoughts, words and deeds! Even if these are placed in crisis, as it is happening right now, our communion with God and each other should be able to sustain itself. 

If that connection is lost or that flow is blocked, then we become lifeless vegetation that remains fruitless. Let us return to the Springs of living waters and make our daily life flourish, for the greater glory of God! Let us choose always to be by the streams of living water!

Be calm and count your blessings!

THE WORD IN LENT - 4th week, Monday

March 23, 2020: Isaiah 65: 17-21; John 4: 43-54

Point for Dialogue #21: The Anxious me and the Grateful me!

Behold, I make all things new, declares the Lord. What a promise to behold, as we are all the time bogged down by the experience and news of the health crisis all over the world. Every day, in spite of the trials and difficulties we are showered with innumerable blessings. If only we are attune to every thing that happens in our life, we will be able to count our blessings, the blessings that make our life every day meaningful. 

If we start every day with the spirit of the Psalms that remind us: this is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it - we would profit by living that day with a grateful heart. It becomes so important today to initiate a dialogue between the anxious me and the grateful me! 

A grateful heart is a humble heart; a humble heart is a grateful heart! The more grateful we grow, the less anxious we become. The less anxious we become, the more holy we grow! The more holy we become, the more we shall realise how true it is that the Lord is in control! Let us never panic, for God is in charge. God who has blessed us all this while, will continue to bless and protect us! We are in the hands of the Lord - nothing can separate us from the love of God: neither sickness nor hunger, neither trials nor temptations, not even death! But one thing will - anxiety. Anxiety will lead to doubt and doubt to fear; where there is fear, there is no love!

The Lord who says in the Gospel, 'Go home and your son shall live,'... tells us, 'be calm, I am with you!' Let us stay firm and count our blessings; let us be grateful and remain firmly united to the Lord. And we will live a life that will be a blessing to us, and a blessing to all who are around us!

LIGHTED TO BE TESTIMONIES - THE DIALOGUE OF PROCLAMATION

THE WORD IN LENT - 4th Sunday

The Requirements of our Call to Proclaim 

March 22, 2020: 1 Samuel 16: 1,6-7, 10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9: 1-41

"We are children of the Light", the readings remind us today and invite us to live in the light! To awake from the slumber of the darkness, to avoid the works of the people of darkness and to acknowledge that we have been anointed to announce the good news to the world - that is the call to be children of the light. It is a dialogue of Proclamation, the dialogue of recognising the Light within me and sharing it with the world! 

These are also the requirements, the demands, the prerequisites to be truly children of the light. We need to be convinced that we have the light within us, the Light of the world is with us and within us. We are lighted to shine, we are lighted to shine as testimonies to that Light which longs to lead everyone to fullness of life. We need to announce the the world, to every one around that they are called to that fullness of light; that they are called to that splendour that God has placed within us, as children of God. 

We are called to SEE. Blindness is not merely of the physical eye... blindness of the heart to perceive the something that is so apparent is the worst of all blindness. Physical blindness is a handicap, but Spiritual blindness sometimes is a choice, a choice against something obvious! Not to see the goodness of the other, not to see the good the other has done to you, not to see the great things that God has done for us, these are the blindnesses out of which the Lord calls us today. 

The darkness within us can surround us so much that we may find so comfortable and cosy within it, not knowing that it is actually eating into us...making us more and more empty. That was the problem of the pharisees and the scribes: they were so cosy in their own world but Jesus disturbed them! He called them to light, he called them to awake. The Word today, calls us to AWAKE and see the Light, shining on us!

We are called to SEE LIKE GOD. As children of God we are called to see like God. The first reading presents to us an incident where the Lord gives us a practical lesson for our life. David, the least of all in the family of Jesse was chosen against all odds to be the ruler of Israel. There are other such occasions too that we find in the Bible: Joseph the sold slave, Gideon the weakling, Esther the orphan girl and so on. The message is clear: to see like God. As the Lord clarifies it (1 Sam 16:7), the Lord sees the heart and not the external appearances; the Lord sees the internal disposition and not the eternal display; the Lord sees the interior openness and not a stubborn self righteousness. 

To see like God would mean to AVOID the works of the people of darkness, who try to close their eyes to any good that someone can do because of a prejudice they have at heart; who look for any lame excuse to judge and vilify others merely because they do not like the other; who look at others as threats and wait to see their ruin.It is a real challenge in the world today, to stay clear of the works of darkness, the thoughts of darkness, the prejudices of darkness, the discriminations of darkness - all in the name of traditions, customs and age old practices. Beware! Avoid the works of darkness and put on the armour of Light!

We are called to MAKE OTHERS SEE GOD. We are anointed people of God, chosen children of God. Peter reminds us in his letter, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet 1:9). The man in the Gospel was given his sight, as he was 'sent to Siloam'..he was sent, as we are sent! We are sent... with the light... that we may carry that light to all... that light which becomes the judgement of the world. As long as we do not realise it, we are not culpable; but the moment we realise it, we are liable to judgement, we are burdened with this call, we are loaded with a great responsibility on our shoulders as people of God: to be testimonies!

By our baptism we have been ANOINTED and by the sacrament of confirmation we are confirmed in the anointing, and we are sent - that we are to announce to the world the good news of the love of God. That we may see and see like God, we are given the Light of the Lord. The Light shines within us with such splendour that it radiates to the world around us! We are commissioned to be testimonies of the Light, the Light that shines within us, the Light shines in the world. 

If we can say like that blind man in the Gospel - "One thing I know, I was blind and now I can see!" - we are testimonies to the Light that shines within us, the Light that can give meaning to the world. When we really see and see like God, the works of God will be made visible through us and that is what we are called to. Let us thank God for having given us God's light and let us be lighted to be testimonies of the the Light to the world.

Return to the Lord in love - the invitation continues!

THE WORD IN LENT - 3rd week, Saturday

March 21, 2020: Hosea 5:15 - 6:6; Luke 18: 9-14

Point for Dialogue #20: Loving Sacrifice and Meaningless Ceremonies

'It is love that I desire, not sacrifice,' declares the Lord in the first reading today. In fact, love is the best form of sacrifice one can offer the Lord, says Jesus in the Gospel. 

It is only in love we can become acceptable to the Lord - even the best of liturgical ceremonies, with the biggest of crowds, with the richest of things and the loftiest of creativity involved, will matter nothing when it is done without love - true love for God and concrete love for neighbours! Hence we are led today to a dialogue between truly loving sacrifices that we could offer and meaningless ceremonies and rituals we could end up with!

Speaking of love, we do not refer to a mere sentimental feeling for the other, but a concrete commitment for the good of the other. The concrete commitment is translated in terms of compassion, understanding, not judging, empathising, extending a hand, standing for the other and being ready to lay down one's life for the other! Do we not see exactly the opposite qualities at work today in the world - competition, arrogance, judgements, insensitivity, let downs, conspiracies and ruining others' lives for one's own well being! 

The choice is ours: lie low in the eyes of the spoiled society and be "blessed" in the eyes of the Lord, or parade oneself before the society but be despicable in the eyes of the Lord! What is our choice? Will we go home justified today?

Return to the Lord - in love!

THE WORD IN LENT - 3rd week, Friday

March 20, 2020: Hosea 14: 2-10; Mark 12: 28-34

Point for Discussion #19: My necessary behaviour and my credible reasoning

"Return" is the message that the readings today give us, as the first reading explicitly begins with. And Jesus in the gospel, states the way to return to the Lord... it is only through love; because "God is love"! 

There can be various reasons to return to something or someone... it could be because you gain something, it could be because you fear something, it could be because you are trying to give someone else a message! But none of these could be right reasons to return to the Lord - the only reason could be because we love the Lord and above all, the Lord loves us!

Loving God and loving one's neighbours, is no more two different things in Jesus' mind. It is one and the same: to love God is to love others, to love others is the easiest way to loving God. More than anything else, loving God is a necessity and loving others is its credibility. The dialogue that we are called to is a dialogue between our necessary behaviour and our credible reasoning - that is our good works for others and our innermost motivation behind those works! 

The most interesting part of today's message, when both the readings taken together, is a short cut to the heart of God. The readings seem almost to suggest that, even if you have a lot of imperfections within you, if you genuinely love, you are closer to the heart of Jesus than the so-called perfect person who lacks compassion and mercy! 

"Love and do what you will", said St. Augustine, who understood the real heart of Jesus, who declares today, that the person who spoke to him was not far from the Reign, simply because he understood the importance of love: love for God and love for one's neighbours!

As the Lord commands...

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

March 19, 2020: Feast of St. Joseph

2 Samuel 7: 4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a.

St. Joseph  is presented in the Gospels often as a modern icon of the ancient fathers -Abraham, Jacob, David and others! 

The readings today bring out the same theme, as they dwell on the ancestry and the promises fulfilled. Apart from various other similarities that we can find, one striking similarity between the Fathers and St. Joseph, is that of their readiness to do what the Lord commands. 

Joseph seems to have had no objections whatsoever to carrying out the projects handed on to him by God- a perfect attitude of faith, the attitude of total surrender and absolute trust. The Holy Family was in safe hands because he did not allow his ego to dominate but allowed the Lord to be the center of his household.

May St. Joseph teach us these three things for our daily living: - Listening to God and living by it; - Letting God have His way in whatever it may; - Loving those entrusted to us by the Divine Providence, with a love that is committed and selfless.

Specially during these days when the whole world is reeling under the health emergency of the pandemic, Joseph teaches us to be calm and listen to the Lord; to do our best and surrender to the Lord; to love every one around with all our heart! That is a challenging call, truly Christian call - to live our life as the Lord commands.

The law is in its "end"

THE WORD IN LENT - 3rd week, Wednesday

March 18, 2020: Deuteronomy 4: 1,5-9; Matthew 5: 17-19

Point for Dialogue #18: What I have always done and Why I do it?

Law is a simplified code to live one's life to the full. But if law were to hinder one from living one's life or hinder someone else from living his or her life to the full, it is a clear sign that the real sense of law is lost! However, in the name of being forward thinking, can we dare throw away all the norms and laws that guarantee a meaningful personal and social life?

Moses and Jesus, in the Word today speak to us of this - the importance of understanding the laws with diligence. Jesus says, the laws would never end, but mind you, there is an end to every law! That is, every law is created keeping in mind an end towards which it leads you. Laws are means to an end! Beware they are not end in themselves. Keeping laws for the sake of keeping them, makes you a slave and not a free child of God. It is an invitation to enter into a dialogue between what I have always done and why I do it today?

In fact, each of us has this law embedded in our hearts, as the responsorial psalm reminds us; and our responsibility is to recognise, realise, relearn to respect the meaning, the role and the real sense of law in our hearts towards living our daily life in fulfillment of God's unique plan for each of us. If I do something just because it is a law, I do not grow!

If I do something, because it is a law and I know the purpose or the end towards which that law is ordained, I grow out of it, I become disciplined, I become integral, I become holy! Yes, law can lead me to holiness, but if and only if, I carry it out with profound understanding and personal committment - and not our of force or fear. 

Truly, the law is in its end, in its purpose, in that goal, in that destiny where it leads the law keeper to. In short, this is what Jesus tells us today: keep the law, but know why you are keeping it!

Getting in touch with the Goodness

THE WORD IN LENT - 3rd week, Tuesday

March 17, 2020: Daniel 3: 25, 34-45; Matthew 18: 21-35

Point for Dialogue #17: My state of life and the Goodness of the Lord

Do unto others what you want done unto you - this is the golden rule and it is common to almost all ideologies and religious teachings. While it can be interpreted as a kind of business-type or contractual relationship, the wisdom behind it cannot be missed. 

The Word today reiterates that wisdom to us, inviting us to pay heed to the way we judge or evaluate persons and events in our daily life! It invites us to a dialogue between our state of affairs and the goodness of the Lord that prods us to goodness, within us and in the world around. 

The first reading underlines one of the most important factors to be kept in mind while making an evaluation of a situation: your self-awareness - that is knowing about yourself, acknowledging your limitedness, accepting your weaknesses, looking to make changes that would make you progress in goodness! It is not merely a self-negation, falsely proclaimed as if to say I have no inherent value within myself. Neither is it a self-absolutisation, foolishly making oneself the centre of the entire universe!

Gospel continues to reflect on the fact that the Lord is so good that in spite of all our weaknesses and failures, we are accepted and loved and above all, forgiven. If we have experienced that goodness so undeservedly from the Lord, what have we to do? It places within perspective that an unforgiving mind is an ungrateful mind, a judging intolerant attitude is a lack of realistic self-awareness. 

The more we become aware of our vulnerabilities, the more holistic we grow. That is certainly a paradox. But it is true anyway, because our goodness comes from the ultimate Goodness that the Lord is. Let us get more and more in touch with the Goodness of the Lord, to grow in our own goodness within. 

Return to the child in you!

THE WORD IN LENT - 3rd week, Monday

March 16, 2020: 2 Kings 5:1-15; Luke 4: 24-30

Point for Dialogue #16: the Present and the Path we have trodden

All that Naaman had between him and his cure, was his ego! All that the people had between them and accepting Jesus as the Christ was the same ego and its senseless stubbornness. All that we have today between us and our inner joy, is our ego and its hardheadedness. 

When Naaman cleared himself of his ego and plunged into the humble waters of Jordan, the first reading says, "his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child and he was clean." What we need to do to counter our ego, is to take a closer and more realistic look at the child within us - our origins, our stages of growth, how dependent we were on people and how we would be nothing if not for so many wonderful hearts and souls who have made us what we are!

Jesus invites us precisely to this: to RETURN TO THE CHILD IN US; 'unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Reign of God', is Jesus' stand (cf. Mt 18:3). It is a realistic dialogue between who we are and who we were; between what we are and how we have made up to here; between our present and the path we have trodden so far, because on those pathways are strewn the wisdom that we need to go on with. 

How many times we forget the path we have trodden and allow our ego to take us on an unrealistic trip! How we forget the goodness of God that has sustained us thus far! How we throw away all the great riches we have experienced and go after some new found ego-boost that has come our way! How we can become so numb to all those who have helped us grow, and think we have grown all by ourselves! We will remember them all, only when we take a good look at the child within us.

Truly, when we are capable of undoing the ego and training our hearts to thirst for God, as the responsorial psalm reminds us, we will inherit the Reign of God.   

LIVING WITH THIRST - A DIALOGUE AT CRISIS

THE WORD IN LENT: 3rd Sunday

The Faith-skills during Crisis...

March 15, 2020: Exodus 17: 3-7; Romans 5: 1-2,5-8; John 4: 5-42

Life is beautiful, no doubt; but it never lacks its share of problems, difficulties, confusions, traps and temptations. These moments, world over, are being lived as moments of crisis, a health crisis, an epidemic crisis. The beauty lies precisely in the manner in which a person lives these moments more than the happier ones. Anyone claiming to be a person of faith, has to manifest a level of maturity that shows him or her capable of living with a constant thirst. The liturgy today invites us to get into a dialogue with our moments and experiences of difficulty; with the moments of crisis. And this dialogue will lead us to reflect on a crucial aspect of our faith life - learning to live with thirst. 

Life has its own patches of dryness and no one's life is an exception to it. The dryness is more severe in some, when compared to the others. What matters is not actually how much more or how much less, but how a person handles one's own share of dryness. Handling aridity in life is a faith-skill. We see the people of Israel in their driest patch of their history - the sojourn in the desert. They are brought forth from slavery across the Red Sea, with great and mighty signs and wonders. But once in the desert, they complain for every little thing lacking patience to the core. They long for the onions and garlic of Egypt, they long for the flesh and meat they once had in plenty, they fret that they are without a drop of water! 

It is easy to laugh at them or judge their impatience, but we will do well before that to think of ourselves and our lives. Issues in the family, the employment issues, the financial crisis, the relationship issues, sickness, misunderstanding...and now the fear and anxiety of the epidemic that threatens... as soon as a problem begins in our lives don't we begin to complain too? The Lord teaches us - to TURN TO THE ROCK, when struggling to handle aridity in life. Dying without water, the people get water from the least expected source... in the dry parched desert and worse still, a dry boulder of a rock in that desert. If we turn to the Lord, our Rock... we will see solutions to our problems, clarity to our confusions, help in our difficulties, from the least expected quarters. Let us turn to the Rock.

The second reading instructs us how to comport ourselves while feeling the thirst. When in the thick of a problem or in the eye of the storm, where do we fix our gaze? On the problem: that will only magnify the problem. On ourselves: that will only make us more and more depressed in self pity. On those who are without problems: that is only a deceptive perspective of the reality. 

Instead the Word invites us to fix our gaze on Christ, on the Lord who, even while we were undeserving sinners, was ready to lay down his life for us. Such is the love of God for us and should we fret when we are in a crisis? We are invited to TURN TO THE SPRING, to the saving grace that loves without measure, the love that has been "poured" into our hearts from that Spring. Christ becomes the spring from where we could receive the grace, which alone can quench our thirst and our longing for peace.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of a thirst with which we should all live! It is not the thirst for a material good, not a thirst for a interim peace, nor a thirst for a breath of relief but a thirst for eternal life, a thirst for perennial peace, a thirst for fullness of life - a life-giving thirst. He offers to give us the living water, the spring "gushing up to eternal life" (Jn 4:14). "All who are thirsty, come to me and drink" he declared elsewhere (Jn 7:37). 

We are called to live with that thirst, constantly longing for God. Like that deer that yearns for running streams, like the parched land that longs for rain, our soul should thirst for God, teaches the psalm (42). Let us thirst for God, let us thirst for a deeper and deeper relationship with God. let us thirst for the Spirit, let us thirst for the fruits of the Spirit, let us thirst for a life that is united with God, let us thirst for a life that is filled with God. 

Let nothing disturb us...let nothing separate us from God...hardships or distress or persecution or famine or perils or sword, not even death; let nothing separate us from God. Let these days of lent and the days or crisis that we are facing, help us to TURN TO A LIFE-IN-GOD. 

Decide to return to the Father's Heart

THE WORD IN LENT - 2nd week, Saturday

March 14, 2020: Micah 7:14-15,18-20; Luke 15: 1-3,11-32

Point for Dialogue #15: God's Faithfulness and Our faithfulness to God

Faithfulness of God to God's people is expressed in God's boundless mercy. We are called to be faithful, because God is faithful to us. Just as St. Paul writes to Timothy, even if we are faithless, God remains faithful (2 Tim 2:13). It is the faithfulness of God that inspires and gives us the strength to be faithful.

The first reading explains how this has always been so in history; and in the Gospel, Jesus presents this fact with a parable which  pictures the Father's heart with an incredible clarity: a heart that is forgiving, welcoming, compassionate, merciful, kind, unconditionally loving and absolutely faithful. 

The Word today invites a heartful dialogue between God's faithfulness and our faithfulness, not to only to remind us how undeserving we are, but above all to insist on the grace of God's closeness to us and God's unfailing love for us.

When once, I shared this with a group of youngsters, one of them asked - 'but why should God forgive me and why should God be so merciful?' The answer was so simple, 'because "God is Love" (1 Jn 4:8)'. It is not merely that God loves, but the fact is, God is Love! God is madly in love with us... and that immense love is greater than any of my sin, it is greater than any force that blocks me from getting closer to God. 

All that I need to do is to DECIDE like that son, "I will rise and go to my Father!"; all that I need to do today, is DECIDE to return to the Father's mercy; avail of the bountiful gift of forgiveness at the sacrament of reconciliation and be drenched in the mercy that flows from the Father's heart.

Life in God and our hidden thoughts

THE WORD IN LENT - 2nd week, Friday

March 13, 2020: Genesis 37: 3-4,12-13,17-28; Matthew 21: 33-43,45-46
Point for Dialogue #14: God's will and our selfish motivations

A common phrase we come across in the two readings of today is, "Come let us kill him". The world today is no different - there are people who are prepared to even kill the other, for the sake of achieving their ends: be it killing them literally, or  in sense of a character assassination or killing the dreams of the other, killing the prospects of the other... it is a clear demonstration of obstinacy of one's personal will. 

A reflection on this predicament of humanity leads us to a conscientious dialogue of ourselves with our innermost thoughts and motivations - whether what matters is my selfish will or God's holy will. When I surrender myself to God's will, I am certain of ensuring myself and to the entire humanity, real well being.

However intricately we plan and however clinically we execute it, we are bound to have a restlessness in our hearts that will overtake us at some point or other in life. We will experience true peace and serenity in our hearts, when and only when, we are able to surrender our lives and all its aspects into the hands of God, and live according to God's will, bearing the fruits expected of us and bearing witness to the unconditional love of God! 

When we surrender to God's will, we will rediscover the true meaning of life in God. 

Where do I draw my priorities and perspectives from?

THE WORD IN LENT - 2nd week, Thursday 

March 12, 2020: Jeremiah 17: 5-10; Luke 16: 19-31

Point for Dialogue #13: External Actions and Internal Motivations

Religious Commitment is not merely about rites, rituals, performances and practices! Christian faith is primarily about priorities. Even in our daily life, what we do first, what we give up for the sake of something or someone, what we choose over another, what we are ready to sacrifice for the sake of a particular reason, what we prefer over something else - all these are concrete indicators to what really matters to a person; his or her priorities!

Having the right priorities is essentially a grace from the Spirit - as it involves extraordinary sense of wisdom and discernment. And whether we have the right priorities is an obvious fact that can be easily gauged from the decisions and choices we make. But whether they are truly our priorities and whether we are truly convinced of it, is a matter of the heart, apart from oneself, God alone knows it - for God pierces the heart and knows our thoughts.

What the Word today leads us to is a sincere dialogue between what we do and why we do, between our external actions and the internal motivations. Because it is in this dialogue can we understand how far we are from ourselves. And the Word insists, what we would be judged for, is our unseen motivation and not our seen activities. Blessed is the one who has not much to cover between these two.

Life and all that it involves is a gift from God, and it makes meaning only as long as it is lived with that perspective clear and strong. At times the values that the times teach us, the priorities that the society promotes, makes us look at riches, comforts, social status, economic security, personal attachments as things that matter most. Taken well, these can bring us to realise, understand and cherish the giftedness involved. But taken amiss, they can confuse our priorities, as it happens with the rich man in today's parable. 

Jeremiah draws our attention to trees planted by the course of a river - without even anyone seeing they draw heavily from the river to live their daily life! That is what we could do too, to grow and flourish in grace and giftedness; draw from the Lord, our priorities and perspectives and that would certainly transport us to the bosom of Abraham.

Serving God or Using God?

THE WORD IN LENT - 2nd week, Wednesday

March 11, 2020: Jeremiah 18: 18-20; Matthew 20: 17-28

Point for Dialogue #12: God's will or Hidden Agenda

We are presented with two worldviews today - Jesus and Jeremiah representing one of the them, the people, the disciples and most of us (hopefully it is not all of us) today representing the other! The first is a worldview that comes from being connected to God; the other comes from using even God for our motives. The former is the logic of God's plan, while the latter is a logic of my hidden agenda! The first liberates, the other enslaves!

Look at Jeremiah, being plotted against. They were planning to get rid of him, not because he was evil, but because he was good, he was too good, he was putting them into discomfort always bringing in the point of view of God. And Jesus was condemned, as we know well, for having spoken what the One who sent him wanted him to. They were out to do God's will and they had to face the consequences.

Look at the other party involved... the people who wanted to get rid of Jeremiah, the people who condemned Jesus, the disciples who utterly failed to understand the real teachings of their Master and Lord... they were preoccupied with their plans in mind: getting rid of the disturbing prophet, getting rid of the prophetic Messiah, making use of their closeness to the Master to get positions of power, climbing the ladder and securing their career! 

The contrast that is shown here in the Word, challenges us to enter into a sincere dialogue between our call and claim to do God's Will and our agenda to win our own ends with the hidden agenda we have. At times this agenda is so crooked, that it tends to even "use" God, for our own advantages. See those who are trying to make a living in the name of God, who try to make their career in the name of God, who try to dominate and overpower others in the name of God. 

Whether we are out to serve or enjoy being served...that depends on whether we wish to do what God wants or we are intent on achieving our own ends. God's will or Hidden Agenda...which is my choice today?