BEING SAINTS

The ABC of being Saints!

November 1, 2020: Solemnity of All Saints 
Revelations 7: 2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3: 1-3; Matthew 5: 1-12 

There is an ever loved and oft quoted anecdote about this sweet little boy who was taken to a traditional Cathedral for the first time by his mother. The boy was tremendously impressed with the splatter of colours on the floor due to the rays that shone through the stained glasses on the walls (remember those classic cathedrals, don't you... and they are becoming endangered specimen these days, with some of them converted to mosques and some others to public halls and themed restaurants!). Coming back to the boy, there for the first time, seeing all the splendour in glowing natural lights, he with his eyes wide open looked at those stained glasses and asked his mother...'mamma, what is this?' So used to his constant questions, the mother pointed to those stained glasses and replied in short, 'Oh... they are the saints!' The boy could not take his eyes or his mind off those pictures on the stained glass. That stuck to the boy's mind, not merely until he returned home but even further. And the next day at school when the catechism teacher asked, who are saints... he shouted out in excitement, "yes I know them." And when the teacher happily turned to him, he continued, "saints are those who let the light shine through them!"

I think that's the best definition for a saint by far. A saint is the one who lets the light, the light of the Lord, shine through him or her. The colours and the shades are exotic, but the light is from the Lord. The shapes and contours are all varied and impressive, but the source is one and the same, the light of the Lord! What a lovely image we have today, of all the saints standing in one choir, as one family, as one community of brothers and sisters, giving praises to the Lord! A grand day and a proportionately important reminder to each of us: you are called to be one of them, you are called to be a Saint!

The Word this day, read attentively, can provide us with a fundamental understanding of what it means to be a saint. They get us thinking, not only about all the saints we have out there, but also about the saint that we have to nourish and nurture within each of us. The Word furnishes us with an ABC of being saints, in our daily life, here and now!

A saint is one who ACKNOWLEDGES the supremacy of God, allowing God to take charge of one's life. This seems to be the most challenging task for human beings as centuries get past us. Human beings, as individual persons and as communities of persons, wish to become more and more autonomous, from everything and every one, even from God, considering God as someone who could infringe on our freedom, our decision making and our authority on our own lives. But all it takes is just a simple recollection of what has happened to humanity in history due to pride and self glory, to understand we are wrong to think of keeping God away from this world. We will be drastically failing. 

The responsorial psalm today invites us to reflect on this absolute supremacy of God. Everything takes its existence from God. How can we ever think of doing away with the Master, as long as we hold on to what the Master has made and programmed and keeps sustaining? The first ever attitude that can bring us towards true sanctity, obviously, is acknowledgement of God's authority over everything, and specially, over my entire self. The more we acknowledge the primacy of God, the more grateful we become; the more grateful we become, the more holy we grow - that is the secret of being saints!

A saint is one who BELONGS totally to God, placing God at the centre of his or her life. Certainly, it does not suffice to acknowledge the authority of God over everything and over me, there is something more to it, when it comes to being saints. In simple terms, it is feeling close, feeling intimately connected, feeling totally grafted on to God - a bond which is like that which exists between a mother and a child, that connectedness that is not merely peripheral, but something that penetrates my very being! I am connected to my God, at the core of my being, at the depth of my soul, at the essence of my spirit, because it is from God I take my life, my image, my entire existence. I belong to God, totally.

In the second reading, John reminds us of who we are - we are children of God, that is what we are! Whether the world acknowledges or not, whether we acknowledge or not, the fact remains that we are children of God, and God will never renounce us, even if we do! God has loved us in to existence and loves us from all eternity. This love was manifest in the incarnation, when Christ came to show us whose image we bear, and to what image we should liken ourselves to. We belong to God who created us, the Lamb who has washed us and the Spirit who consecrates us into children of God, treasured possessions of God, images and likenesses of God, here on earth! The more we realise to whom we bleong, the more we understand who we really - that is the way of being saints!

A saint is one who COMMITS oneself to God's cause, to God's people, to God's will, on a daily basis! That we come from and belong to God, is truly a privilege, a great honour; but it is at the same time, a great challenge too, a call to commitment. As children of God, as people of God, as persons who acknowledge God and belong to God, we are called to manifest that in our daily life, in the ordinary choices we make and in every major decision we take! You will be criticised for it, calumniated against, painted as a threat, called names, jeered at, pictured as an outdated fool, useless misfit...yes! But can you give up? You just can not! There will be mighty forces lining up against you - the economic forces that tend to reduce everything to numbers and currencies, the political forces that are ready to do absolutely anything for the sake of power and position, the anti social forces that take joy and pride in disrupting peace of the people, the immoral forces that perpetrate corruption of everything including the souls of human persons...all these are mighty and they will stand against you! But can you give up? You just should not! Because you are from God, you belong to God and you are the Blessed of the Lord!

The Gospel outlines a way of life that is so surrealistic...that is indeed our roadmap to true holiness. Today, as Pope Francis repeats to us so very often, holiness does not consist in keeping ourselves aloof as refrigerated beings, we need to get down into the slush, get ourselves dirtied, fight our way, stand for the truth, march for justice, rise for the oppressed, reach out for the marginalised, voice out for the voiceless, live for peace, die for love and finally, shout for joy! We are blessed, we are blessed children of God, we are blessed family of the saints, we are blessed followers of the slain Lamb, we are blessed witnesses to God wherever we are! We are on our way to heaven, and we need to get our roadmap right. We need to be in their numbers - in that throng that is in eternal communion with the Lord. That is what we have been created for, that is for what we have been washed and made clean in the Blood, and that is what we are challenged towards in the Spirit - and that is the challenge of being saints!

Let us get this ABC of Being Saints, clear in our minds today... that we Acknowledge God, Belong to God and Commit ourselves to God's cause and we shall be counted in their numbers, in the number of All Saints!

Between death and life, there is living!

WORD 2day: Saturday, 30th week in Ordinary time

October 31, 2020: Philippians 1: 18-26; Luke 14:1,7-11

Paul speaks to us of a popular dilemma that all of us are caught between - the dilemma between death and life! At certain points in our life, this dilemma is strong, at other points it is mild, but it never ceases to exist, given the nature of the certainty of death and the uncertainty of its time or mode! These days with the global health crisis and the frequent news about sickness and death, brings this dilemma more to the limelight.

Which is better... to die or to live? Truly life is a gift! We have it and we treasure it. But there are times when troubles come, unnecessary concerns cloud our days and necessary burdens weigh us down. There are moments, invariably in every person's life, when he or she, at least for a fraction of a second thinks, of what use it is to live! At the same time there is an insatiable anxiety within us to live, to live on and to live forever.

God has given us a gift of death too! Though many do not look at it that way, that is, death as a gift, it is in fact true. Imagine, there were nothing called 'death'? How many problems and how many queries to fend for! Death, in the Christian parlance (in another day. we shall be beginning with the month dedicated to faithful departed), is the gate through which one has to pass to encounter the Lord, for that ultimate face off. Can there be any other reason more exciting and inviting than that? 

We know all this,  that life is a gift and death is equally a gift, but we find it hard to accept it- be it for our own sake or for others. Paul clarifies that dilemma to us today: his statement simply is, that it is a wrong question to ask which is better, life or death - because it is neither death nor life, instead, what comes between the two: living! How we live our life - that is truly what matters. 

There are three clues to living that life: one, from the hands of God: living our life from the hands of God, realising the gift that it is, and striving to realise all the time its true purpose - be it immediate purpose or ultimate purpose; two, living with our eyes fixed on God: that God may call us back anytime and God alone is the author of life and God alone can instruct us about what is best for us at any given moment; three, living for the glory of God: that God be glorified in everything I am and I do!

Between death and life, there is our call to live, our commitment to live to the full, and our opportunity to live for the glory of God. When we do that, we would be able to say with Paul: for me to live is Christ, to die is gain!

Busy about our Father's business?

WORD 2day: Friday, 30th week in Ordinary time

October 30, 2020: Philippians 1: 1-11; Luke 14: 1-6

Jesus went about doing good! Doing good was his way of being the Son of God. This work that he started nobody could stop, because his Father was leading it towards its completion! Neither the so-called religious heads, nor the oppressive political heads, or the discouraging responses of the people - nothing deterred him; because he was not doing his work. "My food is to do the will of the One who sent me!"

St. Paul grew into the same groove... the work he was doing was the Lord's work - the good work that the Lord began in him, the Lord was bringing to its fulfillment no matter if Paul found himself in house arrest, in chains, under the law! And nothing deterred Paul, because he knew he was not just doing good work, but he was doing God's work! 

Work, good work, God's work... is it not important for us to differentiate among these in our own life? At times we may be busy doing what we want, what we think can establish our name, what we consider will make people remember us. But beware even the worst of politicians and bureaucrats have this motivation! So just some work, is not good enough. Does our work create good, good for the other, good for all, the common good? Then it becomes more acceptable! 

But is anything that is good, good enough? St. Paul speaking elsewhere about doing everything for God's glory would say, "all things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial; all things are lawful but not all things build up" (1 Cor 10:23). There are so many things that we can call good... but is that enough reason for us to engage in it? Is that sufficient for us to embark upon a whole life journey based on that opinion? Is something more needed... the Word answers today: Yes... not enough to be doing good work, but we need to be doing God's work!

We need to be busy with God's work, the work that God wants to accomplish in us. Each of us needs to explore, understand and get in touch with what the Lord wants to accomplish in us. Once we are clear of that, nothing, no one, can stop us! Some times the very things that people wrongly understand as holy and sacred could stand in opposition to what the Lord wants from us: Jesus understood that perfectly. That is why he had the guts to stand even against the sabbath. St. Paul inherited that clarity from his master, and that is why he could throw away all traditions like the circumcision.  

A very timely lesson for those of us who are passionate about doing something for God, and find that we are not able to... because of whatever reasons it may be... if it is God who has initiated that desire in us, God will bring it to its completion. Let us not fret! Let us be genuinely busy about Our Father's business, and everything will happen in God's own time.

Being a Christian today: is it simple?

WORD 2day: Thursday, 30th week in Ordinary time

October 29, 2020: Ephesians 6:10-20; Luke 13: 31-35

Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens (Eph 6:12). Yes, our life is a struggle! Yes, we are the Militant Church...the church that is fighting its way through, towards the eternal life, with eyes fixed on that sure crown that is promised to each of us. 

The Triumphant Church, who are the saints who have gone before us, is our shining model and an inspiring example.The message that they give us, and the clear tone of the Word today, is that of Lk 12:4 - Do not fear those who can kill your body, but can do nothing to your soul! And Jesus lives that teaching in the Gospel today, when he says: 'Go tell that fox'...meaning Herod...'that I will be here today, tomorrow and the third day!'

Jesus feared no one, because he was certain that God was with him. Being a Christian means exactly that - to live our life fear-free, not because we are all powerful, but because we have with us someone who is all powerful; to live our life with conviction and determination, not because we are always right, but we are guided by that Spirit who will instruct us and convict us as soon as we go wrong, if we are attentive; to live our life to the full, not because this is the only life we have (as some justify sometimes), but because we have the certainty of the eternal life given to us by our Lord on the Cross, that eternal life which has to be begun already here in our values and priorities. 

How can we live fear-free, convinced and to the full? In other words, how can we be truly Christians in our daily life: St. Paul today gives us a whole armour to put on, every kind of protection against every kind of danger. The Lord is our stronghold, the Lord is our refuge; whom should we fear? All that we need to do is stand firm in faith. Let us not deceive ourselves saying, being a Christian today is simple or natural; it is not! Neither shall we lose hope saying, we cannot! 

Jesus teaches us by his example today the technique of a Christian fight: Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong! (1 Cor 16:13).

The Family of the Apostles

THE WORD AND THE SAINTS

October 28, 2020: Remembering Apostles Simon and Jude

Ephesians 2:19-22; Luke 6:12-16

You are no longer alien, no longer strangers, you are part of the family that the Apostles belonged to, the family that was initiated as the nucleus of the Reign of God. This sense of the family, this familiarity, is the greatest gift according to Paul, as he insists that we could have been no people, but God made us 'God's people' through Christ. That is what we are, God's people! And as God's people, we are one family.

The apostle Simon was called the Zealot - a lesson that he gives us: as the militant church on earth, that we should always fight the battle for the will of God to be done and the Reign of God be established here and now.

The apostle Jude, called Thaddeaus in two of the four Gospels, is considered the hope of those who are on the verge of giving up in life. His message is: there is nothing that is beyond God, and God is ever present beside us. 

Added to that Judas Thaddeus, is said to have been close to Jesus in his family ties and in his appearance. However, Jesus would not have made a big issue of it - for him those who listen to God's word and put it into practice are more his family than anyone else! But it should remind us of a tendency very common - when we have the possibility of doing a favour to someone, how do we pick and choose as to whom to extend that favour! Favouritism - on the basis of what? Partiality - to achieve what?  

Simon and Jude, as all other apostles, teach us the lesson that Jesus himself wants us to learn: it does not matter which nationality, or tribe, or clan, or caste I belong to - the only thing that matters is I belong to God, I form part of that One Family, the family of God, the family of the Apostles!

Being in Christ is all that matters

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 30th week in Ordinary tim

October 27, 2020: Ephesians 5:21-33; Luke 13: 18-21

It is possible that married couples and parents of children, listening to all these discussion in the readings on the attitudes spouses should have towards each other, could feel, 'these things coming from Paul, it's difficult to accept, given the fact that he was an unmarried man!' And certainly also possible, listening to sermons preached by priests, the parents could think, 'Paul writing it and the priests quoting it... both are difficult to accept!' That is a matter of fact and a matter to brush aside with a smile. Yes, it is easily said than lived! That aside, there can be heated debates on issues that Paul speaks of today- who has to be subordinate to whom! But that need not be our focus, in reflecting on the Word today. 

Whether I am subordinate or head, I am called to be IN Christ - that's the focus.

Whether I am a subordinate or a head, or an apostle or a servant, a renowned person or a so-called nobody, parent or child, spouses or in-laws... whoever I am, I am called to be in Christ. Being in Christ means, being rooted in Christ, being nourished by Christ's words, being guided by Christ's lifestyle. being influenced by Christ's way of thinking, being shaped after Christ's mind, being modelled after the example of Christ - being called Christ's own people.

Being in Christ, even if I am just a tiny mustard seed, I can grow into a mighty tree. Being in Christ, even if I am just pinch of yeast I can make a difference for entire dough. Being in Christ, even if I am a nobody wherever I am, I will make a huge difference and the world will turn and take note of me. Being in Christ, even if I am doing just the same things as everyone else does, the way I do it and the heart with which I do it, makes what I do, stand out amidst everything else.

In short, what matters is not whether I am a man or a woman, whether I am in authority or subordinate, whether I am part of the majority or the minority, whether I am in the frontline of events or behind the scenes... 'Being in Christ' is all that matters.

Be compassionate because...

WORD 2day: Monday, 30th week in Ordinary time 

October 26, 2020: Ephesians 4: 32- 5: 8; Luke 13: 10-17.

'Children of Light', that is how St.Paul addresses us in the first reading today. The reading also paints a clear picture of what it means to be children of God...it means to be kind, compassionate, forgiving, filled with love... in short being like God, simply because we are children of God. In similar terms Jesus addresses the suffering woman as, 'daughter of Abraham'...how loving and compassionate models we have in Christ, our Lord and in the Lord's esteemed apostle.

Love and compassion have to be the defining characteristics of our personality. Nothing can stop us from being compassionate... no difficulty should hinder us from being compassionate... no rule or regulation, no tradition or custom, no practice or policy can stop us from being compassionate; because it should become our very nature as we are children of the Compassionate Father and Mother, God who has loved each of us into existence.

There is yet another phrase from St. Paul that has to be taken seriously in today's context: let no empty argument deceive you, warns Paul. It is crucial we pay attention to this today: these days we hear people criticising Pope Francis and calling him names and branding him as someone who is destroying the teachings of the Church. We need to be very careful with the anti-Catholic forces which are taking advantage of the situation and spreading the false propaganda, in the disguise of their concern for the Church. The sad fact is that some, even within the Church, are so quick to fall for this false propaganda, and worse still, some of them are in authority of teaching! All that Pope Francis said was just the compassion that Jesus had for the sinners and the publicans. The Holy Father only reiterated that the sin has to be abhorred not the sinner, the wrong principles have to be condemned not the persons... every person however sinful he or she is, bears at the core of his or her being, the dignity of God's child. Our compassion should help that person to rediscover that original dignity, not throw the person out as worthless!

Compassion alone can define me as a true follower of Christ. Compassion alone can make me a real Christ-ian. I have to be compassionate because, it is Compassion that formed me and has shaped me!

IT IS LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN

A matter of head, heart and hands...

October 25, 2020: 30th Sunday in Ordinary time
Exodus 22:20-26; 1 Thessalonians 1: 5c-10; Matthew 22: 34-40

If you asked me, "what is the central theme of the readings this Sunday?" and I replied, "it is about loving God and loving your neighbour", instinctively you might sigh: 'oh... the same love allover again!' Some times we might sound totally redundant speaking of love. The fact is, in Jesus' message, Love is the sole dominant theme, and everything else is only a footnote to it.

This abundance of talk on love, can result in two extremely different consequences - one, that it loses its very sense and becomes just a cliched word, repeated over and over again, used as a filling for wherever one lacks a word, or a term, or a theme to deal with; the other consequence, that it becomes a fundamental criterion, the foundational block, the preliminary question of analysis, before talking of anything else or in the course of making sense of anything at all, in christian living. The real Christian significance of love, falls in the second category, however limited in number its true followers are.

Love spoken of in the Word today, as ever, is not a mere sentiment or a feeling! It is a choice, a concrete choice for good. It is a serious matter of the HEAD. It is a decision made, a rationale adopted, a perspective that affects all other decisions and choices in life. It cannot be a mere feeling of elation, nor a sentiment of comfort, nor even a sense of protection or possession! It is a decision, a choice, a fruit of discernment. It is a choice for the noblest of feelings towards the other; it is a choice for most generous of attitudes towards the other; it is, in short, a choice for the 'good'!

St. Paul commends the way the Thessalonians chose God above everything else, of their past. The ultimate good is God, hence love is basically a choice for God! Loving God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength, is the basis of this choice for good. I choose good, because I choose God. I choose God, which means I choose not to choose anything other than God, anything that goes against God, anything or anyone that chooses what is contrary to God. My love for God is a choice, a choice that is motivated and inspired by the choice that God has made for me! To say, I love God, is to say, I choose God and all that God stands for. How foolishly contradicting it would be to say I choose to love God and therefore I kill or harm my brothers and sisters! Is the choice really coherent? Is the choice really rational? Is the choice really good or Godly? Choosing God, is choosing the absolute good; it is choosing life not death; it is choosing the other not the self. That leads us to the second dimension. 

Love is a choice for the other, a matter of the HEART. It is only through the heart can we place the other before us, because it is only through the heart can we hear the unsaid sorrows of the other; it is only through the heart we can see the unseen pains of the souls; it is only through the heart we can touch the unexplored depths of a person! When we say heart, we do not mean the biological or the anatomical heart, but the heart that is the coming together of the will and the spirit of a person. It is much beyond the senses...the senses of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting - they are at times very deceptive. Heart is that faculty by which every person senses the truth, even when it is not seen or heard, by which the persons gets to know those mysteries that would never be revealed through mere words and gestures - that includes even the feelings and the innermost yearnings of the other. And love is a choice to get to know that deeper reality.

Love has to be a concrete choice for the other, especially the afflicted, the suffering 'other', who cries out from the agony of the everyday life. Only a person with love can understand the predicament of the other who is in agony. Only love can make one feel with the other, empathise with the other - a lack of love will make even the most benevolent act, a mere mechanical fulfillment of duty. In the first reading the book of Exodus presents to us the need to go out, reach out, think for, and feel with, those who are marginalised, left out, forgotten and despised in the society. Today, when nations and governments speak of development and advancement, how big a margin of people are taken for granted, pushed to the margins and left to cry in silence and darkness. Can we open the eyes of our heart; can we sharpen the ears of our heart; can we extend the hands of our heart... yes, that brings us to the third dimension.  

Love is a matter of the HANDS... it is a choice to act, to act on behalf of the needy. Love cannot remain a mere sentiment, it has to be translated into concrete decisions and transforming acts, on behalf of the needy. The list that the first reading has - the widows, the orphans, the children, the poor, the needy, the migrants... that is a specimen indication of a whole lot of persons, the list of those who are close to the heart of God: it will extend much wider today with the exploited, the enslaved, the maltreated, the manipulated, the oppressed, those who are taken for granted, those who are deceived, those who are manipulated, those who are kept in the darkness of ignorance, those who are misled and misguided, those who are not allowed to think, those who are considered only as numbers, those who are used only as vote banks... the list shall go on, unending. 

Love has to be translated in terms of actions. It has to be active, affecting the life of the person who claims to love and transforming the life of the one who is loved! There are persons today who stand witness to this: the masses who are on the streets fighting for rights, not merely their own but for justice and wellbeing of the entire humanity; the persons who are standing by the poor and oppressed, even if they are taken to task for that; the persons in media who speak up for justice and righteousness, facing all the brunt that comes with it; the persons who sacrifice the peace of their daily life and serenity of their families for the sake of the common good, risking their own lives and the happiness of their dear ones... these are people who love with their hands! And this is truly a Christ-ian love.

Love is the crux and the essence of Christ's message and it will never ever be redundant. Specially seeing the world that is growing increasingly selfish and menacingly might-oriented, love will ever be wanting. And if you and I do not offer it abundantly wherever we are, it would be a serious deficiency of God in the world today! Deficiency of God - that in fact is the serious malady that affects the world today and the right medicine is nothing but true, Christ-love, shared with all our heart, all our strength and all our might.

Let us grow up!

WORD 2day: Saturday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 24, 2020: Eph 4: 7-16; Lk 13: 1-9

The first reading today would lend itself so well for an interdenominational war and a catholics-protestants feud, one calling the other a human trickery and deceptive scheming. Let us grow up dear friends - that is the very challenge of the Word today! 

St. Paul challenges us to grow into the full stature of Christ and that is nothing but love. Let us grow in love, love for God, love for each other, a patient acceptance of each other and loving fellowship of brothers and sisters. Love is also truthful, it is not deceitful. True love is just and genuine, stands for the right and helps one to grow up in serenity and self confidence.

How long would we go on calling each other names and breaking the Body of Christ into non negotiable bits and pieces? If we go on like this, Jesus says that twice in the Gospel today: 'you will all perish!' It is high time we realise our call to grow up and bear fruit. God has given us enough and more chances. Let us equip ourselves, not with offences and defences, but with arms of love and feet of generosity. Let us prune our ego and till our arid hearts. Let us sow seeds of love and reap the fruit of brotherhood and sisterhood. 

Love is our identity and nothing else can be: by this they will know that you are my disciples, by the love that you have for one another (Jn 13:35). There can be no worse scandal than a divided Church and of course, there can be no better proclamation of the Gospel than a loving and united community of faithful who, inspite of all their differences and diversities, live together as brothers and sisters, one in the Lord and one in the Spirit!

Oneness of Vision: Integrity

WORD 2day: Friday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 23, 2020: Ephesians 4: 1-6; Luke 12: 54-59

At times listening to people having problems in their relationships, or sides opposing each other within a community, we would arrive at a point of no return. At that moment, one would see no way out of the problem,  no matter how much the neutral persons or the negotiators tried! We would arrive at one unfailing conviction, that 'we can arouse a person who is sleeping, but not the one who pretends to sleep!' It is true: for most of the problems today, it is not that we do not have a solution, but we do not want to arrive at it. 

Jesus gives a piece of mind to the pharisees and scribes in the Gospel today, because he finds in them the hypocrisy of not choosing things that were so obviously towards the right. It is like the crowds, in our present context, in spite of knowing that their leader is at fault, just because he or she is their leader, they make a hue and cry about the leader's conviction - a choice to go blind about the limitations of their leaders! 

Where does the root of these problems lie? Many a problem in the world today, is due to the lack of oneness of vision! That is the worst of virus that afflicts us... each one with a selfish agenda, or groups with unfounded prejudices, classes with insensitive urge for advancement, persons with inhuman tendencies of manipulation and exploitation... these are persons who could not care less about the golden rule: do unto others what you want done unto you. They have a set of rules for themselves and a completely different set for others. These are people filled with discrepancies and disparities, and will be the least likely to enter the Reign of God. The disturbing question to me today is, am I by any chance, among those in that list?

The fear of "being good"

WORD 2day: Thursday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 22, 2020: Ephesians 3: 14-21; Luke 12: 49-53 

Our call to belong to the family of that One Father who has created us all and called us all in the Son and in the Spirit, is basically a call to reflect God wherever we are! It consists of our intrinsic and integral goodness! Being good... people are afraid to be good these days! Fear of manipulation, exploitation and being taken for granted are so live and real that persons hesitate to be good and to hold on to what is good. In spite of this widespread experience that we have, the Word today gives us three reasons why we cannot afford to be afraid of being good: 

1. Because we take on our heredity from none less than the Almighty Lord: The Lord is our banner; the Lord is our identity, it is from the Lord we take our name, as a family of God. How can we be other than good? Being good has to be our very identity.

2. Because the Love of God is poured into our hearts: A love whose measure, we can never comprehend to the full  - the length and breadth and depth and height of it so immense that we cannot but be concerned about being worthy of that love; which entails that we are good in our very being! Being good is the real power that the Lord has entrusted us with, because we know the ultimate goodness in the entire reality: the Lord. 

3. Because we have a Vocation to be a Community of Counter Culture: Jesus commissions us to be the People of the Reign, which is to be a people of counter culture, proposing a culture that is opposed to the culture of social sin, the culture of injustice and exploitation, the culture of imbalanced growth and inhuman development, a culture of total human insensitivity. When we intend to be such a community of counter culture, the rest of the world may turn against us. 

Jesus makes it clear today: if you choose me, choose me absolutely!

Knowledge is privilege, but a curse too!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 21, 2020: Ephesians 3: 2-12; Luke 12:39-48

God has given us a special privilege, the privilege of the revelation of God, says Paul. It does not end with that. We have been made stewards of that revelation, of that knowledge that is given by God, by God's Spirit! And this is of course a privilege; but a pressing duty too, that we share this knowledge far and wide - through our words and moreover through our very lives. 

In the Gospel, we hear Jesus deepening that awareness a step further, as he says: it is not only a privilege and a responsibility, it can become a curse too, if we are not truthful and committed to the knowledge that the Lord gives, in the revelation. He says, the one who knows but does not abide by what he or she knows, is more liable to judgement than the one who does not know and has failed in something. This is the difference between a mistake and a malice. 

God has revealed to us every truth that we need to know to live a life that is worthy of the children of God - the truth of the Sovereign presence of God, the truth of our identity as children of God, the truth of our call to holiness and the truth of how difficult and demanding that call is. In spite of knowing it, if we act as if we did not know it, aren't we making ourselves unworthy of being called children of God, the people of revelation? 

This is where the curse comes - a brother or sister of mine who has not received this revelation, is in no way going against God, while if I act so, I am making myself liable of judgement! The revelations that I have received can itself become a judgement against me. That is why Jesus says (in Jn 12:48), the very words that Jesus has spoken shall become the judge of those who refuse to live by what has been revealed to them. 

The words of a modern day philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, should come to our mind here - it is not about being a christian, but it is about becoming a Christian; becoming a christian is a continual striving. Yes, we need to strain ourselves to really becoming every day of our lives, more and more Christ-ian.  

The Fear of Examination?!?

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 29th week in Ordinary time 

October 20, 2020: Ephesians 2:12-22; Luke 12: 35-38

All of us have had, and some would still have, a fear of examinations! And the usual remedy proposed by teachers is, learn your subjects on a daily basis, revise your classes everyday and when the exams come you will be better prepared. The real point is, examinations are not something for which we need to prepare, they are just one specific moment within the long and complex process of learning. At times when we do not have the right study habits and attitudes, exams become a separate entity and a great hurdle to be crossed and not merely a formality to be undergone as part of the process. Now, that was not for a Study-skill session...but to bring out the crux of today's message from the Word. 

The Word reminds us how the Lord has chosen us and given us an identity that is entirely a grace: the identity of being the people of God, of being the offsprings of God, of being God's beloved children. When we are conscious of that identity on a daily basis, conduct our affairs accordingly and gradually keep growing and maturing in that identity, we would not need to prepare, or be afraid of, or fret about what is called the judgment moment! There are people and groups who make a huge issue of the judgement day, when we have to meet the Lord and render an account - let us stop that madness! The Lord did not create us to give an account. The Lord created us to live, live to the full, live with the true identity and inner joy of the children of God.

Added to that judgement is not a matter of merely the last day! Every choice that we make is a judgement we bring on ourselves... whether it is monitored or not! When I know that I am a child of God, that I am a son or a daughter of God and I live, believe and behave worthy of that identity, why should I fear and what should I fear? When God is with us who can be against us! In our daily choices and everyday decisions, if we are against God, who can really help us? 

It is like the Spiritual Master who was asked as he was having his cup of tea, 'what would you do, if the world ends this moment?' The Master calmly said: "I would continue having my tea." That is what our disposition should be, if we are truly children of God. What if!!! What if the world ends now! What if my death comes now! What if I have to stand before the judgement seat of the Lord right now! If I have to be fearless, my choices have to be right every moment. There can be failures, repeat attempts, improvements, reappearances... but fear of examination - no! it never serves the purpose! 

Living the tomorrows at the cost of today

WORD 2day: Monday, 29th week in Ordinary time 

October 19, 2020: Ephesians 2:1-10; Luke 12: 13-21

The message from the Word today follows from that of yesterday. We belong to God, who has made us God's people in spite of our human tendencies and worldly inclinations. We are raised up to the status of sharing the new life that the Risen Lord offers, solely because of the boundless mercy of God. The life that we have is a gift, a gratuitous gift that the Lord gives us to live! Yes, life is to be lived, lived to the full knowing well that it has been given free, absolutely free. 

The unfortunate tendency today is to fend so much for the tomorrow that today is totally sacrificed. Though there is so little a chance for this right now, with the health crisis around and the pandemic restrictions, but have you noticed people visiting new sites, tourists visiting exotic places. In the present cultural trend it is increasingly becoming frequent to see people busy taking photos and selfies in the place, they hardly stop, look, observe and enjoy the place, to see which they had travelled thus far! They are so busy photographing the present moment for memory, that they fail to live the present in its entirety.

It is not just them; that was only an example, an analogy to the way we live our lives today. There is so much of worries about the future that we are in fact all the time living our tomorrows at the cost of today. What do I do if this happens? How will I manage if this changes to that? What will be my next step after completing this? Thinking all of this, we miss the real-time moment and all that it has to offer to our life and our wholesome growth! 

The Word reminds us today: life is given to us to live, and not to worry. If only we are convinced that we belong to God, our worries about tomorrow will be mellowed down, allowing, permitting and enabling us  to live our present to the full. 

If today I am called to render an account of my life, would I be able to say, 'yes, I have lived it to the full'?

ME, GOD & WHAT BELONGS...

Render what belongs to God! 

October 18, 2020: 29th Sunday in Ordinary time
Isaiah 45: 1,4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5; Matthew 22: 15-21

The Word today has a theme that is very difficult for the world today to accept. It brings out the absolute sovereignty that God has over reality. The post-modern mind and the new age spirituality clamours for an autonomy that sometimes borders on an absolute independence of the human person and a meaning made in total isolation - without others, without the cosmos, and of course without God. The episode of the tower of Babel is a specimen event already in the beginnings of Biblical prehistory. And that experience continues in every age of human history in varied ways...just think of connecting our pandemic experience to that too, it would make a lot of sense. Against this background, the Word calls us today to pay attention to three undeniable facts, but many a time denied my the human beings:

1. Everything belongs to God: 

The first reading recalls the role of Persia and the Persian king Cyrus, in the emancipation of Israel. It was possible because Persia was first able to grow into a super power. They grew into power and they found the slavery of the Hebrews unnecessary and thought of emancipating them. And the account from Isaiah points out that even though Persia seemingly had nothing much to do with Yahweh, it was in fact the Lord who was preparing Persia in view of emancipating Israel - it might have taken ages but that is how history works; it is not a day's work. Yes, the Lord is presented to us as the Lord of history, and not merely the Lord of Israel. Everything belongs to God and God is in control of everything. 

At times when things may not be going the way we would want them to, all that we need to do is remain calm believing that God is working out a course of history. A surrender into the hands of God and a patient wait on the Lord would bring us to an experience that would be absolutely awesome. We lack patience, and increasingly today the human tendency is growing more and more impatient. Whoever guaranteed that everything in life will go as we plan it - why should it be so? The events of the past 6 months have taught this much to us. Let us remember it is God who is the Lord of history and of time, not we. Everything belongs to God, even time and tide! 

2. God belongs to everyone: 

Saul was appointed by Yahweh, that was their experience. David was raised by Yahweh, that was their certainty. That even Cyrus was raised to power by God, comes as a special learning for the people of Israel. They were being challenged on their claim to monopolise Yahweh as their own, and only their own. God slowly opens them up to the reality that God belongs to everyone. What matters was to have what it takes to be called God's own. The Gospel brings it out subtly, in the reflection that Jesus makes on the coin, saying it belongs to Caesar as it bears Caesar's image. Hence the condition to belong to God is to have God's image imprinted on our selves. 

No one, absolutely no one, can monopolise God and it is not Christ-ian to think of it that way. God cannot belong to a particular group of people. It can be true the other way about, that we belong to God. But to claim that God belongs to a group would be human folly without doubt. That is why when there are some absolute claims by people, whoever they are - whether the most prolific of theologians or some quack start ups - God would be smiling down upon and laughing at their folly! It is not for us to own God, or monopolise God and reject persons and groups depending on that! That is totally ungodly! What we should is, to respect every person with a genuine search and yearning for God and every person with a humble and authentic experience of God. God belongs to everyone. 

3. Render and don't hold back what belongs to God 

Everything, all that we have, belongs to God. What is that you have, which you have not received? (1 Cor 4:7) asks St.Paul. We are called to render to God all that belongs to God: our talents, our skills, our learning, our abilities... everything we are called to render unto the Lord. At times we like to take everything away from God - that is what the world is trying hard to: to take away the power and authority from God, to take away the sovereignty from God, to take away the creation from the Lord, to take away whatever pertains to glory from God, to take the entire world away from God - and the result, all the confusions and darkness that we have unleashed on earth.

To render everything unto the Lord, is rendering unto the cause of the Lord, unto the establishing of the Reign of God. It is a call to that state of life where, all that we say, think or do, has to be unto the Reign of God. Thus we will totally belong to God and have the mark of belonging to God: the Holy Spirit. That is what should define me - the mark of the Holy Spirit, in Christ Jesus that says, I belong to my God! 

Isn't that a lovely reflection to remain with the whole of this week: me, God and what belongs!

The Head, the Body and the Uniter

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 17, 2020: Celebrating St. Ignatius of Antioch 

Ephesians 1: 15-23; Luke 12: 8-12

We have a head, none less than the Son of God; We are a body nothing less than the very body of Christ - what a reminder from Paul! Let us not be lost in petty problems and needless anxieties - of course someone will respond saying, 'only when you go through it, you will know which is petty and which is needless!' But in Paul's parlance and in Christ's thinking every problem is petty and every anxiety is needless, because we have an existence, a body, a being so deeply significant! St. Ignatius whom we celebrate today, and every other martyr we have, stand witness to such an experience! 

The Head: Let us be worthy of the Head we possess. As the head directs so the body goes, at least such is the understanding in the mechanical world. But for us as people who have Christ as our head, we have the freedom with which we can decide to act out of our personal choice - let those choices be worthy of our Head. 

The Body: Let us be one body in Christ.The Church being a body of Christ is not in the hands of the Head... it is in the way the Church and its every member, identify themselves to the One body, instead of claiming differences of origin, status and everyday operations! 

The Uniter: The Head-body rapport is not automatic, it is an act of the Spirit, the Uniter, the one who unites them both. It is the Spirit who relates us to the Lord and it is the Spirit who sustains us in that relationship. 

St. Ignatius of Antioch whom we remember today understood this relationship perfectly. He belongs to the earliest of the Christian communities, right during the Apostolic times, and is said to have been a student of St. John the Apostle. He was the Bishop of Antioch and is a representative icon of the first Christians who were persecuted and killed. They had no other concern, no other word, no other justification, than what the Spirit held out for them. They were ready to lay their lives to preserve this Head-body link intact! How fervent are we about our relationship with our head: Christ our Lord?

The Spirit of Courage and Hope

WORD 2day: Friday, 28th week in Ordinary time

October 16, 2020: Ephesians 1: 11-14; Luke 12: 1-7.

The Word today brings out a crucial theme for these days - the Spirit of power and love and self-discipline (cf. 2 Tim 1:7), with which we are sealed, which brings freedom to those who belong to God. Where does this Spirit of courage and hope come from? From a life that is lived founded well on Christ like convictions and absolute commitment. Jesus brings that out in radical terms in the Gospel. 

Do not fear, do not be afraid... Jesus repeatedly assures us not to be guided by fear. When we are guided by solid convictions and not convenient compromises, when we are taken up with absolute commitment to the life's tasks entrusted to us, we will be truthful to God who has created us, chosen us in Christ and commissioned us to be the people of God. That truth will indeed set us free (cf. Jn 8:32). When we live by truth, we will not fear anyone or anything. 

Looking at the crisis of the pandemic around, the rise of fundamentalist forces all over, the irrational hegemony of the moneyed forces in the world, the voiceless struggles of the poor and oppressed, the merciless rampage of the corporates on the economically weaker sections - all these are disheartening issues and predicaments. But a true disciple of Christ, a genuine Christ-ian, a true son or daughter filled with the Spirit, will stand firm in courage and hope! 

We have great and shining witnesses in thousands of martyrs that we have in history, and those that are suffering heroically even today, for the cause of truth and justice! Even if we do not have an opportunity to give our witness in that manner, let us at least stand by these who are doing it - then we shall have a share in that testimony! 

For that we need to be enabled by the Spirit of Courage, that is poured into our hearts, that which we hold on to as the mark of our belonging to God. We will do well to pray for it. 

With the Lord and Before the Lord

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 15, 2020: Celebrating St. Teresa of Jesus
Ephesians 1: 1-10; Luke 11: 47-54

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Avila. We could look back at a wonderful episode from her life...the saintly carmelite Teresa was fond of introducing herself to everyone as Teresa of Jesus. In fact that is another name by which she is known, apart from Teresa of Avila. She loved Jesus as her own spouse; she referred to him as her 'beloved' - so romantic a faith. It is said that in one of her visions, when Jesus appeared and she asked,"who are you?" Jesus replied in her style: "I am Jesus of Teresa". Nothing can replace a personal love that we ought to have for Jesus. St. Teresa of Jesus, inspires us to an ardent love for our Saviour. Needless to say, we would be repaid with a love several times deeper and in fact, we love because the Lord loved us first (1 Jn 4:19). 

We see in St. Teresa's life that she had a relationship with the Lord that was so intimate, meaningful and a matter of day-to-day experience. Her mystical writings came from a source so divine, that they disturb many even today, challenge them and invite everyone to an understanding of our life that is intimately connected to our relationship with the Lord - a life that is lived with the Lord and before the Lord! 

At times the entire focus of our life reduces to making people think that we are good, virtuous and honourable - and it is not impossible at all. This predominant concern, many a time has proved to be the root cause for terribly wrong decisions, made against conscience and later regretted. The Word today and the saint today, instruct us that we are not called to create images of ourselves for those around us and bask in the opinions we construct among others. That is not the sense of our Christian life. 

Instead, when we realise that we have a responsibility to account for every special blessing that the Lord has showered on us, and account for every thought that arises in our hearts and our minds that are against this goodness of the Lord. To understand that every moment we are right in front of the Lord, bare and naked our intentions, clear and plain every secret thought of ours. As St.Paul today points it out, it is between God and me, and public opinions and image creation will not suffice. "To be holy and blameless before God in love"... that is the task given to us. Can I deceive God the ultimate judge? What do I gain putting up an image before others? 

Being holy and blameless before the Lord is to live my daily life, every moment of my daily life, with the Lord and before the Lord.

Warning: no one spared!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 28th week in Ordinary time

October 14, 2020: Galatians 5: 18-25; Luke 11: 42-46

At times the Word sounds very strong and frightening and one such instance is today: be it in the first reading or in the Gospel, we have a warning clear and loud - no one shall be spared, when it comes to entering the Reign of God! If we are directed by the Spirit, we shall enter the Reign of God, and the signs of it shall already be seen here and now. If we are directed by our self-indulgence and self-pride, we shall not inherit the Reign of God, because we never belonged to it in our daily life! That is the warning! 

You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires, teaches Paul today. He even lists those self-indulgent behaviours. They are contrary to the Jesus way of life, because of three reasons: (i) because they objectify our own selves - making our bodies, our persons, a mere object of instant and passing pleasure; (ii) because they objectify the other - making the persons around me objects of my pleasure, or merely some 'things' that I can use for my good;  and (iii) because they objectify God - making God an object to whom I give something, I do something, I say something, not realising that God is a person who is looking at everything that I am involved in, even those that I do not dare to manifest to anyone other than me! These self-indulgent tendencies have to be curbed if we have to let ourselves be directed by the Spirit.

The Gospel presents another set of disqualifiers - you cannot belong to Christ, or the Reign of God - if you are so worried about some external acts and not interior dispositions, if you put on a pretence and a show that you are someone extraordinary but carry within you festered ideas and obnoxious attitudes of demeaning others and discriminating persons, if you preach or speak externally of something but do not ever care to live even a single element of what you proclaim! These are clear evidences and signs that I am in no way directed by the Spirit, whatever be my external status in the society.

When Jesus speaks in these words and strikes against the Pharisees, one of the lawyers speaks up in a voice of self-justification, and Jesus lashes out against him too - telling us in clear terms, no one shall be spared! There are no status or titles, roles or functions, achievements or establishments that can give you an entry into the Reign of God... except your daily life, day to day choices and integrity lived here and now - from this rule, no one will be spared!

Integrity Matters

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 28th week in Ordinary time

October 13, 2020: Galatians 5:1-6; Luke 11: 37-41

Integrity is one virtue that Jesus never compromised on. Dichotomìes and discrepancies between words and actions, between belief and life: they were immediate disqualifiers according to Jesus, in the pursuit of eternal life. He would love the company of even the so-called publicans and sinners who were openly living a sinful life - with the hope that he would bring them back to to the Father. But he would never prefer the company of the self-titled righteous, who were all evil and treacherous in their interior disposition! What a clear warning given to us by Jesus' choice of company!

On our journey to heaven, even a simple life-practice backed up by a strong conviction can become an entry pass to the Reign. Be it the two pennies dropped by the widow, or the vial of perfume broken by the 'sinner' woman, or the simple prayer made by the thief on the cross beside Jesus... they were reasons enough for them to inherit the Reign of God. 

Instead, even if we were to move mountains, or give our bodies over to be burnt, or speak in tongues and preach incessantly, or perform wonders and possess powers, if we do not have the right disposition within, if we do not have the right intention in our hearts, we would be judged far from the Reign and it is practically impossible for us to enter God's dwellings.

Integrity, is that quality which lets me grow in my conviction in my daily life, about every little act that I do, based on every decision I make - big or small, affecting every choice of thought, word or deed! In simple words, I mean what I say and I say only what I mean in the depth of my heart. There are no pretences and face masks! In these days, when all of us go around with the masks on our mouths, it is good every time we put on those masks, to think about how many types of masks we keep wearing on our persons, while in interaction with others. When are we going to shed all those masks and be ourselves, true and integral, before the Lord? That is a demanding life style, but the only life style that fits with Jesus the Christ.

Let us believe in what we pray and practise what we preach or hear preached... lest we become "fools" in the eyes of the Lord.

Freedom is not free!

WORD 2day: Monday, 28th week in Ordinary time

October 12, 2020: Galatians 4: 22-24, 26-27, 31 -5:1; Luke 11: 29-32

Freedom, is not an all sweet gift. It was Jean Paul Sartre who made that provocative but profound statement, "we are condemned to be free". Freedom comes with the duty attached. We are free, free to choose, yes; but the grave responsibility of the choice is laid entirely upon us. It would be childish to clamour for freedom but shy away from responsibility. 

We are free children of God, declares Paul. With that comes the condition that we are to be held responsible for all the choices we make. Have you tried asking your students, or youth groups or your friends, or just anyone: who decides I should be happy or not? They would invariably refuse to answer, with a knotty smile on their faces! Because everyone knows, that it is one's own choice, or rather one's own choices. The free choices we make amount to the consequence we face, we know it well. But knowing is one thing, whereas acting on it is a totally different thing.

The Lord grants us the greatest gift of freedom, and leaves us with the responsibility for our choices. That is why, when we choose not to see the presence of God, when we choose not to find the moments of grace, when we choose not to realise the opportunities to do good, when we choose not to identify our brother or sister in the person next to us, we are choosing to rush towards a state that is so sad and so inhuman. In all these choices, we are choosing to be what we are not. Or we are choosing not to be what we really are! We are human persons created in freedom, in the image and likeness of God! But we choose not to be human, we choose to be inhuman! 

Time and again the Lord sends us reminders - wars, exploitations, killings, terrorism, hunger deaths, violence, abuse, diseases and pandemics caused by human choices are reminders that we need to realise our true self, get back to our original image and likeness! But no one is going to force us to do that, because we are free children of the promise (cf. Gal 4:22-24); yes we are given the great gift of freedom. But Freedom is not free; we have to pay for it with our personal responsibility!

A FAITH FITTING FOR TODAY

Festive, Focused and Firm

October 11, 2020: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 25: 6-10a; Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14

Faith is the way we live our daily life in relation to God. It would be a dry and futile understanding to look at faith as a set of doctrines or principles to be known, learnt, memorised and repeated on occasions. Faith instead has to affect every day life and every moment of it. Faith, in theological terms, is explained as one's personal response to the self revealing God. But to make it simple we can just understand it as the way we live every moment of our life, within the perspective offered to us by God who created us and has called us to a specific vocation in life. 

Today, the readings invite us to a clear understanding of what this faith is all about, specially in our daily living. The faith that the Lord invites us to, is a specific way of life, a mode of organising our life worthy of our call to be children of God! Here are three adjectives that the Word offers us to understand and identify a Fitting Faith for today: 

Faith is Festive: a life of faith is a call to celebrate. God has set up a feast and invites us to come and celebrate it! God has created us a wonderful world, filled it with persons to love and so many things to cherish, and has let us enjoy it all in freedom and cooperation. But what do we do? We choose to see the negative things that are around, we choose to take them in and be filled with them, we choose to have, hold on to, and spread negative feelings; we choose to hate, envy and ruin each other's life; in short, we refuse to celebrate! We have umpteen reasons to say no to celebrate life!

We refuse to attend the feast, that the Lord has prepared for us, so adamant and obstinate are we! If only we live our life in relation to God, that is, with the perspective of God, we will find out how much we can celebrate. It is a pity that there are people who readily find reasons to lament and whine about, but find it so difficult to find even one reason to rejoice and celebrate! You change whatever you wish, they will remain with the same state of mine! God forbid that you and I fall into that category! When St. Paul says, he knows to live in want and in plenty, he is not boasting of his capacity to endure; it is more about that mindset which looks at everything from the perspective of God - because, whether lack or plenty, I know I can remain calm and I know I have things still to celebrate about. 

Faith is Focused: a life of faith is a call to fix our eyes on God. Doubts, confusions, fears, suspicions, pressures, stress, problems, struggles, misunderstandings, competitions, disappointments, distractions, temptations, tears, treason... these are experiences that come our way sometime or the other... and in these days they seem to be galore. What would our point of reference be: luck, skills, human efficiency, proving oneself? 

'Behold our God to whom we looked to save us', presents Isaiah. God will provide everything declares St. Paul. Our focus has to be on Christ. Look to Him and be radiant says the Psalm (34:5). At times individuals, and humanity in general thinks we can manage everything on our own. We think we are in control of everything...a phenomenon like the pandemic we are facing now, throws all those vain certainties into thin air! Look at how the otherwise overconfident world of science is fumbling all the way since this pandemic showed its ugly head amidst us! It serves us to understand a bitter lesson, we have lost our focus somewhere down the line! Let us regain that focus, let us refocus our lives and our choices, that we may do good to ourselves and to every one else, and to the whole humanity.

Faith is Firm: a life of faith is a call never to compromise. Today, the culture is such that there is a big confusion whether there is anything that is unacceptable. Every thing seems permissible and every thing seems 'alright', if not 'normal'! There is a justification for everything. It is growing to be a culture of 'what-ifs' and 'why-nots'...but faith provides us with a firm foundation, firm criteria to make our choices. "My friend, how is it that you got in without the wedding garments?"..."My friend how is it that you expect to be with me without making a choice for me?"..."My friend, how is it that you had chosen something, but have been living  totally another life?"...we have to be prepared to face these questions, if at all we compromise! 

Our faith is an 'Yes' that we say to the Lord, which would involve a number of small yes'es and no's... and any compromise in it will make us unfit for the Feast of the Reign. Just imagine on a daily basis, how many compromises we make... in our thoughts, in our words, in our choices, in our dealings with others, in our actions towards the society, in the stands we take towards the common good and wellbeing of all. It may not be, though unfortunately sometimes it is, great big scandals...but even small decisions, little gestures, minor choices...these determine that type of personality we shape ourselves up to be. If our true and inner image is God's image and likeness, it has to be seen in every little detail of our lives...and today, it is becoming much more a need as the world lack testimonies to true faith. 

On a daily basis...let us evaluate our life and our choices...are they truly festive? fully focused? and really firm on the way to God? Only that would prove a fitting faith for today!

Belonging to Christ

WORD 2day: Saturday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 10, 2020: Galatians 3: 22-29; Luke 11: 27-28

'We are Christians for the past 4 generations'... 'We have been Christians from God alone knows when'... 'I belong to such and such a Church or denomination'... 'oh! I am born again'... or I am born thrice!!!... nothing of this will make us acceptable or blessed in the eyes of God. Whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free...it does not matter, says St. Paul in the first reading today. What truly matters is, that we clothe ourselves in Christ, that we become one in Christ, that WE BELONG TO CHRIST (cf. Gal 3:29). 

Belonging to Christ would mean 3 things according to the readings today: 

- firstly, having faith in God, in spite of anything that happens or does not happen, like Abraham. What happens or what does not happen will never affect my faith, because it is a well established relationship between me and my God. There is no business in it. There are no profits and losses, there are no balance sheets and there is absolutely no calculation in it. Because my God loves me without calculations and I shall remain attached to my Lord without calculations.

- secondly, hearing the Word attentively, like St. Paul. When I hear the Word attentively, it challenges me on a daily basis, it keeps me on my toes - I need to keep moving, keep growing, keep responding, keep deepening, keep maturing in my commitment. I just cannot stagnate! My belonging to the Lord is not a stagnate once-and-for-all decision, it is a daily commitment to be renewed every moment, with ongoing choices I make. 

- and thirdly, observing the directions given by the Lord, like our blessed mother. There are directions coming my way every day, every moment, assisting me in my decision making and choices. At times I choose not to see those directions so apparently present, because they appear so difficult and impossible. Sometimes I wonder whether I will be considered by the rest of the world as mad, useless, unfit or out of place. But just as Mary did, only my yes will prove that I truly belong to my God!

Daily faithfulness and Constant Commitment

WORD 2day: Friday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 09, 2020: Galatians 3:7-14; Luke 11:15-26

One who is righteous, by faith shall he or she live, says the first reading! Being God's or belonging to God means a life full of daily choices. It is not a change that happens once and remains for ever, but it is a daily faithfulness on our part to remain in the same state of grace. Great celebrations and solemn occasions are not enough to manifest our faith - it needs the strength of will at moments of boredom and monotony, to stay put with our convictions of good and bad, worthy and unworthy of our calling. 

Faith, therefore, is not a set of truths that are proposed or discussed; but it is a personal commitment lived, a relationship that is established, a rapport that is built between me and my God! It is God who begins - that is totally understandable. For it is God who created us, called us, chose us and keeps guiding our lives. But our part is crucial - much more crucial because it is variable, unlike God who alone is constant and unchanging. In the changing and challenging scenario, what is my rate of endurance - that is the key question I need to study. 

God did not stop with just beginning the process. Because God loved me so much, Christ stoops down to such an extent to initiate that relationship between me and God... Christ became a curse for my sake, reminds St.Paul. Am I really worthy of this great big sacrifice on the part of the Lord? Fortunately, my Saviour never raised that question! 

It is not enough that such a relationship is initiated by God, a gratuitous gift given to me. It is essential that I keep that relationship going, on a daily basis, filling my life with God and all that pertains to God. If not, there are myriads of other things that are waiting to take possession of my heart. As St. Peter warns, 'your enemy the devil, is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour' (cf. 1 Pet 5:8). Hence, the key is: daily faithfulness and constant commitment.

Supplying the Spirit

 WORD 2day: Thursday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 8, 2020: Gal 3: 1-5; Lk 11: 5-13

One who supplies the Spirit to you: that is an identity that the Word reveals of God, in both the readings today (Gal 3:5; Lk 11:13). 'To supply the Spirit'...what would that mean? It would mean that we are given the assurance of the continued presence of the Lord perennially. 'The Spirit is the mark of God's ownership on us', St. Paul would declare elsewhere(cf Eph 1:13). 

The Spirit is God's definition of our identity, our call and the meaning of our life. We are called to be sons and daughters in the Spirit and the Spirit does not leave us even a moment, because it us our very being. In the Spirit, do we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28). We are accompanied all through - and all that we need to do is, become aware of it, take advantage of it, rejoice in it and share the fruits of it with everyone around! 

On the other hand, when doubts assail us, when we face the risk of falling into temptations and when we do fall in those, when we lax into lower standards of human moral living, give into the vile pressures of the evil one and the vices of the distraught world, we are shunning the Spirit of the Lord. We are failing to take advantage of it, we are letting great fruits go waste, we are sitting on a treasure box and begging for stranded shekels! 

All our life, we are called to remember our identity and never lose sight of it. We are challenged to feel the truth right within us, the image and likeness what we possess and the great mission each of us has in life - grow into that image, following the fullness revealed in Christ, through the Spirit. In this the act of prayer comes as an act of becoming aware, taking advantage of the great treasures within - it is asking, knocking and seeking, something that is always so close to us.

Asking, knocking, seeking are acts of faith, they are not acts of some desperate effort to get something by all means. They are acts of faith by which we live our convictions that, even before asking the Lord knows my needs. To knock is to surrender oneself totally, come what may. And to seek is not a call to seek in vain or in all-emptiness but to seek the person who lives within us, who dwell within us, who makes us the dwelling places of God (cf 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19).Once we possess the Spirit, we would need nothing: Seek ye first the Reign of God, and everything will be given unto you.