Work - participation of self in the Divine nature for the other!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

May 1, 2021: The Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker

Genesis 1:26 - 2:3; Matthew 13: 54-58

Work is an essential self-expression of human persons. It is a way I see myself extended to things,  persons and reality around. That is why, every work that we do should have three dimensions to it, making it truly holistic! On a day such as today, it is right that we dwell on this aspect of work and in a time when situation around is so abnormal and crisis stricken, the reflection has its real value. Let us reflect on those dimensions and then a specific signficance during these days.

The First dimension is, the Self: Work is a self expression of the one who is involved. Everything that I do, should become part of what I am. I should be able to see at the end of the work, in the outcome, a bit of me. The beautiful example is given in the first reading today, where we see God at work and at the end of it all, God found that it was good; God found that God was present in the works that God had created. Hence the question is, in every work that I do, do I do it only for a remuneration or do I find a self-fulfilment in it?

The Second dimension is, the Other: Work should add to the common good. Every work of mine should add to the common good in some way or the other, directly or indirectly. A carpenter for example is someone who expresses his or her self in a product that would serve the common good; or a sculptor or an engineer or a teacher. Looking at work only in terms of gain and profit, or looking at other's work as merely something that can be bought and paid for, is opposed to the ontological significance of work itself. 

The Third dimension is, God, the author of all work: Work should be a participation in the divine design, the eternal plan, the creative mission of God. The psalm brings out the crux of it, invoking the Lord to give success to the work of our hands. It is in the eternal plan that our work draws its meaning and success. At work, we partake in our role as co-creators with God the Creator! Work therefore is something divine that we have within us to express - how different it is in today's economised world!

Having said all this: let us ask a question. How many of us are involved in a work, an occupation, a livelihood that reflects all these 3 dimensions? Where is the place of "money" within this grand picture of 3 dimensions? Are our thoughts about our work and our calculations about out career, fitting into this framework? Or have we moved far far away from any such holistic thought pattern?

Finally, reflecting in the time of pandemic... work is one of the crucial elements of the crisis. People are looking at the economic fallouts of this pandemic and becoming ready to sacrifice even the life of human persons in order to safeguard a so-called ecnomic stability! The most fundamental philosophical question is: is work for persons or persons for work; is economy for humanity or humanity for economy? Somewhere we have lost our clarity on priorities and we are today ready to sacrifice humanity for economy - how devilish this sounds! 

May St. Joseph inspire us to have the right understanding of work and help us to look at work as a loving participation in the nature of God, for the sake of the other, in and through the expression oneself towards fullness of life. 

The Word, the Spirit and Life

WORD 2day: Saturday, 3rd week in Easter time

April 24, 2021: Acts 9: 31-42; John 6: 60-69

The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life, says the Lord to the people gathered! The Apostles understood it only when Jesus had risen from the dead and was present amidst them in the Spirit... The Word which was with them, was the Spirit and was the Life. That is why, Peter raising the dead Tabitha, is no wonder for them. It was a matter of fact - the Word, the Spirit and life, all are at play here.

The true testimony that a disciple of Christ is called to give to the world rests in these three: the Word, the Spirit and life!

We are called to be the presence of the Word amidst people who are in need of light, in need of direction and in need of consolation. Especially today amidst the experience of the pandemic...are we truly persons who can offer the Word...the living Word, through our words of hope and consolation? Or are we spreading fear and apathy?

We are called to be the manifestations of the Spirit in a world that is so much running after things that are material - with the whole curse of consumerism and the use-and-throw culture that we have. Persons are made use of and things are loved and treasured...what an irony! Are we truly persons of the Spirit who can manifest God's goodness to people: how can I repay God's goodness to me, says the psalmist...it is only in reflecting the goodness to others in the Spirit.

We are called to be life givers...every word we speak, every action we take, every attitude we sport has to give life to others, pull them out from the possible depression they find themselves it, give them hope to live their life with a new vision, fill them with energy and effort to find the ways of the Lord in every little thing that happens in their life! Are we truly life-giving or are we spreading a culture of death by pessimism and negativity?

The Word, the Spirit and life are the touchstones to true Christian living today...we will do well to reflect on them today!

The Voice, the Bread and the Messenger!

WORD 2day: Friday, 3rd week in Easter time

April 23, 2021: Acts 9: 1-20; John 6: 52-59

The Word today presents to us the three fundamental ways in which the Lord continues to reveal Godself to us! We encounter a hard headed crowd that opposes Jesus and a stone hearted man being melted by the grace of God... the stubborness of humanity and the power of Divine Grace - what a lovely play of life and meaning in these! Let us unravel the three splendid elements of God's self manifestation amidst this play that continues even today!

In the first reading we see, that the Voice from heaven touched him; the man sent by heaven healed him; the Bread from heaven strengthened him. What an example of the Word, the Sacraments and the Community of faith working together for God's Reign! Yes, these are the three elements we are presented with.

The Word...the daily and unceasing revelation of God! It is never dead or outdated, but alive, cutting into the finest of existent realities and making it glow with meaning. When we miss it, we miss the lamp for our feet, the way for our life, and the very ground for our being.

The Sacraments...specially that of Eucharist, an undeserved gift offered to us, to be strengthened from whatever weariness or worries we find ourselves in. Today specially when we are so stricken by infirmities and fear, how blessed we would be to find our strength and solace in the Sacrament, God's living presence amidst us.

The Community...our own brothers and sisters, who are given to us to be loved. It is not that we expect someone to be sent to us, as Ananias was sent to Saul, but we need to become the Ananias to those in need, those blinded in their hearts and spirits, those unable to see the light of joy and serenity! Let us be the persons of God, the people of God to take hope and peace, joy and serenity to them!

Can we today behold the goodness of the Voice and the Bread, that we shall become Messengers of God's love to all, especially those who are burdened and weak!

God draws those who are drawn!

WORD 2day: Thursday, 3rd week in Easter time 

April 22, 2021: Acts 8: 26-40; John 6: 44-51

Phillip is mightily used by God, taken from place to place by the Spirit. It was because he allowed himself to be used; he submitted to the plans of God. The Court Official is chosen to belong to the Lord because he had a fundamental thirst for the knowledge of the matters of God. Why should he after all struggle with understanding the scroll of Isaiah on his journey...he was drawn to God from within himself.

Jesus declares that it is the Lord who draws a person to Godself. And we can easily understand, combining that teaching with the event in the first reading, that the Lord draws those who are drawn to the Lord in their choices, in their priorities, in their daily decisions. Yes, the Lord does not draw you without your consent...that would be against the freedom that the Lord has given us! 

Yes, it is ofcourse the Lord who initiates but it is upto us to readily and promptly acknowledge these initiatives and respond to them from the depths of our beings. The responses are the use of the freedom that the Lord has given us! The choices we make are ours and therefore, many a time things that happen to our lives, depend on some choice somewhere that we have made...hard to understand, but if only we go to the depths we would get that connection clear. 

However, God does not cease to invite us. However far we may go from the Lord, however deviated our choices get, however warped out priorities become, the Lord does not quit soliciting our loving choice for God and for what pertains to God. If only we are drawn to God, if only we choose to draw ourselves near to God, we would see, that the Lord has already drawn us so close to Godself, and it is in fact, God who drew us. 

How simply James put it: draw near to God and God will draw near to you! (James 4:8). 

An experience that grips - Resurrected Beings!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 3rd week in Easter time 

April 21, 2021: Acts 8: 1b-8; John 6: 35-40

When things were getting worse the believers were getting stronger. They were scattered, but once in diaspora they continued their witnessing. There was something in them that made them just reckless, going about excited with their new experience. That experience was so gripping that it made them forget all the pain they had to go through. 

Amidst difficulties and sacrifices, who do you think, are those who would go on with enthusiasm and fire within them? Only those who are gripped by an experience! Be it the persons in love who challenge all odds to be with each other; or parents looking for their children or children looking for their parents who wish to find each other come what may; or a situation of someone who loves life and freedom and is kept in captivation but get a slight clue that there is a possibility of an escape...these are situations you can picture in your minds. Imagine the fire that would burn within the person making all the efforts...it is because the person has experienced something - may be love, may be freedom, may be care...that experience which grips them and goads them on!

We keep receiving news about people who are ready to give up their life at the hands of some heartless fanatics. Just two days ago (18th April) there was a news about Nabil Habashy Salama, a 62 year old man who was killed by the IS militants as a warning to the other Christians who are fighting against Islamic militancy in various parts. This elderly man killed had established a coptic church in Beir el-Abdtown in Sinai. This is but one case, among many such that continue to happen. These persons are capable of it because they are gripped by the experience they have had...which is primarily the experience of the Risen One. 

Leaving alone these extreme sacrificing experiences, look at the ordinary daily experiences such as forgiving the other, bearing with the faults of the other, accepting burdens for the sake of the other... are these even possible without being gripped by a life changing experience? 

For me today Jesus has to become that experience, that experience which grips me to a total transformation that I will fear nothing, for I know my Lord will raise me up on the last day, come what may! Once I am gripped by that experience, nothing, absolutely nothing can threaten me. I will be a Resurrected Being!

A chip from the same block - the Image of Christ

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 3rd week in Easter time 

April 20, 2021: Acts 7:51 -8:1a; John 6: 30-35.

Sometimes when we speak to the youngsters (even to others for that matter), about the suffering that Jesus underwent, about his endurance of passion, his capacity to surrender into the hands of God, his capacity to forgive etc., they tend to retort saying: 'but after all, he was son of God! he could bear that!" That is a heretic way of thinking, we need to be very careful about it!

Yes, Jesus was the Son of God but he was a human person and fully so. He was not appearing to be a human being, he WAS a human being. As the letter to the Hebrews says, he was like us, a human being in everything! That is infact the most challenging part of our faith. That Jesus lived our life, he went through all that we experience ourselves: feelings and temptations, sufferings and anxieties, irritations and all of human realities. The challenge is that we live in his footsteps. The early Church was highly conscious of this call and we have today in the first reading the fruit of this.

The first reading today presents to us, the first martyr Stephen  - he was a chip from the same block as Christ. The apostles performed miracles and healings, just as Jesus did and of course the Word records them all. But as death, it records only that of Stephen, because he died like Christ! Just like the apostles lived like Christ, Stephen died like Christ! There is a special call in this - to imitate the life of Christ, life-project of Christ and the life style of Christ, right upto death. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ, said St. Paul...who was standing there as young Saul and watching Stephen die! Oh what beginnings the Church had!

Do we carry the same spirit within us today, as people of God - the spirit of Christ? When we do, we shall not only imitate Christ, we shall become alter christus, another Christ... that is what we are called to be: to be a chip from that same block.

To Shine in the Lord

WORD 2day: Monday, 3rd week in Easter time

April 19, 2021: Acts 6:8-15; John 6: 22-29

His face shone like an angel. But they decided to kill him all the same! They saw the great works and words that Jesus had but they ran after him only for the food they could get. At times we kill the things that pertain to God not only by being against them but by even not being attentive to the true spirit of it. Unwittingly we kill Jesus, in our words, deeds and attitudes without even being conscious of it - however, the effect is equally bad.

In fact. it is easier to ward off dangers from the quarters that are known to be contrary to us. But the more dangerous ones are those that seem to take a neutral stand within us and amidst us... they can be real spirit dampeners and blind leaders. Called sometimes as 'sleeper cells' these days, there are elements that do not fit into our way of thinking, that come into our lives and slowly change our very way of thinking, being and acting. This is the kind of leaven that Jesus warned us against. 

That kind of a phenomenon can be seen, not only in the society but also within each of us. That is what we need to be careful about - because it is the work of the evil one. It is said, that the tempter, the devil, does not use things that are abhorrent to tempt us, but things that are pleasing, things that seem acceptable, things that seem "natural" and "not harmful", to begin with. Looking for Jesus, to be fed by him, or to see the great magical things that happen around him, was not anything bad. But Jesus observed right through them, there was something that was happening... on indeed something that was not happening. The people were attracted to him, but were not really ready to change themselves, taking up their personal conversion seriously.

The Jews and Chiefpriests, saw all that the people saw; nothing changed them. In spite of seeing the face shining they were not ready to change their minds or not ready to go deeper and find out what makes it shine! However, we are called to shine, to shine in the Lord. Be illumined by the Lord, be transluscent, to allow the light of the Lord to pass through us and make us shine out - in our thoughts, words and deeds - witnessing through out personal transformation and fundamental surrender to the Lord and the Lord's ways. That is the call that we all have: to shine in the Lord!

THE EASTER LESSON OF HOPE

Repent, Decide and Witness

April 18, 2021: 3rd Sunday of Easter 

Acts 3:13-15,17-19; 1 John 2:1-5; Luke 24: 35-48

Easter is the highest celebration of hope, and hope is the core message of Easter! This is a known fact. Easter is a celebration of hope, hope that the Risen Lord brings into our life - by the very fact that Jesus Christ has overcome death, overcome the world and reigns supreme and we have inherited that hope in the Spirit, through our baptism. We too have overcome death - death is no more the end of our life, it is but a transformation to new eternal life. We too have overcome the world - in Jesus our Lord we are new creatures, new beings, new persons and we are called to that newness of life in the Risen Lord. We are rulers, we reign in the name of Christ, in the power that Christ has obtained for us as children of God. Hence, come what may - troubles and trials in life, crises and confusions around, death and disease right in front of our eyes, nothing, absolutely nothing can perturb us: Peace be with you, says the Lord. I have overcome the world, I have overcome death and I am with you! This is the Message of Hope that Easter gives - how much needed it is in the context of fear and false promises all around us during these pandemic times! 

But the Message of Hope is not automatic! Yes, Jesus has overcome the world, overcome death, defeated evil - but that is no guarantee that I would automatically overcome death, win over evil and stand firm for eternal life. No. This hope that Jesus gives, has to be personalised, received, believed in, grown into, made my own, and practised in my daily concrete life! That is the lesson that the Risen Word gives us this Sunday: the Easter lesson of Hope

Lesson 1: Even if you did without knowing, you need to Repent for your wrong doings.

Father forgive them, for they know now what they do, prayed Jesus. Peter says today in the first reading, 'we know neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what God had foretold,' but however he says, 'you must repent and turn to God.' Forgiveness is given to those who repent, it is not a right; it is a gift; a gift that is received only by those who truly behold it, make themselves worthy of beholding it - the prerequisite is repentance! That is what happens to the prodigal son - he repented and he received the forgiveness from the father. That is what the elder son missed - he failed to repent and never entered the joy of the father! 

God in God's magnanimity has mercy on us children and deigns to excuse us saying, after all you are my children! But we on our part have to be ready and willing to repent of our ways, or that forgiveness that is freely given can never reach us; we would ourselves build a barricade blocking its coming. The Lord is ready to shine God's face on us that we have light and life for eternity, but we need to turn towards the light to received it, to behold it and to be illumined by it. That is the basis of hope! Hope is not something that is given to us, without our effort - it is our effort to understand our unworthiness, without giving into despair. Yes, I am an unworthy sinner, but I can never be lost, for my Father and Mother, the Shepherd of my soul is abundantly merciful.

Lesson 2: Repenting is Deciding to keep God's Commandments

At times repenting is explained and understood in romantic forms and imaginative metaphors! But John strikes the root and puts it in simple, straightforward words: 'anyone who says, I know him and does not keep his commandments, is a liar!' Keeping God's commandments, is the easiest touchstone to conversion, to repentance. You cannot say, I have repented but I will not forgive; I have converted, but I will not love my difficult neighbour; I am a person of God, but I cannot relate to my brother or sister, or take care of a needy person next to me! What are you, but a liar! You cannot justifiy, prove or even claim that you have repented, if these fruits are not seen in you: the fundamental of the fruits - keeping God's commanments.

Hope is not some imaginary state of life; it is the guarantee of goodness created by my conversion of heart towards God. When I convert myself, there is one problem less in the world, they say! When I repent and decide to do what God wants me, there is one more guarantee for goodness, for virtue, for God's will to be done: that is Hope! We need to fill this world with hope: not by doing extraordinary feats of prophetic nature, but by simple submission to God's will, by humble obedience to God's commandments. It requires that I keep my ego, selfishness, arrogance and pride away and return to God as a child, simple and humble., ready to keep God's commandments. 

Lesson 3: Be Witnesses to the Nations and spread Hope

Jesus appears to the disciples repeatedly and gives them signs of his real presence amidst them, not merely to make them feel good, but to strengthen them to go out and be witnesses all over the world. That is what happened - the message of Hope that Jesus gave them, had to spread: it spread, far and wide, in spite of the unworthy, ill-prepared, underqualified, fear stricken persons that the apostles and disciples were. This was due to the assurance of Hope that Jesus gave them, that hope to which he wanted them to be witness and bear testimony in front of the entire world. 

In the hope-draining situation of this pandemic today, how hope-filled are we, how hope-emanating are we, how hope-witnessing are we? If we were easter people, we would effuse hope from within, not fear; we would take others by surprise with our proaction not put them off by our reactions; we would make a difference in our daily concrete lives and not be swayed by the contradicting, lopsided, manipulated, and illogical claims of many with vested interests. But neither can we give into a naive negationism or switch to rebellious separationism! We need to be witnesses to Hope, witnesses that inspire persons to get up and walk; to open their mouths and speak; to tune their ears and hear; to stretch their hands and embrace each other giving Hope.

We are made easter people; people of hope; people of light; people of eternal life... we would do well to repent, decide and witness to the enormous hope of the Risen Saviour.

The stir in the sea: Complaints

WORD 2day: Saturday, 2nd week in Easter time 

April 17, 2021: Acts 6: 1-6; John 6: 16-21

When we get together, we will surely have misgivings and clash of opinions, unless we fail to think freely and forget our individuality. As long as each one has the capacity to think for oneself, and the freedom to express oneself, there are bound to be misgivings - but without these, the conditions are not human at all! We see in the first reading today the earliest of misunderstandings and complaints that arose in the new born church! The way the apostles dealt with it, was so Christ-like. 

When the sea was stirred with the storm that arose, and the hearts of those in the boat were disturbed too, Jesus walked up to them and said: It is I; do not be afraid. He assured them, the stirring will cause no damage, if you understand the Lord is with you. The storm will not upset the boat, until you know that it is the Lord who is in charge! 

When the complaints came up and accusing fingers pointed at each other, the Apostles were not alarmed, they were not reacting to the complaint, they did not try their best to silence the dissenting voices or command everyone to compliance. They knew that it was a sign the Lord was giving them, for their own growth and for a sense of transcendence. 

Confusions, complaints and contradictory opinions were instrumental moments through which the Lord effected solid evolution in the Christian faith experience post resurrection. Individual convictions, daring discussions, evolving mindsets...these are signs of growth. At times we can get threatened and have recourse to control and oppression - be it in families or in larger communities. That is not truly a Christ-like mentality. In the parish communities, or in the basic christian communities, or religious communities, or in the families, how do we look at differences of opinions? Is there a true freedom of expression? Are we matured enough to look at these as experiences of growth? 

That requires a true mindset of faith. Amidst the stir in the sea, the Lord walks up to us saying: fear not, it's I. 

The test of time - Endurance!

WORD 2day: Friday, 2nd week in Easter time 

April 16, 2021: Acts 5: 34-42; John 6: 1-15

One term that unites the two readings today is the term, "test." Jesus himself is tested with such a big number to feed. He tests his disciples with a task given them. And in the first reading we have Gamaliel setting up a test of time for the believers! All of these are tests that bring out the quality of Endurance. 

Jesus could have very well said, let the people go and find their own means of food, after all they came on their own; they were not obliged to come! Won't we do that, when we plan some activities for others or in ministry? But that would have been on Jesus' part, an escapism! When Jesus asked the disciples where they could buy bread for the crowds, they could have easily said it wasn't possible! Or later in the Acts of the Apostles, when they were threatened and jailed, the disciples could have, at the first instance said, why should we break our head over the salvation of these people! That would have been shirking the responsibility given to them. As a community the first Christians could have remained calm, quiet and comfortable within their small circle loving each other and fending for each other. But that was not to be the case!

If Jesus were to have taken an escapist mode of reaction to the situation, or the disciples the shirking mode, or the first believers a comfort seeking compromise mode... we would have nothing of what we believe and belong to today. The revelation of the limitless love of God in the person of Jesus, the Christian community that experienced that love and handed it down to the generations, the prophetic presence of the Church, as the sacrament of God's salvific love - these are grand signs of a simple decision that Jesus, the disciples and the community took - to endure the test!

Endurance is the time tested virtue that enables us to stand the test of time. The Martyrs of old, great saints in history, the holy ones of our times, all of them stand proofs to one fact: Endurance helps faith mature and endurance is a mark of a mature faith! Our faith is true, strong and alive, only in as much as it endures, especially the test of time!

A Notification from the Blogspot!

Those who get my blog posts on your email...since you have subscribed it so, there may be a problem with regard to the email delivery from June onwards I think..therefore, in addition to subscribe through email...also click the "follow" button, in order to access the posts, just in case any changes happen. I post here the message sent to me from the FeedBurner, which manages the subcribe through email, for blogspot.com....

Here is the message they sent:

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Obedience: the promptings of the Spirit

WORD 2day: Thursday, 2nd week in Easter time

April 15, 2021: Acts 5:27-33; John 3: 31-36

We must obey God rather than men; we must obey God's directions rather than men's directives; we must obey the promptings of the Spirit rather than the rulings of men! What a clarity on the part of the disciples. If only we had today that same clarity! But it could be problematic too, as evidenced in these COVID times in many places! It is a dilemma that we face, think along!

Do not conform to the standards of the world; rather renewed in Spirit conform to the mind of Christ, instructed St. Paul well in this line (cf. Rom 12:2). At times we justify conformity and compromise on the grounds of "peace in the house"; other times we create division and sport rebellion under the pretext of being unique and convinced, while it could just be a way of promoting one's own convenience! Our own innermost self is our judge, and of course the one who resides there: the Spirit of the Lord!

Today, with the pandemic situation and the measures to contain it, there are governments and the international organisations that are tending to make rules and controls, forcing people at large to obey, at times even blackmailing masses into submission. What are we to do? Does out religiosity, our faith, our spirituality, come into play in this scenario? They have to. If not, what are they for?

So, do we abide by what they say or do we not? The question is - not whether we need to abide or we need not; but whether we can think logically or not; whether we can spiritually reason out or not; whether with the help of the Spirit, we can think holistically or not! Not with selfish concerns and sub-human criteria, but with true Spirit-filled mindset and truly all-embracing mindset, what is our judgement of things that are being said and being forced on us? It is not conformity or non-conformity, but our sense of faith and sense of clarity based on the wisdom of the Spirit!

Obedience is not merely conformity to the rule; nor its opposite mere negligence of the rule. It is all about being sincere to the innermost promptings of the Spirit. Being understood when one follows that promptings, is not always guaranteed. Being misunderstood cannot prevent me from being sincere to those promptings. One who obeys will see life (cf. Jn 3:36).

The Spirit Frees - Towards Light!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 2nd week in Easter time 

April 14, 2021: Acts 5: 17-26; John 3:16-21

From the prison to freedom, from the chains to an unfettered spirit, from fear to total commitment... the Spirit strengthens one to walk towards the light! The disciples were a transformed lot... they were the same who ran away when Jesus was arrested; the ones who denied and betrayed when there were pressures; the ones who closed themselves up for fear of the Jews who killed Jesus...but now, they are totally different!

They were standing up in public places and speaking up; they were answering the authorities back and affirming their connection to Jesus the Christ; they did things that were controversial and vouched for it and claimed responsibility; they were arrested and they expressed happiness about it; they were warned and threatened, and they cared nothing about it... they were a transformed lot! They stood for truth - to which Jesus said he came to bear witness; the truth that Jesus claimed that he was! They stood for that same truth!

At times truth hurts and at times it costs much, but if in the Spirit, we would count nothing too demanding! This is what they learnt from Christ, understood in the Spirit and lived in their concrete lives. They were ready to give up anything...their safety, their comfort, and even their lives.

Even today, people like Bro. Mario of Chalakudi fame, who have risked their lives for the sake of Christ... and many others similar, but not known in the public forum, are living illustrations of the episode from Acts that we read today. A youngster known to me, whom I consider a great inspiration to me, born in a hindu family, but chose to be a Christian and chose to become a priest and threw his well paid engineering job in a firm and disappeared from his family, to join a religious congregation, because they were mad at him in the family.

If I have the courage to see the Truth, accept it and live for it, nothing can stop me, not even death; because I have within me eternal life. And the Spirit is Truth, truth is light...in the Spirit, I am constantly moving towards the Light!

The Key: From Above

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 2nd week in Easter time

April 13, 2021: Acts 4: 32-37; John 3: 7b-15

The first Christian Community gives us a challenging example today, a prophetic witness! Just imagine that to be the state of our parish communities, or our basic christian communities...or even the Religious Communities of Consecrated life... can this model be emulated today? It is easy to brush it aside, calling it an outdated model, or an impractical ideal, or an utopian imagination, or a time proven failure! Call whatever you may, the challenge remains.

Along with the challenge there is also a doubt that lingers on: could they have really lived that way! Really! Sometimes youngsters dare ask that question aloud too, when we have sessions or seminars! Isn't it an exaggeration, a kind of figure of speech that hightens the reality for the sake of creating the appeal that is intended? The answer is, a categorical NO. They lived that way! The records are true and the records are not only in the Bible...they were also historical communities which caused the many a eyebrow raise! 

Jesus provides us with the key to the challenge, that is the secret which helped them live that way: it is, to live your life as if from above. We have received our life and everything in life as a gift from above. And when it is time for us to report back from where we come, we will go without anything in our hands. When we see things from above then, we would laugh at our folly as does the Lord now from heaven (see Ps 2:4). 

This was the fact...the early Christian community saw Jesus live and come back to life and go back to his Father...they expected him to come back shortly...even while they were still living. That is why they were prepared at anytime to report to the Lord...this gives us the clue how they managed to live such a detached life. Though it seems a reduction of their high noble ideals, the fact is clear: they were living a life from above!

Just look at your life, as you live it today, just from a little above! You will understand how foolish we can be... with our attachments and avarice, jealousy and treachery, ego and selfishness, and every other inhumanity for the sake of things that do not matter at all! Have we not totally lost the real sense of our lives? 

Let us remember the key given to us by Christ: live your life as from above. Learn to look at life from above and you will have a clear picture of what is important and what not!

To be shaken and to shake up!

WORD 2day: Monday, 2nd week of Easter

April 12, 2021: Acts 4: 23-31; John 3: 1-8

A fundamental requirement to be born again is to be shaken up! When the Spirit of the Lord stirs hearts and souls, a new being is born and that new being is what Jesus proposes today as the being born again; being born of the Spirit. The Spirit gives birth to us - it is in blowing God's Spirit that we were created. And it is the same Spirit that can give us the rebirth, by a new breath that comes from God. We need the new life in Christ, a new birth in the Risen Lord, becoming new creations in the Spirit.

Becoming new creations in the Spirit is not some allegoric or analogical figure of speech, it is a real and concrete demand placed on us - to change, to transform, to convert ourselves constantly towards a mindset that is proper to the One who has chosen and called us. As St. Paul would time and again remind us that we cannot conform to the world, but become new creations in Christ, that is to have the mentality, the mindset, the perspective that  Christ carried within himself. 

This transformation cannot happen unless we are shaken up, the Spirit. Anyone who is not filled with the Spirit cannot recognise the Son of God as his or her saviour! One who finds and accepts the Son of God as the Risen Saviour, cannot but be encompassed by the Spirit, the Spirit which gives us new life - everyday and every moment.  

As individuals, as families, as faith communities we need to shake ourselves up, allow ourselves to be shaken up and thus shake up each other, towards being what we are created to be, called to be and commissoned to be. Allowing the Spirit to influence us in whatever are involved, following the promtings of the Spirit in every action or decision we take, letting ourselves be guided by the spirit in every moment of discernment is the sign of people shaken up by the Spirit. When we begin to transform ourselves so, we shall experience what it means to see the community around us being shaken! To be shaken and to shake up the world is the call that we have from the Risen Lord - are we listening?

MERCY IN THE MILLENNIAL WORLD

The need to overcome the world !?!

April 11, 2021: 2nd Sunday in Easter Time 

The Sunday of the Divine Mercy

Acts 4: 32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20: 19-31

Celebrated as the Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter time or the Low Sunday of the Easter Octave, reminds us of the importance of the image of Christ as the Mercy of God. This is probably the reason why the Saintly Holy Father, Pope John Paul II chose this day, when he wanted to institute a feast for the Divine Mercy revealed to the world through Sr. Faustina. This revelation that came about in the twentieth century, is as important as the revelation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus made through Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century. The message however is the same - God's boundless and merciful love. This image of Christ as the Mercy of God, should be second to none other than the image of the Risen Lord, for a Christian - that is in short what the Church wishes us to understand. 

Pope Francis, in these 8 years of his pontificate has reiterated again and again about the primacy of the Mercy of God - he has insisted that the identity of every Christian, the identity of the Christian Community, the purpose of the mission of the Church, and the goal of every evangelising activity should invariably be the Mercy of God. When he announced the year of Mercy and called every son and daughter of the Church to be merciful as the Father, what he intended to achieve was the same: to make of us people of mercy. Being people of mercy is our call, there is no doubt about it. But the question arises whether it is really possible, when we look around and consider seriously, the kind of world we live in!

"I have overcome the world," says Jesus, and continues, "if you accept me as the Saviour, you have overcome the world too!" That is the crux of the second reading and that leaves us with a serious question: is there a need to overcome the world? There was a time in philosophy and theology, people spoke of two diametrically opposed realities - good and evil, righteousness and sin, pure and profane, and in the same logic, spiritual and worldly...as if to say, what pertained to the Spirit did not pertain to the world and what pertained to the world was to be shunned and overthrown. In that logic, overcoming the world made sense! But have we not grown in our thinking? Have we not become more balanced and holistic in our thinking...should we still be thinking of shunning the world, as if world is opposed to what is Spiritual and what pertains to God? Yes, we have grown. It is not a dichotomy that we promote when we speak of overcoming the world - what we refer to here is more about the tendencies and modes of thinking, than the world or the earth or the creation. It is a mindset. Today's mindset can be referred to as a millennial mindset.

Millennial mindset, is that of development, progress, advancement and going forward. It cares only to fix goals and targets such as project 2020 (they have been talking about this for the past 3 decades and afterall 2020 just passed us by without any noise, all under the pandemic pressure!), or Goals 2030, or fancy names such as MDGs, SDGs, and what not! It is all about arriving somewhere...and for that we are ready to sacrifice anything, anyone and any value. Population seems to be rising, so do what you want it has to be brought under control - kill, abort, conspire, control, exploit, manipulate! Economic prosperity has to be achieved, so throw all liabilities out - even if they are persons - old, invalid, children, poor, weak, the so-called 'uncultured'. Science offers us progress and that has to be pursued, so experiment with whatever you wish - be it lives, living beings, the earth, the unborn lives, the uncared-for lives, the voiceless masses. This is the Millennial world that we are living in. Now think! What is mercy in this world?

The Risen Lord and the community that arose around him gives us, in the first reading and the Gospel today, three manifestations of true mercy in this millennial world - we would do good to pay heed.

The first manifestation of Mercy today  is Unity of Heart and Soul. It is not about the pacts signed and deals contracted at the international level smiling before the cameras and each one goes back and does what one wants. It is unity of heart and soul, the simplicity that is found in the Almighty, the same simplicity that the Almighty placed within us when we were created...that oneness...which was then broken into pieces by sinfulness and wickedness of the evil one. Oneness of heart and soul...feeling for the other, caring for the other, fending for the other, as for onself...that is oneness of heart and soul. This is mercy today in this millennial world. How many really care for every one, specially the suffering ones? We are more worried about what Bill Gates says, and what the millionnaire space tourists claim...where is the value of the individual persons here on earth? Fundamental rights are breached and persons are taken for granted. The moneyed and the powerful are having their way and making their wish become law for everyone else! Will the hearts and souls of goodwill unite?

The second manifestation of Mercy today is No one in want. Will we ever achieve this state? How many Governments and Non Governmental Organistion, Religious Orders and Social Service Organisations, National Bureaus and International Agencies have objectives like 'removal of poverty'... it should make us laugh out loud, to see this on paper! Mercy is merely a word, until even one in my vicinity is in want. Whom do we blame - the person himself or herself? the system? the policies? ...blame what you want, or blame all that you can, but the fact is, we are far from mercy. As people of God, in whichever way we can, we need to work in concrete towards this aim: no one in want, wherever we are. Let us not wait for multinational agencies and govermental bodies to intervene and change the situation, let us begin with DOING what is at hand, and making it a possible state of life: no one in want. Today, how many persons and communities, how many families, stand in need, affected by crises of varied kinds...the pandemic, the economic, the emotional and so on! What is our concrete response?

The third manifestation of Mercy today is Peace and Forgiveness. Jesus was not understood by his disciples. He was ditched by them and handed over to the enemies. He was killed by their treachery and insolent attitude. He rose, as he had already instructed them..and they did  not seem to believe. He came among them, they did not recognise and did not believe even when explained. One of them even asked for some childish signs and proofs. After all these what did Jesus offer them? Forgiveness and Peace! That is mercy, the unbounded love of God, the merciful embrace of the Father manifested in Jesus, the Christ. Peace, that comes from forgiveness, that is the fundamental offer of the Mercy of God. Today, how many stand in need of peace! How many wounded hearts need the gift of forgiveness and capacity to forgive! Are we in our own way, instruments of peace and forgiveness wherever we are, or are we creating more barriers and more blocks to unity of hearts and souls? Are we part of the problem or are we part of the solution?

Celebrating the Divine Mercy today - we need to resolve to be manifestation of mercy in this millennial world... overcoming its insensitivities, partialities, selfcentredness and inhumanities. Yes, we need to overcome the world, a mindset of this sort! And we can overcome, with the Merciful Lord on our side. Peace be with you, because I am with you says the Risen Lord to us today. Let us receive the Lord, and take the Lord to everyone in need of Mercy and Love.

From Obstinacy to Resolve - towards a liberating Surrender!

WORD 2day: Saturday within the Easter Octave

April 10, 2021: Acts 4: 13-21; Mark 16: 9-15

Jesus returned, but they recognised him not! He was a bit annoyed, as he used to be during his time with them in and around Judea. He also takes the liberty to rebuke them, because he knew they loved him, and he knew how much he loved them. It was for the same reason he did not reject them, but only rebuked them and their slowness to believe, in spite of the repeated signs and wonders that they were given with. 

That rightful rebuke reassured the disciples much and they came to a resolve, no one or nothing could affect them from then. No threats, no powers, no imprisonments, no lashes, no authority could stop them from proclaiming Christ because they were so powerfully taken up by that encounter with the Risen Christ. They knew he was with them every moment, as he had promised them!

Every day, the Risen Lord returns to us with a fresh proposal to live with us unceasingly; our obstinacy to hold on to various concerns in life, our blindness to the extraordinary love with which the Risen Lord approaches us, our failure to see through and observe in the events of life, the Lord who walks with us - these deserve a rebuke from the Lord. 

We live at times like obstinate little children, refusing to see the whole reality; we see only what we want to and we fail to see what we really need to. And from the little that we see, we interpret things and stay put there... thinking that we have figured it all out and we are on the right! How many mistakes, how many miscalculations, how many misinterpretations of events, how many misunderstandings of persons...why all these? Because we are obstinate on our point of view and want to see nothing else other than what we want to see! The Lord would scream at us, "why don't you open your eyes and see, for your own sakes!"

Let us move on... let us allow the Lord to show us the Lord's real presence with us. It would not matter, until we reach the resolve as did the apostles, to proclaim in our words and deeds, the Lord who has won us over. We are called to be witnesses, beginning from wherever we are to the ends of the world. 

Are we ready? Are we ready to move on from our childish obstinacy to a resolve to liberating surrender?

To be fire-filled, not fear-filled - the Easter effect

WORD 2day: Friday within the Easter Octave 

April 9, 2021: Acts 4: 1-12; John 21: 1-14

Today in the Word we see, there begins the next round of efforts to contain the Good news. When Jesus spoke of it, they killed him and heaved a big sigh thinking it was all over. Little did they imagine the problem was far from settled. The Reign of God is like the seed that a sower planted in his field, the Master had said... after a brief silence, it will certainly shoot up. We see the Sadducees and the Pharisees begin to feel the startles as they see the first signs of this sprouting. That was already too strong! 

From a fear-filled bunch of rugged Jews, the apostles turned out to be fire-filled upstarts, gradually shaping up to be formidable people of God, standing for and proclaiming the Good news, namely the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of the World. The Truth could not be contained... in fact, it can never be, whatever you do! Truth is what is and it shall ever be so, whether you like it or not and one day, regardless of how long it takes, it will stand up, rise up, and show itself up!

The proclamation of the apostles and the disciples, was strong because it was accompanied by signs and wonders, as the Master himself had set the model. Walking on the Sea, hauling an impossibly large catch of fish...these were no new signs for the disciples. They were merely confirmations of the continued presence of the Lord who had lived and moved with them. The disciples would not allow themselves to be stopped by anyone or anything. Soon we will begin to hear the violence that was unleashed against the new movement of the Risen Lord. Nothing, absolutely nothing, will stop them from their commitment to proclaim the Lord. That was an formidable Easter effect! 

Today, amidst the fear that is spread of this anti-human phenomenon of the pandemic, the other more dangerous ills that are these days forgotten and given a free ride into humanity (because everyoone is worried about the pandemic which no one really understands)... if we wish to be Easter people, let our life be a proclamation and a proclamation that is accompanied by signs and wonders: signs that stand counter to the self centered standards of the world today; and wonders that make people see the love and mercy of God in and through us! 

For that we need to sport with pride the Easter effect: to be Fire-filled and not fear-filled!

Listen to the Word Alive - the Easter-mindset

WORD 2day: Thursday within the Easter Octave 

April 8, 2021: Acts 3: 11-26; Luke 24:35-48

Understanding the Scriptures was an essential part of realising their identity for the disciples. From yesterday we read from Luke how the Risen Lord took upon himself the task of opening their minds to the Scriptures, because it was from that understanding that they were able to make sense of all that they were going through. Once clarified, their identity was extraordinarily strong and they accomplished feats that nobody would imagine. That is the power of clear and specific identity.

Hence a typical Easter-mindset is to Listen to the Word Alive. The Word made flesh, lived among them and they failed to completely grasp what was happening. When the Lord resurrected, they beheld the Word anew... now it was a Word that was fulfilled, accomplished in history, holding out to them new life and new meaning, an altogether new identity, a Word that was so Alive to the more than ever! It is the same Word Alive that speaks to us today - in the Scripture, the Sacraments and the Situation around. Are we listening?

Listening to the Word Alive, would mean looking at what is happening around me with the eyes that the Word would provide; hearing the cries of the helpless and the neglected as the Word would resound; feeling one with the suffering and the exploited as the Word would propose; taking on ourselves the struggles of the unfortunate and the downtrodden as the Word, in Christ Jesus, did. These should begin from the closest of our circles - let us say our families, our communities, our neighbourhood, our workplace colleagues and so on. These are not merely some acts, it is a mindset, an Easter-mindset that would define our very identity.

Yes, if we are truly listening to the Word, we would hear these questions posed to us: what is your identity? What does the Scripture say to you? Do you spend time listening to the Lord speak in and through the Scripture, the Sacrament and the Situation? Do you really seek to understand what the Lord wants of you today and strive to fulfill it? 

What is my mindset today?

To burn within - rekindling that fire!

WORD 2day: Wednesday within the Easter Octave

April 7, 2021: Acts 3: 1-10; Luke 24: 13-35 

The presence of the Risen Lord was felt in a concrete sense by the apostles and those around them. The Risen Lord was there as a fire within them, burning their hearts, warming up their relationships, firing up their commitments and lighting up their understanding. Their lives were touched by the Lord and not merely they, but all those who were around felt that touch. Haven't we heard from persons, saying about someone in a group, or a family - 'when he or she is around, we cannot but sense it. There is so much laughter and cheer!' That is a fine compliment to receive for an apostle of Christ!  

Aren't we called to be Easter people, radiating joy, radiating warmth, radiating light! That does not mean we would have no problems or no struggles! They would in fact abound. But that does not matter because we have within us a fire that is alive, burning and igniting every part of our selves - the fire of the Risen Lord. Some of us may be burning, some of us would have been burning once in our life, or some of us have always been wishing to burn with that fire of the Lord... let us remember, we have that fire always with us, ever within us. We just need to rekindle it.

Once I received a message requesting prayers - the person said her marriage was broken, and that she found herself alone with her child. She could not go back to her family because she had entered into this marriage against all their wish! 'Why is God so blind to my problems,' she ended the message. I only enquired, if there were no indications when things were beginning to happen or was she negligent of those indications! However, even now she can confront her problems if only she draws strength from that fire that is within her - the presence of the Risen Lord! Can't she?

In fact, it is the case with every one of us. With that fire burning within our hearts, we can face any situation and find new lease of life within us and share the same with all around us. The source of life and energy, is within us and all that we need to do is, become aware of that source and connect to it; become aware of that fire within us and get closer to it, close enough that we can burn within us and set everyone around us affire! 

What do I do: Open up your heart!

WORD 2day: Tuesday within the Easter Octave

April 6, 2021:  Acts 2: 36-41; John 20: 11-18

'What are we to do?' ask the people cut to their heart! That is the first sign of a transformed people: being cut to the heart and wanting to do something about it. I remember a gathering of teachers that I addressed in the beginning of an academic year. There were over 200 of them and at the end of the meeting one teacher walked up to me and said: 'Fr. I want to do something... I just can't continue the way I am. Tell me now, what should I do?' And I gave him a suggestion, and now he is part of an Evangelisation Team, that was connected until 3 years ago!

Being cut to the heart - it can happen only when I open my heart! The Word is powerful, the living Word, the Risen Lord is powerful, yes. But I need to allow the Lord to touch me, to transform me! I need to allow the truth to penetrate my soul and my heart... it will never happen if I am busy proving myself, justifying myself and compromising my ways! My choice has to be radical and then I shall see that the Word shall cut through my heart. 

If we allow the Risen Lord to encounter us through the numerous ways the Lord usually does, we will be cut to our hearts! The Lord has a suggestion for the future course of action: Go and Announce! He would say he is going to the Father and would ask us to continue what he started. The disciples took it to heart and they did an enormous work... what about you and me today?

How frequently do we have this pressing question in our hearts: What are we to do? What am I to do? Is there some course of my life that I need to alter, in order that I may live my life to the full? There is no use lamenting on the past or counting the unhatched chicks of the future... I need to act today and I need to choose today! This is the Easter Call, to open our hearts, to ask that question: what do I do, and to resume our course towards living a life to the full!

Get back to Galilee - the Memory Saves!

WORD 2day: Monday within the Easter Octave

April 5, 2021: Acts 2: 14,22-33; Mt 28: 8-15

The conspiracy to malign the name of Jesus and his apostles had not stopped even after having had Jesus killed. Now after the resurrection, it gets more urgent and more intense, because the opponents were already feeling the mounting pressure. Jesus in his ever cool fashion tells his disciples to get back to Galilee- Galilee, where Jesus went about doing good, where Jesus was living and moving with them day in and day out, where Jesus was sharing their daily concerns and making them feel so cared for, loved and attended to.

The lesson for us is: at times of conspiracy, at times of troubles and uncertainties, what do we need to do? When all that we face is trouble and from every corner there is disouragement, what do we need to do? When the gloom that has befallen refuses to leave and burdens our shoulders and our minds, what do we need to do? The directive from the Word today is: Get back to Galilee!

Let us get back to Galilee: let us get back to the wonderful experiences we have had with Jesus. Let us get back to the basic lessons we have learnt from Jesus. Let us get back to the fundamental values that Jesus has always been offering us.Thus we will never be disoriented and we will see a light that will pierce through the present cloud. 

MEMORIES can serve as a boost for our spirit, but the same can pull us down to the drain. It all depends which of type of those we wish to keep alive. If we are Easter people, then we will keep alive the positive memories, the wholesome memories, the lovely memories, the memories that give life, memories that build up and memories that rejuvenate. This is the Easter Call today: to get back to Galilee...to fall back on the wonderful things that God has done for us, specially in times of our troubles!

HAPPY EASTER 2021

 

The Silence of the Tomb and the most powerful Word!

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

Another Passion Week amidst the Pandemic - the Silent Saturday

April 3, 2021: There is no Holy Mass on this day!

The Silent Saturday - the Church is silent, no public worship; the day is silent, nothing happens and everything seems to be in suspension; the Word is silent, there is no Mass celebrated this day; because Jesus, our Lord is silent, he is laid in the tomb; and God is silent, preparing something totally new for us! We are called to be in silence, waiting in hope! Though everything is silent, there is something that is powerful happening... in the silence of the tomb, this day, we hear the most powerful of all words: Hope! 

That is the word that the Lord wishes to tell us...even these days as we get through this pandemic...hope! Hope in the Lord and praise his still, my Saviour and my God is there for me, whatever happens. There may be a thousand arrows aimed against me or there may be a whole battalion that comes against me, but nothing can assail me, for I hope in the Lord, my God. That is the kind of hope we are challenged to possess and grow in...not just in moments when we feel so close to God and specially blessed by God. But more importantly in moments of darkness and drear, in the moments of struggle and confusion, in moments of pain and burden... in moments of grief and sadness...through the experience of the tomb!

This day teaches us and invites us to understand the language of silence... not anyone's silence, but the silence of God. The Silence of God is filled with messages, provided we are ready to pay heed and attend to what it communicates to us. These moments continuously speak to us and offer us the opportunity to look at the rest of our life's moments with focus and within a framework. If only we are able to sit in that silence...without filling it with our words, cries, laments and proposals to God! 

Jesus is in the tomb...the silence of the tomb is so piercing, so heavy and so laden. The women were worried about what was kept inside that tomb, the body of Christ; the apostles were worried about what would happen to them next; all those who followed Jesus were dumbstruck still trying to make sense of what has happened in a question of three days...after all the fanfare with which they received Jesus into the city... looked like everything came to a standstill... yes, it was still, it was silent, but not empty or hopeless... but there was a burdensome task of waiting. They had to wait on the Lord. 

We need to wait too, on the Lord, for very many answers to our questions. The Lord has every bit of answer to give us and this silence can provide an opportunity to arrive at those answers. But we need; to allow the silence to speak... speak those powerful word, the word that the Lord is getting ready for us: Hope! 

Cross: Salvific Suffering for the sake of the Other

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

Another Passion Week amidst the Pandemic - the Good Friday

April 2, 2021: Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

Thinking of the Cross in relation to the pandemic is no difficult thing, it syncs naturally. So many different crosses, directly due to the disease and the indirectly due to its related effects.  The disease itself, the strange symptoms and the stranger lines of action like quarantine and isolation, the loss of dear ones, the still unclear state of the virus and its nature, the power and control that the moneyed have over the rest of the world, the ironic fact of how both the rich and the poor are affected by it, the silent cries of the millions and economic crises of families as well as societies... all these are crosses that we have faced during the time of pandemic which is still going on and threatens to prolong itself much more!

Amidst such experiences, how do we make sense of the Cross? "...ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried' - the words of Isaiah that prefigured the passion of Christ, give us a clue to understand what a true Cross is. Cross is not any suffering. Cross is not merely any inconvenience experienced in any mode. Cross is salvific, a suffering or an inconvenience, that brings a salvific grace to you and to others, is what can be called a Cross: this is the lesson that Jesus on the Cross offers us today. 

Cross is Salvific. Not any suffering is a cross...what if I chose to do all the wrong things and as a conequence, I face the suffering - is that a cross, merely because it is a suffering? What if I knew well where it was taking me, still I either actively or passively submitted myself to things that were very clearly enslaving and entrapping - could the resultant sufferings be called a cross just because it tears my life asunder? What if I deliberately chose to be arrogant and self-centred and as a result I feel abandoned and alone, languishing in loneliness and pain - could it be called a cross just because it gives me pain and burden? No... these are not salvific, these are choices that I make and the consequences that I have incurred. Cross, though heavy and burdensome, elevates me, raises me up to experience the mighty presence of God. If it has to be so, then, Cross is submission to God's will and Cross is taken up for the sake of others!

Cross is submission to God's will: "Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering" says the letter to the Hebrews. "Not mine, but your will be done," prayed Jesus as he took up the will of God. Cross is suffering in submission to the will of God. It is transcending rebellion and complaint; it is growing up to see the salvific nature of a suffering because it is accepted in submission to God's will. During these days of suffering due to the pandemic and its aftermath, how prepared are we to submit ourselves to God and God's will? How prepared are we to see the presence of God, even through the dark valley of insecurity, incertitude and inadvertent sufferings?

Cross is taken up for the sake of others: The pandemic has taught us this - wearing the masks, is not for myself but for others; staying in quarantine is not primarily for myself, but for others; giving up the normal pleasures of life, like going for entertainment and recreation, is not for myself, but for others! Without looking at the practicality and rightness of these directives, when I am able to take it upon myself for the sake of the others, those inconveniences becomes salvific - that is truly a Cross, from Christ-ian point of view! When I am ready to bear the burden, go the extra mile, do an extra sacrifice, exert a little more my energy and suffer an unnecessary trouble for the sake of others, not for my own benefit, that is a Cross and it is salvific: it serves others and saves me! 

Today from the Cross the Lord speaks to us - for you I have taken up all these suffering! How much suffering are you prepared for, for the sake of the other? Cross, is the Salvific Suffering for the sake of the other... are you prepared?