Prayers and their Answers

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 4th week in Ordinary time

Febraury 1, 2022: 2 Samuel 18:9-10,14,24-25,30-19:3; Mark 5: 21-43

Turn your ear and give answer, O Lord, we pray in response to the Word today. Our prayers are answered always - at times it pleases us but at times it does not give us happiness at the moment. What is important to keep in mind is, the Lord hears us and the Lord know what is best for us. 

We have today the lovely twin episode of the woman who suffered from haemorrhage and that of the daughter of Jairus... the highlight is on how they persons here placed their total trust that the Lord will hear their cry - one better than the other. One asking the Lord to come and the other trying to touch the helm of his garments, with such confidence that the Lord will do to them, what they wished, prayed for and longed for. 

There is another important dimension that is added - at times the answer to our prayers may not be all pleasant. David was desperately looking for peace in his kingdom, safety from his enemies and the end of all the rebellion against him. The prayer was indeed answered - his son Absalom was killed! He cried bitterly and mourned, for he loved his son! But the prayer for peace and calm, had to be answered. 

At times we do not know what to pray for and how to pray for. This helps us to understand what St. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26: at times we do not know how to pray as we ought! It is the Spirit of the Lord who teaches us, not only how to pray but also what a true prayer is: a total surrender to the Lord, than prompting to the Lord what is to be done. We need to grow more and more in the prayer of surrender, thus prayers and their answers, all lead to one ideal end - a deep relationship with God. 

A Man of the Reign

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

January 31, 2022: St. John Bosco, Father and Friend of the Young 

Phillipians 4:4-9; Matthew 18: 1-5

We celebrate today a lovable saint of charity and of indefatigable commitment to the salvation of the young - St. John Bosco, or otherwise lovingly called Don Bosco. The Word that is proposed on his feast day so appropriately sums us what he is... a Man for all times, a Man of the Reign! We can identify three characteristics of his, outlined in the Word today.

The first is his insistence on joyous living of life. Rejoice, Rejoice in the Lord, Rejoice in the Lord I repeat, says St. Paul and that is what John Bosco told his boys and his collaborators always. He insisted on a joyful living of one's life, as a sign of the people of the Reign. The Spirituality he inherited from St. Francis de Sales (incidentally, this is the 400th anniversary year of St. Francis de Sales), was based on joy and optimism and that is the Christian humanism that flavoured the thoughts and teachings of Don Bosco.

The second is the primacy and priority for God. Whatever is good, whatever is true, whatever is noble and whatever is acceptable in the eyes of the Lord, choose them! This was a guiding principle for not only Don Bosco, but also given by him to others who followed him. His very motto - give me souls, take away the rest - was a reflection of this choice, the primacy and the priority that he had for God and what is acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. What a foolproof criterion also for us today - whatever is acceptable in the eyes of the Lord - that would be the choice of the Reign.

The third quality highlighted is the simplicity. If you do not become like the children, simple and innocent, you cannot enter the Reign of God, declares Jesus, thus making it so clear that Don Bosco was truly a man of the Reign. He remained a simple boy from a simple village called Becchi, right until he died as a great founder of a movement, a missionary par excellence of the young, a counsellor and confidant to great Nobles, ministers and even to the Holy Father! He remained the same simple priest that he always wanted to be! He was truly a man of the Reign.

PROPHETS OF THE LORD FOR TODAY

Called, Challenged and Comforted in Love

January 30, 2022: 4th Sunday in Ordinary time

Jeremiah  1:4-5,17-19; 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Luke 4: 21-30

We live our Christian faith in an increasingly pluralistic world; to be precise, it is not pluralism that is increasing but forces that make that pluralism more and more felt even on a daily basis, are making their presence more felt! One very simple and straightforward example could be what is going on in Tamilnadu, South India for the past one week. An unfortunate suicide of a school student, is used as a pretext to sow hatred in the minds of the public against the Institution she studied in, which happens to be a Catholic Institution run by a congregation of nuns. The Institution is blamed for its forced conversions and that is cited abetting the suicide of the girl. This action cannot be seen as one isolated case of accusation against the Religious Minority institutions but has to be understood within a larger plot by certain anti-secular forces at work in a nation such as India, where pluralism has for time immemorial remained an integral part of the social texture. That said, we need to look at the other side of the scenario too!

We still, in fact more these days, find the so-called Christian preachers and evangelists putting up shows and exhibiting pathetic gimmicks, in the name of proclamation, healings and spiritual awakening... the unnecessary popularity shows, the unchristian greed for money, the inhuman deceptions in the name of God... are these truly becoming of a messenger of God? Ashamed and embarassed by these treacherous manifestations, can we completely blame those fanatics, without taking the onus also on ourselves? It is against this background that the Word speaks to us today, calling each of us to be Prophets of the Lord, today, here and now!

We are Called... I have called you and appointed you my Prophet to the nations, affirms the Lord. Each of us is called, by our very baptism, we are called to be prophets of the Lord, wherever we are. Being prophets of the Lord to the nation means that we take the message of the Lord, that we take the Spirit of the Lord, that we become the presence of God for the world. Being prophets, by the very word 'prophet' can mean three things: pro-phetes...could be, on behalf of the Lord, in front of the Lord, or in favour of the Lord. We are called to make present God, before the people who look for God, and God's comfort. We are called to be persons of God in the eyes of the Lord, not merely putting up an appearance in front of the people. We are called to be in favour of the Lord, that is, we are called to present the true Lord in front of the world that constantly goes away from and turns against God. This is the call of a prophet!

We are Challenged... In fact, it is very clear that the task just mentioned above are not so simple. They are difficult, challenging and highly risky. The Lord never has hidden that detail from us: they will fight against you, says the Lord in the first reading; and Jesus says no prophet shall be accepted in his hometown, by his own people. Hence, when we take up our call to be prophets we agree to take up also the challenges that come along - opposition, derision, struggles, turmoils, plottings, violence and at times even death! We are challenged, and just because we are challenged and we are struggling, the Lord does not lessen our burden. There is no compromise... the struggle is always the same, in fact it intensified as time goes on. What are we to do... get trained for it, get formed for it, get going with it! How far can we?

We are Comforted... the Lord comes with comfort and consolation, affirmation and assurances... I am with you; I was treated the same way; I have gone through all that you might be going through now...so be firm and keep going! Do not be dismayed in their presence, for I am there to deliver you, says the Lord. It is not the acceptance of the people that will confirm that you are a prophet of God - for Jesus was just praised a moment, right at the next moment they tried to throw him down the precipice. The true confirmation of a prophet and the real comfort comes only from the Lord. And that would come only if we live up to the criterion that God has set for us as prophets... Love!

We are called, challenged and comforted in Love. Love is the litmus test of our life as prophets. Love means wishing the good of the other... not wishing my own good or fending for my own happiness. Love is doing everything for the other, love is living my entire life for the other, love is readiness to give of myself totally for the other. There is no place for selfishness or deceit in love; there is no place for greed or ego in love; there is no place absolutely for any trace of unforgiveness or evil in love. It is with these criteria that the Lord calls each and every one of us Christians, to be prophets of the Lord to the world today. 

Can we realise and accept our call to be prophets in Love? Can we look at the challenges posed by the world today in living our call as prophets, and accept them all with love? Can we really feel the comfort of love from the Lord and share the same loving comfort to the suffering masses of the world today? Can our daily life of being Christians, being children of God, become a concrete life of the prophets of the Lord for today!

A pure heart!

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

January 29, 2022: 2 Samuel 12:1-7,10-17; Mark 4: 35-41

"A pure heart create for me O God" -we repeat those beautiful and moving words of David, today as responsorial. It is an important grace to ask from God - a pure heart, for blessed are those who are pure in heart, they shall see God. But the question always remains, especially for us weak and frail human beings... can our heart be pure?

That is precisely why we need to pray for that grace! David is a powerful example of a man who was swayed by his weakness and his frailty and at a point of time, he thought he could get away with it, thinking that no one would ever know his secret thoughts and plotting. But the Lord revealed to him that everything is as bright as the day before the eyes of the Lord. 

The goodness of David rests in the fact that when the Lord made him aware of his mistake, he immediately accepted it and surrendered himself to the Lord - that is the purity of heart, that is a grace! That is the grace we seek from the Lord... we may not be as pure and holy as angels, but within our weakness and our frailty we are called to maintain the purity of our hearts. When we do that we shall see God, listen to God, feel God, and be illumined by the presence of God. 

With that pure heart, righteous and humble, we shall be able to face all the turbulence in our hearts, in our lives and in our small worlds. We would be able to look at situations that are frightening and command them to silence. We shall be able to calm the sea and the storm, above all our hearts within us. That peace and calm comes from a pure heart!

Beware! the small is big!

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

January 28, 2022: 2 Samuel 11:1-4,5-10,13-17; Mark 4: 26-34

Although today is the memory of the great theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, we could carry on with the flow of the Liturgy of the Word these days...as there is a continuity that is intended in the entire week's Word of God...today we are called to pay attention to another aspect of the seed: the smallness, the littleness, the seemingly insignificantness of the size of the seed... but the message is to beware, because even the small is big!

Jesus presents to us the imagery of the small, tiny seed that grows into a great big shrub, becoming home to hundreds of birds. He draws our attention to our small gestures, little words, simple smiles, loving looks that can really grow into the Reign of God. He invites us to pay attention to our daily faithfulness and faithfulness in small things, that can measure up to the mighty big Reign of God, even without our knowledge.

It does not stop there. The first reading adds another nuance, which though Jesus did not say, he would have certainly meant. Just as small acts of goodness and virtue can grow up into the Reign of God, our small acts of vice and negligence of virtue can grow into a mighty big blunder. That is what happens to David... David who was in most of the ways acceptable in the eyes of the Lord, permited little weaknesses and vices within him, to take the better of him. They grew to the extent of making him a treacherous murderer...for which he had to bitter repent at a later stage. On his part, he at least repented...but today not many are ready even for the repentance! Then how will the Reign grow?

Hence the warning today: beware of the seeds of vice and weakness within you! However small and negligible they look, they can grow into an entire ruin of your life! Beware! the small is big!

Investing in the Lord

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

January 27, 2022: 2 Samuel 7:18-19,24-29; Mark 4: 21-25

David is denied the privillege of building the Temple for the Lord - given the impetuous character of David, one would expect a ruckus or atleast an infantile rebellion from David. But that is not what happens today in the first reading...David submits to the Lord in all earnestness and humility, with gratitude and acknowledgement of the goodness of the Lord. And not just that, he pledges his faithfulness to the Lord, not for himself but for all his generation, his entire household. That was a great invenstment on the part of David - an eternal investement with boundless dividends. 

Faithfulness to God is not an easy virtue, given the trouble and suffering it can cause at particular moments of life. But it is an investment, not just for oneself but for the entire generation. Believe in the Lord, and you shall be saved, you and your household - is a familiar promise repeated in the Acts of the Apostles. And as St. Paul affirms, the one who sows aplenty shall reap in abundance; those who sow sparingly shall reap only sparingly (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:6). Faithfulness to the Lord is a mightly investment and it shall never fail! 

Any investment is giving away, letting go, a losing of what one has... and so is faithfulness to God. The so-called promises and the attractions of the instantly glamourous world, can take us away from the right perspective of eternity - from that perspective, one who gives away more shall be given more, and only those who have more shall think of investing more! Without minding the hardships, temptations and struggles, let us resolve to invest more and more in the Lord; and in God's own time we shall reap every bit of its dividend. 

The Sower, the seed and the Fruits

THE WORD AND THE SAINTS

January 26, 2022: St. Titus and Timothy

2 Timothy 1:1-8; Mark 4:1-20

What is sown shall certainly bear its fruits, but the fruits depend on the condition created and the care taken. The Lord has sown within us, God's own image and likeness, God's goodnews and all the goodness with which the Lord has created this whole universe! Much depends on how we care for what has been sown and the condition we create together as people of God. 

First lesson is to be convinced of the fact that God has sown within us great treausres - beginning with the image and likeness of God because of which we are made true children of the Almighty, the Spirit of the Lord which the Lord has poured into our hearts which make of us great signs of God's presence and the Message of Jesus Christ, the Kerygma of God which makes us bearers of God's tidings to the entire world.

The second lesson is to care for what has been given within us - that we may grow to be truly children of God, that we may forever bear the presence of God to others in whatever situation we find ourselves in and that we may translate our very lives into a goodnews, that the Lord our God is with us and we belong to the One Lord.

Finally, the lesson is to bear fruit - the fruits of our identity,the fruits of the Spirit, the fruits of the Message of God - that everyone who comes across a Christian finds in the person an inspiration, a guidance, a sign post and a clear direction how to live as human persons in this world. At times, today the life of a Christian or a Christian community not only fails to give this witness, but becomes a counter witness; not drawing people to God but driving people away from the One True God. 

The Sower who has sown the divine seeds within us, awaits our cooperation and our fruits... are we on the path of our growth?

Conversion: the call and the commitment

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

January 25, 2022: The Conversion of St. Paul

Acts 22:3-16; Mark 16:15-18

In celebrating the event of the conversion of St. Paul we celebrate the Christian theology of Conversion. It is not merely about someone abandoning one's previous faith and embracing another faith, a phenomenon which seems to be creating so much of a controversy down the history. It is about discovering, or rediscovering, one's call and commitment, the original call and the fundamental commitment. 

Paul was called...and he knew it well. He did not realise the crux of his call, but he was convinced he was called. We as children of God need to have that conviction that we are called, a fundamental self-identity that sets us apart and keeps us close to God. At times we may mistake, misunderstand or misinterpret the call that we have received...but what is important is the search to remain faithful to God. 

Paul committed himself to God and God's mission, with all his heart and with all his soul. Even when he was a persecutor of the Christians, he was doing it all for God and that authenticity in Paul, brought him to the right path in the same drammatic way that he loved God. His commitment was exceptional and that is why when his whole direction was changed in life, Paul continued with the same zest within him. There was inbuilt within him, a sense of absolute commitment to his call.

Conversion, therefore, is a rediscovery of the original call that we have received from the Lord. The call and the reminder is to remain always alert to discern the purposes of the Lord and be ready always for an absolute commitment to God's ways!

Division, Unity and the Spirit

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

January 24, 2022: 2 Samuel 5:1-7,10; Mark 3: 22-30

The Word today speaks to us about how a house divided within itself shall become a victim of the evil one and how the house of Israel united themselves under one servant of God - the King David. The Spirit unites...anyone who sins against unity, sins against the Spirit; anyone who sins against the Spirit, denies oneself of a place in the presence of God. 

During the unity octave that we are in, which ends tomorrow, we are inspired to reflect on the Christian call to unite! Becoming One in the Spirit is the fundamental call of the People of God. Those which spread division, instead, are unnecessary ego-play and inhuman surrender to evil. 

There are presons today in the world today who seem to have given themselves to the evil one, having made a pact to further the cause of the evil at the cost of peace and tranquility of the entire humanity. This is an unfortunate development, and it shall not be too long before they ruin themselves and damage so many others around them.

More dangerous are those who are given into ego-play, who even without their own knowing will be furthering the cause of the evil one. At least those who are deliberately evil and pronouncedly on the side of the evil can be identified and warned against. But those who are guided by their own ego, over and above every other good, are persons who will cause much more damage to themselves and to others... we are infact witness to such experiences. 

 

LIFE IN THE WORD

Understand, Unite & Undertake

January 23, 2022: Third Sunday in Ordinary time

Nehemiah 8:2-6,8-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30; Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21

One of the most popular identities of the people of God is that of being the people of the Word! In fact, there is a famous term that is used in the semitic circles - the People of the Book: the Islamic tradition uses it for themselves and for Chrstians, some Jewish sects and Chrstian denominations use it to refer to themselves and some common sources use it to refer to the people of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All because, the faith tradition of these communities of persons has a strong link to their Holy Book. The Holy Book for them does not mean merely a printed book, but a living tradition. 

For us Christians, the Holy Bible, the Scripture, the Holy Book is not merely a living tradition, but a living Person! Yes, we are not merely people of the Book, but we are People of the Word. Because in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God. In and through the Word everything was created and there was nothing created that was not for the Word...such is our link with the Word. Infact our whole life is lived in the Word. The liturgy this Sunday invites us to reflect on this life in the Word.

Our Life in the Word, consists of three important phases in terms of our growth in faith. These three phases are essential to make ourselves, or grow into, true people of God or people of the Word. But before we look into those phases, we need to stay clear of an unnecessary confusion; that is, calling ourselves People of the Word, are we undermining the importance of the Sacramental life, the Social life and the Spiritual practices that form so much part of our Christian faith-living? No, it can never be the case, because being people of the Word, makes us people of the Sacraments through which we experience the closeness of the Word, people of Social commitment who see the Word in action in daily life and the people of the Spiritual Practices that authentically translate our love for the Word into daily and concrete actions. In fact the three phases we refer to, ensure this holistic picture of the People of the Word.

Phase One: Understand the Word

People of the Word, does not mean those who blindly get stuck to a written word, or those who fanatically prioritise a formula or a written phrase over anything and everything, merely because it is written. This written-oral tradition controversy has always been present in the history of human and religious crises. That is why Nehemiah today, uses the term "understanding" the Word repeatedly, while presenting the Word to the people. 

The Word has to be understood; it has to be interpreted; it has to be made sense of in a living context, because as we said it is a Living Word and one cannot get stuck to an old sense made and deny anyother possibility of meaning and sense from it for life. Men and women, and children old enough to understand... that is what we read in the first reading. Listening to the Word is an art and we need to grow in it, men, women and chidlren of God. The Holy Spirit can give us the grace to grow in that competence which is so necessary for us to know what is right, what is valuable and what is God-willed for each of us, in our own life and experience. Apart from the assistance of the Holy Spirit each of us needs to grow more and more familiar with the Word and with the exercise of listening to the Word, in order to Understand the Word and what the Word expects from us here and now. 

Phase Two: Unite in the Word

People of the Word means, people who are united in and through the Word. At times, ironically, the very written word, or the Scripture has been a bone of contention for very many Christian denominations, leave alone considering different religions. The Word makes us one people and gives us one mission; uniting us in identity and quality as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, disciples and apostles, persons and communities in fellowship and love. 

St. Paul in the second reading today, outlines to us how the people of God are one body, united in the Head that is Christ, the Word that makes us one. Truly, people of the Word are those who keep looking for reasons to unite, come together, live together and spread the cause of the community. This unity does not come easily, because it is not based on uniformity. It is easier to unite in terms of uniformity...but what results will not be rich but a repetition of the same 'n' number of times. While the unity of the Holy Spirit is based on diversity, specificity, uniqueness of individuals, variety of gifts, diversity of capacities, the contribution of different individuals towards a common identity - that is truly Christian Unity. We are living through the Unity Octave these days (18th to 25th January)...and this is exactly what we are called to celebrate. The diversity that we have, should not divide us but unite us in our richness, making us before the world, people of the Word, who stand together united by the Word and the Spirit. This unity has to begin first of all from within every individual, avoiding any sentiments of competition or threat and looking at the other as a brother and sister in the Word. Secondly, it has to be reflected in every believing Community, which needs to stand together as one people of the Word without internal divisions and descriminations. Thirdly, it has to be presented as a witness to the  world, in varied Christian communities coming together in mutual love and appreciation, promoting the common good of humanity, united by the Word. 

Phase Three: Undertake the Challenge of the Word

People of the Word are those who are filled with the Word and who feel the impulse to go out and announce the Word, in the Spirit. God's Word is the Spirit and life, it gives meaning to a Christian living, That is why St Paul once declared: woe to me if I did not proclaim the Goodnews! In fact the whole Christian life is all about announcing the Word... not so much as an activity, instead as the very style of living. 

The two passages from Luke that are brought together into one, as the Gospel passage today, give us an incling into what is intended - that we announce to the world, as Luke wrote and announced, that our very call is to announce! Jesus realised it and that is why he declared it: God's Spirit is in my heart and I am appointed to go and announce. We, as people of the Word, are challenged too, to realise our call to go and announce. To announce in our very lives, to announce in and through our way of thinking and reasoing, to announce in our priorities and policies, to announce through our decisions and options, to announce in our actions and attitudes, to announce in our relationships and interactions, to announce in the way we live in our personal lives and family ties, to announce in the way we build our communities of faith, to announce in the way we go out as individuals and communities towards the good of whole humanity... catering to the poor, the sick, the unfortunate, the needy, the oppressed, the victimised, the helpless and the suffering. Let this begin in each of our lives: each of us, in our way, undertaking the challenge that the Word presents to us in our daily lives. 

We are a people of the Word and we need to make that known to the world, through our life in the Word. 

Out of our minds!

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

January 22, 2022: 2 Samuel 1:1-4,11-12,17,19,23-27; Mark 3: 20-21

Jesus today is considered out of his mind, by his own people. The reason was very simple - he was totally taken up with the others, with preaching, healing, feeding, befriending, forgiving, consoling, and so on. He had no time to care about himself. Food and drink were absent from his daily categories of thinking. Naturally people thought he was out of his mind.

Those who were around David that day when he lamented so bitterly for Saul and Jonathan, would have considered him too, out of his mind. At least Jonathan was his friend, but Saul? He was his rival, a threat who was trying to kill him! With Saul's death, should not David heave a sigh of relief - that is how the society would think. Even Jonathan, though being a friend, without him David has no block towards ascending to the throne! According to the world's standards, David should take advantage of the situation; nothing less! But David did not do that.

Jesus and David, seem to have a similar mind - not just out of mind as the people around judged, but a mind of God, a mind of genuine love, a mind that prioritised love over everything else. Today we do not dare to live that way because we are afraid the society will brand us 'out of our minds'. But the Lord? How the Lord would wish more and more of us go 'out of our minds'!

Let it not be too late!

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

January 21, 2022: 1 Samuel 24: 3-21; Mark 3: 13-19 

Many a person chosen in the history of humankind, has fallen short of their call. We have today the list of those who were chosen and called to be his disciples, by Christ. And we know well how unprepared, incapable and unworthy every one on that list was. But they finally lived up to their call... they measured up to the challenge and today they are an inspiration to all of us. 

But there have been in history, also sad stories and painful turn of events. An excellent example is Saul, who was chosen in all glory but soon, fell short of even a favourable sight from the Lord. Today we see Saul, crying out to the Lord and to the Lord's chosen servant, David. Listening to Saul from the first reading of today, one might think he deserved a second chance. But the fact is, he had by then missed n number of chances to turn to the Lord. It was indeed too late when he came to his senses!

The warning is right here: even if you are at times weak or incapable, and fail in the call that you have received, turn to the Lord at the earliest possible chance, lest it becomes too late. Postponing our decision to make our choices right, delaying our choice to commit totally to God's purposes, procrastinating the definitive choice of lifestyle that is pleasing to God... these might seem pleasurable at times. But let us not grow faint not to listen to the promptings of the voice from within: let it not be too late!

Envy, loyalty and equanimity

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

January 20, 2022: 1 Samuel 18:6-9,19:1-7; Mark 3: 7-12 

History is full of emotions, and bible history is no exception. Especially when we read the account of David's life, there is an interplay of innumerable emotions in a really dazzling manner. Today we have a sample. 

There is the envy of Saul, who is unhappy with the new found popularity of David. He begins to look at David as a threat, first to himself and second to his son's succession to the throne. However, alongside we see the loyalty of that son, Jonathan, who treasures his friendship with David and dares to be loyal at all costs. 

Apart from these there are so many emotions that we will be continuing to encounter these days with this account carrying on. While Jesus in the Gospel stands apart for his equanimity and that is what we are called to imitate, to cultivate, in our own lives. When people opposed him and criticised him Jesus walked away from that place and when people praised him to the skies and wanted to make him their king, he walked away from them; he refused it and he withdrew himself.

This attitude of equanimity is a lesson that Jesus teaches us! In the face of praise or in the event of a discouragement, we need to stay strong and unswerving. We may ask, how is it even possible. It is possibile when we do everything for the sake of God's will - my food is to do the will of the One who sent me; Everything done for God and God's will enables us to take the sufficient distance from the effects of our action! What is important is we know and do the will of God for us, here and now. 

Choose God; Choose Good

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

January 19, 2022: 1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51; Mark 3: 1-6

One of the signs of those who feel close to God is their courage to choose good! 

We see today in the first reading the courage of the young David who chooses to fight the Philistines, in order to liberate God's people from fear and slavery. And the reason for the courage is given by the young lad himself: I come in the name of the Lord. 

The Gospel presents to us Jesus who takes on the oppressive system of the Scribes and the Pharisees and questions them about their choice! Whether they choose good or evil, whether they choose life or death, whether they choose to liberate people or keep them under fear and slavery!

Be it David in the first reading  or Jesus in the Gospel, their choice to do good and their courage to manifest that choice openly came from the choice they had made for God. Anyone who really chooses God will choose good by all means, come what may! If someone claims to choose God but does not choose good, it is an ample reason to suspect the choice. 

Let us choose God, and the easiest way to manifest that is to choose good, in all ways!

Love of God raises us

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

January 18, 2022: 1Samuel 16: 1-13; Mark 2: 23-28

We are introduced today to the figure of David - by the entire liturgy of the Word. David is an epitome of a son of God. We get to understand the intricacies are being choses as children of God from the life of David. A few salient traits that can enlighten us about our status as children of God, from the figure of David:

First of all, David was all the while so unworthy in all normal standards. We see today how Samuel had no clue why the Lord chose this little lad, as the King of Israel. 

Secondly, certain choices that David made as a leader were totally unbecoming of God's chosen one. He knew it and still struggled to cope with his weaknesses, committing errors of treacherous kinds.

Thirdly, at times he seemed to deliberately make choices of controversial nature, taking advantage of the fact that God loved him. God had to at times correct him, discipline him and bring him back to God's ways.

Looking at these traits, we can find one outstanding fact which the figure of David offers us - we may be unworthy of the Lord but that does not matter, in as much as we submit ourselves to the Lord with real heart of a child, as David did. We can never be worthy of being identified as children of God, but one fact we can never forget: God's love raises us!

The loss of self-identity

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

January 17,2022: 1 Samuel 15: 16-23; Mark 2: 18-22

I am called. I am chosen. I am set apart as a son or daughter of God, in Christ. That is not a simple statement to make because it radically defines my self-identity. How others look at me, may or may not change... but how I look at myself has to be fundamentally affected by the fact of being a child of God. 

I may be able to convince others to believe in an identity that I may not really possess; but can I deny my real identity before God? God knows my through and through and no amount of excuse or rationalisation can justify me in God's presence, if I tend to live with a duplicity in life. The readings today bring this point home to us, with clarity and strength.

Saul knew what he was doing, but wished to project a self that was unreal. Samuel or the people could be pacified by the reasons he gave, but in front of God his innermost intentions lay bare! A sense of deliberate duplicity is one of the primary instances of loss of self-identity. 

In the Gospel Jesus presents to us another instance of the loss - doing whatever you do, without even realising why you do! The intentions that you have may not be wrong or false, but even being unclear is a loss of self identity. That is, whatever you believe in, whatever you do as an expression of your faith, has to be reasoned out, purposeful and deliberately chosen to grow in your identity as a child of God. 

CELEBRATION MODE - THE CRUX OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

The call, crisis and the charism

January 16, 2022: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary time

Isaiah 62: 1-5; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11; John 2: 1-11

After all the festivities of the Christmas season which ended with the Baptism of the Lord last Sunday, we entered into a more sober season of the Ordinary time - but the Word reminds us: the festivities cannot end! Our entire Christian life has to be one long celebration, because the bridegroom is with us! The Lord is with us; the incarnate Lord, the resurrected Lord is with us! And therefore, our life has to be perpetually in celebration mode - that is the crux of Christian life. 

The first reading from Isaiah and the Gospel passage from John, remind us of another event in the Gospel accounts (see Mtt 9, Mk 2, Lk 5), where Jesus is questioned as to why his disciples do not fast! And the epic reply of Jesus draws our attention to what we indicated above as the crux of Christian life: can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? Yes, that is Christian mode of living - the Celebration Mode!

The Call - to celebrate life unceasingly!

As disciples of Christ, as brothers and sisters of Christ, as sons and daughters of God our Father and Mother, we are called to celebrate life! 'I have come that they may have life, life in all its abundance', was the self-declaration of the Son of God who came to be with us and show us what it meant to be sons and daughters of God. Our life has to be one long celebration; it cannot be otherwise because God is with us, the Son of God is with us, the bridegroom is with us. This first of all refers to the mystery of incarnation we believe in - that God became human and came down to live with us. Secondly it refers to the great paschal mystery, as Jesus in his resurrected self assures us, 'I shall be with you till the end of times'! Isn't that a fact to be celebrated?

The Word today presents us, people of God, as the bride getting ready for the bridegroom! We are expected to delight in the presence of the Lord. We are to cherish the intimate relationship that we have with God, which implies that we have developed such a relationship, that we have an ongoing rapport with the Saviour that constantly unites us with God and with each other. When our relationships, be it with God or be it with our brothers and sisters, are in order, we have a peace of mind, serenity of spirit, joy in the heart that can equal the paradise alone! That is the presence of God and that is the wedding feast, the Reign of God that we are called to. 

The Crisis - facing the dry patches in life!

Does that mean we shall not have any problems? Does that mean life is all flowery and glorious? No we do have dry patches. Like Isaiah points out, there will be moments when we shall feel like we are forsaken, as if we are abandoned! As in that wedding feast, there will be moments when the jars of our life will run dry! There will be moments of crises, certainly. And none of us would gainsay on this point, because we have all faced this part of our lives and perhaps, we are going through those in these times!

The pandemic experience for many has been the recent rough patch - with fear around, constraints all over, disease in the family, death of dear ones, lack of resources, stress and depression and so on! Otherwise too, at times we face issues like misunderstanding between spouses, tensions between parents and children, frictions among siblings, heartaches among friends, economic straightjackets, social misgivings, political exploitations and so on, make us question the very meaning and purpose of human life. But can we give up? Can we rest merely with the crises? Can we get drowned in those worries - are they so deep as to sway us totally off our feet?

The Charism - the gift of the Presence of the Lord!

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and nothing can overwhelm us beyond our limits. God, who has given us life and who calls us to celebrate it, is with us and the presence shall sustain us and energise us to face all these crises. The Lord will once again fill our empty jars; the Lord will once again restore our splendour and joy; the Lord will renew us and call us by a new name, yes the Lord will continuously revive us to new life. And the Lord does this by three means

Firstly, through the Holy Spirit who fills us with new life. The Holy Spirit will transform the waters of our life into wine, the troubles of our life into opportunities to glorify the Lord by our splendid testimony. The Spirit will give us the courage and the capacity to celebrate life, amidst all the difficulties and temptations. 

Secondly, through the presence of the saintly intercessors. Beginning with our Blessed Mother who stood by Jesus right until the Cross, who knows what it means to suffer and be pierced to the heart with swords of agony, we have have a great array of help. Saintly persons with whom we have a communion, as saints of one big family, we count on them for help, encouragement and example. 

Thirdly, through our own brothers and sisters. God has filled each of us with the gifts of the Spirit, "for a good purpose" says St. Paul. And that purpose is to sustain each other in our day to day living. Let us not immediately point to the others and say, "see, God has given you gifts to be of service to others!" but let us realise, God has given me gifts to be of service to my brother and sister in need. What is the gift that God has given me? How am I and how much am I using those gifts to help and assist my brother or sister to live his or her life to the full? Imagine if only every disciple of Christ, realises the true gift given the Spirit and puts it totally at the service of the common good - our life shall be truly a Celebration.

We are called to celebrate life and inspite of the crises and difficulties, let us strive to live life in celebration mode! The Holy Spirit fills us with a joy that no one else can give and none can take away - in and through all the gifts we are showered with, let us live our life in Celebration Mode!

You are chosen, but listen...

WORD 2day: Saturday, 1st week in Ordinary time

January 15, 2022: 1 Samuel 9:1-4,17-19,10:1; Mark 2: 13-17

We see two scenes in the Word today. In one, Samuel tells Saul, 'go before me to the high place' and tells him, 'you are to eat with me today'. In the other scene, Jesus tells Mathew, 'follow me' and goes to eat with him in his house! Going before and following; calling the other to eat with oneself and going to eat in the other's house... they may seem contrary actions but the meaning is the same: You are chosen.

That you are chosen does not mean, you are one up on the others! You may be the most handsome man, you may be the most influential or moneyed person, that does not make you worthy to be called. It is not your merit that makes you 'chosen'! The world might think so and they may convince you too, with their opinions and judgements. But you know who you are!

But your strength lies in the Lord. It is the Lord who is your strength and the strength of the Lord gives joy to God's children. As long as you acknowledge the strength of the Lord and rely on it, you shall shine on earth before the human kind. Everyone shall see your light - some may wonder and some may praise God, but you will shine and that is true.

Finally, you are chosen for a specific purpose and that is your life's mission. As you sit at the Lord's table, listen to the Lord and pay attention to what the Lord expects of you, for the Lord sends you to the poor and weak, to the sinners and those who are struggling with their lives that you may bring them to God, to their consolation. 

Authority and Power - the Christ-ian difference

WORD 2day: Friday, 1st week in Ordinary time

January 14, 2022: 1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22; Mark 2: 1-12

There is a discourse in the Liturgy of the Word today, which brings home to us the difference between authority and power, credibility and dominion. The difference can be noticed on three counts:

First, power comes from a title or a status possessed, while authority comes from the person that you are. Power comes from what one has, while authority comes from what one is. Jesus' authority, that is why, was so unquestionable. It came from what he was and therefore no one could outdo it. 

Second, power is exercised over others, while authority is exercised in relation to oneself. Power refers to the capacity to command or get things done. Authority refers to the competence of a person, the personality traits of an individual, the sense of integrity that a person manifests from within. There are certain people who look so ordinary and normal, but no one dares disrespect them - where does that respect come from? Not power, but authority.

Third, power is to control, while authority is to set free! A logic of power puts me in the center, and looks at everything from my own perspective, wishing to have a control over everything and everyone around. The sense of authority lets people be themselves, sets people free, forgives, lets go, and loves genuinely, because it is creative and it seeks to construct and not to control.

The difference we just mentioned, make up what Christian vision is all about. An interior sense of integrity that seeks the well being of the other - that is the Christ-ian sense of authority and that is what Christ manifested in his lifetime. It is the same that he has give to each of us his disciples, his brothers and sisters. 

God has come to the camp - let nothing perturb you!

WORD 2day: Thursday, 1st week in Ordinary time

January 13, 2022: 1 Samuel 4: 1-11; Mark 1: 40-45

God has come to the camp; this has never happened before! - it is an interesting exclamation from the Philistines that the first reading notes! It reminds us of the great feast that we have just celebrated - that of the incarnational event! God has come to the camp, to our camp, as one of us, as someone who shares our state of life! This is something unheard of, illogical and out of the ordinary or the normalcy. That is the love of God - so illogical, unheard of and incredibly in favour of us. 

When we believe in that love, so boundless and out of the ordinary, we would not dare ask the Lord for favours. We would only tell the Lord, with all our heart, 'do what you wish!' And what the Lord wishes will be for our good, and nothing other than that. The person with leprosy whom we meet today in the Gospel, knew this somehow. He made a prayer so exceptional: if it is your wish! And immediately Jesus replies, 'I wish! Be cured!' That is the love of God - wishing always the best for us.

We need to really grow in our understanding of this love, get more to experience it. The Lord is in our camp! The Lord is right beside us, close to us, and always surrounding us with God's love. Why should we panic for anything at all... the Lord shall fight on our behalf; the Lord shall take care of everything that bothers us; the Lord shall protect us and guide us right where we are destined to be and we shall always be saved! 

The Lord is in our camp, we have nothing to be afraid of! Let nothing perturb you! 

Listening and Doing - the core connect!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 1st week in Ordinary time

January 12, 2022: 1 Samuel 3: 1-10,19-20; Mark 1:29-39

'Speak Lord, your servant is listening' and 'Here Lord, I come to do your will'... these are two prominent biblical verses given to us from the liturgy of the Word today, bringing to our notice a very close relationship, the core-connect, that exists between listening and doing! 

Doing the Will of the Father goes with listening to the voice of God - which comes through so many ways including those immediately around us, and especially the most needy among them. They become the indications, they become the voice beckoning us to do the will of God. 

Listening to the voice of God, leads one todo what God wants, if that listening has been sincere and authentic. The Word moves us, the voice impels us to action, action according to the eternal plan of God.

We see this core-connect exemplified in the life of Jesus, in the Gospel. As the psalmist says Jesus was eager to do the will of God - here I come to do your will O God; but he knew that it cannot be wholly done, if he did not have a personal time with the One who calls and sends - Speak Lord your servant is listening.

The more we grow in our ability to listen with our heart, the more we shall be able to discern the will of God at the right moment. It is an essential part of Christian maturity to understand this core-connect - between listening and doing!

Authority - what and from where?

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 1st week in Ordinary time

January 11, 2022: 1 Samuel 1: 9-20; Mark 1:21-28

Eli is too fast to judge Hannah... what permits him to do that? Does he assume authority to himself to judge a person; is it justified of him, he being a so-called man of God! Hannah points out to him that he need not be true, merely because he is in authority...nor is it taken for granted that he is better because of that same fact. Eli was wrong and Hannah was there standing tall in her total fidelity to God who had mercy on her. 

In the Gospel the pharisees wonder from where Jesus got his authority! Jesus spoke things and spoke in a way that they could not disprove him, nor could they challenge him. They wished to silence him with counter arguments and threatening accusations, but their efforts were all in vain. He just stood way up and ahead of them.

Where did he get that authority from, they wondered, as we ourselves can and need to: from where did Jesus' authority spring? Of course from the total fidelity to the One who sent him. With that absolute fidelity and uncompromising surrender to the Lord, Jesus could say anything and it would happen! And that is authority... that confidence to say anything and that can come only from the One who can do anything, the Almighty! Every baptised son and daughter of God is invested with this authority, it is our duty to discover and unlock it, that the world may see a speck of God's presence in and through us. 

What's in store doesn't matter... just Follow!

WORD 2day: Monday, First week in Ordinary time

January 10, 2022: 1 Samuel 1:1-8; Mark 1: 14-20

After a long while we are back to the Ordinary time and the very first message that the Word gives us, is so relevant. In our life's journey, that which can grant us an incredible serenity is the attitude of Following the Lord, without being worried too much about what is in store! 

We are still in the beginning of this year...or while thinking of projects that engage our days, it is normal that many things preoccupy our minds. Samuel's story that we begin to reflect on from today, affirms to us that God has a definitive plan for each of us; as the Lord would explain through Jeremiah in Jer 29:11: for I know the plans that I have for you; plans for your welfare not for ruin!

The secret lies in not permitting the grievances of our past to stunt our life and at the same time not permitting the anxieties of the future eat into our todays. Let us live our life, here and now, to the full, with total confidence that the Lord has a plan that will unfold in God's own time! 

All that we need to do is, what Jesus tells us today- FOLLOW ME! Let us just follow the Lord!

WATER, FIRE AND THE SPIRIT

An act of Resubmission to the Lord

January 09, 2022: Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord

Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11; Titus 2: 11-14, 3:4-7; Luke 3: 15-16,21-22

We have come to the close of the Christmas Season - it ends with the solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. What does this feast communicate to us? What is the message that the celebration of Baptism offers us: a reminder towards a resubmission to the Lord. 

Resubmission indicates that it has been a process, not something that is happening once or right now. The Lord calls us and we respond to the Lord - that is the crux of our Christian life and we accept this mandate when we say, or the community says for us, 'yes' to the Lord - at our baptism. 

The Baptism of Jesus was a resubmission too. The Lord had predestined and initiated God's salvific plan in Christ, but Jesus as a human person had to cooperate to that salvific plan of God...in order that in his obedience of faith, he shall be raised to be the Son of God (Rom 1:4-5); so are we, in our yes, we are raised to be sons and daughters of God. 

We see in the event of baptism today, that this reclaim on the part of God over Jesus and the resubmission of Christ as the son of God. Jesus submits himself to be baptised by John, as the Gospel of John specifically outlines, where we see the resubmission of Christ, which was reflected then in the entire life of Jesus. On the part of the Almighty, there is a declaration to which John testifies: 'this is my Son, in whom I am well pleased'. In this whole event, we see three elements that mark the call to constant resubmission to the authority of God. 

The first is the element of Water - waters that purify, revitalise and revive. John was baptising with water...people came to him to revive their goodwill to live righteous, to revitalise their desire to be acceptable in the eyes of the Lord, and to purify their acts and motives! Jesus arrives to purify that water that purifies, ratifying the need to long for purification, revitalisation and revival within us. The celebration today reminds us of this purpose of the baptismal promises, which demand our constant and continual purification, revitalisation and revival, inspite of our repeated failures and limitations. 

The second is the element of Fire - fire that warms, burns and lights up. We are presented with the warmth of the Lord that wishes to console God's people, the burning zeal of the prophet who wishes to set things in order in the lives of the individuals and in the community of the people of God, and the light that shines from above giving us knowledge and wisdom. The Word, therefore, calls our attention to the journey we began at our baptism! We might have lagged behind, deviated, and in some way lost our way...but the warmth of the Lord invites us, the burning light that was presented to us convicts us and brings us to an enlightened return to the journey eembarked upon. 

The third is the element of the Spirit - the Spirit of power, the Spirit of renewal and the Spirit of adoption! The Spirit who came upon Jesus was the Spirit of power that God had filled Jesus with, that is why he proclaimed: the Spirit of the Lord is upon me and God has sent me! The Spirit that was there with the people was the Spirit who constantly called them to renewal and effected that renewal in them, that is why the psalmist proclaimed: send forth your Spirit and the face of the earth shall be renewed. The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Spirit that makes us sons and daughters of God, co-heirs with Christ, who share the same privillege and love that Christ has with God, our Father and Mother. One fact that we can never forget if we are disciples of Christ is, that we are children of God. It is not a flowery, euphemistic, metaphoric saying... but it is a fact, an experiential fact, or rather a fact to  be experienced!

May the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord inspire and lead us to focus on our baptism, our baptismal promises and the daily resubmission that we are called to make, to God our loving Father and Mother.

Love, Truth and Revelation!

WORD 2day: Saturday after Epiphany

January 8, 2022: 1 John 5:14-21;  John 3: 22-30

The Son of God has revealed to us the true God to behold - those who claim that they have accepted Christ as Son of God, therefore have no way other than to live a life that is worthy of the people of God. Love is the only solution to all problems in life; and this is the Truth, without accepting which, all that remains will be struggle and strife!

God has revealed Godself as love and Godlessness and lovelessness are intrinsically related to each other. That explains why there is so much of negativity, vengeance, hatred, division and exploitation in the world today, a world which deliberately wishes to set God aside or do away with God.  Is there a way out of this predicament?

The only way that is there is seeing the truth, beholding it and accepting it making the necessary choices that have to be made. Seeing the truth, is to see what is! It is not giving into some hypothetical thinking or imaginary living, but seeing what is. When a person sincerely resolves to see what is and vouch for it, he or she becomes a witness to truth!

Witnesses to truth are true disciples of the Son of God who is the total expression of God; and God is love... and love is the truth that the world today stands in need of. Love and Truth are two crucial values that a disciple of the Son of God has to uphold. Love and Truth...they are true revelations of God.  

Lord, if you wish...

WORD 2day: Friday after Epiphany

January 7, 2022: 1 John 5:5-13; Luke 5: 12-16

Whoever has the Son has life, a life that will never end, a life that will never fail, a life that will be always meaningful and inspiring. To have the Son, would mean to look at the revelation, behold it and experience it in daily life... which would mean being open to the Lord. 

In the Gospel today, we have a man with leprosy, who saw the revelation in Christ, beheld the truth that he was the Son of God and yearned to experience it in his life... and what did he do? He surrendered. 'Lord if you wish'... he said: if the Lord wished, the Lord could offer him that experience! This is surrender.

The Word invites us to understand what it means to accept that Jesus is the Son of God, what it means to accept the Son of God into our lives... it means surrender. It means to accept the Lordship of Christ, the Lordship of the Son, the absolute Mastery of God. It means not in anyway trying to manipulate God or trying to have our way by twisting and twirling things and experiences. Real faith is to accept the Lordship of God and say: Lord, if you wish!

We do have desires and yearnings, and prayer is all about taking these to God and leaving it in the hands of God. It is not about demanding it from God or pestering God like some children do - rolling on the floor crying out to be satisfied. Our maturity in faith consists of our capacity to see the hand of God in everything, to observe the Lordship of God in all circumstances, to see the Revelation that the Son offers us, in understanding God as the Master of all our life, surrendering to the Lord with trust. 

Let us learn to make this our consistent mode of praying: Lord, if you wish! 

The challenge of Revelation!

WORD 2day: Thursday after Epiphany

January 06, 2022: 1 John 4:19 - 5: 4; Luke 4: 14-22

This day is celebrated as Epiphany, the great solemnity of the Revelation of Christ to humanity - but in those places where Epiphany has been celebrated already on Sunday, the Word continues to challenge us, deepening the reflection on the nature of the Revelation of God to humanity!

The whole week that runs from the Epiphany Sunday to the Baptism Sunday, is a series of reflection on the revelation that Jesus Christ brings to humanity about God and the Reign of God. Every day the Gospel presents to us, during this week, a remarkable revelation handed over to us by Christ in his earthly sojourn - think of the calming of the storm, the multiplication of loaves etc... and today a clear and straightforward revelation: the Spirit of the Lord is upon me; and the Reign of God is at hand!

While the Gospel readings progressively present these marvellous deeds of revelation, the first reading from the first letter of St. John presents to us the treatise on true Christian Integral Love - the love of God and love of neighbour which are one and the same! There is a strong message that the Church wishes to present to us in this combination: the revelatory deeds in the Gospel and the treatise on love from St. John... and the message is, Love is the crux of all revelations!

The challenge of Revelation rests in understanding the love of God and deciding to respond to it in all earnestness. But our prejudices, suggestions of the society, the conventions of the culture, and the so-called trends of the times, may prevent us from really beholding the revelation of God, that comes at times in incredibly simple and concrete ways. The challenge is to keep our eyes open and to choose to love each other towards fullness of life for all, which is the Reign of God revealed in Christ.