Mercy is our communion with the Father

WORD 2day: Friday, 13th week in Ordinary time

July 1, 2022: Amos 8:4-6, 9-12; Matthew 9: 9-13

I desire mercy not sacrifice. There is a particular perspective that a Godly person alone can have: the perspective of God. For God, every one is same; every one is a child to be loved. Why doesn't God punish? Why are evil ones not destroyed yet? These are some questions that some always pose! 

At times we like to see the untoward things that happen, as punishments from God... though infact it is we who cause ourselves the hurts and injuries. Our God is a God who loves mercy. When we make choices that are inhuman, when we hold on to priorities that are ungodly, when we act on criteria that are unjust, we drain ourselves of the divine presence that is within us and that surrounds us, because we withdraw from God, hide from our maker as Adam and Eve did in the garden of eden. And the result: famine, famine of the divine presence, famine of the Word, famine of the light of God.

The Lord calls us as he calls Matthew, to leave the table and follow Him; to leave our ungodly priorities, unjust criteria and inhuman choices and follow the Lord. When we follow the Lord, what would matter to us will be mercy, and mercy alone. It is our choice to make, a choice in our daily life, in our everyday experience, in our thoughts, words and actions.

Being Godly is being merciful. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy; in God's own mercy, the Lord will deliver God's word to us. There will be no famine of the Word of God; we will be in perfect communion with the Lord! Let us be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful.

To be or not to be... a prophet.

WORD 2day: Thursday, 13th week in Ordinary time

June 30, 2022: Amos 7: 10-17; Matthew 9: 1-8 

To be or not to be, that is the question, that is the essential problem of every being, specially eveyr human being who wants to makes sense of one's being. For a Christian, for a person of God, for someone who knows and realises his or her special call, this is a fundamental challenge to face. To be or not to be a Christian, to be or not to be a child of God, to be or not to be a prophet. 

Today we see Amos being threatened and asked to quit his mission of speaking the Word. He is asked to go elsewhere and not to bother those to whom he was speaking.  Amos is relentless, inspite of knowing the danger that is imminent - that he will be killed. 

Jesus on the other hand in the Gospel is called a blasphemer, an anti-Jew, a sinner! But he knew his identity and had no need to defend himself or prove himself to them. Jesus knew he had to do what he was doing because he was not doing them by himself, but for the One and according to the will of the One  who had called him and sent him! 

The call to us is simple: Be! Be a prophet wherever you are and whatever be the situation. Be a child of God, come what may! That is your identity and your call! 

 

Brace to race; Prepare to fight!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

June 29, 2022: Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19

Feast of Apostles Peter and Paul. Being an apostle is no privilege, it is a challenge; living my life as an apostle is no accomplishment, it is a duty! That is why Paul said, "Woe to me if do not proclaim the Gospel"(1 Cor 9:16) and Peter said , "we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). 

They are apostles because they were "sent" in God's will to be the stones on which the communities of believers will be built. Everyone baptised is called to be an apostle, and the way to be an apostle is outlined so vividly by Peter and Paul today... to proclaim the Gospel even at the point of death; and to be stones on which the community will be built and not be the crack from which the community will be divided! 

Killing the apostles pleased the Jews - those were the times when the first apostles braced themselves to stand for the goodnews of Christ. They found themselves at the point of being sacrificed, but nothing discouraged them from bearing witness to Christ and his message! It is a fight, a race - not just a glamorous show to be an apostle today. The lion's mouth, the evil that surrounds and the powers of death are certainly to be found, when I begin to understand, accept and live to the full, my call to be an apostle... but at no point will the Lord's deliverance be lacking! 

The Apostles give us a strong lesson: when I decide to run the race, to fight the good fight, 'the Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.'

Celebrating Love made Flesh

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

June 24, 2022: Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Ezekiel 34: 1-11; Romans 5:5-11; Luke 15: 3-7

Today we celebrate the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the fount of love, the most symbolic expression of our relationship with God, or rather God's relationship with us. The great devotion that we have for the Sacred Heart, has come from and passed through immense experience of God's love in a concrete manner. Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque was chosen as the champion and apostle for this devotion and today we have a treasure in its form, to reflect upon, to learn from, and to attach ourselves to!

The Sacred Heart symbolises...

1. The Covenant: God's initiative in love towards humanity, towards you and me. The heart reminds us of the covenant we have with the Lord - to belong to the Lord, to be people of the Lord! God has never ceased to remind us of the covenant that God has made with us - that we will be God's people and God will be our loving Father and Mother. How many miracles and how many signs...the Sacred heart is one such splending revelation and symbol.

2. The Compassion: God's continued relationship is filled with compassion towards us. The compassion which comes after us, not only when we are lost, but even when we decide to go aways from God. God calls us to belong to Godself, although we are lost, wounded and scarred. The pierced heart, offers to heal, soothe and fill our hearts with love and compassion.

3. The Commitment: God's invitation to imitate the total, self giving love of God. Loving one another is a commitment, not merely a sentiment or a wishful feeling. It is a concrete commitment towards the over-all well being of each other. Only when we love are we born of God's love, if not our very sonship or daughtership in relation to God becomes null and void. God has filled our hearts with love and that love has to overflow towards others, if we are truly people of God. 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, fill us with the same love that your heart burns with - Amen.

Not by chance; but by choice!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

June 23, 2022: The Birth of John the Baptist
Isaiah 49: 1-6; Acts 13: 22-26; Luke 1: 57-66,80

The feast today is anticipated because of a greater feast that we will be celebrating tomorrow...John the Baptist would be very happy to see this done, as it coincides with his logic: He should increase and I should decrease! That was for a lighter note! 

The Gospels narrate a long list of similarities between the stories of John and Jesus... the apparently 'impossible' conditions in which the mothers conceived - one was too old and the other was too young and still a virgin; the direct intervention of God in the conception - the news brought to Mary and Elizaeth by the angel; the apparitions of the angels to the fathers - Joseph was instructed as to what to do next and Zachariah was informed of what is happening at home; the prior choice of the name of the child to be born! One simple and strong message of all these similarities, is the image of John the Baptist as the precursor of Jesus. 

The birth narratives of John and Jesus, together have another important message to reveal to us and that is, we are not here by chance! We are part of a complex plan, an eternal design of God. We are willed into existence by God; we are loved into existence, by the Creator! We have a purpose, because God knew us right when we were being formed in the womb of our mothers! 

Each of us has a special mission because, it is the Lord who has called us by name, even before we were born! We are chosen in the eyes of God, because as St. Paul says, God has chosen us before the foundations of the world in Christ Jesus, to be holy and blameless! We are created, called, commissioned and destined to usher in the Reign of God, as John announced the coming of Christ. 

At times we think so light about ourselves and our life here on earth - as if we are here by chance and every thing is running by some combinations. No! Let us become aware of our call, our purpose and our destiny, which is much larger than the image we have of ourselves and our life. 

Yes, we are here not by chance, but by choice, by the loving choice of God. 

Living our life from the core of our being!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 12th week in Ordinary time

June 22, 2022: 2 Kings 22: 8-13, 23: 1-3; Matthew 7: 15-20

By the fruits will the trees be known; by our actions will we be known! Let your actions speak for what you believe and stand witness for what you say! That was not merely the way that Jesus taught, but it was the way Jesus lived. He had no dichotomy of words and deeds, of beliefs and expressions, or of principles and practices. Thus, he was able to say, even if you dont believe in me, believe in my works (cf. Jn 10:38), because Jesus lived his life from the core of his being. 

In the core of his being Jesus knew how he and the Father were united in their vision and their mission.  In the core of his being, Jesus knew he was not alone, never! He was always accompanied by his Father and he had that strength within him. Hence, living from that core of his being, he was able to live a life that was absolutely divine amidst all challenges. 

At times what happens in our daily life is just the contrary... we live from the outermost layer of our lives. We do so many things, we say so many prayers, we carry out so many religious practices, we undertake pilgrimages and penitential practices, we frequent charismatic retreats... but the effect lasts just a few days, or at the most a few weeks. Then? What then? - that is the crucial question!

The first reading has a wonderful symbolism to offer us, in this regard: we too possess what it takes to live such a life as that of Jesus! We have to go to the core of our being, unearth the image and likeness of God that we possess at the core, and bring it to the fore, proclaiming it to the world and installing it on a pedestal from where it rules our life, shines and glows for the others! Living our lives from the core of our being: that is the key! 

As St. Augustine would often say, 'an unreflected life is a wasted life'. Let us accept today the invitation to journey to the core of our being, and begin to live our life from there, bearing fruits worthy of the One who has created, called and commissioned us!

The Narrow Gate Spirituality

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 12th week in Ordinary time

June 21, 2022: 2 Kings 19: 9-11,14-21,31-36; Matthew 7: 6, 12-14

At times when we have problems that overwhelm us, in front of which we have nothing that we can actually do, we are constricted to a choice which is not actually a choice at that point, but a point of no other choice! This is what we see in the first reading today. Hezekiah appeals to God and surrenders himself in the Temple when he has absolutely nothing else he can do, faced with a situation so grave.

The Lord asks us, why do you wait till that crucial moment when there would be no other go, when you would be constricted to absolute straits, when you would find yourself at a moment of no other choice? Right from the beginning why don't you make the right choices, absolute choices, choices that are fundamental, choices that involve no compromise, choices that take you nowhere else but towards that point that is right! In short, why don't you, right from the beginning, all your life, even at the most casual moments and not merely at crucial moments, choose God and God alone!

The world would say, a bit of compromise is no issue! And that 'bit' is what will determine everything finally. Giving in that bit will enlarge the room gradually until the space makes our life so comfortable and cozy, enjoyable and easy! But it will also let so many other things right into our lives, making it vulnerable and weak even without our notice! When crisis arises as a result of it, we might be caught unaware and cry inconsolably, finding fault with God and every thing that is godly in our life.

The best solution: switch to the Narrow Gate Spirituality. It consists of never asking myself, at any moment of life, which choice is easier, which is more convenient, which is more common, which is the way the whole world goes about. Ask just one question: what is that one thing that God wants of me, that one thing, that one choice, that narrow gate that exists, through which you would have to squeeze yourself... only a few will find it and fewer will choose it. But those who choose it, shall march right into the consoling embrace of God.

A Self-critical Conscious Choice

WORD 2day: Monday, 12th week in Ordinary time

June 20, 2022: 2 Kings 17: 5-8, 13-15, 18; Matthew 7: 1-5

Judge not, and you shall not be judged, instructs Jesus today. Not to judge others does not mean justifying whatever he or she does. Between judging the other and justifying the other there is an attitude that Jesus deems Reign-worthy and we could call it: a Self-critical Conscious Choice.

The first need is to be self critical. When I find something wrong in the other, charity requires that I first become critical of myself. That is, seeing the log that is in your eye before offering to remove the splinter from your neighbour's. Once I am aware that I too possess the same, or a similar, or a bigger weakness or a vice, my attitude changes completely. I am in a position to better understand, and act with prudence and humility.

The second need is to set the home tidy first. "Do not do like they do" ... that was the instruction that the Lord had given the people when they had to come into contact with other nations during the period of their wanderings. St. Paul too has a similar warning for us, isn't it? Writing to the Romans, he tells us: do not be conformed to the world, instead be transformed in the Lord (cf. Rom 12). Let me set my life, my behaviours, my attitudes, my priorities, my choices right first... the rest will slowly fall in place. The first step, Gandhiji would say, towards changing the world, is to be the change that you wish to see there!

In short, the Word invites us today to live our daily lives conscious of who we are, what we are called for and where we are bound to! Let us take our faith seriously and live by sound self-critical conscious choices on a daily basis. The Word shall be the lamp to that path!

THE FEAST OF SELF-GIVING

He lives in me!

June 19, 2022: The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26; Luke 9: 11-17

I am the bread come down from heaven, one who eats of this bread will have eternal life!

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, the feast of Self-Giving...total self giving of the Lord who came down from heaven!

The Word has prepared us during the week towards this great celebration...

Let us reflect a little about Giving...
I can give to receive...not just a mundane reception of a return for my giving; but I can give to receive something spiritual. To receive, may be, a blessing from God , to receive an affirmation from the Divine Giver, etc. Melchizedek brought out bread and wine and Abraham gave him the one tenth... all these giving, in view of receiving the divine protection.

There was only one who gave, only to be received... notice, it is in passive! It is not giving to receive, but giving to be received!  The Lord gives, it is upto me to receive or not! But on his part, the Lord gives, to be Received. This is the element of salvation that the Lord has left in the sacrament of the Eucharist, for us to receive.

As the Lord gave the body and the blood, he said...do this in remembrance of me... note again clearly, not just to remember him but remember to do what he did, in remembrance of him... that is, to give of myself as he gave himself totally, to give in remembrance of him... He gives, to be Remembered, that he has invited me to give as he gave! This the element of gratitude that the Lord teaches us in the sacrament of Eucharist, the heart of thanksgiving.

Yes, the Lord invites me to give, as he invited the disciples to give the people to eat...'give them some food yourselves,' he said. It's only when we give the people in need, we remain the Lord's disciples. To make us learn that we need to give always of ourselves to the others in need, He gives, to Remain within us... He comes to us to transform us into Himself, to be givers, to be givers who give of ourselves to others, without passing the buck to someone else. This is the sign of charity, the bond of love that the Lord has left in the sacreament of the Eucharist, because of which the Lord abides in us forever. 

Yes, the Lord, everyday gives himself to me and so... I know, I am joyful and I believe that HE LIVES IN ME...

To whom is my allegiance?

WORD 2day: Saturday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June 18, 2022: 2 Chronicles 24: 17-25; Matthew 6: 24-34

Infidelity, compromises, transgressions, forsaking and tryst with the unholy...these were characteristic traits of the so-called 'chosen people', the people with whom the Lord made the covenant: I will be your God and you shall be my people. However unfaithful and treacherous they got, the Lord remained ever faithful and true to the covenant that was made. Coming across passages such as we find in today's first reading, we are prone to judge the people of Israel, but let us wait, take a minute and look at our own life!

Looking at our own life, the Lord has chosen us before the foundations of the world (Eph 1:4) and has made a covenant with us right at our baptism: you shall be my child and I shall be your God. And ever since, how many compromises and transgressions, how many moments of failures and negligences... the Lord however has always been faithful (cf.2 Tim 2:13). Yes, the story is the same even with us.

The goodness of God remains for eternity... the Lord continues to love us and be faithful to us; we continue to live our life as best as we wish, caring nothing about the call we have to belong to God always and in everything. In the light of today's readings let us raise a fundamental question to ourselves: to whom is my allegiance in my daily concrete living? And how absolute is that allegiance? Integrity demands that each of us be our own judge, analysing each and every little choice that we make and the priorities we act on! That will give us an idea of our level of fidelity to the One who has called us.

Dead before our death!

WORD 2day: Friday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June 17, 2022: 2 Kings 11: 1-4, 9-18, 20; Matthew 6: 19-23

'Where your treasure is, there also your heart will be!' 'For all those who draw the sword will die by the sword!' These are foregone conclusions and bygone experiences. Still, when it comes to our choices, we dare to be foolish. Everyone knows that possession and position are by no means permanent. No one claims that he or she will carry along what one holds here on earth, when this earthly sojourn is done with. But still the craze of hoarding wealth or the avarice for power over people does not cease in any case. 

The treacherous events of the first reading reminds us of these strange human choices. Just think of the great wealthy barons of various circles today - how they go on pounding for more and more wealth in spite of the heaps that they have. Or think of those who possessed enormous luxuries but ended up pathetic at the close of their lives. Had their choices really added value to their life!

As the book of Deuteronomy (30:15,16)) tells us: there is open before us the choice for life or for death. None of us can sincerely say that we are absolutely unaware of it when we choose something bad! The choice is always ours. The Lord has given us the Spirit and the wisdom of the Spirit, the eye to see, the light within us to be illumined, which instruct us the right way at every step of ours, as Isaiah tells us (Is 30:21). It is our responsibility to be attune to the voice, the whispering that guides us. 

It is our task to resist the temptation of making the wrong choice. And it requires maturity of faith to accept this responsibility. When we fail to accept it, or when we yield to the attractions of the temptation, we make a choice - a choice for death and not life, a choice for destruction and not prosperity. In those choices, however successful we seem to be, we are dead long before our actual death!

Prayer of the Persons of God

WORD 2day: Thursday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June, 16, 2022: Sirach 48: 1-14; Matthew 6: 7-15

Elijah and Elisha - these two personalities have been churning our minds these days! Wondrous deeds, challenging words, and above all, demanding prayers! Yes, you heard it right. Demanding prayers, not in the sense of demanding from God, but prayers that demand a way of life from those who are involved in praying. There is a characteristic difference in the prayers that persons of God make and that is what Jesus tries to teach us today. 

Prayer is not about begging God for things that we badly need! That makes the relationship so far from the question of dignity and self-respect. Instead, prayer is discussing with God my Father and Mother, the concerns that fill my mind at a point of time. It is a moment of colloquy, a sharing of concerns, an entrustment of care. That is what a Christ-ian prayer is all about.

The Our Father is one such prayer, a prayer of a person of God; a prayer that puts God at the centre and not my needs; a prayer that is bothered not so much about receiving the blessings as about being blessings to others; a prayer that does not seek a secure life but a sincere life, a prayer that does not concentrare on the results of getting something, but pays attention to and builds relationship! The prayer of a person of God, is born out of one's life and renews one's life at one and the same time.

Prophets are persons of God, par excellence. They stand for God, they speak for God and they challenge us on behalf of God. Jesus was a prophet too, and that is why he calls us all to be prophets like him. Let our daily life be in imitation of these prophets; let our daily prayer be a prayer of the persons of God.

To stay clear of trivialities

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June 15, 2022: 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14; Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

The only condition placed before Elisha, that he may receive a double share of the Spirit possessed by Elijah, was that Elisha should see Elijah being taken away by God. The challenge here is simply, not to miss what is central to whatever we are involved in, being distracted with the trivialities. This is a very current message for any age!

Because every age, every culture, every age group, and any context is made of a number of simple things that form the entire whole. At times, the maturity of a person or of a community in question is manifest from the capacity to differentiate between what is trivial and what is crucial, between what is negotiable and what is substantial, in short, what really matters and what does not! 

The Gospel places the same condition before us. The actions that we do will have their true value depending on the fact whether the centrality of the right element was ensured. Praying, fasting and almsgiving are three fundamental actions mentioned in the Gospel today and they together epitomise the entire religious practice of a Jew. However, the point here is: not to miss what is central to it in getting distracted with the trivialities of human recognition and immediate rewards. Prayer, fast and almsgiving - why do I do it? Because it has become my second nature, or because I have some other agenda behind it?

In our relationship with ourselves, with others and with God, we are invited to pay attention to the most central of all concerns: to do what is most pleasing to God at a given instant. Any other concern is only a triviality, however good and practical it could be. The spiritual prudence that Jesus teaches us today is to stay clear of the trivialities and place God at the centre and at the core, of our life, of the world, of everything!

The Father's Perfection

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June 14, 2022: 1 Kings 21: 17-29; Matthew 5: 43-48

Coming to the end of the Beatitudes, Jesus today summarises the beatitudes into just one evocation: be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. And what does that perfection consist of? The essence of it is Love, an unconditional love, a limitless love, a non-judgmental love, an impartial love that respects the inner self of person and persons' true intentions!

The first reading is an extreme type of an example for God's love and mercy. As the psalms and other books in the Old Testament describe, God always manifested Godself to be slow to anger, abounding in love, ready to forgive and longing to remain in relationship with humanity. Though Ahab's acts were so gruesome, the mere fact that he repented for those and felt sorry for his foolishness, turned the entire issue upside down. Ahab finds favour in the eyes of God, Ahab becomes lovable all over again.

The message is pretty clear. For us too, the merciful Lord awaits and awaits with an ever burning love, to get us all back into Lord's own embrace for eternity. But this getting back will not happen automatically. It needs more attention to basics through developing traits such as personal integrity, spiritual identity and a profound sense of belonging to the Reign. One of the signs that we can really behold this immense love of God, is our tendency to love each other, just as the Lord loves us. 

This is the reason why Jesus instructed us: love one another as I have loved you; the world will recognise you as my disciples through this love that you have for one another! Yes, it is in love that we become disciples of Christ, sons and daughters of God, true people of the Spirit. For it is love and love alone that is the epitome of Christian living: Love, the Father's Perfection!

That extra mile...

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

June 13, 2022: Celebrating St. Anthony, the apostle of the Word

1 Kings 21: 1-16, Matthew 5: 38-42

Jesus presents to us the most impractical of all his teachings... showing the other cheek, giving more of what you are deprived of, and walking that extra mile with the one who tries to take advantage of me. This was in fact the teaching that inspired great personalities and movements in history, be it non-violent movement of Mahatma Gandhi or that of Martin Luther King Junior. St. Paul paraphrased it well when he wrote to the Romans: do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom 12:21). St. Anthony, with his Franciscan heart lived this to the full and has left us an example too!

The first reading pictures for us the exploitative element that is always present in the world, in fact it  presents us with the opportunity to practice our virtues and attain our salvation. At times the evil around us threatens to take the better of us, but the Word today reminds us of a fundamental attitude we are called to - never retaliate but to repay evil with good! 

That we can identify ourselves as disciples of Christ, we are expected to be spiritually prepared to allow ourselves be taken for granted without letting the goodness within us go down the drain; we are called to be who we are regardless of what others are! We are called to concentrate on the Lord who lives within us, instead of the evil one who attacks us from the outside! The more focussed we are on the inner nature that the Lord has given us, the more capable we shall be to confront the attacks of the evil one, as we see in the life of St. Anthony. 

However, this lifestyle of doing good to all and being good at all times, in spite of what is done to us, is ofcourse difficult and demanding...but that alone can make a difference in this world - that extra mile!

WE ARE TRINITY

Created and called in the image of  God

June 12, 2022: The Solemnity of Holy Trinity

Proverbs 8: 22-31; Romans 5: 1-5; John 16: 12-15

The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity is not merely a celebration of the Mystery of what God is, but it is a reminder of WHAT WE ARE! We are Trinity! We are the image and likeness of God... We are created in the image and likeness of God and we are called to be the image and likeness of the Triune God...for the world today.

To be the Image of the Father: is to live by FAITH. 

It is to reflect God's PARENTHOOD in the stewardship we show towards the creation and the care we extend to each other as brothers and sisters! Each of us has this in our very image - God cares! We were created and called almost immediately to care for the rest of the creation and for our brothers and sisters. Humaneness comes from here. Being human consists of being caring, that is the difference that God made while creating and we are called to care, like the Father and Mother that we have in God.

To live by faith is to possess the PATIENCE that God has had with us - creating us, making a covenant with us and being open and merciful every time we break that covenant! As human persons we are called to practice that same patience that we have been given with. Forgiveness sprouts here. The more conscious we become of God our Father and Mother, the more forgiving we shall become, that is our call in our family, in our surrounding, in our society and in the world, in our daily lives. 

To grow in the likeness of the Son: is to live by HOPE. 

It is to live with the OPTIMISM of a child, to see in all that happens and despite all that happens around us, the mysterious presence of God! Jesus did that. He had such a deep trust in his Father, that whatever happened he remained calm and collected. Serenity springs here. Being the children of God, consists in having a unwaivering  trust in the One who cares for us.

To live by hope means to submit in OBEDIENCE like a real disciple; for one who loves obeys the commandments as Christ obeyed the Father! I say nothing on my own, I do nothing on my own, Jesus would say. Every word that he spoke and everything that he did, was after the will of the One who had sent him. That is why at his point of death, he was able to say, into your hands O Father, I commend my spirit. Salvation sprouts here. The capacity to surrender to the will of the Father, is the likeness of Christ that we are called to put on. In obedience, in trust, in humble submission to the will of the Father, we become truly children of God, brothers and sisters of the Jesus Our Saviour. 

To become the temple of the Holy Spirit: is to live by LOVE.

It is to be filled with COMPASSION, to burn with love for the other, leading to action that manifests the faith and hope that is within us! One cannot claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit when he or she is not concerned about the other, about the needs of the other, about the sufferings of the other. Mission begins here. We are moved by the Spirit to respond to the other in compassion. That is where care comes from - it is not projecting ourselves in all that we do and feeding our ego in the name of service, but true compassion focusses on the other, just as the three persons of God who focus on the Other and create a perfect union. 

To live by love is to create COMMUNION of hearts wherever one is, fighting against all selfishnesses, against all sources of division, discrimination and discord! The compassion of the Spirit, and the spirit of compassion creates communion. People of God are born here. We can rightfully claim to be people of God, when and only when we are persons who promote the good of the other, the good of all and the common good of the entire humanity. Our God is Trinity, that is communion and harmony, relationship and love! And therefore, war and conflict, division and discrimination cannot be within my frame of mind, if I am a reflection of that Trinitarian God and if I really belong to the people of God. That is being the temples of the Holy Spirit. 

Let us pay heed to the call we have to grow to be images and likenesses of the Trinity! May the Triune God make us exemplars of faith, hope and love, in our daily life! 

All glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, Now and forever. Amen.

Being Sources of Encouragement

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

June 11, 2022: Celebrating St. Barnabas, the Apostle of Encouragement
Acts 11: 2b-126, 13: 1-3; Matthew 10: 7-13

The spirit of the Reign is a spirit of encouragement and empowerment, it cannot be merely cynicism and critique. Barnabas stood for this spirit of the Reign, and that was the reason the apostles named him so - the term meaning 'son of encouragement' (cf. Acts 4:36). 

Some characteristics that stand out in Barnabas are his relentless passion for proclamation, his courage to brave all odds, his capacity for being sincere even to the extent of having confrontations with his close friend, Paul (Acts 15). What mattered to them, be it Paul or Barnabas, was the Message of God be announced and the Reign of God be made present; neither their personal likes or dislikes nor their ego demands affect their mission in anyway!

Reflecting on the great apostle we have today to celebrate, we have some lessons that he gives us:

1. Build up persons, that is the way to build up the Reign of God. Look at the way he brough Paul to the other apostles and stood by him and other messengers of the Lord.  

2. Be faithful to the Lord, with a firm heart, that is the way to belong to the Reign. The life of Barnabas shows the way he renounced everything for the sake of the call that he had received - a firm heart that remained ever faithful to God. 

3. Rejoice in the matters of the Lord, that is the way to invite people to the Reign. We can observe the amount of satifaction that Barnabas has when people converted themselves and were prepared to accept the salvific message of Christ. 

Be encouraged, and be an encouragement to the others... that is the crux of the message today. May the apostle of encouragement we celebrate today, St. Barnabas intercede for us that we may be filled with the Spirit of encouragement and empowerment, thus being ourselves sources of encouragement wherever we are. 

The Lord in the Gentle Breeze

WORD 2day: Friday, 10th week in Ordinary time

June 10, 2022: 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-16; Matthew 5: 27- 32

The storm went thundering, the fire went blazing, but the Lord wasn't there! The Lord of surprises manifests himself in the gentle breeze and gives us the most powerful of all messages: "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps 46:10). 

Knowing God, experiencing God and manifesting God is not a matter of accomplishment, but a sense of simple acknowledgement. It is above all a simple, ordinary, daily life, lived in its eventlessness and monotony. It is easier to go by feasts and solemnities, special events and exciting happenings, but what matters is the silent, everyday life that can be at times boring and discouraging!

On the other hand, this fact is a reminder that our daily life has to be a life of simple commitment to the Lord in all its sense. The tasks we undertake, the relationships we enter into, the commitments we accept on ourselves, the daily duties we perform, the normal cares on our shoulders and our minds (personal, familial and communitarian at times): these are all ways to our sanctity, provided they are done with a purity of intention that befits the Lord who has called us to all these commitments. 

Moving far away from the craze for popularity and excitement even among the so-called Religious Ministers (or especially among them), what the Lord wants from us is a gentle, silent and recollected way of Christian commitment wherever we are, because the Lord is the Lord in the gentle breeze. Yes, this Lord in the gentle breeze invites us to personal integrity, simplicity of commitment and purity of intention... are we ready? 

Never say quit when it comes to growing in righteousness

WORD 2day: Thursday, 10th week in Ordinary time

June 9, 2022: I Kings 18: 41-46; Mat 5: 20-26

Let your righteousness surpass the righteousness of the scribes and the pharisees, warns Jesus today. It is not at all typical of Jesus to compare someone with another; but today he does it, to make a point very clear. Some times we could be exactly the kind of persons, with whom we find fault. That is infact what he means, when Jesus asks us, 'why do see the speck in your neighbour's eye while you do not notice the log in your own eye?' (Mt 7:3).

Instead of finding fault with the others and judging them to be right, wrong or despicable, we are challenged to keep growing in our righteousness. At times we console ourselves in our mediocrity, comparing ourselves with the tolerable characters and compromising personalities. Whereas Jesus continues to propose to us a lofty ideal: Be you perfect as your heavenly father is perfect (Mt 5:48).

While comparison itself is not a desirable process of growth, comparing oneself with mediocre examples and feeling consoled of a goodness that is much below par with what God wants from us, is a spiritually inutile exercise. We could falsely pat ourselves on the back or win the honour of those who are around. But the truth remains, and the one who sees everything in the deepest of secrets, knows what is truly true!

On the other hand, when our righteousness reaches such heights, that we are determined to be like our heavenly Father, we will surpass all righteousness of the world- that is what we are called to: to never stop growing in our perfection! Never say quit, when it comes to righteousness and you will see how many marvels you will witness, as did Elijah in his times.

The difficult dimension of Dialogue

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 10th week in Ordinary time

June 8, 2022: 1 Kings 18: 20-39; Matthew 5: 17-19

Today we have one of the strange passages or events in the Old Testament history of our faith - Elijah vanquishing the priests of Baal. Although this has come to be regarded as one of heroic accomplishments of Elijah, this is one of the things that we need to unlearn from our collective memories as People of God. Let us see just three premises to understand, taking both the readings of the liturgy of the Word together.

Firstly, Apologetics is not the best of dispositions, although it is important. It is important to know one's faith, his or her faith tradition and the journey that the faith community has made thus far and defend the reasonableness of it all, in the face of oppositions or critiques. But it is not the best of rapport to be developed with the "others".

Secondly, Proving oneself, proving one's faith and defending cannot be the principal motivation of one's relationship with others, at times it is viewed as defending none less than God! We see this much in the present experience when a group of faithful (belonging to all religions, invariably) think they have to defend God by all means! What kind of a God are we speaking of here and what kind of a defense are we thinkning of. 

Thirdly, Dialogue is seeking that common ground where we can stand shoulder to shoulder, without losing individual identity, but not on a note of contrast, competition or conflict! This is where the self identity is never lost, but the identity of the other is respected without any compromise. It looks complicated, doesn't it? That is what dialogue is all about and it is difficult.

Jesus while he reinterpreted the laws that the Jews held high, he insisted that he was not doing away with them, but bringing them to completion...and what completes them? It is the difficult dimension of Dialogue!

That your jars may never run dry!

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 10th week in Ordinary time

June 7, 2022: I Kings 17: 7-16; Matthew 5: 13-16

Be salt; be light; says the Lord, that your jar may never run dry! As salt is never for itself, but adds taste where it is present; as light is never for itself but burns, so that all those who are around may see where they are; so is a disciple of Christ, called to live for others without counting the cost.

Being salt, you are required to lose yourself and dissolve your identity in the whole lot. Being light, you are required to burn yourself for the others to see. It is nothing but an imitation of the Son of God who gave up his divinity (Phil 2) and shone to be the light of the world (Jn 8:12). A life that is lived for others, will never run itself out.

The widow of Zarephath is challenged to think of the other before herself. Because she did not hesistate to do it, she witnessed an astounding miracle; and she herself becomes a miraculous witness referred to even by Christ himself (cf. Lk 4:26). If we accept the same challenge in our day to day life, to place others before us, others' need before our's, others' concerns before our's, then we will witness the same miracle. 

Let us accept the challenge to be salt and light, that is to be Christlike, that our jars may never run dry!

The Eve of Salvation

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

June 6, 2022: Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church

Genesis 3: 9-15,20; John 19: 25-34

The Mother of the New born Church - that is whom we celebrate today. Mary was given as the Mother of the Church to be born after the Son of God accomplished his earthly mission and the Spirit of the Lord came down to continue the mission in and through the Church. The two readings that we have today in the liturgy of the Word, explains to us how this mystery unfolds - we can reflect that with the following three instances.

1. The First Eve - the woman who was given

Eve was the mother of all those who lived... that is how Adam named her! She was given to him and that is why he says, 'the woman you gave me...' However, Eve was used by the evil one, she became an instruments at the hands of the tempter, bringing the opportunity of sin and perditiion into the world, according to the Biblical account. She signalled the weakness that we possess as human persons in looking to do things on our own, despite the loving ways the Lord cares for us.

2. The Second Eve - the woman gave herself

In contrast we are presented with another woman... one who gave herself to God - behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your will. The tendency to do things on our own, the tendency to have our will, is countered by the readiness with which she surrenders herself to God and God's salvific plan. Just as God gave Adam a woman, do does God give this woman to the humankind and for the salvation of the humankind, as God prepares to send the Saviour through her. 

3. The Eve of Salvation - the mother who was given

Just as God gave Eve to Adam and Mary to humanity as the new Eve, Jesus the Lord gives his mother as the Mother of all who would believe in him: behold your mother! Mary is given as the mother of the Church, the redeemed people of God, the chosen disciples of Christ, the people constituted into a Church by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. And Mary was there - just as she was there when the Creator was born into a fragile little child, also when the fragile little flock was made into a mighty people of God by the coming of the Spirit. 

It is just 4 years since we havce begun to celebrate this feast, but what a deep significance it has! It points to a fact that has always been celebrated by the Church and in the Church - the Eve of Salvation, the hope of the people of God. May our Blesssed Mother continue to stay with the Church, pray with the Church and protect the Church on the pilgrimage towards Reign of God. 

BEING PEOPLE OF THE SPIRIT

Growing to be courageous, compassionate and Christ-like

June 5, 2022: The Solemnity of the Pentecost 
Acts 2: 1-11; Romans 8: 8-17; John 14: 15-16, 23-26

Being people of the Spirit is growing up to be Courageous (Models: Apostles):

The apostles were gathered in the room in fright and frustration but they were made fearlessly courageous by the Spirit of the Lord. They faced crowds, authorities and the whole world with a heart that would not give way to any anxiety or doubt. Their fearlessness came from the fact that they had the assurance of the Spirit - they did not have a clarity of what they are going to do, they did not have an economic security of someone sponsoring them for rest of their life, they did not have any written accord that they will have a free passage wherever they went. Instead, on the contrary, they had all sorts of confusion, utmost opposition and limitless insecurities. All that they had was the assurance of the presence of the Spirit with them, and that was enough for them! 

Dares are attractions for some and taking risk is considered an exhilarating life-renewer with the dose of adrenalin that it pumps into the system. But that is not the courage we speak of here. The courage here comes from God; from the One who has ordained a path, a mission, a task for us and the presence of the Spirit is an assurance that we would be led step by step into that journey. We do not know what awaits, we do not know who will be there with us or who will not be, we do not know whether we will reach the very end of the journey - but we dare to embark on that journey because the Spirit is with us, who assures us that wherever we are, we are with God; and God is with us!

Being people of the Spirit is growing up to be Compassionate (Models: Early Christians):

The Early Christians were one in mind and heart, they were sensitive to each other, they were filled with compassion, they were united in love! There were Jews of all "cadres", there were some samaritans too probably, there were Romans too as the centurion and the household who were converted, there were Greeks and the Egyptians (like the Court official who was converted), there were rich and there were the daily labourers, there were the learned and there were those who were simple peasants... but they were all one community - the community of those who believed in the Lord, their new found Saviour, Jesus the Christ. They were all made into One people of the Spirit. 

They were people of the Spirit, united in the Lord into one body, one body in the Lord! Despite all their differences they were one because of the action of the Spirit - the Spirit who made them understand each other, who made them love each other and care for each other. The Oneness of the people of the Spirit, that they were one in heart and mind, was concretely expressed in the fact that they were one in feeling for each other too: they had no one among them who was in need. They felt for, they felt with and they felt one with each other - that was the action of the Spirit.

Being people of the Spirit is growing up to be Christ-like (Models: Disciples)

The disciples together were called to grow to be like Christ. To grow to be like Christ is to grow in the image of the Lord given by the Spirit. To be disciples of Christ is to grow in the likeness of Christ, to think like Christ, to speak like Christ, to act like Christ and to decide like Christ in every thing. We are not talking about the apostles who had a special and particular role to perform within the community, we are talking of everyone  born in waters of the Risen Christ and in the fire of the Holy Spirit... the disciples, the people of God. 

Those who are in the Christ are a new creation!  Just as the Spirit was at the centre of the process when the Word took flesh and became one among us, the Spirit once again is at the centre filling us and making us one with the image of Christ... that we are recreated into 'alter christus'! We are created anew into children of the God, whom Jesus introduced to us as "my Father and your Father"! Those who are in the Spirit are true children of God, empowered to call God, Abba Father!

With courage, in communion with each other, we are empowered by the Spirit to grow into the People of God, children of God who are called to make God present in concrete, wherever we are. 

Peter and Paul... You and Me!!!

WORD 2day: Saturday before Pentecost

June 4, 2022: Acts 28: 16-20, 30-31; John 21: 10-25

These days we have been continuously hearing of Paul and Peter, the two great leaders who led the band of apostles in their proclamation of the Gospel and the initial formation of the Church. They announced the Gospel in season and out of season, in the prison or out of it, in political custody or in the public squares, in health and in sickness, among the faithful or among skeptics, among simple peasants or to learned philosophers. Nothing held them back from preaching the Word.

Looking for ideal situations to evangelise, bemoaning the political atmosphere or the social apprehensions, finding excuses for remaining unnoticed Christians and justifying our lack of initiatives towards evangelisation: these are very common these days. Tomorrow we will be celebrating the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit causing giving birth to the new form of the People of God - the Church.

Imagine if the Church would have really been born, if the Christians of those times were as calculative as some of us are these days. An experience that I had just yesterday, provoked me a bit. A person from South America was enquiring me, how many percentage of Indians are Christians. I said, official statistics says, we are 2.7 percent. And immediately he remarked, ofcourse with a smile and for a joke, (but it provoked me to think): "you guys have to work more"! Apart from the fact of needing to work on the front of proclamation, it reflects the state also of our witnessing life, the daily testimony that is the first proclamation that we have to make to our context!

Let us pray for the Spirit, the Spirit of power, love and self-discipline, the Spirit of courage and wisdom, the Spirit who strengthens apostles and empowers martyrs, that we may be persons filled with the Spirit and become powerful witnesses of the Gospel, in our daily life, wherever we are! 

Following the Lord

WORD 2day: Friday after Ascension 

June 3, 2022: Acts 25: 13b-21; John 21: 15-19

The total import of following the Lord may not be known to us right at the beginning when we intend to or decide to. But the Lord does not spare the moment. He instructs right from the beginning what can, or what is certain to, befall someone who intends to follow Him. Whoever is not ready to take up his daily cross and follow me is not worthy of me, said Jesus categorically (cf. Mt 10:38). The Lord does not look for disciples through deception or coersion. 

St. Paul was more than certain of everything that awaited him, the sufferings, the persecution and even death for the sake of the Lord. Jesus himself prepares Peter in his post-resurrection encounter with him. Invariably all Jesus's apostles, except James it is said, died the death of martyrs. They were prepared for it and they even considered it their privilege. It was infact the finest way of expressing their love for their Master and Lord.

Today, with the increasing number of anti-Christian skeptics and anti-Reign elements, our challenge to be disciples becomes more and more demanding. However, it remains categorical as ever. We could either choose to remain faithful disciples and face the brunt of it all, or choose to go with the flow of the rest of the society and spare ourselves of all these inconveniences. We know the call that we have received and that would determine what our choice should be. There can be no compromises. 

Following the Lord means following Him in everything, right till the end, right till the cross! It is not a negative choice, to choose to suffer. It is an absolutely positive choice, to live a life that is integral, committed and following the Lord!

One in the Spirit, One with the Lord

WORD 2day: Thursday after Ascension 

June 2, 2022: Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; Jn 17: 20-26

Just as the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father, we are invited to be one in the Father and the Son, through the Holy Spirit. Jesus' prayer for his disciples, that is for us, to the Father has a beautiful challenge to pose to us. The challenge does not primarily consist in doing anything or accomplishing anything great... but it consists in being,  just being one with the Lord!

However, it is not that simple. As both the readings explain world at large does not "know" the Lord, or does not identify with the Lord; in a way it stands aloof from, or at times even react against the Lord. The culture of death that prevails, the insensitive economy that rules, the inhuman politics that dominates... are signs of opposition to God and the Gospel. It is in this context that the Lord invites us to bear witness, 'just as in Jerusalem, also in Rome'.

From the religious circles to the political arena, from the academic domain to grass root social praxis, we are called to bear witness to the Lord and to the Lord's good news of love - the love that the Father has for the Son, which is the same love that He has for us! There could be two major problems in carrying out this task given to us: firstly, whether we are clear about what we wish to communitcate; and seconly, as soon as I begin to speak, I am judged by the relationship that exists between my words and my life. No one else needs to judge me; I need not please anyone or present a good figure of myself to the world - but I need to live my life integral: that is my testimony, my first proclamation.

This integrity alone can ensure that we are one with the Lord. Made one through our love for each other, and made one in the Lord because of the immesaurable love that God has manifested to us, we are in the Lord and the Lord is in us!  We are made one in the Lord - let us celebrate this mystical union in God, that is the quintessence of Christian faith.