PEOPLE OF RESURRECTION - WITNESSES

The Monday of the Easter Week

April 1, 2024: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Matthew 28: 8-15

The Word in this week of Easter celebration - yes, it is a week-long celebration - shall speak to us of some of the characteristic traits of the Easter people, or the people of Resurrection. Today we are invited to reflect on the quality or the call to be witnesses!

Go and tell my brothers - that is the commission given. First of all, the commission itself is crucial. That we need to Go and we need to Tell. Go and Tell - this is the crux of the Christian mission. It is clear that we are called to go to the ends of the earth, which begins with where we are! Secondly, there is a detail to be noted here. Those who were given this commission to go and tell, were not the so-called "apostles" but the women! They were not even known as 'disciples', though they were actually that. But the message is - you don't need a special title as a disciple or an apostle to feel the mandate of "go and tell". That commission is given to every one who encounters Christ, the Risen Christ. 

Therefore, the two fold point of reflection that is given to us is - whether we are open to an encounter with the Risen Christ; and whether we are ready to accept the commission that encounter would give to go and tell, to be witnesses of this experiences. 

The apostles become an example of this after the pentecost experience. We see the words of Peter today from the Acts, who declares with clarity: "all of us are witnesses to that", to the Christ-event, to the difference that Jesus Christ has made to the whole of humanity. 

The people of Resurrection are primarily witnesses, those who stand and speak, who share their experiences with courage and conviction. Let us fine tune our capacity to witness!

ALLELUIA! HE IS RISEN!

THE GOOD FRIDAY

 

THE MAUNDY THURSDAY

 

THE BETRAYAL WEDNESDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 27, 2024: Isaiah 50: 4-9; Matthew 26:14-25

The disciple's tongue to speak and the disciple's ear to listen - that is what the Lord has given us; but whether we use the faculty or not, depends so much on our choice! Jesus had given all the needed warning – a long time warning about having right priorities and a proximate warning about cruciality of personal choices to make. But nothing deterred Judas from following the way of ruin. This Wednesday reminds us of the unfortunate choice that Judas had made – that is why it could be termed the Betrayal Wednesday… when that definitive negotiation and choice was made for the evil! He has begun looking for the opportunity to hand Jesus over to Jews!

Betrayal is not failure – it would not have been a betrayal, if Judas had tried and failed. Trying and failing is a disciple’s way – he or she will however realise and restart, because the priorities have not been lost, but only forgotten for a little unfortunate while. The disciple’s ear is attentive, at least at a second moment he or she will pick the right: the disciple would soon feel: did we not feel our hearts burning when we listened to Him?

Betrayal is not weakness – it would not have been judged his fate, if what Judas did was his weakness. Peter’s act was a weakness; the apostles’ desertion was a weakness; but it did not come against their identity as disciples – they came back with vigour to announce the Lord they loved – the disciple’s tongue is the expression of one’s love for the Master. It is making it clear – making a choice, an absolute choice for the Lord.

Betrayal is a choice – a choice, a deliberate choice to go into the dark night, to let the evil rule, to go with something that you think will lead you to your goals while you are actually losing your original call and the love with which you responded to that call. The strong reminder given to us today is that discipleship is all about our priorities and our personal choices! 

THE WARNING TUESDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 26, 2024: Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33,36-38

‘Listen’, ‘pay attention’… that seem to be the passionate call of the Word today – be it first reading or the Gospel. Reflecting on the life of Christ the exegetes say, today - this tuesday, might have been the last normal day that Jesus had with his disciples and followers, for soon frenetic happenings will begin, we know! Jesus knew the Jews were looking for him, waiting to trap him and wanting to destroy him. Yesterday we found them so desperate about the popularity of this man from Galilee! But what mattered to Jesus was not the opposition that was rising, but that his loved ones should not fall prey to the evil one! You are my beloved, yes, but be careful, be attentive, he warns them – on this day which could be called the Warning Tuesday!

It is not enough that you are servants of the Lord, ‘I make you light of the nations,’ promises the Word. That is what Jesus tells them too – you are not just followers, you are my friends, my witnesses, my substitutes – that is your call. But there are so many situations and crises waiting to pounce on you and devour you! Be warned, he says, listen and be attentive! No one seems to be listening – they are still in the hangover of the festive entry they witnessed and that concerns Jesus. He calls their attention passionately, just as the first reading calls our attention!

The Warning comes to us today – let us not be too taken up with our capacity, our achievements, and their celebrations… the enemy is prowling round like a roaring lion. If we are not attentive, we can easily fall prey. We are reminded to constantly raise a question within us: how committed are we to our relationship with God our Father and Mother?

Jesus warned Judas; he warned Peter, and all his apostles; but they were all too naive to take it seriously. Jesus was troubled in spirit, says the Gospel today. Let him not be troubled by our distractedness and our insensitivity to the Word. Let us sit at the feet of the Lord and examine our lives in the light of the Word.

THE VOCATION MONDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 25, 2024: Isaiah 42: 1-7; John 12: 1-11

On the Monday of the Holy Week, the Gospel specifies it, 'six days before the Passover,' Jesus is found in Bethany, just on the outskirts of Jerusalem... in the house of Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus’ entry this time into Jerusalem, points to the beginning of a definitive clash between Jesus and the authorities, leading to the tragic crucifixion that we would soon reflect on. One of the most crucial points of contention between Jesus and the Authorities, besides the temple, was the popularity of Jesus! They wanted to kill Jesus, and also Lazarus, because they did not like the popularity that Jesus was hoarding. But for Jesus it was not so much about popularity, as about his fidelity to his vocation! This day could be called the Vocation Monday – the first reading reminding us of the call to which Jesus wanted to be faithful right till the end!

Jesus is in fact faced with extreme counter testimonies. To begin with, those who outrightly belittled their call to be people of God and plotted the end of Jesus – the leaders and authorities who considered Jesus a threat. Then there were those who seemed to be with him, but were already beginning to compromise regarding the right thing to do, forgetting their call – Judas who was losing his focus thinking more about the money involved than the love involved in what he saw. There were also those who were unwittingly ignorantly confident about their faithfulness to the call, not knowing they would be soon tested badly! 

The message to us is, that we remind ourselves of our vocation, the call that we have received and examine how faithful we are, hoping that we do not fall into any of those three categories – neither ignorantly giving into a failure, nor falling into a compromise and certainly not blatantly going against the call we have received. It is a reminder at the beginning of this journey of Christ towards the highest price that he paid for our tendency towards infidelity. We are challenged to grow more conscious of our vocation, to be dedication disciples of Christ, and true people of God.

BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES

Palms, Psalms and the Passion

March 24, 2024: Palm Sunday

Mark 11: 1-10; Isaiah 50: 4-7; Philippians 2: 6-11; Mark 14:1 - 15:47

The first phase of the Lenten journey this year is over, and we enter into the Holy Week, the concluding week that reminds us of so many intense happenings within the Christ-event that have defined our faith, our experience with God and our very identity as disciples of the Crucified and Risen Lord. The entry point is the Palm Sunday - literally the entry point, as we commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. There are three things that mark this day and that would mark the developments during the week too: the palms, the psalms and the passion!

The Palms: the celebration mode!

It was celebration time when Jesus entered Jerusalem. They celebrated, they sang and danced around him, they raised slogans and cheered for him! They were so enthusiastic about his coming. Blessed is he who comes they shouted! They saw in Jesus, a messiah, a liberator, a leader, a king, someone who is going to change their lives! 

Yes, Jesus was all that! He was the messiah promised; he was the liberator, the redeemer; he was the leader, the shepherd come to gather the flock together; he was the king, the king of all kings, who comes to set up the Reign of God; someone who was destined to change their lives, not just their's, but the whole humanity's. Their enthusiasm was real, it was true but the question is, was it the right type of enthusiasm needed. The litmus test of an enthusiasm is, how long it endures! 

They would soon scatter and go their way; they would soon get tired of Jesus because he was not living up to their expectations... he was not the messiah of the type that they expected; he was not the liberator of the warring type that they wanted; he was not the king that they wanted to take on the Romans; yes, he was challenging to change their lives, but they were not ready for the type of changes that he was proposing! They wanted it all, their way! 

In our lives too… when Jesus enters, we are all enthusiastic. The question is, how long? Soon we lose the initial enthusiasm, the fervour of the new-found experience dies within a while to give rise to boredom and seeking of other experiences. The palms that we hold today tell us: I will dry very soon...will your enthusiasm too wither so?

The Psalms: the cry of praise!

Blessed is the one who comes, they shouted - that was not any slogan; that was Scripture! They were singing psalms. This will repeat itself this week very many times - in the pasch festival that they were gathered for, they would be singing and reciting psalms; the disciples and Jesus would sing psalms; Jesus would repeat verses and the high priests will quote phrases... this week there will be so much of the psalms and the sacred scriptures quoted and cited. 

They sang songs, they chanted the psalms and recited the prayers... so regularly and so diligently. But was it making any change in their lives? Were they attentive to the Word who was so alive amidst them and calling them to change and new life? Were they really mindful of what God was working out right in front of their eyes: their own salvation, in the blood of the Lamb! They were too busy with their fixed ideas and ritual performances. They cared nothing for what Jesus was calling attention to. 

Praying is an attitude that we are called to - not merely parading our theology or memory skills or the capacity to make a show of our piety. We are called to an attitude of prayer, an attitude of living our daily lives attentive to the voice of the Lord, the Word of the Lord. It sets the tone for the whole holy week - telling us, this week try to remain with the Word, meditate the Word, ruminate on all that the Word made flesh went through for your sake. 

The invitation is about an attitude required of us, to spend more time with the Word this week - reading, reflecting, listening, encountering, dialoguing, sharing and opening our hearts to the Word and allowing the Word to touch our very beings. All that we did, or at least tried to do during the Lent, they can be brought into the presence of the Word and made sense of, asking the Word of God to throw light on the meaning and call that we have for our lives.

The Passion: preparing for the Sacrifice!

This Sunday is also called, the Passion Sunday! Not only because the Passion narrative of the Lord that is read during the Mass, but because the passion, death and resurrection, the culminating episode of the Christ-event, was beginning this day. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, there was a new episode beginning... it looked all celebration and fun, but it was ultimately going to be a sacrifice, a covenantal sacrifice, that would change everything that ever was and everything that would ever be! 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the crowd said. Hosanna, they acclaimed. But would soon denounce him and crucify him. Jesus knew it... he knew what is there in store! It was not difficult for him to know it... for all the convictions that he had, for all the teaching about the Reign that he imparted, for all the values that he lived for, for all the critique of the self-righteousness and senseless pride that he made... he knew what would be the result! But he did not hesitate.

When he realised that his death was near, he said to those who were around him - I know the hour has come, so what do I do? Should I ask the Father to remove this cup from me? No, it is for this I came. Look at that clarity! That was the commitment and dedication that Jesus had for the will of God, towards making present the Reign of God here and now. He was ready for anything. He was prepared for the passion. He was looking square at the face of suffering and death, at the Sacrifice that he has to offer! 

The call is clear, and it is going to repeat itself all through this week. Are we ready to suffer? How much suffering are we ready to take up? How prepared are we for sacrifices, for the sake of the will of God and the Reign of God? We have this whole week to answer those questions.

Blessed is he who comes... yes! But are we ready to accept the challenge that he brings?

Rising to Glory: to freedom as One People!

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday, Fifth week

March 23, 2024 - Ezekiel 37: 21-28; John 11: 45-56

Through the desert God leads us to freedom... the journey we began in this lent, is about to end. We are on the last day of this season and tomorrow we begin already the Holy Week. We began this week with the message of daring to die in order to rise to glory, just as the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, dies and rises back to give fruit in dividends. All these days till yesterday, the Word spoke to us of what it signifies to dare to die - today, as a final message of this five week long lenten journey, the Word speaks to us of what it means to rise in glory!

The Lord has promised to unite us all in Christ, reconcile all things in Christ - isn't that the ultimate salvation that we await: "through him to reconcile himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 3:19). This reconciliation of the entire existence, the entire universe, beginning with the beloved children of God is the a glory promised to us. 

It happens at the end of a journey, a journey marked out for us in this life and beyond! As a shepherd that guards his flock, so does the Lord guard us, the Lord leads us through this journey, in ways known only to God. The Lord wishes to turn all mourning to joy, all grief to gladness, all our experiences into meaning. The promise and the will of God is always there, but the question remains: are we there? 

How many times we are lost to ourselves, lost to the experiences of our daily life, lost to the messages that come to us in varied ways? We are too busy trying to make sense of things on our own, by our own capacity and finally we realise how limited that has been. And then, we turn to God, crying out to the only One who can set things right. But what if we were mindful already now, every step of our life journey? That is this invitation we have from the Word, to become mindful of the Lord who wishes to take us all to that glory, that one glory that rests in the Lord, that glory as One people of God. 

At the culmination of this journey, we are entering into a profoundly holy week tomorrow and the Word ends with a question today: What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not? Certainly, the Lord will be there, the real question is: are were there? 

Daring to die: standing firm against all odds

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday, Fifth week

March 22, 2024 - Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10: 31-42

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and that way to freedom as we know, is not all roses. There are bound to be thorns, not just thorns but swords and guillotines! We see this candidly presented to us in the first reading through the experience of Jeremiah and in the Gospel with that of Jesus. Certainly, we have been witnesses to it through the history, how the just have been silenced and the righteous have been oppressed. What is our response to this experience of dying - do we dare? 

The first level of this experience consists in facing the odds, all sorts of them. Powers against us, forces joining hands against us, even the so-called "our own" turning against us... facing all these and more odds, is clearly an experience of dying, dying to our comfort zones. 

The second level requires standing firm, not losing ground in the face of the rising opposition. Only if we are convinced that we are standing by what is true and right, can we stand firm. If not, our lack of confidence itself will loosen the ground beneath us. Facing the odds does not mean just a few events to be warded off, or some particular crises to be faced in a context. It is facing a constant opposition and an ever rising opposition - against truth and agains righteousness. The world is fond of what works, what is useful and what is productive and in the bargain, what is foundational, what is right and what is just is sacrificed. Standing firm here is therefore dying, dying to our security and even our existence - just as it happens for Jeremiah and Jesus in the readings today!

The third level is, not just standing firm but, choosing to stand firm in the Lord. Yes, standing firm does not mean a confidence in my strength, my capacity, my skill and my influence! It is standing firm in the Lord, standing firm in the eternal things, standing firm on the promises of God; it is knowing that the Lord is my strength, my rock, my refuge, my fortress, my saviour. It is this capacity to abandon oneself in the hands of the Lord, that amounts to the experience of dying that will lead me to freedom, to glory, to what God has in store for me! 

Letting God act on my behalf, through me and in me, is not an easy task. It is indeed an experience of dying. In doing this alone, can we grow up to say as Jesus did: the Father is in me and I am in the Father. This is daring to die, daring to die to myself and rise in God's glory!

Daring to die: people of the covenant in losing oneself!

THE WORD IN LENT - Thursday, Fifth week

March 21, 2024: Genesis 17: 3-9; John 8: 51-59

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and we are reflecting these days, that this freedom does not come as long as we dare to die - unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it shall not bear the fruit that it needs to! What does it mean to dare to die: to be people of the Covenant. How does it amount to dying? We are led to understand that, through two figures that dominate the Word today: Abraham and Jesus. 

Abraham is given to us here as a bridge that connects the Old Testament and the New Testament, in fact the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Noah, Abraham and Moses have been identified at the origins of the Old Covenant - making the people, people of God, people of the covenant! But that covenant repeatedly failed, solely because of the infidelity of the people. To perfect that old covenant sealed by the blood of the sacrificial animals, the New Covenant was sealed with the blood of the Lamb of God, making that covenant - New, Eternal and Never failing.

This is what Jesus seems to explain to the Jews who were not prepared yet to understand - Abraham wanted to see this - the perfection of that covenant making it eternal and never failing, and making us, the people of God forever, by the merits of the mercy of God. Jesus' identity was totally the identity of the Father - I tell you solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I AM. That was too much for the elders and the priests who were listening to him. It would have been the same even if it were you and me in their place. But today, we understand what Jesus meant, precisely because this was not a glory that Jesus was ascribing to himself, but a negation, a total self giving, a losing oneself - that is what we shall be remembering shortly in the coming week!

Jesus is the most perfect model we can have in becoming the people of the covenant - by losing ourselves fully in the identity that God gives us, in the mission that is entrusted to us, in the life of the covenant that we are called to live on a daily basis. I shall be your God, and you shall be my people: being God's people has to fill our minds, our hearts and our lives so much that in losing ourselves, we become truly people of the covenant! 

Daring to die: recognising the immanent Truth

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, Fifth week

March 20, 2024 - Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28; John 8: 31-42

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. Qualifying this journey to freedom, the Word has begun to speak to us this week about the grain of wheat that has to die, in order to rise and bear fruit. It is clearly reaching the culmination of the call from the Word, inviting us to an ever deeper understanding of our call as children of God and as disciples of Christ. We are called to dare to die... what does it mean to dare to die?

It means recognising the Truth, and the Truth alone can set us free. The guaranteed way to freedom is Truth, teaches us Jesus today. How do we make sense of it? Let us begin with the lesson from the first reading- Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were they they only Jews in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar? Why is it that only these three were dumped into the furnace? Because, they were the only ones who stood by Truth. The others who were Jews too, were ready to compromise and were ready to give up the truth they believed it. 

The temptation is alive even today: to compromise on truth. Normally, we do not like to say lies; but that does not mean we decide to speak the truth. Very often we find a via media which actually is not so. There is not midway between truth and falsity! Anything other than truth, is not less true... it is false, it is a lie. The temptation is to not stand by truth without accepting that fact; or deciding not to recognise the truth present right before our eyes! The problem is when we recognise the Truth, just as the three in the first reading, we will find ourselves amidst trouble. 

Jesus tells us today - unless we recognise the Truth present right beside us, we cannot call ourselves free children of God. Certainly when we choose truth, we shall be in trouble as Jesus himself was - but look at the furnace again, there were four; look at Jesus again, he was not alone. Just so, when we recognise Truth, we shall not be alone, the Lord shall walk with us. There will be the empowering presence of God, because of which we shall be troubled but never broken! 

The Truth is immanent, the Lord is always with us! We need to recognise the Truth, acknowledge and commit ourselves to! That is daring to die, but only then can we rise to new life, life of freedom, freedom of the children of God. 

St. Joseph - Silent, Simple and Sleeping

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

March 19, 2024 - Solemnity of St. Joseph
2 Sam 7: 4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22; Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a.

St. Joseph occupies a huge space in the climax of God's salvific plan which was accomplished in Jesus - still he remains a quiet, noiseless and unassuming person! In a noisy world of today which claims recognition for every little thing and clamours for attention, his mode of living his life, carrying out his mission and responding to his call is a lovely lesson. Apart from this, there are three dimensions of this saint that we can notice emerging from the Word today.

Silent Protagonist:

He had a very important role to play within the historical events that were unfolding in time, and he played it to perfection. The extraordinary quality that we see in this personality is the silence - how he remained recollected in his depths, to receive the directions from the Lord and execute them to the letter. The prefigurement of this image is seen in Abraham, presented to us in the second reading - how he spoke very little too! He listened and obeyed! St. Joseph too listened and for that he chose to remain silent!

Simple Person:

He was simple as a person... this does not mean he had just an old fashioned dress and no sandals on feet - that is how 'being simple' is understood these days! Simple is opposed to complicated! He was not complicated in anyway - an yes meant yes and a no meant no. He thought of rejecting Mary, he was told to accept and he accepted. He thought of returning to Judea, but was told not to and he went to the district of Galilee. He was a simple man who had no air of ego around him nor any self-interests to hang on! The figure of David is presented to us in the first reading drawing our attention to a way of life that was simple. Though the man had limitations within him, he had no ego absolutely. When he was pointed out, he immediately repented. He was called to be a servant of the Lord and even as a King he remained so! St. Joseph never complicated his role or his person, he remained as simple as he was called.

Sleeping Prophet:

Sleeping St. Joseph is a popular devotion by now... a renewed perspective reminded by our present Holy Father. It is not a mere novelty of thinking but a perspective of faith: the Lord provided for God's beloved even as they sleep (Ps 127:2). It is one lifestyle to spend sleepless nights thinking about something. It is completely a different life style to leave it to the Lord and sleep over it, for the Lord takes care of me even if I am asleep! It is a choice. It is a prophetic sleep when it is out of total surrender to the Lord - Joseph of the Old Testament, the namesake of the saint we celebrate, is a beautiful example of this lifestyle. He surrendered himself totally to the Lord and lived his life like a dream. St. Joseph too was so surrendered to the Lord that even as he slept, he felt protected and directed.

Daring to die: absolute commitment to righteousness

THE WORD IN LENT - Monday, Fifth week

March 18, 2024 -  Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62; John 8: 1-11

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and we are in the last lap of this journey as we begin the last week before the Holy Week. This week the Word shall lead us through a reflection on what it means to dare to die! And today we have a radical signification: it is an absolute commitment to righteousness.

Let us begin with the first reading - the famous story of Susanna. She had made an absolute choice for righteousness. Come what may, she did not give up her choice for righteousness, she detested any compromise. The result: she was plotted against, cornered, accused falsely and judged to deserve death. What did she do? Looked for ways to redeem herself by hook or by crook? No, she dared to die, for the sake of her commitment to righteousness. She stands an iconic precedence of Jesus Christ, who had done the same - chose to remain righteous and dared to die for it.

Turning our focus to the Gospel - we have another woman here, who had not chosen initially righteousness as her way of life! She was not accused falsely, although there was nothing that warranted the righteousness of those who accused her. What did she do? She had resigned herself to death. She knew she would not live any more, but to her surprise, life was given back to her, with a challenge: go and sin no more! Now what did she do? She chose righteousness, we guess and remained a disciple of Christ! 

The message is clear: our call to righteousness comes from our very identity as children of God. If we made an absolute commitment to righteousness right from the beginning, blessed be the Lord, we shall stand testimonies to the presence of God. But if we had failed or even if we fail repeatedly, there is the call to recommit to righteousness, how ready are we to commit ourselves? That is the question. 

Now the added challenge is: when we commit to righteousness, which in itself is a difficult task, there will be more challenges and crises to face. What would we do? Dare to die? Then we shall rise with the one who is the Eternal Righteousness. We shall rise to glory, but we need to dare to die, in our absolute commitment to righteousness. 

DARING TO DIE, RISING TO GLORY

Law in the hearts, tears in the eyes, resolve in the spirit!

THE WORD IN LENT - FIFTH SUNDAY

March 17, 2024 - Jeremiah 31: 31-34; Hebrews 5: 7-9; John 12: 20-33

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and the journey is nearing its end. Jesus has started speaking intensely about his death, the imminent suffering and the desperate things that have to happen, in order that the glory of God may be revealed: "Father, glorify your name!" he prays today! It takes great courage to make that prayer, for he knew very well what it amounted to. 

The Word today apparently can seem to say too many things, it may look like dissipated in focus, but that is not true. Everything converges in one line - the need to die in order to rise! It is a constant movement that is expected of us - something has to die within us, in order that something new arises; in the final analysis, we need to die, to rise anew! Dying is as much spiritual as the longing to rise; that is why rising to glory requires daring to die. Daring to die and rising to glory, belong to the same continuum, there is no rupture in between. It is not a movement from bad to good, or evil to holy, but a choice to be made on a daily basis, to ground ourselves, get rooted and thus grow to be what we are, in the deepest of our beings.

In this the first consideration could be that of grace, that in God's mercy God has placed the law in our hearts. We know the Lord. Knowing the Lord is a grace; it is God who enables us to know. Knowing the law of the Lord, hearing the Word every day, listening to the Lord speak to us and becoming aware of that voice resounding all around us, is a profound gift to us. The Lord speaks to us through  Jeremiah telling us once again how God has made a covenant with us and how at no point of time God will turn unfaithful to that covenant; that is a reminder of the numerous times that we have retracted on the baptismal promises that we have made. It does not matter the Lord says: I forgive your iniquity and never call your sin to mind. The marvellous gift of the sacrament of reconciliation invites us in this season to experience this profound grace. 

The second consideration needs to be our will, our readiness to respond to the grace of God. The sign of that is the tears in our eyes. We obey the Lord. Obeying the Lord is at times dying to our ego, dying to our selfishness, dying to our self-seeking, dying to our tendencies to please ourselves. This is a matter of tears, that is a matter of humility and sincere effort. The silent tears of Jesus that the letter to the Hebrews refers to, enunciates the heart writhing efforts to remain faithful to the Lord - that is obedience; it is not just doing what is convenient to us and what is pleasing to us. Neither is it asking the Lord to do things that will make us feel good! There are so much tears involved in every journey that leads us back to the Lord - the challenge is how ready are we to undertake these journeys and in what frequency. 

A third consideration is about perseverance, our determination to remain when everything seems to be dead, our resolve in the spirit. We see the glory of the Lord, even at the darkest moment of our lives. When those Greeks, arriving at Jerusalem for worship, heard about Jesus they wished to see him - just as so many others wished to see Jesus; think of Herod who wanted to see him, think of the leaders and elders who constantly demanded for signs and the masses who were frenetically looking for some wonders. But with a difference, the Greeks did not get lost in their curiosity, they sought to see Jesus, and they found ways - they approach Philip and moved him to speak to Andrew and probably the disciples led them to Jesus! The resolve to see, to see the real glory of Jesus, can take us to arduous circumstances - that is why we need to dare!

To dare to die is to recognise this grace from the Lord to know the Lord, allow the grace to move us to a willingness and readiness to obey the Lord, and endure till we see the real glory of the Lord. As the grain that dies, remains in obscurity, but endures that time to break the ground towards seeing the light of day, so does our spirit need to remain, persevere and actualise the choice to obey the Lord, remain faithful to the Lord and rise to manifest the glory of the Lord. 

When Jesus says those words: Father glorify your name, he submits himself to the One who was animating him and that is the daring choice, daring to die! When Jesus promises to draw all children of God to himself, he speaks of his rising to glory in the Lord - because of his submission, his obedience, his self-emptying, his dying. The Word this week invites us to reflect on this dying - and that reflection will bring us closer to rising in glory. Let us pray that during this last week before we begin the Holy week, we would be led to that courage and grace of daring to die, that we may see the glory and rise to glory! 

Be Glad... in the Lord, the shield and refuge!

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday, Fourth week

March 16, 2024 - Jeremiah 11:18-20; John 7: 40-52

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. The freedom or the state of salvation that the Lord leads us to, does not come from nowhere or we do not reach it without passing through the desert. But that does not warrant our being sad or gloomy, or grieving all our life. A sad Christian is a sorry Christian - that is the message we had yesterday. The Word has been insisting with us through out this week the need for us to rejoice, and especially yesterday, we reflected on how important it is to rejoice even in the face of trials. 

The Word today gives us the secret of those who succeed in rejoicing even when they are through trials and torments... they have taken refuge in the Lord. We are called to be glad, not just in our experiences and accomplishments, not even in our troubles overcome or temptations won over, but in a reason much more fundamental: in the Lord, in the very presence of the Lord. For the Lord is our shield and our strength, our protection and our refuge.

Jeremiah in the first reading tells us how without knowing the treachery around, a person who believes in the Lord, could suffer torments. But the person knows he or she need not lose heart, for the Lord is there with him or her. The person knows readily to take refuge in the Lord and that is a typical trait of a child of God. 

Jesus in the Gospel, is a level ahead - it is not that a person does not know what treachery is going around, but even knowing it very well, he or she is able to go ahead with serenity and calm. John very specially, in his Gospel, often emphasizes the fact that Jesus knew who would betray him, Jesus knew the heart of the people to whom he was speaking, he knew that they cannot be trusted and so on. Jesus knew the manoeuvrings arond him, but nothing disturbed him. He went about secure of his steps, because he had taken refuge in his Father.

At times, when difficulties and troubles, conniving persons and conspiracies around, destabilise us, apart from appealing to the Lord, we need to think why they are perturbing us so much. Have we truly surrendered to the Lord? Even in these circumstances, if we have taken the Lord as our shield and our refuge, we shall not fail to rejoice!

Be Glad... irrespective of the circumstances!

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday, Fourth week

March 15, 2024 - Wisdom 2: 1, 12-22; John 7: 1-2,10, 25-30

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. This week beginning with the laetare Sunday, we have been hearing the Word indicating to us various reasons to rejoice: the untiring mercy of God, the love of God that reaches out, the covenant that the Lord has made with us and so on. While we can thus list out many such reasons to rejoice in the Lord, the Word today presents to a much deeper truth: a true person of God does not look for reasons to rejoice; he or she rejoices in the Lord irrespective of any circumstances!

When St. Paul exhorts us to rejoice always, and emphasizes the capacity to be glad whether in plenty or in want, this is the quality he underlines. The fact that we are loved by God and we are surrounded by God's mercy, does not guarantee that we would have nothing to suffer. At times, even when we wish no harm for another, there will be those who might want to hurt us, or there might be circumstances that might put us on a rough patch in life. There are moments in life, when we are prone to observe what the lines from the book of Wisdom tells us today: our life is short and dreary, nor is there any relief when one's end comes. There could be some lurching in dark to see us fall. In all these circumstances, what we manifest as our mindset is what will define us - whether we are people of God or not, whether we really are persons rooted in the Lord or not. 

Jesus leads the way and shows us what it means to be convinced of being a son or a daughter of God. He never gave up his identity, or never compromised on it, neither threatened by those around nor seduced by the possibility of pleasing them in some way. He held on to his identity, and spoke and did what the Lord wanted him to. There was something about him, that made his strong, and stronger in the face of the evil that opposed him and wanted to see his end. That would be true of any son or daughter of God, and that would be characteristic of any people of God. 

The Church today, we the people of God today - we are challenged to be glad in our identity and vocation as people of God. There may be oppositions from within, from around and from out there! Nothing would disturb us if we rejoice in the fact that the Lord who gives us this identity is always with us. It does not matter if our hearts broke with these circumstances, the Lord remains close to those broken hearts. Irrespective of the circumstances that could assail us, let us be glad in the Lord, we know him and it is he who sends us!

Be Glad... but beware of obstinacy!

THE WORD IN LENT - Thursday, Fourth week

March 14, 2024 - Exodus 32: 7-14; John 5: 31-47

Through the desert God guides us to freedom. Beginning the past Sunday, we have been seen reasons why we need to rejoice in the Lord, specially in the Cross of our Lord, for God so loved the world that God deigned to offer God's own Son for our eternal joy! The central theme of Word in the past two days, continues today - the discourse of the covenant. God made the covenant - but even as the covenant was being made, what did the so called people of God do? They went away from the Lord. This is so dramatically pictured in the first reading today. 

That scenario continues even today - as persons find the easiest excuse to fall away from the image that Lord has given us or decline to be what the Lord continues to make of us, through the covenantal relationship. It is true that God never gives up on us, but that is not enough for us to grow towards experiencing that greatest of all gifts from God - a sense of salvation. 

That the Lord has made a covenant with us, is a huge reason to be glad and to rejoice! But let us beware, the same can become the reason for our eternal tragedy, if we do not live up to it. This is what is brought forth to our understanding by the imagery of Moses! The very same Moses who is presented in the first reading as the intercessor, is named by Jesus as the probable judge who would condemn the very people - Moses who stands out as the symbol of God's old covenant. 

The new and the eternal covenant personified in Christ our Saviour, has the same overture! It is true that God's mercy is boundless and limitless! There is nothing that can come between us and God's mercy, Jesus has made it absolutely clear. Nothing can come in between, except our own obstinacy! Every day is an added opportunity to grow closer to realising this merciful covenant of the Lord. But let us beware, every missed opportunity, every delayed moment, every day wasted in our stubbornness of heart, we have to answer for! Today, for the mercy of the Lord which sustains us, let us be glad, even as we promise the Lord to become aware and work on every bit of our tendency to obstinacy. 

Be Glad - the Lord makes us a covenant people

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, Fourth week

March 13, 2024 - Isaiah 49: 8-15; John 5: 17-30

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. Among the varied reasons pointed to us these days by the Word to rejoice, today we have the typical of all self identities promoted by the Word of God: being the covenant people.

First of all, this self understanding as we reflected on yesterday, is a gratuitous gift given to us by God who reaches out to us. It is God's initiative, undoubtedly, that we are people of God. As we get to understand in the first reading today, we have not merited this identity or status as people of God but we are given, we are gifted with it. This is the sense of giftedness that we need to celebrate and rejoice about.

Secondly, this giftedness entrusts us with a call - to be recognizant of this fact, of this state of our being. We are called to be, to consciously be, the covenant people. To remain faithful to this covenant, that is to remain true to our identity, means to live in perpetual consciousness that we are people of God everywhere and in all circumstances. It requires that our life manifests a clear difference for the world, the society, that we are covenant people, in faithful relationship with God. Jesus explains that from his own life and life style - I am because my Father is, he seems to say. That's being a covenant person.

Thirdly, there is a challenge that comes along with this gift and call - not just to be covenant people, but to be the covenant to the people. The Word tells us in the first reading today: I have formed you to be the covenant to the people, that is, reminders, signs and indicators of God's covenant with persons; a call to all, towards a conversion to God, an invitation to return to the Lord. This is a much deeper call, a vocation to be missionaries of the love of God, to be announcers of the real meaning of being God's people. This is in short the life that Christ lived, as the Son of God made man, showing us what it ultimately means to be a Christ-ian.

Be glad, the Word invites us today, because are chosen to be the people of the covenant, because we have a specific purpose in life - to live as people of the covenant, because we are formed to be covenant to the people. Let us rejoice, for the Lord is gracious and merciful, the Lord of eternal covenant.

Be Glad - the Lord comes to encounter us!

THE WORD IN LENT - Tuesday, Fourth week

March 12, 2024 - Ezekiel 47: 1-9,12; John 5: 1-3,5-16

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. This freedom is, beyond the cross and through the cross that stands tall drawing our attention; it is through the desert which offers us some valuable learning experiences that we are led to freedom, to salvation, to new life. Just as these days of lent take us towards that experience of resurrection, so does out journey of lent take us towards new life, new life in the Risen Lord. 

One of the strong symbols of the Paschal feast is water - being the waters through which the pasch of the Israel brought them across the Red sea; the waters of Jordan that signified conversion to the people who lined up before John; the living waters Jesus said - let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink (Jn 7:37) - the water that is promised for those who need rejuvenation, renewal and new life. Here is where the Word gives us an reason to rejoice... while we are given this offer of the life giving water, in God's bountiful mercy, the water flows to us, instead of we going to the waters.

We see that in the Gospel today, so symbolically expressed. While the man was waiting to go to the waters to draw life from it, the water was coming to him, the life giving water, the life transforming water was reaching out to him - Jesus comes to encounter him, asking him, "do you wish to be well again?" The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. The Lord comes to encounter us, just as the waters flows from the presence of the Lord towards Ezekiel in the first reading. 

Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live, says the Word. When the Lord comes to encounter us, we shall live, we shall be born again, we shall be touched and transformed, we shall be asked to pick up our mats and walk - walk towards a new life, towards our eternal life. How glad we should be, that the Lord chooses to come to us. There are stagnant voices, festering waters, infested with negativity and prejudice, all around us. But we are called to focus on that flowing water from the eternal presence of the Lord... the Lord comes to encounter us, let us behold him and rejoice!

Be Glad - the Lord never grows tired of us!

THE WORD IN LENT - Monday, Fourth week

March 11, 2024 - Isaiah 65: 17-21; John 4: 43-54 

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and on this journey we may at times grow tired, but God never grows tired of us! That is a solid reason to rejoice! The Laetare Sunday does not end with the Sunday, it follows through the week as the Word presents to us some remarkable reasons why we need to rejoice!

The journey to freedom, passes through the desert, but it does not end there. Yesterday, the Word instructed us to look beyond and see the horizon and today the Word explains that this horizon is the new heaven and the new earth that the Lord promises to make for us! It signifies a renewal of the entire creation, to begin with, a renewal of our entire selves. The Lord promises to renew us from within, provided we allow the Lord to lead us. 

There are so many reasons for God to lose heart over us - the repeated failures on our part, the ever wanting fidelity to God and God's ways, the never satisfied minds that we manifest... these are easily reasons for God to be discouraged with us. Jesus states that candidly in the Gospel: no prophet is accepted in his hometown; you will never believe unless you see signs and portents! Although Jesus says that, he had not given up yet. He goes on to cure that boy: "your son wil live, Go home!" he says! 

That is God's mercy towards us. Yes, there are any number of reasons to be discouraged about us. But God never grows tired of us! God sent prophets, leaders, judges and finally God's own Son... but while "He came to that which was his own, his own received him not!" (cf. Jn 1:11). God however did not give up! Instead the Son of God gave himself up, totally, in order that we may be renewed, that we may be made new creation - as St. Paul states, we are new creations in Christ Jesus (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). Isn't that a reason to rejoice! 

That is why the responsorial psalm invites us to exclaim: I will praise you Lord, you have rescued me! O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever! Let us listen to the voice of the Lord telling us today, inspite of our weaknesses and our unworthiness - "your soul will live; your spirit will be renewed; you will be transformed!" Let us believe in it and be glad, for the Lord never grows tired of us.   

FROM THE CROSS TO THE SKY

Looking up to the Cross!

THE WORD IN LENT - FOURTH SUNDAY

2 Chronicles 36: 14-16, 19-23; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21

Through the desert God leads us to freedom! We have gone through a good part of our journey: from the desert to the waters, from the waters to the mountains, from the mountain to the cross, and today on the fourth Sunday of Lent, we are called to reflect on the journey from the cross to the sky! Although the cross has become an indispensable symbol of salvation that God has offered us in God's bountiful love for God's children, let's beware that we do not get stuck to the cross, as if it is the cross itself that saved us. We cannot forget that fact that it is the One who was crucified on it who saved us; many have been crucified, but it is the innocent lamb of God who offered Himself for us, as an eternal sacrifice on the cross, who has saved us. That is why the cross becomes a pointer, a pointer to the One crucified on it, a pointer to what He wanted us to experience and understand, a pointer to where He wanted to take us: to His Father, to the sky, to paradise!  

The Cross is a Reminder: The cross reminds us of the gratuitous gift we have received from the Lord. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us, St Paul would explain in his letter to the Romans (5:8). Look at the reminder given by the first reading today - how the people repeatedly and regularly fell away from their state of being 'people of God'. It was God who drew them to Godself. Not just once or twice but repeatedly and unceasingly, even upto our days and our lives we see this phenomenon continue. We constantly go away from the Lord, but are reminded through varied means to come back to the Lord and sustained in many ways to remain always beloved people of God.

Every time we raise our heads and look up at the cross, it reminds us of the enormous love that has been lavished upon us at any point of time in our lives. It's a reminder of the fact that we needed someone to die for us, in order that we may be saved, although we deserved not. It is reminder for us to be grateful and mindful of the mercy granted us. It is a reminder that we are called constantly to get back to the way of righteousness, and that the moment we decide to do so, we have someone to look up to who points to the new heavens, and the new earth, the new Jerusalem to which we are called. It is not only a warning reminder, but also a happy reminded - that is why this Sunday is Laetare Sunday - we are called to rejoice in that reminder.

The Cross is a Reaching Out: There is yet another message that we are given to reflect on, looking at the Son of God lifted up on the Cross - that God is lovingly reaching out to us. Just as the bronze serpent lifted in the desert was a sign of God wanting those people to live, so is the Son of God lifted on the Cross. It is obvious: God so loved the world that God gave God's only son, that we may have life. There is a sense of revelation here, the highest revelation of God and the nature of God, in the absolute love that was revealed in Christ, specially in the Christ crucified. That is why we needed to freeze that moment and keep it in our memories as the moment of ultimate revelation. Jesus who died on the Cross, already has risen and he shall never die again! That death on the Cross was once and for all - but we still have the crucifix everywhere... in every Church and in every place we gather. Today that is becoming an issue for many non Christians - certainly it will become an issue, because it is the highest form of revelation of God's love to human beings. 

God is reaching out, and drawing us to Godself... when I shall be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself (Jn 12:32), Jesus would say later in the same Gospel. While God is reaching out through Jesus, Jesus is drawing us to God in the name of God - that is why the Cross: between heaven and earth, between us humanity and God - that sole mediation of salvation. The Cross is a sign of that reaching out and the drawing up!

The Cross is a Reconciliation: The Cross was not Jesus' destination, certainly not. He declared it; those who prophesied his coming stated it; and those who proclaimed him later made it very clear - that the ultimate aim of Christ was reconciliation of everything, that every thing and every being on earth enters into that perfection communion with God, the source and summit of all. In Christ everything shall be reconciled to God - and the Cross is the rainbow of promise we are called to look up to, the sign of hope that this will ultimately happen. Our destination too, just as Christ's, is the Sky, the paradise, the eternal presence of God, the absolute communion, which is the experience of salvation. 

Looking up to the Cross, is not only to look at the cross, but to look beyond, at the promise that God has offered us! The Cross remains a reminder of that promise and our call to grow worthy of that promise. The Cross is a continuous recalling of the God who is reaching out to us that we may be reconciled in God and enjoy that eternal and inexplicable bliss, the joy of salvation! 

God leads... to Godself through the Other!

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday, Third week

March 09, 2024 - Hosea 5:15- 6:6; Luke 18: 9-14

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. Truly, that freedom is the absolute communion with God, the eternal freedom, the salvation or the eternal boundless life. In short, God leads us to Godself. These days we are reflecting on how the Lord leads us, and to what the Lord leads us. Yesterday we said, the Lord leads us to the decision of Returning to the Lord... this return, the Word says today, is through the Other. 

Not sacrifice, but love - instructs the Lord through Hosea. It is only love that can lead us to God. Sacrifices, offerings, worship and adoration that we offer to the Lord are made meaningful and fruitful, only in love. In love do we become acceptable to God. But what kind of a love? A love that says in empty words to the Lord - I love you Lord with all my heart, with all my spirit and with all my soul? It has to be a love that is expressed in concrete, in action, in life - in our rapport with the Other. 

This triangular dynamic is a typical Christ perspective: the dynamic that is between me and God, essentially through the other. It is in the way that I treat the other, in the way I relate to the other, in the way that I respect and welcome the other that I determine the way I will be treated and related to by God. If only we realise this, we would understand immediately what it means to have a contrite and humble heart. It is not a heart that is humble and lowly before God, but a heart that is humble and lowly in dealing with the other. 

When a heart is humble and mindful of the goodness of the Lord, the mercy that it has received from the Lord, it shall reflect the same mercy and love to the other. Where there is a judgement of the other, disrespect of the other, manipulation of the other, exploitation of the other, despise of the other, it is a clear sign that there is haughtiness! Though that is not expressed or made manifest in God's presence, God notices it, sees it and is aware of it. The result is, we deprive ourselves of the abundance and fullness of God's love!

Thus the Lenten journey, to be led to Godself, through the Other - in mercy not in sacrifice. To love the other, to be merciful to my brother and sister, to honour and respect every other who is beside me, in order that my love and my regard for God becomes authenticated. The Word invites us today to "Go and learn, what it means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice!"