A Return to hope - to the roots of interiority

THE WORD IN LENT - Tuesday, First week of Lent

March 11, 2025 - Isaiah 55: 10-11; Matthew 6: 7-15

The pilgrim journey this lent, the return to hope, has to begin with the identification of the real roots. The Word has been instructing us this, the past two days and today outlines to us where one of our real roots lie - the Word, the life giving Word, the Word of the Lord. 

Our words have to be the expression of our innermost selves. There is a poignant call today to look at our words, not just words articulated but words that lie around in minds and in our hearts. They are indeed the manifestation of the core of our beings. The first reading draws attention to the fact how the Word of the Lord becomes the extension of God's self, going out there and "creating" what is intended! Thus should be each of our words - they need to become lifegiving, creative, generative! 

Words that are not meant, the words that are wrongly utilised and the words that are spurted from the most flimsiest of our emotions, are most often highly degenerative. They create wrong effects, to beging with, within ourselves and then in those who are around us. The Word of the Lord is presented to us as the model and challenge - how they are manifestations of integrity, because they come from the innermost Being of God, from the Most Integral Being that we can imagine - after all, integrity is holiness.

For us too, if the words that we utter or those which we do not finish uttering, come from that interiority, they shall be profound, they shall be life-giving, they shall reflect our root: the unfailing Word that God is. This is where the prayer that Jesus teaches us today finds itself situated - Jesus begins by discouraging us from using words unnecessarily! The Prayer of "Our Father" that is taught today by Jesus, thus contains a profound sense of integrity, as it requires be said from the core of our selves, just as the Words of the Lord about which we hear in the first reading - every phrase in it, has a profound element to add to our faith and identity. 

The call is simply to a greater interiority; to mean every word we say, to say only what we mean and this grow in the integrity of our interiority... that is essential holiness. 

A Return to hope - Identifying the real roots

THE WORD IN LENT - Monday, First week of Lent

March 10, 2025 - Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18; Matthew 25: 31-46

The Word has initiated us into a line of thought and reflection from yesterday, and this perspective will continue to present itself right through this week - returning to hope is returning to our roots. The journey of returning to our roots begins with identifying the right roots, because in the process there could be some illusions and delusions that we need to beware.

Let us begin with the easiest of ways pointed out to return to hope and to return to our roots... it is doing good. I call that easiest, not because it does not cost anything. It does cost. We shall have to apply ourselves and sacrifice ourselves to do good...but comparing to those which are coming further in a while, this is the easiest... in the realm of doing. We think, we decide, we set apart our resources and our energy and do something good to others!

Getting further, the step is, to declare why I am doing the good that I am doing. Of course, now you understand why I called the previous one, the easiest. It is not so easy to declare why I am doing the good I am doing - first of all, I need to realise it myself; that requires being highly reflexive. Secondly, I need to be sincere to myself, to recognise and affirm what I have realised. And thirdly, to declare it to the others. Most of the times, with all the refraint from being too judgemental, we do good to others, for our own sakes - may be for good name, for some returns, for a blessing from the Lord... the motives could range from those simply selfish to those highly spiritual. 

The third step is, to look at the call to be good rather than restricting ourselves to doing good! That is a totally different level: being good, being holy, being godly - because the One who has called us wants us to be so! Be holy, be good... the doing has to essentially flow from the being! That is our true roots - the Most Holy Being - that is God, who has called us to be holy, to be good, because God is good; God is Holy.