An experience that grips - Resurrected Beings!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The stir in the sea: Complaints

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom is not free!

WORD 2day: Monday, 28th week in Ordinary time

October 12, 2020: Galatians 4: 22-24, 26-27, 31 -5:1; Luke 11: 29-32

Freedom, is not an all sweet gift. It was Jean Paul Sartre who made that provocative but profound statement, "we are condemned to be free". Freedom comes with the duty attached. We are free, free to choose, yes; but the grave responsibility of the choice is laid entirely upon us. It would be childish to clamour for freedom but shy away from responsibility. 

We are free children of God, declares Paul. With that comes the condition that we are to be held responsible for all the choices we make. Have you tried asking your students, or youth groups or your friends, or just anyone: who decides I should be happy or not? They would invariably refuse to answer, with a knotty smile on their faces! Because everyone knows, that it is one's own choice, or rather one's own choices. The free choices we make amount to the consequence we face, we know it well. But knowing is one thing, whereas acting on it is a totally different thing.

The Lord grants us the greatest gift of freedom, and leaves us with the responsibility for our choices. That is why, when we choose not to see the presence of God, when we choose not to find the moments of grace, when we choose not to realise the opportunities to do good, when we choose not to identify our brother or sister in the person next to us, we are choosing to rush towards a state that is so sad and so inhuman. In all these choices, we are choosing to be what we are not. Or we are choosing not to be what we really are! We are human persons created in freedom, in the image and likeness of God! But we choose not to be human, we choose to be inhuman! 

Time and again the Lord sends us reminders - wars, exploitations, killings, terrorism, hunger deaths, violence, abuse, diseases and pandemics caused by human choices are reminders that we need to realise our true self, get back to our original image and likeness! But no one is going to force us to do that, because we are free children of the promise (cf. Gal 4:22-24); yes we are given the great gift of freedom. But Freedom is not free; we have to pay for it with our personal responsibility!

Differences, disputations and dialogues

WORD 2day: Saturday, 23rd week in Ordinary time

September 12, 2020: 1 Corinthians 10:14-22; Lk 6: 43-49

We live in a world of absolute pluralism today. Gone are those days when societies in Asia like India or many such were singled out for their pluralistic nature. Not just those, but almost every society, all over the world experiences a context and culture of pluralism. Everyone finds one's neighbour different - different in his or her creed or convictions or value systems. In this regard, there are those who appreciate this fact, and there are those who find it too difficult to manage - either due to its complexities or due to their own self centered motives. 

In such a situation, what should be a true Christian disposition? Can it be one of disputation, debate or delirious defense? The result would range from a kind of disrespectful cynicism to a hateful dissent. Are those fruits proper to a tree that is Christian? It if has to be called 'Christian', how can anything be its fruit other than love:  for by this they will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other.

If so, what would be the right disposition? Compromise? Relativism? An anything-is-ok mentality? No, Never, says St.Paul in today's first reading. Between Controversies and Compromise, there is something called Comprehension. That, that alone is the need of the hour today. An attitude of mature Dialogue.

What would be the use of talking so much about God as love and about Christ's teachings of a forgiving and forbearing love, if we do not begin to live it, wherever we are? Will we not be foolish builders, building our beach side castles? Let us form ourselves into solid buildings of enduring love and never failing faith, that we may teach the whole world the lifestyle of true love - that would consist of celebrating difference, handling disputations and growing towards genuine dialogue!

Mind your Business!

WORD 2day: Friday, 22nd week in Ordinary time

September, 4, 2020: 1 Corinthians 4: 1-5; Luke 5:33-39

At times we mind everybody else's business, forgetting the all important business that we have, our life! With the social network occupying such an ample space in the public domain, the private domain begins to shrink to a drastic minimum. People seem to evaluate everybody else, judge everyone and pass not merely comments but judgments on others. There are others who try to create public opinions which are untrue, to have their way in everything. There are still others who tend to live their lives totally based on the likes and dislikes, shares and subscriptions, making real life so virtual and flimsy.

The Word today instructs us to mind just our businesses. How hard can one try to satisfy everyone around? Is it worth the effort at all? How many lives are made so boring and barren merely out of living up to the expectations of the world around! The secret of a truly fruitful and meaningful life is: knowing your business and going about it.

Knowing who we are, as St. Paul shares in his letter today, we are called to be Stewards of the Lord. What is expected of a steward is that he or she is found worthy of the one whose stewards one is! Knowing who we are and striving to be faithful to it, is the Christian meaning to our life. Christ did just that. He knew he was the Son of God and he lived his life to the full worthy of the identity that he inherited from the Lord. 

We are called to be the Lord's stewards, and we need to live worthy of that call, notwithstanding the praises or critiques, the affirmations and the discouragements that might come our way. If we try to patch up our life with unfitting elements merely because those around us are looking for it, if we mix up unblending elements just because the world around enjoys it... we may lose the true sense of our calling. The best thing amidst all the mixed voices around is... to know and mind our business!

Wisdom and Foolishness - The Christian Paradigm

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 28, 2020: Remembering St. Augustine
1 Corinthians 1: 17-25; Matthew 25: 1-13

"Stay awake", warned the Gospel yesterday and that seems to be a constant reminder these days... with the rising political friction, ecological crisis and social turbulence. Staying awake and not missing the point that the Lord wishes to communicate, is also spoken of so much by the Saint we remember today: St Augustine - "I fear the Lord passing by!" 

Augustine's anxiety not to miss the Lord comes from the absolute dependence on the Lord, that was so typical of Augustine, just as we see also in St. Paul. They both believed and taught that we are made for the sake of the Lord and that we would find our true fulfillment in the Lord alone. This was the wisdom that they stood for, spoke of, and wanted to instill in every believer in Christ. 

One of the ways of missing what the Lord wants to impress upon us, or one way in which we could totally miss the Lord is confounding ourselves between what is true wisdom and the foolishness that presents itself as prudence and wisdom, in the world today. The world has its own definition of wisdom and foolishness, success and failure... everything, to put it simply, calculated in terms of benefits and gains in comparison to the effort and investment. Convenience and comfort seem unfailing criteria of choice. But can these be Christian parameters?

The Christian paradigm, as Paul says is the Cross and the hope that it projects. However hard we may try, no other paradigm can make sense of this.  The sacrifices we make and the selfless goodwill we have towards others are true Christian parameters of righteousness. Being good and doing good without expecting anything in return or without looking for its credits,  is the cross we are called to embrace if we wish to belong to the Bridegroom!

Keep Calm and Live on!

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 21st week in Ordinary time

August 25, 2020: 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3,14-17; Matthew 23: 23-26

It looks like the crazy ones were there right from the beginning! At times we want our spiritual life to be exciting, to be on the move, to be ticking away in fret, like a suspense thriller. There is an imminent sign and there is a mighty revolution in the making...such claims are galore these days on the street corner banners and well funded TV channels - and they tend to quote the scripture passage, 'behold I make something new!' St. Paul warns us today against such tendencies. He says, don't crave for sensation; KEEP CALM and go about your daily duties!

Jesus sounds more vehement with the same message in today's Gospel: don't be hypocrites - he says - don't make a show of your piety, don't make a living out of the fears of people and don't try your imaginations in God's name. Just because you have a pulpit, or an audience, or a media, or today the social network platform, that does not mean, you say whatever you want and get away with it; it does not warrant that you exploit the weakness of the people, create sensation and see how you could cash in on it. Just keep calm and live on. 

Things may seem dark and dreadful, uncertain and unpromising, but don't give into panic. Live your daily life to the full in whatever way you can, love each other sincerely amidst all the lockdown routine, reach out to one another with genuine care and relate with truth in your heart. Allow God to take control of the entire reality and don't claim franchise for decisions and activities that belong to God alone! Allow things to take their course, but you remain connected to the Lord of all things! That is...

Keep Calm and Live on... shall we?

GOD'S SAVING LOVE...

History, geography and memory

August 16, 2020: 20th Sunday in Ordinary time

Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7; Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15: 21-28

Will those who do not believe in God be saved? Will the Hindus or Muslims be saved? Will those who belong to this particular church be saved? - Haven't we frequently heard these questions? But these, we need to understand, are questions asked by those who have not truly understood the omnipotence and the mercy of God, and the relationship between the two. God wills that all be saved, declares St. Paul (1 Tim 2:4). The Universal Salvation of God has been effected once and for all, from the Cross. What is left for us is to claim it for ourselves from the Lord, in Lord's Mercy. 

Is it on our merit that we can claim it? Or are we left so desperately at the mercy of the Lord that we live till the last moment of our life with intense insecurity and total obscurity? Both these options are out of place when we remember the SAVING LOVE OF GOD. I can never merit it for I do not deserve the love that the Lord showers on me. I am not desperately left in obscurity for I have the hope in the fact that Jesus has given me the power to become a child of God (cf. Jn 1:12). The readings today highlight this salvific act of God's love on my behalf. 

God's saving love knows no history. As the second reading points to us, the salvific love of God does not depend on what history I share and with whom? It does not keep in mind the account of the undeserving acts, in which case I would be damned to eternity. The appeal that God's love makes to us, is made afresh every day and every moment. It is in every single moment of choice that I make, that I have to receive this love, so freely and so generously given.

As the Lord would point out through prophet Ezekiel (18: 21, 24) - we need to grow very critical of common views expressed like, the sins of the previous generation would affect the present, that our past sins condition who we are and what happens to us, and so on. It has become a fashion even for Christians and catholics to speak in terms of 'karma'... aren't we missing something so deep and profound here? Our life and life conditions cannot be let at the mercies of some dumb principle - the Lord's saving love is much greater and deeper than anything that can ever affect the meaning of our life. 

God's saving love respects no geography. As the second reading and the Gospel point out to us, God does not love us on the basis of the background that we come from, the family that brought me up, the institutions I got educated in and the ministries that I have carried out. No, there is no geography in God's salvation because the whole earth, what is within it and what is around it belongs to God. Lord God is the Lord of the universe! And that is precisely why God's salvation is universal.

Today, there is so much made about where a person comes from - the global north versus the global south; the first world and the rest of the world, the regions with their language and cultures... even the value of what is said is gauged depending on from where he or she hails. This regionalism, sectarianism and factionalism has no sense in the sight of the Lord - the only favouritism that the Lord shows is towards the lost, the least and the neglected, there is no geography beyond it.

God's saving love holds no memories. I need not despair at the bitter past that I have had, nor need I make such great acts of reparation to appease my God! They are in no way related to the love that my God has for me. The love that the Lord has for me is so absolute and boundless that nothing on earth or beyond the earth can separate me from that love in and through Christ Jesus. That love of God does not keep count of my faults or my failures; all that counts is the choice I make at a given moment, a choice lovingly made, and a choice absolute for God and for everything that belongs to God. 

Memories, records and revenge seem to have become the rule of life not only to 'many' persons but to the society on the whole, the nations and the entire humanity. There is so much of bad and bitter memories at work, and deciding what we should feel, experience and make of our lives in today's context. The worst affected are the innocents, the weakest in the society, the helpless and the those who have absolutely no power to decide or choose for themselves. This is a logic that is diametrically opposed to God and God's saving love! God wishes the salvation of all, the fullness of life for all, a holistic humanity... this is salvation. In Jesus' terms, this is the Reign of God. 

In summary, the Word today tells us that our salvation is assured on the part of God; but on our part we need to grow into our salvation: through our daily choices and everyday commitment. We need to think beyond history and geography; go beyond our memories and experience the salvation of God, becoming ourselves signs of that salvation, promoting a humanity guided by compassion and a universe filled with love. 

Celebrating a Sign of Hope in the Lord

THE WORD AND THE FEAST 

August 15, 2020: Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother
Revelation 11:19, 12:1-6, 10; 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26; Luke 1: 39-56

The crossing of the red sea and the Babylonian Exile are said to be the watershed for the God experience of the people of Israel. It was their walk from slavery to freedom that gave an identity to the people of the Old Testament. 

In the New Testament too it was a similar experience that proved to be the watershed... the passing from death to life; the event of life-giving Hope! The hope that Jesus' resurrection brought to humankind reaches its fulfilment, when Mary shares the fruits of it as the first one to do so, in union with her Son and Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary was instrumental in bringing in the light of the world. She remained faithful to the One who had called her and thus wins favour in God's eyes. Hence it is that many a saint spoke of her as the lady of the Apocalypse, bringing forth the Son and fighting the dragon. She is given these honours due to the humility with which she went about doing the will of the One who had called her.

It was this humility and docility that made her so grateful and recognizant of God's mighty presence with her on a constant basis. This recognition makes her a strong person: so free and so responsible. When she sings that hymn of glory to the Lord it was not merely a wishful prayer but also an expression of commitment towards the Reign of God, the reign of equality and justice to all.

There is a difference between Ascension and Assumption: let us not be carried away by those who argue that it is unjust to raise Mary to this level and that it is almost like granting her a place equivalent to Jesus who ascended into heaven! The Church teaches that Christ, the Son of God after his resurrection ascended to the Father. The same Church teaches us in clear terms, "Mary was assumed" into heaven by the grace of God! This was a grace bestowed on Mary, not a feat achieved by Mary. Hence what we celebrate today is the goodness and generosity of God in granting God's beloved daughter and the Mother of the Son of God, a singular privilege which further manifests God's glory!

May the feast of Assumption bring us to a humble recognition of the ways in which God wants to use us here and now, that we too may one day experience the fulfillment of our Hope in the Lord.

Obstinacy of Human Selfishness

WORD 2day: Thursday, 19th week in Ordinary time

August 13, 2020: Ezekiel 12: 1-12; Matthew 18:21 - 19:1

The Rebellious people have eyes to see but do not see; they have ears to hear but do not hear. How good, loving, forgiving, merciful and bountiful God is to me - I am so aware of it right until the time that I myself have to be good, loving, forgiving and generous with those around me! I begin to count, calculate, justify, judge, grudge and grumble when I have to give or forgive or show mercy or be loving. I have the eyes to see God's goodness but I lack the vision to see that I need to be good too. I have the ears to hear the merciful whisperings of the Divine but I don't have the ears to hear the pleading for mercy in the eyes of my brother and sister! What is this but an awful obstinacy of human selfishness?

The Obstinacy of Human Selfishness does not allow me to share with the others whatever God has given me; it blocks even the natural consciousness and awareness of the extent to which I have received. In comparison to the amount of love that God has showered on us, where does the level of love that I show to others stand? In comparison to the sins and the wickedness that God has forgiven in me, where do the simple faults committed by my brother or my sister stand? 

The Obstinacy of Human Selfishness fills me so much with my own self, my ego, that I am not able to see anything beyond me and mine; I am not able to hear anything beyond my own wants and whinings; I am not able to occupy myself with anything beyond my own greed and desire; I am not able to even consider anyone other than myself important or worthy of consideration. Just give it a serious thought - is it not from here all the problems of today arise... be it in the family, or in the society or in the world at large? 

Obedience or Rebellion?

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 19th week in Ordinary time

August 11, 2020: Ezekiel 2:8-3:4; Matthew 18:1-5, 10,12-14.

When a child places its trust in someone, be it father or mother, or a loved one, or a teacher or a friend, the child obeys without questions. That is what makes a child so vulnerable in front of those. That vulnerability makes the child so special and so valuable in the eyes of the Lord. Obedience, docility, humility, surrender - these are the dispositions that are expected of a child of God, in the presence of God. 

The first reading so figuratively presents through the experience of Ezekiel, the message that Lord gives to each of the Lord's sons and daughters: to be children, to obey and not to be rebellious, but to receive the Word of the Lord, take it in, savour it, understand it, live by it, and announce it to the world. It is not about taking in what you like and leaving out what you don't like - that is childishness! Instead, childlike-ness would be to take in what the Lord says, the Words of the Lord, without any question or rebellion! 

"Obey and you will not have sinned" says the famous monastic rule. And that is the strength of obedience. The first sin recorded in the Word of God is of rebellion, and the atonement for it was offered in Obedience, on the Cross! Should we hold on to the sentiment of rebellion, we shall be weak in our obedience. The sign of growth in obedience to the Lord is accepting what comes from the Lord without any question or second thought.

The Lord says love; the Word says forgive; the Saviour says believe; the Son of God says do not be afraid; the Spirit says abide in truth; the Triune God says make peace and live in harmony... are we ready to obey...or are we rebelling in our own way? The Word instructs us today, if you are to be called children of God: Obey and be not rebellious!

WWW - Weath, Wellbeing and the World

18th September, 2016: 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Amos 8: 4-7; 1 Tim 2:1-8; Lk 16: 1-13

We have needs, wants and desires... they are but human. When they are fulfilled we are happy and grateful; when they are not, we keep beseeching the Lord. Prosperity, from the time of the theology of the promised land, has always been looked at as a blessing from the Lord. Wealth makes our life easy and our living pleasurable. By the very fact that it is a blessing, it is obvious that it is 'given' and it is to be given. Wealth is a means provided for one not only to live his or her life, but also extend his hand to the needy, the unfortunate, the underprivileged, the have-nots, so that their life becomes blessed through one's instrumentality. Wealth, is a blessing, and more over a means, to be a blessing to the others! Prophet Amos minces no words in the first reading today. Swindling the other, manipulating the other and hurting the other for one's own well-being, is not Christian attitude; and it is no well-being at all.

Well-being is not merely one's individual pleasure and possession! Even if one possesses everything, if there is not harmony in his or her surroundings one cannot cherish those possessions. How many individuals who possess enormous riches but lack an internal serenity bear witness to this fact. How many nations today which seem rich and affluent but lack peace and security attest to this fact. Authentic Well-being is harmony in every sense, within oneself, around oneself and with the entire universe! It is the 'quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in everyway', that St. Paul speaks of in the second reading. Selfishness and Greed can never lead us to this well-being. Concern and Compassion, a collective thinking of 'all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth' - only such an outgoing spirit can grant the world, a real Well-being.

The world and the life we live today is an opportunity given to us, reminds Jesus in the Gospel with his intriguing parable of the prudent steward! Intriguing it is, because it seems to advocate slyness and fraud. But that is not the point. The focus lies on another perspective, and it is: However limited and burdensome, the present life we live is all that we have, here and now to make our journey to our 'eternal abode' pleasant and meaningful. It is said, how we live our life here will define and determine how we will exist hereafter. We have the gift and the giver: of these what matters to us, is the crucial question. It cannot be that both gift and the giver are important - one cannot serve two masters, warns Jesus. Once we give the first place to the Giver, the Eternal giver, the Loving giver, the Wonderful giver, everything else falls in place. Wealth becomes a means, Well-being becomes harmonious living and the World becomes an opportunity for us to create a paradise here and now, as we live our life in peace and harmony with our brothers and sisters!

FREEDOM of the Children of God

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

4th September, 2016 - Canonisation of Mother Teresa

Wis 9: 13-18; Phlm 1:9-10,12-17; Lk 14:25-33

There is a story told of a man who went on a long long journey in search of an old sage in the forest who allegedly had the most precious diamond in the entire world. It was an overwhelming moment when the man met the sage and asked him if he really had the diamond. Because, the sage said as a matter of fact, "Yes. I have it". The man with much trepidation regarding the price he would have to pay, asked the sage, "can you give it to me?" The next moment, he could not believe his eyes, the sage held it out to him and said, 'here, take it.' The man took the diamond and hurried back anxious the sage should not suddenly change his mind. That night as he lay down to sleep, his eyes would not close and his mind would not stop wondering. The moment he saw some light he got up and went straight back to the sage and said, 'here take this diamond back, but give me that heart that allowed you to part with it so easily'. 

If we are really convinced of our identity as Children of God we would realise we are given with a freedom that makes us so different from what the world preaches. We think freedom is the ability to do whatever we think... that is not what freedom is all about. Freedom is the capacity to do the right thing without any external force. When we have this capacity, we would be totally different from the so-called majority in the society today. Because this freedom amounts to a different kind of reasoning, a different kind of relating and a different mindset of renouncing.

Freedom of the Children of God is seen first and foremost in a different kind of Reasoning that one possesses. Taking up the cross willingly, forgiving without any compensations for it, looking at everything from the perspective of God...these are different kind of reasoning that we are called to possess. The first reading speaks to us of an important fact that we may not understand everything in life and we need not be worried about it. Leave it to God and things will be clear to you in the due course of time.

Freedom of the Children of God is manifested in the kind of Relationships we treasure. While everywhere, gain and profit, benefits and advancements rule the roost, we are thinking of giving up, forgiving, accepting and welcoming someone without any conditions. St. Paul instructs Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ and even tacitly asking Philemon to free Onesimus from his slave-ship. A redefinition of relationships is a natural outflow of the freedom of the Children of God. I cannot but be reminded here of the numerous cases of inequality and discrimination among and within the Christian communities... a clear sign that we have not yet truly experienced the freedom of the children of God.

Freedom of the Children of God is best seen in the Renunciation that seems so natural and far from being a deprivation. I have come across people who renounce a few simple things and are so mindful of that fact - reminding themselves of it so often, making sure others know that they have renounced (whatever it is), making up for the renunciation in and through other means (sometimes going to another extreme). Jesus presents renunciation not as an extraordinary means of following God, but as an inevitable means of being disciples. Renouncing something is something, renouncing the so-called merits of the renunciation is true renunciation! 

Mother Teresa whom we receive today from the hands of the Church as a wonderful and exemplary Child of God, was an epitome of this Freedom! Just apply what we discussed so far: she reasoned differently (seeking the so-called useless and worthless of the society), she related differently (she had only one thing in her mind - the Reign of God) and she renounced radically! A great example of the Freedom of a Child of God.

Freedom of the Children of God permits us to live a life that is free, full and highly inspiring. May we grow in this great gift we have received: the freedom of the children of God. 

WORD 2day: 26th August, 2016

Wisdom and Foolishness

Friday,  21st week in Ordinary Time 

1 Cor 1: 17-25; Mt 25: 1-13

The world today has its own definition of wisdom and foolishness, success and failure... everything, to put it simply, calculated in terms of benefits and gains in comparison to the effort and investment. Convenience and comfort seem unfailing criteria of choice. But can these be Christian parameters?

The Christian paradigm, as Paul says is the Cross and the hope that it projects. However hard we may try, no other paradigm can make sense of this.  The sacrifices we make and the selfless goodwill we have towards others are true Christian parameters of righteousness. Being good and doing good without expecting anything in return or without looking for its credits,  is the cross we are called to embrace if we wish to belong to the Bridegroom!

WORD 2day: 23rd August, 2016

Keep Calm and Live on!

Tuesday, 21st week in Ordinary Time

2 Thes 2: 1-3,14-17; 23: 23-26

It looks like the crazy ones were there right from the beginning! At times we want our spiritual life to be exciting, on the move, ticking away in fret, like a suspense thriller. There is an imminent sign and there is a mighty revolution in the making...such claims are galore these days on the street corner banners and well funded TV channels! St. Paul warns us against such tendencies. He says, KEEP CALM and go about your daily duties!

Jesus sounds more vehement with the same message in today's Gospel: don't be hypocrites, don't make a show of your piety, don't make a living out of the fears of people and don't try your imaginations in God's name. Just keep calm and live on. 

Live your daily life to the full, love each other sincerely, reach out to one another with genuine care and relate with truth in your heart. Allow God to take control of the entire reality and don't claim franchise for decisions and activities that belong to God alone! Keep Calm and Live on... shall we?

ENTER THE NARROW DOOR

21st August 2016 - 21st Sunday in the Ordinary Time

Isa 66: 18-21; Heb 12: 5-7, 11-13; Lk 13: 22-30

The experience of standing in a queue, the tedium of entering the metal detector at places with extra vigilance or waiting for the token number at the bank… these are no rarities in our ordinary life. Jesus draws a simple example, one similar to these, our experiences.

The door to the Reign of God is narrow, not many take that door, though everyone is invited to enter the Reign. There are many other doors, which seem more comfortable, more spacious and more adorned and people prefer them, knowing least that they do not lead to the Reign of God, the greatest treasure in store for us!

Entering the narrow door is a task quite demanding – the readings today point to three traits that are needed to be able to enter the Reign through the narrow door. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel, many try to enter but they cannot.

To able to enter the door, one should be strong! Strive – says the Lord – Strive to enter – To strive means to struggle, to make all the efforts possible, to try real hard. One needs to be strong in mind, heart and soul to strive to enter the narrow door into the Reign. It is Spiritual strength we are dealing with here. Be Strong, but avoid Spiritual Obesity, warns the Lord. If you are obese, you cannot enter the narrow door – it’s obvious! Spiritual Obesity – Pride and Elitist mentality – which gives into self righteousness and judgmental attitude can never get us into the Reign of God. I am baptized, I am a born-again, I am a consecrated religious, I am a Sacred minister – nothing can get you in! From the east and the west, the north and the south everyone will enter and sit at the table in the Reign says the Lord. Mind you, there are no reservations here in. A bit of disciplining, as the second reading suggests, can get us in shape.

To be able to enter the door, one should be in communion! The way is long, we reflected on that last week. Communion with each other and Communion with those who have managed to enter the door before us, can really make the task easy and enjoyable. Our forerunners are our example, our model and can even be our helpers – but finally, the one who has to enter is me! It is you! That is why we are warned today – Be in Communion but avoid Spiritual Infantilism. At times we make our faith so infantile that we think everything depends on the candles we light, the formulae we repeat, the food we give up and the coins we drop. These are means to strengthen our relationship with God – but they are not everything. What matters most is our personal life of commitment and integrity. You cannot enter the narrow door in groups… one by one you have to do it. That means you cannot ride on the goodness of the other, either the living or those gone before you!

To be able to enter the door, one should be patient! The wait is long, for the door is narrow! Waiting on the Lord is a spiritual talent. To wait patiently, amidst failures and pressures, amidst temptations and struggles, amidst dark nights and heavy burdens, it is the only way one can be prepared and prompt when one’s time comes! There is a warning here too: Be Patient but avoid Spiritual Lethargy. In the name of patience I cannot procrastinate my commitment and postpone my conversion to a later moment. ‘Repent and Believe, for the Reign of God is near’ says the Lord. Being patient is not being busy with something else till my turn comes… but persevering, enduring and constantly working on myself that when my turn comes, I am in shape, prepared enough and fit to enter the narrow door that leads me to the behold the eternal glory of the Lord Almighty!

I am the door, if anyone enters through me, he or she will be saved (Jn 10:9) declared the Lord elsewhere! Jesus is the door, the narrow door, the demanding door – He is compassionate, yes; but at the same time uncompromising. The choice is ours to choose the narrow door, make ourselves strong, united and patient, to endure our everyday life and make straight the path for our feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed (heb 12:13). The door is narrow but there is enough space to enter, if we are in ready and willing.

All, but not all…

One by one is the call…

Let us enter the Narrow Door, one and all.

WORD 2day: 12th April, 2016

To become the bread!

Tuesday, 3rd week in Easter

Acts 7:51 - 8:1; Jn 6: 30-35

'I am the bread that has come down from heaven', declared Jesus! Jesus becomes the bread that we may have eternal life. The bread that comes down from heaven, that is, a self giving from the beginning. To become the nourishment for humanity, in accordance with the will of the Father - that was Jesus' very purpose in life. When Jesus announced that he was the bread of salvation, he was offering himself as the ransom for our redemption.

Stephen today imitates Christ to the minutest details, even to the words that Jesus used. 'Into your hands I commend my spirit'. And the heart to forgive those who intended to kill him, imitating the gesture of Christ from on the Cross. Stephen was becoming another Christ. Stephen was not merely imitating the Bread that came down from heaven, but he was offering himself to be transformed into that bread for those around him. Saul who was looking on, was fed by that bread of faith and soon he was becoming that bread.

Today, you and I are called to become that bread: by allowing ourselves to be crushed for the sake of the Lord, ground in the din of the daily witness and made into one bread that would make nourish the Body of Christ: the faith community. We have a great responsibility towards the faith community and the way we build up that Body of Christ. By our acts, thoughts, ideas and priorities, we care called to become the bread, become another Christ!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

THE SOLEMNITY OF ANNUNCIATION - 4th April, 2016

Is 7: 10-14, 8:10; Heb 10: 4-10; Lk 1: 26-38

What is postponed is not cancelled, declares the Mother Church today. We missed the opportunity of celebrating this feast as it fell on the Good Friday this time. But the Church as a Mother, so concerned about the holistic upbringing of her children, proposes that we celebrate it today, so that we may not miss the great lessons that the day offers us - a list of three of them:

God has a plan: The sweetest fact that we can believe about ourselves is the plan that God has for us. How important I am, that the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth has a specific plan for me! I have a purpose and I am special - how blessed to know that!

Mary had a space for God: Mary had a space for God to enter into her life and encounter her. She did not shut the divine message off with her preoccupations and personal dreams. She let God into her life. I need to give God a space in my life!

The God-Human encounter: God proposes and Mary cooperates - that has to be the salvation story of every person on earth. In her 'yes' Mary told that Lord: Here I come to do your will...everything fell in place with that self-offering.

Learning to read the messages of the Lord and preparing to respond to them whole heartedly with a sense of absolute self-giving: The Salvation Plan unfolds - even today, and for everyone around!

MERCILENT 2016 - 16th March

BE FREE: Hold on to One, True God

Wednesday, 5th week in Lent

Dan 3: 52-56; Jn 8: 31-42

Freedom of the Children of God - is a phrase that we are used to hearing. What a tremendous sense it makes when we seriously think about that fact, that we are children of God. It makes us free, secure and sincere!

Free because we need not think of pleasing anybody else, we need not compromise to favour someone else other than my God who is beyond anybody or anything. All the furnace around me cannot consume me. All the predators around me cannot prey on me. Because I am a child of God and even amidst the fire, the Lord walks beside me!

Secure because the one who is with me is the most trustworthy one you can ever think of - One who keeps promises, One who keeps back nothing from me for the sake of my happiness, One who treasures me having written my name on His palm.

Sincere because I have no necessity to hold on to anything that is not true. I need not put up an appearance, I need not prove myself beyond what  I really am, I need not be anxious about whether I will be rejected or sidelined, I need not bother how dire the consequences will be. I have come to bear witness to the Truth, said my Master. That is the same vocation I share.

My Lord is my Master and I am liberated, I am free and I don't have to fear anything!

The Mercilent Attitude for today: Do not fear; Just feel Free and act Sincere!

WORD 2day : 22nd January, 2016

Beware of the people with you

2nd Friday in Ordinary Time
1 Sam 24: 3-21; Mk 3: 13-19

Saul had his men with him,  David had his own men with him and Jesus gets his own men ready today! Each of us has a group of people who surround us. A backup group that suggests,  supports and sustains us in the life journey. But it is important that we beware of the group! It can make or mar us... depending on the level of importance given to them. The group with Saul assisted him in his pursuit of irrational vengeance. The group with David instigated murder of the reigning king. Though Jesus picked and chose the group with him, there was a traitor right amidst them.

Fill your atmosphere with God fearing persons and your life will be doubly blessed. Allow God above all to guide you, not those who wish their own gains and glory. Beware of those around you who create an opinion within you. Seeking guidance and support is great, but beware from whom!