Doing good is doing God's will

THE WORD AND THE SAINTS

February 6, 2021: Gosalo Garcia and others

Hebrews 13:15-17, 20-21; Mark 6: 30-34

In the recent weeks we have been remembering saints, blesseds and martyrs connected to India. Bl. Devasagayam, St. Joseph Vaz, John de Britto and today it is Gonsalo Garcia. Though in the Universal Catholic Church it is commemorated as Paul Miki and companions, for us in India it would be just and right to focus on Gonsalo Garcia, who was part of that company of missionaries who were crucified in Nagasaki, in the year 1597, for the sake of the Word and for the Kingdom of God.

Some interesting facts about St. Gonsalo: he was born of a Portuguese father and an Indian mother. He left India when he was 15. He was among the 26 missionaries killed in Nagasaki, Japan. The Franciscan expedition of missionaries took Gonsalo Garcia, who was just lately accepted as a Third Order Minor into their congregation, because he wanted to go out as a missionary of the Lord.

The Gospel presents to us a picture of a missionary of the Lord - frenetic activity for sake of the Kingdom! The disciples are all intent on doing good, as their Master himself who went around doing good. At times we can be at a loss deciding what is God's will at a point of time. The readings today seem to suggest one simple criterion: do good to others; do good to as many as possible; do good to all!

God is the shepherd who knows our needs and cares for them, but God does it through God's sons and daughters who become shepherds in turn. We are called to be the sheep of God's flock but at the same time to grow to be shepherds to each other, doing as much good as we could to each other. That would be the easiest way of experiencing the continued presence of God.

The Missionary of the Millennium

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

December 3, 2020: Remembering St. Francis Xavier, the Patron of India

1 Corinthians 9: 16-19, 22-23; Mark 16: 15-20

3 Messages that Francis Xavier can teach us from the Word today:

1. GO TO THE ENDS

One of the many representations of St. Francis Xavier, has the saint holding his heart in his hands and the heart burning! Indeed, a perfect image for this great missionary who not only dared to go to the ends of the world, but yearned to. He was burning with zeal for the Lord and for the proclamation of the Word. 

2. PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL

Proclaiming the Gospel, as Paul would say, for Francis Xavier was a God-given duty, not merely his fancy hobby. That is the reason for the zeal and the dedication that he had. Today we are called to proclaim too, as a duty! But let us take the inspiration from the other Francis, the one from Assisi: 'Proclaim the Gospel always; use words when necessary!' The very zeal that Francis Xavier had for the Lord and the Word, was already a proclamation... then followed his missionary trips.

3. SEEK GOD BEFORE EVERYTHING 

What would a person profit, if he gained the whole world, but lost his soul! That was the Word that shook Francis Xavier towards sanctity, a sanctity which is so concretely observed even today in his remains, that stand testimony to the whole world! Can we just sit down and list out today, how many things are rated before God as priorities in our lives... may be, we will do well to work on that list and reduce the number of those things in our life that tend to take a priority over and above, the Lord.

Happy feast of the Missionary of the Millennium!

MAY FRANCIS XAVIER FILL US WITH THE SAME ZEAL THAT HE HAD.

True Christian Love

WORD 2day: Saturday, 32nd week in Ordinary times

November 14, 2020: 3 John 5-8; Luke 18: 1-8

Taking care of strangers, widows and the orphans was a special commission given to the people by God. And that was an experiential learning on the part of the people who were themselves strangers, orphans and sojourners, in a foreign land. It is an experience that cannot be explained in terms but only experienced...and those who experience it, can never forget it!

However, the term stranger or foreigner was, and is,  indicative of every one in need, people in insecure circumstances and people who have nothing to hold on to, wherever they are. Today we have every category you can ever think of within this definition of the people in need. The exploited, the immigrants, the refugees, the unemployed and the homeless!

They already have a grave situation in their lives, that of poverty, insecurity, homelessness, unemployment, lack of prospects and so on. Added to this, if they are exploited further - that is, their little taken away from them, constantly threatened with evacuation, needlessly suspected for all miscues, blamed for all social lapses... we can imagine how doubly unfortunate, orphaned and oppressed they could sense. 

There is yet another, more treacherous, attitude in the world today, against which the present Holy Father, Pope Francis has time and again warned the people of God - the attitude of indifference. Passing them by as if they did not exist! Not caring what happens to them, not bothering who is rendered homeless or who is left to die without food or who is condemned to suffer with no employment or who is crushed under the burden of debt... all that matters is the so-called development that parades affluence and divinises comfort and pleasure!

We cannot conform to these standards! We cannot even remain neutral in these circumstances... that is not possible, for a true disciple of Christ. We have a responsibility towards this part of suffering and neglected humanity. Pope Francis leads us in this true Christian love!

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!

Doubts or difficulties... till death, with the Lord!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

July 3, 2020: Celebrating St. Thomas the Apostle to India
Ephesians 2: 19-22; John 20: 24-29


The Feast of St. Thomas could leave us with three lessons to ponder...

1. We are One Church built on the Apostles.
The feasts of every apostle is a reminder of the essential unity that has to exist within the Church. As Paul so vehemently opposes (cf. I Cor 1:10-13), right from the earliest times division has always been a dreaded scandal within the Church. This reality notwithstanding, the divided body of Christ today drains the Church of its witnessing power and evangelical authority. A divided Church is the worst scandal that we can give the world, the Magisterium has repeatedly declared. Instead, a Church with persons of single heart and mind, brothers and sisters who live in harmony, is the highest form of testimony we can offer for the Reign of God. 

2. The Church in India has a special responsibility.
The Church in India, boasting a direct handing over of faith by an apostle, has a special responsibility towards establishing the Reign of God on earth. It is unfair to claim privileges but refrain from the duties that come with it. Every person who has received the gift of faith in this country of ancient heritage and culture, has to stand firm in witness to the Gospel thus received challenging the society towards a holistic transformation, ushering in the Reign of God here and now - through justice, peace, equality and sincere compassion for every other.

3. Doubts don't matter as long as the Lord remains close to us.
Thomas is easily identified with the doubt that he raised about the Risen Lord. He was not only the one who wanted to touch the wounds that nails made and put his hand into the hole on Jesus' side, but he was also the one who said, "let us also go, that we may die with him" (Read Jn 11:16). His personal attachment to Jesus covered up for his obstinacy in not believing readily when the rest of the apostles reported Jesus' resurrection. In our lives too, when doubts assail, when clouds gather over our heads and we tend to be overwhelmed by them, the only thing that can sustain us is our personal relationship with Jesus! Doubts or difficulties, we decide to stay all our life, right till our death, with the Lord.

May St. Thomas show us, and especially the Christians in India, the most fitting way of living out the Gospel in the given context, so that we may be authentic ambassadors of the Reign of God, here and now.

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

The Pot and the Store room

Celebrating St. Alphonsa: 28th July, 2016

Jer 18: 1-6 ; Mt 13: 47-53

Being a pot in the hands of the potter gives me the hope that I will never go waste. The potter knows me and knows the world that is around. God will make certain that I am relevant and needed in God's own time and design and use me as God's store room for others!  Saints are such instances!

St Alphonsa was merely 36 when she died and half of that short life was spent in sicknesses of varied nature. But the Lord used her powerfully to bring out the best in her in keeping with the purposes the Lord had defined. She was a simple pot, weak and humble but holding the best of gifts as the store room puff the grace of God.

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

5th September, 2015: Remembering Blessed Mother Teresa

Continuing in faith: stable and steadfast
Col 1: 21-23; Lk 6: 1-5

Stand firm in Faith without drifting away,  instructs St Paul in the first reading today. Nothing but faith has to be the foundation of Christian life. Faith is the personal response that one gives to a self-revealing God. Experiences may vary,  outcomes may differ and success and failure may find equal probability in what we take up. ..but none of these should make me waver or drift away from the journey I have begun in the Lord.

We have a great example for that today in the person of Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata. A person who had every reason to be shaken and to drift away,  but she stood her ground stable and steadfast in faith! Nothing but what God wanted from her,  mattered to her. In her life choices,  major decisions and day to day living,  she based herself on the solid foundation of faith. Many accused her of many things, as we see in the Gospel today, but she remained firm,  continuing in faith, stable and steadfast!

WORD 2day: 24th August, 2015

Remembering St. Bartholomew, the Apostle.
Rev 21: 9-14; Jn 1:45-51

Known in the Gospel of St.John with the name Nathanael, Bartholomew received from the Lord a great compliment - a man in whom there is no guile, says the Lord. Though he did not believe what Phillip said and originally did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus recognises the goodness in him.

The readings today have three lessons to teach: One, the readiness of Jesus to appreciate the goodness in a person even when the person did not believe in him. How many times friends turn the worst enemies when they begin to disagree with each other!

Second lesson is from Bartholomew, who accepts the call to 'come and see' and goes, sees, believes and remains with the Lord.

The third lesson is from the feast itself - a remembrance of the Apostles is a special invitation to each of us to recognise the call we have received to to go into the world and proclaim God's Reign. Bartholomew took the Gospel right upto Armenia and Arabia. There exists a legend that Bartholomew reached even India's western borders!

Each of us is reminded today of our call to bear the goodnews to the ends of the world, to establish the Reign of God - beginning with the closest of our contexts - that is, right wherever we are!

WORD 2day: 22nd October, 2014

Lite it up! Live it up!

Eph 3: 2-12; Lk 12:39-48

God has given us a special identity, observes St. Paul... the identity of the people of God, that of the people of light! We are brought to light! It does not stop with that but we are called to take that light to all. We are made stewards of that light and it is both a privilege and a pressing duty that we carry this light far and wide. Carrying this light, or bringing people to the light would take shades of various kinds: the best of those is to let my light shine!

Letting my light shine, is an obligation I have, because no one lights the lamp and puts it under the bushel. A light is rather kept on the lampstand that it may give light to all who enter the home.  Being the light, shining as light or bringing the light to the world would mean, to become aware of the great privilege of being known as ambassadors of the Gospel and of our duty to announce the Gospel. In short, the call we have is to live it up! On a daily basis to understand the dignity of being called God's people and to live up to that dignity.

The message goes well and coincides with the festival of lights celebrated all over India today: to lite it up! to live it up!

Lord, let my little light shine!

TO ALL THE TEACHERS

who have taught me, 

who are known to me, who are out there trying to make a meaningfor their own life and that of others...Wish you happiness and meaning in life!Happy Teachers' Day!!!

CELEBRATING BLESSED MOTHER TERESA

The love of Christ urges me, is a fitting one liner for the life of Mother Teresa of Kolkata. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, she chose the name Mary Teresa in admiration of St. Teresa of Lisieux, in 1928 when she entered the convent of the Loreto Sisters in Ireland. In 1929 she travelled to India, since when it became her second home. Making her first profession in 1931 and her final profession in 1937, Calcutta (today's Kolkata) became her epicenter from where she would shake the world to consciousness. She began teaching in the famous Loreto school which stands till date proud to have given the world a giant of pastoral zeal and Christian charity. She was appointed the Head Mistress in 1944 but within hardly 2 years, she would have the life transforming "call within her call", which would change her forever from Sister Teresa to Mother Teresa! It was, as she notes, 10th September 1946 when she heard that piercing cry from the suffering Lord: "I Thirst"... and she began to thirst. Soon she found herself out of those walls of Loreto, from the safety of those building into an open air school, from the well formed daily schedules to endless wanderings on the street, from being a Loreto nun to being the foundress of a humble and simple order called 'Missionaries of Charity' in 1948. The rest is history! 

Let us draw lessons from this great person. She struggled to make sense of what God wanted of her, to understand what her faith is all about, to translate the love that she had for the person of Jesus Christ into action and to love everyone with the same love as that of Christ. Let the love of Christ urge us on too.

Will my India remain?

Taylors Road, Chennai, 3rd September, 2014:

Just last evening I had a wonderful experience and I would wish to share it loud and wide. Across our institution, we have a locality where there is a settlement typical of the Chennai city. And amidst the scores of houses that stretch in four different directions, right at the middle stands a simple little chapel to Our Lady of Good Health. For the past 39 years they have been celebrating the feast of our Blessed Mother, with a novena during the days between 29th August and 8th September. September 2, has always been the appointed day for a Eucharistic Celebration to be held at that chapel. Its a mere wayside chapel and has no place even to place an altar inside. Hence usually a stage is set up beside it on the road and an altar placed on it with all due decorum. This year, they had invited me to preside over the Eucharist and I gladly obliged. At the entry of that lane, at the middle of which is the chapel, there is a temple dedicated to Lord Vinayaka (the elephant-faced deity of the Hindus). Incidentally, these days are also the days of festivities around Lord Vinayaka, and as I entered that lane I noticed that temple too decorated splendidly and music blasting away, in the usual Indian style. When I reached the chapel and when it was time for Mass, one of the organising crew went straight to the temple people and informed them that it was time for mass. Instantly, the music ceased! And the Eucharist commenced. It was our turn to blast on the speakers... and then the rest of the festivities continued! Incidentally, it is remarkable to note here that quite a few of the members on the organising committee were hindu brothers! 

It left me thinking last evening and I am endlessly proud of my Indian heritage, a culture of peaceful coexistence and respectful collaboration, a seedbed of authentic interreligious dialogue! Will my India remain the same... how I wish and pray!