WORD 2day: 25th January, 2014

Conversion - an absolute choice for God

The feast of Conversion of St. Paul invites us to reflect on our conversion. Unfortunately, in today's context, the word 'conversion' has more political connotation than spiritual! In fact today is a beautiful occasion for us to remind ourselves that conversion is not about numbers and increasing the fold. It is a personal decision to go towards God, an about-turn (as the Greek word 'metanoia' suggests); it is an absolute choice for God! Choice for God...because we begin to see the role that God has played in our life and choose to actively acknowledge it; Absolute... because nothing else matters as much as God and God's will do! We are called to conversion... may not be as dramatic as that of St. Paul's, as we read in the first reading today, but more demanding! Yes, we are called to daily conversion. To be aware, each day and each moment, of those things that take us away from our progress towards God. Nothing - no demonic powers, no distracting languages, no cunning serpents, no poisoning lifestyle - should lead us away from God... we are called to make an absolute choice every day, for God and for God's Word.  Not merely in words but by my very life, I am obliged to proclaim God's message. "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel," reminds me St.Paul (1 Cor 9:16). 

WORD 2day: 24th January, 2014

Being worthy of the One who has chosen us!
Remembering St. Francis of Sales

Jesus chose the twelve to be His apostles, to be with him and to be sent out to preach, heal and sanctify; in short, to be His! In the first reading we have Saul and David, both of whom God chose, to belong to God, to be God's! But we see Saul reaching a despicable state because of his continual wrong choices one over the other; and David stands tall today because of that Godly choice that he makes to respect Saul for what he was and spare his life -  an act of kindness and mercy, forgiveness and love, which comes from the godliness from within. At any point of time in our life, we become what we choose to be. Francis de Sales, the Doctor of Kindness whom we celebrate today, used to say: "The many troubles in your household will tend to your edification, if you strive to bear them all in gentleness, patience and kindness. Keep this ever before you, and remember constantly that God's loving eyes are upon you amid all these little worries and vexations." The Lord has chosen us, you and me; let us strive always to be worthy of the One who has chosen us to be His!

WORD 2day: 23rd January, 2014

Human Approval or God's Will?

The evil one makes its entry into our lives in subtle ways! One of the easiest entry points is our ego; and that is what happens to Saul today in the first reading. This was the beginning of his end. Looking for the approval of those around makes us slaves to others! Human approval is the first enemy to doing God's holy will. Jesus knew this so well and that is why when people were in awe, admiring his healing and miracles, he withdrew to the mountains to unite with God. When the evil spirits try the same trick, affirming him that he was the Son of God, Jesus does nothing but command them to silence. Jesus teaches us today, to be alert regarding the evil spirits and their tactics! As St. Peter instructs us in his letter, "Be calm, but vigilant; your enemy, the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat!" (1 Pet 5:8). The entry is slow and subtle...at every point of time, everything will look reasonable, and that is the way we are deceived to giving in. Let us live every day of our life, as mere instruments of God and we will see the serenity and peace that we will enjoy. To God alone be praise, honour and adoration!

WORD 2day: 22nd January, 2014

Is God your strength? Prove it!

If there is one thing that all religions and philosophies agree upon, it is this: that there is a constant conflict between the good and the evil in the world! We are part of the story whether we like it or not. From the eyes of faith, we can say, we are constantly posed with two options at any point of time: to choose something 'Godly" or to choose something 'ungodly'! Be it in our words, our actions or our attitudes... we become what we choose! If we choose our ego, our self-image, our selfish cravings, our prejudices or our selfish goals - we are lost forever. The giant sized philistine or the self righteous pharisees, this what they chose! Young David instead chose God: I come in the name of the Lord of hosts! Jesus chose God, the loving God who cares for God's children. When St. Paul acclaims, 'I can do all things in Him who strengthens me!' (Phil 4:13), it was not pride but an outlook on life, an outlook that always chose whatever was Godly. "Finally beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable,...think about these things" say Paul (Phil 4:8). Only these choices can prove the claim, that 'God is our rock, our fortress, our stronghold, our deliverer, our shield in whom we take refuge.

WORD 2day: 21st January, 2015

The Lord of History is with us

Tuesday, 2nd week in Ordinary Time

1 Sam 16: 1-13; Mk 2: 23-28

God's choice of David is a typical indication of a fact that is repeatedly accentuated in the Old Testament - that God is the Lord of history! When the people of Israel were adamant of having a king of their own, they soon learnt how mistaken they were, with their experience of Saul. But God alone knew to write straight through those crooked lines, he chose a little shepherd boy and raised him to be God's beloved king and in his lineage brought the Saviour into the world. 

God broke conventions, the way the world saw things, the way the world judged things, the way the world prioritised values. God proved that God was beyond all laws and conventions and that God was the real Lord of the world and its history! 

Jesus, the Son of God, had to do the same to prove to those around him that there was something new happening in history...that God has visited them! Being prisoners of our own conventions and petty rules and regulations, and our prejudiced ideas and prefixed thinking, let us not miss the Lord who is present with us, every day and every moment, sharing every ordinary moment of our life - because, God, the Lord of history, is with us! 

WORD 2day: 20th January, 2014

What matters is love and relationship!

The readings today present to us a few binaries... obedience-sacrifice; new wine - old wine; new wine skin - old skin... the message is clear: we have choices to make and each of those choices has its own consequences! New wine is not better than the old wine (ofcourse, those who are familiar with wine will know it better) but the new wine is "new" and needs a new skin that can hold it. If not, the nature of the new wine will pierce through the skin and spill out... wasting itself and tearing the skin. Christ's teaching invites us to a new outlook on the world, on relationships, on God, on faith, on our daily life and commitment -an outlook that is integral, holistic and complete. That which completes it is love - love for God and love for one's brothers and sisters! Ritualism and Legalism are decisively transcended by an understanding of our Christian life in terms of love and relationship! 

GET YOUR BASICS RIGHT!!!

19th January, 2014: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

We have been busy celebrating feasts one after the other! It's time to return to the Ordinary Sundays and probably, the right beginning is to get our basics right, as sons and daughters of God. Today the readings speak to us about living our Christian life on an everyday basis...in our ordinariness of life! Festive occasions make it easier to feel the joy of the moment; but the demanding call is to live our life on a daily basis, to live it fully, faithfully and meaningfully.

Jesus is about to begin his public ministry, and like an MC in a performance, John the Baptist announces his entry into the scene! With Jesus' entry and his public life, our life as Christians, our call as sons and daughters of God and our identity as disciples of Christ are clearly defined. And that is what the liturgy today intends to do... to clarify the basics to us, so that we may live our Christian calling everyday of our life. The readings seem to answer the basic Question Words...

WHO? WHAT?

The first question is about who we are and what we are? Isaiah gives a direct response to it: We are the light of the nations! We are called, we know that. But, as what? To do the will of God, yes; to be ever at the disposal of the will of God and say, "Here am I Lord, I come to do your will" (Heb 10:7) But doing the Will not merely as sevants but as 'the light of the nations!' We are called not merely as workers but as witnesses. "Called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" ...that is the answer to the Who and the What, of our Christian life. We are called to live our life as witnesses...witness is our first mode of proclaiming Christ and His gospel.

WHY? WHERE?

Why should we be doing God's will and where are we bound to? In simple terms, what is our goal? What are we called for? The Word of God is vociferous on this point, be it in the Old Testament or in the New Testament: We are called to Holiness... We are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy - says the second reading today. Holiness consists of a clarity of one's own identity as Isaiah, Paul and John the Baptist demonstrate in the readings today: to know who we are and what we are, and thus realising why we are doing all that we do and where we are going towards! If all that we do in our daily life, does not ultimately lead us to sanctification and holiness, we are on a mistaken journey. It might seem colourful at the moment, but will soon end up gloomy and grey. A clairty on the why and the where, will determine our daily choices, will define every aspect of our Christian living - our family life, our career, our spiritual life, our personal life and so on.

WHICH? HOW?
The next question is, which way? and how do we reach that holiness? Christian life cannot be just a me-and-God type of a life. It has to be lived in a Community! From the very beginning, Christ-experience and the message of Christ has been lived and passed on by a community. The readings underline this community aspect with the terms like, light of the 'nations', 'to all those everywhere who call upon the name of the Lord', and 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world'... We are in the Unity Octave and it reminds us of the fact that Christ cannot be Divided (1 Cor 1:13). Unity and peace that stems from a genuine love, which comes from God - that is the true sign of Christian life. 

Now the only question that is left is, When? But that is established right in the beginning...Now, Today, Here, in the Ordinariness of our daily life... every day of our ordinary life... we are called to live mindful of our identity as children of God, called and sanctified by Christ towards holiness, living to spread God's love to the entire world... as light of the nations, in footsteps of the Lamb of God who calls us as a community of faith and love! 

UNITY OCTAVE 2014

A week of Prayer for Unity among Christians in the World...

... is a traditional 8 day prayer,
from 18th to 25th January, in practice from 1908! 
It is a call to the Christians and Christian churches all over 
to look beyond all the differences we have 
and find our unity in 
One Lord, One Baptism and One Spirit...


For this year 2014, 
1 Cor 1:1-17 has been proposed as the theme,
paraphrased in the question: 
Has Christ been divided?

For more information and resources go to:
UNITY OCTAVE 2014

WORD 2day: 18th January, 2014

The King in search...

The Word presents to us today two persons...one, who went in search of the asses and the other, who went in search of the sinners... both for the sake of their fathers' wish! Though the comparison is strange, the fact is that both are kings...one the first king of Israel and the latter the eternal King of heaven and earth. We may consider ourselves worthless and dumb as asses, but the truth is the Lord is in search of us. Many a times we speak of the humanity that is in search of God...but how much more true it is to think of the Lord who is in search of each of us. Let us open ourselves up to the Lord; invite the King into our hearts; and the King shall reign for ever in our lives and through us, reach out to many more who are lost and are searching for themselves! I do realise that I have been too allegorical today, but the message is simple: to be forever open to the Lord, in a sense of daily conversion and repentance, ever growing more and more as children of God.

WORD 2day: 17th January, 2014 (Remembering St. Anthony, the Abbot)

Freedom in Submission!

It is a human tendency to look for something or someone, to which or to whom, one can submit oneself! Whether by force or by choice, a form of legitimate dependence or extraordinary obsession, habit of blaming someone or positively seeking someone's counsel... we are always looking to submit ourselves to someone or something! The point to be noted here is this: whatever be the form of submission, and whatever be its reason, it makes us dependent or subservient. The first reading reminds us of this human tendency and before we judge the people of Israel of those historical times, let us understand how we ourselves fall into the same category! The only submission that gives us a sense of freedom and a sense of self-worth is the submission to God's authority - because God dwells in us and a submission to God, as God's children, is a reinforcement of our dignity, our self-worth and the sovereignty that God has placed within us, as human persons. St. Anthony of the desert, reminds us of this, in and through his life lived totally in submission to God and God's authority! Let us realise that God has the ultimate authority over us, and thus we will experience the greatest of all freedom: the freedom of the children of God.