WORD 2day: 16th August, 2014

The key to the Reign in the hands of a child

Ezek 18: 1-10, 13b, 30-32; Mt 19: 13-15

The Reign of God belongs to such as these, says the Lord pointing to the children. The condition seems to be plain: to become children to inherit the Reign. Ezekiel gives us the key to become children: a new heart and a new spirit! Children indicate two qualities essentially: Freshness of Vision and Purity of Intention. 

Freshness of vision gives one the capacity to learn new things; Purity of intention gives the capacity to love truly. Learning new things, or looking at things every time with a fresh disposition makes life interesting and keeps one young. Starting anew every time with a fresh vigour and renewed dedication makes life fully lived. Purity of intention removes duplicity and hypocrisy. It makes life simple, uncomplicated and meaningful. It allows one to live life with love in his or her heart, without a preoccupation to survive or succeed. 

The point is very clear in the readings today: A clean heart, or a child's heart, is the entry pass to the Reign of God and the access codes are freshness of vision and purity of intention. The former helps us to live without prejudices and the latter fills us with the sense of the Divine.    

Assumption: the fulfilment of the Hope

Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother

Ap 11:19, 12:16-10; 1 Cor 15: 20-26; Lk 1: 39-56

The crossing of the red sea and the Exile were 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 humakind 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 make 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.

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 fulfilment of our Hope in the Lord.

WORD 2day: 14th August, 2014

Obstinacy of Human Selfishness - Remembering St. Maxmilian Kolbe

Ezek 12: 1-12; Mt 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? Maxmilian Kolbe, stands tall in this regard as he offers to give of himself to a brother of his, whom he know not, from whom he received not, for whom he did not make any calculations whatsoever - a simple but profound way of loving as God does!

WORD 2day: 13th August, 2014

The Sign that saves!

Ezek 9: 1-7, 10, 18-22; Mt 18: 15-20

There would be hardly any of us who has not seen this symbol in the recent days...

it has come to symbolise the Christians suffering in Iraq. It is drawn or spray painted on the doors of the houses of Christians, to tell the plunderers and soldiers that those houses are accessible at will. The Christians are made to live in a constant fear and anxiety.

In the first reading today we see in the vision of Ezekiel, the angels were given a symbol on the forehead of people, by which they are spared! Jesus too gives a mark by which we will be known as people of God...the mark of loving forgiveness. "By this they will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another" (Jn 13:35). In the Gospel today, Jesus explains what this 'having love for one another' is. It is to forgive, to care for each other and above all to pray together, with one heart and mind. This is the mark that Jesus expects of us, as our identity, as a sign that saves us! It is not those who call him 'Lord Lord' who would be saved but those who do the will of the Father (Mt 7:21), Jesus would say. The sign that can save us is our life of daily forgiveness and undying love.

Today in a very special way let us pray for those brothers and sisters who are persecuted in Iraq and elsewhere for the mark that they bear, as disciples of Christ!

WORD 2day: 12th August, 2014

Obey and be not rebellious...

Ezek 2:8-3:4; Mt 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. 

"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 is of rebellion, and the atonement for it was offered in Obedience, on the Cross! The Word instructs us today, if you are to be called children of God: Obey and be not rebellious!

WORD 2day: 11th August, 2014

Real Magnificence of Humanity: Remembering St. Clare

Ezek 1:2-5,24-28; Mt 17: 22-27

We belong to a God who is mighty, grandiose and magnificent. And because we belong to this God we too are mighty and magnificent. And this magnificence   loses its true colour if it is detached from its origin, that is God. It dissipates into arrogance or pride and degrades humanity. As long as it is strongly linked to the Lord, it is ready to put up with sacrifices, sufferings, unjust treatments, and so on. As St. Paul would put it, "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18). We remember today St. Clare, the feminine version of St. Francis of Assisi. She, just like Francis, is a lived example of the magnificence of humanity lived in constant union with its source, that is God. We have seen the impact that such persons can have on history. Are we ready to tread the path traced by such as these?

GOD IS...

For all Seasons... GOD IS!

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 10th August, 2014

1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a; Rom 9:1-5; Mt 14:22-33

The ongoing persecution of Christians in Iraq has shaken the peace-loving part of the world to its core. The Holy Father these days is continuously and strenuously calling for prayers and spiritual support to those witnessing to their faith at the cost of their lives and their dignity as human persons. Explicit and Implicit persecutions are on from various segments of the society against the Christians for their faith and their belonging to the Church. How many times we are segregated and looked down upon for the reason that we are Christians, apart from the cliched idea that 'christians are honourable people'! Leave alone these persecutions and oppositions, what about the daily struggles that we have and what does our faith do to those? These are the questions that fill our mind as we reflect on the readings of today.

Whether joys or sorrows, trials or triumphs, celebrations or temptations, successes or struggles, the Lord is. God is with us! God is present with us and God walks beside our tossed boats. God speaks to us in gentle whispers and caresses in our moments of discernment and decision making. In moments of struggles and strivings he is there as our stronghold. How convinced are we about the Lord's presence with us at all moments: For all seasons... God IS.

However, it is our responsibility to meet God...

We are invited to meet God IN THE CALM OF OUR LIFE... At moments when everything is calm and quiet, serene and simple, we tend to miss the presence of God. Grateful hearts behold that presence instantly and childlike spirits rejoice in that quietude. The Lord invites us through Prophet Elijah to behold the Lord in the "sound of sheer silence" (as the NRSV translation phrases it 1 Kgs 19:13). 

We are invited to meet God IN THE STORM OF OUR DAYS... Our lives never lack moments when storm clouds batter against our weak spirits. We shall not be moved, if we are sure of the Lord who is present with us. We shall remain strong and composed if we know that the Lord is around even if we are not able to see God because of the darkness that surrounds and because of the deafening noise that threatens. At times we may be misled to look at God and suspect God to be a ghost, that is look at things that are happening and villainise God, blaming God for every misery that is around. When things are settled, at hindsight we will recognise how good God is and how God has been with us all through those moments.

We are invited to meet God AS THE NORM OF OUR LIFE... Added to these, the Lord invites us to encounter him as the norm of our lives, special in times of trouble. The life and miracles of Christ are not merely wonders and showpieces. They are lessons to be learnt, ways to be adopted to live our life like him, with him and in him. In the second reading, St. Paul cries over the numerous signs that the Lord gave the Jews, which they utterly missed and totally squandered. Let us not miss the lessons that come through every experience that we live in our daily life. 

The Lord's invitation resounds as it does to Elijah, "Go out, stand and watch! the Lord shall be passing by! Don't let the Lord pass by." St. Augustine makes that inspiring statement in this regard: I fear the Lord, passing by. Let us behold the Lord always, because for all seasons, God is!!!

WORD 2day: 9th August, 2014

Just a bit of faith...

Hab 1:12 - 2:4; Mt 17:14-20

Righteous shall live by their faith!
Faith... if we have it we have everything; if we have everything but faith, there is  a lack that nothing else can complete. This is why Jesus expresses his displeasure in such plain terms to his disciples.

Prophet Habakkuk speaks of the great promises of the Lord and recommends the anxious awaiting hearts to faith and says, in faith the righteous ones shall see every word of the Lord come true! The delay that is involved in the designs of the Lord coming to pass, is a painful crisis to every expectant heart. We would be listed among the ranks of the righteous if we hold on in faith and have the patience of seeing the power of God shine through.

A bit of faith will make us strong, enduring, persevering, resilient, patient, persistent, serene, unassailable... yes, just a bit of faith! That is all it takes.

WORD 2day: 8th August, 2014

The true blessedness from God

Nah 2:1-3, 3:1-3, 6,7; Mt 16: 24-28

Today we hear the hope giving words of Nahum. But just a few days earlier we heard from Jeremiah a sharp criticism of the self proclaimed prophet Hananiah, saying the prophecies of prosperity can be accepted as such only after the things prophesied come to pass. However the words of Hananiah were soon  proved to be  mere search for popular acceptance!

Nahum's promise of the restoration of God's people comes combined with a call to be prepared, alert and girded. Jesus takes that a step forward to say, it takes a ready acceptance of the daily cross and a loving preparedness to walk in the ways of the Lord, to experience the true "blessedness" from God.

Prosperity, fame, popularity, joy, sense of fulfilment, peace and a sense of being loved... these are ofcourse signs of God's blessings...but they cannot be our focus in our daily life, instructs Jesus. When we strive to live acceptable in the eyes of God, all the rest will follow. What matters thus is..the true "blessedness"  in the sight of God!

WORD 2day: 7th August, 2014

A heart worthy of the Covenant

Jer 31: 31-34; Mt 16: 13-23

The day will come when you will not have to teach your loved ones to know God...for every one will know God in those days, promises the Lord. Jesus applauds Peter, saying his knowledge of Christ was exceptional, because it was God given! The day has come when Peter know who the Lord was, as we read in Jeremiah.

The reality is that, though God reveals Godself to us and we get to know God so intimately, our memories are so very fickle and short lived. We give into our human tendencies so easily and readily as if there were nothing so great between us and God! Our memories may be thus short, but not God's. God forgives, waits and and readily renews the covenant that God made with us. 

The Lord promises to give us a new heart, a heart of flesh, a heart that takes after the sensibilities of God, a heart that sees as God does, a heart that hears as God does, a heart that feels as God does, a heart that loves as God loves... a heart that is worthy of the covenant that God has made with us.