WORD 2day : 14th October, 2015

No Favourites ... just Righteousness
Wednesday,  28th Week in Ordinary Time
Rom 2: 1-11, Lk 11: 42-46

God had no favourites says the first reading and Jesus demonstrates that in the Gospel. Jesus spared no one - whether it was the pharisees or the lawyers or the chief priests or Herod or Pilate - everyone got their share! They were in no way judgements passed on people but they were an appeal to their conscience to change their ways towards righteousness. It was done with concern for their salvation.

The thin line between Righteousness and Self righteousness has to be trodden with diligent care. Judgements arise from self righteousness while righteousness make us just and loving and above all lovable!

WORD 2day: 13th October, 2015

No excuses...just Integrity! 

Tuesday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Rom 1: 16-25; Lk 11: 37-41

The terminology used by Paul sounds very practical, warning us that there are no excuses one can give for not recognising the hand of God in and through the immensity of the reality around. And added to that when it comes to me and God, I don't need to have proofs and justifications and evidences that I believe in God or not. Because God knows the innermost thoughts of mine and I need not be bothered about my presentations and formulations. This is the fundamental element of what we call 'integrity'...Having the least discrepancy between my inner self and my external behaviour, between my convictions and what I engage myself in on a daily basis, between what really matters for me and what I present myself as to others! Jesus uses simple terms for that in the Gospel - inside and outside! Let both be clean he says... I can have no excuses when it comes to my innerself, for I stand convicted before God who knows the innermost thoughts. 

Help me Lord to grow in my personal integrity! 

WORD 2day: 12th October, 2015

The Call and the Reminder

Monday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time

Rom 1: 1-7; Lk 11: 29-32 

The first reading today speaks to us again about our call to belong to Christ, our call to be holy, our obedience of faith. At times we forget this fundamental call and live our daily life in the way we like, giving into our whims and fancies. We lose track of our fundamental call and go after things that matter nothing to our salvation, some of them even detrimental to our salvation. We become so callous to our failures and disorientation that we do not even realise we are going farther and farther away from our destined goal: our sanctification.

We can never justify our act, our choices or our priorities when they go against this call. We are given reminders after reminders, through persons, situations, events and interventions. The models given to us today: the people of Nineveh and Queen of Sheba, are people who were so attentive to these signs and reminders that they instantly picked up the message that God was giving them. They took the utmost effort to respond to their specific call. That is the reminder given to me today: how much have I grown in responding to the call that the Lord has given me personally? The call to belong to Christ, the call to be holy, the call to my personal sanctification! 

WORD: THE PRINCIPLE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

11th October, 2015: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wis 7: 7-11; Heb 4: 12-13; Mk 10: 17-30

The Word this Sunday is on the Word.

The Word in the foundational principle of our Christian life. It is the Word that makes all the difference for the choices we make. It offers us all the wisdom we stand in need of to live a life that is meaningful.

The Word is also our Judge,  practically because the Word gives us the criteria to live by. When those criteria are met we are affirmed;  when not,  the Word holds us on a tribunal.

The Word is the treasure that gives meaning to our Christian life. It is worth giving our life in the service of the Word. At the service of the Word whatever we give up comes back manifold.

WORD 2day : 10th October, 2015

Being God's People - a sense of 'given'
Saturday,  27th week in Ordinary Time
Joel 4: 12-21; Lk 11: 27-28

Joel speaks of that day of calamity that was bound to come,  but adds a note of promise to God's people. The rest of the discussion is the whole dispute of the biblical history. ..who are these God's people? Some claim that status for themselves on the basis of their historical,  geographical,  ethnic and social background.

Jesus makes it clear in the Gospel today- all these details may matter but what matters most is the way you live your life today. Life is a given and it comes with a multitude of givens that come along with it. If God has willed me to be born at this juncture and here and now... that has within it a task and a call that comes along. I would do good to understand that task,  that call ...because that is what God wants from me and in accomplishing it or committing myself to it,   I become God's! To live my life with a sense of given, that's what will make us God's people.

WORD 2day : 9th October. 2015

A God filled life

Friday,  27th week in Ordinary Time
Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2; Lk  11 : 15-26

The thought of getting closer to God stops short of achieving that goal when people think merely in terms of a negative process of doing away with things that are in contrast- sins and evil tendencies. Joel points out the importance of emptying ourselves of these negative elements. But Jesus in the Gospel underlines the fact that emptying alone is not enough.

Emptying has to be simultaneously accompanied by a filling in. A wholesome Christian life is not that which is devoid of sin and temptation... but that which is filed with God,  filled with Christ,  filled with the Spirit... so God filled that the world around us feels the presence of God so close and near. That is basically what we mean by the Reign of God.

WORD 2day : 8th October, 2015

Faith is persistence
Thursday,  27th week in Ordinary Time
Mal 3: 13-21; Lk 11: 5-13

Whether God gives or not,  whether I find God or not, whether God opens the door for me or not... those are not my concerns. My concern is to be with the Lord till the end,  because at the right time I know God will give, open and help me find God. This is the faith that the Word today speaks to us of.

The first reading in a special way expresses a feeling that many innocents who suffer harbour in their hearts. The evil thriving,  the liars flourishing,  the swindlers soaring in life... and the innocents suffering, the honest losing, the good hearted trampled upon! True faith is persistent. It is not giving a deadline to God but inspite of all these waiting till that time when everything will be made new. Because, we know God is with us and God is for us, then who can be against us?

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

LEPANTO, LORETTO AND OUR LIFE                                                                                      

7th October 2015: The feast of Our Blessed Mother of the Holy Rosary

Acts 1: 12-14; Lk 1: 26-38

The feast of our Blessed Mother of the Holy Rosary reminds us of the battle of Lepanto 1571! The Christians were at war defending themselves against the Ottoman Empire. They were at sea, as we know, it was a naval battle and the Rosary brought them the desired victory. At the recommendation of the Pope, the Church began to celebrate Our Blessed Mother as Our Lady of Victories. It was then that Pope Pius V added that invocation, "Mary Help of Christians", to the litany of Loretto (that which we pray normally). Truly Mary was a great help for them at sea! Every Christian and every one of us, is at sea on a daily basis, with our concerns and temptations battling against us. Today this naval battle can be won not with bullets but with beads, the beads of the Most Holy Rosary. 

As Mary was there in the upper room with the disciples praying, she is there every time we invoke her through the Holy Rosary. And every time we pray this powerful prayer, she strengthens us to say, just as she did, a whole hearted 'yes' to the will of God. As Pope St. John Paul II would often remind us, the Rosary is infact a compendium of the Gospels, a summary of the Paschal Mystery! The Rosary is a weapon that guards us from our foe malign. It is a vehicle that commutes us closer to God the Father. It is a fragrant garland that unites us with our Blessed Mother, thus sanctifying us into children more and more worthy of her divine Son, our Lord and Master. 

WORD 2day: 6th October, 2015

The Art of Prioritising

Tuesday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Jon 3: 1-10; Lk 10: 38-42

Martha was doing a lot of good but what Mary chose was deemed to be the best. At times we spend our time and energy doing a lot of things, all of them good may be! But what is the best we can choose at a given moment, I believe that is the point of discernment. The best that I can choose at a point of time, is what is expected of me from God right then. The people of Nineveh had a keen sense of discernment and they made a concrete and clear choice. They had their priorities clear. My choices actually reveal my priorities. 

Spending hours together for an entertainment, investing enormous energy towards getting merely an appreciation, dumping whole life down the drain hoarding money, these are some warped priorities that threaten us these days. A majority of us give into it consciously or unwittingly. Jesus teaches us today the art of prioritising. Place not just the first things first, but the most important things first! You may have to even give up on somethings, not merely because they are bad but even if they are good, merely because they are not as important. Seek ye first the Reign of God and everything else will be given unto you - that's a pearl of the art of prioritising!

WORD 2day: 5th October, 2015

Lacking Compassion is lacking God

Monday,  27th week in Ordinary Time
Jon 1:1 - 2:1, 11; Lk 10: 25-37

Recently talking to a group of parish leaders on living our faith in our day to day life,  I observed the reality of the treacherous imbalance in the so called development in India. A gentleman from the crowd immediately made a statement so categorically that left me wondering. He said, 'all these poor people you say,  are poor because they are lazy and irresponsible!' When I retorted with a question,  'all of them?'...he conceded a bit saying, 'atleast half of them' and then on my further pursuance he came to saying, 'atleast a big number of them'!

At times we make rash judgements on persons because we lack compassion. When we lack compassion, we lack godliness. Jonah today wanted the people of Niniveh to perish in their sins. He did not want to call them to conversion of their heart because he thought they would escape the punishment that was due to them. We could be like Jonah so much guided by vendetta but we are called to reach out like the Samaritan, doing all that we could to anyone in need...not stand there enquiring whether the person is deserving or not, whether my efforts will bear the best results or not. That is lack of compassion, and lacking compassion is lacking God.