WORRY - the most unchristian attitude of all

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 26th February, 2017

Is 49:14-15; 1 Cor 4:1-5; Mt 6: 24-34

Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but gets you nowhere. I was struck by this saying which I came across somewhere. Worrying is the most unchristian attitude of all, because a Christian has grown out of an experience of a God who is a mother, a God who is the master and a God who is a motivator! 

In the Old Roman Catholic Missal, after the Lord's prayer the prayer of deliverance would go thus: Deliver us Lord from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Some fellow priests, in the name of adapting it and making it more personalised, would change it slightly to say, "keep us free from sin and protect us from all needless anxiety"! I would take very serious exception to it and argue against it saying - the words 'all anxiety' should not be changed because for a true Christian, every anxiety is needless and there are no justified anxieties! If I were a Christian I should be anxiety-free! However, that version is changed today in the Missal. But the message the Word has to give us today is that: Worry is the most unchristian attitude of all.

I need to experience God as a Mother, a mother who would never forget her suckling child. A mother would never forget her child, much less a child at her breast! Even after a decades of its existence, the child would still be a child for the mother and the mother would never feel detached from it. That is how the Lord looks after me, reveals the Word. A Mother who loves her child as much or even more that herself - that is what the Lord is to me! If I knew it, if I believed it, if I were convinced of it, would I have anxieties threatening me?  I have someone who is so concerned about me and that someone is so powerful!

I need to experience God as my Master, my Master who has planned everything for me! Even before I was born, the Master thought of a plan for me, a family for me, a place for me...what a great master I have! The sad fact is that I often forget this master and go behind other masters serving them...masters like those who offer me attractive lifestyles devoid of values, those who assure me a cosy life but filled with unrighteous things, those who seem to be taking me very high in life but leave me abruptly to crash down to nothing at a crucial moment! I need to find my master, who is incharge of everything! I remember an episode told in the life of Don Bosco and his successor Don Rua. When Don Bosco thought of starting a new house in a new place, he thought of sending his confidant Don Rua there. And when Don Rua really set off, Don Bosco asked him what he had in his hand as resource. Don Rua infact had very little in his hand given by the Economer. Surprisingly Don Bosco took away a major part of that resource and leaving Don Rua with a bare minimum, he said, 'Go just with this, is not the Divine Providence even there?' God as a provider was a great experience of the people of God. If only we believe in Jehovah Jireh (the Lord who provides), we would experience miracles in our daily life.

I need to experience God as a motivator. When troubles come, the Lord does not solve them for me, the Lord motivates me to solve it myself. At times we may blame God that God is not doing things for us, while we may be constantly missing out on the numerous ways, means and helps that the Lord keeps sending for us to tackle those issues. It is like that little John who was standing at the threshold of a forest which he had to cross to reach home. He felt stranded because it had gotten dark too early and little John was frightened. He was about to cry, when an old man happened to pass by. When he knew what the problem was, he gave John the lantern he had in his hand and told him to go his way, for the old man's house was just round the corner. After a while when the old man peeped out of his house, he found the boy still standing there with the lantern, but this time really crying! The Old man came up and asked the boy what the problem was - the boy said- I wanted to go, but i can see the light reaching only upto a small distance, after that it seems to be still dark, what will I do when I reach there?  The boy may look stupid for us, but at times we act so. We worry so much about things that have not yet reached us, missing out on the myriad of opportunities that are at hand. What the boy needs to do is take those simple steps and find the light accompanying him. That is what the Lord does - the Lord motivates us to take those hopeful steps and keeps following us, accompanying us, leading us. If only we experience that, we would be truly anxiety free because the Lord is always with me!

My Mother, Master and Motivator - the Lord is there! What need I fear when the Lord is near! 

WORD 2day: 25th February, 2017

Power to the Children

Saturday, 7th week in ordinary time
Sir 17:1-13; Mk 10:13-16

The first reading brings out the majesty of being a human person. That glory and splendour arises from the fact that we have been given the very image and likeness of God. At times we create complexes within  us or among us that we are fair or dark, or tall or short, or beautiful or handsome or ugly... all these do not matter at all because fundamentally we are made in the image of God. There can be no preferential treatment or despise on the basis of gender or colour or the social roots... that would be an utter foolishness! Because the fundamental stuff,  the kernel is the same - the image of God.

The children do  not have any trouble in understanding it. That is  why the Lord declares today the power of the kingdom of God is given to the Children. Without becoming a child (of God)  I cannot inherit it - that's the Father's style!

WORD 2day: 24th February, 2017

Faithful Relationships - the crux of Christianity

Friday, 7th week in Ordinary Time

Sir 6:5-17; Mk 10:1-12

It is not rules, regulations and rituals that are at the center of Christian life and  practice, but persons, community and relationships. Genuine and sincere relationships at all levels is the true sign of Christian life. The Word today invites us to reflect on two long standing relationships in any person's life: Friendship and Marriage!

In both these what is expected of a person is faithfulness, to be sincere, genuine, authentic and integral. A faithful friend is a sure shelter and beyond price; whoever has found one has found a rare treasure! Instead of beginning to search you friendlist for the one who is such to you, begin thinking to whom are you such a treasure! It is high time today, specially for the younger generation, to leave the portals of the virtual friendship and enter into true, life changing, long standing, meaning giving relationships.

WORD 2day: 23rd February, 2017

Respect the justice of the Lord

Thursday,  7th week in Ordinary Time
Sir 5:1-10; Mk 9: 41-50

The WORD today is quite hard and as soon as we hear it we feel like saying, this is an old teaching, too rigorous and too bleak in hope. But as the wisdom of Sirach warns us, it can turn into an excuse for not changing oneself.

The Lord knows the ďeepest of our thoughts and the most secret of our intentions. It is not possible to fake allegiance to the Lord as people do to each other.

The Lord is not only all knowing and compassionate, the Lord is also just and righteous. We would be at fault to think that we can appease the Lord with some legalities... nothing short of a true intention and a sincere dedication in our efforts to become good in the eyes of the Lord, can make us acceptable! Let us not only count on the mercies of the Lord but also respect the justice of the Lord.

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

Praying for the Pope

The feast of Chair of St. Peter-  22nd February 2017
1 Pet 5: 1-4; Mt 16: 13-19

One of the Catholic traditions long taught and practiced is the practice of praying for the Holy Father.  Jesus assigned a very special role to Peter: to strengthen his brother apostles in faith and to feed His flock.

The call to pray for the pope is not praying for Pope Francis or  for any other person but it is praying for the office of the chief of the apostles... recalling how so many resent accepting it.

Today, the world wants to grow more and more detached from whatever belongs to God. The figure of the Holy Father and his role keep the Catholic Church one despite differences and united despite the variety!

Let us pray for the Holy Father in a special manner today!

WORD 2day: 21st February, 2017

To grow up to be a true child

Tuesday, 7th week in Ordinary Time

Sir 2:1-11; Mk 9: 30-37

'Grow Up!' people say, when they are upset with some people's attitudes found wanting, when people behave 'childish' and immature,as it is said. But,grow up to what? The Word today invites us, to grow up to be children. Cling on, trust, hold on, wait on the Lord...in short to be true children, true children of God. Who can wait on the mercies of the elders but a child,for when we consider ourselves grown up we crave to be independent. Who can cling on to someone else and keep trusting in their goodness, hoping that they will be led in the right path, but a child! Who but a child can look up to others and understand that he or she is the least of all who are around and helpless of the lot?

Jesus invites us - grow up to be a child... let go of your ego, learn to depend on the goodness of the Lord, allow God to take hold of your hands and you will find the true peace, the peace of a child.

WORD 2day: 20th February, 2017

Faith and Wisdom - Gifts from God

Monday, 7th week in Ordinary Time

Eccl 1:1-10; Mk 9: 14-29

Knowledge can be obtained by effort and hardwork but wisdom comes from the Lord. We may read, listen, think and increase our knowledge, but putting various pieces of knowledge together to arrive at a decision is wisdom and that cannot be acquired by purely hardwork or merely human effort. It is a gift from the Lord, because Wisdom as the first reading tells us today, belongs to God and whom God deigns to grant it, and the measure God wills to grant it. 

Belief is born from what we learn and what we understand, while Faith is not merely our lonesome job. It is our personal response to a self revealing God. If so,it is the Lord who grants us this faith as a gift and helps us grow and mature in it too. 'Lord I believe, help my unbelief"...we come across that profound prayer today. It would do a great good to us to make this prayer a regular and daily prayer, everyday in the morning asking the Lord to help our unbelief and make us truly the Lord's faithful sons and daughters! 

HOLINESS - the Identity of the People of God

19th February, 2017: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lev 19:1-2,17-18; 1 Cor3:16-23; Mt 5:38-48

What makes one a Christian? Take a pause and answer this question within your hearts!

Is it Baptism? Yes, ofcourse, but only if it were received with a personal choice and every promise given at the proper moment is lived to the full everyday of one's life. 

Is it being enrolled in a parish? Yes, but only if the belonging to the parish makes one feel one with the Universal Body of Christ, the Church. 

That which makes of Baptism efficacious, our belonging to a parish meaningful, and makes us truly Christians is our realisation of our identity as people of God - a realisation that has to be manifested in our personal holiness and in our holiness as a community of believers.

Holiness is not a super-human quality. It is definitely not alien to being human. Because it can be seen at our very origin. God made us in God's own image and likeness says Genesis (1:27). So, holiness is our original nature, not sinfulness; Holiness is the core of our being, not sinfulness. Sin and Sinfulness have come to mar and obstruct our original nature. This is why to the chosen people, God says through Moses, "Be holy, because I the Lord your God am Holy." Because I am holy you can be holy too. Yes, dear brothers and sisters, we ought to be holy because we are FROM GOD.

Holiness is our choice, a choice made not once for all, but at every moment, at every circumstance, at every crisis. It is a choice made for God, because we realise and gratefully acknowlege choice that God has made for us. You did not choose me, I chose you, says the Lord (Jn 15:16). It is the Lord who had chosen us. It is not that we loved God but it is God who loved us first, reminds us St. John (1 Jn 4:9,19). God has chosen us and God has loved us abundantly! And our response is Holiness, because we belong to God, we are OF GOD.

Holiness is not an act, it is an attitude; it is not a set of actions but a habit; it is not merely an appearance but an internal becoming! holiness is a daily effort to become more and more like God. it is returning to the image and likeness of with which we were formed in the love of God. In our words, thoughts, acts and choices of daily life we are called to become LIKE GOD.

Our Blessed Mother and the Saints are our models and Jesus is our Way. St. John traces that course for us when he says, 'we will be like him because we will see him as he is" (1Jn 3:2). We are called not to be merely good people but God's people. Every word and act of our's has to reflect God's presence to those around us. 

We are People of God and our very identity is Holiness. If we miss out on holiness we lose everything. We are from God, We are of God and We are called to become like God because we are the people of God. Because we are the temple where God chooses to dwell, we are the presence of God that the world so badly needs today! 

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

To be transfigured every day 

Celebrating the feast of Transfiguration - 18th Feb, 2017

Heb 11:1-7; Mk 9: 2-13

Faith is a call to be transfigured daily - amidst the troubles we have, amidst the things that occupy our minds on a daily basis, that moment when we raise our eyes and our hearts to the Lord offering ourselves up in total surrender becomes a moment of transfiguration, when we are able to feel a presence that is so really sustaining us.

If we are lost in the worries and concerns and dig deep into our sorrows, we are not bad people but just that we are people without that supernatural eye that the Lord graces us with, in faith.

If we possess Faith...we possess a new light for life. If we possess Faith... we have a host of people with us who have gone before us and who stand by us today, we are never alone.

If we possess Faith, we possess the Lord, who would communicate with us on a constant basis...with faith, we will be transfigured every day!

WORD 2day: 16th February, 2017

The Spirit and the Satan 

Thursday, 6th week in Ordinary time 

Gen 9:1-13; Mk 8:27-33

The Spirit of the Lord is upon us... for the Lord has created us in God's own image. We bear the name of God. The first reading today reiterates the fact in many ways - saying God  created everything for the human beings, God gave human beings an ascendancy over the rest of the creatures and explicitly stating once again God  created human beings on God's image! Peter is  seen to be filled with that Spirit of God when he rightly points out who Jesus was- The Son of God. Yes we possess the Spirit of the Lord within us. 

A fact we need to beware is that the Satan is all the time lurching around the corner waiting for a time to pounce on us and draw us as far away as it could.  Right from the first moment of the creation this enmity is on, isn't it?  But it all depends where I belong. The Spirit or the Satan - whose side am I on?