THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Half a Shekel or Life to the Full

Remembering St. Maximilian Kolbe - 14th August, 2017

Dt 10: 12-22; Mt 17: 22-27

Celebrating St. Maximilian Kolbe, is a challenge we accept to dwell on - a man who did not do anything for the sake of a rule, but for the sake of what his heart prompted him to do for the Lord who loved him. Paying half a shekel was a duty of a slave, according to Jesus. That is not what is asked of a Son or a Daughter. While a slave intends to pay the half shekel that is expected of him, the Son gives the entire life to the Lord, surrenders the totality of one's life, bringing that life to its fullness thus. 

God is not to be bribed, declares Moses. You don't try to appease God by being calculative in what you give, trying to pay your due, for your due is your life, not just some money or some fulfilment of a rule. The heaven, the earth, everything that exists therein and my very life belongs to God and what can I possibly give the Lord - nothing less than the whole of my life! 

That is why when Kolbe decided to die for a man whom he knew not, he did not consider that act a great feat. For him that was what he could do, all that he had to give at the moment was  his life and he gave it - he loved his Lord with the whole of his heart, with the whole of his strength, with his very life. I am called to give not just half a shekel, but my life to the full. 

GOD FOR ALL SEASONS

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 13th August, 2017

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

The mounting pressures of war and violence is felt across the globe today - irresponsible exchange of words at an alarmingly dangerous international level has made many an eye widen with stupor. The ongoing religious persecutions and inhuman fundamentalism is depraving the earth in its core. The Holy Father these days is continuously and strenuously calling for prayers and spiritual support to those who are unjustly made to suffer, those who are fighting a losing battle 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 us Christians for our faith and our belonging to the Church. This is the despicable scenario that fills 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 God is there as our stronghold. How convinced are we about the Lord's presence with us at all moments: Our God is a God for all seasons! 

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 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 our God is a God for all seasons!

WORD 2day: 12th August, 2017

Grow Up! Will you?

Saturday, 18th week in Ordinary Time

Dt 6:4-13; Mt 17: 14-20

What do you have that you have not received, St. Paul would question us (1 Cor 4:7). Isn't it true, that we have received gift after gift, grace after grace from the Lord to begin with from our very life! The Lord has given us, filled us with so many gifts and graces, protected us thus far, provided for every bit of our need - what does he ask for in return? Nothing but faith!

Faith is my personal response to a God who reveals, gives, forgives and loves me so much. How ready, willing and prepared am I to give a personal response to my Lord. At times I am happy and satisfied with doing the minimum possible, as a requirement to be fulfilled - by way of attendance at some Church service, some fixed recitations and regular almost instinctive practices - but are they truly meant and do they come from the depth of my being? What I do in the name of faith, is it truly what I wish to be my response to the love that I don't deserve at all? 

As Jesus gets so irritated with the disciples today in the Gospel, so will it be if Jesus speaks to us in the heart of our hearts - when will you grow up? My Father loves you and does everything for you, keeping you as the apple of His eye. And what do you do in response? Have you truly committed yourself to an intimate relationship with my Father? 

Can we really answer those questions?

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

The Strength of True Love

Celebrating St. Clare of Assisi - 11th August,  2017

Dt 4:32-40; Mt 16: 24-28

Clare was a small girl when a young man named Francis was making waves in his hometown, Assisi. She grew looking up to Francis, an handsome, ambitious young man. She herself was a beautiful and noble girl. When Francis turned a new leaf and chose a mendicant life for the sake of the kingdom Clare followed suit. She was just 18 when she decided to follow the Lord. Her strength came from the true love that she had, whether it was for the Lord or for Francis her great role model. As Francis started an Order for the men with him, she began too for women and they grew in sanctity together in the vineyard of the Lord.

The true love that she had can be seen in three instances in her life: Her love for the person of Francis did not make her possess him but led her to the very source of love, that was God. She chose to live the way Francis lived, poor and absolutely dependent on the Lord. She faced every hardship in her life with the personal attachment she had with the person of Jesus Christ. 

The Strength of True Love is to let go, to let go of everything except the Truth that is behind everything, the Truth that God is, the person of Christ!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

The Call to Give - a life of fruitfulness 

Remembering St. Lawrence, the Deacon-Martyr - 10th August, 2017
2Cor 9: 6-10; Jn 12: 24-26



The best of all giving, is giving of oneself! Giving of one’s abundance, giving of whatever little that one has and giving even if one does not have enough for oneself – these are praise worthy in their respective order. But the highest of all giving is Self-giving. 

Celebrating the Deacon-martyr, St. Lawrence, we are reminded of the early Christian communities that were so much characterized by persons who were blessed with the special charism of Giving of their own selves, apart from what they possessed. They were cheerful givers, and so we find their numbers kept growing unprecedentedly. The very spirit that they radiated held captive those who saw them and multitudes were drawn to emulate it. They were ready and willing to die to themselves that Christ may come alive in them! St.Paul’s words were true in so many of those early Christians – “I live, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20) and “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). These were not mere catchy sayings; they were true lived experiences and we witness it in great martyrs like St. Stephen, the apostles and St. Paul himself. St. Lawrence follows suit very closely later in the third century. After all, they had but one model who had invaded and conquered their minds, hearts and spirits - Jesus the ultimate personification of self-giving - the grain of seed that chose to fall to the ground, that it may abound in its fruits: we are the fruits and let us be worthy of the grain which has borne us. 

WORD 2day: 9th August, 2017

You become what you believe

Wednesday, 18th week in Ordinary Time

Num 13:1-2,25 - 14:1,26-29,34-35; Mt 15: 21-28

'Woman, great is your faith! Let it be unto you as you have believed' said Jesus and the girl was healed, because she believed that the girl could be healed. 

'I shall do to you just as you have said' the Lord told Israel and they spent 40 long years in the desert, because they did not believe they could take over the land as the Lord directed them. 

The Word has this to declare to us: you become what you believe. Beware what you really believe! The worst thing that I can do to myself is, be negligent about the Lord with me. The Lord is with me, and if I am conscious of that presence, my attitude towards life will be completely transformed by that consciousness. If I believe theoretically in the presence of the Lord but am insensitive to it in reality, the loser is me! 

If I believe the Lord is with me, specially during moments of crisis and difficulty, I would emerge victorious in the name of the Lord. If I fail to believe in the presence of the Lord with me, great is my worry and heavy is my labour, and the result - it is all left to chances! Lord I believe and I am certain I shall behold the best you have prepared for me!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Like the Men of God

Celebrating St. Dominic - 8th August, 2017

Num 12:1-13; Mt 14: 22-36

The Word speaks of two Men of God today - not merely by the popular title but by their very life style and the way they respond to tough situations. Moses, against whom the very people whom he served grumbled, including his closest collaborators. What did he do? Held it against them? No, that was not becoming of a man of God. Even when Miriam stood affected by her own sin, he intercedes with the Lord, obtaining her health back. he proves to be a man of God.

Jesus the Son of God, the ideal man of God proves himself so, by being so unaffected even when he knew his own disciples knew him not. They did not understand him, they thought him to be an evil spirit. In spite of it, when Peter wishes to walk on the water, he gives him that privilege. He was so patient, kind and gentle with the disciples, because that is the mark of a person of God, a God who abounds in mercy and love.

The third man of God whom we are given with today, is Dominic, the 12th century Religious Founder - one who is attributed with the great miraculous event of receiving on our behalf the Marian Rosary. Dominic as the very name means, belonged to go God and lived his life for the people of God and for the spread of the Reign of God. 

The call is loud and clear - to live for God, for God's people and above all for the establishment of the Reign of God, here and now.

WORD 2day: 7th August, 2017

Fed Up - a frequent word today!

Monday, 18th week in Ordinary Time

Num 11:4-15; Mt 14:13-21

The very first skimming through today's Word, sent my thought whirling to so many experiences of today. Boredom of the youngsters, hatred for the routine on the part of the middle agers, taking the little but taxing sacrifices of others by the elders- these are prevalent experiences pointed out by many today. An oft-used term for this experience is feeling or being  fed up. 

The first reading has an example of what we humanly do when we are "fed up" and the Gospel portrays the true Christ-ian response. Humanly speaking when we are fed up, we grumble. Moses was no different from the people - they grumbled among themselves but Moses grumbled to God. Finding fault with God and asking God for an explanation, sometimes I tell the youngsters, is nothing wrong. But it is justified only when a meaningful warm rapport precedes it. Moses had that disposition, the people did not - that is why the former was justified, the latter were not.

However, Jesus shows a qualitative difference in the way he would respond in a situation like this: Jesus was "fed up" too, when he knew what they did to John the Baptist. He knew that was how his life would go too. When he wanted to really grieve for his cousin and great prophet, he could not. People were there too, they were every where. Was Jesus "fed up"...no, he wasn't. He went to the extent of making sure the people were fed, not fed up! 

What is important to ward off the feeling of being fed up, is to count your blessings, everyday, every little thing that comes to you! And with that mindset - you would reduce hearing: Fed Up - a frequent word today!

TO BURN TILL WE ARE CONSUMED

The Transfiguration of the Lord : 6th August, 2017

Dan 7: 9-10, 13-14;  2 Pet 1: 16-19; Mt 17: 1-9

There is terror all around, there is darkness thickening all around, there is treason and treachery plotted all around, there is deception from the evil and the majority of the world seem to be falling into it... when you find yourself in such a situation, what do you do? You burn brighter! That is what Jesus teaches us. Yes, to be extinguished by the threats around is not truly Christ-ian. 

When problems arise, when threats increase, when troubles augment, when failures mount, when enemies surround, if you are truly a disciple of Christ what do you do - you burn brighter. But things affect - it doesn't matter - you burn till you are consumed, says the Word today!

"A lamp shining in a dark place until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" - a wonderful comparison that St. Peter presents to us. It would apply to our faith, our life of witness, our trust, our commitment to the Reign of God and every bit of our faith and its expression here and now, all leading us towards that eternal glory that awaits us as children of God(Jn 1:12), co-heirs with Christ(Rom 8:17), people meant for the future glory (Rom 8:18). 

Our Christian life is rich and its richness will be lost if we lose the sense of mystery in understanding it. Mystery is not merely something that is unknown and incomprehensible, but it is something that is beyond all our rational calculations and empirical conditions; yet it is not totally alien from our experience; it is part of our lived experience, an experience we live on a daily basis, an experience that sustains our faith and offers meaning to our life.

The feast of Transfiguration is a symbol, a prefigurement and a surety of the glory that rests within us, as children of God. However, we are warned not to lose our grip on our daily living, on our concrete initiatives towards ushering in the Reign of God in the pretext of dreaming about a future that is glorious and splendid. 

In practical terms, to be people transfigured is to live our lives with our eyes fixed on heaven and our feet planted firm on ground, to never lose the hope that the Lord offer in Himself and to never rest from our efforts to build the Reign of God here on earth. It is a call to burn until we are totally consumed, totally consumed for the sake of the mission that the Lord entrusts to us, consumed living our daily life to the full, empowering every person to live it to their full. 

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

Churches, Jubilees and Hypocrisy

Celebrating the Basilica of Mary Major - 5th August, 2017

Lev 25: 1,8-17; Mt 14:1-12

We celebrate today the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major, one of the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome. It has a great historical background as it was one of the first basilicas built in honour of Mary, Mother of God. The miracle that is said to have happened to reveal the exact spot chosen by our Blessed Mother herself, the miracle of snow in the mid summer night, gave rise to the title Our Lady of Snows! Celebrating a Church and its history is a jubilation!

The first reading speaks of another Jubilee, that the Lord wanted the people of Israel to commemorate. We get the mind of God so clearly - jubilee according to the Lord is not merely eating and drinking, the glory of the Lord in a Church is not merely about the pomp and splendour, our true faith is not in the richness of the tradition or in the complexity of heritage - it is in the compassion we have for others and the personal integrity that we manifest in ourselves. 

This is what Jesus loathed in Herod. Jesus had hardly any respect for him because he lacked integrity. He lived a life that was so far from God, from good and from truth! Building spectacular churches, celebrating splendid jubilees and organising fantastic festivities - these will remain empty noise, or hardcore hypocrisy, if we do not commit ourselves to compassion and justice! 

As we celebrate the feast today, let us ask our Blessed Mother to save us from this hypocrisy and form us into true disciples of Christ, committed to justice, truth and compassion.