A LESSON ON FORGIVENESS

Memory, Meaning and Matter-of-fact

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 17th September, 2017

Eccl 27:33 - 28:9; Rom 14: 7-9; Mt 18: 21-35

Today we have the most Christian of all lessons - a lesson on forgiveness. That is the key not only to a true Christian life but also to a truly happy life. 


The crucial question of the lesson today is, Why should we forgive? Why should we forgive, if someone has done harm to us? Isn't it against justice? If the one who has offended continues to offend, do I remain on the ground, receiving everything lying down? Jesus seems to be answering these questions as he speaks those words to Peter - not just seven times, seventy times seven. Jesus teaches us to forgive not just our friends but our enemies, and to pray for them. Apart from that response and teaching of Jesus, we have three reasons underlined today in the readings...

We have to forgive because our past demands it from us. MEMORY teaches us that we have to forgive. Looking at what God has done for us, the experience of our own past, where we have been excused so much, pardoned so abundantly and loved beyond all our limitations, we have no excuse; we have to forgive. Look at that man who was pardoned such a large amount by the ruler - what should he have done? Forgive, isnt it? If only he thought a bit about what he has experienced from his ruler, he would not have been so mean. It is important for us to develop this memory, the Memory of the Mercy that we have been granted in abundance.

We have to forgive because our present requires it from us. We are Christians, or so we call ourselves! If we are Christians but we do not live what Christ taught and lived for, then our life has no MEANING at all. The very Meaning of the life that we are living right now, comes from the fact that we take our name from Christ himself. If so, we need to live faithful to that name.Whether we live or die, we are for Christ, we are with Christ and we belong to Christ. Only this gives meaning to our existence, or death, or sufferings or every bit of our daily experiences. Without forgiving can we call ourselves Christians? It is easy at times to forgive people who are our enemies, people whom we know are against us, people who are far away from us. But it is not so easy to forgive our own close friends, those who are all the time with us, persons who enjoy a great part of our confidence. But Jesus stands a model even in these - he not only forgave the Jews and Romans who killed him or the soldiers who treated him with contempt, but also the closest of his collaborators who turned against or indifferent towards him. If I need to live a meaningful life, here and now, I better learn to forgive.

We have to forgive because our future depends on that, as a MATTER-OF-FACT. As the first readings says so simply and the parable Jesus narrates in the gospel points out, if we need to be forgiven, if we have to be accepted as children of God, if we have to qualify as disciples of Christ, we should forgive and there is no option to it. It is a matter of fact, there is no two opinions about it. Jesus is crystal clear, the Word is insistent and the Spirit inspires us to forgive, because only through that we make ourselves worthy of the forgiveness of God. 

Consider the well known images...of Nelson Mandela who remained in the prison for 27 years due to racism and when he stepped out he chose to forgive and work with the authorities towards abolition of apartheid... of the wife of Graham Steins who was killed with two of his sons and how she announced with firmness, I forgive those who killed my loved ones... of the family of Sr. Rani Maria who was stabbed to death and the assassin who is now a Christian because he was forgiven and accepted as one among them by the family... of Pope Saint John Paul II who forgave the one who attempted to assassinate him, Ali Agca and how the latter came back after 31 years to Rome, to St. Peter's, to John Paul the II's tomb to pay his homage. He says he wishes to meet in person Pope Francis and if Pope Francis wishes, he is ready to serve the Church as a Catholic Priest. 

Look at all these images... what do they communicate... a lesson on forgiveness! That is what the Lord wants to leave with us today. Let us take this lesson to our heart, and consider seriously practicing this teaching, if not, we would remain far from what we claim to be - that is, Christians! 

THE WORD AND THE SAINTS

We are fruits of these good trees

Celebrating Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian - 16th September, 2017

1 Tim 1:15-17; Lk 6: 43-49

We have two saints whom we celebrate today - one a Pope-Martyr, Cornelius and the other a Bishop-Martyr, Cyprian. We have three reasons to thank God today for these saints. First of all for the testimony of their martyrdom - that they lived for the Lord and died for the Lord. Second for their insistence on the Oneness of the Church - Cornelius was the first Pope to fight against a schism in the Church already in the year 251 and Cyprian wrote those beautiful lines, 'God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one.' Thirdly, they were people who guarded the Church against the viles of the enemy - Cornelius fought against the first anti-pope in the history of the Church and Cyprian taught extensively the doctrine strengthening the faithful against straying from the truth. 

They lived, worked, suffered and died for Christ - they have left behind a great legacy as did the apostles. We are fruits of these good trees. Do we have the same good and faithfulness in us? We are called to stand of the Truth of the Lord, the Lord's people and the Lord's way of life, amidst the cries of confusion and compromise today. 

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

THE FIRST ONE TO BEHOLD THE CROSS

Remembering the Sorrowful Mother of God - 15th September, 2017

1 Tim 1: 1-2,12-14; Jn 19: 25-27

If yesterday was the glorification of the Cross, today is the remembrance of the one who beheld that Cross, standing at its foot, for the first time! The Cross was not anything new, it was a common punishment for the offenders. But for the first time, its significance changes when the Son of God takes it into his loving embrace. Suffering for humanity is nothing new, but it all depends how we behold it, in our own lives. Mary stood by that Cross, and she did not realise what it really meant. What we celebrate today is not the theological interpretation that Mary gave to the Cross - No! She knew nothing of it.

We celebrate today three important attitudes that we see in our Blessed Mother: 

The surrendering love due to which she was able to accept anything that came her way after that 'yes' she said - the struggle without a place to give birth to her son, the exile to Egypt and back, the society that did not accept her son and everything that followed.

The enduring hope with which she believed in every word that was spoken to her by the Angel. She was blessed because she believed that what the Lord promised would surely be fulfilled. Even at the foot of the Cross or after the body was laid in the silence of the tomb, she stood firm in her hope.

The unwavering faith which led her to remain silent until every sword had pierced her heart - she knew nothing can take her away from the Lord. She waited until her son won over death and made her the sign of our ultimate victory over death. Mary shines as the beacon that illumines our lives and makes us understand, the ultimate victory belongs to the Lord. 

May the sword that pierced her heart, make us meek, humble and obedient unto the Lord.

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

THE CROSS AND A CHRISTIAN

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross - 14th September, 2017

Phil 2: 6-11; Jn 3: 13-17

Reflecting on the Exaltation of the Cross, I could not take my eyes and my mind off these two persons - one a simple salesian missionary and the other a simple jesuit pope! They have lived up to their call - to be Christians, above all. 

How many of us can look at hardships in life and start counting them as opportunities to live our life to the full? How many of us can live with difficulties and still feel, every day is a blessing, a step closer to one's salvation? How many of us can look at the unnecessary burdens that are shoved on his or her shoulders and still say, these are nothing compared to the blessing that the Lord has in store for me? That would be the count of true Christ-ians among us!

The two people we see in the picture, taken just yesterday at Vatican, Fr. Tom and the Holy Father, they stand tall today as people who have exalted the Cross in their own lives. 

Look at the Holy Father's face - the bruise from the bash that he had during his visit to Columbia. There was a beautiful report after that incident saying that the incident, though painful caused no change in his plan. All the delay that it caused was for a small first aid, with ice cubes and a band-aid. The 80 year old man was back on his feet, running through the schedule with the same smile and more warmth. That is an exaltation of the Cross.

Fr. Tom Uzhunallil, a living testimony by now for the exaltation of the Cross - reached Vatican on his release after 18 months in exile and those who were with him those initial moments reported these words: all that he said was thanks, to the Lord and the Madonna! What a way to exalt the Cross!

When we come across a painful event or experience in our personal or familial or communitarian lives, after perceiving that initial pain, how long do we take to look deep and find the hand of the Lord affirming us, the presence of the Lord accompanying us and the Words of the Lord filling our lives in its emptiness? That is the mark of being Christians - the ability and the readiness to accept the cross. The Cross and a Christian cannot be away from each other!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

THE CHRIST DIFFERENCE

Celebrating John of Golden Mouth - 13th September, 2017

Col 3: 1-11; Lk 6: 20-26

There is no more Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, slaves or free persons, there is only Christ, says Paul. Christ alone makes the difference. There is no more religious or lay, catholics or others, believers or non believers, practitioners or indifferent, regular-to-the-Church or non-church-goers...nothing is going to be different because of these. There is only Christ and Christ is going to make all the difference. 

God has chosen each of us, and if God has chosen us in Christ, we have a duty to respond. It is our response that is going to make the difference. If I choose Christ, if I value Christ, if I value the call that I have received to be a child of God, I have to  show it in my life, I have to live it on a daily basis, I have to prove it at times of real crisis in my practical living. When I choose Christ the difference will be seen. 

John Chrysostom, whom we celebrate today, was born just John. He was given the title Chyrsostom, which means "Golden Mouth" because of the way he spoke God's Word, the way he inspired others through his life so absolutely guided by the Word. He made a choice for Christ, in the midst of his early education with a climate so anti-christian and pagan, and his choice he lived for the rest of his life and was even killed for it. Let our choice for Christ make a concrete difference in our lives. Let the world around me see a difference, the Christ difference in me!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

NAMED AFTER THE ULTIMATE NAME

Celebrating the Most Holy Name of Mary - 12th September, 2017

Eph 1: 3-6, 11-12; Lk 1: 39-47

Name is identity. In the salvific plan of God, name refers to the core of one's being. the Mother of God was chosen, in Christ before the foundations of the world, to be holy and blameless - the name that refers to this identity is MARY. That name is a vocation, a call, a Divine choice, a crucial part of the Salvation Plan of God. And each of us is called, just like Mary was and we are given an identity that we draw from the One who has created us and called us. 

What is my identity, what is my name? Do I realise that I am named after the Ultimate Name on earth and heaven... the name of God! That is what Paul asserts when he says we are chosen in Christ, in the name of Christ, the name above every name that was revealed to us, that name that was borne by Mary for the entire humanity. 

The call is to live up to that name. Mary did. She was chosen and predestined and she lived upto that name by reaching out to the needy, even without being asked. This is what she is, even today. Reaching out to us in love! Let us confide in her, the mother of Christ and our Mother and she will lead us to our ultimate home. 

SUFFERING AND SISYPHUS

WORD 2day: 11th September, 2017

Monday, 23rd week in Ordinary Time

Col 1:24 - 2:3; Lk 6: 6-11

Have you heard of the Greek Mythology of Sisyphus - that is what I was reminded of when I read the passage from St. Paul in the first reading today. The Greek mythology is about the character called Sisyphus who receives a curse to push a boulder up the hill, only for the boulder to roll back to the foot of the hills. And he would begin it all over again. He would carryout that meaningless and endless routine all his existence! The existentialist, Albert Camus (in 1945) would compare that to human suffering. St. Paul's words to the Colossians sounds like it, when he says, I have to suffer for you and for the Laodiceans without having even seen your faces. But Paul never ever felt it was meaningless or endless!

What does give meaning to our sufferings? All our laws and regulations, discipline and rules, what really makes them all purposeful? It is not what, but who! It is God who renders them all meaningful and purposeful. Without God, suffering is meaningless, pointless and misery. With God suffering is salvific, purposeful and destined towards an ultimate good. It is God who renders our sufferings, our mortifications, our rules, our legalities meaningful. None of these would mean anything, even if we kept them with utmost diligence, if we do not feel close to God. With God suffering is salvific! Without God, like for Sisyphus, our sufferings are mere miseries.

SAVE YOURSELF BY SAVING OTHERS

Truth, Love and Solidarity

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - 10th September, 2017

Ezek 33:7-9; Rom 13: 8-10; Mt 18: 15-20

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” -These words of Elie Wiesel are very powerful, especially these days when everything that happens is unjust and everything just is silent. Being a Christian cannot support a choice of being silent or neutral. We have to take side and the side that we take will determine whether we are truly Christ-ian or not.

Christ came to save us, he has saved us all. But we need to claim that salvation that Christ brought for ourselves - how do we do that? By surrendering ourselves to the way of life that Christ taught us, by surrendering ourselves to the mercy God our Father and Mother and by allowing the action of the Holy Spirit to take over our lives. But we do that here and now, by our daily choices. One thing as Christians we need to keep in mind is, we cannot be saved or we cannot work on our salvation all alone. We are called to be a community of persons and we are going to be saved thus too. That is why today the Word today reminds us, the way to save ourselves is by saving others.

Truth lives. When moments of choice come, we need to abide by Truth. It is sign that we serve that One Lord and God. Because Truth is one and we need to stand by it. At times when we have to choose between values, between issues, among a few things which seem all good, we need to look for that truth that will most reflect the Lord. That is where we become the servants of God. The truth of the dignity of a person, justice, should stand aloft in our choices and we need to speak that out. The first reading from Ezekiel reminds us through the voice of the Lord - you speak or you will not be saved! Express that you stand by the Truth; the Word itself says it does not matter if the others heed to you, what matters is that you have declared your stand.

Love is a mutual debt, Paul declares. I cannot ask a question, why should I love, if I am truly a Christian. It has to be ingrained in me to love. Loving is not just saying it by words. Loving is standing by, feeling for, reaching out and doing everything possible for the well being of the other. At times when we stand by love, we may feel that we are fighting a losing batter, but I need to stick on. Because, it is only by that love that I become a true child of God. For those who love are born of God and those who do not love, do not know God, says John in his epistle.

Solidarity is the first principle of Christian living. That is in fact what makes you and me a people of God. The moment we are not in solidarity with each other, the moment we lack care and concern for each other, the moment we are unaffected by the sufferings of the other, the moment we are blind to the injustice that is perpetrated in the society, the moment we join the oppressors or those moments when our silence strengthens the oppressors we are failing to be truly people of God. When your brother goes wrong, speak to him, take a few with him and speak to him, call the entire community and speak to him and only then we are allowed to go in peace. Not until then! That is, we should have exhausted all possibilities, only then we can remain silent.

Today, there is so much going on in the local societies, national scenarios and international stand offs. Be it the escalating tensions between the US and the North Korea, the Rohingya Crisis, the Fundamentalism that is being unleashed, or the cases of politically powerless being exploited to the core - what is my response? Do I want to save my skin or do I look for a true salvation. If I am looking for a true salvation, I can save myself only by doing something to save the others, the oppressed, the entire world!

ALLOWING GOD TO WORK

WORD 2day: 9th September, 2017

Saturday, 22nd week in Ordinary Time

Col 1: 21-23; Lk 6: 1-5

Transforming a person is not difficult for God - Paul today reminds the Colossians how they have been transformed by God, from foreigners and enemies to pure, holy and blameless people of God. Yes, transforming a person is not difficult at all for God, provided there is a will on the part of the person to be transformed. The flesh could be weak, but what is needed is the spirit that is willing as Jesus would instruct his disciples. 

Jesus found it so hard to make the pharisees and the scribes understand the Good News that he brought with him. Not because they were unintelligent nor because they were not able to see what Jesus was trying to tell them, they were unwilling to see, they were refusing to change, they had decided not to transform themselves. 

We have today the sacraments and various other helps to pull ourselves up, make ourselves over and transform ourselves constantly in spite of our weaknesses, but we fail. Not because we cannot, but only because we do not want to, we do not will to. When we allow God to work in our lives, continuously pulling ourselves up and resuming our journey with the Lord, the Lord will surely transform us. That is the beautiful word we have in the responsorial, let us say it with faith: I have God for my help.

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

CALLED ACCORDING TO GOD'S PURPOSE

Nativity of our Blessed Mother - 8th September, 2017

Rom 8: 28-30; Mt 1: 18-23

Birthday of our Blessed Mother is a beautiful occasion to reflect our state of being called - each of us is called, called according to God's purposes. God has a purpose for which he has put me into this world at this time and at this place, in a context so specific with a purpose so specific. There can be problems, discouragements, disturbances and even disasters, but I would have fulfilled my purpose if I learn to and manage to live my life to the full, refusing to be curtailed by the negativities around me, finding always the best way of responding to the situation that I am faced with. 

When will I be able to do that: when I am convinced that there is a purpose to my life, when I believe that I have been created with a purpose, that I have been loved into existence with a magnificent plan which I may now know at present, but will slowly get to understand. Mary is a standing example for this and that is what we celebrate today - that moment when the world beheld her, her who was called into existence with a great purpose, the salvation of the universe!