Requiring a fearless choice

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 18, 2019: Remembering the Evangelist St. Luke

2 Timothy 4: 10-17; Luke 10: 1-9

Luke alone is with me...writes Paul. We are given to understand that Luke, although he was not part of the apostles' band, he was very closely associated with them and eventually grows up into an evangelist!

One salient feature that is often pointed out about St. Luke's gospel is the contrasting images that he uses in his narration...the beatitudes and the woes, Martha and Mary, the prodigal and his brother, the rich man and Lazarus, the good thief and the bad thief... these are all typical to Luke, in comparison to the other Gospel narratives! 

The message is obvious: he challenges his readers towards absolute choices - for or against the Lord; with or away from the Lord! A value that he seems to have lived in his own life - an instance is that he chose to remain with Paul in his difficult ministry! The radical choices that a disciple had to make according to Jesus in the Gospel today, were very clear for Luke and he made those choices his own! 

Christian Discipleship requires these absolute choices that we have to make for the Lord and for the Lord's people! Being an apostle or an evangelist, is only a step that follows! Without the former, the latter is phony. The memory of St.Luke invites us to make an absolute choice for God: on a daily basis, at work and at home, on the streets or in a public transport; in company or alone - we are what we choose to be! 

Let us fearlessly choose to belong to the Lord, always!

Faith-Work: Not controversy but complementarity

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

 October 17, 2019: Remembering St. Ignatius of Antioch

Romans 3: 21-30; Luke 11: 47-54

One is justified by faith apart from the works of law - this was, is and will ever be a point of contention. In the Old Testament times it was a contention between the 'conservative' and the 'progressive' rabbinic schools; in Jesus' times between him and the Jewish religious heads; in the times of the early Christians it was a contention between those who followed the Pauline theology and those who believed the theology of James; today it continues between the Catholics and the non Catholics! 

Amidst all the contention foreseen, needless to say our point of reference is Jesus: 'Don't put your trust in your capacity to achieve things and to gain control or dominance', warns Jesus, 'become like children!' That is, respect the primacy of faith! Jesus also declared, 'when you did this to one of these little ones, you did it to me!' That is, the necessity of works! 

In Jesus' terms, faith is that capacity to live totally dependent on God and do all that we can do, primarily as instruments in the hand of God - an attitude diametrically opposed to pride and arrogance of work alone, and practically a corrective to passivity and timidity of faith alone! 

What Jesus teaches against is, empty ritualism, legalistic spirituality and hypocritical religiosity! St. Ignatius of Antioch, whom we celebrate today says that in very simple words, "it is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but to actually be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name." Works manifest my faith, faith makes my works efficacious!

Justice, Mercy and the Love of God

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 16, 2019: Remembering St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Romans 2:1-11; Luke 11: 42-46

'For God shows no partiality' - that verse from the first reading is evidenced in the Gospel today. Jesus minces no words, nor spares anyone! All that matters to Jesus is Justice and Mercy... and he pulls up every one, be it Pharisees or Scribes, as Paul pulls up, be it Jews or Greeks, following his Master! 

Justice and Mercy - purest forms of expression of God's love - is what we are called to set our minds on today! It is said justice is blind, and that is why they have the statue of justice blindfolded; God's justice is not blind, rather capable of seeing everything, even what one does not wish to be seen! Mercy comes in there, where God is able to see even the feeblest of our authentic efforts to tend towards true love. 

Celebrating the memory of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, we are reminded of the profound revelation of that incredible love of God, symbolised in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! Though God's love is a beautiful feeling of being drenched gratuitously, it challenges us - not merely to reciprocate, but to act with justice and mercy towards our fellow beings, as a concrete expression of that love received and cherished! 

Speaking of Justice of God need not be merely a discourse on the fright of judgement, but it has to be a daily criterion of action and decision in our life. Being merciful like our heavenly Father, is being mindful of even the simplest of opportunities to stand by truth, justice and love! Let us remember, being just, merciful and loving is the only way we can fit the description of being 'children of God'.

Beware of Foolishness

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 15, 2019: Remembering St. Teresa of Avila

Romans 1:16-25; Luke 11: 37-41

The theme of yesterday continues today...what Jesus spoke in the Gospel yesterday, St. Paul writes in his letter today. There isn't any need for an extraordinary exercise to realise the presence of God. "Be Still and know that I am God", suggests Psalm 46 (v.10). 

One common word that we can find in the first reading and the Gospel today is, "fool" (Rom 1:22 ; Lk 11:40). It would indeed be foolish, if we do not really manage to experience the presence of God after all that we have been blessed with in life. Be it St. Paul in the first reading or Jesus in the Gospel, they seem to be very strong with their words. At times it is necessitated!

Sometimes we can be led into that so-called foolishness by our daily concerns, overwhelming troubles, endless temptations, nagging situations, seemingly insuperable burdens that tend to bog us. As Jesus remarks, some of our misplaced priorities and scandalising practices in life, may not only take us away from God but may even keep some others far from God! How many have gone away from God, because of the life and practices of those who claim to believe in God! 

The readings, as well as the Mystic whom we celebrate today - St. Teresa of Avila, invite us to look within us and observe the greatness that is treasured within us, and from there we can shine forth to the world: through a thorough soul searching and a realisation of the indwelling Spirit within us! For we may be unworthy clay jars, but exactly in these has the Lord placed the priceless treasures (2 Cor 4:7)!

Asking for Signs

WORD 2day: Monday, 28th week in Ordinary time

October 14, 2019: Romans 1:1-7; Luke 11:29-32

'Asking for signs' - most of our prayers, consciously or unconsciously, are asking for signs; they are directly or indirectly asking for miracles. Is it that bad, or 'wicked' as Jesus calls it today, to ask for a miracle? Personally, I believe it is not! But what is bad and what gets on the nerves of Jesus today is the stubbornness or the blindness that does not allow one to see the miracles, the signs that are present right in front of our eyes. 

Those who questioned Jesus were only to look keenly into what was happening right in front of them, to understand that Jesus was the Word, the Good news of God prepared through the ages. The Word made flesh and living amidst them, demonstrating to them in all ways the tremendous majesty and love of God. This is what St. Paul tries to communicate in the letter to the Romans as we read today. 

All through history, people have always been demanding a sign, a miracle. Even the most rational of persons is in some way or the other susceptible to this tendency of curiosity. It is sufficient to look around and perceive the numerous accounts of certain curious happenings. The lesson we need to learn today is certainly not to convince ourselves that there are no miracles and those are merely some infantile imaginations. No, it is surprisingly the contrary, according to Jesus. Miracles abound for those who are ready to see them around. 

Here it sounds opportune to cite the famous saying (of Stuart Chase): 'For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.' 

THE GREAT ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

The touchstone of Sanctity

October 13, 2019: 28th Sunday in Ordinary time

2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17: 11-19

Spiritual life is made of a set of attitudes that make up who we are! The touchstone of an authentically spiritual person lies in the virtue that the Word of God speaks to us of today: the great attitude of Gratitude... gratitude for every goodness that one experiences, gratitude to the Source of all that one has and one is: God! "What do you have that you did not receive?" asks St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 4:7)... hence, the very touchstone of sanctity can easily be true sense of gratitude.

Gratitude is born of a Humble Recognition of God! Namaan was asked to dip in river Jordan and he felt offended because his pride ruled his will. But when he listens to that word from the Man of God, humbling himself for that moment, he recognised the presence of the Mighty God. It is only when I am humble, I recognise God and that recognition of God makes me more humble in turn! 

Gratitude is expressed in Grateful Submission to God! An authentic outcome of immense gratitude is total submission to God for the marvels that God has done to us. We see the man in the Gospel, just one out of the ten of them - "he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks" (v.16). What happened to the rest? Either they did not realise they were healed or they did not realise that the healing was a gift! This Samaritan heart realised the gratuitous miracle and recognised the hand of God - and the result was, a grateful submission at the feet of Jesus.

Gratitude leads to a Faithful Perseverance in God's ways! "Rise and go your way, your faith has made you well" (v.19) says Jesus, commissioning him to be an apostle to the World. That is the commission we receive every time we experience the grace of God in our personal lives - to go into the world and share the Word of God, 'that the word of God may not be fettered' (cf. 2 Tim 2:9). It is the gratitude for the goodness that we have experienced in the Lord that makes us persevere, amidst all troubles and trials we might face. Our perseverance is not so much because we are faithful to the Lord, as because the Lord is faithful to us, reminds St. Paul in the second reading (2 Tim 2:13). 

A grateful heart is a humble heart and a humble person will ever be a God-filled person and a God-filled person is marked by his or her courage and strength to persevere. That is why gratitude, a true sense of gratitude can be considered the touchstone of sanctity! Today, the Church invites us to recognise this sanctity as lived by five persons... as they are canonised as saints, that is persons who have lived their virtues to an heroic level and have become our models and intercessors.

Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890), lived half of his life as an Anglican before he converted to Catholicism in October 1845. In his humility he recognised the truth and was strong enough to go after it and he becomes a giant of sanctity from the 19th Century.

Mother Mariam Thresia (1876-1926), was an Indian mystic and founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family. In her faithful perseverance as an apostle of God's merciful love and compassion, she shines out as a model of true Christian living.

Ms. Marguerite Bays (1815-1879), was a Swiss lay woman who belonged to the Secular Franciscan Order, working as a seamstress. She was an ardent catechist who in her grateful and total submission to the Lord received the grace of the stigmata and united herself to the sufferings of the Lord from 1854 right up to her death.

Mother Giuseppina Vannini (1859-1911), was a Sister from Rome who founded the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Camillus. In her faithful perseverance she endured her health conditions and sought to serve others in sickness, even at the risk of her own life. 

Sister Dulce Lopes (1914-1992), was a Sister from Salvador, Brazil, belonging to the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God. Despite her humble life style, due to her dedication and commitment, she was nominated for a Nobel Prize! In 2010, when her body was exhumed for beatification, it was found intact and her grateful submission to the Lord and suffering people of God, has taken her evermore closer to God.

Learning to look deeper into our daily life and recognise the miracles that happen in abundance; putting up with daily crosses with the image of the Crucified Saviour in our hearts; placing ourselves each day at the feet of Jesus to be sent into the world as messengers of his loving Word - that is growing into Spiritual persons, Saintly persons. Certainly, gratitude for all the goodness we experience is the touchstone of this spirituality, of this sanctity. 

Let us heed the call of the Word today, increase our sense of gratitude and grow into authentic spiritual persons, in other words, saints! 

The call to be Blessed

WORD 2day: Saturday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 12, 2019: Joel 4: 12-21; Luke 11: 27-28

"To hear the word of God and keep it," invites the Liturgy. Today, with the Synod of the Pan-Amazonian Bishops underway, there are so many within and outside the Church, raising doubts and criticism against a lot of issues. Holy Father Pope Francis is being, at times even unduly, criticised from various sides... the anti-religious or anti-Catholic media is making the most of the time. There are some journals and dailies that are constantly spewing calumny and mongering lies, spreading false rumours in the name of interpretations which make things difficult for the ordinary faithful and worse still for those who are weak and already in crisis.

The times are bad - this would be true to say any day! Because, at all times in history there have been people who wished to have their way, capable of raking up issues that were really not there, create confusions and in those moments achieve their ends of dividing and impoverishing humanity. Are we going to give in to their wiles? Or are we, amidst all confusions, remain firm in that unwavering foundation of what God wants from us: the Word from the Lord? It is here that the theme of the day speaks so clearly to us: hear the word of God and keep it.

'Henceforth all generations will call me blessed', sang Mary when she heard the Word of God and said 'yes' to it. And Jesus reiterated it, that Mary was 'Blessed' not merely for having borne him physically and nursed him, but more for having heard the Word of God and unconditionally submitted herself to it. And thus Jesus opens the invitation to all - it is possible for anyone, just like Mary, to become 'Blessed'. All that you need to do, to be blessed is: hear the Word of God and keep it.

The days of the Lord!!!

WORD 2day: Friday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 11, 2019: Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2; Luke 11: 15-26

The Day of the Lord - in the history of the people of God - has had quite a few interpretations. The most common of those during the Old Testament times, was what we find in the first reading today - a day of doom, a day of destruction, a day of final judgement! We know it has inspired dreams, theories, churches, stories, movies and what not.

Jesus, spoke of not just the day of the Lord, but the days of the Lord, the coming of the Reign of God! The idea of judgement persisted, but the fear of destruction or doom gave way to the need to take a stand, the urgency to make a choice - for God or against God!

The day or the moment that we make a choice for God becomes for us the day of the Lord! The moment when we stand by the poor, the oppressed, the righteous, the honest, the just and the godly, we make a choice for God - for when you do it for the least of these, you do unto me, the Lord has promised.

When that choice for God becomes persistent and absolute, that is the Reign of God. Reign of God is not some Utopia or an otherworldly phenomenon that would descend on us one fine day. We need to evoke it, from amidst us by making right personal choices and by making those choices a culture, a mode of life, a life style.

The question is... am I ready to choose God, and choose God alone? Am I prepared to stand up for God? If yes, I become a son or a daughter of the Reign and these days in which we live shall become, the days of the Lord.

God first and God-trust...

WORD 2day: Thursday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 10, 2019: Malachi 3: 13-20; Luke 11: 5-13

'Why do the just suffer and why do the evildoers prosper?' - this has always been an unresolved question in history. We read from Prophet Malachi, "now we have reached the point when we call the arrogant blessed." It looks really and so drastically prophetic! It seems to be reflecting what we see today, in our present context - with all the importance given to money, power, possession, pleasure and comfort, the arrogant seem to be the most blessed!

There is yet another fundamental question, that is subtler and more crucial and that is: what is good and what is evil; what it means to be righteous and what it means to be wicked. Confusion reigns in the world today, in the name of rights and liberty, in the cover of broad-mindedness and lateral thinking, in the pretext of respect for the individual and promoting self-actualisation, there are so many fundamental values being compromised these days. 

Both these grand queries are reflected upon in the Word today which, perhaps provides us with the criteria to be acceptable in the eyes of God: To give the first place to God and things that pertain to God and to trust in God with no doubts whatsoever!  

When these criteria are lived in our daily life, there will indeed be no necessity for the questions we referred to a while ago! The first criterion will take care of the greed and manipulation that governs the world today; and the second will make us humble to receive everything from the hands of God, so that we look at ourselves and at each other as brothers and sisters of the One Father and Mother! 

The bewilderingly absurd Love of God

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 9, 2019: Jonah 4:1-11; Luke 11:1-4

The readings today call our attention to how bewilderingly gracious God is! Even in the Old Testament times when people thought of God in terms of one who punishes the wrongdoers, the theology that we see in the first reading today was quite strong: 'thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love' (Jonah 4:2). 

To our human minds, as was the case with Jonah, it can appear sometimes to be undeserving, confusing and sometimes even absurd! A personification of that absurdity is Jesus himself - God's only son whom God did not spare, because "God so loved the world" (Jn 3:16)! And "while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). 

The simple and fundamental fact we are given to understand here is that we cannot understand everything, within the short span that we have and with the limited knowledge we have of the whole truth. But one thing we need to fix our minds on and make our point of view: that God is good, all the time, beyond measure and without conditions! 

That was the crux of Jesus' words, teachings, prayer and his very life. With him everything was aimed at just one thing: to reveal the goodness, the graciousness and the bewildering and 'absurd' love of God for God's children! Once we understand that, we would understand two basic facts: God is in perfect control and we are in God's hands!