Repent and feel the love of the Shepherd

THE WORD IN ADVENT - Second Tuesday

December 10, 2019: Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 18: 12-14

The image we are given to contemplate today is that of the good shepherd with a lamb in his bosom, caressing it with compassion and love! That is what we are in the hands of God. 

It is an humbling experience everyday to realise how much the Lord loves us - in spite of our weaknesses and limitations, repeated failures and endless mistakes. It is enough to contemplate this picture when we feel we are overwhelmed with struggles and surrounded with troubles, we will feel the warmth of his embrace and the consolation of his whispers; despite the enemies that surround us, we will feel a sense of security; and there we will find the strength to begin anew and resume our walk with the Lord. 

"The grass withers, the flower fades"... our life is like that and our promises are so frail. "But the Word of our God will stand for ever" and we are never lost, for the good shepherd will always come in search; will always find us and will gently lead us on! The first reading brings to us this promise and the psalms sings the joys of it. The Gospel instead presents the image to be kept in mind.

The image to be remembered is not only the Good Shepherd who goes in search but also the lamb who lets oneself be found and who cuddles into the warm hands of the caressing Lord. The sacrament of reconciliation, the reconciliation of hearts with the brothers and sisters, a reconciliation to the justice of the Reign as we remember the World Human Rights day - these are concrete itineraries to make our way right back to the Lord. 

Let us Repent and feel the love of the Shepherd!

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY

December 9, 2019: Reminders from the Solemnity

Genesis 3: 9-15, 20; Ephesians 1: 3-6, 11-12; Luke 1: 26-38

We celebrate the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother today, 
yesterday having been a Sunday of Advent.

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Mother - the dogma of faith that Mary, from the moment that she was conceived in her mother's womb, was preserved without the stain of original sin. The celebration of today has 3 reminders for us:

Reminder 1: God's plan for each of us is eternal! God chose to preserve Mary even before she was born, from the moment of her passing from non existence to existence! How true when the Word says, 'You know me even before my bones were being formed in the womb of my mother.' God knows each of us and has a mysterious plan for us from eternity. Is it not true that God has chosen us before the foundations of the world, as St. Paul says.

Reminder 2: It was indeed a grace that Mary was spared from the stain of original sin, but she on her part remained faithful, sinless and wholly belonging to God all her life that she brought this grace of holiness, right upto the end of her life when she was found worthy of another grace - that of Assumption. We were freed from the bond of original sin too, at our baptism. Is it not our duty to bring this baptismal innocence right through to the end of our life that we can find ourselves in the company of saints and angels in union with God almighty!

Reminder 3: For Mary it was a remote preparation to behold the Son of God within her in God's own time. The feast occurs during Advent and reminds us that we are in that place too... to prepare ourselves to behold the Son of God, who wishes to be born in our lives this Christmas.

The Message is clear: God has chosen me from eternity to belong to God. It is my faithful response to this call that will determine my status as God's son or daughter. When I listen to God's word and live by it, God dwells in me, God's word will be born in me, making me the dwelling place, the tabernacle, the temple of the Living God!

REPENT TO THE SPIRIT OF THE REIGN

THE WORD IN ADVENT

December 8, 2019 - Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15: 4-9; Matthew 3: 1-12

Repent, for the Reign of God is near! A clarion call from the prophets today, to prepare ourselves in a worthy manner to receive the King. 

The King whom we await is someone different, some one unique, and has a style and outlook totally different from all other rulers that we know of! He does not force himself on us; when he passes by if we are worthy to receive him, he will enter, remain with us and rule in our hearts, our homes and our land! If not, he passes by, and we are the losers... for the axe is already placed at the roots and the worthless shrubs will stand no ground. The readings today instruct us through the great prophets Isaiah and John the Baptist and Apostle Paul, as to our disposition to receive the Reign; they invite us to possess the Spirit of the Reign!

The Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord - that is the Spirit we should possess to be people of the Reign. The Reign will come, the Ruler will appear, but the question is, you and me: will we be prepared to receive it today! 

The Reign is not merely plenty and prosperity, it is not merely a state of pleasurable feeling with nothing to worry, at times we imagine so. As St. Paul would define to the Romans, the Reign is Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17); it is this Reign that the prophets announced; it is this Reign that Jesus inaugurated through his life and mission; it is this Reign that we are commissioned to make present in the world today - it is Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit!

"Bear fruits worthy of Repentance" cries the voice in the desert. Our King is a righteous king, righteousness shall be his girdle says Isaiah. Unless we turn to righteousness, make our paths straight, leave the acts of darkness and live as people of light, going about our daily duties with diligence and dedication, we shall never be part of this Reign. The Spirit of Righteousness, is an hallmark of this Reign and it is this spirit that will show us the right way, the right sense and the right direction to take in life.

"Live in harmony with each other" reminds the Apostle. In his days righteousness shall flourish and peace abound, because our King is the Prince of Peace. We are challenged to be peacemakers in our daily life - when so much of competition and corruptions abounds, while people deceive and denounce each other, amidst the political forces that want social unrest and antisocial elements that brood over hurt and harm, we are called to hold together the frail humanity, in peace and serenity, by our thoughts, words and choices all governed by love, the love of God. The Spirit of Peace, would be a distinguishing mark of this Reign and shall hover over our days, healing the hurts and binding us in forgiveness, to build up the Reign of peace and serenity.

We shall give praise to the Lord among the peoples and Sing to the Lord's name, for the Lord comes to Reign, and we are called to be part of the Reign. Righteousness and Peace fills us with joy, the joy of the Lord, the joy of the Spirit, the joy that comes from an endless hope that the Lord fills us with. It is not merely a situation of having no problems, but a sense of inner strength to face everything with the help of the God of endurance and encouragement. The Spirit of Joy is the Spirit of the Reign. That is why the Holy Father Pope Francis repeats so often - a Christian can never be sad, a Christian has to be joyful, because in spite of all the problems of our life, we have the Lord with us! The Spirit fills us with joy, a joy that wells from within us, from that core of our being where God dwells.

Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit - that is the Reign of God... that is the Spirit of the Reign. The Ruler comes...let us make the paths straight, let us imbibe within us the Spirit of the Reign...and we shall welcome the King, we shall inherit the Reign!

Note: This year 8th of December, the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception is celebrated on the 9th as the Sunday of Advent normally takes precedence...

Return! To the Voice of the Lord!

THE WORD IN ADVENT - First Saturday

December 7, 2019: Remembering St. Ambrose
Isaiah 30: 19-21,23-26; Matthew 9:35 - 10:1,5,6-8

God is Gracious, God is Compassionate - that is the key to behold the message of the Word today. Jesus chooses his apostles and sends them out - because he had compassion on the people. Jesus sends the apostles out because there was so much to be done, so much tears to be wiped, so much guilt to be washed, so much suffering to be allayed, so much love to be shared, so much hope to be spread, in order that the Reign of God may truly come. 

The Lord sends you and me today - to go out and share love, spread hope, and build the Reign of God. Do we have doubts as to what we can really do? Never mind, for we will hear the voice of the Master behind us, 'This is the way, walk in it!" (Is 30:21). And that's the voice we are called to be - how can we be, unless we first listen to it ourselves! Hence the call: to return to the voice of the Lord!

The Lord depends on you and me... to take God's compassion to the the needy and the suffering...yes the harvest is plentiful, there is so much to be done! There are people, multitudes who are longing for those words of consolation from the Lord, who are looking for the strength from the Saviour, who are searching for a voice that would lead them on. The Lord depends on you and me... if we are lost to return to that voice; if we are safe, to be that voice to those who are still seeking. 

As God chose Ambrose from the crowd, with just a voice of a child crying out his name, to be raised into a great pastor in the Church, to win over later,  a great saint like Augustine for the Lord, so does God choose you and me today! Yes, it is you and I who have to do it... take the Reign of love and compassion to our brothers and sisters! To hear that Voice and to spread that Voice... for that, first we need to Return, to the Voice of the Lord!

Return! To your senses!

THE WORD IN ADVENT - First Friday

December 6, 2019: Isaiah 29: 17-24; Matthew 9: 27-31

'To see' is a spiritual quality; 'to hear' is a blessed disposition. The Word is full of these imageries today. The first reading speaks of the deaf who will hear, the blind who will begin to see, the lowly who begin to find joy in the Lord and the Gospel recounts one of those encounters where Christ gives sight to a blind person. 

In fact, 'to see' was the sign of the coming of the Lord... when the Baptist asked if Jesus was the Christ to come, Jesus responds saying, 'the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear and the dead are raised' (Lk 7:20,22)! Happy are those who are able to  see these and behold the presence of the Lord. Even amidst us, the glory of the Lord and the concerns of the Lord are ceaselessly being revealed - happy would we be, if only we take notice.

In the Reign of God, all shall possess the spiritual capacity to see and capacity to hear:  we shall all see, because we will have the light of the Lord; we shall hear because we will have the help of our God, as the responsorial psalm teaches us! It is not that the light and the help are not present at times, but that we are not present to them! Hence the call of the Advent today: to return to the Lord, to return to our senses, and see the presence of the Lord.

Yes, we will surely see the Lord face to face in the Reign, but today, in our daily life, we are challenged to see, to look, to hear, to perceive and to find the joy of the Lord in the midst of our routine... Can we, really? If we believe, we will. 

Let us grow everyday in our faith, to really sense the Lord, our light and our salvation. Let us pay heed to the invitation to Return, to our true senses!

Return! Come touch the base!

THE WORD IN ADVENT - First Thursday

December 5, 2019: Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7: 21,24-27

Are you familiar with baseball rules... what is it called when you finish one full round after you leave your initial base? A Home Run! In the military parlance, a person who goes on an air raid for example is said to 'touch the base' when he or she returns after the mission or a part of it is accomplished, for now! Keeping these imageries at the back of our mind, look at the images given in the Word today.

A strong city, a house built on a rock - these are the images we are given to contemplate today. A city with its walls, bulwarks and ramparts signify the strength that each one possesses. The house built on rock signifies the security and the assurance of safety that everyone looks for. After all the battering and the hard work, after all the running and the risks, one looks forward to enter that secure gates of home, to get that home run, to touch base!

In contrast we have the house built on sand which is quick to ruin itself, assailed by the least of the batterings; a city that is unguarded which has all the possibility of attack from within, from outside and from all unprecedented quarters. Just imagine, if this is all that awaits us! The Lord has something secure, strong, firm prepared for us. But it depends if we choose that or not!

The person that we are, the choices that we make, the priorities we have, the criteria we act on, the principles we stand by... these determine whether we choose the strength and the security that the Lord can provide! When these choices, priorities, criteria and principles are all founded on the Lord and the Lord's Word, we enter a city well guarded and a house firmly built on rock. 

That is where the Lord invites us: It's time to check our choices and priorities, get them right and Return! and make a home run, touch the base! 

Return! To the Table of the Lord!

THE WORD IN ADVENT - First Wednesday

December 4, 2019: Isaiah 25:6-10; Matthew 15:29-37

The first reading in various words explains just one fact - that the Lord removes anything between us and God, that separates... the veil or the shroud, the sheet or the web, the tears, and yes, even death! What is the sign of it - that we go sit at the table of the Lord, the banquet that we are reminded of in the first reading and the responsorial psalm.

The Gospel speaks to us of the very many things that can hinder us from experiencing God: sickness, disease, hunger, poverty, crisis, concerns of daily life, our personal handicaps - all these can hinder us from feeling the presence of God with us, block our vision from looking at God's goodness, blind our hearts from living in the presence of the lord, darken our minds from giving glory to God's name! 

The season of advent invites us to come to the Lord, as the crowds came, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the dumb...so are we invited to go to the Lord with our problems, limitations, joys and sorrows...and the word says, "they laid them at his feet and he cured them!" (Mt 15:30) - so shall we do; let us lay them all, every thing that hinders us from living our life to the full, everything that prevents us from receiving the abundance of God's love, let us place them at the Lord's feet and the Lord will certainly heal us!

And then we shall join the banquet of the Lord. Seven loaves were nothing in front of that crowd, but they were transformed into a satisfying banquet. The Lord has the table set - and the Lord invites us, "Return!" Let us return to the table of the Lord!

Return! To the Fullness of the Father!

THE WORD IN ADVENT - First Tuesday

December 3, 2019: Remembering St. Francis Xavier

Isaiah 11: 1-10; Luke 10: 21-24

A day to thank God for the great missionary St. Francis Xavier, who is so much connected to the growth of Christian faith in India and Japan; an evangeliser and catechist par excellence. 

Talking of faith and growing in faith, in a context like India, I have wondered often, and I am sure you have too, that at school, in the neighbourhood, as children we have always grown up with so many different people, different in their faith, different in their customs etc. but always grown up as friends and neighbours, sharing lives, sharing festivities and sharing our brotherhood and sisterhood as one humanity. From where then does hatred come, if this unity and fellowship is so natural? 

On the Lord's mountain, there is no hurt or harm, no killing or violence, no manipulation or deception. That is the fullness with which the Father made the whole world. The New heaven and New earth, has to be modelled on this - on the fullness of the Father. Hence it is not inventing something new, but going to the roots, a returning to the Father. 

This is of course found  naturally with children and those persons with a simple child-like heart. Jesus awes at these...the children and those who are children at heart: "for theirs is the Reign of God!" (Mt 19:14). Woe to those who cause these little ones to stumble, make them learn hatred and grow inhuman...(cf.Mt 18:6). To bring Good news, as Francis Xavier did, is not to brandish a brute superiority or instill a sense of inferiority and fear but sharing a sense of fullness, the fullness of the Father. It is growing to be peacemakers, children of God, persons of love... to Return to the fullness of the Father as true people of the Reign!

Return! The Lord is coming Home!

THE WORD IN ADVENT - First Monday

December 2, 2019: Isaiah 4: 2-6; Matthew 8: 5-11

One of the concrete expressions of faith is, total confidence that the Lord has the power to act on my behalf! And not just that, but that the Lord enters my life, my home, to fill me with the grace of salvation! Am I there to receive the Lord?

The readings today explain this reality to us in a splendid manner. Isaiah infuses hope into the people in exile that the Lord will bring back their glory to them, that the Lord will forgive all their iniquities, cleanse them and heal them... the call to go up to the house of the Lord is to become aware of the presence of the Lord, the presence that comes to encounter us in our daily life! 

In the first reading Isaiah builds up the people's shattered faith, the faith that Jesus notices in the centurion, a non-Israelite, a 'pagan' according to the Jews... Jesus sees the confidence that the centurion had in Jesus' power to heal that servant at home. With just that, the centurion received the power of Christ in his home!

Work-stress, family problems, personal crises, misunderstandings, relationship issues, daily concerns, discouragements, health issues... when we are faced with these - we need to have an unassailable confidence that Our Lord has the power to act on our behalf. We need to be there, when the power of the Lord comes home to us, to work in us!

Let us pray for the strength of faith, to say as the centurion does today: "Lord, only say a word, and your servant will be healed!" Let us return, for the Lord is coming home!

RETURN TO THE REIGN

THE WORD IN ADVENT

December 1, 2019: First Sunday of Advent 
Isaiah 2: 1-5; Romans 13:11-14a; Matthew 24:37-44

Let us begin with wishing each other a HAPPY NEW YEAR! A blessed New liturgical year begins today! And right at the outset the Lord invites us today, to RETURN to the REIGN of God. 

The Church is the sign and the sacrament of the Reign of God. We are the Church, the people of God! Therefore we are expected to be the signs, the bearers, the heralds of the Reign of God today to the world. And how can this happen if we are not people of the Reign, if we are not mindful of ushering in the Reign of God here on earth, or making the Reign felt concretely, if we do not really believe in what Christ said: 'The Reign of God is amidst you!' (Lk 17:21) Hence, the invitation today, to return to the Reign is basically a wake up call, to wake up to the reality, to wake up to our real identity, to wake up to our dignity as the People of the Reign and to live up to that identity on a daily basis.

Advent is an invitation to CLIMB the mountain of the Lord... yes, to walk in the way of the Lord, to walk in the light of the Lord...as the first reading repeats in different words. It is fundamentally an invitiation to climb, and invitation to go up, in fact to grow up. 

We are invited to go up, grow up, up above our tendencies of conflict and our feelings of rivalry and jealousy, above our petty considerations of ourselves and self centered striving for pleasure. It is a call to transcend what is popularly considered to be 'desirable' and reach the thinking worthy of the Reign - where swords can turn into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks; where all manipulation and exploitation will give into genuine love and sincere goodwill for the other.

Advent is an invitation to CONDUCT ourselves worthy of the Reign. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, invites us St. Paul. And in doing it, let's not wait for an opportune moment... for "now is the acceptable time, now is the time of salvation!" (2 Cor 6:2). Waiting for another moment will be a mistake, a blunder, a foolishness on our part. 

Let us make the choice, a choice for God, a choice for the light, a choice for the good, a choice to be alert and aware, a choice to be the people of the Reign. Let us not blame the world, the society, the times... the choice is ours, and let us make it now - To accept the invitation of the Lord and "walk in the light of the Lord"(Is 2:5). We will find the joy that the Lord can give, the joy that the Light can shed, the joy that cannot be taken away from us, and in that joy we will find the Reign of God amidst us!

Advent is an invitation to CELEBRATE the Reign of God amidst us, not waiting to reach the end but celebrating it all the way. Advent is not a preparation towards a celebration, it is a celebration in itself, a celebration of the peace, the prosperity, the security and the salvation that the Lord brings us. The invitation is to RETURN... yes, we are not going in search of the Reign somewhere in a far distant land; the Reign is not lost nor hidden, we are! We are lost, loitering around. We have forgotten out real destiny - the HOME. The Reign is our home and we need to return to it. We need to realise its presence right amidst us. 

The Reign of God becomes a reality when we celebrate our love and joy together as brothers and sisters in the Lord. This is the meaning of the phrase, All the way to heaven is heaven! As we pray in the responsorial psalm, we are walking, walking towards the Reign, but all through the way we are called to celebrate the Reign of God..celebrate the love we share, celebrate the equality we have, celebrate the justice we stand for, celebrate the brotherhood and sisterhood that we work to establish forever - that celebration is returning to the Reign!

As we begin the new year, and the wonderful season of Advent, let us pay heed to the invitation from the Lord - to Climb the mountain of the Lord, to Conduct ourselves worthy of the Reign and in that joy, to Celebrate the Reign of God, every day in our relationships in our family, in our communities, in our parishes, in our localities and wherever we are. May the joy of the Gospel, the joy of the Reign, fill our hearts all through this new year.