MERCY - THE MARK OF A CHRISTIAN

The Identity, the Source and the Embodiment

2nd Sunday of Easter: April 19, 2020
Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20: 19-31

This Sunday is liturgically called the Low Sunday which marks the end of the Easter Octave. "A week later" or "eight days later", indicates the Gospel today; it was a week later that Jesus appears to all the eleven, including Thomas and patiently, mercifully and lovingly leads them to true faith. The feast of Divine Mercy was instituted and fixed for this day by the  Pope Saint John Paul II, who was very much attached to this devotion, inspired by the Polish saint Sr. Faustina and her visions.  The central message of this Sunday is - MERCY!

The first reading speaks of how the early community of Christians becomes a mighty witness to the Lord. They were the epitome of the command that Jesus gave, 'be merciful as your heavenly father is merciful'. Mercy becomes their way of life, or rather their renewed way of life. As a mark of being a Christian, mercifulness to each other specially to those in need, becomes the point of attraction for many...and as the reading goes - the Lord added to their number everyday! Mercy is the high point of Christian identity. We do not gainsay that in anyway, but what matters most is how it is lived on a daily basis. It begins with our life at home: with our dear ones, elderly parents, sickly loved ones, troublesome children, rebellious youngsters... how is our relationship? What level of patience and acceptance do we manifest? These days with the lockdown and the quarantine, our patience must have been tested to its limit... what have we discovered about ourselves, about our levels of mercy, towards ourselves and towards others?

The Second reading speaks to us of the Source of mercy, God the father of Jesus Christ who in mercy sent the only Son for our salvation! The Mercy of God is given to us as an example and a scale to measure our "genuineness of faith"! Preaching and believing in high ideals of love and compassion, if we but hate people and divide families, envy others and detest their wellbeing... we are far far away from God, the God of Mercy and compassion. This is one of the loudest messages that Pope Francis wants the entire world to hear - you cannot call yourself a Christian nation, or Christian society, or Christian community and speak of war, division, discrimination, exploitation, retaliation and so on. What a shame to call ourselves 'Christian' and still stick to these terms of thinking and acting. Do you think blaming it on others who provoke such act or attitude, would justify this tendency in anyway?

Jesus' encounter with the disciples after his resurrection manifests a special quality of mercy... it is an encounter that is full of unlimited forgiveness and unconditional love! There is no demand that the disciples have to render an account for having abandoned Jesus at the crucial moment of suffering, for having betrayed him or having denied him!  There is no accusation that they refused to believe in Christ and his resurrection in spite of the numerous times and ways in which they had been taught about it. There is no taking to task Thomas and others who were stubborn in their unbelief even after multiple testimonies! All that Jesus does is, tell the disciples that he was always with them and invite them to be his witnesses throughout the world. That is the Embodiment of the mercy of God in the incarnate Son, the mercy which dwelt among us in flesh and blood and dwells among us today in the Spirit. Mercy, hence, has to be lived today in forgiveness and love; there can be no place for grudge and grievance, envy and slander, cheating and stealing, killing and enmity. 

In a world that is weighed down by exploitation of the weak, domination of the powers, threats of the arrogant, indifference of the affluent, selfishness of the elite - Mercy has to be exercised and manifested in our proclamation of the true Gospel: the liberation of the captives, the consolation of the suffering, the restoration of the exploited and the dignity of every human person. The Joy of the Gospel has to be announced to the whole world, calling the exploiting lot to justice and the exploited hearts to God's goodness.

At a time when persons are used and things are loved, relationships are strategised and families are sacrificed, marriages despised and commitments belittled - Mercy has to take the form of daily forgiveness and authentic love for persons, mutual acceptance of weaknesses and humble admittance of mistakes, loving care of the affected and reaching out to the weak: that is what a family is all about. It is in families that the Mercy of God has to be first infused today. The Joy of Loving each other has to fill this world with the presence of God and the real mercy that upholds personal and interpersonal dignity.

Amidst crisis that we are going through at this moment, let us not forget the various other crises we were fighting already before this COVID-19 episode began - the depleting water resource, the escalating pollution, the fossil fuel issue, the extinction of beings, the imbalanced accumulation of wealth, the deprivation of the powerless and so many others - Mercy has to take the form of loving the creation, every aspect of it, from the perspective of the Creator, the attitude of giving praise to the Lord by caring for our common home... that is true and practical Mercy.

As we celebrate the Divine Mercy of Jesus... let us understand and accept Mercy as our mark of identity as God's own children, the distinctive character of persons who call themselves Christians! Let us be merciful as our heavenly father is merciful, every day of our lives.

To be recognised as his companions

SATURDAY of the EASTER OCTAVE

April 18, 2020: Acts 4:13-21; Mark 16:19-15

"They recognised them as companions of Jesus", says a verse (13) in the first reading today. From the things that happened around them, from the words that the disciples were proclaiming and from the life that they were living, 'they recognised them as companions of Jesus.' 

Mark summarises the week after Easter in the passage that we read today in the Gospel. Again, the crux is to speak of, to announce, to proclaim Christ, whom they have experienced. Mary of Magdala 'went and told his companions'; the two of them 'returned and told'... Finally the Lord gives us the command: Go and Proclaim!

The two fold call that we have today is... 

First, to identify ourselves as companions of Jesus, to know that we are walking everyday with the Lord, that we are not alone on our life's journey and that all that happens in our daily experience has a tremendous impact on ourselves and others; that we need to be attentive to every little thing that is happening and see what the One who is with us wishes to communicate to us in and through them - specially in experiences like what we are going through these days. 

Secondly, the call is to 'proclaim'...to begin with, through our mindsets, attitudes and lifestyle and then explicitly through our words and speech. Look at the statement of the apostles at the Sanhedrin, "it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard!" It was so strong in them that they could not but talk about it - if we do not speak of God, or manifest our attachement to God, could it be that we have really had no strong experience with God? It is an important element to think about. 

Here is the point: have we seen and heard, that is experienced Jesus personally? How compelling a need is it for me to speak of Jesus to others? Are we really filled with the zeal to stand for Christ and speak of Christ todayy? Only if we feel that strong bond with the person of Christ, will the world ever recognise us as his companions, his friends, his associates, his disciples, his ambassadors. 

In whose name?

FRIDAY of the EASTER OCTAVE

April 17, 2020: Acts 4:1-12; Luke 21:1-14

In whose name?...that is the crucial question today in the readings. The question was alive and agitating in Jesus' times, as every one kept asking him in whose name was he doing all that he was doing! The question lingers on even today, as each of us live our Christian call - in whose name do we do all that we do! 

The first reading while notifying us of how the apostles were posed with that question, explains to us how the rejected stone turns into the corner stone, a name which they wanted to wipe off from the history of humankind was rewriting history. There is a twofold lesson given to us here:

One, to grow to be cornerstones and the other, to recognise our corner stone, here and now!

We are called to imitate the life of the Corner Stone, becoming ourselves corner stones to the Reign that the Lord wishes to establish within us and through us. Just as Jesus lived to do the will of the one who sent him, we are called to discover the unique plan that God has for us and live it to the full. Just as Jesus was who he was and did what he did, all in the name of his Father - so are we called to do everything in Jesus' name, that we become, grow to be the corner stones that humankind needs today to stay firm. 

Secondly, we need to readily recognise the corner stone of our lives, the Risen Lord Jesus! That feeling, "it is the Lord" and the readiness to jump into the waters of daily life to encounter the Risen Lord standing on the shore, are but just two of the many compelling examples that the apostles and their early communities give us. How prepared are we to recognise our corner stone and accept Him to be truly our firm foundation: it is the Lord! How ready are we to jump into the chores and anxieties of our daily life, certain that the Lord awaits us on the other bank!

When we live our life "in His name" on a daily basis... we not only recognise the corner stone of our life but also train ourselves to be corner stones that create communities of joy and hope, wherever we are and in whichever situation we are!

A Roadmap to being Witnesses

THURSDAY of the EASTER OCTAVE

April 16, 2020: Acts 3:11-26; Luke 24:35-48

You are witnesses of these things...says the Gospel today. We are witnesses of the great works that the Lord has done in and through us! Just imagine, how many decades we will be recounting the stories of these days - the days of crisis, quarantine, the lockdown and the closure of all institutions including the churches! As trues sons and daughters of God and the disciples of the Risen Lord, we are called to witness to something different! And the readings today give us three steps towards being such witnesses. It would do us good to reflect on these steps.

To see - The first reading reports the discourse of the apostles to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem after the cure of the crippled man. This is the first step: to see our history through the eyes of faith. They were able to interpret things from the past, the things of history from a new light - the light of faith. How prepared and capable are we to see things and interpret them the true light of faith?

To be Challenged - The second step is to be challenged by understanding history from the perspective of faith. It does not begin actually with interpreting for others, but primarily from within oneself - sincerely being critical with oneself. The apostles who deserted Jesus, hid themselves away and looked to escape into their past, were challenged by the Risen Lord as we see in the Gospel. And they accepted the challenge and managed to understand, relearn everything that happened, from the perspective of faith that Jesus opened up to them.

To Challenge - The call, thirdly, is to challenge the others towards a commitment of faith! What Peter does today is not to accuse the Jews of anything, but challenging them towards a personal experience of the Risen Christ. He was mindful of the weak person that he was, the act of cowardice that he fell in to in moments of crisis - but he has risen from those moments and now he is able challenge his own brothers and sisters. We need to become aware of our moments of weaknesses, grow out of them and never cease to challenge each other to perfection - only through that we can become true witnesses.

To see, to be challenged and to challenge - that is the road map to be true witnesses!

Recognising the Risen Lord

WEDNESDAY of the EASTER OCTAVE

April 15, 2020: Acts 3:1-10; Luke 24: 13-35

To know that Christ is with you, is an incomparable potential. I shall be with you till the end of times, is the promise that Christ gives and keeps! Regardless of whether we realise it or not, acknowledge it or not, recognise it or not, the presence goes with us.  In moments such as what we are going through right now, in a situation health crisis all over the world, do we really make the effort to realise the divine presence with us!

The two disciples on the way to Emmaus, did not recognise Jesus nor acknowledge his presence. Peter and John, were mindful of the fact they had nothing much to offer on their own. The disciples walk all the way back to Jerusalem and the apostles make extraordinary things happen, the moment they become aware of the presence of the Risen Christ with them. 

But we can see what really made them realise that presence... the breaking of the bread. Just look back how during these days of the Holy week the catholic families all over the world, broke bread in their homes as a Universal Church lead by their caring pastors.... weren't they truly moments to recognise the presence of the Lord amidst us, right where we were! That is the presence that the Risen Lord wants us to experience and live by, draw strength from and share with others. 

When I know and am conscious of the presence of the Lord with me, I become capable of living life with an incredible serenity! The Lord's presence with me is a gift; recognising it on a daily basis, is my responsibility! 

My father and your father

TUESDAY of the EASTER OCTAVE

April 14, 2020: Acts 2: 36-41; John 20:11-18

"My father and your father" - what a beautiful expression to hear from Jesus today. The first reading presents repentance and baptism as a way of being accepted as children of the God who raised Jesus from the dead: Jesus' father and our father. Our faith is all about relationship: the relationship of a covenant that has been lived from eternity, between God and God's own.

There is a problem that sometimes faith can be reduced to what has to be carried out as an obligation, as demands, without really understand why something is done and what is being accomplished is the process of doing it. It is a sad situation to behold that rules and regulations take the dominant place in these considerations - and not the persons who are involved - me and my God! Me and my God - that is where the relationship begins!

There is another danger that a true Easter faith warns us of. At times our vision of God can be blurred, when we are too focused on our own whims and fancies and are stuck to our own selfish desires and decisions. Openness to hear what the Lord wants to communicate, is fundamentally the openness to a strong relationship with God, which presumes a cordial, responsible and loving relationship with each other, with one's brothers and sisters in Christ.

Fundamentally, this is what the Risen Lord and the Easter faith wishes to communicate to us: fix you gaze on your relationship with God, the person of God, the person who loves you without ceasing, the person who has given up everything for your sake - even oneself in the Son who was sacrificed. Jesus calls that person: My father and your father!

Get back to Galilee!

MONDAY of the EASTER OCTAVE

April 13, 2020: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Matthew 28:8-15

Easter people are people filled with hope, a hope that never fails. Things had gone bizarre for the disciples - the three years spent with Jesus seemed waste of time, Jesus seemed to have just disappeared into a thin air, their life seemed in danger, they looked like they were fugitives from the law, they were all quarantined as most of the world is today - afraid of something, but they know not what?

Added to the confusion, some where claiming Jesus is risen, at least his body is not in the tomb where it was placed and no one has reportedly taken it away from there... what to make of it no one knows. And there were conspiracy theories spun around it, as it is done today with people creating and spreading their own theories how the COVID crisis began and how it would end up. 

In spite of the plotting against the resurrection of Christ, Jesus never gives up! Just like he was, when he was moving around with them, Jesus keeps to his singular focus: doing the will of the Father! Until the time that people in their desperation give up all these attempts of thwarting the Truth and believers were showered upon with grace after grace. 

Monday of the Easter Octave, we hear the plan of those who wanted Jesus dead and gone, and now to deter further any spread of the Good news of Christ. What does Jesus tell them: Get back to Galilee... that phrase means... you have seen the Lord, you have seen what the Lord did in your life and in the lives of those around, you have seen the glories and the blessings that the Lord brought wherever he went - GET BACK TO IT... go be a blessing to the other, go be a beacon of hope to the world, go shine as light to those in the darkness of doubt and fear! Get back to Galilee, get back to your great time with the Lord and you will regain the strength to start your life again.

BEING EASTER PEOPLE TODAY

EASTER SUNDAY: April 12, 2020

He is risen and he goes before you to Galilee, announces the angel today! Yes, the Lord is Risen! Alleluia! And he has resumed his life… we have to keep pace with him today! The Risen Lord invites us to be Easter People Today. Amidst the cry of helplessness that arises from a world that is stricken with sickness right now, we need to cry out with hope and joy, reinvigorating the world, rejuvenating humanity. We are called to be Easter people today!

The world is in need of Easter People; if I am not an easter person there is one hope less in the world. The Resurrection of the Lord invites us to a life of difference, to know the difference, to make a difference and to feel the difference! We cannot conform to the world, the Lord calls us to a transformation of the mind and spirit (cf.Rom12:2), that we may challenge the world - that is what we have been preparing for all this lent! This non-conformity to the world is what marked the Early Christians from the rest of the people… the world recognized they were a different people, that they were easter people!

From the unreal to the Real
The world today poses promises after promises for a happy life – possessions, comforts, popularity, power, pleasure… all these are presented to us as sure means of happiness in life! But a closer look at the situation today will let us know instantly how unreal these are. They make you slog with a promise of a great future till you suddenly realize, that future never comes… you slog, slog and slog only to finally leave everything behind with a heavy heart and a resentment of the lost past. From these unreal promises, the Risen Lord invites us to the Real: to know the difference, the difference between the fleeting promises and the promises that stand forever! 

Being Easter People Today demands that we know this difference, the difference that the Lord wants to make in our lives. He has risen precisely for that, that he may make a difference! Shifting our focus from the unreal promises of an unreal happiness, the Lord invites us to focus on the Real promises of joy: that my joy may be in you and your joy may be  complete (Jn14:11). It is in living our life in union with the Lord, experiencing the love of the Lord and sharing it generously with our brothers and sisters, that our joy can be Real, lasting and permanent. Don’t you think as Easter people we have something concrete to offer to the world in this regard?

From the darkness to the Light
The world today reports darkness and darkness everywhere – Contagion, death, conspiracies, domination, superpowers, exploitation, killings, direct and indirect terrorism, crisis, abuse, deception, suicides and such news of desperation fill the dailies and the news-tubes today. There is darkness everywhere because people have gone a long way with the unreal images and misleading guideposts. But the Risen Lord fills us with hope that there could no point of no return, if we are in the Lord! There is always hope, if we as Easter People accept our call to move from the darkness to the Light. The same Lord who said, “I am the Light of the world” (Jn 8:12) looks at each of us and says, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). Arise! Shine! For your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you, says Prophet Isaiah (Is 60:1). 

No darkness can overcome the Easter People…we are people of the light and this light we have to let it shine, let the world see, let the world be guided. Often times, the sad fact is that we do not realize who we are and continue to lament on the darkness that surrounds, not only lament, but spread it ourselves too… there is unrest, there is crisis, there is hatred, there is desperation… yes they are there, but what have I done to make a difference! What have I changed within myself? What  have I contributed to my setting, what have I changed around me to make a difference? Without really having done anything to make a difference can I claim myself to be an Easter Person? What meaning would it have to celebrate Easter then?

From death to Eternal life
The world today is rushing into a culture of death, warned us Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, long long ago. Hopeless pessimism, inhuman utilitarianism, exaggerated materialism, heartless skepticism and limitless consumerism… these are signs of the Reign of the Evil one, of the kingdom of death!  The Risen Lord invites us from this reign of death to the glory of eternal life. An unfailing optimism, love filled relationships, balanced understanding of development and advancement, use of things and love for people…these are the signs of eternity, because they will never end. We are called to be people who feel the presence of these signs within us and witness to these infront of the world today. 

An Easter person has to be filled with life and has to fill those around him or her with life. Standing against the culture of death we are called to witness for optimism rather than desperation, to opt for love rather than exploitation, to liberate ourselves from slaveries and challenge the world to a liberated life style. The Risen Lord fills us with this life… a life that is filled with Joy, a life that is lit with Truth and a life that is defined by hope. Let us take it to the rest of the World as the disciples took the risen Lord to the rest of the world.

Being Easter people today demands that we know the difference between the unreal and the Real, that we make a difference and lead the world from darkness to Light, and that we feel the difference that the Risen Lord offers us: the promise, the gift and the hope of Eternal Life.

WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY EASTER...BE FILLED WITH THE HOPE OF THE RISEN LORD!
BE EASTER PEOPLE WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!

LOVE REMAINS

Holy Week 2020 - SILENT SATURDAY

April 11: In Sacred Silence

What happened after Jesus died and before he rose? What was he going through? 

He was silent! 
He was waiting! 
He just remained! 

This is the call of this unique day of the year in the Church: this is the only day in the whole of the Church when no Eucharist is Celebrated...the altar remains stripped, the tabernacle remains empty and the Church remains silent: waiting in patience to see what is going to happen next.

The Lord rests in the tomb this day... everything is silent! There will be a dawn very soon... but until then we are invited to Remain Silent, Remain Patient and Remain Waiting. 

It is not so easy to remain silent in a moment of crisis. Multitudes of questions, thousands of thoughts will pass by our mind breaking our silence. One could see that - in these moments of quarantine - how many issues, how many conspiracy theories, how may fake messages doing their rounds and how many stress creating discussions! Only the one who has an unwavering faith in the Lord can remain silent at these moments.

We have grown slaves to instant results. We seem to have have lost the natural patience of our forefathers, in the name of development and technology. Only the one who hopes in SomeOne greater than oneself, can remain patient and see things happen.

Compare waiting for a public utility, may be a transport or one's turn in a crowded office, with waiting for one's beloved! While former seems irritating, the latter looks exciting. The difference is the love that is involved: Only the one who loves the Lord immensely, remains waiting, for the Lord to act on his or her behalf.

Today is the day to remain...to remain silent, to remain patient, to remain waiting, because the Lord is getting something beautiful ready for us! The Lord waits...and let us wait on the Lord too!

LOVE DIES, FOR YOU AND ME

Holy Week 2020 - GOOD FRIDAY 

April 10: Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

We are at the peak, the peak of our Christian faith, the peak of the eternal salvation plan of God, the peak of calvary which has transformed human history forever and from eternity. From this peak today speaks to us the love of God - telling each of us: I died for you! I emptied myself for you! I gave totally of myself for you!

The liturgy today invites us to dwell on three C's...

The first is the Cross - the centre not merely of the liturgy of today, but of our entire Christian life, theology and spirituality. The Cross is the true symbol of love, not the heart with a piercing arrow! The cross is the symbol of that total self-giving, total to the extent of the last drop of blood and water. Suffering accepted for the other, suffering taken up as a mode of self-giving, suffering endured as an act of love, is salvific! This is both an inspiration and an invitation that we need to hear every time we look at the Cross. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!

The second is the Crown - do you know another word for a crown... Corona! We are so filled with this word, these days as we battle against the COVID 19 crisis, all over the world. When sufferings come our way, when trials visit us in our days, when burdens weigh down our shoulders, when disease and death threaten us from the dark corners, we need to remember this crown! Just imagine an athlete running a race, if right at the beginning he is given a crown and said, all that you need to do is reach the finish line... the crown is certainly yours, it is guaranteed! That is actually a real Christian vision of life... yes we have to run, yes we have to toil, yes we have to strive... but the crown is ours, already! Any crisis, any suffering, any temptation, any trial, is there just to be endured and traversed; let us remember, we are all running with the crown already on our head...if only we are ready to live through them all in faith! Nothing can overtake us, nothing can overcome us, for there is someone who has overcome everything - sins, world, even death and his crown we have on our heads, the crown of salvation. Into your hands Lord, I commend my Spirit. 

The third is Calvary - the hill of grace, the mountain of salvation! The first time I visited Calvary, I was disappointed. When the programme of the visit said, Calvary, my mind had imagined an impressive hilltop up there - but all I beheld was a dozen steps to climb with the place of crucifixion marked. We had already made the climb walking the gradually rising slope leading to the Church of Crucifixion. But that is precisely the message: Calvary is not that one hill perched high right in the middle of our life - it is one whole life, it is a life long experience, something that we gradually climb and come to grips with everyday. Amidst the daily chores, amidst the experiences of failures and faults, amidst the trying relationships and discouraging life situations, we behold our calvary - the hill of grace, the mountain of salvation. All that we need to do is, be ready is go through these mindful of the fact that there is God's Holy Will which is guiding us and be ready to surrender ourselves totally. Thus we can finally say, 'it is accomplished!'

Let us heed to the call of the Cross and understand the role of suffering in our personal salvation and the salvation of the humankind. Let us behold the crown of salvation and live the mystery of calvary every day in our lives, firm in faith, filled with hope and fired by love.