A Challenge and an assurance

WORD 2day: Saturday, 14th week in Ordinary time

July 10, 2021: Genesis 44: 18-21, 23-29, 45: 1-5; Matthew 10: 7-15

I know of so many youngsters who are so inspiring by the absolute choice that they have made for God and the will of God.  People who have had great ambitions and plans, but  have just thrown them into the air for the sake of a vision that God inspired. Persons who have had prospects so promising, but have ignored those just because they felt they have been called for a specific mission, a mission in the footsteps of the Master-saviour. Daring individuals who have made choices for which they are being derided, called names and have suffered worst experiences of want and willful deprivation. A challenge! 

When this challenge is taken up, one could find oneself on a tossing sea or a troubled sky, but nothing would disturb the person, for he or she has found a ground so firm, a base so strong, a root so deep - the Lord who calls, commissions and walks one through. At the end of all the tribulations, pervades a serenity, a sense of accomplishment, the same sense with which Jesus gasped on the cross, "It is accomplished." That is the tone in which Jacob aka Israel speaks today of his end and what should come after. 

The Lord does not leave us merely with the challenge, he attaches an assurance! The assurance of God's caring presence with us! Pope Francis in his first encyclical Lumen Fidei called this 'the accompanying presence of God' (LF 57). It is an assurance that arises from the fact that God loves us, that God values us, that God cares for us, and above all, that God counts on us!

The challenge is to belong to God, come what may. It is not an easy task considering the prevailing atmosphere today. 

To stick till the end

WORD 2day: Friday, 14th week in Ordinary time

July 9, 2021: Genesis 46: 1-7, 28-30; Matthew 10: 16-23

 

Enduring till the end is the test of the strength of one's faith. Israel (Jacob) today expresses that great satisfaction in having endured till the end, on seeing Joseph alive..."Now let me die!" - a sense of fulfilment! As later we would hear Simeon exclaiming in the Temple of Jerusalem on seeing the child Jesus, "At last all-powerful Master, let your servant go in peace. For, my eyes have seen the salvation you have prepared for the nations!" 

Jesus teaches the same to us his followers, "the one who endures till the end shall be saved" (Mt 10:22). Endurance that Jesus demands is for two reasons - first, because all the troubles that a follower of Christ faces is for such a noble purpose, a cause so great, that anything can be given up for its sake - the Reign of God on earth. Seek first the Reign of God... even if you have to give up your home, your dear ones, your belongings or even your life, for you will be rewarded hundred percent, says the Lord, here on earth and in the eternal life! 

Secondly, because the mission entrusted to us is so vast and so immense that these troubles can measure nowhere in comparison to it. He says with a tinge of humour, even if you have to run from one town to the other due to persecutions, "you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes." Such was the determination of the early Christians and the Apostles who led them from the fore - to stick till the end, the very end.

To proclaim through our daily lives the Reign of God and if we have to face hard consequences due to it, to be prepared to endure it all the way - that is the call for me today. 

Shalom - Carrying God's message...

WORD 2day: Thursday, 14th week in Ordinary time 

July 8, 2021: Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29, 45:1-5; Matthew 10: 7-15

 

The theme of yesterday continues still - Being sent, and sent on a mission! The Lord sends the twelve to carry his message to all the people of Israel, a message of gladness, healing, restoration, peace and joy... in short Shalom! 

As Joseph notes in the last verse of the first reading today, "it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you". It was with a mission that Jesus was sent to us and it is with a mission that Jesus sends us today - he says to each of us: "As the father sent me, so I send you"(Jn 20:21). 

Each of us is sent! Sent with the promise of Shalom; Shalom which is fullness of blessings that we wish for every brother or sister in the Lord, or for that matter that is what we wish for the whole world as sons and daughters of the Good Lord. We may wonder, why the whole world... is it not only those who are good to me; those who are my well-wishers? But the Lord and the Word today have it otherwise.

We are presented with the example of Joseph who in spite of all that they did to him tells the rest of the sons of Jacob, “I am your brother"! Isn't that the true Christian attitude expected of us? This is possible only if we look at everything from the perspective of God as did Joseph, and of course Jesus! That is shalom... not just being good to those who are good, but being good and... period - irrespective of what others are and what the world is.

Let this day be another opportunity for us to carry the Lord's message today: Shalom to you! 

 

His band... of brothers and sisters

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 14th week in Ordinary time

July 7, 2021: Genesis 41:55-57, 42:5-7a, 17-24a; Matthew 10: 1-7

 

The Twelve... that is the common element in the two readings today. The 12 tribes and the 12 apostles, was not a mere coincidence, it was more than that. It was a choice to resemble because the Lord was raising a new people of God, the New Israel, a new band of brothers and sisters. 

Jesus had a big following, that is, his disciples and from them he sends these 'Apostles'; we are among his disciples already by our Baptism and he wants to send each of us with a specific mission. And each of us sent, exactly to where we are - to our homes, to our neighbourhoods, to our parishes, to our societies... to establish the Reign of God, that is, to assure the needs of all, to stand by the neglected and guarantee them their rights, to stand against the ungodly forces, the unjust systems, the corrupt and inhuman dominations, to empower the people towards a peaceful, serene and human existence. 

The naming of the Apostles - with a function given to them: to chase the evil spirits and to heal the sick! Apostles are those who are 'sent' (literally too, 'apostolos' in Greek); sent in the name of God with a specific mission. Joseph of the Old Testament, was an apostle too - sent ahead by God to Egypt in order to provide for God's people at a later time! So, providing for God's people, liberating them from the ungodly forces and giving them a life in all its fullness - those are the duties of an apostle, on behalf of the Lord who sends him or her.  

Have I made real efforts to understand my call and my mission as an apostle, the Lord's band of brothers and sisters?

The Struggle of life and death

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 14th week in Ordinary time 

July 6, 2021: Genesis 32:23-33; Matthew 9:32-38

It's puzzling! Among a few puzzling details of the Old Testament is the likes of today's account from Jacob's life. The Lord (!?!) wrestled with Jacob, says the reading today - and elsewhere we see a similar account of God trying to kill Moses (Ex 4:24). Whatever may be the exegesis, the first disclaimer here is not to take these lines literally. There is a symbolic or an interpretative meaning to these happenings! 

One thing we can guess here is that these men had something really to struggle with, a struggle of life and death! But they stood firm on the side of the Lord who had called them and after that struggle of life and death, there is something remarkable, a change that is radical, a happening that defines history forever. For, Jacob after that struggle comes to be called Israel, a name that would define the People of God forever. Incidentally, Moses after that struggle comes to establish a new covenant with the Lord in the sign of circumcision - again something that would define the People of the Covenant, ever since. 

Jesus had the same struggle, constantly there were people who followed him as there were the others who tried their best to demonise him (Mt 9:34). The struggle went on right till the cross - the struggle of life and death, but he stood by the Father who had sent him. And after that struggle, he was not anymore merely Jesus, but Jesus the Christ; there came the event that changed the World for ever, it changed the history not only of the world in general, but of you and me in specific! Today we are saved, in his struggle, in his death, in his wounds, in his blood and in his Resurrection! 

Can we say from our hearts today that we are ready for struggles that come on our way because of our faith in you!

Encounter that touches

WORD 2day: Monday, 14th week in Ordinary time 

July 5, 2021: Genesis 28:10-22; Matthew 9: 18-26

Encounter with God - the Word presents three of them today: Jacob's encounter with God, the ailing lady and the little child encountering Jesus. There are two messages that stand out in the entirety of today's events. 

Firstly, any encounter with God rejuvenates. Jacob was given a new vision of life; the lady with the haemorrhage was given a new life; and the little child was given back her life! One cannot remain the same after having encountered God. 

The second message, which is carried specially by the Gospel account, is about the special encounter through TOUCH - It is interesting to note the two accounts of Luke which seem to point to a fact: whether you touch God or God touches you, the fruits are the same! The lady, sad and suffering touched Jesus, and Jesus touched the little child dead and gone... the effect was the same - a new lease of life. 

Touching God or God touching us, they are the same - for they both are fundamentally an encounter and "Faith is born of an encounter with the living God who calls us and reveals his love" (Lumen Fidei, 4). 

May be another important feature can be underlined too - that God met Jacob on a ground  and while he slept; Jesus encountered the diseased lady on a road and amidst a jostling crowd; Jesus touched the little girl in a room and while she lay dead! It does not matter where we are, or what we are up to, the living God can encounter us anywhere and anytime, provided we are ready and willing to accept and behold the encounter. 

Behold I stand knocking at the door, says the Lord! May Lord Jesus touch us so that we may be healed by that encounter that touches our entire being. 

CALL AND CONTRADICTIONS

Living our call to the full

July 4, 2021: 14th Sunday in Ordinary time
Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10; Mark 6: 1-6

Based on the Word this Sunday, here are some contradictions that you could ponder on…

1. You are sent by God to a particular space and time: till the end of your time you will not realise it to the full and not as long as you are in the space where you live!
    How many of us wonder what we are really upto and how many even lament that we are not making any meaning at all where we are! It is simply the strength of faith that can help us understand that we are in a particular situation, because God willed us to be there!

2. You are sent to live amidst a people, the people with whomever you find yourself in reality, but they will never look at it that way and you will wish to have been elsewhere all your life!
    At times it takes a whole life time to prove oneself; ironically some end their life, all the time trying to prove themselves, and never succeeding in any way. It takes a really strong self esteem to stand firm even at certain drastic experiences of rejection we face in life. That sort of a self esteem, comes from our sense of being connected to our real source, that is God, from whom we draw our dignity.

3. You are called to be a prophet - though it means living a life of a prophet, it is decided only in the way you die. It is, literally or symbolically, a call to die for a cause!
    This is another irony…to live for a cause is actually to die for it. That is, we find that the cause we are dedicating ourselves to, is so meaningful and life-giving that we are ready to give up anything for that. The Reign of God has to one such cause, or “the cause” for which a disciple of Christ has to live for, or die for?

4. You are sent, as people of God, amidst a people who would not easily accept you; if they accept you easily, may be, they are not the ones for whom you are specifically sent!
    Is it not our usual experience: that we seek to be with those with whom we feel at home, by whom we feel accepted, with whom we feel comfortable and appreciated. Apart from this, there is a kind of divisive sense of belonging, that differentiates between ‘we’ and ‘they’, ‘our’ and ‘their’… a sectarian mentality that has deep roots even within a church!

5. You are sent - that does not mean you are special... just look around and you would see scores of persons much better than you, however that does not excuse you from following your call.
    A sincere person is certain to have this feeling – that one is not really worthy of the call that he or she has received. For example, to be called ‘christian’ or to be called ‘people of God’ or ‘persons of God’…do we merit it? No. But that fact notwithstanding, we are called to live, strive to live the call that we have received, the chosen-ness that we enshrine.

6. You are sent - therefore it doesn't matter if you don't love the task that you are entrusted with, it is your duty not your hobby; do it with your full heart and energy… even if it is, and especially if it is living your daily life in silence!
    It could be that, the task we are called to does not interest us, or some one else’s task seems more attractive or more engaging or more rewarding! But that cannot deviate me from the responsibility that is entrusted to me! I need to grow sufficiently strong in the faith perspective of my life, that I do things not because I like them, but because I have been commissioned to do them, nevertheless I do them to my maximum capacity.

7. You are sent - that does not mean you are strong, it makes you weak and vulnerable! But it is in that weakness and vulnerability that you would make the One who sent, better known to the rest!
        It is not merely an honour to be an apostle, that is, to be sent. It is more a challenge and a risk. It does not only make me special, it makes me also more responsible, more answerable, more culpable of the wrong personal choices I make. No one practically may know the deep buried motivations that guide my choices, but God knows it all and it is God who has sent me. Does that not make me really vulnerable? However, that is my special identity, isn’t it?

8. You are a prophet to the people which means you would be rejected by them, at least by the dominant and the majority - if you are easily accepted, you are no prophet!
       What prophet is he or she, who speaks only what everyone likes! Is it not more a pleasing than a prophesying? Like Jesus asked in connection to John the Baptist: what did you go to see in the desert – a man with an elegance and finesse? If you are cause of a controversy, it is perfectly alright, provided you did not create it deliberately for your own mileage and your own hidden agenda.

9. Popularity and Prophecy do not go together - mind you, if you seem too popular in a place, you are conforming to their ideals, and not to the one who sent you. So, don't strive to make yourself acceptable!
        Pleasing, popularity, conformity – these are terms diametrically opposed to a prophetic lifestyle. The only person we need to please, or conform to, is God! This is due to the fact that God is eternal, never changing and ever perfect. When we begin to please as many as we can, we begin to compromise and conform, losing truth and meaning of our very lives. It is a serious question to dwell on, beginning from our simple ordinary daily life, to national and international affairs.

10. The One who sent you, sent you to the rebels, not to the patriots! Hence if you are comfortable with those who are inside the flock, with those who are just around you, you are mistaken - you haven't started to live your call yet!
       This is again the choice of people whom we deliberately choose to be with! But here it directly refers to those whom one intends to serve! When I do something for someone, I wish to see my returns, my reward, my satisfaction…and if I choose to serve only those who are submissive and those who do not raise any critical questions with respect to the situation in which they live. The world today is desperately trying to redefine ‘partiotism’ and ‘loyalty’, as conformism and compromise! Can it be?

In conclusion, what is the Word challenging us to be, or to do? To think and act in terms of the call that we have received and to be ever conscious of it. It may present apparent contradictions deep-seated controversies, but making the call the foundation of our meaning in life, is the secret to grow into true disciples, apostles, and prophets of the Lord.

My Lord and My God!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

July 3, 2021: Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle

Ephesians 2: 19-22; John 20: 24-29

It is always a special grace given that a person is concretely offered a proof for his or her faith. Otherwise faith is a personal experience that is inspired within a person and expressed in daily life. Thomas, the Apostle occasions an event that became an unforgettable experience for even the rest of the apostles, and for the entire believing community. 

Apart from focusing on the fact that Thomas doubted and hesitated to go by others' experience, his awe and total acceptance of the Master is a great inspiration for us. That statement he makes, My Lord and My God, was a such a spiritually mature statement that could not have come merely on the spur of the moment. It is definitely a relationship that Thomas shared with Jesus, a conviction he grew in and a declaration that summarised his faith experience. 

Thomas excels in taking the belief in Jesus to the next level, as he addresses Jesus for the first time as "God"! Till then they called Jesus, Master, Rabbi, Teacher, and even Lord...but it is from the heart of St. Thomas that we hear for the first time within the Gospels, Jesus being addressed, God. That was the sign of the faith maturity that was coming into the community of believers. It is a maturation of their perosnal experience of the person of Jesus!

The call for us today, is to become aware of our personal experience with Jesus the Christ - we may have a hundred definitions of who Jesus was and is, from varied sources and documents. But what matters most is, that one experience, that one personal definition that you have for the person of Christ. That is why Jesus insisted with his apostles at times: "but who do YOU say that I am?"

May St. Thomas, the holy apostle of faith, inspire us to yearn for more and more personal experiences with the person of Christ, that we may more and more mature to exclaim from the depth of our own hearts: my Lord and my God!

Mercy, not Sacrifice

WORD 2day: Friday, 13th week in Ordinary time

July 2, 2021: Genesis 23:1-4,19, 24:1-8, 62-67; Matthew 9: 9-13.

 

Mercy not Sacrifice! Mercy and Sacrifice actually stood for two paradigms that were in confrontation as a result of Jesus' life and teaching. God and one's relationship to God was explained purely in terms of sacrifice, sacrifice which stood for fulfilment of the requirements based on regulations and customs. The challenge is alive even today - that we do not make our spirituality a sacrifice-based spirituality. Fulfilment of the precepts, keeping the commandments, making vows and carrying out the same, offering suffrages and being faithful to our prayers to be 'said' or 'done'. 

Mercy, instead is fundamentally a relationship. I remember our Scripture professor explaining the meaning of the hebrew word for mercy - rahamim (or rachamim) which comes from the root, rehem (or rechem) which means "womb". Biblically, as Jesus uses, mercy thus refers to a compassion one feels to a child in the womb or a bond very intimate that arouses a warm feeling towards the other! 

Far from, doing something to help the other or giving something to someone in need, Mercy is to feel one with the other, specially with someone who is really in need. That is why the statement of Jesus that follows, I have come not to call the righteous but the sinners - a feeling one with the needy! 

When we really feel one with somone in trouble, or difficulty, or temptation, or a struggle, much before branding that person a 'sinner' or a 'weakling' or a 'traitor' or an 'infidel', we would strive to stay close to him or her, find out what actually is going on and share moments of solidarity that would walk that person right out of that situation. That is what Jesus did and that is what he expects of you and me: mercy, and not sacrifice!

To rise and walk...by faith

WORD 2day: Thursday, 13th week in Ordinary time

July 1, 2021: Genesis 22: 1-19; Matthew 9: 1-8

Imagine the Gospel scene of today: what if the man had decided not to get up and walk, because he was not sure if he were able to. He would have been justified...because after so many years of his lying down there, inability to stretch his limb, it is justified even if he thinks, it would logically be impossible to just rise and walk, so instantaneously as Jesus wanted him to. That fact of being justified notwithstanding, who would have been the loser? The man himself, and without knowing what he would have lost or missed. 

Many a times, out thinking goes this way. In the name of being careful and thoughtful and observant and prudent, we don't leave any space for God. We have everything pre-thought-out, everything fixed in its place, every judgement made and every calculation done! At the end of it all...we are at a loss, how things dont go the way we want them to. At times we do not even know what it means to depend on God - we say we believe in God but in practice we do not ant to take any chances, as we say!

Today the Word challenges us to believe, that nothing is impossible for God. Nothing is too big for God, be it forgiving sins or curing the sick, proves Jesus. Rising and Walking was a decision that man took to trust in the Lord and hope in his command over absolutely everything on earth. When Jesus said 'rise, pick up and walk'...he did not argue or reason out or ask for scientific proof that it would happen. He just wished to do what Jesus said, he just wanted to give God, God's space! Lo and behold, there was a miracle!

Abraham was just beginning to cherish his life, but he was cherishing it to the extent that he was growing unmindful of the One who gave him that life. But he was given a chance to rise and walk, to prove his trust and hope in the Lord. And he just rose, and walked...walked right up to that peak of giving up all his dreams and plans, all his future hopes and human urges. He rose above them all, and walked with the eye of faith!

Today in our daily experiences we are called to rise and walk...to find Lord right beside us all through and remember for ever, "we walk by faith not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7)!