Defining Spiritual Persons

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 22nd week in Ordinary time

August 31, 2022: 1 Corinthians 3: 1-9; Luke 4: 38-44

Paul feels bad about the fact that he is not able to speak to the Corinthians as to Spiritual people, because of jealousy, rivalry and division among them. He presents those predicaments as directly opposed to being spiritual people. The same criteria would apply even today and even to us!

Jesus in the Gospel shines as a role model in being a Spiritual person or in other words, a person of the Spirit. He heals, casts out demons and refuses to gain any popularity mileage out of it. He rebukes the demons even, not to announce his Christ-image, as he wants the people to experience him personally in the depths of their hearts, each one hearing him or following him. He has no urge for popularity or no sense of jealousy or rivalry with the others.

Are jealousy, rivalry, infights and other divisive tendencies totally absent today in our communities? Leave alone the communities; what about my heart, is it totally free of these unspiritual attitudes? If not, I still am an immature believer. I may be outstanding in carrying out my so called spiritual duties and daily pious routines... but my faith still remains infantile. 

St. Paul, in a way, defines who a spiritually mature person is: one who is integral in his or her outlook, unifying in his or her relationships, loving in his or her consideration of the other and God centered in his or her understanding of one's own identity vis-a-vis the faith community. That is a solid sign of spiritual maturity.

Spiritual Persons are persons of the Spirit, and what matters to them is the action of the Spirit within themselves and within their communities! They would know it and they would submit to it wholeheartedly. 

The Mind of Christ

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 22nd week in Ordinary Time

August 30, 2022: 1 Cor 2: 10-16; Lk 4: 31-37

They believed firmly that no human being can ever deserve the love of God. All that one can do is live in fear of the wrath of God and live a righteous life in order to avoid punishment; one has to live in fear and trembling all his or her life, to obtain one's salvation. 

Jesus turns tables as he makes it clear to them that while it is true that no one can deserve the love of God, it is equally true that one need not deserve to be loved! God loves us and that is all that matters. In his own self Jesus demonstrated how God is close to every human person and how God is compassionately in love with God's children. It is not about begging God for love, but it is about claiming that love with authority that comes from the very fact that we are sons and daughters of that loving God.

"Claiming with the right of the children"... can we really do that? Yes, of course, but let us remember that it first requires that I ensure that live as a true son or a daughter of God, knowing my duties and my obligations, my priorities and pertaining choices! It is the Spirit who enables us to have this clear, in our mind and in our lives. 

It is the Spirit of the Lord with us and within us, who makes us realize that we are the sons and daughters of the Lord almighty. Above all these, to know our privilege as children, to understand the value of being God's sons and daughters, the fundamental requirement is that we have the mind of Christ! The Spirit enables us to grow the mind of Christ within us, that we may grow more and more in our identity as sons and daughters of God. 

Matyrdom, the Christ logic

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

August 29, 2022: Remembering the beheading of John the Baptist

Jeremiah 1: 17-19; Mark 6: 17-29

Once, discussing about martyrdom with a group of youngsters, one asked me, 'why should they go upto martyrdom?' In the same tone I replied, 'they don't go up to it, it comes after them!'

Martyrdom is not a given-up mode of life. It is a fruit of living one's life to the full till the end, never losing the core purpose of that life for even a moment. Martyrdom is not an option to choose. It is a consequence of the choices made, absolute choices for truth and righteousness. It is a philosophy in itself, a totally different logic. 

St.Paul would boast about this often saying, there is a different kind of a logic that is at work in us... the logic of Christ. The first person who lived by that logic even before Christ our Lord, was John! Infact, Christ called him the greatest of those born of a woman. The sufferings of this world are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us in the Lord, St. Paul would remind us. 

Be a servant to be the Leader, be the least to be considered the best, be ready for the Cross in order to taste the true love of God... this is the logic we are refering to. Identifying ourselves with Christ is a serious affair, a risky task. We would either be judged "strange"or "challenging". Many went through this ordeal due to this Christ logic... Jesus himself was affected by that. They called him 'possessed' and 'out of his mind', just as they called John, a man of the wilderness! Finally they villainised them and killed them both!  

Applying today the Christ logic... what do we expect of the world? Persecutions and pressures: what would be our response to them? In today's culture of hatred and violence, what would our style be? Do we dare to make Christ logic our own, in our daily, concrete situations? That would be our daily martyrdom.

BLESSED ARE THE HUMBLE

Mark of the People of the Reign

August 28, 2022: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary time

Ecclesiastes 3:19-21,30-31; Hebrew 12: 18-19, 22-24; Luke 14: 1,7-14 

Humility is one lesson we learn so hard. Blessed are those who are humble by nature. The best of our qualities and talents would amount to nothing if only we lack this one single virtue:  Humility! The Word today invites us not only to be humble, but also to be with the humble and to be all for those who are humble, that we may be considered people of the Reign of God. 

Let us begin with an anecdote - a guru of a ashram was old and dying and he announced to his band of disciples: 'I wish to appoint the humblest of you all as the next Guru of the ashram.' The bickering began among the disciples, each one trying to prove he is more humble than the other. There was one among them who stood still and away from all debating. The Guru seemed impressed. He thought to himself, 'that should be the right one to succeed me, perhaps!' and he called him over to himself and asked him: 'what about you? are you not interested in the contest?' The disciple replied, 'Oh Master, you don't get it, how much ever they fight among themselves, they will never find anyone more humble than me!' The Guru was heart broken and he dismantled the whole ashram before he died! Spiritual Masters say, the moment you think you are humble, you cease to be so! How true it is!

Be Humble - that is the first message today. Being Humble is not putting up an appearance. It is not doing something to prove to others that I am humble. It is going about my duty with such sincerity and integrity that I may not be even noticed for the good that I do - but that does not disturb me at all.  

At times there are people who make a big show of the so-called good that they do, and sometimes a show even of their own simplicity! Just think of those famous posters of our politicians posing with a broom in their hands claiming to be simple and committed to cleanliness of the nation. Or similar ones where they pose with some poor people, in their huts and gullies. They would have spent a fortune on those hoardings and advertisements! Let us remember - we have nothing to prove to anyone, not even to our own selves. All that I need to do is, be truthful, be real, be authentic. Humility is acceptance of truth. 

Be with the Humble - identify people who are truly humble. Jesus had the special eye for the humble ones. Be it Mathew, or Zacchaeus, or Nathaniel, or the Centurion, or the Pharisee who asked him about the commandment of love... Jesus recognised the humble and sided with them. In another episode like today's Gospel, when Jesus was at dinner at Simon the Pharisee's, he was able to see through the sinfulness of the woman and identify her humble repentance. She was gifted with his empathy. Jesus sided always with the humble, not with the haughty. 

If we are truly people of God, besides being humble ourselves, we would look out for the humble and stand by them. Just become aware of your tendency... among a group of new people whom you meet, who is it that you feel drawn to: the most brandishing among them or the quiet insecure of the band? Or when you deal with persons who depend on you, whom do you promote: the so-called talented and gifted or the rare ones who never get to reach the limelight? There is a statement about myself, in whom I choose to be with. 

Be all for the Humble - being the voice of the voiceless, the stronghold for the weak. When we stand by the humble we stand with the Lord, because the Lord always stands by the humble. This is the third message that the Word offers us today. Be for the humble of heart, stand by them, empathise with them, support them and spread the spirit so that the Reign of God may be felt amidst us, here and now. 

Today, we see reports of so many humble persons being taken for granted, exploited and drained of even the little that they have. We have truthful and integral individuals taken to task, punished and crushed by the demonic culture of corruption and greed. Those who fight for justice and truth are labelled rebels by the authority and derided as jobless by the public. What is our response as people of the Reign?

The Word this Sunday invites us to understand that the humble are blessed in the sight of the Lord. Those who are humble, those who are with the humble and those who are all for the humble, find favour in the light of the Reign of God - they are truly the people of the Reign.

The Power of Tears

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 27, 2022: Remembering Saint Monica

1 Corinthians 1: 26-31; Luke 7: 11-17

St. Monica, this saintly Mother has always been a point of great admiration in Christian hagiography. What a great example we have in her, as a mother and as a child of God! 

There are three lessons that this saintly mother can teach us:

1. The grace of tears: 

Pope Francis encourages people to pray for the 'grace of tears' when pleading to God to help others, when recognising their own sinfulness, when contemplating the greatness of Christ's love and when experiencing God's mercy. Monica had the grace of tears and she prayed with tears every time she prayed for her husband and her son.

2. The power of tears: 

When the widow of Nain cried, the Lord could not resist his compassion for her. He was moved to the point of a miracle. Just so, Monica saved her son, by the sheer power of her tears. What if we realise, that our tears can save, atleast ourselves!

3. The witness of tears: 

Tears become a witness, witness to the love of God. The genuine tears of a loved one speaks volumes about the immeasurable love that God has for a person. Tears are not signs of weakness, they are signs of inner strength to remain with a person who is suffering or struggling!

Let us pray for the gift of tears, as Pope Francis recommends!

Wisdom and Foolishness

WORD 2day: Friday, 21st week in Ordinary time

August 26, 2022: 1 Corinthians 1: 17-25; Matthew 25: 1-13

The world today has its own definition of wisdom and foolishness, success and failure, acceptable and inacceptable, desirable and undesirable, etc. Everything is calculated, to put it simply, in terms of benefits and gains in comparison to the effort and investment. Convenience and comfort seem unfailing criteria of choice. What is comfortable and convenient, what does not disturb my daily routine and normal life style... that is to be considered acceptable and the others have to be avoided as unnecessary! This is what the world teaches, but can these be Christian parameters?

The Christian paradigm, as Paul says is the Cross and the hope that it projects. However hard we may try, no other paradigm can make sense of this. The sacrifices we make and the selfless goodwill we have towards others are true Christian parameters of righteousness. When we try to be good, when we intend to do good to others, when we decide to be righteous, we are bound to face problems, pressures and sometimes even persecutions! 

Being good and doing good without expecting anything in return or without looking for its credits, is the cross we are called to embrace on a daily basis if we wish to really belong to the Bridegroom! The Cross is not just a sign or a symbol... it is a life style, the lifestyle that a disciple of Christ has to adopt. It is this grammar of Cross alone that can differentiate truly between wisdom and foolishness!

Waiting... but how?

WORD 2day: Thursday, 21st week in Ordinary time

August 25, 2022 - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; Matthew 24: 42-51

The Word today brings out the all important spiritual practice of Waiting. Waiting is a daily-life experience for most of us, if not all of us. When we look at it from a larger perspective of Spirituality and life changing experiences, it can be of three modes depending on the disposition with which a person waits. 

Utopian Waiting, is a kind of excited waiting. It is more or less like a child who is waiting with excitement for a Christmas gift from the Santa. There is so much of dreaming and planning about the gift. The gift is opened and admired and experienced, all in imagination or at the mental plane, even before it reaches the hands of the beholder. Here there is so much of noise made about it though no one is absolutely sure what it is all about. About waiting for the Lord too, there are people who do this, aren't they?

Slumberous Waiting, is a kind of inactive waiting, just waiting to kill the time till it all happens. There is nothing much done about it, or practically nothing, because the person waiting does not expect anything spectacular at the end of it all. There is a kind of indifference and cynicism, even a bit of pessimism! There is nothing new under the sun and what is going to be has always been, they believe. They feel they have nothing much to accomplish and there is so much of compromise and lethargy here, that when it really happens they are hardly prepared!

Spiritual Waiting, is a kind of wholesome waiting, which lives the present moment with a holistic mindset that contains within this particular moment the gratitude for the past and the hope for the future! It is a kind of spiritual disposition that is sincere and genuine about the present life, with all its responsibilities and trials, joys and difficulties, without belittling what has gone before and what awaits. It is fundamentally living one's life to the full, joyfully waiting for the plan of eternity to unfold in all its grandeur.

Persons incapable of deceit

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 24, 2022: Celebrating St. Bartholomew, the Apostle

Revelation 21: 9-14; John 1: 45-51

The twelve - Jesus' choice of the twelve was very conscious and reasonable. Be it any of the twelve, even regarding Judas Iscariot, Jesus had a special reason for their choice. He gives the reason for the choice of Bartholomew (said to be Nathaniel whom Philip introduced to Jesus): a man without guile or a man incapable of deceit. That is one splendid attribute of a disciple.

We are called to be people of God; disciples of Christ! Can we merit such an appreciation from Jesus, as he had for his apostles? Note the attribute that Jesus gives today - incapable of deceit... not only that one does not have deceit, but one becomes incapable of deceit. Incapable of deceit would not only mean the way we behave; but the way we are! 

There is another cue that we have from the colour that we use for the Apostles, liturgically: the Red that we use to indicate the specific role the apostles play within our faith, is a reminder to be ready to give up one's life! Being incapable of deceit would mean - as saints like Dominic Savio would say - death rather than sin. I am so incapable of deceit that I would even die, rather than go against Godliness. 

Let every apostle, including Bartholomew, inspire us to live a life that makes us worthy be called persons without guile, people incapable of deceit!

Being Scandal Proof!

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 21st week in Ordinary time

August 23, 2022: 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3a, 14-17; Matthew 23: 23-30

Though it has reduced a lot now, there has been a time when some non-catholic brethren (or many of them) had been intent on maligning the Catholic Church, the Catholic faith and the Catholic community of faithful. They were used to posting videos or messages, all of an anti-catholic nature. They were prone to criticising everything 'Catholic,'  even to the extent of calling the then Holy Father, the Anti-Christ who is to come. Not that such a tribe has disappeared today, but they have mellowed down, may be because they have done enough damage that they intended to. It is possible at these kind of experiences, that we express our shock and disapproval. But dear friends, if only we are integral in our faith and life, all that we need to remember is: "a fruitful tree has to foresee stones coming its way!"

Oppositions, today more than ever, keep growing to unbelievable proportions against the faith and tradition that we have grown with. However, there are splendid ways of God that we come across in spite of all these oppositions. At same time there is no dearth of examples within the Catholic fold, examples that go against the true love, splendid purity and unfailing benevolence of God. What we are to do is, simply remain calm and composed at times when we are troubled. No use lamenting the absence of witnesses for the Lord, but becoming a witness myself in whichever way I can - that is what really matters. 

And whether we are a model or not, it is important and urgent today to observe, notice and identify the counter witnesses! And it is highly important and crucial today, to be scandal proof!

Like a king or a queen!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

August 22, 2022: Celebrating the Queenship of Mary
2 Thessalonians 1: 1-15, 11-12; Matthew 23: 13-22

Today we celebrate the Queenship of Mary - but why today? It is very logical. It is one week after we celebrated the Assumption of our Blessed Mother. Assumed into heaven, she is crowned as the Queen of Apostles and Saints. As we celebrate this Queenship of our Blessed Mother we are rightly reminded of something fundamental to our Christian call.

Reflecting on the Word and the Feast today, I was strangely reminded of one of my experiences a few years ago on a journey! One knows quite well that a photo identity card is essential on journeys and those days, I had the habit of carryinh a colour photocopy of my driving license as a identity proof. On one of the journeys, this habit suddenly became an issue, when a Ticket Inspector took exception to the fact that it was a photocopy! By rule, it has to be an original document... not that I did not know that rule! I understood I was at fault and fotunately the Inspector was kind enough to merely warn me and let me go without any fine. What I wish to share here, is not what happened till here, but what has happened after that event. I began to carry an original document with me as a proof of identity, and every time I travelled after that, and specially when the Ticket inspector came to my direction, I could hold my head high and feel so confident about the fact that I have every thing right on my part - that's feeling like a king!

Jesus is referring to a life confused with varying standards, footless principles and self-centered schemes! When a person lives that way, he or she has to be all the time on the guard against people who would find fault, who would accuse or atleast murmur against. But when some one has everything right in his or her part in life, there is an inner freedom that is akin to living life like a king or a queen!

Queenship of Mary from this angle seems a natural outcome of our Blessed Mother's way of life - the absolute freedom she enjoyed, the total personal commitment she manifested and the bother-about-nothing-else attitude she had when it came to obeying God's will... that is what made her the Queen of Heaven and Earth, inspiring us to live our Christian life like her: like a King or a Queen!