The Gospel of Christ

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

October 3, 2022: Galatians 1: 6-12; Luke 10: 25-31

The Gospel of Christ is love: that God loves us and that we are God's when we love each other. Anything other than this is a deviation... division, hatred, selfishness, exploitation, cheating, manipulation, party politics, false propaganda, character assassinations, judgments, prejudices, categorising persons, branding people... anything that is against love, is against the Gospel of Christ.

At times suffering, cross and sacrifice are presented as typical traits of Christ's gospel. They could be, provided they are taken within the framework of love. It is not suffering in itself: it would become sadistic! It is not cross in isolation:it would still remain a symbol of shame! It is not sacrifice for its own sake: it would lead to unnecessary ego trips! Suffering out of love one has for the other, Cross as an expression of God's love, Sacrifice as a language of genuine love - those are CHRISTian and those are gospels (good news!).

There is no other Gospel than this, says St. Paul today! Anything that teaches anything contrary would be unchristian. Anyone who needs me, becomes my neighbour. Irrespective of whether I need him (or her) or not, I am expected to play the neighbour. Am I really ready to reach out to the other without considerations of whether or not I know him, or whether or not I like her, or whether or not the other has done anything good to me in the past?

GROWING IN FAITH

Amidst pessimism, panic and pride!

October 2, 2022 - 27th Sunday in the Ordinary time
Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 2: 6-8,13-14; Luke 17: 5-10

There is a familiar story said of the old lady who heard the gospel passage of today and challenged the young parish priest of its practicality! And they agreed she would pray for the tree outside her window to move a bit away, after a novena. Nine prayerful days passed and on the 9th day, asked the parish priest, 'so what about the tree?' The lady said with a wry smile, 'I knew from day one, nothing would happen! The tree stands right there.'

The Word of God this Sunday, invites us to grow in faith! "Increase our faith", pray the disciples. We would do good to make it our prayer too, asking the Lord to increase our faith. But what is faith? "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" explains the epistle to the Hebrews (11:1). Where does this assurance and this conviction come from? From a relationship, from a rapport on which our whole life is based and thus even things not seen and things hoped for, do not ever seem an impossibility. That is why our tradition defines faith as our personal response to a self-revealing God. Lumen Fidei the encyclical that came out during the year of faith, explains faith as our response to the Word which engages us personally (n.8).

At times we look at faith as a set of truths to be accepted and believed in - whether we understand or not, whether we are convinced or not, whether we have a possibility to prove it to others or experience it for ourselves...at times in the name of religion we are ready to judge those who seek to question these, even if it were to understand them better! But have we shown that readiness in deepening our own relationship with God, our experience of the Divine who accompanies us every moment of our lives. Yes, faith being a relationship, is matter of daily experience and not just of extraordinary moments. It is easier for us, to look within ourselves and identify when this faith runs short, than to see it when it is there!
Today's readings give us three indications of the lack of faith... in order to educate us towards growing in faith.

One of the familiar indications of lack of faith is Pessimism. The world today is flooded with pessimism - words like crisis, conflict, melt-down, inflation, decadence, terrorism, fundamentalism, authoritarianism, fascism are most commonly heard terms these days. The first reading too presents a situation similar to today's -Violence, destruction, troubles, strife, contention -but it ends with that assurance: 'the righteous shall live by faith!' (Hab 2:4). Growing in faith is to fight against any pessimism creeping into our thoughts, our spirit and our outlook.

The second indication that the readings point to, is Panic. 'God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline' (2 Tim 1:7). Where there is faith there will be power, if faith is a love relationship with God, there can be no fear, 'for there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear' (1 Jn 4:18). When I begin to fear a situation or a person or a consequence, it is an indication that my faith needs nurturing.

The third indication is the reason for both the preceding ones: Pride. The perfect contrast to faith is human pride! If faith is surrender, pride inspires resistance. If faith is to relate, pride creates rebellion. If faith aids perseverance, pride instigates me to quit. Both pessimism and panic are in a way fruits of pride within. Humility is a fruit of faith; it is a realisation of who oneself is - a humble servant of God, with all the capabilities and limitations, working one's way towards building up the Reign of God here and now. It is Lumen Fidei again which beautifully states, 'Faith is God's gift, which calls for humility and courage to trust and to entrust' (n.14).

Pessimism, Panic and Pride - are contrary to faith! Pessimism creates despair, panic destroys peace and pride makes me inhuman. May my prayer, 'Increase my faith' be accompanied by my personal efforts to trust, love and surrender myself unconditionally to the One who loves me so unconditionally!

Lord, increase our faith! Amen.!

Lord, that I may see!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 1, 2022: Remembering St. Teresa of Child Jesus

Job 42:1-3,5-6,12-17; Luke 10:17-24

Job lived on to see his children and the children of his children, upto the fourth generation, says the first reading. Happy the eyes that see what you see, exclaims Jesus in the Gospel to the disciples, indicating to them how blessed they were! The message of the Word today is: what we see is not merely what we see, but what we are given to see!

As Job observes so clearly what he came to see (now that I have seen you with my own eyes), we are given to see certain things in life which we would never see otherwise. It is a gift we need to ask from the Lord to see - to see what we need to see, to see what would give us the true repentance of heart, to see that which will offer us the fullness of the sense of our life, to see that which will clarify to us the true vocation we have from God.

Jesus explains it further. Not every one can see, but those who are destined to see and those to whom God reveals it - the humble, the obedient, the gentle, in short the true children of God - only they would be able to see what they are given to see. Not that it is not there, but the aggressive, the haughty and the self-centered will never get to see it.

St. Teresa lived her life as an exemplification of this fact - in her simplicity and in her little way to sanctity, she has overthrown all haughty claims of grandeur and self-glory. How important it is that the people who think of themselves too high, who look down on others, who think they can manipulate everything for their good, who take people for granted and oppress others without conscience, get to see truly what reality is and what their destiny would be! However, it doesn't depend on our wish, but God's will to reveal.

The call for us is, to be attentive to what God wants us to see, to see what God reveals to us and to be able to see what would give us the right sense of our life, here and now. As little children learning life at the School of our Lord, let our prayer today be, 'Lord, that I may see!'

Grasping the sense of God's Plan

THE WORD AND THE FEAST 

September 30, 2022: Remembering St. Jerome 
Job 38: 1, 12-21, 40: 3-5; Luke 10: 13-16

'From Knowledge to Ignorance' is a famous book written by one of the Spiritual thinkers of India. It may sound a bit odd but there is deep truth in that perspective and that is the message of the Word today. We run the risk of getting too used to the great things that God keeps doing for us. At times, due to some setbacks that we could possibly experience, or due to some troublesome moments, we might tend to forget all that has gone by so well. Or we are so filled with our so-called logical findings and scientific conclusions, that we do not expect anything different from what we think!

In the first reading, God challenges the attitude of questioning the eternal designs of God. We lack the Wisdom to understand the plans of God in all its details but with the little that we are capable of, we pretend to be masters of everything! It is important that we realise our limitedness inspite of our great acomplishments, that we acknowledge the wisdom in God's plan inspite of our nothingness. St. Jerome understood this well and impresses on our minds, by his life and his works, the importances of opening ourselves up to the living and active Word of God. 

If our eyes are truly open to what is happening around, if our ears are genuinely open the Words that come from above, if our hearts are absolutely open to the promptings of the Lord, then we would open our lives to the Lord and we grasp the eternal sense in the mind of God. These - the open eyes, the open ears and the open heart - are what we call the openness to receive, the humility to learn, the ignorance according to the so-called scientific standards. But it is in this ignorance or readiness to learn that the Lord becomes present to us, and we begin to grasp the sense of God's Plan.

See Angels; Be Angels!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

September 29, 2022: Celebrating the Archangels
Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14 (or) Revelations 12: 7-12; John 1: 47-51

Celebrating Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael gives us an opportunity to remind ourselves of the significance of the angels within the Christian tradition. Angels in the Old Testament were considered the extensions of God... when the angels came, they said, 'the Lord visited' them: take the case of the visitors to Abraham (Gen 18) or the case of Jacob fighting with the man of God (Gen 32) etc. Michael, as the strength of God; Gabriel as the messenger of God and Raphael as the healing of God, is a well known understanding of the Angels and their functions, from time immemorial.

Celebrating the Archangels today gives us two lessons - To See the Angels and to Be Angels:

To see the angels, is to see the hand of God at work in our everyday experiences, not to be blind to the daily miracles that happen around us. It is a special grace to perceive that God is active on our side all the time; it is left to us to acknowledge it and gain the advantages of it. It does not automatically happen that we see and acknowledge the presence of God; it needs a special consciousness and a humble openness to admit it. 

To be angels, is to be extensions of God's presence to the others, to be extensions of God's love to the others. When we stand by someone in trouble, when we side with the oppressed and the victimised, when we speak out for the truth and bring God's message to people, when we empathise with those who are suffering and bring healing to them, we are being angels to those persons. That is our call, to be angels to the others. 

A simple caution: it is relatively easy to see an angel in, and to be an angel to, those who are far away and from an outer circle of relationships. At times it takes more effort and courage to do so with those who are much nearer. Let us begin with those whom we usually take for granted, from at home! 

Following - looking back or going on?

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 26th week in Ordinary time

September 28, 2022: Job 9: 1-13,14-16; Lk 9: 57-62

Jesus gives us a hard lesson on discipleship today. If you have made a choice for God, you have made a choice for struggles and situations that will estrange you from the rest around you. So, what are you going to do? Look back and moan? Or look firm and go on?

Job's determination to please God was gradually being shaken by the conventional thinking friends who attributed human qualities of anger, dissatisfaction, expectations and disregard to God. Job declares from his heart that God is omnipotent and omniscient; he places all his trust and honour, but struggles to live his daily suffering, on par with that interior conviction that he had always had.

Jesus declares that it is precisely the determination to surrender oneself and one's total being into the hands of God, that is the hallmark of a follower of Christ. Jesus had a mighty share of suffering, struggle and strife. But that in no way deviated him from holding on to God and looking firm in his choice for God and God's purposes. His life was one long demonstration of what it would cost of you choose God in life!

Think of the numerous pressures that exist in our daily life and context... the social pressure, the economic pressure, the peer pressure, the pressure of the tradition, the pressure of the stereotypes and the pressure that we create with our own self definitions... What are we going to do?

The answer is simple but incredible difficult to live: if you and I have decided to follow Christ, would we look back and moan or look firm and go on?

A God who suffers

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 26th week in Ordinary time

September 27, 2022: Job 3: 1-3, 11-17, 20-23; Luke 9: 51-56

The Word today has a very curious kind of a message to give us! James and John wish to bring fire down from heaven to punish the people who did not accept Christ. Job's friends pressurise Job to curse God and get done with God, for all the suffering that God has caused him unjustly! Jesus rebukes James and John and Job refuses to give into the counsel of his friends. Job is presented as the prefigurement of the suffering servant that Jesus was to be!

It is not just a suffering servant's figure that we see here manifested in Jesus, but the image of a compassionate God who suffers on our behalf. It is not true that it has happened just once in history... it had always happened, and it keeps happening that the Lord feels so much when we are adamant, arrogant and whimsical: a compassionate God who is so madly in love with us!

It is 'Christ'ian maturity and 'Christ'ian mindset, to endure our suffering not blaming God or complaining to God, but seeking to find God during those moments of suffering. When we sincerely seek God, we will find God so close to us that we would understand that even God suffers along with us! "When you search for me you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart I will let you find me, says the Lord" (Jer 29:13). 

Our God is not a God who makes us suffer, but a God who suffers, when we suffer! It takes courage and faith to grow out of the infantile thinking that God is there to set right everything that goes wrong in our life, and to come to the understanding that God is there with us through the thick and thin, when we choose God with the freedom we are gifted with, and when we reject God in abuse of the same freedom! All the time, the Lord is there. Especially in our moments of struggle, let us remember the Lord is with us, the Lord suffers with us. 

The Naked Truth - God alone is!

WORD 2day: Monday, 26th week in Ordinary time

September 26, 2022: Job 1:6-22; Luke 9: 46-50

Naked I came into this world and naked shall I leave it! God gave and God has taken it back. Blessed be the name of the Lord... The Word today presents to us Job as a brilliant example of a child of God! His properties burned, he remained calm. His cattle were taken, he bore it all. His servants were killed he held on to the Lord. His children died altogether, he broke down but in the bosom of the Lord! That was Job, of whom the Lord was proud of - a true child of God.

Jesus teaches a similar lesson too in the Gospel... your ego, your social status, your position and power, your possession and your attachments, your so-called achievements and conquests... nothing can stand the test of time. God alone will. Whether we believe or not, the Lord is. Whether we praise the Lord or not, the Lord is worthy of all the praise in the world. Whatever we do and whatever we are involved in, even without our own full knowledge of it, we are serving the purposes of the Lord. Ultimately that which shall prevail over everything is God's will. 

God alone is almighty and God's purposes alone give meaning to anything that exists. The truth finally is, who ever we are and whatever we have, everything will pass. A child will never have a problem in admitting that he or she is dependent - the child has no ego to safeguard. A child will never scheme to put the other down or to usurp what belongs to the other, for the child everything belongs to every one. That is the logic of the child that Jesus wishes that we grow in. And in that logic there is simplicity and truth, sincerity and humility. 

How important it is for us to realise and recognise the naked truth: that God alone is, and God alone will forever be.

Live, love and experience God

WORD 2day: Saturday, 25th week in Ordinary time

September 24, 2022: Ecclesiastes 11:9 -12: 8; Luke 9: 43b-45

Life is short and life is limited, but it offers ample opportunity to do things that are remarkable. It never forces anyone, leaving far behind every one who complains of boredom and monotony. For a Christian, life cannot be boring because he or she has a life task to accomplish and daily directions to carry out, from the Lord. That is why St. Paul would write saying, "do not grow weary of doing what is right" (2 Thess 3:13). 

Doing right... it might in all probability invite criticism, jealousy, opposition, persecution and even crucifixion! But what matters is to do the will of God, and do it willingly. What example more impressive than our Blessed Mother (today is Saturday and the 24th of the Month), who did everything in life, for the holy will of God and for the "yes" that she dared to give to the call from the Lord. 

Life is short and life is limited; let's live it to the full, let us do all the good that we can to every one around. Let us not waste our life in envying, calumniating, gossiping, judging and spreading hate! 

Let us live to the full, love each other and experience God close to us, beside us and within us!

In God's own time

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

September 23, 2022: Remembering Padre Pio 

Ecclesiates 3: 1-11; Luke 9: 18-22

Two great enemies to spiritual health, as spiritual masters point out are: Anxiety and Curiosity! 

Anxiety is against faith because it points to a lack of trust in the Lord. It is an unrealistic worry about the future, in a particular way not helpful in anyway to prepare oneself towards a health encounter with that moment that is yet to come! Think of the times when we are wailing about a possible failure or a probable difficulty, although it is not yet a reality.

Curiosity is lack of patient acceptance of the present. It is trying in vain to pry into the time that is yet to come, in no way helping a peaceful experience of whatever is happening around at any given moment. Think of those moments when we are dying to know the results of somethings that we have not even started yet - all the craze from a playful guessing to a gamble-filled foretelling, fall under this category! 

To both anxiety and curiosity, as to many other spiritual ailments, the corrective offered is Surrender! In short, surrender can be described as the inner assurance that in God's time everything will happen, for good. Patience, trust and the unfailing confidence in God's goodness, are the ingredients of this mentality of surrender. Especially when things aren't going the way we would want them to, we need this quality to remain sane and secure.

In the Gospel today, we find Jesus as a personification of this quality. He was neither curious nor anxious about his mission on earth. That is why he was more interested about the personal conviction of everyone and not the mass public opinion; and he was stern that they don't go about frenetically spreading their conviction and forcing it on people, but to let people arrive at that conviction, each one through their own experience! 

The saint we remember today, Padre Pio, can be considered a great example in following on these footsteps suggested by our Lord. That serenity on Jesus' part and that sense of the Divine that we see in Padre Pio, came from the attitude of Surrender, an assurance that everything will be made beautiful IN GOD'S OWN TIME.