Half a Shekel or Life to the Full?

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 14, 2023: Remembering St. Maximilian Kolbe
Deuteronomy 10: 12-22; Matthew 17: 22-27

Celebrating St. Maximilian Kolbe, is a challenge we accept to dwell on - a man who did not do anything for the sake of a rule, but for the sake of what his heart prompted him to do for the Lord who loved him. Paying half a shekel was a duty of a slave, according to Jesus. That is not what is asked of a Son or a Daughter. While a slave intends to pay the half shekel that is expected of him, the Son gives the entire life to the Lord, surrenders the totality of one's life, bringing that life to its fullness thus.

God is not to be bribed, declares Moses. You don't try to appease God by being calculative in what you give, trying to pay your due, for your due is your life, not just some money or some fulfilment of a rule. The heaven, the earth, everything that exists therein and my very life belongs to God and what can I possibly give the Lord - nothing less than the whole of my life!

Maxmilian Kolbe, a saint of our times, lived the words that we reflect on in the Liturgy today. He took seriously 1 John 3:16 - "... we ought to lay down our lives for our brethren." That is the sign given to us to testify for true love - as Jesus himself states in the Gospel, Jn 15:13 - "there can be no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." It is a choice that Kolbe made, knowing well what is going to be the fallout of that choice. Right enough, Pope John Paul II declared him as 'the Patron Saint of our Difficult Century'. A saint from the greatest of all tragedies of the just gone century in the concentration camp of Auschwitz, where Kolbe chose to die in place of another(Franciszek Gajowniczek, who was present at the canonisation of the saint). Let our love be genuine (Rom 12:9); but if it were really so, sure we will have to be prepared for hard times and painful experiences!

When Fr. Kolbe decided to die for a man whom he knew not, he did not consider that act a great feat. For him that was what he could do, all that he had to give at the moment was his life and he gave it - he loved his Lord with the whole of his heart, with the whole of his strength, with his very life. I am called to give not just half a shekel, but my life to the full.

GOD IS

The invitation to Meet God...

August 13, 2023: 19th Sunday in Ordinary time
1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33

It was a Religion class and the professor entered the class and wrote on the board: God is... and turned to the students and said, 'can some of you try completing that statement?' and asked them to come over to the board to complete it. Many tried replacing those dots with things like, God is ...love, Great, merciful and so on. Some ironically tried completing it with things like, God is ...absent, dead, forgotten, unnecessary, useless and so on! The professor at the end of it all smiled at them and said: 'I can complete that sentence even without touching a piece of chalk.' He went to the board and rubbed off the last two dots... and it read: God is. Not only grammatically, even theologically it is a perfect and complete sentence!

Whether joys or sorrows, trials or triumphs, celebrations or temptations, successes or struggles, THE LORD IS. God is with us! God is present with us and God walks beside our tossed boats. God speaks to us in gentle whispers and caresses in our moments of discernment and decision making. In moments of struggles and strivings he is there as our stronghold. 

How convinced are we about the Lord's presence with us at all moments: For all seasons... God IS.

However, it is our responsibility to meet God...

We are invited to meet God IN THE CALM OF OUR LIFE. At moments when everything is calm and quiet, serene and simple, we tend to miss the presence of God. Grateful hearts behold that presence instantly and childlike spirits rejoice in that quietude. The Lord invites us through Prophet Elijah to behold the Lord in the "sound of sheer silence" (as the NRSV translation phrases it 1 Kgs 19:13).

Isn't that true, when we enjoy good health we do not even think about out health, but when we are down with a simple fever or headache, our health is all the time on our minds! May be, when we are in good health, if only we pay attention to our bodily self, with balanced diet, sufficient exercise, good and regular daily habits... how much good it would do, even if a moment of sickness should come our way! Let us not extend that analogy too much, but the point is this: as the Ecclesiastes tell us - remember your creator, before the days of trouble come! God is... right there on our side, all our life. We need not wait for a trouble, or a crisis to call out to God.

We are invited to meet God IN THE STORM OF OUR DAYS. Of course, there are days of struggle. The specific crises of our lives apart, we never lack moments when storm clouds batter against our weak spirits. We shall not be moved, if we are sure of the Lord who is present with us. We shall remain strong and composed if we know that the Lord is around even if we are not able to 'see' God because of the darkness that surrounds and because of the deafening noise that threatens. At times we may be misled to look at God and suspect God to be a ghost, that is looking at things that are happening and villainise God, blaming God for every misery that is around. When things are settled, at hindsight we will recognise how good God is and how God has been with us all through those moments.

But our regular habits serve us at particular moments of need. Imagine if we have been feeling the presence of God close to us all through our regular routine of daily life, if we have lived the days with the Lord and surrendered our nights to God's protection every day, if we have been cultivating an ongoing relationship with God as a person who walks beside me everyday... will it be difficult for me to gather God's presence when I have a trouble? Will it be tough for me to hear the Lord whisper into my ears: fear not, I am around! How blessed it would be to feel the Lord close when there is storm all around, for the Lord alone can rebuke the storm, we can only stand around and shiver.

We are invited to meet God AS THE NORM OF OUR LIFE. In the calm of our life or in the storm of our days, we are invited to encounter the Lord as the norm of our lives! The episodes of life and miracles of Christ in the Gospels are not merely wonders and showpieces, for us to look and marvel at. They are lessons to be learnt, ways to be adopted - to live our life like him, with him and in him. In the second reading, St. Paul cries over the numerous signs that the Lord gave the Jews, which they utterly missed and totally squandered.

At times we may do the same too... miss it all. How many opportunities we get to learn on a daily basis! Let them alone, how many warnings we get in and through events that happen: ecological crisis, criminalities, war cries, terrorism, imbalanced depletion of resources, improper priorities and choices at the national and international levels, suffering humanity, abandoned sections of people... are all these not lessons for us to see and learn, for ourselves and for the entire humanity, for today and for ever! Let us not miss the lessons that come through on a daily basis... the Lord is our norm. We need to grow in God's image each and every day.

The Lord's invitation resounds as it does to Elijah, "Go out, stand and watch! the Lord shall be passing by! Don't let the Lord pass by." St. Augustine makes that inspiring statement in this regard: I fear the Lord, passing by. Let us behold the Lord always, because for all seasons, God is!!!

Mighty hand and Outstretched arms!

WORD 2day -  Friday, 18th week in Oridnary time

August 11, 2023: Deuteronomy 4: 32-40; Matthew 16: 24-28

‘By a mighty hand and an outstretched arm’ – that was the phrase the Israelites used to summarise the glorious care that God took of their ancestors. The readings speak to us of the ‘Glory’ of God that deserves all our obedience and allegiance! 

The covenant that Israelites had with Yahweh was not formulated on some imaginary terms, but was established on a concrete experience of a nation walking into freedom. Neither is the covenant we have with God based on an imagination – it is based on a concrete sacrifice of the Son of God, signed with the blood from the Cross and ratified with the death of the Lamb of God! At our baptism we have counter signed that covenant and it is upto us to honour it all our life. 

The terms are clear – to recognize the great deeds that God has accomplished on our behalf; to acknowledge the saving mysteries of the life, death and resurrection of the Son of God; and to behold the great gift of Resurrection that is promised us in the hope of this covenant. We can behold that resurrection in the Risen Lord, if we are ready to participate in the life of the Son of God – a life lived totally in obedience to the holy will of God. 

Carrying the daily cross – is the readiness to face the hurdles of each day and continue to feel the presence of God beside; to remain steadfast to what is true, right and just, despite the consequences that might prove to be tricky or troublesome; to be ready to lose the whole world, just in order to gain one’s soul!

The call to give - a life of fruitfulness

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 10, 2023: Remembering St. Lawrence, the Deacon-Martyr
2 Corinthians 9: 6-10; John 12: 24-26

The best of all giving, is giving of oneself! 

Giving of one’s abundance, giving of whatever little that one has and giving even if one does not have enough for oneself – these are praise worthy in their respective order. But the highest of all giving is Self-giving.

Celebrating the Deacon-martyr, St. Lawrence, we are reminded of the early Christian communities that were so much characterized by persons who were blessed with the special charism of giving of their own selves, apart from what they possessed. They were cheerful givers, and so we find their numbers kept growing unprecedentedly. The very spirit that they radiated held captive those who saw them and multitudes were drawn to emulate it. They were ready and willing to die to themselves that Christ may come alive in them! 

St.Paul’s words were true in so many of those early Christians – “I live, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20) and “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). These were not mere catchy sayings; they were true lived experiences and we witness it in great martyrs like St. Stephen, the apostles and St. Paul himself. 

St. Lawrence follows suit very closely later in the third century. After all, they had but one model who had invaded and conquered their minds, hearts and spirits - Jesus the ultimate personification of self-giving - the grain of seed that chose to fall to the ground, that it may abound in its fruits: we are the fruits and let us be worthy of the grain which has borne us.

As you sow, so you reap!

WORD 2day - Wednesday, 18th week in Ordinary time

August 9, 2023: Numbers 13:1-2,25 - 14:1,26-29,34-35; Matthew 15: 21-28

Faithlessness or Faith – As you sow, so you reap! 

Let us focus our attention on two phrases from the Word today: “As you have spoken I will do unto you!”-“As you wished it shall be unto you!” The two phrases, the former from the first reading and the latter from the Gospel seem similar, though they are not! Considering the contexts, they are infact contrary to each other – one a reproach from the Lord and the other an approval. However, the message is same – FAITH. 

The first reading seems to be a rationalization on the part of Israel, as to why they had to sojourn forty long years in the deserts of Paran – a simple reason: lack of faith! The Lord could not walk them to the land of milk and honey, as promised, because they were stubborn and hard headed, never yielding to the guiding hand of God. 

The Gospel pictures a woman whose request has apparently no place on the 'to-do' list of Jesus that day! But the list had to be changed by all means. Logically, as in another place we read, that due to lack of faith Jesus did not accomplish much signs and wonders, here Jesus could not but make that miracle happen because of the grandeur of the faith of that simple woman! 

How blessed it would be if Jesus were to look at you and me, and say, “My Son, My daughter, great is your faith!”

True Persons of God...

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 8, 2023: Celebrating St. Dominic
Numbers 12:1-13; Matthew 14: 22-36

The Word speaks of two men of God today - not merely by the popular title but by their very life style and by the way they responded to tough situations. Moses, against whom the very people whom he served grumbled, including his closest collaborators. What did he do? Held it against them? No, that was not becoming of a man of God. Even when Miriam stood affected by her own sin, he intercedes with the Lord, obtaining her health back. he proves to be a man of God.

Jesus the Son of God, the ideal man of God proves himself so, by being so unaffected even when he knew his own disciples knew him not. They did not understand him, they thought him to be an evil spirit. In spite of it, when Peter wishes to walk on the water, he gives him that privilege. He was so patient, kind and gentle with the disciples, because that is the mark of a person of God, a God who abounds in mercy and love.

A third man of God whom we are given with today, is St. Dominic, the 12th century Religious Founder - one who is attributed with the great miraculous event of receiving on our behalf the Marian Rosary. Dominic as the very name means, belonged to God and lived his life for the people of God and for the spread of the Reign of God.

The call is loud and clear - to live for God, for God's people and above all for the establishment of the Reign of God, here and now - just as these true persons of God. 

Fed Up - a frequent word today!

WORD 2day: Monday, 18th week in Ordinary time

August 7, 2023: Numbers 11:4-15; Matthew 14:13-21

The very first thought from today's Word, could remind us of so many experiences today. Boredom of the youngsters, hatred for the routine on the part of the middle agers, not feeling happy with what one has or does - these are prevalent experiences pointed out by many today. An oft-used term for this experience is feeling or being fed up. 

The first reading has an example of what we humanly do when we are "fed up" and the Gospel portrays the true Christ-ian response. Humanly speaking when we are fed up, we grumble. Moses was no different from the people - they grumbled among themselves but Moses grumbled to God. Finding fault with God and asking God for an explanation is nothing wrong. But it is justified only when a meaningful warm rapport precedes it. Moses had that disposition, the people did not - that is why the former was justified, the latter were not.

However, Jesus shows a qualitative difference in the way he would respond in a situation like this: Jesus was "fed up" too, when he knew what they did to John the Baptist. He knew, that was how his life would go too. When he wanted to really grieve for his cousin and great prophet, he could not. People were there too, they were every where. Was Jesus "fed up"...no, he wasn't. He went to the extent of making sure the people were fed, not fed up! 

What is important to ward off the feeling of being fed up, is to count your blessings, everyday, every little thing that comes to you! And with that mindset - we would reduce hearing: Fed Up - a frequent word today!

TO BURN TILL WE ARE CONSUMED

August 6, 2023: The Feast of  Transfiguration of the Lord
Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1: 16-19; Matthew 17: 1-9

There is terror all around, there is darkness thickening all around, there is treason and treachery plotted all around, there is deception from the evil and the majority of the world seem to be falling into it... when you find yourself in such a situation, what do you do? You burn brighter! That is what Jesus teaches us. Yes, to be extinguished by the threats around is not truly Christ-ian.

When problems arise, when threats increase, when troubles augment, when failures mount, when enemies surround, if you are truly a disciple of Christ what do you do - you burn brighter. But things affect - it doesn't matter - you burn till you are consumed, says the Word today!

"A lamp shining in a dark place until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" - a wonderful comparison that St. Peter presents to us. It would apply to our faith, our life of witness, our trust, our commitment to the Reign of God and every bit of our faith and its expression here and now, all leading us towards that eternal glory that awaits us as children of God(Jn 1:12), co-heirs with Christ(Rom 8:17), people meant for the future glory (Rom 8:18).

Our Christian life is rich and its richness will be lost if we lose the sense of mystery in understanding it. Mystery is not merely something that is unknown and incomprehensible, but it is something that is beyond all our rational calculations and empirical conditions; yet it is not totally alien from our experience; it is part of our lived experience, an experience we live on a daily basis, an experience that sustains our faith and offers meaning to our life.

The feast of Transfiguration is a symbol, a prefigurement and a surety of the glory that rests within us, as children of God. However, we are warned not to lose our grip on our daily living, on our concrete initiatives towards ushering in the Reign of God in the pretext of dreaming about a future that is glorious and splendid.

In practical terms, to be people transfigured is to live our lives with our eyes fixed on heaven and our feet planted firm on ground, to never lose the hope that the Lord offer in Himself and to never rest from our efforts to build the Reign of God here on earth. It is a call to burn until we are totally consumed, totally consumed for the sake of the mission that the Lord entrusts to us, consumed living our daily life to the full, empowering every person to live it to their full.

Churches, Jubilees and Hypocrisy

The WORD and the Feast 

August 5, 2023: Dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major

Leviticus 25: 1,8-17; Matthew 14:1-12

We celebrate today the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major, one of the four major Papal Basilicas in Rome. It has a great historical background as it was one of the first basilicas built in honour of Mary, Mother of God. The miracle that is said to have happened to reveal the exact spot chosen by our Blessed Mother herself, the miracle of snow in the mid summer night, gave rise to the title Our Lady of Snows! Celebrating a Church and its history is a jubilation!

The first reading speaks of another Jubilee, that the Lord wanted the people of Israel to commemorate. We get the mind of God so clearly - jubilee according to the Lord is not merely eating and drinking, the glory of the Lord in a Church is not merely about the pomp and splendour, our true faith is not in the richness of the tradition or in the complexity of heritage - it is in the compassion we have for others and the personal integrity that we manifest in ourselves. 

This is what Jesus loathed in Herod. Jesus had hardly any respect for him because he lacked integrity. He lived a life that was so far from God, from good and from truth! Building spectacular churches, celebrating splendid jubilees and organising fantastic festivities - these will remain empty noise, or hardcore hypocrisy, if we do not commit ourselves to compassion and justice! 

As we celebrate the feast today, let us ask our Blessed Mother to save us from this hypocrisy and form us into true disciples of Christ, committed to justice, truth and compassion.

Where did this man get all this wisdom?

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Remembering St. John Maria Vianney - 4th August, 2023

Leveticus 23: 1,4-11,15-16,27,34-37; Matthrw 13: 54-58

People wondered at Jesus - a simple carpenter's son - from where he got all the wisdom that he manifested! That was almost the same question that the world raised when it saw a gullible seminarian-turned-parish-priest, do wonders from the confessional and the pulpit! No one ever thought Vianney the simple priest would leave such a mark on this world. He, who went through limitless blocks in his journey towards priesthood, has come to be known as the patron of not only all parish priests but of all priests in pastoral mission. 

The Word today coincides so well with this saint - underlining for us the importance of priesthood. The first reading reminds us that our life is one of celebration, filled with festivals of  daily thanksgiving. The priest is not only a mediator in such thanksgiving sacrifice, but also a living reminder of that call and commission that we have - to praise and thank the Lord always.

Secondly, the Gospel speaks of the fact that these priests are not some other worldly beings but are ordinary people who are chosen by the Lord and ordained to be so. You can not only look for some miracles from them, but look at their very beings as miracles! That is what the Lord has made them to be. You wonder how this could be...that is the wonder that the people had - how could this be, do we not know him as carpenter's son, they said! 

John Maria Vianney's life is one great example of the wonders that God can play with simple persons and events. All that we need to do is, remain open to the Lord, never forget to thank and praise the Lord for everything in life!

Today, let us pray for our parish priests in a very special way! God bless these wonderful men of God!