FROM THE WATERS TO THE MOUNTAIN

To grow up to glory!

THE WORD IN LENT - SECOND SUNDAY

Genesis 22:1-2,9-13,15-18; Romans 8:31-34; Mark 9:2-10

The journey that was given as a task for us last week was from the desert to the waters, from the waters of the flood to the waters of baptism, the waters of the covenant. In this second week of lent we are challenged to journey from the waters to the mountain. What does it mean? What does this journey comprise, the journey from the waters to the mountain? 

The waters of baptism is a gift; it is a grace given to us. But living faithful to it, remaining with the enthusiasm and spirit of the initial fervour is not an automatic outcome... it is an uphill task. That is what the Word literally presents today: Abraham uphill, Jesus up the hill, and both of them returning more strengthened than before, both of them coming down affirmed of their union in the Lord, to face the rest of the turmoil of life - that is our next piece of Lenten journey. From the waters to the mountains, from what we have received to what we are ready to make of it; from what has been given to what wish to grow out of it. 

Mountain - a call to climb

First of all the symbol of the mountain today stands for the call we have, to climb, to rise, to grow, to become stronger, to go to the next level. Faith is a given; we need to grow in it. Abraham was already called and he had accepted to walk in the light of the Lord. But that was not enough, he had to graduate, and move on to the next level. 

Francis de Sales speaking of our call to love God and our experience of the loving God, explains at a moment about how we need to progress in it - from the love of a weak and fragile child to the love of someone ready to give up anything for the love of God. St Paul offers us the image of a child who is fed liquid food and grown ups who need solid food. Our faith cannot remain the same as when we received it; it has to constantly grow. When it stops its progress, it begins to deteriorate. That is where the image of the mountain is so accurate, if you stop climbing, you begin to slide down. Our spiritual life is a up hill journey, and we need to readily take it up.

Mountain - a call to sacrifice

Going up the mountain, as a task in itself, is tough. Its implications make it tougher yet. Decision to go up the mountain reminds us of the sacrifice involved - let us think of Abraham today who was going up to sacrifice his son; let us think of Jesus who had his imminent suffering very clear in his mind. Be it Abraham or Jesus or any person of God for that matter, when there is a call that sets them on a specific journey, they were mindful of the sacrifice that was expected of them.

At times we think that God's blessings consist in the fact that there are no sufferings, no hardships, no troubles or no trials. That is never a fact, from a Christian point of view. God's blessing in fact consists in finding meaning in that suffering, finding purpose in the sacrifice, finding a profound element of growth in our temptations and trials. The call to come to the mountain, involves in scaling this height of looking at and accepting the trials of our lives from the perspective of God. It was not possible for the Apostles. and Jesus had to tell them to wait till they understood everything from the perspective of God, until Jesus would die and rise from the dead. Experiencing resurrecftion would mean readiness to go through death; becoming the father of the entire generations of faith would mean being ready to give up his only son. Mountain, therefore is not something we fear or resent, but something that I am willing and ready to confront, not because I am capable and strong, but because God is for me, and I dont mind who is against me!

Mountain - a call to glory

Mountains signify the glory of God. The heights, the splendour, the light, the nature, the life giving freshness... all these are symbolic of God's presence. When we go up the mountain, we feel closer to the Almighty. Mountain experience is always explained as the experience of an intimate closeness to God, in contrast to the desert experience. It is wonderful to be there! But what matters is not being there where we find wonderful, but believing that where God is, it is wonderful to be there. Glory is where God is. When we are with God, we are in glory. We cannot fix our glory elsewhere and ask God to be there! That is why it becomes important to listen to the Lord, to know what the Lord wants of us, to know where God wants us to be! There we shall find the glory. 

We are called to glory. It comes from an arduous journey up hill. It is born of a readiness to give up anything for God's sake. We are called to grow in that mind set, the mind set of true faith, mature faith that can confidently say, when God is for us, no one can be against us. Hence this lenten journey we have undertaken is a journey towards that glory, that comes from fixing our eyes on the Lord and going up to the Lord; let us heed to the call to grow up to glory!

Through the desert - towards true freedom!

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday, First Week

February 24, 2024 - Deuteronomy 26: 16-19; Matthew 5: 43-48

Through the desert God leads us to freedom... we see that the focus is shifting gradually from the reflection on the desert and our journey through it, to freedom - the sweet and salvific destiny to which we are called. Towards freedom... towards true freedom. That requires that we begin with understanding first what freedom is all about. 

Frequently, persons are given into believing that freedom is the capacity to do what one wishes to, without any control or check.  It is important to realize as early as possible in life, that true freedom is the capacity to choose to do the right, to do what I have to, without fear, or pressures whether internal or external. There are two Christ-ian teachings that come to our aid to understand this reality: when Jesus says 'truth sets you free' and when John interprets Christ saying, 'where there is fear, love is not perfect'!  

If we are to really have freedom, grow towards true freedom, what matters is truth! Knowing the truth, knowing what is expected of me, knowing what I need to do, knowing what is right to be done... I need not endlessly wonder or frenetically search... For God has made it known to me. That is the privilege that we have as people of God, a great gift that God has made the precepts known to us. Thus we have the possibility to move determinedly towards freedom.

We have clearly set out for us one basic thing expected of us: to love. To love the other, not just those who will love us in return, but love all and specially those whom we know will not be able to love us back. That is one clear way to freedom indicated to us. No one should stop is from loving, only that would define us as truly children of God, free children children of the loving God. 

God is love, God is truth; hence love is truth, the truth that can lead us to true freedom.

Through the desert - with renewed spirits!

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday, First Week

February 23, 2024 - Ezekiel 18: 21-28; Matthew 5: 20-26

Through the desert, God leads us to freedom... the desert is never the end; God's people, God's children cannot lose hope. It is only hope that defines me as the child of God. I cannot lose heart, my spirit cannot grow faint. I cannot give up; the moment I give up, I cease to be a child of God. This explains why, for example, a decision like suicide is so unacceptable to the Christian faith. Even the milder forms of giving up, like depression, pessimism, nihilism, negativity, discouragement, rash judgements... are all unchristian equally, let us beware!

The Word today invites us to a great hope that, God never ever gives up on us! Never does God take pleasure in the death of a wicked person - God reminds us of this through Ezekiel. But what God wants is that persons realise their fault, their limitedness, their failures, their wrongdoings, their imperfections, and take the right decision promptly to return to the right ways, the ways of the Lord. What God wants of us this Lent is the same - that we renew our spirits and get back to the Lord. 

While getting back to the Lord, we have to be sincere and clear in conscience. Our way back to the Lord through the desert, we already said in the days just past, is always a way that we need to traverse together! It is in communion with my brothers and sisters that I can get back to the Lord. If I think I am journeying well towards the Lord, but I realise that I have my relationship strained with some of my brothers and sisters, either I am deceiving myself or I am being a hypocrite. Because with those strained relationships, I am not at all on my way to God. Jesus is crystal clear on this point. 

Whichever point we find ourselves in, if we realise there is something that is not right between me and my brother or sister, I cannot proceed! I cannot say, 'let me go ahead and ignore these issues; there are more important issues'! There is no issue more important than a right relationship; there is nothing more important than love in our Christian calling! First, let us set that right, for that is the fundamental point of renewal that God wants from us. Then we shall truly return to the Lord, with renewed spirits!

Celebrating the Petrine Ministry

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

February 22, 2024: The Chair of St.Peter

1 Peter 5: 1-4; Matthew 16: 13-19

We celebrate today the pastoral responsibility that the Lord places on the successors of St. Peter. You are Peter; on this rock I shall build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. The Church has stood the test of time - 2 millennia and still counting, despite all the forces which wanted it to buckle under pressure!

The First reading has a few remarkable elements that seem to explain perfectly the role of Papacy: 'presbyter among presbyters', 'not lording over the people', 'being example to the flock'! This is exactly what Pope Francis is trying to insist in the identity of the Church and specially in its identity. He does this stressing the Collegiality of the Bishops, as Bishop of Rome, not lording over but challenging everyone with his very life. Far from making a hero-idol of him, it is important as a Church that we begin to hearken to his passionate call to live as light of the world and salt of the earth, spreading love and hope to those around us.

We have a duty today, to pray for the Holy Father, as there are so many forces in the World that wants by all means to destroy the Church and its moral authority on the planet! The Lord promised that the gates of hell will never prevail over the Church, but we need to remain worthy of the promise, by being communities of genuine faith and integral living.  

Thank you Lord for Pope Francis; guide him, protect him and fill him with the joy of the Spirit! God bless our Pope!

Through the desert - beyond Self-pity

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, First Week

February 21, 2024: Jonah 3: 1-10; Luke 11: 29-32

We are not bound to live in the desert... we have a promise that awaits us; we are just passing through this desert. At times we get too comfortable with the desert - that is clearly a sin, an unacceptable choice in life. But there is another mindset that is more dangerous because of its ambiguity. It is self-pity and the Word today warns against it, challenging us to do away with it and to take our choices seriously.

At times, we may find refuge under a victim-syndrome; thinking of ourselves, picturing ourselves and presenting ourselves as a victim, to ourselves and to others. My situation, my problems, my health issues, my colleagues, my family, my upbringing, my past experiences... how many justifications we can think of, to remain in an unacceptable state of life - it could be sin, or slavery, or dependence, or exploitation or anything that does not allow us to live our life to the full. 

God's primary call to every human person is to live our life in all its fullness. When something prevents us from doing it, we are obliged to do away with it, and not try to find refuge in reasons and causes. That would be a sign of self-pity. Certainly, the contrite heart that the psalmist speaks of today is not the sense of self-pity! It is not saying, "Oh I am a poor sinner" as an excuse to remain in that state! Instead, I am challenged to rise beyond that self-pity and make radical and determined choices in life, as the people of Nineveh did!

When the people of Nineveh heard the Word proclaimed to them, they found the way to cross over their desert! They immediately got hold of it and got across their sinful situation, their desert life. Like someone being washed away by a flood would grab on to anything, to find a way to safety, so we are called to grab on to every help that the Lord sends our way to go towards liberty. Jesus indicates how the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba recognised the opportunity they had and grabbed it with both hands - so should our choices be, says the Lord. 

We cannot lie down and take refuge under the sense of self-pity! We are called to rise beyond it and be led by the Lord to liberty!

 

Through the desert - with the Word

THE WORD IN LENT - Tuesday, First Week

February 20, 2024: Isaiah 55: 10-11: Matthew 6:7-15

We reflected upon the aspect of going or passing "through the desert" and that the way of doing it is, 'with the other'. Today the Word offers us another reflection on the same lines... what is the source of strength that can offer us the necessary endurace to withstand that journey 'through the desert'. Because the desert can be not only tiresome, but also treacherous and we need a real strong weapon to equip ourselves with. The weapon or the equipment is, the Word; the Word itself is the strongest of the scaffoldings that uphold our total well-being. 

Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, we pray in the Psalms (119:105), and if that were true, Jesus demands us today, that it should be reflected in every aspect of our lives - specially in every word that we utilise, making them living and life giving. Do not blabber, he admonishes us. Whether it is with God, with others, or any other context... let's be conscious of our words. 

The Word in itself is dynamic and active, alive and transforming. But when it comes to human persons and their lives, there is a great factor that makes a difference: our personal disposition. A disposition of free submission to the Word and a readiness to allow the Word to work. 

Hence we are reminded of three important "Word attitudes" -

Firstly, to receive in all earnestness, the Word that comes to us in varied ways everyday. Secondly, to make the Word the guidepost for our lives and making it come alive in our experiences and relationships. Thirdly, to respect and be mindful of our own words. As Jesus teaches us, to make our words mean what they say. When we pray (say) the words, "your will be done and your kingdom come"... How different will the world be, how transformed our lives will be, if we meant them fully when we say those words! 

We are invited today to go through the deserts of our lives, with the Word.

Through the desert - with the Other

THE WORD IN LENT - Monday, First Week

February 19, 2024 - Leviticus 19: 1-2,11-18; Matthew 25: 31-46

Through the desert, God leads us to freedom. Reflecting on this message for this lent, we said already  that desert, although is a significant place for growth, it is not a place to remain. It is a place to cross over - "through the desert." This week the Word is going to illumine us, the right and the Christ-like ways of going through the desert. And the first lesson offered today is: we go through it, with the Other. 

The Other is a fundamental consideration in our Christian way of life. As Pope Francis reflects the first two questions asked by God to humanity in Genesis already explains this well: where are you? and where is your brother? It is a simple and clear declaration that as people of God, children of a loving God, our self identity has to be necessarily defined in relation to the Other - where is your brother! That reminds us of the responsibility that we have towards the Other! 

The Word today offers us a concrete ways of doing this as the book of Leviticus teaches the true ways of holiness: you must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart - not even in the heart! That is the concreteness of the teaching. It goes on to say, that we need to tell the other of their offence, speak to them clarify and even reprimand but not bear grudge or judge them in secret. This is such a wonderful way of life, in love for the other, isn't it?

Jesus follows the same teaching and makes it more concrete and compelling, saying it is the love for one's neighbour that will convert itself into true love for God. There is an eye opening paradigm that is presented by the Word today. We are called to cultivate within us an Other-centered thinking, for when we keep the other in the centre, even without our consciousness of it, we shall be doing so much good to ourselves. That is why it is presented as the way to holiness. On the contrary, if we possess a self-centered thinking, that is when we think of everything with ourselves and our own good at the centre, we will end up always distancing ourselves from God and from holiness. 

The message is very clear and concrete, the way out of the desert is, with the Other!  

FROM THE DESERT TO THE WATERS

Remember, we are a covenant people!

THE WORD IN LENT - FIRST SUNDAY 

February 18, 2024 - Genesis 9: 8-15; 1 Peter 3: 18-22; Mark 1: 12-15

Through the desert, God leads us to freedom - this lenten message of the Holy Father has been accompanying us in the first few days of the holy season of Lent that we have begun. The Word this Sunday, offers us a fitting culmination to those reflections, inviting us to listen attentively to what the desert wishes to tell us and where it points us to. 

The Desert Experience, has a very special place in spritual growth of persons and communities. Not to say about the literal desert experience of the people of Israel and that of Jesus himself, which has a direct reference to our lenten practices, spiritual masters attach great significance to desert-like experiences in one's life. It could be dryness, loss, failure, trials, temptations, meaninglessness, search, doubt, distance, boredom and routine, sickness, shock and many other such experiences either expected or unexpected, sudden or gradual. Naturally, they refer to a difficult experience at the moment , but an experience that would stand us a good stead, if their true meaning and all the lessons that they have in store are drawn out in time. The sad fact is that most of the time these expereinces are wasted with a negative approach and a resentive mindset. Instead, if they are approach with faith, they can become blessed moments - when the Angels could serve us, as it is reported in the Gospel today. 

A desert experience is a spiritual experience and it leads us to growth. First of all it is spiritual experience for all who allow themselves to be led by the Spirit - the Spirit led Jesus to the desert, the Gospel tells us. It is a spiritual experience because it has a very special place in the holistic spiritual growth that God desires within us. It leads us to a greater understanding of who we are and what we are upto. It gives us the opportunity to take time, in silence and recollection to, take a deep look at the present, understand the past a little better and learn lessons for the future. They are experiences that could at the moment be found heavy and precipitating, but what rewards us endurance. As James reminds us in his letter (1:12), blessed is the one who endures the trial, for when the person has stood the test, shall receive the crown of life which god has promised to those who love God. This is growth, to look at the difficult and trying experiences from the perspective of God.

A desert experience is a faith experience and it reminds us of the covenant. An important reminder that we are given during the moments of trial is, the accompaniment of God. Why does God accompany us? Because God is faithful to the covenant that God has made with us. We see in the first reading today the experience of Noah - the experience of the covenant. When God told Noah to build that arc, just imagine, how many would have derided him and called him names because he was apparently doing a foolish thing - building a ship, and that too on the land! Building a ship on the land - is a typical lifestyle of a covenant person! It is not that the covenant was made after the flood... it was sealed after the flood, but it was done much before the flood, because covenant is basically a relationship. There was a great bond of relationship between God and Noah - much before the flood. The covenant was the outcome of those times lived together, Noah and his God. Our difficult times are a reminder to look at the One who is with us, the One who accompanies us, the One who walks and shares every bit of our life. We are a people of the Covenant. That is the reminder that can see us through the moments of difficulties and make the desert experience truly a faith experience. 

A desert experience is a birth experience and it prepares us to be born again. The Liturgy today invites us to gradually shift our focus from the desert to the waters - the waters of baptism. From the waters of the flood to the waters of baptism, the fundamental lesson is that of our life in God. Jesus went through the moments of the desert - the temptations, the trials of his daily life and mission, the suffering and death - but it was all leading him to that point of resurrection, the passover, the eternal pasch that has redefined the whole history of all who believe and trust in God. That is the power of the water of baptism, giving us that passover experience, to pass from death to life, from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom. It is once again a reminded of our identity as people of the covenant - we are challenged to live our life in Christ. Just as the desert experience made Jesus reaffirm his life in God, just as the period of passion death and darkness that surrounded it made the disciples and apostles to reaffirm their life in Christ, our day to day experiences of temptations and failures challenge is to renew our life in the Spirit. 

The Word will continue in the coming week to remind us of the various facets of this life in the Spirit, this life begun with the waters of baptism, this life we are called live as children of God. Today let us thank God for the deserts of our life, let us thank God for the waters of baptism that have saved us, and let us thank God for having called us and continuing to lead us from our deserts to the waters of God's intimate accompaniment. Let us resolve to grow attentive to the accompaniment of God, to deepen our roots in the covenant that God has made with us, and to heed to the voice of Christ proclaiming to us that the Reign is at hand. May our daily life be a determined journey from the deserts of our lives to the waters of God's immense love.  

Desert: to be traversed together

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday after Ash Wednesday

February 17, 2024 - Isaiah 58: 9-14; Luke 5: 27-32

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. Certainly the desert is not a place to make our home! The last two days we have been reflecting on the deep impacts that the experience of the desert can create within us, and how desert is not something from which we should run. That in no way makes desert a place to be comfortable with. Pope Francis reminds us in his message: God shapes his people, he enables us to leave our slavery behind and experience a Passover from death to life. Passover - that is the key to understand. 

The Word today invites us to develop three specific attitudes towards the deserts of our life, that we may experience this Passover:

The first is "through the desert" - that we have always our eyes fixec on the horizon. The Passover experience is there, when we have passed through the desert. We cannot run the danger of making ourselves comfortable in the desert. It is a place of discomfort and dissonance that makes us constantly yearn for that perfection, not with a negative suppression of the present experienced but growing through them.

The second is God leads "us" - we are led as children together. We cannot make it a singled handed show! Doing away with the yoke, giving bread to the hungry and relief to the oppressed, restoring the ruins - these are ways proposed to get through this desert. We are called to pass over this desert in compassion and communion. Without these I cannot get through to the other side, let us beware, we may be building our castles right in the desert itself!

The third is the journey to "freedom" - that freedom comes with our decision making! We have to decide to leave everything behind and follow the One who leads; we have to make that absolute and clear choice, for whom and with whom we are! Jesus made that decision and paid the price. If we are his, we would make that decision and find true freedom, the freedom of the Spirit, the freedom the children of God. 

God detests to see that we choose the desert and decide to die therein! The call is that we traverse it, we cross over, and move towards that passover experience, to that real freedom, to that experience of resurrection. The desert is to be traversed, traversed together! 

Desert - a place of growth and realisation

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday after Ash Wednesday

February 16, 2024 - Isaiah 58: 1-9; Matthew 9: 14-15

Through the desert, God leads us to freedom... therefore, the desert is not a place to be detested. However, it is difficult it could be, it is indeed a place of growth as it leads to a profound reflection and a resultant realisation. When we decide to go through the desert, it offers us a great opportunity to look at ourselves, reflect and arrive at realisations that would create changes within us for life, changes that would amount to a happy growth from within. Instead, if we look at the desert as something we enter with fear and reluctance, in our preoccupation with mere getting through it, we may miss all the opportunities for growth. 

The Word today presents to us the difference between these two attitudes in reference to the lenten penances we would have probably commenced with, in this holy season. Is it a painful starving or a pressurised abstinence that really matters for God? If these acts of penance, for instance, increase within us our irritability, or self-righteousness, or our sense of pride - of what use are these acts? Aren't they detrimental to our very personalities? That is why Jesus, along with those words of the first reading, redefines what a godly penance would be!

It is not about starving or going around with stern faces, but it is about relating to the other, having compassion for the other, speaking affectionately to the other, reaching out to those is need, keeping away our small joys in order that we can make someone else joyful, taking up a little cross in order that someone around me can really experience the love of God that was shared to them from the Cross by the Saviour. Our acts of penance should make us grow; they should make us more godly. Only then, they are Christic!

Pope Francis in the Lenten message reminds us of the two questions that are posed by God to us, two questions that God posed in the events of Genesis: where are you? and where is your brother? The former underlining the need to become aware of our interior dispositions and latter inviting us to open our eyes to the needs of the others and not get lost in our ego trips. This season we need to respond to those two questions - they would lead us to realisation and they would help us journey towards growth!