God leads... through the Word and God's ways!

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, Third Week

March 06, 2024 - Deuteronomy 4: 1,5-9; Matthew 5: 17-19

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. God leads us in varied ways and one of the privileged ways is through the Word, that we are constantly gifted to hear. First of all, through the Word that comes as part of the Liturgy. Certainly, it does not stop there. There are other ways in which the Word reaches us - our prayer moments, a discussion with a friend, a striking inspiration somewhere, a heart touching experience that we could come across, a problem, a success, a confusion or crisis - all these can bring us in touch with the Word. 

The Word is imprinted in our hearts. The capacity to discern between the right and the wrong, the examples of what is desirable and what is not, the experiences of others that teach us what is good and what is harmful - these are promptings of the living Word which guides us in God's ways. We are given the grace to choose these, and that is freedom. When we believe that God leads us to freedom, what do we say: that God leads us to that state where I readily, willingly and resolutely choose what is right, good and holy. 

It would be infantile, we know, to hold on to the opinion that freedom is doing whatever we want! Mature understanding of freedom is, that it gives me the ability to choose on my own without any internal or external pressure, what is good and what is due to be chosen. This is a formation, an education, a growth. We, as children of God, have received this formation from God, God's Spirit, the Word that instructs us and the Community of Faith that has nurtured us. God leads us on in that direction - that is why we say: Your Word O Lord, is a lamp unto my feet!

There is enough reason here why Jesus declares it in the Gospel that those who live by the Word and the ways of the Lord and teach others to do it, remain people of the Lord. On the contrary, even if one claims to be a child of God, a disciple of Christ, if he or she does not live by the Word or at least strive to live by it, with all the struggles, failures and temptations - the person cannot be identified as a person of God, a child of God, or a disciple of Christ. Journeying by God's Word and God's ways... that is the guarantee that God leads me! 

God leads... a humbled contrite heart!

THE WORD IN LENT - Tuesday, Third week

March 05, 2024 - Daniel 3: 25,34-43; Matthew 18: 21-35

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, to liberty that can find its way into our lives, only when we make space for it. Yesterday, we reflected upon some traits that would prevent us from progressing towards where God leads us - that we would not be led unless we allow ourselves to be led. Today the Word speaks to us of one sign that we allow ourselves to be led by God - a contrite, humbled heart.

It does not take perfection or sanctity to be identified as God's children - then it would be impossible for any of us to fall into that category. What matters is a humble, contrite heart. The first reading today explains to us that a humbled contrite heart is as acceptable as a holocaust of rams and bullocks, of a thousand fattened lambs. Simply said, it is the most loved disposition of the Lord and the ideal identity of a child of God. 

How do we understand a humbled, contrite heart? As a heart of that person who puts himself or herself down before others, treats oneself without respect and despises oneself before God and before others? Is that what God appreciates in us? How can that be? Does not God love us above all? Has not God invested us with a dignity that belongs to Godself - the image and likeness in which God has created us! If so, would God want that we belittle ourselves, that we treat ourselves without dignity?

The quality of a humbled, contrite heart is knowing and accepting oneself with all sincerity, without any pretence. Knowing how unworthy I am before God and accepting all that I am and all that I have as a gratuitous gift from God. It is, appreciating every bit of love that I experience from God beginning from all the blessings and never forgetting the abundance of mercy with which the Lord has always forgiven me all my unworthiness, weaknesses and sinfulness! 

The integrity of this humbled contrite heart can be seen only in extending the same acceptance and forgiveness to the other, my brother and my sister. If I am mindful of my 'forgiven'ness, I will certainly forgive. If I am not ready to forgive, Jesus says, I am not humble or sincere enough to accept that I have been forgiven. My haughtiness and pride blocks my heart and that haughty, proud heart cannot be led by God! It is only a humbled, contrite heart that God leads!

God Leads: do we seek to be led?

THE WORD IN LENT - Monday, Third week

March 04, 2024 - 2 Kings 5: 1-15; Luke 4: 24-30

Through the desert God leads us to freedom... God leads us, or atleast God offers to lead us! What marks the difference is whether we allow ourselves to be led! We cannot be led unless we allow ourselves to be led. Not allowing ourselves to be led can have some reasons behind it - it could be out of ignorance, obstinacy, pride, prejudice or wickedness! We see the wickedness in act, in the wish to push Jesus down the cliff because he allegedly insulted them, today in the Gospel. 

Pride and prejudice blind the eyes of our minds and makes us see only what we decide to see. Even something that is apparent may not be noticed by us, because we are so filled with ourselves - our ideas, our desires, our agenda, our plans and our own promotion. Obstinacy blocks us from doing something that is so simple a solution to many a problem, merely because we do not feel like doing it. We wish to hold on to something just for the sake of it, just as Naaman did. He had to be educated to understand his folly. Fortunately, he allowed himself to be educated and thus opened his eyes.

Why was Jesus being so insinuatingly critical towards the people in the synagogue - because they were unable to see the apparent. Their eyes were closed, blocked not so much with ignorance as with obstinacy and pride. Jesus wanted to open their eyes and their hearts and see what the Lord is doing for them, right in front of their eyes; where the Lord wanted to lead them all - to the salvation promised, to freedom. But they were not ready to be prodded!

This is a danger we all run into: the danger of missing the great offer that the Lord has for us - to lead us through the desert to freedom, through the cross to glory! God wishes to lead us and every plan and project is on. All that is needed is our assent to it, that we say an yes! Just as the widow of Zarephath who was open to be led by Elijah although she did not really understand what Elijah meant; just as Naaman who accepted to do what Elisha wanted although he was too proud to carry what he considered a despicable order of someone; are we ready to allow the Lord to lead us on?

The responsorial psalm goes a step ahead and teaches us what sort of an attitude should characterise a child of God: not just allowing God to lead us, but seeking eagerly to be led by God. When we seek to be led by God, when we willingly submit to be led by hand, we shall see the glory of freedom, the glory of the salvation! 

FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE CROSS

Arriving at the Sanctuary of Glory!

THE WORD IN LENT - THIRD SUNDAY

Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25; John 2: 13-25

Mountains, we reflected upon last Sunday, are special experiences in life but not the point of arrival. They point to much greater and more glorious destination - the Sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of God's glory; and for us, it is the Cross! The Word for this Sunday finds us arrive at the Sanctuary of Glory, the Cross. From the mountains, we are called to move towards the Sanctuary. 

The Mountain: In the first reading we have the reference to the mountain, the mountain where God speaks. One may wonder...but where is the mountain in the passage of the reading! It is in the content - the commandments, the commandments which were given on the mountain, just as Jesus taught his laws in the sermon on the mount. The commandments refer to the special and the peculiar way in which God spoke to Israel; in fact, the commandments made them who they were, the people of the covenant. Jesus chose to build on those commandments and gave his teachings, making of those who believed in him, the People of God, the Church. The mountain is the experience of listening to God, the experience of entering into a relationship with God, the experience of establishing a covenant with the Lord. 

The characteristics of the mountain, furnish us with other aspects of the life in God - the do's and don't's, the ethics and mores, the difficulties and challenges, the uphills that demand - that can be summarized in terms of the commandments which are directive at the same time as they are experiential about life. The commandments that we are reminded of, are not merely laws or regulations, but an expression of committed relationship that we wish to enter into with God. This relationship takes us towards the sanctuary, an experience of special rapport with God.

The Sanctuary: In the Gospel, we find Jesus speaking of destroying the sanctuary and reconstructing it in three days. Clearly, obvious today for us, the reference was to himself. That reference is a revolutionary call, not just in the days of Jesus, but even today. In a context today, where there is so much emphasis on the institutionalisation of faith - building or beautifying sanctuaries, investing on structures and focusing on welfare projects - this perspective of Jesus is still prophetic. The person is at the centre of faith. Relationship with God is the crux of faith. It just cannot be structures, systems, empty traditions, or ritual rubrics. Much worse, it cannot be economy, finance and social dominance! It is a choice that we are called to make here, a radical choice of our values and priorities as persons and communities. 

Those choices will take us to the real Sanctuary, the holy ground to which we are called - that is, persons and interpersonal respect, community and interpersonal relationships. It is only in the right relationships that the Sanctuary of the Lord is truly built. The persons and the Community of persons are the real sanctuary, the real Church to be built up. We cannot here hide from or bypass a direct critique that the mind of Christ would make on the growing tendency to spend disproportionate finances on building churches and cathedrals, instead of building up the people of God, in love, compassion, justice and truth. The question here is where does our glory lie? Which is that sanctuary of glory that we wish to arrive at... it is truly the Cross. The Cross is our true sanctuary of glory!

The Cross: In the second reading we have St. Paul who proclaims in categorical terms: we preach the Crucified Christ; in Cross is our glory. It may be a sign weakness or scandal for some, a mere slogan for others, but for us it is the power and the wisdom of God! It represents entire grammar of salvation that Christ wished to reveal to us - the grammar of love, sacrifice and total acceptance of persons. That is where our lenten journey should take us: to that sanctuary of glory, to the Cross. 

The Cross represents the wisdom of God, the wisdom that offers us a covenant of love, a way of life, a pact which would take us towards glory, if we accept and respect it. 

The Cross stands for the power of God, the power of love that sacrifices, gives itself, empties itself and destroys itself, that we may have "the power/the right to be called children of God" (Jn 1:12).

The Cross is the manifestation of the glory of God, the glory which burns with zeal, which fills the earth with that light which would make each one examine his or her own life, throw out the unnecessary accumulations and bring in the Son of God - thus journeying towards salvation, towards freedom, that freedom to which God leads us. 

 

To Freedom - through the absolute love of God!

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday, Second week

March 02, 2024 - Micah 7: 14-15,18-20; Luke 15: 1-3,11-32

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. There is a highly pertinent question to ask here, which we have not asked so far in our reflection: but why does God lead us thus, to freedom? Because, as we said yesterday, God so loves us! For God so loves us that God has given the only Son for our salvation, for our liberation, for our salvation. That is why St. Paul declares: "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1). That is the abundance of love that God has for us. 

Do we deserve that love? We know very well, we do not! Can we ever deserve, or merit, that love? Let us be very clear, we would never ever deserve or merit it! But these questions do not occur to God! God never sees whether we deserve or not! God treads down our faults, and throws our sins to the bottom of the sea, tells us Micah today! But we cannot understand that, just as the elder son who could not just get it when the father celebrated the return of the younger son! He could not understand it.

The reason is: the Lord is compassion and love; the psalmist puts it so succintly - the Lord IS compassion, not only that God has compassion! The Lord is compassion and love, and therefore there cannot be imagined a more profound love or more abundant an expression of love and compassion than God's. God's love for us is absolute, no one can measure that love and no one can set boundaries to that love. We cannot understand that love, we can only just get into that love and be drenched in it, just as we find the younger son in the parable.

The younger son was mindful of his unworthiness and sinfulness, but the father was not! He refused to pay attention to it; all that mattered to the father was that the son had returned. It is the same with God, who loves us to that extent that none of our sins and unworthiness stands between God and us, the moment we decide to return to the Lord. The Lord wishes to liberate us, free us, not only from the sins, but from the very thought or consideration of our sins. That is an absolute freedom, that comes from an absolute love that God showers on us. Yes, it is the Lord's love that frees us, an absolute love that frees us absolutely! 

To Freedom - through truth and integrity!

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday, Second week

March 01, 2024 - Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28; Matthew 21: 33-43,45-46

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. We journey towards freedom with our trust in God, we reflected yesterday. The question today is, but why God? Why do we have to trust in God? The answer is: who else can we? On what else can we found our lives, other than God's love for us? In whom can we really place our trust and confidence if not God who knows us through and through? God alone is the Truth and God alone knows the truth... to acknowledge that absolutely is integrity. It is only through that truth and integrity can we really journey towards true freedom.

Joseph of the Old Testament was  threatened for being true to his dreams, revelations from God. He was condemned to be killed by his own brothers but God raised him to the throne, to save his entire household. Jesus was being threatened for being true to his identity, that God and he were one and that he was the revelation of God. He was condemned to be killed by his own people but God raised him to New life, to save us God's people, God's children! Joseph and Jesus are presented to us as beloveds of God, living in truth and integrity - they were free children of God. 

Certainly it was not difficult for Joseph or Jesus to understand where their life was leading them  to, atleast for the present - still they chose to remain faithful to the call that they had received, standing for truth and living in integrity. Faithfulness to God is faithfulness to Truth, and truth alone can set us free because it leads us to integrity and empowers us in the times of trouble and threat. Living the will of God is living the dreams that God has for us, which God alone knows; our faithfulness to those dreams, even that God alone knows. Inspite of the hiddenness, our faithfulness to it, is the integrity that leads us to freedom, the absolute freedom that God leads us to.

God loved the world so much that God gave God's only Son; the Son loved God so much that he gave himself entirely; how much do we love God and God's Son and what are we ready to give up, that we may live for and live by truth. In that integrity, we shall find our way to Freedom, the promised land of Salvation. 

To Freedom - with trust in the Lord!

THE WORD IN LENT - Thursday, Second Week

February 29, 2024 - Jeremiah 17: 15-10; Luke 16: 19-31

Through the desert God leads us to Freedom but the question is, are we ready to be led? In the days gone by in this week, we have reflected on the need for self-examination and verification, the importance of discernment and yesterday we reflected on the external hurdles and inner hardships. All these reflections, when we undertake them earnestly will lead to a very important self discovery: where lies the centre of our life? And that will make a huge difference, how we go about in everything, everyday. 

Just yesterday we encountered in the Gospel, James and John being schooled by Jesus, and not just them, but all the apostles - to set their priorities right. Not to seek power or dominance over the other but to serve the other. But why? Why should we serve the other? What is that which inspires us to serve the other?

It could be to gain something out of it or obtain some benefits. But we know very well, that is so unChristian a motive. It is so materialistic that it cannot be considered godly! 

It could be our wish to express ourselves as good and holy. It does appear godly, but let us beware that is still autocentric, or self-centered. It instrumentalises the other and makes our goodness a means to obtain some end. 

The only motive that can lead me to salvation, or true freedom, is that I serve the other because that is what the Lord wants of me! I do not know how being good to the other and doing good to the other, is going to help me or what it is going to cost me, but I decide to be so and do so. Because I trust in the Lord, who has called me and commissioned me to be God's image here and now. What God wants to do to the other, I am called to do! And I trust that God will lead me through that, to freedom. 

This trust has to be the centre, the crux, the foundation of my life of faith and only in that can I march towards freedom. The rich man in the parable today is in no way an evil man, but a man without self-examination or verification! He did not realise how materialistic and selfcentered he was; we cannot do that! We are given all the possibilities to reflect and discern - let us answer this question to ourselves today: where is the centre of my life? In whom do I trust?

To Freedom - overcoming hurdles and hardships

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, Second Week

February 28, 2024 - Jeremiah 18: 18-20; Matthew 20: 17-28

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and that way to freedom can never be without problems and difficulties. The way to freedom, the Word today instructs us, can have two varied kinds of difficulties: the first of its kind is external hurdles.

Just as a journey through the desert can face with hurdles on the way - boulders, sand dunes and so on - so too, our journey to freedom can have hurdles that are from around. Today we see Jeremiah complaining to God about it and Jesus mentioning it as a matter of fact. It is particularly intriguing how Jesus just mentions it and passes by, that he will be handed over to the elders and the leaders and they would kill him. He just passes by it saying, I will be killed and I will rise! It is a powerful message in its simplicity - you will have hurdles, but you can and you will overcome them - do not fear. 

What Jesus warns more against, than these external hurdles, is the second kind of problems: the internal hardships. He says these are much more dangerous, that can take away your freedom, and take you away from the Truth. This is something that is characteristic of Jesus, we know that. He always concentrates and draws our attention to "the within", the internal forum, what comes from within, more than what can affect one from the outside. Overcoming this type of hardships requires a lot of what we have been reflecting on in the past two days - the need for self-examination and the importance of discernment.

One who humbles shall be exalted and one who exalts oneself will be humbled; what makes one impure is that which comes from within and not what enters from outside; true Reign mindset is seeking to serve and not seeking to be served - these are clearly of the internal forum! Who can guarantee the sincerity and integrity about such dispositions, except the person himself or herself? That is why the indispensable place of self-examination or self-verification, without which even the person proper would not know really what one is going through. 

In self-examination leading to the realization of what cannot co-exist with a life in Christ, and in the discernment of ways and steps in which one can act on these areas which need change, the Lord walks with us and enlightens us with the singular light of love, a love that does not hesistate to lay down even one's life, because it is a love that seeks not to be served, but to serve the other in every way possible!

To Freedom - through sincere discernment

THE WORD IN LENT - Tuesday, Second Week

February 27, 2024 - Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Matthew 23: 1-12

Through the desert God leads us to Freedom... and this true freedom does not come easy! It takes a serious and sincere discernment to arrive at it. Yesterday we reflected on how the desert helps us towards self realisation, in order that we may progress towards true freedom that God wishes to offer us.  The truth is, not that God merely wishes to offer us that freedom, but is ready to collaborate with us in our progress towards it. 

'Come let us talk it over', the Lord invites us - an offer to accompany us, to help us and to educate us in our discernment of the right choices in our life. Jesus clarifies the same, but with a note further. He says, it is not enough to know what is right and what is desirable, one has to make a sincere effort to convert that knowledge into conviction and that conviction into life. That takes a serious and sincere discernment, as we said earlier. 

There are those of us who know what is right and what is wrong, in fact, by God's grace all of us do! All of us are given innumerable means to know and understand what is right and what is desirable. The law that is taught, the right and wrong that we are cultured into, and above all, the conscience that dialogues with us from within: come let us talk it over, says the Lord and the Lord continues to do that from within us. Don't we hear that voice every time we are about to make a choice - that something is right or that something is wrong! How attentive are we?

There are those of us who know, but are not convinced; we hear the voice within but do not feel like, or do not want to commit ourselves to, obeying it. We find excuses, justifications, complaints, and reservations to avoid the hard choices we are expected to make at times in life! How we miss or how much we neglect the accompaniment and assistance that God wishes to offer us in those moments - for anyone who humbles oneself, shall be exalted. If we cry out to God for help, the Lord is there just beside us to hold our hands firm! 

There are those of us who know, who struggle, who fail and falter, but we are determined to continue our journey towards that ideal set before us! We are assured of God's nearness - if you are willing to obey, you shall experience the good things of  life - the Word promises us today. All that we need to do is decide to hear the Word, listen to the Lord and engage with the Lord in a sincere discernment, and we shall be on our way to true freedom!

To Freedom - in profound self-realisation

THE WORD IN LENT - Monday, Second Week

February 26, 2024 - Daniel 9: 4-10; Luke 6: 36-38

Through the desert God leads us to freedom... by now our focus has shifted from the first part "through the desert" to the latter part "to freedom". However, what the journey through the desert does to our effective progress towards freedom, is an important consideration, never to lose sight of. The journey through the desert, as we have time and again insisted, is an exceptional opportunity to realise who we are and where we are. 

One of the most radical way of progressing towards true freedom is, profound self-realisation. At times we live our life without a sense of reflection and that is why what Socrates said becomes so much a reality - an unreflected life is a wasted life. There are so many things in life that we need to unlearn and our sojourn in the desert would help us to become aware of them. One of those important elements to unlearn is the fact underlined in the Word today: there is much in our life that we experience which we do not deserve!

Let us begin with the compassion of God - do we deserve it at all? What a great realisation it is, that the psalmist today teaches us: do not treat us according to our sins O Lord! In fact, the Lord does not, and we cannot thank God enough for that. In another place the psalmist would say: Oh would that you treat us according to our sins, who would stand your judgements O Lord! (cf. Ps 103). Should we not be careful before we pass judgements such as, you suffer because of your sins. Just like those friends of Job, will we not be failing to understand the entire truth - that none of us ever can be deserving of God's love. It is God's unlimited mercy and compassion that drenches us in God's merciful love! How important it is to realise that!

In our daily concrete experiences, when we take the goodness of others towards us for granted, it is a clear sign that we are living an unreflected life, we think we deserve all the goodness we experience. In stead, the more we become aware of the gratuitousness of the goodness that is meted out to us, by God, through others, the more righteous we grow. We begin the feel the need to become compassionate ourselves, humble, forgiving and generous - that is the surest way to true freedom of the children of God.