Discipleship costs...

THE WORD AND THE SAINTS

January 26, 2026 - Remembering Sts Timothy and Titus

2 Timothy 1: 1-8; Luke 10: 1-9

Timothy and Titus are the two models we are presented with today. 

They were both finds of St. Paul on his journeys. Inspiring the listeners to make a life choice is a special gift that some are given with. St. Paul possessed this and used it well for the sake of the Reign of God. Timothy and Titus join the great band of apostles, that Jesus initiated and Paul joined later in God's own time. 

Today the call remains open. We are all on the jouney towards the Reign and the Reign, although is yet to be made visible, is already present in the world today. Every one of us, by our baptism is entrusted with the task of establishing the Reign of God. The question is, how conscious are we about it? The more we become conscious of it, the more we grow in the sense of our call.

What is our response? Examples such as Timothy's and Titus' impel us towards action. St. Paul who identified these two apostles, also inspired them. They learnt from the spirit of Paul who said, woe to me if I do not proclaim the Word. Paul himself learnt from Jesus, for whom doing what the Father wants is like food and drink. 

As the Gospel presents to us, the task entrusted to us, costs dearly... sometimes costs even one's very life! The Apostles knew it and still embraced it because, they had an urgency for the Reign - the Reign of God is very near to you!

THE REIGN - A DO-IT-YOURSELF GUIDE

 3RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - JANUARY 25, 2026

Sanctity and Insanity - the curious rapport

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

January 24, 2026 - Celebrating St. Francis de Sales

2 Samuel 1:1-4,11-12,17,19,23-27; Mark 3: 20-21

There is quite a list of saints who were considered out of their minds... Paul, Francis of Assisi, Bro. Juniper, Symeon of Emessa, Don Bosco... they were all considered so because they were fools, fools for Christ as Paul calls himself in 1 Cor 4:10.

Why were they considered so? What made them persons 'out of their mind'? Infact they were not out of their mind but they went out of their way for others sake and the world calls it madness. Isn't it a folly or madness on the part of God to have done all that God did for humanity inspite of their infidelity and weaknesses? Jesus was a chip of that exact block and we are called to follow his footsteps... growing to be more and more mad: getting out of ourselves and loving people genuinely.

The Saint whom we remember today - Francis de Sales, would have been called so today, in a world that rages with vengeance and vehemence. Even in his own times, as many of the authors who have studied him say, he was called the saint of gentleness. His simple but incisive remark, that one can catch more flies with a drop of honey that with a barel of vinegar, is so distinctive of his nature and his convictions.

However, one strange fact that stands out in all these reflections, is that reminder of the Word: sanctity and insanity seem to have more than little that relate them... let us give it a thought!

Beware of whom you want around you!

WORD 2day: 2nd Friday in Ordinary time

January 23, 2026 - 1 Sam 24: 3-21; Mk 3: 13-19

Saul had his men with him, David had his own men with him and Jesus gets his own men ready today! Each of us has a group of people who surround us. A backup group that suggests, supports and sustains us in the life journey. But it is important that we beware of this group! We have to be very careful to choose the group of persons who surround us; and as a corollary, also about whose group we wish to belong. 

That group of can make or mar us... depending on the level of importance given to them. The group with Saul assisted him in his pursuit of irrational vengeance, although they did not have an alternative. The group with David instigated the murder of the reigning king, thanks be to God David did not pay heed to them. Though Jesus picked and chose the group that he wanted to be with him, there was a traitor right amidst them!

The message to us is this: that we fill our atmosphere with God fearing persons, that our life could be doubly blessed - our efforts to goodness and the goodness of those who surround us. Allow God above all to guide you, not those who wish their own gains and glory. Beware of those around you who create an opinion within you. Seeking guidance and support is great, but beware from whom!

Even demons don't dare compare!

WORD 2day: 2nd Thursday in Ordinary time

January 22, 2026 - 1 Samuel 18:6-9,19:1-7; Mark 3: 7-12

As Jesus drives the demons away from the persons possessed with them, the demons acknowledge the Son of God and give him the rightful place. Not even the demons dared compare themselves with the Son of God. They knew, any such comparison would only make them more frustrated than they were. 

Saul failed to learn this lesson and that spelt his doom. This is what the first reading reminds us of today... that Saul compared himself with David, and forgot the good that he himself was able to do with the help of God. There is no comparison - we would remember the beginning of the account on Saul that we heard a few days ago: he was the most handsome and strong of the entire lot. Where was the need for comparison - when David was such a young lad and Saul was such an accomplished leader! But it happens... even among us it happens. We fall into this temptation without any need absolutely for it. 

The message is clear, categorical and strong: comparison is a poison and it will surely kill you someday.

Obstinacy of Total Surrender

THE WORD AND THE SAINT 

January 21, 2026 - Remembering St. Agnes of Rome 

1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51; Mark 3:1-6

A mere pebble was enough for the young David to bring down the mighty Goliath. In fact, Goliath needed no javelin or spear to kill that young brat David - he was just a boy! But Goliath could not, because the obstinacy of his pride and arrogance impeded him from real glory. 

The whole sanhedrin and the entire ruling class plotted against Jesus but no one could do anything till the appointed time, though Jesus had no spear or javelin to defend himself. They were caught up in their obstinacy of self-righteousness and convention, that they could not see God's glory shining around them.

St. Agnes, who we celebrate today, was just a little girl, like David whom we encounter in the Word. She was just 12 or 13 and there were so many who were determined to possession of her. No one could, because of her obstinacy to belong to God... this is a different type of  obstinacy from the previous two that we have seen. This is an Obstinacy of total surrender to the Lord... that was seen in Jesus, and in David. 

We are called to remember, that no one can stop us from the good we do if that good is ordained according to the holy will of God. If it were for my own gain or glory, my own pride or proof, I cannot blame God if it brings strife and suffering alone. A small reason is enough to topple the entire edifice so carefully raised, just like a pebble was enought to bring Goliath down. When I have my selfish mileage to make and manipulate persons and situations placing my trust in my might then I should realise I am far far away from the Lord. 

Maybe we could try growing in this type of an obstinacy - the obstinacy of total surrender to the Lord. 

The Blue-eyed of God

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 2nd week in Ordinary time

January 20, 2026 - 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Mark 2: 23-28

David is chosen over and above the rest of his brothers... all of them stronger and fitter. Not even for Samuel who understood so well the mind of God, was it easy to make sense of this choice. But soon things would happen, to prove how that choice could be justified - be it the killing of the Philistine Goliath, or the hundreds and thousands he overpowered in war or the kind of turmoils and internal coups that he withstood. All this he could because God gave him the special gift.

On his own part too, David proved himself so worthy of the choice. He loved God so much that God saw in him someone lovable as a son. In fact, David could do anything because he knew he had won the special favour of God. He was special in the eyes of God, he knew that fact and he lived up to it. 

Jesus seems to refer to that fact exactly - the fact that David was a blue-eyed boy of God! Jesus is trying to impress on us today, that we too could grow to be the 'blue-eyed's  of God... if we love God with all our heart, trust God with all our soul and surrender to God our entire life.

Compromise kills!

WORD 2day: 2nd Monday in Ordinary time

January 19, 2026 -1 Samuel 15:16-23; Mark 2: 18-22

Saul defends himself today, 'did I not do what the Lord wanted me to? ' Yes, he did. But not the way the Lord wanted it. This is a crucial problem, even with us. Sometimes we think we are doing what the Lord wants us, or we wish to think so, or worse still we try to convince ourselves that we are doing so. The fact is, heart of heart, we know there is something that is not really '...that right!'

Look at Saul in the episode we refer to today - he tried compromising what the people wanted along with what God wanted. To be honest, he knew, or he should clearly have known that he is not doing exactly what God wanted. That was a matter of the heart. It would have been enough for him to sincerely listen to his heart. 

Jesus warns us therefore - compromising kills... don't compromise with the old ways and the new, with what God wants and what the world wants! What one builds through small tough steps towards perfection, can be pulled down in one simple compromise. 

Yes, let us beware: compromise kills!

GET YOUR BASICS RIGHT...

Being a Christian...

2nd Sunday in Ordinary time - January 18, 2026

Isaiah 49: 3,5,6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1: 29-34

We have been busy celebrating feasts one after the other! It's time to return to the Ordinary Sundays and probably, the right beginning is to get our basics right, as sons and daughters of God. Today the readings speak to us about living our Christian life on an everyday basis... in our ordinariness of life! Festive occasions make it easier to feel the joy of the moment; but the demanding call is to live our life on a daily basis, to live it fully, faithfully and meaningfully.

Jesus is about to begin his public ministry, and like an MC (Master of Ceremonies) in a performance, John the Baptist announces Christ's entry into the scene! With Jesus' entry and his public life, our life as Christians, our call as sons and daughters of God and our identity as disciples of Christ are clearly defined. And that is what the liturgy today intends to do... to clarify the basics to us, so that we may live our Christian calling everyday of our life. 

The readings seem to reflect with us in terms of the basic Question Words...

WHO? WHAT?

The first question is about who we are and what we are? Isaiah gives a direct response to it: we are the light of the nations! We are called, we know that. But, as what? To do the will of God, yes; to be ever at the disposal of the will of God and say, "Here am I Lord, I come to do your will" (Heb 10:7) But doing the Will not merely as servants but as 'the light of the nations!' 

We are called not merely as workers but as witnesses. "Called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" ...that is the answer to the Who and the What, of our Christian life. We are called to live our life as witnesses...witness is our first mode of proclaiming Christ and His gospel. It is not what we do that matters most, rather what we wish to communicate through what we do! Do we want to tell the world about ourselves, our goodness, our greatness and our inevitability? Or do we want to communicate to them the goodness of the Lord, the Gospel of the Father, the grace and peace of Christ and love of the Spirit? What we wish to communicate would determine whether we are merely workers or witnesses!

WHY? WHERE?

Why should we be doing God's will and where are we bound to? In simple terms, what is our goal? What are we called for? The Word of God is vociferous on this point, be it in the Old Testament or in the New Testament: We are called to Holiness... We are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy - says the second reading today. Holiness consists of a clarity of one's own identity as Isaiah, Paul and John the Baptist demonstrate in the readings today: to know who we are and what we are, and thus realising why we are doing all that we do and where we are going towards! 

We are called, not to a mediocre life, but to live our life to the full... that is a life of real holiness. If everything that we do in our daily life, does not ultimately lead us to sanctification and holiness, that is in simple words fullness of life, we are on a mistaken journey. It might seem colourful at the moment, but will soon end up gloomy and grey. A clairty on the why and the where, will determine our daily choices, will define every aspect of our Christian living - our family life, our career, our spiritual life, our personal life and so on. Only when we are clear about our purpose, our lives shall be lived to the full.

WHICH? HOW?
The next question is, which way? and how do we reach that holiness? Is it my achievement? Is it some kind of a detached discipline of life that looks at every one around as a distraction and disturbance? Is it a elitist view of life, keeping myself above everyone, trying to be as less contaminated as possible, so that I can reach God and godliness? Are these points of view Christ-ian at all?

Christian life cannot be just a me-and-God type of a life. It has to be lived in a Community! From the very beginning, Christ-experience and the message of Christ has been lived and passed on by a community. The readings underline this community aspect with the terms like, light of the 'nations', 'to all those everywhere who call upon the name of the Lord', and 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world'... We are in the Unity Octave, which this year invites us to see God working through people and places which offer Unusual Kindness, which we will notice if only we would do the appropriate kind of looking.  

Now the only question that is left is, When? But that is established right in the beginning...Now, Today, Here, in the Ordinariness of our daily life... every day of our ordinary life... we are called to live mindful of our identity as children of God, called and sanctified by Christ towards holiness, living to spread God's love to the entire world... as light of the nations, in footsteps of the Lamb of God who calls us as a community of faith and love! 

In search...who and whom?

WORD 2day: Saturday, 1st week in Ordinary time

January 17, 2026 - 1 Samuel 9:1-4,17-19,10:1; Mark 2:13-17

The Word presents to us today two persons in search... one, who went in search of the donkeys and the other, who went in search of the sinners... one similarity: both of them, for the sake of their father's wish! 

Though the comparison is strange, the fact is that both are kings... one the first king of Israel and the latter the eternal King of heaven and earth. We may consider ourselves worthless and dumb as donkeys, but the truth is the Lord is in search of us. Many a times we speak of the humanity that is in search of God... but how much more true it is to think of the Lord who is in search of each of us. 

Let us open ourselves up to the Lord; invite the King into our hearts; and the King shall reign for ever in our lives and through us, reach out to many more who are lost and are searching for themselves! I do realise that I have been too allegorical today, but the message is simple: to be forever open to the Lord, in a sense of daily conversion and repentance, ever growing more and more as children of God.