6.6.2013

37th Anniversary of my Baptism!

BAPTISM: 
The First Gift God gave me after God willed me into existence! Everything after that has only been an affirmation of that gift and the love with which that first gift was given me! God, my Father and Mother, thank you for the gift of life, a life in YOU.

WORD 2day

6th June 2013

The Oriental mind is synthetic, while the Western mind is analytic. That is why the Oriental Scriptures have their condensed forms called the 'Sutras'. No doubt Jesus of Nazereth was an Oriental. He looks to synthesize every thing that he wants his listeners to understand. Today he synthesizes the whole of the Hebrews' Scripture to just two admonitions - Love God; Love your Neighbour! In the Mathean parallel of today's Gospel, Jesus would clearly conclude saying, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Mt 22:40) (law refering to the Torah and prophets refering the rest of the books, Neviim and Ketuvim - in short the entire Scripture as believed by the Jews). And a while later, Paul would understand Christ's mind so well to go further to declare, "for the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'you shall love your neighbour as yourself'."(Gal 5:14). Our entire Christian life is summed up in one word - LOVE. If I live a life of love, love in its truest sense, love in its divine nature, love in its Christ-ian essence, everything else falls in line. What a beautiful exemplification of this 'love' in Tobias and Sara! Again today, I am inspired to quote Augustine who said, "Love, and do what you will!" Such is the surety we have in Christ-ian Love.

WORD 2day

5th June 2013

A few days ago, our loving Holy Father said in his homily, 'a sad Christian cannot proclaim the Good news!' Every one has one's own share of the baggage to be carried! For some it seems more, for some others less. But more or less actually does not make much difference. What makes the difference is how one looks at it. Today, Jesus is almost laughing at the Sadducees for their ignorance - you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God, he says. They behave like the mendicant who was asked, what if you won a ticket to France tomorrow, and he said instantly, I will go to France and beg! Jesus challenges us to think big! He warns us not to limit God to someone like us, out of our ignorance! Our God is God of the living, not of the dead...God is much greater than whatever I can think of, or imagine! All that I need to do is believe in that God, trust in the presence of that God and when I am aware of that overwhelming presence with me, all the troubles that I face today, becomes so negligible. Be it Tobit or Sara...their share of trouble was so heavy...little did they realise the mighty presence with them, which was there to deliver them and launch them into Salvation History never to be forgotten!  When St.Augustine says " when I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete", this is what he means... the Mighty Presence of my Living God, can make the worst of my troubles look so silly! 

WORD 2day

4th June 2013

No one asked Jesus, what is the opposite of love. If they had asked he would not have said, 'hatred' but 'insensitivity'. Being insensitive to the other is the end of love! Judgments arise when I don't have the patience to listen to the other. Calumnies are born when I don't know to place myself in the other's shoes. Manipulations are a result of objectifying the other person, robbing him or her of the very personhood. Even apparently harmless traits like craving to win an argument, or desperately trying to prove someone wrong are subtle, some times terribly gross, insensitivities of our daily experience. Love, explained in gentlest of terms would be, sensitivity to the other... whoever it be! The more we consider the person important the more sensitive we would be. And what a world it would be if we remain sensitive - a person to the other and nations to nations! Lord, that I may forget more of me and reach out more to those around me!

WORD 2day

3rd June 2013

Prophecy, is part of our Christian calling. One of the meanings of prophecy is to speak for God, before the people, to speak for the truth in front of the people, to stand alone for the 'right' before a multitude that may stand around and pressurise me against it. Tobias in the first reading and Jesus in the Gospel are doing just that... It is not a matter of belonging to a category called 'prophets' or to consider self righteously oneself better than all the rest - but it is knowing what is right, being convinced of what is right and being that. Yes, 'being' that, not just doing that. Compromises and Justifications can be found for any issue, Excuses and good reasons can be found for any lack... Prophecy is that dimension of one's personality that remains itself at all times, looks at itself and judges oneself, with the parameters that makes sense only to a person who shares that state of life. May I grow more and more aware of myself, my convictions and my priorities that i may constantly check whether I am really living my call to prophecy in the ordinary circumstances of my daily living. 

THE FEAST OF SELF-GIVING

2ND JUNE 2013 - BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

I am the bread come down from heaven, one who eats of this bread will have eternal life!

It is the feast of Self-Giving...total self giving of the Lord who came down from heaven!
The Word has prepared us during the week towards this great celebration...

Giving...
I can give to receive...not just a mundane reception of a return for my giving; but I can give to receive something spiritual, to receive, may be, a blessing from God , to receive an affirmation from the Divine Giver... Melchizedek brought out bread and wine and Abraham gave him the one tenth... all in view of receiving the divine protection...

There was only one who gave, only to be received... notice, it is in passive! He gives, it is upto me to receive or not!!! He gives, to be Received.

The Lord gave the body and the blood and said...do this in remembrance of me... not just to remember him but remember to do what he did, in remembrance of him... to give of myself as he gave, in remembrance of him... He gives, to be Remembered, that he has invited me to give as he gave!

Yes, the Lord invites me to give, as he invited the disciples to give the people to eat...'give them some food yourselves'. It's only when we give the people in need, we remain the Lord's disciples. To make us learn that we need to give always of ourselves to the others in need, He gives, to Remain within us... He comes to us to transform us into Himself, to be givers, to be givers who give of ourselves to others, without passing the buck to someone else.

Yes, the Lord, everyday gives himself to me and so...
HE LIVES IN ME...

I wonder at myself !!!

It looks like, I cannot keep from wondering at myself today!
Has it really been me... 
for the first time, I have managed to post on my blog a reflection daily without fail 
for one full month - May, 2013.
If i have done it, 
it has been because of a few, 
who have continuously admired and encouraged me...
a big "THANKS" to these Angels sent by God into my life!
THANK YOU LORD...Let Your Spirit continue to inspire consistency in me!

31st...MAY...At the Sacred Heart Basilica

Friday, 31st May... I found myself in the Basilica of Sacred Heart, Rome... Sitting there with the Lord, in the silence that brought the Presence close to me! At a point of intuitive dawn, it occurred to me yet again, how blessed I was! And the specificity of the day held out a triple significance to me!

It was 31st...day of monthly commemoration of Don Bosco, in the Basilica built by Don Bosco.

It was Feast of Visitation, and I found myself infront of the beautiful Altar of the Mary Help of Christians, that special altar at which Don Bosco is said to have celebrated that unforgettable Eucharist on MAy 16, 1887, when he shed tears of overwhelming gratitude 18 times during the Eucharist, getting stuck unable to proceed with the celebration.

And, it was a Friday and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, right above the central altar, pointed out to me the heart burning with love for me!

The convergence of these...brought a special meaning to that moment...and all that I could say at that time was, "Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus for your love!"

WORD 2day

1st June 2013

Authority...that is the point of contention today! Authority is not given; authority is created, its from within. Power could be given, but authority is assumed. One who can create oneself, one who can author oneself, one who can define oneself in a particular context is considered an authority. When the scribes and pharisees approached Jesus with that question, they were clear as to whom they were addressing it. They knew that the person of Jesus had an authority about him that they have never seen in anyone before. That authority came from within, from the fact that Jesus wished, never his own will but his Father's, he said he never spoke what he wanted but what his Father wanted and that he did only what the Father wanted. There was an internal consistency, an integrity, that was so obvious in the person of Jesus, that he was growing rapidly unacceptable in the eyes of all who were caught in the day to day hypocrisy. Integrity comes from balanced priorities, for where our treasure is, there our hearts will be. When I look for integral values, as the first reading suggests, I look up to integral persons and set for myself integral goals. In a world which adores popularity and craves for power, Authority is what we need to look for and culture from within. 

WORD 2day

31st May, 2013

Mary visits Elizabeth... the just chosen Mother of God goes with haste travelling all the way through the hill country to her cousin Elizabeth.. to be of service to her and to give praise to God for the marvel the Lord has done for her and her cousin! Today the lectionary gives a choice of first readings...Zeph 3 or Romans12:19-16... I wish we choose to reflect on the letter to the Romans...Zephaniah is good, but stops with an indication to Mary as the favoured 'daughter of Zion'. Mary is much more... some one who loved genuinely, some one who held fast to good, someone who outdid everyone in showing affection and honour, some one who rejoiced in her hope, someone who was constant in her prayer, someone who rejoiced with those who rejoiced and wept with those who wept and above all, someone who served the Lord (in serving the brothers and sisters)...only a person who is ready to serve the others, can be called 'unconceited'...and only such a modest person can heartily sing, 'My soul magnifies the Lord...he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid'... The message is clear... to imitate this first Christ-ian... to follow her footsteps to holiness... to strain ourselves and go in haste towards our brothers and sisters to be of service... to be her worthy children, to be truly brothers and sisters of her son, Jesus Christ!