WORD 2day

4th July, 2013

Abraham and his story has reached its climax today! An episode that escapes all rational discourse on God, God's will, God's mercy and Faith. If it is so difficult for us today as we read and reflect, it is not difficult to imagine the perplexity of a man who could possibly in Abraham's shoes. He would have been battling in his mind as to what really God wants from him, why does God give and why does God want to take it away so prematurely! Perplexities are more for one who believes more and one who believes more is prepared for more perplexities. Abraham personifies this fact - but in all his perplexities - he gives us a definition of what means Obedience of Faith (that later becomes a key word for St.Paul in his letters). Obedience of Faith, in simple terms is putting God first. Placing God's will before anything else, before my will, my desire, my plans and projects, my dreams and my treasures! It is perfect submission to God's will, even when I really do not understand what that actually is. Abraham never understood what God's will was, just as the pharisees and the Scribes never understood who Jesus was. But the difference was, Abraham was ready to submit but the latter did not want to. They held on to their judgments and prejudices, which did not allow them to see God's presence and action unfold right in front of their eyes. The year of faith, invites us to make this loving leap of faith in God as did Abraham, without doubting the presence of the Lord at any point of time. Faith is a total, loving and unquestioning submission to the Divine Will.

HE CAME... HE DIED...!!!

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE

The one who said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (Jn 11:16)...

went all the way in his life for his saviour...

and upto India, he came, and he died!!!

Inspire us St. Thomas during this Year of Faith...

to live our life of faith all the way...!!!

WORD 2day

3rd July, 2013: FEAST OF ST. THOMAS, THE APOSTLE

The first reading celebrates the unity we have as a community of faith, with the Apostles. The Apostles are the foundations of our faith says the reading and the liturgy proclaims the same truth too! Celebrating St. Thomas today, the diverse legends not withstanding, we thank God for this great Apostle, specially for having brought Christian faith to the South of India. "Bringing Faith", "Passing on Faith", "Transmitting or Communicating Faith" - these terms puzzle me. Faith is a gift from God, a grace, an inspired response given by a person to the Self-revealing God! If so, can faith be 'brought', 'passed on' or 'transmitted or communicated'? The question does not in anyway negate the process that is referred to here with gratitude and recognition of history; instead it offers an opportunity to bring forth a nuance that dazzles within it. Transmitting faith or Communicating faith, means primarily testimony of one's faith, that inspires faith in others! The testimony of one's personal response to God, that inspires the others to respond likewise! The Apostles' way of transmitting faith was that, they responded to the God who revealed God's self and in that response they challenged all who were around to respond to the same Lord! The story told of St. Thomas and his evangelising activity in the the southern India, is basically a testimony lived and held out as a challenge. The Challenge is not merely to accept the testimony, but to become a testimony ourselves and continue being the salt and the light of the earth! May St. Thomas inspire us!

WORD 2day

2nd July, 2013

Fire and brimstone all over, but Lot and his family in perfect safety... all because of, says the scripture, one man who walked in the presence of the Lord - Abraham! It was on Abraham's account, due to his faithfulness to God and his unswerving decision to live in the presence of the Lord, that Lot is saved! Even there, nothing could prevent the perishing of his wife, a typical representation of the category of persons who have lost their heart and soul to overly attachments. How closely parallel the scene is to that of the Gospel today - storms and waves all over, but disciples in perfect safety... all because of one person who was the presence of the Lord - Jesus the Son of God! They had nothing to fear, for the Lord was with them. But there was panic and desperation, for their heart and soul was not focused on the Lord who was with them... they were focused on themselves and their problems and their dying prospects. When Jesus rose, he first rebuked the disciples; only then the storm and the sea. Today, don't we find ourselves in a similar situation too? Problems and Weariness all over, but we are in perfect safety... all because the Lord's presence is with us! The Lord journeys with us, lives with us, and acts on our behalf... all that we need to do is like Abraham, "Be Still and Know" that God is!

WORD 2day

1st July, 2013

The first reading of today is a bit confusing! It presents a scene which looks as if God is waiting to destroy and Abraham is trying to appease the wrath of God. Though apparently that is how it is narrated, the message communicated is quite different. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities filled with filth and sinfulness, wickedness and devilishness and on account of these, they were cities that were running themselves into destruction! It is like the ecological crisis and the nuclear risks that we have created today! One day or the other we are to reap its fruits! The Wisdom of God in warning against this and pointing the right way is either rejected or belittled. The natural law and the divine law that is imprinted on our spirits, is the only guarantee towards a peaceful life. But we have ruined our prospects disrespecting and discarding any law that comes from God! When Jesus discourages one from following him and chides the other for not following him, he knows exactly what is good for each of them. God has set laws and order, keeping in mind the needs, wants and requirements for peaceful living of the entire humanity. In human pride, irrational greed and ruthless selfishness, we have made a mess of the world entrusted to us. The warning is to all of us today, if we do not mend our ways and return to the ways of the Lord, we are leading ourselves and our world into destruction. As he did with Abraham, the Lord is negotiating with and through every good willed person even today!

NO TURNING BACK...

30th June 2013: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

To follow or not to follow: that is the question!

Today, following is a term which is found all over. You can decide to follow someone on Facebook, on Twitter, on Google Plus, on WhatsApp... here, to follow is to get to know all that the person is doing and have your own comment to pass, or your like button to press or not! Following, in Jesus' terms is not that simple! When Jesus tells you, Follow me - that is a serious affair. The Readings today lay bare to us the elements of a real following, in Jesus's terms. 

First of all to follow Jesus, is to leave your past behind!

There can be no compromise, no mere walking the line, when it comes to following Jesus. I am challenged to go all the way. Today, Elisha is given as the model for us - he kills the bulls and burns the yoke, and follows Elijah - a call for us to leave our past behind and follow Jesus. It is a symbolic act and St. Paul develops that same symbol for us in the second reading - never to return to the yoke that Jesus has freed us from! The yoke of slavery to sin, to worldliness, to love of comfort. We are called to leave behind these yokes and walk in the liberty that Christ gives us. It is Faith that helps us to make this leap. Whole of last week, we have been reading about Abraham, who took that step in faith, he left everything and walked in the way that God showed him.

The second element of the following is to look to the future!

To leave behind something that we have always held on to, is not that easy. One needs an impetus to really take that decision. Jesus offers us the impetus in the Reign of God. Jesus calls us to be sons and daughters of the Reign, to look forward with Hope the coming of the Reign, and not just that, but to proclaim, promote and make present that Reign wherever we are. That is the meaning of being a follower of Christ, who lived and died and rose again to make us the liberated Children of the Reign. To go and Proclaim the Reign is the mandate that Jesus gives each of us and He expects that we do it everyday, through our words, our gestures, our attitudes, our priorities, in short, through our testimony. Amidst the crisis and the gloom that we find ourselves in, we are called to remain people of Hope and announce a future that is found only in the Lord!

Thirdly, to follow Jesus is to live the present in His way!

Leaving the past and looking to the future, is to ensure that we live our present fully and in the way that God wants us. St. Paul underlines the mode of living when one chooses to follow Christ. It is to walk by the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit! It is love of God, through love for one another, loving one another, reaching out to the needy - all done in Love.

It is not an easy journey on the road map laid out here! It calls for challenges. Jesus does not hide anything. He says everything in clear terms - if you wish to follow Christ you may not have anywhere to lay your head; you will have to lose things that you consider dear, you will have to walk towards your own suffering! Inspite of all these, there should be NO TURNING BACK... If you turn back, you are not worthy of the call that you have received. The trophy is only at the end, the finish line is the last part of the race, the end finishes the journey... our job is to keep on walking, to keep on running, to keep on journeying with the Lord... that is truly following the Lord.

As I thought of this no turning back I was reminded of the famous story told of Hernán Cortés, the Spanish Conquistador, about burning the boats. That is the true sense of following the Lord. May be to end the reflection you can hear the story narrated by Andy Andrews. 

Burn your Boats

God bless Pope Francis!!!

WORD 2day

29th June, 2013

Feast of Apostles Peter and Paul. Being an apostle is no privilege, it is a challenge; living my life as an apostle is no accomplishment, it is a duty! That is why Paul said, "Woe to me if do not proclaim the Gospel"(1 Cor 9:16) and Peter said , "we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). They are apostles because they were "sent" in God's will to be the stones on which the communities of believers will be built. Everyone baptised is called to be an apostle, and the way to be an apostle is outlined so vividly by Peter and Paul today... to proclaim the Gospel even at the point of death; and to be stones on which the community will be built and not be the crack from which the community will be divided! Killing the apostles pleased the Jews - those were the times when the first apostles braced themselves to stand for the goodnews of Christ. They found themselves at the point of being sacrificed, but nothing discouraged them from bearing witness to Christ and his message! It is a fight, a race - not just a glamorous show to be an apostle today. The lion's mouth, the evil that surrounds and the powers of death are certainly to be found, when I begin to understand, accept and live fully my call to be an apostle... but at no point will the Lord's deliverance be lacking! When I decide to run the race, to fight the good fight, 'the Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.' 

WORD 2day

28th June, 2013

"Lord, if you will..." the Will of God is mighty, complex and all-encompassing. All that I need to do is submit to that holy will. Because it is mighty and complex, at times I don't understand it. When a little is revealed to me it already looks too big and marvelous, sometimes even difficult to believe in. At times the plans look too fantastic to be real and we begin to suggest to God something that is simpler and more feasible. Or as it happened to Abraham today, it may even seem ridiculous to believe in that will. But precisely in believing that will, we become chosen to behold the magnificence of God's doings! Sarai becomes Sarah, Abram becomes Ahraham - it is because they believed in the will of God and God's will transforms them into new persons who walk before the Lord and are blameless. What makes us covenantal people is our capacity to believe in God's will or God's plan that is eternal; the plan which is always towards our welfare. What it takes to believe in this Will on a daily basis, is the humility to submit to God, the patience to wait on the Lord and the perseverance to keep walking in way of the Lord.

WORD 2day

27th June, 2013

Not everyone who says Lord! Lord!, really belong to the Lord! There is an invitation today to check... between authenticity and duplicity. Let's talk of three categories of persons - Pretenders, Performers and Professionals! Pretenders are those who try to be something that they really are not, but everyone can see it so obviously that they actually are pretending. These are amateur actors, but they can perfect themselves in the act. The Performers are those who perform to the occasion, to the audience, to the moment. Though they are not actually what they act to be, their performance comes very close to reality. The Professionals are those who live the character they want to be for the short moment to such a perfection that people begin to equate the character and the person! We could be any of these three in our Spirituality - trying to pretend to be someone that people see so clearly that we are not; or performing at certain moments with perfection that comes with practice and repetition; or being professionals who can be taken so easily to be what they appear to be, though it may be solely for certain punctuated moments. None of the three is SUFFICIENT to be an authentic disciple of Christ... What he want is an integrity where there is no pretension or performance or professional role playing. The integrity that Christ demands, requires a ready acceptance of the crosses that come my way once I have chosen a definite way of walking with the Lord. Abraham is given as a model today, as one who struggled his way all through with contradictions, conflicts and difficult choices to make, but he remained faithful. The key is Integrity in the choice for God!