WORD 2day: 24th August, 2015

Remembering St. Bartholomew, the Apostle.
Rev 21: 9-14; Jn 1:45-51

Known in the Gospel of St.John with the name Nathanael, Bartholomew received from the Lord a great compliment - a man in whom there is no guile, says the Lord. Though he did not believe what Phillip said and originally did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus recognises the goodness in him.

The readings today have three lessons to teach: One, the readiness of Jesus to appreciate the goodness in a person even when the person did not believe in him. How many times friends turn the worst enemies when they begin to disagree with each other!

Second lesson is from Bartholomew, who accepts the call to 'come and see' and goes, sees, believes and remains with the Lord.

The third lesson is from the feast itself - a remembrance of the Apostles is a special invitation to each of us to recognise the call we have received to to go into the world and proclaim God's Reign. Bartholomew took the Gospel right upto Armenia and Arabia. There exists a legend that Bartholomew reached even India's western borders!

Each of us is reminded today of our call to bear the goodnews to the ends of the world, to establish the Reign of God - beginning with the closest of our contexts - that is, right wherever we are!

WORD 2day: 7th August, 2015

Feel overburdened? ..just open your eyes!

Friday, 18th week in Ordinary Time

Dt 4: 32-40; Mt16:24-28

Today I am reminded of an event from Don Bosco's life. It was his mother Mamma Margaret who had loads of complaints about  Don Bosco's boys. ..they were spoiling all her hard work. ..her kitchen garden,  her work of mending their shoes or clothes, her work of tidying the simple house they had...none of these counted for anything as the boys went around rampaging everything immersed in their play! She came with a turmoil and said she is leaving the oratory for good. And Don Bosco with a serene countenance looked at her and told her, 'Mama leave if you want to! But before that have a look at that!' and he pointed to the crucifix that was hanging on the wall. She turned around and went back to her chores. I am reminded of this incident for two reasons. 

The first reason is the readings of today which call us to look at the good that God has done to us, the amount of love that the Lord has showered on us, the countless blessing the Lord has bestowed on us. If we are mindful of it, Moses seems to say, we would never go away from the Lord or complain when we face some inconvenience. Jesus says that in other words, if you feel you are a disciple, that is one who is mindful of the Lord with you and you being with the Lord, count your blessings and carry your cross with the same joy in your heart! What a challenging call.

The second reason is the journey I am beginning today: a journey to Turin to be at Don Bosco's place for the celebration of his birth bicentenary! A journey to the roots, a visit to the beginnings of Don Bosco and the Salesian Congregation. My heart wells up with gratitude as I begin this journey and I take all of you my dear readers with me... to Don Bosco's sacred places. May this wonderful saint of our times, grant you all the joy that filled his heart always, the joy of giving and the joy of being in the presence of the Lord!

NOTE: From today till August 23rd...my posts on the daily readings would not appear! Please do keep me in your prayers and you are all spiritually in union with me as I journey on! God bless you all!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

The Transfiguration of the Lord
Dan 7:9-10,13-14; 2 Pet 1:16-19; Mk 9: 2-10

A Reminder of our Inner Selves

At times,  like the disciples felt, we feel like standing and staring at the glory of the Lord; or we don't have time even for that. The transfiguration of the Lord is a reminder of the inner selves that we possess. We do not realise the treasures that we are given with in this earthen vessels (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). We are so taken up with maintaining and adorning and satisfying this earthen containers that we need a reminder like what Jesus gives us today: that our inner selves are way far precious and brilliant, and we need to attend to the innermost yearnings of our being to belong to the Lord and taste the eternal goodness. Our innermost self is the very image and likeness of God.  The invitation is to live a life,  set a standard,  fix on priorities that would make us worthy enough to hear those words: 'this is my beloved son; this is my beloved daughter'!

WORD 2day : 5th Aug, 2015

To be known as people of God

Wednesday,  18th week in Ordinary Time
Num 13:1-2,25-14:1,26-29,34-35; Mt15: 21-28

There are a variety of criteria people use to define who are the people of God. The Old Testament people had the criterion of belonging to one of the Tribes of Israel to be known as the people of God. Jesus was a product of his times. The greatness of Jesus lies in his openness to be taught by that Cananite woman that itis not merely belonging to a progeny that makes one a child of God. It is the fundamental interior  disposition to wait on the Lord,  believe in the sovereignty of God and receive with immense gratitude everything that God deigns to grant us in life.

Complaining,inability to see God's hands in things that happen and the failure to feel God's constant presence will disqualify us from being known as people of God.

Today in union with Jesus can we review or capacity to gratefully recognise God's presence with us?

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Remembering St. John Mary Vianney
4th Aug, 2015
Num 12: 1-13; Mt14:22-36

The readings present to us two incidents,  one the shock Aaron and Miriam had and the other Peter's shock as he feared he was sinking. Miriam and Aaron found it challenging to accept the leadership of Moses as they did not approve of some of his choices. They failed to see it was God who had chosen Moses and looked at him as an undeserving rival to their popularity. While Peter who was called by Jesus to step on to the water failed to see that he was called by the Lord himself and began to gear his inability.

We have a saint today who did not give into that error at any point in his life. When he was about to be sent out of the seminary for his dullness of intellect,  or when he was rather dumped into a 'god forsaken' village add they thought,  when the people did not even bother about the new priest at the Church,  when he had just empty pews to talk to,  he never have up.  He was always mindful of the fact that it was the Lord who had called him and sent him to that village. That faith paid off!  That village experiences a revival.

As we resolve today to take the faith perspective of our life seriously,  let us whisper a prayer for every priest whom we know, specially for those who are in some kind of crisis. May Vianney interceed for a revival.

WORD 2day : 3rd August, 2015

God who feeds

Monday,  18th week in Ordinary Time
Num 11:4-15; Mt 14: 13-21

It sounds a bit funny, but very true to say: God gives and forgives; we get and forget. God keeps providing; we keep hoarding,  God keeps intervening and we keep complaining. God takes pity on us while we take advantage of God. God gives us God's love and we love the things that God gives.  Moses feels it today and Jesus would feel it soon too. But that would not stop them. Because they are persons of God.  Faith and hope renders love truly enduring.  On God's part, God is ever faithful; what we need to do is recognise that goodness and acknowledge the many things that God keeps feeding us with.

Make a Difference

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 2nd August, 2015

If you are a Christian...
Feel the Difference, 
Live the Difference, 
Make a Difference!
that is what the readings invite us to! 

Stop Complaining...start feeling the presence of God says the first reading today!
Stop Running after useless things...prioritise God in your life says the Gospel!
Stop following the crowd...make the crowd turn to follow you, as a Christian, says St. Paul.

We need to feel the presence of the Lord who makes a difference for us! We need to start living that difference in our life, on a daily basis, by showing to the world that our value systems are different, that our priorities are different and that our foundation is different. We will then surely make a difference, wherever we are! 

The Difference is God! Make God felt, in and through all that you are!

WORD 2day : 1st August, 2015

A Righteous Celebration

Saturday,  17th week in Ordinary Time
Leviticus 25:1,8-17; Mt 14: 1-12

Inspite of all the talk about recession and tough times,  celebrations do not seem to have reduced or stopped. Especially in the religious realm, celebrations find their importance and significance intact. At times they are exaggerated too to the extent of being detested.

Today the Word presents to us two modes of celebration: one, an exploitative celebration that is irresponsible, insensitive and a mere show of arrogance; the other,  a righteous celebration. Let none of you wrong the neighbour but fear the Lord your God,  instructs the first reading of today, which is all about jubilee among the people of God.

A celebration that is godly should not be at the cost of the other, but for the sake of the love for the other. Celebrations should reaffirm the meaning and joy of living. That is why everyday eucharist is a celebration, a reminder of the life that we are called to live in the Lord, in communion with our brothers and sisters. !

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

31st July 2015: Remembering St. Ignatius of Loyola

Lev 23:1,4-11,15-16,27,34-37; Mt 13:54-58

Moses, Ignatius and Jesus

We are reading these days at the Eucharist about Moses and the interventions that God made through Moses, the great prophet of God. Today we celebrate another prophet, Ignatius who has some characteristics that he shares with Moses.

Moses was a timely intervention that God had prepared for the sake of God's people. Ignatius was a timely intervention too; he comes in at the disturbed times of Reformation and initiates a Counter Reformation that revolutionises the whole Church and calls her to renewal.

Moses had a history of killing a person; but that was an outcome of the fundamental feeling for the oppressed people that was hidden in his heart and God makes use of that to raise him up as a prophet who would stand by God's people. Ignatius was a soldier, who had ambitions of rising in power and position; but God makes use of that warrior's spirit to raise a soldier of God, who would combat the wiles of the evil one and defend the Church, the people of God.

Moses gives rise to a new community of people, the hebrews who were bound by the Ten Commandments, the sign of their covenant with the Lord. Ignatius gave rise to a new company called the Company of Jesus, later called the Society of Jesus, who bound themselves to total obedience to the Holy Father and resolved to stand by the Church and defend the Church at all cost. 

Today Jesus extends to us the same call, the call to be prophets. He warns us, it is not an easy call. It involves struggles which one cannot imagine. It involves rejection, insults and sometimes even persecution as we see it all the time around us. Jesus does not want to deceive us into some dreamland, he calls us today to live a life of commitment and conviction and warns us of all the consequences of such a choice. Are we ready?

WORD 2day : 30th July 2015

Set Apart

17th week in Ordinary Time
Exodus 40:16-21,34-38; Mt 13: 47-53

Moses did exactly as the Lord had directed him. The first reading begins thus.  And that is what set Moses apart! Joshua would soon be following suit.  We are constantly being judged. ..not by God nor by the world but by our very actions and our choices. We are set apart as people of God but that is no guarantee that we will remain so forever. Just as we were set apart we could be set aside too, again depending on our choices and our readiness  to do as God directs! The Lord is present among us,  as pointed out by the tabernacle that Moses made. It is a clear message sent to the people and to us: God dwells amidst us;  God is with us. God shares our lives. We are set apart to do exactly as God directs. If we fail we would be consequentially set aside! Wish to be in the net? Or to be cast away?