THE WORD AND THE SAINT

He remained and was rewarded

Remembering St. Mathias the Apostle: 14th May 2016

Acts 1: 15-17, 20-26; Jn 15: 9-17

The place of apostle Judas was empty and they consulted the Lord as to who should fill that place! They were inspired to have the criterion that Jesus himself proposed: it has to be one who has remained! Remain in me, said Jesus. And they looked for someone who has remained with them from the beginning to the end. Mathias (for that matter even Justus and so many others) had never aspired for anything. They could have had no clue about it. But they remained with Jesus and after Jesus had gone, with the rest of the band of followers.

Mathias looked up to nothing except that of being with Christ and he was rewarded for it with a responsibility. He never chose or claimed or aspired to be an apostle, he was chosen to be, because he remained in His love.

This is what the Lord invites us to: to remain in his love and to love each other with the same love as a sign of our discipleship. Surely the Lord will choose to use us as His apostles. 

THE WORD AND THE DAY

All for the love of HIM

Friday after the Ascension Sunday

Acts 25: 13-21; Jn 21:15-19

Today we have a list of things to remember, but let us do it in the light of the Word. In Jerusalem, Paul underwent troubles to the extent of being killed. Now he is getting ready to go to Rome... all because he wants to go all the way in bearing witness to the love that he has for the Lord. 

If you love me show it in your life says the Lord to Peter, in your life lived for others, in your life lived for the Word, in your life lived totally for the love of HIM. It is easy to brush this aside as a spiritualistic statement; but if we take it seriously, everyday is an opportunity to bear witness to the love I have for the Lord, everyday can become an experience of growth in my relationship with the Lord!

Today is the Feast of St. Mary Mazzarello, a saintly young girl who turned into a mature and seasoned leader by her mere dedication to grow in this love of the Lord. Everything you do, do it for the love of God, she would say! Her yearning for sanctity, the right persons she met in her life (Fr. Pestarino and Don Bosco), and the extraordinary love that she had for the Lord took her all the way to her sanctity.

Another capsule of memory reminds us of Our Lady of Fatima...a great revelation of the Mother of God inspired again by the love that she has for her Son and for the children she has begotten because of her Son! The Fatima phenomenon has been a great mysterious show of God's love in the past century and it continues to be so! May our blessed mother continue to guide and encourage us.

Yet another event we cannot miss from our mind today is the 35th year of the Assasination Attempt on Pope Saint John Paul II. Ali Agca, who shot at the Saintly Pontiff was chosen specially to accomplish that task and naturally he was a sharp shooter. But when he missed that aim, he was intrigued and when Pope John Paul II went to meet him in the prison after his surgery and recuperation, the first question Agca asked was: "how come I missed that aim!" And the smiling Pope retorted: "You chose the right gun and the right spot but you chose the wrong day!" 

WORD 2day: 11th May, 2016

Praying Together

Wednesday after Ascension Sunday

Acts 20:28-38; John 17:11-19

One essential characteristic of people of God is the quality of praying together! Jesus and Paul lead the people of God into prayer. Prayer is fixing God at the centre of our lives - both personal and collective. Both Paul and Jesus seem to suggest to us yet another important fact about common prayer: when every individual places God at an unquestionably central place in his or her life, the entire community would have God at the centre of its existence. Whereas the other way around is not so warranted. Merely because I belong to a community or a family or an organisation that has God at the centre, I cannot take for granted that God is at the centre of my life too! Does that set us thinking...

WORD 2day : 10th May, 2016

What would you do?

Tuesday after Ascension Sunday 

Acts 20:17-27; John 17:1-11

Right from the second year of my priesthood, I have been spending my paschs with youngsters. On the Holy Saturday, we have a meditation on death and the central theme would be: if this were your last day here on earth, would you be able to say like Jesus,  "it's accomplished"?

I remember this old zen story said of the Master to whom the disciples asked, 'Master if you were to know that this is your final moment what would you do? ' The Master without taking his eyes off his tea cup,  said,  'I would continue drinking tea'!

Both Paul and Jesus are seen bidding farewell to their loved ones in the Word today. There is a sense of satisfaction and a feeling of having accomplished the task entrusted to them!  To live my everyday life conscious of the fact that I am commissioned,  that I dont have all the time that is available,  and that I have to play my part right... that will give me a sense of vocation and a feeling of satisfaction. Think of it: what would you do to arrive at this?

WORD 2day :9th May, 3016

Knowing the Spirit

Monday after Ascension Sunday

Acts 19: 1-8; Jn 16: 29-33

I have conquered the world, says the Lord and why are we still going desperate about managing it? Because we are not yet convinced that the Lord has conquered the world. The Divine Counselor is right within us and why are we still looking all over for directions and suggestions?  Because we do not have sufficient knowledge of the Spirit. 

Today is already the 3rd day of the Novena in preparation for the feast of Pentecost.  The invitation is that we become more aware of the indwelling presence of the Lord in our lives. The Lord rests with us and the Lord is acting on or behalf. Why not we make room to behold it in our day to day experience? 

The Spirit of the Lord is all around us and once we behold the presence and be filled with that presence, we would be able to understand that our Lord and Saviour has conqured the world! Knowing the Spirit is the task given to us today, getting to know the Spirit that we may not react as the people did to Paul: we do not know that there is something called the Holy Spirit. At times our fears and thoughtlessness can exhibit such responses unconsciously.

UP WITH THE LORD

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord: 8^th May 2016

Acts 1: 1-11; Eph 1: 17-23; Lk 24: 46-53

The Lord ascends today to his Father and our Father! It is not an abandoning, as he himself very rightly had already assured us. It is an invitation! The invitation is to Go Up with the Lord. And this invitation to go up is given in 7 steps... let's call it 7-UP!

As the Lord goes up, let us reflect on the 7-UP

In the first reading we are presented with the THE EVENT: 
Christ ascends to the right hand of the Father!

                Christ, GAVE UP the divinity and became like one of us (Phil 2)

                He GOES UP today, by his obedience and fulfillment of the Divine Will (Heb 10:7) 

                He will SHOW UP leading everything to its fulfillment (Heb 10:36)

The second reading highlights THE EFFECT: 
Because of the Son who was raised by God to God's right hand, you and I are made worthy to accede to the presence of God!

                We are RAISED UP by the fact that Christ became like us (2Cor 8:9)

                We are DRESSED UP by the virtue of our baptism, (Col 2:12)and

                We are BUILT UP into the family of God (1 Cor 10:17).

The Gospel from Luke reminds us of what Jesus passed on to us, THE EDICT: 
You are and you shall be my Witnesses on the Earth!

                We are challenged to STAND UP for the Lord in the World today!!!

WORD 2day: 7th May, 2016

The Name: Jesus, the Christ

Saturday before Ascension Sunday

Acts 18: 23-28; Jn 16:23-28

Jesus was the name and Christ was a faith experience! Jesus, the Christ is no syntax error! Today we encounter Apollos, another contemporary preacher with Paul. It looks like there were some little misgivings in the Acts of the Apostles between the followers of Paul and followers of Apollos. But Paul makes no notice of such bickerings. Another great lesson we have is Priscilla and Aquilla instructing Apollos in the right doctrines! The role of the laity in the formation of the apostolic ministers comes out strongly...all of this to make people understand, Jesus was the Christ!

Jesus in the Gospel seems to harp on the same point too: anything you ask the Father in my name, my Father shall give you. He seems to say, because I am the Christ. As Acts so clearly says in another place (4:12) that there is no other name given in all the earth by which one could be saved! It is Jesus, because Jesus is the Christ, Jesus is the one anointed and set apart for our salvation! That should not make us haughty as if we have the monopoly over that name, but it should make us humble in questioning our daily lives and priorities. Are we living worthy of that name? It is not an opportunity to judge the "others" but it is gratitude that should fill our hearts for the privilege given. 

Ask a question, Is Jesus my Christ? 

If you very easily said 'yes', ask that question again looking closely at your values and attitudes of daily life: Is Jesus really my Christ?

WORD 2day: 6th May, 2016

The Birth Pang Spirituality

Friday before Ascension Sunday

Acts 18: 9-1; Jn 16: 20-23

Going through the Word today, a few thoughts came flooding my mind: the mind blowing facts people say about the level of labour pain which many mothers akin to a near-death experience, the recent painful experience of one of my friends losing his prematurely born baby after all the herculean efforts proved failure, the sorry state of the numerous childless couples...everything is related to the imagery that the Lord is sharing today!

Along with these thoughts, two other occasions of the day added a peculiar perspective to my reflection: the Feast of Dominic Savio, the young saint; and the First Day of the Novena to the Feast of Pentecost! 

Linking all these three lines of thought, I saw my mind converge on one reflection: the Birth Pang Spirituality. 

What does it consist of:

1.Expecting a transformation in Life, a spectacular and paradigmatic transformation

2.Knowing well that the expected transformation is not going to come so easily or automatically; it has to be, to a great extent, my effort ofcourse with the external (Divine) assistance.

3.Accepting wholeheartedly the enormous pain that would be involved and knowing well any effort to cut down the pain will not result in the total transformation.

4.Awaiting restlessly the signs of the beginning of the transformation, in spite of realising the pain that is involved. 

5.Going through with heroism the entire painful phase of processing that transformation.

6. Rejoicing in the outcome and being a cause for others to rejoice too!

The restlessness of Dominic Savio to grow into a saint and the eagerness of the early Church to receive the Holy Spirit...don't these fall into this category of spirituality?

WORD 2day: 5th May, 2016

Your Sorrow will turn into joy

Thursday, 6th week in Eastertide

 Acts 18: 1-18; Jn 16: 16-20

Your Sorrow will turn into joy, the Lord promises! At times it seems a lofty promise and many look at it suspiciously. That is not because the Lord is wrong today, but our understanding of true joy is not right at times!

Ever heard of the anecdote about this monk who went into contemplation and came out "enlightened"? Since everyone considered him "enlightened", a man approached him with a question...what difference do you find between the world as it was when you went into contemplation a decade ago and that of today? He said, "when I went in the land was down and the sky was up there, there was summer and winter, and there was day and night." "And Now?", the questioner asked with curiosity rising! "Now the land is down and the sky is up there, there is summer and there is winter and there is night and there is day!"

Are you wondering that the story is incomplete if I end it there? No! The fact is, even if things remain the same, the way enlightened persons see them is completely different from the way others see it! Your sorrow will turn to joy, not only because everything around you will turn upside down, but because you will find yourself different, your priorities different, your concerns different. That will make all the difference! When they rejected Paul outright, he couldn't care less! He was just the same and walked off cool, because for him that rejection mattered nothing!

For him sorrows had turned into joy, everything was joyful for in everything he sought the Lord!

WORD 2day: 4th May, 2016

The Spiritual Capacity to accept Truths...

Wednesday, 6th week in Eastertide
Acts 17:15, 22 - 18:1; Jn 16: 12-15

There are ways in which a person responds to a data that is beyond one's perception or beyond ordinary explanations. The first way is to outrightly reject it and the second is to ridicule it just because one cannot understand it. These two  display an arrogance that is not even humane, leave alone spiritual. One could begin to enquire about it and make a scientific effort to understand it, that would be human. The Greeks in Areopagus laugh at Paul and some consider him 'confused'!

A Spiritual disposition in approaching new experience would enable a person to perceive the truth in what is said, understand its true meaning and find relevance for one's life. This mind will not reject something merely because it seems new or it has not been so till then. The one who empowers a person towards such a disposition is the Spirit of truth says Jesus in the Gospel today. 

Openness, respect and a sense of wonder are prerequisites for one to have real Spiritual Experiences!