THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Clare and the Christian Bhakti Marg

11th August,  2016
Ezek 12: 1-12; Mt 18:21 - 19:1

Emotional energy and relational attachment to the Lord and Master is not all that weak as it is often looked at with prejudice.  Though this alone may not be the needed disposition for a mature faith,  this  is an essential element of spiritual attachment to the Lord. 

Bhakti Marga is an important way of being united with the Lord in an Indian tradition.  It is translating one's capacity to love genuinely into an intimate devotion to the Divine Master.

St. Clare for me has always stood out as an ardent bhakta who was guided by her total attachment to the Lord. That was missing in the relationship of the people of Israel with Yahweh who had done so much for them.  Jeremiah is  asked to remind the people of that while Jesus explains that one who recognises what one has received from Lord, will not count when he or she gives!

Bhakti is not merely about God and me; it is also about me and others!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Sowing and Growing

Celebrating Deacon St. Lawrence - 10th August, 2016

2 Cor 9: 6-10; Jn 12: 24-26

Martyr St. Lawrence gives us the occasion to hear yet another time this classical lesson that the Lord wishes to give us: what you sow you reap; what you are you grow to be! It is important here to notice that the crucial element is not what we do or what we become, but what we are! This is what St. Paul calls, becoming a new person in Christ. To be so transformed in Christ and into Christ, that we are seen as Christ, as another Christ, as alter christus!

Every Martyr gives us this lesson: to die for Christ's sake. It does not mean only dying in the sense of losing one's life, but dying to oneself, dying to one's ego, dying to one's undue attachments, dying to one's fixed ideas, dying to one's weaknesses and fixations. That is martyrdom too...a martyrdom of a totally different nature, a martyrdom that is required of everyone. A martyrdom that has to be undertaken with a sense of gratitude and cheerfulness, inspite of the inconveniences it can cause.

What have we sown around us? What are we growing into? Let us become aware of our sensibilities and check if we are cheerful givers, who are ready to give up, in order to grow up!

WORD 2day: 9th August, 2016

Live the Word from within

Tuesday, 19th week in Ordinary Time

Ezek 2:8 - 3:4; Mt 18: 1-5, 10-14

The first reading today has a beautiful symbolism...the Lord tells the prophet to eat the scroll and then to go and speak to the people the Word of God. The idea is clear - there is not use in knowing what the Lord says, or saying what the Lord says - what matters is living what the Lord says. That we will be able to do only if the word resides within us - thus the call to EAT the scroll containing the Word.

The disciples, we see today in the Gospel, heard the word from Jesus, spoke about it, but they never personalised it. They were unaffected by the Word and that is why they were worried about who will be the greatest among them. The Lord challenges them to listen to the word, eat the word and live the word from within! Are we prepared, because the Lord calls us too!

WORD 2day: 8th August, 2016

Really Knowing...

Monday, 19th week in Ordinary Time

Ezek 1: 2-5,24-28; Mt 17: 22-27

Growing in Faith is not merely growing in knowledge of something - knowing more about scriptures, knowing more about religion, knowing more about values etc. It is much greater than that but one of the most fundamental requirement is knowing: knowing who oneself is! That self knowledge and self definition determines much of one's choices! The Word today reminds us of the true nature and glory that is embedded into out beings, which we very often forget, neglect and reject.

The way I understand myself affects the way I look at others. The way I look at others determines the way that I relate to them. The way I relate to the others is plainly expressive of the kind of concept I have of God. For instance, when we look at others as strangers and foreigners then we expect that they deserve every thing that we do for them. When we look at the other always in communion with ourselves, all that we do for them we actually do for ourselves. And, looking at the other as unconnected from me puts my very belief in the One God to question. It is high time we look at everything being one whole, connected to each other - that is true Spirituality!

Called to be READY

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Dan 7:9-10,13-14; 2 Per 1: 16-19; Lk 9:28-36

One of the fundamental calls of a typical Christian is the call to be ready. Not merely from the Early Christian Community, but right from the person of Jesus himself,  this call has been always strong - to be Ready.

How can we understand this being ready?  We look at it as a call to be...

Ruthlessly Responsible: responding with our best even in the smallest of things that we are entrusted with from the Lord.

Endlessly Enthusiastic: never losing the spirit and the joy with which everyone of our self offering to the Lord begins.

Absolutely Accountable: being so diligent with all the resources the Lord had put at our disposal,  personal and common!

Decidedly Determined: never giving into despair in the face of any issue that can arise, making it a positive decision for life

Yearning for the coming of the Lord and not afraid of it; rejoicing at the prospect of meeting the Lord instead of fearing the moment.

Are we READY?

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

The lessons from the Transfigured Lordx

6th August, 2016

Dan 7:9-10,13-14; 2Pet 1:16-19; Lk 9:28-36

The Transfigured Lord gives the disciples, and us too, a three fold message:

- See what you don't see:

Learn to see things beyond the apparent. Jesus revealed to the disciples what they never managed to see in him. Understand the Lord has so many things ready to be revealed to you... are you ready to see?

- Hear what you don't hear:

Train yourself to hear what the Lord wants you to hear. They hear the voice challenging them to listen to the son of God and do what he says. Growing up from hearing only what I want to hear , I am called to hear what I should hear!

- Feel what you don't feel:

Form yourself to feel what you never feel ordinarily. The disciples felt a new kind of feeling that they had never felt... they felt divine but were soon made to understand that they cannot get stuck to that feeling but move on to feel with those who are down the mountain, those who are suffering,  those who are yearning for salvation, those who are waiting for the Gospel.

WORD 2day: 5th August, 2016

Dare to endure your share

Friday, 18th week in Ordinary Time
Nah 2:1-3,3:1-3,6-7; Mt 16: 24-28

The Lord deceives no one. The deceiver is the evil one who swears to charm people through his deceptive ways. The Lord lacks that enticing charm because the Lord goes by  truth,  that is God's Word. And the Word promises eternal life but with a price. However,  it is not an undue price. It is merely  each choosing to endure one's  own cross,  without trying to excuse oneself from it, rebel against it or bemoan it.

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Compassionate and Sensitive Sentinel

Remembering John Maria Vianney: 4th August 2016

Ezek 3: 17-21; Mt 9:35 - 10:1

Today we celebrate the feast of St. John Maria Vianney, the patron of priests. The Word brings out an essential quality of a priest, a pastor or a person chosen to lead God's flock: to be compassionate and sensitive sentinels. That is what priests are meant to be. Let us pray for all priests that they may be inspired by Vianney and carry out their task as true sentinels. 

We are invited also to remind ourselves of our own task to be sentries to our friends and neighbours and for those in need. At times the Lord makes us so and urges us to play that role.When we do and because of our intervention someone changes over, we would be blessed. When someone plays that role for us and invites us to change, we better change our ways or we would be the losers. Refraining from the age old question: am I my brother's keeper...let us be aware of our responsibility towards each other and take it seriously. May John Mary Vianney inspire us in this regard. 

WORD 2day : 3rd August, 2016

The Remnant and the Rest

Wednesday, 18th week in Ordinary Time
Jer 31: 1-7; Mt 15: 21-28

The Lord renews the covenant with the people  inspite  of their failures because the Lord had always loved  them with an everlasting love. Today the Word warns us that those who will finally taste the fruits of God's faithfulness are the remnant and the rest of the people who come by and stick to the Lord.

The remnant are those who choose to differ from the mainstream inspired  by a genuine conviction and sincere effort to be integral.

The rest are those who are least expected to be favoured in the eyes of the Lord. The world has its own criteria of judgement but the Lord has a totally different set of criteria... single minded dedication to the Lord, genuine love for God's people and authentic life after the mind of God.

Don't conform to the world;  instead be transformed in Christ into new beings!

WORD 2day: 2nd August, 2016

The Courage to Wait

Tuesday, 18th week in Ordinary Time

Jer 30: 1-2,12-15,18-22; Mt 14: 22-36

Waiting seems an undue demand on persons these days. Traffic, queues, public modes of transport...everywhere this is the feeling I had recently - people resent to wait. With the Lord, there is no other way to peace than to wait... for God lives in eternity!

Jeremiah today speaks of an imminent and wholesome intervention by God on behalf of the people of Israel. All this while he would be taking to task those people who spoke of a positive change of the times, he would find fault and challenge them. But now they are all silenced, but Jeremiah speaks of it: restoring, rebuilding and raising Israel back from its dust, to be God's people.

Jesus' intention was to state without doubt the fact that whatever happens the Lord never leaves us- be it storming sea or the threatening world around. The last word is the Lord's and we need to wait till the last word is said! It takes enormous courage to do that. Our patience runs dry, our ground appears to give way, our trust shifts focus and our minds begin to question. When every thing around us seems to be going wrong, can we just hold the hands of the Lord and keep walking come what may... that requires the courage to wait!