Martyr Devasagayam

The first Tamil to be raised to the Altars

14th January, 2017

Born on April 23, 1712, Neelakandan was baptised a Catholic in 1745, as Devasagayam and within seven years, he died a Martyr in 1752, on this day. There are still controversies regarding the way he died: some groups claiming that it was no era of persecutions and therefore his martyrdom is doubtful. But the Chruch maintains him a martyr because of the thorough study of the circumstances around his murder, by King Marthanda Varman, under whom Neelakandan was a Court Official. 

Two elements that stand out in the life of Devasagayam can be taken for our consideration: First, the fact that he was brought to Catholic faith by a Dutch General who was taken as Prisoner of War by Marthandan and later raised to the ranks of an Army Commander. The Dutch General, Eustachius De Lannoy, was an ardent Catholic who inspired a conversion in Devasagayam. This man was in no position of authority or power to influence a conversion but it was a true internal conversion, based on a personal experience of Christ's love.

The Second element is the Martyrdom itself: the determination with which Devasagayam seemed to have held on to his new found faith in Christ and decided to give up his life rather than his faith. His martyrdom, it is said, gave rise to mass conversions of people to Christianity. Do we have to doubt that, since we know: 'a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, gives rise to a hundred fold' (Jn 12:24).

Devasagayam was beatified on 2nd December 2012, making him the first Tamil and the first lay person in India, to be promoted on his way to be declared a saint! The day fits in well too, as the Tamils in India and elsewhere too, celebrate this day as the beginning of their New Year (Thai Thiru naal). May new life, new vigour and new commitment fill the lives of everyone this day!

WORD 2day: 13th January, 2017

Doing all that we can

Friday, week 1 in ordinary time
Heb 4:1-5,11; Mk 2: 1-12

Doing all that one can is not an unknown mindset or life style these days. There are people who do all that they can for a lot of things that they want to achieve, there are things for which the people are ready to do all that they can. The Word too invites us today to do all that we can - but for what and for whom? People are ready to do all that they can for themselves and for their own goals... the gospel challenges us, do it... do all  you can for others, your neighbours,  those in need and those who are suffering, those who are miserable and desperate to find the Lord. Do all you can!

WORD 2day: 12th January, 2017

TODAY - that's the key!

Thursday, Week 1 in Ordinary Time

Heb 3: 7-14; Mk 1: 40-45

By the time we end the Liturgy of the Word today, we would have heard the word 'today' atleast 9 times (from the first reading and the psalm)! In fact, that is the key to the message from the Word today. Any good that we wish to do, any change that we would wish to make in our life, any beginning we would love to make in our ways - the day to do it is today! The time to do it is now! There is no virtue in glorying in the past that is far gone and no use in waiting for an opportune future! Act now and act today. When that person with leprosy approached Jesus, he cured him then and there! Jesus was not thinking of a justification as from the past experience whether he should do it or not; he was not concerned about so many who are affected in the society and how he would reach out to all of them... those were questions that never mattered to him. What mattered was the person in front of him, who stood in need of a healing touch, a compassionate caress, a loving embrace - and Jesus gave it right then and right there. Don Bosco would often say, do all the good you can when you still have the time! If you wish to do something good, do it TODAY!

WORD 2day: 11th January, 2017

The Lord's choice

Wednesday, week 1 in ordinary time

Heb 2: 5-12; Mk 1:21-28

I am reminded of the movie Avatar as I reflect on the Word today. There would be a whole battalion gathered to attack an aboriginal tribe to occupy their land. And giving the troops a pep talk, the commander would say, "beyond this mountain everything that breathes is out to kill you"... least aware that one of his own men will be falling in love with a girl in that very tribe and with the whole tribe and its land, becoming one among them! It is all in the choices that we make. We make of the reality what we choose to make of it.

Speaking of choices, today the Word tells us, the Lord chose us! The Lord chose to belong to us. He did not choose to be like the angels but he chose be born like us and live like us. Because of his choice he has brought salvation to each and every one of us. It is upto us now, by our choice to make that salvation our own. Choosing the Lord would mean, choosing righteousness, peace, joy, serenity, hope and love, whatever it may cost us. The Lord is determined of his choice..., are we?

WORD 2day: 10th January, 2017

Being Subject to God

Tuesday, Week 1 in Ordinary Time

Heb 2: 5-12; Mk 1: 21-28

Everything is subject to God, for God is the creator. When that state of being subject is acknowledged, appreciated and accepted, things go smooth and splendid. When that subjection is considered to be something that should be resisted, problems begin. This is true not merely about things and the nature, it is about every being created on earth, including the human persons, especially the human persons. For we have been given an added gift of freewill and the capacity to subject ourselves to God, vis-a-vis, the other beings which are naturally subject to the creator. We make a difference when we decide on our own to subject ourselves. Am I ready and willing?

The Spirit : Word, Water and Fire

Baptism of the Lord

9th January, 2017

Is 42:1-4,6,7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3: 13-17

We celebrate the Baptism of the Lord today. As John the Baptiser rightly pointed out, there was no need for the Son of God to be baptised...but he chose to be! It is a very clear sign that there was a specific purpose to that event. The purpose was to set us a challenge. 

Baptism is an act of the Spirit. As Peter observes in the Acts of the Apostles, it is the Spirit who acts at baptism and makes us what we are called to be. This act of the Spirit has a three fold challenge

Word: the Words that are heard is the call of the Spirit - that we may live to be declared the son or daughter in whom the Almighty delights!

Water: the Water in which the Lord immersed himself is an indicator of our situation in which Jesus immersed himself. We are challenged to immerse ourselves into the situations of people around who are suffering and people who need someone to stand by them, instead of getting lost in our own selfish concerns and whims.

Fire: the promise that the Lord will make us a light to the nations challenges us to possess the fire of the Spirit, as Isaiah expects. The fire that will consume all injustice, inhumanities and anti Kingdom elements, paving the way for the Kingdom of God to be born here and now!

Are we people of the Spirit - challenged by the Word, Water and Fire; would the world hear about us said: behold my beloved child, in whom I rejoice!

CELEBRATING THE SELF REVEALING GOD

8th January, 2017: The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord

Is 60: 1-6; Eph 3:2-3,5-6; Mt 2:1-12

The only possibility of knowing about God is through God's own self revelation! God is no simple object to be discovered or invented; God is a person whom we should get to know. Knowing God is possible only through the self revelation of God in history, in the Word, in our day to day experiences and in ways known only to God. Today we celebrate that one event, that one life, that one person - JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, in whom God revealed Godself fully, completely, definitively and super abundantly! The revelation has been going on even before Christ, through prophets and judges (Heb 1:1), through chosen men and women . The revelation goes on even today in our everyday life, through the Word and the traditions, through day to day experiences, through holy men and women who have gone before us and those of our times. These revelations find their fullness in the Paschal Mystery, that is: the birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God.

The feast of epiphany is a celebration and a thanksgiving to the Self revealing God who deigned to reveal Godself in the person of Jesus Christ, our Saviour. This feast of revelation reminds of three realities of our faith:

SEEK... to know God: One has to seek, to know God; there should be a yearning within, in order to encounter God. The wise men from the east got wind of something special that was in store and they sought to know what it is. They were wise men, but they wanted to know more and more! Faith has to be deepened; there should be a yearning within us to grow more and more in our relationship with God. It is true that the fullness of revelation dwells in Christ, the Son of God...but I have to seek to personalise it, to encounter that revelation and relate to it in first person.

SEE... to find God: One has to see, to find God; God is always present with us, all that we need to do is see! 'Lift up your eyes round about, and see' says the first reading. We need to see the face of God: in our brothers and sisters; in those who are suffering and toiling; in those who are exploited and crushed; in those who are treated with disdain and burdened with pain; in those who wake up every morning not certain of the next; in those who have so many worries and concerns in life that they can never think of living the present moment! We need to see God, in the innocent love of a Child; in the tender touch of a mother; in the brimming eyes of a caring person; in the everyday miracles of life. Once we see God in these, we will surely find God concretely present in the Church, in the celebration of the sacraments and in our prayer moments. 

SHINE... to show God: One has to shine, to show God; we are called to become instruments of revelation ourselves. 'Arise! Shine!' calls the first reading. St. Paul speaks of how the Lord made him an instrument of revelation to the people! When we seek God and manage to see God, we begin to shine. That is why Isaiah says, "then you shall see and be radiant"...the very seeing makes us radiant, makes us shine! Our Faith is not merely to be understood and believed, but to be lived and be shared. Revelation is at one and the same time a grace and a challenge. A Grace, because it is gratuitous and comes from God. A challenge because, once we get to see God, we have to shine; shine and announce God; shine and share God; shine and show God to the world, to all who are in darkness, sadness and gloom!

The Self revealing God invites us to SEEK, SEE and SHINE. To accept the invitation is the act of FAITH; a beginning of a journey, a journey that lasts the whole life time- every day of which we are called to Seek the Lord, See the Lord and Shine for the Lord!

WORD 2day: 7th January, 2017

The Power to know the True God

Saturday after Christmas Octave

1 Jn 5: 14-21; Jn 2: 1-11

The Son of God has come to give us the power to know the True God. We will know only when we are open to the revelation of God. Only when we are open and receptive can that revelation make any difference. Only because the wine ran out, they were able to taste the best of wine ever made. Only because there were six empty jars they were able fill them in order to get new wine made from mere water. Only because they stood helpless the wedding party had the privilege to witness the first of miracles that Jesus performed. Only because Jesus heeded in obedience to the request of his beloved mother, the disciples found the true messiah in him. The Son of God has come to give us the power to know God, but only if we are open and receptive, we can truly behold the revelation. If not, we will miss the entire message as did the majority of Jews in Jesus' time. 

WORD 2day: 6th January, 2017

Water, blood and the Spirit

Friday, after Christmas Octave

1 Jn 5:5-13; Mk 1:6-11

Though today is the Epiphany of the Lord, the Church invites us to celebrate it coming Sunday. And today we have the Word speaking to us of our relatedness in the Lord.

We have three veins of faith that connect us to the Father through Jesus and they are, water, blood and the Spirit. The waters of baptism that gives us new life in Christ, the Blood of Christ that bring eternal life in Christ and the Spirit who makes it possible for us to receive these gifts from the Lord - these are the guarantees of our relationship with Christ. Water stands for purity, blood stands for vitality and the Spirit stands for our relatedness in the Father through the Son. Water makes us children of God, Blood makes us witnesses of Christ and the Spirit makes us heirs to the Father. 

WORD 2day: 5th January, 2017

Love and See great things

Thursday after the Christmas Octave

1 Jn 3:11-21; Jn 1:43-51

Belonging to love and belonging to evil...that is the contrast brought out in the Word today. There are any number of opportunities and circumstances that will beckon us to belong to evil - with jealousy, treachery, obsession with wealth, craving for power, limitless greed and so on. If we have to choose to belong to love, we have to wrestle with an entire system, the social bias, the culture of death, the urge to dominate and so on. The Lord says today - you will see great things happen, you will witness extraordinary things if only you belong to the Lord, if only you belong to love!