Martyrdom - A matter of fact!

29th August, 2018: The beheading of John

Jer 1: 17-19; Mk 6: 17-29

Recently discussing about martyrdom with a group of youngsters,  one asked me, 'why should they go up to martyrdom?' In the same tone I replied, 'they don't go up to it,  it comes after them!'

Martyrdom is not a given-up mode of life.  It is a fruit of living one's life to the full till the end,  never losing the core purpose of that life for even a moment.

Martyrdom is not an option to choose.  It is a consequence of the choices made,  absolute choices for truth and righteousness. It is not a choice to die, but a choice to live - live for God, for truth and for righteousness, where eventually death unsuccessfully vies to have its last word. 

Martyrdom is not an unprecedented event.  One sees it coming all the time.  It is always there in front of the person threatening him or her. But for the person who is concerned with things that truly matter, martyrdom remains just a matter of fact!

Be Scandal Proof!

Tuesday, 21st week in Ordinary time

28th August, 2018: Remembering St. Augustine
2 Thess 2: 1-3a, 14-17; Mt 23: 23-30

I was shocked a few years ago, when I saw a video posted by an anti catholic brother. He was criticising everything 'Catholic' and went to the extent of calling the then Holy Father, the Anti-Christ who is to come. Taking the matter to another priest, I expressed my shock at this. And the priest just smiled at me and said: "a fruitful tree has to foresee stones coming its way!" 

Oppositions, today more than ever, keep growing to unbelievable proportions against the faith and tradition that we have grown with. There are splendid ways of God that we come across in spite of all these oppositions. At same time there is no dearth of examples that fail to communicate God's benevolence to us. 

What we are to do is, simply remain calm and composed at times when we are troubled. No use lamenting the absence of witnesses for the Lord, but being one myself - that is what really matters. And whether we are a model or not, it is important and urgent today to observe, notice and identify the counter witnesses! And it is more important and crucial to be scandal proof! 

Yesterday we celebrated St. Monica and today we have her son St. Augustine! We can imagine how scandal proof Monica would have been to have a husband like hers and the son. Augustine too, was not merely influenced but led himself gradually towards an experience of true conversion and ardent conviction, thanks to St. Ambrose. We are surrounded by sacred memories of these saintly people today: let us resolve never to give scandal to others and to grow more and more scandal proof these days!

Growing to be children of the Reign

Monday, 21st week in Ordinary time 

27th August, 2018: Remembering St. Monica
2 Thess 1: 1-5, 11-12; Mt 23: 13-22

Children of God or Children of the Hell... what decides our identity? Not what we claim to believe in nor the group we belong to. It will depend on my personal integrity says the Lord today. If I declare what I believe and live what I am convinced of, I will be a daring disciple of Christ and that is what Christ wants of us. 

It will require that we live in such a way "that our God may make us worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, in accord with thy grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thes 1:11-12.)

To grow to be worthy of our calling as children of the Reign, is the call that we have everyday. Let nothing that is part of us - our speech, our action, our attitudes, our values - let nothing that is part of us offer a message that is against the Reign of God. Let everything that we are involved in be a proclamation of the Gospel, proclamation of the goodness of God, proclamation of the glory of God in Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Monica wished this for her son, that he realises his call and becomes a child of the Reign...he not only became a child of the Reign, but a champion of the Reign!

FIDELITY TO THE FAITHFULNESS

Responding to the Faithfulness of the Lord

21st Sunday in Ordinary time: 26th August, 2018

Josh 24: 1-2,15-18; Eph 5: 21-32; Jn 6: 60-69

The God of Israel has always been identified as the God of the Covenant: I shall be your God and you shall be my people. Through ups and downs, during plenty and calamities, in peace and war, the Lord ever remained faithful to the covenant, even when the people went away from it and abandoned it. That is why the people of Israel did not contain themselves with saying God is faithful, but believed firmly that God is Faithfulness!

Today we have Joshua who understands and expresses exactly what is expected of the people of God: as for me and my household, we shall always serve the Lord. Being faithful to God was not his initiative, Joshua knew it well. It was only in response to the faithfulness of God. 

This faithfulness of God is compared to the faithfulness that is observed in a marriage fidelity between the husband and the wife! It is a faithfulness of utmost sacrality and as much as it concerns the Lord, it is absolute! 

I am reminded of an account narrated about an old man, close to his nineties, who would come everyday to a dispensary to dress a wound on his thumb. When the time nears the mark of midday, he would get anxious and restless, telling the nurses to hurry up or to let him go as he had to go to attend to his wife at noon! When they enquired about his wife, he would tell them that she is in a state of unconsciousness (coma) for the past 6 months! The nurses would ask, 'anyway, she would not know if you came on time or not, or even whether you were there or not, why do you give it so much of an importance?'. The man would respond: 'it does not matter to me whether she knows it or not, I have made a promise to her to be at her side everyday at noon without fail, and I will keep my promise come what may!' That is what the Lord's fidelity is all about - keeping the promise!

To whom shall we go, Lord, for you have the words of eternal life. Peter reminds us today that our fidelity to God does no good to God but gains us the eternal life that we long for. Our fidelity to the Faithfulness is a grace unto ourselves.

And we would do well to ask ourselves how faithful we are to God's fidelity! 

BREAD THAT TRANSFORMS

Children, Friends and Favourites

20th Sunday in Ordinary time: 19th August, 2018
Pro 9: 1-6; Eph 5: 15-20; Jn 6: 51-58

You become what you eat, they say! In fact there are problems in the world today depending what and how persons and societies eat. There are some who suffer of obesity and there are some who suffer due to hunger and malnutrition. Eating is an existential need of persons, invariable of their social status, age or economic bearings. If we look at the Word today from the background of this fact, we have a deep message to reflect on: I am the bread that has come down from heaven, anyone who eats of this bread will live for ever.

While the ordinary bread that we eat becomes part of us, the Bread that comes from heaven does exactly the contrary - we become part of it! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the Bread from heaven; the eternal life of God promised to all who trust in the Lord. When we eat of the bread that is Jesus the Son of God, we become part of Him, we become sharers in the eternal life, life without end. This is why what Jesus says is so literally justified: one who eats of me, shall live forever. It is not merely an analogical or a poetic statement.

The divine bread has the special capacity to transform us, into children of the Father, friends of the Son and favourites of the Spirit!

Children of the Father: 
We receive the power to become children of God when we believe, accept and eat of the One who has come down from heaven! Yes the Eucharist makes us truly children of God: we eat of Christ and we become Christ...we are transformed into the image of God, that is Christ. As St. Paul says: he is the image of the invisible God, the image in which we were created! The challenge we have here is to check at regular intervals, how Godly we have grown, and how truly we live as children of God the Father and Mother.

Friends of the Son:
I don't call you servants but friends and there is no other love greater than laying down one's life for one's friends! This is what Jesus has made of us: his friends! When we eat of this bread, the Eucharist, we partake of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. By claiming the Spiritual endowment that Jesus has made in this wonderful sacrament, we become his friends. Becoming friends is not merely a privilege, it is a challenge too! A challenge to do what pleases our friend, to be ready to give of ourselves fully for his sake without counting the cost.

Favourites of the Spirit:
In eating the Bread, we are filled with the Spirit that enlivens our body, mind, heart and soul. Wisdom is the gift of the Spirit that enables us to understand the effects of being created in the Image of God, making us look beyond what is apparent. We become favourite dwelling place of the Spirit, with the coming of the flesh and blood of Christ into our hearts. This is the most evident transformation and even a measure of the other two transformations. The challenge here is to remain open to the promptings of the  Spirit and dare to take decisions that are outlined by Paul as a recipe for Spirit-filled Christians. Dont we know we are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit!

As we approach the Eucharistic Table today, let us resolve to look deeper into our innermost Image, to analyse our friendships and prioritise our frienship with Christ and consciously and confidently grow to be true, fitting and favourite dwelling places of the life giving Spirit!

Being children versus being childish

Saturday, 19th week in Ordinary time

Ezek 18: 1-10, 13, 30-32; Mt 19: 13-15

There is a difference, a vast one at that, between being children and being childish! 

Being children is being free, natural, spontaneous and simple. It is being dependent with love, being attached in affection, being truthful in relationships and being unsullied in words and deeds. 

Being childish is being frightened, artificial, calculative and complicated. It is being unduly dependent out of fear, frightfully clinging on to practices, being calculative in relationships and selfishly seeking one's own good at the cost of the other.

In the Word today, while Jesus makes a concerted call to be children, Ezekiel warns us against becoming childish! We need to grow - not from being children to being adults but from being childish to being truly children, truly children of God, children of one loving God!

Goodness: God's natural choice!

Friday, 19th week in Ordinary Time

Ezek 16: 1-15, 60, 63; Mt 19: 3-12

The Word today brings out the Merciful face of God at its best. The Lord is upset that the people of Israel have abandoned the covenant that they had entered into with the Lord. When the Lord contemplates even a penalty, he contemplates it in terms of goodness! 

Being good to them and being good to all those who will respect the commandment, this is what the Lord contemplates. The people of Israel lose their privilege as  'chosen race' but every race becomes special provided they had chosen the Lord. 

It is again back to that key element of any spiritual maturity: choice!  The Lord is always good...and we can taste that goodness if we choose to! We can become the chosen race, if we choose God to be our priority!

Our goodness has to be seen in our daily life, specially in our relationships. The mutual respect and the good of the other have to be the yardsticks that measure the extent to which we can be known as people of God. In short, we need to grow in our choice and goodness is the natural choice of God.

Time to pack your bags!

Thursday, 19th week in Ordinary time

Ezek 12:1-12; Mt 18:21 - 19:1

We have two interesting parables for our reflection today: the first one is an action parable  by Ezekiel, however the director of the act is God; the second one is a parable by Jesus hitting the nail on its head! Though there is nothing common to these two parables per se, if we pay attention to the underlying message they are connected to each other. 

What Jesus wants to establish through the parable he narrates is basically the Golden Rule: you wish you would be forgiven every time you make a mistake and if so, what stops you from forgiving the other every time the other makes a mistake! Look at and become aware of the numerous times that you have been forgiven by God - and if you are truly cognizant of this fact in all its dimensions, you would never ever regret to forgive your brother or your sister.

The very fact that you resist forgiving the other is an indication of your haughtiness, your self righteousness and your rebelliousness against the goodness of God that is demanded from you. If your give into this, Ezekiel warns, it would soon be time to pack your bags - time to lose all the goodness that you have received from the Lord, time to fall out of grace, out of an authentic relationship with God.

Become aware of the amount of gratuitous benefits that you have received from the Lord, that actually forms your baggage! If you fail to realise its immensity and the responsibility it places on you, you would soon be required to pack your bags and leave the grace that your are enjoying - BEWARE!

மரியாளின் விண்ணேற்பு: எதிர்நோக்கின் சின்னம்

ஆகஸ்ட் 15, 2018: மரியன்னையின்  விண்ணேற்பு பெருவிழா 

தி.ப 11:19, 12:16-20; 1 கொரி 15: 20-26; லூக் 1: 39-56 

என்னில் நம்பிக்கை கொள்வோர் இறப்பினும் வாழ்வர், என்று கூறிய கிறிஸ்துவின் உயிர்ப்பின் மகிமை நம் அனைவருக்குமே எதிர்நோக்காய் அளிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. அவரது இறப்பிலும் உயிர்ப்பிலும் நமது வாழ்வு நிலைவாழ்வாக மாற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது. அந்த நிலைவாழ்வு, அந்த எதிர்நோக்கின் இலக்கு, எப்படிப்பட்டதாக இருக்கும் என்பதை நமக்கு புரிய வைக்க இறைவனால் நிகழ்த்தப்பட்ட மற்றொரு மறைபொருளே மரியன்னையின் விண்ணேற்பாகும்! 

சில கத்தோலிக்கரல்லாத சகோதர சகோதரிகள், இது தவறானது, கிறிஸ்துவுக்கு இணையாக மரியாளை உயர்த்தும் செயலிது என்றெல்லாம் உளறிக்கொட்டும் போது கத்தோலிக்கர்களாகிய நாம் இதை தெளிவாய் புரிந்துகொள்ள வேண்டியிருக்கிறது. மரியன்னை இறந்தார் ஆனால் அவரது கல்லறை எங்கும் இல்லை என்று தொடக்க கால திருச்சபை முதலே தெளிவாய் உணர்ந்துவந்தனர் கிறிஸ்தவர்கள்! ஏன் அவரது கல்லறை இல்லை என்று கேட்டபோது தான் அவர்களது நம்பிக்கையின் அனுபவம் பகிரப்பட்டது!

கிறிஸ்துவால் மீட்கப்படுவோர் நிலைவாழ்வு பெறுகிறார்கள் என்பதை தான் நமது எதிர்நோக்கு என்று நாம் முழுமையாய் நம்புகிறோம்... இந்த எதிர்நோக்கின் அடையாளமாய், மனிதர்களிடையே தனிப்பேறு பெற்றவளாய், இறைமகனை உலகிற்கு தந்தவளாய் இருக்கும் மரியன்னை இறைவனால் உடலோடும் ஆன்மாவோடும் எடுத்துக்கொள்ளப்பட்டார் என்பதே அந்த நம்பிக்கையின் அனுபவம்! இங்கு விண்ணேற்புக்கும், விண்ணேற்றத்திற்கும் நடுவே உள்ள வேறுபாட்டை நாம் உணரவேண்டும், புரிந்துகொள்ளவேண்டும். 

இறைமகன் கிறிஸ்து இறந்து உயிர்த்து விண்ணேறி தன் தந்தையின் வலப்பக்கம் வீற்றிருக்கிறார் என்று நாம் நம்புகிறோம். மரியன்னையோ இறைத்தந்தையின் பேரன்பிற்குரிய மகளாக, தூய ஆவியின் இணையற்ற கருவியாக, இறைமகனின் அன்னையும் முதல் சீடத்தியுமாக விண்ணேற்கப்பட்டார், எடுத்துக்கொள்ளப்பட்டார், கொண்டுசெல்லப்பட்டார். இது இறைவனால் அவருக்கு தரப்பட்ட தனிப்பட்டதொரு கொடையாகும்... இதனாலேயே  இன்றைய நற்செய்தி இறைபுகழுரைக்கும் நற்செய்தியாக, அன்னைக்கு இறைவன் செய்த பெரும்காரியங்களை நினைவுகூரும் நற்செய்தியாக தேர்ந்தளிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. 

நாமும் அன்னையின் கீழ்படிதலையும், இறைசித்ததை மட்டும் செய்யும் புனிதமான வாழ்வையும் கொண்டிருந்தோமெனில், நமக்கும் இதே கொடை எதிர்நோக்காய் காத்திருக்கிறது என்பதை நமக்கு விளக்கும்  திருவிழா இது. அன்னையின் பிள்ளைகளாய் மகிழ்வோம், அவள் வாழ்விலிருந்து பாடங்கற்போம், இறைவனின் மகிமையை முழுதாய் காண்போம்!

Assumed into heaven - a sign of Hope

Solemnity of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother

August 15, 2018: Ap 11:19, 12:16-10; 1 Cor 15: 20-26; Lk 1: 39-56

The crossing of the red sea and the Babylonian Exile are said to be the watershed for the God experience of the people of Israel. It was their walk from slavery to freedom that gave an identity to the people of the Old Testament. 

In the New Testament too it was a similar experience that proved to be the watershed... the passing from death to life; the event of life giving Hope! The hope that Jesus' resurrection brought to humankind reaches its fulfillment, when Mary shares the fruits of it as the first one to do so, in union with her Son and Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary was instrumental in bringing in the light of the world. She remained faithful to the One who had called her and thus wins favour in God's eyes. Hence it is that many a saint spoke of her as the lady of the Apocalypse, bringing forth the Son and fighting the dragon. She is given these honours due to the humility with which she went about doing the will of the One who had called her.

It was this humility and docility that made her so grateful and recognizant of God's mighty presence with her on a constant basis. This recognition makes her a strong person: so free and so responsible. When she sings that hymn of glory to the Lord it was not merely a wishful prayer but also an expression of commitment towards the Reign of God, the reign of equality and justice to all.

There is a difference between Ascension and Assumption: let us not be carried away by those who argue that it is unjust to raise Mary to this level and that it is almost like granting her a place equivalent to Jesus who ascended into heaven! The Church teaches that Christ, the Son of God after his resurrection ascended to the Father. The same Church teaches us in clear terms, "Mary was assumed" into heaven by the grace of God! This was a grace bestowed on Mary, not a feat achieved by Mary. Hence what we celebrate today is the goodness and generosity of God in granting God's beloved daughter and the Mother of the Son of God, a singular privilege which further manifests God's glory!

May the feast of Assumption bring us to a humble recognition of the ways in which God wants to use us here and now, that we too may one day experience the fulfilment of our Hope in the Lord.