The Birth-pang Spirituality

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 30th week in Ordinary time

October 29, 2019: Romans 8: 18-25; Lk 13: 18-21

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 allegedly deciding to end his life after whatever he went through within himself, the case of a two year old in a part in Tamilnadu who has fallen into a tube well and after more than 72 hours the anxiety of rescuing is still on... everything seemed related to the imagery that the Lord is sharing today!

Linking all these experiences and the Word today, I saw my mind converge on one reflection: the Birth Pang Spirituality. 

What does this spirituality consist of:

1.Expecting a transformation in Life, a spectacular and paradigmatic transformation as the core of this Spirituality.

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 of course 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 that is desired.

4.Awaiting eagerly the signs of the beginning of the transformation, in spite of realising the pain that is involved, at times even a thought that nothing seems to be working. 

5.Going through with heroism the entire painful phase of processing that transformation, always keeping in mind that there is someOne greater than me, who is overseeing it all.

6. Having done all that I could, and all that I am called to, waiting with hope for the Lord to act in God's own time.
7. Rejoicing finally in the outcome and being a cause for others to rejoice too!

Built into households of God

THE WORD AND THE SAINTS

October 28, 2019 : Remembering the Apostles Simon and Jude

Ephesians 2: 19-22; Luke 6: 12-16

The memory of the Apostles takes us back to the original experience that gave rise to a new movement, a new family around the person of Jesus of Nazareth and the wondrous experiences with him. The group of people who were taken up with Christ, were the buzz of every town and village... they were making waves, everyone was talking about them. 

Today too, being Christians does not only mean to have a set of beliefs and practices, certain things we hold on to and things we leave out. Rather it means, that we belong to that movement, that family, that household... we are all members, fellow citizens, brothers and sisters with the apostles and saints, persons built into the house of God. 

When Jesus called the Apostles by name, he wished that those few would pass on that experience of belonging to the household of God, to others right to the end of the world! That is why he gave them an intimate experience of that reality and sent them all prepared. And we have been the beneficiaries... we have been built together as the dwelling place of God, the Temple of the Spirit. 

What does identify us as Christians, as disciples, as followers of the Lord? United in our hearts, with genuine love that goes out to each other, as brothers and sisters we are invited to become Temples, where persons can come in to feel the presence of God, the household of God that welcomes every brother and sister around! 

EMPTINESS - WHERE GOD ENCOUNTERS

Lack, Lifestyle or Liminality!

30th Sunday in the Ordinary time - October 27, 2019

Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14,16-19; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18; Luke 18: 9-14

You cannot fill a cup that is full ...

God is not partial, God knows no favourites - says the first reading but all the while speaking of a God who takes his stand by the poor, the widow and the orphans, the oppressed and the lowly. No, there is no paradox here, neither is there a partiality. It is natural that water flows where it is low. Isn't it true, that we can fill only that cup which is empty! 

The Word today reminds us of the Spirituality of Emptiness! Emptiness, is not merely an absence of things. Emptiness is not merely a state of something not being there. If it were so, it is so easy to reach that state - all that you need to do is remove whatever is there! Instead, emptiness is a positive reality. Emptiness is where God encounters us!

Emptiness can be due to a lack! The first reading speaks to us of the oppressed, the widows and the orphans... persons who lacked, who lacked their rights, who lacked some one to lean on, who lacked people who cared. The economically poor, those who do not have anyone to call family, those who feel rejected, unaccepted, exploited or abused are  people who lack something that is so necessary in life that without it, life becomes hard, meaningless and empty. At those trying moments, if only they raise their hearts a bit, they will realise God is so very close to them. God encounters us in that state... that is a condition! 

A condition in which one knows that one lacks, when one knows that he or she is not complete, is when the person encounters God! In our inabilities, in our lacks when we turn to God, and accept God as the one who can fill me... God fills me! At times when we realise the lack - be it what it may, economic or healthwise or with regard to meaning of our life itself - the danger is we get lost in that emptiness, as if that is the end of everything. We forget that emptiness can help. It can help us feel the Lord close by, standing right beside us. 

Emptiness can be a lifestyle! One can have things, one can possess goods, but still can decide to live in a state of emptiness, not giving into attachments and bonds that could cripple one's existence. People who have given up their inherited wealth, people who have turned their backs on what the world would look at as incredible prospects in life... we know quite a lot of them, don't we? God encounters them there, in that emptiness. That is not a condition, but a choice! 

A Choice about which St. Paul speaks of in the second reading, how he had emptied himself for the sake of the Word, for the sake of the Lord, for the sake of the Lord's people. It is a lifestyle ... a mindset... the mindset of Christ: for he did not consider equality with God as something to be held on to,... but emptied himself (Phil 2: 5-7) - the lifestyle of Christ, the Son of God! As long as we seek our sufficiency and our meaning in things and worldly recognitions, we are with our hands full. The moment we choose to let go of them, willingly and purposefully, we would see real serenity emerge. Emptying oneself is a choice to allow God to fill you!

Emptiness is liminality! Liminality is a word that is used to mean, 'to stand at the threshold', a state of passage, a state where one has undergone a change from what one was, but has not yet become what one is yet to become! One is not complete yet, but he or she is well on the way to being complete. One is not anymore what he or she was - the old self. But one has not yet fully put on the new self either - but he or she is gradually growing into it - gradually, slowly but steadily, serenely with determination.

We could be reminded here, of the words that St. John writes, 'We are children of God, what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is' (1 Jn 3:2). When we empty ourselves, we are moving towards being complete. When we are too conscious of being so complete and perfect, we actually are closing ourselves in and we become dead. The more we empty ourselves, the more God fills us! It is not merely a false self humiliation, but a spiritual surrender of self emptying before the Lord, in which the Lord fills us, to the brim. And thus we will today go home justified, sanctified, filled with the Lord!

Let us pray:
O God, who alone is complete...
behold my emptiness, and make me ever conscious of it,
that I may be filled, filled by you,
to become complete, just as you are...
Bid me look at you... 
so willing to empty yourself, 
help me too, to be so ready 
to empty myself for the others, 
that I may be once again be filled by you, you who alone is complete! Amen.

Be in Christ and bear fruit

WORD 2day: Saturday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 26, 2019: Romans 8: 1-11; Luke 13: 1-9

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ, declares St. Paul. But the real question is, what does it mean to 'be in Christ'? To be in Christ, does not simply mean, I am born a Christian, or I am baptised into the Church...it means to be in the Spirit, to live according to the Spirit, to walk according to the Spirit, to set our minds on the Spirit, and above all, to bear fruit in the Spirit. Unless i am possessed by the Spirit of Christ, I would not belong to Christ.

How do I know, if I am possessed by the Spirit of Christ? By the fruits do you get to know the tree!(Mt 7:20) What thoughts fill my mind readily? What words cross the threshold of my lips spontaneously? What actions am I prone to naturally? What decisions come by easily for me to take? These are the signs that can tell me, whether I am possessed by Christ - if these correspond to the Spirit of Christ.

How do I know about the others, whether someone is truly possessed by the Spirit of Christ? It is not upto me to judge someone good or bad; to condone or condemn someone, is not a duty assigned to me. At times we see some end up sadly. Every such sad or sorry end of someone is a repeated warning to me, to check the ground that I am on; to check the growth within me and around me that I am nurturing, to check the fruits that I bring forth.

Everyday is a new opportunity that the Lord gives, to turn around, renew ourselves, repristine our choices and bear fruit! The readings seem to scream at us: "Bear fruits worthy of repentance. ... for the axe lies at the root of the tree!" (Lk 3:8,9)

Alert! Know what is coming up the horizon!

WORD 2day: Friday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 25, 2019: Romans 7: 18-25; Luke 12: 54-59

For I do not do the good I want; but I do the evil I do not want - we all know well when we falter, as the psalmist words it, "for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me" (Ps 51:3). Sin, as St. Paul speaks of today, is something that I do, or I give into, consciously. None of us can feign ignorance and Jesus explains precisely that today in the Gospel: knowing exactly what is coming up the horizon! 

If only I am more sensitively aware of what happens within me at a moment, to what I am committing myself to, of what I am giving into, of what I am permitting into my mind and out of it, of my thinking and my life... I can preserve myself from so much of pain and patch up. The statutes are present within me in my heart, the Saviour abides ever at my side...all that I need to, is turn to the Lord and to the Word of the Lord to be assisted, strengthened and saved! 

We need to remember and beware, that our innermost thoughts become words, which get translated into actions, creating habits and getting formed into attitudes. These attitudes determine our choices and repeated choices manifest our priorities! This is precisely why we are called to be attentive to what is happening within us - our thoughts, our tendencies and our most secret beings!

Let us be ever alert to what is coming up on the horizon, in order not to fall prey to the evil; the fall may be slow and gradual, but once we give in, "we will not be released until we pay the last penny!" warns the Word today. The salvation is in Christ Jesus, let us know, choose and drink in Christ; put on Christ and grow in his image!

With hearts on fire!

WORD 2day: Thursday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 24, 2019: Romans 6: 19-23; Luke 12: 49-53

With hearts set on fire... that is the way to live an authentic Christian life, invites the Gospel today. 

Fire can symbolically mean light that dispels darkness; one can choose either to live in the light or slumber in the shade - "the work of each will become visible... because it will be revealed with fire"(1Cor 3:13) says the Word. 

Fire can symbolise the purifying fire which tests the genuineness of our faith, faith which is more precious than gold (1 Pet 1:7). Yes, it destroys, but only the dirt; fire makes it disappear, fire makes it disintegrate, fire makes it unidentifiable anymore... thus making the gold shine more and more!

Fire in consuming, can symbolise the saving love of God in Christ, that consumed totally our sins, consumed the very life of the Son of God, even while we were still sinners (Rom 5: 8), consuming his divinity, his humanity, his entire being!

Fire - there is no dilly dallying about it. When it blazes, you either exist or you dont! Yes, the key message today is all about choices! The choices we make, define the persons that we are. Every moment of our life, in our words, in our acts, in our thoughts, in our priorities, in every little decision that we make, we are making choices, we are continually defining who we are, to ourselves first of all and then to the world. Its a choice fundamentally - for death or for life! 

When we choose things that are ungodly we choose death. When we choose righteousness, the way of the Light, the fire of the Lord, we choose eternal life in Jesus Christ. The question is, are our hearts on fire?

The grace of 'slavery'!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 23, 2019: Romans 6: 12-18; Luke 12: 39-48

Being 'slaves' of righteousness - it is a wonderful figure of speech that St. Paul uses to communicate the level of virtuousness that we need to arrive at. Because, more is given to us (for God did not spare anything because of the love God has for us), and so more is expected of us! 

The Lord in his turn speaks of the same message with the help of a parable. Jesus speaks of various categories of persons today: those who do not know what is right and so fail to do it, they are helpless  and will receive the light; those who do not know what is right but still do it, they are fortunate and so are blessed; those who know what is right but still do not do it, they are slaves to unrighteousness and they bring upon themselves needless grief; those who know what is right and are particular about doing it - they are the righteous, they are the people of the light, they are the sons and daughters of God. 

Let us add one more to that list... those who know what is right and cannot but do it; they face troubles and struggles, they suffer heat and cold, they endure pain and persecution, but can never give up on doing what is right: these are whom Paul calls today, 'slaves' to righteousness. Isn't that a grace?

That is why, I wish to extend that figure of speech of Paul and speak of how important it is to pray for the grace of 'slavery', slavery to righteousness. These are the saints, who cannot but be righteous, cannot but be good, cannot but be loving, cannot but be forgiving! This is the category that are really the 'Blessed'! 

Which category do I belong to?'

Awake and alert - always with God!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 22, 2019: Romans 5: 12,15,17-21; Luke 12: 36-38 

Be Awake, says the Lord today. St. Paul reminds us, that death has come from sin; Sin comes through disobedience and disobedience does not, for sure, come all of a sudden. It comes, either from a conscious rebellion or a habitual disregard. 

Conscious rebellion is not as dangerous as a habitual disregard, however. Conscious rebellion at least is a stand taken. One can understand and someone can help too! But a habitual disregard, is dangerous; it is a slow poison. 

A feeling of monotony, getting used to things done on a regular basis, fixed but indifferent schedules of prayer and customary acts of piety, usual persons and daily routines - these are the sources of habitual disregard. It is a kind of a slumber, a slumber with which we carry out our tasks and duties, be they spiritual or otherwise - all done and dusted, but not really bearing their fruit. 

The Lord invites us today, to be alert, to be awake, to be diligent even in the most ordinary of the daily tasks that we carry out, to make a conscious choice in everything that we involve in, so that when the Master comes we are prepared to receive, whatever time it is. 

We remember and thank God for Pope St. John Paul II today, a man who was convinced of what he believed, and what he lived, alert and awake even at the fag end of his life, so burdensome and heavy, so challenging and demanding, willing to give his all, as the Servant of the servants of God. Let us learn from him: to keep awake and alert, because the devil our adversary is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8).

Rich in God's sight

WORD 2day: Monday, 29th week in Ordinary time

October 21, 2019: Romans 4:20-25; Luke 12:13-21

Storing up treasures for oneself versus being rich in God's sight - is the contrast that the Gospel presents us today! Being rich by the standards of the world, or at least having more than just enough, seems to be the driving force for a big majority in the present day context. At times one is dumbstruck looking at how one has wealth as much much as a whole village and another at the very same time, has not enough to be assured of the next meal. This is no strange fact today's world - that is how is the world is, they say without shame or shock!

Storing up wealth, however, is not easy - work, fatigue, stress, competition, strain, pain, sacrifice, fight, strife... it involves all these and more. Being rich in God's sight - consists of just one thing, one single thing - to remain still in God's presence! Through darkness and cloud, through storm and turbulence, 'be still and know that I am God' (Ps 46:10). 

Abraham, through all moments of probable doubt and hopelessness, "grew strong in faith as he gave glory to God" says the letter to the Romans. That was reckoned to him as righteousness! Through our daily work and responsibilities, concerns and discouragements, struggles and temptations, let us learn to 'be still' and 'grow strong in faith'! 

As we go about out daily duties and demanding responsibilities, let us remember that we are upto these tasks because God has willed it so. If that is truly the case, God shall give us the grace to see ourselves through them too. Let us be ever convinced that God is capable of doing what God has promised - that will make us rich and blessed in the sight of God. 

WITH HANDS RAISED UNTO THE LORD

In our battle of daily living...

29th Sunday in Ordinary time: October 20, 2019

Exodus 17:8-13; 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:2; Luke 18:1-8

Work as if everything depended on you; Pray as if nothing depended on you, goes the popular saying. Today we have a wonderful image to place before us, as we go about our daily life. Moses on the hill overlooking the battle, with hands raised unto the Lord! The battle belongs to the Lord... all that we need to do is keep still, the Lord will fight for us says the book of Exodus (14:14). 

We are called to live our life with our hands raised unto the Lord! 

Living with hands raised unto the Lord is a gesture that means to abandon everything into the hands of God. It is a total personal abandonment to the Lord, that the Lord may guide us and that the Lord may fight the battle for us! Many grow weary of struggles and temptations in life... when Moses' hands were raised, Israel won! 

The book of Proverbs tells us, 'the horse is made ready for the battle; but the victory belongs to the Lord!'(Prov. 21:31). When we learn to abandon ourselves in the hands of God, we will see the wonders that can happen. The more we stick on to ourselves as the source of energy and victory, the more we could get stressed, depressed and discouraged. These instances are today, becoming more and more as human mind in its pride thinks of any dependence as below dignity, even the dependence on God! Is not interdependence among fellow beings and total dependence on God, that would make us truly human!

Living with hands raised unto the Lord is to reach out to the Lord with all our heart. It is like the antenna that stretches to connect, to receive and to communicate. That is in short, 'prayer' - to connect, to receive and to communicate. How many times we rattle off prayers, with the formula we have memorised from time immemorial! Even the so-called spontaneous prayers, how many times it is like the warning from the Lord: heaping up empty words and phrases! Do we really pray, or say prayers?

Let us pay attention to the term that seems common in today's readings: pray without ceasing tells Jesus presenting to us the image of the widow; proclaim in season and out of season instructs St. Paul; and the first reading presents to us Moses unwilling to grow weary of having his hands raised unto to the Lord. A two fold call here: first, not to grow weary... like the widow to go on in trust, with our hands raised unto the Lord; second, when a brother or sister seems to grow weary, to rush to their side like Aaron and Hur and to be with them and to raise our hands in unison unto the Lord. A praying person builds a praying community of brothers and sisters, genuinely concerned about each other!

Living with the hands raised unto the Lord is to be filled with hope in the Lord. Like it happened to the widow, it may look like you might never get justice. Like it happened to the Israelites, it might look like you are losing the battle. Things may continuously go wrong, people might endlessly misunderstand you, nothing might seem to be going the way you wished it would..."But as for you, continue, in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it"...from Jesus himself who hoped in the One who sent him, from our Blessed mother who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken by the Lord! "Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of our hope" reminds Pope Francis.

In the battle of our daily living, every day of our life, every moment of our day, let us resolve to live with our hands raised unto to the Lord in a holy abandonment, in a loving union and in an unfailing hope... so that when Our Lord and Saviour comes he will still find faith here amidst us!