To whom do I belong

WORD 2day: Monday after Epiphany

January 06, 2020: 1 John 3:22 - 4:6; Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25

The first reading is full of terms like - to remain in God, to belong to God, to be God's children and so on! All these are possible because of the "one who lives in us" (1 Jn 3:24). Hence the first and the most crucial call we have is to accept and realise the presence of the one who lives in us! As John the Baptist wanted to ascertain the presence of the Messiah and so sent his disciples from the prison to Jesus, so are we to make concrete efforts to experience the presence of the Lord - amidst us and within us!

Once we know, accept and realise the One who lives in us...our priorities will be affected, our choices will be influenced by that conviction. Look at John and Jesus in the Gospel today... they were so utterly convinced of the One who was living within them that one did not mind being arrested or executed; and the other did not mind taking over the mandate and continuing, once he came to know that other could not do it anymore! 

The things that we do in life are secondary to what we are, it is very true! But it is also equally true that what we really are would determine what we decide to do, what we choose to embrace. What we are, consists mainly of the question of our 'belonging': where and to whom we belong? If we belong to God, our choices will be godly, come what may! 

Jesus had an ample cue as to what awaits him, with the example of what befell of John the Baptist! But still Jesus chooses to go forth and proclaim the Reign of God - because he knew where and to whom he belonged! I have come to do the will of the one who sent me: that was his conviction. The choice of our actions and our attitudes depends much on, to whom we belong to!

CELEBRATING THE SELF REVEALING GOD

THE FEAST OF EPIPHANY: January 5, 2020

Isaiah 60: 1-6; Ephesians 3: 2-3,5-6; Matthew 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 us 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. I cannot rest with second hand experiences and age old narratives, I need to seek to experience this revelation of the Lord in first person, and truly behold it myself!

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. The wise men found the star, they saw an invitation in it. They found the way and the saw a direction there. They found the baby, and they saw someone special that God was preparing there. 

We find so many around us... but we need to see the face of God in them: 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 something merely to be understood and believed, but it is 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! Especially today, when the world is eager to celebrate anything that is not God and wants to do away with anything that is connected to God... if I believe in the Lord, I have to shine, I have to shine to show God to the world.

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

They went, they saw, and they stayed!

WORD 2day: Saturday, January 4, 2020

1 John 2:29 -3:6; John 1: 29-34

Come and See, invites Jesus... just as one of the psalms invites us to 'taste and see, that the Lord is good' (Ps 34:8). Don't just seek for second hand information and interpretation of experiences. You come and you see, challenges the Lord.

'Come and See', refers to a call and a choice! Jesus calls us - COME. It is our choice - TO SEE. To see the Lord leading us everyday, to see the Lord directing us on our way; to see the Lord acting on our behalf and to cooperate with the Lord's will in every way... that is the choice we have to make! 

It is a radical choice - a choice of black or white, light or night...there can be no compromise with the Lord - it's righteousness or sin; ultimately, an yes or a no to God! If we choose God, we choose righteousness; if we do not choose God we choose sinfulness. 

Of course there could be moments of temptations and weaknesses, but the choice is fundamental. It defines my daily life, every word I say, every decision I take and every move I make. The disciples, heard the call and they made their choice. They came to see what Jesus was about, they saw and they chose to stay! The same challenge is extended to us at the very beginning of a fresh new year.

We have come to the Lord; we have seen the marvels of the Lord; now the question is, are we ready to STAY forever with the Lord!

JESUS - the name above all names!

WORD 2day: Friday, January 3, 2020

1 John 2:29-3:6; John 1: 29-34

'There is no other name under heaven...by which we shall be saved,' says Acts 4:12. 

Names, in the Biblical tradition are not merely nominative, they are descriptive and definitive! Abraham, Moses, were names that defined the history of the person; Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, were names that defined the very role of those who bore them; John was given the name even before he was conceived, just like JESUS, the Saviour; Emmanuel, God-with-us! 

The Name says it all - You are to name him Jesus, we see the Angel instructing Joseph in Matthew 1:21... Yeshua. The reason for the name is declared immediately the Angel: for he will save his people from their sins. The Saviour, the liberator, the deliverer. How does he save, deliver, liberate? With some magical intervention from afar? No! The Lord saves, by becoming one among us. St. Paul tells us (2 Cor 5: 21): For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. He became poor (2 Cor 8:9), He became like us (Heb 2:17), He became one among us, and came to dwell with us - to save us, lift us up, take us to himself! That is what we have just celebrated - the Incarnation.

The true purpose of Incarnation was not to demonstrate the grandeur and the omnipotence of God, but the closeness of God with those whom God loved. Emmanuel is the title that explains best the love that God has for us...For God so loved the world, that God gave up everything even God's own Son; and the Son of God gave up even his Godhead and came to be one among us! 

The Word was made flesh and dwells among us..here and now... and its name is, JESUS, the name above all names!

God, Faith and our Choice!

WORD 2day: January 2, 2020

1 John 2: 22-28; John 1: 19-28

God loved us, and as if that were not enough, God had to prove it at great costs. God works marvelous things, and as if that were not enough, God has to every time prove, that the things are marvelous and that God did them all! God is with us always, and as if that were not enough, God has to remind us time and again that we can do, actually nothing without God.

Faith is of course a gift from God, but receiving it or not, depends on our disposition and our readiness; it is our Choice! What an apt moment to speak of our Choices and the need to make them firmly well...we have just started the New Year and after all the festivities of the New year day, we enter into our daily life from today!

The Word became flesh and came to dwell among us; God revealed Godself to us, and God continues to reveal... do we have the eyes to see it and the heart to accept it? How many miracles happen all around us every single day...and do we really notice each of them? As we begin this brand new year, can we resolve to be extra conscious this year, to receive the revelation of God and every sign from the Lord.

Today, let us remain open with our eyes alive and our hearts warm, to receive and appreciate the splendid signs of God's presence with us. Do we really believe in the Emmanuel, God-with-us?

Project 2020

Happy New Year 2020!

May the new year that begins, 

begin with the assurance of God's presence! 

A presence that brings peace, which is

the greatest of the blessings that we can pray for!

My meditation this day was on 

how to live this lovely new gift of 365 days that the Lord offers -

Project 2020, that is what I thought to myself of...

Project 2020

what would it consist of?

To Learn, not to pre-tend!

Due to pre-tendencies, we actually do not think anew

we go with our pre understandings, 

our judgements and prejudices 

our prior experiences and 

used-to practices; 

Instead let us try to learn...

try to learn anew

from every moment and every person

from every experience and every occasion 

Learning actually comes from listening, 

listening truly, sincerely, 

with a open heart to every thing that the Lord wants to say

through persons, events and experiences.

To Live, not to perform!

Sad it is that most of our life is spent

proving ourselves to others, 

pleasing others and serving others' eyes, 

So obsesses with these, 

we tend to live others' lives, 

others' opinions. others' expectations, 

others' approval and others' disapproval; 

Instead let us try to live...

live to the full

every moment and every opporunity

every day and every minute.

Living actually means receiving with gratitude

every day from the hands of God, 

and being ourselves, totally and fearlessly.

To Love, not to possess!

How difficult it is to really understand 

what it means to love, to really love

to wish the good of the other

without having to look for 

what I would receive or 

what I would lose.

In the name of love, we tend to hold on

we insist on being pleased, 

we long for satisfactions.

Instead let us try to love...

as loved God, in Christ

in every way giving

and never counting the cost.

Loving actually means acknowledging

that we are sustained every moment 

by the Love Supreme and we nothing without that Love.

PRESENCE, PEACE AND BLESSING

January 1, 2020: The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of  God

Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2: 16-21

It is a fresh start, a new year, a treasure of 365 days! 

It is a Gift, a gift in all ways: precious, beautiful, wrapped and presented. First of all, it would be too rude not to receive it as a gift. Secondly, it is wrapped...and it is important that we receive it with a sense of wonder, surprise and gratitude. Trying to know everything, in the name of predictions and presumptions, would strip it of its wonder! To approach it with a wry and dry mentality will make it devoid of its surprise. Let us approach it with gratitude and a sense of childlike curiosity, prepared to receive the gift on daily basis, one day at a time!

The greatest gift we can have, that with which we begin every new year, is the loving presence of God! The babe in the manger is a the highest gift that we can have. The Emmanuel, God with us, is the most precious gift that we can behold. That the Lord is with us fills us with hope: that whatever it be as the year unfolds day by day, we would never be alone facing it. We have the Lord with us, all the time, every day and every moment. 

The gift of the new born Saviour is what we celebrate today: Mary, the Mother of God! The Mother of God is a gift, a reminder and a challenge to us. The Mother of God, is a gift: God gives her to us as a protector, a guide, a refuge as we begin this new year, with all its surprises. The Mother of God, is the reminder of the Word made flesh, the Lord who has cast away all distance and difference and become one like us, just to show us how much God loves us. The Mother of God is a challenge, a challenge to give, to give endlessly. She gave herself, when the Angel approached her! She gave the world the Son of God, born of a woman, when the fullness of time came. She gave that child to the Lord, offered him in the temple and offered him to the Father's work! She gave her young son, for the sake of the salvation of the world. She gave up everything and gave everything! She stands as a challenge for us today, to give, to give and never to count!

The gift of an year! This year, which is given into our hands today, as a gift hamper, will be filled with peace if we live it in the way that the Lord wants us to; after the example of our Blessed Mother. She said that yes, and she said that for her whole life, not knowing what it meant and where it will lead her. All that she was assured was, the Lord was with her. We are assured too that the Lord's presence will go with us, that the Lord's countenance with shine on us. Let us begin with hope and that will give us peace.

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

May your New year 2020 be filled with God's presence, peace and every blessing!

Sing to the Lord a NEW song!

WORD 2day: December 31, 2019

1 John 2: 18-21; John 1: 1-18.

Oh what a day to sing a new song! When everyone thinks of something that is ending, the Word calls us today to sing a new song! Not that the liturgy does not take note of the last day...it does! The first reading indeed, speaks of the last days and the things that pertain to the last day! But the responsorial invites us to sing a new song! 

That is truly a Christ-ian spirit! To sing a new song when every one thinks everything is coming to its end, for our hope has no end. It is a beginning for us... a new beginning, in the Lord, in whom we have "received grace upon grace" (John 1:16). Interesting to listen to the Gospel, which begins, 'In the beginning there was Word.' It is indeed a moment of faith.

Today is a day to thank the Lord for everything, for everything that we have walked through this year. Some, we may label 'good', and others we may label 'bad'... but invariably everything has happened with the knowledge of God and there is nothing more blessed than to offer everything up into the hands of God this day, as we await an all new grace from God's hands... a new year that begins at the end of this day. 

With all the increasing hate mongering and violence inducing event around, it could be that the uppermost feeling today is one of a painful sigh or a yearning cry, but let us not let that happen. Let us not give into any hopelessness today. Let us not allow ourselves to be surrounded by some fearful darkening recall of disturbing experiences from the year passing us by. 

Let us decide and choose to prepare ourselves in thanksgiving to receive an all new grace from God's hands - a brand new 2020!

One who does the will of God, lives for ever

WORD 2day: December 30, 2019

1 John 2: 12-17; Luke 2: 36-40

The feast of the Holy Family is just over, but the theme lingers on in today's liturgy - the first reading addressed to various categories of persons in the family, the psalm inviting the families to offer themselves to the Lord and the Gospel referring to the holy family at the temple, to offer the first born to the Lord! The cue to the message is prophetess Anna and the last verse of the first reading which says, "one who does the will of God, lives for ever" (1 Jn 2:17). 

What does a family do to you? It helps you grow, grow physically, emotionally, relationally, in short, into whole human persons! 

In the family, we are all called to 'grow and become strong', and to be filled with wisdom...wisdom which tells us what is God's will for us; what is acceptable and what is not, in the eyes of the Lord! What is that which helps us stay with God's will and what is that which takes us away from it.

There is yet another growth that has to be underlined: our growth in faith. Faith is not acquired once for all; every day we grow, we grow to the full into persons that God wants us to be. We have no excuse, because God's favour is upon us all as chosen children of God; if I do not grow and become strong in faith, it is me who is to be blamed, is it not? 

The key to all these is perceiving, knowing and following God's will, which is simply deciding and desiring to do what would please God and God alone. That difficulties would crop when we do so, yes, it is true. But the one who does the will of God, shall live for ever!

LESSONS FROM THE HOLY FAMILY

December 29, 2019: Solemnity of the Holy Family

Ecclesiasticus 3: 2-6,12-14; Colossians 3: 12-21; Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Increasing number of Homes for the Aged, Orphanages, Day care centres and Night shelters for the kids on the streets, alarming rate of divorces and split families, the ridiculous family feuds and meaningless stand offs among the relatives within a family... these are no strange scenes today in a Christian Community! And much more, these are vivid testaments of a collapsing Christian faith. 

Christian faith is a faith of a Community, from the earliest times known it is experienced, lived and shared in a community; and the basic unit of the community is the family. That is the reason for using the beautiful term, 'domestic church' referring to the family. It is there, that the Church grows from a seed to a seedling and then to an orchard of God's love. The Solemnity today, intends to rekindle in us our respect for families, our commitment to living our faith in our families and as families to become the nuclei of God's love that can give birth to a whole new world, a world of love, peace, joy and fellowship.

The Holy Family of Nazareth presents to us a wonderful project towards this dream:

To the Families: BE GOD CENTERED! The first reading invites us to reflect on the fact that a Christian Family is constituted by God. It is not merely the man and the woman who come together to make the family, but it is the Lord who brings them together. The second reading affirms the same in the words of St. Paul, who elsewhere points out that marriage should lead to mutual sanctification of the partners (1 Cor 7:14). As long as God is the centre of a family, the family will remain united, bonded in the love of God.

God was at the centre, in the Holy Family... God commanded, the family carried out. They listened to God, obeyed God and took directions from God. There were difficult commands to carry out, but they carried out. There were terrible issues involved, they stuck together. There were challenges to face, they did it all without losing their serenity. All because they had God, right at the centre of their family...they listened to God and took directions from God! Do we as a family, listen to God and take directions from God?

To the Individuals: BE FAMILY CENTERED! The individualistic and materialistic tendencies of the society at large, have begun to affect the individual families drastically. Individuals within a family, far from thinking of the well being of the other, have begun to calculate the gain they have from the rest of the family and stoop to dirty levels of hurting the other for one's own good! 

The Good of the Family was the uppermost criterion in the Holy Family... Mary did not mind the running around, be it when she was still carrying or after the delivery; Joseph did not mind taking up the burdens of transferring them every time; all that was in their mind was the Good of the Family and Jesus was no exception as Luke says in his Gospel, "he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them' (Lk 2:51). Do we as individuals, place the good of the others in the family before my own interests?

To the Churches: BE COMMUNION CENTERED! The Local Churches, that is the parishes, are essentially God's Family of families. In the wise and eternal plan of our loving Lord, the Universal Church in the world is the communion of Churches in various nations, namely the dioceses; the Diocesan church is the communion of the local parish churches; the Parish church has to be the communion of the domestic churches, that is the Family! All of us united in the name of the Father, Son and the Spirit, who invite us to form one, big, universal family of loving hearts - that family which is called the REIGN OF GOD. 

The Holy Family did everything with just one objective in mind: that God's will be done. Mary said that to Angel Gabriel: Let it be done unto me according to your will, and ever since she did nothing but obey the Lord with thanks, praise and reflection in her heart. Joseph carried out every command that was given to him without speaking a word of doubt or objection - all for the will of God to be done. Do we as part of a parish church or a faith community, do our part to grow in our communion with each other, towards forming one, big, God's family - the Reign of God?

Let us take to heart the lessons from the Holy Family today...and as families be God centered, as individuals be Family centered and as a Parish be Communion centered.