Hope - that makes us Christian!

All Souls' Day: November 2, 2021

Wisdom 3: 1-9; Romans 5: 5-11; Mark 15:33-39, 16:1-6

What is the difference between a Christian and an unchristian outlook on anything?

Hope! The difference is hope. It is hope that makes us see a possibility even in the worst of our daily problems. Hope gives one the serenity and tranquility to approach every day problems with grace. One big unsolved question for the whole humanity is how to understand the end of life and beyond.

For a Christian, life is changed, not ended; it is transformed not terminated, explains the preface of the Mass for the dead. Jesus' resurrection fills us with hope and that hope does not disappoint us. The hope is towards eternal life, it is the eternal destination that characterises the culmination of this journey on earth.

Death is just the horizon beyond which we are not able to see what really exists; for if we see, there is no more place for hope (Rom 8:24). All that we see is the Risen Lord, who lives with us and lights our path. And in the Risen Lord is our hope. We hope to see every one of our brothers and sisters gone before us, united in the Risen Lord, as do the saints we celebrated yesterday and our prayer today is that these brothers and sisters of ours join their ranks and that we, at the end of our journey, join that wonderful family, the family that is founded on faith, united in love and kept alive in hope!

It is hope that makes us truly Christian!

HEAR...MY CHILD!

With your Ear, Heart and Spirit

31st Sunday in Ordinary time: October 31, 2021
Deuteronomy 6: 2-6; Hebrew 7: 23-28; Mark 12: 28-34

Hear O Israel... we read those words repeatedly today! Hearing... is one important faculty physically; we would talk about it in another occasion when Jesus restores in a deaf man his capacity to hear! Today we are more concerned with the spiritual faculty of hearing, a hearing that becomes fundamental to a truly spiritual person, to a son or a daughter of God, to a true child of God! God who is heard more than just a few times in the Word, crying out to God's people: Hear O Israel, Hear O my people, Hear my beloved, speaks to us today, those very same words: Hear, my son, my daughter, my child... hear me today!

How can we hear God? The spiritual faculty of hearing has three levels of perfection through which we are challenged to grow everyday.

Hear with your ears... that is the fundamental requirement, the physical hearing, the basic openness to what is around, what can be perceived, what is told, what is shared, what is right in front of one's eyes and one's ears. This is sympathetic listening...to what one says and what one communicates. There are so many who cannot really hear, what is said. They hear what they want to, what they have already made up their mind to hear. Even before a person opens his or her mouth to say something, we have heard what the person wants to say. That is, we have a bias that does not allow us to hear what is said! 

We are so prejudiced that we cannot really hear what the other person is saying, what the other person is sharing. About everyone around me, I have already made a judgement within me, that I am not able to hear what they are saying at all... all the time I am busy hearing what I want to hear, what I have prerecorded in my mind. Have you heard the sad story of a mother who thought her kid was trying to bunk school crying that his shoes were hurting, and forced him to go to school, only to receive a call from school a little later that the kid died of a scorpion bite, a scorpion which was in the shoes!

God communicates everyday through so many persons and events. If we do not really hear what is being said, If we do not perceive what is being communicated, we are missing a great lot of God! Can we really be God's children if we do not hear with our ears? That is why the Lord call our attention: Hear O Israel, hear my children, hear what I have to tell you everyday! However, hearing does not end here... this is just the first level, the sympathetic listening. We have to grow towards the next level...

Hear with your heart... 'heart' has an 'ear' within it: look at how it is spelt... h-ear-t; interesting isn't it? We are called to hear beyond our ears, not with our prejudices but with our genuine openness; yes, we are called to hear what is not said, what is not shared, what is not verbalised. This is empathetic listening... to what is communicated without words, in silence, with tears, with reactions, with some choices! This is a higher level of hearing, which is so attentive that I am able to hear not just what is said, but even what is not said, even what is stifled within, even what is meant by the simple words or gestures! This can happen only if I feel myself in the position of the one who is sharing, not when I stand in judgement of the other. 

A real educator will know that the naughtiest of the kids in the class is the most needy of attention; a true liberator of the oppressed will know that even the sheer silence of the oppressed is a big hue and cry for emancipation; a real prophet will know that every experience of suffering is a sign of hope from the Lord. Hearing things with the heart, would go beyond the events and understand its meaning, it will go beyond words and understand the experience.

God sends God's message through a myriad of experiences that come our way everyday. If we do not hear beyond what is said, beyond what is seen and beyond what is apparent, we are missing an important message that we are given from God. Jesus saw these, heard these and experienced these and that is why no one could dare question him or find fault with him. Today if we hear beyond the words that are spoken, if we see beyond the things that are noticed, the Lord will tell us too: 'you are not far from the Reign of God'. You are not far, but you haven't reached it yet...and therefore the need for the next level...

Hear with your spirit... hearing with your spirit is, hearing from within. This is Spiritual listening, that is listening to the Spirit who speaks from within! Jesus who has offered himself once and for all, as our redemptive sacrifice, has given us the Spirit who dwells within us: the Spirit who speaks to us, the Spirit who directs us, the Spirit who calls us from within. Are we in touch with this Spirit? If we get in touch with this Indwelling Spirit, and only if we do so, we can be considered people of the Reign, because we will make the Reign of God present wherever we are. This is why Jesus said in another place, Reign of God is within you (Lk 17:21).

Hearing with our spirit is being in touch with the Lord, being in communion with the Lord, remaining in constant relationship with the Lord. Do you think these are too big a matter to think of - then consider a simple term that explains all of this in one single word: PRAYER. Prayer is hearing, hearing what the Lord has to say to us, hearing with our ear, our heart and our spirit. Hear, my child, invites the Lord - are we ready?

Feeling forsaken and moving ahead!

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

October 30, 2021: Romans 11: 1-2,11-12, 25-29; Luke 14: 1,7-11

At times we dare ask that question: has God forsaken me? All the expression of an endless love on God's part notwithstanding, I ask that question, and wait for an answer - how cheeky!!! What really should the question be - has God forsaken me? or have I forsaken the Lord?

Forsaking, is not within the precincts of God. Being Forsaken - is an absolutely human parlance! God never forsakes, not even if it is the worst of beings that God is faced with. Because when God creates someone, God does so out of love! That love never changes, as does God's righteousness never change. God never forsakes... I will never forsake you, nor forget you, nor abandon you - that is God's eternal promise!

God's righteous love, accepts me whatever state I might be in. But at times, I reject God, keep myself away from God and remain indifferent towards God. I look for other things - human respect, worldly success, material affluence, social status and mundane glory! In this seeking, I forget God, I sideline God, I compromise God and finally, I forsake God! And then at a point on the brink of a total breakdown, I invariably come up with that question: why has God forsaken me? Jesus challenges us today: move ahead my friend!

Grow up and realise that it is not God who forsakes you; but you forsake God! Realise it... and then you will be truly able to move ahead and get on with God.

What stops you from doing good?

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

October 29, 2021: Romans 9: 1-5; Luke 14: 1-6

I would willingly be condemned if it helped by brother or sister, dares Paul. What if you criticise me for curing on the sabbath, I dont mind, as long as it liberates a son or a daughter of God, says Jesus in the Gospel. The message is loud and clear: doing good to the other cannot wait, much less, be stopped! In fact the passage and the episode for the readings today, can lead us to reflect on one important question in our Christian living: what can stop me from doing good to my brother or sister? Let us reflect on top-three blocks.

First is mindless self-centredness - because of which I fail to think beyond myself, my whims and fancies, my petty comforts and my comfort zones. I am unable to look around, look out or look up to anyone, learn anew and change my perspectives in order to reach out to the other. This is what St. Paul points out in the first reading today.

Second is infantile fearfulness - because of which, though I know what is right to be done, I fail to do it out of fear of criticism or fear of being ridiculed for the good I do. It may look too flimsy a reason, that is why it is infantile. But this is a very wide spread reason. Just imagine how many of us have this question before we do anything at all in our daily life: what will others think of me! Jesus challenges such a thinking in the episode we see in the Gospel today.

Third is obstinate wickedness - because of which, I choose deliberately what is against good; I choose to do harm, hurt, destroy, exploit, use or abuse, the other for reasons known only to me! What a wicked way of life it can be! Sadly, there are many in this mode of thinking and living, which causes so much evil in the world. Here is where a true Christian has to make a real difference today in the world.

Now the question to me is: what stops you and me from doing good to our brother and sisters? 

The Name Game!

THE WORD AND THE SAINTS

October 28, 2021: Remembering the Apostles Simon and Jude
Ephesians 2: 19-22; Luke 6: 12-16

We remember the apostles Simon the zealot and Jude son of James also called Jude Thadeus. These apostles have become relatively less known, they say, because of the confusion with their names. Simon was confused with Simon Peter and so lost his prominence. Judas was confused with Judas Iscariot and so became infamous. Curious, isn't it?

Reflecting on this curious fact from tradition, we can be inpsired by the wonderful piece of the opening prayer prescribed for the Eucharist today, which begins thus:

"O God, who by the blessed Apostles have brought us to acknowledge your name..."

The apostles were all about acknowledging God's name, not their own. Be it the instance where Peter and John at the Temple when people were looking at them astoundedly, or Paul and Barnabas trying to stop the people offering sacrifices to them, we see it very clear that the Apostles desisted limelight on themselves and always glorified the name of the Lord, the Lord who had called them and empowered them. Exactly so, Simon or Jude or any other apostle, they were all out to spread the Good News and give glory to God, building up the Body of Christ on earth: the People of God. 

Building, is our work but we are very much part of the building itself. We are all building ourselves up together to give glory to the name of the Lord. Let's beware of the name game that is going rampant these days: divided among ourselves under so many names and calling names at each other, maligning each others' names and playing the dirty worldly name game among us - as believers from varied churches or denominations, as members within the One Catholic Church divided on varied bases! That is not very becoming of that One Name we have on earth by which we will be saved, the most sweet and glorious name of Jesus. The division in the Church is the greatest of all scandals against the Gospel. With that one Cornerstone, let us unite and give glory to God's mighty name!

The Narrow door Challenge!

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

October 27, 2021: Romans 8: 26-30; Luke 13: 22-30

We have these days, as one of the social network crazes, the various challenges that go viral - certainly you remember ice bucket challenge, the momo challenge, the blue whale challenge, the bottle cap challenge and so on, of the recent past! What are these but a way to enter into a category of persons who are virally, virtually and on-screen accepted as heroes, just because they are able to do something difficult or strange that is proposed!

Jesus too is proposing something difficult and strange to us as his followers... the Narrow door Challenge. He says, 'strive to enter the narrow door'...not many do, because it is difficult and it is strange! 

It is strange because, when there is a large, spacious door wide open, why choose something narrow? While there are multitudes and multitudes who are going through the broad door and cheerfully doing so, why would someone choose something that is narrow and desolate! The large, broad, wide open door... everyone knows where it leads. But deliberately they choose, due to weakness or wickedness - do I wish to be in that number?

It is difficult to enter the narrow door, because obviously it is narrow! There are strict conditions and requirements, like they have for travelling in these days of COVID with all the restrictions. But that is the way to security. That is the gate to salvation! Very few choose it over the other, but they who are considered strange will be the only ones in the privilleged presence of God, they who are considered losers will be the ones that will win eternal life, they who are considered loners and last, shall be the true sons and daughters of God, true brothers and sisters of Jesus and truly inspired people of the Spirit. 

Midwives of the Reign of God

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

October 26, 2021: Romans 8:18-25; Luke 13: 18-21

Paul gives us a vivid imagery of the whole creation - the entire universe is waiting to be recreated, be made new, be born anew, to give birth to the new earth and new heaven... Jesus likens that recreation to the coming of the Reign of God. Reign of God, in fact is the recreation of the entire reality - physical, psychical, personal, interpersonal and cosmic - a recreation in the Lord!

The creation and the renewal... what is our role in it according to Paul? We who are already made new in Christ are invited to be facilitators in this process of re-creation; that is, midwives in this process of new birth. We are called to assist the world in bringing forth the Reign of God into this world like a large plant, or a seasoned dough.

The plant needs the seed, the right nurture and protection that it grows into the bush that it is called to be. The dough needs the yeast in the right tiny measure and it processes the entire portion of dough making it edible and tasty. So are we called to remain in the world today, little by little transforming the world into the Reign that has been initiated by the Lord.  That is where we belong - to the Reign, to that promised reality of God's fullness and bliss.

The call to us is clear: that we understand where we belong - to the Reign and not to world. Let us strive for the ultimate renewal - from within, not a mere external adjustment. The world looks to us, the entire creation groans with pains of childbirth and we are called to be midwives in the process of the new birth! 

Not slaves but heirs!

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

October 25, 2021: Romans 8: 12-17; Luke 13: 10-17

The point of discussion in the Word today is the difference between slaves and heirs and their respective traits.

A slave is governed by fear, is ruled by law and bound to restrictions. A slave cannot think beyond oneself and gaining favours by pleasing the one in command. A slave, even when he or she is doing everything for the other, is all the time self centered.

An heir is governed by freedom not fear, and is guided by love and empowered with spontaneity. The heir does not think about just oneself, but about the common good of the family, the community, the whole humanity into which he or she has been created and of the whole creation unto which he or she is a caretaker. The heir does everything for the greater glory of the One who has made him or her heir of a great family, of a great heritage, of a lineage that comes directly from God! Freedom rules out restrictions, love transcends fear and spontaneity despises calculations. An heir never schemes, but lovingly surrenders!

Jesus proves to be the rightful heir, experiencing God as the Abba and feeling the need to render a child of God wholesome. Laws and regulations did not matter to him; threats and warnings looked despicable in his sight. The greatest of all good news is, Christ has given us the same Spirit that was in him, that in our spirit we may be convinced that we are rightful sons and daughters of the merciful God. We are heirs and not just slaves!

MEET THE EMPATHISING LORD ON YOUR WAY

The Lord - like us, likes us, likens us

30th Sunday in Ordinary time: October 24, 2021
Jeremiah 31: 7-9; Hebrews 5: 1-6; Mark 10: 46-52

"God"...How do you understand that term... the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the Mighty One? ... you are still short of arriving at the God whom Jesus introduced to us. In and through Jesus we have a God who is all these but more than all these, a God who is close to us, a Father who loves us, a mother who cares for us, a beloved who longs for us, a friend who stays close to us and a Saviour who came down to save us... in short, an Empathising God!

How do we understand an Empathising Lord?

LIKE US: the Lord who is like us!

We have a Lord who is like us... like us in every way except in our sins. A Lord who came among us, ate, drank, laughed, cried, enjoyed, celebrated, loved, worked, faced hardships and temptations... He was like any of us, just like us and therefore, when we suffer, when we are troubled, when we have problems and temptations, the Lord perfectly knows what we are through. He is not someone who would judge us from afar or look down on our weaknesses but some one who would put His hands around our shoulders and comfort us, someone who would sit by our side and say, 'it's okay! I have been there too'! The second reading brings this out strongly.

When we say that the Lord made us in God's own image, it means we bear the image and likeness of God. In the mystery of incarnation the Lord has reconfirmed this likeness, when the Lord assumed our nature in body and spirit. It is a call that we have to become one with those in need, those in suffering, those who are in agony and those who are struggling with their everyday life. Apart from the fact that we cannot be passive onlookers, we cannot even be disinterested benefactors or well wishers...we need to become like them, one with them. Only then are we truly what we are called to be, disciples of the incarnate Lord.

LIKES US: the Lord absolutely likes us!

We have a Lord who likes us... who loves us, who feels for us, who wishes that we were happy, who wants to heal us, who wants to give us all that we need, who wants to walk us to prosperity and fullness, who wants to give sight to us, who wants to listen to us, who wants to reach out to us! God, our Father and Mother, who spared no effort, giving up even the only Son; the Son who keeps back nothing, not even his own life- his body and his blood; the Spirit who comes down to dwell within us, within our poor bodies, in our lowly conditions, in our daily toils. This is the Lord who loves us, likes us so much that he is ready to do any thing for our sake. In the first reading and the Gospel we have an exposition of the Lord who is merciful and kind, who is in love with us. The Gospel in a special way speaks of a Lord who listens to a lone cry amidst the large crowd, and has mercy on that person and heals the person in love!

This is precisely what Pope Francis wants the entire humanity to understand about God and about being Godly - God is merciful; God is abundant Mercy; being Godly is to first recognise the mercy of God and to live the same mercy with each other. God is not someone who keeps a distance or goes about with impregnable layers of security and innumerable guards. God is with us and God connects with us all the time, because God loves us!

LIKENS US: The Lord wishes to liken us to Godself.

The Lord who came down to be like us, the Lord who dies to show how much he likes us, does not stop with that... God wants to liken us to Godself. The first and the second readings present to us a God who wants to make us God's sons and daughters, God's children, God's beloved ones, God's favourites. God invites us constantly towards this fullness of becoming God's own. We become God's own by opening our eyes of faith. We become God's own by crying out with faith. We become God's own by trusting in faith that God can do and will do everything for us! Thus becoming God's children we will be with God, close to God and like God, for we will see God face to face, as says St. Paul.

All that we need to do is cry out from our hearts to God, and not bother about the crowd and the noise around, because the Lord shall single out our cry! And what a privileged moment it shall be when we hear the Lord tell us today: "Your faith has made you whole! Go in peace!"

Let us never forget the great truth that we have an Empathising Lord who chose to be like us, who likes us and who longs to liken us to Himself. Let us be prepared to meet this Lord on the roads of our daily life!

The Spiritual and the unspiritual!

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

October 23, 2021: Romans 8: 1-11; Luke 13: 1-9

Not all those who suffer are people who deserve it and not all the good that we enjoy we deserve. What God gives, God gives without even counting whether or not I deserve it... but in the course of handling them I prove whether I had deserved it or not! It is simply in the choices I make, and the priorities I build that I show whether I deserved what God deigned to give me or not; that is whether I am by nature spiritual or unspiritual.

The Word invites us today to think of the distinction between Spiritual and Unspiritual we would make in our lives...

'Spiritual' is thinking of God and godly things; it is having a trace of God within me. As God does not think of good or bad, deserving or undeserving, but always the good of every child of God, so am I called to think of the good of everyone. Being 'spiritual' is fundamentally, putting the good of the other first vis-a-vis the good that can happen to me! It is counting the blessings from the Lord and acknowledging every bit of the Lord's doing in my life... and thus considering it my duty to do all the good that I can!

'Unspiritual,' would be thinking all the time of increasing gains and reducing pains; it is putting my pleasure before anything else, even in the smallest of things that I get to do for others. It would be constantly complaining against God for any small inconvenience that could come by and claiming absolute personal credits for any thing that turns out to be good in my life. 

Now the question for me is: where do I belong - the Spiritual or the Unspiritual?