Division, Unity and the Spirit

WORD 2day: Monday, 3rd week in Ordinary time

January 24, 2022: 2 Samuel 5:1-7,10; Mark 3: 22-30

The Word today speaks to us about how a house divided within itself shall become a victim of the evil one and how the house of Israel united themselves under one servant of God - the King David. The Spirit unites...anyone who sins against unity, sins against the Spirit; anyone who sins against the Spirit, denies oneself of a place in the presence of God. 

During the unity octave that we are in, which ends tomorrow, we are inspired to reflect on the Christian call to unite! Becoming One in the Spirit is the fundamental call of the People of God. Those which spread division, instead, are unnecessary ego-play and inhuman surrender to evil. 

There are presons today in the world today who seem to have given themselves to the evil one, having made a pact to further the cause of the evil at the cost of peace and tranquility of the entire humanity. This is an unfortunate development, and it shall not be too long before they ruin themselves and damage so many others around them.

More dangerous are those who are given into ego-play, who even without their own knowing will be furthering the cause of the evil one. At least those who are deliberately evil and pronouncedly on the side of the evil can be identified and warned against. But those who are guided by their own ego, over and above every other good, are persons who will cause much more damage to themselves and to others... we are infact witness to such experiences. 

 

LIFE IN THE WORD

Understand, Unite & Undertake

January 23, 2022: Third Sunday in Ordinary time

Nehemiah 8:2-6,8-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30; Luke 1:1-4,4:14-21

One of the most popular identities of the people of God is that of being the people of the Word! In fact, there is a famous term that is used in the semitic circles - the People of the Book: the Islamic tradition uses it for themselves and for Chrstians, some Jewish sects and Chrstian denominations use it to refer to themselves and some common sources use it to refer to the people of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All because, the faith tradition of these communities of persons has a strong link to their Holy Book. The Holy Book for them does not mean merely a printed book, but a living tradition. 

For us Christians, the Holy Bible, the Scripture, the Holy Book is not merely a living tradition, but a living Person! Yes, we are not merely people of the Book, but we are People of the Word. Because in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God. In and through the Word everything was created and there was nothing created that was not for the Word...such is our link with the Word. Infact our whole life is lived in the Word. The liturgy this Sunday invites us to reflect on this life in the Word.

Our Life in the Word, consists of three important phases in terms of our growth in faith. These three phases are essential to make ourselves, or grow into, true people of God or people of the Word. But before we look into those phases, we need to stay clear of an unnecessary confusion; that is, calling ourselves People of the Word, are we undermining the importance of the Sacramental life, the Social life and the Spiritual practices that form so much part of our Christian faith-living? No, it can never be the case, because being people of the Word, makes us people of the Sacraments through which we experience the closeness of the Word, people of Social commitment who see the Word in action in daily life and the people of the Spiritual Practices that authentically translate our love for the Word into daily and concrete actions. In fact the three phases we refer to, ensure this holistic picture of the People of the Word.

Phase One: Understand the Word

People of the Word, does not mean those who blindly get stuck to a written word, or those who fanatically prioritise a formula or a written phrase over anything and everything, merely because it is written. This written-oral tradition controversy has always been present in the history of human and religious crises. That is why Nehemiah today, uses the term "understanding" the Word repeatedly, while presenting the Word to the people. 

The Word has to be understood; it has to be interpreted; it has to be made sense of in a living context, because as we said it is a Living Word and one cannot get stuck to an old sense made and deny anyother possibility of meaning and sense from it for life. Men and women, and children old enough to understand... that is what we read in the first reading. Listening to the Word is an art and we need to grow in it, men, women and chidlren of God. The Holy Spirit can give us the grace to grow in that competence which is so necessary for us to know what is right, what is valuable and what is God-willed for each of us, in our own life and experience. Apart from the assistance of the Holy Spirit each of us needs to grow more and more familiar with the Word and with the exercise of listening to the Word, in order to Understand the Word and what the Word expects from us here and now. 

Phase Two: Unite in the Word

People of the Word means, people who are united in and through the Word. At times, ironically, the very written word, or the Scripture has been a bone of contention for very many Christian denominations, leave alone considering different religions. The Word makes us one people and gives us one mission; uniting us in identity and quality as brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, disciples and apostles, persons and communities in fellowship and love. 

St. Paul in the second reading today, outlines to us how the people of God are one body, united in the Head that is Christ, the Word that makes us one. Truly, people of the Word are those who keep looking for reasons to unite, come together, live together and spread the cause of the community. This unity does not come easily, because it is not based on uniformity. It is easier to unite in terms of uniformity...but what results will not be rich but a repetition of the same 'n' number of times. While the unity of the Holy Spirit is based on diversity, specificity, uniqueness of individuals, variety of gifts, diversity of capacities, the contribution of different individuals towards a common identity - that is truly Christian Unity. We are living through the Unity Octave these days (18th to 25th January)...and this is exactly what we are called to celebrate. The diversity that we have, should not divide us but unite us in our richness, making us before the world, people of the Word, who stand together united by the Word and the Spirit. This unity has to begin first of all from within every individual, avoiding any sentiments of competition or threat and looking at the other as a brother and sister in the Word. Secondly, it has to be reflected in every believing Community, which needs to stand together as one people of the Word without internal divisions and descriminations. Thirdly, it has to be presented as a witness to the  world, in varied Christian communities coming together in mutual love and appreciation, promoting the common good of humanity, united by the Word. 

Phase Three: Undertake the Challenge of the Word

People of the Word are those who are filled with the Word and who feel the impulse to go out and announce the Word, in the Spirit. God's Word is the Spirit and life, it gives meaning to a Christian living, That is why St Paul once declared: woe to me if I did not proclaim the Goodnews! In fact the whole Christian life is all about announcing the Word... not so much as an activity, instead as the very style of living. 

The two passages from Luke that are brought together into one, as the Gospel passage today, give us an incling into what is intended - that we announce to the world, as Luke wrote and announced, that our very call is to announce! Jesus realised it and that is why he declared it: God's Spirit is in my heart and I am appointed to go and announce. We, as people of the Word, are challenged too, to realise our call to go and announce. To announce in our very lives, to announce in and through our way of thinking and reasoing, to announce in our priorities and policies, to announce through our decisions and options, to announce in our actions and attitudes, to announce in our relationships and interactions, to announce in the way we live in our personal lives and family ties, to announce in the way we build our communities of faith, to announce in the way we go out as individuals and communities towards the good of whole humanity... catering to the poor, the sick, the unfortunate, the needy, the oppressed, the victimised, the helpless and the suffering. Let this begin in each of our lives: each of us, in our way, undertaking the challenge that the Word presents to us in our daily lives. 

We are a people of the Word and we need to make that known to the world, through our life in the Word. 

Out of our minds!

WORD 2day: Saturday, 2nd week in Ordinary time

January 22, 2022: 2 Samuel 1:1-4,11-12,17,19,23-27; Mark 3: 20-21

Jesus today is considered out of his mind, by his own people. The reason was very simple - he was totally taken up with the others, with preaching, healing, feeding, befriending, forgiving, consoling, and so on. He had no time to care about himself. Food and drink were absent from his daily categories of thinking. Naturally people thought he was out of his mind.

Those who were around David that day when he lamented so bitterly for Saul and Jonathan, would have considered him too, out of his mind. At least Jonathan was his friend, but Saul? He was his rival, a threat who was trying to kill him! With Saul's death, should not David heave a sigh of relief - that is how the society would think. Even Jonathan, though being a friend, without him David has no block towards ascending to the throne! According to the world's standards, David should take advantage of the situation; nothing less! But David did not do that.

Jesus and David, seem to have a similar mind - not just out of mind as the people around judged, but a mind of God, a mind of genuine love, a mind that prioritised love over everything else. Today we do not dare to live that way because we are afraid the society will brand us 'out of our minds'. But the Lord? How the Lord would wish more and more of us go 'out of our minds'!

Let it not be too late!

WORD 2day: Friday, 2nd week in Ordinary time 

January 21, 2022: 1 Samuel 24: 3-21; Mark 3: 13-19 

Many a person chosen in the history of humankind, has fallen short of their call. We have today the list of those who were chosen and called to be his disciples, by Christ. And we know well how unprepared, incapable and unworthy every one on that list was. But they finally lived up to their call... they measured up to the challenge and today they are an inspiration to all of us. 

But there have been in history, also sad stories and painful turn of events. An excellent example is Saul, who was chosen in all glory but soon, fell short of even a favourable sight from the Lord. Today we see Saul, crying out to the Lord and to the Lord's chosen servant, David. Listening to Saul from the first reading of today, one might think he deserved a second chance. But the fact is, he had by then missed n number of chances to turn to the Lord. It was indeed too late when he came to his senses!

The warning is right here: even if you are at times weak or incapable, and fail in the call that you have received, turn to the Lord at the earliest possible chance, lest it becomes too late. Postponing our decision to make our choices right, delaying our choice to commit totally to God's purposes, procrastinating the definitive choice of lifestyle that is pleasing to God... these might seem pleasurable at times. But let us not grow faint not to listen to the promptings of the voice from within: let it not be too late!

Envy, loyalty and equanimity

WORD 2day: Thursday, 2nd week in Ordinary time

January 20, 2022: 1 Samuel 18:6-9,19:1-7; Mark 3: 7-12 

History is full of emotions, and bible history is no exception. Especially when we read the account of David's life, there is an interplay of innumerable emotions in a really dazzling manner. Today we have a sample. 

There is the envy of Saul, who is unhappy with the new found popularity of David. He begins to look at David as a threat, first to himself and second to his son's succession to the throne. However, alongside we see the loyalty of that son, Jonathan, who treasures his friendship with David and dares to be loyal at all costs. 

Apart from these there are so many emotions that we will be continuing to encounter these days with this account carrying on. While Jesus in the Gospel stands apart for his equanimity and that is what we are called to imitate, to cultivate, in our own lives. When people opposed him and criticised him Jesus walked away from that place and when people praised him to the skies and wanted to make him their king, he walked away from them; he refused it and he withdrew himself.

This attitude of equanimity is a lesson that Jesus teaches us! In the face of praise or in the event of a discouragement, we need to stay strong and unswerving. We may ask, how is it even possible. It is possibile when we do everything for the sake of God's will - my food is to do the will of the One who sent me; Everything done for God and God's will enables us to take the sufficient distance from the effects of our action! What is important is we know and do the will of God for us, here and now. 

Choose God; Choose Good

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 2nd week in Ordinary time

January 19, 2022: 1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51; Mark 3: 1-6

One of the signs of those who feel close to God is their courage to choose good! 

We see today in the first reading the courage of the young David who chooses to fight the Philistines, in order to liberate God's people from fear and slavery. And the reason for the courage is given by the young lad himself: I come in the name of the Lord. 

The Gospel presents to us Jesus who takes on the oppressive system of the Scribes and the Pharisees and questions them about their choice! Whether they choose good or evil, whether they choose life or death, whether they choose to liberate people or keep them under fear and slavery!

Be it David in the first reading  or Jesus in the Gospel, their choice to do good and their courage to manifest that choice openly came from the choice they had made for God. Anyone who really chooses God will choose good by all means, come what may! If someone claims to choose God but does not choose good, it is an ample reason to suspect the choice. 

Let us choose God, and the easiest way to manifest that is to choose good, in all ways!

Love of God raises us

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 2nd week in Ordinary time

January 18, 2022: 1Samuel 16: 1-13; Mark 2: 23-28

We are introduced today to the figure of David - by the entire liturgy of the Word. David is an epitome of a son of God. We get to understand the intricacies are being choses as children of God from the life of David. A few salient traits that can enlighten us about our status as children of God, from the figure of David:

First of all, David was all the while so unworthy in all normal standards. We see today how Samuel had no clue why the Lord chose this little lad, as the King of Israel. 

Secondly, certain choices that David made as a leader were totally unbecoming of God's chosen one. He knew it and still struggled to cope with his weaknesses, committing errors of treacherous kinds.

Thirdly, at times he seemed to deliberately make choices of controversial nature, taking advantage of the fact that God loved him. God had to at times correct him, discipline him and bring him back to God's ways.

Looking at these traits, we can find one outstanding fact which the figure of David offers us - we may be unworthy of the Lord but that does not matter, in as much as we submit ourselves to the Lord with real heart of a child, as David did. We can never be worthy of being identified as children of God, but one fact we can never forget: God's love raises us!

The loss of self-identity

WORD 2day: Monday, 3rd week in Ordinary time

January 17,2022: 1 Samuel 15: 16-23; Mark 2: 18-22

I am called. I am chosen. I am set apart as a son or daughter of God, in Christ. That is not a simple statement to make because it radically defines my self-identity. How others look at me, may or may not change... but how I look at myself has to be fundamentally affected by the fact of being a child of God. 

I may be able to convince others to believe in an identity that I may not really possess; but can I deny my real identity before God? God knows my through and through and no amount of excuse or rationalisation can justify me in God's presence, if I tend to live with a duplicity in life. The readings today bring this point home to us, with clarity and strength.

Saul knew what he was doing, but wished to project a self that was unreal. Samuel or the people could be pacified by the reasons he gave, but in front of God his innermost intentions lay bare! A sense of deliberate duplicity is one of the primary instances of loss of self-identity. 

In the Gospel Jesus presents to us another instance of the loss - doing whatever you do, without even realising why you do! The intentions that you have may not be wrong or false, but even being unclear is a loss of self identity. That is, whatever you believe in, whatever you do as an expression of your faith, has to be reasoned out, purposeful and deliberately chosen to grow in your identity as a child of God. 

CELEBRATION MODE - THE CRUX OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

The call, crisis and the charism

January 16, 2022: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary time

Isaiah 62: 1-5; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11; John 2: 1-11

After all the festivities of the Christmas season which ended with the Baptism of the Lord last Sunday, we entered into a more sober season of the Ordinary time - but the Word reminds us: the festivities cannot end! Our entire Christian life has to be one long celebration, because the bridegroom is with us! The Lord is with us; the incarnate Lord, the resurrected Lord is with us! And therefore, our life has to be perpetually in celebration mode - that is the crux of Christian life. 

The first reading from Isaiah and the Gospel passage from John, remind us of another event in the Gospel accounts (see Mtt 9, Mk 2, Lk 5), where Jesus is questioned as to why his disciples do not fast! And the epic reply of Jesus draws our attention to what we indicated above as the crux of Christian life: can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? Yes, that is Christian mode of living - the Celebration Mode!

The Call - to celebrate life unceasingly!

As disciples of Christ, as brothers and sisters of Christ, as sons and daughters of God our Father and Mother, we are called to celebrate life! 'I have come that they may have life, life in all its abundance', was the self-declaration of the Son of God who came to be with us and show us what it meant to be sons and daughters of God. Our life has to be one long celebration; it cannot be otherwise because God is with us, the Son of God is with us, the bridegroom is with us. This first of all refers to the mystery of incarnation we believe in - that God became human and came down to live with us. Secondly it refers to the great paschal mystery, as Jesus in his resurrected self assures us, 'I shall be with you till the end of times'! Isn't that a fact to be celebrated?

The Word today presents us, people of God, as the bride getting ready for the bridegroom! We are expected to delight in the presence of the Lord. We are to cherish the intimate relationship that we have with God, which implies that we have developed such a relationship, that we have an ongoing rapport with the Saviour that constantly unites us with God and with each other. When our relationships, be it with God or be it with our brothers and sisters, are in order, we have a peace of mind, serenity of spirit, joy in the heart that can equal the paradise alone! That is the presence of God and that is the wedding feast, the Reign of God that we are called to. 

The Crisis - facing the dry patches in life!

Does that mean we shall not have any problems? Does that mean life is all flowery and glorious? No we do have dry patches. Like Isaiah points out, there will be moments when we shall feel like we are forsaken, as if we are abandoned! As in that wedding feast, there will be moments when the jars of our life will run dry! There will be moments of crises, certainly. And none of us would gainsay on this point, because we have all faced this part of our lives and perhaps, we are going through those in these times!

The pandemic experience for many has been the recent rough patch - with fear around, constraints all over, disease in the family, death of dear ones, lack of resources, stress and depression and so on! Otherwise too, at times we face issues like misunderstanding between spouses, tensions between parents and children, frictions among siblings, heartaches among friends, economic straightjackets, social misgivings, political exploitations and so on, make us question the very meaning and purpose of human life. But can we give up? Can we rest merely with the crises? Can we get drowned in those worries - are they so deep as to sway us totally off our feet?

The Charism - the gift of the Presence of the Lord!

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and nothing can overwhelm us beyond our limits. God, who has given us life and who calls us to celebrate it, is with us and the presence shall sustain us and energise us to face all these crises. The Lord will once again fill our empty jars; the Lord will once again restore our splendour and joy; the Lord will renew us and call us by a new name, yes the Lord will continuously revive us to new life. And the Lord does this by three means

Firstly, through the Holy Spirit who fills us with new life. The Holy Spirit will transform the waters of our life into wine, the troubles of our life into opportunities to glorify the Lord by our splendid testimony. The Spirit will give us the courage and the capacity to celebrate life, amidst all the difficulties and temptations. 

Secondly, through the presence of the saintly intercessors. Beginning with our Blessed Mother who stood by Jesus right until the Cross, who knows what it means to suffer and be pierced to the heart with swords of agony, we have have a great array of help. Saintly persons with whom we have a communion, as saints of one big family, we count on them for help, encouragement and example. 

Thirdly, through our own brothers and sisters. God has filled each of us with the gifts of the Spirit, "for a good purpose" says St. Paul. And that purpose is to sustain each other in our day to day living. Let us not immediately point to the others and say, "see, God has given you gifts to be of service to others!" but let us realise, God has given me gifts to be of service to my brother and sister in need. What is the gift that God has given me? How am I and how much am I using those gifts to help and assist my brother or sister to live his or her life to the full? Imagine if only every disciple of Christ, realises the true gift given the Spirit and puts it totally at the service of the common good - our life shall be truly a Celebration.

We are called to celebrate life and inspite of the crises and difficulties, let us strive to live life in celebration mode! The Holy Spirit fills us with a joy that no one else can give and none can take away - in and through all the gifts we are showered with, let us live our life in Celebration Mode!

You are chosen, but listen...

WORD 2day: Saturday, 1st week in Ordinary time

January 15, 2022: 1 Samuel 9:1-4,17-19,10:1; Mark 2: 13-17

We see two scenes in the Word today. In one, Samuel tells Saul, 'go before me to the high place' and tells him, 'you are to eat with me today'. In the other scene, Jesus tells Mathew, 'follow me' and goes to eat with him in his house! Going before and following; calling the other to eat with oneself and going to eat in the other's house... they may seem contrary actions but the meaning is the same: You are chosen.

That you are chosen does not mean, you are one up on the others! You may be the most handsome man, you may be the most influential or moneyed person, that does not make you worthy to be called. It is not your merit that makes you 'chosen'! The world might think so and they may convince you too, with their opinions and judgements. But you know who you are!

But your strength lies in the Lord. It is the Lord who is your strength and the strength of the Lord gives joy to God's children. As long as you acknowledge the strength of the Lord and rely on it, you shall shine on earth before the human kind. Everyone shall see your light - some may wonder and some may praise God, but you will shine and that is true.

Finally, you are chosen for a specific purpose and that is your life's mission. As you sit at the Lord's table, listen to the Lord and pay attention to what the Lord expects of you, for the Lord sends you to the poor and weak, to the sinners and those who are struggling with their lives that you may bring them to God, to their consolation.