Let my life speak!

WORD 2day: Friday, 6th week in Ordinary time

February 18, 2022: James 2:14-24,26; Mark 8:34-9:1

What would your answer be, if I were to ask you: what is faith according to you? Is it some kind of a belief in a concept? Is it some kind of a memorised truth and assent to it? 

Thoelogically, faith is a response! It is a response given by a person, from within, to a revelation that God gives to a person! The classical definition is that, faith is a personal response to a Self-revealing God. If it is a response, it has to be seen as a response, it has to be seen in action; it cannot remain in the level of a mental assent or a grasp of a concept. If it remains at that stage, it would be incomplete - this is what James says in very concrete terms - If you have faith, show it in action.

Jesus too reiterates the same fact: if you have faith in me, show the world that you have faith in me. How do I show? In my way of life, in my priorities, in the perspective of my decision making, in the way I look at reality, in the way I relate to persons, in the climate that I create around myself, in the kind of society that I promote, in the kind of humanity I uphold! 

What if I claim that I have faith and I am inactive in my Christian commitment? Worse still, what if I declare that I have faith and I do things that are contrary to truth, justice and love? What if I claim to be a disciple of Christ and I act selfish and unjust, discriminatory and insensitive?

It is better that I don't claim by words that I have faith in Christ; let my actions show, let my life speak!

Thinking God's ways!

WORD 2day: Thursday, 6th week in Ordinary time

February 17, 2022: James 2: 1-9; Mark 8: 27-33

God's people think in God's ways! It is not enough to call myself a child of God, I need to become one! To become a child of God, I need to grow to be like God in every way, which means my words are God's words, my acts are God's acts, and my thinking is God's ways of thinking! 

Thinking God's ways means thinking love... and love is not favouritism. If I, in the name of love, love only my own and discriminate the others, am I thinking God. Today, there are any number of reasons to discriminate, divide and dehumanise people! Racist thinking, though people say is of the past, there are tendencies today so obvious and so deliberate, where people discriminate on the basis of colour and origins. Casteist thinking in the Indian context for example, as evil as, sometimes much more inhuman than racism and other discriminations. The rich-poor divide, which is increasing enormously by the day, is equally inhuman and there seems to be no way out of it. And to add to all these, with the pandemic today, there is a new type of discrimination on the basis of those who have taken the vaccine and those not! How mean of all of us!

Thinking God's ways means, thinking love; love knows no discrimination, love knows no selfishness, love knows no injustice! Love is ready to suffer for the sake of the other, even when it knows very well that the goodness will not be recognised readily. But thinking God's ways means, thinking truth, thinking justice, thinking equality... it is thinking true love!

Obey the Word or obey the world?

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 6th week in Ordinary time

February 16, 2022: James 1:19-27; Mark 8: 22-26

What are we called to: to obey the Word, or to obey the world? The "world" here would mean the popular tendency in the society today, to be counter-witnessed by a disciple of Christ, who is in the world, but not of the world. What kind of a witness does the world need today? That which kindles hope, that which renews faith and that which spreads love.

The world teaches to look at persons as trees, objects walking around from where I wish to get all that I can and all that I need. Consumerism, exploitation and the use-and-throw culture of the world today, looks at persons around as sources from where we can get something for ourselves. It is not that we do not know the facts - the facts of indifference and exploitation, the facts of insensitivity to the other and objectification of persons, the facts of looking at everything and everyone in terms of profit and gain! We know the facts, we see the facts, we hear the facts, but we act and live, as if we have not seen or known anything. Because that is what the world teaches... you be about your business.

The Word teaches us to look at persons as persons, plainly and distinctly, as persons with feelings and problems, as persons with needs and responsibilties, as persons with something to offer to us and also with the need to be sustained by us! Compassion, kindness, forgiveness and love - that is what the Word teaches us to offer to others. We know there is nothing that can make us people of God other than compassion; we know it is kindness and mercy alone that can make us children of God; we know that it is only forgiveness that can promote life; we know that without love I cannot call myself a Christian... but at times nothing of this knowledge makes any difference in our choices!

It is not enough to see, we need to percieve; it is not enough to hear the Word, we need to live it; it is not enough to know, we need to live by the Word. Are we ready?

Are we blind or do we wish to be blind?

WORD 2day: Tuesday, 6th week in Ordinary time

February 15, 2022: James 1: 12-18; Mark 8: 14-21

Why is God testing me so much - have you heard people say this in their difficulties? In fact, this is one of the prominent human questions to the Divine: why me? Why Lord, why have you caused me to suffer? But it would not take long to realise how dumb such a question is, if only we sincerely give a serious thought to it. At times we blame God because we do not see! We are not able to see, but the facts are right before us. 

When an evil befalls, like a war, or a pandemic, or a disaster of many kinds, we ask: why Lord, why this? But if only we pause a while and go into the reasons and causes, would we not be able to see that it has not got to do with God, but with us, with human greed or insensitivity, personal ego or collective indifference, social evil or global exploitation. We do not see, because we are not capable of perceiving it, we are not prepared enough to understand it. 

Worse is the case when we choose not to see, when we prefer not to perceive! There are all the signs of warning about destruction and disaster, but we still choose to go ahead as if there is nothing wrong, because we do not wish to disturb the present system or structure, because we wish to shirk the responsibility from our shoulders, because we resist any inconvenience even if it is for a lasting good in the longer run! And then we find it so easy to blame it on God!

Is it not just that the Lord flings at us all those questions that he does in the Gospel today - do you not understand? do you not see? do you not hear? do you not remember? are you without perception! It is never late, and certain never too early, to take a deep look at the reality of our lives and become aware of the wrong choices and decisions we keep making. Is it so difficult to do? If so, we are either blind or we wish to be blind!

No sign, for those who do not find!

WORD 2day: Monday, 6th week in Ordinary time

February 14, 2022: James 1:1-11; Mark 8: 11-13

Why does this generation ask for a sign... no sign shall be given to this generation! Actually, what Jesus means is - no sign can be given to this generation. Yes, no sign can be given to those who cannot find the signs in what is already happening all around. 

To find the signs of the presence of God and the signs of the lessons of God, one needs the wisdom from the Spirit. And those who need this wisdom, they must ask with faith and no trace of doubt! If only a person is attentive to what is happening around, to what is happening in one's own life, to the effects of the choices one  makes and to the cause of the various effects that one undergoes, he or she shall without fail behold these signs. 

If one is totally taken up with what one is attracted to, totally immersed in the events and experiences that give him the pleasures of the moment, gripped with the likes and dislikes without really attending to the messages from the Lord, the person would be destined to miss the signs. What is the use of giving him or her any number of signs? They would be speckles of sugar sprinkled onto the sea!

The pleasures of life are like the withering grass; the excitements of moments are like the drooping flowers. What looks so splendid at a moment, soon disappears into the think cloud. It is the wisdom of the Lord that makes us understand this all important lesson: what lasts is the law of the Lord, the Word that enlivens us and the Spirit that enlightens. If we cannot find ways of holding on to the teachings of the Lord, founding our lives on the Word of God, and following the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord, we shall profit out of no sign whatsoever!

IN GOD WE TRUST

Trust, in God, do we?

February 13, 2022: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 17: 5-8; 1 Corinthians 15: 12, 16-20; Luke 6: 17, 20-26

In God we trust, is a famous dictum, not just because it is found printed on the much sought after dollar bills of the United States of America, but because it is the motto adopted by the nation since almost seven decades (to be precise, 1956). This phrase is famous, but is it practised? It is popular but is it meant when and where it is used? This is not to criticise the Nation in reference here, but to bring our attention to such a statement that we make so frequently... that we trust in God. Do we? Do we really trust in God, in our practical day to day life? 

One of the first questions to be answered here is, what does 'trusting' mean? Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something! When I say I trust, I know that the person or the thing, is capable of something that is in reference. To trust, therefore is to know. To trust is to use that knowledge to rely on that someone or something. To trust is however not totally foolproof. Because trusting is a leap that one takes from what one knows about someone, to a judgement about what that someone is. The knowledge one has can be deceptive, or purposely created and shared to deceive. Remember the episode of Adam and Eve with the serpent... they trusted the serpent! That is why the whole idea of who is trust-worthy and who is not, arises.  

Here comes the second question, what does it mean, when I say, I trust in God. It means that I know God, I have gotten to know God, I have my convictions about God, I have a relationship with God as a result of knowing God. Can I say, 'O God, in you I trust', without really knowing God? Can I claim to trust in God, without really developing a true relationship in God? Do I really trust in God or do I trust in what I have created for myself as trust-worthy gods? May be riches, may be power or position or dominion over the other, may be the pleasures of life, may be my ego, may be the opinions of the world, may be the false image that I wish to give the world about myself... anyone of these I could create for myself as my trust-worthy deity.  

The question that remains to be answered is, do I really trust in God? Or am I using God for my own purposes - pacifying myself, justifying myself, satisfying myself, fending for myself and reaching my own ends! The world today teaches this generation to look at the what is here and now, to consider the facts and concrete reality as seen, to value statistics and believe in calculated precisions. In the name of science, certain knowledge is created and spread and everyone is directly or indirectly obliged to accept it, submit to it and act on it. What is 'spiritual' is considered unreal, what is 'theological' is considered unscientific, and what is 'transcendental' is considered a waste of time. To add to the predicament, there are those who misinterpret the 'spiritual', manipulate the 'theological' and maneuver the 'transcendental' to suit their own ends. As St. Paul says to the Corinthians in the second reading today, these are the 'most unfortunate of all people' and not only that the most dangerous of all, misleading every one. 

The contrast that repeats itself in the first reading and the Gospel - the blessed and the cursed - consists in trusting truly in God or trusting in the gods that we create for ourselves! 

The worst of the possibilities is that we intentionally create deities for ourselves and for others around and make people trust in them. As the society today creates success, popularity and comfort as deities and propose to people to chase after, for the sake of happiness and meaning in life! It is enough a person is successful and moneyed, whatever he or she says becomes trust-worthy, today. Look at some bigwigs who make statements about corona variants and vaccines, who have nothing but money and might! What a ruin such mentality can lead to!

Another possibility is that we are mistaken in our understanding and conceive God in a manner much limited and wrong. Some so-called preachers who delight in making fancy predictions and frightening propositions, make people fall for this and there are persons who trust in some rites, rituals and rules as those which can really save them from all pain and suffering in life. What a deception it can cause when they really get to know the Truth!

The only possibility that can do us eternal good is to earnestly pray with the psalmist today: happy is the one who trusts in the Lord. In God should we trust... in God, who is Love, Truth and Goodness. Only in love, should we trust, not in hatred and vengeance, not in proving one's point and winning over all others. Only in Truth should we trust, not in half truths and fancy ideas, not in the deceptions of the evil one. Only in Goodness should we trust, not in craftiness and deceit, not in manipulations and exploitation. 

Only in God should we trust, for in God lies our eternal salvation. We are called to resurrection, to eternal life, to that salvation...which cannot be made sense of except in relation to God. May our every day life choices and priorities show to ourselves, that only IN GOD WE TRUST. 

Feeding the Ego!

WORD 2day: Saturday, 5th week in Ordinary time

February 12, 2022: 1 Kings 12: 26-32, 13:33-34; Mark 8: 1-10

We see Jesus feeeding the four thousand people gathered around him, just as he did with the five thousand a little before (Mark 6). He was feeding the people, because they were in need. They did not have anywhere else to go. They had to eat, and Jesus fed them and left that place as soon as he could.

In the first reading too, we find Jeroboam feeding his people - providing them with new gods, new feasts and new rituals and sacrifices, not because they were in need, or not because they had nowhere else to go - but because he did not want them to go elsewhere, and he was in need of assuring himself of his kingship! What was he feeding? The people? No, his own ego!

This is what happens even today - there are those politicians and powerful people who want to feed their own ego. And they create gods: gods of needs, desires and attractions, thus feeding themselves by making the people go after fake absolutes. Much worse, there are religious leaders who create feigned experiences and fabricated explanations, all in the name of feeding the people but in actuality feeding their own egos and their own personal projects, in the name of God!

Jesus seems to give a three-fold criteria in the good we do for others! Are you doing it entirely for the other, or do you have a gain hidden? Are you ready to put yourselves in trouble for the sake of the good of the other, even without they knowing it? Finally, are you ready to move on, after doing good, without waiting to reap the fruits of it, even if it were just a simple gratitude or appreciation? If these criteria fail, I need to seriously raise the question... do I seem to be feeding my own ego?

To the Reign or to ruin!

WORD 2day: Friday, 5th week in Ordinary time

February 11, 2022: 1 Kings 11: 29-32, 12:19; Mark 7: 31-37

We find two encounters presented to us in the Word today - one between Ahijah the prophet and Jeroboam, and the other between Jesus the Son of God and the deaf and dumb man! The encounter with the persons of God - represented here by the prophet Ahijah and Jesus the Son of God - brings the message from God. But what the message is going to be, depends on you and me! 

While the encounter with Jesus made the deaf and dumb, hear and speak, the encounter with Ahijah brings the news of tearing down the kingdom forever! Where does the difference lie...  in the precedent choices! Our choices lead us step by step to the Reign or to Ruin! We at times take our single choices, particular events and isolated experiences for granted. It cannot be so.

Our thoughts lead to action, our actions lead to habits, and our habits lead to attitudes and even to a way of life. Before we even realise, the way of life can put us in a position to inherit the Reign promised or lead us to a ruin unprecedented. What is important is that we heed to the voice of the Lord, that we have our ears open to the Words of the Lord, that we have our hearts open to the inspirations of the Spirit, that we may at the right time, make the right choices to turn towards the Reign and not run towards our ruin!

Opening up vs Losing it all...

WORD 2day: Thursday, 5th week in Ordinary time

February 10, 2022: 1 Kings 11:4-13; Mark 7: 24-30

The episode of the encounter between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman, is a curious passage to reflect upon. It has an interesting interpretation that Jesus needed to be taught by that woman, by the simple but staunch faith of that woman. What was the lesson that Jesus had to learn - despite the fact that he was sent for the lost children of Israel, that he had to also open himself up to other needy, because in the sight of the Lord, there is no partiality. 

Today, living in a world of plurality, intensified by globalisation and migration, we need to learn the art of opening up, to live with an open mind and a broad heart, to have a mentality that is mature and transcendent. You cannot force your principles on others, much less your religion or faith. You need to be open and respectful with those who have a different religious or faith tradition from you, instructs the Gospel.

But is that openness, losing our own ground totally; is it relativising all that we have ever believed to be true; and compromising our faith and conviction? The line is quite subtle and we need to traverse it with care - Solomon failed in it. He could not differentaite between respecting and being open to others who had their own faith-following, and following those traditions himself. He lost sight of the great grace of wisdom that he was given and made imprudent choices.

However the merit of David continues to do him good... for the sake of David he was spared! Our goodness, our faithfulness to God, can save other, bring them to God and keep them in the presence of God. Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to open up our minds and hearts, in love and respect to everyone, without ever losing the grip on the One True Lord. 

What lies within me!

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 5th week in Ordinary time

February 09, 2022: 1 Kings 10:1-10; Mark 7:14-23

Solomon was found so attractive, inspirational and edifying, because his inner self was blessed with the Wisdom of God, the Spirit of the Lord. When our whole self becomes a dwelling place of the Spirit, what comes out of us will certainly be edifying and sanctifying. Instead, if we lack the Spirit's Wisdom, but are filled with anger and frustration, enmity and jealousy, we shall bring out thoughts, words, and decisions that are utterly ungodly!

It is very important to check constantly, what we are feeding ourselves with - goodness and peace or filth and violence. When we see certain persons who think, speak, incite and spread evil, we need to implore the Lord for them, for they are so overpowered by evil. We need to take care of our thoughts, our words, our decisions and our actions, as it is indicative of what we are within us. 

Let us take care of what we take in... the negative remarks, the pessimistic outlooks, the destructive criticisms, the compromising attitude, all these could easily push us to ruin, of ourselves and of our communities. Let us fill ourselves with the Spirit, clothe ourselves with Christ and surrender ourselves to God our Father and Mother, so that wherever we are and whatever we do, we will constantly and authentically spread love, goodness, peace and hope. That is truly the identity of the people of God!