Faith, Love and Christ

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 11, 2022: Celebrating Pope St. John XXIII
Galatians 5: 1-6; Luke 11: 37-41

When the Pharisee invited Jesus to come home, Jesus did not mind at all going over and dining with him. In spite of feeling honoured by his invitation having been accepted, the Pharisee was more worried about Jesus washing or not washing his hands, rituals followed or not, circumcision or no circumcision, laws and fulfillment of laws...Jesus gets upset over it. The happiness of having a guest is lost in the judgements that the host was passing on the guest.

The joy of togetherness is lost in the the insistence of legality. The true sense of love is lost when one picks and chooses whom to show his or her love. Paul redifines faith in Jesus' terms - it is to acknowledge that Christ has set us free! We are not under any yoke anymore. Nothing can bind us except the love of the Father made manifest in the Son and poured into our hearts through the Spirit. Why do we want to give into that yoke again by equating our faith to 'doing' something, 'performing rituals' instead of relating to God with a free heart. That freedom is born only out of love.

Pope St. John XXIII brought this very strongly into the Church. In celebrating him we celebrate a great experience of the Church in the recent times. 

- He was the one who convoked the Vatican Council II to ensure that the Church lives upto what Jesus said: what I want is mercy and not sacrifice. And today we celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Commencement of the great Council.

- He was a loving person, known as a loved bishop and a smiling Pope! He was mercy personified and in his personality he upheld faith and love, and thus upheld Christ. And that is what Pope Francis is insisting upon in this era, that the Church should become the mercy incarnate in the world.

- John XXIII was someone who showed in his life what Church is called to do...he stood by the poor, the marginalised and the working class, as a Bishop and later as a Pope and called the Church to go to the periphery and to the margins of the human society.

Pope St. John XXIII has for long been an inspiration to Pope Francis, right from the time he was a seminarian Mario Bergoglio. And ofcourse today we could pray for the present Pope as we thank God for the historical Saint-Pope. 

Freedom is not free!

WORD 2day: Monday, 28th week in Ordinary time

October 10, 2022: Galatians 4: 22-24, 26-27, 31 -5:1; Luke 11: 29-32

Freedom, is not an all sweet gift. It was Jean Paul Sartre who made that provocative but profound statement, "we are condemned to be free". Freedom comes with the duty attached. We are free, free to choose and the responsibility of the choice is laid entirely upon us. It would be childish to clamour for freedom but shy away from the responsibility that entails. 

We are free children of God, declares Paul. With that freedom comes the condition that we are to be held responsible for all the choices we make. Let us raise a question to ourselves: who decides whether I should be happy or not? Yes, it is our choice, or rather our choices. We could decide to be happy or not; we could make that choice despite the conditions that surround us, whether favourable or not. 

Secondly, the free choices we make amount to the consequence we face. The Lord grants us the greatest gift of freedom, and leaves us with the responsibility for our choices. That is why, when we choose not to see the presence of God, when we choose not to find the moments of grace, when we choose not to realise the opportunities to do good, when we choose not to identify our brother or sister in the person next to us, we are choosing to rush towards a state that is so sad and so inhuman. 

We are free children of the promise (cf. Gal 4:22-24); yes we are given the great gift of freedom. But Freedom is not free; we have to pay for it with our personal responsibility!

GREAT ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

The touchstone of an authentic spiritual person

28th Sunday in Ordinary time: October 9, 2022
2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

Spiritual life is made of a set of attitudes that make up who we are! The touchstone of an authentically spiritual person lies in the virtue that the Word of God speaks to us of today: the great attitude of Gratitude... gratitude for every goodness that one experiences, gratitude to the Source of all that one has and one is: God! "What do you have that you did not receive?" asks St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 4:7).

Gratitude is born of a Humble Recognition of God! Namaan was asked to dip in river Jordan and he felt offended because his pride ruled his will. But when he listens to that word from the Man of God, humbling himself for that moment, he recognised the presence of the Mighty God. It is only when I am humble, I recognise God and that recognition of God makes me more humble!

Gratitude is expressed in Grateful Submission to God! An authentic outcome of immense gratitude is total submission to God for the marvels that God has done to us. We see the man in the Gospel, just one out of the ten of them - "he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks" (v.16). What happened to the rest? Either they did not realise they were healed or they did not realise that the healing was a gift! This Samaritan heart realised the gratuitous miracle and recognised the hand of God - and the result was, a grateful submission at the feet of Jesus.

Gratitude leads to a Faithful Perseverance in God's ways! "Rise and go your way, your faith has made you well" (v.19) says Jesus, commissioning him to be an apostle to the World. That is the commission we receive every time we experience the grace of God in our personal lives - to go into the world and share the word of God, 'that the word of God may not be fettered' (cf. 2 Tim 2:9). It is the gratitude for the goodness that we have experienced in the Lord that makes us persevere, amidst all troubles and trials we might face. Our perseverance is not so much because we are faithful to the Lord, as because the Lord is faithful to us, reminds St. Paul in the second reading (2 Tim 2:13).

A grateful heart is a humble heart and a humble person will ever be a faithful person and faithfulness gives one the courage and strength to persevere. Learning to look at our daily life and recognise the miracles that happen in abundance; putting up with daily crosses with the image of the Crucified Saviour in our hearts; placing ourselves each day at the feet of Jesus to be sent into the world as messengers of his loving Word - that is growing into Spiritual Persons. Let us heed the call of the Word today, to increase our sense of gratitude and grow into authentic spiritual persons!

Belonging to Christ

WORD 2day: Saturday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 8, 2022: Galatians 3: 22-29; Luke 11: 27-28

'We are Christians for the past 4 generations'; 'I belong to such and such a Church or denomination'; 'oh! I am a born again' or I am born thrice!!!... nothing of these will make us automatically acceptable or blessed in the eyes of God. Whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free...it does not matter, says St. Paul in the first reading today - neither circumcision nor non-circumcision matters, when it comes to belong to Christ. What matters is, that we clothe ourselves in Christ, that we become one in Christ, that we truly BELONG TO CHRIST (cf. Gal 3:29) in all the sense of that term.

Belonging to Christ would mean 3 things according to the readings today: 

One, having faith in God, inspite of anything that happens or does not happen, like Abraham. It requires patience and endurance, to stay put in the presence of God, with humility and submission.

Second, hearing the Word attentively, like St. Paul. He heard it, he listened to it, he understood it and he converted himself according to what the Word wanted him to do. And precisely because of this fact, he was able to speak with ascendancy to the Jews and the non Jews, to the followers and the apostles.

Thirdly, observing the directions given by the Lord, like our blessed mother. She is blessed not merely because she bore and suckled the Son of God, but because she heard the Word, bore it in her mind and heart and conducted her entire life on the basis of the directions given to her. She was a perfect handmaid of the Word. 

Can I today really claim that I belong to Christ? 

Daily Faithfulness and Constant Commitment

THE WORD AND THE FEAST 

October 7, 2022: Celebrating our Blessed Mother of Holy Rosary
Galatians 3:7-14; Luke 11:15-26

One who is righteous, by faith shall he or she live, says the first reading! Being God's or belonging to God means a life full of daily choices. It is not a change that happens once and remains for ever, but it is a daily faithfulness on our part to remain in the same state of grace. Faith, therefore, is not a set of truths that are proposed or discussed; but it is a personal commitment lived, a relationship that is established, a rapport that is built between me and my God!

Because God loved me so much, Christ stoops down to such an extent to initiate that relationship between me and God... Christ became a curse for my sake, reminds St.Paul. It is not enough that such a relationship is initiated by God, a gratuitous gift given to me. It is essential that I keep that relationship going, on a daily basis, filling my life with God and all that pertains to God. If not, there are myriads of other things that are waiting to take possession of my heart. As St. Peter warns, 'your enemy the devil, is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour' (cf. 1 Pet 5:8). The key is: daily faithfulness and constant commitment. 

The Holy Rosary is a great treasure we have to live this daily faithfulness and constant commitment - for two reasons. First, our Blessed Mother who is the exemplification of faithfulness and commitment. She has lived her call to the full and challenges us to the same commitment and faithfulness. Secondly, the daily devotion of Rosary, in its content and its spirit, reminds us of our call. May this spiritual practice of the devotion to Rosary make us more and more disciples of Christ, the faithful One. 

Supplying the Spirit

WORD 2day: Thursday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 6, 2022: Galatians 3: 1-5; Luke 11: 5-13

One who supplies the Spirit to you: that is an identity that the Word reveals of God, in both the readings today (Gal 3:5; Lk 11:13). 'To supply the Spirit'...what would that mean? It would mean that we are given the assurance of the continued presence of the Lord perennially. 'The Spirit is the mark of God's ownership on us' (cf Eph 1:13), St. Paul would declare elsewhere. It is God's definition of our identity, our call and the meaning of our life. We are called to be sons and daughters of the Spirit and the Spirit does not leave us even a moment. We are accompanied all through.

But when doubts assail us, when we fall into temptations, when we lax into lower standards of human living, give into the vile pressures of the evil one and the vices of the distraught world, we are shunning the Spirit of the Lord. Asking, knocking, seeking are acts of faith, they are not acts of some desperate effort to get something by all means. They are acts of faith by which we live our convictions that, even before asking the Lord knows my needs; to knock is to surrender oneself totally, come what may; and to seek is not a call to seek in vain or in all-emptiness but to seek the person who lives within us, who dwell within us, who makes us the dwelling places of God (cf 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19).Once we possess the Spirit, we would need nothing: Seek ye first the Reign of God, and everything will be given unto you.

To be Reign persons

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 5, 2022: Galatians 2: 1-2, 7-14; Luke 11:1-4

We continue to hear from Paul, the beginnings of his ministry in the Church. Both his narration today and the teaching that Jesus offers in the Gospel today, speak to us of a set of qualities that can be called the Reign mentality. 

Let's highlight just three of them:

Personal integrity that gives Paul an extraordinary power when he presents his case to the people or to the other apostles. Unless I am an integral person, I cannot speak of the Reign with authority.

Fearlessness that comes from the absolute dedication that a person has. Nothing matters more than the Reign and hence there is nothing that can stop me from holding on to it, not even a threat to my life.

Forgiving Confrontations which help one to avoid self-righteousness and compromise at the same time. At times our very idea of standing for truth and siding with the right, though an absolute reign-requirement, can drive people far from us. I need mercy not sacrifice, says the Lord.

Our call is not to be just some one in our context, but to be Reign persons, and that is what will make us truly disciples and apostles of Christ. 

Listening; not just hearing!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

October 4, 2022: Celebrating St Francis 
Galatians 1: 13-24; Luke 10: 38-42

What strikes us in Paul's narration of his Christ experience is his readiness to perceive Christ inspite of his totally opposed prior experience. That was possible because of his capacity to Listen. 

Mary of Bethany was considered wiser than her sister Martha in her choice because she chose to listen to the Lord inspite of all the excitement involved. She preferred to sit there listening to go around minding a hundred tasks.

Listening forms an indelible and fundamental part of a true spiritual existence. Listening is not merely an act, but an attitude; hearing could be an act, but listening in a disposition. It is a way of being, that we manifest from within. We can hear but still not listen - the indication that I have listened to something, not merely heard it, is the change that it would bring about in my concrete life - in thought, word and deed. How prepared are we to listen to the Lord, to the Word from the Lord. 

Today we have another great example of someone who listened, who listened with his entire heart... and transformed his life so radically that he became an inspiration for multitudes to transform themselves. St. Francis of Assisi underwent an experience of Christ that was no less than that which Paul had. Francis opened his ears, his heart and his mind so willingly, readily and sincerely that he became a light burning so bright already in his life time. Today he continues to be a challenge to the consumeristic and materialistic world... standing for a life of love and simplicity.

May St. Francis inspire us to listen with all our heart to the Lord and to each other!

The Gospel of Christ

WORD 2day: Monday, 27th week in Ordinary time

October 3, 2022: Galatians 1: 6-12; Luke 10: 25-31

The Gospel of Christ is love: that God loves us and that we are God's when we love each other. Anything other than this is a deviation... division, hatred, selfishness, exploitation, cheating, manipulation, party politics, false propaganda, character assassinations, judgments, prejudices, categorising persons, branding people... anything that is against love, is against the Gospel of Christ.

At times suffering, cross and sacrifice are presented as typical traits of Christ's gospel. They could be, provided they are taken within the framework of love. It is not suffering in itself: it would become sadistic! It is not cross in isolation:it would still remain a symbol of shame! It is not sacrifice for its own sake: it would lead to unnecessary ego trips! Suffering out of love one has for the other, Cross as an expression of God's love, Sacrifice as a language of genuine love - those are CHRISTian and those are gospels (good news!).

There is no other Gospel than this, says St. Paul today! Anything that teaches anything contrary would be unchristian. Anyone who needs me, becomes my neighbour. Irrespective of whether I need him (or her) or not, I am expected to play the neighbour. Am I really ready to reach out to the other without considerations of whether or not I know him, or whether or not I like her, or whether or not the other has done anything good to me in the past?

GROWING IN FAITH

Amidst pessimism, panic and pride!

October 2, 2022 - 27th Sunday in the Ordinary time
Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 2: 6-8,13-14; Luke 17: 5-10

There is a familiar story said of the old lady who heard the gospel passage of today and challenged the young parish priest of its practicality! And they agreed she would pray for the tree outside her window to move a bit away, after a novena. Nine prayerful days passed and on the 9th day, asked the parish priest, 'so what about the tree?' The lady said with a wry smile, 'I knew from day one, nothing would happen! The tree stands right there.'

The Word of God this Sunday, invites us to grow in faith! "Increase our faith", pray the disciples. We would do good to make it our prayer too, asking the Lord to increase our faith. But what is faith? "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" explains the epistle to the Hebrews (11:1). Where does this assurance and this conviction come from? From a relationship, from a rapport on which our whole life is based and thus even things not seen and things hoped for, do not ever seem an impossibility. That is why our tradition defines faith as our personal response to a self-revealing God. Lumen Fidei the encyclical that came out during the year of faith, explains faith as our response to the Word which engages us personally (n.8).

At times we look at faith as a set of truths to be accepted and believed in - whether we understand or not, whether we are convinced or not, whether we have a possibility to prove it to others or experience it for ourselves...at times in the name of religion we are ready to judge those who seek to question these, even if it were to understand them better! But have we shown that readiness in deepening our own relationship with God, our experience of the Divine who accompanies us every moment of our lives. Yes, faith being a relationship, is matter of daily experience and not just of extraordinary moments. It is easier for us, to look within ourselves and identify when this faith runs short, than to see it when it is there!
Today's readings give us three indications of the lack of faith... in order to educate us towards growing in faith.

One of the familiar indications of lack of faith is Pessimism. The world today is flooded with pessimism - words like crisis, conflict, melt-down, inflation, decadence, terrorism, fundamentalism, authoritarianism, fascism are most commonly heard terms these days. The first reading too presents a situation similar to today's -Violence, destruction, troubles, strife, contention -but it ends with that assurance: 'the righteous shall live by faith!' (Hab 2:4). Growing in faith is to fight against any pessimism creeping into our thoughts, our spirit and our outlook.

The second indication that the readings point to, is Panic. 'God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline' (2 Tim 1:7). Where there is faith there will be power, if faith is a love relationship with God, there can be no fear, 'for there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear' (1 Jn 4:18). When I begin to fear a situation or a person or a consequence, it is an indication that my faith needs nurturing.

The third indication is the reason for both the preceding ones: Pride. The perfect contrast to faith is human pride! If faith is surrender, pride inspires resistance. If faith is to relate, pride creates rebellion. If faith aids perseverance, pride instigates me to quit. Both pessimism and panic are in a way fruits of pride within. Humility is a fruit of faith; it is a realisation of who oneself is - a humble servant of God, with all the capabilities and limitations, working one's way towards building up the Reign of God here and now. It is Lumen Fidei again which beautifully states, 'Faith is God's gift, which calls for humility and courage to trust and to entrust' (n.14).

Pessimism, Panic and Pride - are contrary to faith! Pessimism creates despair, panic destroys peace and pride makes me inhuman. May my prayer, 'Increase my faith' be accompanied by my personal efforts to trust, love and surrender myself unconditionally to the One who loves me so unconditionally!

Lord, increase our faith! Amen.!