THE MAUNDY THURSDAY

 

THE BETRAYAL WEDNESDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 27, 2024: Isaiah 50: 4-9; Matthew 26:14-25

The disciple's tongue to speak and the disciple's ear to listen - that is what the Lord has given us; but whether we use the faculty or not, depends so much on our choice! Jesus had given all the needed warning – a long time warning about having right priorities and a proximate warning about cruciality of personal choices to make. But nothing deterred Judas from following the way of ruin. This Wednesday reminds us of the unfortunate choice that Judas had made – that is why it could be termed the Betrayal Wednesday… when that definitive negotiation and choice was made for the evil! He has begun looking for the opportunity to hand Jesus over to Jews!

Betrayal is not failure – it would not have been a betrayal, if Judas had tried and failed. Trying and failing is a disciple’s way – he or she will however realise and restart, because the priorities have not been lost, but only forgotten for a little unfortunate while. The disciple’s ear is attentive, at least at a second moment he or she will pick the right: the disciple would soon feel: did we not feel our hearts burning when we listened to Him?

Betrayal is not weakness – it would not have been judged his fate, if what Judas did was his weakness. Peter’s act was a weakness; the apostles’ desertion was a weakness; but it did not come against their identity as disciples – they came back with vigour to announce the Lord they loved – the disciple’s tongue is the expression of one’s love for the Master. It is making it clear – making a choice, an absolute choice for the Lord.

Betrayal is a choice – a choice, a deliberate choice to go into the dark night, to let the evil rule, to go with something that you think will lead you to your goals while you are actually losing your original call and the love with which you responded to that call. The strong reminder given to us today is that discipleship is all about our priorities and our personal choices! 

THE WARNING TUESDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 26, 2024: Isaiah 49:1-6; John 13:21-33,36-38

‘Listen’, ‘pay attention’… that seem to be the passionate call of the Word today – be it first reading or the Gospel. Reflecting on the life of Christ the exegetes say, today - this tuesday, might have been the last normal day that Jesus had with his disciples and followers, for soon frenetic happenings will begin, we know! Jesus knew the Jews were looking for him, waiting to trap him and wanting to destroy him. Yesterday we found them so desperate about the popularity of this man from Galilee! But what mattered to Jesus was not the opposition that was rising, but that his loved ones should not fall prey to the evil one! You are my beloved, yes, but be careful, be attentive, he warns them – on this day which could be called the Warning Tuesday!

It is not enough that you are servants of the Lord, ‘I make you light of the nations,’ promises the Word. That is what Jesus tells them too – you are not just followers, you are my friends, my witnesses, my substitutes – that is your call. But there are so many situations and crises waiting to pounce on you and devour you! Be warned, he says, listen and be attentive! No one seems to be listening – they are still in the hangover of the festive entry they witnessed and that concerns Jesus. He calls their attention passionately, just as the first reading calls our attention!

The Warning comes to us today – let us not be too taken up with our capacity, our achievements, and their celebrations… the enemy is prowling round like a roaring lion. If we are not attentive, we can easily fall prey. We are reminded to constantly raise a question within us: how committed are we to our relationship with God our Father and Mother?

Jesus warned Judas; he warned Peter, and all his apostles; but they were all too naive to take it seriously. Jesus was troubled in spirit, says the Gospel today. Let him not be troubled by our distractedness and our insensitivity to the Word. Let us sit at the feet of the Lord and examine our lives in the light of the Word.

THE VOCATION MONDAY

THE WORD IN THE HOLY WEEK

March 25, 2024: Isaiah 42: 1-7; John 12: 1-11

On the Monday of the Holy Week, the Gospel specifies it, 'six days before the Passover,' Jesus is found in Bethany, just on the outskirts of Jerusalem... in the house of Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus’ entry this time into Jerusalem, points to the beginning of a definitive clash between Jesus and the authorities, leading to the tragic crucifixion that we would soon reflect on. One of the most crucial points of contention between Jesus and the Authorities, besides the temple, was the popularity of Jesus! They wanted to kill Jesus, and also Lazarus, because they did not like the popularity that Jesus was hoarding. But for Jesus it was not so much about popularity, as about his fidelity to his vocation! This day could be called the Vocation Monday – the first reading reminding us of the call to which Jesus wanted to be faithful right till the end!

Jesus is in fact faced with extreme counter testimonies. To begin with, those who outrightly belittled their call to be people of God and plotted the end of Jesus – the leaders and authorities who considered Jesus a threat. Then there were those who seemed to be with him, but were already beginning to compromise regarding the right thing to do, forgetting their call – Judas who was losing his focus thinking more about the money involved than the love involved in what he saw. There were also those who were unwittingly ignorantly confident about their faithfulness to the call, not knowing they would be soon tested badly! 

The message to us is, that we remind ourselves of our vocation, the call that we have received and examine how faithful we are, hoping that we do not fall into any of those three categories – neither ignorantly giving into a failure, nor falling into a compromise and certainly not blatantly going against the call we have received. It is a reminder at the beginning of this journey of Christ towards the highest price that he paid for our tendency towards infidelity. We are challenged to grow more conscious of our vocation, to be dedication disciples of Christ, and true people of God.

BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES

Palms, Psalms and the Passion

March 24, 2024: Palm Sunday

Mark 11: 1-10; Isaiah 50: 4-7; Philippians 2: 6-11; Mark 14:1 - 15:47

The first phase of the Lenten journey this year is over, and we enter into the Holy Week, the concluding week that reminds us of so many intense happenings within the Christ-event that have defined our faith, our experience with God and our very identity as disciples of the Crucified and Risen Lord. The entry point is the Palm Sunday - literally the entry point, as we commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. There are three things that mark this day and that would mark the developments during the week too: the palms, the psalms and the passion!

The Palms: the celebration mode!

It was celebration time when Jesus entered Jerusalem. They celebrated, they sang and danced around him, they raised slogans and cheered for him! They were so enthusiastic about his coming. Blessed is he who comes they shouted! They saw in Jesus, a messiah, a liberator, a leader, a king, someone who is going to change their lives! 

Yes, Jesus was all that! He was the messiah promised; he was the liberator, the redeemer; he was the leader, the shepherd come to gather the flock together; he was the king, the king of all kings, who comes to set up the Reign of God; someone who was destined to change their lives, not just their's, but the whole humanity's. Their enthusiasm was real, it was true but the question is, was it the right type of enthusiasm needed. The litmus test of an enthusiasm is, how long it endures! 

They would soon scatter and go their way; they would soon get tired of Jesus because he was not living up to their expectations... he was not the messiah of the type that they expected; he was not the liberator of the warring type that they wanted; he was not the king that they wanted to take on the Romans; yes, he was challenging to change their lives, but they were not ready for the type of changes that he was proposing! They wanted it all, their way! 

In our lives too… when Jesus enters, we are all enthusiastic. The question is, how long? Soon we lose the initial enthusiasm, the fervour of the new-found experience dies within a while to give rise to boredom and seeking of other experiences. The palms that we hold today tell us: I will dry very soon...will your enthusiasm too wither so?

The Psalms: the cry of praise!

Blessed is the one who comes, they shouted - that was not any slogan; that was Scripture! They were singing psalms. This will repeat itself this week very many times - in the pasch festival that they were gathered for, they would be singing and reciting psalms; the disciples and Jesus would sing psalms; Jesus would repeat verses and the high priests will quote phrases... this week there will be so much of the psalms and the sacred scriptures quoted and cited. 

They sang songs, they chanted the psalms and recited the prayers... so regularly and so diligently. But was it making any change in their lives? Were they attentive to the Word who was so alive amidst them and calling them to change and new life? Were they really mindful of what God was working out right in front of their eyes: their own salvation, in the blood of the Lamb! They were too busy with their fixed ideas and ritual performances. They cared nothing for what Jesus was calling attention to. 

Praying is an attitude that we are called to - not merely parading our theology or memory skills or the capacity to make a show of our piety. We are called to an attitude of prayer, an attitude of living our daily lives attentive to the voice of the Lord, the Word of the Lord. It sets the tone for the whole holy week - telling us, this week try to remain with the Word, meditate the Word, ruminate on all that the Word made flesh went through for your sake. 

The invitation is about an attitude required of us, to spend more time with the Word this week - reading, reflecting, listening, encountering, dialoguing, sharing and opening our hearts to the Word and allowing the Word to touch our very beings. All that we did, or at least tried to do during the Lent, they can be brought into the presence of the Word and made sense of, asking the Word of God to throw light on the meaning and call that we have for our lives.

The Passion: preparing for the Sacrifice!

This Sunday is also called, the Passion Sunday! Not only because the Passion narrative of the Lord that is read during the Mass, but because the passion, death and resurrection, the culminating episode of the Christ-event, was beginning this day. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, there was a new episode beginning... it looked all celebration and fun, but it was ultimately going to be a sacrifice, a covenantal sacrifice, that would change everything that ever was and everything that would ever be! 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the crowd said. Hosanna, they acclaimed. But would soon denounce him and crucify him. Jesus knew it... he knew what is there in store! It was not difficult for him to know it... for all the convictions that he had, for all the teaching about the Reign that he imparted, for all the values that he lived for, for all the critique of the self-righteousness and senseless pride that he made... he knew what would be the result! But he did not hesitate.

When he realised that his death was near, he said to those who were around him - I know the hour has come, so what do I do? Should I ask the Father to remove this cup from me? No, it is for this I came. Look at that clarity! That was the commitment and dedication that Jesus had for the will of God, towards making present the Reign of God here and now. He was ready for anything. He was prepared for the passion. He was looking square at the face of suffering and death, at the Sacrifice that he has to offer! 

The call is clear, and it is going to repeat itself all through this week. Are we ready to suffer? How much suffering are we ready to take up? How prepared are we for sacrifices, for the sake of the will of God and the Reign of God? We have this whole week to answer those questions.

Blessed is he who comes... yes! But are we ready to accept the challenge that he brings?

Rising to Glory: to freedom as One People!

THE WORD IN LENT - Saturday, Fifth week

March 23, 2024 - Ezekiel 37: 21-28; John 11: 45-56

Through the desert God leads us to freedom... the journey we began in this lent, is about to end. We are on the last day of this season and tomorrow we begin already the Holy Week. We began this week with the message of daring to die in order to rise to glory, just as the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, dies and rises back to give fruit in dividends. All these days till yesterday, the Word spoke to us of what it signifies to dare to die - today, as a final message of this five week long lenten journey, the Word speaks to us of what it means to rise in glory!

The Lord has promised to unite us all in Christ, reconcile all things in Christ - isn't that the ultimate salvation that we await: "through him to reconcile himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 3:19). This reconciliation of the entire existence, the entire universe, beginning with the beloved children of God is the a glory promised to us. 

It happens at the end of a journey, a journey marked out for us in this life and beyond! As a shepherd that guards his flock, so does the Lord guard us, the Lord leads us through this journey, in ways known only to God. The Lord wishes to turn all mourning to joy, all grief to gladness, all our experiences into meaning. The promise and the will of God is always there, but the question remains: are we there? 

How many times we are lost to ourselves, lost to the experiences of our daily life, lost to the messages that come to us in varied ways? We are too busy trying to make sense of things on our own, by our own capacity and finally we realise how limited that has been. And then, we turn to God, crying out to the only One who can set things right. But what if we were mindful already now, every step of our life journey? That is this invitation we have from the Word, to become mindful of the Lord who wishes to take us all to that glory, that one glory that rests in the Lord, that glory as One people of God. 

At the culmination of this journey, we are entering into a profoundly holy week tomorrow and the Word ends with a question today: What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not? Certainly, the Lord will be there, the real question is: are were there? 

Daring to die: standing firm against all odds

THE WORD IN LENT - Friday, Fifth week

March 22, 2024 - Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10: 31-42

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and that way to freedom as we know, is not all roses. There are bound to be thorns, not just thorns but swords and guillotines! We see this candidly presented to us in the first reading through the experience of Jeremiah and in the Gospel with that of Jesus. Certainly, we have been witnesses to it through the history, how the just have been silenced and the righteous have been oppressed. What is our response to this experience of dying - do we dare? 

The first level of this experience consists in facing the odds, all sorts of them. Powers against us, forces joining hands against us, even the so-called "our own" turning against us... facing all these and more odds, is clearly an experience of dying, dying to our comfort zones. 

The second level requires standing firm, not losing ground in the face of the rising opposition. Only if we are convinced that we are standing by what is true and right, can we stand firm. If not, our lack of confidence itself will loosen the ground beneath us. Facing the odds does not mean just a few events to be warded off, or some particular crises to be faced in a context. It is facing a constant opposition and an ever rising opposition - against truth and agains righteousness. The world is fond of what works, what is useful and what is productive and in the bargain, what is foundational, what is right and what is just is sacrificed. Standing firm here is therefore dying, dying to our security and even our existence - just as it happens for Jeremiah and Jesus in the readings today!

The third level is, not just standing firm but, choosing to stand firm in the Lord. Yes, standing firm does not mean a confidence in my strength, my capacity, my skill and my influence! It is standing firm in the Lord, standing firm in the eternal things, standing firm on the promises of God; it is knowing that the Lord is my strength, my rock, my refuge, my fortress, my saviour. It is this capacity to abandon oneself in the hands of the Lord, that amounts to the experience of dying that will lead me to freedom, to glory, to what God has in store for me! 

Letting God act on my behalf, through me and in me, is not an easy task. It is indeed an experience of dying. In doing this alone, can we grow up to say as Jesus did: the Father is in me and I am in the Father. This is daring to die, daring to die to myself and rise in God's glory!

Daring to die: people of the covenant in losing oneself!

THE WORD IN LENT - Thursday, Fifth week

March 21, 2024: Genesis 17: 3-9; John 8: 51-59

Through the desert God leads us to freedom, and we are reflecting these days, that this freedom does not come as long as we dare to die - unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it shall not bear the fruit that it needs to! What does it mean to dare to die: to be people of the Covenant. How does it amount to dying? We are led to understand that, through two figures that dominate the Word today: Abraham and Jesus. 

Abraham is given to us here as a bridge that connects the Old Testament and the New Testament, in fact the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Noah, Abraham and Moses have been identified at the origins of the Old Covenant - making the people, people of God, people of the covenant! But that covenant repeatedly failed, solely because of the infidelity of the people. To perfect that old covenant sealed by the blood of the sacrificial animals, the New Covenant was sealed with the blood of the Lamb of God, making that covenant - New, Eternal and Never failing.

This is what Jesus seems to explain to the Jews who were not prepared yet to understand - Abraham wanted to see this - the perfection of that covenant making it eternal and never failing, and making us, the people of God forever, by the merits of the mercy of God. Jesus' identity was totally the identity of the Father - I tell you solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I AM. That was too much for the elders and the priests who were listening to him. It would have been the same even if it were you and me in their place. But today, we understand what Jesus meant, precisely because this was not a glory that Jesus was ascribing to himself, but a negation, a total self giving, a losing oneself - that is what we shall be remembering shortly in the coming week!

Jesus is the most perfect model we can have in becoming the people of the covenant - by losing ourselves fully in the identity that God gives us, in the mission that is entrusted to us, in the life of the covenant that we are called to live on a daily basis. I shall be your God, and you shall be my people: being God's people has to fill our minds, our hearts and our lives so much that in losing ourselves, we become truly people of the covenant! 

Daring to die: recognising the immanent Truth

THE WORD IN LENT - Wednesday, Fifth week

March 20, 2024 - Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28; John 8: 31-42

Through the desert God leads us to freedom. Qualifying this journey to freedom, the Word has begun to speak to us this week about the grain of wheat that has to die, in order to rise and bear fruit. It is clearly reaching the culmination of the call from the Word, inviting us to an ever deeper understanding of our call as children of God and as disciples of Christ. We are called to dare to die... what does it mean to dare to die?

It means recognising the Truth, and the Truth alone can set us free. The guaranteed way to freedom is Truth, teaches us Jesus today. How do we make sense of it? Let us begin with the lesson from the first reading- Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were they they only Jews in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar? Why is it that only these three were dumped into the furnace? Because, they were the only ones who stood by Truth. The others who were Jews too, were ready to compromise and were ready to give up the truth they believed it. 

The temptation is alive even today: to compromise on truth. Normally, we do not like to say lies; but that does not mean we decide to speak the truth. Very often we find a via media which actually is not so. There is not midway between truth and falsity! Anything other than truth, is not less true... it is false, it is a lie. The temptation is to not stand by truth without accepting that fact; or deciding not to recognise the truth present right before our eyes! The problem is when we recognise the Truth, just as the three in the first reading, we will find ourselves amidst trouble. 

Jesus tells us today - unless we recognise the Truth present right beside us, we cannot call ourselves free children of God. Certainly when we choose truth, we shall be in trouble as Jesus himself was - but look at the furnace again, there were four; look at Jesus again, he was not alone. Just so, when we recognise Truth, we shall not be alone, the Lord shall walk with us. There will be the empowering presence of God, because of which we shall be troubled but never broken! 

The Truth is immanent, the Lord is always with us! We need to recognise the Truth, acknowledge and commit ourselves to! That is daring to die, but only then can we rise to new life, life of freedom, freedom of the children of God. 

St. Joseph - Silent, Simple and Sleeping

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

March 19, 2024 - Solemnity of St. Joseph
2 Sam 7: 4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22; Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a.

St. Joseph occupies a huge space in the climax of God's salvific plan which was accomplished in Jesus - still he remains a quiet, noiseless and unassuming person! In a noisy world of today which claims recognition for every little thing and clamours for attention, his mode of living his life, carrying out his mission and responding to his call is a lovely lesson. Apart from this, there are three dimensions of this saint that we can notice emerging from the Word today.

Silent Protagonist:

He had a very important role to play within the historical events that were unfolding in time, and he played it to perfection. The extraordinary quality that we see in this personality is the silence - how he remained recollected in his depths, to receive the directions from the Lord and execute them to the letter. The prefigurement of this image is seen in Abraham, presented to us in the second reading - how he spoke very little too! He listened and obeyed! St. Joseph too listened and for that he chose to remain silent!

Simple Person:

He was simple as a person... this does not mean he had just an old fashioned dress and no sandals on feet - that is how 'being simple' is understood these days! Simple is opposed to complicated! He was not complicated in anyway - an yes meant yes and a no meant no. He thought of rejecting Mary, he was told to accept and he accepted. He thought of returning to Judea, but was told not to and he went to the district of Galilee. He was a simple man who had no air of ego around him nor any self-interests to hang on! The figure of David is presented to us in the first reading drawing our attention to a way of life that was simple. Though the man had limitations within him, he had no ego absolutely. When he was pointed out, he immediately repented. He was called to be a servant of the Lord and even as a King he remained so! St. Joseph never complicated his role or his person, he remained as simple as he was called.

Sleeping Prophet:

Sleeping St. Joseph is a popular devotion by now... a renewed perspective reminded by our present Holy Father. It is not a mere novelty of thinking but a perspective of faith: the Lord provided for God's beloved even as they sleep (Ps 127:2). It is one lifestyle to spend sleepless nights thinking about something. It is completely a different life style to leave it to the Lord and sleep over it, for the Lord takes care of me even if I am asleep! It is a choice. It is a prophetic sleep when it is out of total surrender to the Lord - Joseph of the Old Testament, the namesake of the saint we celebrate, is a beautiful example of this lifestyle. He surrendered himself totally to the Lord and lived his life like a dream. St. Joseph too was so surrendered to the Lord that even as he slept, he felt protected and directed.