Haves and havenots - on a slippery ground!

WORD 2day: Thursday, 7th week in Ordinary Time

May 23, 2024 - James 5: 1-6; Mark 9: 41-50

Where your treasures are, there your heart will be, Jesus warned us well. The Word today insists that our treasures cannot be in our money bags or safety lockers! Wealth, of course is a blessing, the same can become a curse too, if it is not kept in its place! Much more radically thinking, the Word poses a fundamental question - who are truly "haves" and who are the "havenots"?

It is not only simplistic but even unwise to have an obvious answer to it in terms of wealth, possession and comforts hoarded. Someone who seems to have everything, might have really lost something basic that gives any meaning to life. Someone who has not, for the eyes of the world, might have something that no one can take note of - a solid sense of meaning in life. Is that not possible?

However, at times, unfortunately not merely at times but very often today, we see that persons with money are able to get what they want, without much ado! Even the judicial system lets them roam free despite their wrongdoings, merely because they have the money-power! Persons think they have everything when they have the money... but for how long? Would that money take us all the way? By the time one realises that he or she has over-depended on the wealth that is possessed, the person could be in a position from where he or she would not be able to undo the past mistakes! 

Isn't it high time, anytime in life, that we understand, placing our entire confidence on wealth and possession would make us tread on a slippery ground? The clarity on whom we depend is what will make us truly the people of God. 

Poor in Spirit, depend on God

WORD 2day: Wednesday, 7th week in Ordinary Time

May 22, 2024 - James 4: 13-17; Mark 9: 38-40

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:3). How do we understand the expression 'poor in spirit'? The Word today has a simple description: they depend on God. Two traits that are enlisted as opposition or rebellion to God are Pride and Jealousy! Pride claims illegitimate credits for things; Jealousy detests anyone being better in comparison to me.

James hits out against pride, which claims that we are in control of our entire life! I know of a person who has written down what he would be doing the next 25 years in succession! One thing is to have a plan, while it is totally another matter to be too sure about taking control of everything!

Jesus speaks of jealousy in subtle manner, without hurting the sentiments of his own apostles. He instructs them about not monopolising the role of being God's instruments! Anyone could be used by God, just as you could be! When you are used by God for God's purposes, rejoice and be glad. When someone else is used by God, give praise to God all the same! This comes from two important qualities we need to develop: stop comparing and place God at the centre, not yourself!

When we work out of these two temptations - of pride and jealousy, we would be well on our way to sanctity... for that is a sign that we depend on God, that we are poor in spirit, and the Reign of God belongs to us! 

The Battle Within

WORD 2day - Tuesday, 7th week in Ordinary Time

May 21, 2024: James 4:1-10; Mark 9:30-37 

We return to the Ordinary time after quite a while, and Word straightaway leads us to a reflection on the need to being faithful to our call on a normal basis, on a daily basis, without needing to have a special occasion to celebrate and manifest it. 

The discussion today is on a fundamental theme of our everyday life: the battle within. Both James and Jesus through the Word today, speak to us of the important battle that keeps waging within us, which determines much of the battles around us. The self seeking, self centered and self focused egoism, twists and twirls all our priorities and thus wrongly motivates our choices.

The worst of the conditions that we find today is the way the society prioritises. What is wrong if one thinks of one's own self fulfillment? The justification in terms of God-given capabilities and bringing them to their perfection is another rationalisation of this ego feeding. The Self or the Ego is being enshrined at the centre of human life as the most sacred thing that has to be preserved, promoted and pleased! Is this not idolatry? Some are so worried about use of images and icons as being idolatrous, while they make of themselves saviours, mouth pieces of God, indispensable dispensers of the god-element, the doorways to god and so on...

The question is clear today: have you compromised on the place given to God in your life? Is God the first priority in your life? Is God, God's plan and God's will the most important criterion in all the choices you make? If it is so, then you are on a winning streak in the battle within... Kudos! March on!

MARY, THE WOMAN, THE MOTHER!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

May 20, 2024: Celebrating Mary the Mother of the Church

Genesis 3: 9-15,20; John 19: 25-34

Six years ago, in 2018, Pope Francis instituted this memorial, bringing to our attention a fact that has been celebrated right from the origins of the Church - naturally because Mary had a very special place in the hearts and homes of the disciples and the apostles as the Mother of their loving Master, Jesus Christ. It was a God-willed fact, because as we celebrated yesterday, the Father willed that she was among the Apostles when the Spirit came down upon them, as the Advocate sent by the Son. It is also a Christ-willed grace, as it was Jesus who gave her to us, the Church, as our Mother: behold your mother. 

One Word that can be easily seen repeated and seen as the link between the readings today is, Woman! There are three senses to that term in the Word today. The first sense is the human person that Eve was, the wife that she was. When Adam refers to her as his woman, and God-given woman, he speaks of her as his other half, his counterpart. Mary is that - a woman, a person like us, but God-given. 

The second sense is the Woman that God promises, whose seed shall strike the head of the enemy. That Woman is not anyone, but chosen by God and promised by God. Mary is not just one among us, but she was chosen by God, prepared by God and appointed by God to bear that One who would strike the enemy for the sake of our Salvation. Mary is that woman - a chosen instrument in our Salvation. 

The third sense is the Woman presented to John, as Mother. That Woman is not just woman, but mother; one who loves us, protects us, cares for us and nurtures and educates us. That is a Mother. When John took her home, she brought her to us, into our lives and into our daily struggles, that we may strive to remain faithful to the gift of salvation we are given as a Church, as children of God and as People of God. 

Mary, the Woman, the Mother, is our pioneer, our model and our guardian and she shall inspire and lead us to be forever, the Church, the People of God. 

PEOPLE OF THE SPIRIT

Solemnity of Pentecost: 19th May 2024

A day when we have to wish the Church, happy birthday!...and as every birthday is a day of reminder to grow up, to mature.. also for the Church today is a day of reminder to grow up and mature as the Reign of God, the ultimate purpose of the Community of faith on earth. The Church does not exist for herself, taught Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, on 19th Feb 2012. The Vatican Council II instructed us the same truth, while saying the Church exists to proclaim and plant the seeds of the Reign of God. The reminder comes from the first instances of the birth of the Church... the event of the coming of the Spirit. Today for the Church and for every Christian to grow up and mature, the presence of the Spirit is indispensable.

How do we recognise the presence of the Spirit? There are three signs suggested by the Feast today, to ascertain the presence of the Spirit.

1st Sign: COMMUNION 

The first sign of the presence of the Spirit is Communion. When they spoke in various tongues, every one understood in their own language. The first gift of the Spirit is the 'oneness of heart and mind' that is achieved by the gift of UNDERSTANDING. Where there is division for the sake of ego and personal opinion, where there is manipulation for the sake of having one's ways, the Spirit is absent! Any division of the hearts of the children of God is created by the evil spirit! Communion, the fruit of Understanding, does not in anyway mean a homogeneous uniformity. It is a divine blending of differences. Yes, the Communion offered by the Spirit is born out of a RESPECT FOR DIFFERENCES which are appreciated as the richness that is so natural in the very creation of God, the differences that are brought in a harmonious symphony by the Spirit.

One who possesses the Spirit of the Lord, uses the gift of UNDERSTANDING that arises from an authentic RESPECT FOR DIFFERENCES, to bring the people of God together, as community of people with one heart and one spirit.

2nd Sign: COMMISSION 

The second sign of the Spirit's presence is Commission. A commissioning which begins with a CALLING... as we are called into one community in the Risen Lord, called to be children of God who call out, 'Abba Father'. This calling does not end with a domestic understanding of being children cuddling at home, but a call that fills us with the FIRE OF MISSION, for we are not filled with the Spirit of cowardice to fall into fear, but the Spirit of adoption that urges us on to go forward and live a life of witness, that is bold and befitting the one who called us.

One who possesses the Spirit of the Lord, is aware of the CALLING that one has received and is courageous to bear witness to that calling with the FIRE OF THE MISSION, that burns from within as Jeremiah says.(Jer 20:9)

3rd Sign: COMPASSION 

The third and the most fundamental sign of the presence of the Spirit is COMPASSION, without which the very name 'Christian' has no meaning absolutely. Compassion is an active form of LOVE, the only expectation that the Lord has from us - to love each other as the Lord loves us. Love, is not a mere feeling but a feeling with, it is feeling with the other, what the other feels. While speaking of the Early Christians it was said they were of one mind and one heart - that was love. While St. Paul instructs, 'Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn' (Rom 12:15). That is true Christian love, that is the way that the Lord loved us. To love is to LIVE LIKE JESUS. Fundamentally, this is what the Spirit enables us to be - to be like Jesus, to live like Jesus. 

Hence, one who possesses the Spirit of the Lord, is filled with LOVE and vows to LIVE LIKE JESUS.

The coming of the Spirit was a radical change of lifestyle for the disciples and all who believed in Christ. Today, if we are to celebrate this feast with real meaning, there has to be a radical evaluation of our life style - whether we promote communion, accept our commission and burn with compassion! If we do, we are the people of the Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit, Fill us with your Fire!

People of the Spirit - witnesses all our life

WORD 2day - Saturday, Last week in the Eastertide

May 18, 2024 - Acts 28: 16-20,30-31; John 21: 20-25

We are at the fag end of the Eastertide, and specially of this week which was continuously preparing us to be reborn as people of the Spirit. The last three days we have been instructed about the importance of witnessing to the Lord and the call that each of us have to that effect. It is by the Spirit that we are raised to be testimonies. If it is the Spirit who raises us to be witnesses, the Spirit will make way - it does not matter how much darkness and delusion surrounds us!

In the first reading we have St. Paul who is witnessing to the Lord against all odds... arrests, persecutions, turtures, attacks, trials, and what not...but he sticks on to his call: to witness, be it in Jerusalem or Judea or in Rome! Today, some of us find ourselves amidst odds, but that cannot exempt us from witnessing to the Lord. 

In the Gospel we have another great example of witnessing - St. John the Evangelist who writes about his testimony - what we have seen, what we have touched and what we have experienced, we share with you. In our day to day life, witness is the way we live, the way we conduct ourselves in our daily duties, the way we confront situations in life and the priorities with which we discern and decide in life. This is an experience shared with the others. What matters therefore here is an interior conviction of having experienced the Lord and having a close rapport with him. It is from there that true witness is born. 

Hence, whether we find ourselves in difficulty or challenge, or we find our daily life in peaceful situation, it does not matter. Our fundamental call is to be witnesses, testimonies to the love and mercy of the Lord - that we can never forget or neglect. As people of the Spirit, we are called to be witnesses all our life. Let us prepare ourselves to seek this grace as we celebrate the coming of the Spirit tomorrow!

 

People of the Spirit - Raised as Witnesses

WORD 2day - Friday, Last week in the Eastertide

May 17, 2024 - Acts 25: 13-21; John 21: 15-19

The Word this week has been continuously inspiring us to reflect on how to be people of the Spirit and yesterday we were called to look at our mission of witnessing to the Lord, as a sign of being the people of the Spirit. Today, the Word rests still on the same point and focuses on explaining to us, witnessing is not merely our merit or our skill, but we are raised to be witnesses! When we are disposed, when we allow the Spirit to work within us and with us, we shall be raised to be marvellous witnesses to the Lord! And we have two examples presented to us: Paul and Peter. 

Paul, would have never even imagined about going to Rome to bear testimony, but the Spirit of the Lord makes him aware of that call: you shall bear witness to the Lord in Rome, just as in Jerusalem. But how he would get there, and how he would be enabled to bear witness, all that is worked out by the Spirit of the Lord. Paul need not have appealed to Ceasar, Festus needs not have consented to it or need not have taken the efforts to reach Paul to Rome, but it all happens and the rest is history. We know, though in house arrest, Paul preached and bore witness to the Risen Lord, in a powerful manner and wrote such inspiring letters from the custodial stay. 

Peter, never would have imagined that he would be reinstated as "the Rock" that he was meant to be! He knew what a treacherous defaulter he had been. But Jesus seems to pay no attention to that bitter past; he seems to be looking elsewhere, at the future, at the path ahead! Jesus asks Peter, if he really loved him, not because Jesus wanted to know, but because Jesus wanted Peter to know that what really mattered was the real love that he had in the depth of his heart for Jesus! And with that love, he wanted Peter to get over his self remorse and self pity, and walk towards caring for the others and strengthening his brothers. To us too, this is what Jesus asks: that we become mindful of the love we have for Christ and show that in action by loving others. Thus we shall be raised into witnesses, powerful witnesses.

Let us remember, we are raised as witnesses and when we place ourselves in the wings of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit shall raise us, raise us as witnesses, as powerful witnesses!

People of the Spirit - a Witnessing community

WORD 2day - Thursday, Last week in the Eastertide

May 16, 2024 - Acts 22: 30,23:6-11; John 17: 20-26

Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome - these are the key words today from the Liturgy. That was the message given to St. Paul and that is the message given to each of us who wishes to become,  or be called as, the people of God, as the people of the Spirit. This is what Jesus prays for his apostles too, that they be one and thus become witnesses. The greatest of witness that a Christian or a Christian community can give is its unity; the worst of scandal it can give is it state of being divided!

We are called to Witness to the Good News - the Good News is God, the Good News is the Son of God, the Good News is the presence of the Spirit... the Good News is that we are people, children of God. Each of us is chosen, called and commissioned to become people of God, to grow into children of God...thus witnessing and calling out to the rest of the humanity, to receive that same call and respond to it. How can we, if we do no live up to that call and identity?

The Spirit gives us the courage, the strength and the audacity to bear witness. That is why we see today, St. Paul is being prepared to go to Rome. It was not his plan, nor did he ever dream of it. But there was a plan brewing in the design of God, and we know what great effect it has created in the history of the people of God. But when God's design unfolded itself, be it Paul or Peter or other apostles, they were all there, carry it on, moving along and living it up in their every day life. That is witness, testimony. That is the grace that the Spirit will bring us: to be witnessing communities. 

People of the Spirit - United in Prayer

WORD 2day - Wednesday, Last week in the Eastertide

May 15, 2024 - Acts 20: 28-38; John 17: 11-19

Being people of the Spirit means being people united in prayer! Today we have wonderful examples of St. Paul and Jesus himself - who pray with the people, pray for their people and inspire and unite people in prayer. 

We have reflected many a time, prayer is not merely asking for favours - it is a practice, a life style; it is a way of living. It is basically a relationship, a relationship with the Lord that conditions and characterises our relationship with our brothers and sisters. This is what is evidenced in the types of prayers that we see today in the Word.

St. Paul prays with the people - they were all in tears. We see a prayer that made them feel their love for each other, their sense of missing each other and their sense of having to part with a loved one. We see the bond that exists here and prayer is just a reflection of that bond. 

Jesus prays for his apostles and disciples, and all of us - asking the Father to strengthen them as people would be facing with troubles, temptations and trials. This comes from a sense of responsibility for the other. Prayer is not merely a recommendation to God, that shirks off the responsibility from my shoulders... it makes me responsible for my brother, for my sister!

These, sense of belonging to each other and the sense of responsibility, unite us in the Lord and we are built up into people of the Spirit, united in prayer!

He remained; and he was chosen!

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

May 14, 2024: Remembering St. Mathias, the Apostle

Acts 1: 15-17, 20-26; John 15: 9-17

The place of apostle Judas was empty and they consulted the Lord as to who should fill that place! They were inspired to have the criterion that Jesus always insisted upon: Remain in me, as I remain in the One who sent me. It had to be one who had remained right from the beginning till the end! Mathias (for that matter even Justus and so many others) had never aspired for anything. They could have had no clue about this twist in the tale. But they had remained with Jesus and after Jesus had gone, they had remained with the rest of the band of followers. 

Mathias looked up to nothing except that of being with Christ and he was rewarded for it with a responsibility. He never chose, nor claimed, nor aspired to be an apostle... he was chosen to be, because he remained in His love. This is the call that we are reminded of today, that the Lord invites us to remain in his love and to love each other with the same love as a sign of our discipleship. 

The Lord chooses us... just as we see, that Mathias was chosen! It is important to understand, realise and insist on the fact that it is the Lord who chooses us. When we think that we have chosen the Lord we have expectations and agenda, making of our life a career! But the more we become aware and convinced that it is the Lord who chooses, we become more and more faithful, obedient, humble and true disciples.