Advent: A Season of Hope!

There is a story told about Mother Teresa getting ready to enter the pearly gates. She was not admitted into heaven. She asked ‘why?’ St. Peter told her that there are no slums there in heaven. On the contrary, Jesus was not welcomed because there are only slums here: the slums of valueless homes, marriages, habits and upbringing; the slums that murder our human dignity and respect, the slums that breed inequality and corruption. The 1^st day of the Church’s calendar year is a great reminder that Advent is about our coming to senses with ourselves too! Glory of God is people who are fully alive!

If Jesus is coming we can’t be going! There are two things that are involved here: the readiness of Jesus to come down. The readiness includes the sacrifice of the warmth of the Father and His nearness, sacrifice of his status as King and his uniform! Stripping himself of name, fame, money and emptying himself. These are the numerous different stages of Jesus’ coming down. Advent is also our readiness to climb up a few steps from being selfish to being aware of our selfishness and make amendments; being stubborn, greedy and jealous to being aware of our faults and repent. If Jesus had to take 10 steps to meet the level of humanity in the 1^st century, he had to take 100 or more steps to reach the modern humanity. We would be able to welcome him with open arms only if we stay where we are or go up the ladder or wait! Pray: Lord, I can’t climb up! Why don’t you hurry down and meet me! Advent has the meaning only if there are people waiting or inviting!

Our Pope calls this season of Advent as the season of hope on which he wrote his 2^nd Encyclical Spe Salve. He quotes St. Augustine there by saying, “Man is created for greatness – for God himself; he was created to be filled by God, but his heart is too small for the greatness to which it is destined. Suppose that God wishes to fill you with honey (a symbol of God’s tenderness and goodness), but if you are full of vinegar, where will you put the honey? The vessel, that is your heart, must first be enlarged and then cleansed, freed from the vinegar and its taste. This requires hard work and is painful, but in this way only do we become suited to that which we are destines.” (Spe Salve No. 33).

All pregnant women are given the guidelines on what to do and what not to do, what to eat and drink and what not to eat and drink during pregnancy and sometimes after delivery. Cigarette smoke contains more than 2500 chemicals and still we see 18% pregnant women smoke which results in still births, newborn deaths etc. Recent Government survey http://www.marchofdimes.com/ indicate that about 1 in 12 women drink during pregnancy thus we have 40,000 born with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders). Advent could be viewed in that term: a mother expecting a baby. Christmas is the birth of a child. As Christians we are to bring forth the divine in us for other to cherish and enjoy. If we don’t know what to avoid, or ignored all the bad things that affect our system in our faith, hope and love, we will give birth to a dead Messiah!

If Jesus should be revealed to us, let us put on the works of Charity. We certainly want to see a healthy, well nourished, beautiful baby at the crib. No one here is barren; all are given the strength and graces throughout the Advent Season to bring forth our Christian nature, value and vocation and renew our commitment to God and one another. Let us look out for opportunities to the works of charity and God bless all of you with grace during Advent! Happy Advent!

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Boys Scout: Sharing the joys of Priesthood

On Saturday I was invited to the Boys Scout people to answer questions on Priesthood and Religious Life. These are the questions that they asked me and I would like to share with you my answers.

1. 1. What does it mean to be vowed?

A vow is a solemn promise underpinning a commitment to God or to another person.

Legally: The vows as presently and popularly understood set the boundaries for personal, communal, and moral behavior within which the person is expected to live and whose transgression incurs censures of various type, the ultimate one being expulsion from the order or congregation.

2. 2. What does it mean to be promised?

A promise is so general a word that it is used in interpersonal relationships. We promise that we will be faithful to someone in a married relationship; we promise to not to drink or smoke; we promise to buy something for our sons and daughters etc. In religious sense, we make our promise to God on certain focus that we are concerned about; we make our promise to the other person being fully aware of the real presence of God before, during and after the promise.

3. 3. What does it mean to be committed?

Commitment is the actual immersing of ourselves in the promise or vows that we professed. My commitment to my vow and promise is shown in the way I live out those vows and promises.

4. 4. How does your commitment level benefit you?

Vows that I professed are very high moral standards that i set before me. It is with constant efforts and interest that I experience my commitment. In that sense, the commitment level helps me to be a better person with good moral stand and eagerness to serve others.

5. 5. How does your commitment level benefit the secular community?

Secular community we mean here is all those who don’t see me as a priest. This necessarily brings in all my human qualities such as my ability to show care and concern, to relate and dialogue, unite and collaborate, organize and educate. This brings out my other God-given potentials to put in use for the benefit of the society and be able to transcend my horizon and to reach out. A fair amount of commitment is expected in all forms of service.

6. 6. How does your commitment level help benefit the faith community?

When it comes to faith community I am projected there as a leader. My commitment to my vows as a religious priest is indispensible and very valuable as I engage myself in God’s business and my efforts to lead others in the same path. Thus my commitment also has the nature of my responsibility: vows are never aimed at self-purification, rather are made for the service of the Kingdom of God.

7. 7. How does your commitment level help you fulfill your baptismal commitment?

By ‘Baptismal commitment’ we mean our yes and no: yes to the power of light and no to the power of darkness. It also incorporates our tendency to focus on the yes and maximizing our efforts on the YES, rather than focusing and stressing the importance of NO. My baptismal commitment is the strength and fountain through which I approach all other sacraments. My baptismal commitment is the foundation on which my religious commitment takes shape: to value and appreciate the power of light in my life and my life as a reflection of God’s light.

8. 8. What does your commitment entail in your lifestyle?

Constitution 32 summarizes all of what and who we really are: “Ours is a spirit of family and a spirit of brotherhood, formed by kindness and understanding, by compassion and mutual forgiveness, by gentleness, humility and simplicity, by hospitality and a sense of humor."

My commitment to religious life encourages me to live out these values as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.

9. 9. How does your commitment witness God’s presence?

Vows as made for larger horizon and a vast number of people though the vows are made by a limited, humble, lacking individual. My commitment to my vows is shown in the way I think and relate to others trusting in God’s guidance. The intentions of the heart almost always unknown to others, but known fully God helps me to purify myself so that I am worthy to serve Him and the people. The above mentioned qualities are sure signs of a Missionary of the Sacred Heart that I fondly adhere to follow in my relationship with others. God is present in a place where 2 or 3 gathered in His name. I try to make that presence visible and as human as possible for a human society.

10. 10. What do you get out of your commitment?

· A An immense sense of happiness for sure.

· A great amount of humility that I am of a little service to a small number of people in a small way.

· A A renewed strength to serve.

· A A great circle of friends.

11. 11. Why did you make this level of commitment?

I practically grew up in the seminary. I have never known any of the demands and expectations of religious life until recently. I was so limited in many ways to understand and conceptualize the whole vocation. My rich religious background and priest friends helped me tremendously in my earlier decisions. When I made this decision all I had in mind was to live a pure and dedicated life, serving God and others in my own little ways. I value priesthood a great platform to meet and serve people.

12. 12. Did you feel called by God to make this commitment? How can you tell?

I was far from being perfect in all those years of my seminary training. The first few years were filled with innocence and purity and the rest was all trial and error. I was fortunate to have good hearted people around me to guide me and support me. The number of people who enjoyed my company, the depth with which I was able to motivate young people in my ministry as a seminarian and the priorities that I chose before my needs and comforts are all come in handy when answering this question. It’s always a great feeling someone who lived with me in my ups and down answers this!

13. 1 3. Does your commitment have any benefits?

Benefits are rewards here! The benefits are many. From young to old if I am able to contagiously produce a smile, my rewards have no boundaries. A hug from an old grandma, a strong handshake from a strict businessman, a smiling nod from the crowd of my homily, tears swelling when sharing family problems and a look that assures me that ‘you are a good guy, thank you for listening’, a little infants fingers at baptism, a little girl’s hug at Wegman’s, emails and letters of encouragements after a bad thought in homily, breakfasts and dinner outs with friends oh boy!

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Christ the King!

Democracy is the gift of Greeks to the world. They brought in this idea of governance: of trial by law, of civil freedom of speech, thought and expression and more importantly of worship. I always wondered why the Statue of Liberty has a Greek face! The past 20 years or so, the world has been experiencing a democratic revolution: A research claimed that 117 of the world’s 191 countries are considered democratic. Democratic countries have been more successful in living peacefully with neighbors, educating citizens, economic growth and similar other areas. Democracy is the present solution to live as free and respected citizens.

But today we are not celebrating ‘Christ our Democratically Elected Leader Sunday’ rather ‘Christ the King Sunday’: No opinion polls, no votes. We have created systems that works, a system that makes us successful. Everything is planned and executed meticulously: order and form. That is a not a guarantee that it will make us better people. The moment a leader is elected, the most important thing for him/her is: how would I keep my position? The more organized the system is the more organized the crime and corruption be. Criminals do update!!! An outdated criminal is handicapped in an advanced system. Nepotism is the present norm: when I am in power I make sure I get this for my family and friends!

Christ as King is seen in light of the Kingdom. The very first words of public ministry are ‘The Kingdom of God is near! – isn’t it easier to say ‘the King is here’ or In Lord’s Prayer, we say ‘Your Kingdom come’. Isn’t it easier to say Oh please come our Dear King! And in baptism we are anointed like Jesus as Prophet, priest and Kings or Queens! The communal aspect is stressed here that Christ is King with all the citizens not UNDER him but WITH him. Just like we share the role of a priest and prophet through Jesus, we also share the leadership of Jesus in our society.

In today’s gospel Jesus makes the distinction that his kingdom does not belong here. Jesus kingdom is not just spiritual, or relegated to a future age beyond history or in heaven rather it is life here and now ruled by God. “Every aspect of personal and communal life would experience a radical reversal. The political, economic, and social subversions would be almost endless—peace-making instead of war mongering, liberation not exploitation, sacrifice rather than subjugation, mercy not vengeance, care for the vulnerable instead of privileges for the powerful, generosity instead of greed, humility rather than hubris, embrace rather than exclusion, etc. The ancient Hebrews had a marvelous word for this, shalom, or human well-being.” (Dan Clendenin).

This is an enormous responsibility to be leaders of values. The initiative has to be from us. Every Christian should be proud to be the initiator of a common good. We can’t afford to be a bystander, watching others do the good works and just praise them with our lips. If the kingdom does not belong here, we don’t belong here! Our hearts, minds and bodies as leaders in God’s kingdom does not belong to this world: it belongs the King. Christ can be King only if has a Kingdom! Where is the Kingdom and where are His people and what are they known for?

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Second Coming of Christ!

Everyone wants to know the answer to the billion dollar question: When is the world going to end? And no one wants to answer exactly why they want to know the answer! A great advertisement now of the movie 2012 of the Mayan calendar. There are other predictions that are around too: Novelty Coincidence Dec 2012, Pope Leo XI declaration in 2014 – after 500 years, mystical number 666 according to which it should be 2028, Asteroid 1997 – 2028 Oct 26^th and thousand other predictions.

Almost all cultures and civilizations have their practice of calendars. What the world is using now is the Gregorian calendar put to use by Pope Gregory XIII who lived in 1502-1585. Different logic and astronomy merged with different spiritualities were used in devising a calendar. Scientifically it is impossible to pin point when God created the world. We don’t even know for sure when Christ was born. When devising a calendar the priest astronomers took into account a limited area of concern such as for a particular people, land and ecological environment. No one calendar was intended for the whole world till the Gregorian calendar.

What if God says you have only 3 months to live as a church! You are all going to die! What would you do? Our last days will be filled with goodness: a much better husband, much better wife, much better citizen, and much better neighbor – better than what we are now. The most important question to ask here is why do we need to be under threat of death to be better stewards? (Mary W. Anderson). Why should our goodness be always under the pretext of fear or a condition? I go to mass, confession and make sure I receive the anointing because – of the fear of going to hell??? I do these things because I know the value of grace in my life and how these help me to be close to God!

Who would have guessed that Jesus would be born to Mary and Joseph in a manger? Of all prophesies that talked about the 1^st coming of Jesus, how much more unpredictable his 2^nd coming will be! The intensity of the love of the Father is shown in giving his Son for us; in the same way the 2^nd coming will be a moment of immense grace. Jesus in the 2^nd coming will bring same powerful message of Love suited to our digital world filled with anger and corruption; war and intolerance, chaos and confusion. (if the teacher is so fearful, students can’t learn properly) Jesus 2^nd coming should never bring fear; rather it should increase faith, hope and love in everyone.

Our commitment to serve God and God alone is a great preparation for the 2^nd coming of the Messiah. He could come in any form, any time, and any circumstances. Jesus reveals his humility when he talked about the Parousia. If all cultures and civilizations plan out a 2^nd coming, we would end up telling everyone 100s of dates and times and boast on possessing more knowledge than the person coming that is Jesus himself! Our duty here is to prepare the way for him like John the Baptist. We have a responsibility to cover, and an obligation to fulfill: to prepare our hearts, our communities, our societies and our countries for that glorious event! When the son of man comes, will he find faith?

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Giving is Divine!

The twelve tribes saw the importance of priesthood and the centrality of the Temple. The Levite tribe had to take up the important duty of being priests and safeguard the vicinity of the Temple. Priesthood and the Temple have always been the responsibility of the people, the 12 tribes put together. Thus from the beginning it is people’s responsibility. Tithes, taxes, gifts and donations are part of and parcel of Churches around the world. Starting from the Peter’s Basilica in Rome to the smallest mission churches in Africa has been built with people’s money.

I remember celebrating mass in a remote village in India where people brought tube lights as offering and I could see their names all over the tube lights where the light is hardly coming out of the tubes. Writing the name of the donor on the gifts is a popular practice in all donating circumstances. Why do we do that? Is it because we want people to know where the gift comes from? There are priests who put their names into anything and everything they build. I remember Father Malcolm Fyfe building Indian Union from the scratch never left his name onto anything that he did.

The similarity between the two widows is of generosity. They were in absolute poverty and their love for the other dominated their need to survive. Widows’ life is not an easy one. Many think they are like any other people. Not many have a clue what is to be without a husband, without a wife. It brings along a great lesson on how to be without the number 1 and also how to be with God who should have been the number 1 from the very beginning. These widows have made those shifts from the vulnerability of the people to the stronghold of God.

Jews believed in wealth as a blessing from God but Jesus advocated poverty as the best means to save riches in heaven. Buddha talked about desires. Francis of Assisi revealed to us the importance of poverty. The reason for their shift is the strong conviction as to what is priceless and what is of less value and what is worthless. It is often not clear when we live among comforts, pleasures and intense happiness but gets clear when we are prepare ourselves to see beyond these. The objective for our gifts should never be anything in return. People expect love, respect, name, fame, recognition, power and also a sense of accomplishment whenever we present a gift to someone. These expectations are rewards from people. On the other hand as Christians we expect reward from God and God only.

As religious we take the vow of Poverty. All our belongings and possessions belong to the society. Our will is made in our early days of profession. If the vow of poverty brings in just a sense of purity and holiness to the life of the member, that is a mediocre profession. The vow of poverty necessarily includes others as much as it includes the self and God. Every professed member takes the vow of poverty to make others rich. Purity and holiness also are points of interest for others to judge, whereas ‘making others rich’ is a great way to exercise our spirit of generosity. In this way we share God’s own generosity since God gave us his own image and likeness and God gave us everything in and through the Son, Jesus. God gives gives and forgives; we get, get and forget. Taking is human and giving is divine. What do you want to give? Why do you want to give?

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Saint-making is God’s doing!

Coming from a rich religious background, I always wanted to be a saint. I put in a lot of time in learning, studying, reading the lives of the saints and that had a great impact on my personal life. There was a fervent desire in me that I will be a saint one day and I need to work toward it. Along with the desire, I also had the urgency. I would spend hours of my sleeping time before the tabernacle, expecting that God would talk to me one day face to face like he did to many saints. I would try to inflict pain on me voluntarily thinking that self-mortification was a sure way to sanctification. It took me years to accept and appreciate that saint-making is God’s doing and not our own accomplishment.

The Church rules regarding canonization was promulgated on Jan 25, 1983 and was made public only on Sep 12, 1997. To begin the process, the person should have been dead for at least 5 years. The Bishop of the diocese is responsible for beginning the investigation by forming a diocesan tribunal for this purpose. Witnesses are called before the tribunal to look at his/her theological virtues: faith, hope and charity and also Cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. He/she gets the title Servant of God by now. These documents are sent to Rome (Congregation for the Causes of Saints). The Postulator in Rome prepares a summary and 9 theologians examine the possibilities and vote followed by the examination of cardinals and bishops who are the members of the office. If the judgment is favorable, the prefect presents the result to the Holy Father to approve and draft a relative decree. For the beatification a miracle should be attributed to the servant of God and is proven through the appropriate canonical investigation (another decree) – title of Blessed. For Canonization, another miracle is needed. Title of Saint.

We need to understand it is only the Catholic view of the sainthood of humanity. Abraham, Moses, Jacob were all called the Patriarchs. They were Jews. Were they saints? Gautama Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and all other extraordinary men and women of other religion who lived holy lives – were they saints? We may have about 10000 saints in our Church. Church is human indeed that it is limited in many ways to identify and appreciate simple, ordinary people who day in and day out lead holy life, yet remain hidden. Our Church remembers all those men and women who have died living this kind of life. Our church celebrates with joy the living saints who model their lives on Christ. Holiness belongs to God. As saints we share the Holiness of God.

If we are look at saints, we should as well look the sinners. If you know that your doctor got only 35% in medical examinations, would you continue to get treatment from him? He/she literally does not know 65%. If you know a certain country is infested with swine flu or water contamination is over 80%, would you mind taking a trip there for vacation? Can a failed lawyer, failed businessperson, a failed spiritual leader ever approached for help in respective fields? Church the universal sacrament of salvation has no saving effect if we don’t cooperate. Church we claim ‘one, holy’ and yet holiness is locked in tabernacle and our tongues don’t feel real presence of God. Perfection is interpreted as mechanics and is aimed at secluded elite group. Transformation is what we need.

Look at the things that are reserved for other religions: Muslims don’t eat pork, Hindus don’t eat beef and only Catholics eat, drink and do everything. Is there anything we can tell the world honestly, “we Catholics don’t do that” and it is against our faith? What are the honest steps we take towards being holy? How many here wants to be remembered as a saintly man or woman when he/she dies? What do you want your own children to remember you for? Oscar Wilde says, "The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future." One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

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Challenges of Priesthood!

Almost all religion has the concept of priesthood as someone who acts as a bridge between God and people. These priests are respected, revered as model human beings and are always held in high esteem. Traditionally ‘priesthood’ is seen as an essential element in the nature and life of the church and we believe that it is a gift and a mystery and that no individual can claim a ‘right’ to be ordained a priest.

Priesthood in Catholicism is posed with lots of challenges. Priests who were busy preparing people are seen preparing for their retirement and social security. Many dioceses have to take up special collection for the retired priests. Priests who played with kids, seen around with kids, lover of kids now ‘have to be careful’ abiding by the rules of church & society. Diocesan funds are exhausted for law-suits in some places. Priests who were into the lives of people so intimately, fashioned as family guys with hundreds of moms, dads, brothers and sisters are seen living in isolation. Some people are convinced the call should be made to a priest 5 min before the death of a person. Children seldom have a clue on priests and their life-style. Youths are busy with iPhone or Facebook when it comes to vocation to priesthood. Parents have enough problems in families, resulting in forgetting the names of priests who serve them. Media has a lot of fun with this group in all possible ways. Now, what can be done?

We all collectively form the body of Christ and priests have to come from you, from these pews. Every Christian should avail himself/herself in reflecting on the importance of the servanthood of priests. Indifference is also a major influence in deleting the sign of priesthood in our families & societies. A priest is set to do 3 things: witness to the Word, sanctification through sacramental celebration, and exercising pastoral leadership. People are directly involved in all those areas of ministry. As sharers of the common priesthood, people contribute to the make-up of every priest. Priests need love and friendship, appreciation, care and respect for his personality. Jesus did not fool anyone when he said, “Those who left their father, mother … I will give them 100 fold.”

In the Gospel we hear the poor blind man calling out. It is bad enough to be poor let alone being blind! Not many would reflect on his long struggle with his poverty and blindness. What hope did he have? Did he think of committing suicide? What sort of self-esteem he had? How did he see the human dignity? What was his meaning in life? He knew where to go and what to ask. The whole church collectively asks God. God knows our struggles that people need direction, people need God and people need priests.

A priest filled with love and prayer, filled with happiness in heart radiated through smile, filled with a Charism to serve and minister to the needy and all other add-ons that the faithful like to witness in a priest are very much related to people and their support. If one or more in this list is missing – that too is very much related to people. Every priest is given a mission to accompany the growth of families. Every effort of a priest is targeted towards families. No pew is hidden from the altar.

Those pews will be anointed by the altar now.

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