We are here on earth to make things grow for God!

The spring season is up. We see signs of new life and new growth all around us. The trees and flowers are budding. People will soon be tending to their lawns, spreading out seed and fertilizer. The feeling of growing something is so great that we bring up new lives around us and thus bring harmony to our eco-system. The capacity of a seed is unbelievable and that Jesus often had a close relationship with seeds and grounds throughout his life. His parables and life are filled with corn fields, vine and the grapes, wheat, mustard and different trees.

The parable of the wheat seed could be seen in three levels:

1. The moment of unacceptance from the part of the people and the struggle to prepare the people from the part of Jesus. The seed falls and it does not share anything with the ground. The ground is the dust, moisture and mud. They represent the age old traditions and practices that shape the lives of the people. It was difficult for them to accept Jesus as the Messiah. A Messiah can never come from Nazareth. He can never work as a carpenter and hang around with a bunch of fishermen. He can never eat with sinners and tax collectors. He should engage himself in politics and overthrowing the Romans. The people could not accept Jesus as their Savior. In the prologue of John we read, He came to his own and the own did not accept him. The Pharisees and Sadducees, the scribes and the Sanhedrin and some of the Jewish royalties and ordinary people voiced his death sentence. They want to do away with him. Jesus teaches them the lesson of love and forgiveness. He teaches them that he is the compassion of the Father.

2. The human life of God. God took the human flesh. He merges himself in human history. He, who cannot be contained in time, is subjected to time and death, body and pain, temptation and accusation. The seed merges with the dust, moisture and mud. It becomes one with the ground that no one can identify what is what. The seed has become part of the ground. He dies for our sins by accepting our own sinfulness on his own shoulders. He experiences the same human experiences of hunger, thirst, cry and agony. He is one of us in all things except sin. He was accused and sentenced to death like a thief. He was crucified and pierced with the lance. His body was buried in a tomb like one of us. He shared the mother’s and father’s love, friends love and the love of enemies which is so fond of. As a human being, he experienced poverty, humility and simplicity. As a human being he spoke the truth and stood for it. As a human being he bore the pain and suffering and death. He did all these as a human being. The dead seed but fully human fully alive.

3. The lessons took deep roots on the ground. The lives of the people were transformed. The disciples received the strength and courage to go our boldly and stand for the values that he left behind. Mary stood beside them and us in all our thoughts and actions. The people who were cured by Jesus were transformed for life. The man who received sight at the foot of the cross was transformed. The thief on the cross saw paradise on that day itself. People’s lives got transformed.

Jesus is that seed who fell and died and rose for us. We imitate him in all struggles and rejections yet stand strong in faith, hope and love. He says the same words to us: If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you too. How do we act against struggle? We imitate him in all our good Christian principles: speaking and living the truth, loving and forgiving and being the heart of God for others. We imitate him when we set to transform others with our love and service. We are here on earth to make things grow for God. We are people of life. Let us be the seed to bring great harvest to the Kingdom of God.
Amen.

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God gave us The Light: it is not a loan!

Our God-consciousness grew along with our civilization. Anything more powerful than man needed a closer-look: trees, rain, moon, snake, lion, water or air. They were all worshipped in the history of human beings at different or at the same time. Solar deity shares a greater part of our earlier spirituality. Many cultures have worshipped the Sun or a physical representation of the Sun throughout history: Egyptian Sun-God Ra, Greek Sun-God Helios and Indian Sun-God Surya all riding in a chariot (2000 years before Christ). One of the most sacred hymns to God in Hinduism (Gayathri mantra) was dedicated to the Sun which is the representation of God (Shiva or Vishnu – debated).

The concept of ‘Light’ is not new to the Jews. The Psalmist in Ps 27:1 already sang ‘Lord is my light and my salvation.’ Prophet Isaiah talks about walking in the light of the Lord… or people have seen a great light… or Lord shall be an everlasting light. All these connotations have some influence of the Sun which is so central to the life of human beings. Sun holds the living space of human beings, lights it up for our biological eyes to see and enjoy the nature, and provides for the green world so that we may have life. The early Church adopted the spirituality of the sun-god and easily applied to resurrection: All Sundays are days of Resurrection in our Christian tradition.

God revealed Himself to us in different ways: sent us priests, kings and prophets. They were all witnessing to the light. No one claimed that he or she is light except the son of Mary and Joseph, a carpenter from Nazareth who hangs around with a bunch of uneducated fishermen and others. A prophet cannot be called ‘The Light’. ‘The Light’ is one of the strong symbols which represented God in the Hebrew society. It is often accompanied by words such as ‘salvation’, ‘life’, and ‘truth’. When Jesus claimed that He is the Light, he wants us to realize that we live in darkness.

The love of God assures that that Light is given to us: God so loved the world that He gave… It is not to be understood as ‘we received the light’. God gave the light to us as a free gift. It is not a loan, not to be taken back. The person who received the light will be shining in darkness. He or she is able to see the Heart of God and walk in the way of the light. When II Vatican proclaimed that Christians are to be the light of the world – it wanted us to see the dire need of the world today: Our world is in darkness. Darkness rules in lawlessness, carefree Epicurean societies, in people who claim to be gods themselves, pleasure overtakes spirituality and in lives that is filled with misery and hopelessness.

We have lot to do. As light brightens up and kills darkness, as light burns away the unwanted so too Christians go about spreading the light of Christ. So much is given to us; so much is expected of us. Every Christian is a light. Let us illumine the lives of our brothers and sisters who live in darkness.

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Parents divide the church when they teach wrong lessons to children!

As human beings we always enjoyed most in violating the laws than keeping them after all there is not much fun in keeping the laws. The 10 commandments are the first form of catechism given to the people of Israel. These commandments directly or indirectly serve as the foundation for all the constitution and laws of the entire universe. Over the course of time, we started to give importance to not these basic principles of cohesiveness but to mere rules that divides us further as individuals. 10 commandments were given to the whole nation of Israel so that they may be united to God in body and soul. It is the way God built the people, constructed them as one people and gave them responsibility.

The First commandment is the base for any commandment where God remains the only priority, the meaning of our unity. Unless we are united in the name of God, there is no other power or sources that can unify us as people apart from those laws that bring us in compulsion to demand obedience in light of punishment. Every commandment has the spirit of the first commandment in them. It is through the love of God, we worship God, respect our parents and keeping the order in society. All the commandments have the imprints of God’s love in them. I will not kill or take part in any form of killing for the love of my God. I will not commit adultery or take part in any form of adultery for the love of my God. All are not mere commandments rather commandments of love. They form unity and bring peace and harmony in the society; they bring order.

Violation of these basic principles of life shows our compulsion to divide the people. Our impulses and instincts are so great and overpowering that it exceeds our love for God. I will kill and take part in killing for my selfish motives; I will commit adultery or take part in all forms of adultery for my selfish motives. Commandments have no meaning for me; the gifts of the Holy Spirit or the fruits of the Holy Spirit have no effect in me – I want out. War in the only answer or greed is the only answer – the answer we have seen clearly in the returning soldiers and their families or job losses and failing economy.

Division can be of two types: Personal division and communal division. As human beings we can only divide and have no power to build or rebuild. Dividing is easy. Through my selfishness, greed, jealousy and lust I divide myself from everyone. I further influence others through my words and deeds to follow my ‘teachings’. Parents divide the church when they teach wrong lessons to children. Children divide the church when they learn wrong lessons. Every division in the family is the division of the church.

Jesus said, ‘I will raise it up in three days’. Your long years of building your character, personality and forming a part of the church is lost through disobedience and sin, I will rebuild it in no time with my love and sacrifice. Jesus is the only person we turn to for our unity and peace and harmony. This church has been hit and hit severely by atheism, war, prostitution, inequality and selfishness. Let us turn to Jesus who can rebuild us into one people. Let us reassemble in the presence of God with the spirit of the 10 commandments to work of the unity of the people of God – the Kingdom of God.

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Transfiguration was an address!

Myth of Sisyphus is about the high and low in life caused by our human nature. Going up on a mountain is difficult as there are stones, the path is steep and there is a constant fear of falling and getting hurt. It also takes us to a calm and serene a place, away from the hurries and worries of life. Certain journeys to the mountain tops change the lives of people: Abraham’s life is changed once and for all. He came back transfigured inwardly. Moses’ life changed once and for all: His face shown when he came down.

Why does Jesus transfigure and what is the need for a transfiguration. There were many instances in the Gospels where Jesus was alone in prayer. Why does this transfiguration happen in the company of the apostles who look lost and dumb? The need to reveal the true self to our fiends is so intense a moment even for Jesus. There is no greater love than to lay one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus went through a higher, steeper and a larger mountain in preparing the apostles as friends – Jesus said, “I call you friends because I have told you everything” – this comprises of His own self. Jesus revealed everything of God to us. The traditional Greek concept of friendship emphasized equality, loyalty and intimacy.

Transfiguration is an address. It is a gospel in itself addressed to the friends of Jesus. The message is the words from the Father – ‘I am well pleased with my Son, you listen to Him’. If we think transfiguration is an event that happens between Jesus, Moses and Elijah we are mistaken. It should be read as “The Gospel that is preached through the power of the Holy Spirit from Jesus to His friends in the company of Moses and Elijah about the Cross.” In the words of Fulton Sheen, “He preached on the mountain (Sermon on the Mount) and practiced on the mountain (Calvary)”. He also revealed His true self on the mountain (Transfiguration).

Our friendship with Jesus should motivate us to be true to our other relationships. Our relationships are strengthened and purified by God so that whoever we come in contact with we show honesty and sincerity. As St. Paul says, “Let your love be genuine and coming from a sincere heart (Rom 12:9).” As Mother Teresa once said, “If you go on judging people, you will not have time to love them.” We see a society filled with lists of things man must do and women must do – taking us away from the fact that both men and women are capable of developing an intimate friendship with God. These fishermen, lacking in confidence, strength and knowledge – through the power of friendship with Jesus were able to see and witness Moses and Elijah: That is a great gift for any Jew. The greatest gift is we have Jesus as our friend who takes up the cross to save us all.

Jesus’ transfiguration is an invitation to our own transfiguration where we radiate the light of Christ in and through us. Transfiguration is a requirement for us to be sent as missionaries to the world. Let us pray that God continues to reveal who we really are and why we are here. Amen.

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Desert is a place of Grace!

Every life is a gift of God to prepare us for a life with God. We are born with no knowledge of God; through the help of parents and caretakers we learn about God. The second hand faith is our first step in knowing and learning about the life with God. Our faith matures as we grow in wisdom and knowledge (not necessarily growing old). Different life stages help us on our way to God. Sacraments bring us the grace of God on those important life stages: Baptism at the beginning of life; Confirmation and Holy Communion and Reconciliation at the crucial part of our lives – as teens; Marriage or priesthood as adults and Holy Anointing at the end of our earthly life. They reveal that we are on our way to God.

All the sacraments need patience and preparation. Any sacrament that has taken in haste will be a waste. Jesus needed 40 days (quite some time) to plan and prepare his heart, mind and body for the task ahead – to bring people to God. Noah had to wait for 40 days – a period of inner silence and meditation and a renewed sense of life. When Noah came out of the ark, God makes a covenant with him. After 40 days of fasting and prayer, Moses receives the commandments of God: a covenant in a different form as well. Jesus after 40 days was baptized – a covenant in a different form as well.

In order to experience God first handedly, the preparation is seen in three phases: 1. a road to get out from our old self: from our old habits and ways of living, 2. to stay in a different place – a desert – a place of silence and solitude. Our Pope writes, “It is the absence of the exchanges of life, its noises and its superficiality. It is the place of freedom and a place of grace. In putting aside all preoccupations we encounter our Creator.” 3. The third phase is a road to get in to our renewed self. This phase starts with a powerful encounter with God. We receive the Holy Spirit to start afresh. We cry out ‘Your Kingdom come; Your will be done’ in a renewed commitment.

All the three phases are filled with challenges. We find it impossible to let go of our sinful old ways. We find it impossible to live in a desert where there is neither life nor signs of life. We live in a fast world with fast food culture, 40 days are impossible. Quite a number of people also find it difficult to come back and get into our renewed self: ‘Lord! It is wonderful here’ said Peter. We must never forget that Jesus was led by the Spirit. We take these roads because God called us. Let us pray that God continues to guide us through our preparation to learn and love God. Amen.

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