Mary’s womb and breasts: A meditation

In the beginning was love. We are created out of love. We love God since God has loved us first. All our acts of love and kindness emanate from God’s love. God created everything and found it very good, so all the good come from God. Our response to God’s love makes us good or blessed. It is a fundamental call of Christians that we are called to be ‘blessed’ in life.

Mary was 'full of Grace' in the words of Angel Gabriel. Mary was called ‘blessed’ by Elizabeth. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. This reveals to us that Mary shares a certain divine quality with Jesus himself. Mary also shares the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount by being one with the blessedness of the beatitudes. It is not hard to take it to our hearts that Mary is the blessed one because she is poor in spirit.

In today's gospel Mary was called ‘Blessed’ once again by a woman. Mary’s womb contained the entire person of Jesus: His divinity, his humanness, his joys and sorrows, his suffering, death and resurrection. Mary’s nursing breasts symbolize the closest bond between the mother and the son. Jesus resembled Mary because Mary resembled Jesus and His blessedness.

Jesus’ reaction is one of wonder at the heart of the mother. Jesus witnesses his mother as observer of the word of God. It is through the observance of the word of God, one becomes blessed. Mary is blessed since she adhered to the will of God. What are some of the things that hinder us to hear the word of God and observe it?

Read more!

Persistence in Prayer

If creation and redemption of that creation is the act of love from the part of God, prayer and persistence of prayer is our response to the divine love of God. Certainly prayer in general presupposes many important elements such as, faith, humility, thanksgiving and adhering to the will of God. All our prayer in one way or other reflects our faith. Humility is the essence of prayer. We pray because God can and we cannot. Thanksgiving is our natural impulse while praying since every moment of our lives are gifted to us by God and all our history and past life reflect God’s love for us. What we most often fail to do is to pray in harmony with the will of God. We pray in the Our Father, ‘your will be done’ but pray honestly, ‘Please God, let my will be done’.

Persistence in prayer is not uncommon in Judaism. Shema is an example of persistent prayer. Jesus taught us to pray persistently. We have at least two instances in the gospels where Jesus teaching us this lesson. One such lesson is what we heard in today’s gospel. Another interesting passage is the persistent widow who pleads just decision from the judge in Luke Chapter 18. St. Paul teaches us ‘to continue to be steadfast in prayer’ and ‘pray without ceasing’.

Jesus not only taught us persistence in prayer, he practiced it in his own life. In the garden of Gethsemane, he knew that he is going to suffer and die, but he prayed persistently. He was strengthened by God. His prayer was heard by God, though his actual request was not answered by God.

Persistence in prayer brings out our discernment of the will of God. Ask! Knock! Seek! – All these commands are focusing on our discernment processes. We keep asking God because we want to know and feel it in our lives what God wants of us. We ask God because we want to know what God is asking us to do. We knock at his door because we want to feel God knocking at our doors. We continue to seek God because we want to feel God seeking for us, for our hearts. Persistence is a great form of prayer that brings us closer to God. Amen.

Read more!

Compassion of the Good Samaritan

Certainly Eternal life is promised to us by God on account of how we answer the same question that this Scholar asked, “who is my neighbour?” Our love for others emanates from our love for God. The same love encourages us to love our neighbours. The more we show our love for God, he blesses us with more love to be shared with our neighbours. Neighbours are people with whom we share our joys and sorrows. Neighbours are often the people with whom we share our lives with.
Jesus is at times called ‘The Good Samaritan’ by Christians. For Jews ‘Good’ and ‘Samaritan’ are two different words. The only difference between the others and the Samaritan is his human quality. The passage says, ‘moved with compassion’. It is one of the greatest qualities of Jesus we see throughout the gospels. He was moved with pity, moved with compassion. This moved him to work miracles such as curing the sick, the blind, the deaf and mute.
People talk about the ‘Heart values’ of Christians these days. As Christians we are encouraged by the Good Samaritan to understand the value of being moved with compassion. Being moved with compassion always meant to open our hearts to the promptings of the Spirit. Compassion is the quality of the divine. We share the heart of God in immersing ourselves in the compassion of God. We are compassionate to the death penalties that the Devil leaves behind in a sinner. Compassion also makes us to resemble Him and His heart on earth.
Compassion does not leave us to half-finish the business. It leads us to complete the good works. It makes us to go all the way, like the Good Samaritan. He follows through his mission of love till the last minute. He was moved with compassion at the beginning, during and end of the kind act. How do we show our kindness? When was the last time our heart was moved with compassion?

Read more!

Where would Jesus stay?

The world is so full of surprises. Continents, oceans, countries, languages, cultures and people all make us wonder at God’s mysterious power and leave us with wonder and awe. God created everything and found it very good. The Psalmist says that he put all these things under man’s feet. Man is the steward of God’s kingdom. Only man in the entire creation gets the reward of being the image and likeness of God: that is because God loves us, human beings. Man was offered a place for his life and mission. Ever since man possessed a land, he started being a missionary.

It is certainly impossible for us to live in a den or a nest. We all have, by God’s grace dwellings conducive to our needs and aspirations. Our place is our city of God: that is our home. We started possessing different dens and nests on account of our sins. Jesus expresses this concern that the son of man does not have a place to rest his head. We all live in sin as long as we still hold on to the dens and nests, rejecting to live and love as chosen people of God. That hinders our missionary activities.

St. Therese of Child Jesus certainly did her part in proclaiming to the world the importance of mission in her words and deeds. She never left the convent, but she is one of the patron saint for missions along with Francis Xavier who traveled far and wide. The Church sees the relevance of proclaiming the good news wherever we are, irrespective of being sent to different states or countries.

Missionary activities in the church are very much related to the inner disposition of the missionaries. I am able to preach the good news only if I am able to love and live. Every missionary in one way or other is faced with this question: where would Jesus stay? He cannot stay in the den nor nest. And we don’t want to see Jesus lonely, nowhere to lay his head. Is my heart ready for him to stay today? This moment… Amen.

Read more!

Metanoia: a change of heart

The Bible in entirety explains us that we are weak and vulnerable and need the guiding hand of God. The gulf between man and God is ever increasing and man has no resources left behind to mend his ways. That does not mean God has no resources to draw man closer than ever to his own Heart, making him a son, a friend and a sacrament of his love on earth. Man knows that he is weak and vulnerable through the grace of God. Man wants to mend his ways and take a U turn only through the grace of God. That ability to take a U turn is otherwise called ‘conversion’.
The salvation history portray that God is in search of the lost coin, lost sheep, lost son and lost people. The lost coin is found and the woman shares the happiness with her friends. The lost sheep is found and the shepherd shares the happiness with others. The lost son is found and the prodigal father shares the happiness with a big number of people. We are told in Luke 15 ‘Just so, I tell you, there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents’. God rejoices over sinner turning to him. God shares the happiness and joy with his people. There is nothing as dear and loved by him as when people turn to him with true repentance. This brings us closer to the reality that we have the responsibility to make God happy and make God share that happiness with the people by constantly making efforts to change our minds and hearts and be busy with the father’s business: to love like God and serve Him alone.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that Jesus' call to conversion and penance does not aim first at outward works, "sackcloth and ashes," fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in the help of his grace.
Jesus’ first message on earth was, repent and believe in the gospel. The human heart is heavy and hardened. God must give man a new heart. Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him: God gives us the strength to begin anew to restore in men the royal likeness which had been lost by the evil-smelling filthiness of passions.
Today’s Gospel talks to us about the son who changed his mind and went. His change of heart results in his willingness to work for the Kingdom of God. This is not only the personal conversion of a particular Christian rather a communal conversion of the whole church. Our beloved Pope JP II requested forgiveness from the whole world, saying “The Church is invited to become more fully conscious of the sinfulness of her children and encourages them to purify themselves, through repentance, of past errors and instances of infidelity, inconsistency and slowness to act. The responsibility of Christians for the evils of our time is likewise noted, although the accent falls particularly on the solidarity of the Church of today with past faults. Some of these are explicitly mentioned, like the separation of Christians, or the methods of violence and intolerance used in the past to evangelize.
This calls for a constant and strong towards God’s love and service. We must continue to grow to say ‘yes, I will go’ and live what we professed. Mary said yes and lived that yes all her life. Church imitates her in her humility by learning from her about how to say yes and also how to live that yes till the end. Let us pray that our commitment is blessed by God and guided by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Read more!

The difference between Herod and Christians

According to the historical sources that we have, we know that the Herod family were Idumeans: descended from Abraham, Isaac and not Jacob but Esau. Their link to the covenantal life with God ends there with Isaac. They did not go to Egypt and they did not come back with Moses and they did not inherit the Promised Land.

It is not easy even for us Christians to accept the message of our Jewish brothers or our Muslim brothers. We value our message of love and compassion of God. It is not surprising Herod treating Jesus as a joke. He never took Jesus seriously, never accepted Jesus’ Kingship and power over heaven and earth: only because he thought that he was more important that God himself and Jesus meant nothing to him anyway!!!

We are from the line of Abraham. In the Genealogy of Jesus according to Matthew, we see that the line starting from Abraham and goes through to Joseph and Jesus. We participate a covenantal family of Jesus. Jesus was not an isolated person in the history of Salvation, rather a covenantal sacrament of the old and the new testaments. In the same way we are not isolated people in the history of salvation rather St. Paul tells us that we have become sons and daughters. St. Paul says in Rom 8:16, The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of god and co-heirs with Christ.

This birth line compels us to get closer to Jesus and his message day by day. We do not search for Jesus because he is a prophet, or a good man, like the Jews do. We do not search for Jesus because we are curious or harmful in betraying Jesus as Herod and sinners do. We search for Jesus because Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus is the way, truth and life. Are we aware of our birth line and live as covenantal people, shouldering our responsibility?

Read more!

Missionary Church

The Second Vatican council termed the Church as the Universal Sacrament of Salvation. Since the church is missionary by her very nature we bear the responsibility in making the sacrament of salvation known and proclaimed everywhere and to everyone.

The church demands that every disciple of Christ has the obligation to do his or her part in spreading the faith. St. Paul tells us “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel (1 Cor 9.16). Our previous Pope, JP II in his encyclical, ‘Redemptoris Missio’ cautions us that no believer in Christ, no institutions of the Church can avoid the supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all people.

We are sent as missionaries because Christ was sent as a missionary. Christ lived, proclaimed the message of love and died and risen for that supreme message. We follow Christ in our missionary spirit. Jesus did not work for a church: a closed-in community cared for the salvation of a few, rather he preached the Kingdom of God: a wider reality, including everyone in the world. He is the Lord of all. Our God is the God of the universe. Church has the humility and works for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

The Spirit is the principal agent of mission. Spirit inspired the apostles to preach the gospel on Pentecost and ever after,. The Spirit directs the Church’s mission. Since we cannot withdraw from our permanent mission by bringing the gospel to people which is our permanent mission of bringing the gospel to people which is our fundamental, essential and never-ending activity, we proclaim the Word of God by witnessing. People trust in witnesses than in teachers, actions rather than in theories.

Let us pray that we be aware of our vocation as missionaries and proclaim Christ’s message of love through our witnessing and living. Amen.

Read more!

Mary's Search

Fr. Anthony De Mello narrates a story in one of his books about a person who lost his wallet. His friend comes along and finds him at the corner of the street, asks him on what he is looking for. The person tells him that he is looking for his wallet. His friend asks him the next question, where did you your wallet? ‘I lost it inside my house’ comes the answer. Then why are you searching for it at the corner of the street? Our man answers so casually: ‘there is more light here, that is why’.
Our search could be the same often that we do not know what we are looking for. In today’s gospel it is very clear that our Mother Mary is a searching person also. Mary searches for Jesus, though she is the one most closest to Jesus. She is the one full of Grace, and the Lord is with her and she is blessed among women. All generations call her blessed. A person so immaculate and pure that God dwells in her womb, searches for Jesus to be close with him. If such a holy soul searches for our Lord, how much more we who are so vulnerable and weak show our intensity in searching for him!!!
The search results in knowing ourselves better, since God reveals truths about ourselves when we search for him. When Mary searched for him, when brothers and sisters searched for him, Jesus reveals some truths about them. My mother and my brothers and sisters are those who hear the word of God and act on it. The people who search for God are rewarded greatly. We don’t need to be proud about how holy we are, it is God who grants us the grace. God in a way glorifies us of our efforts in searching and longing for him.
Every moment of Jesus life is adorned with his Mother’s presence. His birth, his childhood, his missionary journey, his preaching of God’s Kingdom, and his suffering and death is closely accompanied by Mary. Though Jesus is above human dependency, it brings in an immeasurable grace on our Mother. In the same way, the more we earnestly search Jesus and his Kingdom; we are blessed and showered grace. Let us pray that we continue to experience the grace of God. Amen.

Read more!

You are the light of the world

In India we celebrate a common festival: Deepawali, the festival of lights. Deepawali brings out the significance of the victory of good over evil; lights illuminate homes and hearts, brings new reason and hope. The light empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds and brings us closer to divinity.
The Church held the view that the people of God as light of the world and salt of the earth. When Jesus said ‘you are the light of the world’, it is not in isolation that he said that. We can be light of the world only if we take part in the light of God himself. We believe that God is light. He takes away our darkness and draws us onto him. We do not carry around individual lights, independent of God, God’s light. We share, partake, and participate in the Light of God.
Today’s Gospel teaches us a dual lesson when we read that we are light to the world. The first lesson is that as light of the world, every Christian takes up the responsibility to cast of the works of darkness and live as children of the light. Thus, it is a personal call to holiness. Christians can become light only in the presence of God and only in the light of God ever shining in their hearts. We are called to shine.
The second lesson is that the Christians are given responsibility of the society. The way we shine is not only for our benefits, and the benefits of our family and friends, rather, it is for the larger gathering, larger reality. We are called to stand up against the forces of evil in our modern society. Standing up in the lampstand necessarily brings out the element of climbing our personal targets of holiness.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12) Let us pray that we be the light of the world, sharing the light of God, and bring light to the dark areas of our lives and the lives of others. Amen.

Read more!

Holiness: the daily responsibility

All are called to holiness. “How do you feel about being called a living saint?” a news reporter asked Mother Teresa one day. Her answer was shocking and relevant today and everyday of our lives. She said, “You have to be holy in the position you are, and I have to be holy in the position God has given me. There is nothing extraordinary about being holy. It is simply a duty for you and for me”.
What is holiness? We say God is holy. When we say that, it is not just one quality of God, rather it is the sum totality of the qualities of God. Holiness summarizes all qualities of God. When the Church calls all Christians and others to holiness, once again, the Church did not ask the faithful to put on this particular quality called ‘holiness’, rather the Church asks the faithful to resemble God in their personal life in all aspects of their living.
The people in today’s gospel are invited by God to holiness. Working in the vineyard, which is the Kingdom, for the landowner, that is God, we are called by God to work of the holiness of the self and the world. Holiness is commitment to God on daily basis; it is like the people in the gospel go for daily wage. There are people who automatically think that they are good and righteous people, they follow all the rules and regulations, sacraments and teachings of the church, as usual go and work for the Kingdom of God very early. There are people who search for God in times of need and emergency are also called by God to holiness.
The interesting point here to note is that God makes three short trips, not for fun, not that God has nothing to do, rather, God makes his generosity known, God opens his heart in the morning, noon and evening: that is to say, God is open to us all the time. He is in search of us. God actually makes a conversation with the third set of people. He did not talk much with the so called ‘good people’, nor did he talk with the ‘ok people’, He talks with the ‘bad people’. He is after the lost sheep. He wants the least to know and experience his Heart, his Holiness.
In the first letter of Peter, we read, “As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘you shall be holy, for I am holy.” (I Pet 1:15-16). Christians ought to understand and accept that holiness is not an option but a requirement to enter the Kingdom of God. To become holy is to have one’s entire personality freed from sin and filled with love, faithfulness, and purity of God. (Ralph Martin). Let us strive for holiness, set our sights on holiness, to work for it and to go for it.

Read more!