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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Discipleship: A life-long commitment

Love is universal. The Church in its definition fulfills the sentiments of being Catholic. Discipleship is not a supposed second step in Christianity, as if one first becomes a believer in Jesus and then, if he chooses, a disciple. From the beginning, discipleship is involved in what it means to be a Christian. Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to fish for people; calls James and John, the sons of Zebedee in a similar way. The Apostles share a special form of discipleship with Jesus.
The women in today’s gospel share a unique discipleship with Jesus as well. This call is personal and costly for all Christians, and also those who sincerely acknowledge God’s love and respond to His invitation. It demands a lot from us: Jesus’ ‘follow me’ is not just an invitation, rather, it is a command. These women were not just taking the invitation of Jesus, but obeying the command of God. They were paying a heavy price for their call, their vocation.
Discipleship calls for constant renewal of the self. Repentance is one such thing that a disciple cannot avoid in responding the command of God to follow Him. These women, like the Apostles were renewed personally and graced by Jesus personally. Since the command is so necessary and personally demanding, the reward is great as well, in fact the reward is thirty fold, sixty fold and hundred fold.
Discipleship is a life time commitment. And this commitment calls for periodic renewal with Sacramental grace. That is where Eucharist plays a vital role. All discipleships are aimed at working towards a culture of love. As disciples we are embraced by that Love that comes from the Heart of God to bring others to that Heart so that the world may see the glory of God. It is a great honour and responsibility to live as disciples of Christ. The word ‘Disciple’ always carries the aspect of ‘learning’ with it. It is the loving presence of Jesus, the personhood of Jesus brings the disciples close to his Heart. What draws us close to Jesus? Let us turn from lesser masters to the great and good Master. Amen.

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Learing from the Guru - in the Eucharist

Different teachers have different styles of teaching. The Greeks used Peripatetic method: you walk with the teacher and enter into a dialogue with him, thus learn. The Hindus in olden days used Gurukula method: you live with the teacher for quite some time, some years and the teacher would sit under the tree and the disciples sit under his feet: that is how Upanishads, one of the core Hindu Scriptures came into existence. Upanishads means sitting under the feet of the master and learning.
Our Lord has a distinct method too. This method of teaching is so unique and sacramental in nature. We learn from our master sitting with him around the table: Eucharist. We come to the Eucharist to learn about ourselves. Psychologists, sociologists, philanthropists and the like study about human beings in their own ways, but Our Lord teaches us who we are in the real sense. There is no learning about self better than Eucharist where God reveals everything about us. God gives, gives and forgives and man gets, gets and forgets. Eucharistic docility is more than mere learning: it is loving and learning loving.
This woman did not want to be taught any theological disputes or philosophical knowledge from a learned man like our Rabbi, rather, she wants to cry in his presence and be consoled by our teacher. She had a very special lesson today on forgiveness from the part of the penitent. Master’s body in entirety can make wonderful lessons: His Eyes, his Heart, his wounds, and his feet. Most often these signposts are reminders of God’s unfailing and abounding love and forgiveness.
Everyone can learn something in every Eucharist that is celebrated even without the homily by priest. Every Eucharist is filled with riches that we go on taking from it, only if our hearts are set on the Lord. Peter’s heart was far off from the Master. Jesus calls him back to himself and gives him this beautiful lesson of forgiveness from the point of the forgiver: God. Jesus is preparing Peter for a greater cause.
Though the woman in the gospel takes away all the love and forgiveness from Peter, it leaves a beautiful lesson for Peter since it is coming from the Table of the Lord. I am looking at his eyes, heart, his wounds and his feet, what is he telling me today in this Eucharist? Am I docile to the teaching of the Lord? What am I taking with me today from this Eucharist? Amen.

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Love is Kindness

In Hinduism Lord Shiva is known for his dance. Shiva Nataraj’s dance represents both the destruction and the creation of the universe and reveals the cycles of death and birth and rebirth. His Dance of Bliss shows his kindness for the people. In a way, his dance represents outpouring of his grace and love to the people of the world.
We hear David experienced the intense love and kindness of God and danced heartily, making us think that great happiness comes out of great love of the self or great love of others. Our hearts are restless until they rest in God, believed St. Augustine. There could be instances in life where we experienced such moments and felt like children, filled with happiness, sang and danced for joy in our family, in friends’ circles or offices even.
The desert fathers and monks in various parts of the world want to experience this happiness all the time of their days. They go in search of God, away from the world, live in mountains, caves, forests and deserts. They have their rewards, but we live in this world. We live with the society. How do we experience this eternal bliss in our daily life? How do we dance and sing with joy, how to be cheerful? St. Paul gives us the one and only route to eternal happiness: love.
Though the hearts of the people are as hard as the rock in accepting his message of love, Jesus shows them kindness by not shouting at them without any reason, rather, pointing out what they should see. They succeeded in frustrating God's plan for their lives because they had closed their hearts to the message of John the Baptist and now to Jesus. What can make us spiritually dull and slow to hear God's voice?
Love is kindness. Kindness is the overflowing of self upon others. Kindness is our imitation of Divine Providence, as if we open our hearts to the needs of others like God. A kind deed, a kind word, the mere tone of voice is enough to convey sympathy to the poor suffering heart. A little kindness goes a long way. A kind action lasts a long time. The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves. The kindest persons are generally those who have received the greatest number of kindness.
Kindness is one the ways we experience the heart of God since in kindness we come to realize the value of giving; we realize God’s generosity. Let us pray that we be kind to our own selves first in accepting the message of love thus we be prepared to be show God’s generosity to others. Amen.

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Mother of Sorrows: A Meditation

Yesterday we have reflected on the pain and suffering and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus in the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Now, today we remember Our Lady of Sorrows, the pain and suffering and sacrifice of our Mother, Mary beneath the Cross. It is undoubtedly felt by the church that Mary is the first one to share the pain and the triumph of the Cross.
St. Ambrose in particular sees Mary as a sorrowful yet powerful figure at the cross. Mary stood fearlessly at the cross while others fled. Mary looked on her Son's wounds with pity, but saw in them the salvation of the world. As Jesus hung on the cross, Mary did not fear to be killed but offered herself to her persecutors.
The beloved disciple is identified as the church collectively by theologians and professionals of the church. Jesus offers Mary to be the mother of the beloved disciple in the moment of pain, during his suffering and death. Thus, Mary was given to the church during a crucial time of the Redeemer, that even at the point of death; Our Lord makes sure that the Church which is weak and vulnerable would have a Mother who is strong and powerful.
This also implies that Mary’s part in the redemption of Mankind is not over with the death and resurrection of Jesus; rather it is the renewal of the Servant Motherhood of Mary. Our Pope in Lourdes yesterday said that Mary shows man the way to come to God. "She teaches us to approach him in truth and simplicity," he said. "Thanks to her, we discover that the Christian faith is not a burden: It is like a wing which enables us to fly higher, so as to take refuge in God's embrace. The grace of the Immaculate Conception is not given to Mary as a merely "personal grace," but is rather "a grace for all, a grace given to the entire people of God.
The Church has a mother today and this gift of the Mother invites us to take part in the suffering of Jesus since Jesus accepted suffering and death to conquer sin and bring salvation to all. If we aspire to be saved by Christ, we must go through the road less travelled along with Mary in taking up our crosses and follow Him. He will lead us to the resurrection.
Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Thy passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Saviour of the world, Who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen. (Prayer of the Servites)

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