Peter's Confession,Pallikoodasa1stS,Oct.31,10

1st S,Pallikoodasa,Oct.31,10

(Mt:16:13-19)
When Pope John Paul II visited the U.S. in 1979, huge crowds followed him wherever he went. It was his first visit to the States. Before going to the White House, he said mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral and had lunch with the Bishops and the Cardinals of the U.S. at the rectory. Large crowds were waiting outside the rectory. They were chanting: “John Paul II, we love you.” It was the first time that such a chanting was heard ever in a country and later these words would be reechoed in all the cities and countries he visited. The Holy Father came to the balcony of the rectory and then greeted the crowd by saying, “ John Paul II , he loves you.” There was a thunderous ovation. Why was there so much joy? Why was there such a huge crowd? Was it for the person of John Paul II as an individual or for him as the successor of St. Peter? It was for the successor of St. Peter, undoubtedly. Peter is the foundation on which the Lord built up His Church, his community of believers.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus clearly and unambiguously speaks about the foundation of the Church.

Look at the way Peter responded to the question of Jesus. Jesus wanted to find out from the Apostles what people were thinking about Him and what they were thinking. They, then, gave the different views the people had about Jesus. Then he asked them about their opinion. Without any doubt or vacillation of mind, Peter spoke what came out in his mind that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

We cannot imagine the courage and the boldness it took for a Jew to pronounce the name of God. Here, Peter was saying something that no Jew would ever utter in his life that the person standing before him was the Son of the living God. Jesus understood the nature of Peter’s faith. Jesus also knew that Peter was guided by the Spirit of God to proclaim the His Divine nature in such unambiguous terms.

The response of Jesus was also staggering. This illiterate fisherman was made the foundation of the Church and given the power to let loose or lock the flow of grace into human lives.
Peter is the Rock and upon this Rock, Jesus will build His church.
This is an appropriate moment for all of us to reflect on the implications of this statement and understand the true meaning of the Church. We are the flock of Christ, the people of God, the community of believers in Christ who are firmly established on Peter and his successors. This is the uniqueness of the Catholic Church and makes it different from other denominations.

Many a time, people try to water down the importance of this statement and make it appear that all denominations have equal validity. The foundation on the Rock of Peter is the most distinctive characteristic of the true community of believers.

We have to ask ourselves whether we are true members of the community and whether we keep in our hearts and actions this sense of unity. If our words and actions cause divisions and fragmentations within the Church, can we remain his true disciples? Do we respect the authority of Peter and his successors?

These are days when the forces of secularism are vehement in their attacks on the Church. Religious doctrines are watered down and moral laws are ignored. Convenience and selfishness become the norms of life. Anything that is obscene and immoral is accepted and given importance because of a false notion of the freedom of speech. There is a growing drumbeat against holding on to religious values in one’s public life.

It is at a time like this that we have to become more aware of our relations with Jesus and the Church. We cannot ignore the force and power of this secular spirit of the age in which we live.

We have to communicate the true sense of the Church to those who live with us at home and to those who work with us in our working places.
It is also a good time for us to reflect on our commitment to Christ. Jesus is asking each one of us what we think of Him. Do we really believe that He is the Son of God? If we really believe that He is the Son of God, then, all of our ideas and attitudes on life will definitely undergo great changes. Tue followers of Christ can never be selfish, arrogant, boastful and hateful. There should be a great desire to forgive, to reach out and to come to the aid of the poor.
As Mother Teresa has said, alone we can do nothing, but with Jesus, we can do a lot of things. Today, we shall join with all our fellow brethren in faith and walk along the path of holiness, offering the Gospel of love, forgiveness, compassion and of mercy to all around us.

Mission Sunday,Elia9th S,Oct.24,10

Mission Sunday, Elia 9^th S,Oct.24,10

(Mt.28:16-20)

Mother Teresa was once told by a Chinese person that he would not do what she was doing even if he were given a gift of a million dollar. She replied that she would not do the same even for two millions if it were not for the love of Jesus Christ. It was the love for Jesus that made her do such great works of mercy. She often has told people that she was a just pencil in the hand of the Lord to write His letters of love. She felt called to live this life of love because she saw in every poor and haggard person the face of Jesus Christ. It was not through words that she preached the message of love but through her sacrificial life. She carried the sick and the dying in her own hands, nursed them and made them happy and loved. She lived literally what St Francis Assisi has said of his mission: “ Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.”

The above words of St .Francis and the life of Mother Teresa should cross our minds as we prepare ourselves to celebrate today the Mission Sunday.

The Gospel makes it very clear what Jesus wants from each one of us. Without mincing words our using parables or stories, Jesus tells the disciples very plainly what they should be doing after his departure from the world. They are to go and preach this Good News, make every one know that Jesus is the Savior of their lives and baptize them. This is the mission entrusted to every one who is a disciple of Jesus.

Accordingly, the mission of the church is threefold: “Evangelization of all nations and the conversion of entire cultures are to be done. Every area of life must be brought under the Lordship of Christ. Secondly, the administration of sacraments is essential to the Church’s mission .Thirdly, the transmission of all that Christ taught necessitates the assistance of the Holy spirit, who guides the Church to proclaim the Gospel infallibly.”(Ignatius Catholic Study Bible).
The Gospel has to become part of our lives. Our families should become first the centers of Christian love, of forgiveness, of deep and abiding faith in Jesus. It is through our lives that we have to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, what we say just becomes meaningless words and we become the laughing stocks of our neighbors.
Albert Schweitzer was a great missionary in Africa. There was a great reception arranged for him on one of his trips to Chicago. People were at the train station to receive him as he got down from the train. But when he got down, he saw an elderly black lady struggling to get down and to get her suitcase from the compartment. Instead of greeting the people who came to receive him, he walked over to the elderly lady and helped her to get down. He also helped her to take the suitcase from the compartment. Can anyone doubt the sincerity of his faith? He was preaching the Gospel through his noble action. It is though our lives that the Gospel has to be preached first.
The Holy Father in his message for the Mission Sunday observes: “Like the Greek pilgrims of two thousand years ago, the people of our time ask believers not only to speak of Jesus but to make Jesus seen, to make the face of the Redeemer shine out in every corner of the earth.” He wants us to “promote the proclamation of the Gospel in the heart of every person, of every people, culture, race and nationality in every place.”

Evangelization involves first and foremost the transformation of our attitudes. Unless we carry the face of Jesus in our lives, we can never speak of him to others.

Our hearts should be devoid of all ill-feelings, revenge, hatred etc. We should carry this spirit of love and forgiveness to our places of work and living---to our schools and work-places. Let the people who interact with us know that we live by different standards.
Then our witness to the Gospel becomes really genuine and sincere. The commandment that Jesus has given us becomes part of our lives. We have to ask ourselves at the end of every day: “ How did I proclaim Jesus today in my life?”
We also have to help the Church in its mission of evangelization by our personal contribution of time, talent and financial resources.

According to a recent study about the changes in American Catholic life, it has been mentioned that in the Gallup poll done in 1958, 74 of American Catholics attended mass regularly. A recent poll has indicated that only 30-40 % attend mass regularly. This study shows that we are living in a world that is becoming fast receding from faith.

What Matthew Arnold, the poet, wrote in the 19^th C. is true of our times: “The Sea of Faith was once, too, at the full,….But now I only hear its melancholy, long withdrawing roar.”

Our young people live in this world that is fast evaporating of Christian faith. Evangelization and practice of a Christian way of life have to start in our families. It is from the fire of faith from the hearth at home that other hearths in other homes should be lighted.

Mission Sunday is a day not only for dreaming and planning about evangelization in distant lands, but also a time of planning about realizing it right in the heart of our families. The silence of the believers is deadening. Let this day inspire us to bear witness to our faith in our families as well as in our workplaces.

Elia 8th S,Oct.17,10

Elia 8^th S,Oct.17,10

(Lk.8:41-56)

Today’s Gospel presents before us two incidents that reveal the mercy and compassion of the Lord toward those who are suffering and grief-stricken. Two miracles happening back to back are in response to great expression of faith in the divine power of Jesus.

Jairus, in spite of his position as an official of the synagogue, had no qualms in approaching Jesus and asking for His intervention in the cure of his daughter. He fell at the feet of Jesus with the request to save his young daughter from an incurable sickness. We cannot imagine how difficult it might have been for a Jewish official to prostrate before Jesus who was treated with derision by the Pharisees. The official was asking something that was unheard of: to cure his daughter from a sickness that would lead to her death. But Jesus did not show any hesitation. He was ready to accompany him to his house.

On the way to the house he was being surrounded by a huge crowd of people. They were thronging around him. There was a lot of pushing and jostling to come near him. All of a sudden, a woman, suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years, touched the tassel on his cloak for the cure of her disease. Her faith in the power of Jesus was very ardent. She knew that she was standing before the Son of God and that she could be cured by him. Jesus felt the power of her faith. But He wanted to acknowledge her faith and let people know how powerful it was.

The disciples were surprised at the inquiry of Jesus as to who had touched Him. But she came trembling before Him and fell at His feet and confessed what she did. He right away praised her by acknowledging the power of her faith.

St. Jerome has the following to say concerning her faith: “She touches Christ’s garment with faith; she sees Christ with the eyes of faith. If we wish to be healed, we too must touch the hem of Christ’s garment with faith.” Her life of faith shows us the way we have to open ourselves to God. It is not without doubts and vacillations of mind that we have to approach the Lord but with the certainty that the Lord would always come to our help and that we would never be abandoned.” “When we don’t have faith in the power of God, we become self-centered, consumed by our petty interests, and inclined to judge everything through the prism of our limited minds. When that happens, it becomes difficult to see and understand the supernatural dimension”.(Navarre Edition)

Meanwhile, He was informed by Jairus that He should not trouble himself to come over to his house as the daughter had already passed away. Undeterred by the news, Jesus pressed on going to the house, telling him that she was not dead but only asleep. Jesus , then, restored her to life. The happiness and the joy that filled the house were beyond our wildest imaginings. Their only child, the young girl of 12 years old, was back to life again.

Jesus came to the help of two persons who were deeply stricken with suffering. His compassion and mercy knew no bounds. He responded to their requests.

In our own situation in life, when we are caught in the storms and tempests of life, we should not lose our moorings. Like them, we should approach Jesus with deep faith , believing in our hearts that he would change the situation . Miracles would happen in our lives too.

It is faith, deep and unreserved commitment to Jesus, that is required from us. In our world, where religion and faith are considered as signs of weakness, we have to show by our lives that Jesus is alive in our midst.

Our faith should be constant and firm.Like the prophet Habakuk, we have to say to say through our lives:

“For though the fig trees blossom not,

Nor grapes be on the vines,

Though the olive crop fail

And the fields produce no food,

Though the flock be lost from the fold

And the herd be gone from the stalls, Yet in Yahweh will I rejoice, in God my Savior will I exult.”

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard,Elia,7thS,Oct.10,10

Elia ,7th S,Oct.10,10

(Mt.20:1-16)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives his listeners a new perspective on God’s kingdom and shows them how different are the ways of God from those of men. We live in a world of merits and rewards but the Lord works in a world of grace. We think often that everything that we experience or enjoy is because of our merits but this parable of the landowner reminds us that they are actually gifts from the unbounded generosity of God. Our natural tendency is to grouse and complain against treatments or dealings that appear to be unjust. But such expressions of grouse, complaints and envy have no place in a world that is permeated with generosity and love.

The parable of the landowner would evoke in us first feelings of shock and surprise. How could the landowner be so unjust and uncaring in his approach? How could he pay the same wages to all the laborers equally? There are those who have worked and suffered the heat for the whole length of a day. There are others who worked just an hour. But all are given the same wages. This part of the story would definitely evoke in us protests and anger. We would definitely say to ourselves that it is unjust. We usually put ourselves in the role of the servants who started to work in the morning hours and never put ourselves in the role of those who came at the last hour. Those who put themselves in the role of the servants in the last hour would definitely have different feelings. They would be filled with great love and gratitude at the generosity of the landowner.

The landowner himself makes certain statements at the end of the story which bring out God’s idea on salvation.

God is purely generous and there is no tit for tat in his dealings with human beings. He is always willing to offer everyone the abundance of his love. He is not dealing with us according to our merits. We are all given gifts and talents. We are given the opportunities of service. What is important is that God will never turn us away when we respond to his call.

However wanton and sinful we are, we may receive his call at unexpected moments in our lives. It is ours to respond to that call. It is ours to say, “Lord, I am ready.” Like the laborer at the end of the day who got the same wages, we too would become the recipients of God’s love when we respond to the call.

It is not our sins that are important but our response to God’s love. When we respond to him and return to him, there is no limit to the love that He would lavish upon us.

This is also a parable that tells the Israelites that even though they were the chosen people, salvation was not their birthright by race. It is open to all. The gentile nations who would accept the call will become recipients of God’s love before them, if they were to refuse to heed God’s call to repentance and regeneration.

The parable tells every sinner that there is hope for him at any stage in his life. He can return to God at any moment in his life. There is no need of despair.

“The parable teaches that goodness and mercy of God go far beyond human standards of justice. There is nothing unjust about God and we should never presume to judge him…Our natural attitude should be one of generosity….Rather than judging God, we should accept his gifts and thank him for having chosen to involve us in his plan of salvation .”(Navarre Edition)

“The important thing in this life is not what other people think of us or how hard we work in God’s vineyard. The important thing is what God thinks of us, and the love that motivates our work.”(Fr.Link S.J.)

Jesus makes it clear that human considerations have no place in the kingdom of God. The more one is united with God, the more one experiences the abundance and generosity of God. Envy, competition, jealousy, superiority or inferiority has no place in a world that is permeated with love, peace and joy.

When one becomes part of the kingdom of heaven, one does not feel burdened by earthly values of being the first or the last. These considerations disappear in the vast ocean of love and happiness that one enjoys in heaven.

Jesus through this parable reminds us that we will never be out of his favor. People may misunderstand us or our superiors may not give us due consideration. Others may override us. But God will not forsake us. That is enough for us. It is what we are in the eyes of God and not in the eyes of men that is important.

How consoling it is to know that at any time in one’s life one can come back to the Lord and experience the joy of eternal salvation. Even in the evening of ones’ life, on one’s deathbed, one can experience of joy of conversion as well as of salvation.

“Deeds of merit as we thought them,

He will show us but sin;

Little acts we had forgotten,

He will show us were for Him.”

Cardinal Newman’s prayer is worth mentioning:

“God has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission---I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next….therefore, I will trust Him. He does nothing in vain.”

As parents, teachers and administrators, we are given various tasks to perform in this life. Without looking for favor or special consideration, let us commit ourselves to the tasks entrusted to us. Let us not compare ourselves with others in the discharge of our duties. The only consideration that should motivate us is that we are working in the vineyard of the Lord.