Piravi,2nd S.Presentation,Lk 2:21-35,Jan.2,11

In today’s reading from the Gospel, St. Luke gives an account of the Presentation of Jesus to the Lord at the Temple and the prophetic utterances of Simeon and Anna. According to Leviticus 12:1-8, the birth of a male child disqualifies an Israelite woman from touching any holy object or approaching the Temple for forty days. After that, she must offer sacrifice in Jerusalem.

“Among the Jews, the first born sons belonged to the Lord. Those not of the tribe of Levi had to be redeemed—in the temple, to show that they continued to be God’s property.” (Navarre Bible,P.252)

When a woman had borne a child, she had to come to the Temple after 40 days for purification. She had to bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon for a sin offering. If she could not afford the lamb, she was permitted to bring another pigeon. As Mary and Joseph were poor, they brought two pigeons.
But their presentation of Jesus at the Temple became an occasion for Simeon to prophesy that Jesus would bring salvation to the world and that Mary would experience severe agony on account of the ministry of Jesus. Simeon describes in a few words the mission of Jesus—the light of the gentiles and the glory of Israel.

There is no other Savior for mankind except Jesus. It is in Him the world should find its salvation. Simeon has thus in a few words paraphrased the essential mission of Jesus as the Light of the World.
What does the presentation of Jesus mean for us? Does the Presentation of Jesus offer us any insight into the nature of our lives?
We too were presented to the Lord through our Baptism and Confirmation. We became the children of God and the recipients of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But how are we living our faith?
This New Year offers us an opportunity to change our ways of life and to become new persons. The famous theologian, John Powell once remarked that it was sad that one would go through life without loving and much more sad if one would pass through life without expressing love towards the person one had loved.

Love is at the core of Christian life. Jesus has summarized all his teachings into the commandment of love— love of God and the love of the neighbor. St. Paul shows in his Letter to the Corinthians that the most essential virtue that a Christian should have is love. Without love, all other accomplishments in our life mean nothing. This shows us how important it is for each one of us to be persons of love—persons who would seek the well-being of our neighbors.

Our family life will undergo a sea-change if we can show this love to the members of our own family itself. So too our interactions in our community would also become different if we become capable of desiring the good of our neighbors.
May the Presentation of the Lord be an occasion for us to rededicate ourselves to God and to become the beacons of light to those who are groping in the darkness of a loveless life.This New year offers us ,thus, an opportunity for the renewal of our faith and for a change of our attitudes .

Holy Family,First Sunday of Nativity,Dec.26,10

This Sunday ,coming immediately after Christmas, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. The reading from the Gospel of Matthew that we heard just now places before us in a very few words all the troubles, challenges and hardships the young family faced at the outset.
Joseph, Mary and Jesus did not enjoy a comfortable environment at the beginning of their family life. They had to endure tremendous hardships just to be alive.
After all the marvelous happenings after the birth of Jesus-- the visit of the Magi, the greeting of the shepherds, the appearance of the angels to the shepherds-- things have not yet settled down for them for a happy family life. All of a sudden, Joseph was asked to leave Bethlehem for Egypt. We can only imagine the ordeal and hardships of the young family on their flight to Egypt. Leaving for a foreign country with no preparations, with no friends and with no money would definitely be very hazardous in those days. They had to make the decision right there and leave for Egypt. It is beyond our imagination even to guess how they did find help for the flight and the means for their livelihood in a strange land with no knowledge of the language of the country. Then, after a few years, they were asked to return to Palestine. They had to make the trip back again with no preparations.
What we find in them, hence, is the perfect submission to the will of God. No questions were asked and no doubts were raised. With faith in God and with love for one another, they knew they could overcome all kinds of obstacles in their lives.
What we find in Joseph and Mary is their perfect submission to the will of God, steadfastness or constancy in their faith, unconditional love and whole-hearted cooperation. We know that a family becomes successful spiritually and emotionally when these elements become the fabric of their lives.
A family is rich not because of the wealth it has nor because of the beautiful house in which it lives but because of the wealth in the hearts of its members—faith in God and love for each other.
If we are unwilling to yield or to compromise and if our selfishness or arrogance dominates our attitudes, the family ties break down. It is to the Word of God and to our faith that we have to return when we have problems in our families.

We find all around us marriages breaking down and ending in divorces. More than a million children grow up in broken families every year in our country. There are concerted and very fierce attempts on the part of many to destroy the very meaning of marriage.
Family is our greatest treasure and we have to preserve and nurture it through our love and sacrifice. As the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church of the Second Vatican Council states, “the family is the domestic church” and it is there the elements of Christian faith have to be learned and practiced. Parents, according to the Document, are “ the first heralds of faith with regard to their children.”

We often ignore to emphasize how important is faith in our life. We rarely speak about the role of faith in our lives and live according to the faith. Family discords and differences between the parents, violent arguments and domestic abuse all create an atmosphere that destroys the warmth and love that should exist in a Christian family.
This is the appropriate time for each one of us to ask ourselves how we can make a difference in our family life and make it better and richer How are the members of my family relating to one another How are the members of my family relating to one another and how strong is the place of the faith in our families?
May the Lord give us the grace to make our families the seedbeds of love and peace.

Christmas , Dec.25,10,Lk.2:1-20

On this Christmas Day, the most beautiful day in our Christian life, we remember the immensity and the depth of God’s love for each one of us. As poet Donne says, it is a great event when man is raised to the status of divine glory but it is an incredible blessing when God comes down to the level of a mortal being. That is what we celebrate on Christmas Day--w God becoming man.

There was a millionaire in New York who loved collecting paintings of great artists. He had a son and he took his son with him whenever he went to buy these great masterpieces. He wanted to make his son a lover of great works of art. When the son finished school, he was drafted into the army. One day, the father got the saddest news of his life—the death of his only son. After a few months, a young soldier, a friend of his son, came to visit him with his belongings. Along with that, he gave the father a self-portrait in pencil drawing done by his son. It was not a beautiful drawing. But the father loved it very much and left it on the mantle over the fireplace. When the millionaire died, it was announced that his paintings would be auctioned off. A lot of people came to offer their bids. The first one to be auctioned off was the self-portrait of the son. As nobody showed any interest in getting it, the gardener offered a bid for $100 and the drawing was given to him. When that bid was accepted the auctioneer announced that the auction was closed. Those rich people who came for the auction felt cheated and there were loud protests. Then the auctioneer announced that it was specified in the will that the one who would get the portrait of the son would get all his paintings. The father loved his son so much that he gave up everything to the one who loved his son.

Christmas is the greatest love story of the world. Our Father loved us so much that He sent his only son to the world to save us (Jn.3:16).

It is this love of the Father that we celebrate today. The birth of our Lord signifies the undying love of the Father for each one of us.

Any one can share this moment of joy. There is no one on earth who can in any way say that he cannot identify himself or herself with Jesus born in the manger. No one can be born lower than he was born.

Christmas is the universal feast of mankind. The high and the low, the poor and the rich and the sick and the healthy can find joy and peace in his presence. To all, Jesus conveys the message of love. Nobody is beyond the protection of God’s love.

The helplessness of Jesus as a babe is a powerful source of strength to all of us suffering from insult and discrimination, from neglect and envy, from calumny and hatred. The weakness of Jesus gives us strength in times of our own weakness and helplessness. When we are neglected and ignored and when we are not given due consideration for our sincere work and hard struggles for the good of the family or of institutions, we know we are not alone and that no one can freely trample down upon us. The incarnate Son of God is our strength. As the shepherds went in haste to see the child, so too, in those moments of pain and struggle, we should go in haste to meet Jesus and experience the peace that He gives us.

At the World Youth Day at Cologne, the Holy Father, speaking of the Magi, said that the Magi were guided by the star on their way to Bethlehem, but when they returned, the star was not in heaven but was in their hearts.

Today as we celebrate Christmas, the star of love should be in our hearts. Today is the day for reconciliation and forgiveness. The lights that are shining outside should be shining inside our hearts. We can then say with the angels to all those who meet us: “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests.”

Advent,4th S.Dec.19,10

When one glances through the pages of history, some personages appear startlingly upright and courageous. St. Thomas More is one of such illustrious persons who illumine the pages of history. Winston Churchill remarked that he was the defender of all that was finest in the medieval outlook. Samuel Johnson saw him as a person of the greatest virtue that England had ever produced. That shimmer of greatness is seen in the last letter he wrote to his beloved daughter before his execution, telling her that the Lord would hold him up in the stormy seas of torture and pain. Just before his execution, he called himself the King’s good servant but God’s first. We know that it was his faith in the Lord that gave him such strength and helped him to look at the pain the world would give as nothing compared with the glory of eternal salvation. It is our faith in God that gives us courage to face the problems and challenges of daily lives.

Today’s Gospel presents before us in the person of Joseph such a person of great faith, courage and boldness.
On the last three Sundays, the Gospel passages presented before us Zechariah, Blessed Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, great persons chosen by God for their special roles in the history of our salvation. Today, we meet St. Joseph, a person of no less importance. The account of the birth of Jesus that we heard just now centers mostly around St. Joseph and the decisive actions he took at a critical time in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus. From the few words in this account of the nativity from the Gospel, we get an inkling into the integrity, steadfastness and deep faith of Joseph.

We can only imagine the thoughts and feelings that crossed the mind of St. Joseph when he found that Mary was pregnant before they were married. All his expectations and dreams of a new life with Mary disappeared suddenly. How could he accept Mary as his wife when she became pregnant before marriage? The traditional society in which Joseph lived would never allow him to receive her. She would be punished according to the Mosaic Law. He knew that his public rejection of Mary would result in her death. We can never imagine the depth and the poignancy of the mental agony he underwent when he came to know that Mary was pregnant. A young virgin he loved and cherished with such great fondness as a partner in his life until his death would become a laughing stock in the public eye and would meet the contempt of his friends and relatives.
The Gospel uses a word to describe the integrity and the greatness of Joseph’s personality: dikaios= innocent, just, equitable, impartial. He was not going to be to be in any way swayed just by the literal weight of the Law. He was determined to examine all the aspects of the situation. As a man of God, he knew that something great was happening in his life. There was no reason to distrust Mary whom he knew so well. He was open to God in his heart and soul.
It was when he was passing through such turbulent storms in his heart that he received the message of God not to be afraid to receive Mary as his wife. He was addressed as the descendant of David and then the angel gave him the authority to name the child, Jesus.
Joseph thus became the protector of Jesus and the lawful husband of Mary. He was willing to face all the challenges and hardships involved in his role as the father of Jesus.

The life of Joseph is a strong reminder to each one of us to reflect on our life as the protector of our faith. We often fail in our life as Christians when our faith is challenged or questioned. We squirm and wriggle and withdraw into our private world without taking courage to witness to our faith when it is challenged or derided in the public forums.

We fail in our duty to nurture the faith of our children. When they stop practicing their faith, we don’t take effort to give them the right understanding of the faith nor do we give them good examples.

How just are we in our dealings with our neighbors? Our arrogance, contemptuous attitudes and disparaging remarks make us unworthy to become the custodians of the precious faith given to us.

All around us there are forces that deride a Christian way of life. The institution of marriage is being challenged in the media and many marriages end in divorces. Millions of children are growing up in broken families. Priesthood is denigrated and living according to one’s Christian faith is looked down with derision.

We have to be the new Josephs in the places where we work or move. We are the new custodians of Jesus--- of our faith, of everything that pertains to the faith. We should not run away from those who attack or disparage our faith. The words that gave courage to Joseph “Do not be afraid” are ours to claim. We can be the people who can effect changes in our family and society through our courageous actions. As Mother Teresa has put it, “What I do, you cannot do, but what you do I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.”

Advent 3rd Sunday,Dec.12,10,Lk.1:57-66

When John XX111 was elected the Pope in 1958,many wondered what he would do as he was very advanced in age. Many thought of his papacy as a stop-gap arrangement and as a waiting time for another talented and young Pope to resume the work after the end of his reign. The question on the lips of many was “What can he do? Or what will become of him?” Such questions and doubts were in the minds of a lot of people of that period. They had no idea of the cataclysmic changes that would take place in the history of the Church because of the bold initiatives he took in calling into session the Vatican Council.

Today’s Gospel sets before us questions of a similar nature that were asked at the beginning of the history of our salvation. But they are not questions of worry or anxiety but of expectations and hopes. For the people of that time began to see miracles happening before their own very eyes. Elizabeth who was never thought of having a child became a mother at a later age in her life. Tradition had it that the son should bear the father’s name and instead the child was given the name, John, meaning God is gracious. Zechariah who became mute and deaf began to speak immediately after the naming of the child. So it is natural for them to expect to see more miracles happening in their lives through the life of John. Hence they spoke to one another about the greater things that were going to be seen in their lives: “What will this child be?”

Yes, greater things would happen. Jesus, the Christ, would appear in their lives and John would become His precursor. He would get the unique privilege of baptizing the Son of God. John would confront corruption and immorality in higher places with boldness and courage. He would have no fear in his heart to condemn the King for his adulterous actions. . His actions would be so charged with the grace of God that he would be praised by Jesus as the greatest of men born on this earth.

Yes, John’s life was different .It was the life a prophet, intent on the reformation of the society. He was totally devoid of any earthly fame or glory. He never sought the company of the rich or the wealthy nor did he seek the comforts of the world. His food was grasshoppers and wild honey. He kept a low profile and a humble way of life. He told his disciples that he must decrease and that Jesus must increase. In the heights of greatness, he was the humblest of human beings.

It is this John who stands at the doorway of Advent asking us to undergo a similar spiritual transformation, avoiding the path of sin and returning to God.

We have to ask ourselves what kind of transformation we have to make in our lives. Will we allow God to transform us, to make us new persons or are we going to be people of hate, and anger, of selfishness and arrogance or of forgiveness and compassion? The choice is ours to make. The paths are before us. It is for us to make the right choice and choose the right path. We have to make the choice of doing good and helping people. St. Paul writes to the Romans: “Never pay back evil with evil…Never try to get revenge…Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good.”(Rom.12:14-21).

As Henri Nouwen puts it, we have a lot of road crossings to do in this season of Advent: “If we could cross the road once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might indeed become neighbors.”

May the life of John the Baptist inspire us to become the messengers of the Good News and to make us more loving and forgiving.

Advent 2nd Sunday,Dec.5,10

Today, on this second Sunday of Advent, we are called to reflect on the life, words and the response of the Blessed Virgin Mary for a fuller understanding of the spiritual preparedness for the celebration of Christmas. Is there any life more worthy, is there any response more appropriate than that of the Blessed Virgin Mary to reflect on in this liturgical season? Through her words, “‘Thy will be done”, Mary surrenders herself totally to the will of God and her surrender becomes the prototype of the life of every disciple of Christ.

The words that Mary said in response to the annunciation form the most magnificent responses that man ever gave to God’s initiative: “Thy will be done.” In those few words, we come to experience her unreserved and total surrender to the will of God. This unique response has made her the most beautiful person in the history of mankind. Her life has evoked admiring responses from poets and saints in the course of centuries. Robert Southwell calls her, “the loadstar of all engulfed in worldly waves.” To Wordsworth, “she is tainted nature’s solitary boast.” To the Metaphysical poet, Donne, she is the “fair blessed mother-maid “ who has “immensity cloistered in her dear womb.”

The angel Gabriel who breaks the news of the birth of John the Baptist is the same angel who comes to Mary and announces the great and happy news of the birth of the Savior. The angel addresses Mary with words that never have been used to address a member of the human race: “ Hail Mary, full of Grace. The Lord is with you.” She is unspoiled and untouched by sin.—she is full of the grace of God. To the humble maiden who has not yet been married but only betrothed, the angel announces that she would bear forth the Son of the Almighty.

For a young girl, growing up in a rigid society with its own strict rules of moral conduct and behavior, to grasp the full meaning of those words is totally frightening. The shame, the alienation, the ostracism, the gossip and everything else that would accompany these to tarnish her character before her family as well as before the society were definitely in her mind as she listened to the words of the angel. But there was no trepidation in her voice. There was no hesitancy in giving her consent. She pronounced the words that have within them tremendous implications for the salvation and peace of the human race. “ I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let thy will be done in my life.” Those words, though said in the silence of her house have broken the barriers of centuries and still resound in our ears as the words of the wisest person in the world; “Lord, it is your will that is important. I am here to follow you, to obey you. You have the freedom to work through me. I am your beloved daughter.”

This season of Advent places before us Mary’s response to help us to prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally for the celebration of Christmas. Every day in our lives, we confront a lot of difficulties and challenges. Sicknesses, financial disasters, loss of name, false accusations, loss of hopes, loss of jobs etc are the grim realities that we confront daily in our lives. How should we respond to these situations? We can either respond to them positively, seeing in our difficulties the hand of God, guiding us or retreat from them, blaming everybody else.

Mary has shown us the path we should choose. If we have faith in the Lord, He will come to our aid, and His loving arms will be around us to offer us protection from dejection and pain. Our surrender to the will of God does not come from our weakness but from the strength of our faith, from our belief that that the loving Lord will never forsake us, however stormy and turbulent our life is.
The following prayer of Karl Rahner which in fact is a reproduction of the prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola is very appropriate for all of us who try to imitate Mary in this season of Advent: “O Lord, our prayer is the sum of all desire and of all prayer: Take and receive , O Lord, my whole freedom, my memory, my understanding and my whole will, all that I have and possess. …All is yours, dispose of it entirely according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace, for that is enough.”