Easter 7th S,June 5,11

Easter 7^th S, May 5,11

(Mk.16:9-20)

Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVl in his new book, “Light of the World”, speaks of the presence of a new mindset that he calls as “negative tolerance” in many Catholics which somehow, for the sake of not offending anyone, undervalues the teachings of Christ. According to the Holy Father, Christians are very shy of speaking about their faith or of witnessing to Christ in public life.

Public arena is full of people who somehow think that it is all right to ignore the meaning and significance of the Christian faith. Christians move around without in any way revealing their faith or their attachment to Christ.

One of America’s foremost novelists, Walker Percy once said that Christians proclaim that they have the Gospel but they go around as if they have the bad news.

This lethargy in the witness to our faith should be examined in the background of today’s Gospel where Jesus proclaims the need to preach the Gospel as a bounden duty of every believer in Him.

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark gives a summary account of the various appearances of Jesus to the disciples after His Resurrection. The disciples were instructed, during His appearances to them, to go to all corners of the world to proclaim the Good News. They were also made witnesses to one of the most glorious events in the life of Jesus on earth—His Ascension.

Even though the Gospel narrative summarizes the event of the Ascension in a few words, we won’t be able to imagine the majesty, glory and awesomeness of the event of the Ascension. Seeing Jesus in His radiant glory ascending to His Father must have been a moment of great impact for them. It got stamped into their minds indelibly that Jesus was the Son of God, living in glory with his Heavenly Father and that every word of His was charged with Divine power. That witnessing to the glorious event of the Ascension dispelled all doubts about their ministry and they became bent upon preaching the Good News, whatever might be the consequences.

What is important to Jesus is the need to preach the Good News, continuing, thus, the ministry of His preaching and healing. Jesus wanted his disciples not only to preach the News but also to be of great assistance to people in their physical and emotional needs. They should expel demons in His name, heal the sick and drive away evil forces.

The task is entrusted now to all of us. We are the people who have to continue His ministry of healing. The Gospel cannot just be kept under lock and key. It has to be revealed and proclaimed through our lives.

Recently our Holy Father in his talk to the journalists on his way to Portugal mentioned that the “sin is in the Church.” Those words have enormous ramifications. It is because of our failure to live as good Christians that people refuse to come to Jesus.

There are all kinds of secular influences that try to denigrate the Christian faith because we have failed to live the Gospel in our lives. The rampant number of divorces among Christians is a mockery of the teachings of Jesus. The lack of compassion and forgiveness on the part of Christians in resolving disputes among themselves is another indication of the lack of authenticity in our Christian living.

It is through our mercy and forgiveness and through our compassion and love that we have to preach the Good News. We don’t have to cross the oceans to preach the Gospel. We need just cross the street to speak a kind word to a sorrowing family, to offer assistance to the elderly, or to do errands for the shut-ins to preach the Gospel.

“The way to begin preaching Jesus to the world is to begin living Jesus in our own lives. Once we begin to do this, the message of Jesus will begin to ripple out across the world. And if enough Christians do it, that ripple will turn into a tidal wave, and that tidal wave will change the face of the earth in a way we never dreamed possible.”(Mark Link)

We can begin our evangelization from the four walls of our homes first. Creating an atmosphere of love and trust, we can prepare, thus, a few individuals under our care for the great work of spreading the Good News. By our merciful and loving interactions with the people in our work places or in our parishes, we can start the work of this new evangelization.

“What kind of civilization will prevail in the world’s future? It depends on us if it will be the civilization of love, or the “uncivililization” of individualism.”(Pope John Paul II, February,1994.)

Easter 7th S,May 5,11

Easter 7^th S, May 5,11

(Mk.16:9-20)

Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVl in his new book, “Light of the World”, speaks of the presence of a new mindset that he calls as “negative tolerance” in many Catholics which somehow, for the sake of not offending anyone, undervalues the teachings of Christ. According to the Holy Father, Christians are very shy of speaking about their faith or of witnessing to Christ in public life.

Public arena is full of people who somehow think that it is all right to ignore the meaning and significance of the Christian faith. Christians move around without in any way revealing their faith or their attachment to Christ.

One of America’s foremost novelists, Walker Percy once said that Christians proclaim that they have the Gospel but they go around as if they have the bad news.

This lethargy in the witness to our faith should be examined in the background of today’s Gospel where Jesus proclaims the need to preach the Gospel as a bounden duty of every believer in Him.

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark gives a summary account of the various appearances of Jesus to the disciples after His Resurrection. The disciples were instructed, during His appearances to them, to go to all corners of the world to proclaim the Good News. They were also made witnesses to one of the most glorious events in the life of Jesus on earth—His Ascension.

Even though the Gospel narrative summarizes the event of the Ascension in a few words, we won’t be able to imagine the majesty, glory and awesomeness of the event of the Ascension. Seeing Jesus in His radiant glory ascending to His Father must have been a moment of great impact for them. It got stamped into their minds indelibly that Jesus was the Son of God, living in glory with his Heavenly Father and that every word of His was charged with Divine power. That witnessing to the glorious event of the Ascension dispelled all doubts about their ministry and they became bent upon preaching the Good News, whatever might be the consequences.

What is important to Jesus is the need to preach the Good News, continuing, thus, the ministry of His preaching and healing. Jesus wanted his disciples not only to preach the News but also to be of great assistance to people in their physical and emotional needs. They should expel demons in His name, heal the sick and drive away evil forces.

The task is entrusted now to all of us. We are the people who have to continue His ministry of healing. The Gospel cannot just be kept under lock and key. It has to be revealed and proclaimed through our lives.

Recently our Holy Father in his talk to the journalists on his way to Portugal mentioned that the “sin is in the Church.” Those words have enormous ramifications. It is because of our failure to live as good Christians that people refuse to come to Jesus.

There are all kinds of secular influences that try to denigrate the Christian faith because we have failed to live the Gospel in our lives. The rampant number of divorces among Christians is a mockery of the teachings of Jesus. The lack of compassion and forgiveness on the part of Christians in resolving disputes among themselves is another indication of the lack of authenticity in our Christian living.

It is through our mercy and forgiveness and through our compassion and love that we have to preach the Good News. We don’t have to cross the oceans to preach the Gospel. We need just cross the street to speak a kind word to a sorrowing family, to offer assistance to the elderly, or to do errands for the shut-ins to preach the Gospel.

“The way to begin preaching Jesus to the world is to begin living Jesus in our own lives. Once we begin to do this, the message of Jesus will begin to ripple out across the world. And if enough Christians do it, that ripple will turn into a tidal wave, and that tidal wave will change the face of the earth in a way we never dreamed possible.”(Mark Link)

We can begin our evangelization from the four walls of our homes first. Creating an atmosphere of love and trust, we can prepare, thus, a few individuals under our care for the great work of spreading the Good News. By our merciful and loving interactions with the people in our work places or in our parishes, we can start the work of this new evangelization.

“What kind of civilization will prevail in the world’s future? It depends on us if it will be the civilization of love, or the “uncivililization” of individualism.”(Pope John Paul II, February,1994.)

Easter 6th S,May 29,11

Easter 6thS,May 29,11

Easter 6^th S,.May 29,11

(Jn.17:21-26)

Cardinal Bernardin in an essay on “How can I find God” speaks about his habits of prayer. He has often, he says, given talks on prayer but never spent much time in personal prayer. When he shared this dilemma with some of his priest-friends, they advised him to act on his desire and set apart an hour in the morning for prayer. With their encouragement and support, he resolved to devote an hour each day to prayer. He says: “During the early days of this new habit of prayer, I began to realize how often I had looked elsewhere for God rather than right in the midst of each day’s journey.” He adds further that he has constantly “tried to enter into closer communion with God through prayer. This search for union, he says, has been “an exciting, life-giving, sustaining experience.”

In today’s Gospel, which is the third part of the Priestly Prayer of Jesus, we hear the deep yearning of Jesus for the bond of unity that should exist among all those who believe in Him. Jesus exhorts his disciples to remain united with one another as well as with Him and with His Father in Heaven. In this prayer, Jesus brings out all the various implications of this bond of unity. This unity is the outward expression of God’s love for Jesus and of the mission entrusted to Him.

This bond of unity does not just remain on the plane of believers but goes beyond the terrestrial dimension to the very gates of heaven. It reaches through Jesus to the Heavenly Father. The Father lives in the Son and the Son lives among those who believe in Him. The disciples are united with Jesus and the Heavenly Father in a great and abiding intimacy, similar to the unity between the Father and the Son.

The unity between the Father and the Son is brought about by the perfect love between them. It is the love between them that causes, promotes and sustains the unity between them. It means that love should be causal factor of the unity that should exist among the believers. Love which would involve forgiveness and care for each other should become the basis of unity.

These words of Jesus in his Prayer to the Heavenly Father are undoubtedly the strongest call to unity uttered by Jesus. Our faith in Jesus is not just a vertical phenomenon. It has a horizontal dimension too. It involves unity with our brothers in faith. There is no way the believers in Jesus can remain divided.

Often what we find in our lives is the glaring absence of unity. Even in the heart of families which should be a model of love and unity, we find rancor and vengeance. Selfishness, arrogance, and pride gnaw at the vitals of a healthy family life. More than a million children live every year in broken families. People who share the same faith and have committed themselves to irrevocable unity are unfaithful to each other. Divorces become so rampant and the number of divorces is outpacing the number of marriages taking place every year.

It is in this background of broken families and broken promises that we should listen carefully to the words of Jesus asking us to commit ourselves to unity. Real unity can be experienced only where there is love. There should be a willingness to reach out to the other person, whoever he may be. He can be a member of the family or a stranger. It has been said that it is possible for man to reach the moon but has become difficult to reach out to the neighbor. We have to cross the street of our selfishness and offer our neigbor love and forgiveness. “The neighbor is the one who steps on my toes in the subway, or who makes a left turn from the outside lane in Sunday traffic, or who sneaks ahead of me on the bus for a seat…the neighbor is not some one we like.: “(Sheen).We have to start loving and by loving we shorten the distance among ourselves. Shortening the distance makes us come together and to experience the bond of unity that Jesus has asked us to have in today’s Gospel.

Christian families have to learn once the more the lesson of love, the lesson of the forgiving love and remain united because of their faith in Jesus. Christians have to come together, knowing that this togetherness coming from the bond of unity is what Jesus wants from each one of us. “Doing kind acts to people make us find all people lovable.”(Sheen)

Today is the day for us to avoid everything that creates divisions among us and think of the factors that promote unity in faith and love.

Easter 5th S,May 22,11

Easter5th S,May22,11

(Jn.21:1-14)

Thomas Merton, in one of his beautiful works called “Thoughts in Solitude”, speaks of the richness of emptiness and poverty. It is only when one is totally poor and helpless that one can experience the presence of God in one’s life. Everything then becomes precious and valuable. “As long as we remain poor, as long as we are empty and interested in nothing but God, we cannot be distracted….Let me seek the gift of silence and poverty, where everything I touch is turned into prayer: where the sky is my prayer, the birds are my prayer, the wind in the trees is my prayer, for God is all in all.”

Today’s Gospel brings before us an event in the life of the apostles where their total isolation and listlessness help them to see the Lord in his risen glory.

The disciples, in spite of their stupendous experience of the risen Jesus, still had not grasped the full implications of the resurrection of Jesus and of his abiding presence in the world. Nor did they have any idea about the great role they had to play in spreading the message of Christ. The memory of all the three years spent with Jesus and of all the great things that happened in their lives because of their association with Him was slowly fading and they began to pursue their customary ways of life.

It was, then, that Peter told them that he was going fishing. Others joined him. They worked hard but caught nothing. Then, they heard the voice of Jesus asking them whether they had caught anything. When they replied in the negative, Jesus asked them to cast the net on the right side of the boat .To their surprise, they caught a large number of fish .It was then that the disciple that Jesus loved, John, uttered the words: “ It is the Lord.”

All of a sudden the situation changed. Peter jumped into the water to swim to Jesus and the other disciples followed him. They saw their beloved Lord, standing before them and inquiring about their needs. He sat with them and shared bread and fish with them. They did not ask any questions. They did not entertain any doubts about the reality of his risen life. They were happy that they could experience His presence again in their lives.

What surprises us is that it was when they felt very low and dispirited that they were able to experience the presence of Jesus. They were bored and confused. They went fishing and caught nothing. It was in that moment of total helplessness and emptiness that they were able to see Jesus.

What this passage reminds us is that our helpless moments, our hours of boredom, our moments of confusion are the occasions of grace for us. It is when we feel that we are not very important or others are not giving us enough attention that we become worthy in the eyes of Jesus. Our emptiness enables us to experience the presence of God more powerfully and deeply. When sicknesses and failures haunt us, when disasters and loss of fame and friendships makes us diffident about life, we hear the words of Jesus from distance: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat.” We then hear his soothing words: “Come, have some breakfast.”

Today’s Gospel makes us aware that our Lord will never abandon us and that he is permanently solicitous about our well-being. He is the only one in the world in whom we can put all our hopes and dreams. He will guide us to the right places. That is why we can say with psalmist even in the darkest moments of our lives: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

The words of Jesus help us to be confident and strong in our faith and hopes. Jesus will always be there to support us in our times of sadness, sufferings, failures and disasters. His hands will always be stretched out to us when we begin to sink in the troubled waters of life.

Like, Jesus, we too should turn out to be channels of grace to people who work with us. Instead of criticizing and pointing out their faults and failures, we should encourage and support them. We have to enhance the creative talents of the people who work and live with us. May our forgiveness and compassion help others to experience the presence of Jesus.

Easter 4thS,May 15,11

Easter4th,S.May15,11

Easter 4^th S, May15,11

(Jn.16:16-24)

The cry of David, bemoaning the death of his son, “Absalom, Absalom” will always be echoed in the corridors of our mind. We can hear in those words of wailing the pangs of the broken heart of a father. “Absalom, Absalom” has also become the title of a classic work in American fiction. The deaths of our beloved ones leave in our hearts irreparable pain. Our hearts groan in the darkness of nights when we lose people who are close to us, parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. Words are powerless to soothe the pain arising from such heart-breaks.

Jesus knew that his disciples would become heart broken and would reach the depths of helplessness through his crucifixion and death. Hence, he takes time to forewarn them about things that would happen and comfort them by telling them that all will not be over by his death. There are more chapters to his life than his crucifixion and death..

Jesus makes them understand that his Resurrection will be the strongest reason for their joy. The risen Jesus is eternal and immutable, beyond the ravages of time. It is this protection of his risen presence that He is offering to them

To all of us, struggling and grappling with the challenges and problems of life, Jesus offers protection and comfort. Often, caught in the midst of loss of jobs, financial insecurity, or of sicknesses, we find ourselves without any moorings and adrift in the sea of hardships. There are times in our lives when we feel lonely and troubled because of hateful attitudes or abusive attacks from colleagues and neighbors. In those moments we are at a loss to find peace and strength in our lives. It is then the words of Jesus become more meaningful and powerful: “I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you.”

The joy of the Resurrection can only be experienced in the background of the Cross. It is the suffering and death of Jesus that made the glorious phenomenon of the Resurrection such a stupendous experience.

We can understand and experience the joy of the Resurrection more meaningfully when we pass through rejection, suffering and solitude. It is when we think we are all alone or the whole world is against us or when we are condemned without any reason, that we really experience the joy of the Resurrection as Jesus reaches out to us, reminding us that He will never forsake us. Resurrection makes us understand that nothing on earth can any more take away the joy and peace from our hearts as long as we believe in him and walk with him. Jesus is the anchor of our life and the fortress of our protection.

Without any ambiguity or reservation, He tells us that whatever we ask in His name will be granted to us by our heavenly Father.

Spiritual transformation has to happen in the depths of our souls. We have to repent of our sins and reconcile ourselves with our neighbors.

Archbishop Sheen expresses the need for reconciliation and forgiveness to experience peace and joy in our hearts: “There are so many unwashed dishes in the sink of our consciences; our souls look like unmade beds. But if only once we would be humble enough to look inside and admit the mess, we would see how God can write straight with our crooked lines.”

Easter 3rd S,May 8,11

Easter 3rd S,May8,11

Easter 3^rd S,May8,11

(Jn. 14:7-14)

Tony Hendra, a British born, Cambridge educated American writer and TV producer who had a very riotous life as a young man wrote a book called “Fr.Joe Joe who saved my life.” In this book, he details his contacts with Fr. Joe and how the priest saved his life. He was introduced to this Benedictine priest called Father Joe while he was in England. Through the ups and downs of his life he kept in touch with Fr. Joe. When he realized that he was a total failure as a family man as well as a writer, he asked Joe permission to join the monastery to lead a life dedicated to the ideals of monasticism. Fr. Joe told him to go back to his family and be a good husband a good father.

To be a father involves a lot of qualities and qualifications. It exemplifies all that is beautiful, noble, sacrificial, dependable, and reverential in life. For a child, the Father is everything that is ideal and noble in life.

Once a young mother, speaking at a public function honoring her father’s 6oth birth day, remarked that it was through the love shown to her by her father that she came to a greater understanding of the love of God the Father.

Very rarely are such statements heard now from the children about their parents. The exemplary lives of the parents do elicit powerful reflections on the goodness, generosity and mercy of God the Father.

In today’s Gospel, in response to Philip’s question, Jesus tells him that those who have seen Him have seen God the Father.

Many of us in our reflective moments have wondered about the life in heaven and how the Father in heaven would treat us. But in today’s Gospel, we have a very candid statement from Jesus on how the Father would appear to each one of us. Jesus asked them to look at His life in order to know more about God the Father,

How was Jesus to them in his works and teachings? He was all mercy and kindness. He was available to everyone who approached him asking for healing. He gave life back to the dead. He comforted the suffering. He presented the image of a loving Father in heaven using the parable of the prodigal son. He forgave the sins of the woman caught in adultery and reinstated in society those who were ostracized like the tax collectors and lepers. In hundreds and thousands of ways he showed the different aspects of a loving and merciful Father in his interactions with the people. He tells Philip that one who has seen him has seen the Father.

Jesus also points out that anything that is asked in His name will be granted. Philip’s question is an occasion for Jesus to reveal who He is, His identity with the Father in heaven and His boundless mercy and compassion. Thus, in today’s Gospel, we find someone who will always be a Father to us. We don’t have to go anywhere looking for comfort and support, healing and renewal, mercy and love except in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

In our society, as so many concerted attacks are being orchestrated against the unity and cohesion of the family, it is appropriate to reflect on the responsibilities and tasks of parents. Tim Russert, the late NBC TV commentator has written a book, “The Big Russ and Me” on his father who did two jobs to put him through private schools and college. He waxes eloquent describing the strong influence his father has had on his life. The motto of the book is that “children stand on the shoulders of their parents”, meaning that all the accomplishments of the children are due to the love, hard work and exemplary Christian faith of their parents.

Today as we reflect on the Fatherhood of God, it is very proper to ask each one of us how we are fulfilling the duties entrusted to us in our roles as leaders, parents and teachers. Can the people who are entrusted to us say that it is because of us as parents, teachers or leaders that they have been blessed with such a good Christian life? Can we offer ourselves as models of good Christian life to those who are entrusted to our care?

It is sad to say that we don’t have many in our midst who exemplify through their lives the qualities of a true Father, one who will never forsake us, who will come to our help in the dire moments of helplessness, and who will comfort us in the heart-broken moments of great tragic experiences.

May the words of Jesus that we heard in today’s Gospel help us to experience more warmly the love of our heavenly Father and make us committed to a way of life that offers love, forgiveness and compassion.

Easter 2nd S,May 1,11

Easter,2nd S,May 1,11

Easter 2^nd S,May 1,11

(Jn. 20:19-29)

In the last few days, we were reflecting on and reliving some of the important moments in the life of Jesus as well as in the history of our salvation. If Lent was a time of introspection and purification, Easter is the time for renewal and dedication. We become more assured of the continued protection of the Risen Jesus in the various events and activities of our lives during this season of Easter.

In today’s Gospel from St. John, we read an account of the first appearance of Jesus to the apostles In his first appearance, Jesus offers them greetings of peace and shows the wounds and scars in his body. The apostles seeing the wounds and scars realize right away that the same Jesus who walked with them and who suffered crucifixion is the one standing before them. Jesus breathes into them the Spirit of life by telling them to receive the Holy Spirit. He gives them the power to forgive sins .The apostle, Thomas, is not with them and, hence, he refuses to believe that Jesus had risen unless he can prove it physically by touching the body of Jesus. Jesus again appears before the group when Thomas is with them and asks him to come and put his finger in his wounds and to believe that He had risen. Thomas realizes that he is before God Almighty and exclaims, “My Lord and My God,” acknowledging Jesus as the Lord of the Universe.

What Jesus offers them is peace, a life without fear, a life in union with Him .It is the same peace that He offers to each one of us. “Christ’s peace should cast out the fear that runs the world and too easily takes our imagination captive”. In the glow of Christ’s peace, the fear that chills our hearts and creates ill will and hostility among our neighbors should dissipate.

Caught in the hardships and struggles of life, we look for help and protection. In the midst of defeats and failures, we want support and encouragement. Our faith in the Lord Jesus offers the support and encouragement we look forward in life.

Resurrection of Jesus offers us His abiding protection. He is alive in the Universe. He will not abandon us.

He also wants us to continue the ministry of forgiveness and healing that He carried out during his earthly life. As he told the apostles to go and reconcile people, so also he is asking us to be instrument s of peace and reconciliation among the people with whom we live.

“Christ’s peace is a costly gift that demands radical conversion. Because that peace is all embracing, it rips away our prejudices and tears asunder the protective walls that afford us comfortable assurance.”(America Magazine, April 25,11)

This Easter season should be the beginning of a new life, a life dedicated to love and forgiveness. Without love and forgiveness, Christian life will be an empty shell, a walking shadow, a hollow stuff. As T.S. Eliot puts it, “we will be hollow men” if we don’t have love and forgiveness in our hearts.

Speaking of service(diaconia) as an essential feature of the Church, Cardinal Kaspar in his book “Leadership in the Church”, says : “ The Church is alive where the corporal works of mercy are performed…The Church is likewise alive where the spiritual works of mercy are performed: correcting sinners, teaching the ignorant…gladly forgiving those who insult us….”

What is needed, hence, is a reinforcement of forgiveness and compassion in our relationships with others. Easter becomes a reality when we can offer peace to one another in all honesty and truthfulness.

We remember also at this time all those who have lost their lives and homes in the great disaster that was wreaked upon the South of the country by a series of tornadoes. Their Easter peace was shattered. Through our prayers and monetary helps we shall try to restore some kind of semblance of peace in their hearts seething with anger and sorrow.

(The Greek word used here for peace is "eirene"which indicates a messianic blessing brought about by the grace and loving mind of God. It produces a new relationship with God, removing all traces of distress caused by sin.)

Easter 11

Easter,Apr.24,11

Jn.20.1-18

Easter always arouses in our hearts feelings of hope and joy. The spring is around us. There is more day light and there is a silent stirring in the hidden lives of plants and trees. Flowers and leaves are about to explode into their full bloom before our eyes soon. Nature which was hiding under the cover of the shadow of winter is coming out in its full power and glory. It is natural for one to feel exuberant and happy at this time.

The passage from the Gospel is a marvelous account of the impact of the resurrection.

There was a feeling of emptiness, helplessness, of sorrow, of having lost everything among the disciples. May Magdalene came to the tomb to pay her final respects and to embalm the body again. It id not cross her mind that Jesus would rise from the tomb The apostles also did not think that Jesus would arise. If Jesus were God, he would have struck the soldiers dead and would not have allowed himself to die so shamefully, they thought. They were engaged in their routine tasks of their daily lives, but kept the company of one another.

May found an empty tomb. She right away thought that they had taken him away. She rushed to the Apostles. She did not say he was risen but only that they had taken the Lord away.

The apostles ran to the tomb, for another meeting with failure and disaster. But when they came, they looked into the tomb and found all the clothes neatly folded. It struck them all of a sudden that Jesus was not taken away but that He had risen. All the words of Jesus about His resurrection came alive in their minds. They believed.

May stood crying and looking for Jesus. Then, Jesus appeared to her. Jesus called her in the way he always called her: “Mary.” That was enough for her to recognize Jesus. She heard the same voice and the same tone. She could not stand the ground any more. Joyfully she burst out: “Teacher.”

She came back and told the apostles: “I have seen the Lord.”

It is in emptiness, loneliness and in suffering that we can experience the Lord.

We often think of our failures and sufferings as painful situations. But they are the events that open the door of life to Jesus. Once we experience Him in these situations, nothing can take away the joy from our life.

Through our failures, tragedies, painful and agonizing events…when things turn bad for us, when others insult us, when we are not appreciated, when we think we cannot do anything and that we don’t have the talents…. Jesus comes into our lives, calls us by our name and lets us know that He loves us.

The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope, hope that no one can take way from our lives---hope that grows and strengthens our lives.

Resurrection is the corner stone of our faith. St. Paul said: “ If Christ had not risen, our faith would be in vain.”(1Cor.15:15) If Jesus had not arisen, his life would be similar to that of any prophets or teachers the world has seen. Jesus established his power over death and destruction---proved himself to be the Lord of the Universe through his Resurrection.

Empty tomb is a challenge to all of us to reawaken our faith in Jesus It is a call for a total assent from our part to His presence in our midst.

Jesus speaks to each one of us as he spoke to Thomas: “Come and put your finger in my wounds and believe.” It is a call to faith. If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus , believe in his presence in our midst, then our attitudes and behavior would definitely have to undergo deep change.

For many of us, resurrection has not happened as a personal experience. We remain entombed in our selfishness. The tomb has to become empty today. The stone of indifference has to be rolled away from our lives. The dazzling spectacle of Jesus rising from the tomb of selfishness has to happen in our lives.

Palm Sunday,April 17,11

Palm Sunday,April17,11

(Mt.21:1-17)

In 1980, Archbishop Romero of El Salvador in one of his sermons to his people spoke of the harvest that comes because of the grain that dies. Right after those words, as he was celebrating the mass, holding the Body of Jesus in his hands, he was shot dead by some rogue members of the military. His blood got mixed with the Body of Jesus. The Archbishop gave his life to protect the defenseless lives of his people in imitation of his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of his life was an act of love.

Today as we celebrate the Palm the Sunday, the gateway to the Holy Week, the great week celebrating the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we become reminded once again of the great sacrifice that Jesus has made out of his immense love for each one of us.

Let us recall for a moment what happened on the Palm Sunday. Fulfilling of the prophecy made by the Prophet Zechariah (Zec 9,9) that emphasizes the humility of the king who comes, Jesus rode on a donkey, indicating that he was no earthly king, but a person of peace.

(The fulfillment is composed of two distinct OT texts, Is. 62,11(“Say to the daughter of Zion”) and Zec.9,9. “The ass and the colt are the same animal in the prophecy, mentioned twice in different ways, the common Hebrew literary device of poetic parallelism. Matthew takes them as two”)

He rode into Jerusalem and the people acclaimed him with shouts of joy. Garments and branches of trees were spread on the street and people shouted “ Hosanna to the Son of David.”(Ps.118,25).(Hosanna, a Hebrew acclamation meaning “Save us”(2 Sam 14:4,Ps.118:25) and “ Blessed is he …from Ps.118:26, the last of the Hallel Ps(113-118)).

Jesus entered the temple, and as today’s Gospel describes, he cleansed it by driving out the merchants and stopping the commercial dealings that were done there .He healed many who were sick and suffering.

This was a decisive moment in his life. He knew these shouts of acclamations would disappear and they would clamor for his blood. Those branches and leaves that were spread as a red carpet to receive him would turn out to be instruments of torment. The shouts and acclamations would reverberate later as “Crucify him”, “Crucify him.” But Jesus was undeterred in his march towards the goal of his life. What mattered to Jesus was not the opinion of the people but his obedience to the will of God.

Palm Sunday is in fact the celebration of his obedience to the will of the Heavenly Father. He has told his disciples that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer(Lk.24:46). But when he is lifted up from the earth, he will draw all to himself (Jn.12.32). But it is necessary for the Son of Man to suffer and die. That is the will of the Heavenly Father. Nothing can deter him from that goal.

The suffering and death of Jesus turn everything upside down. The power of death is shattered forever. The cross, instead of becoming a sign of derision, has become a symbol of hope and joy.

The outstretched hands of Jesus on the Cross are the hands that offer us comfort and healing. We shall not allow ourselves to be distracted by the obstacles and hardships that pop up in our way. As long as Jesus is with us, we can overcome those obstacles. Whatever that looms large as imponderables before us will melt like ice when the power of His grace is present in our hearts. When He is beside us, we can sing in our hearts songs of joy because no power on earth will have any hold on our lives.

The cross is our symbol of hope and confidence. Our tragedies and our pains don’t go unanswered. They will be transformed by the power of the cross into sources of grace for us.

The cross is a constant reassurance of God’s continuing love for us. In spite of our sins and failures, God’s love reaches out to us and reminds us that it is for us that He died to give us hope. It is a reminder that we will never be abandoned.

Let this Holy Week be an occasion for us to feel that once we carry the cross of our life with him on our side, our steps will not falter and He will be there to hold us in His arms.

Lent,6th S,April 10,11

Lent,6thS,April 10,11

Lent 6^th S, April 10,11

(Jn.10:11-18)

We are gathered today under the shadow of the passing away of our beloved Major Archbishop, Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil.

To all those who knew him, he was a man of inestimable love and openness. The concern and sensitivity he showed to the people who visited him are unmatchable. Through his words and actions he brought the love of Jesus to heal and comfort every one who felt hurt and put down. The transparency and openness he exhibited in his life can never be forgotten. Words of love and concern tumbled down from his lips. His monastic simplicity and loving concern were evident to every one who came into contact with him. He was a genuine shepherd to his people.

Today as we reflect on the words of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, we can find a good example of that shepherding in the life of our Major Archbishop.

God as a Shepherd is a concept that is familiar to every Jewish heart. Jesus in today’s Gospel evokes all those loving and comforting images when He tells his listeners that he is the Good Shepherd and he would lay down his life for the sheep. It is not just green pastures and water that he is offering. He is offering Himself and all that is implied by that sacrifice.

The Israelites were very familiar with the lives of shepherds and they were aware that a real shepherd would recognize his sheep and the sheep would also recognize his voice. It was a custom in those days for sheep belonging to different shepherds to be enclosed together in one pen. Each shepherd would call his sheep and the sheep would recognize his voice and go out with him. Using that image, Jesus reminds his listeners that He is close to His followers and that He would sacrifice his life for them.

This parable of the Good Shepherd gives us hints of the warmth of the love that Jesus has for his followers.

Jesus is our Savior and He will guide us through the right paths. He will protect us from our enemies. He will comfort us in our troubled times. He will be with us in our most vulnerable moments. He will carry us in his arms when it is difficult for us to walk the paths of life. His love will always envelop us.

During the season of Lent, we become very much aware of the suffering and death of Jesus for our salvation. We become once more reminded of the immense love that Jesus has for each one of us. He will never abandon us and will always be with us in the darkest moments of our lives.

The parable also is a reminder to each one of us to become good shepherds to our neighbors. We are given different tasks in our lives. We interact with so many people in our lives. We can be distinctively different in those daily interactions. We can pour the oil of love and comfort into our dealings with people. To be a caring husband, a loving father, or a sensitive administrator is something that we can do in our lives. People will recognize then that we are different.

Can we be good shepherds to the people who are entrusted to our care? There is a beautiful novel written by Tony Hendra called, ”Father Joe: the Man Who Saved My Soul.” Fr. Joe, a Benedictine Monk was the constant in his life during all the troubled times of his life. When his marriage failed and when he became a failure in his journalistic profession as well as in personal life, he went to Fr. Joe asking him the permission to join the monastery. Joe told him to go back and become a better husband and a better father to his children.

Yes, we can be good shepherds. Our family life and our life in the community will undergo a sea change if we can turn out to be loving and caring to those who are entrusted to our care.

Lent 5th S,April 3,11,Jn.8:12-20

Lent 5^th S, April 3,11

(Jn.8:12-20)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about his identity with God the Father and speaks of himself as the Light of the World, the Savior, who has come to redeem mankind. He calls upon his listeners to understand His identity and commit themselves to Him.

The inner area of the Temple contained three Courts. The Easternmost court was the Court of the Women and it contained the Temple treasury. During the Feast of Tabernacles when all the Jews were expected to come to Jerusalem and live in booths, remembering the time they spent in the desert, the Temple would be illuminated with lights and torches. Those lights also reminded them of their expectation of the coming of the Christ.

It is in the background of the lights, standing near the Treasury, during the festival days of the Feast of the Tabernacles, that Jesus announces himself as the Light of the world and asks his listeners to accept this light and not to walk in darkness.

The listeners are earthbound and they do not understand that Jesus is proclaiming himself as the Christ, the hope of their lives and the fulfillment of their dreams. Instead of opening the eyes of their minds and seeing Jesus as the Christ, they begin to question him as to his origin, identity etc. Jesus uses their own legal requirements (Dt.17:6) to show that he is not revealing these great truths on his own authority only but also on the authority of the God the Father. The Father is also testifying on his behalf through the works he is doing and the words he is uttering. To their query as to where his Father is, Jesus tells them that seeing him is seeing the Father. He and the Father are one. He reveals, thus, his identity with God the Father.

But their eyes remain closed. They do not want to accept the news of the salvation. They are unwilling to commit themselves to Jesus.

What does this passage mean for us? Is Jesus the light of our lives? Are we willing to walk in the light of our faith? Are we willing to commit ourselves to Jesus or are we looking for excuses to refuse to commit ourselves to Him?

The decision is ours to make. It is a personal decision. We have to make a choice. We have to decide whether we want to live according to the teachings of the Lord or according to the teachings of the world. Our commitment to Jesus would involve dramatic changes in our outlooks.

Often we don’t enjoy peace and joy in our lives because we are very arrogant and unforgiving. Most of the conflicts in the heart of our families do come from our arrogance and selfishness. We never give God a chance to remake our lives. We never examine our attitudes and decisions in the light of our faith in Jesus.

What is lacking in our lives is this willingness to walk in the light of faith in Jesus Christ. It is sad and disappointing that in spite of the great teachings of Jesus on love and forgiveness, Christians are very remiss in living according to those teachings. Churches and communities, parishes and religious organizations are too much pervaded by the spirit of the world and hence there exist too much division and antagonism among them. We don’t find our people compassionate and forgiving. The compassion and love that come ebbing out of the words of Jesus to the woman caught in adultery “ Don’t sin. I don’t condemn you” are absent from our spiritual vocabulary.

This Lent offers us a golden opportunity to reshape our attitudes and become people of great compassion and love.

Thomas Merton points out beautifully well the impact of love in the following words: “When we love the other, we obtain from God the key to our understanding of who he is and who we are.”

Lent 3rd S,March 20,11,Mt.20:17-28

Lent 3^rd S, March 20,11

Mt 20:17-28

I am sure you are very familiar with the following words from the inaugural speech from President John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. It was a call for selfless action. A lot of young people, responding to that call, fanned across the poor counties of the world to help them to rise from their economic and educational backwardness. Working for other people became a great and noble call.

Robert Greenleaf’s book on Servant Leadership explains who a great leader is: a good leader is one who strives to enhance the potentials of the people entrusted to his care. Servant leadership is a new definition of leadership. Leadership does not consist in dominance but in helping others to become great.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about leadership among his followers.

Jesus first explains to his disciples the most important phase of his mission. He is referring to his passion, death and resurrection. It is through suffering and crucifixion that he is going to achieve the redemption of the human race. But he will rise up and thus will conquer the forces of death and destruction

It is through suffering for others that He will attain the glory of the Resurrection. Jesus as the leader will suffer for his people. It is the people that are important. He would wash their feet. He would do every thing for them, going all the way to the ultimate sacrifice of his life.

To the apostles, Jesus offers thus a new vision of leadership. The mother of the Zebedees does not grasp the full implications of what Jesus said. She has desires like any other human mother. Her sons who are following Jesus should not end up in their lives without anything. There should be some tangible benefits for their sacrifices. They and the family should get some thing in return. But Jesus offers something intangible which could not be quantified.

We get different roles in life as authorities and mentors. As parents, teachers and priests, how do we discharge our responsibilities? Do we use our positions for our dominance over others or do w e use them for the good of the people entrusted to our care. As parents, do our attempts consist just in promoting our personal glory or are we concerned with the real welfare of the family that is entrusted to our care?

We may experience many hardships in our roles as parents and mentors. People may not appreciate what we are doing. We may suffer failures, financial disasters, loss of jobs etc. We may not be considered great administrators. We may feel despondent in our work because of failures. But we should remember that we are following Jesus. His path to success is through the way of the cross.

Never be afraid of failures. The cross is our road to hope and success.

Lent,4th S,March27,11,Mt.21:33-46

Lent,4th S,March 27,11

(Mt.21:33-46)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus, through the parable of the tenants, exposes the treacherous mind-sets of the Jewish leaders who refuse to accept him as the Savior. Instead of seeing the clear evidence that is present before them about the divine nature of Jesus and his mission, they close their eyes to the fact of acknowledging him as the Savior and dabble in questions of legal purity and faithfulness to their rituals and traditions.

The parable is also an allegory. Those who hear the parable know right away that the owner of the Vineyard is God and the tenants are the Jewish leaders. The servants are the prophets and the son is Jesus Himself. Just as the servants killed the slaves and the son , so too, the forefathers of the present generation have persecuted and killed the prophets and now they are trying to kill him. Jesus warns them of the great punishment that awaits them if they continue persisting in their refusal. The kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to those who are open to accept the will of God.

What is the relevance of the parable for each one of us today?

During this season of Lent, we are preparing ourselves spiritually to become more open to the will of God in our lives. Our past lives have been an accumulation of sins and omissions. Our hearts were turned away form God. We were more concerned about our material well-being, forgetting the more profound and deeper aspects of our lives. We forget that what is important in our lives is the acceptance of the will of God.

If we examine our lives, we will find that we have been very selfish and uncharitable. Our words have wounded so many people. Our actions have not been in conformity with our faith. We have wandered far away from the paths of love and forgiveness. Our family life has become strained because of our selfishness and arrogance. We cannot accept our neighbors and we are negative and critical about them. In so many ways, the vineyard of lives is not producing fruits nor are we willing to allow the Lord to change the vineyards to be fruitful.

Today, Jesus gives us another opportunity to look at the vineyard of our lives and see what we can do to be more faithful and responsive to God in our lives. We have to accept Jesus as the Savior of our lives. The moment of conversion is near us and it would be foolish to refuse to accept Jesus in our lives. We are running after mirages of worldly glory and prosperity.

We have to listen to the word of God that comes to us through the Bible and the Church and see in what way we can change our attitudes and mind-sets in order to be more charitable and forgiving. What is the purpose of all these acts of penance if they do not help us to become more loving and compassionate? The measure of our attachment to Jesus comes from our openness to our neighbors, friends and members of our families.

Archbishop Sheen puts it beautifully in his book, “Lift up your Heart”: “The truth is that it makes no difference where we are; it all depends on whether what we are doing is God’s will and done for love of Him.”

Lent,2nd S,March 13,11,Mt.7:15-27

Lent 2nd S.March 13,11

(Mt.7: 15-27)

The reading from today’s Gospel is a powerful reminder to each one of us about the need for a spiritual renewal in our lives.

Jesus is warning us about the false prophets. They appear to be spokespersons for God but actually they are cheats and deceivers. There is no conformity between their words and actions. They don’t live according to their faith. Jesus warns us to avoid false prophets who are out there to deceive people. They are like bad trees that cannot produce good fruits. Good actions come from those who are good in their lives. People who are essentially bad can never produce good actions. Actions may appear to be good but they are inherently defective.

Jesus, hence, wants his disciples to have their lives based on the solid foundation of their faith in him. Only those who live their lives in conformity with the will of God will have a life that is solid and strong and their lives will never be disturbed by the power of the evil forces.

It is not the words that one speaks but the actions that one does that count in the eyes of God. Those who listen to the words of Jesus and live by those words will have definitely a strong spiritual foundation. They will able to withstand the power of the evil.

In a very few words, Jesus has laid out before us the map of our spiritual life. What is important is the conformity between our faith and our life. Our life should be guided by our faith in God.

Many a time what happens in our life is that we keep a distinct polarity between our faith and daily life. Many of our words and actions come from our selfishness and arrogance. Even when we act in the name of Christ, we are actually acting through our selfish motives. That is why those Christians who are in authoritative positions are such bad specimens of Christ and fail to draw people to Him. We can do all kinds of spiritual exercises in the name of Christ but if they are devoid of the soul of love and compassion, they are worthless.

When we examine our lives as Christians, we find that many a time there is a wide gap between our faith and our daily lives. We live in two worlds. We say and utter words of faith but we don’t see those words translated into our actions. The way we think, act and feel are worlds away from our faith.

We are arrogant and selfish like any one else. There is nothing that makes us different. We retaliate when we are hurt. We abuse others when we are challenged. Our words are contemptuous and derogatory.

This season of Lent is a beautiful opportunity to make a deep change in our lives. Instead of depending on the external rules of fasting, let us go into the innermost depths of our hearts and do some fasting there. It should be a fasting from anger and selfishness, and from biting and sniping remarks.

As Arch Bishop Sheen remarks in his beautiful book, “Lift up your Heart”: “Motive is what makes the saint. Sanctification does not depend on our geography, or on our work or circumstances. The truth is that it makes no difference where we are; it all depends on whether what we are doing is God’s will and done for love of Him.”

All our humdrum tasks of life---typing, office work, work at home, caring for the sick child, teaching, administrative tasks, being subordinate to arrogant bosses, working with gossiping and sniping colleagues---every such task “ can be ennobled and spiritualized if it is done in God’s name.”

May the words of Jesus that we heard in today’s Gospel make us turn a new chapter in our lives and make us better followers of our Lord.

Lent,1st S,March6,11

Len 1st S.,March 6,11

Lent 1^st S,March 6,11.

(Mt.4:1-11)

Today marks the beginning of Lent. We will be observing in the next 40 days the memory of the days Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and praying in preparation for the great ministry that He would be undertaking .As Jesus finishes his forty days of Fast, the devil tries to entice him into his ways of thinking and acting by offering Him the ways of the world. The devil offers him the glory of a miracle worker, of a showman and lastly that of a mighty king. But Jesus drives him away by telling him not to tempt the Lord his God but to offer worship. That stern and serious command is strongly indicative of the great spiritual heights that Jesus has reached through his time of prayer and fasting in the desert.

What is important , according to Jesus, is not the exhibition of the power and glory of His divinity but submission to the will of His heavenly Father and the acceptance of the mission entrusted to Him.

The Temptation of Jesus in the desert is a reminder to each one of us that we too will be passing though crises in our lives. But we have the presence of the Lord in our hearts to overcome the power of such weak moments and situations.

We are people prone to temptations. We are fragile and weak and only by the grace of God do we get the strength to overcome our own inner weaknesses and sins.

When sicknesses and tragedies pursue us, when financial disasters take away every bit of security in our lives, and when our weaknesses and sins make us strangers in the land of grace, we have to remind ourselves about the constancy of the faith and the strength of our loyalty of Jesus. We have to be very focused and clear about our mission and goals in life.

We should not look for the approval or the applause of the people. The applause and popularity are fleeting and won’t last. What is important is to keep our gaze steady on Jesus and his mercy. The things of the world, then, lose their power over us. They will have no power to hurt us so long as our minds and hearts are turned to God.

The will of our heavenly Father is of great importance in our lives and we have to submit ourselves to Him. It does not mean that we are going to be defeatist in our mentality because of our submission. We accept the will of God because we know He loves us and He will do anything to protect us.

Lent is a time for us to strengthen our inner freedom and our openness to God. Through our act s of love and compassion, of mercy and forgiveness and through the self-control that we exercise on our own weaknesses and sinful passions, we enhance this freedom and openness. Lent should make us more loving and merciful. What is the meaning of a penitential season if it does not make us internally transformed? If we do not show love and compassion to the people who come into contact with our lives daily, all our penitential devotions mean nothing.

Let the beginning of the Lent may be a true occasion for us to change the direction and the nature of loves. Let each day be an occasion to show acts of love, mercy, and forgiveness.

As Bishop Sheen Says, it is when we are in the dark that we can see the stars .In our poverty, weakness and sinfulness, we become more aware of the love, forgiveness and protection of our Lord.

Denaha -Epiphany,8th S,Feb.27,11

Denaha-Epiphany,8^th S,Feb.27,11

(Mk 1:1-8)

The opening words of the landmark book , “ The Peace of Soul” by Archbishop Sheen, published in 1949, in response to the spiritual conflicts experienced by people in the our times are worth remembering: “Unless souls are saved, nothing is saved; there can be no world peace unless there is soul peace.” We often forget that it is the changes that take place in the hearts of people that cause great transformations in the world at large. In our rush for prosperity, conveniences and advancements in life, we often ignore the fact that unless our hearts are right with God’s will, we can never experience those material benefits that we crave for.

It is through repentance and reconciliation with God that receive real happiness in our life. It is this spirit of reconciliation that today’s Gospel offers to the people of Israel as well as to us .

The reading from Mark’s Gospel introduces the ministry of Jesus through the eyes of John the Baptist. The ministry of John the Baptist serves as a great introduction to the mission of Jesus.

John Baptist is followed by a great crowd of people, waiting for every word that falls from his lips. They are willing to repent of their sins and to become reconciled with God. But John the Baptist is very careful to delineate the limits of his ministry. He tells them that he is not the Messiah and that he is only a forerunner. The one who is to come after him is the real one. The baptism he gives does not make them the children of God nor does it give them the Spirit of God .It is only a baptism of repentance.

We are thus given a very clear insight into the ministry of Jesus. It is Jesus who should become the focus of our attention. Jesus is the source of our life. Whatever may be the challenges and hardships we face in life, we can confront them if we are united with Jesus. Union with Jesus through prayer and participation in the Eucharist gives a sense of confidence that no one else can give us in our life.

We should never be afraid of people nor be worried about our future. What Jesus told the Apostles is being repeated to each one us: “ Don’t be afraid….I am with you until the end of the world.”

Jesus is our hope, our salvation. We should feel happy and confident in our life because of our faith in Jesus. Even good people can cause us harm. In religious life too, we come across people who are supposed to be holy and spiritual doing us harm. We find them engrossed in gossip and calumny. Because of the mistreatment we receive from them or because of their mistaken understanding of our actions, we suffer in silence. We become confused and out of focus. Interactions with such people may make us lose our spiritual moorings. It is then we have to remind ourselves with the words of St. Paul: “As long as Christ is with us, who can be against us?”

May the words of John the Baptist announcing the ministry of Jesus give us confidence to preach His message of love and hope and offer the same to all those who work with us. May our proclamation of the message of Jesus also help us to face the challenges that confront us daily in our lives.

Denaha-Epiphany,7thS,Feb.20,11

Denaha-7^th S,Feb.20,11

(Mt.8:5-13)

A few years ago, an engineering student was in charge of making arrangements for masses for the Catholic students of Rose-Hulman Institute of Engineering in Terre haute, Indiana. He also was the one who gave rides to the priest to say the mass. One Sunday night when he brought the priest to the students’ lounge where the mass was to be said, he found that he had lost the key to the hall. He saw all the students standing in front of the hall waiting for it to be opened. He felt ashamed and deeply troubled. All of a sudden he knelt down beside the car , before the priest and students, and prayed to the Lord to help him. Then,he stood up and looked around, and lo and behold , he saw the key lying a few feet away from him. What struck every one that was there was the strength of his faith. He was confident that the Lord would help him. There was no sense of diffidence or shame in kneeling down and praying for help.

It is about such expressions of faith that the Lord deals with in today’s Gospel. Jesus praises the centurion for his faith and his trust in Him.

The centurion was a Roman soldier working for the emperor of Rome. He had a hundred soldiers under him. He was vested with great power by the emperor. The Jews were under his control. It is this man who is recognized as a person of authority who comes before the Lord and sees in him a power that is even above that of his emperor. When the centurion’s servant fell ill, he finds all remedies useless and finds that Jesus has the power to heal him. He recognizes the Divine Power of Jesus which the Jews could not even grasp. The one who never read the prophets and never heard about the interventions of God in history realizes all of a sudden that Jesus is far superior to the emperor of Rome. He did not want Jesus to walk towards his house. He just asks Jesus to speak a word and that would be enough to give health to his servant. The words that he uttered have become the words that every Christian utters before he receives the Eucharist: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Jesus praises his faith publicly by saying that not even in Israel He has found such faith. He points out that it is not nationality or race that is going to decide one’s path to salvation but strong faith in God.

The centurion is a model for great faith. His profound sense of humility is seen in his words and actions. In a worldly sense, it was very outrageous on his part as a Roman soldier to come to a Jew for help. Throwing aside such considerations, he comes before the real authority and feels his place before him. He recognizes that the person standing before him is not just a teacher or a prophet but more and above than all these. The centurion recognizes the Divine Presence in Jesus.

Also he does not ask anything for himself. He asks this great favor for his servant. What we find in this centurion is another noble trait of character: his profound sense of humanity. Compassion and solicitude for the welfare for another drives him to come before Jesus. He is acknowledging the authority and power of Jesus publicly before a crowd endangering his own reputation and position. But, he is not afraid to acknowledge his faith publicly.

What we gather from this encounter between Jesus and the centurion are the various facets of faith that are needed in our life. Our faith should be characterized by humanity and humility as reflected in the life of the centurion.

Many a time we are puffed up with our pride in our talents and gifts and become very arrogant in our dealings with people. The Christian dimension of our faith does not make any impact on our life. In our exercise of authority as parents, teachers and ministers, we are not much different from the non-Christians.

We should reflect on the transformation that has happened in the life of the centurion because of his faith. He becomes profoundly humble as well as very caring. As Christians, our lives too should be characterized by such humility and compassion.

Denaha-Epiphany,6thS,Feb.13,11

Malcolm Muggeridge was one of England’s well-known critics and B.B.C. commentators. It was his documentary and book called “Something Beautiful for God” that gave a lot of international publicity to Mother Teresa when her ministry was not known greatly outside India. Even though he was an agnostic at the time he interviewed Mother Teresa, he felt changes happening in his life because of his contact with her. Towards the end of his life, he converted to the Catholic faith. In one of his last essays, he speaks of his desire to leave the world very touchingly: “So, like a prisoner awaiting his release, like a school boy when the end of the term is near, like a migrant bird ready to fly south,…I long to be gone.” Those words bring out his profound humility and acceptance of the will of God in his life. We hear in those words of Malcolm Muggeridge a very true echo of the words uttered by John the Baptist in today’s Gospel: “He must increase, but I must decrease” where John expresses his desire to fade away from the hectic activities of the world and leave it open for the ministry of the Lord.

The passage we heard just now from the Gospel brings before us through the words of John the Baptist the importance of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist knew fully well that his time and mission were over. It was time for him to depart from the scene. Hence, he urges his disciples and followers to follow Jesus as he is the source of life. He was just preparing the way, clearing the ground , making the world ready for Jesus to proclaim his message of salvation. Jesus is the bridegroom and the world has to follow him.

There is no tinge of sadness in the words of John the Baptist; on the other hand, there is a sense of joy in the sense that his mission is over. The man who romped on the stage of the world history as one of the great prophets is now willing to leave everything and fade way as the ministry of Jesus begins to unfold.

Those words of John the Baptist should be on the lips of every follower of Jesus Christ: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Our duty is to proclaim Jesus and make him revealed to the people. It is Jesus who should be proclaimed and followed. It is he who should be loved and obeyed. We are just pointers showing the way to Him.

Many a time what does happen is that we try to become the focus of attention. We become dispirited and sad when we are not given due recognition for our work or contributions or when the focus of the world is not turned to us. We become angry and sad when others ignore us. We feel let down and neglected on those occasions. It is in those moments we lose the perspective of John the Baptist that Jesus is the most important person in our life. Mother Teresa has beautifully pointed out this fact in one of her statements: “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”

We are instruments in the hands of God and through our words and actions, however small or insignificant they may be, we have to proclaim Jesus. As parents, teachers and ministers, we should stand on the sidelines and allow those who are entrusted to our care to become followers of Jesus.

Our sufferings, our sacrifices and our hard work may not be acknowledged and we may be often ignored and neglected. Our work for the family and for the church may be belittled and ignored. Those who are our colleagues or who are in authority may not give due recognition to our work. Such actions should not deter us from our main mission which is to make Jesus known and loved.

Let the words of John the Baptist that “He must increase but I must decrease” be the words that guide us in our ministry of service and love.

Denha,5th S,Feb.6,11

Speaking of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, Victor Hugo mentions in one of his critical reviews that Hamlet is every one of us. The problem with Hamlet is his indecisiveness. His confusion and ambivalence are well pronounced in his soliloquy that begins with the famous words: “To be nor not to be.” Most of us too become confused like Hamlet when confronted with difficult choices we have to make unless we are helped by the grace and power of our faith.

Today’s Gospel presents before us a person like Hamlet in Nicodemus. He is really confused and spiritually paralyzed as to the choices he has to make in his life whether he has to be aligned with Jesus or work against Him. He has to get these matters cleared and hence he comes to Jesus Himself straight away.

The context is very interesting to note. Nicodemus, one of the reputed teachers of Israel comes to Jesus at night. He is afraid to meet Jesus during the day time because of the fear that his colleagues would isolate him. The darkness of the night is also indicative of his spiritual blindness. He needs the Eternal Light to open His eyes to the Dawn of Salvation.

Nicodemus is deeply troubled, confused and disturbed at the presence of Jesus in their midst. The words and actions of Jesus make him think that he is the Redeemer. But if he is the Savior, why there is that much reluctance to admit Him as the Savior by the Pharisees. He wants to meet Jesus and talk out this matter with Him.

Within a few highly packed words, Jesus speaks to him about the new birth he has to undergo to receive salvation and also about His own death and resurrection. All these matters of the spirit are beyond the comprehension of Nicodemus. He is still at the material level of understanding. He asks how one can be reborn. Jesus leads him gradually to go beyond the material world into the world of the Spirit and shows that the impact of spiritual life cannot be visibly seen. The spirit blows where it wills.

Jesus also tells him how His death and resurrection would prove to be the source of eternal life for every one. Using an incident very familiar to the Jews from the Book of Numbers, Jesus tells him how people are going to be saved by His Resurrection just like the people who were saved by looking at the raised bronze serpent.

Nicodemus is every spiritual seeker, every genuine wayfarer in spiritual life. He is our own image in our search for the meaning of life. His confusion and bewilderment are own confusion and bewilderment when we are at the cross roads of life, knowing not where to turn.

The baptism that we have received makes us unique sharers in the life of Christ. It makes us the children of God, and the abodes of the Holy Spirit. We are called to live out a new life. We are not just spectators but participants in the life of Christ.

We are not at the periphery like Nicodemus in this event. We are in the circle. Jesus is with us. We are given a new life. We have to realize the implications of this new life, a life that transforms us at the depths of our hearts.

A Christian life offers us a new vision of reality. We have to see things not in the perspective of the world but that of the spirit. When difficult choices face us, we know where to turn. We should not be turning to those who deny their faith in Jesus for guidance and advice but to Christ. The cross of sicknesses, failures and insults is hard to carry by our personal efforts but with Jesus beside us , we can carry it.

The Cross is our banner of victory. The outstretched arms of Jesus are there to protect us. His hands remind us that He is always there to embrace us in the warmth of His love against the forces of destruction and hostility.

Nicodemus later in life came in the broad daylight to receive the body of Jesus as a converted man, as a spiritually enlightened person, no more afraid of any one.

We too will become enlightened when we commit ourselves totally to Jesus as our Savior and Lord and will never be afraid of any hostile forces in our life.

Denha-Epiphany,4thS,Jan.30,11,Jn.2:1-11

Denaha 4^th S,Jan. 30, 2011 ,Jn.2:1-11

Scott Hahn , one of our foremost lay theologians, is a convert to Catholicism. After becoming a Catholic, he began to understand the power and grace of the sacraments. Speaking of the sacrament of marriage, he says: “The Sacrament of matrimony enables us to enlarge our vision of human life to see history as the sphere in which God enables us to become co-creators, co-teachers, co-redeemers with the one who created and redeemed us all, Jesus Christ.” He goes on to us say that as the sacrament of marriage is a channel of grace for the spouses, the time he spends in daily conversations and interactions with his wife is not just a worldly moment but one that is suffused with divine grace. His wife becomes a new tabernacle of the grace of God for him. Those words of Scott Hahn reveal to us the Christian conception of marriage.

In today’s Gospel, we become awe-struck at the presence of Jesus at the wedding at Cana and at the marvelous manner in which he begins his public ministry by changing water into wine.

The reading from the Gospel presents before us one of the most compelling and beautiful scenes in the Gospel of St. John. The marriage at Cana is an event replete with multiple layers of meanings. Mary’s intercession, the compassion of Jesus, the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, and John’s special emphasis on signs and the hour are all packed compactly in this tight description of the marriage at Cana.

The family at Cana which might have been very close to Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary is caught in a crisis because of the shortage of the supply of wine. Mary intercedes for the family with her son, even without being asked for help by the family. Jesus, in spite of the fact hat he has not begun his ministry, does accede to the request of the Bl. Virgin Mary. She tells the people to do as he tells them. Even though she does not get a positive response from Jesus, she knows He would do what she asks of Him. The guests are surprised by the abundant supply of wine as well as by its excellent quality.

Six jars of water are customarily kept at a Jewish home for the purpose of cleansing for those who get defiled by contact with the dead as mentioned in Numbers19:11-12.Six stone jars used in those times would hold 120 gallons of water.

The evangelist uses the Greek word, “ semeion” meaning, sign or a miracle, for the miracle performed at Cana. The signs of Jesus according to the evangelist are miracles that reveal the power and glory of God working through Jesus Christ. The Fourth Gospel mentions seven signs in its first part from ch.1-12. Hence, the first half of the Gospel has been called the “Book of Signs.”

What strikes one when reflecting on this passage from the Gospel is the presence of Jesus at a wedding. His presence makes it an important event of grace for the couple. The presence of Jesus symbolizes the flow of divine grace in the lives of the married couple. The abundance of the supply of wine is an indication of the bounteous experience of the grace of God when one gets united with Jesus, the Lord of Life.

At a time like ours, when the institution of marriage experiences great stresses and strains, it would be of immense benefit if we reflect on the presence of Jesus in the life of Christian families. Recent studies have revealed that more than a million of children live in broken homes. Couples are willing to part ways when difficulties and strains affect the marriage. They forget the words of Jesus that “what God has united, let no man separate.” His words on the unity of marriage are clear and emphatic.

As Mary has approached Jesus, so too every Christian family should approach Him. A life without the presence of Jesus will be like a ship without an anchor. It will be wrecked by the storms that rage over it.

Archbishop Sheen has pointed out the need for faith in marriage by writing a book called “Three to Get Married.” According to him, “what binds the lover and the beloved together on earth is an ideal outside both…God.” He also points out that “it would be quite futile to think that marriage life will not experience problems and difficulties because of infidelity or cruelty.” He adds that “what makes life tragic is not so much what happens, but rather how we react to what happens.” He advises the families struggling with tensions and problems arising from lack of love and communication or faithfulness not to break the bond, but to utilize the sufferings for self, for children and for the spouse.

We have to look at our problems in the light of the victory achieved by our Lord over his death on the Cross. With Him around us, we can overcome all obstacles in our life.

The final victory is ours. Suffering and pain have lost the power to take away the joy from the life of Christians who believe in the power of the Cross.

Jn.

Denha-Epiphany,3rd S,Jan.23,11,Jn.1:35-42

Denaha 3^rd S,Jan.23,11

Jn.1:35-42

There is a small church in Ernakulam,Kerala, named after St. Maximillian Kolbe. Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan priest who established monasteries of their order in Japan as well as in India. He visited Cochin on his way back from Japan to Poland. When he was working in Poland, he was arrested by the Nazis and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. When a Jew who was called to die in starvation because of the escape of a few prisoners from the camp cried out , “ Family, Family.” Fr. Kolbe offered himself to die for the Jew. He was accepted and sent to the cell to die of starvation. Since he did not die, he was given a lethal injection. Fr. Maximillian offered his life to save the life of another fellow prisoner. He was willing to carry the burden of death for another person. Hundreds and thousands have sacrificed their lives in such a heroic manner in the history of the Christian faith. We would wonder about the source of inspiration for these heroic souls like St.Maximillian. It is none other than Our Lord himself who has offered himself for the whole of mankind to redeem them from the punishment for sins and offer eternal salvation.

In today’ Gospel, we hear about the mission and ministry of Jesus as He would be the person who would carry the sin of mankind in reparation and would secure eternal life for them. St. John the Baptist sees Jesus from the angle of death and life in today’s Gospel.

St. John the Baptist, seeing Jesus at a distance, calls him “The Lamb of God” which is a term packed with a lot of meanings for Israelites. We find immediately two of the disciples of John going after Jesus and inquiring where he lives. The response of Jesus is quick: “Come and See.” Once they experience personally the life of Jesus and come to know who He is, their excitement knows no bounds. Immediately, one of them, Andrews, sees his brother, Simon, and tells him, without any doubt or vagueness: “We have found the Messiah.”

The word for Lamb, used in the address of John the Baptist, in Greek is “amnos” which refers exclusively to lambs that are meant for sacrifices at the Temple. To every Jew, brought up in the tradition of the Old Testament, the lamb would represent the sacred animal set apart for sacrifice for the sins of man. It was the blood of the lambs smeared on the doorposts that saved the lives of the Israelites from the Angel of Death.”(Exod.12:11). Every day in the Temple, lambs were slaughtered and offered for the reparation of sins. Thus the term “lamb of God”, used by the John the Baptist to refer to Jesus, was packed with these sacrificial meanings to the hearers.

What John implies is that Jesus would sacrifice his life for the deliverance of the people from the bondage to sin. It is that title that moves the disciples of John to abandon him and go in search of Jesus.

The passage from the Gospel is an invitation to each one of us to accept Jesus as the Savior of our lives, the One who has died for us to make us the children of God. Jesus is the one who gives us the courage to face the hardships and challenges of life and help us to face opposition or hostility. He will secure us peace and joy.

This is the Good News that we have to share that Jesus will never abandon us and will always be around us to protect us.

That is why Andrews wants to share it with his brother. We too have to invite people to come and see Jesus and experience the presence of his strength and support in their lives.

How comforting it is to know that however far we move from Him, He will never abandon us and that He will come in search of us. He is there to forgive our sins and to offer us the warmth of his love. As Archbishop Quinn, the former Archbishop of San Francisco has once said, the Catholic Church is not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners. Jesus is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

As Andrews has told Peter, we too have to tell our friends that we have found the Christ. The world needs our witness.

Families break down and there is a lot of hostility among people. Many experience a lot of stress in their lives. They are looking for the Savior. We who have known the Savior and experienced His love and forgiveness have to share them with others. As John the Baptist points to Jesus, we too have to become pointers to Jesus, inviting people to experience the presence of Jesus in their lives and to remain with Him.

Denaha-Epiphany,2nd S,Jan.16,11.

James Martin S.J. is a prolific writer on contemporary spiritual issues. As a young man he worked in the Wall Street, after his graduation from the Wharton School of Business. But he felt that the work in the world of Finance was not satisfying his inner spiritual hunger. He resigned his job and decided to work full time for God--to become a Jesuit priest. Like Thomas Merton, he abandoned everything he had in the world of material success and opted for total poverty. He wrote a beautiful work called “In Good Company” detailing the spiritual transformation that has taken place in his life. Only those who have deep convictions can witness to those convictions without any fear or anxiety. James Martin belongs to that group.

Today in the Gospel reading, we come across a person with tremendous spiritual strength and confidence who had no fear of men or material powers. It is none other John the Baptist about whom Jesus remarked that “among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.”(Mt.11,11)

Jesus has not started his preaching and the voice of John is heard over the hills and valleys of Palestine .People are rushing towards him as if he were the savior. The Jewish leaders are really perplexed at the great crowds John is drawing and at the tenor and power of his words calling people to repentance and to a closer union with God. So they send their emissaries to ask him directly to describe who he is. They ask him whether he is Elijah or a Prophet like Moses or the Christ himself.

It was the belief among the Israelites that before the arrival of the Messiah, one of the great prophets like Elijah or Moses would appear. According to prophet Malachi, Elijah would make final preparations for the arrival of the Messiah. In Deut.18:15, the expectation is for a Moses-like prophet. Hence John the Baptist is peppered with questions concerning his identity.

Refuting all these notions and expectations, he asserts that he is none other than a path-breaker, a voice crying in the desert to prepare the way for the One who is to come after him, the real Prophet and Savior. John also points out the distinctive difference between what he offers and what Jesus is going to offer. He offers a baptism of water, a ritual cleansing whereas the Baptism of Jesus involves the cleansing of the soul. Jesus alone has the authority to forgive sins.

Baptism has a history in the life of the Jews. The rite of immersion once meant legal purification for those who contracted some impurity under the Law. Baptism was also used as a rite to receive the gentile converts into Judaism. John’s baptism is something similar as a sign of conversion or of repentance. But the baptism that Jesus gives confers the Holy Spirit, makes one a child of God and cleanses one of sins.

What comes out of this testimony of John is the awareness of his own limitations and also of his powerful proclamation of the authenticity of the mission of Jesus. In spite of enjoying such a high regard among the people because of his austere life and penance, he is humble enough to acknowledge that he is only a shadow, an echo and that he is not the one who should be given a prime place in their hearts. He is to be considered only a slave as he is only worthy enough to do a slave’s work, untying the laces of the master’s sandals. Referring to John, St. Augustine says that John’s greatest merit lies in his act of humility.

How can we reflect in our life the sense of humility and the power of testimony that John exemplified in his life?

Our arrogant ways, contempt for our neighbors, and our glorification of our achievements etc do not become us as the followers of Christ. Our talents and accomplishments, our family and our resources and everything that we have should be seen as gifts of God. We are just dispensers of the gifts of God. Such an attitude will enable us to become more compassionate and forgiving in our lives.

Many a time we are very shy of bearing witness to our faith in the Lord. Even in our family circles, we are unwilling to share our faith. Parents very rarely share their experience of their faith with their children. Some leave that task of sharing to priests and CCD teachers.

We don’t realize that we live in a world that is unabashedly materialistic and hostile to a Christian way of life. During the Christmas days, people are afraid of even mentioning the word, Christmas. All religious symbols of the Christian faith are ignored. As the Holy Father Pope Benedict has remarked in his recent book “Light of the World”, a negative type of tolerance (not offending anyone) is being created in the minds of people. In such a willful silence, if those who believe do not witness to Christ, it would be a great betrayal of Christ. To quote the Holy Father again,” we need a sort of revolution of faith in many senses---the sense of courage even to contradict commonly held convictions.”(Salt of the Earth,p.33)

It is through our words and actions that Jesus should become revealed. May the words and life of John the Baptist inspire us to become bearers of the Good News.