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.