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.

Denaha-Epiphany,1st S,Jan.9,11,Lk.4:14-22

Holy Father Pope Benedict XV1 in his most recent book “Light of the World” speaks of the need for a new evangelization. He mentions that “ we are not a production plant, but a community of men standing in faith. The task is to live the faith in an exemplary way and to proclaim it….We must summon fresh energy for tackling the problem of how to announce the Gospel anew in such a way that this world can receive it.” On this day , when we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord , the thought that should come uppermost in our minds is how to make this Epiphany relevant in our times and how we can make Jesus manifest through our words and actions.

Like any other Jew of his time, Our Lord went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The synagogue service usually consists of reciting the Shema, a summary of the Lord's precepts, "the eighteen blessings", and a reading from the Law (Pentateuch) and from the Prophets. The leader of the synagogue would invite the guest to read from the Scriptures and talk to them. Following that tradition, Jesus was invited to talk to them. He read the passage from Is.61:1-2 where the prophet announces to the people living in exile that a happy time would come with the arrival of the Savior and that they would experience total freedom from slavery and debts. That freedom would be ushered in by the arrival of the acceptable year of the Lord, referring to the proclamation of a jubilee year every fifty years when debts would be canceled and property would be restored to original owners as described in Leviticus Ch.25.

To those waiting eagerly to hear more about an immediate political liberation, Jesus announces that he is the Messiah and that the prophecy is being fulfilled in him. He is the one who is going to give them freedom, forgiveness and restoration. They expect actually freedom from their slavery to the Roman Empire and prosperity in a material sense. Jesus offers them freedom on a spiritual level.

It is very appropriate for us on this first Sunday of Denaha(Epiphany) to reflect on the words of the Prophet Isaiah which Our Lord uses to describe the nature of his ministry. Jesus offers the people spiritual deliverance from their slavery to sin and restoration to the status of the children of God. He is not a political Liberator who has come to battle with the Roman authorities. His battle is more central to the lives of every human being born on this earth His intention is to give true inner freedom which no power on earth can take away.

The poor and the hungry would no more feel helpless but would find unimaginable strength because of their faith in God. Their poverty and their rags will not be a drag any more. They come closer to God than those who are enjoying the luxuries of the world Poverty is no more a burden and a curse but a blessing and a source of freedom.

What does this mean for each one of us? Our faith should enable us to experience freedom and joy. It should make us aware that in our helplessness and poverty, we are not alone. God is with us.

For a Christian, every year should be a jubilee year. His sins get forgiven when he asks God for forgiveness and he is restored to God's favor. He should, then, be acting in the spirit of the Jubilee towards his neighbors. Hatred and vengeance have no place in a Christian's life. Forgiveness and unbounded charity are the expressions of true inner freedom. As Fulton J. Sheen has beautifully expressed: "It is one of the paradoxes of Christianity that the only things that are really our own when we die are what we gave away in His Name. What we leave in our wills is snatched from us by death; but what we give away is recorded by God to our eternal credit, for only our works follow us."

The celebration of the Epiphany or Denaha offers us an opportunity to proclaim a spiritual jubilee in our personal lives. What are the sins, omissions and lapses in our lives that make our relationship with God as well as with neighbors broken and fragmented? Is the lack of respect or of sensitivity on our part creating pain for those who live with us? Do our violent attitudes make the family life a burden to the members? If so, this is the time to seek the mercy and forgiveness from the Lord and to mend these broken relationships.

Then we too would be able to proclaim the Year of the Lord to those who live and interact with us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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