Tuesday, May 31, 2011

ASCENSION OF THE LORD



ASCENSION AS COMMISSIONING

Angels extended Jesus a warm welcome to Heaven. Naturally, they bombarded him with questions. “Have you done something to take care of your Church on earth?” Angel Gabriel raised the first question. “Yes! I have trained a group of disciples”, Jesus replied. “If they fail then what will you do? Do you have a plan B?” they enquired. “No! I trust them!” Jesus said.

This Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus, His glorious entry into heaven. The Ascension is not only about Jesus but also about each one of us. The ascension of Jesus signifies the completion of Jesus’ mission on earth and the beginning of Disciples’ mission. The two sets of instructions that Jesus and the Angel gave to the disciples undoubtedly underline this point. For example, the Angel said to the disciples, “Why are you standing here looking at the sky?” Jesus said to them, “You will receive the power from the Holy Spirit and you will be my witness in Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth (Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11). If we put together these two statements, one thing becomes clear, namely, the Ascension is a commissioning. It is an invitation to take up the mission of Jesus. According to Luke, Jesus finished his earthly journey in Jerusalem and the disciples have to continue the journey of Jesus from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

THE CHALLENGES OF THE ASCENSION!

First, our mission is to establish the Kingdom of God. As Jesus rightly corrected his disciples, establishing the Kingdom consists primarily in ‘witnessing Jesus’ than building up a social institution. Kingdom of God is neither a territory nor an organization but it is the reign of God in human hearts. The key to evangelization is manifesting God’s reign in each one of us. Once a Bishop said, “One of the means we adapt to evangelize non –Christians is to encourage catholic families to come and stay with the non Christians for a period of time.” The principle is that action speaks louder than words. “Preach all the time but use words whenever it is necessary” (Francis of Assisi). Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine.

Secondly, this witnessing must begin from Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem has biblical significance. All the major salvific events took place in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the city of God. It is the meeting place of God. Mount Zion symbolizes God. Witnessing begins from Jerusalem. This means that any act of evangelization must have its source and inspiration in the Word of Jesus. It must be rooted in Christ experience.

Finally, the obligation for evangelization never ceases to exist. Jesus not only fulfilled his mission by offering his life as a ransom for many but also prepared his disciples to take over it. We also have these twofold challenges: Encounter the risen Lord in our lives and share it with our fellow beings, and prepare those who are in our care to continue this mission. Definitely, the starting point of this missionary mandate is our family itself. The Ascension is a call to come out from the secret service to public service.

THE ASCENSION IS A FEAST OF HOPE AND COMFORT

The Ascension is also a feast of hope and comfort. First, it, confirms Jesus’ promise of eternity. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. I am going to prepare a place for you. I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” (John 14: 2-4). Jesus has won this divine heritage for us. This provides us not only great comfort and consolation in facing the uncertainties of our earthly existence, but also encourages us to shape and reshape our earthly pilgrimage in view of our eternal dwelling place. It reassures and reaffirms our faith in the eternal Holiday (heaven).

Secondly, the entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain remains a clear proof of God’s complete acceptance of humanity. Through the incarnation, God entered into the human dimension and by Ascension humanity entered into the divine domain. Ascension completed the mission of incarnation.

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Very often people get confused with the feasts of the Assumption and the Ascension. They are not one but two distinct realities. The Assumption is the reception of Mary into heaven. This was an act of God. On the other hand, the Ascension is Jesus’ entry into heaven by his own power. Mary was assumed into heaven by the power of God while Jesus was ascended into heaven by his own power.

Monday, May 30, 2011

SANCTIFY IN CHRIST
SISTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Yesterday about 123 young people from our parish received the sacrament of confirmation. Confirmation is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel reading this morning we have the story of Jesus promising the Holy Spirit.

Why is the Holy Spirit so important in our life? Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity, is the principle agent of sanctification. The Church is holy because of the presence of the Spirit. We are holy because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life.

Our vocation is to be holy. We are called to be holy. Peter, in today’s second reading, invites us to ‘sanctify Christ as the Lord in our hearts’. The Holy Spirit helps us to be holy in two ways. First of all the Spirit gives wisdom to discern what is right with God. Secondly, the Holy Spirit gives the courage to do what is right with God. Therefore, every day we need to pray for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

It is also important to know that to become a full-fledged member of the Church we need three sacraments. They are Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation. Together they called the sacrament of initiation. Baptism is the sacrament of the Father, the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Son and confirmation is the sacrament of the Hoy Spirit. Through the reception of these three sacraments, we enter the life of the Hoy Trinity, an essential condition to grow in holiness.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

HE KNOWS THE WAY
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

“An elderly man was out walking with his young grandson. "How far are we from Home?" he asked the boy. The boy answered, "Grandpa, I don’t know." The grandfather asked, "Well, where are you?" Again, the boy answered, "I don’t know." Then the grandfather said, "Sounds to me as if you are lost." The young boy looked up at his grandfather and said, "No, I can’t be lost. I’m with you.”

The gospel reading for the fifth Sunday of Easter talks about two things. They are the destination of our life and the way to reach that goal. Our destination is the House of God. Immediately after the transfiguration experience peter suggested, “Let us make three tents here…” God, however, rejected that plan and said, “Listen to Jesus.” We do not have a lasting dwelling place here on earth. The way to reach our destination, the house of God is Jesus himself. He is the way to true life. As long as we are with him, we are on the right path.

The way of Jesus is uncolored love: A love that goes to the extent of sacrificing one’s life for the other. Our challenge is to walk the way that Jesus walked. If we walk the way Jesus walked then we reach the place where Jesus reached.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

GPS
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

A priest was coming to St। Denis church. Half way he lost his way. He went to a gas station and asked for help. “Who are you?” The manager asked. “I am a priest”, he replied. “What do you do?” He asked again. “I am teaching”. That was his answer. The conversation continued. “What do you teach?” “I teach people how to get heaven.” “What? You do not even know how to get St. Denis Church! How do you teach people to get heaven?”

We need in our life someone who knows the way। We have that person in Jesus. He is the Gate. He is our GPS.


Jesus is the gate (way to life) because God approved his way by raising him from the dead. His way consists of three qualities. Knowing each one of his fold, leading them from the front, defending each one’s life by risking his own life. These are the qualities of a good Shepherd. Jesus, therefore, identified himself with a Good shepherd. As his disciples, we have two responsibilities.

1 LISTENING AND RECOGNIZING THE VOICE OF JESUS IS THE MARK OF OUR FAITHFULNESS.

Our challenge is to listen and discern his voice. The problem is that we are bombardedwith a lot of voices (distractions) today. The voice of the secular society, the voice of the self and the voice of various isms are a few among them. Many of these voices appeal to our ears and look good. In the midst of these confusing voices how do we discern Jesus’ voice? How do we prove that we are his faithful Disciples? There are different tools to discern Christ’s voice in our life and understand God’s plan for each one of us. They are prayer, Scripture reading, the celebration of the sacraments, charitable works and different ministries in the church.

Following the Word of Jesus completes the act of listening. Listening alone is not enough. St. James says: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1: 22). Listening is complete in the act of following all the way to the extent of laying down one’s life for the sheep entrusted to oneself. St. James continues: “If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like” (James 1:22-24).

2 RRESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP IS THE PROOF OF ACTIVE FOLLOWING.

Following Jesus means taking the responsibility of our call. We too are shepherds in our own life situations. Some of us are parents, some of us are teachers, and some of us are doctors. We are given responsibilities of one kind or the other. The important question is how we are taking care of our ‘sheep’

FOLLOWING JESUS THROUGH PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATION

Today we are invited to hear Jesus’ call in a in a particular way. Today is World Vocation Sunday. We are called to listen to his call to the priesthood and religious life. The vocation to the priesthood is a unique ministry in the Church. Jesus himself instituted the priesthood. During the Last Supper, after the institution of the Eucharist, Jesus said to his apostles: “Do this in memory of me”. Jesus ordered them to make the bread of life available until the end of time. Jesus established the priesthood to make the Eucharist available. Since the Eucharist is the summit of our Catholic faith, the Church cannot exist without priests. The teaching, sanctifying and shepherding ministries of the Church continue through Holy Orders.

As you are well aware, today our church is suffering from a shortage of priestly and religious vocations. We cannot imagine a situation where we do not have enough priests because no priest means no Eucharist and no Eucharist means no Catholic Church. The problem is not with God, it is with us. God is still calling us to ministry but we do not recognize either his call or fail to respond to it. If a person fails to respond to God’s call not only he/she, but the whole community suffers. Therefore, the families and communities have a great responsibility to encourage our young people to consider priesthood as one of the options. On this day, I invite the parents to see how they are listening to the voice of God and shepherding their families to bring up good shepherds. Family is the primary catalyst of faith formation. Family is the domestic church where vocations take root.

Friday, May 6, 2011


WAIT WITH PATIENCE
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

A number of times Jesus made himself visible to his disciples. Any of these appearances hardly convinced them. Peter went back to his old job with his brother. Thomas wandered around looking for a proof. Disciples one by one returned to their own villages, frustrated and confused. The Emmaus incident gives us one of such scenes.

Two things are worth mentioning.

The disciples were not patient enough to see the whole things in perspective
. They were carried away by one event alone. They neither bothered to see things in proper context nor in its relationship with one another. Therefore, they lost all the hope right away and left the place immediately. No event in isolation brings out the whole meaning. Meaning derives in its relatedness. Jesus helped them to see his death in the context of the salvation history by explaining the Scripture. The two disciples right away got the message.

Secondly, even though the disciples gave up on Jesus, Jesus did not give up on them. Jesus acted like a loving mother. Mothers are like that. They never give up on their children. On this Mother’s Day, let us remember our mothers with gratitude. Jesus did not give up on their disciples. He met them where they were. Jesus went up to Thomas. He met Peter on the bank of the sea. Jesus travelled on the way to Emmaus to ketch up on them.

Do not give up. Like Mary Magdalena, let us wait with patience. We will see Him.