Thursday, March 31, 2011

CHRIST-VISION Fourth SUNDAY OF LENT There is story about Buddha, the founder of Buddhism। One day he was meditating sitting under a tree. A soldier happened to go by that way. He did not like the physical make up of Buddha. He said, “You look like a pig”. Buddha looked at him with a smile and responded,” You look like God”. The soldier was amazed to hear that. “Why did you say that?” the soldier asked Buddha. Buddha said, “The whole morning I was meditating on God in my heart. When I see you in that spirit, I could see the image of God in you”.

See the way God sees! This is an important message of our scripture readings for the fourth Sunday of Lent।

Our vision is most of the time colored with too many distractions of the world। Our criteria for seeing, evaluating and judging are different. Very often external appearances influence our judgment. Our first reading for this Sunday very well substantiates this point. Samuel visited Jesse’s home to anoint one of his eight sons as the king of Israel. Jesse, however, presented only seven sons before Samuel. He could not imagine David, the youngest, leading his country. Therefore, he was not bothered to present him before Samuel. God, however, had a different plan. In the eyes of God, David was the best suited among the eight children. “Man sees the appearance but God sees the heart.” Remember the call narrative of the first disciples. In Peter and his brother Andrew, Jesus saw ‘fishers of men’.

If we see the way God see, things will be much better in our world today। To see the world the way God sees, we need to wear the glasses of God. Jesus is God’s eyeglasses for us. He is the light of God. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world those who follow me will not fall in darkness but will have them the light of life.” The Blind man in the gospel story recognized this truth. He came to Jesus and returned home with a new vision.

Many of us are living in darkness। Some of us are not even aware that we are in darkness। Two things are important for a Christ-vision. First, we need to stand before Jesus (in prayer). In his light, we see our true self. What destroys us is not our sinfulness but the pretention in which we hide our sinfulness. Second, like Buddha, we need to meditate on Jesus. We become what we meditate. As Paul says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”


Like the ancient Gurus of India, let us pray: ASATHOMA SATHGAMAYA (from unreal to real) THAMASOMA JOTHIRGAMAYA (from darkness to light) MRUTHYORMA AMRUTHAM GAMAYA (from death to eternity)

This is a sacred prayer belongs to Sama Veda (HINDU SCRIPTURE)। The spiritual significance that is implanted in this Stanza is an advice given by a Master to his qualified disciple। He asks the disciple to pray the Divine for Its mercy to liberate him from the thralldom of Samsara.

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Tuesday, March 22, 2011

DECEPTIVE LIVING
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

During the last presidential election campaign, one of the candidates said: The fundamentals of our economy are strong. A few days later came the shocking news: The economy is on the verge of collapse. Our tendency is to paint a rosy picture of everything. Once, a little boy said to the priest ‘If everything is wonderful, why is Jesus still hanging on the cross?’ Denial or deceptive living is as old as human history. “I ate the fruit because Eve gave me”, Adam said to God. “I don’t know Him”, Peter said to the woman. “I have no hand in His blood.”’ Pilate washed his hands. Many people are living in denial. As long as a person lives in denial, he/she cannot enjoy change and growth.

The story of the Samaritan Woman tells us the importance of facing the truth. She was living in denial. “I have no husband”, she told Jesus. In fact, she was living with the sixth man. Because she was living in denial, she could not stay with one man. People who live in denial fall into the trap of sin. They commit one sin to cover the other.

How does one come to the truth? It is by coming to the light of Jesus! Her confrontation with the Word of God (Jesus) changed everything dramatically. In the presence of Jesus, she could not hide her private life anymore. She met Jesus face to face at ‘noon’. The brightness of sun is at its maximum at noon. Who can face the sun at noon? The brightness of the Son of God uncovered her hidden life. Change begins when we allow ourselves to be confronted by the word of God. The Word of God hit Paul on the road to Damascus. He became a new person.

Three things resulted from her meeting with Jesus.1. The moment she accepted her deceptive life style, a new world began to dawn for her. She started thinking about things that really matter. “Where do we worship?” she asked Jesus. She became interested in a higher level of existence. 2. She left the jar. She gave up her old way of living. (Peter and Andrew left their nets and nest and followed Jesus.), We cannot have either ways. 3. She ran to the town and shared her experience with people. She became an Evangelizer.

To be the witness of Jesus is our role as disciples of Jesus. Lent is the time for reality check. Am I living in denial? If so, what do I need to do to come to the light of Jesus? What are the Jars I need to leave behind to drink from the life giving spring? Do I find pleasure in sharing the Good News with others?

Thursday, March 17, 2011

HIS PLAN, NOT MY PLAN!
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT-A

This woman prayed every day: “Lord I am desperately in need of money. Help me to win a raffle”. She said the same prayer every day. After being tired of praying, one day she yelled at God, “God, don’t you care for me? You never helped me win a lottery”. God said, “Woman, I really care about you. I desperately wanted to help you but you never bought a ticket”.

We have dreams. God is there to help us. God promised Abraham a New Land. Jesus showed three of his disciples a glimpse of heavenly life. God is there for us.

How do we reach the ‘promised land’? Our natural human tendency is to catch fish without wetting hands. Peter said,” It is good to be here. We will right away build three houses here”. God did not approve his proposal. Instead, God said to him, “Listen to Jesus.” We are here not to make plans for God but to implement God’s plan for us.

Abraham is our model in implementing God’s plan. When God said ‘Go to a land that I will show you’, he blindly obeyed Him. He was willing to give up his safety and security, and left for the unknown land. His only security was his confidence in God. There is no free lunch. It is not enough to say ‘Lord, Lord’ but we need to live the Word in our daily life. Paul says,” God saved us not according to our works, but according to His own design. Therefore, bear our share of hardships for the Gospel”.

How ready we are to listen to Jesus, the Word Incarnate. Are we willing to give up some our safety and security for doing the plan of God?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

TRUST GOD NOT TEST HIM
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT


Every year we begin the season of lent reflecting on the Temptation Story of Jesus। It has twofold purposes: To help us to realize the areas of human weaknesses and to provide us with tools to handle them.

According to the Gospels Jesus was tempted three times। These temptations represent three basic human drives. They are in the areas of passion, possession and position. We can however approach these temptations of Jesus from different angles.

The first temptation was to satisfy a physiological need with an unconventional and unnatural method। We do not make food from stones. The end does not justify the means. The nature of means is as important as the satisfaction of the desires. God has set an order in the universe. The creation was an act of replacing chaos with order. There is a Divine and natural law. Disruption of that law is against the will of God.

We all have different kinds of hungers! It can be in the psychological, physiological, sociological, or spiritual level। How do we satisfy them? Do we follow the law of God? Are we using the moral principles as guidelines in dealing with some of the controversial issues of our time like abortion, gay marriage and so forth?

The second temptation was to replace God with mammon। I remember watching a Television interview of Tiger Wood. He said something like this: ‘I thought money ruled the world. I worked hard and made money. Money however, ruined my life. I need to return to my religion and shape my life based on my religious principles’.

The third temptation was to use religion for personal advantage। Instead of trusting God and making a commitment, Jesus was tempted to test God to show his influence on Him. There are people who use religion for promoting their personal interest. One Lady told me that she encouraged her son to b e an altar server to improve his stage confidence.

It is vital to be aware that the devil is not tempting us any longer with conventional weapons and materials। The devil has upgraded and modernized his devices. The devil traps us today in a very sophisticated way.The devil’s temptation is something like this. He makes our life busy with too many attractive activities and programs. The devil presents these things as critically important and unavoidable. He convincingly presents religion as a private enterprise and make us believe that God and religion can wait. He drives God away from the center of our life and make it one among many. This attitude is called secularism. A person who is a slave of secularism is like a person who built his house on sand.

Temptations are real. There will be Temptations. Temptation has always a promise but at the heart of the promise is a deception. What are my temptations? What are the few things need my immediate attention? We cannot stop birds flying over our head, but we can prevent them from making nest on our head. How do we do that? Jesus is our model. Jesus defeated the tricks of Satan using the Word of God. Every time Jesus was tempted, he used the appropriate Word from the Scripture. We also have no way other than the path of Jesus to defeat the plan of the Tempter!
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A driver tucked a note under her windshield wiper and dashed off:"I've circled the block for 20 minutes. I'm late for an appointment, and if I don't park here I'll lose my job. Forgive us our trespasses. "Returning, she came back only to find a parking ticket and this note:"I've circled the block for 20 years, and if I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. . . Lead us not into temptation. "

Monday, March 7, 2011


ASHES ON OUR FOREHEADS AND HOPE IN OUR HEARTS…!
ASH WEDNESDAY

Today is Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, people come to church on this day in large numbers and formally begin the journey of lent by applying ashes on their foreheads. The Old Testament and New Testament refer to the use of ashes and sackcloth as signs of repentance. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance in this way: “ O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes”(Jer 6:26).

Ashes is a reminder of our mortality. Before God breathed into the nostrils of ‘Adam’ he was nothing more than a clay image. The breath of God raised him to the level of a living being. Without God’s life in us, we are dust. Naturally Lent is a time to discover one’s status before God. It is a time for self -discovery.

Lent is a time of self purification. Never is better than late. Our distractions tell us who we are and where we are. The Bible offers three spiritual tools for our purification: prayer, fasting and alms giving. They are not three independent entities but three aspects of the one and the same reality. Prayer is nothing but being with Jesus. In order to be with Jesus, we need to detach (fast) ourselves from material things. Whatever we may give up may help others to meet the necessities of their lives. Our detachment ( almsgiving) will benefit the needy.

Lent is a time for self-restoration. There is a beautiful passage in the book of Prophet Isaiah: “Do not remember the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not, I am doing something new, says the Lord” “Your sins I remember no more” (Isaiah 43: 18, 25). God is a God of the future, not of the past. God wants to do something new in our life. In order to experience this newness that God promises we need to let our past go with all its bad and sad memories. We might have done awful things in the past. We may be still doing things that are unchristian, unethical and uncharitable. This is the time to break the chain of sinful habits. Brooding over the past memories of which we have no control do nothing good. They only paralyze our present. If God does not bother about our past sin, why do we? As every saint had a past every sinner has a future. Lent invites us to continue our journey focusing on Jesus with Hope in our Hearts…! Those who are in Jesus is a new creation. Lent is an invitation to climb the mount Calvary and have a vision of Mount Zion.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

FOUNDATION
NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

A few years ago, a devastating earthquake hit the Himalayan part of India। Hundreds of people were killed and thousands of houses were collapsed. Many of those houses were collapsed not because of the magnitude of the earthquake, but because of their weak foundations.

Foundation is vital for solidity. There are two kinds of people. Some find their strength in God and others rely on material riches. The material riches are limited in their ability to solve our fundamental issues. John Rockefeller was the first one to reach the status of billionaire. His whole life was motivated by money. His sole focus was business. At the age of 53, however, he became ill. No money could help him. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his life.

Wise people ground their life in God. According to Jesus, they are like people built their houses on solid rock. Neither rain nor storm will rock their foundation. . It is, however, hard to lay the foundation on rock. It needs extra effort, patience and time. The same way to build one’s life on the foundation of God is demanding and challenging. We need to be countercultural most of the time. We may not be able to experience some of the privileges that we enjoy today. It is like digging on the rock. Unfortunately, many people do not bother to face the initial hurdles. As a result, their faith remains shallow. They follow Jesus from a distance. The worldly attractions easily distract them. This kind of faith does not help them when they need it desperately. They are like people who built their houses on sand.

How do we ground our existence in God? How do we grow in Faith? I would like to propose four means to deepen our faith. They are:

1. Discus our faith: It is important to know our faith and know who we are.
2. Challenge our faith: Participate in the faith formation /Bible Study / Religious Education programs.
3. Celebrate our faith: Receive sacraments with preparation.
4. Share our faith: Participate in the ministry of the Church.

As Moses said, ‘we have choices.’ We can choose blessing or curse. Let us make the right choice. Let us lay the foundation of our life on God and say, “In you Lord, I take my refuge; you are my rock and fortress.”