RIGHT VISION AND CORRECT PATH
(18th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

There was a King. One day he gave his golden cane to his minister and said, “Travel all over my country, find the poorest of the poor and give him this golden cane as a support.” He started traveling from place to place, searching for the poorest man; however, he could not find any one who was really poor. Finally he gave up his mission and returned to the palace. By that time, the king had already developed a serious illness and was almost at the brink of his own death. Seeing the minister the King said, “My days are numbered…. I may die in a day or two…. I am afraid to die because I have earned nothing to carry with me when I pass from this life to the next.” The minister could not control his demeanor. He said to his King, “At last, I have found the poorest man in this country. You are that person I was searching for. You knew that you would die one day. Yet, you did not reserve anything for that day. You are the poorest man.”

Two things are important in our life: a clear vision of our destination and the right path to reach there.

St. Paul, in the Second reading (Ephesians 4:17,20-24), talks about the goal of life. He says, “Put on the New Self.” This new self, created in God’s Way, according to Paul is Jesus himself. The whole purpose of life is, therefore, to grow into the fullness of Jesus, who is life and resurrection. We put on the New Self at the time of our baptism. The growth towards Jesus is to be continued until we fully conform to the glorified Christ as revealed in the Transfiguration Event. Therefore, our Challenge is to continue our Journey of life focusing on the things above until we reach our final destination.

It does not mean that we must detach totally from the world. Daily bread is important. Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. In fact, Jesus condemned the Idle Person as recorded in the parable of the Talents. As good stewards, we are responsible and accountable for our growth and as well as the growth of the world. By our labor we are called to enrich the world.” Problems arise when we make ‘manna’ the ultimate goal of our life. The story of manna underscores this point. God said, “Gather only your daily portion.” In other words God told them not to be distracted by “What they eat and drink”. God will provide the faithful with what they need. As we read in the first reading (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15), God sent manna and birds when He saw people were struggling in the desert for food. For God, there is no place as a desert and nothing is in short supply.

Jesus repeated the same message when People came to him looking for Bread. Jesus said, “Work for Food that endures for eternal life.”(John 6:1-15). This is important as we are wired to God. Because we are destined to God, compromising with anything less than God will never fulfill our ‘Thirst and Hunger’ for happiness. Jesus identifies himself with this food that satisfies eternal thirst and hunger. He said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Jesus said the same in numerous ways. “I am the life and resurrection” and “I am the way, the truth and the life” are a few among those.

Finding Jesus in one’s life is our destination. Peter found Christ in his life. He said: “Master, where shall I go? You have the words of life.” Paul echoed the same feeling when he said: “For me life is Christ.” After a long search for truth, the Samaritan Women confessed, “I have found the Messiah.” Where do we find Jesus today? It is in the breaking of the bread, in the Eucharist…

The readings for the 18th Sunday invite us to continue our Journey fixing our eyes on the goal that is life in Jesus and working for the things that ensure our passage to everlasting life.

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION
(17th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Problems are part of life. How we approach problems is what matters. The Gospel reading for the 17th Sunday (John 6:1-15) presents a problem. The problem is this. There was a huge crowd in a deserted place. They were hungry. There was no way to get enough food to feed them. Jesus, however, said to his disciple to give them something to eat. A challenging situation! Two disciples approached this situation differently. The way they responded to it tells us a lot about ourselves too.

PART OF THE PROBLEM!
One of the disciples, Philip panicked. He thought Jesus was crazy. He said: “How do we get enough food for 5ooo people in the Desert? Let them go.” A totally negative, uninterested and disappointed response! He did not want to get involve. He even made it bigger by his attitude. He became part of the problem.

PART OF THE SOLUTION!
Andrew, another disciple, had a different approach. Even though he found the problem challenging, he did two important things. First, he looked around to find a way out. His effort yielded a result. He found a boy with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. Secondly he led the boy to Jesus. A miracle happened. He became part of the solution.

There is a big contrast between these two approaches. Philip tried to solve the problem by himself. It is not possible to solve everything by oneself. We need to resort to the help of others. Ours is not an isolated existence but a shared one. No one can solve all the problems alone. We need others. It is equally important to turn to God. Nothing is in short supply with God. In his hands everything multiplies. Andrew realized this.

A HELPING HAND!
It is not enough to turn to others and God to solve all the problems, we need to do our part too। The boy played a crucial role in solving the problem. He was willing to share. The result of sharing was a miracle.

Our surplus is not ours. It belongs to the needy. God has provided the world with more than what is needed. He has shared everything with us. He even shared His Son. He needs our cooperation. In a certain sense, He has only whatever we offer back to Him.

What may happen if we are unwilling to share? I shall never forget this little incident. In the monastery, I was in charge of the orchard. All kinds of fruit trees were growing there. The main attraction of that particular season was a mango tree. It had only two branches. Both branches produced more fruits than each branch could support. Children started to come by and eventually they started to pluck the mangos. Because of this, we had to hire a watchman to keep the children away and protect the mangos. One morning when I came to the orchard, I could not believe my eyes. Both branches were broken and were lying on the ground. The mangos were also scattered on the ground. Apparently, the weight of the mangos was too much for the branches to support.

God is so generous. He comes to us every day with so many blessings. If we do not share them, these very blessings will become the cause of our destruction. The rich man, in the story about Lazarus in the Bible, was punished not because of his wealth, but because of his unwillingness to share. Alone we are helpless but together we are strong. Togetherness must start with me. We are called to be part of the solution.

TIME FOR ONESELF
(16th Sunday in Ordinary Time-B)

A few days ago we celebrated the feast of St. Benedict, the Father of Western Monasticism. He is known for his spirituality of moderation. According to Benedict a genuine spiritual life consists of three elements: Time for prayer, time for rest and time for work. In spite of our hectic activities, the importance of time for rest cannot be ignored. Jesus understood this point more than anybody else. The gospel reading for this Sunday underlines this point. When the disciples returned after their mission trip, Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Matthew 6:30). Before assigning them another mission Jesus invited them to rest.

Time for oneself (rest) is important for various reasons. It helps to discover who we are, to evaluate our previous actions and to get recharged for future plans. A story is told about William James, the founder of Behavior Therapy. One day a lady called him at his office for an afternoon appointment for the following day. William said, “I sorry, I already have an appointment at that time tomorrow. Please visit with me another time.” The following day, she happened to pass through his residence in the afternoon. To her surprise, she saw William James lying in the garden enjoying the breeze. She was very upset. She approached him and said: “You are a liar. You denied me an appointment saying that you are overbooked.” William said: “I did not lie to you. I have an appointment. My appointment is with myself. The time I spend for myself rejuvenates me to help others more effectively.”

Meeting with oneself is important. This becomes more productive if we discover ourselves in the presence of Jesus. In the second reading (Ephesians 2:13-18) Paul says, “Our peace is real when we come closer to Jesus because as we read in the Psalm, “When He is at my side I fear no evil.” (PS 23). Jesus invited his disciples to rest with Him. “Come to me, all you labor and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28)

Jesus invited his disciples for a rest because He was attentive to their needs. Often we are aware of our needs and privileges. How often are we sensitive to the needs of others? Like a good shepherd Jesus had a personal knowledge of his sheep. He was a person-oriented leader. A task-oriented person is not concerned about the need of his subjects, only his own personal benefits. For him the task is important not the person. For Jesus, the wellbeing of the messenger was as important as the message. How do I treat people who are entrusted to my care?

Overemphasis on oneself, however, can lead us into selfishness. Here Jesus himself is the model. Even though Jesus withdrew to a deserted place with his disciples, when He saw the crowd coming towards him, his heart was moved with pity for them. He forgot about himself and made himself available to them. Jesus had the right priority and the right priority gave him the right balance.

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DREAMING TOGETHER
(Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time-B)

The gospel reading for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time talks about Jesus sending his disciples on a mission. Mission is an inseparable part of discipleship. As John Paul II put it rightly, faith remains incomplete if it is not shared. The notion of mission runs throughout Scripture. For example, Abraham had a mission to fulfill. His mission was to bring blessings to the nations (Genesis 12: 2-3). Like any other prophets, Amos also had a mission to fulfill. The first reading deals with the mission of Amos (Amos 7:12-15). The Gospel talks about the dynamics of evangelization (Mark 7:6-13).

Even though, the central theme of the reading is Mission, what struck me, however, is the way Jesus sent his disciples on the mission. Mark says’ “Jesus summoned the twelve and began to send them out two by two.” Jesus sent them in twos. No one was sent alone. People may interpret it differently. The testimonies of two people bring authenticity to the message. This could be a possible reason for dispatching them in twos. The journey that the disciples were on was through a rough route. The need for companionship or mutual support could be another reason for this particular gesture of Jesus. A deeper reflection on this topic, however, brings forth a few more insights into the discussion.

Evangelization is Team Work, not a One Man Show…!

I remember a discussion that I had with a Seminary Rector some years ago, he said: “The number one criterion I use in evaluating a candidate for priesthood is whether he has the ability to get along with other Seminarians; whether he can work together.” I thought it was an interesting norm for evaluation. This is true precisely because of the nature of the message and the message is communion and fellowship.’ It is a message of dreaming together. A seminarian who could not work with his fellow seminarian is unfit to become a priest as he is called to represent Christ, the great reconciler and mediator. This is equally applicable to any messenger of Christ. A disciple is not called to walk alone but work together for the glory of God.

Evangelization is more than preaching, it is living the Gospel…!

The world does not need any more preachers. It is desperately looking for doers. Jesus wanted his disciples to show the world what does it means to be Christian in concrete terms. Jesus expected from his disciples more than preaching but living the Gospel. When Jesus sent them in groups, probably this was what he had in mind. Jesus emphasized this point right from the beginning of his ministry. The very first act Jesus did after his baptism was to form a group of disciples. The last thing Jesus did before the crucifixion was the institution of the Eucharist, the perfect symbol of fellowship. The first thing Jesus did after his resurrection was to gather together the scattered disciples. Working together is the concrete expression of living the Christian message that is a message of love. I know a Bishop in North India who has a novel method of evangelization. He invites Christian families from South India to come and live with non-Christians for a couple a years. The Bishop believes that the non-Christian families will get inspired by the life style of Christian families. Like Francis of Assisi said’ “Preach the Gospel all the time but use word only when it is necessary.””

The Challenges of working together…!

Working together is not easy in a situation where people want to put their thumb impression on everything they do. The question of who gets the credit can interfere with ministry. People who prefer a ‘One Man Show’ preach not Jesus but self. They attract people to themselves not to God. Hence, Jesus instructed them to focus on him alone and not depend on anything else on their journey. He also told them not to waste time trying to impress upon others. “If any one does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there…”. Our goal must be to remain holy and without blemish before God (Ephesians 1: 3).

If you look at any group, you may find four categories of people. Four different kinds of roles displayed in any given group. There are leaders, contributors, spectators and critics. Everybody may not possess the ability for leadership. People who are good at certain areas may not be effective in a different field. Problems arise when people compete for positions/ power. They do this as they count success as the norm for greatness. The truth is that it is not success but faithfulness that matters in the Kingdom of God. There is, however, a role that anybody can play, the role of a contributor. Everybody can be a contributor. It does not require much. For example, supporting a good idea is an example of contribution. The other two roles are destructive. While spectators (sleepers) weaken the strength of a community, critics often destroy it.

The important question one needs to ask is: Am I a team player and how do I contribute to build up the Body of Christ? For a body to function normally, every member of the body has to play its role. How does my life reflect my mission/ role?

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Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. (Henry Ford)
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