THY KINGDOM COME!

There is one prayer that every Christian knows by heart and that is the Lord’s Prayer. The center of this prayer is the concept of the Kingdom. For example, when we pray the Lord’s prayer, we say, “Thy Kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Today as we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King, it is quite fitting to reflect on the meaning and implication of Jesus’ Kingdom and His Kingship. (Evidently, king and kingship is not an attractive terms in this age of democracy. As people become more and more focused on individual independence, the term kingship does not have any fascination at all. For many people the word King is a synonym for tyranny and subjugation.)

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD? It is very different from our popular understanding. The petition “Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven” gives sufficient insights to this question. Kingdom of God is equivalent to heavenly life. Heavenly life is life in the presence of the Lord. This was the life style of the paradise which we lost by human defiance. Therefore, Jesus said to the penitent thief, “You will be with me in Paradise.”

When we are in the Kingdom, we are in the presence of God. This does not mean the disappearance of pain and struggle. The presence of God in our life, however, gives us a new way of seeing things. We are able to see things from the perspective of God. This makes a difference in life. For instance, forgiveness, sacrifice, love and sharing find new values. This is exactly what happened to the ‘good thief’. In the presence of Jesus, he discovered himself in a new way. He brought heaven to the Earth. Therefore, Kingdom of God is not a place or an institution, it is a situation where I allow God to take over my life and replace my plan with God’s plan. It is living as Jesus lived.

WHY IS JESUS THE KING? The Kingdom of God became a complete reality in the person of Jesus. Jesus submitted His life to His Father and consequently He mirrored God in His life. The result was that Jesus and God, the Father became one. Jesus became the way to God, the Father. As far as Jesus is the Way, He is our King.

Jesus was not an oppressive king. His was shepherding. In Jesus’ presence, everyone experienced freedom, life and joy. For Jesus the king the lost sheep never lost His attention. For Jesus neither the prodigal son nor the women caught in adultery was a hopeless case.

PARAMETERS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

REGENERATION: According to Jesus, what we need is not merely a good example or new teaching but regeneration (conversion). He said to Nicodemus, “Except one is born anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3-7). Continuous openness to growth, profound desire to confirm after the image of Jesus and courageous acts to accomplish it, is the principal mark of a person in the Kingdom of God.

EXTRA MILE MORALITY: Jesus said : Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and Scribes, you will not enter the Kingdom of God. Sermon on the Mount explains this new code of conduct. This is a total reversal of secular values. According to this new approach, greatness comes through service and love, not by power and might. “Great people show their strength through forgiveness where as the weak prove their strength through fight under the façade of ‘justice.’

CENTRALITY OF HUMAN PERSON: In the Kingdom of God, we grow from rituals to relationship. Jesus said, “Sabbath is for man and man is not for Sabbath”. Man/woman and his/her needs determine the course of action. Remember how Jesus appreciated the act of the Good Samaritan. (The priest and the Levite ignore the wounded man in view of offering sacrifice with cleanliness.) It is sad to see how these days cats and dogs take the place of human beings!

SHARING AND CARING: “If you want to follow me, sell your possessions, distribute it with the poor and then follow me”, Jesus said to the young man. He returned home sad since he had a lot of wealth. God punished the Rich Man not because he was wealthy but because of his reluctance to share his blessing with Lazarus, the hungry. Zacchaeus found salvation when he decided to share his wealth with others. The criterion for the last judgment is ‘nothing but our willingness to reach out to each other with a sharing and caring hand.” The road to the Kingdom passes through the neighbors’ house.

Mission Sunday

-October 18-

Today is Mission Sunday. We often talk about being on a mission. What is a mission? How can we become missionaries? A mission is simply sharing our faith experience. If we have a strong experience, we cannot help but share it. I remember an incident that happened some time ago. One of my friends developed blood cancer. He visited many doctors but none could help him. My friend was terribly disappointed. “There is a Pilgrimage Center in Goa. Make a pilgrimage there and offer some prayers then you will be healed,” someone told him. He made the pilgrimage and to his great surprise he was miraculously healed. He was very excited by this, to say the least. Since then, whenever he meets a cancer patient he tells them: “Go to Goa…! You will be healed.”

This is what mission means. It is sharing our Christ experience with one another. If we have a strong experience we cannot help but share it. Saint Paul says: “The love of God urges us.” Pope John Paul II said: “Faith is complete when it is shared.” This is what we see in the lives of the Apostles and the Disciples. When they experienced the power of the Risen Lord, they started to share it. When they were stopped from preaching, Peter and John said to the Sanhedrin, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). We are the fruits of their sharing.

Our Church is missionary by nature. The dimension of sending was explicitly implied in Jesus’ calling. He called them to ‘be with Him and to be sent’. Different times in his ministry Jesus reminded his disciples of this Task. When he appeared to his disciples after the resurrection Jesus said: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.. I am with you always, until the end of the age.”(Mt. 28:19-20) Minutes before His Ascension Jesus repeated the same: “You will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the Earth”( Acts. 1:8).

Now it is our turn to continue this mission. How do we carry out this mission? How do we proclaim the God News of Jesus? We can become missionaries in three ways:
1. By becoming pray-ers. Our model for this is Little Theresa of the Child Jesus. She never saw the world that was outside of the four walls of her convent. But, by her prayers alone, she became the Patroness of Missionaries.
2. By witnessing. Jesus says: By your love show the world that you are my disciples. So living our faith in our day to day life is the most powerful way of Evangelization. People may not read the bible but they do read our lives. Actually mission begins with the evangelization of the Evangelizer.
3. By sharing. Jesus himself is our model. He emptied Himself to fill our emptiness. He became poor to make us rich. By sharing our being and our possessions with the underprivileged we can become living Gospels.

I would like to conclude this reflection with this little story. Once when Jesus and his Disciples were traveling they saw a handicapped person on their way. Seeing this person’s misery, Peter asked Jesus: “If God is such a loving Father, why did He create him without hands. Doesn’t He have any solutions for this person’s problem?” Jesus replied: “Yes! He created you with two hands.”

Religion of the Heart

22nd Sunday in ordinary Time
(Dt. 4:1-8; Ps 15: 2-5; James 1: 17-27; Mk 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23)

Jesus said, “I have come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” Very seldom do we see Jesus obeying the Jewish laws. The Bible reported many incidents where he broke the sacred law of the Sabbath. In fact, this was one of the accusations against Jesus.

We cannot imagine a situation devoid of laws। Lawlessness creates chaos. Obedience to the law is the foundation of discipline and discipline is the mother of life. Law creates order and order produces life. The purpose of any law is order and life. A law that does not serve this purpose is not binding anybody. Let me give an example. On our highways and in our cities we have traffic regulations. Traffic rules are for our safety. They are made to help avoid accidents and help save lives. At a red traffic light, we must stop the car. Ignorance of this rule will invite accidents and the loss of life. So we observe traffic rules to save lives. But an ambulance can continue to go ahead even if the signal is red. Why? For, the ambulance may be carrying a patient who is seriously ill. A delay may cause this persons’ death. The ambulance breaks the law to save a life.

The criterion of law is, therefore, whether it protects and or promotes life। Jesus violated the law to heal the sick, to feed the hungry and to save a life. He came so that we may have life. He is life and his activities are life giving.It is not the letter of the law but the spirit of the law that is binding.

On the basis of this discussion we can talk about two kinds of Religion: Religion of the Heart and Religion of the Rituals. Pharisees and Scribes belong to the religion of the rituals. They are happy if the rituals are performed correctly. As they were obsessed with rituals, they missed the core of religion that is relationship. The purpose of religion is to facilitate relationship. Jesus focused on this aspect of religion: Conversion of the heart and the resultant growth in fellowship. So Jesus said’ “What comes out of man make him defiled or undefiled.”

Religion must help us to grow from ritual to relationship. Jesus therefore summarized all the religious laws into a single law: Law of Love. There is only one law for Jesus- ‘Do what is more loving in a given situation.’

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I will be on vacation during the month of September. Reflections will continue in the month of October.
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Choose Life

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18, Psalm 34: 3-21, Ephesians 5:21-32, John 6:60-69)

When Jesus finished his teachings about the Bread of Life, his disciples came to him and said, “Many returned to their former way of life, saying, ‘this teaching is hard; who can accept it?” However, Jesus’ reply was simple. He said to them, “Do you also want to leave?” By making this seemingly harsh statement, Jesus was inviting them to make a radical decision in life – a decision for or against life.

Life is a series of decisions। There are only two choices:-Life or Death. The first man (Adam) was confronted with this challenge. He was asked to make a fundamental decision – a decision, either for life by denying the fruit of the tree or for death by eating it. He failed the test and paid the price. At the very outset of his public ministry, Jesus, too, was asked to make a similar decision – to eat the bread of the earth or to eat the bread of the Father. Jesus came out victorious in this test. He said, “Doing the will of my Father in heaven is my food.” God the Father approved his decision and introduced him to the world as his beloved Son. Before sending the disciples out for their mission, Jesus gave the same test to them: “To eat the flesh and to drink the blood of the Son of Man.” They, also, passed the test. Peter, representing all, said to Jesus, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Now, it is our turn…! Jesus is inviting us to make a fundamental choice. Life is a constant struggle to make the correct choices, because in every person two principles are at work – the life principle and the death principle. (S.Freud). It is easy to opt for death (the pleasure principle) as it is less demanding and immediate in terms of results. The pleasure principle is behind the fast development of the instant or consumer culture. Instant culture is tolerable as long as it does not enter into human relationship. When it becomes a style of human relationship, the result will be ‘adultery, divorce and abortion’. Option for life is difficult, though it is messianic. It is difficult as it demands sacrifices. But the result of delayed satisfaction (Sacrifice) is eternal happiness and peace.

Like Joshua addressed his people, Jesus also tells us today, “Decide today whom you will serve?” Can we answer with Peter, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the holy one of God.”

Bread of Life

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The central theme of the readings for our liturgy these days is ‘The Bread of Life.” The first reading (1Kings 19:4-8) narrates an interesting tale from the life of Elijah. He was on a forty year journey towards mount Horeb. On the way, however, he lost hope, spirit and energy. Totally frustrated and exhausted from the burden of life, he slept under a tree praying for his death. An Angel appeared from heaven with food and drink. He ate the food, received power and continued his journey.

Two things are significant here. First of all, forty years of journey in this particular context symbolizes a person’s span of life. In those days there were no medical facilities as we have today to extent and expand their life span. Even though some may claim today that they can live the full span of their life with the support of science, the truth is the opposite. Without God’s help we are just dust. Secondly, even though Elijah could continue his journey with the bread from an Angel, he still could not reach the destination, the Mountain of God. The bread was still made of material things. This ‘food and drink’, however, foreshadow the Eucharist.

It is important to notice two things here. First of all, our life does not end with death. Secondly, because our earthly life is a destination in itself we need bread that sustains our life after death. In the Gospel reading, Jesus introduces himself as this bread. Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6: 41-51)

Bread of Life has two levels of meaning in the Bible. First, bread of life is the Word of God. The Hebrew Bible used the word food for Torah, the Law. (Ps 119) Jesus also used the word bread, with the same meaning when he said, “My food is to do the will of the One who sent me and to carry out his work.” (John 4.34) With his incarnation, the Torah (the food) became Flesh in the person of Jesus, so that every word that came out of his mouth became bread for Salvation. The way of Jesus became the True path (food) for eternal life.

Secondly, not only his words but with His sacrifice on the cross, his body and blood, the acceptable offering of God, became our bread of life. Today we find this bread in the Eucharist. In the breaking and sharing of bread we receive enlightenment, nourishment and hope as experienced by the Emmaus Disciples.

The breaking of the Word and the breaking of the Bread, together constitute the Bread of Life. The word of God enlightens us to see the things above and the Eucharist grafts us to God like a branch of a tree attached to the main trunk. The immediate effect of this relatedness with Jesus is the New Way of life as mentioned in the Second Reading. Live in love as Christ loved us. (Ephesians 4:30-5:2).

CORPUS CHRISTI

(Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ)
June 14,2009

Before I received my driver’s license, I spent a few hours practicing my driving skills. Charlie was my guide and instructor. He had me drive the free-ways, the highways, the city streets, all kinds of roads. I did all the driving. Charley just sat beside me. Never once did I feel any sort of nervousness. A few weeks later, after securing my driver’s license, I went for a drive. This time I was all alone. All at once my legs and hands started to shake. My heart began to beat rapidly. “Why?” I asked myself,“ I have my license now…before I had no license ... but I never experienced any fear at all”. I started to rethink. Then I came to the insight that I needed. When I drove before I was not alone. Beside me was a person who was an expert in driving and he could control the car in case of any danger. Though he was not driving, his mere presence gave me confidence. Presence of the other is a great strength.

The awareness of God’s presence is the most powerful strength that I can have on my journey of life. The example of Peter walking over the water is a telling example of this fact. As long as he was in the presence of Jesus, Peter could walk on water. The moment he got distracted, he began to sink.

We can think of experiencing God’s presence in a numerous ways. The Eucharist, however, is the only place where we can experience the real presence of Jesus. As we celebrate Corpus Christi, the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus, it is highly desirable to reflect on this aspect of the Eucharist.

The institution of the Eucharist was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise. He said’ “I will not leave you alone. I will be with you till the end of the world.“ After the institution of the Eucharist Jesus said, ”Do this in memory of me.” His promise of staying with us is made permanent through the mystery of the Eucharist.Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist strengthens us in different ways। I would like to mention three of them. Jesus gives us:-

1. A sense of being loved through the active memory
When we celebrate the Eucharist we make the redemptive story alive, active and experiential. Active memory is something that evokes in our minds the feelings and responses that are similar to the original one. For example, the death anniversary of my Father and death anniversary of my neighbor evoke totally different emotions and feeling in me. The remembrance of my father is almost like reliving my life with him. Similarly the breaking and sharing of the Bread and Wine bring to our memories the unparallel love and sacrifice of Jesus that brought us back to life. The awareness of this unfailing love of God is our hope and comfort. If we can make this memory alive every time we celebrate the Eucharist, then we live in the presence of God all the time.

2. A sense of purpose through right direction
The major problem that we are facing today is self-ism, ego-ism, individual-ism. Here Jesus gives us a model to follow. In the Eucharist we have an action plan. First of all, this is a mechanism of breaking, sharing and empowering. When I am willing to break and share, I reveal my God given talents and share them with others bringing us to the fullness of life. Secondly, Sharing makes Eucharist. When Jesus took the bread it was a lifeless material thing. When He broke and shared it, it became Jesus himself. When we share our life, they become Eucharist. Again, everything in the world has the potential to become the Eucharist. The sacredness is hidden in the secular. It is our responsibility to unfold the sacredness in the secular and to change the world into Eucharist. This kind of understanding of the Eucharist not only give us orientation for a better life but also makes us feel good about ourselves as we become more and more useful servants.

3. A feeling of connectedness with the divine
Body cannot survive without food. A branch cannot exist unless it is connected to the main tree. The soul cannot function without being connected with its source. The Eucharist is not only the food that nourishes the soul but the bread that connect us with the Divine. In this sense it is the breath of God. Our sharing in the Divine life though the Eucharist gives us the strength and confidence to face the temporalities of life with courage and hope.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus was physically present in the world to lift up the people from their miseries. He continues his saving presence through the mystery of the Eucharist. Eucharist is his saving gift to each one of us. Approach him in faith and with confidence, you will be a different person. Bishop Sheen said, “My stay before the Blessed Sacrament changed my human ways into divine.” Stay with Jesus who is willing to stay with us.
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Ascension is a Call to Mission

When the parish priest was greeting people after the Easter Celebration, he saw somebody new in the crowd. Gently he approached him and said: “Would you like to join the army of Jesus Christ?” “I am already a member of the army of Christ,” he replied. “ But I never see you here!” the priest replied. “Oh! I am in the secret service!” he answered.

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 two sets of instructions that were given to the disciples by Jesus and the Angel 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 of all, 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.

And 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.
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There are two ways of spreading light; to be a candle, or the mirror that reflects it। (Edith Wharton)

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Mission Accomplished

(FEAST OF THE ASCENSION)

ASCENSION AND ASSUMPTION
This Sunday, we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of our Lord, the entry of Jesus into heaven. According to Scripture, on the fortieth day of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples, commissioned them to spread the Good News and then ascended into heaven in their presence. The number forty has biblical significance. For instance, the people of Israel were in the desert for forty days before they entered the Promised Land; Moses prayed for forty days before he received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:18); It was for forty days that Elijah survived on the strength of the meal that the angel gave him (I King 19:8); Jesus spent forty days in the desert before he inaugurated his public mission (Mark 1:12).

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.

THE ASCENSION IS TRANSFER OF MISSION
The Ascension of Jesus signifies two important events in the history of salvation.
· It marks the completion of Jesus’ Mission on earth
· It inaugurates the beginning of the Disciples’ mission
Jesus had a twofold mission to accomplish.
1. To reconcile the world with God.
2. To prepare his disciples for the era of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus completed the reconciling mission by his sacrifice on the cross and he prepared the disciples for the Holy Spirit and for their future mission during the post resurrection period। Thus the Ascension symbolizes the fulfillment of his mission.

The Ascension also denotes the completion of his resurrection. Even though resurrection raised Jesus to a new mode of existence, free from the limitations of time and space, he was yet to enter into the heavenly realm. Remember his statement to Mary Magdela, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17). In its widest sense, the Ascension includes three moments: the final physical departure of Jesus from his disciples; his metahistorical presence and entry into the heavenly domain; and the exaltation of Jesus at the right hand of God. Ascension completed the process of transfiguration.

Secondly and more importantly, the Ascension is an invitation for us to take up the responsibility of the Church as adult disciples. For the apostles, their training period was over and the time had arrived for the beginning of this mission. So the Angel said to the disciples who were shocked and worried by the absence of the physical presence of Jesus: “Why are you standing, looking up to heaven, go and do what Jesus commanded to do. Go and be His witnesses” (Acts 1: 6-11). In other words, instead of waiting for God to do everything for us, you do everything for God. It is a call to Christian maturity. It is a call to represent Jesus in our time. Grow from followers of Jesus to leaders of ministry.

THE ASCENSION IS A CALL TO TRANSCENDENCE
Life is an onward journey, a process of leaving behind the past and aspiring towards something nobler and higher. It is a continuous transformation, a steady process of transcending the limitations imposed by the aspects of time and space. The resurrection liberates us from the clutches of space. The Ascension, however, frees us completely from the limitations of time and space and takes us to the dimension of Godly existence. This process begins with our baptism and continues until we reach the realm of God. The Ascension is a call to transcendence leading to our own assumption।

THE ASCENSION IS A FEAST OF HOPE AND COMFORT
The Ascension is a feast of hope and comfort. First of all, 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.

The Fifth Gospel

(Fifth Sunday of Easter)

Recently we had a discussion on Discipleship. One of the participants made this interesting comment: “ Disciples are Jesus multiplied”. I thought it was a great statement about discipleship. Christianity is not about a doctrine. It is not about a bunch of principles. It is all about a person, the person of Jesus Christ. The kerigma of the early Church evidently supports this view. All the disciples without any exception proclaimed only one thing: the person of Jesus Christ. It is not the teachings of Jesus but the person of Jesus that saves us. Peter for instance said: “Everyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins through his Name” (Acts 10: 43). Paul said the same in a different way: “Everyone who is in Christ is a new creation”.

This was a clear deviation from the Old Testament understanding of salvation. According to the Hebrew Scripture, salvation was attained through membership in the Chosen Race (Israel). Israel was the Vineyard of God (Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:9). Later, Israel was identified with vine and Israelites as branches. Israel, however, became a wild vine and lost its credibility (Jeremiah 2:21). Jesus replaced the vine of the Old Testament with Himself (John 15: 1-8). Jesus is the vine that provides the life giving sap. In order to receive life, therefore, one has to be grafted to Jesus. Jesus is the vine and all those who are in Jesus are the branches. It is not enough to be a member of the community for attaining salvation. Community is the communion of people who found salvation in Jesus.

Christian spirituality is measured in terms of one’s intimate union or relationship with the person of Jesus. The challenge is to find ways to remain in Jesus. Naturally a lot of pruning and cutting is necessary. Vine bears two kinds of branches; one that bears fruit and one that does not produce fruits. Vine grower cuts the branches that do not yield fruits so that they will drain away none of the plant’s strength. The same way, our growth in Jesus depends on how we are willing to control the worldly inclinations and tendencies and focus on the inspiration of the Spirit. Ask yourself: What is that I need to stop doing and what is that I need to start doing to develop a personal intimacy with Jesus.

The criterion to evaluate our intimacy with Jesus is our behavior itself. Our behavior is the expression of who we are. Does my life reflect Christ? According to John when we “love one another as Jesus commanded”, then we manifest Christ in our lives (1 John 3:18-24). One branch alone does not make a beautiful tree. Do I allow other braches to grow and bear fruits? (courtesy: Msgr. Jim Loughnane). I remember this experience that happened when I was working in North India. One day, while I was returning home after attending a meeting at the Bishop’s house, I met an old man. It was a very windy night and he was carrying a heavy bag. I felt sorry for him, so I stopped my scooter and asked him, “Where are you going at this hour?” “My train was late, so I missed my bus. My house is about three miles away”, he informed me. “Don’t worry. I will give you a lift”, I offered. “Are you a Christian?” on the way, he asked me. “Yes”, I replied. Further down the road, I asked him, “Why did you ask me such a question?” “Only Christians do this kind of work”, the old man replied.

Everyday we do lots of things. Every word we speak, every action we do, the kinds of friends we have, the way we dress, the kind of entertainment that we choose… everything associated with us reveals our identity. We show our identity through our behavior. By our behavior we tell people that we are disciples of Jesus. What kind of fruits am I bearing?

We cannot produce fruits of the kingdom without remaining in Jesus. Jesus is the source of all that is true and good. Paul was able to evangelize the gentile world because of his affinity with Jesus. Mother Theresa was able to do miraculous job for the poor because of her connectedness with Jesus. Their relationship with Jesus was such that in them ‘message and messenger’ became one. They became true branches. What about us?

The Fourth Way

(Third Sunday of Easter)

Peace is in short supply!

I was watching the Television with a group of children. The show was a scene from the borders of Afghanistan where the Peace Keeping Force was doing their regular patrolling. Seeing the Peace Keeping Guards armed with weapons, one of the children surprised me with this question: “Father, how can they bring peace through guns?” I thought that was a relevant question.

It is an undisputable fact that world is in need of peace more than ever before. It is marked with war, violence and hatred. The number of broken families and wounded personalities are on the ascent. The language of aggression and threat make the situation even worse. Naturally every heart beats with the same question: How do we give peace a chance?

Where is the problem?

There is no shortage of peace talks today. Serious discussions and various efforts are taking place towards restoring peace and order. The hope for peace, however, is still remaining in the realm of meetings and discussions. Where is the problem? The problem lies in the methodology, in the approach. Our leaders are trying to restore peace either through compromise or by tolerance or by domination/submission. Any peace that emerges from compromise, tolerance, or submission is not real as it does not address the real issues. For example, through war you may bring peace in a region. In war there is always a losing side. Moreover, the majority of the victims of a war are innocent people. The defeated people will wait for an opportunity to strike back. The cycle of hatred is not broken but continues. In compromise, the minor party always feels victimized. Each is an example of pseudo peace. This kind of peace is only temporary and peripheral. As long as the problem remains, this pseudo peace is only a pretension.

The Fourth Way!

There is a fourth way to peace - the way of Jesus. According to the Bible, Jesus assumed human form for a single purpose: to bring peace on earth. When Jesus was born, the angels sang the song of peace! The Risen Lord always greeted his disciples with peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

Jesus used neither scare tactics nor might to bring peace but he used the law of forgiveness and conversion. The Gospel reading for the fourth Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:35-48) underscores this point. The Risen Lord came to the room where disciples were hiding out of fear and wished them peace. In order to make peace a real deal, Jesus did three things:

• Removed the fear from the hearts of the disciples


• Made them aware of their sinfulness


• Forgave their sins

1. Jesus removed the fear of the disciples.

People who live in fear cannot think rationally. Their primary concern is self defense. They won’t see the truth. Because of their fear, for instance, in the person of Jesus they saw a ghost! Fear blinds our perception and wrong perception leads to wrong action.

The first step in a process towards peace is to remove the fear from the hearts and create a sense of trust. The disciples were tormented by fear. Their fear was not external, but rather internal. Their fear resulted from a sense of guilt for betraying Jesus. Fear can be real or unreal. It can be from within or without. As long as fear exists trust is impossible and peace never begins. Jesus did not reinforce their fear by blaming them for their betrayal. Brooding over past sins only paralyzes our present.

2. Jesus made them aware of their sinfulness

Unconditional forgiveness does not mean unconditional approval of behavior. Peace will not last if it is based on denial. Jesus wanted them to be aware of the consequence of their sin, not for retribution but for their conversion and change of hearts. With this purpose in mind, Jesus showed them the mark of the nails in his hands. The nail marks on his hands and feet reminded them of the devastating effect of their sins. Before we move on with life, it is important to take the responsibility of our behavior and validate it.

3. Jesus forgave them

And finally, to make peace real, we need to bury the past and look ahead with new possibilities. The past events did not influence Jesus’ relationship with them, but the future possibilities bound them together. Jesus wished them well. Jesus offered them forgiveness and ate with them as sign of reconciliation.

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Here we have a paradigm for peace. Here we have a peace mission. It is not through compromise or tolerance or might, but through understanding, forgiveness and mutual benefit. We are blessed when we become peacemakers. Peace is possible as long as there are people with Good will.

Divine Mercy Sunday

The first Sunday after Easter is celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday. In 1930, Jesus appeared to Faustina, A Polish Nun, and revealed to her the nature of God’s love. Jesus said to her: “My love is unlimited and available to all, especially to the poor sinners”. Jesus blessed her with a prayer for mercy. Sr. Faustina started a special devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus and popularized it. Our Late Holy Father Pope John Paul II encouraged this devotion and in 2000 on the day of her canonization, the Pope advised the universal church to celebrate this devotion on the first Sunday after Easter.

Mercy, another name for God. God is merciful and compassionate. The whole Bible is a series of stories that proclaim the unfailing and unconditional love of God towards humanity. The expressions like “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands, I have written your name; your walls are ever before me” (Isaiah 49:15-16) talk volumes about the nature of God’s love. The Evangelist John beautifully summarized the depth and width of God’s love in the following statement: “ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” John 3:16).

Divine Mercy! What does it Mean?

The word mercy is derived from the Latin word misericordia. Misericordia is a combination of two words: miseri and cordia. Miseri means suffering and cordia means heart. Misericordia means a heart that is willing to suffer for others. God is merciful means that God has a heart which is willing to suffer for us, willing to do anything for us.

Jesus, Mercy incarnated. “I desire Mercy not sacrifice, I haven’t come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). These words of Jesus beautifully explain how much Jesus possesses the heart and mind of God. Paul says: “God, who is rich in mercy, brought us to life with Christ” (Ephesians 2: 4). Sharing the mercy and love of God was Jesus’ mission. Jesus invited everyone “To find rest in him” (Matthew 12:28-30).

The readings for the second Sunday of Easter further substantiate this point. The Gospel (John 20:19-29) talks about two specific actions of Jesus that reflect his mercy and compassion.

1. When Jesus came to the room where disciples were hiding out of fear and remorse, he said to them: “Peace be with you, receive the Holy Spirit”. Jesus did not bring the past. He did not scold Peter for denying Him on the way to Calvary. Transcending the past, forgetting everything that had happened a couple of days ago, Jesus offered them peace and reconciliation.
   
   By offering them the Holy Spirit, Jesus was absolving them from their failures because God the Holy Spirit is the principle agent of sanctification. This is evident, if you recall the prayer of absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “God, the Father of Mercies, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit upon the church for the forgiveness of sins…”



2. Jesus showed the same mercy towards Thomas too. When Thomas was reluctant to believe in the resurrection, Jesus came to him, showed his wounded hands and satisfied his desire in the way Thomas wanted.

The way of mercy is the way of Grace. God is merciful. It is not enough to receive mercy from God. We need to show mercy to others. This is evident when Jesus said: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7) and “I desire mercy not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mt 9:13). The disciples understood this message. After they themselves witnessed the mercy of Jesus, they started a new life style based on the same principle. The second reading (Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35) is the practical application of this new life style. “They took care of each other. There was no one among them who was in need”. Jesus expects us to show mercy to one another. On the day of the final Judgment, the only criterion that Jesus is going to use will be ‘whether we were merciful to one another’ (Matthew 25:40,45). Finally, as the second reading (1 John 5:1-6) states: When we practice mercy in our daily life, we proclaim that we are the children of God.

Beyond Sight (Easter Sunday)

In a seminar for high school students, they were asked to write down the different developmental stages in the life span of a human person. One of the students gave a very interesting answer. He wrote: There are eight stages and they are infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, old age, death and resurrection.

Life is not a destiny in itself but a journey towards God. As St. Paul says, “Death does not have the last laugh”’. This is not a unique Christian position. Every religion believes in and preaches about life after death. For instance, the Hindu Religion visualizes the goal of life as a perfect merging of our soul into the supreme God. Until one attains this goal, he/she is born again and again. Buddhism talks about nirvana / total enlightenment / liberation as the goal of human existence. Islam also believes in a final judgment after death.

Our faith in the resurrection of the body is not based on wishful thinking, but on the historical foundation of the resurrection of Jesus. We do not believe in a God who is dead, but a God who is living. By raising Jesus from the slavery of Death, God the Father is conveying to the world a number of redemptive truths.

What Did The Resurrection of Jesus Signify?

The Resurrection of Jesus vindicated the life lived by Jesus. Like any other human person Jesus struggled between two voices; the voice of God and the voice of his self. The struggle was between the temptation to make a Name for Himself through power and might, and the strong call to build up a Name for God through obedience. This struggle constantly challenged him. But victory was his. The prayer that Jesus uttered from the cross ‘Father in your hands I place my soul’ became his song of triumph. God was pleased the way Jesus walked. He raised Jesus up. Bringing Jesus back to life, God says: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; follow him”. On this Easter day we are invited to declare with Peter:” Between heaven and earth there is no name other than Jesus given for human salvation.”

The resurrection of Jesus declares God’s faithfulness. The first sin of humanity was mistrust. Adam and Eve, the first parents, doubted the intention of God. Even the disciples were suspicious. Lack of trust forced Peter to deny Jesus. God raised Jesus from the dead to convince the world that he is trustworthy and “even if a mother abandon her own child, God will not abandon His faithful ones”.

The resurrection of Jesus underlines the possibility of Hope. Our instant culture looks for immediate result. Our patience does not last until we see the other side of the mountain. Our world is limited within the range of our eye sight. So much so, we get frustrated easily and give up cheaply. The ‘good thief’ saw glimpses of light even in the darkest moment of his life. He did not give up. He ended up in paradise. The Risen Lord reminds us: Don’t give up. There is an Easter Sunday after Good Friday. Death is not the end of everything. We are on a pilgrimage. Our Journey is complete only when we reach heaven. So do not live as if you belong to this world and death is the end of everything.

What Does Resurrection Mean For Us?

According to St. Paul, the goal of every Christian is to know and experience the power of the resurrection of Jesus. What does resurrection mean for you and me?

The Resurrection is life in the Spirit. It is a total submission of the body to the Spirit. When the body comes under the total control of the spirit, it is death to the physical world and birth to the spiritual world. This is not something that takes place merely after death. This is something that we must experience daily. This is a daily sadhana.

Jesus Must Be Our Foundation

Our challenge is, therefore, how can we overcome the attractions of the empty promises of the world. The only answer is to place Christ at the center of our lives and makes Him our reference point. The best example of a resurrected life is the story of Zachaeus. Peace became part of his life when he allowed Jesus to direct his life. If Jesus is our role model, then we will be able to put everything into perspective. We will have proper direction in life.

Love at its best! (Good Friday)

In 1947, Aug 15, on the first Independence day of India, Gandhi made this appeal to the British: “Leave my country, not as enemies but as friends”. A news reporter asked him: “How could you forgive the British who occupied your country for several years? How could you tell them to leave as friends?” Gandhi replied: “I learned this lesson from Calvary, from Jesus on the cross”.

The death of Jesus made a difference in the world. The death of Jesus touched the hearts of Billions and it opened a new way of living. On this Good Friday let us spend a few minutes reflecting on the transforming power of Jesus’ death on the Cross.

The sacrifice of Jesus showed the world the possibility of transforming an evil situation into a moment of grace and reconciliation. Jesus did not deserve death. It was inflicted upon him by the powers of evil. He could have easily avoided his crucifixion by destroying his enemies. He had the power to do so. He, however, chose a different course of Action. Victory always implies defeat of someone else. And as long as there are defeated people, there is the possibility of revenge. So he chose to forgive and break the chain of hatred. He prayed, “Father, forgive them” Luke (23:34). The result was immediate. The Centurion, who was in charge of his execution, surrendered his weapon and said, “He is really the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). His worst enemy became the first evangelizer.

Jesus was really successful on the cross, especially in his act of forgiveness. There are limited options to get the world back to God and to one another. Surely one is by the act of forgiveness. The modern world takes forgiveness as weakness. The truth is just the opposite. The weakness of forgiveness is more powerful than the strength of pride. Looking at the Crucifix, Archbishop Gudier said: “There is a greater greatness than the greatness of success that is the greatness of failure”. Many of us are living in a hell-like situation, because of our unwillingness to forgive. A little more humility can bring back the lost paradise.

The sacrifice of Jesus made suffering a sacrament of grace, a means of redemption. No one likes suffering. Suffering in itself can be evil. When we accept suffering for a noble purpose, it becomes a sacrifice; it becomes a means of grace. Jesus showed this at Calvary. He accepted suffering and offered it to God for the salvation of the world. Thus His suffering became a source of grace.

Suffering and sacrifice are part of the human experience. A grain of wheat cannot produce fruit unless it falls on the ground and dies. The same way, we can’t achieve anything worthwhile without sacrificing many of our personal comforts and desires. To bring up our children in the right way, parents needs to sacrifice some of their interests. To achieve a good grade in school, students need to give up some of their fun times. All these bring certain amount of suffering. This suffering shapes the quality of our lives. Martin Luther King said: “If a person has nothing worth dying for, he is not fit to live”.

The death of Jesus challenges us to work for justice. The suffering Jesus underwent was not the result of his wrong choices. It was the suffering of the world. It was the suffering of the leper…It was the struggles of the sinners…It was the pain of the outcast…When Jesus reached out to give them a life, he lost his life. There is no doubt that ‘real love suffers and hurts’. When Mother Therese started her work in Calcutta, some Hindu priests went to the police and asked them to stop her on grounds that she was converting the people. The police visited her place, but were touched by her work of charity. They returned to the priests and said: “Yes, we will stop her if you take up the work she is doing”.

And finally, his death reminds us of our sinfulness. Remember the first murder recorded in the Bible: the murder of Abel: God asked Cain: “Cain where is your brother?” He replied: “I don’t know!”(Genesis 4:8ff). Today, we cannot say that we don’t know Jesus. We cannot wash our hands like Pilate. Let us take the responsibility of the death of Jesus and start working for the Kingdom of God.

Dies to Rise! (Fifth Sunday of Lent)

My first supper in the seminary is very fresh in my memory. I was only fifteen years old then. After the inaugural talk by the Rector, we all proceeded to the dining hall for the dinner. Everything looked beautiful to my eyes except the dinner that was served. I was a vegetarian all my life and the food served was non-vegetarian. I informed my situation to the person in charge of the meals. I never thought it was going to be a big issue. The Rector came to me and said, “Sebastian, if you want to stay here you have to eat what we serve. There is no special treatment in the seminary”. He was not funny at all.

It may sound funny but it was a heart breaking moment in my life. I was asked to give up something which was part of my life style. My desire to become a priest was stronger than any other personal interest. I did not want to shatter my desire to be a priest for a choice of food. I ate the food even though I ended up in the hospital. I learned a lesson though. We cannot achieve anything worthwhile without paying a price. The price can be big or small, silly or serious.

Jesus Sacrificed
Jesus beautifully explained this truth when he said: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). Jesus became Christ not through any short cut. He grew into the fullness of his vocation by going through a series of sacrifices. Through obedience he was made perfect (Hebrews 5: 8-9). He had to give up his personal desires. He had to say no to his friends (Peter). He has to give up his Jewish identity and finally he had to sacrifice his earthly life. His sacrifice did not end up in vain. God exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above all other names.

Growth/ progress demands sacrifice. This is a natural Law. A child who is unwilling to give up his toys will not reach adulthood. Parents who are unwilling to grow old gracefully will prevent their children from becoming adult. To grow new leaves, the branches have to shed the old ones. In order to achieve anything worthwhile, one needs to pay a price. Unfortunately many people are happy with the Status Quo. A lot of them are unwilling to explore the possibility of something higher and more noble. Naturally they miss the opportunities to become great. It could be either due to ignorance or fear.

Sacrifice <> Suffering
Many people views sacrifice as suffering. This is the problem with many of us. Any sacrifice which is not related to a higher cause can be seen as suffering. Jesus was able to take up the cross because he could relate his death with the resurrection. Jesus considered his cross as a gateway to a higher good. Events make sense not in isolation but in its connectedness. A smile of a new born baby melts down the birth pain of a mother. A gold medal in the Olympic Game makes years of hard work look pleasant.

We all make sacrifices on a daily basis. The Hindu Scripture talks about three kinds of sacrifices.
1. Sacrifice without knowing the value of the object one sacrifices.
2. Sacrifice because one is forced to renounce it.
3. Sacrifice even when one knows the value of the object one renounces.

This third one is the Christian act of sacrifice. This is voluntary and redemptive. Jesus willingly took up the cross. His suffering became redemptive. No act of sacrifice goes in vain, if we approach it in this way.

What Choice Will You Make?
For people who are willing to sacrifice, the possibilities are as high as the sky. The world is continuously evolving. The best is yet to come.

Similarly, our life is an unfinished project. It is fashioned after the image of Jesus. Until we reach the fullness of Christ we remain incomplete. Naturally there are only two possibilities: progress or regress (growth or decline). No progress means decline.

The choice is yours.

I AM JESUS CHRIST

“I am Jesus Christ…I am Jesus Christ,” he shouted. Nobody in the mental hospital could save him from his illusion. When a psychiatrist from America visited the hospital, this patient was taken to him. He kindly consented to help the patient. He asked the man to put his arms out to the side. The therapist measured the man’s arms from fingertip to fingertip. He also measured the man from head to foot. The therapist then left the room and came back with a hammer, two pieces of wood and some nails.

Seeing all these, the patient got upset and anxious. “What are you doing?” he asked the Psychiatrist.

“You are Jesus Christ, aren’t you?” the therapist asked.

“Yes,” the Patient replied.

“Well,” he said. Then he put two pieces of wood in the form of a cross and started to nail them together. “Do you understand what I am doing?” the therapist asked the patient.

“No“, the patient replied.

“I am going to crucify you. If you are Jesus, then you have to die on the cross”, the Psychiatrist said.

“Are you crazy? I am not Jesus Christ”, the man replied and ran away.

People like to follow the ‘glorified Christ’. They like to see Jesus without the cross. This is not anything new. When Jesus spoke about his passion and death, Peter, intervened and said, “God, forbid it, Lord. That must never happen to you.” Jesus became Christ by obedience unto death. He became the Messiah by suffering and dying on the cross.

Any commitment to Jesus without understanding this messianic secret is peripheral as it does not help him or her to defend Jesus and his values in the hour of trial and tribulations. Like the mental patient, he will deny his Christian identity. A disciple is one who follows of the suffering Messiah. Readiness to suffer for values is the mark of Christian identity.

Temple Cleansing!

Cleansing of the Temple was a major event in the life of Jesus. All the Evangelists recorded it even though they differed on the timing of this particular event. The Synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke) placed the Cleansing of the Temple towards the end of his public ministry as its climax. For Mathew, Mark and Luke, this incident was the immediate reason for the provocation of the religious leaders that in turn resulted in His Crucifixion. However, John placed the cleansing event at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry right after the wedding in Cana (Jn 2:13-21).

Who is right? Is there any contradiction? Very often people raise this question. Scholars differ in their views. Some argue that the Cleansing of the Temple happened two times in his ministry, one in the beginning and the other towards the end. The evangelists reported this incident as it suited to their theological purposes. However most of the scholars are of the opinion that this had taken place only once and that was at the climax of his ministry.

John the Evangelist was primarily a theologian. His intention was not to present a historical account of Jesus’ life but a theological backing to his teaching and ministry. Naturally John did not follow the chronological order of the events but its theological significance.

John placed the Cleansing Event immediately after narrating the wedding feast at Cana. To have a better understanding of the Temple Event, we must read this event as a continuation of the first story. The messages of these two stories are intrinsically related.

The miracle of Cana revealed an important truth about the purpose and nature of Jesus’ mission. Jesus came to replace the Old (covenant) with the New (covenant). Wine symbolizes divine grace. The shortage of wine at Cana indicates the imperfection of the Old Testament in bringing the fullness of life. The Old must be replaced by the New. This theological motif was symbolically accomplished through the miracle of the changing of the water. Jesus ordered to the servants to ‘fill the water jars’. These jars were used to preserve the water for ceremonial washings, the old way of purification. The water in the Jar, the Old Testament, must be replaced by the water and blood flowed from the heart of Jesus. Now changing the water into wine, Jesus was prophetically announcing the new purification (salvation) that would take place through his blood. This became a reality at the last supper where Jesus established the New Covenant with his blood. At the last supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Lk 22:20).

The miracle of changing water into wine drew the attention of people and many, including his Disciples, believed in him. Jesus, however, did not want to leave the impression that he was going to bring salvation through ‘magic and prove his divinity by the display of power’. The salvation would result from a great sacrifice, even at the cost of breaking his body and shedding his blood. To bring this message home John placed the Temple Event at the very outset of his ministry. The synoptic gospels also shared the same view. For example, when Peter declared the Divinity of Jesus, He warned Peter not to tell anyone about this until he rises from the dead (Mk 8:29-30).

Two things are important here. First of all, Jesus was glorified not through a display of power but by his supreme obedience. Paul says, “…He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this God greatly exalted him” (Phil 2:9). The Centurion recognized the divinity of Jesus while Jesus was dying on the cross. He said, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mk 15:39). Jesus brought salvation through his supreme obedience which he proved on the cross.

Secondly, there is no shortcut to glory. There is no free lunch. If we take our salvation seriously, then we need to get into the temple of our life and make a thorough examination. We need to cleanse our body, which is the temple of God, by removing everything that pushes God to the periphery. In this process our guidelines are the Ten Commandments, Teachings of the Church and the Traditions of the Church.

Worship with reverence!

The Good shepherd is the most familiar image of Jesus that most of us have in our mind. The kind, loving and compassionate Jesus carrying wounded sheep on his shoulder has become synonym with hope. It is unimaginable to conceive such a person acting with anger. However, at least a couple places in the Gospels we find Jesus with a different face, the angry Jesus. Jesus was angry with people who exploited the poor. He was in constant confrontation with Pharisees who made the life of the weak difficult with outdated laws. Jesus became indignant at the sight of people misusing the Temple. Since the gospel reading for the third Sunday of Lent is the scene of ‘Jesus cleansing the Temple’, (Jn 2:13-22) it is fitting to reflect on this incident and draws lessons for our spiritual journey.

Why was Jesus angry? Three things that provoked Jesus:

1. Worship without focus! Recently a High school student came to me for counseling. He was in tears. He said: “I cannot graduate this year. I messed it all up. I am going to lose one year in my life”. What was his problem? He got involved in too many programs. In the process he lost the focus. The High School Student failed to understand the primary reason for his going to school. His misplaced interest cost him dearly. This can happen to any one not only in education but in any area of one’s life. This was the problem in the Jerusalem Temple too. The focus was shifted from worship to wealth. Temple and worship became a business.

Primarily, the Temple is a place of worship/sacrifice. People go to the Temple to celebrate their faith and experience conversion. Jesus found this aspect missing in the Temple. God was pushed to the corner and material interests took the driving seat. The money lenders and the sellers of sacrificial offerings reversed the priorities of the Temple. They exploited the poor by manipulating the temple tax and sacrificial offerings.

Every Jew over nineteen years of age was required to pay the temple tax. The tax was almost equal to two day’s wage. This must be paid in Jewish coins as the Jews considered coins from other cultures and countries were unclean. The temple authorities and their official money changers charged a huge price for their service. For example to change money worth one shekel (equal to a four day’s wage), they charged half a shekel. This made the worship costly and difficult, especially for the poor. The Temple Inspectors also contributed their own share to worsen the situation. Animal sacrifice was part and parcel of the temple worship. The law required that the animals brought to the temple must be perfect and unblemished. The temple inspectors often rejected the animals brought by the pilgrims from their homes unless they were given bribe. This forced the pilgrims to buy animals from the temple authorities with a high price. In short, the purpose of worship was ignored and the selfish interest was promoted. The House of prayer became ‘a den of thieves” (Mk 11:17).

2. Worship without conversion! Rituals are important. Rituals are part of life. They make experience tangible, experiential and communitarian. For example, we offer flowers to our loved ones to express our love. We use flowers as a symbol of love, but a flower is not love. We don’t worship a sign board because it points to a pilgrim center. Rituals have values as long as they point to a greater reality. They are means to an end, not an end in itself. We use rituals in worship. According to the Second Vatican Council “Liturgy is the ritual accomplishment of the redemptive act of Christ” (Sacro Sanctum Concilium). The problem arises when we fail to transcend the rituals. The problem with Temple worship was that they absolutised rituals for monetary reasons. Sabbath is for man and man is not for Sabbath (Mk 2:27). Jesus criticized the ritualistic approaches of Pharisees and corrected their understanding of worship saying, “True worship is in Truth and Spirit” (Jn 4:24). Any form of worship that does not lead us to conversion needs reconsideration.

3. Worship without communion! Religion means relationship. Relationship is the medium through which God operates. Hence Jesus said, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24). The practice prevailed at the Jerusalem Temple was divisive. They promoted class system and exclusivism. ‘The Temple was, for example, consisted of a series of courts leading into the Temple proper and to the Holy Place. There was first the court of the gentiles, the court of the women, then the court of the Jews and then the court of the Priests’. They did not come together as a community but as exclusive groups. The common purpose did not bind them together. This discriminatory attitude shocked Jesus. Jesus came to gather the people into a family where all could pray together the prayer ‘Our Father…” Jesus came to break the man made barriers that divide humanity into classes and casts. So Jesus said,” My house shall be called house prayer for all the nations” (Mk 11:17). This attitude of Jesus is very well reflected in his selection of disciples. Nobody was untouchable to him (Mt 5: 9-13).

Jesus was angry when he saw worship without focus, reverence, conversion and communion. Hence these are the questions we need to ask today: How is our liturgy today? What comes first in our Liturgical planning? What is the focus? How do I participate in the worship? Do I worship with reverence? How do I prepare myself for the Liturgical celebration? How does my worship bring me closer to God and one another? How inclusive am I in my approach? What do I do to make the celebration meaningful and spiritually enriching? Finally, it is also important to consider the way we respect and treat our Body. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul says, “I urge you, therefore, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship” (Rom12:1).