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.

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.”

World Vocation Sunday

(Fourth Sunday of Easter)

Recently I had a phone call from India. The number looked unfamiliar. Even though I had no clue whatsoever about the identity of the person on the other end, I picked up the phone. With excitement I asked, “Are you John?” “Yes! This is John! What a surprise. How did you recognize my voice?”, he exclaimed. John invited me for a college reunion. We never had any contact for at least 17 years. Still I recognized his voice. It is not easy to forget the voice of someone whom we love, even if we don’t have any contact with that person for a long time.

In the gospel reading (John 10:11-18) Jesus makes a similar statement. Jesus says, “I know mine and mine know me. I know my sheep by name and mine recognize my voice” The key to friendship is this mutual recognition. The key to discipleship is the same, too. No discipleship is possible without listening to and recognizing the voice of Jesus.

Why is listening to Jesus important?

Listening to Jesus is important because as we heard in the first reading (Acts of the Apostles 4:12), Jesus is the only name given for our salvation. Jesus became the sole source of our redemption through his supreme care for all humanity that led to the sacrifice of his life. The relationship and commitment of Jesus to humanity is compared to a good shepherd because for a Jew, the imagery of a Good Shepherd is the highest symbol of God’s faithfulness to Israel. God’s love for Israel is compared to that of a good shepherd. Psalm 23, for example, describes God as a Good Shepherd.

A Good shepherd knows his sheep by name, gives hundred percent care for each sheep and if he loses one, he looks for the lost one until he finds him. Finally, a good shepherd defends and protects the life of his sheep. If a shepherd lost a sheep he had to have a very good explanation. He had to prove that he had done everything possible to find the sheep. If someone attacked a sheep and killed it, the shepherd had to prove that he put up a good fight to save the sheep by showing marks of wounds and injuries.

In the person of Jesus, people saw the manifestation of God’s caring love. In Jesus, we see all these virtues. Calvary is the last proof of his faithfulness. Hanging on the cross and showing his wounds, Jesus says: ‘I have done everything to save you’. We are the fruits of his sacrifice. God approved the way Jesus walked and presented Him to the world by bringing him back to life. Listening to Jesus is, therefore, vitally important, and the early disciples recognized that. They declared: ‘ There is no salvation thorough anyone else, nor is there any other name under Heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved”.

Listening and recognizing the Voice of Jesus is the mark of our faithfulness. Jesus had done everything to perfection. Now it is our turn to show our faithfulness. This we do through the act of listening; constantly listening to his voice and recognizing his presence. The problem is that we are bombarded with a lot of voices (distractions) today. The voice of the secular society, the voice of the self and the voice of various isms are a few among them. Many of these voices appeal to our ears and look good. In the midst of these confusing voices how do we discern Jesus’ voice? How do we prove that we are his faithful Disciples? There are different tools to discern Christ’s voice in our life and understand God’s plan for each one of us. They are prayer, Scripture reading, the celebration of the sacraments, charitable works and different ministries in the church.

Listening Alone is not Enough

Following the Word of Jesus completes the act of listening. Listening alone is not enough. St. James says: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1: 22). Listening is complete in the act of following all the way to the extend of laying down one’s life for the sheep entrusted to oneself. St. James continues: “If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like” (James 1:22-24). To the woman who said to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breast at which you nursed” he replied, “Rather blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it”. (Luke11: 27-28)

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

There is this little story. It is about a father knocking on the door of his son’s bedroom at eight o’clock in the morning. The father said, “Son, get up. It’s time to go to school”. “I’m not going to school today. I have three reasons for saying this,” the son replied. “Number one, I want to sleep. Number two, going to school is boring. Number three, the kids are teasing me”. The father then replied, “But you have to go to school today. I, too, have three reasons why you must go to school today”. “Number one, it is your duty. Number two, you are fifty-five years old. Number three, you are the Principal of the school”.

Being the headmaster of the school, it was his responsibility to get up early in the morning, reach the school on time and motivate the staff and students. In order to lead our homes, communities and nations in the right direction we need to follow the example of the Good Shepherd, Jesus.

Following Jesus Through Priestly and Religious Vocation

Today we are invited to hear Jesus’ call in a in a particular way. Today is World Vocation Sunday. We are called to listen to his call to the priesthood and religious life. As you are well aware, today our church is suffering from a shortage of priestly and religious vocations. We cannot imagine a situation where we don’t have enough priests because no priest means no Eucharist and no Eucharist means no Catholic Church.

The problem is not with God, it is with us. God is still calling us to ministry but we either do not recognize his call or we fail to respond to it. If a person fails to respond to God’s call not only he/she, but the whole community suffers. Therefore the families and communities have a great responsibility to encourage our young men to consider the priesthood as one of their options. On this day, I invite parents to see how they are listening to the voice of God and shepherding their families to bring up good shepherds. Family is the primary catalyst of faith formation. Family is the domestic church where vocations take root.

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.