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?

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.

Holy Thursday (Service: Faith in loving action)

Eileen Eagan, the author of ‘Vision of the Street: Mother Theresa’ talks about her meeting with Mother Theresa. During the conversion she asked Mother Theresa: “What makes Christianity a different religion?” “Service, service, service”, she answered. Service is the mark of Christian identity. Jesus himself said: “I have come, not to be served but to serve and give my life as ransom to many” (Mark 10:45). Even though Jesus had done a lot of things during his ministry, only one time did he say that he is giving a model to imitate (John 13:15). This was after washing the feet of his disciples.

Why did Jesus place service on the top of his priority list?

First of all, the principle of service underlines the basic truth about human existence. We are a relational being. We belong to one another. No person can grow in isolation. He needs a community. It is not enough to keep one’s blessings for oneself but we need to use it for the well being of the community. A Community does not possess talents. The gifts and talents of the community are distributed among its members. No single member possesses all the talents required to build up a community. If any one person refuses to cooperate, the community suffers (1Cor 12:12-26). In the act of serving we exercise this fundamental dimension of human existence.

Secondly, the goal of service is to prepare people to walk in the way of God and ultimately to build up the body of Christ (the Eucharistic Community)). Washing of the feet signifies that. The word ‘Walking’ was used as a metaphor in the Jewish religious culture. A good person walks the way of God. The washing of the feet was a symbolic gesture of straightening one’s path. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to prepare them for the last supper (the Eucharist). In this sense, all forms of service must lead to evangelization.

Serving others is not as easy as we think since we are living in a culture that emphasizes on self promotion and self glorification. Jesus not only served symbolically but also concretely. He served others to the extent of breaking and sharing his body. Service at its best is Eucharistic Service. In this we exercise our Christian identity. Christianity is not a self oriented religion but an other oriented religion. The important question, therefore, is not what did accomplish for yourself but rather what did you do for others? (Matthew 25:40).

The Eucharist, the climax of Jesus’ self giving service, not only serves as a constant inspiration to give of ourselves, but also nourishes us on our spiritual journey. It is the food that strengthens us to reach out to others even to the point of sacrificing our life.

Jesus also wanted this spiritual food made available in the church until the end of time; therefore He instituted the Priesthood by authorizing his apostles to continue to do it in His memory” (Luke 22:19). Christian service is not possible without Eucharist. The Eucharist will not be made available without out our priests.

As service marks the identity of Christian life, no one is excused from taking up responsibilities in the church. The call to service is the direct effect of Baptism. Like the early church, let us grow together as a family by taking care of the needs of each other. “The community of believers was of one heart and mind….There was no needy person among them…Everything was distributed according to need” (Acts 4: 32-35).