24Th Week, Monday Year B-Homily (17Th September, 2018)

Monday: 1 Cor. 11:17-26, 33; Lk. 7:1-10  

The first reading presents to us how Paul explains the attitude and the disposition of the community with regard to the Lord’s Supper. In fact, Paul gives a scolding to the community because they failed to understand the meaning of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. As we all know that the Eucharist is the expression of Jesus love for the twelve apostles. But, the community was disloyal to this Eucharistic love due to disunity and lack of eschatological orientation. One of the reasons why Paul does not commend the community is that while celebrating the Eucharist they were stuck to their divisions and factions. Thus the community failed to understand the primordial things over the trivial issues. They gave away the eschatological essentials by being bogged down by the existential elements. Paul is rather emphatic as he says that what he received from the Lord he passed it on. But then the community could not do so. Therefore, at this complex situation, Paul comes out with a solution to re-examine their attitude towards the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and then turn to the Lord for help so that they may open their hearts to celebrate the Eucharist worthily. In the context of the Eucharist Christian charity and fraternity become very strong as it is both a thanksgiving and a sharing (Bread being broken and shared). In fact, the words “Do this in memory of me” the Lord initiates a bond of mutual sharing and mutual love. Therefore, Paul is heavy on the community for having failed to recognise this Eucharistic element.   

In today’s gospel, we read of a centurion’s response of faith in Jesus. The emphasis in the miracle is given to the power of Jesus’ word. A centurion, being a Roman, considered as unclean by the Jews and yet manifests a great deal of faith in Jesus. As a commander of the army, he could command his army from a distance understood that Jesus also could heal his servant from a distance. The point of the story is Jesus’ affirmation of the centurion’s faith and not the report of the healing that concludes the story. In fact, Lukan description communicates Jesus’ surprise at the Gentile’s faith, and his approval as well. This tells us that where Jesus would have expected to find faith in an Israel, here he finds it in a Gentile. Jews request Jesus not to consider him as a Gentile for he was good to the Jews. In contrast to what the Jewish elders say, the centurion claims that he is not worthy to welcome Jesus into his house. He was even sensitive to Jesus not to allow him to break Jewish rule of ritual purity. Thus a centurion acknowledges Jesus’ power over the forces of death. So much so that he even believed that Jesus’ mere word would restore his servant to health. Here, a centurion became a hero not because he did something extraordinary or he is worthy not because he did good deeds but because he believed that God in Jesus conquered death. His unexpected faith is contrasted with that of those who were expected to believe and did not. 

Dear friends, the word of God invites us to think about our faith in Jesus, how deep and firm it is? Or how shallow and superficial it is? The situation in and around is in no way different from that of Jesus. If so are we like a centurion who professed in Jesus or like the community in the first reading who celebrated the Eucharist unworthily. The former was outside the chosen race yet believed in the Lord and latter was inside the chosen race but failed to believe the real presence of the Lord. Therefore, like the centurion let us express our faith in Jesus and not in people. If we keep our faith in people surely we will lose our faith like the community in the first reading who were blinded by their own vested interests and selfish motives and failed to believe the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Such people are not very far from heresy, schism and apostasy. How fatal that would be, living a life of self-contradiction and a life of uncertainty. Instead, like the centurion who considered himself unworthy before Jesus and yet believed that only Jesus could bring healing for his servant and reconciliation to him whom the world considered as the unclean. But the Lord was amazed at his faith. Dear friends, seeing you and me will the Lord say not even in Israel have I found faith as great as this. If so you are not very far from the Kingdom of God. If not, better examine before the Lord who truly, really and substantially comes to us in this Eucharist. And it is better to repent now than never.    

Youth: Where is your Heart?

Once, a friend asked me to prepare a talk on the role of the young people towards parents, family and the Church. Today, the young people are seemed to be busy doing many things but they fail in life. In fact, many young people end up in life as drunkards, drug addicts, rapists and then commit suicide. As teenagers, they are so promising and so active in studies, sports and music but then as they complete teenage something goes wrong with them. Where are the principles that they learn in the School? Where are the values that they learn in the family? Where is their faith? Being young is adventurous and challenging. But then, suddenly there is a drastic change in their lifestyle, dress code, talk, food habits, picnics, new and unknown friendships and online late night chatting etc. Dear young reader, I am happy that you are reading this and while you read if you find yourself uncomfortable then you’ve got to think seriously about your life. Today all the young people who are victims of Media, Social Networks and online relationship are having a sickness called FOMO. What is this? It is Fear Of Missing Out. All those who check their WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Messenger and other social networks for updates and notifications fall into this new sickness of FOMO. They are not in control of them but the Mobile and the Media. There are many other social and behavioural changes that take place in these people; sleeplessness, dilemma, depression, headache and irritation are few among them.       

It is good to think about what is going on in the mind of the young people. Where are the young people? Who is their friend? And where is their heart? In the Bible there are questions:

In (Gen. 3:8), God asked Adam, Where are you?

In (Gen. 4:9), Yahweh asked Cain, Where is your brother Abel?

And in (.......), the Lord asked the young man, Where is your Heart?

Today God asks every young man and young woman the same questions...where are you? Where is hour brother/sister? And where is your heart?

In this buzz world, there is a danger of truth being manipulated and identity being disfigured. Unfortunately, even the leaders of the country don’t help the young to make the right decisions and choose life and avoid evil. Instead, political and religious fundamentalist groups mobilize the young and use them as means for their selfish motives. The media is so deceptive that it adds fuel to fire by confusing the young people about their priorities and responsibilities. Thus the young people are becoming victims of media culture. As a consequence of the negative influence of media, fanatic and fundamentalist culture the young people become indifferent to their responsibilities and become overactive on the social networks where they find their imaginations and fantasies coming true. They get lost in this wave of media and become helpless victims of trend and end up miserably by joining violent groups causing public and social damage. God asks to choose life or death. If we choose life then we have got to work at it and if we choose death than the world makes use of us and leaves us at the end as victims of media culture and as the puppets in the hands of the rich.  

What went wrong with these young people? First and foremost they lacked focus in life and therefore they begin to enjoy life in sin. Sin is a passing joy, a momentary pleasure but the guilt remains (Eph 7:1; 2 Cori 4:8). What is the solution? The only solution we have is Jesus Christ and the Sacraments.   

We become what we behold. Life is not an accident, nor an incident, nor a coincident, not a chance or a by chance but by choice. Yes, it is the Choice of God that we are alive. It is His gift to us. Therefore, your attitude toward life determines your altitude in life. Attitude: Faith, Work and Humility. Altitude: Grace, Success and Happiness. Prayer is the key to heaven but faith unlocks the door. So, my prayer is that the young people today must be focussed and be clear about those three Biblical questions and thus strive to find meaning, happiness and fulfilment in life. When we are young we must invest all our energies to lay a strong foundation for our better future. Therefore, delay not but start working on. Faith, Morals, sacraments and responsibilities are the stepping stones for a happy, joyous and holy life.