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.  

A Student Laments over...(A to Z)

Alas!

Bitter tale is mine.

Comes to my mind like an unceasing sunrise and

Drives me into depression and dejection.

Eventides are filled with assignments galore.

Frequent trials of text-familiarity tests add on to my grief.

Griever, I have become more grievers my associates turned.

Highlighting, again and again, the highlights of the Bible text,

Inch is not left without colouring the page.

Just how contrast to my day; colourless and lifeless.

Knowledge of the scripture I sought to master

Lamentations unending is what I fetched and

Mourning and in misery, I sink deep.

Nineveh, the old destroyed city

Oh! What a similar pathetic state we both have

Parched for comfort and longing for consolation.

Questionable life is mine, is it worth treading?

Render your answer, O Lord, and restore my soul.

Silence, my dearest soul, loose not your hope

Trust in Lord, take time to test your motives

Unwrap your true self, strive for the truth

Victory is in the WORD alone.

Woe is you, if you don’t grab the intention and experience of your professor, so

Xerox entire scripture with haste

Yes! This is your true destination and a sure path to

Zion above, the eternal God’s abode.

           

 Yet this is written as an assignment in appreciation for the writer of the book of lamentation for his acrostic poems. In order to keep and follow the alphabetical order author seems bit exaggerating yet it does not bog me down to appreciate his efforts.  

M. Sudhakar. 

30th August, Thursday: Homily

Dear friends in Jesus Christ...first reading presents to us how Paul’s evangelical mission was established on God’s initiative. (Sosthenes Acts18:17).

Paul refers to the Church of God and the believers as set apart. He uses this highly condensed formula kletois hagiois, means that believes have been set apart by God. However it does not qualify that they are intrinsically holy, but they are sanctified through Christ. To understand the phrase ‘Those Sanctified’ we must know the context of Paul and Corinth. Paul’s earliest preaching in the city took place in the local synagogue where, both Jews and Greeks accepted his message. It is in this context that Paul tells of those who are made ‘Holy’, and ‘Set apart.’ For Paul every Christian is set apart, sanctified and made holy by the merits of Christ’s sacrifice (Heb.10:10). This comes to us in Baptism. Therefore, he encourages them to call on the name of the Lord in prayer and worship.   

Besides, Paul reminds, how they are blessed by the Holy Spirit, in order to build the Church. Although, the believers are sanctified, set apart and filled with the gifts of the spirit, this is all done only through Christ. So he tells them to be holy in word and deed. This goes without saying that how Paul sees/goes beyond the borders.   

He warns them about Judgement Day. The day of the Lord has many connotations: It relates at once to the OT expression of the Judgement Day. It is a fiery judgement when God takes vengeance on his enemies and vindicates the saints. Sometimes it refers to the last day of history, when Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Hence, Paul tells the community that God will not abandon what he has started in the Church. Therefore the members of the Church are termed as kletoi the called ones. It is a Pauline technical word used to mention the process of salvation through Christ. Thus Paul draws a line of communion, koinonia/union in Christ. Thus their shared existence as members of Christ’s body is highlighted in this Eucharist.  

In today’s gospel reading Matthew presents how essential it is to be prepared and be watchful. Vigilance is a prominent theme in Jesus’ teaching ministry presented in 24-26 chapters.  This theme addresses the glorious coming of Christ at three levels.

1. Past historical: The disciples were to look vigilantly for Christ’s judgement on Jerusalem.

2. Present Liturgical: Disciples must look with faith to see the coming of Christ in the Eucharist. Jesus’ presence must be discerned to avoid divine judgement.

3. Future Eschatological: Disciples must watch for Christ’s Second Coming in glory.  

Being vigilant in faith and good works is necessary to inherit eternal life with Christ. Therefore, let us understand what is in the mind of Matthew: Watch Therefore is the principle that tells that no one knows the exact time of the Parousia, except the Father. According to Matthew, Jesus by sharing our human condition shares also our partial ignorance. Matthew tells us that we must not be like the Men of Noah who drew wrong conclusions from their ignorance of the time of the flood and were careless in the things that pertain to God. Matthew employs a new term hetoimoi=ready, prepared and vigilance. It is an eschatological alertness to the will of God.   

We know the word eschatology comes from a Greek word eschaton means ‘the last things’ or ‘the things of the afterlife.’ In the Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples to stay awake. And in the first reading Paul urges the community to be united to the church and to behave like the people set apart. If we are not vigilant enough, then we will be like that wicked servant, foolish virgins and like the men of Noah’s time who were succumbed to their human calculations. It is true the Lord delays but then he does not wait. Let us therefore, dispose our hearts and minds at the feet of the Lord and ask him to strengthen our faith so that we go not by sight but by faith like that of the early Christian Community. For, we are also set apart, sanctified and made holy. Thus we shall live our faith with an eschatological alertness. That is how saints lived. St Augustine: Late have I know you o ancient and o heavenly beauty. Thomas Aquinas: All I wrote is trash if compared to the beatific vision he had. Mother Theresa: I trust in thee. Dear friends in Christ, let us pray in this holy Eucharist that may we also learn to be vigilant and walk in faith. Let go by faith and not by sight. For the Lord delays but does not wait for your preparedness. Blessed are if you are like Paul, John the Baptist and the saints above for you have won favour of the Lord.    

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dear friends today, the Church invites us to celebrate the Queenship of Mary. Her coronation as the Queen of all creation is intimately connected to her Assumption into heaven. This feast was first proclaimed as a Liturgical Feast by Pope Pius XII on 11^th October 1954 through his Encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam. The wisdom of the Church makes this feast significant for us to celebrate all the more with great favour and faith. Considering the fact that Jesus was descendant of the House of David, Mary being the mother of Jesus is entitled by tradition to sit at the right hand of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Queen Mother. This tradition dates back to the Old Testament when Bathsheba was enthroned as Queen Mother because of the role she played in making her son, Solomon, the King. We contemplate this wonderful scene in the fifth Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary. In the fifth Glorious Mystery, the Church believes that Mary as the Queen of Heaven, Our Lord comes back to us again through Mary, passing His Life and His blessing through her hands as the Mediatrix of all graces. He came through her in Bethlehem; through her, we go back to Him-and through her He comes back again to us.

In Regina Anglorum one of the famous poems of G.K. Chesterton is...

Our Lady went into a strange country

And they crowned her for a queen

For she needed never to be stayed or questioned

But only seen;

And they were broken down under unbearable beauty

As we have been.

Our Lady wears a crown in a strange country

The crown He gave,

But she has not forgotten to call her old companions,

To call and crave;

And to hear her calling a man might arise and thunder

On the doors of the grave.    

The Old Testament records Enoch and Elijah being taken up to heaven by the Lord. In the New Testament, we read of the single privilege of Mary to be chosen by God to be the mother of His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. From our Scripture classes, we know the Jewish context of those who bear children outside marriage. Therefore, this grace of being the mother of God was accompanied by hardships and a test of faith. So the angel’s greetings of ‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour...was in fact not as pleasing as it appeared to be. For that greetings and blessing entailed the cross unseen and the pain unexpressed. She perhaps understood the mystery of this greeting as she accompanied her son to Calvary. But she did not fail to respond in faith and believe in heart what her son had to accomplish. She pondered all these things in her heart and with faith and confidence in her son’s divinity she told the men at the wedding to do whatever he tells.

After hearing the greetings of the angel, Mary was deeply disturbed and was perplexed about what those words mean. Mary a young Jewish girl, still holy and innocent as a teenager was afraid thinking of what would befall her. But the Angel tells her, Mary do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Look, You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.   

Learning from Mother Mary: Beauty takes different forms. This feast of the Queenship of Mary projects the reward of Mary’s purity of heart and sanctity of life. It also is a reminder of the true face value and inner beauty of our Blessed Mother. Therefore, this feast is an invitation to draw out our inner beauty and sanctity of life. May she help us and assist us particularly when we are troubled and confused in our isolated misunderstandings and misconceptions of truth and goodness of humanity and divinity. Thus with her assistance may we also in faith and confidence sing a hymn of Magnificat and run in haste to help and support our neighbour as she did to Elizabeth, her cousin.

Two Things to Do...

Hurrey...! we the SHTC family (Staff and Students) inaugurate another academic year of 2018-19 on 7th of August, 2018. The auditorium is packed with students both of BTh and ITLR. The President at the end of his report invited all the students to give the best and get the maximum out of this academic year. Interestingly, another professor had only two things to say; One is to READ and the other is to WRITE.  

Today's youth, students and netizens perhaps lack these two academic virtues; hence, he might have felt that the students of SHTC also might have fallen into this current of media. Therefore, his challenge and invitation to Read and Write, I believe are relevant even for us all SHTC students, particularly as we venture into yet another year of learning and unlearning and growing and becoming. 

The Theme of the Day: "From darkness of ignorance lead us to the light of knowledge oh God..."    

The Ideal, Actual and the Possible Self

It was on the eve of the community day celebrations that one of the staff members insight-fully opened my eyes with his thoughtful, insightful and emotion filled speech. Well, that great soul is Rev Fr V.V. Paul who is known for editorial work. What did he say?

It was a great day for all the students of theology celebrating the community day on which we would be served good food and drinks. Hence, everyone was waiting for this good and great day. In view of this beautiful day, Fr V.V. Paul gave us food for our thought. For me it was a solid and nutritious food for my thought. 

There are always two types of families, societies, communities. I believe that this formula even applies for the type of the self. The first type is the Ideal and the second is Actual. He said that 'these two types are equally important." Because, if Ideal is neglected then we become cynical and on the other hand if we reduce the actual then we fall into hypocritical syndrome. Therefore, the challenge is to strike a balance between these two types. In this process of we don't elevate the Ideal in order to reduce the Actual; but we raise the Actual to reach the Ideal. At this juncture, we must realize that this is a constant journey that having the Ideal before us and strive to reach it. As 'every light has it's own shadow,' hence, we must transcend the differences, limitations and shadows. If so, eventually we become the protagonists of the third type called the Possible Community, Society, Family and the Self. By this process of growing, maturing and enlightening we all as Individuals create space for a good and possible families, communities, societies and selves. Thus we help each other by understanding the realities of life that nothing is Ideal unless and until we begin to step into the shoes of the other. By this we reflect each other with all differences, limitations and shadows. For no one is perfect except God the Almighty. Therefore, we emulation of God's goodness strive to transcend human predicament and created ripples of humanity, of understanding, accepting and supporting. For by being human we become divine. As human beings, being human is our duty for there lies our beauty.